Weird Science DC Comics: 2016-11-20

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 Chapter #1 Review

Nazis...I Hate These Guys

Written by: Marc Andreyko and Jeff Parker
Art by: David Hahn, Karl Kesel, Madpencil and Wes Abbott
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: November 23, 2016

A couple things seem to be tailored made for each other and because of that, are just meant to be. Peanut Butter and Jelly, NFL Football and betting and whatever the voodoo is that makes up those delicious All Dressed potato chips I crave fortnightly. Another one of those is Batman '66 and Wonder Woman '77. Don't let the eras confuse you, this is a match made in heaven and if you were a young kid watching these shows, you'd agree. So, when DC Comics announced this book, I shook my head "yes" and waited to see just how awesome it was going to be. Well, now that it's here, I can finally tell you.

Mad Max, On Ice

Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Jason Shawn Alexander, Luis NCT
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 23, 2016
Review By: Christian Faulds

*Non-spoilers and score at the bottom*

So this series has been pretty interesting. Joshua Williamson does know his tropes and trappings of post-apocalypse and has kep the book interesting. There characters are entertaining and now they are together on a road trip. Will they get on each other’s nerves? Will Victoria find out that the person transporting her killed her father? Will Joshua say the characters names more often so I can remember them? Will I ever find a better way to write the beginning paragraphs for these reviews? Probably not, but let's dig in.

Classic!

Written by: Art Baltazar and Franco

Art by: Art Baltazar
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 23, 2016

I was a huge fan of Art Baltazar and Franco's Tiny Titans because of it's huge cuteness factor, but also because of the care and respect that both of the creators showed for the property. Sure, it had the look that would appeal to children, but it also was a great stepping stone to learning about the characters in the DCU...and that there is something everyone can enjoy! Maybe I'm saying that because I am a middle aged man and loved the crap out of it, but I am not embarrassed to say that one bit. So, when DC announced that they were putting out this Super Powers mini, I jumped at the chance to be the one to review it. Did I like it as much as what came before? Let's find out...

Weird Science DC Comics Podcast Spotlight: Wonder Woman #11

Jim and Eric get together and talk Thanksgiving, Fast Food and of course, Wonder Woman. It's the conclusion of the "Lies" story...or is it?!? They try to figure that out and possibly shed light on what happened in this comic. Do they succeed? You be the judge. If you like what you hear, download the weekly podcast that comes out every Sunday Night where we discuss every DC Comic released that week as well as read a ton of listener mail, talk DC Comics News and have a whole lot of fun. And yes, it is actually 10-12 hours long...that is not an error!

Just Scales, No Meat

Written by: Chris Sebela

Art by: Pop Mhan

Cover Price: $0.99

Release Date: November 22, 2016

Review by: Dillyn Chadwick

Check out Dillyn's Podcast, DC Bros. Podcast HERE

Dillyn here back again with another Injustice: Ground Zero review. This story so far has been a roller coaster of emotions. And I don’t mean the actual story, I mean my enjoyment of it. Each chapter is either really good or really boring. It’s never been bad, per say, but sometimes not so enjoyable. Chapter 8 is here and let’s see if it is still enjoyable.

Jim and Eric get together for a little fun and games and of course, some DC Comics. Actually, instead of "some", they give you "all" and that includes Regiie and Chris dropping knowledge bombs on Cave Carson and Brandon showing he knows his He-Man, but can't quite get enough juice for his daughter! The show also has segments from Christian (Salty Playground) and Ben (Nerd Church Radio) as well as a new segment from Toby (42 Shades of Geek) and the usual listener mails and rant and raves. Yep, it's all about the Get Fresh Crew...Whoop Whoop!

I Give Thanks for Awesome Comic Book Covers

It's Thanksgiving Day here in the United States (of America), but that doesn't mean we have to stop the Best Covers of the Week train from rollin'! First, I'd like to specially thank the team on the cover for Detective Comics #945 for enticing us with a word balloon and a superhero accusation! Really evokes some of my favorite Silver Age comic book covers. Read on to see the best of the best of the best!

#DCDialogueCover

Detective Comics #945

Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez, Brad Anderson

Deathstroke #7 Review

Another Brick in the Wall

Written by: Christopher Priest
Art by: Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz and Jeromy Cox
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 23, 2016

Deathstroke is one of those books that I enjoy reading, but tend to forget the minute I put it down. Maybe it's because of my lack of background with the character or the fact that Christopher Priest is making me work for my enjoyment, but I just haven't been able to get into this book even as it has gotten better with each passing issue. So, does this issue break the mold, wow me and thus make me crave the next issue immediatley. Let's find out...

Saving Hitler

Written By: Dan Jurgens

Art By: Tyler Kirkham, Ulises Arreola, Rob Leigh

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: November 23, 2016

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

What are you going to do Action Comics? You gonna give us some answers here or are you just going to continue to string us along like a bunch of chumps? Maybe chumps was a bit harsh, but goddamn are we being strung along here and the worst part is.......... I'm starting not to mind. Yeah, it's frustrating not knowing what's going on in this series, but between having the Smith (Kent) family throughout this series just reminding us how great they are and the thought of having Super Lex being a permanent fixture to this title, not to mention the stellar art every issue........ Well, I find myself not minding so much that I'm still in the dark about the majority of this run. Previously, we saw two Apokolipteans come to Earth to kill the annihilator of worlds before he actually has the chance to do all that annihilating...... You know, future stuff. Now it's up to Superman and Lex to face off against these two powerhouses....... or you know, death. Let's jump into this issue and check it out.

Joining The Club

Written By: Dan Jurgens
Art By: Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo, Travis Lanham
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 23, 2016

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

While I'm still interested in what happened to Tim Drake between the end of the New 52 Batman Beyond series and this one, I have to say that I'm not so interested that I can't take this for what it is and for the most part that seems to be classic style Batman Beyond........ Hell, it's so classic feeling that Brother Eye's invasion doesn't even seem to be a thing anymore. Maybe that's a don't ask, don't tell situation going on that could be a part of something later on, but as of right now it doesn't seem to matter because the Jokerz have taken over a portion of Gotham and Terminal seems to be hellbent on bringing the OG Joker back to life to lead them into a whole new time of chaos. As we saw in the previous issue, Terry's a bit out of shape from being out of commission for awhile so his new tactic is to infiltrate the Jokerz by disguising himself as one of their own. Hopefully he doesn't go and get his fool self killed in the process. Let's jump into this issue and check it out.

Handi-capable of Whupping Your Ass

Writer: Cary Phillips

Artist: Elena Casagrande

Colors: Giulia Brusco

Letters: Todd Klein

Cover: Mitch Gerads

Cover Price: $3.99

On Sale Date: November 23, 2016

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

I have to hope that having recently seen the character Vigilante on the CW television program Arrow, this miniseries is an attempt to capitalize on the small screen introduction. I have to hope that’s the case, because DC doesn’t have the greatest track record for capitalizing on such debuts. It looks like they learned a lesson from there being no Supergirl comic last year when the television show debuted last year on CBS, because while the initial issue of Vigilante: Southland left a bit to be desired, at the least it does exist. And maybe issue #2 will be an improvement? I wonder how we could find out, barring a read of the damn thing ourselves? I know, we’ll just wait for Reggie to do a review! He’ll tell us what’s what.

Heart of Darkness

Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Davide Gianfelice, Ivan Plascencia and Steve Wands
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 22, 2016

While I haven't been the biggest Rebirth Flash fan, I do love me some Wally West and by that, I mean
New 52, Kid Flash Wally West. While others complained when he was introduced, I wanted more. Well, we are finally getting that and while some of it seems to be to set him up for the Teen Titans book, the training parts with Barry are solid gold to me. Of course, Wally's desperate need for Flash's acceptance lead him into deep water by the end of last issue and that's where we start off this week. Was it good? Let's find out...

Get Off My Back!

Written By: Keith Giffen
Art By: Scott Kolins, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Josh Reed
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 23, 2016

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

This series has not been what I wanted it to be and what I wanted it to be was just plain, honest to goodness fun. Instead, we've gotten Jaime and Ted Kord bickering back and forth and acting like an old married couple and that's not fun to me, especially because the panels are just littered with dialog balloons that are filled with back and forth quips that don't do anything for the book except for exhaust the reader. Maybe that's just me, but I expected more out of this, especially since it just throws Ted Kord at us without so much as an explanation about why he's so interested in Jaime and how he was once the Blue Beetle even though we've never seen him as this heroic persona. When we last left our hero, we saw him investigating some kidnapped "Posse" members and finding out that his mother has been hired by Kord to be the "Posse's" physician. So yeah, Jaime's not too happy about that; let's see what else develops with this issue. Let's check it out.

Playing Catch Up

Written By: Dan Abnett
Art By: Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Andrew Dalhouse, Carlos M. Mangual
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 23, 2016

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Titans has been a book that has just been pushing along without really feeling like it's doing much. Yeah, we have Wally West in it and with his involvement in the Rebirth Special, it would make you think that this series is pretty damn important. Sadly, these monthly issues, while enjoyable enough, just haven't lived up to the hype.......... and the hype is probably something that I created myself. I mean, we have the fastest man alive and it feels like we're standing still here. Hopefully that all changes though because when we last left our Titan heroes, Abra Kadabra had created a Silver Age style, heroes choice death trap, where Wally would be forced to push himself to the extremes in order to save his friends from their magical doppelgangers. Even if Wally pushes it though, Abra made it seem like he still wouldn't be fast enough so let's jump into this issue and see if he's right. Let's check it out.

Home Sweet Home

Written By: Greg Rucka
Art By: Liam Sharp, Laura Martin, Jodi Wynne
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 23, 2016

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

After fighting off Urzkartaga and freeing Barbara Minerva from the Cheetah curse, it looks like it's finally time that we conclude "The Lies" story arc and find out what the hell has been going on with our hero and how the world has changed from what she thought she knew. In our previous issue, we saw Dr. Minerva point Diana to a place where she had visited in the Wonder Woman interlude issue, that may be a thin spot in the Universe that might allow her access Themyscira, since this whole story arc is all about Wonder Woman not being able to find her way home again. Seems like a solid enough plan, but when Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor showed up, yeah, it looked like they found Themyscira, just not anyone that I remember seeing. Let's jump into this issue and see if Wonder Woman has found her way home or if this is all a part of "The Lies". Let's check it out.

A Chat in Chas’ Kitchen

Writer: Simon Oliver

Artist: Moritat

Colorists: Carrie Strachan and Tony Aviña

Lettering: Sal Cipriano

Cover Artist: John Cassaday with Paul Mounts

Variant Cover Artist: Yasmine Putri

Cover Price: $2.99

On Sale Date: November 23, 2016

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

I’ve thought about it, and if I was a magician, I’d definitely be the evil kind. Preferably one that wears mystical robes all the time, for extra comfort. I don’t think I’d be sacrificing human babies—depends on the spell, I suppose. But using precognition to win the lottery or stopping time to shoplift undetected? Yeah, I’d be there. Seems like there’s a dire price on your friends and loved ones whenever you use magic anyway, you might as well get a little scratch out of it. That’s why I’d get along with John Constantine, I reckon, until one of use stabbed each other in the back. Until then, it would be a diabolical match made in hell. Why, just take a look at my review of the Hellblazer #4, and see how swell it is to be a pal to John Constantine!

When Is a Door Not a Door?

Writer: Robert Vendetti

Penciller: Rafa Sandoval

Inker: Jordi Tarragona

Colorist: Tomeu Morey

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Cover: Sandoval, Tarragona, Morey

Cover Price: $2.99

On Sale Date: November 23, 2016

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

On plane pristine, or somewhat funky

You can become so much Sea Monkey

Your city shrunk and made por-ta-ble

For Brainiac, and his hoarder’s pull!

We've Been Shanghaied

Writer: Hope Larson

Art: Rafael Albuquerque

Colors: Dave McCaig

Letters: Deron Bennett

Cover: Rafael Albuquerque

Cover Price: $2.99

On Sale Date: November 23, 2016

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

So this issue will wrap up Barbara’s travails through Asia, and it seems like it won’t be soon enough for many people. I could have used a few more issues, though, there’s lots of great Asian food that didn’t get explored as Babs turned over Teacher’s evil academic plan in her mind. Kimchi, soup dumplings, delicious bamboo shoots...I feel like Babs could have eaten more. And it’s not all street food, you know! There are places to sit down. I assume, at least. Come to think of it, maybe I should be taking direction from someone familiar with the place, rather than assert my own assumptions. I don’t even know if bamboo shoots are actually a thing in Asia, I just love ‘em at Szchezuan restaurants. Ah well, there’s me Amerisplaining again. Let me bow out of this ungracefully and move on to my review of Batgirl #5!

Harley Wants to Climb Ivy’s Trellis. And By That, I Mean Have Sex With Her

Script: Jimmy Palmiotti & Amanda Conner

Art: Chad Hardin

Flashback Art: Andrew Robinson

Dream Art: Bret Blevins

Colors: Hi-Fi

Flashback Colors: Andrew Robinson

Letters: Dave Sharpe

Cover: Amanda Conner & Alex Sinclair

Cover Price: $2.99

On Sale Date: November 23, 2016

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

So now that Harley Quinn is out of the punk rock scene, you think she’ll keep that awesome Mohawk? I really liked the fact that, despite changing her hair last Spring to be in accord with the Suicide Squad film character’s version, she was able to switch it up later on in the year. Keeps things fresh, and I feel a scatterbrained character like Harley would probably have a different haircut every other week. Often, in comics, you don’t want to change a character’s hairstyle, because it will diminish the reader’s recognition of that character. That’s not really a concern with Harley Quinn, you could put a bag over her head and you’re still going to know who it is. No sense in ruminating on a hairstyle unseen, let’s check out Harley Quinn #8 and see what’s fun with her follicles!

The Curse of the Dogwelder

Writer: Garth Ennis

Artist: Russ Braun

Colorist: John Kalisz

Letterer: Pat Brosseau

Cover Artists: Steve Dillon and John Kalisz

Cover Price: $3.99

On Sale Date: November 23, 2016

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Yayyy! It’s my favorite comic book! When this hits the stands, all the kids look up from their games of marbles and drop the handles of their Radio Flyers and run to Gleason’s Pharmacy, where you can get an egg cream and an issue of Hard Travelin’ Heroz for twenty cents, so three of us buck up seven cents and weasel three straws out of the soda jerk (the extra penny is spent on a root beer wax bottle, and we shoot for it). Then, it’s time to crowd around the fluted glass and our brand spanking new comic book and take in the four-color hilarity…what’s this guy doing? Drinking an entire bottle of vodka? That doesn’t seem like…say, is that fat guy wearing any clothes? And what the hell is that pulsing mass of human organs nearby?! This is nothing like Superman! Man, I don’t know if gratuitous puke and poop jokes are your thing, but they certainly ain’t for me and my gang! Why, just look at some of the depravity you can find in issue #5!

Since it's Your Birthday, I'll Reveal Your Murderers

Story & Words: Benjamin Percy

Pencils: Diogenes Neves

Inks: Ruy José & Sean Parsons

Colors: Jim Charalampidis & John Kalisz

Letters: Corey Breen

Cover: Jonboy Meyers

Cover Price: $2.99

On Sale Date: November 23, 2016

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Man, people were so amped for that first issue of Teen Titans, you’d think it had been printed money. I think it was shell shock from the previous volumes. “They’re…quipping,” gasped a Teen Titans-starved readership, faces streaked with remnant tears over Tara Markov. The trick, then, is to keep that momentum going for subsequent issues. So how does #2 stack up? Read on to find out!

Jung Love

Written by: James Tynion IV
Art by: Al Barrionuevo, Carmen Carnero, Scott Hanna, Adriano Lucas and Marilyn Patrizio
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 23, 2016

Detective Comics has been one of the most consistently good reads since Rebirth started and while the Victim Syndicate story kind of pales in comparison to what came before it (Tim Drake's death), it does make sense. While the issue of Batman creating his own villains and trouble is almost as old as the character himself, James Tynion is dealing with innocents caught in the Batman crossfire...and it goes further than that. We already began seeing cracks in the Dark Knight armour last issue and I expect that to continue all while the Detective Team (Luke is right, we need a better name!) figure out how to stop the Syndicate. So, does this issue keep the Detective Comics coolness train rolling or is this story another victim to add to the list? Let's find out...

PREVIEW: Batman Beyond #2

Written By: Dan Jurgens
Art By: Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo, Travis Lanham
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 23, 2016

“THE RETURN” part two! Terry is tested in a way he hasn’t been since he returned as Batman. In Jokerztown to rescue Dana, he’s not up against one foe but an entire community of clown-worshipping crazies, all led by the deadly Terminal. Is it possible his crime-fighting career—and his life—will both end just as he’s starting over?

Give me more of that resurrecting Joker shit because that's way more interesting to me than Terry McGinnis dressing up like one of the Jokerz to infiltrate their organization and while you're at it, why not give me some Bruce Wayne answers too. Okay book, GO!

Written By: Keith Giffen
Art By: Scott Kolins, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Josh Reed
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 23, 2016

“THE POSSE” part three! How do you defeat a foe with 150 bodies? Meet the hive mind called Horde, an entity that can summon a host of minions to overwhelm any foe. That’s not the sort of complication Jaime Reyes needs in his life as he continues to deal with his overbearing mentor, Ted Kord, and a new romantic interest.

With the news that Sugar and Spike will be joining this book all I have to say is....... This better "wow" the shit out of me because this series hasn't been the best so far and adding more characters that bicker back and forth doesn't fill me with a shit ton of confidence.

Written By: Dan Abnett
Art By: Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Andrew Dalhouse, Carlos M. Mangual
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 23, 2016

“The Return of Wally West” part five! Wally West will do anything to save his friends—even at the cost of his own life! The full extent of Abra Kadabra’s greatest trick is finally revealed!

While I've really enjoyed this series so far, I do feel that it's starting to get a little monotonous, where our heroes just fight bad guys for a little bit, eat at a diner and then talk about their feelings. Yeah, I'm a fan of all of those things, I just want a little more out of a book that feels like it should be one of the biggest books that DC's putting out right now. Hopefully that changes here.

Written by: Christopher Priest
Art by: Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz and Jeromy Cox

Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 23, 2016

“The Professional” part seven! After Deathstroke confronts the enemy behind Wintergreen’s abduction and the attempted murder of his daughter, he soon finds himself abandoned on a suicide mission where he confronts an unbeatable foe—the Man of Steel!

The above solicit says it all...and even though it kind of seems like everything will be revealed, I kind of doubt it. It's just not that kind of book!

Navigation

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Nazis...I Hate These Guys

Classic!

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Just Scales, No Meat

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Another Brick in the Wall

Saving Hitler

Joining The Club

Heart of Darkness

Get Off My Back!

Playing Catch Up

Home Sweet Home

Jung Love

Tuesday, November 22, 2016