Weird Science at New York Comic Con 2015: A Jerk's-Eye View

Greetings from the floor of New York Comic Con 2015!

I'm not too sure about Ant-Man 3: Rise of the Centipedes

Whoa! Wrong New York Comic Con! I'm talking about the one held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City every year, the one that gets even hermetic old cranks like myself to step out of our hoarders' hovels and into the piercing sunlight to see Japenese girls dressed in Pokemon pajamas. Look, I like comic books, I dislike crowds, and boy do I hate to see people being happy and enjoying themselves. So here's my shitty, half-assed take of what it was like to spend a few hours on Saturday at New York Comic Con as a complete and utter asshole.

Midnighter #5 Review

Holding the Rope

Written by: Steve Orlando
Art by: Stephen Mooney, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Jeromy Cox and Tom Napolitano
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: October 7, 2015

While I loved the first issue of Midnighter, my enthusiasm has waned since then.  I keep seeing other reviewers expounding on the witty dialogue and great characterizations in this book, but it just makes me wonder if I'm reading the same thing they are.  While I like Midnighter as a character, I have found the dialogue and situations in this book to be forced at best and down right laughable at worst. I would chalk it up as a "not for me" type of thing, but after the first issue, I was head over heels in love with this book.   Plus, Dick Grayson has been in it and that is definitely for me. While I may come off as negative to some (or most), I always try to give a book more than a fair shake, so it's with an open mind that I go into this issue.  Is this the one that turns my frown upside down or is it time for me to cut my losses and hand it over to someone else to review?  Let's find out...

Top 5 Fridays: The Most Disappointing Things About The Imaginext Hall Of Justice

Jody's busy this week and that means I get to talk about my Imaginext DC Super Friends obsession again!  Woo!  The last time I got to do one of these Imaginext lists I talked about the most disappointing things about the Hall of Doom playset and while most might not give a shit about a toddler's toy, I personally had been waiting for a Hall of Doom since I collected the Super Powers action figures as a kid and when I finally got the opportunity to see that dream realized....... well, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.  Yeah, I dig that I have the playset, but it could have been cooler and it looks like history will repeat itself here because the Imaginext Hall of Justice playset is coming out...... and while yes, this did have a playset for the Super Powers figures of the 80's, it was something that I never had, but I look forward to finally getting it as an adult.  I just wish it was cooler.  Let's jump into this list and see what nitpicky things I can point out about the Hall of Justice playset.

Lobo #11 Review

Pool Party

Written by: Cullen Bunn and Frank Barbiere
Art by: Robson Rocha, Ruy Jose, Blond and Travis Lanham
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: October 7, 2015

While I haven't been a fan of this entire run of Lobo, I really think it's a shame that the book is being cancelled.  It's finally hitting it's stride with this Sinestro Rising story and after all the bloody jingo jango surrounding Lobo's new look, he is actually getting pretty close to the original article.  If only Cullen Bunn would have started with this story, maybe things would have been different for the Main Man.  Well, you know what they say about should haves and could haves...it's something to do with gumdrops, right?  Maybe it's lollipops and rainbows.  I don't know, but I do know that I've enjoyed seeing Lobo rip through the Lantern Corps at the behest of Sinestro.  We all know that Sinestro has a grand scheme, but I don't care about that right now, I just like watching Lobo kill some of the biggest names in the Laternverse.  It may not make complete sense in the old continuity, but this is the DC YOU's story over continuity and I love watching Eric get pissed while I enjoy myself.  That trend continues this month as Lobo ramps up his assault on the Red Lantern Corps.  It certainly is action packed, but is it any good?  Let's find out...

Cyborg #3 Review and *SPOILERS*

Man of The (Machine) People

Written By: David F. Walker

Art By: Ivan Reis, Eduardo Pansica, Scott Hanna, Oclair Albert, Adriano Lucas, Corey Breen

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: October 7, 2015

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

I don't know if I'm the only one, but I'm still waiting on a "Booyah" from this series and while yes, I would love to see the exclamation in the book, I'm talking more of a "Booyah" moment for me.  As of right now....... and I know we're only in the third issue and I should just cool my jets a bit, but as of right now, this series hasn't grabbed me the way that I thought it would.  We've got Technosapiens and Tekbreakers doing their whole multiversal war thing and somewhere in there we have our cybernetic hero playing with himself..........no really, he has a new body and he's seeing how it works....pervs.  Anyway, Cyborg's new tech has brought the Technosapiens to Earth and I guess I'll find out if this issue brings that all fabled "Booyah" into my life.  Let's jump into this issue and check it out.

Action Comics #45 Review

Pete and (Re) Pete

Written by: Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder

Art by: Scott Kolins, Tomeu Morey and Steve Wands

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 7, 2015

If you follow our site and/or listen to our podcast (HERE by the way), you already know what I thought of the entire Truth arc.  If you are new to the world of Weird Science, let me welcome you and tell you...I hated the Truth.  It ended up being the Event that really wasn't and left me confused and angry.  That being said, the story in Action Comics was by far the best of the arc (tallest midget in the circus?!)  and if anyone can turn things around it's Greg Pak.  It takes some remembering, but when he jumped on to this book all those issues ago, he turned it into the must read Superman book on the shelves and I was a huge fan.  I'm still a fan and blame these forced crossovers for my lack of enthusiasm, not Pak's writing.  Guess what?  It all continues with this issue being the first chapter of the continuing crossover that deals with Superman losing his identity, powers and cape.  Does Pak wrestle from under the weight of this story and get things back on track?  Let's find out...

Green Lantern #45 Review and *SPOILERS*

Caught Him, Black Handed

Written By: Robert Venditti

Art By: Billy Tan, Mark Irwin, Alex Sinclair, Dave Sharpe
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 7, 2015

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Alright boys and girls, are you ready to finally get started on an actual story with this Renegade thing?  Yeah, that might sound like a dick thing to say, but we've had a bunch of issues and an Annual already and this thing has gone absolutely nowhere.  We've got the Green Lanterns vanishing, planets turning to stone and Gray Agents out and about looking for our boy Hal.......... and all our hero has done is fly around in his back talking ship and talk to a few folks.  It's just not what I thought this story would be, but hopefully here we gain some momentum and kick this thing off right.  Alright, no more stalling, let's get to this thing. 

Detective Comics #45 Review

Making the Grade

Written by: Peter J. Tomasi
Art by: Marcio Takara, Chris Sotomayor and Wes Abbott

Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 7, 2015

I was a big supporter of Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul's run on Detective Comics.  While some may have been turned off that the two turned to book into more Gotham Central and less Dark Knight, that's what I liked about it.  It set it apart from the rest of the Bat books and it didn't hurt that Harvey Bullock got some serious face time...or is it page time?  While it's a shame that Buccellato and Manapul didn't get a longer run, this issue marks the beginning of Peter J. Tomasi's and I am really excited to see what he brings to the table.  Will he continue the GCPD centric story?  Will he focus on the Jim Gordon Bat Bot?  Will he do something else entirely?  If I could tell the future, I'd work in the circus...no, what I can do is tell you if I liked this issue of Detective Comics and then eat some dinner, maybe watch a television show, take a shower and then go to bed.  And so it begins...

Survivors’ Club #1 Review and *SPOILERS*

Video Killed the Radio Star and Several Bystanders

Written by: Lauren Beukes and Dale Halvorsen

Art by: Ryan Kelly, Eva de la Cruz, and Clem Robins
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 7, 2015

*Non spoilers and score at the bottom*

Video games and the year 1987 will always be inextricably linked, in my mind, because that was the year I plunked down $110 of my hard-saved allowance money and bought my own Nintendo Entertainment System. It was also the year The Legend of Zelda was released, meaning I would have no trouble logging the initial eight-hundred hours playing my NES that are required to call oneself a Game Master, a title that still earns me nothing despite my announcing it whenever I enter a room. What if, while tromping around the pixelated lands of Hyrule, I had unwittingly cursed myself to a cruel death? What if, on some long-forgotten screen in an obscure dungeon, I’d garnered some kind of unspeakable evil that would manifest itself thirty years into my future? That’s sort of where we are with issue number one of Survivors’ Club, though it is only a first issue and the story could go nearly anywhere. Where did this individual story go? Read on and find out!

Batman and Robin Eternal #1 Review

Bird Cage

Written by: James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder
Art by: Tony Daniel, Sandu Florea, Tomeu Morey and Tom Napolitano
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 7, 2015


I have been looking forward to this book since Batman: Eternal ended.  Actually, that may be a bit of an exaggeration since by the end of Eternal, I was suffering from a bit of weekly book fatigue. However, once DC announced that the next book to hit shelves each and every week was going to feature Dick Grayson and the rest of the Robins, THEN I couldn't wait.  Well, the wait is over and I am digging in and getting ready for the next six months with high hopes that this book will enthral, surprise and excite me every step of the way.  I'm asking for a lot, but a man can dream, right?  So, did this first issue do all that or am I all ready kicking myself for demanding to review it?  Let's find out...

Arrow Season 4 Episode 1 "Green Arrow" Review *SPOILERS*

A New Day

There are some 

MAJOR SPOILERS in this review

Its been a while since I've done an Arrow Review, it's what happens when your a college student. Season 3 I would have to honestly say is the weakest of the seasons so far, but that doesn't mean its bad. It had some great moments and story arcs, but a lot of cookie cutter plots caused it to fall short in my book. If I had to give it a grade, it would probably be a C. Hopefully this season will redeem itself

Last time we left the team saving the day from Ras' Al Ghul. Oliver and Felicity retire from the team, Thea takes Oliver's place with Laurel and Diggle was pissed at Oliver. Five months have passed since then and it's time for Oliver to return to the city he swore to protect...so whats been happening? Lets find out...

Batman Beyond #5 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Dan Jurgens
Art By: Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo, Dave Sharpe
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: October 7, 2015

The Best Defense Is A Good Offense

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Let's travel back to Thirty-Five Years from now to get back to some Batman Beyond action.  As we saw from the previous issue, Brother Eye has found the location of Neo Gotham and after our hero depletes the battery of the Batman Beyond suit from fighting his little heart out in taking down Brother Eye's borg-ed out goons, his and the city's only chance is to recover a weapon from the past and with the help of Barbara Gordon, they get that chance they need.  Yes, it's Jim Gordon's Batman suit and while I don't agree with what the previous issue said about it being the prototype to the Batman Beyond suit..........because I personally believe that Batwing's suit has that title, seeing that suit for the cliffhanger was certainly a way for the creators to smack the readers in the face and tell them to start paying attention because shit is getting real.  Let's jump into this issue and see just how real it gets.

Telos #1 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Jeff King
Art By: Carlos Pagulayan, Jason Paz, Sean Parsons, Hi-Fi, Travis Lanham
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: October 7, 2015

Telos' Fists Are Going To Converge On Brainiac's Face

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Hey everybody, remember Convergence?  It was a two month tale that brought all the doomed timelines from the past together and made them fight to see what doomed timeline was the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla, but since it would be impossible to choose just one, all the heroes from these doomed times teamed up to take on the Skartaris sorcerer Daemos.  While this big bad was originally a part of the domed worlds that were forced to fight, he took it upon himself to capture all the time travelers so he could suck on their power a little to take control of the situation.  Well, luckily Parallax was kicking about and put an end to the nonsense and after Booster Gold, who was transformed into Waverider released Brainiac from Futures End, Brainiac took the power of the time travelers to purge himself of his ugliness and put all the timelines back where they belonged.  Yeah, that sounds really weird all summed up like that, but it is what it is.  Brainiac purged the Thunder Dome planet and Telos went to search for his family.  I guess we pick up from there with this strange ass title that will tell the adventures of Brainiac's former lackey.  Let's dive into this first issue and check it out.

Weird Science DC Comics Podcast Episode 39: Horror Out Loud

While the podcast starts with Jim pissed off and eventually kicking his computer, Eric calms him down and they get to all of this week's books.  We get the last email ever from Reggie and instead of his Recklessness, Professor DC tells everyone about the Royal Flush Gang.  We also find out that Saturday Night Fever was indeed rated R and Dan left the Geek News to chase his dreams...which gives Jim and Eric nightmares.  All this and more on episode 39 of Weird Out Loud!

The Flash Season 2 Episode 1 "The Man Who Saved Central City" Review and *SPOILERS*

Lightning Strikes Twice

There are some 

MAJOR SPOILERS in this review

About one year ago, I started out writing for the site. My very first review for Weird Science was the first half of The Flash's first season. It warms my heart that I finally return to the TV show I love with a brand new season as I think back at how many more posts I made...god I have no life. Jokes and reminiscing  It has been a long time coming for the show's return, and after the heart stopping conclusion to the last season's finale, I couldn't wait for the return.

Last we left our Scarlet Speedster, he had a final battle with the Reverse Flash, which ended when Eddie Thawne, one of Barry's closest friends and allies, shot himself, causing the Reverse Flash to disappear from existance. Unfortunately this lead to creating the singularity above Central City. The Flash ran up and began to run around it to equalize it, just like the tornado in the first episode. The question remains though...Did it work? Lets dive in and find out...

Gotham Season 2 Episode 3 "The Last Laugh" Review *SPOILERS*

Legacy

There are some 
MAJOR SPOILERS in this review

Well this is it! The conclusion to the first story arc of Gotham Season 2, and HOLY CRAP what a fantastic episode. I'm not even going to wait till the end to say how great this episode actually was, because it was!  This season so far really has shown that there is merit to the show that wasn't in season 1. This is no longer the forced reference show that leapt onto our screens fall last year. It shows that it can stand up as an equal to the other shows on the CW. Why am I praising this episode? Lets dive in and find out...

Injustice: Year Four #23 Review

Written by: Brian Buccellato
Art by: Mike S. Miller, J. Nanjan and Wes Abbott
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: October 6, 2015

Filler Up

I really enjoyed last week's Injustice for one big reason...the New Gods!  That is what I wanted from the Year of the Gods in the first place.  So, seeing Batman Boom Tube off to New Genesis to talk with High Father while Superman and Darkseid duke it out was pretty damn cool.  With that said, it was a lot of setup and I couldn't wait until this week to see it all come together in one big bang of an issue.  Silly me, I should have realised that this is the penultimate issue so we would be getting more setup leading to the grand finale.  So,  did Brian Buccellato give us an issue that will make us want the finale this instant?  Yes and no.

Green Arrow Annual #1 Preview

Written By: Ben Percy
Art By: Szymon Kudranski
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: October 7, 2015


It’s Halloween in Seattle, which means it’s time for celebration—but a real threat lurks amid the fake blood and fangs, and a single scratch can transform its victims into rabid beasts! Can Green Arrow prevent the outbreak—or will he become another causality?

I really hate that we're getting this Annual the same week as a regular Green Arrow issue, but at least this solicit seems interesting ........ Yeah, not really all that fun sounding, but at least it's got Halloween going on for itself and some 28 Days Later sounding threats to deal with.  

Telos #1 Preview

Written By: Jeff King
Art By: Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: October 7, 2015


The villain of the world-shattering CONVERGENCE event stars in his own new series! Set loose from his planetary tether at the end of the best-selling CONVERGENCE, Telos finds himself free and able to traverse space and time via a sliver of Brainiac’s powers. As this epic begins, he embarks on an odyssey, journeying across time and space in search of his past.

It's so weird to me that Telos got his own book...... I would like to say more, but it's Telos and we don't really know shit about this character..... not even his real name, which I'm sure we'll find out if Telos does what he said he was going to do at the end of Convergence and seek out his own people....... But I'm pretty sure that Telos is Chuck from Happy Days, so if we all go with that we should have smooth sailing......Man, this is a weird title.

Green Arrow #45 Preview

Written By: Ben Percy
Art By: Patrick Zircher
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: October 7, 2015

As The Day of the Dead approaches, Green Arrow and Tarantula head south of the border to investigate the rising darkness that may doom an entire city!

All I'm saying is, this series better become fun at some point because as of right now, I have not been enjoying this run and who doesn't want to enjoy Green Arrow?  That's right, nobody!

Cyborg #3 Preview

Written By: David F. Walker
Art By: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: October 7, 2015


Cyborg is our only defense against a freakish new army of invading metal aliens known as the Technosapiens. Plus, the Tekbreakers are back! They killed him the last time—are they back to finish the job?!

There's a lot of things going on in this book and I'm not too scared to say that I don't get it all yet...... I just hope that eventually I do because as of right now, this title isn't grabbing me the way I really hoped it would when it was announced.  Let's all just take each other's hands and hope that this series can be something that is epic......and immediately stop holding hands because I don't like being touched that long.

Batman '66 #69 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Jeff Parker
Art By: Dean Haspiel, Allen Passalaqua, Wes Abbott
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: September 16, 2015

What A Croc

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

It's time we finish out our foray into bringing current Batman villains into the world of Batman '66 and while I love the idea of bringing these villains into this world, too much too soon is never a good idea.  So yeah, I hope that it continues periodically down the line........ for what time this series has left, but we've got a whole bunch of classic Batman '66 villains that want their time to shine by taking on the Dynamic Duo.  For this issue we'll be dealing with one of my favorite villains, Killer Croc and it feels like his debut is long over due.  Let's jump into this issue and see how Croc can fair against the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder.  Let's check it out.