Matt Johnson Comic Reviews

This is a great book. Every month I look forward to it. The story is original (and for eagle eyed readers you'll note that it ties into several of Cates' other work) and its characters are likeable to the point of you finding yourself rooting for the anti-Christ, and I was raised Catholic. If you were to read it in trade format you might have a different experience, possibly better, but no matter how you slice it, this series is fantastic!

This is one of the best single issue stories I've read in a long time. Not only does it fit in extremely well with seasoned Batman fans, but I also think this would be a great jumping on point for anyone who wants to start reading Batman. Tom King shows again how much he understands the family dynamic in this book, and it makes me wonder what King could do on a team book like Teen Titans. This book rates very high with me for one very simple reason: comics are supposed to be fun, and this one is.

This is yet again a solid issue of Batman. It's fun and light with a twist at the end that you might see coming, but you might not. All through the lighthearted Batman/Nightwing bits you start to feel dread creep in as it's clear that the KGBeast is not only up to something pretty bad, but nobody has any idea he's even in the country until it's far too late.

You can see that this series is set in the traditional beginning, middle, and end format. Batman: Damned starts it off well, making me wish it were monthly. The one thing I was less than hot on was the magazine sized format, because when I saw that it was prestige format I thought it meant the old prestige. Still it's a beautiful book and well worth the price. If this is what Black Label will be offering, I think it'll put up solid numbers in sales, and breathe a little life into some comics that might need it.

As an opening issue Curse #1 does exactly what you'd expect; we meet the characters, there's some story beats teased, a killer ending and a splatter of grisly horror visuals. It's not massively original so far, but it just does what it does very well. The fact it's only four issues gives me faith as well, since you know they're not going to drag this out too much. Going by the first issue that sounds like the right amount of instalments for this story too. The bottom line is if you're looking for a new horror comic to check out, Curse fits the bill.

Overall, this is a great issue. You get a lot of stories and the pin ups are lovely to look at as well as the overall art in the book. For its ten-dollar price tag, you're not going to find a much better deal. The covers all look pretty solid (I heard they're up to over sixty of them now, so I can't vouch for all of them) and there's a Batman story in here that will appeal to almost everybody, no matter what era you started reading the adventures of the caped crusader. Having been in the game since 1989, I can happily give this book a big thumbs up and hope to be around for another thousand issues!

Doomsday Clock #7 is another stellar issue from Johns and Frank. It leaves a lot of questions still left unanswered but we did get some answers this issue.

Farmhand #3 is great, and this review doesn't even do it justice. I want to spoil so many things because they're so much fun but just trust me on this: go buy this book and then send Rob Guillory a fruit basket.

If this were a one shot leading into a company-wide crossover event, I'm not sure I'd like it very much.With the knowledge that this series is nine issues long and contains three acts, it's easier to trust the author to slowly build up the story and not jump the gun.

I've said this plenty and want to stress it again: vote with your dollars. If you don't like a comic, don't buy it but hounding creators about their work is shallow and stupid. I've been pretty clear that I like Tom King as a writer, but not everything everyone is going to write will be a winner every time. And in my opinion, this time Tom King might have dropped the ball. It's impossible to judge an entire series from three issues, but Heroes in Crisis #3 is a no go from me.

Look, as far as first issues go, if you want to have a good time and check out a fun new series, you can't go wrong with Leviathan. You'll smile and appreciate the art from the get-go and if you're a fan of monster movies in any capacity this will appeal to you. My only concern is how long can the fun last?

I wasn't sure I had any interest in this book but the story and art won me over. I'm particularly interested in solving the murder (which looks almost ripped from today's headlines) and watching the partnership of J'onn and Diane develop as things progress. All things considered, if you liked the twelve issue format of Mister Miracle, this sets you up for something similar, which I think is a good thing.

I already know Old Lady Harley #1 is going to sell. Look at the top selling songs on iTunes and you've got the same story as this book: people buy stuff and a lot of the time don't care about quality. That said, this is a dumb book. It's clear that DC told Frank Tieri that he could do whatever he wanted as it's not in continuity and anything that says “Harley Quinn” will probably make money. If you want to buy it, go ahead but it's a bad book with a mediocre creative team and an unoriginal idea.

I might be biased in my love for this book, I freely admit it, but the fact is this: if you wanted a Batman fight that was worth the price of admission as well as the wrapping up of loose ends and a cliffhanger, you're going to like this book. The art is solid with some panels standing out in a way that made me go back and look at them more than once. I know we're getting a new logo and costume next month and I'm excited to see how the now alone Red Hood faces whatever comes next.

Look, I'm going to say something right now that might raise a few eyebrows but here goes. There have been five vampire works of fiction that were good. They are: Dracula, I Am Legend, Salem's Lot, Interview with The Vampire (the first one, they go downhill fast) and Let the Right One In. I welcome any recommendations in the comments, but I'm sticking to my guns here. That said, Redneckis such an addictive read that I truly believe it's the most original vampire comic ever written, and the best vampire literature since 2009 (when Let the Right One In came out). This might be an exposition heavy issue but read as a trade I'm sure it'll fit in just fine, and you're doing yourself a disservice if you aren't at least reading this story in trade.

If you are a vampire fan, or just looking for something unique this book is for you. Donny Cates has easily established himself as one of the marque writers of the current age (and the guy works a lot) and shows no sign of slowing down. There's one more issue in the current story arc, so while this issue might not be a great jumping on point, I'll tell anyone who will listen to catch up so they can enjoy this book every month like I do.

I've no idea what the answer to the mystery is, but I get the feeling that the story is moving towards an answer. The plot feels planned out, which I hope is more than an illusion, but future issues should shed more light how carefully plotted it really is. For now, if the premise sounds intriguing, then you should give this issue ago.

Two issues down and Strange Nation is still a fun and involving series. Although I have barely a clue as to what's going on behind the scenes, I'm enjoying following Norma as she seeks the truth and I would wager you will too. It's dirt cheap over on Comixology, so if you're curious there's really no reason not to try it out.

All in all, this is another solid issue. Strange Nation has, so far, remained a fun story that's walked the line between silly and serious. Issue 3 is perhaps the slowest issue of the series so far but it still manages to tease some upcoming developments, including some more information on a subtle plot point from the first issue. By continuing to drip feed us with more answers about the conspiracy, the series has kept consistently developing the story and even a slower issue like this still feels important. If it can keep this up then Strange Nation will remain a comic well worth reading.

The scope of the series seems to be getting bigger and bigger with each issue, and the quality remains solid throughout. So as usual it's a good read, but you may miss the jokes that you've come to expect from the series.

Collectively the issue is a bit light on content with only fourteen pages of story, though there is an entertaining letters page included which spoofs Marvel's own. Tales to Admonish #2 does show flashes of promise throughout, the team clearly have got talent, but with this example the few sparks of fun just aren't enough to entirely balance out the problems. But if the team can reproduce the great work from their original sci-fi segment, they'll be on to a winner.

I wasn't sure what I was going to think about this team going in. In press I saw before release, I felt like they were trying to sell me on an X-Force for the DC Universe, but in actuality I found I rather liked the book. The teenage angst that Damian expresses, feels real enough and I'm sure it'll be sooner rather than later that his father has something to say about what he's been up to and with whom.

The New World #1 is an all right read. If you're a fan of Saga, Romeo and Juliet, or troubled love stories I suspect this is for you. For me, it was so-so, because I've read the other stories I've mentioned. It's not a bad book and the art has some shining moments, but the first issue is also the last I'll be picking up.

Look, Sandman Universe is a lot like a sampler platter that shows you what's to come from the newly revived Vertigo line. It's got some good stuff and some okay stuff but no downright bad stuff. It also suffers because it's not actually written by Neil Gaiman. I wanted to love it and feel like Vertigo was about to make a strong comeback but instead I feel more like Vertigo is being roused from a long nap. I'm still not sure we really need this but I'm going to give all the new series their day in court. It's very possible this new line could be the next generation of reader's new favorite set of fantasy stories. Give it a look but don't expect the same joy you had from the first series.