Saturday, September 20, 2014

Batman Beyond 2.0 #34 Review

Written by: Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel
Art by: Thony Silas
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: September 20, 2014

Family Ties



Batman Beyond 2.0 only has a handful of issue left, but Higgins and Siegel use this one to setup more than push forward.  That's not a bad thing since what they setup is pretty damn awesome.  This arc has been about Family, but it's also clear it's about living up (or down) to reputations.  Everyone and everything seems to be heading towards a huge final confrontation.  I can't wait until it happens and when it does, issues like this one will make it all the better.

DC Comics Best Covers of the Week 9/20/14

We are right in the middle of the Futures End Event and while I think those 3D covers are a bunch of bull pucky, that really doesn't
matter this week.  This week should be called, "Multiversity Week" because that book's covers are sweeping the awards like it think it's Ben Hur in 1959.  It truly is the King of Kings.


The Flash: Futures End #1 Preview

Written by: Robert Venditti and Van Jensen
Art by: Brett Booth
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 24, 2014


It’s the final showdown between The Flash and his future self for control of the Speed Force – with Wally West’s life hanging in the balance!



Now this is an issue I'm looking forward to.  Not only does it have the full regular creative team, but uses the Event to continue it's own storyline in a way that matters.  I'm sure Wally West haters are still gonna hate, but I just hope Venditti and Jensen make him a wee bit more likeable.  One thing is a given, Brett Booth's art rocks as usual.  Enjoy the preview.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Smallville: Continuity #4 Review

Written by: Bryan Q. Miller
Art by: Ig Guara
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: September 19, 2014

Crisis Prevention


Now this is more like it.  After being disappointed by the ending of Chaos and the beginning of Continuity, it only took this issue to make things right again.  This issue is strong from start to finish and Supes even gives another "Independence Day" speech to end it and this one is pretty good.   I guess the second time's the charm.  I'm usually all for a good reboot, but I'm now officially against it.

Supergirl: Futures End #1 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Tony Bedard
Art By: Emmanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 17, 2014

Girl of Steel...... Literally


I guess since I can't give you a proper recap because there's five years between what I know and what's going on here, I'll simply give you a tutorial on the New 52's Cyborg Superman.  This could be completely pointless for people who have been reading every issue of Supergirl, but way back in Supergirl #24 we learned that one of my favorite villains in the history of DC Comics was for his re-imagining the father of Supergirl, Zor-El.  Yeah Cyborg Superman's whole plan was to use a Kryptonian and use their DNA to revert himself back to the Kryptonian he used to be before Brainiac changed him and when he actually succeeded in his plan he realized that he was Zor-El and that he just destroyed his daughter to get that information.  So aspiring for father of the year award, Zor-El reversed the process, bringing his daughter back to life and becoming the monster that he was trying to escape once again.  While it wasn't the Hank Henshaw version that I loved in the old continuity, this version really created a cool dynamic and it was one of my favorite Supergirl stories of the New 52.  Okay so now you know and we can get into this Futures End event not completely in the dark.  Let's check it out.

Catwoman: Futures End #1 Preview

Written by: Sholly Fisch
Art by: Patrick Olliffe
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 24, 2014

Catwoman’s battle to be kingpin of crime in Gotham City takes 
an unexpected turn when Selina and Black Mask are revealed to be one and the same!


I can't wait to read this issue.  You know why?  It's Sholly Fisch and not Ann Nocenti. Fisch was the writer on the only Catwoman issue that was worth anything in the past year.  From this preview, I think I'll enjoy this as well.  I think that Crime Boss Selina has been a bit forced in Eternal, so I hope this changes my mind a bit.  Again, it's not Ann Nocenti...awesome.



Top 5 Fridays: Top 5 Titles That Should Have Been Cancelled Before Superboy


While I was tooling around this week thinking about what Top 5 list to do, it occurred to me through numerous conversations that involved a lot of bitching, how much I really missed Superboy.  While I enjoyed reviewing the title I never really thought of it as one of my favorites, but now that it's gone and since it's Futures End tie-in sucked, I finally know that it was my top Superman family book and I want it back!  The book took so long trying to figure out what it wanted to be and yeah it took misstep after misstep, but it's heart was in the right place.  Yeah that doesn't make any sense, but it was Kon and he was cool and if the title would of held out a little longer and figured out a way to bring Kon back and get rid of Jon Lane Kent, it would have won it's fans back by showing them what they've missed.  Now it's rumored that Kon will return either at the end of this year or beginning of next in a Gen13 comic, but the problem I have with that is, it still isn't the title I want.  The hell with it, You all know that I love this title now and I'm going to throw other titles under the bus that should of been cancelled instead of my recently realized beloved Superboy.  For this Top 5 I'll also be giving you the sales numbers from May, when Superboy was announced cancelled and giving you the August sales numbers for Superboy's final issue.  So let's get to bashing titles you might love just so I can get through a proper interweb tantrum with Top 5 Titles That Should Have Been Cancelled Before Superboy.  Let's check it out.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman #6 Review

Written by: Ivan Cohen
Art by: Marcus To
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: September 18, 2014

'Cause You Gotta Have Faith


I've really enjoyed Sensation Comics for what it is.  Nice little stories about Wonder Woman and her place in the World.  Nothing too mind blowing, but that's it's charm and I wouldn't want it any other way.  This book has filled the void that was left after DC canceled Adventures of Superman and seems to be it's spiritual successor.  I can only hope this book lasts as long (if not longer) as Supes' book did.

Batwoman: Futures End #1 Review

Written by: Marc Andreyko
Art by: Jason Masters
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 17, 2014

I Want to Suck...



I wish I had some fancy time traveling Police Box that may or may not be bigger on the inside because right now I'd set it to go back ten minutes or so and warn myself not to read this issue.  I know that would mean that I couldn't review it, but it also means that I'd still have total faith in Marc Andreyko and his take on Batwoman.  I have complained about these Future End issues having nothing to do with Futures End and this issue is a prime example, but my hatred of it runs deeper.  It's just an awful issue that ruins everything I've loved about Andreyko's run on the book.  Don't get me wrong, I am not a dummy who thinks this story is ever going to continue or that these Futures End stories won't be wiped clean after the event, but the bad taste this issue  left is going to stick around for a while.

Teen Titans: Futures End #1 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Will Pfeifer
Art By: Andy Smith, Keith Champagne
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 17, 2014


The New Kids On The Block


So if you've read Batman and Robin: Futures End, then you'll know that the Dark Knight spent the majority of that issue getting his ass handed to him by The Heretic.  Now the interesting thing about that is that The Heretic is the one that killed Damian Wayne and turned out to be a deformed baby headed hulking monster clone of Damian, so with all this Robin Rises hype going around it's not out of the realm of possibility to think that this might be a future incarnation of Damian or a clone of Damian.  Here's the problem.  In Batman and Robin: Futures End, The Heretic was just a silent hulking beast that wanted to kill Batman.  Here we'll see a very different Heretic that joins this new group of super teens that form a team to take down an asshole billionaire that does awful things to people and pretty much anything around him.  We can speculate about the other Heretic just being a programmed clone, but for the Damian lovers out there I'm going with this being the "real" Damian or the "real" incarnation of a future Damian created from a clone.  I'll quit it with the exposition so we can just get into this issue.  Let's check it out.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

The New 52: Futures End #20 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Dan Jurgens, Keith Giffen
Art By: Aaron Lopresti, Art Thibert
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: September 17, 2014


Getting inside Batman's Head


Getting to our weekly recap so you know what's going on this issue, we're looking at Cal Corcoran aka Tim Drake who has faked his death and has decided to spend his days dispensing beer at a bar called "The Wounded Duck".  All would of been fine and Tim could of lived happily ever after with his girlfriend Madison if Lois Lane hadn't come snooping about with the items from her mystery box, she got after Green Arrow's funeral, pointing her to Tim and other mysterious things.  So Lois tried outing Tim and eventually outed Shazam as being an impostor Superman.  More things we'll be looking at here involve Batman Beyond teaming up with villains to gain access to Terrifitech, where they planned on stealing the Usphere prototype and Terry planned on gaining info about Brother Eye's location.  Well Terry got what he wanted and got Key and Coil arrested.  On Cadmus Island we've learned that Brother Eye has been hiding out in their systems and now has full control over it and the Earth 2 heroes that were given implants.  Well all of Cadmus except Deathstroke, Lana Lang, Fifty Sue and Grifter.  One last thing, awhile ago we jumped further ahead to the future where we saw that Brother Eye didn't kill Batman after sending Terry back in time and after he was captured we also saw that the Joker is alive and well Thirty Five Years From Now.  So let's jump into this issue and see where Futures End takes us this week.

Superman/Wonder Woman: Futures End #1 Review

Written by: Charles Soule
Art by: Bart Sears
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 17, 2014

War and Something Else



This issue picks up directly following this week's Wonder Woman: Futures End #1.  In that issue, Wonder Woman used the dead of Hades and the power of War to fight a war with Nemesis.  Just when the tide seemed to be turning, Superman showed up looking as if Nemesis had taken him.  Oh no.

Justice League: Futures End #1 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Jeff Lemire
Art By: Jed Dougherty
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 17, 2014


Dr. Manhattan Envy


Here we are with part two of the story that began in last week's Justice League United.  There we saw Equinox team up with the Futures End Justice League to try and stop a prison break from a secret gulag on Mars, built to keep the worst of the worst off of Earth.  We found out that after the facility was built, Martian Manhunter became it's warden to watch over the prisoners and to telepathically keep them docile.  Yeah it's a bit fucked up, but everyone's crazy in the future so what would you expect?  Once on Mars the team is met by many villains and when Equinox, Dawnstar and Stormguard break off to find Martian Manhunter, we find our hero restrained by Gorilla Grodd, but the mastermind behind the breakout turned out to be the long missing Captain Atom.  So let's jump into this conclusion and see why Captain Atom was locked away in the first place and see if our heroes will be able to overcome him and his new band of villains as they try to escape their Martian prison.  Let's check it out.

Wonder Woman: Futures End #1 Review

Written by:Charles Soule
Art by: Rags Morales, Jose Marzan Jr. and Batt
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 17, 2014

Forever War


This Futures End Event sure is an odd egg.  I'd dare to say it's like a box of chocolates, but that reference is played out even for me.  I'm just confused about what it's all about.  This issue doesn't tie directly into the Futures End story.  It doesn't seem crucial to the main run of the book, either.  However, it's one of the better books I've read so far this month.  How can that be?  Well, sit down and pour yourself some grape kool-aid and listen as I tell you the story of the God of War.

Batman and Robin: Futures End #1 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Ray Fawkes
Art By: Dustin Nguyen, Derek Fridolfs
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 17, 2014


Fight Scene


Leading up to this issue I've been getting really excited because since Damian died and this title became Batman and *Insert Name Here*, I've been patiently waiting for any sign of Damian's final fate.  So here we are Five Years From Now and we have The Heretic on the cover, so why wouldn't I just squeal like a tiny Asian girl at the prospects of seeing what became of young Damian?  So this could be the issue people that gives us the definitive answer on the fate of our fallen Robin and possibly give us some closure, or at least a bit of hope for what future stories might bring........  Oh yeah that's right this is merely a deceptive event issue and probably won't lead to anything that isn't completely vague on something that matters to so many of us.  Sorry I almost forgot how comic books work for a second.  So enough banter, let's check out what Batman and Robin holds for us Five Years From Now.

The Multiversity: The Society of Super-Heroes: Conquerors of The Counter-World #1 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Grant Morrison
Art By: Chris Sprouse, Karl Story, Walden Wong
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: September 17, 2014


Damn That's A Long Title


Here we are again, exploring Grant Morrison's strange imagining of the Multiverse and this time we'll be checking out Earth 20 and Earth 40.  Not that it really matters here, but last time we saw Superman of Earth-23 and a convention of parallel Earth superheroes all get together at a hub of the Multiverse to rescue the last Monitor, Nix Uotan from a unspeakable evil that was threatening the whole of the Multiverse.  After missing their landing point and ending up on the wrong Earth, our heroes fought Marvel-esque versions of the DC Universe and eventually found themselves in trouble when Nix Uotan and his sidekick pirate chimpanzee enter that Earth, but it seems that he too has been corrupted by the evil that threatens them all.  It's funny to me that after all that info was dropped on our lap that this issue has nothing to do with it and we have to relearn everything all over again.  So let's check out this issue's Society of Super-Heroes and see what peril threatens them and their world.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Birds of Prey: Futures End #1 Review

Written by: Christy Marx
Art by: Robson Rocha
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 10, 2014

Like a Vacuum



It's Futures End so we travel...three years in the future?  What gives?  I guess Christy Marx didn't get the memo.  It's five years Christy...Five.  Oh well, I wish I could say that's the only problem with this issue, but unfortunately it's the second crappy ending to the series.  That may be a record.

Injustice: Year Two #24 Review

Written by: Tom Taylor
Art by: Bruno Redondo and Xermanico
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: September 16, 2014

Goodbye and Thanks For the...




Holy crap!  This issue ends Year Two and I really don't know what else to say.  To those crazy people who complained that Year Two didn't have the WOW factor of the previous Year, this issue should change your mind.  To those who enjoyed the character development and slow burn of Year Two (like myself), you'll simply love this issue.  Seriously, anyway you look at it, this issue kicked ass.

Arrow Season 2.5 #2 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Marc Guggenheim
Art By: Joe Bennett, Craig Yeung
Digital Price: $0.99
Release Date: September 15, 2014


Blood Work


Last time we took a peek in the comic world of Arrow we saw a death defying take down of a drug trafficking plane, when our heroes Arrow and Roy.....  Speedy?  I don't know what we're going with on Roy's code name.  Anyway the two took over the plane, but Roy got a belly full of bullets for his trouble and when we left our heroes Roy was falling out of the plane.  On a side note we saw a strange opener where a boy named Caleb saw his father kill his mother and then turn the gun on himself.  Very strange opener.  So let's take a look at this issue and find out what happened to our favorite TV sidekick and possibly what happened to poor Caleb.  Let's check it out.

The Multiversity: The Society of Superheroes #1 Preview

Written by: Grant Morrison
Art by: Karl Story, Chris Sprouse
Cover Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 17, 2014


The biggest adventure in DC Comics history continues!

Grant Morrison joins modern legend Chris Sprouse (TOM STRONG, BATMAN: RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE, ACTION COMICS) for a trip to Earth-20 starring a Society of Super Heroes unlike anything you’ve seen before! It’s pulp Super Hero action with a post-modern twist — you can’t afford to miss it!

Who is the demon-like Green Lantern protecting Earth-20? What secret does Doc Fate hold that could save the world? Who are the hand-to-hand and air-to-air combat queens known as the Blackhawks? And what happens when these heroes come face to face with their diabolical Earth-40 counterparts – led by Vandal Savage – for an epic war between parallel worlds? Find out all that and more in this exciting stand-alone issue which also acts as chapter two of the overall MULTIVERSITY storyline. Join us, if you dare, for THE MULTIVERSITY!



Justice League United: Futures End #1 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Jeff Lemire
Art By: Jed Dougherty
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 10, 2014



Justice For All!  Except For Maybe Them Over There.


It's time to jump back into the future and see what our favorite characters are up to Five Years From Now.  Only problem that I can see is that we really know nothing about the Justice League United and the slew of other new titles that have taken up the Futures End moniker this month.  Now so far I'm digging this event, but we're dealing with a mysterious past that led to these characters being the messed up people they are in the future and now we have that with characters we know literally nothing about.  This is a Equinox heavy story and in the normal title I would be happy about that, but I don't get how they can just throw this character at us with nothing to tell us who she is, or what she can do.  Okay I'm done bitching so we can get into this issue which is part one of two and will be concluded in the Justice League: Futures End story.  So let's check out Equinox and the Justice League Five Years From Now and see what we can gleam from this mysterious new character. 

Monday, September 15, 2014

Batman/Superman: Futures End #1 Preview

Written by: Greg Pak
Art by:
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 17, 2014

A new super beings seeks out Batman: a creature born of hate 
who the broken Bat may not last long against!


New Suicide Squad: Futures End #1 Review

Written by: Sean Ryan
Art by: Andre Coelho
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 10, 2014


Mutants and Rage Monsters



I'm a bit confused with this Futures End "Event".  I wouldn't have minded too much if the September issues were just fun little what ifs of the future, but to shoehorn them into something they're not is upsetting.  And don't get me started on those 3D covers...jeez.  Okay, I've got a little off my chest and am ready to continue.  This issue is a fun little what if of the future that doesn't have much to do with the Futures End story.  Of course, "fun" in this future means killing, maiming and explosions.  You know, fun.  Unfortunately, fun doesn't always equal good.

Batman: Eternal #24 Preview

Written by: Ray Fawkes
Art by: Andy Clarke
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: September 17, 2014

Spoiler goes head to head with her father, the deadly Cluemaster, 
and the fate of Gotham City hangs in the balance!



Justice League 3000 #12 Cover

Written by KEITH GIFFEN and J.M. DeMATTEIS
Art and cover by HOWARD PORTER
Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: December 3, 2014




Two words: Blue and Gold. Well, okay, three. Three words, the Blue and the Go...Wait, that’s four words. Okay, let’s try this. The team of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold are BACK! By Giffen and DeMatteis! Is the universe ready for either of them…? Are you?

Superman/Wonder Woman: Futures End #1 Preview

Written by: Charles Soule
Art by: Bart Sears

Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 17, 2014


The battle between the God of War and Nemesis can only spell doom for humanity – but can Kal restore Diana to her senses before it’s too late?


Just For The Hell Of It Mondays: SHAZAM!



With the word on the streets being that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will be portraying Black Adam in a future Shazam movie.  We here at Weird Science are bouncing off the walls about the news that DC would actually make a Shazam movie, then we get sad and cry a little bit.  You see emotions are all over the place on this one.  Now I love Shazam and would love to see him in more things, but the problem is it has to be done right.  The idea of a young boy being given the powers of gods and heroes by saying a magic word, that transforms him into a squinty man child just doesn't sound like something that could be translated into film........ or TV........ or pretty much anything outside of comics.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Constantine: Futures End #1 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Ray Fawkes
Art By: Juan Ferreyra
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 10, 2014


The Power of Fate Compels You, The Power of Fate Compels You


Since Constantine is a main player to the Futures End weekly I finally feel like I have something to talk about.  Now you might be thinking that this is a direct tie-in, but no.  This story appears to be a prequel to the adventures that Constantine is having in tracking down Kal-El and the robot monster Brainiac, that is leaving a slew of bodies in his wake.  But that doesn't matter because this cover is our cover of the week and that's because it's so badass for one and for two it involves both Constantine and Doctor Fate.  That's just an amazing combination in my mind and if we want to judge a book by it's cover than this issue should be really grand indeed.  So let's check out what our brash Brit is doing Five Years From Now.

Infinite Crisis: Fight for the Multiverse #18 Review

Written by: Dan Abnett
Art by: August Padilla
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: September 14, 2014

Infinitely Awful



I must be a glutton for punishment.  Last week I pretty much declared that I was done with Infinite Crisis and yet, here I am. I'd like to imagine myself as a soldier who jumps on a live grenade to save his platoon, but this is only a comic book were talking about. However, I have read this issue and I'm going to review it.  Why?  So you guys don't have to.  Yes, this issue is another bad one.  Don't cry for me, someones got to do it.

Batman Beyond 2.0 #33 Review

Written by: Kyle Higgins and Alec Seigel
Art by: Thony Silas
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: September 14, 2014

Royal Bluff



I'm sure most of you know it by now, but Batman Beyond 2.0 has been canceled.  You're probably asking the same thing as me and my man, Roman, "Why would they cancel such a great and popular book?"  Unfortunately, I don't have the answer to that question.  Time? Money?  Something dark and sinister?  You're guess is as good as mine at the moment.  I'll tell you one thing, the news hit me pretty hard and I actually didn't read this issue the second I got it for the first time ever.  That's why this review is a day late and why I'm reviewing it with a heavy heart.  It's weird to say, but I almost wish the final issues weren't so good so it wouldn't be so hard to say goodbye.  Of course, Kyle Higgins don't play that and this is yet another really good issue.  Damn you, Kyle.

Worlds' Finest: Futures End #1 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen
Art By: Yildiray Cinar
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 10, 2014



Power Girl Vs. Fifty Sue!


As you know it's the Futures End event and if you read these reviews regularly, you'll know that this is my recap section and I haven't had shit to write about except for personal stories.  Let's continue the trend.  When I was in my early 20's I lived above a porn shop for five years, Adult World for those of you who frequent such places and once after working on a weekend I came home and went to my room to take a nap.  Now my roommates and a number of my friends were over and apparently while I was sleeping they decided that they wanted to go out and get something to bring back.  A little bit of info to enhance the story is that the main door was a big heavy bastard that required two keys and then you go up a flight of steps to another door that required another key, so as you can imagine it was a pain in the ass entering the apartment.  So with that in mind my friends decided that since they were only leaving for a little bit they'd leave the doors unlocked......... With me sleeping.  Well luckily one of my friends decided halfway to where they were going that they shouldn't of done this and returned to the apartment and when they opened the main door they saw some strange dude running down the stairs and then past them.  Do you understand how much I would of screamed like a little girl if I had woken up and seen some strange dude in my apartment?  I still get chills thinking about some strange dude staring at me while I slept.  So let's check out Worlds' Finest: Futures End.

Five Questions with...Jeremy Haun





We are back again with Five Questions and this round is with Jeremy Haun.  Jeremy just ended his excellent run on Batwoman and is moving on to Constantine.  That's great news for Constantine, but awful for me.  I'm selfish, you see and I read and review Batwoman and have really enjoyed Jeremy and Marc Andreyko's run. It's easy when Jeremy does an issue because the art is always good. Enough about my troubles, let's get on with the interview.  Thanks to Jeremy for doing this and for having fun with it.  He is now officially inducted into the Weird Science Hall of Fame which entitles him to all the rights and privileges of that position.  Enjoy.