Black Death in America #1 Review

Written by: Tom King
Art by: John Paul Leon and John Workman
Cover Price: Free (HERE)
Release Date: June 1, 2016

This was a hard comic to read and review.  It's weird, just writing that makes me feel awful, but it's the truth.  We started this site to review comics, make a couple jokes and throw in as many 80's references as the internet would allow.  For me, comics are all about having fun.  This comic is not fun.  This comic is important.  There will be no jokes or 80's references here.  In fact, I'd actually like everyone who is reading this to go and grab the comic and just read it for themselves. You can come back and look at my review afterwords, but you will probably also want to look some things up, do a little research, share and then talk to someone about it.  It's just eight pages...eight very important pages.

Teen Titans Go! #16 Review

Mumbo Road Trip

Written by: Derek Fridolfs and Sholly Fisch
Art by: Derek Fridolfs, Marcelo DiChiara, Jeremy Lawson and Wes Abbott
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: June 1, 2016

I mentioned in my review for the Teeny Titans one-shot (REVIEW HERE) that we haven't been reviewing the Teen Titans Go! stuff on the site, but I had so much fun with it, I think I am going to dive in head first.  I am a fan of the cartoon and as luck would have it, this print issue came out this week so I might as well start right here with Teen Titans Go! #16.  I plan on continuing with the Digital First chapters from here on out...all part of the plan to review EVERY book and end what little free time I have left.  On to the review...

TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything #1 Review - Saturday Morning Weirdness

Bebop, Bop, Bop, Bebop … Oh Yeah 

Written by: Ben Bates and Dustin Weaver
Art: Sophie Campbell, Dustin Weaver, Ben Bates, Giannis Milogiannis and Bill Crabtree
Cover Price: $3.99
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Review by: Branden Murray (@bmur3660)


I’ve always had a soft spot for the villain’s in the media I watch and read. There’s something endearing about these men and women that go up against our heroes despite being beaten down more times than a mouthy frat bro. I mean who wants to be punched repeatedly by the likes of Superman, Michelangelo, Rocket Raccoon, or even Matter-Eater Lad?!? That's right...Matter-Eater Lad!  I mean if you think about it, these villains are really a special type of crazy with a never say die attitude. You have to at least admire them for that quality if nothing else. Usually, it is nothing else!  This brings me to two of my favorite villains of all time, Bebop and Rocksteady. The two lovable, violent, knuckleheads, normally under Shredder’s command, who reside in the TMNT Universe. Well they now have their own in-continuity mini at IDW.  SPOILER ALERT: Since Shredder had his can opened by Master Splinter (see the extra sized fifty issue) these two bozos no longer have anyone yelling orders at them. So what have they been doing to pass the time? Let's find out...

DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH #1 TO GET 3RD PRINTING WITH NEW WALLY WEST COVER

I'm not sure if this will be a weekly thing up to and including the announcement of the 19th printing done by Max Spielberg..."This Time It's Really Really Personal!", but I loved Rebirth and the more printings the better!  Plus, this one comes with a new Wally West cover that in no way is a ploy to get those obsessed collectors to buy it yet again.  Seriously, if you haven't read it yet for any reason, up to and including not being able to get it at your local comic book shop, give it a read and see what all the cool kids are talking about.  Here is the official press release from DC Comics:

The Legend of Wonder Woman Chapter #27 Review

The End?

Written by: Renae De Liz
Art by: Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: June 2, 2016

Oh, what a sad day, a sad day indeed.  The final chapter of this first volume of The Legend of Wonder Woman has arrived and after a huge snafu where DC charged me three dollars that still didn't get me the complete chapter, I am here to review it!  I know that Renae De Liz announced that we will get a Volume Two of the book and while that makes me happy for the future, I live in the here and now and so it's with a heavy heart (and a lighter wallet) that I give you my review for the final chapter of one of my favorite books of the last couple of years...

Top 5 Fridays: Top 5 DC Comics Characters Greg Berlanti Can and Should Exploit

In an interview with The Mirror last week, Willa Holland aka Thea Queen from the WB’s Arrow expressed frustration that they had to kill off the Suicide Squad in their television show in acquiescence to the Suicide Squad film coming out this summer. She further went on to say that Warner Bros. should pattern themselves more like Marvel Studios and have more synergy between the movies and television programs, but I tuned most of the rest of the interview out because I started thinking of all the great DC Comics characters and concepts that have yet to be exploited on the small screen. I never thought I would live to see a day when the multiverse was handled correctly—which is to say insanely—on prime-time television, but we can push the envelope, can’t we? There are lots of things the cinematic universe will never use, which makes them ripe for Greg Berlanti’s picking! And here’s five of ‘em!

Doctor Fate #13 Review and *SPOILERS*

You Bring That Old Man Back and You Do It Now!

Written By: Paul Levitz
Art By: Ibrahim Moustafa, Lee Loughridge, Saida Temofonte
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: June 1, 2016

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Oh Doctor Fate........ What the hell happened to you?  Since it seems that I've missed a shit ton of reviews for this series...... and since it doesn't bother me in the slightest, I think it's safe to say that this series was dead to me long before Rebirth was poking around and talking about positive change like it was some sort of politician or something.  The thing is, I'm kind of a fickle mush head because even though I like young heroes and seeing them become acclimated into the world of action and adventure, this young Doctor Fate has just been a bore to read because we've spent a year with what seems to be nothing more than the continuing attempts of Khalid just trying not to screw up....... and you can only watch someone fail so many times before it becomes painful to watch and you start feeling embarrassed for the person you're watching....... and this is a goddamn comic book!  How is it that I'm feeling embarrassed for a superhero?!  It hasn't been fun at all, but maybe in the final issues something can be salvaged from this series since in the previous issue we ended with Khalid meeting his great uncle Kent Nelson.  Let's see if the old can impart some wisdom on the young and maybe make this a decent comic.  Let's check it out............ Oh, but before we do, look at that bad ass cover.  That's the best we've seen so far!  Let's get to it.

Teeny Titans #1 Review

Gotta Catch Have Them All

Written by: Ivan Cohen
Art by: Marcelo DiChiara, Wes Abbott and Jeremy Lawson
Cover Price: FREE
Release Date: June 1, 2016

I like having fun.  I'm not talking about go outside and throw the Frisbee fun because I hate the outdoors and wouldn't be caught dead throwing a Frisbee.  Please don't yell at me about Frisbee Golf or Ultimate Frisbee because then you would just look silly and I'd have to remind you that those are just as much sports as Hopscotch, Kick the Can and Cricket.  No, I'm talking about sitting inside my house and reading comics...fun comics.  Fun comics like this one.  I know that we usually don't dive into the Teen Titans Go! stuff on our site, but that's more the product of not having the time because I am a fan of the cartoon which I watch with my kids.  Okay, I watch by myself sometimes as well.  So, since I have a light review schedule this week and this digital comic has my favorite price point (FREE!!!), I'd figure I'd give it a whirl.  I'm glad I did and will now tell you why...

Adventures of Supergirl #2 Review - Print Edition

Shadow Doxxing

Written by: Sterling Gates
Art by: Jonboy Meyers, Pop Mhan, John Rauch and Saida Temofonte
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: May 25, 2016

**This is the review for the Print Edition that contains the Digital First Chapters #4 and #5**

 I am back again with a review of the Adventures of Supergirl print edition comic.  This one collects Chapters 4 and 5 of the Digital First Comic into a nice book that you can buy at your local comic book shop and proudly display in your collection.  I mentioned in my review of the first issue that I loved how Sterling Gates eased readers into the world of the Supergirl television show while giving readers who were already watching enough to keep them interested as well. Well, now that we are all caught up, I am really excited to see what Gates has in store for all of us.  So, how is my excitement level now that I've read this issue?  Let's find out...

Best DC Comics Covers of the Week 06/01/16

Hello to everyone out there and I hope you are have a stupendous week.  If you are one of the few people who have been coming to our site (it's a site, not a blog!) for a while, you may be thinking to yourself, "I think I remember Jim doing something like this way, way back" and you would be right. Back when I wasn't so damn lazy, I used to do all sorts of things...covers of the week, a weekly news column and I even went outside now and again.  Then something happened and that thing is called the Weird Science DC Comics Podcast!  That hideous beast pretty much devours my whole weekend and by the end of it all, I feel like Drago at the end of Rocky IV.  It' not a podcast, it's a piece of iron! Just like Drago, though,  I'm back (It is Drago in Kindergarten Cop 2, right?) for the attack and will try my best to make this a weekly thing.  So, here are my picks for the Best DC Comics Covers of the Week...

Bloodlines #3 Review and **SPOILERS**

More Spine-Tingling Than the Tingler!

Written By: J.T. Krul

Art By: V. Ken Marion, Sean Parsons, Andrew Dalhouse & Sotocolor

Lettered By: Sal Cipriano

Cover Price: $2.99

On Sale Date: June 1, 2016

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT BOTTOM**

I grew up in a mostly Catholic neighborhood, and one thing that grossed me out about the religion was this preponderance on blood. You drink the wine, which turns into blood. All the depictions of crucified Jesus in these churches paid special detail to the wound in his side and the rivulets of blood streaming down from the thorn of crowns placed upon his head. Even the notion that this blood can wash away your sins…who the hell wants to bathe in blood? Witches and warlocks, that’s who, and sixteenth century countesses who thought that wallowing in the plasma of virgins could sustain youth. I mean, blood is gross, no two ways about it, and generally something you want to remain within one’s body. But not comic book fans! We’re so bloodthirsty, we want to see our four-color pages awash in it. Which, incidentally, would be a real money saver. Just print the books in red. Make it super violent and say that blood suffused everything. There you go, comics industry, I just cut your printing costs by seventy-five percent, and you’re welcome. Anyway, I read Bloodlines #3 and wrote a review, which you can read right now!

Superman: The Coming of the Supermen #5 Review and **SPOILERS**

Don’t Mess With Darkseid

Written By: Neal Adams

Art By: Neal Adams, Buzz, Tony Aviña

Lettered By: Cardinal Rae

Cover Price: $3.99

On Sale Date: June 1, 2016

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT BOTTOM**

Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ‘bout that Rebirth, baby, but it’s still Classic Supes to me. The more I think of it, the more I realize that the Superman as depicted in this series is possibly the purest, most distilled version of Superman of all. Wait, hear me out! This Clark Kent contains a little bit from every era of the character: the relentless, almost mindlessly reckless crusading character from the 1940s; the goofy, kid-inspired Murray Boltinoff fever dream stories of the 1950s; the wholly ignorant space traveler of the Silver Age; the pseudo-political sophisticate of the Bronze Age…they’re all here, even some of the wackadoo variants of the 1990s and the neutered Boy Scout of the pre-Flashpoint DCU, all rolled into this berserk Neal Adams package that reads more like an orchestral movement than a comic book story. I think I have just mathematically proven that this is the best Superman story of all time! Don’t believe me? Read my review, I show all work!

Batman Beyond #13 Review and *SPOILERS*

Then and Now...... Together Forever and Never to Part

Written by: Dan Jurgens
Art By: Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo, Dave Sharpe
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: June 1, 2016

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

With Rebirth out and about kicking ass and taking names, it's really hard to jump back into this book..... and really any book that isn't rocking the Rebirth moniker right now.  It doesn't make it any better either that this title has just been struggling to go anywhere since Brother Eye was defeated, but maybe in the final issues of this title before Rebirth finally makes it's way over to Neo Gotham, we'll get a nugget of awesome out of this series yet....... Yeah, I won't hold my breath or anything like that, but it doesn't hurt to hope.  In the previous issue of Batman Beyond we saw Tim Drake taking on Rewire and like every other fight Tim's been a part of in this series.......... he got his ass kicked. The only difference this time around is it didn't seem to be his fault.  That's right boys and girls, right in the middle of the fight with Rewire, Tim's Batman Beyond suit just stopped working and we left our hero with him getting tossed into the drink and being left for dead.  Let's jump into this issue and see what all the hubbub was about and how our hero plans on taking Rewire down.  Let's check it out.

Adventures of Supergirl Chapter 10 Review and **SPOILERS**

Mother, Tell Your Diamond-Hardened Space Prison Wardens Not to Walk My Way

Written By: Sterling Gates

Art By: Cat Staggs, John Rauch

Lettered By: Saida Temofonte

Cover Price: 99 cents

On Sale Date: May 30, 2016

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Okay, I’m just going to call bullshit on this whole thing where Superman and co. can communicate with their dead parents’ holograms to ply them for information. I know there’s precedence for it, I know Donner used it in his original Superman film and it looked soo cool, but it totally dulls the tragedy of, you know, having your birth parents die. At least the way Sterling Gates writes Kara’s Kryptonian mom, there’s a limit to the information she can divulge because she died before iPods became big, in Man of Steel, Jor-El was strolling from behind pillars and popping up whenever the hell he wanted. There’s no way I’m going to miss my deceased father if he can still annoy the shit out of me from the afterlife. Anyway, this chapter of Adventures of Supergirl contains Kara’s holographic mom, so if that’s something against your church or whatever, then you should probably skip it. Everyone else can read on!

Weird Side #21

Art and Words by: Paul B.

Like a lot of people, our Podcast mysterious caller has led Paul to have nightmares...and dreams. Actually, I think he's just had nightmares!  So, this issue of the Weird Side is dedicated to that crazy, Eric obsessed guy...wherever he may be sharpening his rusty blades tonight! - Jim

Weird Science DC Comics Podcast Ep 73: DC Comics Rebirth, Comic Books and Arnold Horshack

Jim and Eric talk every DC Comics Comic Book that came out this week and yes...Rebirth is finally here!  It's (almost) everything that Jim and Eric wanted and while Eric claims no comic is a perfect comic, he liked Rebirth more than this week's Cyborg.  It's also the end of The Final Days of Superman and the Darkseid War and everyone (including Jason Fabok) must bow down to Weird Science for their prognosticating skills.  Of course, Reggie and Chris are along for the ride and it's a long one as usual.  Enjoy

He-Man the Eternity War #15 Review

Did We Just Become Best Friends?

Written by: Dan Abnett
Art by: Pop Mhan, Mark Roberts and Deron Bennett
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: February 24, 2016
Review by: Branden Murray


He-Man and I go way back.  There were many days and evenings spent setting up He-Man action figures, BattleCats, vehicles, castles, and weapons which lead to carefully orchestrated encounters between my brother and I.  We literally had a giant moving box full of He-Man shit and to me, all my other toys failed to live up to the hype in comparison … except my Captain Power's Ejecting Seat Jet! I could shoot at the TV screen and it included an interactive VHS tape...Legit!.  Okay, so basically to summarize how this review came to be, I love He-Man and Eric "forgot" to do the review for this epilogue of the Eternity War story arc.  Those qualifications I possessed were satisfactory enough for Jim so he offered me the chance to do this review with the promise of never being handsomely compensated ... I mean ever. (Jim's Note: EVER!)  Strangely that was all good enough for me and the girls I hang with, so let's see how He-Man’s hanging in there now that he no longer has Uncle Skeletor to push around.

Batgirl ABC TV Pilot 1967 - Just For the Hell of it Mondays

Now here's a fun one.

Following the second season of the Batman ('66) live-action television show, ABC was toying with the idea of spinning off a Batgirl series starring Yvonne Craig.  Rumor has it that ABC-TV execs were even considering dropping Burt Ward's Robin from the third season of the series and making Batgirl Batman's full-time partner!

How would our plucky librarian Ms. Gordon measure up to the might of the dynamic duo?  Let's find out...

My Favorite Things w/o 5/30/2016 - Just For The Hell Of It Monday

Welcome back to my weekly list of things I love that you should love too for the week of May 30, 2016.