Category: Comics Reviews

Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 32, New Teen Titans 29

Legion of Super-Heroes 32 coverLegion of Super-Heroes #32 – “Forgotten Heroes” – Paul Levitz/Greg LaRocque/Mike DeCarlo

This one starts with Imra (Saturn Girl) Ardeen waking up in some kind of work camp with her Legion flight ring gone. Everyone around her is very placid and uncomplaining, eagerly going out to work in the fields harvesting crops and doing other chores. Imra tries mind-reading some of the others, but realizes they’re being controlled and have very strong psychic blocks put in place to keep them from remembering who they are. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 32, New Teen Titans 29”

Comics Reviews: JLA 260, All-Star Squadron 67, Infinity Inc. 36

JLA 260 coverJustice League of America #260 – “Flesh” – J.M. DeMatteis/Luke McDonnell/Steve Montano

Last issue, the robot Professor Ivo sent to kill Gypsy rebelled against its programming and spared her, taking her home to her family. J’onn J’onzz showed up outside the house and ran into the robot. Naturally, they start pounding each other and J’onn urges the robot to transcend its programming again. The android refuses, saying Gypsy never harmed Ivo but J’onn (and the rest of the original JLA) did. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA 260, All-Star Squadron 67, Infinity Inc. 36”

Comics Reviews: Batman 405, Detective 572, Outsiders 17

Batman 405 coverBatman #405 – “War is Declared” – Frank Miller/David Mazzucchelli

This is part 2 of the Year One storyline, which redefined (and solidified) Batman’s origin post-Crisis. It starts with Lieutenant James Gordon still trying to clean up the corruption in the Gotham police department. That’s an uphill battle, since the police commissioner (Loeb) is corrupt himself. Gordon gets involved in a hostage situation where a nutcase named Blume has grabbed a kid. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 405, Detective 572, Outsiders 17”

Comics Reviews: Wonder Woman 1, Firestorm 56, Vigilante 38, Warlord 114

Wonder Woman 1 wraparound coverWonder Woman #1 – “The Princess and the Power” – Greg Potter/George Perez/Bruce Patterson

This is the brand-new Wonder Woman series, rebooting the character after she was retconned out of existence by the Crisis. This series has a pretty good reputation (and leans heavily into Greek myth, which I like), so I’m looking forward to reading it for thee first time. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Wonder Woman 1, Firestorm 56, Vigilante 38, Warlord 114”

Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 31, New Teen Titans 28

Legion of Super-Heroes 31 coverLegion of Super-Heroes #31 – “Knights in Shining Armor” – Paul Levitz/Greg LaRocque/Mike DeCarlo

This story is mostly set in the past and features several Legionnaires who have died over the years. It reads like filler, since there’s no reference to the current ongoing storylines. The framing device has Projectra (or Sensor Girl, if you prefer) visiting the grave of her dead husband (Karate Kid) on the Cemetery Asteroid. She runs into Invisible Kid, who’s there to pay tribute to his fallen predecessor and the other Legionnaires who have died. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 31, New Teen Titans 28”

Comics Reviews: JLA 259, All-Star Squadron 66, Infinity Inc. 35

JLA 259 coverJustice League of America #259 – “Homecoming” – J.M. DeMatteis/Luke McDonnell/Bill Wray

Last issue, Vibe was killed by one of Professor Ivo’s robots and this issue starts with J’onn J’onzz, Vixen, and Steel finding his dead body. J’onn recognizes the false face the robot attached to Vibe’s corpse, so he knows Ivo is behind the murder. The Leaguers are pretty devastated by Vibe’s death and a run-in with the cops doesn’t help their mood. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA 259, All-Star Squadron 66, Infinity Inc. 35”

Comics Reviews: Batman 404, Detective 571, Outsiders 16

Batman 404 coverBatman #404 – “Who I Am, How I Come to Be” – Frank Miller/David Mazzucchelli

This is the first chapter of the famous Year One story, which established a new origin for Batman. Most of the elements of this origin seem to have stuck, with a few minor details getting retconned later. This tells us how Bruce Wayne first became Batman, but it’s also an origin story for Commissioner Gordon, showing how he became who he is and why he and Batman trust each other so much. Much of the story is told in parallel, contrasting Batman and Gordon, but also showing the similarities between them. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 404, Detective 571, Outsiders 16”

Comics Reviews: Firestorm 55, Vigilante 37, Warlord 113

Firestorm 55 coverFirestorm #55 – “The Stench of Brimstone” – John Ostrander/Joe Brozowski/Steve Mitchell

This issue is a crossover with the Legends mini-series. Legends was about Darkseid manipulating humanity to turn them against superheroes, paving the way for Darkseid to take over Earth. Darkseid created a monster named Brimstone from sentient nuclear plasma and sent it on a rampage. Firestorm, Cosmic Boy, and the JLA all got their asses kicked and Firestorm had to leave the others to go after Brimstone. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Firestorm 55, Vigilante 37, Warlord 113”

Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 30, New Teen Titans 27

Legion of Super-Heroes 30 coverLegion of Super-Heroes #30 – “Brainy’s Lucky Day” – Paul Levitz/Greg LaRocque/Mike DeCarlo

This one starts at Legion headquarters with Brainiac 5 apologizing to Projectra (or Sensor Girl as she now prefers to be called) for his suspicions about her. Projectra is cool and says she forgives him, which throws him off a bit; I guess he expected her to have some resentment. Ultra Boy, Mon-El, and Blok are preparing to accompany Ambassador Relnic on a diplomatic mission to Dominator space, but they still don’t know Relnic is being controlled by Universo. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Legion of Super-Heroes 30, New Teen Titans 27”

Comics Reviews: JLA 258, All-Star Squadron 65, Infinity Inc. 34

JLA 258 coverJustice League of America #258 – “Saving Face” – J.M. DeMatteis/Luke McDonnell/Bob Smith

This one starts with Professor Ivo spilling his guts to a psychiatrist, ranting about how the JLA ruined his life. The psychiatrist points out that Ivo is the one who kept attacking the JLA and he’s the one who invented the “immortality serum” that extended his life but turned him into a monster, so blaming the League for his problems is stupid (and insane). Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA 258, All-Star Squadron 65, Infinity Inc. 34”