Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 7/26/14
Wow, what a week for DC Comics! I bet they planned it this way, to align with San Diego Comic-Con: new issues of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman all came out this week. And technically, Batman and Robin also came out, so there are your four major DC characters all in one week. Heck, new issues of Aquaman and Flash also came out this week. We practically had a full Justice League in solo comics! Neat!
And they were all pretty good quality too! At least the ones I read. Batman brought Zero Year to a close. Wonder Woman keeps blazing towards a climactic ending. And Superman keeps insisting that new character Ulysses is interesting! That part’s not going very well.
On the Marvel side, we’ve got…Amazing Spider-Man. That’s the only Marvel Comic I really read this week. Though I did read and review Storm #1 for Word of the Nerd! I felt that issue deserved a bigger review, so check that out. Comic Book of the Week goes to Batman and Robin #33, for a damn cool and exciting issue that really proves the kind of man Batman can be.
Though moment of the week goes to Wonder Woman #33 – even if that issue was also full of bad moments.
We’ll get to the bad moments in the actual review.
Comic Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man #4, Batman #33, Batman and Robin #33, Batman Eternal #16, Superman #33 and Wonder Woman #33.
Robin and Red Hood All But Confirmed for Batman: Arkham Knight
There’s no official confirmation as of yet, but based on a myriad of clues that have leaked online – or are on display right now at San Diego Comic-Con – we can almost be guaranteed that Robin and Red Hood will both be appearing in next year’s Batman: Arkham Knight! Red Hood will actually be playable too, according to information about a leaked DLC from Gamestop.
First clue is this video made of pictures from a toy booth at Comic-Con, showing off a Red Hood action figure and a Robin prototype figure. Robin, as Tim Drake, appeared in Arkham City, and was the star of his own follow-up DLC. So he’s a pretty major character. And I was hoping he’d be back in Arkham Knight. So that’s awesome.
Red Hood is probably Jason Todd. He’s got a pretty cool costume in the game.
If you don’t believe that video – or don’t have the time or energy to watch it, then check out these pictures.
Boom, Robin!
Believe my joy
And what was that about the Red Hood being a Gamestop exclusive? Boom! Eat that!
Curse you, Gamestop!
Neither of these is an official announcement, sure, but c’mon! Look at that evidence! This game just gets better and better. Now I just need to buy a better graphics card so I can get the PC version…which wouldn’t allow me to play the Red Hood DLC. Life is unfair.
Review: Saga #21
Much like last issue, Saga #21 is still just strolling along in the current storyline. It makes sense in context. Saga is a real saga. Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples are telling a story that covers entire lives, if not generations. So of course there were periods in these characters’ lives when they weren’t having exciting adventures. That’s how it is for most people. Just look at my Saturday nights for the past few years. Vaughn has created such a wonderful cast, that I would enjoy an issue of these characters eating breakfast. But sometimes that slowness is a little too mellow.
Saga #21
I really hope Vaughn is going somewhere unexpected with these storylines, otherwise they’re going to end up being painfully slow. At least Hazel remains obnoxiously adorable.
Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.
It’s hard to be hard on Saga. The series as a whole remains strong, and I’m confident Vaughn has all manner of great storytelling in store for us. But the past few issues have been a bit of a lull…unless, of course, they’re leading somewhere amazing. That’s the great thing about Saga: I have no idea what to expect! So whether it’s Marko’s impending infidelity or Alana’s drug use, I can’t bring myself to assume that the obvious is going to happen. It feels like the obvious is going to happen, but I don’t know, and that’s why these scenes are both boring and fascinating.
On a different level, the story of the Robot Kingdom continues in this issue, and I have absolutely no idea where it’s going. The evil janitor still has Prince Robot IV’s kid in tow, and in this issue, the Prince himself gets involved. But we know so little about the Robot Kingdom and this evil janitor’s motivations that who knows what to expect? That is good storytelling, if slightly marred by the fact that we know so little about the Robot Kingdom. I’m not personally invested in them very much. And I definitely don’t know what to think yet about this evil janitor.
I can only hope the evil janitor plans to bring Prince’s kid and Hazel together to be the best of friends!
Join me after the jump or a full synopsis and more review!
Pinch Me, I’m in Love with the Ant-Man Movie Design!
We’d seen the test footage. We’ve read the comics. But for the very first time, Marvel has officially revealed the movie costume for Ant-Man! Behold this concept art unveiled at the San Diego Comic-Con!
I love it. I’m in love with it. It’s perfect! It’s everything I could ever want from an Ant-Man costume. I’m shaking, it’s that damn good. The mechanical look, the color scheme, the athletic design; this is gorgeous! I want this poster for my wall!
I can’t wait to see what kind of Ant-Man news they have at Comic-Con. I think I’m back to being more excited about Ant-Man than Avengers 2.
Henchman-4-Hire 