Weird Science DC Comics: 2017

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Star Wars: The Last Jedi - The Storms Of Crait #1 Review - Marvel Mondays

The garbage won't do

Written by: Ben Acker and Ben Blacker
Artist: Mike Mayhew
Publishers: Marvel
Release Date: 27 December 2017
Reviewer: Andrew McAvoy

Well, they say don't judge a book by its cover. Look at the beautiful cover that Marco Checchetto served up for this tie in with The Last Jedi - The Storms of Crait, a one-shot giving us some background to the mysterious planet Crait. Having been tantalized by Crait since viewing it on The Last Jedi trailer some months ago, and then having relished the planet's depiction in The Last Jedi earlier this month, boy was I ready for this title. Surely it couldn't disappoint? Well, it did disappoint... and don't call me Shirley.

Fancy Feats on Yancy Street

Writer: Brandon Montclare
Art: Alitha E. Martinez and Roberto Poggi
Colorist: Tamra Bonvillian
Publisher: Marvel
Reviewer: Andrew McAvoy

So here it comes - 2018. This issue was the last comic book I read in 2017, and there have been some excellent comics this year despite what some online commentators have had to say this week. Among the finest is this title. The opening issue last month set the bar high for this 6 part arc. Let's see if this issue continues to dazzle.

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Bonehead #1 - Review

Some Might Say

Written by: Bryan Hill
Art by: Rhoald Marcellius
Publisher: Image
Release Date: 27 December 2017
Reviewer: Andrew McAvoy

As a teenager my musical awakening came courtesy of a band from Manchester called Oasis. At that age they seemed to arrive and stick two fingers up at the confectionery pop and fagged out rock gods that dominated the charts. The band themselves (at that stage) consisted of a crowd of working class likely lads. They were the sort of guys you would bump into down the pub. No-one encompassed this attitude more than their rhythm guitar player Paul Arthurs who was known as Bonehead. Probably the most famous Bonehead ever to have lived...until now!

Gasolina, you must have seen her

Written by: Sean Mackiewicz
Art by: Niko Walter
Colors by: Matt Lopes
Publisher: Image
Review by: Andrew McAvoy

This is a series that just keeps getting darker and darker. In the last issue in this series families were being taken by Los Queridos while monsters continued to emerge from the soil. Amalia and Randy have got themselves involved in this whether they wanted to or not. Things are about to get worse. Let's roll.

Suicide Squad #32 Review and SPOILERS

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All’s Well That Ends Weird

Story: Rob Williams

Penciller: Scot Eaton

Inker: Wayne Faucher

Backup Story Artist: Wilfredo Torres

Colors: Adriano Lucas

Lettering: Pat Brosseau

Cover Artists: Tony S. Daniel, Danny Miki & Tomeu Morey

Cover Price: $2.99

On Sale Date: December 27, 2017

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Here it is, the conclusion of “The Secret of Task Force X!” So far, the secret has been that giant monster dinosaurs are actually psychic vampires and Harley Quinn is a prat fallin’ kook. Perhaps you’ll find some clarity in reading my review of Suicide Squad #32, right here!

Teen Titans #15
Super Sons of Tomorrow, Part 3:
Tomorrow is Never Promised
Writers - Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason
Pencillers - Ed Benes & Jorge Jimenez
Release Date: December 27, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99

Another crossover event?! Didn't we just have one of those a few months ago?

Well, unlike that Lazarus Contract mess... this one's been really good so far! It also helps that the fallout (to my knowledge) hasn't already been spoiled by the solicits. Defiant, indeed.

Demon: Hell is Earth #2 Review and SPOILERS

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How Do You Do, Xanadu?

Writer: Andrew Constant

Penciller: Brad Walker

Inker: Andrew Hennessy

Colorist: Chris Sotomayor

Letterer: Tom Napolitano

Cover: Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, Lee Loughbridge

Cover Price: $2.99

On Sale Date: December 27, 2017

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

The thing with writing Etrigan the Demon is that, for my money, you can write him rhyming or not, since he was birthed by Jack Kirby as a non-rhymer. But if you do have him using rhymed verse, then you have to make the rhymes dope! It’s just like rap battles. Don’t get involved if you’re not prepared to go the distance. That doesn’t necessarily apply to this book, but there are plenty of people who have written Etrigan in the past that biffed entire rhyme schemes. Does that happen in Demon: Hell is Earth #2? You’ll have to read my review to find out!

Paws and Claws

Written by: Howard Chaykin
Art by: Mac Rey
Letters by: Ken Bruzenak
Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 27, 2017

Chaykin and Rey's The Ruff and Reddy Show is one of the strangest comics I've ever been asked (oh, okay – volunteered) to review, but I think this might be the issue when I finally get some kind of handle on it. The last two issues have seen our titular pairing, after a long period of separation and obscurity, reunite in a bid to relaunch their careers. That it's taken this long to reach that point is largely down to Chaykin's decision to turn his 'story' (if that's the right word for a narrative this threadbare) into a vehicle for a satirical look at the entertainment business, whose scattergun approach has yielded entirely predictably mixed results. The end of this issue marks the midway point of this story, though, and it looks like it might actually be moving a bit more purposefully. And thank goodness for that…

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #35 Review and SPOILERS

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Four on the Floor

Writer: Robert Vendetti

Breakdowns: Tom Derenick

Penciller & Inker: Jack Herbert

Colorist: Jason Wright

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Cover: Francis Manapul

Cover Price: $2.99

On Sale Date: December 27, 2017

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Now that we’ve learned all about the Controllers, I expect to see some hardcore Controlling around here! First, I expect they’ll take over our television remotes. That’s probably an easy thing to control and it would have an immediately shocking impact on everyone. Next, they’ll probably commandeer the air traffic control towers at major airports. What else can they control? Check out my review of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #35 and find out!

Batgirl #18 Review and SPOILERS

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Help Me Harley

Writer: Hope Larson

Art: Sami Basri

Colors: Jessica Kholinne

Letters: Deron Bennett

Main Cover: Dan Mora

Cover Price: $3.99

On Sale Date: December 27, 2017

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Whoa-oh who’s that girl that’s always late to the party?

It’s Batgirl!

Who’s that girl that’s not really a smarty?

It’s Batgirl!

But what she lacks in pure common sense

She makes up for in angst and some sweet vio-lence

And plus she’s good at acrobatics

It’s Batgirl!

Clayhanger

Written by: James Tynion IV
Art by: Miguel Mendonca, Diana Eger, Jason Wright, and Sal Cipriano
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 27, 2017

I haven't been the biggest Detective Comics fan lately and it's mainly James Tynion's insistence on using villains from earlier in the run like the Victim Syndicate. I didn't like them then and I am pretty sure there is nothing that's going to change my mind now. They just aren't interesting and having them return just makes it feel like this book is stuck in neutral. I wish I could say that I could at least hang my hat on the return of Tim Drake, but again...not interesting. Of course, there is a chance that this issue turns everything around for me. Well, does it? Let's find out...

The Hellblazer #17 Review and SPOILERS

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Your Own Personal Buddha

Writer: Richard Kadrey

Penciller: Davide Fabbri

Inker: Jose Marzán Jr.

Colorist: Carrie Strachan

Letterer: Sal Cipriano

Cover Artist: Jesús Merino with Carrie Strachan

Cover Price: $3.99

On Sale Date: December 27, 2017

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

I’m gonna tell ya, San Francisco is one of the nicest cities you’ll ever hope to visit in America. I may have begun my review of the last issue the same way, but San Francisco is that swell of a city that it can be championed twice. Down by the Wharf, there’s a museum called Museé Mécqanique that is a lot of fun—don’t let the Frenchie name scare you, it’s just a collection of coin-operated games and amusements dating back to the 19^th Century. And almost all of it can be operated by you, the attendee, for a quarter or two! They’ve got crazy mechanical vignettes and old-timey baseball games where you can belt a steel marble against a tin backdrop—plus a bunch of terrific video games like Death Race and Robotron 2084. Highly recommended! More recommended than The Hellblazer #17? You’ll have to read my review to find out!

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The Challenge Was Inside Of You, All Along

Writers: Gail Simone, Paul Levitz

Artists: Jill Thompson & Ryan Sook, José Luis García Lopez & Joe Prado

Colorists: Trush Mulvihill, Laura Martin & Andrew Crossley

Letterer: Clem Robins

Main Cover: Frank Miller & Alex Sinclair

Cover Price: $4.99

On Sale Date: December 27, 2017

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Now we come to the payoff: the final issue of Kamandi Challenge, where we are supposed to figure out what the ding-dong dickens is going on in this comic book. It’s had its ups and downs, if you define “ups” as “head-scratching moments of insane anthropomorphic action” and “downs” as “the sheer boredom and tedium of Tom King’s issue.” Whether a series is good or bad, however, must be considered based on its conclusion. So let’s find out what my considerations were in my review of Kamandi Challenge #12, right here!

Filling Time's Hole

Written By: Dan Jurgens

Art By: Dan Jurgens, Art Thibert, Trevor Scott, Johnny Desjardins, Joe Prado, Hi-Fi, Rob Leigh

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: December 27, 2017

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

We're gonna get back in time...... and see how Superman has fucked up the time stream and made it so that Krypton has an alternate timeline in the days before its destruction. Hopefully Booster Gold is able to lay some knowledge on our asses because since we found out that 10 years have been taken out of our heroes' history, plus five years of memory for the Titans team, not to mention all of the alternate futures and Hypertime that has been thrown our way lately........ time and time travel have been a bit of a headache for me because every damn explanation usually goes against another and that's only if it makes sense in the first place. Hopefully, Action Comics comes through and we see some sort of decent explanation going on here...... don't hold your breath though. Let's check it out.

My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad

Written By: James Robinson

Art By: Carlo Pagulayan, Stephen Segovia, Jason Paz, Art Thibert, Raul Fernandez, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Saida Temofonte

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: December 27, 2017

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Well holy shit, just when I thought I'd figured out this series, it goes and does something that I didn't expect...... it continued where we left off last issue. Yeah, while that doesn't sound like something to be shocked by, it hasn't happened in awhile and with that, we don't lose any of the momentum that was built when Zeus showed up in the previous issue looking to take on Darkseid himself. So with that, let's jump into this issue and see Old God vs. New God and see who will take home the win. Let's check it out.

Case Closed

Written by: Kurt Busiek
Art by: John Paul Leon
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: December 27, 2017

The first issue of Creature of the Night impressed me so much. Seeing a kid's life mirror the origins of Batman in such a meta way was so intriguing and my mind was racing as we saw Batman himself (maybe?) start fighting crime in 60's Boston. The book was full of mysteries and questions that I'm not sure will be answered in this issue, but I can't wait to see what happens next. So, is this issue as good as the first one? Let's find out...

I'll Be Watching You

Written By: Dan Jurgens

Art By: Phil Hester, Ande Parks, Michael Spicer, Travis Lanham

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: December 27, 2017

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

In our previous issue of Batman Beyond we saw our future Dark Knight take on what is left of the Royal Flush gang before getting to an awesome cliffhanger, where it looks like Ace may have broke Terry's back Bane style. Before all that though, it seems that we're getting into new territory with this series where not only do Terry and Matt move into Wayne Manor, but it also looks like Matt is doing his damnedest to become Robin Beyond. Let's jump into this issue and see if Matt moves forward to getting his wish and if Terry is able to continue being Batman. Let's check it out.

Stop Stopwatch

Written By: Christopher Sebela

Art By: Scott Kolins, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Josh Reed

Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 27, 2017

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

It's time to jump back into some Blue Beetle action and see how Jaime is going to deal with a town controlled by a time traveler, who has the ability to keep everyone inside with time altering device..... and can make the people of the town young or old........ because he needs them to steal things....... goddamn, this story is convoluted as hell. Okay so, Jaime and his friends got trapped in a town out in the desert after going on a road trip and now it's up to him to get them home safe and sound...... with a mess of a story wrapped around it. Let's jump into this issue and see if things become clearer or if the nonsense just starts stacking up. Let's check it out.

Godspeed To You

Written by: Joshua Willaimson
Art by: Scott McDaniel, Mick Gray, Hi-Fi, and Steve Wands
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 27, 2017

The last issue of Flash was a step in the right direction if you ask me. The Rogues are always a welcome addition, but it was the added fun that Joshua Williamson injected in the issue that made it a winner in my book. That's all I really ask out of a Flash book, but it's something that has not been plentiful since Rebirth started. So, does this issue continue bringing the fun as we learn more about what the Rogues are planning for Godspeed, Central City, and the Flash? Let's find out...

Lights Out

Written by: Steve Orlando
Art by: Steven Byrne and Clayton Cowles
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 27, 2017

The last issue of Justice League of America was one of the better ones of this run. Steve Orlando put aside the crazy action scenes and focused on his characters and I liked what we got. Killer Frost having to come clean about what she did in the Microverse and The Ray doing his thing in Vanity showed me that when Orlando focuses on his characters, he can do good things. So, does this issue continue that focus and does it pay dividends for the reader? Let's find out...

Old Dogs

Written by: Kyle Higgins
Art by: Trevor McCarthy, Dean White, and Clayton Cowles
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 27, 2017

I have really enjoyed New Order and while I am sad to see is closer to being over, I am pretty pumped to see how it ends. I'm not so sure that it will all work out for Dick Grayson, but that's the reason I like books like these...they don't all have to have a happy ending. So, how was this issue? Let's find out...

Icarus On Repeat

Written By: Jeff Lemire

Art By: Bryan Hitch, Kevin Nowlan, Alex Sinclair, Jeremiah Skipper, Clayton Cowles

Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 27, 2017

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

In Dark Nights: Metal #4 we went through a topsy-turvy story to get us to our cliffhanger, where we saw what had happened to Hawkman since he disappeared so long ago.......... He apparently became a giant hawk-god looking creature who became Barbatos' dragon at the Forge of Worlds. Yeah.... With so much story to fill in to that point, I really hope that Hawkman: Found does the trick and brings all of the readers up to date with everything that's been going on in Metal. That's a tall order though with a one-shot so let's hope for the best as we dive into this issue and see what Hawkman's been up to. Let's check it out.

Doomsday Clock #2 Review and SPOILERS

Break On Through To The Other Side

Written By: Geoff Johns

Art By: Gary Frank, Brad Anderson

Cover Price: $4.99

Release Date: December 27, 2017

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

The countdown continues as we transplant the characters of the Watchmen Universe into our own DC Universe, where they're on the hunt for Dr. Manhattan so that he can come back home and save the day one more time. Things aren't going too well though and as we saw in the previous issue, Ozymandias and the new Rorschach have recruited The Marionette and her husband Mime to assist them in hunting down the allusive god of their world........ which is odd as hell because they're convicted killers. On top of all that though, the world is about to be plunged into nuclear devastation and back on the DC front, Superman has had his first nightmare. Yeah, that was a weird way to end the book, but let's jump into this issue and see if things start coming together for this year long event. Let's check it out.

Injustice 2 #38

Writer: Tom Taylor
Art Team: Daniel Sampere, Rex Lokus
DC Comics
Release Date: December 26, 2017
Cover Price: $.99

No More Mister Nice Bat!

Injustice 2 is a crazy romp through a video game continuity that takes no prisoners, anything can and will happen. This was very present last week specifically as Plastic Man rescued most of the Teen Titans from the Phantom Zone, they had Zod follow them out before closing their portal, and Zod as a thank you promptly killed Tim Drake. That all happened for 99 cents folks. I’m just saying, it's tough to find more bang for your comic book buck than that. So let’s see what the aftermath of all these crazy actions end up being shall we? Hopefully more craziness.

Check out our Patreon. For as little as $1 a month, you can help support the podcast! This week's Patreon Spotlight: Superman #37 & Super Sons #11

Navigation

Sunday, December 31, 2017

The garbage won't do

Fancy Feats on Yancy Street

Friday, December 29, 2017

Some Might Say

Gasolina, you must have seen her

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Filling Time's Hole

My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad

I'll Be Watching You

Stop Stopwatch

Icarus On Repeat

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Break On Through To The Other Side

Injustice 2 #38