Weird Science DC Comics: 2015-01-04

Friday, January 9, 2015

Green Lantern Corps #38 Preview

Written By: Van Jensen
Art By: Bernard Chang
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: January 14, 2015

The devastated Corps returns to a universe that has grown much different – and much more dangerous – in their absence. John Stewart must lead the weakened Green Lanterns against a truly demonic threat’s expanding its dark reach across the cosmos.

While Hal is on Earth trying to find himself it looks like John Stewart will have to pick up his slack as the Shadow Empire finally makes their grand appearance......... I mean I hope it's the Shadow Empire because we were given a cliffhanger of them a long time ago and I really hope they weren't just cast aside but since they were the masters pulling the Durlan's strings during Uprising, I can say with a 90% certainty that this is what we'll get. Sorry for all the rigmarole, it's just I'm tired of being wrong all the time. So with all that nonsense out of the way I'm looking forward to seeing what these space monsters are all about and John Stewart taking care of business.

Welcome back to the #1 Top Five Fridays list that I happen to look at......... Well it's not a lie. This week I figured we'd look at Digital First Comics that we at Weird Science would love to see come out this year and the reason we're looking at Digital Firsts is because Wonder Woman '77 came out this week and you know what? Nobody had any clue. I mean unless you were really looking forward to this comic and probing the interwebs for it, it kind of came out of nowhere and just proves our point here that the Digital First line is kind of the redheaded stepchild of DC Comics. Yeah, they want one to come out everyday of the week but they'll be damned if they'll actually promote them or give us a reliable schedule for these comics. It's a shame because it seems like DC really has a leg up over everyone else when it comes to digital titles and yet they come off like they don't really want them to sell. Okay, that's enough ranting about policies that companies have that I make up or down right exaggerate, let's check out this week's list. Top 5 Digital First Comics We Want From DC Comics.

Batman '66 #51 Review

Written by: Jeff Parker
Art by: Leonardo Romero
Cover Price: $1.99
Release Date: January 7, 2015

Foggy Bats Can't Be Beat

last we left Batman and Robin they were trapped by an angry mob, instigated by the villainous Marmaduke Ffogg and his despicable fog. I complained quite a bit last time that I didn't like the cliffhanger considering it felt a lot like the one used in the King Tut story several issues back. I will say I was more impressed with this issue than I was the last issue, though I felt this time around there were some inconsistencies.

Batman: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga #24 Review (Spoilers)

Written by: Jiro Kuwata
Art by: Jiro Kuwata
Cover Price: $1.99
Release Date: December 13, 2014

The Hangman of Terror - Chapter 1 of 4

As a long-time fan of professional wrestling I've taken the time to learn about the history of the sport both in America as well as in other countries. In American comic books wrestling has been used as a plot point on occasion--most notably in the origins of the amazing Spider-Man. In Japan, professional wrestling is less mocked and more respected, so seeing a Batmanga story that puts a professional wrestler in the spotlight warmed my heart quite a bit.

Lobo #4 Review

Written by: Cullen Bunn
Art by: Reilly Brown, Nelson DeCastro and Vicente Cifuentes and Alison Burges
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: $2.99
Release Date: January 7, 2015

No Touchy

No matter how many issues we get of Lobo, everything always comes down to one question...do you like the new Lobo? Call him "Sexy Time Lobo", "Twilight Lobo", Faux-bo or some other name too clever for me to come up with, but there are few characters in the DC stable right now that illicit such a love him or hate him response. I'm sure those who remember the Main Man from the 90's are still shaking their heads at the new look and I wish I could help them drop their cynicism by telling them this book has been great. Unfortunately, it's only been okay so far. It is Cullen Bunn writing, however, so I am giving it a little more time before I get too discouraged. Is this month a step in the right direction? Let's find out.

Earth 2 #30 Review and SPOILERS

Written By: Marguerite Bennett, Mike Johnson
Art By: Andy Smith, Trevor Scott, Tyler Kirkham, Cliff Richards, Thony Silas
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: January 7, 2015

Secret Origins

All I can tell you at this point of reviewing this book is if you're not reading Earth 2: World's End then you're pretty much lost. At some point this title became a way for the World's End title to just throw things at you and hope that this title could fill in the cracks and man does that piss me off. There's no reason that both titles couldn't be telling the same story and while some of you might say that it is............Well you're just wrong. Since World's End has introduced a bunch of new Avatar characters and doesn't want to take the time to make them completely fleshed out characters, people who only pick up this book will be given their back stories and only things that don't involve the main story at hand. I could be totally off base here but it just irks me that this is what the Earth 2 title has become and last year it was my favorite title. So in case you don't know, the Avatars of Earth are in the fight of their lives.......... and really the fight for Earth as they take on the Furies of Apokolips, here are the stories about how the Avatars we don't know.............became Avatars. Let's check it out.

Justice League 3000 #13 Review

Written by: J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen
Art by: Howard Porter
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: January 7, 2014

Ice, Ice Baby

Since this book first hit the shelves, it's been making a steady march to the top of my pile. Actually, after Blue Beetle and Booster Gold showed up, it's been a sprint. I have always loved Blue and Gold, but having hem in this book is a perfect fit. Add in a healthy dose of pop culture references, a jab at the "other" company and some self deprecating humor and you still only scratch the surface of how fun this book is to read.

The New 52: Futures End #36 Review and SPOILERS

Written By: Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Dan Jurgens, Keith Giffen
Art By: Scot Eaton, Scott Hanna, Hi-Fi
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: January 7, 2015

Batman's A Peeping Tom

For our quick recap this week you'll need to know that Frankenstein hasn't been himself since Ray Palmer gave him the arm of Hawkman and the Nth metal mixed with his undead biology.......He's a little more mortal than before and after sustaining a fatal blow and Ray Palmer not having the ability to save him, Amethyst decides to go to the Justice League Dark for help. King Faraday is trying to get Fifty Sue and Voodoo's crew to obtain a vault that was on Cadmus Island that fell into the ocean after the facility exploded and maybe he will because it looks like Fifty Sue will fall in line now that Lana slapped her across the face and murder and mayhem didn't ensue. Constantine and Superman have been going around the world searching for points of evil.........or where Brainiac has left minions behind and Batman Beyond had himself a bad time last week when he came face to face with the Batman/Joker Brother Eye monster from the future. All this and Madison Payne becoming the new Firestorm with Jason Rusch and having her first super villain fight. Man the future is crazy. Let's continue the insanity.

Action Comics #38 Review

Written by: Greg Pak
Art by: Aaron Kuder with Jae Lee and June Chung
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: January 7, 2015

Smallvillians

Let me tell you a little about myself...I hate horror. I'm talking about movies, books, television and yes, comics. It just isn't for me. That being said, I am really enjoying this "Horrorville" arc. Sounds odd, but the reason I've enjoyed it so much is it's a situation that Superman can't just punch or throw into the Sun. Believe me, he's tried. This is a different kind of threat and because of that, he's not only dealing with a crazy monster, but also his own insecurities and fears. It all continues this month and as we get close to the finale, Greg Pak shows us that everything isn't as it seems.

Green Lantern #38 Review and SPOILERS

Written By: Robert Venditti
Art By: Admira Wijaya, Andrew Dalhouse
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: January 7, 2015

Some Not So Alone Time

Welcome back to Green Lantern! After the events of GODHEAD two weeks ago, I figure that there will be a bunch of changes going on in the Green Lantern universe........ and I don't want to hear that you didn't follow GODHEAD....I just don't. To make sure I don't have to hear about it and to make sure that you're all caught up to now, let's go through the events as easily as possible. The Green Lanterns and I guess the rest of the emotional spectrum won and we won't have to worry about the New Gods and crazy quests to defeat Darkseid with Life Equations ever again. There ya go, now you're all caught up. So let's see what Robert Venditti has in store for our ring slinging hero from here on out and see how he took the news that Carol and Kyle were together now. Let's check it out.

Batman: Eternal #40 Preview

Written by: Tim Seeley
Art by: Paolo Armitano, Davide Furnò
Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: January 7, 2014

It’s three-way battle for survival between Batman, The Riddler...and Mother Nature?

Injustice: Year Three #15 Review

Written by: Brian Buccellato

Art by: Mike S. Miller

Cover Price: $0.99

Release Date: January 6, 2015

Wakey!Wakey!

Tom Taylor's Injustice has been one of my favorite books since it debuted. That is why I was so sad when it was announced he was leaving the book. However, my frown turned upside down when I found out that Brian Buccellato was the new writer. I love Buccellato and his hire speaks volumes for the importance of this book. It's no longer a mere video game tie-in, but a tremendously popular franchise. This issue is Buccellato's first and it's immediately clear that he not only "gets" it, but may even take it to new heights. I never fell off of the Injustice bandwagon, but I'm hoping with Buccellato on board, the wagon will get a lot more crowded.

Action Comics #38 Preview

Written by: Greg Pak
Art by: Aaron Kuder, Jae Lee, June Chung
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: January 6, 2014

The Horror of Smallville has been unleashed on the world! Superman must stop the evil undead threat of the Ultrahumanite from crushing humanity!

It's that time of month again...Awesome Beard Time! I'm glad to see that Clarke's beard is still around because it's awesome. If only Lana would get over that whole "Parents are Dead" thing and bask in the glory of Super Beard!

Justice League 3000 #13 Preview

Written by: J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen
Art by: Howard Porter
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: January 7, 2015

Winter’s coming to the future, and with it comes the frost queen herself: Ice! But is she the same hero the Justice League once knew? Maybe reuniting with old friends will warm her soul…or perhaps she just needs to create a little Fire!

I can't wait for this issue, but it has nothing to do with the solicit or the cover. Nope, it's all about Blue and Gold! Last issue ended with Blue Beetle and Booster Gold running with their tails between their legs with the "real" Beetle right behind them. Then there is the matter of those rats. Rats? I hate rats, Jacques! I hate 'em! If one of them is named "Reggie", I just may lose it. By the way, this is my favorite book and it's all because of DeMatteis and Giffen's writing and the extraordinary art of Howard Porter.

Swamp Thing #38 Preview

Written By: Charles Soule
Art By: Jesus Saiz
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: January 7, 2015

“The Machine Queen” part 4! It’s all-out action as Swamp Thing launches a counterattack against the Machine Army! Plus, Anton Arcane brings back the Un-Men in the most gruesome way possible!

We had a hell of a cliffhanger last issue where we saw that Anton Arcane having escaped his Rot prison had devised a hell of a revenge plan against our Swamp Thing by finding the bones of Alec Holland. What end will this bring for our Avatar of the Green and what will it mean with his upcoming battle against the Machines and the Machine Queen? Well I guess we'll have to pick up this issue to find out because man am I hyped to see where this story leads us.

Welcome to the MADHOUSE
After weeks of anticipation, Gotham has returned to it's home after the holiday season. Last time we left our young Jim Gordon, he was punished for his insubordination by being sent to the worst place for anyone to be sent to in Gotham — Arkham Asylum. So how does Jim fair without his wonderful teammate, Harvey Bullock? Pretty well in all honesty! But what crimes could be solved in an asylum? Well to those who don't know Arkham (which I call shenanigans, because it's Arkham), it has some of the craziest people in the comic world. And this week on Gotham, that craziness comes in the form of a few little shocks. Let’s check this out!

Infinite Crisis: Fight for the Multiverse #31 Review

Written by: Dan Abnett
Art by: Angel Hernandez
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: December 28, 2014

It's a Nightmare

I'm not going to start this review by painting a rosy picture about this book. If you've read any of my thirty previous reviews of it (and I hope you have), you already know what I think about it. I haven't liked it. Sure, there have been a few good issues, but they've been few and far between, lost in a sea of mediocrity That said, this week's issue is not horrible. I don't know about you, but I'll consider that a win

The Flash: Season Zero #8 Review

Written By: Brooke Eikmeier and Katherine Walczak
Art By: Phil Hester
Cover Price: $.99
Release Date: December 15, 2014

The Big Finale

At long last the first story arc of The Flash: Season Zero has come to its Big Finale...no pun intended. The tale of Flash as he goes against the horrible Nathan Bliss and his band of circus freaks has been an interesting one to say the least--but I'm kind of relieved that its finished, I really enjoy the character on the CW series and I feel the comic book series is great but this particular arc was really starting to feel to campy for me in terms of presentation.

The Kitchen #2 Review (Spoilers)

Written By: Ollie Masters
Art By: Ming Doyle
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 17, 2014

One-Way Street

The Kitchen is really about. In the first issue of the series the girls showed what they were willing to do in order to survive while their husbands were off the street and locked away in jail, though some of them were more all in than others. By the end of this issue that's no longer the case, with all three women proving that they are all in.
When you come to do anything for too long--be it good or bad--it starts to become a way of life; changing back to your old habits seems impossible and at it's core that's what this issue of

Infinite Crisis: Fight for the Multiverse #30 Review

Written by: Dan Abnett
Art by: Angel Hernandez
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: December 21, 2014

Is It Me You're Looking For?

Have you ever made a promise that you regret immediately after making it? You know, like promising to take your cousin to the prom and I'm talking about Ryan, not Denise. Then you go to pick him up and your both wearing the same tuxedo even though he told you he was going with the black Braydon style. That's how I feel right now having to review this book. We made a promise to review every DC book and I made a promise to review Infinite Crisis. I regret that promise every week and yet as a man of my word, here we go again. Seriously, slow dancing with Ryan to Lionel Richie's "Hello" doesn't seem so bad right now.

Infinity Man and the Forever People #6 Review

Written by: Dan Didio and Keith Giffen
Art by: Tom Grummett and Daniel HDR
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 24, 2014

Big Green Monster

If you don't know already, let me break the news...Infinity Man has been cancelled. It's not a surprise (the sales numbers say so), but it is a shame. In it's brief run, Keith Giffen and Dan Didio have given readers a unique love letter to Jack Kirby and a pretty fun book to boot. While I have enjoyed it, I'm not going to pretend that it's perfect. One of the downers has been that in the previous five issues, the story really hasn't gone anywhere. The Forever People have kind of been hanging out, going to pool parties and meeting up with the likes of Batcow and Guiy Gardner. Because of that, I can't really tell you much about the overarching story yet. I say "yet" fully aware that we only have this issue and three more, but I'm hoping that Didio and Giffen end things with a bang. Guess what? It all starts here!

Gotham By Midnight #2 Review and SPOILERS

Written By: Ray Fawkes
Art By: Ben Templesmith
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 24, 2014

So Is The Takeaway Here That Religion Is Awful Or Is That Just Me?

Hey look, it's another Dark title. Coming into this one a little late boys and girls what with the Holiday season and the year selfishly just ending the way it did but all the books will be reviewed and be put up before the next round of comics come out on Wednesday...........Man I really have to play catch up...........Did I mention that I was sick too? So in the last issue of Gotham By Midnight we were introduced to the team at Precinct 13 and introduced to the Internal Affairs officer Sergeant Rook, who was sent down to make sure that this Precinct wasn't pulling shenanigans with the city's money........... I'm thinking pinatas and RC Cola........ That's what people misuse money for right? Wouldn't you know it, some paranormal shit goes down while Rook is shadowing Jim Corrigan and it leads him to possessed children and finally to Slaughter Swamp where we came across a abandoned school full of kidnapped children and an evil ghostly nun. Let's see if Jim can keep his Spectre calm or if shit is about to get all wrathful in Slaughter Swamp. Let's check it out.

I am such a huge fan of the Injustice comic book and a major reason is because of Bruno Redondo. Injustice is a book loaded with so many awesome characters and Bruno gives the best version of each. Seriously, each issue is like a greatest hits album. He's also a really cool guy who was one of the first creators to take time to talk to us personally, so yes, I'm just a little bit biased. I don't care because over the year and a half we've had our site, one of the highlights was when he called me "brother" on twitter. I couldn't wait to get to work and brag to Eric. Nobody calls Eric "brother", not even his brothers!!! Let's leave Eric alone though, the guy thinks that headbands are a great fashion choice. I'd like to thank Bruno for doing this and I hope you all enjoy it.

It finally happened, we recorded a podcast! Of course, we have no idea what we're doing, so I apologize in advance for the audio quality and editing. Baby steps... To ease into things, we talked a little about the Holidays and Eric's Christmas Eve test (which he failed miserably), Jim not being able to stay awake on New Year's Eve and of course some comics. We discuss the 13 books that DC recently canceled and get off track a bunch of times. Remember, baby steps. Please leave any comments, questions and demands below. Enjoy.

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