Category: Comics Reviews

Comics Reviews: Batman 378, Detective 545, Batman & the Outsiders 16, Firestorm 30, Vigilante 13

Batman 378 coverBatman #378 – “One Hat Madder” – Doug Moench/Don Newton/Alfredo Alcala

This one starts with Batman gaslighting Mayor Hill some more, letting him know his term will soon come to a premature end. It seems to be working, as Hill is paranoid and jumpy, sending his bodyguards out to chase shadows. Elsewhere, Mad Hatter is using a computer to figure out where the loot amassed by Sturges Hellstrom and his Nightmares Inc. scam went. Mad Hatter figures since Anton Knight killed Hellstrom and Anton’s ex Natalia lives in a fancy penthouse, she probably has a pretty good idea where the stolen money went. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 378, Detective 545, Batman & the Outsiders 16, Firestorm 30, Vigilante 13”

Comics Reviews: Flash 339, Wonder Woman 321, Green Lantern 182, Warlord 86

Flash 339 coverFlash #339 – “Warday” – Cary Bates/Carmine Infantino/Frank McLaughlin

Last issue, five Rogues (Captain Boomerang, Captain Cold, Weather Wizard, Trickster, and Mirror Master) broke a huge dude named Dufus Ratchet out of the mental hospital and outfitted him in high-tech armour (obtained from the Monitor). The Rogues are setting Dufus (now named Big Sir) up to go after the Flash, to avenge Flash’s defeat of their fellow Rogue Pied Piper, which left Piper mentally unstable (well, more than usual). Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Flash 339, Wonder Woman 321, Green Lantern 182, Warlord 86”

Comics Reviews: JLA 232, Tales of the Teen Titans 48, New Teen Titans 3, Tales of the Legion 317, Legion of Super-Heroes 4

JLA 232 coverJustice League of America #232 – “Battlegrounds” – Kurt Busiek/Alan Kupperberg

Last issue, the JLA met a couple of kids and their aunt and traveled to Earth-2 to fight the kids’ father, Joshua Champion. Champion had tapped into an alternate dimension and was mentally dominated by the Commander, who imbued Champion with power to help Commander’s invasion of Earth’s dimension. Champion resisted and gave his kids (Ian and Victoria) and his sister (Meredith) powers of their own, hoping they could resist the Commander. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA 232, Tales of the Teen Titans 48, New Teen Titans 3, Tales of the Legion 317, Legion of Super-Heroes 4”

Comics Reviews: Superman 401, Action 561, DC Comics Presents 75, All-Star Squadron 39, Infinity Inc. 8

Superman 401 coverSuperman #401 – “Operation: False Front” – Cary Bates/Curt Swan/Bob Oksner

This one begins with the nightly broadcast of WGBS news being interrupted by a couple of Lex Luthor’s henchmen, who just happen to be joined at the hip. Clark Kent stands up to them and gets slapped down (or pretends to, to hide his super-powers) and the thugs relay a message on air for Superman from Luthor, who challenges the Man of Steel to meet him 5,000 feet above Metropolis at noon tomorrow … or Luthor will do something terrible. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 401, Action 561, DC Comics Presents 75, All-Star Squadron 39, Infinity Inc. 8”

Comics Reviews: Batman 377, Detective 544, Batman & the Outsiders 15, Firestorm 29, Vigilante 12

Batman 377 coverBatman #377 – “The Slayer of Night” – Doug Moench/Don Newton/Alfredo Alcala

This one starts in court, where Natalia Knight (aka Nocturna) is petitioning to adopt Jason Todd after he was removed from Bruce Wayne’s custody last issue. Bruce argues that Natalia is not a suitable parent because of her connection to Anton Knight, the Night Thief, who recently broke out of prison. The judge rules that Anton’s crimes can’t be held against Natalia, especially since Anton exonerated her when he as captured. Bruce raises some more points (looking rather desperate), including the fact that they should ask Jason what he wants. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 377, Detective 544, Batman & the Outsiders 15, Firestorm 29, Vigilante 12”

Comics Reviews: Flash 338, Wonder Woman 320, Green Lantern 181, Jonah Hex 87, Warlord Annual 3

Flash 338 coverFlash #338 – “The Revenge of the Rogues” – Cary Bates/Carmine Infantino/Frank McLaughlin

Last issue, pied Piper used his ultimate weapon to summon what he calls “Speed Demons”, extra-dimensional creatures that move at super-speed. The Speed Demons surrounded Flash, paralyzing him and pulling him toward some power lines. Flash can’t move his extremities, but he still manages to start spinning at super-speed, tossing the Speed Demons off his body and into the power lines. The Demons are disintegrated, but the power lines break and Flash gets feeling back in his legs just in time to avoid getting fried. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Flash 338, Wonder Woman 320, Green Lantern 181, Jonah Hex 87, Warlord Annual 3”

Comics Reviews: JLA 231, Tales of the Teen Titans 47, New Teen Titans 2, Tales of the Legion 316, Legion of Super-Heroes 3

JLA 231 coverJustice League of America #231 – “Family Crisis” – Kurt Busiek/Alan Kupperberg/Rich Buckler

This (and the next one) is obviously a fill-in issue before the big revamp. This story is narrated by an unseen being (the Commander), who’s been watching the JLA for a while but doesn’t seem to understand them too well, and is involved with someone he calls “the Champion”. After nine JLAers transported to Earth during the Martian invasion (which we saw in the last few issues), Superman, Wonder Woman, and Supergirl showed up on the Satellite in response to a call from Flash. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: JLA 231, Tales of the Teen Titans 47, New Teen Titans 2, Tales of the Legion 316, Legion of Super-Heroes 3”

Comics Reviews: Superman 400, Action 560, DC Comics Presents 74, All-Star Squadron 38, Infinity Inc. 7

Superman 400 coverSuperman #400 – “The Living Legends of Superman” – Elliot Maggin/Joe Orlando, Al Williamson, Frank Miller, Marshall Rogers, Terry Austin, Wendy Pini, Michael Kaluta, Kelly Alder, Klaus Janson, Jim Steranko

This is an anniversary issue of Superman that contains stories drawn by numerous artists with the common theme of Superman’s legend and legacy. All of the stories are set in the future and none of them is particularly earth-shattering, as far as I’m concerned, but I’ll give a brief synopsis of each one. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Superman 400, Action 560, DC Comics Presents 74, All-Star Squadron 38, Infinity Inc. 7”

Comics Reviews: Batman 376, Detective 543, Batman & the Outsiders 14, Firestorm 28, Vigilante 11

Batman 376 coverBatman #376 – “Nightmares Inc.” – Doug Moench/Don Newton/Alfredo Alcala

This one starts with a rich dude named Simon Platz, who brings his date into his mansion for a drink. Things take a dark turn when the lights don’t work and Simon finds his butler dead on the floor. His date is stabbed by a weirdo in a red cloak and then a bunch of monsters jump out of the darkness. Luckily for Simon, the whole thing is a joke; the red-cloaked guy is called Nightshade and works for a company called Nightmares Incorporated, who do elaborate horror set-ups like this to give rich people a few thrills. Nightshade and his two assistants (appropriately named Schreck and Lee) leave Simon and his friends to party, although I’m sure Simon will have to change his pants first. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Batman 376, Detective 543, Batman & the Outsiders 14, Firestorm 28, Vigilante 11”

Comics Reviews: Flash 337, Wonder Woman 319, Green Lantern 180, Warlord 85

Flash 337 coverFlash #337 – “Beware the Speed-Demons” – Cary Bates/Carmine Infantino/Frank McLaughlin

This one starts with Central City’s mayor issuing a public statement about how he was controlled by Pied Piper. The mayor apologizes for talking trash about the Flash and promises to allocate city funds to rebuild the Flash Museum. That doesn’t go over well with Pied Piper, who was controlling the mayor to make Flash look bad, but now wants blood. Continue reading “Comics Reviews: Flash 337, Wonder Woman 319, Green Lantern 180, Warlord 85”