David Comic Reviews

Bendis haters will do well to know there isn't much dialogue here. There isn't much of anything really, as it's only one sequence and a twist that's not too hard to believe. The heroes are down, depressed and at their wits' end. You'll finish this book thinking, “I get it already, the heroes lost…give me more!”

I noticed many folks on the comic message boards were annoyed with how many pages were wasted on showing rubble. This issue isn't as bad of a culprit, but it's still taking up real estate that could be used to tell an actual story. Character development is nonexistent as we read about heroes whining and complaining. I don't know if I've ever said, "get to the point" more in my life.

I will admit the twist is rather exciting. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but that's because we still haven't gotten a smidgen of detail as to why any of this has happened. For some odd reason I'm still optimistic a good issue will come out of this 10 issue series, but I'm not sure how much longer I can wait.

The final stupid thing is how this book ends. Even though Red Hulk was in Chicago with no knowledge he should go to the Savage Land…he just goes there. No explanation, nothing and it all reads like writer Brian Bendis just needed all the heroes in one place for issue #5. Who cares about explanation or story or plot?! Just get all the chess pieces in one place so he can make the boom-boom!

There are instances where comics read better when collected, but I don't think this will be one of them. I'm more than certain these first five issues could be read within 20 minutes given how light on dialogue and plot they are. It doesn't help you can skip over so many pointless rubble shots. Luckily this issue doesn't have so much filler imagery, but much of the dialogue reads as if it's filler. It doesn't do much more than explain the anxiety of the heroes we already knew they had.

Their styles blend nicely and they aren't too different from each other. This helps seamlessly intertwine the cross cutting. Essentially Bendis does this to show us how both plans work out at the same time. You can get into the whole "who was right" debate as it takes place, but it also adds some gravitas to the successful plan since one of these plans fails miserably.

If you give this series a chance, and overlook the rather silly premise, I'm pretty sure Bendis is doing something special with the characters. It's clear from this issue anyway and sure to get stronger as the series carries on.

Due to the double shipping David Marquez is on art, and honestly it's as good as, if not better than what Stuart Immonen has done in the previous issues. Not to knock the guy or anything, but it's hard not to compare their work when they're drawing the same characters only a month apart. Thanks, double shipping!

Love or hate the concept behind this series you have to admit it's doing something with the X-Men that allows for new types of stories. If the twist at the end doesn't make you wish the next issue was here already"well his just isn't the book for you.

Thankfully Angel has the balls to ask an important question. Namely, why are we here again? The fact that we need a reminder after nine issues is proof the story is moving like molasses. The entire point of this series isn't the reason for why they were time traveled, but to simply force interaction between old and new X-Men…and we've barely gotten a taste of that! It's glaringly obvious the plot has nothing to do with this series, which is slightly frustrating, but then again it's a fun read nonetheless.

Once again Bendis does a great job articulating the innocence of the First Class X-Men. In particular Bobby is always naive for comedic sake and it adds much needed levity to dire situations. If they can't work this naivete into future comics when the First Class X-Men depart they better figure out a way to infuse it elsewhere.

And that doesn't help the writing at all. Marjorie Liu may have gotten the short straw when it came to events in each issue, as this serves as a point A to point B no nonsense issue. There's literally pages of the characters standing around going, “what now?” It might be due to the sheer number of characters Liu had to fit into each page, as the issue seems more focused on giving every character a moment to say something. About the strongest thing to come out of this issue is the Nightcrawler meeting kid Nightcrawler panel and how they react to one another. It's compelling for about three seconds, then it switches to the other characters as they awkwardly say and do nothing of importance.

I'm not sure how the Eisner Awards work, but if it requires the publisher to submit one issue I elect this issue for the exquisite art by Greg Capullo. He's really outdone himself here and thankfully he isn't stifled by too much dialogue or exposition. Instead the composition has time to breathe and the work can look good and tell a story. There's a few panels that are straight up symbolic which adds to the story beyond the usual action or placement of characters.

Artist Greg Capullo is probably one of the best artist working today. He's shown time and time again during his run on Batman that he can cram a lot of detail into a single panel. This is important not only because Snyder likes to fill his pages with dialogue, but also because of the new limit comics have by running only 20 pages. This issue ran 31 pages, but really it's more like 48 considering how great the art is composed and detailed.

Too often Batman sticks to his rogues, these super villains that are larger than life, and Harper allows writers to get back to the street crime and detective stories Batman thrives in. That said, the promise of this character isn't enough to propel this issue into a must-buy area. In a visual medium the story is strongest when it balances narrative and action. Characters standing around with word bubbles taking up real estate is not ideal. It also weakens the story when we're being told how Batman feels by a third party character who doesn't know squat.

You really can't go wrong purchasing this issue. The backup is just as strong as the main feature, and while the tone of Batman in both is strikingly different you could probably chalk that up to Bats not trusting Superman. Clayface is introduced with some added value and the story isn't as straight-laced as previous issues, with multiple balls floating in the air.

When this series started I couldn't help but connect artist Chris Burnham to Frank Quitely. Something about the texture to clothing and weight of the characters is on display in each panel. I'm happy to report Burnham has slowly developed into something more unique since issue #1, possibly because he's had to draw these comics as fast as possible. There's still weight to the clothing, but everything is a bit more sketchy and free. Composition is good and action is still spectacular.

If you're coming into this looking for sweet, sweet action you've come to the right place. The action is fluid and concise; it's easy to discern and hits the right notes. Another particular strong suit is the technology. All the gadgets and tech look realistic and interesting.

You might be asking yourself why the cover is all psychedelic and freaky. The answer is…I'm not sure yet. The final page of this issue seems to suggest Hatter has some kind of involvement with drugs; I'm leaning towards a Carlos Castaneda peyote connection, but it's still too early to tell.

Artist Ethan Van Sciver continues to do an impressive job, although I sure wish he drew more tech in this issue. The flashbacks are composed well and add to the psychological trauma Mad Hatter is going through.

If you were to tell me that the art in a comic I had never seen was very Dark Horse Comics, Corin Howell's art would be pretty close to what I would envision. Obviously, comic art has evolved and grown over the years, but that's what goes through my head. Take that for what you will.

A strong choice by the editors was made on how to divvy up the art team. In some instances multiple artists is bad news for a comic much like multiple screenwriters is a bad sign a movie will suck; namely it's too many cooks in the kitchen. Based on the pencil work it's pretty safe to say each Danger Girl is given a different artist. The styles aren't too different from each other, but it's obvious when it comes to faces and detail. It allows each artist to have a voice in the book and it keeps things clean and clear.

This story and the version of the characters it presents, may simply not be for me, but I also can't see younger readers getting some of the decades old references.

Ultimately I was supremely underwhelmed with this special.

This was an all-around fun book to read, and even not knowing the characters well, it felt very natural.

This wasn't a terrible book, but it also wasn't really good enough to justify more than a 2.5 out of 5, with the caveat that I'm not a huge fan of either character to begin with, and this did nothing to change that opinion.

I'm a bit torn about this whole issue, and really it rides on where they plan to go with the Dynomutt and Blue Falcon characters. They have set up the potential for a really deep and interesting pair of characters here. But how do you reconcile presenting a really tight origin take, yet have it in a completely separate universe from what future tale would be most likely to exist in? Maybe they just don't, and this remains a stand-alone special, but that seems like a wasted story to me.

If you are looking for a dark, brooding, Batman story you're going to be disappointed. If you're looking for a fun, Looney, romp through Gotham, you'll love it.

The concept is simple enough to understand. Deadpool is suicidal in this storyline, but in his last adventure realized he'll never die unless he can kill the writers of the comic books. The last series ended with said killing, but it seems that wasn't enough. There's only one solution and that's to become “metacidal.” He needs to kill all the fiction that may or may not have inspired his story.

The strongest aspect of this issue however is how badass Batman can be. The guy isn't good simply because he can fight, but because he values knowing what's going on. He can strut with confidence because his detective work allows him to be 100% sure.

This story has two odd flaws. The first is that Bane is somehow capable of making new Venom-based henchmen with the same stuff he pumps into his veins. Huh…I guess? The second is he's made it his personal goal to stop the Court of Owls. Didn't Batman already do that? Bane is building an army to take them out, which is actually kind of cool as this means we'll get some kind of super villain gang war going soon, but I don't see how this story makes sense unless the Court of Owls are still strong in Gotham.

Ultimately the story lives and dies by the characters who, quite frankly, don't get a lot of airtime. This issue spends most of its time breaking down the premise and the world they live in. Most pages and panels seem to be created simply to allow Ramos the ability to draw what he likes. That's not completely bad, but the story does read a little thin due to this.

McNiven should go down as one of the best at highly detailed facial expressions. Essentially his style was made for writer Brian Michael Bendis, who loves to have his characters expound to the point where word bubbles take precedence over art. That's not the case in this issue though, so all you Bendis haters can breathe a sigh of relief. No, this is more of a storyboard than anything, and thankfully McNiven delivers. There are quite a few full pages without any dialogue whatsoever that capture mood and tone so beautifully you'll need to check this book out to beleive it.

It's incredibly easy to take Aja's work for granted. It's easy to read the comic briskly and miss some incredibly detailed and interesting work. You'd think bringing in a second artist might hurt the book, but in this case it has only enhanced it. Annie Wu has been brought in to do some pulpy comic book covers that help break up the story. Sort of like chapters in a book, these covers are a helpful way to focus the reader's attention on the episodic nature of the story. They also serve as a clever McGuffin. They're incredibly well done, from the titles on the covers, to the wear and tear on the book tand we're not even talking about the images yet!

I'm a bit torn on whether this title is legitimately interesting, a cheap money grab. My initial reaction was pretty much blah at best, but it has grown on me a bit. I don't know that I'd pick up the rest of the series, but that could be my loss.

There's some good stuff in here, and although it's very talky I think we've all come to expect as much from writer Robert Kirkman. It's also nice to see a new direction for the character, even if it's hearkening back to the original formula. That said it's a little wonky with the plot twist and then a change of pace with this new direction. It ends up resolving the opening page gore fest with a laundry list of things being checked off to get Mark ready for the next issue.

I'm a huge proponent of well written characters. Without them your story isn't going to be worth much beyond nice art and good composition. The fact that the characters pop in only 22 pages means this little series should be, at the very least, read by anyone who adores fantasy. If you discover the characters from Joe Abercrombie's world through this comic you'll be bound to read it as all. The amazing thing is, I can see someone reading both and enjoying them all the same.

The art by Simon Coleby fits perfectly with the character. To do Dredd right you need someone who can get the gritty and violent nature of the character and city, but also the detailed work necessary to make the technology realistic. Coleby hits those nails right on their respective heads. Using a lot of widescreen panels with extreme closeups in many of them, I couldn't help but read this thinking this was Coleby's take on a Dredd movie.

The Shazam backup, drawn by Gary Frank, continues the slow but interesting episodic story of kid turned superhero. This issue breaks down to not much more than a fight between Black Adam and Shazam, but it's interesting to see the seven deadly sin villains get some air time.

The art in both stories is done as you'd expect when it comes to a publisher's flagship book. Ivan Reis composes the pages nicely, especially considering how much is going on in the story. Gary Frank draws the backup once again and even when most of the story takes place in darkness under the glow of an iPad it's tense and clear.

This book deviates from the norm for most team books, which usually start with a mission of some kind. So it's at least nice to see a different angle being taken for a #1 issue. Unfortunately it's a slog to get through and any entertainment hinges on your excitement for who is on this team. One of the main reasons team books work at all is due to the dynamics between the teammates. Since this issue takes place before any of them join up it's really a waiting game until the next issue and nothing more.

David Finch continues to draw a very moody book which helps set the tone apart from the main Justice League book. At times it can be a little too muddy, although this might be due to the color palette being used. His work is usually heavy on the inks, but with such drab colors on display it looks even more dirty.

The fact that the aliens can sustain my interest for 13 pages without a single robot showing up is a good sign as well. Writer Chris Ryall does a good job fleshing out the alien characters. Their bravado works well in the atmosphere. Sure the city has clearly crumbled, but they're so full of themselves that even the sight of zombies doesn't phase them.

I really enjoyed this. The Challengers have been gone from print long enough that younger readers probably won't catch some of the throwbacks, but there are very much a few neat ones. Andy Kubert's art has just the right balance of grittiness, while Scott Snyder and Aaron Gillespie's story draws you right in. It moves quickly, but without feeling like anything is missing.

Artist Ed McGuinness is a great choice for a book like this. His style lends itself to the space scenes and his depiction of Sam is spot on. So often children can look awkward or too young, but McGuiness' Sam has an edge. He looks young, but still heroic.

Ryan Browne's story is full of cheeky quips and snarky goodness, with just a hint of serious social issues. The art by Pete Woods is clean and simple, and evokes the history behind most of Dynamite's Golden Age hero roster.

Ryan Browne's story and dialogue are so much fun. Editor Matt Idulsin's explanatory side notes are equally cheeky. The art by Pete Woods is wonderful and distinct, blending modern settings and historic characters.

Ryan Browne's story, which I already loved, is really starting to ramp up. The introduction of Dimension 42 gives Pete Woods the chance to draw some crazy stuff, and he seems to revel in it.

I'm going to legitimately miss this series when it wraps up next month. Ryan Browne's dialogue is glorious. Pete Woods' art is great and I look forward to seeing his Dimension 42 critters running amok in Libertyville next month.

Ryan Browne and Pete Woods have kept me entertained for the last five months, I have no doubt they will do the same for you.

Fred Van Lente has put together a good introduction to the story, that stands on its own fairly well. Renato Guedes' art is gorgeous, but his style takes some getting used to. If you're looking for something new and a little different, this might be the title you've been looking for.

Unfortunately The Will in action might be one of the weakest things I've seen yet in this series. Give another artist the dialogue Staples works with and I'm sure some of the pages would come off as boring or confusing. But the action is sadly a bit stilted and awkward. The movement doesn't look right, as if the characters were in mud when they should be running briskly. It's only a page or two in this book, but it took me out of the issue completely.

Unfortunately for this issue there's a very unbalanced story unfolding. The mysterious science fiction stuff is shoehorned in to allow for some Wolverine action right at the beginning. The turn of events that lead to the final pages is also unexciting. We don't really come away with a threat besides the Savage Land itself and aside from some halfway interesting hoodoo voodoo going on I'm not sure why this story was told at all. Wolverine is his same old grumpy berserker self and we all know many more dinos will be dying by series end.

I love this series. There are some moments that seem out of step, but even those are are incredibly well crafted and enjoyable. Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis are weaving a wonderful web. They have managed to ride a beautiful line between a new and modern story, while acknowledging some of the camp and oddities of the original characters that has made them so loved for decades. Eventually, the current storyline will come to an end, and I hope that it does so in a way that allows the series to continue on.

Issue #15 is all sorts of action packed goodness, but Keith Griffen and J.M. DeMatteis still weave in a bunch of character development. Dale Eagleham's art continues to deftly tread the line between apocalyptic dark and Scooby-Gang fun.

Overall issue #16 was pretty good. Keith Griffen and J.M. DeMatteis continue to walk us down an interesting narrative path. Ron Wagner and Andy Owens handle the art well, although there were a few panels where I was frustratingly unsure if I was looking at a dust cloud or an explosion.

Let's face it, writer Nick Spencer has delivered a fresh take on a team book that's been more of the same for too long. Artist Luke Ross delivers a dark and shady book that has some Steve Epting flare but dare I say better flow. If Spencer can continue surprising me I'll be reading this to the day he gets shifted off the book.

There's a subversive nature to all superheroes that isn't ever discussed, mainly because the big two don't want or should not even be thinking of such things. This series, and Image Comics proper, should be proud to publish something potentially as complex as this story seems to suggest it will be telling.

It's clear the handling of the property is in the right hands. Anyone who thought Brian Wood would mess this up is nuts and the cover by Alex Ross is a perfect balance of epic opera and awesome action. You can tell the people behind this series love what they're doing. The only surprise really was how good the art was by Carlos D'Anda. His work on this issue reminded me of J. Scott Campbell, only with a lot more time and care taken with backgrounds and technology. It's particularly noticeable in the detail of the characters, but also in Leia's lips do I see a resemblance in styles. It's only one issue of course, but I can't help but think this guy is going to be better than Campbell ever was due to the incredible detailed work.

The most intriguing thing I found about this issue was the possibility a member of Leia's covert team is the super spy. Just look at the images below and tell me they aren't suspects.

It's hard to read this and not let the countless other stories in this universe affect you. When Darth takes out an imperial minion you immediately think back to the times he chokes out fools. Wood might know this though, and follows up said killing with a person who actually talks back at Darth. It definitely delivers something you haven't seen before and it's a warm welcome.

The banter in this title is going to be nothing less than epic, and I think that is what really sold me on this one. I dont think its going to convert me to a full time DC Comics reader, but I am going to enjoy this series on its own.

Peter J. Tomasis story is great, and Jorge Jimenezs art, with Alejandro Santezs colours, continues to be spot on. The existence of characters like Superlex is part of why DC has never connected with me as a reader, but I am still enjoying this series on its own merits.

There were a lot of minor things I found irksome in this issue. Jorge Jimenez's art remains wonderful, but there were inconsistencies that bugged me: Kid Amazo's duplicate family was indistinguishable from the originals; his Batman and Superman duplicates were realistic, but has visible seams and other indications the weren't genuine; his Robin and Superboy duplicates were very clearly robots, with no human appearance beyond their clothes. There may have been a reason for this that I missed, but it felt to me like he just couldn't decide how he wanted to represent the artificialness of those characters. Likewise, Peter J. Tomasi's overall story and his dialogue are wonderful, but the silhouette bait-and-switch transition didn't have the same appeal the second time around.

There is not a lot I can say about Peter J. Tomasi's writing and Jorge Jimenez's art I haven't said already. They are both fabulous.

It looks like we'll be getting some new Vulture stories next issue. Leave it to Dan Slott to do something a little different with the Spider-verse, this time with midget Vulture minions. They're sort of like flying monkeys only in the customary Vulture garb.

Much props to artist Ryan Stegman who is living proof artists who ink their own work benefit from it. The composition flows very well and I can't help but look at his work and be reminded of Todd McFarlane. A much cleaner McFarlane at that.

I don't know if Slott has decided to change things up tonally, but typically his Spidey stories don't involve mass murdering villains. Massacre kills a lot of folks in short order. For a cute, mainstream book I was a little taken aback, but this might all be to test the new Spider-Man who's willing to kill for justice.

And that seems to be the theme Dan Slott is coming to, especially with that conclusion. Power can corrupt a good person, but how is it going to change a bad person in a good person's body?

It helps that Dexter Soy blasts you in the face with beautiful imagery. It has a cell shading type feel, but it also helps that the colors, by Marco Checchetto, make everything pop. It all comes together with an anime type feel, but it's also modern and has its own voice as well.

One of the cooler aspects to this series that hasn't made an appearance in a few issues is Peter's detective work inside the memories of Doc Ock. It seems he can physically move around in them and with some luck he might be able to figure out how to get his body back. It's a great way to keep Peter involved in the story, but also a way to divulge some character development for Ock. One of the strengths of this series is how it has portrayed Ock. He isn't some mindless villain, but a real person with a disturbed childhood. It helps flesh out the character, but also make him somewhat more likeable (or relatable), however difficult that is from all the terrible things he keeps doing as Spider-Man.

Once again Humberto Ramos proves he's going to go down as one of the greatest Spidey artists of all time. His fluid pencils make Spidey springy but also strong and his composition is always interesting to look at.

On top of all that, this issue was drawn by Humberto Ramos and does he do an incredible job. He draws Spidey and Spider-Woman in this issue with elongated limbs and torsos which add to the arachnid quality of them. It's a lot of fun and it helps differentiate Spider-Man from normal people. Ditko was great, but he tended to draw Spider-Man like any yokel in a costume. Note the image below and how his torso is twisting impossibly. It's great stuff, which makes every panel that much more interesting.

Even without actually missing anything, the pace still felt a bit rushed. The story comes to a close with issue #5, so it will be nice to finally see Tarzan ACTUALLY on the Planet of the Apes.

Overall this is a great book. Swierczyski's writing is spot on and Greg Scott's artwork, along with Kelly Fitzpatrick's colouring, fits perfectly. There are, however, a few problems that I can see with the plot and structure of the story.

There wasn't a lot going on in this particular issue, but writer Duane Swierczynski did a great job moving the story forward and setting up the next issue. The art and colours, by Greg Scott and Kelly Fitzpatrick, are still great and set a wonderful tone. My favorite point was the panel of a social media post. It was an artistic rendering of Dark Circle Comics Editor Alex Segura's actual twitter page, retweeting Swierczynski saying #TheBlackHood is back. I appreciate these little details.

Duane Swierczynski's story was less amazing this issue, but only because of the necessarily stereotypical nature of the Hero vs. Hero encounter. It's been done every way possible, and this was the appropriate formula, it just didn't stand out. Similarly, this was the first time I've been actively disappointed in Greg Scott's art.

"The Nobody Murders" concludes as it began, with Duane Swierczynski's beautifully dark writing and Greg Scott's equally dark and gritty art work combining to tell a rare noir tale that has been a joy to read. I hope that there will be a "Season 3" coming soon, as there were several setups to possible future storylines, such as the revelation that Burland had at least one (or likely more than one) secret lair.

I don't know how many times I've had the discussion of what I'd do when faced with the apocalypse. It seems to be something many of my friends find interest in as well, be it an escape from society or becoming one with the primal side of life. Our society as a whole is infatuated with the end of the world, probably because we think we're headed towards something. Either way, it's a great treat to see the topic toyed with in this series, and thankfully, it's not with the use of zombies.

The art by Rem Broo continues to do a great job keeping the panels fluid and interesting. This issue has a particularly large amount of dialogue, but it never bogs down the art. Instead the art enhances things and keeps things moving.

It's an interesting idea. If I said I wasn't a bit leery of how this is going to unfold, I'd be lying. At the same time, I'm curious to see the path writers Si Spurrier and Dan Watters are taking us down.

Si Spurrier and Dan Watters are slowly building a beautifully rich story, and while that left Issue #1 not really going anywhere, Issue #2 does a great job building tension as well as building up the plot.

The detailed art shines in this one. Literally. For instance, in the image above of Odin, note the golden luster of the Asgardian's armor. Both add to the power of the elder and power to his words. Then we have the horsemen in the above shot, who only get about two pages in this issue, but have so much personality you almost wish they would stay a little bit longer. This issue is a good example of the art in a comic improving and enhancing story.

There isn't a whole lot of action, with most of the pages spent on character and plot, but when it does arrive it's a whole lot of fun. It's easy to forget Psylocke is a full fledged ninja.

Ron Garney continues to do strong work here, although I get the impression he's starting to get strapped for time. A lot more empty space rears its head with unfinished looking panels here and there. That said the psychedelic mind stuff at the end is super cool.

Speaking of Bachalo, I couldn't shake the feeling he's addicted to slanting panels. Nearly everything that has to do with the team is slanted. It's an odd choice and I'm not sure if he did this to imbue unease or what. It still looks great, but I think maybe a little less of this would go a long way. Maybe he's trying to create X's on the page or something?

I'm having a tough time enjoying Bachalo's art when there isn't action to speak of. The way he draws faces varies from page to page and in some cases downright baffles me. Cyclops looks like some kind of ogre in some panels while at other times he's pudgy looking. The composition of the pages is great, but with so much dialogue to go around the varying quality of facial expressions because all the more obvious.

The biggest win for this issue is that it reads like it's jam packed with content. In some cases a Bendis comic can feel like an eternity to read, or it can feel short and as if it's missing something. The balance is struck well in this issue as both sides of the AvX coin are expressed clearly. It's also fun to see how the dynamics of this new team may wind up in the future. Some have reservations for what Cyclops may have done while others are all for being a villain as long as they can be famous. Either way it ends up being a fresh take on the mutant condition.

This first story, on its own, is nothing particularly spectacular. But it does its job at setting up the next six issues. Freedom of religion is a hot topic these days, so it a bold move to tackle it here. In another writer's hand, this could go horribly, horribly, wrong. But again, Stan Sakai has never been one to shy away from a difficult topic, and I am left eagerly wondering

As expected, the story picked up quickly in issue #2, after a lot of introductory stuff in #1.

I think it's safe to say Wolverine is a character that has been used way too much in the last, oh, I'd say two decades. Because of this he's been set in stories that are so big the man hasn't had a chance to have a small story in quite awhile. This story might explode in the next issue, but it's nice to see a smaller detective type story taking place with the character. Maybe something new will pop out.

The only crowning achievement I can give the writing here is a quick interchange between Fury and Wolverine, as they discuss which Beatle Wolvie would be. It's a nice little pop culture moment and it lends to the waning down of the story. It also allows the big reveal on the final page to have a bit more wollop. That said…the reveal has been done so many times it's going to make you roll your eyes.

The comedy of Mark Russel is spot on, and the art by Stephen Byrne does a perfect job riding the line between 1980s wholesome and 2019 modern. Regardless of where in the multiverse this fits, it may be one of the funnest titles I've read from DC in a long time.

It all screams like a cash grab, at least as far as this issue goes, largely because it's all kind of a mess. This issue serves as an explanation for joining these teams together but also the creation of a new dimension-cop enemy. At least that's what they appear to be. Either way, the reasoning behind the entire plot is pretty flimsy. If it's this easy to destroy every dimension in one fell swoop then I'd advise heroes to stop sneezing.

Artist Jamie McKelvie, with Mike Norton, is a great choice here. His style lends to the soap operatic nature of the story with very easygoing lines and good articulation of the expressions. When the action does pop up he uses a very architectural composition to the panels. It's a smart way to add energy where his pencils might not.

After a throwaway Nightwing story which is more focused on a gang fight than anything else and also ends with Nightwing alone. The final story delivers a very unsatisfying date between Wonder Woman and Superman. There's an introduction of WW's cousins (the Sirens) which is neat, but really it's again focused on fighting and not love or romance. One of the villains also oddly wakes up from being mind controlled and admits to being used"then a few panels later tries to shoot Superman. Huh?