Deadshot #1 (1988) Review

BEGINNINGS (or "Die But Once")

Writers: John Ostrander and Kim Yale
Artist: Luke McDonnell
Colorist: Julianna Ferriter
Letterer: Tim Harkins
Editor: Robert Greenberger
Release Date: September 7th, 1988
Cover Price: $1.00

Review written by Joey Casco of TheWineStalker.net

I was never really a big fan of Deadshot. A gun themed persona has never appealed to me with any character. He looks stupid. His shiny armor doesn't even make sense because he'll be easily seen when he's trying to snipe somebody. I did like Will Smith as Deadshot in the Suicide Squad movie and Christian Slater as Deadshot in Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay, but Deadshot in comics? Bleh.

But then I started digging in to the 80's comics on DC Universe and now he's become one of my favorite villains. I mean, what a jerk this guy is. And absolutely brutal. Just relentlessly brutal. Did I mention that he's a jerk?

I recently stumbled across this piece of gold on DC Universe and literally dropped my jaw a few times while reading the first issue. I knew that it had to be my next series of retro reviews. This is a four part miniseries from 1988, and it is FANTASTIC.

Batman: Curse of the White Knight #3 Review

What BIG hands you have!

Writer: Sean Murphy
Art Team: Sean Murphy, Matt Hollingsworth, AndWorld Design
Release Date: September 25, 2019
Cover Price: $4.99


First and foremost, I've enjoyed the added layer on mystery thrown into the latest iteration of the White Knight series, I think it makes it stand out a bit in a crowded Batman market. I dig the Zorro vibes of the past big time, Murphy's art style of course, and I also am so ready for this story to pull those seemingly loose threads together in an interesting way. Well, it all begins to start to come into play in this issue right here, so let's not hesitate any further, and get right into discussing just what develops in issue three of this multi-layered extravaganza called Curse of the White Knight.

Batgirl #39 Review and **SPOILERS**

Oracle is Dead. Long Live Oracle

Writer: Cecil CastelluccI

Artist: Carmine Digiandomenico

Colorist: Jordie Bellaire

Letterer: Andworld Design

Cover: Carmine Digiandomenico & Ivan Plascencia

Variant Cover: Jeff Dekal

Editor: Brittany Holzherr

Group Editor: Brian Cunningham

Cover Price: $3.99

On Sale Date: September 25, 2019

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Justice League Dark #15 Review and **SPOILERS**

Take it Back to the Start

Writer: James Tynion IV

Penciller: Alvaro Martínez Bueno

Inker: Raul Fernandez

Colorist: Brad Anderson

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Cover: Guillem March and Arif Prianto

Variant Cover: Clayton Crain

Editor: Brittany Holzherr

Group Editor: Brian Cunningham

Cover Price: $3.99

On Sale Date: September 25, 2019

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Harleen #1 Review and Spoilers

Mad Love...Sure, I Guess

Writer: Stejpan Sejic
Artist: Stejpan Sejic
Cover Price: $7.99
Release Date: September 25, 2019

Review by: Carlos S.

I can’t say that I was let down with this book because I did not really have expectations going, either way, prior to reading it.  All I knew about it was that it is a DC Black label book by Stjepan Sejic with a new interpretation on the origin of the Joker/Harley relationship.  Great art was always going to be a given.  Can we say the same about the story?  Let’s find out.

Batman Beyond #36 Review

Speed Kills

Written By: Dan Jurgens

Art By: Rick Leonardi, Ande Parks, Chris Sotomayor, Travis Lanham

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 25, 2019

It's the conclusion to our False Face/The Splitt story and at this point, even though I've had some fun with this arc overall, there really needs to be something big and over the top, not to mention a satisfying end to these characters for me to feel like this arc was something important because really....... fun can only take you so far.  Let's jump thirty-five years into the future and find out the fates of our villains and what has become of our hero.  Let's check it out.

Wonder Woman #79 Review

And Now All I Want Is A Smile

Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Scott Eaton and Wayne Faucher
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 25, 2019

I have spent these intro paragraphs talking about how much I was looking forward to G Willow Wilson's run and how disappointed in it I have been since it started.  I keep looking for the book to get better, but sadly it hasn't and Wilson's run is close to ending.  Oh well, I still don't know what went wrong besides some writers and characters don't mix well.  Let's check out this issue...

Red Hood: Outlaw #38 Review

Doomed!

Written By: Scott Lobdell

Art By: Kenneth Rocafort, Steve Firchow, Troy Peteri

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 25, 2019

Class is in session with this issue of Generation Outlaw, where Jason Todd is the teacher of a group of child villains, who will make up the next era of Doom, but as we saw in the last issue...... there's someone knew that Jason and class were sent to check out and that's the long forgotten Doomed..... maybe you might have read his short lived series a couple of years back.  Let's jump into this issue and see if the kids can reach the teenager inside or if Doomed will just describe these students first field trip.  Let's check it out.

Freedom Fighters #9 Review

Freedom For All!

Written By: Robert Venditti

Art By: Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Adriano Lucas, Andworld Design

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 25, 2019

Earth-X...... the world where the Nazis won the Second World War and where now a handful of heroes are fighting to take them down permanently and take their world back.  Previously, we saw Black Condor infiltrate the Detroit work camps, where he was supposed to steal the Plastic Man formula so that the rest of his team could enact their final plan, but being around the people who were still slaves was too much for the former slave himself to take and with that, revolution occurred...  Let's see if these every day Freedom Fighters and Black Condor will be enough to take down the Detroit Work Camps and take their freedom back.  Let's check it out.

Shazam! #7 Review

Into The Darklands

Written By: Geoff Johns

Art By: Dale Eaglesham, Scott Kolins, Michael Atiyeh, Rob Leigh

Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 25, 2019

The Magiclands are calling us back to the Rock of Eternity, but Billy's going to have a lot on his plate before he can get back to the hunt for his family because his long lost father has shown up out of nowhere and looking to put the Batson family back together again and Mary has decided that with her foster brothers and sister missing in the Magiclands, she'd better come clean to Victor and Rosa Vasquez and has let the cat out of the bag about every one's superhero shenanigans.  Let's jump into this issue and see if Billy can juggle all these problems, while also getting ready to take on Sivana and Mr. Mind as they continue to try to put together the Monster Society of Evil.  Let's check it out.

Action Comics #1015 Review

Naomi Tells Her Tale

Written By: Brian Michael Bendis

Art By: Szymon Kudranski, Brad Anderson, Dave Sharpe

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 25, 2019

It's time to head on back to Metropolis to check in on Superman with his trouble with Leviathan, Red Cloud, Lex Luthor, the Invisible Mafia and now after last issue...... Naomi.  That's right, straight out of her debut mini in the Wonder Comics imprint, we see the young hero to be show up in the Man of Steel's city.  Let's see if we learn anything more about her since for the most part, even with six issues introducing the character, we still pretty much know nothing about Naomi.  Let's jump into this issue and check it out.

Detective Comics #1012 Review

Ice Ice Maybe

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi

Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Ink: David Baron
Letters: David Baron

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 25th, 2019

Review by Joey Casco of TheWineStalker.net

It's snowing out and Batman has found the boat where he met Selina (uuuugh), old and abandoned in the dockyard. He's talking to himself and using snowflakes as a metaphor for his relationship with her. I mean, I don't mind it, but I'm really just over the whole boat/street thing. There's no reason for it being in this issue either, other than cool imagery of Batman in the snow.

The Flash #79 Review and *SPOILERS*

An Attack on Two Fronts

Written By: Joshua Williamson
Art By: Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Arif Prianto

Letters By: Steve Wands
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 25, 2019

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

The Flash has really picked up in recent issues. This storyline with the new forces and them being hunted by the Black Flash has been incredibly entertaining and I’m enjoying it thoroughly. The previous issue ended on a huge cliffhanger with the Black Flash finally catching up with Psych and killing him before Flash was able to catch up. This opens a lot of new ways that this story can go now and I’m really excited to see how this story goes forward. Joshua Williamson may on occasion give us an uninspired story but when he hits his stride, the quality of his books go through the roof. So let’s just hop into this book and see where it takes us.

Batman/Superman #2 Review

Poor Kelex!

Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: David Marquez, Alejandro Sanchez, and John J. Hill
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 25, 2019

I wasn't as fond of the first issue of this series than most it seemed, but that is not saying that I hope I like it a lot more this month.  While I am still debating on whether I want all this Dark Multiverse stuff to go away for a while, more and more books are coming out and the Infected story is becoming a big one at DC.  So, did I like this second issue better than the series start?  Let's find out...

Batman Giant #1 Review

So Big...It's Giant!

Written by: Michael Gray and Steve Orlando

Art by: Ryan Benjamin and Tom Mandrake
Price: $4.99

Release Date: Available at Walmart now, in Local Comic Shops with a different cover on October 9, 2019

Of course, the biggest name in comics would have an entry-level book!  Batman’s been on Walmart shelves as long as DC has had this program. In fact, last March had a special 80th Anniversary Giant, a sampling of reprint stories going all the way back to Detective Comics #27 and touching on the different eras of the Caped Crusader.  For a cool $30-50, I can getcha one on eBay!

PREVIEW: The Flash #79

Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Jordi Tarragona
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 25, 2019

"The Death of the Speed Force" claims its first victim, forcing the Flash to reconsider whether the Speed Force is worth saving! But the Flash is unaware of Captain Cold's mission to power up his fellow Rogues, and Snart's next stop is right in the middle of a broken home. When Mirror Master and Golden Glider are at each other's throats, there aren't enough Lex Luthor power-ups in the world to bring them back together...or are there?

PREVIEW: Detective Comics #1012

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 25, 2019

"Year of the Villain" kicks into overdrive! Victor Fries has only ever wanted one thing...to bring his wife Nora back to life in a healthy body. Now, with Lex Luthor's aid, Victor's wish will finally come true. But how will Nora adjust to the new world she has missed? And how will Batman try to tear Victor's dream away from him?

PREVIEW: Batman: Curse of the White Knight #3

Writer: Sean Murphy
Artist: Sean Murphy
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: September 25, 2019

Batman salvages a groundbreaking clue from the wreckage of Wayne Manor and recruits Harley Quinn to confront The Joker for answers about the mystery of Gotham City's foundations! Their investigation takes a dire turn in the darkest corners of Arkham, and Gordon's life is in peril after a new commissioner is named.

PREVIEW: Batman/Superman #2

Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: David Marquez
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 25, 2019

The Batman Who Laughs' plot is bigger than either the Caped Crusader or the Man of Steel realized. Following a showdown with the devious killer's first sentinel, a jacked-up, Dark Multiverse-infected Shazam!, the pair has to figure out who else has been targeted for similar transformations. Their first two guesses: someone very close to Batman and the one hero that would make failure nearly impossible-Superman himself!

PREVIEW: Wonder Woman #79

Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Scott Eaton and Wayne Faucher
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 25, 2019

Must a world without love be one without our hero? Wonder Woman is forced to discover a new way to fight after the destruction of her golden lasso and unbreakable bracelets at the hands of Cheetah and her God Killer sword. How can she possibly stop the unstoppable?

PREVIEW: Shazam! #7

Written By: Geoff Johns

Art By: Dale Eaglesham, Scott Kolins, Michael Atiyeh, Rob Leigh
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 25, 2019

“Shazam and the Seven Magiclands” continues as the shocking new member of the Shazam family is revealed! This mystery person will send shock waves through the entire cast!

PREVIEW: Justice League Dark #15

Writer: James Tynion IV

Penciller: Alvaro Martínez Bueno

Inker: Raul Fernandez

Colorist: Brad Anderson

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Cover: Guillem March and Arif Prianto

Variant Cover: Clayton Crain

Editor: Brittany Holzherr

Group Editor: Brian Cunningham

Cover Price: $3.99

On Sale Date: September 25, 2019

The Floronic Man, Papa Midnite, Klarion the Witch Boy, Solomon Grundy...Circe has gathered her Injustice League Dark for a reason, and it is going to tear the world of magic apart! Just as Wonder Woman thought the realms of magic were back under control, a new witching war brought on by this unstoppable group of villains threatens to destroy everything. Can she find out what Circe is after, and stop her before it’s too late?

Hey, ain't that something? Check out some preview pages, right here!

PREVIEW: Batgirl #39

Writer: Cecil Castellucci

Artist: Carmine Digiandomenico

Colorist: Jordie Bellaire

Letterer: Andworld Design

Cover: Carmine Digiandomenico & Ivan Plascencia

Variant Cover: Jeff Dekal

Editor: Brittany Holzherr

Group Editor: Brian Cunningham

Cover Price: $3.99

On Sale Date: September 25, 2019

After learning about “The Offer” from Killer Moth, Batgirl is on the case to figure out who is behind the rise of the villains in the DC Universe! Meanwhile, the Terrible Trio has gained full control over Oracle and is forcing her to cater to their every whim. But what happens when their puppet decides to cut her strings? Could this be the end of the Terrible Trio?

I'd think Oracle would eviscerate the Terrible Trio, but what do I know? Check out the preview pages below!

PREVIEW: Red Hood: Outlaw #38

Written By: Scott Lobdell

Art By: Kenneth Rocafort, Steve Firchow, Troy Peteri

Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 25, 2019

This is the Year of the Villain, and Red Hood has been tasked by Lex Luthor with training the worst teens in the DC Universe to become the super-villains of tomorrow. But while these kids may think they’re the future of villainy, they’re about to learn they may already be doomed. Reiser is rampaging through a S.T.A.R. Labs facility, unleashed like never before. Can the Red Hood see DNA, Cloud Nine, Devour and the enigmatic Babe in Arms safely home, or is this one field trip no one should have gotten permission to go on? Plus, where in the world are Artemis and Bizarro now?

PREVIEW: Freedom Fighters #9

Written By: Robert Venditti

Art By: Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Adriano Lucas, Andworld Design

Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 25, 2019

Black Condor survived the most horrific upbringing imaginable in the slave camps of the Detroit industrial complex” and he’s back to liberate his home! But will Condor’s plan put the bigger mission to topple the Nazi government in jeopardy? Plus, the traitor within the team is revealed, Sam and the other Freedom Fighters launch their attack and the Cyborg Overman prepares for round two!