Jack Whyte Comic Reviews

This is a strong start to an exciting new mystery; a title that has plenty of time to shake the arguably derivative art and shaky pacing.

This critical second issue is a significant victory for one of DC's best new recent titles. A lot is at stake already, both for Gotham and for its watchful protector. With striking chiaroscuro art and a well-paced mystery, this is a comic that is not losing sight of the moral drama inherent in all noir.

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Despite continually strong artwork from Hayden Sherman and colorist Trona Farrell, the opening of "The Voice of the Tower leaves the reader feeling like they're starting to listen to a great band's difficult second album. There are, of course, plenty of tracks left for the group to turn things around.

This is a comic that knows what it wants to be and does that very well. Is that thing totally in line with what we all thought this book was going to be from the outset? Slightly! Is that a reason to skip this chapter? Not a chance!

This is a surprisingly moving and compelling last installment of what I had previously called a weaker chapter of this title. The artwork remains stellar, and the script delivers perfectly paced thrills without sacrificing character moments. "Dark Patterns is a title firing on all cylinders.

: Issue #7 of this excellent title sees things seamlessly transitioning from its episodic nature to a larger narrative throughline. There has always been a sure-handed creative team at the helm here, but readers are now witnessing just how masterful their strokes are. Do not wait around for a bad Dark Patterns issue. It won't happen.

This is a solid middle act for this title's most brooding chapter yet. Leaning a bit more heavily on plot acceleration than character moments, this is still a thrilling and poignant read. "Dark Patterns will go down as a great and successful early career series of Batman stories.

There's no writer today who understands the depths of Batman's anxieties more acutely than Dan Watters, and there is no team delivering on those foundations more thrillingly than Watters and Sherman. "Dark Patterns has been nothing but highlights, and this gutting conclusion to its third chapter is no different. Do not miss "Dark Patterns.

A narrative lowpoint for a narratively outstanding series is still going to be a more than serviceable comic book. It's Dark Patterns how bad can it really be? However, this issue suffers from a noticeable lack of focus and forward momentum which has propelled this series so successfully all throughout this year. There is no reason to skip this issue, but better things are coming. This is not a great issue it's a functional piece of a great story.

For a series that has revived our collective faith in the power and efficacy of Batman comics, there may be no single issue which has encapsulated what exactly makes a great Batman comic more readily than Dark Patterns #11. It's got the moody, haunting atmospherics of TAS, the methodical, wounded detective work of 2022's "The Batman, and the thrilling cat-and-mouse chases of the Nolan movies, all while remaining something totally unique and undeniably comic-bookish. It's a near-masterpiece.

, I'm glad we were able to get through last issue's not-unenjoyable exposition in order to get to the fun of this issue. This book could easily have fallen into all the girl-power cliches of an unimaginative bachelorette party, but so far, it has risen above those middling expectations. I look forward to the second half of this brief run.

Gotham City Sirens is finally doing a more coherent job of delivering its pop culture/social commentary message. It's just a little odd that it's picking up that steam with only one issue to go.

GCS #4 is a curiously formulaic conclusion to a mini-series that was never afraid to throw out unconventional ideas. The formula it's working with, however, is a proven one.

This is an issue that feels like it desperately wants to be more than a set-up issue for a couple of big upcoming face-offs, but it all falls a bit flat by sagging noticeably in the middle.

Now that we're past the point of being three-quarters done with this title, we can safely say that the majority of Tom King's "Penguin consists of issues that, while no means poor, are falling short of the prestige crime drama the readers may have initially imagined.

This is a series that's stumbling across the finish line a little. Whatever cool or intriguing ideas that were being set up in the first half are fizzling out. This is an issue which sees the final moments of a suffocated candle, just seconds before there's naught but ash and smoke. Sorry about that last line. It's just not a great comic.

: This is a satisfying conclusion to a mostly great Gotham crime epic. It's the best issue that we've had from this title in months. If you've been hoping that sticking out the middling issues will all be worth it, consider yourself rewarded.

This is a build-up issue done right. We get enough fun stuff in the forms of visual gags and character moments to justify a whole issue's worth of storytelling, while adeptly setting up a larger looming conflict. A lackluster backup needn't scare fans away: this issue is another lukewarm win.

Another lackluster backup aside, even though this issue is a bit of a step backward, I don't think it's quite been knocked off its course yet. Chugging along.

This issue feels like some looser narrative elements are tightening up. I'm happy to put myself in the minority camp of folks who genuinely look forward to this title every month. I'm riding that high for now. We'll see how long it lasts.

I know that Tini Howard hasn't had the greatest run of things in the eyes of DC readers, and while I do agree that it's time for a shakeup, I'll be missing her take on Harley Quinn. It was never boring!

This is a sure-handed, if unsubtle new direction for the title. This reviewer hopes that Kalan can lean a little less on the crutch of Harley's monologuing going forward, and that the artistic effort can be beefed up a bit, but the changing of the guard for the HQ title is not off to a bad start at all.

This second issue of the new run on Harley Quinn is another step in a satisfying direction. With delicately nuanced messaging, appropriately fun art, and no shortage of gags, #45 is everything you could reasonably expect from your standard monthly HQ release.

This is a middling filler issue while we wait around for a bigger, better story. Is that bigger, better story actually coming? Who knows!

This is another general misfire in a generally uninspiring run for Harley Quinn. Coming off of the bizarre Clayface family reunion, it feels as though DC editorial is haphazardly cycling through Gotham's rogue's gallery for characters to pit against Harls. Outside of some artistic highlights, I really can't recommend anyone jump on board unless you simply have to see this all out.

Nothing substantial about this book's creative team and their techniques have changed, it's just that they seem to have happened upon a slightly more congenial story beat here in Harley Quinn #49. It's a modest victory in what has the dangerous potential to become another forgettable run.

A fresh new artistic contribution from Mirka Andolfo and another welcome break from script formula from Elliot Kalan elevates what could have been a middling outing to an enjoyable, if predictable, comic experience.

This title continues to tread water. It's a title that knows what it wants to be: it just seems stuck in a generally unentertaining place. There's nothing majorly wrong here, and the title character is being done adequate justice. The wait for a truly great HQ story slogs onward.

HQ #52 is not a complete departure from its title's formula, but it's a fresh enough approach to keep things moderately interesting despite lackluster art. With writer Elliot Kalan's comedy background shining through more apparently than it has in months, this is something we maybe have not had all year from this title: genuine entertainment.

Though the premise of this run is admirable and inventive, the operative word around Throatcutter hill lately is "uninspired. I simply can't imagine who is picking this up every single month. If you are, hello. Great to have you.

This issue is offering a fair amount of new narrative stuff to keep things interesting and to break the reading experience out of its repetitive rut, but confusing/detached asides and shoddy artwork hold things back from the realm of being truly pretty good. I'm still so perplexed as to who/what exactly that creepy Gorillaz-looking trench coat guy is supposed to be/mean. Let's find out together, I suppose.

:In spite of a Vandal Savage appearance that feels like DC editorial keeping some sort of misguided big picture in mind, Harley Quinn's 2024 Annual is the HQ book of the year. I'm calling it now.

This penultimate team-up issue effectively balances its sci-fi heist threads with decent character beats for each of the sirens. It often feels like a retread of the last GCS heist book, but a sporadically recurring heist series is a welcome idea befitting these beloved characters, so while there's nothing at all groundbreaking here, the series overall can be enjoyable adventures. This is a middling issue in a passable series.