Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 2/20/16
What a phenomenal week for comics! I’m not just talking about DC’s new Rebirth announcement, which looks fine. I’m talking about the specific comics I read this week, almost all of which were good to great! If you told me 5 years ago that I would love comics about Thor, Harley Quinn and Luke Cage, I would have told you you were silly! But here we are!
Comic Book of the Week goes to the first issue of Power Man and Iron Fist. This was a rock solid start for the revived series, one that will hopefully help define the characters ahead of their upcoming TV shows. Honestly, after only one issue, I would watch this show.
Kids today
It’s even got Jessica Jones in a supporting role! Though considering her Netflix success, where’s our new Jessica Jones comic?
Comic Reviews: Harley Quinn #25, Mighty Thor #4, Power Man and Iron First #1, Silver Surfer #2 and Spider-Woman #4.
Geoff Johns Finally Introduces DC’s New Rebirth
Making things nice and easy for me, Geoff Johns made a little video for Comic Book Resources about the new Rebirth at DC Comics. It’s not a reboot.
Johns also sat down for a big, explanatory interview with CBR. You can read it here!
So basically, to sum a lot of it up, there’s going to be a big one-shot coming out in May to kick this whole thing off. Then all the comics are going to get a new #1 issue, except for Detective Comics and Action Comics, which will be going back to their original numbering. That means we’ll soon get to #1,000s! That’s pretty darn cool.
In fact, CBR also has the full list of comics coming out of DC in Rebirth!
Among the news, it looks like Dick Grayson will go back to being Nightwing, which is cool (unless someone else is going to be Nightwing). There will be more Titans, which is cool. They’re going to try again with Blue Beetle, which is fun, but sadly, no sign of Batwoman yet. She’s always been a favorite.
I’m fine with whatever DC has planned, as long as they keep putting out enjoyable comics. I long ago gave up on caring about continuity or legacy or whatever. As long as you’re producing good comics with characters I like, I’ll keep reading.
My only complaint is that I think the Batgirl creative team is changing. That’s borderline unacceptable.
—————–
The Top 6 Water-Themed Comic Book Characters
Someday, this harsh, freezing winter will end, and the glorious days of summer will once again be upon us. That means fun in the sun, and it definitely means swimming! Water is the great equalizer. Everybody loves a good soak. Especially superheroes!
King of the Seven Seas, baby!
Carrying on my ongoing tradition of ice and fire-themed superheroes, I scoured the comic book bins and Internet sites for a list of the best and wettest water-themed comic book characters! They have the power to bend H2O to their will! And I’m getting closer and closer to making a List of Six Captain Planet!
Join me after the jump to take the splash!
The Greatest Stingray Comic Ever Written!
I don’t know why, but I’ve been on a real tirade about the superhero Stingray for awhile now. I’ve always been a fan of the character, ever since I discovered him flipping through some of my dad’s old comic book periodicals when I was a kid. He’s just plain neat, with a really cool costume.
And this past week, I discovered the greatest Stingray comic ever written.
Majestic as all get out!
Big props to Henchie chipsiup for pointing me towards last week’s Deadpool #7, which featured a back-up Stingray comic written by Tim Seeley, with art by Mike Norton and Veronica Gandini. The comic also features back-up stories about Terror, Foolkiller, Slapstick and the other Mercs for Money, but I didn’t read them. So maybe this was also the greatest Slapstick comic ever written. We’ll never know. All that matters is that Seeley, Norton and Gandini have produced something truly amazing.
I say this without sarcasm or irony. I’m not making fun of anybody. I’m literally just a really big Stingray fan, and this creative team fulfilled every single possible nerd desire I could possibly have about the character. They explain why he’s teamed up with Deadpool and the Mercs for Money, it gives us insight into Stingray’s personal life, and more important than that, it’s the greatest possible showcase of just how cool Stingray can be.
So join me after the jump, if you’d like, to see just how amazing I found this short little comic. SPOILERS, in case you want to go out and find it yourself. It’s pretty freakin’ great, you guys.
No Good Deed Goes UnPunished in Our First Full Look at Daredevil Season 2
The Punisher is here, people, and he’s on the verge of kicking Daredevil’s tight, red tuckus!
The trailer is pretty darn epic. We get our first teases of both Frank Castle and Elektra, and I like what I see so far. Punisher is a special character for me. There are few comics I hold in higher regard than Garth Ennis’ Punisher Max series. Some people read The Lord of the Rings or the Bible at least once every year, I read Ennis’ Punisher Max.
One of the major problems with bringing the Punisher to live action entertainment is the need to turn his origin story into one of revenge. Gangsters kill his family, and it makes perfect sense that he’d get revenge on those gangsters. But the Punisher is about so much more than getting revenge on that one group of gangsters.
He’s about punishing all criminals.
There are hints of revenge in this trailer, so maybe we’ll have to put up with that for now. Perhaps when he gets his own Netflix series he can do some proper punishing. For now, the trailer is a good look at season 2.
Another trailer will arrive on Feb. 25, and the full season will hit Netflix on March 18. We’re only a month away!
—————–
Henchman-4-Hire 