Erik David Norris Comic Reviews

I'm trying to keep this short and sweet because whether I write 1,000 words or 50 explaining why this issue rocks, it's still better if you just go read it yourself. A lot of major developments happen here in Batman #680 and instead of me rambling off a list of all the cool moments, I can just tell you this gets a big thumbs up from me and then let you find out why on your own. Much like The Killing Joke, this single issue of "R.I.P." also gives some great insight into the twisted relationship between the Bat and Joker.

One last thing, even with all the themes of this issue stretching back to the beginning of Morrisons tenure on Batman, the people who will benefit the most from this issue are those also reading Final Crisis. Just saying.

Man, I hope Ex Machina bounces back next issue and returns to "best on-going" status. It's just unfortunate that we don't really know when the next issue will come along to wash the sour taste of this issue out of our mouths. Besides a decent confrontation between Bradbury and Kremlin, Ex Machina #38 just didn't entertain this otherwise die-hard fan of the series. Very disappointing.

I also enjoyed how the story came to a close with Sven and his lady friend. The both deserve a happy ending and they definitely get it, as far as Vikings are concerned. However, with this happy ending comes a solid conclusion to their story without a need to ever revisit it. Wood has gone on record saying each story arc in Northlanders will focus on a different period and characters which is a shame really. I really grew to like Sven and to see him disappear is saddening. With the monologue at the conclusion of issue #8 the next arc could focus on the child of Sven, which would be a cool way to tie everything together. I guess it's going to take another month to find out. As for issue #8, I thought it was a good conclusion, but very quiet and therefore not as memorable as I would have liked. Wood provides some fantastic character moments though, but by now, that should be expected.

As you can probably tell, I loved Trinity #1. Taking the experiences of their first two weekly series, DC seems to be pumping the best they have to offer into this title to make it a hit as well as wash the bad taste of Countdown out of fans' mouths. We have some of the best writers, artists, and characters in this book, and so far, it's a slam dunk. While for some, committing to a weekly serial is a hard step to take, I beg you to try Trinity #1. With a weekly shipping schedule you have to take into account that the plot might be a slightly slower boil compared to a story shipping monthly for a sixth issue arc, but what Trinity has working for it is that it's the best of the best character wise, and is insanely accessible for casual fans of the DC Universe. Highest recommendation!

I think Unknown Soldier, as an ongoing series, has a lot going for it. It hit all the right notes with its first issue, such as detailing the political climate of Uganda, giving deep enough character development to our main cast without revealing too much, and delivering a memorizing and nightmarish cliffhanger to keep the hooks in. These are all the ingredients of a series that plans to stick around for a good long while and by what I saw in issue #1, it has the potential to do just that.