Category Archives: Robin
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 3/28/15
I’m happy to report my busy week has come to an end! I was covering a murder trial in my day job as a mild-mannered newspaper reporter, and the guy ended up being found guilty. He had it coming, trust me. But all that day job stuff cut into my blogging and comic book reading, so unfortunately it’s going to be a somewhat light week. It helps that Marvel Comics didn’t really put out anything too crazy this week.
Though Marvel did put out Uncanny X-Men #32, which wins Comic Book of the Week for finally kicking off Cyclops’ final journey!
And does it vive?
DC Comics filled up the rest of my week, with new issues of Batman Eternal, Batman and Robin and Gotham Academy. It seems I really read a lot of Bat-books. That’s largely unintentional, they’re just the best that DC has to offer. That’s not a bad thing, right?
Oh, and you can check out my review of Darth Vader #3 over at Word of the Nerd. Good times in Dark Lord of the Sithing!
Comic Reviews: Batman Eternal #51, Batman and Robin #40, Gotham Academy #6 and Uncanny X-Men #32.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – March 14, 2015
Rejoice, everybody! This was a darn great week for comics! It’s the sort of week that strains my wallet and makes me wish I didn’t have such expensive hobbies. But then I remember that at least I’m not a parasailer. I bet that stuff is really expensive.
Nope, I spend my money on stuff like Ms. Marvel, the Comic Book of the Week! And it feels so good to say that! I love this comic so much.
Swoon
But the rest of the week is pretty darn good too! We’ve got new Amazing Spider-Man, new Ant-Man and new Star Wars, and there were some great comics I read this week that I didn’t even get around to reviewing, like Captain Marvel, Silver Surfer and Thor! This was apparently my week!
I was planning to review Silver Surfer, but I have very specific expectations when it comes to Silver Surfer and Galactus, and Dan Slott went in the entirely opposite direction. It just wouldn’t have been fair for me to review that comic.
Comic Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man #16, Ant-Man #3, Batman Eternal #49, Howard the Duck #1, Ms. Marvel #13, Ninjak #1 and Star Wars #3.
‘We Are Robin’ to Star Duke Thomas and Friends
One of the most interesting new comics coming out of DC this Spring will be We Are Robin, a series that was shrouded in mystery when it was first announced. What’s with all the kids on the cover? What about Tim Drake, Dick Grayson or Jason Todd? Who is Robin?
Well the shroud is off and the questions have been answered in USA Today! We Are Robin is going to star Duke Thomas and a whole movement of Gotham teenagers rallying behind the mantle of the Boy Wonder!
Where can I get that jacket?
As much as this kind of goes against everything I love about Robin…I’m actually kind of excited by this news! It sounds like a really awesome comic and a neat twist on the whole concept of Robin.
Personally, of course, I much prefer the idea that Robin is a single individual: the squire to the Dark Knight, the apprentice of the World’s Greatest Detective. But I’m definitely down to check out Lee Bermejo’s We Are Robin when it launches in a few months. Maybe it’s because I’m still annoyed that Harper Row didn’t get to become the new Robin, and we’re still stuck with Damian Wayne. Maybe I’m just more open to new and fascinating comic book ideas. Whatever the case, I’m totally on board.
Bermejo mentions in the article that he’s partially inspired by movements like what happened in Ferguson, Missouri last year.
“There’s that element of this particular moment we’re passing right now, and with a book like this you have a chance to comment about certain things and bring them into the Bat-universe in real interesting ways. With ideas and big concepts, teenagers can get really passionate about that stuff and it can be their whole life. That was something interesting to me, that this thing could be bigger than just one guy jumping around in a domino mask.”
Bermejo says he wants to take the very idea of Robin and play around with it. And that maybe there are a lot of kids in the streets of Gotham who could be helping Batman out there.
Specifically, the series will star Duke Thomas, a kid that Bruce Wayne first met in Zero Year, and who recently reappeared during Batman’s fight with the Joker. And when all DC comics jumped 5 years into the future last fall, it was Duke Thomas who was serving as Robin, in costume.
Nonchalantly out of context
So maybe We Are Robin is just the next part of Duke Thomas’ journey. We shall see. But no matter what this title brings, I am definitely excited. There are big things ahead for the Boy Wonder(s)!
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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 3/7/15
Welp, things didn’t exactly work out for me like I was hoping earlier this week, so I don’t have any awesome news to share. But maybe something else will come along in the future that I can brag to you henchies about. Until then, we have more comics to enjoy this week!
Comic Book of the Week goes to Princess Leia #1 for another great Star Wars comic from Marvel. Writer Mark Waid and his creative team really hit the princess nail on the head, with a cool new chapter of the Star Wars saga from a character who definitely needs more of the spotlight.
Not everybody likes hugs as much as me
We’ve also got fantastic new issues of Grayson and Harley Quinn, and I’m pleased to say that Spider-Woman might actually be a good comic now that it’s ditched the Spider-Verse crossover. Marvel was crazy to begin her series like they did. Oh, and her new costume is the bee’s knees in her new issue!
Over at Word of the Nerd, you can check out my review this week of All-New Hawkeye #1, which sees a new creative team try to take over from the stellar Matt Fraction and David Aja. I think they might have a chance of pulling it off.
Comic Reviews: Angela: Asgard’s Assassin #4, Batman Eternal #48, Grayson #8, Harley Quinn #15, Princess Leia #1 and Spider-Woman #5.
The 6 Best and the 6 Worst Parts of DC’s New 52
The New 52 is over; long live DC Comics. After more than three years of sticking to their rigid, grim and gritty house style, the second biggest publisher in comics has decided to try something different — and I couldn’t be happier. I quickly soured to the New 52 and have barely hung on all these years later.
Get out of there Cyborg, you’re not Justice League
When DC rebooted their entire comics lineup in 2011 — including everyone from Superman and Batman to Green Lantern — they decided that the best way to reach fans was with dark, gritty comics aimed at teenage boys and young men. They published 52 comics a month and called the whole event the ‘New 52’. But comic book fans are prone to change, and nowadays we want a variety of different comics and styles, definitely not just grim and gritty. Marvel Comics, the biggest publisher, understands this and routinely beats DC in sales.
So starting in June, DC will abandon their New 52 way of thinking and will start offering new comics with new styles for new audiences. It’s a great plan! But before it’s gone, I wanted to take a look back at 6 things I liked and 6 things I loathed in the New 52. Hopefully DC can learn from this.
Henchman-4-Hire 