Everafter: From The Pages Of Fables #9 Review

Written by: Dave Justus and Lilah Surges

Art by: Travis Moore and Michael Wiggam

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 3, 2017

Review by: Travis Laborde 

So, what's happening with our kids in the school?  Did they get their demand for condoms and pizza?  We don't know.  What do we know?  That this book comes with some seriously good art and absolutely no shame for its game.  When its game is just telling a wild and crazy story about goats without heads, goat heads without bodies, and the cutest talking frog I've ever seen.

Extremity #3 Review and **Spoilers**

Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson

Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: May 3, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99

On paper you’d expect a Mad Max style revenge story in a futuristic post-apocalyptic fantastical world would probably end up feeling a little cliché or pieced together to feel original or fun. But to my great surprise Extremity has become one of my favorite reads currently going as I anxiously wait for each new issue.

Valiant: X-O Manowar 2017 FCBD Special Review

Valiant: X-O Manowar 2017 FCBD Special Review

Writer: Matt Kindt, Eric Heisserer, Jeff Lemire

Art Team: CAFU, Andrew Dalhouse, Raul Allen, 

Patricia Martin, David Lafuente, Juan Jose Ryp

Valiant Comics

Release Date: May 6, 2017

Cover Price: FREE                                                                    

The Valiant Grab Bag

Well today is Free Comic Book Day, or better known as the day every year that your favorite quaint little comic shop turns into a madhouse of giveaways, freebies, and toss-ins of varying quality.  Usually if you’re able to brave the lines and madness a few gems can be found, which shed some light either on stories already in progress, or those coming in the near future.  I personally usually like to grab the Valiant title because it usually has a little something about X-O Manowar in there, with 2017 being no exception.  So let’s see what the Get Fresh Crews runaway hero of 2017 thus far is up too in here shall we, while I also highlight a few snippets from what else is featured on the pages inside. Join me.

Weird Science DC Comics Podcast Spotlight: Batman #22 (The Button Part 3)

Jim and Eric get together to talk a little Batman #22.  It's back to Flashpoint and everything isn't coming up roses.  Hear what they have to say.

DC Comics Best Covers of the Week 5/3/17

Color Me Impressed

Yahoo! Another week of DC Comics can only bring one thing: another week of DC Comics' covers! Actually, most of the books get a 1:1 variant, so they bring two things. Unless they only have the one cover, like the Rise and Fall of Captain Atom. That comic didn't make the list anyway, but which ones did? Well go ahead and find out!

Deathstroke #18 Review

Wedding Day Jitters

Written by: Christopher Priest
Art by: Joe Bennett, Norm Rapmund, Jeromy Cox and Willie Shubert
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: May 3, 2017

It's been a long road to get to where we are in Deathstroke, but it really has paid off.  If you've read my reviews and/or listened to our podcast, you'll be aware of my struggle with this book.  I have gone up and down and back again with my scores, but that changed a bunch of issues back when Christopher Priest started telling a more straightforward story and things setup from the get go started paying off.  That continued last issue when everything seemingly collided head on, ending with a crazy cliffhanger.  How can Jericho get married if his bride is dead.  Well, I guess death didn't stop Isherwood, but this is a bit different.  So, who killed Etienne and what will that mean going forward? Let's see if we find out...

Harley Quinn #19 Review and **SPOILERS**

Turnabout is Fair Spray

Writers: Jimmy Palmiotti & Amanda Conner 

Artists: John Timms 

Back-up Writers: Jimmy Palmiotti & Paul Dini 

Back-up Pencils: Bret Blevins 

Back-up Inks: J. Bone 

Colors: Alex Sinclair 

Letters: Dave Sharpe 

Cover: Amanda Conner & Alex Sinclair 

Cover Price: $2.99

On Sale Date: May 3, 2017

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

What do you call Harley Quinn after a dinner of beans on toast?

Fartley Quinn!

No good? Okay, I can think of something better. In the meantime, check out my review of Harley Qu…oh, wait! What do you call Harley Quinn after she does a whole bunch of sit-ups? Harley Quee

Superman #22 Review and *SPOILERS*

Hamilton County........ Of The Damned!

Written By: Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason

Art By: Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, Ray McCarty, Wil Quintana, Rob Leigh

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: May 3, 2017

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Well goddamn, has this story been keeping us on our toes about what's going on with Cobb Branden and his granddaughter Kathy and also what they're connection to everything that this series has given us so far when it comes to Jon and his developing powers.  In our previous issue, we saw some mysterious man keeping an eye on the Kents through the eyes of Krypto and if that wasn't enough...... even with a big ass octopus fight in the middle of it, we also discover that Kathy has psychic abilities and that she's a part of something that's been keeping an eye on Jon since our Superman Faimly first moved to Hamilton County........ hell, who knows how far it's gone back, but one thing's for sure, we're never going to look at this quiet little hamlet the same way after this arc.  Let's jump into this issue and find out what Superman discovered in that creepy old mansion deep within Dead Man's Swamp.  Let's check it out.

Aquaman #22 Review and **SPOILERS**

Why Have Nuclear Weapons if We Can’t Use Them?

Writer: Dan Abnett 

Artist: Philippe Briones 

Colorist: Gabe Eltaeb 

Letterer: Pat Brosseau 

Cover: Brad Walker, Andrew Hennesy & Gabe Eltab 

Cover Price: $2.99 

On Sale Date: May 3, 2017

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Someone needs to write a Gotham Central, but for Atlantis. Stories of the barnacle-encrusted dark underbelly of a water-breathing society of pompous jerks. Tales of the personal lives of the work-a-day citizens of Aquaman’s domain, and the ministrations they endure to eke out a living. You can have that one for free too, DC. I got a million of ‘em. How about this: Warren Ellis can write it. No editorial fee necessary, I peel these ideas off by the dozen. Here’s something else you can have for free, my review of Aquaman #22! Please save your applause for the end.

Green Lanterns #22 Review and *SPOILERS*

Meet The Corps

Written By: Sam Humphries

Art By: Ronan Cliquet, Hi-Fi, Dave Sharpe

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: May 3, 2017

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Now that we've got that Doctor Polaris arc out of the way and new readers have a basic understanding of Simon Baz, it's time to get back to what was interesting in this series and that's Volthoom inhabiting the body of the rogue Guardian Rami.  Yeah, there was a lot of problems when we had the Volthoom backstory with it not adding up to what we previously learned of the character in the New 52, but I'm willing to go with it if it gives us an interesting Green Lanterns book going forward.  When we ended the last arc, our Lantern heroes were contacted by John Stewart, who ordered Simon and Jessica's rings to take them immediately to Mogo so that their proper training could begin.  Let's hope that's not all we get because from a conversation we saw previously in this series, the Green Lantern Corps intended on bringing Rami with them........ and that spells trouble.  Let's jump into this issue and check it out.

Green Arrow #22 Review

It's Not Easy Being Green

Written by: Benjamin Percy
Art by: Juan Ferreyra and Nate Piekos
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: May 3, 2017

Last issue had the greatest thing that ever happened to me and Eric in it (HERE), but it was also a solid start to the Rise of Star City arc.  While we watched Broderick gather his Four Horseman, we also got to see Oliver figure out a bit more of his father's dark past and it all looks like it's heading on a collision course.  I really can't see how Green Arrow is going to get out of all of this, but I'm already enjoying watching him try.  Does that all continue this week?  Let's find out...

Savage Things #3 Review

Quite Savage Indeed

Written by: Justin Jordan
Art by: Ibrahim Moustafa
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 3, 2017
Review by: Mark Fossas from the Nation of Nerds Podcast

I really enjoyed the first two issues of Justin Jordan's Savage Things.  It's what I look to Vertigo to give fans...a brutal, bloody good time and Jordan gives that out in spades, but that's not all.  A story can't live on blood alone and the story being told here is mysterious, intriguing and pretty damn awesome.  Luckily, Mark from the Nation of Nerds podcast stepped in for me after I reviewed the first issue because while I don't have time to review everything, this book deserves your attention. So, without further ado, check out Mark's review and then give his podcast a listen. -Jim

Justice League #20 Review

Somebody's Watched Groundhog Day

Written by: Bryan Hitch
Art by: Bryan Hitch, Daniel Henriques, Andrew Currie, Paul Neary, Alex Sinclair, Jeromy Cox, Pete Pentazis and Richard Starkings
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: March 3, 2017

I have not been the biggest fan of the Rebirth Justice League...Okay, I have pretty much hated it from the start and that's a real shame.  This should be DC's flagship book, but instead of giving us great stories with our favorite characters, Bryan Hitch is giving us a seemingly never ending string of world ending disasters with little to no resolution featuring barely recognizable characters.  Seriously, this is not your father's Justice League, but it's also not your mother's, your brother's and it is certainly not mine.  However, I will go into this new arc with an open mind and heart and hope that it is at least decent.  Well, was it?  Let's find out...

Nightwing #20 Review and *SPOILERS*

Everybody Hurts........ Sometimes

Written By: Tim Seeley

Art By: Javier Fernandez, Chris Sotomayor, Carlos M. Mangual

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: May 3, 2017

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Wow, this arc has really been a letdown for me because not only does it feel like Tim Seeley is just trying to rip off Grant Morrison, but because he's doing a poor job at it.  In our previous issue, we saw Dick and Shawn track Dr. Hurt to an underground temple of Anubis, where the villain planned on sacrificing Damian Wayne at dawn and after our hero fought with his dollotron doppelganger, Deathwing, he found that Dr. Hurt hates waiting and already killed Robin......... plunging Dick into what looked like hell.  Yeah, it was all over the place and didn't make much sense, but hopefully this final issue to the arc brings everything together so that we can see our heroes live, our villains defeated and if Shawn Tsang is actually pregnant with Dick's baby.  Let's jump into this issue and find out............ but I'm not expecting much.

The Fall and Rise of Captain Atom #5 Review and *SPOILERS*

Bonding Time

Written By: Cary Bates, Greg Weisman

Art By: Will Conrad, Ivan Nunes, Saida Temofonte

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: May 3, 2017

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of last issue because of how it seemed to turn a more personal Captain Atom story right back into a superhero/super villain brawl, I'm still interested in this series and interested in seeing if it has a bigger purpose than to simply reintroduce people to Captain Atom....... You know, we have all this Rebirth mystery surrounding us in the DCU right now and having Captain Atom being a part of that seems kind of like a good idea when the possibility of having Doctor Manhattan show up and maybe being a villain is what the word on the street is right now.  So yeah, we have Captain Atom spending his off time getting information about the son he never knew he had before he was ripped out of the 90's and while he's letting his quantum energies fly, we saw him accidentally create a new villain for himself in the form of Max Thrane, a convict on death row, who was affected by Captain Atom's quantum meltdown five years ago during his execution.  Now Thrane has Captain Atom like powers and after seeing the villain whoop our hero's ass in the previous issue, I just hope that he's able to take him down fast so that we can get back to some father/son time.  Let's jump into this issue and check it out.

Cyborg #12 Review and *SPOILERS*

Killer Concert

Written By: John Semper Jr.

Art By: Will Conrad, Cliff Richards, Ivan Nunes, Rob Leigh

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 3, 2017

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

After last issue's stroll through a digital gaming world that almost killed our hero, I don't know if I want to be reading this book anymore because each issue becomes one step forward and then two steps back because here we are twelve issues in and still dealing with Anomaly, with no real signs of Cyborg ever taking the villain down.  On top of that, we had this concept thrown at us in the previous issue about how Cyborg's Boom Tubes are all messed up and not taking him to where he wants to go........ which somehow translated into his mother box putting him into a game he created when he was in Junior High....... which makes no damn sense at all, but hopefully all of that is cleared up now and we can get into this Cyborg comic and see a competent hero that can take on Anomaly so that we can finally move on to bigger and better gs............ I'm not holding my breath though.  Let's check it out.

Bane: Conquest #1 Review and *SPOILERS*

And Bane-O Was His Name-O

Written By: Chuck Dixon

Art By: Graham Nolan, Gregory Wright, Carlos M. Mangual

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 3, 2017

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

Well, this title sure did sneak up on me.  I'm not saying that's a bad thing, it's only that I didn't know that I'd have to be reviewing this series so soon....... and with me knowing so little about it.  Yeah, we just had Bane go up against Batman in the "I Am Bane" arc of the Batman title and in that Bane went and got his ass kicked by our Dark Knight........ Well, Batman got one good lucky headbutt in and took our main character here down and whether that came off as bullshit or not, here we are....... I really have no idea where this book takes place in continuity.  I tried to get a hold of Chuck Dixon earlier this week so that I could possibly find out, but he never got back to me and I'm stuck wondering whether or not if this series is just a fun callback to these creator's times in the 90's or if we actually have some kind of continuation to "I Am Bane".  I guess we'll have to figure it out together.  Let's take a look at, Bane Conquest.

Batman #22 Review

Gotta Go Back in Time(lines)

Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson and Deron Bennett
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: March 3, 2017

I am a little torn with the Button story as it nears it's finale.  Should I rate and review it as just another issue or hold it up to a higher standard because of how big a story it's supposed to be.  I have enjoyed each issue, but I am already a bit underwhelmed by what it has given us in relation to the whole Rebirth Universe.  However, since DC has said, "The cataclysmic events of DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH #1 continue here!", I think I am going to have to look at it as something bigger than just another issue of Batman or Flash and rate it accordingly.  So, with that in mind, let's move on and please don't kill me if you disagree.  Okay?

Injustice 2 Chapter #4 Review

Reunited and It Feels So Good

Written by: Tom Taylor
Art by: Bruno Redondo, Juan Albarran, Rex Lokus and Wes Abbott
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: May 2, 2017

If you have been reading Injustice 2 along with me, one question has been burning in your brain for a couple of weeks...who is this other Batman?  I have a guess and hope I'm right, but I'm sure that if you get six readers together, you'll get at least three different guesses...and we are all probably wrong! So, will Tom Taylor give us the answer this week or just keep telling the beginnings of a kick ass story that leaves me wanting more, more, MORE?!?!  Can we get both, please?  Let's find out...

PREVIEW: Superman #22

Written By: Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason

Art By: Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, Ray McCarty, Wil Quintana, Rob Leigh

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: May 3, 2017

“BLACK DAWN” part one! What is the secret of the Dead Man’s Swamp? Superman is tested by a mysterious force that pushes his convictions to the limit. Can the Man of Steel save face in the eyes of Hamilton and his son, Superboy?

PREVIEW: Green Lanterns #22

Written By: Sam Humphries

Art By: Ronan Cliquet, Hi-Fi, Dave Sharpe

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: May 3, 2017

“LOST IN SPACE” part one! The Green Lantern duo of Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz venture into space to train with the rest of the Green Lantern Corps for the first time! But will both of them reach the Corps after Jessica is jettisoned out of transluminal travel and forced to find her way through the void of space?

PREVIEW: Everafter: From the Pages of Fables #9

Written by: Dave Justus and Lilah Sturges
Art by: Travis Moore
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 3, 2017

In this week’s issue of EVERAFTER: FROM THE PAGES OF FABLES, the Shadow Players are called to Plano South Senior High as a rather unusual hostage situation has arose—a magical cube has surrounded the school. With options limited, Feathertop brings in Bobby Speckland, a fable with an understanding of bullying, to intervene with a message for the young captors.

Across town, Tanner locks horns with Bo and Connor but that is soon interrupted by an arsenal of livestock. Tension prevails and emotions flair in this week’s issue EVERAFTER: FROM THE PAGES OF FABLES #9 from writers Dave Justus and Lilah Sturges and artists Travis Moore, Michael Wiggam (colors) and Todd Klein (letters).

PREVIEW: Nightwing #20

Written By: Tim Seeley

Art By: Javier Fernandez, Chris Sotomayor, Carlos M. Mangual

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: May 3, 2017

“NIGHTWING MUST DIE” finale! Very few villains have ever broken Batman—but the man who’s been tormenting Nightwing is one of them! Why has he chosen Nightwing, and not Batman, to serve him in the dark new world he sees coming?

PREVIEW: Green Arrow #22

Written by: Benjamin Percy
Art by: Juan Ferreyra and Nate Piekos
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: May 3, 2017

“THE RISE OF STAR CITY” part two! The Ninth Circle’s puppet mayor Nathan Domini cripples Seattle’s ability to defend against the ever-increasing chaos of disease, fires and crime while Green Arrow and Black Canary face a confederacy of foes unlike anything they’ve encountered before as Cheshire, Brick and Eddie Fyers tear the city apart! 

PREVIEW: Justice League #20

Written by: Bryan Hitch
Art by: Bryan Hitch, Daniel Henriques, Andrew Currie, Paul Neary, Alex Sinclair, Jeromy Cox, Pete
Pentazis and Richard Starkings
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: March 3, 2017

“ENDLESS” part one! The League find themselves trapped in a time loop after they are attacked by a man wielding a mysterious alien weapon. The result is one member dead, and many civilians obliterated!

PREVIEW: The Fall and Rise of Captain Atom #5

Written By: Cary Bates, Greg Weisman

Art By: Will Conrad, Ivan Nunes, Saida Temofonte

Cover Price: $2.99

Release Date: May 3, 2017

“Quantum Mechanic” part five! Still shaken by the secret General Eiling and Dr. Megala went to extraordinary lengths to conceal, Captain Atom would like time to adjust. But a serial killer who wields astounding powers that rival his own has other plans!

PREVIEW: Cyborg #12

Written By: John Semper Jr.

Art By: Will Conrad, Cliff Richards, Ivan Nunes, Rob Leigh

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 3, 2017

“DANGER IN DETROIT” part three! After going missing for a month Cyborg finds Detroit in a state of chaos. Anomaly’s hold on S.T.A.R. Labs has only gotten stronger. Ratattack and Haxaan have to bring in the final component for Anomaly’s world domination: Cyborg!