Tara Giovannini Comic Reviews

It's finally here. After literal years of waiting, we finally find out the true identity of Mr. Oz, the man in the shadows who has been plaguing the DC Universe since his introduction in Geoff Johns/John Romita Jr.'s Superman #34. And it kinda sucks.

I don't know where this story is going, but I hope Jor-El sticks around. He's an amazing addition to the Superman mythos.

This short, two-issue punch featuring Kelly Thompson as the "archery consultant" and Kate Bishop (aka, the best Hawkeye) represents the best of what this comic can be.

This is a weird issue to begin with, but if you haven't gotten into it yet, just jump in. You won't regret it.

All in all, this issue was a decent -- but not exceptional -- tie-in to Metal. So far, none of the tie-ins have felt necessary. But all of them have been fun, if a bit too unnecessarily dark, this one included.

It might not be flawless (maybe?) but the awesome bits shine so brightly they're all you can see.

This is the best Batwoman Rebirth issue so far. Taking Kate Kane and throwing her into a survival horror scenario is so right I have no idea why it took this long.

I never thought a comic with Crusher Creel would make me cry, I never thought a Black Bolt comic would shatter my heart, but here we are. This is a masterful comic.

Overall, this series is great, this issue is great, wow, wow, wow.

This whole weird pulpy world is so fun and gorgeous.

This arc has leaned heavy on the police procedural aspect of the book, and with Halloween right around the corner, it's time for darkness and magic to bloom and blossom. I want horror to return to Black Magick.

Black Panther has been, since its beginning, an incredibly solid comic, which is no surprise as it's being written by a Pulitzer Prize winning author. This issue is no exception.

This isn't the best comic on the stands, but it's a helluva good one, and unless you have a pathological hatred for the board game Clue, you'll probably get a kick out of this series.

It's a great book, and I'm super sad there's only two issues left.

Wow, what a weird comic. I mean, it's what you'd expect if you've ever read God Hates Astronauts, but still. This comic is arguably weirder than even GHA, if only because the stakes are more real.

Do you like Bojack Horseman? Would you like it better if he weren't a horse and retired actor, but a wizard? Then buddy, is there a comic for you.

I'm a huge Garth Ennis fan but reading this just made me go *blink* *blink* "whaaaaa....?" It's weird. It's pretty, but. It's weird, so so weird.

You want a fun, happy time reading about awesome super powered women fighting fascists? Get your hands on Bombshells.

It's really a gorgeous book and if you're not reading it, you should be.

Overall, this issue is just so-so. Not enough for me to drop it, but enough that I'm starting to roll my eyes whenever a book claims to tie-in to the central Rebirth mystery.

Look, all I'm saying is that if you thought the original Doom Patrol runs were weird, well get a load of this.

Unless you're a die-hard Old Man Logan fan, skip the heck out of this.

This book, just like Memetic and Cognetic, is going to be amazing. It already is.

An awesome issue in an awesome series that has been getting darker and darker, even while explosions burst all around.

The Flash is one of the best DC comic books right now, perhaps second only to Tom King's Batman. That said, this is not the first issue you should pick up. Not that it's not a great introductory issue, because it is but because it's quite clearly a sequel.

I'm sorry to say but it seems like The Flash is going a bit downhill.

Man, I was so excited when the Flash got new negative powers, but all it's seemed to do is turn him emo. It's almost Spider-Man 3-esque. I'm waiting for him to do a dance, kiss a girl, and glare at Iris with a cruel smile. But that is too much action for the Flash.

Overall, a fun, small issue that's a breath of fresh air amidst universe ending calamity and face twisting melodrama hysterics.

I suppose it's a fairly typical X-Men book, but as I'm not a typical X-Men fan, I'm sad to say this book just doesn't seem to be for me.

This is the type of comic that reminds you why you love them.

Giant Days is, without a doubt, one of my favorite comic books. If I could only continue reading one book a month, odds are, I'd go with this one.

I'm going to be straight with you. If Dan Mora leaves this comic, there's a good chance I will too. His art is one of the best parts of this comic, setting such a solid tone throughout, and depicting characters in ways that feel respectful of the originals, but not carbon copies. This comic is fantastic largely because of his amazing art.

Gotham Academy is over, long live Gotham Academy. The beautiful relic from the latter days of the New 52 has finally drawn to a close and god what a close it is.

Nothing too special but definitely solid. I don't mean any of that as a bash, it's nice, but I want more. I'm not ditching the series, but I'm crossing my fingers for Bennett to come on board. Hey, a girl can dream.

It's a delightful and sweet story, one that seems like it'd be at home on Batman: The Animated Series, which is fitting since one of Harley's "dads," Paul Dini, wrote it. A fun but sometimes tedious party, it's worth a read if you love Harley.

Pirates! Mermaids! Shape-shifting raccoons! Man, what doesn't this comic have? Heathen returns from its break and it remains one of the best comics on the stands.

The art is great, the story is engaging (and weird) and the only real negative I have is that apparently, this is the penultimate issue!

If you have friends, if you have kids -- if you know anyone trying to get into comics, honestly you can't go wrong giving them I Am Groot.

I Hate Fairyland was, for the first arc, my single favorite comic. Then it went downhill a bit. Then it went uphill and now this comic? About as good as any issue out of the first arc.

Man, Injection just keeps getting weirder and weirder and I'm so here for it.

God, with every issue Ariela Kristantina gets better and better. Which is mind-boggling because this has been one of the prettiest comics since its inception.

It's an excellent story and if it doesn't earn a spin-off, there is no justice in the world.

Like most of Bendis' writing, this issue doesn't feel so much like a chapter as it does a sentence, but dang is it a good one.

It's... a weird book and definitely not for everyone, but if you miss The Boys, check this one out.

It'll make a fun read, but. Not much more than that.

While I'm not a fan of The Atom, and this comic didn't make me one, the journey Palmer takes through the Microverse to find the hole in existence is gorgeous, filled with huge, sci-if ideas -- beings that consume all, light as a means of transportation, centaur worlds and time storms -- all beautifully drawn

This series is one of my favorite dark comics and I just can't believe how good Joelle Jones is. She's a treasure.

It's a silly, sweet book that is utterly gorgeous. I'm in love with this book and want more people to read it.

If you've been holding off, hop on this weird, dark, train heading straight for an untimely crash.

Before, MP felt like a weird, techno-punk comic about a hurt teen trying to destroy everything. Here, now, it feels like a Gothic tale of a wounded princess trying to find her way home.

All in all, a very solid issue. I always forget how much I love this beautiful comic.

I still have no idea where we're heading, and I have no idea what secrets are left in store, but I'm so ready to find out. If you haven't started reading this book, jump on with this issue. It's weird, but you'll catch up.

Good art. Good writing. Good comics. While the majority of the Marvel Universe is dealing with Secret Empire, a huge event that is about fascism taking over America, turning concentration camps into reality, and indiscriminate chaos, Ms. Marvel - a series decidedly not tied-in to Secret Empire - is the one with the most to say about the realities of fascism in America.

If you're confused, this issue will make it clear: Kamala Khan's Ms Marvel is the successor to the original Ditko/Lee Spider-Man stories.

If, like me, you can't get enough of horror comics, Redlands is definitely one to check out.

This comic is dark and blood stained and sure to only get darker and darker as we head into the woods.

More than anything, this book feels like an odd crime comic, not the great horror book its cover seems to promise. I'm not ditching it yet, but if it doesn't get better soon, I'm gone.

This book would be a fantastic must-read if it weren't a Big Two comic, but since it is, it remains one of the very best limited superhero series to date. It's so spectacular and this is perhaps the best issue of the entire series.

This one is, without a doubt, definitely not one to jump into. However for those who have been following it, it does feature some incredibly beautiful, heartbreaking moment with a ghost of a boy who has never been and will never be.

This is one of the least interesting issues of Saga I've ever read, but with Fiona Staples on art, how can I not like it at least a little?

Secret Warriors has been a weird series for me personally because I loathe Secret Empire with my every being, and couldn't care less about the Inhumans, but this Secret Empire tie-in, starring the Inhumans, is so freaking good.

Overall, it's a good installment in the Sex Criminals saga, and exactly what you've come to expect from Zdarsky and Fraction.

It's a series about love and life and death and how all of its the same and this issue, more than any, encapsulates that.

Overall, this is one of the best issues of Shade, the Changing Girl, and if you haven't hopped on yet, do yourself a favor and grab this one. Don't worry about it not making sense, the madness is part of the fun.

It seems like it was created by the three writers getting together and then just saying random stuff, and then drawing it. It makes no sense. It's fantastic.

I don't know, man, if you told me I'd get bored of a comic called Shirtless Bear-Fighter I'd have called you a liar. But now? Well, I'd rather be fishing.

This series is harsh, hard, and takes no prisoners. I can't wait to see what comes next.

Latour's one of my favorite comic creators all around and seeing him taking the writing reigns more and more on this book delights me to no end.

This comic costs four dollars and has what amounts to a very long flashback that could, without a doubt, have been told more succinctly. It is so short, with so little content, that -- upon reaching the end -- all I could think about was how much it costs.

This kid friendly series has a nice start, featuring a story about Rey being forced to rescue Unkar Plutt, the blobfish looking pawn/slumlord. It's a cute, overtly kid-friendly story that's sure to delight tons of children, and a handful of adults.

It's not that this series is bad, but like so many other Steve Orlando books, I feel it has the potential to be great and just doesn't reach it.

As always, Superman remains a somewhat low stakes but utterly charming series, telling the tale of Superman, his super-son Jon, and reporter wife Lois Lane as they make a life in their new home of Hamilton.

So far, though, this two issue arc freaking rocks.

This is the most nineties arc in recent history, and it's pretty good. But not as good as it seemed to be at the beginning.

This is one of the darkest books on the stands, and perhaps my favorite. All Hail God Mammon.

Honestly, it is so hard to find truly beautiful and dark comics, this is a rare treat. Who knew it'd be coming from the same line that publishes Reggie & Me?

All in all, this is a great issue of Squirrel Girl, featuring fun fourth-wall breaking montages, some of the best liner notes, and perhaps the best villains so far.

Ultron is a dinosaur and he's in the Savage Land (ya know, that place filled with dinos) trying to kill everyone. Oh, and Squirrel Girl is the only thing in his way. Well, her and Antonio the Doombot. Ah, the Unbeatable Squirrel is such weird, comical, nonsensical fun.

Look, if I could, all I would do is the tears emoji fifteen times. This issue is the last of what was one of Marvel's best series, The Unstoppable Wasp.

One of my favorite things about The Walking Dead is how each issue can be read as an installment, but when you read them back to back it flows like one huge story. It sounds like an incredibly difficult task, but this book always pulls it off.

Reading this issue felt like reading the end of an arc, but there's more to come. The Imperial Phase II is bombastic and beautiful and ecstatic. I love it.

This has been one of the funnest sci-fi comics in a long time and I can't wait to see how it all ends.

If the comic embraces that craziness and sticks with it, this might be a series worth reading. But for the moment? Eh.

U.S.Avengers continues to be fun, if hampered down by the slog that is Secret Empire.

Remember when this book's villain was Golden Skull? Remember when it was fun? For now, we have another dour issue, mostly filled with De Costa politely but firmly dealing with a bigot, and too many small plot threads to count.

How to describe Ultimates #100? It's the perfect melding of everything Ewing has been doing on the title. Since the beginning, the series has been one of the funnest, most out there cosmic comics available. Where else would superheroes be taken out of time and shown the structure of the universe?

It's such a great comic, telling such a fantastic story about love, darkness, race, science, and life. Read this book.

If Warren Ellis isn't one of your favorite comic writers, I don't know what's wrong with you. But check this comic out and hopefully you'll change your mind.

More than anything, this makes me wish Fontana had more than an arc on Wonder Woman. I'd love to see what she'd do with the character if she had more time, but as it is, this arc is shaping up to be pretty darn great.

Every time I read an issue from this run, I just keep getting sad that Fontana isn't staying on for... ever. It's so good, gang, it's soooo good.