ohhaimark's Profile

THE GOOD: -This was just good old fashioned fun. It's been a while since a comic has felt that way. -Ryan Stegman has put out a lot of good art in his time, and is sure to put out a lot more, but this feels like career-best work from him. Seriously, every panel is given so much detail and thought. It's remarkable. -Act 1 was pretty traditional event-stuff, Act 2 didn't interest me as much. But oh god, Act 3. That was a masterpiece. I'm even willing to forgive the first two parts' short comings just because of how f***ing incredible that last act was. I'd recommend this 7.99 book just for the last 20 pages alone. -I really hope this book goes full horror for the next issues, because given this issues ending, that would be incredible and would make this an event to remember. -Spider-Man was rather annoying here, but that moment talking about fathership with Eddie just hit so damn hard. -Norman Osborn is just fantastic. He's a better, creepier villain than Carnage if I'm being frank. -I can't wait to see where this goes. The final page was great. THE BAD: -Spider-Man's humor was really annoying me. He had some great moments here, but overall succumbed to the common problem of comics with Spidey as a side character- too much time being the comic relief, where the comedy falters. This just reminds me how incredible his appearance in Daredevil #5 was. -I don't know how I feel about Carnage as a villain. He has some great moments, like the final page, but overall, didn't feel that memorable, unlike Osborn. Surprising considering his name's on the cover.

THE GOOD: -This was a pretty good issue. It's not as good as the first one, but I guess that's to be expected. -I'm a big fan of how Donny Cates writes Maker. Not obnoxious or over exaggerated, but true to the character. -Carnage is a pretty good villain. He definitely had some scenes here that solidified my opinion on him. -Ooh, that end was really creepy. I'm excited for next issue now. -That twist about Dylan was really surprising and I'm hoping it will lead to interesting issues in the future. -Eddie's just a really great character. THE BAD: -I'm surprised to say it, but Stegman's art really took a drop with this issue. Last issue just oozed atmosphere and horror, here it was really bland actually, and any panel with rain was a visual mess. I'm only including it in the bad because of how good his art was last issue however. -"Because I'm Spider-Man!" Wow, that scene was cheesy AF. -Something about the action scenes didn't really flow for me. That's just me and my goofy brain though.

THE GOOD: -This was a great issue I loved it. -The art was way better this time. I'm glad the atmosphere returned. -Damn Carnage Miles Morales was really well-designed. -I love the banter between Eddie and the symbiote. -There was a nice twist halfway through here that I found really effective. Also that page of Eddie smiling is juts terrifying. -Carnage's monologue here was really well written. -Well that end is crazy. THE BAD: -So far this is a fun event, and one of the best in years, but I just don't think it's anything too special that I'll remember a couple weeks later. More of a personal problem than anything else though.

THE GOOD: -Overall, I find this event pretty good. I can't say I'm in love with it though. -Okay, the Venom Blast was just incredibly satisfying. -I liked the action scenes here. They didn't overstay their welcome. -Eddie's a really likable protagonist. His character is maybe my favorite part of the series. THE BAD: -I don't know, I'm usually a fan of Stegman's art, but it just doesn't click with me here. Maybe m expectations were set too high after seeing his art in the first issue. -Carnage had some great moments last issue, but here he's back to big, invincible bad dude. -The ending of this one felt kinda rushed, plus the montage or whatever didn't flow the way it was trying to.

THE GOOD: -A pretty good finale for a pretty good series. -The art was good. Not sure why Stegman peaked so heavily with the first issue, but it was good enough here. -A very action driven issue, so it's good the action was as fun as it was. -I kept going back and forth with Carnage, but I ended up liking him. The creepy serial killer take was a lot stronger here and I liked it. -I'm interested in the Knull storyline quite a bit. -I liked the end. Simple, but effective. THE BAD: -I'm tired of openings like this. Good guy meets bad guy for the first time flashbacks are overused and lazy. -The heroes from the tie-ins showing up to help at the last second didn't do anything for me. I was already rolling my eyes when Ben shouted, "There's too many."

THE GOOD -Patrick Gleason's art was the take-home for me. Unique and it captured the characters well. Not to mention well-complimented by Alejandro Sanchez's colors. -I appreciate that Bendis is making this a more simple issue, not weighed down by cliched end-of-the-world style conflicts. Definitely gives it the advantage over Superman. -I thought the end was a good and unexpected but original twist. It leaves me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next issue. -The surprise breakthrough of Bendis's Superman run is Perry White, who is funny, original and well-written. THE BAD -The rest of characters aren't working for me. I find it hard to like Superman as, it is frustrating to watch him make such a big deal out of his wife and kid going away for the summer, and his random temper tantrums are just kind of annoying. Cat Grant is thrown in for no reason as is Guardian. Red Cloud is a villain that doesn't interest me. Robinson Goode is a bland character. The only one I ended up enjoying was good old Perry White

THE GOOD: -Yanick Paquette's art was a great fit for the series. Really good looking and enjoyable to read. -Bendis is honestly better at writing Batman than Superman, and this issue is solid proof. Also, a side note, if you have not read Bendis's Batman 100 page giant story, go do so. RoundUp doesn't have it in their database for some reason, but I really liked it. -The humor in this issue was surprisingly strong. The comedy is a surprise takeaway of Bendis's Superman run so far. -The ending genuinely had me interested and ready for more. THE BAD: -I'm just not interested in Robinson Goode as a character. She just doesn't intrigue me enough. -Bendis's writing still has a long way to go. -The Red Cloud storyline doesn't really interest me, either. I'm just not curious enough as to the mystery identity of this villain that DC has been so highly advertising. -I just wish more happened. Generally speaking, this issue was filler. I wish we could have the plot progress a bit more in the issue. -This is something of an offshoot of the last complaint, but the issue wasn't really memorable enough. When the most memorable part of your Superman comic is Batman, you know you got some kinks to work out. -So what's the deal with Lois?! I don't know, because the decided to just practically pretend that whole end of the issue never happened, aside from the last page and a couple of in-comic references.

THE GOOD: -The art. Ryan Sook is a great artist who deserves your attention. -I think I would genuinely enjoy a Perry White spinoff series from Bendis more than his Superman stories. -Bendis is pretty good at capturing the chemistry between Lois and Clark. Now I have more problems with how that relationship was handled, but he does do a good job of capturing strictly the relationship only. THE BAD: -I cannot stand the way that Bendis writes Lois. Clark is at least decently well-written in this issue. He's a bit one sided but still he doesn't seem to veer as far from where his character should be as Lois. Lois strikes me as kind of selfish, and annoys me for other reasons which will be stated below. -It annoys me how Jon is just left with Jor-El like that. It seems like a crappy excuse to not have to explain where Jon is now that Lois and Clark are reconnecting. Now, I'm not opposed to Jor-El being redeemed, however the lack of that redemption being mentioned or addressed makes it seem like poor parenting, since the last we saw Jor-El and Lois/Clark in the same room, it was not a positive confrontation. -The excuse for Lois and Clark not being together (but still being together, because why not?) is unfortunately crappy. "I have a book to write, and my son and husband don't need me anymore." What?! Then Lois goes on about not being a normal family. Bendis fails to understand that what made the Tomasi/Gleason series one of the best Superman runs in recent memory is that it was a family story made unique and interesting BY it's abnormalities. -The meeting between Lois and Clark was unfortunately underwhelming. Sook's art was beautiful in that crowded street scene, but Bendis' writing was so weak not to mention he makes it seem like Lois and Clark are meeting after Lois just got back from the freaking grocery store, not a huge, long trip to space without Clark.

THE GOOD: -I liked Ryan Sook's art a lot. I wish Patrick Gleason wold return though. -The beginning quite a lot. The Hero Dial? The Question? It's fan service, but it's well-done. -I do think that Superman was considerably better written in this issue than the last. THE BAD: -I'm not a huge fan of Chief Moore and her whole storyline. I would prefer it if the series focused on Red Cloud. Then again, maybe not after this issue's reveal. -Well, I'm disappointed. I was hoping the Red Cloud would be someone less obvious, but apparently not. Oh well. -I really felt like nothing happened in this issue, at least in terms of memorable story elements or plot lines, aside from the crappy reveal, and the cool beginning.

THE GOOD: -This was the first time I enjoyed one of those desktop first pages. Also as a hater of the Martian Manhunter miniseries, I can appreciate some fun being poked at it. And if Greg Rucka really is writing some kind of Lois Lane comic, I'm in. -I liked Ryan Sook's art. I do wish Pat Gleason would return however. Ah well, maybe it's worth it if that Young Justice comic he's doing is really good. -I thought the X-Ray vision was presented very well and originally in this issue. -I also thought Jimmy Olsen was a funny character in this issue. THE BAD: -Do we really have to do the "Keep it a secret, kid." cliche, today? -Good God, Red Cloud is a boring villain. Somehow, she's even worse than the abomination himself, Rogol Zaar. -Also, I'm not a fan of Melody Moore. Bendis should stick to classic characters. Granted, what he did to Lois was a very poor choice. -And we also have the Big Bad having an ominous meeting with their higher up cliche as well.

THE GOOD: -I thought Jimmy Olsen was a somewhat interesting character in this one. -That splash page with Jimmy standing over the sinkhole was really cool. THE BAD: -The art was okay, but I didn't like it enough to consider it good. It felt lifeless and the facial expressions were weird. -Those pages with the "Faith to Cali Yuga" word bubbles were just really visually off-putting. -I'm just not interested in the whole Kobra storyline at all. -The Lizard Person joke was funny the first time, after that it was just plain annoying. -Okay, DC, you clearly want everybody to hate Lois Lane. Well, mission accomplished. You can stop trying now. Really, either improve the character or kill her off until a writer decides to write her well. -This was one of those, "has the character on the cover, and is the main character of the series, barely makes an appearance." I would've liked to have seen more Superman this issue. Then again, I don't think Bendis can write him, so maybe that's a good thing. -The end was really lackluster.

THE GOOD: -The art was a step up here. -I thought the opening scene was pretty neat. THE BAD: -I don't like the Amanda Waller storyline. I've never been a fan of her, and her parts of the story didn't interest me. -It's a Bendis book. Did you expect me to like Lois? -The dialogue this issue was especially cringe-y. -This issue really needed some more plot progression if you asked me. I felt like it went almost nowhere. -Why does Bendis feel the need to make Jimmy sound like an idiot? -I'm just not interested in this Leviathan story-arc whatsoever. -The end does not have me hooked.

THE GOOD: -Steve Epting's art is alright. I've never been a fan of it, but it was fine for this issue. -That X-Ray vision panel was cool, even if it's a small thing. THE BAD: -I just can't stand Bendis's scripts. I don't know why, but something about 'em just gets under my skin, y'know. -The characters have and maybe always will feel hollow in this run. -I'm just not into this storyline at all. Leviathan doesn't interest me. I don't know if I've ever not hated a Bendis villain since he came to DC. Rogol Zaar was awful. Leviathan is terrible too. The Red Cloud is just dumb. Yeah, never liked a villain. -I thought it would be cool to see the Question, until I started reading his dialogue. -Same goes for Director Bones. -And alas, poor Jimmy Olsen, who was at one point a great character, until Bendis started writing Superman and he got turned to an obnoxious joke-dispenser. -And... my god! That ending was atrocious. I think that's the worst part of Bendis's Superman run so far. How awful his endings ALWAYS are.

THE GOOD: -Steve Epting is a good artist. It's too bad his talent is wasted on shit issues like this. -Even I have to admit, that Checkmate page was pretty great. THE BAD: -I am not into Director Bones or his storyline whatsoever. -Ugh. I'm getting really tired of reviewing this series. It's one of the most consistent things I'm reading right now. -Yep, this is a Bendis issue. Thinks he can make a Superman issue good when well... he can't. -This dialogue is always so bad. I hate it. -Why is Jimmy so annoying? Why is Amanda Waller just so poorly written? -What even happened at the end there?

THE GOOD: -Hey, Leviathan's there. I actually like Leviathan, oddly enough. I think he's a good villain. THE BAD: -This issue sucked, but goddamn, that cover's beautiful. It's always sad when the cover is better than the actual comic. -Not sure why everyone's so hyped for this artist. The inks were nice, but the faces were really weak. -Oh man, this dialogue just kills me. It feels like Bendis just randomly picks words out of a hat and tries to fit them together in the most logical way possible. -You cannot get me to care about Robinson Goode, comic! -Ugh, this issue is wordy. I'll be honest, I kinda skimmed through the back half. I was tired of Bendis and his atrocious writing. Seriously, how is this the same guy who wrote one of the best Daredevil runs ever? -Oh, so there's a knockoff Poison Ivy, with a little bit of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde.... and her name is ROSE FOREST! Jesus Christ, talk about unoriginality.

THE GOOD: -Kate Niemcyzk's art is good, even if it doesn't fully fit the world of Conan. -At least Belit's at least a semi-strong character herself. THE BAD: -I hate this. It's two issues in and I want it to be over. That's never a good sign. -Almost nothing in this comic is actually executed well. It's sad. There's potential, but it's never reached. -This issue was just so corny, with it's action scenes especially. I was cringing the entire way through. -This story is the opposite of compelling. Off-putting, I guess, would be the right term. -The dialogue's just mediocre. Not awful. Not outstanding. -The end was pretty bad. I am not excited for next issue.

THE GOOD: -This wasn't as atrocious as last issue. Yay! -The art was... adequate. Eh, I'll take it. -That map splash page was cool. -I was glad to see the captain die. -I don't know why exactly, but that page with the drummers and the little rhyme was surprisingly appealing to me. THE BAD: -All the action scenes seem to be brought down by unnecessary weak dialogue invading what would otherwise be a cool and excited scene. -I don't think Belit is a very strong character at all. -The last page does not get me excited for next issue.

THE GOOD: -The opening for this issue was really good and it captured one's attention. -The whole idea of this comic is just a great premise, executed very well. -I thought the X-Men were well-done in this issue. They were interesting characters and looked awesome overall. -The Summers institute was really cool and well-done. -Nice art. I've seen better from Ramon Rosanas (Nick Spencer's Ant-Man, anyone?) but still good. -I think this issue has an engrossing mystery. -Bishop and Jean's relationship was really interesting and explored very well. -That Nightcrawler scene was fantastic. I can't wait for the Nightcrawler issue, not to mention, seeing that mutant Alfred Hitchcock was just neat. -Bishop's excommunication was just really intriguing and well-executed. -The end of this issue was perfect. I can't wait for more Age of X-Man! -All in all, just a fantastic issue. THE BAD: -I do wish this issue could be more self-contained. It felt like it was about the next six issues rather than itself. Definitely the intention, I just think it could've been better.

THE GOOD: -Glob and Armor are great. Separate, together, just fantastic characters. -Marcus To is always good. This issue had great art. -Anole is also a great character with a solid storyline and surprise. -I'm excited to see where this goes. THE BAD: -Some of the cafeteria dialogue was annoying. As per usual with adults trying to write high school kids.

THE GOOD: -This series is pretty good. I'm getting kinda tired of Age of X-Man, but this is definitely one of the better series. -The art is solid. Marcus To usually does a good job. -I like all these characters and the way they're written. -This issue does a good job of establishing itself in the Age of X-Man world with references to other series. -The ending to this issue was solid. THE BAD: -I've never been a huge fan of Ed Brisson, and I guess that's true of this issue for the most part. I like the characters, but the dialogue is plain and story is kind of boring. -I feel like the pacing here is a little slow, especially for a five-issue miniseries. Feels like it should be three.

THE GOOD: -I enjoyed the opening scene a lot. -The art here is great. -Anole is still a really interesting character here. -The ending was really good. I'm excited to see how this all pans out. THE BAD: -I don't know, something felt off about this issue. Like it wasn't reaching its full potential. -This issue really bored me, and I can't figure out why.

THE GOOD: -Bishop was a great character this issue. -Finally an issue that doesn't feel repetitive. This is solid, and refreshing in the world of the Age of X-Man. -German Peralta's art was great. -I loved seeing Bishop receive those flashbacks. -All of the other prisoners were great too. -The end has got me excited. THE BAD: -The dialogue wasn't great. It wasn't necessarily Lobdell levels of awful, but it was just average in an issue and an event that is so much higher than average.

THE GOOD: -This storyline is still the most interesting out of the Age of X-Man comics. Maybe because it's the most different. -I'm still loving Bishop as a character. -Lorna was a really weird but also really interesting character here. -Beast is also great. -Not sure what the deal was with the laughing, but it was kinda eerie, weird at least. In short, I liked it. -Bishop fighting the other Bishops was trippy and great. -That end was kinda bizarre, but I loved it. THE BAD: -I didn't like this issue as much as the first one. I kinda feel like this Age of X-Man event has been going downhill since it started. -This issue was just kind of dull. -Maybe it's reading two prison-based books back-to-back, but both this one and this weeks Captain America really pushed my cliche-prison buttons.

THE GOOD: -I liked seeing all the crew at X-Studios. That was cool. -At first I thought there was some kind of over sexualization going on with Meggan. Turned out it was a subtle, but clever message of how movies can often portray females, especially superheroes. -It was a small detail, but Kurt's posters were neat. It helped sell the actor stance. -I thought the dinner was a great scene. -That scene with the fan was just too good. I loved it. -The art was good. I didn't love it, but it was good. THE BAD: -I think this is my least favorite Age of X-Man debut so far. Still a fantastic event though. -I found the beginning pages' reveal to be incredibly obvious. -The end felt like it was done before. Probably because it was, with Bishop in Age of X-Man Alpha.

THE GOOD: -I liked this issue better than the first one. It just seemed to click more. -The art was fantastic. As is true of all of the Age of X-Man books. -The storyline went from repetitive to intriguing, and I really enjoyed it. -Solid character work from McGuire. I've never read any of her stuff before, books or comics, but I was thinking of giving it a try, after this issue at least. -Huh. That nightclub was a pretty cool idea, and well-done. This world sure does hold a lot of secrets. THE BAD: -I don't know, something still feels missing from this. Keeping this one miniseries in particular from getting that extra oomph.

THE GOOD: -The art is really good. Definitely my favorite part of the issue. -There were some pretty solid character interactions this issue. -I do like the scenes with Nightcrawler shooting the action sequence for his movie. Those were well-executed. THE BAD: -I don't really care for this series all that much anymore. -This storyline has become really dull. I don't find it all that interesting. -Mcguire's dialogue isn't my favorite. It's not all that bad, just kind of bland. -That ending felt really unbelievable and cheesy.

THE GOOD: -The art is still really good. -The reveal about Meggan was actually pretty interesting and unexpected. THE BAD: -Ugh. I'm done with this. -The opening battle felt very pointless and bland. -Something about Kurt's character here just felt off. -The whole trying to find Tenia ended very anticlimactically. -The ending was just all kinds of bad.

THE GOOD: -This event just has a really great premise. -I like all of the characters, which is hard to do in a book with so many. -The neighborhood was really cool, just in terms of look and style. It kinda reminded me of the neighborhood in Edward Scissorhands, the way it was overly simplistic. -I liked the team's dialogue during the action scenes, which is weird. I usually hate that stuff. -Overall good art. I don't love it. I don't hate it either. -The no-romance thing was just a nice concept, and the pods. It was something I didn't pick up on last issue, but now that I know, makes re-reads of last issue even better. -The ending of this issue was just a nice cliffhanger. It has me hooker. -All in all, this is just a very good event and story that's compelling. THE BAD: -I didn't find the forest fire super interesting. -All in all, I just liked last issue better.

THE GOOD: -I'm still intrigued by the Age of X-Man, even if its starting to go downhill. -This issue had some really good character interactions. -I liked Storm quite a bit this issue. Strong character work from Nadler and Thompson. -It's nice to see Nate as a character in this whole Age of X-Man thing. He's been kind of in the shadows since Alpha. -We've seen these "memories" before, but this issue just executed them so well. -This issue had a solid ending. THE BAD: -The art was just really bland. -This issue also got really wordy at some parts.

THE GOOD: -I liked this issue. There's not too much else to say. -The art is great. It's definitely a common thread with these Age of X-Man miniseries. -Just the concept of Xavier Day is great, not to mention it was really well executed. -I have no idea if Twodee and Escher are X-Men from any previous series, but I need to see more of them. -The part where En Sabah Nur makes everyone embrace and such was great moment. -The idea of seeing moments of the past was great and well-done. -Nate is such as great character. -Colossus was also great. THE BAD: -I don't know how I feel about the end. It feels like it's just one more thing that has to be dealt with in the final issue.

THE GOOD: -I just really like this Age of X-Man event. Every week, these are some of the issues I look forward to the most. -This issue did a nice job of adding humor to this event in a very natural way. -I just really like the X-Tremists. I've been waiting for this issue since Alpha. Now I'm excited for Prisoner X. -All in all, this issue had a very compelling story. -This issue did a great job of pulling on my heartstrings. -Wow. That ending was perfect. It hit hard and it didn't need a splash page or anything to do so. THE BAD: -There was definitely some corniness here. Maybe intended, but annoying nevertheless. -That singing part was just bad. -I mean, some of this stuff feels repetitive. X-Man starts to feel bad for those captured, or their world is off. Probably because there's not much you can do with the concept. Oh well.

THE GOOD: -I like all these characters and for the most part, how they're written. -This art is fine, if bland. Serviceable, if nothing else. -That fire scene was great. -Blob has a solid story in this one. I really felt his tragedy. -That scene with the pregnant woman was fantastic. THE BAD: -The humor in this issue was just really not working. -This is my least favorite Age of X-Man book for far. The again, I haven't even touched an issue of Apocalypse and the X-Tracts. -It feels like these series are starting to get repetitive with people falling in love. I'm getting tired of that story.

THE GOOD: -This was a pretty good issue. A little slow maybe, but overall a nice read. -There were solid character interaction this issue. I enjoyed those especially. -The art was very good. -The heart is a muscle the size of your fist. Not sure what that meant, but it was a cool effect. -Blob is such a great character. -Pyslocke is great too. -This issue actually had some really sweet and funny moments between the two as well. -The bug trap was cool, even if I still have no idea what it really means, aside from annoying the heck out of Blob. -Do I dare disturb THE UNIVERSE? THE BAD: -That TS Eliot quote felt very randomly placed. It kind of interrupted the flow of the story. -I'm just kinda getting tired of the Age of X-Man event overall. -This issue had a bit of a pacing problem. I feel like it could've achieved it's goals in less time.

THE GOOD: -The art was pretty good. -I thought Moneta was pretty interesting at the beginning of the issue. THE BAD: -Sigh. I can't wait for Jonathan Hickman to take over, so we can be done with this disappointment. -I was really not into any of these characters. -This story is just incredibly boring. -I'm excited for the mini to end, but not to read the next issue.

The third issue of Nick Spencer's new Spider-Man series is proving the series to be a fun follow up to Dan Slott's run. Although the explanation for it is just out-of-the-blue and dumb, the Peter Parker/Spider-Man concept is well executed. The writing appropriately focuses on Peter Parker and the writing for his character in this situation is totally believable and well-done. Spencer nails the humor in this issue once again, and I really appreciate the fun he puts into this issue and Peter Parker's character. He doesn't really work the same magic for the supporting cast however, which is fine, only a slight let down. As far as the plot goes, not too much happens story-wise and the end is a bit abrupt, so I'm going to have to take a few points off for that, unfortunately. The art is pretty good. Nowhere near as good as Stuart Immonen or Giuseppe Camuncoli, mind you, but pretty good. All in all, this was a fun but flawed issue.

THE GOOD -Nick Spencer's writing is perfect. He is the writer we need on a Spider Man comic. His characterization of pretty much everybody is well, perfect. He has an excellent sense of humor that really works for this series. -I like the exploration of what Spider-Man would be like without Peter Parker very interesting and well-done. -Mendel Stromm was a surprisingly good and hilarious character. I love his addition to the series. -I like the art. Simplistic, but it still fits the series well and captures the characters well, All in all, a well done addition to the series. THE BAD -Dareisay, nothing?! However it just doesn't have that 10-star feeling. I'll give it a 9.5.

THE GOOD: -Nick Spencer is hilarious! The jokes almost always land, and he just has a great sense of humor perfect for Spider Man. Whoever thought he should write Secret Empire? -The art is good. I hardly even noticed the artist change in the first few pages, and I like the more simplistic art here, because it fits the series' tone well. THE BAD: -The humor here for me did kind of ruin some moments of the issue. It should have paused for a beat, to draw out the emotion or make the issue more dramatic. -The end was a bit too predictable for me. I would have much rather had a twist here rather than what everyone was expecting. -This issue was a just a bit too much. With all the villains and supporting characters, this series is slowly but surely starting to go all over the place. I prefer the more focused-in-one-direction nature of the first few issues.

*NOTE: The humor in general was great. Since this is very much a comedy based issue, I will add points to the score based off individual jokes that stood out. Not something I typically do, but I'll make an exception here. This was genuinely one of the funniest issues I have read in a long time. THE GOOD: -I am genuinely going to add on to this issue's score because the title is "Trivial Pursuit." -The barbecue sauce scene was pretty darn hilarious, as are the two characters Taskmaster and Black Ant. -This is one of the most compelling portrayals of Peter Parker in a while. -The card game and that scene with the therapy session were both simultaneously hilarious. -Everything about the trivia scene deserves attention. -I liked the way this issue ended. Not with a big explosion or anything of the sort, just a simple look at a new side of both Peter and his foes. -The art was pretty good. Not as good as Ryan Ottley, but still appealing and a good fit. THE BAD: -Wasn't a fan of the Kingpin subplot. I hope they get rid of that storyline quickly. I'm much more interested in the mystery villain and Kraven for now.

THE GOOD: -I liked Ramos's art. It was fun, light-hearted and enjoyable. Basically just like the issue. -That Batman reference was really something that shouldn't've worked but it truly was one of the best punch lines in the issue. -I liked the way the issue explored the relationship between Pete and Boomerang. A very well-done aspect of the issue and the story arc. -There was a twist in this issue that I truly did not see coming. It opened up three pages of tragedy and great humor. -I liked the end of the issue. This series is handling its mystery villain very well. THE BAD: -My only real complaint is that compared to last issue, the humor level of this issue isn't as good. It's still entertaining, but it's not as laugh-out-loud funny as the last issue.

THE GOOD: -I enjoyed both artists. The transition from one to the other was fairly smooth and both did a good job. I especially liked Ramos's flashback art. -This issue did a good job of exploring Black Cat and Spidey's relationship. I especially liked their banter. -Was I really expecting this issue not to have me laughing? I'll answer that for you: No. Did it live up to those expectations? Yes! -The lookups had a really cool effect with those pixelated faces. And it was an interesting story, it just kind of distracted from the main story. THE BAD: -I do kind of wish the Lookups were less of a distraction from the main story, but it felt like that. It was a cool element, but I wish the whole issue spent its time with Spider Man and Black Cat as that was an infinitely better story. -The Theives Guild kind of felt like an easy explanation for what was happening. Not a huge problem, just there could've been a better one. -It does feel a bit weird for Black Cat, a trained thief to reveal herself by talking to Peter.

THE GOOD: -Nick Spencer really proves he can write more than just humor, as proven by this issue's excellent writing for Mary Jane, changing my mind on her whole storyline. -This issue was hilarious. As is usual. -Ms. Marvel' scene in this is very unnecessary but worth it for the laughs. -Spidey and Black Cat's banter and entire relationship are captured perfectly in this issue. -I really enjoyed the portrayal of Peter and Mary Jane's relationship as well. -I'm actually really excited by the end of this issue. They've been teasing this guy for a while, and I can't wait for him to make his appearance. THE BAD: -The art for me was kind of a step down. -I wasn't a huge fan of the Thieve's Guild storyline. I enjoyed it at first, but it just kind of felt uninteresting in this one. A lot of battle and not too much else.

THE GOOD: -Nick Spencer does a great job of writing JJJ as well, he is a pretty good character writer, but Jonah is one of his best depictions. -The whole walking-through-Jameson's-past effect was really cool, and I can especially appreciate that they didn't try to stretch it out for longer than it should have been. -The scenes with Scorpion were pretty good. Not the best, but still pretty well-done. THE BAD: -I actually liked Ryan Ottley's art disappointed in this issue. It's a step down from before, and I actually believe Ramos might have been a better fit for this issue. -The humor also disappointed me this issue. I definitely didn't laugh as much as any of the other issues. -The end has me worried that this series will begin to feel scattered, what with all the characters and villains, and now they're having even more. The mystery villain, Kingpin and Kraven would have been enough. Really. -This issue in general was just a step down from previous issues.

THE GOOD: -Wow, Ryan Ottley's art is fantastic! I just loved it. -The fight scenes were pretty fantastic this issue. -Nick Spencer has done so much for JJJ in these last three issues. I absolutely loved his character and development in this issue. -I have to admit, Spider-man chucking the giant Big Man mech out of the building was pretty awesome. -I overall liked Spider-Man's speech to JJJ at the end. Not my favorite part, but still good. -I thought the scene with JJJ and Fisk was great. -I also liked JJJ at the radio station scene as well. -Seeing Taskmaster and Black Ant again made this whole issue worth it. -The end is very intriguing. I'm excited to see where this goes. I just hope they can make this series more focused. THE BAD: -I felt like Spidey's monologue recapping the events of the last issues was too long, taking up two pages. -I didn't like the Foswell Jr. reveal. It felt like it was easy, a cop-out almost. -The humor let me down this issue. I didn't laugh nearly as much as I felt this series can make me.

THE GOOD: -I like the art. Not great, Bachalo was way better with Jason Aaron's Dr. Strange, but still good. Also, is it just me, or does the way he draws Peter make him look like a girl? -I really liked the Doctor Connors dinner scene. It was sad, and interesting. -Aunt May's storyline was my favorite part of the issue. They did a great job with her character, and she is compelling. -Nice to see Taskmaster and Black Ant again. Love those guys. THE BAD: -I'm slowly losing interest in the Kraven storyline. I feel like it's been carried on too long, which was the purpose, but I'm bored now because of that. -I was very confused at that ending. It felt rushed. -That one panel of Ryan Ottley's art in the middle of a page filled with Bachalo's art was just jarring. The two different art styles really clashed.

THE GOOD: -We're finally going somewhere with Kraven. Finally! -I thought that that scene with the hunter played out in a nice and unexpected way. -I thought the storyline with Kraven and his "son" was really good. -I really like where this Hunted storyline is going. -That last page for the main story was great. -I mean, we get more Taskmaster + Black Ant. That's great. Is it too much to ask for them to star in an ongoing series together? -The end of the backup story made me excited for next issue. -Overall, this felt worth the extra dollar. THE BAD: -Ryan Ottley's art was really dragging this issue. -The art for the backup story made me want to vomit. -The story for Kurt's son felt overlong and predictable. I never once cared about that story. -What was the point of the very, very last page? Why was it there, and not in the main story? Oh well. Maybe I'm just being too nitpick-y.

I loved this. I figured it'd be pretty fun to kind of rank the separate stories in this issue, like I sometimes do with anthologies. So, without further ado... Part 2: Right off the bat, Smallwood's art is great. Gerry Duggan's dialogue is wonderful, as per usual, and I love the way he writes Spider-Man. Ferretland is a super interesting setting for an action sequence and Duggan's reservations with it are great, because it lets Spencer really have fun with the concept. Also, I'm pretty use Duggan wrote the ending as a "F*ck it," but it ended up being a key part of many of the other stories. 10/10 Part 5: Right off the bat, you can tell Al Ewing is having fun. Sprouse's art is really fitting for that tone as well. It's silly, pretty generic comic book art, but I think it works well with Ewing's writing. I especially like how this issue doesn't spend too much time on one gimmick, but it doesn't get too overstuffed. The Spider-Hams are fun, but they don't overstay their welcome. This issue also has the best use of the man in the box. 9.5/10 Part 1: Really good start. I think Bachalo's art fits perfectly with Hickman's writing and Hickman does a great job starting things simply, so that the other writers can add on later. I also love his dialogue. Great setups, lovely story. 9.5/10 Part 3: Spencer writes Spidey really well. I wasn't a huge fan of his ongoing, but this short story was really fun. Allred's art is f*cking fantastic and it fits the script perfectly. The action scenes are fun and vivid. I will say the flashback panel of Spider-Man not stopping Ben's killer just looks off though. It looks way too comical for such a serious panel. The exposition dump is made more interesting by Spider-Man's jokes, which are solid. 8.0/10 Part 8: Overall a really solid end. I love the idea of everything resetting after a doomsday event. Bagley's art is great. I feel like the last two pages are super rushed though. 7.5/10 Part 4: Schiti's art can't help but feel inferior to the previous artists, but it's still good. I like how Thompson writes Spider-Man's internal monologue as well. The action scenes are a lot of fun. Spidey's quips feel a little off at times though. I also feel like in terms of story, this is easily the least interesting part. 7.0/10 Part 7: The art is by far the worst here. I've never really been a giant Jason Aaron fan, but his writing seems to work here. I didn't enjoy it as much as Duggan's or Ewing's though. It's pretty much just getting things ready for the end, and in that respect, it does its job. Unfortunately, that makes it one of the least interesting stories. 6.5/10 Part 6: I love Chip Zdarsky, but this is one of my least favorite stories. It feels very rushed. Kinda like what Nick Spencer cautioned against in the emails, too much for just 10 pages. There are lots of necessary reveals, but I feel like they were happening way too quickly for me. I don't love the art either. 5.0/10 Also, on a final note, I really like the emails. Not sure how authentic they were, but still, it's really interesting to get behind the writing process of a comic like this. It's interesting to see different writer's strengths as well. Duggan and his ability to come up with original ideas, Ewing really paying attention to the previous stories and how the ending can tie together with all of them, Spencer really keeping everyone in check and reminding them what works in the format, etc. Also, Chip and Jonathan's emails were hilarious. Lastly, just out of curiosity, how would y'all rank the stories here? Those of you that've read this far, anyways.

A very weak crossover issue in my opinion. Very bland, nothing makes it stand out. Not even the art, which is okay, but far, far from the best art I've seen from Joe Bennett, a very hit or miss artist. The characters have no personality, except for those that do, which end up coming across annoying (cough cough Harley Quinn cough). Very unoriginal, cliched storytelling. I don't know how many comics, I'm going to read, with oh no, a magical bomb that will sink Atlantis, sigh. All in all, I have really, nothing good to say about the issue. I will forget it in a single hour and the best part was the five page sneak preview of Batman Damned. Unfortunately Aquaman is yet another good series ruined by a terrible crossover.

Warning: The following contains spoilers. And an incessant rant about the quality of the issue. THE GOOD: -I thought the ending was pretty good. That's all I liked about this issue. You've been warned. Here we go. THE BAD: -Well first of all, the fact that as soon as one crossover event ends, they are gearing up for another. This series is just chugging away until it can get a new creative team. (Shout-out to Comix4fever again, I swear I read solicits, I must have just blocked this crossover out of my mind) -The writing is garbage. I swear, either Abnett has given up the concept of trying to write a decent story, or someone else who is far less talented is writing this. Instead of explaining, I will post a quick excerpt from the book. (Note: to avoid copyrighting issues, the following is worded slightly differently than originally) HARLEY QUINN: At the end, he understood the lesson. CROC: What lesson? One must always carry on? Life is a valuable thing? QUINN: No. Never sit on a nuke. -Bennett isn't the worst part of this issue. But he's still not a great artist. I'm hoping for some better art in this series' future. -Who gives a s**t about Carl?! Apparently even Abnett didn't, because not only was he poorly-written, he had one of the worst death scenes ever.

THE GOOD: -Nada. THE BAD: -Very rushed, no buildup or tension, it just kind of kept moving. -I wasn't a fan of the art. It was a little too comical for me. -If Dan Abnett wanted to continue his Mera miniseries, which was admittedly pretty good, it doesn't have to invade the Aquaman title, where its kind of expected the main character will be, you know, Aquaman. -This issue is just reaching for the sky in trying to be part of the Justice League crossover. Batman is in there for no reason, and the issue rushes through a paraphrased redo of the Aquaman/ Triumvirate confrontation from Justice League #10. -The end felt thrown in. It made this seem even more like a wannabe sequel to the Mera miniseries and it doesn't excite me for the rest of the crossover, which at least Justice League did.

THE GOOD: -This was actually a really good issue that delved into the subconscious of Aquaman. I enjoyed that it was a departure from the drag of a story known as Drowned Earth. -The sea of blood effect was really neat in my opinion. -I also liked the relationship between Arthur and his father. That was really well written. -Seeing all of Aquaman's enemies appear was really cool also. I was oddly impressed by a lot of material in this issue. -The writing for Arthur's father was really, really good. That monologue was quite good in my opinion. -What should have been the true last line of the issue "Hope" was actually quite amazing in my opinion. -Honestly, not going to lie, this was my favorite issue of the series in a long, long time. THE BAD: -The art wasn't doing it for me. It just looked... off. -I really wish that last page didn't exist. The page before was way more powerful.

THE GOOD: -I enjoyed Francis Manapul's art. I actually wish he would do the rest of the issues for Justice League. -This was an improvement over the previous issues for sure. -That scene where Mera uses the Clarion was really good. I quite enjoyed it. -I'm so glad they called back to that Aquaman tie in and its beautiful portrayal of Arthur and his father. -I liked the end of this issue. It sets up Deconnick's run nicely and is a good cliffhanger. THE BAD -I'm not a fan of the whole new look they give the Justice League in this crossover. Thankfully none of it will stick, as far as I know. So we don't have to see Crab arm flash and Super-eyepatch and all that stuff. -Very unmemorable issue. I really will only remember that one issue of Aquaman when thinking of this crossover. -I wasn't a fan of Howard Porter's art. At least he didn't do the whole issue. -I feel like instead of menacing, Black Manta just comes off as really annoying in this issue. -Did they really expect us to believe for even a microsecond that Aquaman was dead?!

THE GOOD: -I really liked Robson Rocha's art. He really kicked this issue's quality up a notch. -I also liked the opening to this issue, it was pretty cool in my opinion. -And this series is a welcome fresh breath of air for this comic. It's a definite step above the last few issues. -The premise is pretty good, although it will be bad to see Aquaman try to discover his past when we already know it so well, it's so obvious to the reader. -I thought Loc was a funny, but unnecessary character. THE BAD: -This issue was one of many issues this week that felt like it could have been shorter. This issue feels like one where very little happens, and it didn't really give me a great look at what Deconnick's run will be like. -I wasn't a fan of the Namma/Caille story, and Caille's character isn't my favorite. It sounds like Namma will be the villain? I guess we'll have to see how that plays out. -I wasn't a fan of the end. It didn't feel like anything super cool to us, the readers, we've seen that before. Sure, discovering his powers might be a big moment for Arthur in this comic, but we're already well-acquanited with his powers.

THE GOOD: -I thought the beginning was really good. Its interesting to see where Mera is in all this. -Solid art. Definitely some nice looking pages here. -I thought the writing was good. Not great, but good enough. -Interesting twist with the gods there. Interesting idea, but poor execution. THE BAD: -Why did we need three whole pages of the gods scene? I got the gist after one. That was pure filler. -I didn't like the end. Bad art, weird spot to end, like they just ran out of pages.

THE GOOD: -I liked this issue. It was good. -The best was Robson Rocha's art, which was stellar. -I'm really liking this portrayal of Arthur a lot. At least in this issue. It doesn't feel forced or anything. -Those flashbacks were really good. Much better introduction to the gods than last issue. THE BAD: -I wish more could've happened. It didn't really progress the plot a whole lot. -I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. I don't know why, it just didn't really make me excited for the next issue.

THE GOOD: -Robson Rocha's art is just great. As soon as you open the book, you know you're in for a visual treat. -Solid action-oriented issue. If you're looking for epic battles, this is the issue to read this week. -Kelly Sue Deconnick is a great writer. I like where she's taking this series. For me, she's already better than Abnett. -Seeing all those creatures was a delight. It wasn't overstuffed or ridiculous like Damage, because the execution wasn't amateurish. -It's nice to finally see Mera again. THE BAD: -I don't know, the issue felt like it moved too quickly maybe? I'm not sure. It wasn't rushed so much as it just had awkward pacing. Nothing Knightmarishly bad though. See what I did there?

THE GOOD: -The art is probably the only consistent thing in this comic. -I mean I'm glad this story arc only went downhill on its final issue. Hopefully the next issue will be better. THE BAD: -Ugh. This is the finale. This feels like an issue from Dan Abnetts god-awful Aquaman run. -This story has become really convoluted, for me at least. -This issue just kind of felt like big monsters and pew-pew action scenes and the like. -That end was really bad and corny.

THE GOOD: -I mean, at least the art was good. THE BAD: -What was this issue? Like, seriously. What was it? To me, it was a shark talking to Aquaman for a whole issue, just recapping his story so far. There are so many things wrong with that, as an idea, let alone the fact that it was allowed on paper. -Caille has become a character I'm just really bored with. I also think her story moved way too fast. -Something tells me the end is just shock value, but I guess I'll hold out hope. I'm sure as hell not putting it under the good column though.

This was a decent read. I think the characterization of the X-Men was good and all the characters were well-portrayed. Except for X, who is a poor excuse of a Charles Xavier come back. Terrible characterization and very unlikable. Everything Xavier shouldn't be. This issue steered away from the typical, cliched, X-Men racist examination and offered something new that we haven't yet seen, which is refreshing. Unfortunately the payoff of that ends up being pretty disappointing, and merely offers a battle scene, which is also weak. The whole end of the issue is also terrible. It would be fine if it was an ongoing series, but as an annual, it offers a terrible climax and a poor resolution, or lack there of to earn back some of the respect I had for this issue in the beginning. The art was off and on for me. I liked the portrayal of some characters ( Warren), disliked others (Beast). All in all an issue with potential that never reached it for me.

THE GOOD: -The best part for me was the art. Greg Land captures the characters perfectly. -The action sequences were well done, mostly due to the art, but the setup and writing helped a little. THE BAD: -This issue's just too average. Not enough stands out for me. It's one I'l forget in far too short of a time. -The falling out of Havok and the rest of the Not-X-Men wasn't enough for me. The emotion and drama weren't in full play and it just happened too quickly, plus it set up a cliched sit down at a bar table motivation speech. -The end wasn't doing it either. Either Havok's character development was pointless or it turns into a predictable trick the villain by siding with them play. There's no way it works out.

THE GOOD: -Outstanding art. I've never really been a huge Greg Land fan, but this story arc made me see why many people are. His art works excellently for both this series and the characters. -Also a very funny issue. Matthew Rosenberg has salvaged this series in every way possible. -Very compelling characters. Havok and Beast, stand out as the most well-written, but Colossus is easily the best character in the story. -The Fastball Special scene had me going for while. THE BAD: -Wasn't a fan of the end. A poor capper to an otherwise great issue.

THE GOOD -The first page was a good, very original intro to the issue. I liked that they continued its themes all throughout the issue. And it bookmarks the issue well at the end. -Art was fine. Not good, not bad, but I'll put it here to even out the tables a bit. THE BAD -What are these characters?! Or should I say lack there of. These people who happen to where costumes and bear names we recognize are little more than hollow mannequins used to fight the villains and progress the story forward, but they don't make it interesting while doing it. -Falls prey to the "having a casual conversation whilst in battle" cliche. Sigh. -Has a very tropey, very unoriginal "Avengers Assemble" montage. -Ghost Rider deserves his own spot for the crimes of not only his character, but his lines which are just one huge eye roll. Nothing about him makes sense. -Ends abruptly and in no special way. -The action scenes are bland and uninspired.

THE GOOD: -I like the art quite a bit. it has this nice nostalgic feel to it. -That flashback story about the suicide jumper was great. The art definitely helped. I love the look of that panel with the hand sticking up, barely in frame. THE BAD: -Guess I'm gonna have to be that guy. I did not like this. -Not sure why, but the second page made me laugh. The slow-buildup, leading to this white backgrounded, colorful page of a decayed arm in a basket holding up its index finger, with the title spelled out in bright red letters sitting on the basket felt like comedy execution. -I honestly don't care about these characters. They feel super cliched and their dialogue often made me cringe. -I don't know, the story doesn't really interest me thus far. I'm much more interested in where it's headed. Guess that's why this was a boring read for me. -The setups are painfully obvious and quite annoying. -The backup story is interesting in concept, but the execution feels off. I almost feel it needed to be a full issue, considering how rushed it all felt.

THE GOOD: -I mostly like the art. It gets goofy at times, but I like the look its going for. -The concept's cool. It's executed questionably, for me at least, but I like the idea. THE BAD: -I'm sorry, but I still don't like this. -This is just bland, uninteresting story for me. One that should be unique, given the concept, but ruined by awkward execution. -I don't like this main character. She has nothing for me to connect with, she's really bland and lifeless. -The pacing feels off here. I might like it better if things moved quicker. I don't know. -Oh god, the beheading panel made me laugh. The most important scene in the whole comic. -The backup story is still not even worth it. I'm not a huge fan of the story and the two-pages an issue storytelling doesn't help.

Another good issue in the series. Considering the issue is essentially just a speech given by Bruce Wayne, it works better than expected. The speeches powerful moments really struck hard and ended up being very memorable. Some of the lines rung throughout my head after I heard them. The falling metaphor was the best part of the speech. It worked effectively and had the emotional gravity necessary for the callback to the wedding, unlike what the Catwoman series has done wrong. The biblical allegory was odd and oddly enough, it worked, although it was a bit overdone at some points. I have to say Lee Weeks did an excellent job of still telling the story well and with some excellent panels that complimented the writing well. I especially liked all of his portrayals of the Batman rogues gallery. The issue does end abruptly, I wish we could have gotten more tension/buildup to the verdict. That said, the last panel was very effective and well done.

THE GOOD: -The opening for this comic was quite good, it had a cool effect and was very dark. -The dumb villain lineup was surprisingly satisfying. One of King's funniest moments to date. THE BAD: -This issue was a bit too bright and happy for me. It didn't really have enough emotion or darkness that the first two pages captured well. Although it was effectively heartwarming, the issue just felt like it was missing something. -I wasn't into the art. The stiffness and lack of detail were not a good combination. -I didn't like the writing for Nightwing at all. There were no layers to the one dimensional joker that they turned Nightwing into. And any issue that characterizes Nightwing worse than the current Nightwing ongoing series has a problem.

THE GOOD: -This issue gets recognition for just being such a massive improvement over the previous issue. Whereas issue 54 felt like a pointless filler, this issue takes its concepts and uses them originally and sets up a great new status quo for Nightwing. -Tony S. Daniel's art is excellent. He captures the characters well and portrays a variety of scenes with different feels and moods, expressing his wide talent. -This issue proves that Tom King can be a great writer. This issue has an excellent juxtaposition that works really well. There are a few kinks to work out with the minutia of the writing, but I'll be kind and not ding the score for that. THE BAD: -I still dislike Nightwing's character. He's a poor combination of annoying and dumb. It doesn't work. -This issue is a lot of buildup that I can't really settle on whether or not it paid off. Plot-wise, it barely chugs forward, but the buildup to the final scene is very well done. I guess we're dealing with a glass-half-full, glass-half-empty situation here.

THE GOOD; -I really, really liked the storyline with KGBeast and his father. It was excellently told in a welcomely subtle way. -The splash on pages 16-17 was amazing. The best written and illustrated parts of the book. -I really liked the conclusion of the issue. It was a well-done last 5 pages. THE BAD: -Tony S. Daniel was not giving us his best here, unfortunately. For once, the art actually detracted from story. -The Batman storyline was cool, but, it boiled down to an elongated version of the "tracking down the bad-guy montage" that the Killing Joke was able to do better and more effectively in a single page. - Much like the previous issue, this one suffers from being too much buildup. The story arc hasn't had much story so far, and that's unfortunate because there's a lot of potential there.

THE GOOD: -That fairytale part was pretty great. Morbid and original. I dig it. THE BAD: -Tony Daniel's art was still a let-down for me. It felt way too rushed. Not necessarily bad art, just not good Tony S. Daniel art. -Apparently King has abandoned dialogue altogether, and just thinks that as far as the actual story goes, just having the characters making a bunch of noises over an admittedly lackluster battle is okay. Good to know. -Also these noises are somehow worse than the sound-effects from the 1966 Batman show. For example we have wonderful marvels of prose such as phrases like, "GKRK", "KHAA", and everyone's favorite, "GHXN." Because when I get punched in the face by a hook hand, I will definitely exclaim "GHXN" How do you even say that?! -So the confrontation that the issue a few weeks back literally spent over half its page count building up, is Batman and KGBeast saying things like "GHXN" for 10 pages and then Batman defeating KGBeast in both the easiest and dumbest way possible. If he planned to snap his neck, why not just do that earlier on. Oh I know why, there's thing where writers have to fill a certain amount of pages in a single comic book. 20 to be exact. But then there's writers, like good old Tommy boy, who don't have enough ideas to fill those pages, so they come up with something called filler. Oooohhh. -The last page confused me. Why is it important? We may never know.

THE GOOD: -Art is fantastic. Mikel Janin is easily the best artist working on the rotating series of artists for this run. -I actually liked King's portrayal of Penguin. He makes the reader empathize with him in the same way that worked with the Ballad of Kite Man. -Also a great portrayal of Batman's relationship with Alfred. -I'm actually curious about the direction the mystery from the Freeze arc is going. I liked that arc, and I'm curious. It's nice to know all of these post-wedding arcs aren't just one and done. Well, for this series' sake, let's hope they don't revisit the KGBest arc. -I'm not a fan of doing the same thing over and over and over in comics, but that double splash page of Bruce fighting henchman overlaid with dialogue was cool. THE BAD: -The worst part of this run is quite frankly, the main character is the weakest link in the series. I am more compelled by both Penguin and Alfred than Batman. -Another huge issue is that the plot is stretched out again, and the story is very uninteresting. I feel like these villain arcs are becoming really repetitive, with the exception of the first one. -I'm just so damn tired of the whole, "let's do bad things to everyone Batman cares about" dynamic of this issue that we've not only seen literally 3 issues before, but many, many times before. And this issue would be fine if it brought something new to the table in that area, but it doesn't.

THE GOOD: -Very good art. No surprise there. -I did enjoy the issue's juxtaposition between when Batman was talking to Penguin and when he was breaking into Arkham. -I did like that line about love quite a bit. I don't mind the strange addition to Penguin's backstory, and I have a small feeling that this Penny backstory won't be all it seems. I'm probably wrong anyways, but the character depth and cool lines that come out of it are enough for me to forgive. -I rather enjoyed the writing in this one, with the exception of Batman. I'm not usually super crazy about King's writing in Batman, but tho issue felt properly cinematic with an excellently written Penguin. -I do think Penguin is really well characterized here. I do think King writes him better than Batman in this story arc. Not super hard to do however. THE BAD: -I wasn't a fan of this whole police brutality thing Batman has going on. Especially since he seems to trust the Penguin more than Gordon in this instance, which is strange. -Speaking of which, Batman is far from a compelling character in this one. Off of the word of one of his rogues, he beats up guards and one of his greatest allies. All while shouting things that just feel wrong, nothing to help you connect with him.

THE GOOD: -This was my favorite issue of this series in a while. I'm looking forward to "Knightmares," whatever that is. -Boy, does Tom King love to run simultaneous stories using the technique of juxtaposition. I really liked the juxtaposition in this issue however. I do wish they could get three artists instead of two though. One for Gordon, another for Batman, and another for Alfred and Penguin. -This issue was a perfect type of downward spiral for the plot in my opinion. Batman reaches his worst point yet. For once, I wasn't super pissed that he was throwing all those tantrums. Instead, I felt like I could appreciate the darker turn this series is taking and how its changing Batman into someone we haven't seen before. I do still understand what people have been saying about his acting out being extremely unusual considering previous Batman runs and stories, but I prefer to look at it in the context of King's run, when yes, after all that's happened in a domino effect, it makes sense for Batman to be so cruel. That's just me, everyone has a perfectly justifiable reason for hating Batman in this issue. My opinion is a strange creature. -I loved the tangible drama in this issue. As the issue moves on, things escalate in a really great way. -Once again, King knocks the writing for Penguin out of the park. -Despite my issues with that story, Alfred feeding Penguin fish was simultaneously disturbing and funny, an effect I can't decide if I love or hate. -Apparently my strange suspicion about Penny paid off. See my review for last issue. I actually really liked that reveal and the subtlety used to reveal that Penny was a... well you'll just have to read the issue. It is disgusting, but well-done and affectively tragic. -The buildup to !SPOILERS! arrival was awesome in my opinion. -Gordon destroying the Bat symbol was an epic and cinematic piece of the climax, and might be my second favorite part of the issue. -What's your favorite?" one might ask. Well, it's the end. The buildup and tone was pitch perfect, And that last page is one I'd want hanging on my wall, word bubble and all. So good and dramatic. THE BAD: -I wasn't a fan of the reciting poetry. I preferred the Gordon and Batman stories. Penguin and Alfred's wasn't as good, and cold have been shorter, -Also, why can't Penguin take off the blindfold? Were his arms incapacitated? I don't know why, that part really bothered me.

THE GOOD: -This was a charming heartwarming story above all, and one that I really enjoyed. -Otto Schmidt's art was well-drawn and his depiction of Alfred was especially good. I also really liked his facial expressions. -I previously stated that Tom Taylor should write Nightwing, and while that comic is in desperate need of salvaging (in my opinion, although maybe not more than Red Hood at this point, that series is just plain pissing me off!) Taylor really proved his chops for a Batman comic. Because not only was the Alfred story good, so was the Batman one. -I haven't read very many Batman comics, but this issue might have just captured Batman and Alfred's relationship better than anything else in one story. -This was a pretty perfect self-contained story in my opinion. From start to finish, it told the story it needed to tell, and it did so perfectly. -Taylor writes both Batman and Alfred so amazingly, I actually want him to take over the ongoing series. I've only read his X-Men: Red, which I did not like, but this issue proved him to be pretty amazing writer. -I laughed so much in this issue. That's all I have to say about that. -I will highlight the Bat-Thermos however, which was an ingenious and original joke. -I just loved the way Alfred puts his soul into Bruce's life and work, and the fact that issue explores that in such a great angle and light. -This is an extension of the previous statement, but I really liked how Alfred rushed to save Batman when he was stabbed. It was just really well written. -And Alfred's explanation for why he puts his soul into Bruce's life and work... so beautiful. This is genius writing, folks. -Not to mention, this issue gives Alfred the appreciation he deserves. I feel like many recent comics have overlooked him as a character or simply used him as a way to relay sarcasm towards Batman, but this issue does the opposite. -I really loved the ending. It was funny and heartwarming. -This issue in general, drops the whole contention that superhero comics always need to be dark and gut-wrenching or whatever. This is a brighter, quite frankly, better superhero comic. THE BAD: -My only complaint is a very, very small one. And it's that the villain could be better. However the villain was not a main part of story and the story did it's job in focusing mainly on Batman and Alfred, as it should. So, I don't know. I guess everything comes out to a 9.5 anyways.

THE GOOD: -The art was good. Travis Moore isn't the best artist on this series, however. That would have to go to Mitch for me personally, although Lee Weeks makes a strong case for himself. -Matthew, or Bruce, or whatever his name is, makes a good villain. We've seen similar villains before, but he's still creepy as hell at least. -This issue had some good effects. Especially some of the opening scenes, which were very dramatic. -I liked the writing in this one. -I'll admit, I liked both the buildup and the actual twist itself. I didn't really see it coming, and it really improved the issue, the problem was, there didn't need to be 16 pages until the reveal, that's a bit much. -The end looks like it will lead to interesting things. I'm still holding out hope for, "Knightmares." Though it looks less to be an actual story-arc and more like a label for a bunch of miscellaneous story arcs that are slightly related, much like the "Cold Days" arc or the pre-Wedding issues. THE BAD: -This whole issue felt kinda... pointless. It feels like it would be a great Free Comic Book Day comic, or even a great story in another Batman: Secret Files, but as a main, $3.99 issue, it didn't really hold up, it didn't justify its page count. I'm going to have to take off one point for this. -Though there was reason for this, the whole issue felt repetitive of issue #38, again which would have been fine if it wasn't a whole issue.

THE GOOD: -I liked Mitch Gerads art, but it wasn't the usual quality we get from him. Some of the pencil strokes were too thick, making things look overly simple, and one panel with Batman's face was just yuck. But it was still good. Also, sometimes too much blood is just too much! -I actually like the format for this issue with Batman's thought process. I had problems with the execution, but its a good idea. -I was genuinely disturbed and freaked out by this issue. Especially the part where Pyg eats the pig. Ew! It's kind of the intended effect of this issue. -I liked the way we saw Pyg in this issue. It was pretty creepy to never see him talk until the end of the issue, I was getting some chilling vibes from that effect. -I liked the way this issue foreshadowed the end. Those parts in parentheses were really cool and kind of eerie, it kind of reminded me of Stephen King and how he uses parentheses. -This Knigthmares stuff is really growing on me. It's one of those ideas I love, but I have trouble getting to the why. But I do love the idea of seven-ish standalone issues, each one turning out to be only an illusion in the end, with some kind of explanation for it in the end. -I'm not super pissed about the fact that we're not seeing Thomas Wayne yet. I like the way the suspense is being dragged out. That's just me though. -"Little pig, little pig," I really liked that line. Great use of a public domain story, unlike Pygmalion. -I really loved the end. Why? i'm not sure. It simultaneously felt WTF and deeply disturbing, a combination I love to see. In comics I mean! Sorry if that sounded wrong. THE BAD: -Wasn't a fan of the Pygmalion stuff. It didn't really have a purpose in the story and it felt like filler. -Eventually it felt like Batman's narration was trying to be meaningful, but was just empty. -This whole issue felt very, very pointless. I have a feeling it could've been left out and the whole series would be the exact same. I can't help but feel like these stories would read better if there were 3-ish stories in only about two issues. Both this one and the previous one could've been shortened.

THE GOOD: -I thought the idea for this issue was good at least. What would have happened if the wedding went through? Nice idea. Poor execution. -I liked Mikel Janin's art. There were some awkward faces and stiff looking poses, but I liked the splash pages a lot and he made that shower scene feel very effectively steamy. -It's nice to at least see the previous stories acknowledged. -I'm still on board with Knightmares, despite predictability and a gimmicky premise. I feel like another writer could do way better though. THE BAD: -So Constantine was in this issue why, exactly? I felt like he was only there to tell Bruce about the Knightmares. Other than that, his existence was purely fan service and filler. -Constantine's monologue was a mixture of boring and trying way too hard. -Although the art was nice, the shower scene was gratuitous filler. -Something about Bruce punching Constantine and calling him an idiot just felt wrong. -The dialogue didn't jive with me this issue. -I didn't like the ending. The dark and depressing Batman is getting tiring.

THE GOOD: -The art was great. Especially when Fornes drew Year One scenes because his art is very reminiscent of David Mazzuchelli's. -The issue had some cool noir feels to it. -The first and last pages were good and served as nice bookends to the issue. -I liked that page with Batman fighting all the villains in the white background. It was a nice effect. THE BAD: -Eh. I'm done with this Knightmares arc. -Ugh. The lack of plot progression is really getting tiring. Now that we know what's going on, which already took us way too much time to figure out, should't we be moving towards an escape of some kind. -Eh, the Question is pretty much Constantine from the previous Knightmares issue. Nothing about him really makes me know why he's there, other than that he's interrogating Catwoman. -This issue was really boring. -The dialogue this issue felt kinda hollow. Maybe that's just me. Maybe it requires a reread. Who knows? -This issue was just too much flashback to me.

THE GOOD: -Nice art. Also, good lettering. That isn't something I would typically notice, but in a comic that's essentially JUST lettering, I kind of have to. THE BAD: -I'm tempted just to leave my review at "no," but I suppose I'll try to write an actual review. -DC, can we please never get an issue like this again? I would feel ripped off if this was a FCBD issue. -One of this issue's main problem is that it is centered entirely around an idea that thinks it's really clever, but actually isn't. Okay, yes, Batman and the Joker and kind of like Wil.E Coyote and the Road Runner. That's not some deep and phenomenal metaphor. -This issue just further cements my idea that these Knightmares should just be a single issue. This issue could take about two pages to tell, the others about three or four. They're just stretching singular ideas that don't warrant a full issue into exactly that. -I've never hated this series. For the most part, I enjoy Tom King's writing on other projects, and this is subpar for him, but not exactly unreadable to me. Maybe I'm not a big enough Batman fan. Who knows? But this issue felt downright insulting. I could feel Tom King laughing at my anger when I paid four dollars for a glorified picture book. That's legitimately what I think this was. I feel like a five year old would have a better time reading this than I did. -Yet another issue I could wait for to be over. Sigh. -I mean, what can I say? I really found this issue terribly shitty, so I'm just filling the bad column with as much as I can. -Beep, beep off, Tom King. Never write an issue like this again.

THE GOOD: -Hey, I'm just glad these Knightmares are over, to be honest. -That one final conversation between Superman and Batman was pretty good, I'll admit. Even if it contradicted some of King's earlier issues, it acknowledged the Kinghtmares, and I'd rather see a Batman who likes being Batman than a depressed teenager-like Batman THE BAD: -I've never been a fan of Amanda Conner's art, I'll just say it. It's not for me. Never has been. -Ugh. The dialogue was especially awful this issue. It almost makes me miss the days when this comic had no dialogue whatsoever. -Why does Tom King constantly feel the need to make every superhero sound like an idiot? Batman and Superman just sound awful here. "Look at this soup. It's... really good." -I feel like under the pen of a different writer, this might be fun, but it's not. -I guess this was supposed to be the spiritual sequel to those double date issues. That's too bad. I actually liked those issues. -That artist change partway through was jarring and it took me out of the story.

THE GOOD: -I didn't hate this as much as the last few issues, so I'll give it that. -The art is magnificent. Yanick Paquette is super talented. -I liked some of the nostalgia with Batman and Catwoman dancing, like their classic costumes, and King's constantly overused Year One/boat outfits. -King admitting that Batman doesn't love Catwoman was super satisfying. I hope this issue is the last one with mopey Batman. THE BAD: -Bane and Thomas Wayne's scenes just didn't interest me. And Bane fighting naked is as weird and gross in a bad way as everyone says it is. -I'm not a huge fan of the dialogue. I wasn't mad at it this time, just kind of indifferent. It definitely could've been done better given the potential and the premise. -Still not sure why Thomas Wayne is bad. Because Bruce is still Batman? That seems like a huge stretch.

THE GOOD: -Hey, this is a lot better than the last couple of issues of this series. -I liked that first page. Yes, it's Tom King being gimmicky, but I liked acknowledging that the Knightmares happened. -I didn't hate Batman's dialogue here, even if "I am the nightmare" is one of the cheesiest lines in a recent Batman comic. At least he wasn't his usual pouty self. THE BAD: -Not sure about the art. Jorge Fornes is a good artist, and Mikel Janin is a good artist, but their style just doesn't flow together very well, and there's no real storytelling reason why the art should change. -Yet another issue that could be done in less pages. -Aside from maybe Riddler, none of the villains have any sort of character that sets them apart from the others. They're all just mannequins for Batman to fight which happen to have familiar faces. -I mean, hasn't this been done before? In the Bane story arc? Even if you liked that, you have to admit, redoing the same thing, with minimal differences, is just lazy. -What's with Tom King's Calendar Man? He was in one of the first issues, and was pretty original there, but now he just spouts Adam West Batman lines.

THE GOOD: -Sorry about the late reviews. Been a busy week. Anyways, I thought this issue was fine. I'm just honestly glad to be done with Knightmares and all that garbage. -Jorge Fornes' art was great. Definitely the best creator involved with this issue. -I'll be honest, I liked that page with Batgirl calling the Bat family. -Honestly, I though Alfred was the best here. That scene with him and Batman was good, for me at least. THE BAD: -I guess this issue is supposed to be like the sequel to issue 60. Not sure how well that works, especially considering I liked that issue. The juxtaposition effect here didn't seem as strong. Probably because it was already used. -Sadly, Mikel Janin's art fell apart here. That panel with Batgirl doing contortion was ugly as sin. -Why does nothing ever happened in this series anymore? It gets really annoying, especially when you know they're just trying to get to 100 issues. -Batman was just obnoxious in this issue. I hated all of his stupid temper tantrums. -"I'm going to break your damn back," just felt like an excuse for what could've been an interesting confrontation between Batman and Bane. -Batman's speech to the Bat-Family was just really corny. -I thought Bruce was over Selina? But apparently all it takes is Tim to mention her and Batman goes crazy.

THE GOOD: -I've always liked Jorge Fornes' art. -I mean, conceptually, having Bane's plan be interwoven into every issue thus far is good, but the execution is so weak. -I thought the splash page with the villains was rather cool. THE BAD: -I wish they would get rid of Mikel Janin at this point, because all he's doing is drawing one or two splash pages per issue, which aren't even that good. -Glad to see I paid 3.99 for a recap of every issue before this one. -I appreciate King trying to make Bane powerful, but what he's making him here is just ridiculous. -Now the juxtaposition between artists is just forced and weak and repetitive. -Why is Thomas Wayne bad? This issue didn't exactly make that clear, probably because it's so unbelievable in the first place.

Hey guys. I'm not going to be doing a review for this issue, because I have gotten so tired of reviewing Tom King's Batman. I just wanted to let you know this was an awful issue, with no plot progression, awful dialogue, or lack thereof and really weak pencilling. The only good thing I can say about the issue is that Jordie Bellaire's colors are rather beautiful, but they don't salvage the issue.

THE GOOD: -Hey! Mitch Gerads is here! I didn't know that! Tony Daniel's art was good, but in my opinion Gerads' was superior in its atmosphere, truly capturing the "apocalyptic" Gotham this issue is trying to sell. Plus he is not only a fantastic penciller, but a damn good color artist. -This wasn't as bad as the last few issues. THE BAD: -There is no way on this planet that Tom: King of Filler deserves a an extra sized $4.99 issue. -This comic is supposed to be about the villains taking over Gotham, which is a fun concept, yet it's kind of ruined by the villains having absolutely no personality whatsoever. -Wow. I wasn't expecting this comic to give me so many flashbacks to my freshman year of high school. There was that reference to the Trojan War, which I learned a lot about in English. Then that story with the farmer and the horse and his son, which I remember my math teacher telling me for whatever reason. Not sure why I'm talking so much about this, not that anyone cares. And before all the commenters start telling me I'm a terrible reviewer or whatever, the reason this is in the bad section is because Tom King needs to stop using fables and whatnot in place of actual story. -Ugh. More Gotham Girl. -I DON'T CARE IF IT WAS THE BOAT OR THE GODDAMN STREET! AND STOP TRYING TO MAKE ME CARE! -At least the other Luthor pages in the Villain of the Week "tie-ins" were just that. One page. Yet Tom King had to devote a whole 8-page backup story to a conversation between Luthor and Bane.

I'm tired of this. I'm tired of saying "this issue was better than last issue, at least," because the bar has been set so damn low. I may just stick to rating this series from now on, if that. As for my thoughts on the issue: Well, it was better than last issue at least.

THE GOOD: -Good art. Daniel did not disappoint, for me at least. -The epilogue was the only interesting part for me, and it was basically the opening scene of the Dark Knight. THE BAD: -Maybe it's because it's been so long since I read a Batman comic, but I was not interested in this at all. -I've always been opposed to Tynion's writing. This issue was no different. -The mercenaries were interested, but the fact that they were shrugged off so easily was disappointing. -Man, Lucius and Batman have almost no chemistry. -Wow. They just threw Deathstroke right in there, huh?

THE GOOD: -This was a pretty good debut. Not sure I'll read on, but it was fun for what it was. -That opening was dark and perfectly paced, if predictable. -David Marquez did a pretty good job. I'm not too familiar with him, and his work here wasn't terrific, but I enjoyed it mostly, from a visual perspective. -The Batman Who Laughs' Batcave was really neat to see. -That ending looks like it could lead to a great next issue. THE BAD: -I dunno, I've never read any Joshua Williamson. I've got Birthright and Nailbiter on my want to read list, but this just felt very bland in terms of writing. The story isn't too interesting, the script basic. -I'm not sure why, but this didn't really fully click for me. Every aspect just felt like it was missing that special something that makes a great first issue. This is an incredibly personal gripe, however.

THE GOOD: -This was okay. Not sure if I'm still gonna read this one. -The art's... good enough. I'm not in love with it like others. It can be a bit stiff, but the colors are great. -Okay, I'm starting to get interested in Gordon's story. -I do like the idea with the six batarangs. I like the potential of where it could lead for the rest of this story arc. THE BAD: -I dunno. The fight scene that took up the bulk of the book just bored me. It was nothing new and went on too long. -With a couple exceptions. I didn't find either of the title characters very interesting. -Shazam Who Laughs had a great design, but they didn't really take him anywhere interesting.

THE GOOD: -I wasn't expecting much from this, but it was a welcome surprise. -I don't think I've ever read anything Bryan Hill's written before. From what I understand, this is a continuation of his Detective Comics run. I might have to check that out. -The art is fantastic. I think it's safe to say that we've all missed seeing your art on a Bat-Book, Dexter Soy. -The first action scene was really good, it didn't take too long, but it wasn't too short either. -I like how Batman's written here. As a side character, letting the other characters take center stage. If only the comic was just called Outsiders. -I think Katana might be the star here though. All her scenes are great and her character is written fantastic. -I think Sofia is a really interesting new character. THE BAD: -The beginning of this was a bit rushed, but that's not a huge problem. -Signal and Black Lightning's feud seems kind of cliche at this point. -Apparently Kaliber is gonna become DC's Cable. Not sure how I feel about that.

THE GOOD: -I was actually going to trade wait this one, I've got a busy schedule right now, with not too much time for comics. Even though I enjoyed the first series, I wasn't overly looking forward to this one. But, two issues in, and I can safely say that this is much better. -I really like the backstory of the Waynes. It's so fascinated and that carriage action scene was incredible. -Well, I mean, it's Sean Gordon Murphy. Of course the art is going to be phenomenally good. -I really liked the pacing here. It's not as exposition heavy as the original series, and it accomplishes a lot, story-wise, without feeling rushed, moving from scene to scene nicely. -Wow. I've never seen this portrayal of Gordon before. Some people will be against it, but I'm not. -Damn. I love this Azrael. -Wow. That action scene at the end was incredible. THE BAD: -I'm not too interested in Ruth and her exposition. -I'm not too sure about the pregnant Harley subplot. It might distract from the main story, but it could be interesting. I'll put it in the bad this time, since it didn't really fit with the rest of the issue.

THE GOOD: -Great issue. -Sean Gordon Murphy is one of the most talented artists working today. He's up there with Andrea Sorrentino, Stephanie Hans and Greg Capullo. Everything about his work shows an artist pouring all their effort into every panel. -It's just fun. I have a great time reading this, and it never feels like it's trying to be anything other than fun, which is rare in modern comics. -This Wayne history stuff is surprisingly interesting. -Sean Gordon Murphy's Joker is one of the best portrayals of the character I've seen in a long, long time. It's also clear Murphy has really found his groove with writing more with this sequel than the first series. -That ending was great. Wonderfully executed. THE BAD: -I don't find Harley particularly interesting. It seems to be going down a very traditional "pregnant character" storyline thus far.

THE GOOD: -This was a fantastic issue. This series keeps getting better. -The best thing here is the art. I think that's expected by now. It's a spectacle book and the art is definitely the biggest contributer to that. -I thought the opening was pretty heartbreaking. Especially that last panel before the title page. -Barbara feels like a real person here, which is great. It;s interesting how she's gone from the child-like character in the original WK to her character here as well. -Those scenes with Batman and Leslie were really great. -Interesting flashback scene. The lore behind this sequel is quite intriguing. -Damn. That ending. THE BAD: -I dunno. Azrael's not a great villain. I preferred Neo-Joker, and I wasn't even a huge fan of her. He just feels very villain of the week, I guess.

THE GOOD: -Sean Murphy is a good character writer. It shows here. Victor and Thomas really feel like real people with their dialogue. -Jacob and Victor's relationship felt very genuine. -I like the family theme of this comic. It was very well-done and it was nice to see it not have a depressing ending. -I like the idea of Freeze tech being used to experiment on Jews. Well, not the... you know what I mean! -Of course Hollingsworth's colors are very good. That hasn't changed since White Knight. -The emotion was solid here. This comic made me feel things. THE BAD: -I really don't like this art. Sean Murphy's art is pretty vital to the White Knight world. -I can't say I found the story super interesting. -Wait, wasn't Nora still frozen in this universe? Am I confused. Probably. If anybody knows the answer to this, let me know in the comments.

THE GOOD: -I liked this issue a lot. -The art is the MVP of this comic, no question. -I felt like this issue dealt with the emotional aspects of the story very well. -I dunno. I like Harley and Jack a lot. -The Bane sequence was really good. Maybe a bit long, but I was engaged in the action. -The ending was great. Also, Azrael's new suit is fantastic looking. THE BAD: -At this point, I've mostly lost interest in old Gotham lore. Maybe the revelation about Batman, with what Joker wrote, assuming it has to do with that will, but now, it feels so detached from the main events, it's quite dull. -Honestly, I feel like this comic may have too many characters. Bullock, Montoya and Duke are nearly indistinguishable at this point in terms of character traits.

THE GOOD: -Pretty good issue. Nothing spectacular. -Great art, as usual. -This comic is always pretty cinematic. It feels like a blockbuster movie put in a comic, and it comes with all the pros and cons that entails. -The twist here was pretty good. Nothing original, but I like it. -The end was well done. THE BAD: -Unfortunately Jason Blood's appearance was limited only to a shit-ton of exposition and not much else. -The Wayne lore has lost all interest for me.

THE GOOD: -This could be some of the best art Greg Capullo's ever put out. -I thought that the beginning was really good. I especially liked the chalk outline part. That was really interesting. -I thought the story was fairly interesting here. Especially the background for this universe. THE BAD: -I'll be honest. The Joker was my least favorite part here. Maybe it will happen later, but so far the promise of "exploring the relationship between Batman and the Joker" has yet to happen. For now, he's just being kind of annoying. -The Green Lantern babies were just too stupid to take seriously. -On second thought, the asylum parts were kinda stupid and unrealistic.

THE GOOD: -This was a much better issue than number one. I was really excited by everything that happened here. -This reminded me of why I love comics like the Court of Owls and Death of the Family. For some reason Metal didn't click with me and issue one of this series kind of fell apart upon rereads, so this feels like a great return to form for a great creative team. -Huh. Lex Luthor's characterization here was... really good actually. Way better than it had any right to be considering how ridiculous his backstory in this universe was. -The world building here feels much better. Natural, not overtaking the main story, yet interesting, creative and unique. -This feels like perhaps career-best work from Greg Capullo. I know that's saying a lot here, but every panel has so much effort clearly put into it. I don't think I would like this comic as much if not for the life the art gives it. -I love how big this feels. It feels like properly epic story, especially as there's not as much filler in this issue. Snyder has clearly spent a lot of time world building and it shows. THE BAD: -The Joker's head still isn't doing it for me for some reason. It feels more like comic relief than some kind of exploration of the relationship of said characters, which is fine, it's just there's some untapped potential there. Ah well, there's always next issue.

THE GOOD: -This was good. It tried a bit too hard at times, but overall I had a fun time. -Well, I mean, yeah. The art's amazing. I think that's why I liked the last issue so much; it was basically a showcase for Capullo's art. This issue was more plot-focused, and it took down my enjoyment just a bit. -This is a great depiction of Joker. His connection to the story felt forced in that Scott-Snyder-everything's-connected sense, but as far as his personality goes, he's the most likable person in the comic for me. His humor's solid and there was a bit more here in regards to the exploration of his relationship with Batman. -I liked the middle of this issue the best. It had a fun, heist-y feel to it, even if it wasn't really a heist and nothing particularly clever happened. I liked the tone, is what I'm saying. -I really liked the pacing for the last act of the issue. It cemented that cinematic feel nicely. THE BAD -Honestly, I couldn't care less about these characters. Except for maybe, maybe Joker. -Sigh. Omega... was forgettable. The twist's clever but weightless and he ultimately was built up way too much for such a bland villain. -Meh. The end didn't make me feel anything it was trying to.

I really liked this issue. The art was definitely the best part, but I really liked how Barbara and Jason were written.

I liked it. I think the middle is perfect. The beginning was pretty good. The ending lost me a bit, but I'm sure it'll pick back up.

It was fine. Didn't love it, didn't hate it.

I think I might like this more than White Knight. I definitely like Katana's writing more than Sean Gordon Murphy's. The story is pretty interesting, and Harley is actually a nicely written character, much more so than in White Knight.

THE GOOD: -Little late to the party on this one, but I really, really liked this debut. -Great to see these guys working together again. The Authority is one of my all-time favorite comics. -That opening was just cool. It's a weird idea, but the execution really sells it. -I mean Hitch's art has always been fantastic. I'm just glad he's so consistent and has never stopped putting effort into his comics, despite his popularity. -This is a compelling mystery. -Alfred's dialogue with Bruce was fantastic. -I really like the idea of Bruce getting into the mindset of the victim. It leads to a great investigation sequence. -The detective stuff just always interests me. -I have absolutely no idea what the ending means and I am on the edge of my seat to find out. THE BAD: -The opening scene was maybe a bit unnecessary. It was cool as f*ck though, so I'm not taking full points off for it.

THE GOOD: -This wasn't as amazing as the first issue, but I still like it. -The art is still incredibly impressive and the show-stealer here. That action scene was good only because Hitch is so mind-blowingly good at drawing action. -This Alfred take is different, sure, but I kind of like it. -The investigation is still my favorite part of the story. -Ohhhhhh, that was Eduardo Flamingo. That's pretty cool. -That Bat-signal panel was so f*cking cool. THE BAD: -The issue could have been way shorter. I mean the chase scene was cool. But did it need to take up half the issue? -Wow, that ending was abrupt.

THE GOOD: -This was a fantastic issue. I loved it. -I love the storyline here. -The detective work is just great. This is the type of Batman I love. -Hitch's art is really damn good. -This issue was perfectly structured. Plus the pacing is way better than last issue. -The action scene was great. Something about the flow from panel to panel is really satisfying. -I love this take on Alfred. Again, it's different, but I like it. THE BAD: -The end felt abrupt, and that final line is cheesy as hell.

THE GOOD: -I think the script is the best part of the issue. I like the unique writing style, it is well suited for this kind of sic-fi style of tale. -I liked the portrayal of M'Baku. He was well-translated into the atmosphere of the story and had unique writing and was pretty well-depicted. THE BAD: -The art wasn't doing it. Just lacked detail and originality. I wish we could see more of the art style from the first one, where more attention to detail benefitted the story. -This issue unfortunately descended into bland action scenes with no originality.

Ah, c'mon! This is fun!

It's not as much fun as the first issue, but I'm still enjoying this.

I'm not a huge fan of Deadpool, but here he was tolerable and occasionally even funny. Overall, the issue is alright. Nothing insultingly bad, but probably not worth the four bucks if you're not a huge Cable fan.

It's fun and I like it.

Pretty unremarkable, but there's nothing to hate about this, and I like these characters enough that it made the story interesting.

THE GOOD: -The art was very good. Detailed and unique, and captures the characters well. -I liked the exploration of Hydra's effect on society. This is the kind of deep-thinking issue that I love when Coates puts out and this issue is no exception. -The end was a very effective conclusion to the issue. A good reveal and a good cliffhanger. A twofer, if you will. The best kind of end. -The action scene that occurs a little over halfway through the issue was really good. It felt like a blockbuster movie action sequence. Anyone else want Ta-Nehisi Coates to write the script for the next Captain America movie? THE BAD: -I actually thought the narration during the action scene was distracting. That action sequence was so good, and yet nothing about the narration at that point in the issue stood out to me. -The inclusion of Black Panther, for me, was a slip-up. He had no real purpose in the issue, he just added a familiar face to the roster and combined Coates two current series, which are, quite frankly better on their own.

THE GOOD: -I love the art. Its something I can count on fro consistency every time I open an issue of this series. -Great writing too. The dialogue had some cool moments. -Its nice that Coates has decided to dial back the monologue during the fight scenes and let the visuals (mostly) take over. -That Taskmaster fight scene was awesome. -I really liked the scene with Bucky. The dialogue was awesome and both characters were really well written in that moment. -That end-scene was so cool. I am pumped for the next issue. -All in all, this issue just provides excellent, quality entertainment. Its a great adventure, and I loved it. THE BAD: -I just wish more happened in this issue. It was a nice bridge between the previous and next issue, but it won't have much purpose in the whole scheme of things. Still a great issue though.

ACTIVATE SPOILER SHIELD! SPOILER ENEMIES AHEAD! THE GOOD: -I love Leinil Francis Yu's art a lot. It was especially good in this issue. -Very good writing. Coates' use of silence is also really good, I would like to point out. -I liked the end. It nicely capped off a bad issue. THE BAD: -I wish we could have gotten more explanation for the ending of last issue, especially since they have that advantage, with this issue having a flashback and all. -The transition from present to flashback could have been much better than it was, in my opinion. -This issue was sadly unmemorable. No awesome action scenes, one good plot event, and all in all, it ends up being my least favorite issue thus far. -While it was a good moment, the death of Ross could have been way better, There was some solid buildup, I suppose.

THE GOOD: -Really nice art. Love Adam Kubert. -I thought Cap's internal monologue was fantastic this issue. -That scene with Baron Strucker was very excellent. -This is a nice execution of the overused Superhero: Framed for Murder storyline -My favorite part was the scenes with Sharon and Steve. And boy, does Coates know how to write Steve. -The Bucky scenes were great as well. And that page with him snapping the bad guy's leg is just sickening. -That end is crazy, but also really cool. THE BAD: -I can't think of anything. I don't feel like this was a 10-star issue though, so 9.5 it is.

THE GOOD: -Adam Kubert's art is spot-on. -I just really love this storyline. -That opening scene was perfect. -That title page was really awesome. -Sharon and Fisk's scene was great. -This issue just really delivered on the action scenes toward the end of the issue. -The end has me excited. -Ta-Nehisi Coates has really mastered how to write this series. The first arc was a little bumpy, but this arc is going great. THE BAD: -My only complaint is that this issue is more individual scenes and characters than an issue as a whole.

THE GOOD: -I'm still fully on board with this storyline. -That opening scene with Alexa and Mr. Darin was great. -I love the credits pages for this story arc. So damn cool. -Adam Kubert is still killing it in every way possible. -That final scene was excellent. THE BAD: -I didn't enjoy this as much as the first two installments of this story arc. -Those scenes with the Dryad could've been good due to a heist-y prison break feel and strong characters, but ultimately came across as boring. -This issue kinda veered into a cliche prison brawl scene.

THE GOOD: -I did like Spider-Woman's appearance a lot. -The art was decent. Nothing spectacular though. -I enjoyed Tony's appearance as well. He was very funny. THE BAD: -So we're doing that All-Star Superman style origin again?! This was slightly different, so I appreciate that, but it still felt like a variation on the same thing. -Wasn't a fan of Carol. I've never really liked her a whole lot though. -This was a very skippable issue for me. I don't feel like it added anything to my love for comics. -Hazmat was a very "meh" character for me. Couldn't care less about her. -So we have to do that whole interrupting-a-near-kiss cliche? Good to know. -I also thought Nuclear Man was a very boring villain. -And that ending really didn't jive with me. I'm gonna pass on this series.

This was a pretty good second issue. I think Joelle Jones still has room to improve as a writer, as the dialogue is minimalistic and nothing really stands out about it. If I'm being honest, the script is quite bland. The overall plot is still pretty good, however, once again nothing really to make it stand out from the several Bat-Books out right now. I do like the combat scenes which may have taken up a bit too many pages, as they really just show variations of Selina beating the crap out of a different copycat, not progressing the story anywhere. However, they are still very satisfying action scenes. The story still has one major problem however, and that's too many secondary characters. They are all original characters who don't really have any "character" at all, and I find it not only hard to keep track of who's who in the new town, but also just find myself trying to care. Lastly I didn't like the end as it just kind of abruptly ended, as if , "Oh my twenty pages are up! Guess that's it for this issue!", not really doing anything to get you excited for the next issue, something that would run over smoothly in trade format, but needs to be slightly better for a single issue in a monthly series. That said, the art is still great and Joelle Jones has mastered the look of this comic as it stands out from others visually. All in all, a series that still interests me, but it is slowly falling of the rails, and I hope it can get back on track.

THE GOOD: -Joelle Jones' art is pretty great. She has room to improve as a writer, but her art is spot-on. -The combat scenes, are really good. A lot of comics don't have as memorable action scenes, but the staging for these and the execution works quite well. -I really liked that backstory, very twisted, very dark and it had great art. -The main villain is proving to be quite a good villain. She is menacing and just the right amount of twisted to be a good villain. -I really liked that montage on page 3. Really good and it added to the book's memorability factor. THE BAD: -Unfortunately, the supporting cast is just too wide. I can't keep track of which character is Selina's roommate, which is a cop and which is the son of the villain. -This is sadly, just an issue where nothing really happens. Not a huge problem, it just features a lot of filler, like pages 19-21.

THE GOOD: -Great art. No surprise. Although the flashback art was surprisingly good, as it was previously hard to imagine anyone but Joelle Jones illustrating the issue. -Excellent flashback. I loved the way it told the story of the relationship between Selina and Maggie. -This issue has great emotional depth. This is definitely the best-scripted issue of the series, and its for Jones' capturing of the emotion facing Selina in this issue. -This issue gives Selina a lot more character depth than she's had before. This series feels at its best when it's not trying to be "that offshoot of the wedding issue." and instead makes the series a bit more unique as a standalone issue. -Very good ending. Intriguing and attention-capturing. THE BAD: -My only complaint is that I was more attached to the flashback story than the main plot. It surprises me still, but I truly like the take on Selina's past more than what's going on in the present side of things.

THE GOOD: -This issue had a really nice, really creative juxtaposition thing going on, that made an otherwise forgettable issue memorable for me. -Joelle Jones is a great artist. If for nothing else, buy this book for the art. -I thought the way Raina Creel killed her husband was really cruel and morbid in all the effective ways. -The scene where Catwoman fought all those orderlies was really cool in my opinion. -The scene where she was with Bruce was a pretty cool vision scene. Nice to know this series isn't just ignoring everything that happened over in Batman. -Raina Creel is a great villain, I also liked the way she manipulated her son. This series will have a hard time coming up with another villain as good as the one it has. THE BAD: -The supporting characters are still a weak point. Aside from Raina and Maggie, none of them are great characters, and there are too many of them. -Wasn't a fan of the last page. The splash felt forced just because it was the last page.

BE WARY TRAVELER.... SPOILERS AHEAD! THE GOOD: -Joelle Jones always has great art. It's the most reliable thing about this series. -Catwoman is pretty well characterized. This series definitely gets her character, at least. -I really liked those silhouetted fight scenes. They were new and unique. -I'm glad to see Maggie in it again. She's a great character. THE BAD: -Raina Creel was a great villain, its a shame her defeat was so cliche and undeserving. I hope to see more of her. -There was some really confusing paneling towards the end there, during the scene where Raina shoots her son. -This story arc really went out with a whimper rather than the bang it could have had. I was super disappointed. -And that last page... Apparently Jones ran out of pages, so she use stuck on some half assed page of Selina sitting in front of a taco place. What the f***ing hell?!

THE GOOD: -Wow. It's been a bit since I've reviewed this series, hasn't it? I just binge read the last several issues, and surprisingly enough, I enjoyed them. -Fernando Blanco's art was really good. Unfortunately, the fill in artist wasn't great. -Those action scenes were fantastic. I could follow the action easily and it was well staged. -Raina Creel still manages to be a great villain and her son is really creepy. THE BAD: -The bad fill-in artist. -Those red carpet scenes weren't really necessary and they were really boring. -I have no idea what was going on with that shoe. -This series always seems to just end at the most random spot possible, as if they ran out of pages. It actually is very jarring and takes me out of the story.

THE GOOD: -Nothing. God, I hated this issue. THE BAD: -This was a terrible issue. Like, really terrible. -What happened to the quality of Joelle Jones' script? It used to be so good, but now it's kind of annoying. -This story was just really uninteresting. The prime example of a throwaway annual story. -Even the art was terrible. -"Morty" was a really weak villain. -I really wished they would've kept Superman out of it.

As a fan of Chew, I was definitely ambivalent towards this. Chew's ending was just so... perfect, man, and we didn't really need any more. If I knew it was a prequel, I'm sure I'd still be cautiously excited. Just out of curiosity, does this take place before or after the avian flu? Anyways, I see a lot of potential in this series, namely in the main character Saffron. A series following a food-powered thief is definitely an interesting one, even if she's got a long way to go in order to be interesting enough to sell the series. I'm definitely gonna inflate the score above what my gut tells me, just because I know how much crazier John Layman can get and how much better his series are when he does. Rereading the first issue of Chew, it's clear that it was only a hundredth of what the series could become, and the only mildly interesting character at the point was Mason (Speaking of, I'm really hoping for an appearance from Mason and Caesar later on). I'm sure plenty more characters and ideas will surface once this series comes into its own and finds its own voice. Hopefully. The only part of me that doubts that is the part of me that noticed how John Layman was starting to run out of food powers toward the end of Chew. Oh, and obviously he's busy, but man, does not having Rob Guillory on a Chew series blow. He added so much life and personality into the original series, to the point where I'd say he's equally as responsible for how great that series was as John Layman. The new guy's good, and it's clear they were going for someone who can capture that cartoony feeling that Rob Guillory had, but this just feels sort of flat. I dunno, man. Anyways, there's still good here. I was super happy to see Tony and even happier to see John. Probably something else notable, but I can't think of it at the moment. Overall, I think if a new Chew series needs to be made, I would've much rather had the adventures of Ginny and Olive, who surprisingly ended up being my favorite part of the end of the series.

Alright. More of this. I'd say this is about on the same level as the first issue. I don't know. It's like Chew, but... boring. I feel like one of the problems is that John Layman's sense of humor revolves around building on top of previously established jokes. And by making this a prequel, most of the jokes that could be built upon already have. And the new story doesn't seem to have those same little details like, I don't know chogs, or Poyo, or something like that. At least, not yet. Anyways, some more random thoughts: -Well, this answered my previous question about the avian flu. -Jesus, what happened with John? Like, he's always been kind of douchey, and I remember a lot of that from issue one, before his cybernetic implants, but man, he's really unlikeable here. Which is a shame, because despite his numerous flaws, he was always likable in Chew. I'm gonna guess this is intentional, because he's supposed to be Tony's asshole new partner here, though. -I just miss Rob Guillory. Dan Boultwood isn't a terrible artist, but he doesn't have what it takes to bring this series to life the way Rob would. Like, there's a sequence in this where Saffron is waiting for her boyfriend, and it's just a page-ish of her getting progressively bored in the same location. Boultwood just sorta draws her in different positions, but I feel like Rob would've added a ton of details in the background with, I don't know, the people walking by, the buildings, that sort of stuff. -Oh, Saffron and Sage are twins. I mean, it's not like a wow moment, because I can't even remember if Sage had more than a line in all of Chew, more of just an "oh...okay" moment. -What the hell is a cipropanth? I'm guessing it'll be expanded upon next issue because Sage appears to be a central part of it, but context clues lead me to believe it's a power that allows the person to get psychic from impressions by eating the same food at the exact same time as someone, which is really unoriginal for a Chew comic. -This is more just a random theory, but early on in Chew, there was an issue with a frame story of Tony recollecting the events of the issue to someone with a bandaged face in a hospital. If I remember correctly, it was the issue where Amelia was held hostage by E.G.G., but I could be wrong. Anyways, I don't think the identity of that person was ever revealed, and I was just guessing it might be Saffron, since she doesn't appear to be anywhere in Chew. I could be wrong though. Maybe it was just a planned side plot that they didn't have time for, or wasn't interesting enough.

THE GOOD: -I guess I'm late to the party with this one. I originally didn't pick it up because I was unfamiliar with the creative team, but after seeing that both Kieron Gillen and Warren Ellis recommend it, I decided to pick it up. It was pretty good. -This was very Lynchian, so take that as you will. If you like David Lynch, you will most likely enjoy this. If not, this isn't for you. -The art was quite good, especially for someone who's artist name is just Dani. -Vulture is great. -Eartheater Psychopomp seems like an interesting antagonist. -Man, that strip club scene was bizarre. I can't tell if it was genius or just disgusting. Hey, why can't it be both? THE BAD: -That flashback with Vladimir wasn't great. The emotionally distant dialogue didn't jive with an emotional moment, oddly enough. -I will admit that Izzy doesn't really interest me as a character, especially as a lead. -For some reason that ending was off-putting.

THE GOOD: -I liked the beginning of this issue. It was a cool use of classic Conan material. -I thought the opening battle was cool. Gory and well done. -I liked Asrar's art. It wasn't anything amazing but it did the job well enough. THE BAD: -I found the Crimson Witch to be a very boring and uninteresting villain, despite her horror elements. -I was pretty bored with this issue after the first few pages. It was pretty bland and exposition heavy in my opinion. -This issue in general was very meh. Nothing outstanding, nothing too terrible though. I am rather indifferent about it and have very few thoughts to give.

THE GOOD: -Awesome issue. Huge improvement over the first two. -Best art we've seen so far. The art was just really immersive. -The narration was just really strong this issue. -Okay, if you did not find this issue badass, I think you need to get your badass meter checked. Jk... I fully respect any and all opinions of those who read this issue.... :) -This issue had a really compelling story. -The end of this issue is just really perfect. THE BAD: -I don't really find Conan super compelling. I didn't grow up with him or anything, so maybe that has something to do with it.

THE GOOD: -I think I like Gerardo Zaffino's art better than Mahmud Asrar's. Especially for the tone of this issue. -For once, I found Conan a super compelling character. He was such a good character this issue. -The lion was such a cool part of this issue. -I think this is my favorite issue so far. -The storyline this issue was great. I was compelled all the way and never bored. -The end was everything I ever wanted out of this comic. This series got off to a rough start, but has more than made up for that. THE BAD: -I don't think I found anything wrong with this issue. It's not a full ten, but it's close. Too bad there isn't a 9.8 rating I can give.

THE GOOD: -Mahmud Asrar is still doing a good job. I've definitely warmed up to his art. -The action scenes this issue were great, even if they were short. -The tentacle-monsters were the best part of the issue. -This issue did have a great atmosphere, even if the execution wasn't as strong. -That last page was creepy, and I liked it. THE BAD: -This story didn't pull me in as much as the King Conan one or the execution one. Luckily these issues have different stories from Conan's life, so next issue will likely be better. -The narration was fine, but the lack of dialogue was frustrating. -Still not loving Conan as a character. I think that is some byproduct of me not growing up with him, or really reading any other Conan aside from this one. -This issue really started to get wordy. I think that's where the last two issues excelled was that they weren't so exposition-filled. -I wish we could've gotten more explained about why the blood on the idol caused all that to happen. -It feels kind of frustrating that we're getting no progress on the Crimson Witch and all that. -I wish this series was more consistent. I loved the last two issues, but the first two issues were really meh. Let's hope that's not a pattern.

THE GOOD: -The art is still good here. -That first page with Conan was so cool. -The attack of the Stygians was a great scene. -Conan beating his challenger was awesome to see. -I don't think Conan was necessarily a strong character here, just a really badass one. THE BAD: -I wish this issue wasn't so inconsistent. Maybe that's the consequence of having a different story every issue. The last issue was bad, the ones before it great, this one mediocre. -I wish Jason Aaron would lay off the exposition. -This story was just kinda meh. -I'm getting so tired of seeing the Razazel storyline dragged on so damn long. I thought it would end this issue.

THE GOOD: -The premise of this issue is enough to get a point from me. It is a great idea for a comic, and is executed really well. -The art was amazing. Some of the best art I have seen in a while. The mashup of styles really proves Mack's talent as an artist. And he is almost tailor made for Bendis's script. -The dialogue was really good. It felt really natural, like what real people would say. I know that's not much to say, but there have been a lot of comics recently with that kind of unnatural script, so I really appreciate what Bendis did for this issue. -The layers of this main character are incredible. The way his comics mirror his life is really, really effective and I genuinely loved that moment. -The last page was really good. It ended on a strong note, as opposed to just ending, which is what the recent Jinxworld comics have been doing far too much. THE BAD: -My only complaint is that this issue was a little too much introduction. It could have had a bit more actually happen, I think, but that's a really, really minor issue.

THE GOOD: -I'm adding two points to the score for the art. I'm never picky with my art, but I just wanted some way to show how much I love this art. It is outstanding. -Very funny issue. I never thought Jinxworld was funny until this issue and this weeks Pearl #3. This one didn't have me going as much as Pearl, but I still laughed a lot. -The Ninja Sword Odyssey is a comic I would probably pay for if it was sold in real life. The pages from it in this book are amazing. THE BAD: -There are a few nitpicky elements. Like, how the security guard fails to check the gift Max gives the President. Kind of the point of their job. Or how its promised to be a great spy story, but all they do is just stand around. For some reason, I'm not bothered by any of those. It's one of those few issues where I can discern some problems with the quality, but I just don't ever get bothered by them.

THE GOOD: -Pretty sure I'm going to keep adding points for David Mack's art. This issue didn't impress me as much as the last in terms of art, so I'll add only 1/2 a point. -I really liked the opener to the issue. Ninja Sword Odyssey is a comic that I feel I would actually read, were it real. -I liked the Sad-Astronaut too. -I have liked the format of the last two issues a lot, where Essad is interrogating Max, as he recalls his work with Julia to him. -I found this to be a very funny issue. I laughed a lot. -Bendis just perfectly summed up the magic of comic cons and the importance of fans. I was really blown away by that monologue. -It's nice to see the positive effect that Max's mission in Turkey is having on the world. -That surprise Bill Sienkiewicz art was great and funny. THE BAD: -I do wish more could have happened in this issue. It's mostly a bridge between the previous two and the next issues.

I decided to finally read this and I'm five volumes in and it's amazing so I thought I'd catalogue my thoughts for... some reason. Oh, and the first volume is pretty vague with where the issues end, so my rating is mostly just for what I'd guess is the first fifth of the story.

Not sure what happened to issue #4, but they're both 10/10s, so just consider this my review for both of them. Truly one of my favorite comic endings.

This was a really cool issue and I like the way things tied together.

It's weird how normal Jacob seemed when I first read this. Also, glad to see this was apparently released in 1969.

Perfect. Tracy Lawless is the best Criminal character.

The second story arc turns out to somehow be even more perfect than the first. This is a work of art.

This was already an awesome heist story. The fact that Brubaker decided to make it something even better is just icing on the cake.

The cover for this and Criminal #2 are both from The Dead and the Dying, by the way. Not that it matters. Anyways, the farm storyline is really great.

Yay, Leo! I guess this is probably the best issue to mention how much I love this universe and the little connections to previous issues.

I like the time change a lot and I love Gnarly, plus his relationship with Sebastian is interesting. I think I like this a lot more in retrospect because it led to a lot of cool Pulp Fiction stuff later on.

Definitely the best Dead and the Dying story. I know Teeg Lawless is really popular, but I infinitely prefer Tracy.

Probably my least favorite issue so far. The main character is pretty interesting, but I feel Teeg's story was really a satisfying enough ending for the arc. I could pretty much tell where her story was going, so this was mostly narration and character work, and nothing incredibly outstanding in that regard, at least by Criminal standards.

Great start to what will eventually become a much better story arc.

I just think this is so much better in retrospect after reading the last issue. I mean, this is a fantastic issue, but the setups are really something else.

I remember rolling my eyes at that last line. But man, did it pay off.

Man, this Jacob guy needs some serious help.

I took a little break from this, but I'm glad to be back. This is a really nice change of pace for this series, I think, and has a really interesting premise that is executed perfectly.

Man, fuck this guy. Anyways, this arc is still great.

Probably my least favorite issue so far. That Sebastian Hyde appearance was really forced.

Oh my god, I hate this but it's so brilliant.

Aaaand... we're caught up. This is the last complete issue of Criminal I've read, so from here on out, my thoughts will be a lot fresher. Anyways, I'm a sucker for Tracy Lawless and this story is really interesting.

Alright, this is amazing and gearing up for a Lawless level story.

Tracy Lawless is such a great character, Brubaker could probably write an issue about him making breakfast and I'd love it.

I'm surprised I'm five volumes in and have yet to talk about Phillips' art. Well, I guess I'll fix that now and say it's some of the best I've seen. I love how gritty and unpolished it looks, and yet there's still some amazing imagery every issue. Can't think of a creative team that works together better.

Damnnnnn. This is one of my top three issues of Criminal easily. Perfect ending.

THE GOOD: -I thought this issue had a really nice nostalgic feel to it. Ewing did a good job of capturing that. -The anthology format was good. It definitely a nice way to make it feel like you were getting more bang for your buck. -I thought the twist at the end was very good. Definitely didn't see that coming. -"A Moment of Madness" was the only one that actually scared me. The end of that story was legitimately disturbing. -All the artists did a good job of making the issue feel atmospheric and creepy. -I think Al Ewing is the new comic book master of horror. This wasn't anywhere near the caliber of the Immortal Hulk, but it proves he knows the genre very well. -Ultimately, I had a fun time with this issue. THE BAD: -I don't feel like this was long enough. It felt like the stories needed more pages than they got. -"Grave Danger" was my least favorite of the stories. It didn't feel like anything special.

THE GOOD: -Ethan has some pretty good character moments in this issue. THE BAD: -The art was just bad. Bad by cartoon standards, which is what I would mostly compare it to. For a comic consistently relying so heavily on visuals they are consistently very bad. -Apparently DC cares so little about this series, they don't even give it that fancy paper all the other series have. I seriously don't blame them. -So is Venditti even writing this one? I somewhat doubt that the same man who wrote both last week's Hawkman and this week's Freedom Fighters wrote this pile of garbage. -It might be moderately entertaining for a five year old.... -The action scenes are just bad. A comic shouldn't rely on this much action to make its page count, and it especially shouldn't look so goofy. -The end doesn't excite me. I actually wish they would cancel this series, as most of the endings don't interest me.

THE GOOD: -I thought the artist drew Batman well. It's about the only thing they drew well, but that's fine. -The beginning was okay, I guess. I don't know. THE BAD: -I am so glad this series is canceled. So f***ing glad. -Why does Ethan's head look like thumb? I don't know. That was just weirdly distracting. -Oh god, Ethan is the worst. Apparently now he's devolved into a childish fanboy. Come to think of it, he kind of looks like a kid. Waitaminute... -This series just relies way too heavily on action scenes drawn by subpar artists to carry it. Here's a hint, they can't. -I thought the end was just stupid.

THE GOOD: -It's done. It's actually done! Oh my god! This is amazing! THE BAD: -This is just everything not to do in a series. I mean, I really don't feel like revisiting this travesty, so I'll leave it at that and keep my review from here on out very, very simple -Bad art. -Bad writing. -Bad story. -Bad characters. -Bad villain. -Bad dialogue. -Bad action scenes. -Bad ending. -Bad comic.

THE GOOD: -Solid gothic horror. The best Hill House venture by far. -Kelley Jones is something else. Without him, this issue probably wouldn't work. He just fits with the story so perfectly, and translates the ideas into such an interesting looking comic. -That scene with the homeless man was well done. -The dream sequence was by far the most interesting part of the issue. Lots of great scenes and images there. THE BAD: -Can't say I find Daphne a compelling lead. Thankfully the imagery and art can carry the series, hopefully. -I could do without the Pet Sematary ending.

THE GOOD: -I believe I mentioned last week, I only like darker stories if they're executed very, very well. This is an excellent example of that very fact. -I liked seeing the weaker side of Matt this issue. This issue shows how to make superheroes relatable and human without making them all a bunch of depressed robots. -Great characterization of Matt this issue. -Loved the art. It captured this issue's tone perfectly. -I loved the street level style of this issue. -I think my favorite character this issue was Father Cathal actually. The dude was just a really cool character. I think his lines were the best. -That cage analogy was really cool, and the art did a great job of showing it visually. -Usually I roll my eyes at those splash pages that finally reveal the superhero in costume after we've been tapping our feet, but this one genuinely felt awesome. -That end! So good! -Also, the backup story was the best I have read in ages. It's the perfect example of how to do such a short story and still make it emotionally relevant. THE BAD: -I wasn't very interested in the storyline with the newly transferred detective. Been there, done that. Maybe Zdarsky can turn it around and make it into something interesting in later issues.

THE GOOD: -Wow, this art is really great. It feels street level and the colors compliment it perfectly. -This storyline definitely pulls you in. -Somehow Mayor Fisk remains a good villain even if he has been seen in so many issues before this. -The characterization of Daredevil in this is great. -I like where Chip Zdarsky is taking this issue after the end of last issue. -The action sequences are fantastic. THE BAD: -I'm still not super interested in the transferred cop character. -I don't know why, but the end didn't pull me in that much. I can't really find a reason, but it just didn't. -I mean, I didn't like it as much as last issue.

THE GOOD: -Now, this is more like it. I don't know why I wasn't into last issue as much, but this was utterly fantastic. -First off, this is one of the most cinematic comics I have read in a long time. From the script, to the tone, to the amazing color palette/art, it's just great. -Mayor Fisk is such a great villain. -I love the way Chip writes Daredevil. He always seems to just get the characters he writes about. -This issue was action packed and I love it. -That one panel, showing Daredevil hearing the detective from so far away was genuinely awesome. -I mean, come on, that fist fight was just pure awesome. -Watching Daredevil "See" the detective fade away was such a cool effect. -Ahhh, that ending. I'm actually excited for the next issue. THE BAD: -Eh. I don't like the detective. You know this, it's not new.

THE GOOD: -This series is all kinds of awesome. I love it. -The lettering is really good. Clayton Cowles does a good job of capturing sounds through Daredevil's radar sense hearing. -The art is superb. Everything is drawn so well. -I think Chip Zdarsky needs to write a Punisher series. I don't even read Punisher comics, but judging by this issue, he really should. -I love the characterization/writing for Daredevil here. -The coloring is also outstanding. -This series feels really cinematic. If you miss the Daredevil show, come here. -That last page looks like it'll lead to a really awesome next issue. THE BAD: -I still just can't seem to like Detective North. Just a boring, average detective with a thing against superheroes if you ask me.

SPOILERS AHEAD! THE GOOD: -The art is so good. It suits the tone of the series perfectly. -The action scenes at the beginning of this issue were some of the best I've seen in a comic. It flowed from panel to panel brilliantly. -At first I was confused as to what the panel with the guy Matt killed was, but then I realized it was an amazingly subtle way of foreshadowing the tragedy to come in this issue. -Man, Chip Zdarsky writes Daredevil like no one else. At least no one recently. I think I called him the best Spider-Man writer of our generation. Honestly, that's likely true for Daredevil as well. -I also thought all of the interactions between Matt and his allies were perfectly executed. -That flashback was used perfectly. -Goddamnit. That scene with Spider-Man, just, FEELS like it will go down as one of the best comic book moments ever. -Holy shit. The end of this issue was phenomenal. In every. Goddamn. Sense of the word. THE BAD: -Really nothing. This feels like a historic issue.

THE GOOD: -This was a fantastic issue. -I really like how Matt is portrayed in this issue. -Man, the writing is so perfect. Chip Zdarsky is one of the most talented comic book writers working today. -I have completely changed my tune on Detective Cole. -I absolutely love this depiction of Kingpin. Chip Zdarsky writes him so well. -For once, I'm actually kind of interested in a love interest. THE BAD: -Not sure how I feel about Janet's story. -I kinda miss Marco Chechetto.

THE GOOD: -This was really, really good. -Man, Zdarsky is doing such cool and new things with Kingpin. -Matt is so perfectly written here. -Oh wow, this issue had an amazing gut-punch in the middle. If you read it, you know what I'm talking about. Zdarsky seems to be good at those. -That scene with Sister Elizabeth was actually really beautiful. -The ending was incredibly good. THE BAD: -Chechetto can't return fast enough! -I'm still not on board with the new Daredevil. Maybe even less so, now, considering it feels even more like stalling than last issue.

THE GOOD: -I enjoyed this. A nice mashup of DC and zombies. -The opening of the comic was really good. It was mysterious and it pulled you in. -This comic has a really good feel to it. Dark and cinematic. It makes for a really thrilling read. -Tom Taylor proves himself to be a fantastic writer for this series. Every character feels like they are written near-perfectly. -The Apokolips scene was really good, and disturbing. -I like the art, even if the flow from artist to artist wasn't super smooth. -Holy Jesus. That ending was just.... yikes. THE BAD: -I mean, I guess there was that thing with the artists I mentioned earlier. Not a huge deal, though.

SPOILERS THE GOOD: -I love this series. It's so great. -The opening was a creepy, concise scene that really hooked me in and filled me in on the (tragic) fate of a Leaguer. -The art is just perfect for this series tonally. -Hoo, boy, that Joker scene was creepy. -I really liked the setup for the GL scene, even if the outcome was a bit disappointing. -Poor Batman. The emotion was powerful but not overdone. -I love the end. Sudden, simple, yet powerful. THE BAD: -Dinah's fate feels a little off. Maybe they should've spent more time on it. That would've helped, considering how rushed it felt.

THE GOOD: -This was good. I liked it. It's definitely my least favorite issue thus far, but still, not bad. -The art was pretty great. I'm loving the look of this book. -I think the first page was my favorite part. Amazing emotion, with very few words. Well done. -Zombie Birds of Prey was a great moment. -The Atlantis scene, while mostly used just to give us an update on that character, was still pretty damn awesome. -Zombie Clayface may be the best zombie yet. Just such a cool portrayal. Also, genuinely creepy. -Damn, can this man write endings or what? THE BAD: -I didn't really like Harley Quinn here. I thought her portrayal was good in the last issue, but here she was really annoying. Still miles better than HiC's take on Harley, though. -I'm hoping this series will become more than just a collection of scenes in the future. The comic is losing it's flow. The plot isn't advancing very quickly, which definitely makes the unnecessary scenes stand out more.

OH NO! SPOILERS GALORE! THE GOOD: -This is one of the best series DC has right now. If you're not reading it, you should be. -I really like the art. It's absolutely perfect for the tone of this book. -Damn, I didn't even think about zombie Ray Palmer, but now that I did... *shivers* -The characters feel so great here. Tom Taylor knows his shit. -That shot (no pun intended) with Cyborg was the best thing ever. -So many comics have done the Batman death thing before. This issue really gave it the emotion many other attempts have lacked. -Whoa, that end was just... whoa. THE BAD: -This definitely got a bit too action oriented in the middle, which I knew would inevitably happen to this series. But still it's sad. I held out so much hope this series would be pure horror all the way through. -This got a bit too cliche with the whole "send out the call!" bit at the start. Other than that and one other problem, this is just a really great book.

THE GOOD: -An alright issue. Nothing I'd recommend. -The art was great. -This issue was surprisingly gory for a mainstream comic. It's not the Immortal Hulk, but still it's nice to see it from a zombie comic that's not creator owned. -I loved Constantine here. He was the only character I really liked. THE BAD: -This was necessary why? -Wow. Booster and Beetle were really boring and bland characters here. I didn't even know that was possible. -I was not interested in this story at all. -We've seen Booster and Beetle lose each other before, and this was a surprisingly emotionless version of it. -Well that was an abrupt ending.

THE GOOD: -Really good issue. -The art is great. I love the pencils and colors, but the inking isn't great, unfortunately. -"Look what happened to our city." Really powerful scene. -Damn, that ending was just incredibly sad. This series handles a lot of deaths, but that one really hit hard. THE BAD: -I didn't find the middle of this issue particularly interesting. Things moved quickly and the Ivy scene didn't feel like it was even that necessary.

THE GOOD: -The art is maybe at it's best in the worst-written issue. How's that for irony? -Okay, Green Arrow made me laugh. Maybe Tom Taylor should write a new series for him, whenever DC decides to resurrect the title. Guess he's pretty busy, though. -The Cyborg/Wonder Woman scenes really interested me. I'm guessing we're getting a sequel, so I'm cautiously interested based on that setup. THE BAD: -I'm surprised to say I didn't like this at all. It was a rushed non-ending that just disappointed in every way. -With a couple exceptions, I didn't feel satisfied by any of the endings for these characters. -This finale kinda devolved into mindless action battles, which honestly bored me to tears. -The last few pages were just so painfully contrived and rushed and the abrupt ending didn't help.

THE GOOD: -I didn't read Dead Rabbit, but I'd heard good things about it, so I figured I'd give this reprint a try. I liked it. -John McCrea's art was good. It did its job and got better as the issue went on. -I'll be honest, I'm not really that interested in the Dead Eyes persona, but I found Martin to be a compelling character. -I liked the Walmart scene. It was properly tense. -I don't know, it's just... fun. Nothing super special, the plot is simple, but I had fun. And I can appreciate a comic that's not trying to be anything other than fun. THE BAD: -Eh, this storyline's not really that interesting. It's been done before

THE GOOD: -This was just so much fun. It's nice to read a comic that just wants to entertain you with a fun story every once in a while. -Dead Eyes is just an incredibly likable main character. Gerry Duggan seems to excel at writing compelling characters. -I love this art. It fits the writing perfectly. -This issue still got emotional and it was short, but really powerful. -This humor is great. I might have to check out Duggan's Deadpool. I'm not a big Deadpool fan, but I can see how he would be a good writer for the character. -Wheels is a great character. -That car action scene was just wonderfully well-done, fun, and excellently illustrated. THE BAD: -I don't know, it's just a lot of fun. It's hardly perfect, but I love it.

THE GOOD: -This was a wonderful issue. -Dead Eyes is just a super compelling and likable character. -The art is so wonderful. I love everything about it. -The MRI scene was just so good. -I liked the addition of the laughing gas to the hospital room scene. It wasn't much, but it added a little fun and variety to a pretty bland action scene. -The scene with Wheels and his husband was quite heartwarming, actually. -Wow. That ending was really powerful. I didn't expect that from this comic, but it worked really well and didn't interfere with the overall tone at all. THE BAD: -I wouldn't call this a 10-star issue, but I couldn't really find any specific flaws. Maybe the story could be a bit less bland... I dunno. Anyways I'm giving it a 9.5 is what I'm saying.

Ambitious, unique and fun. I look forward to more of this series.

THE GOOD: -Good art. I always enjoy Carmine di Giandomenico's art, and this issue is no exception. -I'll admit, I liked the ending. It's a good cliffhanger that sets up and interesting premise for the next issue and in doing so, gets me excited for the next issue. -James Robinson is pretty good at writing Two-Face. His take is interesting, not totally original but there were some scenes that approached the character from some new angles that really made me think. I appreciated that. THE BAD: -Oh god was I bored. This is one of those issues where I was actually wanting it to be over. A rarity for me personally. Usually I'm interested to see how the story plays out, or if the quality is going uphill or downhill. This issue just bored the hell out of me. In my opinion, this is one of the worst things any issue can do. -2 points. -The plot itself is way too bland. From the get-go, I had a feeling that this would be a pretty basic storyline. And I appreciated a lot about the issue, but it failed to redeem that story.

THE GOOD: -Great art. I enjoyed it a lot along with the colors. -There were some pretty cool action scenes at the beginning. It was cool to see Batman and Two-Face fighting together. -This issue gets credit for being a massive improvement over its sleep inducing previous issue. +1 extra point. THE BAD: -That dialogue at the beginning was interesting, but it couldn't help but feel like it was merely a distraction from a lack of plot. -I'm not really feeling Kobra as a villain. This story arc has no idea who it wants to be the villain. At first it seemed like Fireflies, then Two Face, now Kobra. Sigh. -I wasn't a fan of seeing the other Bat-related characters defeat the other Kobras. It felt like an easy way to get rid of all of those other Kobras. -The end didn't have me hooked. I am looking forward to the next issue however, mostly because its the last one of this story arc. -There's no huge crimes this issue commits. It's not terrible. It just struggles to be anything special, especially in an amazing week of comics like this one.

THE GOOD: -I liked the art. -I did like the writing for Two-Face for sure -I thought the ending was pretty good. Not the twist or anything, but just the last page, it was a pretty fun looking finale. THE BAD: -Well that was...anticlimactic. -I really hope they didn't expect us to believe Two-Face was actually dead for a second. -I really remember very little about this issue. Sorry my review was so short. -I am glad this story arc is done for. Let's hope Tomasi has it in him to make things right again.

THE GOOD: -Doug Mahnke's art was pitch perfect. Every character is drawn to perfection. Even the f***ing bat signal looks cooler than before! -Just the entire concept of the reenactment of Bruce's parents murder was amazing. I don't know if it's ever been done before, but it was executed brilliantly here. -Much like the art, the writing feels spot-on for every character. No joke. Every character. -This series finally lives up to its title, making Batman a detective. This is my favorite depiction or angle on the Batman character. I'd take a clever, mystery-investigating Batman over a typical bad-guy-punching Batman any day. This issue extremely satisfied in that area. It is the first time in a while Batman has felt like this, and I am super happy. -If this series is consistent, it could go down in history. This was one of my favorite debut issues in a long, long time. It typically takes a while for me to adjust to a series' tone and direction, but I latched right on to this issue. -I really liked the format for this issue. Half as a slower investigation focused on setup and mystery. Another as a fast-paced, high octane action scene. I'll talk about that action scene very soon. -How about right now? Anyways, it does use the rushing in order to save someone in peril cliche, that we can all safely say almost always ends with said person being saved. Not always, but many, many times. I don't think anything did it better than the Dark Knight, but this issue makes a strong case, upping the tensity and using great writing. I don't think anyone doubted Leslie would die though. -That mystery villain was really cool in my opinion. It might just be the art. That's fine. He was pretty threatening and mysterious, a great combination. -That ending was good. Unpredictable and surprising, albeit one that's been done before. -Maybe Tomasi is just the master of taking things that have been done before and showcasing them at their best. There was still a lot of new stuff in this issue, though. -Honestly, this issue gets credit just for completely reversing the quality of the series. I overall enjoyed Tynion's run. It was imperfect, and there were some bad issues however. I never read Hill's run, and I caught the tail end of Robinson's. Of those, this is the most impressive issue of the Rebirth era of this series, and a perfect debut. -Even outside the context of this series, this was a damn near perfect Batman debut. I'm pretty sure I like it more than any of Tom King's issues, definitely #1 of that series. I might even like it better than Snyder's debut, which is saying A LOT considering Snyder's run might have been not just the first Batman but also the first run of any comic I loved. Hopefully Tomasi's is yet another in that now long list of comic book runs I have loved. THE BAD: -This is pretty nitpicky, but I've definitely seen the whole, recap the backstory in one page, then have a splash page of the main hero looking badass before, and it's growing a little old. The two others that come to mind are Grayson and All Star Superman. I would be surprised if there wasn't more however. This was close to breaking "The Good" column, but its cliches overpowered the effect a bit more than other elements of this issue. It really pains me though, considering I really, really, really want to give it a 10. I enjoyed it more than any of the other three 10's I have on this site. Oh well. My calculations have it at 9. I'll give it a 9.5. EDIT: Y'know what, screw it. I love to love comics. For a while, there were very few I loved. Then, all of a sudden there was a lot. I'm supposed to give 10's sparingly, but the some of the comics I've been reading lately have been some of the best I've ever read, including this one, so despite it having its flaws, I'll give it a 10, just for thoroughly entertaining me, and giving me an amazing experience.

OH NO! LOOK OUT! IT'S SPOILERS! THE GOOD: -I'm loving Doug Mahnke's art. It is some of the best art I have seen in a Batman comic in a while. -Wow. Leslie Thompkin's death was great. Sorry, that sounded wrong. I mean, her death was really beautifully written, her last words just really hit hard, as does Batman's desperation to save her, along with the flashback pages. Dramatic, tender and touching. This issue really showed me the right way to put emotion into a Batman comic. This issue had me close to tears. -Seeing even Alfred react to Leslie's death was pretty touching as well. -Super great callback to Year One with Alfred ringing the bell. I dug that scene. -This issue shows how to correctly progress a mystery, with the Zorro thing that happened, something that this weeks Heroes in Crisis really let me down on. -Yes, I already mentioned the art, but the way Mahnke draws the rogues gallery was just super great. -Seeing the effects of Leslie's death on Batman as he visited Arkham was great, and shows that Tomasi truly knows how to accurately infuse emotion into a Batman comic. THE BAD: -My only complaint is that we could have gotten more of the detective Batman from the previous issue.

THE GOOD: -I liked the art, but it was a step down from the first two in my opinion. -Glad to see Tomasi making ties to his Batman and Robin run. It added to this issue nicely. -I still think the characterization is spot-on here. I especially found Henri Ducard to be a great character in this issue. -That creature from issue one's appearance was just perfect. Bizarre and memorable. Apparently Mahnke and Tomasi heard the criticism that the creature looked too bland in the first issue, because they have really amped it up, in a good way. -That line about the people who made Batman being unmade really resonated with me. I liked it a lot. I also liked that they didn't force a splash page on it, the line was powerful enough already. -I thought that the temple scene was really cool. Awesome battle scene that isn't stretched to the point of filler, or too short. Nicely done. -That end is just... Wow. I won't spoil it. If you haven't read this issue yet and plan on doing so, I suggest avoiding spoilers. THE BAD: -I will admit, the ending of last issue was continued rather anticlimactically this issue. -This issue did feel kind of rushed, especially towards the end. The last page really felt like they crammed too much in there. So much so, I was very confused as to what exactly happened in those last few panels.

THE GOOD: -I thought this was a great issue. Rereadable and fun. -The opening to this issue was really funny. -The way Batman escapes from the trap was really cool, but still maintained believability. -That whole shark death trap was just really fun and really awesome. -Batman's monologue in that scenario was also really well written. -I really love this art. I'll be sad when Mahnke leaves after issue 1000. Brad Walker is good, but definitely not as good as this. -The monster for this series has become so absolutely bonkers, and I love it. -I'm excited to see where this goes and how Hugo Strange is related to all this. THE BAD: -This is mainly last issue's fault, but I'm not entirely sure how they got into the death trap in the first place, due to a rushed and confusing ending last issue.

THE GOOD: -I thought Tomasi really stepped up his writing this issue. It felt meaningful and also talented. I liked the dialogue with Batman and himself, I guess? -Speaking of, that fight was awesome and trippy. I especially liked the scene with the Year One outfits. -That graveyard scene was great. -I'm not super pissed about the twist. It's the predictable way to go, but they made it worth it, by showing how Batman trains himself to be better every year, and tying it in to his anniversary by making it his birthday tradition. Plus Alfred and Damian's banter was great. -Wow. Doug Mahnke also stepped up his game. This issue was really, really well illustrated, which isn't a surprise, but it's a surprise he can get even better. -That was just a really sweet and nice epilogue. All in all, this was a great story arc. THE BAD: -I do kind of wish we got a better answer to the mysteries. I'm happy with what we got, but I can't help but feel there was a better option out there.

Hey, 1,000 issues, that's pretty sweet. I decided I'd do something a bit different for this review. I'm going to rank and give my thoughts on each individual story and assign each one a rating. I will add up those ratings and average them to achieve the total for the issue. Manufacture for Use: Can we all just agree this is the best one? I mean it's got beautiful art, a sweet story and solid writing. Not to mention the damn perfect ending. Rating: 9.0/10 The Legend of Knute Brody: I really enjoyed this one too. It had a funny story, it kept me hooked and the end is fantastic. My only complaint is that Nguyen's artwork didn't look like his best. 8.5/10 Return to Crime Alley: This was... interesting. Aside from the first page, Epting's art was alright, as per usual. The script felt blah though. I did kinda like the darker tone, though and it being more of a deconstruction of Batman as opposed to a celebration, so it set itself apart from the others in that respect. 6.5/10 I Know: I actually kinda liked this one. The future setting was pretty good, even if the story was really dull. The art was magnificent. The script was bad, but I really liked the way that ended. I dunno. 6.0/10 The Batman's Design: This one wasn't too terrible, just really bland. The script didn't stand out, and the art was only just above average. The ending was decent though. 6.0/10 Batman's Greatest Case: Eh. The dialogue was annoying, the story was weak, the art was great. Seems to be a common thread with this issue. The end was sweet though. 5.5/10 Batman's Longest Case: This had great artwork, I mean, what'd you expect, it's Greg Capullo, but it was wordy and the end was just stupid. 5.0/10 The Precedent: This was alright Tynion. Martinez was fantastic as usual. This was just forgettable though, not to mention the script was annoying. 5.0/10 Heretic: Yeah, this was bad. Neal Adams did a tolerable job with the art, Priest's script was rushed and really boring. And the non-ending was frustrating to say the least. 4.0/10 Medieval: Is anyone gonna get mad at me if I admit I just skimmed through the second half of this one? It was way too long, and I got the gist of it early on. Arkham Knight doesn't like Batman. The script just felt hollow. And about halfway through I realized it was essentially a glorified pinup gallery. 3.5/10 The Last Crime in Gotham: Ugh. Kill me. 3.0/10

THE GOOD: -I'm not usually a fan of Brad Walker's art, and he's no Doug Mahnke, but I enjoyed the art this issue. -All the dead bats around Gotham was neat and kinda creepy. -Tomasi always seems to nail the banter between Batman and Alfred. -Francine was a cool character this issue and her scenes were great. -Tomasi writes Batman great. -The action scenes were great and I enjoyed the layouts for those panels especially. THE BAD: -I'm still just not interested in Arkham Knight whatsoever. Who knows? Maybe I'll change my mind later. -The artificial sun or whatever, was just... I dunno. Good idea, maybe, but the execution felt kinda cheesy. -This issue just felt a little rushed. Don't get me wrong, I'd take all of these events happening in one issue over nothing happening in one issue any day, but I feel like this issue could improve with slower pacing.

THE GOOD: -Peter J. Tomasi still nails the writing for Batman, but this issue's standout was Damian full stop. -The art is still good and probably the best of Brad Walker's career, for me anyway, considering I usually not a fan of his art. -This issue had some really solid action sequences. -I really liked those two silent pages, you could really feel the tension. -Ace is adorable and always will be. -Overall, I thought this had much better pacing than last issue. -I really warmed up to Arkham Knight this issue. His dialogue was good and he felt properly villainous. -The castle setting at the end there was really solid. -The last page is perfect. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and really makes you want to buy the next issue. THE BAD: -I'm just not into this like the last story arc. Maybe it's the plot line, maybe it's the villain (who I'm actually warming up to), who knows? -It's quite nitpicky, but I had a hard time understanding what was going on in those underwater action scenes. -I wasn't quite sure what was going on with the rogues. Was the castle built under Arkham? Were they detained inside the castle? I guess I'm just confused.

THE GOOD: -The art is still fantastic, surprisingly enough. I love how Brad Walker draws Doctor Phosphorus. -This issue fixes the pacing issue of the previous two issues. It's not rushed and thankfully it doesn't slow down so much that it becomes boring. Just the right pace. -Damian is still the best here. Funny, badass, just everything. -The Robinsignal was just really cool, especially how they executed it. -The dialogue is great here. Tomasi knows how to write Batman and co. THE BAD: -So... we get the identity of Arkham Knight... and I dunno. It seems overhyped to say the least. If this were a completely different and new mystery villain, nobody would give a shit about their identity, and maybe then I wouldn't be so let down. It seems kind of random, and that last page was really rushed.

SPOILERS FOR LAST ISSUE AHEAD THE GOOD: -I'll be honest, I didn't really hate this issue as much as some other people. -The art was quite good this issue. -I thought the story Jeremiah Arkham told was, well... well told. I was never bored, even though I knew exactly how it was going to end. -I thought that Astrid was a really interesting character here. -That page with Astrid looking at Arkham and visualizing it as her castle was a really good panel. -The end was good, and I'm looking forward to next issue. THE BAD: -I'm still just very much against the choice to have Astrid Arkham be Arkham Knight. She seemed like a very random character, and I would have preferred a character with more relevance in this story line. -The villains just seemed very out of character here.

THE GOOD: -This was a great issue. -Travis Moore has always been a solid artist, and his work here is also great. -This depiction of the Eraser was really good. -I just love how Tomasi writes Batman. It feels so... right. -Gordon sucking on lollipops to get over his cigarette addiction is just really funny. -Man, Alfred is hilarious here. -Bringing back the Black Casebook is a really good idea. -I thought the Reaper was a good villain. -The action scenes were solid here. -I'm excited for where this story goes next. THE BAD: -I didn't find Max Raynor's art nearly as good as Travis Moore's. -I've always hated the "it was the original bad guy's son" trope.

THE GOOD: -Man, the art is pretty fantastic. -I've always liked the Spectre, and he's well-done here. -This issue moves things along nicely, as opposed the Batman comic I unfortunately read last week. -This comic definitely has a compelling plot. -Again, this mystery oriented take on Batman is one of my favorites. I'm really loving what Tomasi is doing with the series. -This is definitely an improvement over the last arc. I'm already more excited for the next issue than I was for any issue in the Arkham Knight arc. THE BAD: -This issue was mostly setup, which isn't a huge problem, it just means I didn't enjoy it as much as I think I'm going to the next, and not a whole lot happened plot wise. I'm not going to take very much off for that however.

THE GOOD: -This was fine. I don't seem to be as over-the-moon with it as others are, which is alright. -I love how Peter Tomasi writes Alfred. He and Tom Taylor both just seem to... understand that character. -Honestly, I think next issue is going to be a lot better. The set up for it seems to be much better than this issue's, the plane premise has been done to death. THE BAD: -Eh, the art didn't really click for me. It started out good, but the action scenes came across as very lifeless and we got some very goofy facial expressions towards the end. -I've never really been a Deadshot fan. Will Smith didn't help with that. Here, he was fine. He wasn't like Joker last issue, where he was written to perfection though. A lot of his quips were just laughably bad. -I've grown very sick of the Year of the Villain pages, here the Mr. Freeze pages didn't excite me for anything to come. I just kinda shrugged, especially after his trope-y little monologue.

THE GOOD: -Heh. Whaddaya know? I was in the minority with last issue, and I'm in the minority with this issue. I liked this one a lot more than last issue. -Hiroshi and Clarence were absolutely wonderful side characters. I love their personalities. -Deadshot was better here. And I'll take it. His dialogue was much better here and I like the stranded-on-an-island scenario way more than the airplane. -Poor Tanaka. -I'm really excited for the next issue. THE BAD: -The only thing I really disliked about the main story was the art. It's better than last time, but it just looks... off. Some of the poses are awkward and there's the occasional goofy face. -Sigh... more YotV stuff. Sighhhhh. Also that last page was too Kingian for me.

THE GOOD: -I liked this one. Whaddaya know? -I'll give it to the art this time. I'm still not in love with the facial expressions, but the action was dynamic and fluid. -Clarence and Hiroshi are just great characters. -This was just a fun issue. I had a good time reading it. -I would say the ending was anticlimactic, but that shot of Batman punching Deadshot is so f***ing satisfying. THE BAD: -Okay, Deadshot was just a goofy villain. His dialogue wasn't so bad last issue, but here it got pretty painful in certain scenes. -Still don't care about Year of the Villain. Can't wait till it's over.

I don't know why I read this. Shame on me for giving in to the hype, I guess. Here's my rough ranking and review for each of the stories. All in all, I thought this was pretty alright for an anthology. Many Happy Returns- My favorite. I don't know. It was just a cool story that knew how to make a short and unique anthology story, plus the art was probably my favorite in the comic. 9.0/10 Detective #26- Pretty fucking hilarious. 9.0/10 A Gift- I actually liked this one quite a bit. The writing and art were both on point. I'm hoping this creative team will pick up Batman, because that might make me read the series again. 8.5/10 Fore- The most frustrating thing about this comic is that there's like two stories where both the art and writing are top-tier, and then a ton where one sucks, but the other is great. This has an outstanding story, but John Romita Jr. just isn't very good at all. 7.0/10 Generations: Fractured- No idea where this is going to be continued, but the setup was actually pretty good and it has me invested in the story. 7.0/10 Odyssey- Eh, I kinda liked it. It was fun and sort of... cute for lack of a better word. The writing and the art both had a nice classic vibe. 7.0/10 Ghost Story- The art was abysmal, but I didn't hate the story. 6.5/10 Blowback- I mean, what's there to even say about the story? The art was pretty awesome, though. 6.5/10 Legacy- I don't know. It actually wasn't as bad as I was expecting from Tom King. It's pretty shallow, but I liked the "you'll remember me as you live" stuff. 6.0/10 Rookie- Wasn't a fan of this one, plus the art looked like a weaker Sean Phillips. 4.5/10 As Always- The most boring story in the collection. I don't know. I spaced out at least five times and the payoff at the end was way less satisfying than they though. 3.5/10 The Master Class- I skipped through this one. I got tired of the Bendis dialogue early on, and there was nothing keeping me engaged. 3.5/10

THE GOOD: -Well this really is the perfect comic isn't it? I didn't actually think I'd read this one. I have never been a huge D&D fan and I never watched the animated series that inspired this comic. So I thought I'd skip it, despite being a huge fan of Kieron Gillen's work. My friend, however, suggested I read it, so I did, and now I have yet another series to pick up every week. I'm not complaining though. This series is fantastic. -I absolutely adore Stephanie Hans' art. It's some of the best art I'm seeing in a monthly comic book currently. -The world that Gillen and Hans have crafted is so good. It's immersive, unique, great. Read it. -This isn't a comic. It's an experience. -I have fallen in love with these characters. -Glass Town was a great new location for our characters to visit. -That trial of Isabel's was really dark, but also really great. -The flashback art was so good. -I loved seeing those dwarf characters. -Wow. Matt's tragedy was just really well... tragic. -I love Angela's character. Especially this issue. -The ending is so exciting. THE BAD: -This issue was mostly a bridge between issue and a setup for the final act of the arc. It's about the best damn bridge I've ever seen though.

THE GOOD: -This is everything a comic strives to be. It's perfection on paper. I can't express how much I love this. -That opening scene was fantastic. -Still loving all these characters. -Stephanie Hans is a godess. I have no other rational explanation as to how she draws this amazingly. -This world is just so damn immersive. I feel like I'm there with the characters. -The scene in Eternal Prussia was great, and those machines look amazing. Well, I mean everything in this comic looks amazing, but those especially. -Stephanie Hans draws amazing dragons. Glad to see more of them. -I mean honestly, I'm pretty sure if I listed EVERYTHING I liked, it would exceed the word count. -Skywatcher was just great. -Sol was a stellar villain. He had a short appearance but that doesn't make him any less amazing. -This issue epitomizes the final battle. A mixture of emotion and pure dramatic action scenes. This whole comic feels cinematic as hell. -Holy f***ing shit! That end went somewhere I did not expect at all! -Fallen Sol was creepy and f***ing phenomenal. -Oh man, the last panel. Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man. Oh. Man. -This story arc was everything I need in a comic. It reminded me why I love comics. THE BAD: -You mean I have to wait until August to read the next issue? (Darth Vader voice) Nooooooooo!!!! Just kidding, I appreciate the creators taking their time to craft a quality story. So ignore this. There's nothing wrong with this issue. Hell there's nothing wrong with this series. It's not often I can say that everything about a series is perfect.

THE GOOD: -Yay! Die is back! -Stephanie Hans is a goddess. That's my only explanation for how she can put out so much good art. I'd also like to point out how she doesn't fall into the trap of "incredibly detailed but lifeless art" that is becoming much more common. -The world building here is fantastic. -I love all these characters. This and Gideon Falls are definitely my top two comics right now, both some of my all time favorites (assuming they don't screw things up too bad with later issues), and I honestly think it's because they both feature characters I want to follow. The art and all other perks are just icing on the cake making me want to come back even more. -Sol is such a twisted, wonderful villain. I hope he never goes away. -Angela is an amazing character. She's complex, compelling and someone many people can connect with. -This may look like a fantasy series, and at times it is. But at it's heart, it's one of the most beautiful, human stories out there. Angela's backstory was so heartbreaking. -Welp, I cried. I don't do that often, even in life. Certainly not with comics. This series just gets better and better. None of the previous issues made me do that. Hell, despite all the heartbreaking moments in WicDiv, even it didn't get as much emotion out of me as this issue did. THE BAD: -Yeah, I got nothing.

THE GOOD: -Yay! More Die! -I just love these characters. They're complex, compelling and I can't get enough of them. -I didn't expect it, but Mistress Woe was a surprisingly great and dark character in this issue. -Any scene with Chuck and the dwarves was amazing. -The Chuck/Isabelle dynamic was really, really good here, as expected. -Stephanie Hans is one of the best artists working today. I'd put her juuuust under Andrea Sorrentino, but it's a very slim margin. -This issue was essentially just talking and it was amazing. -Kieron Gillen knows how to use emotions well. It's not melodramatic, it's not pretentious. These characters and their conflicts are just naturally heartbreaking. The same was true for WicDiv. It's one of the reasons he's the best current writer. -It's amazing how the backstories can be just as good if not better than the scenes in the fantasy world. -Well that ended perfectly. THE BAD: -I did prefer the Ash/Angela/Matt issue more than this one, just because I like those characters better. Honestly, Chuck is my least favorite out of all of them, even after this issue.

THE GOOD: -This is just a great series. Maybe the best current series I'm reading. I don't know, this one and Gideon Falls are just neck and neck. -Man, Stephanie Hans is really something. Everything just has such life. It's also a rarity for a paint-based internal artist that isn't Alex Ross to not make everything look stiff and lifeless when getting so lost in the detail. -I just really love this world. It never gets too cliche but keeps things interesting. -These characters are wonderful. It just says something about your writing talent when you can make an issue that's primarily conversation and it's still great. -Matt's always been an interesting character to me, even if thus far he hasn't been front and center. He really is a great character, as proven by this issue centered around him. It's also really heartbreaking to see someone who lived a normal life before in this situation again. -Ash and Augustus's storyline is actually really compelling, even if it was only briefly discussed here. -The Eightfold Temple scene was actually really beautifully written. The sword's dialogue was like poetry and in a non-pretentious way. -I'm really excited to see where this is all going. THE BAD: -I don't like this as much as the first story arc. The Party being split isn't as compelling, considering how much character interaction helps this series.

THE GOOD: -Another great issue of Die. One of the best current comics. -This art is so pleasing. Also, the flashback art is really effective. -I like the idea of the characters questioning the continuity of Die itself. -Charlotte is such an interesting character. I love how even though we know her backstory, we still don't know who created her and whatnot. -I like how the main characters are actually smart, and not in a showy, forced way. -Wow, that end. -I love how complex the characters are. They aren't good or bad. That line is super blurry and I love it. -Poor Angela and Matt. THE BAD: -Maybe Bronte's story could've been shorter. I mean, once the creators of the lands of Die starting dying, it became obvious where the story was going, and it maybe could've been shortened.

THE GOOD: -This series is never not good. -Stephanie Hans is just such a powerful artist. She's able to communicate so many emotions, atmospheres and ideas through her work. It's actually quite remarkable. -Wow. Ash's character is so broken, so complex. I just love it. -The backstory was just so powerful, without even showing or really telling the reader anything directly. -Kieron Gillen is an amazing writer. The narration feels novel-worthy, the concepts are just so creative and the emotion is incredible. -Honestly, I feel like this is the type of comic where the bad guy could win. I mean, hell, the main character from the first arc became the bad guy, so I wouldn't put it past Kieron. That makes reading this really interesting. I don't know how it's going to turn out and I love it. -Chuck's never been my favorite character, but here his brief scene was really powerful. He's a broken man who knows he's dying and covers up any sort of emotions with alcohol and jokes. Even if I can't directly relate to that, I still really connect to the compartmentalization there. THE BAD: -I definitely needed a bit more knowledge about RPGs for some of this. I'm not taking a whole point of for my stupidity, but I guess I'll throw half a point off, because I struggled to understand a few ideas here.

This is a really sad issue. This series has always been really heavy. Maybe it's because it's been so long since we got an issue, but this one hit especially hard. Kieron Gillen is a genius, straight-up.

A slower issue, for sure. But it's still a really great, complex story.

Cool lore, great character work, excellent art. Not much to complain about at all.

This was kind of a weaker issue. The pacing felt off. Little too slow at the beginning, little to quick at the end. Oh well, I'm sure it'll pick back up.

THE GOOD: -Very good art. I'm not usually a fan of when another artist essentially finishes another's work, but this art looked really good. -I liked the D&D theme of the issue. Great idea, poorly executed. -Some good trippy imagery here. THE BAD: -The writing was absolute garbage. I typically love Gerard's writing, but this issue had some REALLY crappy writing. -3 points. -Not a fan of the issue's focus on Sam, Val and Lucius. Especially since the other characters in the series are so much better. -The issue's Milk Wars slip-up is no one's fault, this issue was probably written long before Milk Wars, still little things like that distract me, unfortunately.

THE GOOD: -I didn't hate the art? I really miss Nick Derington though. For all of the flaws of Gerard Way's original 12-issue run, at least the art was always a pleasure. -I liked Cliff... a lot actually. I don't remember much about him from the original 12 issue run, so he couldn't have been written that well there. But his story here was great. The only parts of the issue I really enjoyed, if I'm being honest. THE BAD: -Sigh. More Gerard Way. Yay... This seems to check all the Gerard Way DP boxes... lazy writing (check), forced weirdness (check), weak characters (check...mostly). -I don't like Casey at all. In the first Gerard Way series, she was an unnecessary new character who was always shallow as hell. Here she's even worse. I don't think I've read a Doom Patrol run with more dull characters. And Doom Patrol is a series that essentially relies on exactly the opposite. So right there, he's missed the core of the series. -Man, I do not like how this artist draws Rita. At. All. -This whole thing felt so shallow. It might look like the "good old Doom Patrol" on the surface, but the story is weak as hell, and it's a drag to read. Especially considering how contrived all the "weirdness" is. -As if Gerard Way didn't do a bad enough job on the plotting, Jeremy Lambert comes in and gives us this awful script. -The "Marathon World" maybe could've been done better by a good writer, but here it was just painfully stupid. The execution made it feel like a really bad Cartoon Network show, or even an Illumination movie.

THE GOOD: -The art was better-ish? -I actually like Keeg. What do you know? -I would call the Dannyland map filler (which it is!), if I didn't want a bigger version hanging on my wall so badly. THE BAD: -Uuuuggggghhhhh. More of this. I almost miss it when I didn't have to read this crap every month. And, yes, commenters! I know that "if you don't like it don't read it." But! Doom Patrol is my favorite property in comics. It features my favorite characters and I feel obliged to read any DP comic that comes out. Even if it sucks. -So this takes Cliff's story. The one good thing about issue one and turns into... a running gag? Okay, comic. You do you. -What is it with this comic and cartoon plots. And I don't mean cartoon-like. I mean this genuinely has the intelligence level of a children's cartoon. And not a good one! -I hate Casey. I hate her. She was fine last issue. That bathtub scene pushed me over the edge. -Oh yeah, I forgot about Lotion. I miss those days. -A space divorce? Are you kidding me? This doesn't even go anywhere fun and interesting with it. It's just a normal boring divorce scene, but with... planets. Wow. So creative. -Don't even get me started on the cat-planet orgy. Don't. Even. Get. Me. Fucking. Started. -I would say the ending looks interesting, but I know it'll lead nowhere. Hell it'll probably just turn into a reoccurring joke. Not something... y'know- insightful, interesting. Nah.

THE GOOD: -This was... not terrible. Shockingly. -I'm not a fan of Steve Orlando, but I guess he just fits with the series nicely. He certainly understands what makes a good Doom Patrol comic mores that Gerard No Way. -Evan Shaner's art is a great fit for the series! -Honestly, the future storyline is ten times more interesting than the current one ever will be. -I loved Cliff here! He was great! -Heh. Grymzul was a pretty funny character. I'd love to see more of him. -The action here was a lot of fun. -Okay, so this issue took last issue taking the first issue's Cliff story and making into a joke and turned it into a surprisingly dark and interesting reveal (makes perfect sense!). I still hate the upgrade concept though. THE BAD: -One bad thing about the storytelling is that because we are just being introduced to the mystery and these versions of the characters now, the reveals and twists aren't as shocking. -Honestly, I found the books very annoying. I'll have to reread the issue, but after the first read-through, they seemed kinda disconnected from the mystery, despite what Beast Boy said. -How did none of the Doom Patrol notice those Syndicate members sneaking up behind them? -I don't really care about Beast Boy at all. -I'm not really looking forward to next issue, because I care less about the younger versions of the DP now than the ones in this issue, that were literally introduced... this issue.

I'm never been one for hyperboles, so hopefully you'll take me seriously when I say this is the worst single issue I have read in my life. Usually when I write reviews in my normal format, I flip through the issue to jog any memories I have of what made that issue good or bad. Right now I'm looking at the cover of this one, afraid to even open it again, because I know what I will see: repulsive artwork, a complete buffoonery being made of characters I love, story lines straight out of Minions 3. This is truly the antithesis of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol and it kills me a little bit every time I read an issue like this. I don't know... I think it might be for the best to just cancel this series and not have Doom Patrol for a while. At least until they can get a writer who understands the source material.

THE GOOD: -Uhhhhh..... THE BAD: -This is just a terrible comic book. How anyone can enjoy it is beyond me. -Becky Cloonan should stick to drawing... or maybe not. Anyways, the script was repulsively bad here. -I do not like Cloonan's art. It maybe works with other series, and I guess it fits with the Cartoon Network script of this comic, but it does not work with Doom Patrol. At least it's better than the monstrosity that was Pitarra's artwork last issue. That makes me shudder just to think about. -Good god, this kid is annoying. I think he's supposed to be based off Gerard Way, at least his looks. Yeah, that makes sense then. -What a godawful, self-indulgent execution of an interesting concept. -Cliff has gone from great, to obnoxious, to great again, to obnoxious again, and now he's just bland. Any emotion this issue tried to concoct was just dead. -I'm legitimately taking points off for a character saying that "Doom Patrol is really good right now." -Y'know, you could have had the ending be a solid, emotional piece about Clark having to accept his reality. I was even expecting it all to turn out to be a dream at first. I honestly would've preferred the dream to what we got instead. Just a "fuck it, let's throw in a happy ending." I can't wait until this goddamn train wreck finally gets cleaned up.

THE BAD: -Oh no. Just no. No, no, no, no, no, no. -The normal art already sucked. I'll get to the 3D art later. -These characters are just so bad. At least they're only bland as hell here, and not obnoxious. -Yeah, no, you can't get me to care about Corban the Orb God, good or bad. -Okay, the 3D art thing was clever for maybe a split second, until it quickly became obnoxious, lazy and really, really ugly. -The Wild Ass stuff was just so stupid. -Remember Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol? Remember how, no matter how weird the story was, there was always a purpose? This isn't that. This is just, "Wouldn't ____ be cool?" the series. Maybe for some people that extremely surface level entertainment is effective, but for anyone who's willing to give the events of the comic a second thought, Way's pale attempt at a cool story is easily seen through and it's painful to read. -Eh. I don't care about Cliff's story. It didn't add anything new, since we already know he becomes a giant planet thanks to issue 3. This was just explaining how he did so, which isn't really necessary. Again, think about things for two seconds, and it all falls apart. In this case, what might seem clever, ends up being clearly exposed as pure filler. -Wow, that twist was so original and not at all cliched.

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THE GOOD: -Gary Frank's art is great. I know I'll say that until the end of the series, but this art deserves attention. -In general, Geoff Johns writing is really good, He captures the feel of Watchmen extraordinarily well, proving a perfect continuation of the series. -The Joker is perfectly written. This issue gets me excited for Geoff Johns' Three Jokers series, because dang, can the guy write Joker. -I'm glad to see the series drop its T+ rating, it finally feels like a true Watchmen comic book now. -Dr. Manhattan is an excellent addition to the series. Johns writes him astonishingly well, and his story looks to be excellent. Plus the mystery revolving around Marionette's child is exciting, and I can't wait to see how that turns out. -Rorschach's story here is really well done. I like his characterization and the tragedy of his story. I'm excited to see where he goes next. -Glad to see Superman finally coming onto the story. He was promised a while back, and it feels quite satisfying to see at least a hint of that promise coming true. -It's good that this series is finally giving us some answers to the questions Rebirth gave us regarding the JSA. THE BAD: -A lot of the scenes in this issue are still somewhat confusing. I'm sure all will make sense in the bigger picture when the series ends, but there are still a lot of questions raised here.

SPOILERS! THE GOOD: -Amazing art. I love reading anything illustrated by Gary Frank. His art fits this series wonderfully. -I liked that we got an entirely DC-Universe oriented issue. After so much focus on the characters from the Watchmen Universe and the epic return of Dr. Manhattan last issue, this was a well-timed issue. -I liked how Johns wrote all of the Daily Planet characters. Perry and Jimmy felt perfectly characterized. -I love the integration of politics in this series and specifically this issue. Moscow's metahuman laws were a really interesting and unique part of the issue. -I also thought Moscow's heroes were really cool. Especially since they were illustrated by Gary Frank. -Firestorm turning all of those innocents into glass was a truly awesome scene. -Firestorm in general was a perfectly written character. We're not sure it was really him, but even so, seeing this portrayal of a hero who has been subjected to so much unnecessary hate, who regrets his sins so much. That is amazing. -I also really liked Kahndaq and how it was a safe haven for meta humans. Beautifully drawn, and seeing Frank illustrate all of these characters was awesome. -I really liked that small reveal that Sandstorm was a boy. It really helped not only Superman but the readers sympathize for the metahumans, and all they're going through. -OMFG! It was a small thing, but every hint we get towards the JSA's return has me pumped. Especially this issue's. -Seeing Firestorm so hell bent on saving this small child was amazing. I loved the portrayal as they gave him this watered down feel after he regrets what he did so much. -I really liked seeing Superman as he was caught between the country and the metahumans. As he advocates for metahumans, seeing everyone's response was super great. Johns did a great job of showing how Clark slowly lost control as he didn't know what to do anymore. -As the military ends up murdering the people Firestorm planned to save, that was a great way to show things spiraling way, way out of control. -I also loved how Clark was trying to save people, but ended up looking like he was attacking the military, that was so good, and seeing the horrified look on Lois's face, and Batman as he rushed to stop Clark. Amazing stuff! -I'm not sure entirely what happened at the end. Was Firestorm Dr Manhattan? Anyways, I can still appreciate the amazing buildup and the epic finale. And as we return to Ozymandias as he gives us the epic line of "It begins." Oh my god! I cannot wait to read the next issue, even if I have to break into DC Headquarters and steal a contraband early copy. Just kidding. I would never do that! Hahaha... THE BAD: -Well, um, uh. Dammit! I'm supposed to give tens sparingly, as stated by the invincible review god who controls me. But this was another amazing issue in what has been one of the best last few weeks of comics in my life.

THE GOOD: -Gary Frank's art was really cool here. He shows off his variety and talent in how he can draw so many characters to perfection. -I thought the opening to this comic was really cool. -Those silent "Crisis" pages were neat. Also, seeing the Doom Patrol was awesome. -This issue did a pretty good ob of showing the aftereffects of last issue's ending. Especially those pages with Lois. -Firestorm remains one of the series' strongest characters. -Those scenes between Luthor and Lois were great. -Geoff Johns did a great job characterizing Dr. Manhattan this issue. -I actually lugged at a couple parts. One was the Shazam family's reaction to seeing Dr. Manhattan. The other was Guy Gardner and his lines. -This issue did a good job delivering its action scenes. -That flashback scene with Firestorm was so fantastic. I won't spoil it, but just know, it was an amazing reveal. -Solid ending. THE BAD: -I mean, I didn't like it as much as last issue, but this series is pretty consistently great, so that's not a terrible thing.

MINOR SPOILERS BELOW THE GOOD: -This was an awesome, modern-classic feeling issue. -I loved the opening sequence. -Doctor Manhattan's narration was really good. -The art is still great. -The whole Superman story is truly fantastic. One of the best parts of the issue, if you ask me. -Man, Geoff Johns just killed it with the DC continuity, nostalgia and history, and his script as well. I've always had mixed feelings about Johns, but this is good stuff. -This is just such a perfect explanation for the constant reboots and such that DC has. -The whole concept of a Metaverse that the multiverse revolves around is great. -That ending though. Holy shit. THE BAD: -If I have one complaint, it's perhaps that things linger a bit too much on Carver Colman. I mean his story/relationship with Manhattan is interesting, but I prefer the DC Universe secrets over that.

THE GOOD: -Gary Frank is such a wonderful artist. I need some of these panels hanging in my room. -I really like the storytelling here. It can feel a bit staccato at once, especially with the dialogue voiceovers constantly changing, but it keeps an otherwise boring issue interesting. -Lex Luthor was perfectly written here. -The Carver Colman photographs were a nice touch. -Mime and Marionette are such wonderful characters. -Poor Saturn Girl. -I can't wait to see how it all ends. Too bad it'll be another three months. Just kidding. I actually appreciate Geoff Johns taking the time to make sure his story is well-done. And it is. THE BAD: -I wasn't really super interested in Ozymandias' plan. Not sure why, but it dragged down the second half of this book quite a bit for me.

THE GOOD: -I really liked this finale. I was thoroughly engaged the whole way through. -I can see why maybe some people were disappointed by how Dr. Manhattan acted here. I honestly didn't really have a problem with it. It's not totally in line with his previous personality, perhaps, but I found his internal dialogue and character compelling. -Gary Frank's art is always a treat, and, if I'm being honest, my favorite part of this whole series. -I liked Long quite a bit in the end. The scenes with him and Batman were great. -I don't think I ever expected to, but I'm glad this wasn't just a fistfight. -I really liked the second half of this comic. The first half was fine, maybe a bit slow-moving, but the second half really elevated the issue for me. -Eh, the Comedian was never fully realized, but the end of his story got a chuckle out of me. -I really liked the end of Carver Colman's story. -Damn, I never would've guessed that was Mime and Marionette's story would end. -References to Marvel always make me smile in DC. It shouldn't, it's fanservice, but eh, at least it's effective for me. THE BAD: -I had a bit of trouble getting into this at first. Perhaps it was the delays, perhaps it was the grating nature of Dr. Manhattan's dialogue, especially the way Geoff Johns writes him. I don't know -I have no idea why, but the last two pages felt oddly contrived for me. Maybe it was because it was following up that beautiful panel with the roses. I don't know.

THE GOOD: -This was a fine first issue. I might continue this series. Then again, maybe not. -The dark comedy's solid. I appreciate the lack of restraint, too. Be warned, if you're planning on reading this: the comedy is very, very dark. -Shit Talk is a pretty compelling main character. -I like the story with Shit Talk being blamed for driving someone into committing suicide. It's a nice, dark addition to his character. -I'm much more excited for where this is going. This issue was a lot of setup. Hopefully next issue is more interesting. THE BAD: -Did this need to be 4.99? The story's light, and it feels like it could easily be normal sized. -I feel like traditional art would have worked way better. The ethereal art of Simmonds didn't really work with the story. Plus, the splash with Homes punching Dixon looked really flat. -I dunno. I have a weird feeling Veronica is the murderer. That's based purely on intuition, though. Maybe it's because she has so little importance in the story, but the writing clearly wants to feature her.

THE GOOD: -The characters were alright. I liked Rogue and Gambit, mainly because I already liked them before this. I'm not too familiar with Captain Britain and he seemed like a good character, but y'know... It's unfortunate Apocalypse has become such an uninteresting and cliched team-leader character. Betsy was a fine lead. I didn't care about Jubilee at all. Take this with a grain of salt though, because I'm pretty unfamiliar with the X-Men characters. -I like this universe. I'm kinda reaching here, since it being so interesting and fleshed out is mainly because of Hickman, but the portal to the Otherworld was a nice addition on Howard's part. THE BAD: -After the good debut of X-Men and the great debut of Marauders, we finally get a poor comic in Hickman's X-Men world. -Right off the bat the art was too bland for me. It was serviceable, I guess, but I feel a better artist could've elevated the story more. -I'm just sick of Morgan Le Fay. In all media. I guess that's why Once and Future is one of my favorite current comics, because it doesn't resort to all the tropes of a typical Camelot-based story. And yes, I know that Le Fay is a pre-established character in the marvel Universe, but she was just such a boring villain. -This story doesn't grab me at all. It's not as complex as X-Men, nor as purely fun as Marauders. It exists.

THE GOOD: -This was a huge improvement over the first issue. -The opening scene was different and I liked the way it ended. -The art is quite good here. It's very, very traditional and occasionally flat, but I enjoy looking at it. -Overall, there was some cool imagery here. -I'm very interested in where this is going next. THE BAD: -The characters are really the weak links here. I think that's why I hated the first issue. Thankfully the actual story was interesting enough here that I enjoyed the issue a lot more. -That dream sequence made me roll my eyes. I don't know, it was obvious, and not really necessary.

THE GOOD: -Good issue. I don't know, though, something about this series isn't clicking for me. -I know nothing about this Rictor character, but I still found him very interesting. -The mutant reedit was a great use of the graphics. It tied into the main story, even if it wasn't totally necessary, but it did a great job of establishing this universe and fleshing it out even more. -The characters had more personality here than the last few issues. I guess I'm coming around to them. -I liked the end with Apocalypse quite a bit. THE BAD: -The art is really, really bland. I would have preferred something more for such a fantastical story. -Morgan le Fay is such a boring villain.

THE GOOD: -This was a middle of the road issue, I guess. Boring, but inoffensive. -I like the way Gambit's written here. -I like the art. -I wouldn't go so far as to call Jubille complex, but I enjoyed her character here. -This take on Apocalypse is interesting and I like it. THE BAD: -The protests feel incredibly one dimensional here. -I liked Rictor a lot last issue, but here he was incredibly bland. And, yes, I know that was sort of intentional, but I don't feel like his change went anywhere interesting. -Wow, it took me forever to get through this issue. -The story's really lost all interest for me. -I'm not at all interested in the ending.

THE GOOD: -Apocalypse is legitimately the only interesting thing about this issue. THE BAD: -Oh gooooooood. This was really bad. -I don't know if I've mentioned this, but the writing feels incredibly weak, not just in this issue, but the entire series. It's not terrible, that's reserved for later Frank Miller, or Scott Lobdell or something like that, but it's really, really bland, in this sort of off-putting way. -You can get me to either care or have fun reading this. I want to. I want to love every Dawn of X comic, because the ones that are good, are really, really good. I can't tell you how happy I'd be to have another comic like X-Force, or Marauders or New Mutants when Hickman's writing it. But, from the start, I've never clicked with this series. -I was bored to death the whole way through. -The art has really gone downhill. -Eh. ApocaRogue doesn't interest me at all. It's also an incredibly cliched "Uh.... guys?" cliffhanger.

THE GOOD: -Great art. -Apocalypse is still the most interesting thing here. -I kinda liked the falling action. The last three scenes were genuinely good character moments. Let's hope this series can get back on track. Or... on a track. THE BAD: -This series is so boring. -This story is ridiculously un-engaging. I'm just watching events happen, not caring about anything. -As a conclusion to a story arc, this was really anticlimactic. Nothing felt conclusion worthy. Everything just ended, with none of the stakes ever feeling real.

Surprisingly, really fun. Definitely my favorite issue.

Just an OK issue. Not as fun as the last one, not as dull as the first arc. Just something that exists.

Excaliboring

I read this three days ago and I can't remember a single thing about it. Probably more of a personal problem but these are personal ratings.

This series is just so boring.

This was my usual Excalibur reading experience: boring, but never awful.

Surprisingly good. This may be the best issue of this series so far. I don't know what this issue did differently, it was just a lot more engaging and fun. The art was really good too.

THE GOOD: -The art. Pepe Larraz' art is excellent. It feels epic, it captures the tone perfectly and expresses the characters feelings and personalities very well. -The action scenes feel really great. Exactly the kind of epic feeling we want and need from the new X-Men epic. -This series still maintains the epic feeling. It feels like a blockbuster movie (and a good one at that) in comic book form. THE BAD: -The last page wasn't doing it for me. As something that's supposed to be a powerful end through shock value, it just didn't work, unfortunately, especially coming off the amazing last page of the previous issue. -The script is a bit simple. Not a very layered script, just basically the heroes saying their lines, most of what lies behind their words comes from the art.

THE GOOD: -The art is great. Those who have read more than 1 review by me know that this is no rare occurrence. -This series has a great cinematic feel to it. That is a very important element of a big-event style series that is done well here. -The action scenes were really well done. This is mostly due to the art, but there's no denying the obvious quality present in that area. -The deaths are still really felt, which I appreciate, especially considering this series is named, "Extermination." -The series will definitely read as an excellent epic-event, due to the epic feeling that mainly Larraz captures, but Brisson chips in here as well. THE BAD: -The writing doesn't have me. It doesn't add any depth to the series, anything more than basic dialogue. Very disappointing. -The characters aren't good enough for me. I think that's mainly because there's too many of them, but still, they don't compel me enough. -The plot isn't really that interesting to me. It is just too bland for me. -This issue isn't very memorable. I think it reads way better in trade, but it still should stand out as a single issue more.

THE GOOD: -Well, I finally got around to reading this issue. It was great. I loved it. -This series always does a good job of beginning with a scene towards the end, without turning it into too much of a gimmick. -I love Claudia Balboni's art. It's not perfect, but something about it just feels very natural and it fits this world very well. -This issue had the best mystery yet. I was really surprised by the reveal too. -I loved how this issue tied back to the very first issue nicely. -That chase scene was really fun and very fluid. -I love these characters. -That end was very suspenseful and tense. -Great cliffhanger! -It just feels good in my soul to read a 31 page issue that I paid 3.99 for. -What? No more Fairlady until 2020? Nooooo! Just kidding, Image. You know I love that you give creators the time they need to put out quality stories. THE BAD: -I'm not sure how good the overarching story will be. So far it's just been as cliche as "Something bad is coming..."

THE GOOD: -The colors were great and nailed the tone of the book. -I will admit that the opening scene pulled me in and grabbed my attention. -Psylocke was the only interesting character here. And even she could've been explored better. -There's some cool imagery here. Unfortunately the art ruins a lot of it. THE BAD: -Probably one of my least favorite DoX books yet. I have no interest in the story whatsoever. -The art just wasn't for me. The facial expressions looked weird and it didn't flow very well. -I found the script kinda pretentious. Like it was trying too hard to be like Hickman. -I was just very bored.

THE GOOD: -It certainly pales in comparison to the other two X-books this week, but I thought this was pretty good. Yet another improvement over the first issue. I never thought I'd say it, but I'm really in love with this new X-Men relaunch. -The flashback is way more interesting than the main story. Also, even sucky art can't ruin those action sequences. -The dialogue was way better here. Hill definitely found his groove; -The characters are a lot better here. I still think they need improving, but they had much more actual depth. -I'm moderately interested by the end. We'll see how it goes. THE BAD: -God, I hate Kudranski's art. It's just so stiff and it sucks the life out of a pretty interesting story. -This story just doesn't interest me. I appreciate all the other X-Books for each scratching a different itch. X-Men: Main Events, Marauders: Fun Adventure, Excalibur: Fantasy, X-Force: Political Thriller, New Mutants: Space Travel. This doesn't really have that.

THE GOOD: -I like some of the imagery. Even if the art butchers it, it's there. THE BAD: -Oof. This was bad. -God. Kudranski's art only gets worse. -Wow. This writing is really bad. The narration at the beginning was super pretentious. -The pacing felt really off here. -Oh no. That graphic was just ... no. "How to Bore Someone in Two Pages" is what it should have been called.

THE GOOD: -The writing was better here. It's still uber-pretentious, but it's not as insufferable as it was last issue. -The imagery's still interesting at the least. It's unfortunate the art butchers the only real highlight of this comic. THE BAD: -Sigh. I hate this series. -The art. I've you've heard something about it, it's probably right. -You just cannot get me to give any sort of shits about these characters. -I don't care about this story. -I don't care what's happening next. I'm done. I'll still read it, but I'm on my last leg with this one.

THE GOOD: -I kind of liked Mr. Sinister and Magneto's appearances here, mainly because the main characters are so boring, and previous Krakoan X-Men comics have built likable characters out of them both. THE BAD: -Oh, wow, this was terrible. -This art is near insulting at this point. -Wow. This writing is really atrocious. This comic is a train wreck. -I couldn't care less about the story at this point. -Those journals were like Tom King writing. Really bad. -Just stay away from this one. I can't recommend X-Force and Marauders enough, but do yourself the favor of never reading this.

This is legitimately one of the worst-looking, most rushed, slapped-together issues I've ever read. And that's all I have to say.

THE GOOD: -This was a fine, but forgettable issue. -The suspense is well-done, especially before things get crazy. -Generally speaking, the script is good. -The horror elements are probably the strongest here. I think that horror is Lemire's biggest strength as a writer. -I'm mildly excited for the next issue. I'll read it, but I'm not looking forward to it as much as I want to. THE BAD: -I wasn't a big fan of the art. It was cool and stylistic at first, but later it became a pain in my ass to try to decipher what was going on because the art was so abstract. -I'm not a huge fan of the main character. Her son is far more interesting.

THE GOOD: -Eh. It's okay. Maybe it's just that way in comparison to Lemire's other comic this week. I dunno. I don't love it. -The art's good. A couple panels are awkward, and occasionally some of the decisions with the art are mind-bogglingly bad, but it's at least interesting in a bland story. -Judd is a great character and is easily the highlight of the issue. THE BAD: -Boy, these characters are bland. -I just don't care about anything that's going on. -This was one of those issues where it felt like nothing really happened. We got the flashback, which was fine, but lengthy, The kids and the mom met Judd and he showed the mom his hand. Cool? Why was this an issue? -The end didn't do it for me. I felt like I should be shocked. Instead, I shrugged. Maybe it's because I didn't feel any attachment to the tree grandma. I don't know.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE ISSUE Overall, this was a good start. I think, as with many of Dan Slott's comics, the strongest part of the writing is the characterization of all of its characters. This issue contains enjoyable characters down to the supporting cast. It is still a good concept to have Johnny Storm as the one who is hopeful for the Fantastic Four's return, while Ben Grimm has given up all hope. Although it was only a page, seeing the other superheroes give their thoughts on the legacy of the Fantastic Four was a fun thing to do for the first issue. Although, there are a lot of pages like that one that end up feeling like filler, despite being fun pages. For example, the flashback, which its great to see several pages dedicated to the good old days of the Fantastic Four, even though it doesn't progress the story at all. Also the whole singing to get home scene can't hep but feel incredibly cheesy. Although in these few scenes, Slott has proven he is a great writer for the Fantastic Four as their banter and dialogue is captured pretty much perfectly. The issue also nails the emotion of Johnny and Ben as it hits us in the feels to finally see Johnny give up hope, even if it is just for a few seconds. The final scene is pretty predictable but it still ends up working pretty well. Unfortunately, it is hard not to feel even slightly ripped off when you've paid six dollars for an issue #1 and you don't really get to see the Fantastic Four reunite. Even the final page illustrated by Skottie Young commenting about it isn't enough to redeem this problem. It seems like they could have removed the bonus story illustrated by Simone Bianchi to make room for a proper reuniting of the Four. The back up story isn't even all that good. It brings back Dr. Doom as the leader of Latveria, which is fine and all and it sets up an interesting future issue, where it seems it is leading up to Doom being a series villain, but for the issue, the story seemed bland and with only okay art. Not at all like the art of Sara Pichelli in the main issue, which outshines the writing and is marvelous in capturing the personality and looks of each of the characters. Overall, this issue provides a promising start for a series that really seems to pick up in the next issue.

(Warning, there are spoilers below. Don't say I didn't warn you) THE GOOD: -Sara Pichelli's art was quite good. She captures the character and tone of the issue really well. -I like just how fun this series is. It's a bit like the modern MCU movies (Minus Infinity War), it's just a fun adventure. -I think that Slott captures the characters of Reed and Sue very well, I liked both of their characters. THE BAD: -This book just doesn't feel memorable. For such a highly advertised series, it should be a bit more memorable than that. -The writing itself is a bit too cheesy for my taste. It doesn't pause for a more serious moment, as it should. -That last page was not effective for me. It was just trying too hard. -Critically speaking, too much happened in this issue. It rushes things, it moved too fast. -I just wish we got to know the kid a bit more, they were really just background noise in this issue. That's why we weren't hit in the feels when one of them died.

THE GOOD: -I was expecting this to feel scattered. Instead it does an amazing job of focusing on the relationship of its central four characters. -Now that's what I'm talking about, this felt like a true, blue Fantastic Four issue. Great job Dan Slott. -I'm glad they got rid of the crappy villain from the last issue. Hopefully she doesn't return like she said she would anytime soon. -This is in very sense of the word, a fun adventure. I love issues like that, I've got a soft spot for them. I really enjoyed this issue. -That Spider Man moment was awesome. This issue did a good job of working all of these members into the story in really fun ways, while still focusing on the main four characters. -Same goes for both the Hulk and Iceman moments. -I also liked how the issue showed each of the members relationship to kids of the Foundation. I loved how Sue saved her son from the Griever. -I loved that ending. It was a nice way to cap off the first three issues. -For an issue that was built up by two whole issues, one of which was extra priced, this felt totally worth it for me. THE BAD: -The art actually detracted from the story. Plot twist! Last issue, I was the opposite! Anyways, the art felt half finished. Some of the images of the thing felt like newspaper strip level of detail.

THE GOOD: -I liked Stefano Caselli's art a lot. It captured the tone of the issue nicely. -This issue shows Dan Slott's talents for writing pretty much any given Marvel character excellently. -I will admit, I did not see that twist with the Fantastix coming. -I think Brainstorm was a really strong character in this issue. -I enjoyed the end of this issue a lot. It is a solid end and also introduces an interesting new headquarters for the FF. THE BAD: -I do wish the wrecking crew had a bigger part in this one. That definitely would have improved this issue. -I actually disliked the Fantastix. They just kind of felt like they were in this issue to fill up pages and occupy the time while the creators cook up their 650th issue spectacular. -I dow ish they could have spent less time saying goodbye to everyone, and more time on the actual story of this issue. -Nico Leon's art was not great. It was not nearly detailed enough. This looked especially bad for The Thing.

THE GOOD: -This issue has some great political themes, I hope they will expand on those, but its a solid start. -This comic does great with its premise. It's similar to some elements of the Man in the High Castle, but it definitely feels like much more than just that withs superheroes. -I love Eddy Barrows's art. His drawing for the Plastic Men Nazis was especially amazing. -The death of the original Freedom Fighters was pretty dark but amazing. -I thought Venditti did a great job with this issue. His writing was really good, and often times had a great subtle way of telling the story. "Heil this, Ratzis." The new Freedom Fighters are pretty cool, looking forward to seeing more of them. -The Uncle Sam scene was also really good in my opinion. This comic would make such an awesome movie, and it would require very little change. THE BAD: -My only complaint is that the end wasn't as good as the rest of the issue, this will definitely be a first issue that reads better in trade.

THE GOOD: -This series is proving to be something special. After an excellent debut, we get an arguably even better second issue. If this series keeps it up, it could be remembered long after issue 12. -The opening was really, really good. Unique, but not forced, with solid writing. -I can't believe this Robert Venditti is writing the trash fest known as Damage, or even Hawkman, which I find subpar compared to this. I guess this is where he's focused his skill and attention. I'd argue it's worth it. -Good God, Eddy Barrows' art is something special. He draws things in such a perfect, nostalgic way, that also feels fresh and unique. Love it. -The battle in this issue was pure awesomeness. It felt like a movie scene. Legitimately great stuff. -The whole issue felt really cinematic. Or maybe that was just me. It felt like a really well directed movie with excellent cinematography. -That ending was super creepy and super good. -I thought that this issue executed the whole "the world now has hope!" thing really well. I especially liked the Heartland scenes, which were beautiful. THE BAD: -My only complaint is that the characters could be stronger. And I don't really care. I still love this.

THE GOOD: -Okay, I wish the backup story could've been the whole issue. It really, really hit me in the feels. This was one of those rare times the backup was better than the main story. THE BAD: -Really didn't like the art. It felt stiff and lifeless. -This series didn't feel like anything special to me. It doesn't give me any reason not to save the money and just buy the main ongoing Spidey series. -The humor in this issue just felt really off. Like I was supposed to laugh, but never did, because nothing was really that funny. -I believe it was Joss Whedon who said, "It's no fun to watch a movie about someone who already knows it's a wonderful life." This was the same thing but to a different degree. For me it's no fun to read about a character who is perfect and always an angel. Now I don't mean we have to go all Tom King-style broken superheroes, but still. -That underwear scene was just a big NO for me. -And I really didn't like the end. I just don't think this series was my thing, I won't read any more issues for sure.

THE GOOD: -What happened here?! Oh, I think I figured it out. Tom Taylor must have written last issue's back up story, planning for it to be the main comic, and what was the main issue last time was supposed to be the backup. That's definitely it. I definitely didn't misjudge the quality of this series. Not at all. -The art was a vast improvement. While I don't like the way Mr. Cabal draws the Human Torch, his Spidey is growing on me. -Where was this humor last issue? I think I must have been in a bad mood when I read the last one. I guess I was happy when I read this one. -I thought the kids would be stupid. Instead, they were really interesting. -That splash page was pretty awesome. If you read the issue, you know what I'm talking about. -The Rumor looks to be a weird but potentially interesting character. We'll have to wait until next issue. THE BAD: -The story still doesn't interest me as much. Aspects of it do, but not as a whole. There are a few too many subplots if you ask me. -I wasn't a fan of the Detective. She didn't interest me. -I still have to admit to some corny dialogue and humor that doesn't land. I'm more concerned about the latter, but that's kind of canceled out by the great humor. Still, they could work on making the jokes payoff a bit more often. I don't really care about the second one, because it's a comic, there's supposed to be corny dialogue. None of it was cringe-y or anything. So I won't take points off for it, just acknowledge it.

THE GOOD: -I enjoyed this a lot. -Man, Russell Dauterman is super talented. -I liked the surreal visuals a lot. -I didn't expect this to tie in to the main X-Men series, but I'm glad that it did. -Great ending! THE BAD: -My big complaint is that this didn't need to be a silent issue. It serviced the issue in no way, and in fact hindered it from having what could've been great character interaction. Other than that, it was perfect.

This is fine. Art's a little... off, and the pacing's weird, but it's not bad I guess.

I might be in the minority here, but I actually really loved this. It was the funniest issue I've read in a while. Rod Reis should do more stuff with Jonathan Hickman because they work really well together.

This was pretty awesome. Hickman should write an ongoing Fantomex series, because I really like this guy.

This was an excellent issue. The best single issue of any comic I have read since...well since the last issue of Gideon Falls. This is my favorite current comic and my favorite comic of the year and this issue is no exception. It is effectively trippy and opens up even more mysteries for the series to solve in its second arc. The art is phenomenal in every way possible and the series ends its first story arc strongly while still keeping you excited for the next. The last panel is mysterious and opens a whole new realm of possibilities as to the answer to everything. My only problem with this issue is that it tells me the next won't come out until October. Ugh! That said, I appreciate Lemire and Sorrentino taking time to weave one of the greatest comic stories of all time, and I have no problem waiting a month until the next issue, so it's not even a problem at all.

THE GOOD: -Those first three pages were amazing. Great tie-back to the first issue. -Stunning art, as expected. Andrea Sorrentino continues to amaze. -I loved that flashback. The art stunned and the end to it was just a great twist. -This series still offers some of the most compelling characters currently. It's one of my favorites because of that. This issue is no exception. THE BAD: -So Norton was hiding a scar down his lip this whole time. Well that was anticlimactic. It seemed like they were building up whatever was hiding behind his mask, but apparently it was just a silly little scar. -The end didn't have me that hooked. I really wanted the creepy Black Barn guy to be the Bishop, not some random psychiatrist who felt written in at the last second.

THE GOOD: -I loved the flashback scene at the beginning. Super creepy and super cool -The art was phenomenal. These two are currently one of my favorite creative teams at the moment. It works so well with the writing and just feels like something special. -I do like seeing Norton so helpless, it is interesting to see him at a weak point again. -That one two-page splash (you know the one I'm talking about) is amazing. Super amazing. -That scene where Wilfred seemingly enters the past was so cool. I loved that scene. -It's nice to see Wilfred and Clara teeming up again. They worked great together in the first story arc. -It's so satisfying and amazing to see the worlds begin to cross over. I cannot wait for the next issues. THE BAD: -I'm not a fan of this Kadri villain. First off, Joe Reddy was a way better villain and it felt cooler when Xu and Norton were trying to fight off some intangible villain, the Black Barn or the smiling man. I really hope Kadri isn't the smiling man, I hope they would save that for a better character.

THE GOOD: -It's great to see Wilfred and Clara working together again. Their interactions are pretty good. -I also love to see that we get the explanation for Rebecca and who she is, and boy is it dark. -It's interesting to see Clara's denial of the supernatural when she is talking to her father. A very well-scripted moment. -That twist with Norton was super great and excellently shocking. -This was probably the first time I laughed in this series. The Norton ordering coffee scene was pretty great. And Angie's reaction! Lol! -Great art. As usual. -Great writing. As usual. -The ending has some really great setup. I can't wait to see where it leads. THE BAD: -This wasn't the best issue of the series, I'll admit. It was mostly progressing the plot. It didn't have as many "Wow!" moments as previous issues, unfortunately.

DO NOT ENTER THE SPOILER BARN BEFORE HAVING READ THIS ISSUE! THE GOOD: -The art is phenomenal, simply put. -The writing is phenomenal, simply put. -The writing and the art together is phenomenal, simply put. -The opening for this issue was amazing. Creepy and unique. -Not to mention the old Norton Sinclair. I don't know how this all connects but I cannot wait to see it do so. -God, I love the mystery in this comic book. I am on the edge of my seat with every issue. -That scene with the old Black Barn was so good. So. Good. -Poor Doc. -Once again, Norton and Angie were great together, they have great dialogue and are excellent characters. -Good to see Deputy Ballard again. He was a small character, but I liked him. -Now, the Bishop. I am so glad he is back. And his appearance this issue is executed to perfection. -With this issue, we finally get confirmation that Norton is Danny. And even though it's expected, it's the right way to go. -The splash page with Norton and Danny from the past. That was so, so good. -And I'm not going to spoil anything after that. You're just gonna have to read it for yourself. Don't let my review hamper your experience with this masterpiece because I gave some stuff away. -This series is phenomenal, simply put. THE BAD: -Absolutely nothing. God, I love this series.

THE GOOD: -I cannot possibly imagine how incredibly brilliant both Lemire and Sorrentino have to be to create an accomplishment such as this issue. It is a work of art. It belongs in a museum. If you are not reading this series, you need to remedy that. Immediately. I'm not going to say much. I think this little section says enough, but I will specify exactly what blew me out my couch and into f***ing Mars. -This comic is inventive. Especially the visuals. Sorrentino knows how to experiment with what a comic can be and what it can look like and really truly succeed. -I don't usually pay attention to this kind of stuff, but the lettering was absolutely phenomenal. This is everything a comic can achieve to be. -The end of last issue is executed perfectly. Not overdone, natural, but still as satisfying as readers imagined from the first issue. -Not to mention the original Norton. What a cool character. -That many kingdoms splash page is one of the best things I have seen in my life. -That moment (if you read the issue, you know the one I'm talking about) genuinely had me retching. -And that ending is perfect. -This is not just one of the best issues I have ever read, not just one of the best comics I have ever read, but one of the best forms of entertainment I have ever experienced period. I am really in love with this series. THE BAD: -If you've read this far, did you really think there would be any bad?

DO NOT ENTER THE SPOILER DIMENSION BY READING THIS REVIEW! IT IS A TREACHEROUS PLACE! THE GOOD: -This is everything I want. -Lemire does a great job of making this story not feel like filler. -Andrea Sorrentino is just an incredible person. Everything about his art shows that he's a man who strives to pour his soul into every panel. -Oh man, that page with the Laughing Man was just so perfect. It was terrifying, gross and well-written, all at once. -This series is getting into alternate dimension territory, and it's doing it so perfectly. This might be the best example of alternate dimension storytelling I've seen. -Only Lemire and Sorrentino can make two white pages, with hints of black so absolutely amazing. -Father Burke is a really great character. It's hard to make us so invested in a character after eleven issues of doing so with completely different characters, but Lemire knows what he's doing. -That crucifixion page was so good. It was surprising and scary. -Somehow, even after twelve issues, this series still uses the Black Barn and the Laughing Man to perfection, mostly due to its subtlety. -This series is trippy in the absolute best of ways. -Only Gideon Falls can combine Wild West and steampunk storytelling and make it work so damn well. THE BAD: -Really nothing. This series is everything it could be. There's no way it could possibly get any better.

THE GOOD: -I don't get it. I am so enamored with how it is possible for this comic to be so good every single time. -You know the drill. Jeff Lemire is a genius. Andrea Sorrentino is a genius. -That first splash page was great and the distortion was a nice subtle reference to another splash page from issue one. -"He had such a smile." Ooh, that was creepy. -The paneling for the first page with the Laughing Man was so good, and his face in the middle there made it so creepy. -Norton is so creepy and so perfect. -That scene involving the glass shard was gross and once again displayed outstanding paneling and art. -The dystopian Gideon Falls is so good. In a typical comic, I would question how if they can keep coming up with ideas, but this series is thirteen issues in and has yet to do so. -"I am the shadow at the center," was such a great line. -That scene in the prison was terrifying and perfect. -Ooh, man. The ending was so good. THE BAD: -I don't understand how this series can live up to my expectations every single time it comes out.

THE GOOD: -I've come to expect perfection from this comic, and it's come to deliver every single time. -Man, Andrea Sorrentino is something else. He clearly puts so much effort into his artwork, it's really something to behold. -Whoa, I didn't expect to see old Angie appear there. -Holy shit, that guy was the [SPOILER REDACTED]! Well done, Mr. Lemire. Well done. -That splash page that is literally in the middle is incredible. -Man, I cannot wait for the next issue. THE BAD: -Not much. Not much at all.

THE GOOD: -This series won't give me a break. If you're not reading it, you're missing out. -I don't know how Andrea Sorrentino does it. He's a god. That's the only rational explanation for how he can put out such amazing art so consistently. -Damn, the character work is great here. Wilfred's internal conflicts are becoming more dark and complex by the page and Angie is so goddamn compelling. -Holy shit, this issue scared me. That Rebecca scene was absolutely terrifying. -Jeff Lemire can write. I cannot wait for these guys' Joker comic. -This provided a satisfying update to the second arc's finale. I can't wait to see Norton and Clara's issue. THE BAD: -After an excellent three-issue story arc, I will say that this issue is not quite as good as the last few issues. It's still fantastic, however.

THE GOOD: -This was incredible. You don't even need me to tell you that anymore. -Andrea Sorrentino. I can't praise him enough. Words can't describe how much I love this f***ing art. -That opening scene was perfectly creepy and it presented a nice little origin story for Norton's scar. -These characters are so wonderful. I love them all. -When Norton walks into Doc Sutton's study. Talk about trippy man. And that's not even the best part of the issue. -Somehow, despite having seen him since issue 2, this comic still manages to make the Laughing Man creepy as hell. -Jeff Lemire is a great write, but this is his masterpiece. So much work has been pouring into the story, I doubt anything he writes in the future will top it. -That scene with Doc Sutton is how you do madness in a comic book properly. THE BAD: -Nah. Nothing. It's perfect again. Go read it. It'd be a crime to yourself not to.

THE GOOD: -I love this series. It's slowly becoming one of my all-time favorites. -Andrea Sorrentino's talent is just incredible. I can't wait for Killer Smile. -Oh man, Sutton's dream sequence was just fantastic. Creepy, trippy, everything I expect from this series. -Wow. That panel with the Bishop's agent standing behind Wilfred. Legitimately freaky. -I really love Norton and Clara. Their relationship is great. It's simple, but the way Norton rejects Clara when she tries to mend their relationship from their childhood is fantastic. -Things are ramping up really nicely. -The Bishop is a great character. It's especially satisfying to see him again after his three-issue story arc. -This series sure knows how to leave me on the edge of my seat. THE BAD: -I don't think Angie and Wilfred gel quite as well as Clara and Norton. To be fair though...

THE GOOD: -Yet another amazing issue. -This art is so good. -Wow, I didn't expect it, but Norton and Doc Sutton's scenes together were really great and genuine. I guess it would make sense that those two characters would connect. -The story is really ramping up. I am so engaged and I cannot wait for what's to come. -That two page splash was really cool and its clear a ton of work was put into it. -The Laughing Man now being able to infect other people's bodies is a really cool revelation. I cannot wait to see where it goes. -This issue got really disturbing during a certain scene and it was super effective. -I love the mission aspect Wilfred and Clara's story has taken on. It makes their story far more interesting. Plus I like the goal of uniting the five. -The Bishop is f*cking awesome, as per usual. -This issue did a great job of keeping its exposition interesting. During the Bishop's monologue, I was never once bored. -I cannot wait to see the Ploughmen united. THE BAD: -Nothing. This series is just too good for me.

THE GOOD: -Another phenomenal issue. -The opening scene here was really atmospheric and creepy. -Andrea Sorrentino is just so good. He even manages to make ordinary panels look amazing. -I just love Norton and Doc Sutton together. There's not even anything explicitly special about their interaction this issue, their characters just work so well together. -The Ploughmen were pretty much just what I was expecting and it was great. -Angie and Wilfred's story went from my least favorite to my favorite. Their interactions felt really genuine here, and I love the silhouettes. It was a nice twist to a scene that was pretty much just talking. -Damn. Angie's backstory was really simple, but sad. Maybe it's the believability of it. I dunno, it affected me. -The KRITCH lettering was quite effective, plus I love me some spider legs. -That last page was great. THE BAD: -Nah, I got nothing again.

THE GOOD: -The art's still amazing and pretty much carries the issue. -Thankfully, I still love these characters, and will be compelled to follow them no matter what happens. -Giant cockroaches? Count me in. -The Ploughmen's story was easily the most engaging part of the issue. -I'm way more interested in next issue. I'm curious about the mall, and seeing things come together even more will be (hopefully) satisfying. THE BAD: -This was the weakest issue in a while. It's a shame, but, I really didn't enjoy this as much as the other issues. -The pond scene didn't feel very natural. It felt like it happened only because it had to, and the real shame is, it didn't even have to. It was completely unnecessary. The imagery just felt sort of weak, compared to what other issues have done, as well.

THE GOOD: -This was the issue we needed. -This art is top-tier. -Every scene inside the mall was mind-blowing. -This issue was actually rather disturbing. -I love these characters so much. -The Laughing Man's final form is just so weird and creepy. I love it. -Wilfred and Angie's appearance couldn't have been more awesome and better timed. -That ending was so good. THE BAD: -The only thing I would change about this would be the "You can't hurt me because I don't believe in you" cliche.

Glad to see this series back. Pretty tame issue tbh, but I'm sure things will pick up from here.

Best issue in a while. I'm so engaged with the characters and the story.

Clara is like the least interesting Gideon Falls character, so having an entire issue based around her was bound to be below average. This is just sort of one big action scene with some cool imagery. Nothing I'd complain about, but I know this series can be so much better.

(Minor not-really-spoilers ahead) THE GOOD: -Javier Fernandez's art is a very good addition to the series that I hope to see in plenty more than two issues. He captures what the series should feel like really well and his portrayal of the characters is great. -The setup for the death of Alison Kim was really good. Reminded me of Saw a little bit. Clever and original, not a typical death you'd see in a comic. Except she didn't die...Is that really a spoiler? Did you really expect anything else? -Is Kate Spencer Citizen?! THE BAD: -The writing. It's not really terrible, it's just very plain and cliched. The story arc has a great premise with Citizen, but it never delivers. -Chili?! Why?! That could have been a great romantic moment, but instead we get chili. Say what you will about Percy, but at least he captured the chemistry of Green Arrow and Black Canary well. -Was there really a purpose to that car chase, besides to look cool. It wasn't even that good of a chase scene, why would-sigh. I give up.

THE GOOD: -I really appreciate that this issue isn't trying to be anything huge or epic. It's a simple story, but it's a remarkable one. -I was in tears at the end of this issue. I'll leave it at that. -The Bensons sure know how to characterize Oliver Queen, that's for sure. -The interactions with the other members of the Justice League were really good. Emotional, and an excellent way of showing Oliver's desperation for finding a way to bring back Roy. -The splashes were an excellent and pretty original way of offsetting the main story using flashbacks. -The end was incredible. Purely incredible. THE BAD: -The art wasn't my favorite. It didn't capture the emotion and feel of the issue enough for me, and the facial work didn't appeal here.

THE GOOD: -I enjoyed the art. It's a step down from previous issues, but it's still pretty good. THE BAD: -Citizen is equally the least interesting and most boring villain this series has had. -This issue came off of such a good issue before it, I was actually quite excited for it. Unfortunately I was let down, as they are simply continuing the bad story arc before that issue, and with an issue that actually makes the story arc more boring and forgettable. -This issue had crappy writing. I looked, and it ended up being the same writers of the previous issue, which evoked a beautiful father son relationship and really hit me in the feels. This issue does none of that. -I am not at all compelled by the mystery/investigation in this issue. It is uninteresting and brings down the issue. -A very predictable and stupid end.

THE GOOD: -I liked the art. Nothing amazing. But it's alright. -I guess I kind of liked Black Canary in Green Arrow's costume. I guess? -I will admit, I liked that speech after Ollie defeated Citizen. -I also liked that we get ties to Roy's death once again. The Heroes in Crisis deaths are really starting to feel impactful. -The end was cheesy but kind of sweet. THE BAD: -There's some stupid dialogue here. Cheesy and ineffective. Not a good mix. -Of course we get the, "I snuck a tracker onto you" cliche to explain how Black Canary located Ollie. Maybe Citizen should invest in a tracker scanner. In fact all villains should! Maybe I'll send that idea to DC, or just plunge into the world of the comic book and use it there. Because I can totally do that. -So Citizen was just a random cop. Well, that's kind of disappointing.

THE GOOD: -I like them exploring the Black Canary singer angle again. I always liked that aspect of her. -I've never really like Count Vertigo, but this issue cranks my appreciation for him up a whole notch. -God, I love this art. The characters look nice, and the trippiness factor is very high. -I really liked the dialogue between Black Canary and Green Arrow. They finally have good chemistry and their banter is great. -Kelly and Lanzing are the best things that have happened to this series. I'm actually really sad it's cancelled, I want more than three issues of this. Please, DC, the Bensons may have sucked, but this is awesome! Please! -Two panels is all it takes for this creative team to hit me in the feels with Roy's death. Two panels, and its better in that aspect than every HiC issue combined and multiplied by two. -I absolutely love the MC Escher visuals for this. They gave the issue character and reminded me of Doctor Strange, but still unique and different enough to be truly something special. -There are some really awesome splash pages in this issue. And I mean that fully. Awesome. -I'm really hooked. I just wish this could be longer. THE BAD: -My only complaint is the Jayce Riot character. That whole segment was uninteresting and felt like filler. They should've spent the whole issue focused on Count Vertigo.

THE GOOD: -Nice art. Not as good as last time, but still good. -Still lovin' the Inception visuals. I will highlight some standouts of this below. -Count Vertigo turning Green Arrow's arrow into a spiral straw was just neat. -Seeing different Dinah's and different Ollies growing out of each other was cool. It reminded me of Gideon Falls actually. Maybe I'm just too obsessed with that series. -Then comes the real kicker. Green Arrow firing the Space Needle out of his bow. As someone who lives near Seattle, I will always think of this issue when I see the Space Needle again. -The emotion came really hard-hitting this issue. I absolutely loved the resolution. Not an action scene, but a powerful tribute to Roy. -Count Vertigo turned from boring to compelling in just a few panels. Nice job, Kelly and Lanzing. THE BAD: -I really hate Jayce. She's just a weak character. -I also thought Dinah was really weak this issue. Which is weird, considering I liked her a lot last issue. -I'm sorry, but even with the emotional context, Oliver saying the words, "I'm Green Arrow, I can do anything," is just super corny. -The end of this issue doesn't have me hooked. I have a feeling issue 50 will be messy. Then again, I could be wrong. -I don't know, I liked last issue a lot, this just didn't feel like it was nearly as good.

THE GOOD: -Surprisingly enough, this didn't feel like a cobbled together finale issue, which is probably what it was, but at least it felt like a well-thought out, planned out finale. -I'm sad. It's done. Oh well, sounds like DC is going to reboot it anyways. If you're reading this review, comment below on who you'd like to see as a creative team for a Green Arrow relaunch. I personally am not sure. I like some of Alex Maleev's Green Arrow artwork, so he'd be a good artist. A lot of my favorite writers are either busy or working under an exclusive contract for another publisher. -Kelly and Lanzing are surprisingly great writers this issue. -I've always been partial to Javier Fernandez's art. This issue he did great once again. -I liked the countdown format for this issue. -The emotion this issue was so good. -The action scenes were also great. Surprisingly enough, this issue balanced emotion and action perfectly. -That reveal with the box was fantastic and perfectly executed. -The end was amazing. -I really like the setup this issue has for a potential relaunch. THE BAD: -I hate Jayce. She's a dumb character I really hope no one decides to revisit.

THE GOOD: -This issue gets credit just for feeling like a modern classic. Seriously, I bet that when this run's over, assuming all the other issues are consistent with this one, it will not only have a huge following, it will go down in history as one of, if not the greatest Green Lantern run of all time. -That art was amazing. I've never really read anything illustrated by Liam Sharp before, but this issue really makes me want to. Truly amazing. -I think Floozle Flem is the new best member of the Green Lantern Corps. All joking aside, I am trying to make a point here, and it's that there is some excellent originality in this issue. Also, I know it's only mentioned, but I am totally excited by idea of a microwave green lantern. -This series is genuinely a step above all the other DC series I'm reading right now. It is unique, and it feels like something refreshingly new for a publisher that a few weeks ago, I was concerned about running out of fuel. -BUMS RULE! -Overall, I'm just excited by the setup in this issue. Not only do the coming soon pages excite me, they make me sit on the edge of my seat for what's to come. Also, I'm just really interested because of the mystery and that final page. -Grant Morrison is a great writer. This issue oozes with genius and master writing. THE BAD: -The only complaint I can come up with is a small one, and its that the character of Green Lantern could improve. I'm not saying it's bad, but it's the only aspect of this issue that feels like it could be better in some way. He is a clever, cool character who has sex outside his house, but I haven't really been given too many reasons to connect with him.

THE GOOD: -I have said it before, I will say it again, this series feels like a modern classic. I hope Morrison's run on the character is long, and if so, I will certainly be getting the omnibus of this one, to sit next to my Doom Patrol, Animal Man and Batman omnibus, because it is as good as those. -I really liked the opening to this issue. A subtle introduction into craziness that will eventually happen. -I love Liam Sharp's art. It was even better in this issue for me. His depiction of all of these crazy Lanterns and aliens fit Morrison's crazy writing perfectly. I wonder how many times I will say crazy in this review? -That volcano Lantern has replaced Floozle Flem as my favorite Green Lantern. -I really liked the interrogation scene with the Space-Bug-Pirate thing. It was a nice interrogation room scene, Morrison-style. -Evil Star was a funny villain. I enjoyed him more than the giant guinea pig from issue 1. -I laughed a lot in this issue. From Evil Star to Hal feeding the pirate Trilla-Tru's lunch, I really enjoyed this issue's humor. -I appreciate this series just for being so out there! I love the unique-ness of this series, and this issue furthers that love. -I thought seeing that really old Evil Star was pretty awesome. -The end was pretty interesting. Not the best setup, and its been done before however. -Crazy. Crazy, crazy, crazy. Crazy. CRAZY! Craaazzzyy. Let's see now...1...2. I'm sorry. I have a weird sense of humor. THE BAD: -Once again, my main complaint is about the main character. I hope we get more chances to connect with Hal. I still hope this series has a long life to do so. -I'm not sure about this vampire lady villain. She seems pretty menacing, but compared to some of the other villains this series has had in two issues, I'm not sure how good she'll be.

THE GOOD: -I love the art. Nothing else I have to say about that. -I also love all of the weird creatures that Morrison and Sharp conjure up. They really stood out in this issue. -The auction was pretty great, I enjoyed that scene a lot. -I thought that Shepherd was a really fun and interesting villain. -I also liked the artificial sun, and how everyone hated Green Lantern. I find it hard to believe people would turn that quickly though, even for superpowers! -The scene with Shepherd's fuel source was twisted and effectively disturbing. THE BAD: -While I enjoyed Sharp's art overall, that page with the Justice League was just... ew! -I will admit there was some weirdness that took me out of the story here. -I wasn't a fan of the end. I already had issues with Jordan before, but now he's gone from uncompelling to... well, read the issue!

THE GOOD: -God, I love Liam Sharp's art. It's just so perfect. -Once again its the world building and unique creatures and characters that make this issue worthwhile. -I thought the frame story format was very good for this issue. -I thought that trader guy was just super neat. -Nice to see Volcano Lantern again. I genuinely love that dude. -It's also great to see Hal facing punishment for last issue. -I will admit the twist last issue caught me off guard. It was also just very clever. THE BAD: -I don't know why, but the introduction to this issue just didn't hook me like the first three. -I found the main story with the Sun-Eater to be just okay. Great for a normal series, but for the expectations I have for this one, it was meh. I prefer the auction or Space-Pirate story lines.

THE GOOD: -This issue was so good. I think it's my favorite issue yet. -Yes! Liam Sharp's art hit all the right notes here. -I really liked seeing Hal go through all the different trials this issue. -I'm not going to waste words going through all the little details I loved in this comic. That would take too long. Just know this comic is pretty much the opposite of being "rough around the edges." The edges are the best part. Morrison and Sharp create an immersive universe like no other with this comic. -I think my favorite part of the issue was the weird zombie knight and his brides. That was just too cool. -The flashback to the first issue was well-timed and generally excellent. -This Blackstar Parallax idea is really intriguing. It's a compelling storyline. -Ooh. That ending's got me super excited. -For once, I liked Hal Jordan. I wouldn't exactly describe him as compelling, but seeing him fight all these creatures was just super satisfying. THE BAD: -I'm not into the Blackstar lady villain. The idea's neat, but the execution is bland.

THE GOOD: -This comic continues to be a stellar series, and one I look forward to consistently. -Liam Sharp was great. There wasn't as much for him to draw this time around, but he still knocked it out of the park. -I really liked the Green Lantern/Adam Strange shootout arena scene. -This was a good end to the first story arc. -Yes! Finally they got Hal right. He felt like a character for once. I have a feeling the next arc will be even better considering this issue fixed the one thing that was wrong with these otherwise great first six issues. -I really liked the whole "my willpower is stronger" bit at the end. That was neat. -I have absolutely no idea what was going on at the end there, but I'm excited to see more. THE BAD: -This issue just didn't quite have the same magic that the previous issues had. Maybe it's because this issue was so much more normal than the others. Maybe it's the lack of goofy creatures. I don't know.

THE GOOD: -This was phenomenal. Just absolutely phenomenal. I really have nothing else to say. -The writing here is super-impressive. Whenever Grant Morrison incorporates prose into his stories, it always turns out fantastic. This may be the best example though. -The art is just amazing. The layouts were great and the world is incredibly immersive. -This was honestly the best issue of this series, and one of the best issues I have read in recent memory. -I love the attention to detail. Every panel has something amazing to show off. -The twist here was absolutely mind-blowing. Not only the idea, but the execution. The subtle foreshadowing through the paneling. Everything. -Myrwhidden was a great character, especially after the reveal. -And wow, that end. Just, everything about it. THE BAD: -Nothing. I really loved this comic a whole lot.

THE GOOD: -Well, at least the art was good. -Xeen Lantern was a great inclusion. -I'm excited for next issue, just because it won't have this storyline. THE BAD: -Man, both characters are really annoying in this issue. -The trippy drug-fueled nature of this issue just did not work.

THE GOOD: -This was a pretty good issue. It's still far from the best this series can be, however. -The art is really great. I love it. -I liked the sword and sorcery take on Green Lantern. That was fun. -I don't know how I'm gonna feel about next issue, but I can't wait to see more of that stoner Lantern. THE BAD: -I don't really feel like this warranted a whole issue, story-wise. Especially considering the story continues into issue 10, so it's not self-contained. -Eh, I'm not crazy about an alternate earth storyline. Those have never been my favorite, and the end of this issue was rather predictable. Nothing like the crazy twist ending in issue 7.

THE GOOD: -This is so fun and creative. So much different than so many other books DC is putting out right now. -Liam Sharp and Grant Morrison just fit. I think that's part of the reason the annual was so bad, was because the art and writing didn't click. -Oh man, the Earth 32 page was just... everything i want to see in any comic. -The undead Trinity just proves Liam Sharp needs to illustrate more horror comics. -I mean, I'm excited for next issue. That seems to be an unfortunate trend with this one though. A lackluster issue gets me excited with the last page for... what ultimately is another lackluster issue. And so on. I'll hold out hope for this one though. THE BAD: -I loved the stoner Lantern at first because he was just so Grant Morrison. Then as the issue went on, I grew really really tired of him and became incredible annoyed by his jokes. -Did this really need to be a two-parter? This combined with the last issue, likely combined with the next issue just feel so... stretched out. There are great moments there, but they feel few and far between -I don't know. A lot of the various Lanterns here had excellent designs, but weren't really utilized in any interesting way. They served their purpose, I just feel kinda ripped off more fun wasn't had.

THE GOOD: -Okay, I hate the stoner lantern, but his oath was absolutely hilarious. I was so dead inside after reading this issue, however, that I probably would've laughed at anything. THE BAD: -This was incredibly boring. It took me forever to get through this. -Even Liam Sharp seems tired. His art is really losing it's flair fast. -I kind of feel like Grant Morrison is using his weirdness now in place of compelling characters and an interesting story, as much as it pains me to say. -Dear God. I cannot stand that Batman Green Lantern. His dialogue is an atrocity. -That interlude was just so random.

I don't know if I can really review this issue properly. The plot has become so convoluted, I've stopped following it. I'll give it a five, since I didn't really know what was going on, which prevented me from really having proper judgement of the issue. All I saw were scenes. The art was nice, though. I dunno. This series started off good, but really started to go downhill after the second arc started. I love Grant Morrison, but I don't know if I can bring myself to read anything else related to this issue afterwards.

THE GOOD: -Every time I see this artwork, it continues to impress me. -The character interactions here are golden. -Don't worry Lockjaw. I was excited to see you. -That splash page with Hela and Gladiator is really quite awesome. -Cosmic Ghost Rider is still perfect. -Hela is a fantastic villain. -Oh man, Eros. Oh man. -That ending is all kinds of bad. In a good way. THE BAD: -I don't really like how this issue brushed off the last issue's ending so easily, even if some humor was added.

THE GOOD: -This was fine. Nothing special, nothing offensive. -The art was very good. Some weird facial expressions, but overall really nice looking. -The visuals for that opening dream sequence were nice. -Hey, Joker was great! His design was good, and Sejic writes him far better than any other character here. -I want that Batman/Joker two page splash on my wall. I know I already talked about the art, but it really stood out as especially awesome here. THE BAD: -I don't really find this story interesting at all. I don't really need to know how Harley got to Arkham, and anything that didn't involve the Joker was really quite boring, which is a pretty big mistake for a series that's supposed to focus on Harley. -I rolled my eyes with all the Dr. Collins scandal stuff. -This was very slow moving. It's a nice big book, but I really think the same effect and plot-progression could be achieved in a 20-page comic. -The Lucius Fox, Harvey Dent, Hugo Strange cameos felt kinda fanservice-y, unfortunately. -I don't think Sejic is a great writer. His dialogue for Joker was good, and maybe Mr. Morris, but other than that, it's a nice looking book and not much else.

This was a well-done third issue. I think Carter's internal monologue is well written, his dialogue a bit on-the-nose, in that it ends up being a sort of "I wonder what this could be?" "Oh! Its a-" and so on. But still the characterization is pretty spot on if you ask me and the action scenes feel pretty darn epic. I really liked the dialogue for the scene with the elder Feitheran, although that battle seemed a tad bit drawn out, as it is just barely escaping being labeled as filler. Bryan Hitch's art is by far the best part of the issue, however. It provides an excellent epic feeling for a comic that should feel exactly that way. I absolutely love the art! All in all, a good issue, I would recommend!

THE GOOD: -Amazing art. One of the best artists currently drawing a series, Bryan Hitch's art is something to be marveled at. -A lot of the splash pages worked really well. They felt really epic due to Venditti's knack for writing cinematic scenes. and Hitch's stellar art. -It's good to see DC isn't throwing away the Microverse. It is a very interesting location in the DC Universe and it deserves to be seen more. -Really great action scenes here. They were what made the second half of the book the best part. All in all, the action is where Venditti finds his strength in writing THE BAD: -This issue was a bit too much exposition for me. I found myself very bored by the time the issue hit the halfway point. Thankfully the series ascended into less dialogue-filled action scenes later on. Still the first half of this issue is way too much exposition. -I wish this issue could have explored Carter and Ray's relationship more. Instead Atom was little more than a boring old guest star in this issue.

THE GOOD: -Amazing art. I hope Bryan Hitch never leaves the series. -I liked the way Hawkman and Atom talked to each other. It shows that Robert Venditti really understands each character, and their relationship. -There was some really cool action scenes here. I enjoyed them a lot. -I liked the end. It was cool and really exciting for later issues. THE BAD: -I do wish plot-wise, more could've happened. It was an interesting escape, but there wasn't really anything about the plot that I loved. -I also didn't find this issue super-memorable. There were a lot of things I liked, but I feel like previous issues have left me with a bit more in my head afterward.

THE GOOD: -This was a great self-contained issue. At first I thought it's plot was just an introduction, but as it became the entire issue, I actually enjoyed it more. -The writing was pretty great. Venditti is really good at writing omniscient disembodied voices. -I love Bryan Hitch's art. It is super cinematic and fits the writing really well. -The whole concept of seeing Carter as a Deathbringer is great, and this issue executes it masterfully. -I loved seeing him be broken down by this woman he keeps seeing as well. -Everything that happens after Carter's death was pretty awesome in my opinion. Amazing imagery. Great effects. Super cool! -This was a great answer to the mystery presented in the first six issues, and it sets up more great issues to come. THE BAD: -My only complaint is that I wish they didn't have the last page. I feel like the impact of the issue would be greater if it took place entirely in the life of the original Carter. End with that amazing shot of Carter's eye, or splash page. I just thought the last page felt abrupt and without it, the focus of the issue would be greater.

THE GOOD: -Bryan Hitch's art was still fantastic. He continues to deliver on every level with this series. -That simulation-thing was pretty cool. Hitch's art really translated that perfectly. -I will admit to liking the scene where they talk with Krypton falling apart around them. That was cool. -I'm semi-excited for the Deathbringers, I guess? THE BAD: -So this issue is just Carter and Catar-Ol talking? Not sure how I feel about that. -Alright I'm really bored with this issue. What a disappointing follow-up to last issue. -1 point.

THE GOOD: -This issue was a great final battle. Cinematic, epic. Well done. -Bryan Hitch is really leaving this series with a bang. He's giving us some of his best work in years. -Seeing all those different Hawkmen was great. -Idamm is a great villain. Venditti succeeds in making him more than just an obstacle for Carter. -The "I am Hawkman" scene was good, if a little cheesy. I don't mind cheese though. THE BAD: -My only complaint is the final scene was just really corny.

THE GOOD: -The opening to this issue was perfect. I love it. -This was a great sendoff to Bryan Hitch's epic run as the artist of this series. -This felt like a proper conclusion to a great year-long, epic story arc, despite some iffy moments. -Seeing these bad guys get defeated was so satisfying. -Carter remembering all his pasts was real cool. -I loved the ending of this issue and I am excited for the next story-arc. THE BAD: -So now Carter quips. Oh man, the humor in this issue was so cringe-y, and it kind of ruined the otherwise awesome defeat of Idamm. -Unfortunately Carter gets the Flynn Rider treatment here, with his nose never looking quite right.

I wasn't a fan of this. It's obviously much worse than Spurrier's Hellblazer, and isn't worth the price tag, plus the art sucked.

I forgot about this series, but it's pretty good. I like the premise a lot, but so far, they've yet to go anywhere interesting with it.

This won me over. It was just really well done. Creepy, well-paced, pretty good art. Although, I'm not totally sold on all these characters.

I have no idea where the fuck this came from, but this was excellent. I was really wrong about this series. Maybe I'm just warming up to it, but I think the art has really improved too.

I liked this a lot. Couple hiccups with the writing, but this is definitely the most engaging X-of-Swords story so far, and Mr. Sinister is just a great character.

THE GOOD: -I liked the cuts to the sessions in Sanctuary, which was both surprising deep and an excellent juxtaposition with the main plot. -Tom King took the challenge of writing Harley to a whole new level. The combination of humor and actually diving into the personality of Harley was excellently done. -The Old McDonald reference (if you could call it that) was a really good, very Kingian moment. Yes. Tom King has his own adjective now. -Clay Mann's art is fantastic. The tone is amazingly captured here and every panel is eye candy. -I liked seeing the weaker side of all these heroes. They're constantly projected as these untouchable beings, but much like his historic Vision run, Tom King does an outstanding job of finally making these characters human. -The deaths were really felt. For being so highly advertised, I'm surprised that they really hit so hard, but they did. -This issue really did an amazing job of delving into the definition of a superhero. It peels back the layers, and really gives us this excellent take on modern heroics. -This is kind of an extension of the first thing I said, but I love the way this issue ends, not with a huge cliffhanger or explosion, but simply with an image of a broken man, in dire need of help. THE BAD: -I didn't like the issue just kind of started. There could have been a better introduction to the scene, I feel. -This issue could have been a bit more, in terms of what's there, especially after being so highly advertised. A good introduction, its hard to determine the overall series' feel/quality from what we're given.

THE GOOD: -Great art. Clay Mann continues to deliver in this issue. -I love the therapy session scenes. In a typical comic, I would usually knock those for being too repetitive, but for now, the emotion and character depth these scenes display is too remarkable for me to care -Very funny issue. I laughed a lot. I honestly think Tom King is a better comedy writer than anything else. Except for Nightwing, which he needs to stay at least ten feet away from ever writing again at all times. -Really cool title page. A nice juxtaposition to the first page and just a cool looking splash that I would love to have hanging in my room. -Harley Quinn's singing has grown on me. By dialing it WAY down and making it a little more funny, King has successfully captured a lot of what made his previous "repetitive" concepts good. THE BAD: -The unfortunate thing about this issue is that I just am not at all intrigued by the mystery. To correctly be like Identity Crisis, which I would like to point out is one of my favorite comics of all time (sorry haters) the series has to make the reader feel like they're at the edge of their seat constantly. They have to be guessing every possible suspect until the last issue. This series so far, has barely even touched the whole "whodunit" angle despite highly advertising it. Yes... I'm going to say it. The advertisements ended up having a bigger mystery theme than the book. -Now, you may ask, what is it about, if not a mystery? Well, good question. So far, I'd say an adequate description of the series plot so far is "Booster Gold and Harley Quinn Doing Stuff." All joking aside, the plot isn't appealing to me either. -Wasn't a fan of the fan service of putting Harley in her old costume for no reason. Not only has it been done before, there wasn't even an excuse to do so, like in Batman #53. -I'm not a fan of how choppy this issue is. King's flat defunct Wes-Anderson writing doesn't go well with the abrupt transitions from scene to scene this issue has. -Is this series ignoring Bendis's Superman? I don't blame them, considering that last issue. Still the Lois Lane continuity errors are too distracting for me to enjoy the completely unnecessary scene that took place with her.

THE GOOD: -Alright, I'll admit it. I loved this issue. I can understand the negative reception, but this issue was a powerful best issue in the series. -I didn't even know Lee Weeks did the art, but I will admit, I enjoyed it more that Mann's. It seemed to capture the emotion really, really well. -Speaking of emotion, this issue evoked a true emotional response in me. King used his dialogue to the advantage of portraying those broken characters suffering from PTSD, and it truly felt real and tragic in a way that is relevant today. -I have not cried in a long time. Lagoon Boy's story made me. -I do think Harley is a red herring. I don't think this series is the type of mystery that will give away its killer 1/3 of the way in. I really like the theory that Nemesis is the killer, because if so, it would make that last panel such a nice and subtle bit of foreshadowing. -The whole flashback idea was pretty great. I enjoyed it a lot. -The bookends of this book were awesome. The best use of the therapy sessions I have yet to see. -"Is this enough, Wally?" Such a cool line! -This issue, for me, really made it feel like the mystery elements were kicking into high gear. THE BAD: -I actually found nothing wrong with this issue. I am super surprised, considering I found the previous issue to be just okay.

THE GOOD: -I'm loving Clay Mann's art, but I almost think Lee Weeks captured the emotion necessary for the story better, y'know? -I thought the beginning with Tempest was a truly sad and also powerful moment that I really enjoyed, not to mention the best title credits we've gotten yet. -I actually thought that Batgirl's therapy session was a very powerful callback to the Killing Joke. -I think the Harley and Batgirl relationship is played out really nicely and well-done in this issue. -"Bros before heroes." +1/2 point for Booster and Beetle bromance, one of my favorite things ever. -Black Canary's therapy session wasn't so much powerful, but it was humorous and it had a great use of silence as an effect in the book. -The Trinity's scene was pretty great. I don't agree with some of the decisions made about Lois and Clark's characters in this comic but it was still a funny scene that was well-written. THE BAD: -Lois doing what she did seems a bit forced. Also, I'm still pretty annoyed that this comic contradicts Bendis' Superman. Granted, I like this series a lot better than Bendis' Superman. -I really wish this series would focus on the mystery it has more than it does. We're four issues in, and we've barely progressed past the Puddlers and what that even means.

THE GOOD: -The art was soooo good. -The Booster/Beetle romance was great this issue. Natural, not trying too hard. -I'm not super keen on the history of Commander Steel, but his monologue looked to incorporate elements of his past in cool ways. I don't know, I could be wrong. -Nice to see the mystery finally progressing after several issues of nothing. -All in all, good therapy sessions this time. No standouts. Harley's was powerful, I suppose. Nice to see a weak spot with her after all of her ridiculous god-like powers this issue. -Superman's speech was pretty good. It didn't hit as hard as I wanted it to, but still pretty good. -Towards the end of this issue, when we see all those different characters... that was awesome. Blue Devil's scene was the prime example of how to invoke emotion in a single panel, as opposed to prattling on, trying to do so, with little to no effect. THE BAD: -Eh, I'm not much for that depressed Booster with "a smudge in his glasses" from the Gift story arc. Its not the worst thing, I just prefer to see Booster as a brighter character in the DC Universe (he's also my all time favorite superhero so... y'know). -Batgirl's dialogue this issue was just .... ew! -I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of dark stories. -For some reason, something about this issue just didn't click with me. I liked the last few issues of this one a lot, but this just felt wrong. Why, I for some reason can't put my finger on.

THE GOOD: -Utterly fantastic art. If you read my reviews, you already know this. -The first and last pages were great. Those were some of the only parts that were able to garner an emotional response from me. -I liked Wally's story. Yeah, it was kind of a repeat of Issue 3, but this whole issue is basically the sequel to issue 3. -There was a nice little twist at the end there. THE BAD: -This issue was boring. Like really, really boring. I wasn't just mildly disinterested, I was actually looking forward to when I could finish this issue and move on to better issues. Which is weird, because there wasn't really any exposition, it was just a boring story. -The lack of plot progression is really frustrating. Usually I excuse little interlude issues like this, but it's starting to feel like every issue has been some kind of interlude issue where nothing happens. This series would really benefit being 5 issues or even less. -This issue really missed the mark with the emotion. Which is weird, Issue 3 made me cry. This issue made me cry because I wanted it to be over. -I don't know whose idea it was to add one-shot issues to the main series issues. Even as a one-shot, this felt really dull. -I could've done without the dialogue. I feel like if I flipped through this issue, without reading words, I would be like, "This is the best thing ever!" But reading those words really made this issue a negative experience. They just felt hollow and meaningless. -This issue just was way too long. Even the payoff at the end didn't really feel worth it, what with all the stalling (I don't really know what else to call it) to get there.

THE GOOD: -Under normal circumstances, I would be excited to see some kind of reveal about Wally, but considering it took seven issue to get there, no, I'm not going to consider that good. THE BAD: -I used to like this series, love it even, but it's gone from masterpiece to tragedy for me at least. Maybe it never was a masterpiece. -This is inexcusable. Has Tom King stopped trying? This issue seemed to prove so. -The dialogue was B-A-D bad. Like bad bad. Really really bad. I cannot express how bad this dialogue is. Hey! That kinda sounded like a piece of dialogue from a Tom King comic! -Wally's therapy sessions were just... No. No no no no no no no no. No. -The art was sloppy. I mean, hell, what'd you expect, it's three different artists, and it all feels so rushed. So much for the one good thing about this comic. -I mean, can you even call this a comic? It feels more like a cash-grab at best. I kinda feel sad that so many trees got chopped down for this shit. -Barry and Batman's scenes made me want to kill myself. -The humor this issue was awful. No joke. Like literally, no joke in this comic works. -It's been awhile since a comic actually made me mad. Well... not so long. It happened with the Road Runner Batman issue that I burned last night... I mean what? I definitely didn't do anything of the sort... (insert nervous laugh here). -AAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!* *Enraged comic book fan for "[Censored, because this amount of profanity should never be seen on the internet]

No.

SPOILERS FOR LAST ISSUE BELOW! THE GOOD: -As atrocious as this issue is, I did enjoy the "Bros before heroes" line. THE BAD: -With a few exceptions, the therapy sessions were really not very good. -I'll be honest, the art wasn't my favorite here. I don't really know why, something about it seemed just seemed stiff I suppose. -The issue sure gives us all our signature dose of cringe worthy Tom King dialogue. -The characters are all just really poor here. -Wally's speech was really bad. Like, really bad. Maybe worse than his whole confession last issue. -This whole thing got really convoluted in the end, with the complicated time travel mechanics. -Just an incredibly weak ending.

THE GOOD: -This was really, really good! I loved it. -Yeah between Silva and Larraz, Larraz definitely has the better art out of this X-Men relaunch. Still can't wait for Yu. I always loved his art. -I think Mr. Hickman can make a compelling story out of anything. If yould've told me this issue was about Moira Groundhog's Day-ing it through her various lives, I probably would've had lower expectations. But it was great. It held my interest really well. -Damn that last page was amazing. More proof that the two-series-are-one thing isn't just a gimmick. -These charts definitely get tiring after a while, but Moira's timeline was definitely the best one yet. Nicely organized, easy-to-follow and interesting. THE BAD: -I will admit more could've been done for Moira's character. The story is great, but there are only a couple moments I really felt like we saw into her character. I could be wrong, because Hickman is known for subtlety, but in this case, I feel like character-wise, he maybe got a bit too subtle for my simple-minded brain.

THE GOOD: -This was another stellar issue. I don't think you need me to tell you that. -The art was great again. I'm not sure it was as stellar as Powers #3, but it was still more wonderful visuals from Larraz. -The graphics were good here, even if the order and layout got a bit confusing at times. -The script was absolutely beautiful here. Jonathan Hickman is an artist with words. -These action scenes are so epic and linear and wonderfully conveyed by both main parties involved in the storytelling. -That ending was absolutely incredible. THE BAD: -I wasn't as interested in the Sabretooth trial scene for whatever reason.

THE GOOD: -This was the best issue of Hickman's X-Men yet. It was really quite stunning. -Yeah, no. I take back everything I've ever said about the graphics before. The ones in this issue weren't just interesting, the emotional payoff at the end was incredible. -This is just the definition of epic. The scale for this to grow bigger hasn't been invented. -This issue had some absolutely stellar character moments. -Hickman's script is near-poetic and yet he balances it with incredibly stunning and vivid action sequences. -Speaking of those action scenes, they need so much appreciation. So. Much. -Aside from that really goofy Mystique panel, Larraz's art was top-notch here. -This issue just kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Usually with issues as dense as this, I'm bored out of my mind, but not here. -Hickman has done such an incredible job with continuity. I wish my high school science projects were as well-reasearched as this comic. -The ending of this issue hit hard. I have no other words to say. -I am so excited for what comes next. This is gonna be the best X-Men run since Claremont. THE BAD: -Nah. Nothing. Read this issue.

THE GOOD: -This was a good issue. Not nearly as powerful as the last, but I don't think it's possible for an issue in this run to be bad. -I liked the explanation for the mutant resurrection. That whole concept was really well thought out and cool. -Storm's speech was good. Even if it was the point, I did get a little tired of the repetitive nature of it towards the end. -I really loved that conversation between Erik and Charles. The dialogue wasn't overblown and their interaction was great. -I liked the Emma Frost/Charles scene a lot too. -Apocalypse is wonderfully written here. -Well, that was a great damn ending. THE BAD: -Oh, boy. Those diagrams were a lot today. There was some great information there, but those three pages were just so boring.

THE GOOD: -This was a really stellar final issue. -Damn, that whole opening was just... epic. I have no other word for it. -Hickman's writing kind of reached a beautiful crescendo here. It combined the lore and the impact of previous issues for a wonderful tapestry of story and dialogue -The art was definitely at its best this issue too. Every page felt that much more cinematic and climactic because of the pencils and colors. -I was unsure of Sabretooth's storyline, because I didn't find it that interesting before, but it turned into a really great moral debate this issue. -Hickman dialed down the graphics this issue and it really improved the issue. -That last scene was just... everything. Everything I want to read in a comic. THE BAD: -Y'know, I think this was my favorite issue. We'll see how Powers' finale turns out.

THE GOOD: -The end of that issue was just purely and utterly phenomenal in every single way possible. One of the best ends to any issue I have read in years. -The script is great. Al Ewing is one of the most underrated Marvel writers currently. He's good with metaphors and other similar script elements, without being too heavy handed in them. -Sasquatch is a very worthy villain for this series. He felt as if he posed a threat, without being too over-the-top, a hard-to-do thing in modern comics. -That final battle scene was really good. Dramatic, tense and dark. It is what many movies' final fights aspire to be. -Joe Bennet's art is good. I still feel there could be someone better for the series, but for now, Joe Bennet is doing a great job. He captures the tone very well. THE BAD: -My only problem with this issue is that I wish we had more exposition as to the reveal behind Sasquatch. Not a huge problem, but it would have made the story perfect.

THE GOOD: -The art was very good. Garbett does a good job of continuing the series' tone, while still being new to the series. -There are still some very cool effects here, there are a lot of original moments involved. THE BAD: -This wasn't necessarily a bad issue, it just wasn't a good Hulk issue. The previous issues have been so good, and while this one's just average, it feels a lot worse in comparison. -This issue was sadly very forgettable. There was just not enough to be memorable. The first time I have felt this with an issue of this series. -The emotion here wasn't enough once again. I didn't feel Walter's regret, Jennifers sorrowful anger. Once again a surprise letdown of the week.

THE GOOD: -I really liked the way this issue made the battle feel like more than just a battle. It showed the danger that normal citizens were put in at the beginning and later on showed how not even the Earth's Mightiest Heroes were all that safe. -The evil or "devil" Hulk storyline is pretty interesting, I have to admit. It wasn't the smoothest of transitions, and it still doesn't make total sense, but it's a good new direction for the series to go towards in its second story arc. -I really liked the way we see just how powerful the Hulk is, and just how much of a threat he can be, not just physically but mentally as well. -Very good ending to the issue. It gets me excited for the next issue, and was a very well-executed twist. If only the cover to the ext issue doesn't reveal the end of this one. THE BAD: -Joe Bennett totally disappointed here. This series' only flaw is that it has yet to find the perfect artist. Bennett's two-dimensional action scenes felt like cartoons and did not do the writing a justice. -The defeat of the Hulk was an unfortunately convenient way to end the issue. I wasn't a fan of Helios.

THE GOOD: -I don't know when the Hulk became a body horror series, but I love it! -Joe Bennett's art is back on track. Excellent look to this book, I really enjoyed it. -I liked the end. It draws back to issue #5, remedying the fact that the previous two issues ignored that theme. -I actually enjoyed this weird villain in the issue. He met a quick demise, but at least he was memorable. THE BAD: -I'm not a huge fan of the whole Gamma Flight thing. I totally understand if you enjoy this part of the series, but I find Hulk's storyline infinitely better.

THE GOOD: -I liked the two simultaneous stories going on at the same time. It was a good effect to make this issue memorable. -I especially enjoy it when the two stories overlapped. That was pretty neat in my opinion. -I found both artists to be good. Martin Simmonds drew Hulk kind of weird, but other than that, it was good. -I thought Creel's story was really interesting actually. -It's nice to see some progress with the whole Hulk seeing his father thing. -I also like that we can see the affect the previous has on Hulk. That page where he loses it was really quite powerful. -Seeing that shrunken down Hulk was actually quite interesting. It sets up some intriguing future issues. -Those last two pages were so WTF and perfect at the same time. I love it. THE BAD: -I guess that Simmonds Hulk depiction wasn't great? That's all I could really find. That's a small thing too. I give it a 9.5.

THE GOOD: -Consistency is something I really look for in comics, and this series has it, as further proven by this issue. -At first I didn't like Joe Bennett's art. The last few issues have changed my mind in a big, big way. This issue is far from an exception. -I love body horror. The Thing and the Fly are two of my favorite movies. So you can probably see how seeing a shriveled up, distorted Hulk fighting an Absorbing man with his skin split open is one of the most satisfying moments in comics in a while. -The fight scene was continued in an awesome way. -The Green Door came in one hell of a way. I loved its entrance into this comic. -The abrupt change in setting after the arrival of the arrival of the Green Door was f***ing amazing. -As was the nine panel grid effect directly after, where every other panel was blacked out. These are both small things, but they amped my enjoyment of the issue up to 20. -Then we get the two page splash that just blew my mind. -With a WTF last panel, I have no idea what it means, but I am super excited. -In short the last few pages were not only on a different level of quality than the rest of the issue, but possibly the rest of the series. -This series has with the last few issues become one of my favorites currently, and if it keeps things up, possibly of all time. -I cannot wait for Hulk in Hell! THE BAD: -My only complaint is that the dialogue wasn't as good. It was mostly focused on the fight scene however.

THE GOOD: -Wow, those black and white pages were ominous, cryptic and super well scripted. -I love the depiction of hell in this issue, especially as it is illustrated by Joe Bennett. -Joe Bennett's pencils have so much more character in this comic than they did in many of his previous series. I really love the art here. -Jackie and Hulk's conversation was pretty amazing. It was super well-written, was a great examination of the character and gave me a new appreciation for Jackie. -Wow, that Rick Jones depiction was just so good. -I also found Puck to be extremely well characterized in this issue. -Ewing still gives us our body horror satisfaction with this issue with Thunderbolt Ross and his transformation. -I'm liking the skinny Hulk a lot. I hope he sticks around. -Ewing never fails to give us a WTF ending, this issue delivers on that count. THE BAD: -I didn't find anything wrong with this one.

THE GOOD: -Betty Ross was fantastic this issue. -This issue did a lot for improving the General Fortean storyline. -The funeral scenes were perfect. -I was really feeling the chemistry between Betty and Bruce. -Tonally, this issue is perfection. -Agent Burbank was a weird and also very interesting issue. -We get some truly awesome and cinematic action scenes towards the end of this issue. -"None of them die!" That part was so neat. -The last page was so good. It was gory, well drawn and it gets me hyped up for next issue. THE BAD: -Sadly, Joe Bennett proved his worth so much with the last three issues, having anyone else draw this book feels like a crime, even if Kyle Hotz is a good artist.

THE GOOD: -Thank god Joe Bennet's back. He really makes this series work. -I love Leonard Samson. -This issue had a really nice action scene. Samson vs. Hulk was as satisfying as it sounds. -I liked what Al Ewing did with Hulk's recovery. Going from not being able to say "smash" to being the smart Hulk once again as the hole in his head slowly closed. Nicely done. -Oh man, that splash page. Just, oh man. -Holy crap. I genuinely did not expect the ending. THE BAD: -I don't know. I feel like coming off the tail end of Hulk in Hell, which was a pure masterpiece, it's hard for this arc to be as good.

THE GOOD: -Holy shit. This series is sixteen issues in, and it still manages to be consistent in quality and surprise me every time. -Joe Bennet's art is perfection. It's about as good as it gets. -I really liked the narration from Rick's autobiography. It was something new. -Oh man those opening scenes were disturbing and creepy. I love it! -Nice to revisit a location from a previous issue. I like it. -Leonard is still a great character. -I love how much this comic emphasizes that the Hulk and Bruce Banner are two different people. -I don't think I'll ever grow tired of Joe Bennet's creepy transformation scenes. -Those Hulkimals were weird and surprising. I dig it! -Was that bird-thing supposed to be Betty? I don't know, but it was chilling to look at. -Those fight scenes were brutal and violent. And very nicely done, if I do say so myself. -What the [CENSORED. WE'RE REALLY SORRY, OHHAIMARK HAS BEEN OUT OF CONTROL WITH HIS PROFANITY LATELY}?!!?!?! I have no idea what that ending was, but I cannot wait to find out. THE BAD: -The bad guy's just not pulling me in. General Fortean is bland and uninteresting.

THE GOOD: -Ooh. Great issue. This series is so consistent. -Right from the get-go, Joe Bennett's art is unique and immersive. Way to go! -Radioactive ants. Awesome! -Agent Burbank is just a great villain. -Honestly, I feel like the presence of Joe could've been explained better, but that aside, his character here was executed brilliantly. -"Sometimes it's about the other guy being dumber." Joe's Sherlock Holmes moment was just real good. -Oh my Jesus. That splash page. -Ditto for the last page. God, that was awesome. THE BAD: -I mean there was that thing about how Joe was introduced, but aside from that, there was very, very little wrong with this issue.

THE GOOD: -The art is just. so. good. -I'm really liking what they're doing with the different Hulk personas. I think that they can take this to really interesting places. -Oh, poor Betty. -Abomination is just terrifying. There's nothing else to say about it. -This comic is just the perfect horror comic. From the creeping sense of dread that always follows this series to the disturbingly detailed body horror, it just excels at one of my favorite genres. THE BAD: -I'm not sure how I feel about Hulk's plan to end the world. I guess I'll have to see more. For now, it's one of the least interesting plot lines, however.

THE GOOD: -Now this was a great issue. I loved it start to finish. -Man, that opening sequence was so good. I love Hell. Er... this comic's portrayal of hell. That's better. Ah, the things this wacky series makes me say... -This comic is very complex and intricate, yet it's not afraid to have some dope-ass action sequences. -I'm liking Harpy... a lot, actually. More than I even anticipated at first. -Joe Bennet is great, Al Ewing is great. I hope to see more projects in the future from this creative team. -Once again, this comic pulls off the WTF ending perfectly. THE BAD: -Nah. I had a pretty rough week, yet this comic made my day. I could maybe be nitpicky and find little flaws, but I just don't feel like it.

THE GOOD: -Damn, the script was good. Al Ewing is an incredibly talented writer. -This issue is yet another example of just how dark mainstream comics can get. -Hm, this issue actually made me care about General Fortean, which means it's effective because I never did before. -Damn that ending was trippy, weird and unexpected. THE BAD: -Ugh, the guest artist was killing me. This issue would have been sooo good if Joe Bennett had illustrated it.

THE GOOD: -I love this series. This wasn't the best issue, but I just found it worth pointing out how stellar this is as an ongoing. -Joe Bennett's art is good here. It's far from his best work. It's certainly better than that fill in artist last issue. -I think Joe is the best character in the whole series at this point. -I absolutely love the character interactions here. They were the funnest part of the comic. -I could practically here the badass guitar riff when I saw that last page. Someone needs to make a compilation of all the last pages of every issue of this series, because they're always the best part. THE BAD: -I'm sorry, I can't take General Fortean seriously. It feels like they're going for something weird and creepy there, but I just f***ing laugh every time I see him.

THE GOOD: -This was a crazy issue, an awesome issue and a crazy awesome issue. -Jackie was a really good narrator for this issue. -Man, Joe Bennett is just finding his groove more and more with every issue. His art hasn't deteriorated like many artists on a long run, quite the opposite actually. -Rick Jones is such a weirdly wonderful character here. -The action was stellar here. -This is body horror at its finest. Not since The Fly have we seen such a perfect example of the genre. -I don't know how Al Ewing gets this stuff past Marvel with a T+ rating, but I congratulate him for it. -That last page was utterly terrifying. -I'm calling it. This is going down as the greatest Hulk run of all time. It's certainly my favorite, thus far. THE BAD: -Okay, I cannot take Fortean seriously. Although that panel with his revealing all his rows of teeth was awesome, every other panel with him made me snicker.

THE GOOD: -Joe Bennett is always improving himself. I think he's one of the few artists on a long run that doesn't decline in quality. -The action was a lot of fun here. -Damn. This may be the best piece of body horror entertainment since The Fly. -This storyline has gotten so complex without being convoluted. Kudos. -That epilogue was legitimately the best thing I've read in this series. It was everything this series has been building towards and was twenty times better than the actual issue. THE BAD: -There were just little things throughout the issue that slightly annoyed me. Not even enough to dock a whole point. Fortean ultimately being an uninteresting, goofy-looking villain, the Hulk's dialogue for the majority of this issue, stuff like that.

THE GOOD: -This was crazy, bold, different and interesting. Really well done, especially for an extra sized issue from a mainstream publisher. -Ewing's writing was really good. I did think it got kind of pretentious at times with the narration but, overall a strong job. -Par%l was surprisingly compelling despite everything about hir appearance and lack of real character. God, I feel like I had so many typos there, but I didn't. -There's just great imagery here. Love it. -The One Below All is a great villain. I also love, love, love the look of the Hulk husk. This thing would've made Fortean shit his abomination pants. -That coda was really neat and I cannot wait for more issues to come. THE BAD: -Can't really make up my mind on the art. I closed my eyes and pictured Christian Ward illustrating this issue when I was halfway through. I don't know if German Garcia was a great fit for this really cosmic, almost ethereal stuff.

THE GOOD: -This was a good issue and a nice start for the next part of the series. -Amadeus and Bruce's conversation was really interesting and anchored the issue for me. -The broadcasts were pretty good. They offered some interesting context and offered a unique look at the Hulk from a political standpoint. They also made me laugh a couple times. -Very well-written, as per usual. -Joe Bennett delivers his standardly great art. -Nice to see Namor show up. THE BAD: -I don't know why, but I'm not at all interested or excited for Dario Agger. Maybe I'm sick of villains that make me laugh when I look at them. I don't know.

THE GOOD: -The art is amazing as always. -Al Ewing is just an incredibly talented writer. -Okay, I was wrong. This is a cool take on Dario Agger. -This feels like it's going to be the definitive Hulk comic. It's by far the best I've ever read. -This take on Banner and Hulk is so cool. I know that's nothing new, but I feel like I've failed to mention it in previous reviews. So there it is: this is probably my favorite version of the character. -I love some good body horror, so those B.E.R.S.E.R.K.E.R. units were just awesome. -It's a little detail, but I loved the artwork/execution for when Banner transforms and all you can see is his shadow. I don't know, it just looked great. -The action is great here. -That ending was really powerful. The art for the final panel is amazing. THE BAD: -Okay, the format for the beginning half of this issue was killing me. It was cool at first, but at times, I really wished they would just tell the story traditionally. -The "knock, knock" line is already getting old, and this is only the second time they've used it in the series.

THE GOOD: -This was the best issue in a while. I loved it. -The guest artists felt appropriate here. Usually they're unwelcome with this series, but I don't think anything demanded Bennett's wonderful artwork, and they helped the juxtaposition. -The story with the security guard was just great. -Al Ewing may be one of the best writers working now. It's hard to think of anyone else whose script is so impressive. -I was totally off base with Dario Agger. He is just such a unique, interesting villain. -I'm not at all familiar with the Teen Brigade, but I really liked th execution here. -The last page of the guard's story was so damn good. Not to mention, the next panel was super effective. -I'm really interested in where this is going. THE BAD: -I got nothing. Perfect issue right there.

THE GOOD: -Reads like a classic creature feature. So much fun. -Joe Bennett's art continues to amaze. -Dario Agger is such an amazing villain. I regret having any doubts about him. I'm also really interested in his plan here. -That scene with Leonard and Betty was great. -Jackie is a really good character. THE BAD: -I don't know. I didn't love this issue a whole lot, but there's nothing really wrong with it. Maybe I'm just comparing it to issues like New Mutants #5 and X-Force #5 this week that were so amazing, and absolutely deserving of the perfect rating. I don't know. I'll give it a 9.

THE GOOD: -This was a perfect issue. -Joe Bennett's art is so phenomenal. -It's nice to see such a visually oriented series accentuated by such unique and compelling characters. -This is probably the best body horror comic ever produced. -This was really exhilarating issue. I didn't realize I had been holding my breath until it ended. -Dario Agger is such a great villain. -I was still surprised at how Agger managed to frame the Hulk, even though I knew it was coming. -I can't wait to see what happens next. THE BAD: -Nothing. Again, perfect issue.

Just a great issue. Weird, but not confusing, plus Xemnu is a fantastic new character.

This is probably my second favorite mainstream series, only under Hellblazer. So consistent, so creepy. Xemnu is truly terrifying.

Great issue. I always miss Joe Bennett when they have guest artists though.

A really good issue. Love the underlying chaos and sadness. Still miss Joe Bennett though.

Really good and really timely. If you've read my other reviews for this series you know I'm glad Joe Bennett's back.

The best issue of the Immortal Hulk yet. I have nothing more to add on top of calling this perfect. Everything about this shows a group of talented people putting out the absolute best work they can.

Perfect.

This is the best Grant Morrison comic not written by Grant Morrison. But seriously, this is amazing. This arc in particular is just insane.

THE GOOD: -The opening to this was great. Dark, dramatic and effective, and it really does pull you in. -The flashback art was great, same I can't say the same for the main art. -The flashbacks in general were the best part. -I think it's interesting to revisit the Invaders and where they are now. This issue does that effectively. -The characterization was very good here. Everybody felt like themselves. -I really liked this issue's war themes. Chip Zdarsky feels like he knows war and what it is and does. -Jim's scene with the former bystander was really good and intriguing. -This issue really pulled me in. I liked it. THE BAD: -I don't know why, by the main art really didn't jive with me. -Namor's story was the least interesting for me. I wasn't very into the underwater part of this issue. -Generally speaking, I wish more could've happened with this issue. I wish the plot could've progressed past what was mostly setup.

THE GOOD: -I love this comic. It's one of the things I look forward to most every month. -These are real characters and they're written like real characters and I love it. They're not joke-dispensers or depressed robots and that's fantastic. -I really liked those scenes with the Navy. They were just really well-done. -I love Bucky. -Namor has gone from a character I wasn't super interested in to a phenomenal villain, especially with this issue. -Oh my god, Nay and Randall are just both so great. -That salute between Steve and Randall was just beautiful. 'Nuff said. -That end was amazing. Emotional and tragic. Real stuff, not synthetic either. If you're tired of those series that try to be emotional, but really aren't, then this is the series for you. -I cannot wait for next issue. The cliffhanger here was great. THE BAD: -Ugh. Carlos Magnos's art is just about the only thing I dislike about this. Captain America looks absolutely awful.

THE GOOD: -This was an outstanding issue. I loved the backstory and the emotion is still incredibly strong. -YES! Even if it's just one issue, an issue of nearly entirely Guice's art was satisfying, especially after an issue of 100% Magno's -Namor is fantastic. He's written so well. -Wow. The emotion here hit really hard. THE BAD: -I feel like there maybe wasn't as much that liked about the issue this time around. The few things I liked, I liked a lot, and there wasn't anything I particularly disliked, it's just that I can usually find a few more things to write in the good column for an Invaders issue.

THE GOOD: -Guice's art is good, Magno's is not. You know the drill. -That opening scene was really good. -The characters are written incredibly well here. -We're in the endgame now. This story is reaching its climax and it is nothing but epic. -Namor is such an amazing character. -Jim vs. Namor was such an amazing fight. -This issue was so cinematic. I love it. -Holy crap. That ending. THE BAD: -Carlos Magno's art is still really weak. Captain America looks awful.

THE GOOD: -Okay. So. I don't know much about Constantine. I decided to read this... well, because my friend recommended it. His recommendations are usually pretty trustworthy and it shows here. I really liked this issue. -Right off the bat, I was in love with the art. It's perfectly dark and gritty, but not at the expense of being easy to understand. -The storyline interests me. -I like the script. Again, it captures the tone, and nails the realistic dialogue, but not at the expense of being undecipherable. -Constantine was written really well here, from a lay man's perspective, at least. -Wow. The horror elements are really strong here and I love it. -Finally a comic fitting of the Black Label. This is truly an R-Rated comic. -The narration was solid. It has a Clive Barker feel to it for sure, as does a lot of this story. -The final scene was kinda terrifying, and without any gore shown. Bravo. THE BAD: -Not sure how interested I am in Nat. We'll see how she is in later issues.

THE GOOD: -It took me FOREVER to get around to this issue, but I'm super glad that I did. -This art is stunning. It fits the tone of the issue so perfectly. -I'd also like to give a shout-out to the color art, which also outstanding. -Spurrier's dialogue is so good, natural and distinctive. It's been a while since the pure language of the writing felt so striking to me, maybe since the last Grant Morrison comic. -This is a really well-written Constantine. Again, I don't have anything to base that on (I still haven't read the original series. I'm sorry.), but I really feel like this is the character he was meant to be. -This is a really compelling story. I like the William Blake elements. -D.S. Dole was a really solid minor antagonist character. -That final confrontation was so good. The writing, the flashback, all of it. Astonishing. -Super excited for whatever's next. THE BAD: -Yeah, I'm still uninterested in the Nat character. I don't really like her personality (But that's the point! I know...). She was even worse here, considering it felt like she just existed to make the Blake connection. It'd be interesting if they expanded on the exorcism angler whatever they slightly hinted at in issue 1, but nope.

THE GOOD: -Perfect ending. -This is some of the most unique looking art that's coming out right now. -John Constantine is such an awesome character. -It's nice to see comic with smaller villains. Big threats are important too, but it's refreshing when the hero isn't fighting some end of the world threat. -This writing... it's so great, so distinctive. -I liked how nicely things tied up. Wonderful payoffs this issue. -It's so good to see Constantine defeating the villain with his wits and not in a huge fight. THE BAD: -Nothing I can think of.

I finally read this, and it was honestly amazing.

As perfect as an issue can get, I think.

This is just a damn perfect issue. There's not much I can really say about this series that would do it justice, aside from praising it as the best series out right now (it is). Not a bad issue. Not even a "good" issue. Everything so far has been phenomenal, and I hope they can keep it up. As for this particular issue, it's just as good as everything before it. The humor is on point, the art is unlike anything on the shelves right now, and the story is original to boot. I give it a 12 out of 10.

This is such a satisfying issue. Not much more to add. The series of the year so far.

Another fantastic issue. Just really sharp, engaging and interesting. This is the last series DC should be cancelling right now.

This series never disappoints.

Jesus

THE GOOD: -Holy fuck, this was good. -I mean, Andrea Sorrentino may be my favorite artist of all time. His work just appeals to me so much. I can't really put my finger on it, but it just scratches that itch unlike anything else. -Jeff Lemire's dialogue is fantastic here. I'm currently reading some of his older stories, and it's clear that he has really grown as a writer and not resorted to name hype alone and gotten lazy. He's truly finding what works and doesn't work for him and it's truly showing. -That opening was so good and twisted. This comic did just such a great job executing its flashbacks. -Ben is an interesting, compelling character. -Mr. Smiles is just.... so good. This comic feels really memorable, unlike most recent Joker comics. I know that a creepy children's book isn't by any means new or original, but the execution here is just wonderful. -The psychological horror is so perfectly crafted here. I like how Ben remains compelling and relatable throughout. Because that's what makes a great psychological horror story, not just creepy imagery. -Speaking of imagery, great, great job on that as well. -That sequence where Ben gets out of bed was fantastic, despite being predictable. The art and atmosphere really sold it. It was also straight out of Gideon Falls. -That narration towards the end just sent chills down my spine. I like how the horror of this is so much deeper than surface level. THE BAD: -I got nothing. There were a couple flaws, I guess, and it's not super original, but the execution was enough to win me over. This is definitely a 10-star comic for me.

THE GOOD: -F***ing loved it. -Andrea Sorrentino is just mind blowingly good. He might be my favorite artist of all time. His work really elevated the issue for me. -I love the design of Arkham's. I saw the dream coming from a mile away, but I'd didn't care, because the imagery was so damn good. -The head on the platter was just executed really well, plus Gideon Falls cube panels. Really goes to show how just because you have an idea that's been done before, it doesn't mean that you can't make it the best of its kind through amazing execution. -This is just an amazing psychological thriller. The way you have no idea what's real, the degradation of sanity. Everything is beautifully twisted and I absolutely adore it. -Despite all this, Ben is still a super compelling character. -This take on the Joker is great. Nothing groundbreaking or new, just a really well-written version of the character. -I love the paneling for so many scenes here. Sorrentino and Lemire always know how to make a page look like amazing through paneling. I love the collage of the Joker scenes splash page. Also, sound effects panels are super effective, especially the laughing panels. -Okay, I didn't see that twist coming at all, and it was really well-done. -This whole thing feels really cinematic. Andrea Sorrentino's art has amazing cinematography, for lack of a better descriptor. -Ah, yes. The end is great. THE BAD: -Nah, I got nothing. I love this series so very much.

So... this was a pretty underwhelming finale. Feels like it was written just to finish the story, and not for any sort of artistic reason or to appeal to its audience. Things sort of happen with no weight to them, and I was never interested in anything more than the art.

I don't really know what to think of this, aside from liking the art. Great concept, but ultimately it fails to deliver more than surface level imagery and ideas.

THE GOOD: -I actually really liked this one. This could be the best Black Label book yet, depending on how Last Knight sticks the landing. -The art is really impressive. Mico Suayan's especially. -Honestly, I love this take. It feels like a proper out-of-contuinity story, with a nice Elseworlds vibe to it. -This is also a Black Label that earns the Black Label. It isn't contrived maturity like Damned. It isn't toned-down like the others. I guess that has to do with the subject matter, but when it needed to be graphic, it got graphic, but not in a flashy, over-the-top way. -I don't know. I'm just really interested in this one. I'm not reading a superhero comic like it at the moment, so it's refreshing. THE BAD: -The layouts for the car crash scene were really confusing, and it took me out of a story I was heavily invested in. -The real-life serial killer stuff was good, but it was a bit long, even if the art was top-notch for that segment.

THE GOOD: -The opening page as well as the murder in general was really creepy and well-done. -Mayhew's art is still really impressive. THE BAD: -This series went downhill really fast. -The black and white art took a turn for the worse. -The pacing was ridiculously bad here. -I've lost all interest in the story and characters. -Joker's origin story was really weak. -Ew. The design of the Joker is really bad.

This was another good issue. I think the issue does an amazing job of leaving an impression after you read it. Scott Snyder's writing is powerful and epic. I can practically hear the dramatic music in the background of the issue. Although it was verging on being filler, the Joker-esque focus of the issue does (kind of?) pay off at the end and it is effective for the most part. The characterization of the Justice League was good for the most part. Batman sort of reminds me of the Batman from the first story arc of All Star Batman, which is not a good portrayal in my opinion. His jokes and personality don't fit with the characterization of the true Batman in my opinion. Just listen to one of his lines and you will understand my problems with the character: LUTHOR: Who needs enemies? BATMAN: You do. So here I am. Hi. Now I'm going to hurt you. And take that thing you were holding." I don't know what happened, considering Snyder used to be the best Batman writer in the business. Now, dare I say, he is the worst. It reminds me of Tom King-style writing, just without the power or clever usage of simplistic dialogue like that, which is well-done and extremely effective. In this issue it sounds merely idiotic. Surprisingly I think the two strongest characters in the series are Joker and Lex Luthor, both well characterized and well-written. The "climax" of the issue proves to be effective, emotional and for the most part well-done. I really appreciate the conflict isn't resolved with just a battle or something simple like that. The final pages work well, and I appreciate Snyder leaving a lot of mysteries to be solved in the next one, definitely leaving you on the edge of your seat for the next issue. Jorge Jimenez's art is easily the best part of the issue. The characters feel alive, the battles feel epic, his art is the perfect kind for a Justice League series. All in all, a good issue, with some problems to work out , but still showing great promise.

THE GOOD: -The art is excellent in this issue. I honestly will keep saying this, but Justice League always has the perfect creative teams for al their issues. Whether its Snyder and Jimenez or Snyder and Cheung or Tynion and Mahnke, Justice League for the past 7 issues has had the best writer-artist collaborations out of any current comic book series out there. And Cheung's art is no exception. -This series has truly captured the epic feeling that the previous Justice League series (and the movie) lacked. The tension in these pages is built up phenomenally by Snyder and Cheung both. -The narration in this issue is extra good. That is always the highlight of all the previous issues, but here I could truly feel how powerful Snyder's narration was. -The last page was excellent. Surprising, and it effectively leaves you on the edge of your seat. -As far as a finale goes, this issue wrapped things up pretty perfectly. It tied up loose ends, defeated the villain, all while maintaining that blockbuster movie feeling. -Although I did not like the joke in the first issue, using the correct pause and buildup, the Batman voice mockery joke was very, very effective this issue. Also a perfect bookend for the story arc, since this ties back to the first issue as far as humor goes. THE BAD: -The dialogue just feels off to me. A little cheesy, a little one dimensional, it just doesn't feel like something these characters would really say. -The resolution for Flash's character was weak. It essentially came down to " Sorry I threw a tantrum," and "No you're alright." Reminds me of a kid's show style resolution. Not a Scott Snyder scripted Justice League conclusion. Get what you get and you don't' throw a fit.

THE GOOD: -James Tynion IV is a much better writer for Justice League than Scott Snyder. He doesn't have characters that are practically a joke or a weird sense of humor that doesn't really fit the series. -Mikel Janin is a great artist. I hope to see more collaborations with Tynion in the future. -I think Starman's story was pretty interesting. It's a shame we didn't get to see more, but its a nice tease for now. -The Batman who Laughs was both well-written and well-drawn. Not saying any other character wasn't, just thought the Batman who Laughs was a standout. THE BAD: -This issue was only slightly forgettable. It didn't pack the punch that the previous issue did. It was mainly exposition and setup, but it's still a good second part of Legion of Doom -I am genuinely taking off points because the at the bottom of the last page of this issue, it reads, "Next: the Road to Drowned Earth Begins." Shout-out to Comix4fever for pointing that out to me.

THE GOOD: -I quite liked the first page of the issue, well-written and tying up a loose end from issue 1. -I liked the relationship between Batman and Superman. They're not just best friends. There's a bit of conflict there. And Snyder does this without ever making any drastic changes to the characters or their friendship. -I liked the way Snyder wrote the Hall of Justice as an accurate portrayal of what an open-to-the-public superhero base would look like. -The concept and execution of the domains was a very well executed aspect of the book. Snyder accurately captures the essence of these characters in a new way that I appreciate. -The Batman humor was not something I liked about the series at first, I'll admit, but I have to say, this issue's single-panel joke had me laughing quite a bit. -I totally didn't see the twist with the Coronavores at all. Well done, Scott Snyder. Well done. -I quite enjoyed that last page, a good bookend to complement the first page. THE BAD: -Jorge Jimenez's art disappointed me this time around. It just didn't capture the characters the same way it did in previous issues. This is the first time I found the art of this book worse than the writing. -This issue did feel a bit like filler. I appreciate them fixing the moon situation, but nothing else really happens plot-wise.

THE GOOD: -Great art. Not unexpected. Francis Manapul is a great artist. -Jarro speaks for itself. -Okay, I liked the end. It made me want to read the rest of the crossover, despite an overall weak issue. Nicely done. THE BAD: -Why are they looking for Poseidon's ship again? Either it was previously introduced, but in a forgettable way, or it wasn't and they just made the premise for this issue up out of nowhere. -I wasn't a fan of the writing. The humor was bad across the board, and the dialogue did not feel natural in any way. -Very weak characters. I think the Justice League movie made the characters more compelling. And that's saying something, because I was not a fan of the Justice League movie. -This issue was way too rushed. Maybe even mores than issue 1 of Justice League Odyssey, one of the most rushed issues in recent memory. -This is supposed to be an introduction to the crossover, but as far as I can tell, it appears to already be starting the crossover. Maybe Snyder decided to get a head start?

THE GOOD: -The writing was pretty good. That's it. THE BAD: -The art's 50/50 in this issue. I'm not going to count it for or against the issue's score, just wanted to let you guys know. The figure work was fantastic and the panels' layout were really good. Unfortunately, Porters art didn't work with this issue all that well in my opinion. Too round/cartoonish for the tone the splashes and writing were trying to establish. -This issue just feels like it's trying too hard to be "epic" in my opinion. Big letters for the settings. Tons of splash pages. 4.99 price tag (Bye, bye wallet). The unfortunate thing is, its not a story that deserves this epic feel. -Its incredibly hard to take this issue seriously when all the villains look like Froot Loops. -That Commissioner Gordon scene is so bad it deserves its own punishment. -The issue in general was pretty bland and forgettable. -Wasn't a fan of the ending. When so many of your pages are splashes trying to look cool, having a final page thats the same thing loses nearly all of its effect.

THE GOOD: -This issue gets recognition for simply taking the steaming pile of crap that the Justice League/Aquaman special gave us and turning it into something tolerable. -Francis Manapul has outdone himself. This could potentially be his best drawn issue. I was in awe at his depictions of the fantasy locations and characters in this issue. -I really liked the portrayal of Poseidon in this issue. Not only that, but when I turned the page, I was genuinely shocked. THE BAD: -The story itself can't be fixed at this point. It is bland, and forgettable. I wasn't pulled into it at the beginning of the crossover, and I am not into it now. -I wasn't a fan of the dialogue. It does its job in telling the story, but it feels very surface level, if you ask me. -I do not like the last page. It shoehorned in those characters, if you read the issue, you know what I'm talking about, and I truly would have preferred if they didn't try to add too much to an already bloated crossover.

THE GOOD: -I did enjoy Batman in this issue. He had some cool and funny lines. THE BAD: -The art overall didn't do it for me. Irving's art didn't really fit with a Justice League comic and the transition between it and Redondo's wasn't very smooth for me. -I just found this to be a super forgettable issue. I found myself just not remembering what happened as I closed the issue. - I was pretty disappointed in the writing. Took me a while to figure out Snyder didn't actually write the issue, but this was disappointing even for Tynion IV. -I'm getting tired of this whole, Batman with no functional arms or legs. No other series are using this that I know of, and its just basically a way to get Batman in cool suits, it doesn't seem to disabilitate

THE GOOD: -The art was over the top and ridiculous, and it worked well for an over the top and ridiculous issue. -Tynion did a surprisingly good job of writing Joker. He felt perfectly written. -I laughed a lot reading this issue. It was quite funny. -The entire premise of Joker humiliating Lex Luthor and taking command is great, but it was executed even better. -Seeing the potential new recruits was pretty awesome, especially after they got Jokerized. Granted none of them made the cut. -The end was pretty good reveal. I'm somewhat excited. THE BAD: -Despite the art't tonal fit for the issue, there were a lot of awkward and cramped panels and pages. -I do think that the Perpetua thing felt off. Either they should have elaborated more, or just leave it for another issue. It felt a little out of place. -This issue felt a bit pointless, when they reveal that the whole plot was basically a setup for the Batman Who Laughs, which by the way, I read the preview for and cannot wait for.

THE GOOD: -There was one good character moment for Manhunter. One. THE BAD: -Well, this review is going to be a short one, because I stopped caring about the issue very early on, and didn't really give a crap for the remaining pages. Silly me. -Steven Segovia's art was okay, but it didn't really live up to Jim Cheung, who I thought was doing the whole issue, or most of he other artists on this series, like Manapul or Jiminez. -I also didn't know Tynion wrote this issue, but I found that out, which quickly explained the incredibly boring exposition that plagued this issue. -The issue in general was just boring. No moments excited me, nothing really provoked anything in me, it all just felt so uninteresting. -I cannot wait until this story arc is over, then again this series has really been on a downward spiral for me. -Shayera Hol was boring character by all means. Her story was uninteresting and she made a poor villainess. -This issue felt really extended for me too, it could have been way shorter. Maybe if Tynion didn't try to write a novel in every word bubble unnecessarily. -And, the end doesn't excite me. If anything, it makes me want to buy the next issue less. -The first and last pages felt really unnecessary too, like they were just stuck on, so that plot thread didn't have to hang anymore. At least we got see Jim Cheung's art.

THE GOOD: -Jim Cheung's brief appearance was appreciated. -There were some nice heist-y elements in this issue I enjoyed. If only Martian Manhunter didn't have to use so many words to explain the freaking vaults. -I do like Martian Manhunter in this one. His arguments with John are good and its interesting to see him so desperate to meet the other martian. -Said other martian's appearance was very good and very weird. -The end has me hooked. I won't drop this series, as I figured I might after last issue. -The main artist was decent too, better than last time. THE BAD: -Blah, blah, blah. What is it with the exposition?! I feel like the same story could be told with half the words. -1 extra point, because it really took me out of the issue. -I really don't like the way the main artist draws the Dominators. -I also hate Shayera, I think she's a terrible villain. -I also thought the Green Lantern Corps's appearance felt very forced

THE GOOD: -The Starman scenes were alright. -I thought the J'onn scenes were good. Definitely the strongest part of this arc. THE BAD: -Really, really boring issue. I don't even know why I bother with this series anymore. I find it more sleep-inducing than entertaining. Oh well, if I ever have trouble falling asleep, I know what to read. -Meh art. Jim Cheung's nice but he only does a few pages. The rest wasn't that good. -I feel like there's interesting ideas, but executed very poorly. In the hands of another writer this could be something. -Ultimately Shayera was a weak and uninteresting villain. -I think maybe the scope of this is too big. I feel like if a Justice League writer is able to one day write a run of down-to-earth stories focused on the members, not the galaxy or the secrets of the universe, they might actually do a great job. My favorite JL comics are JLI (the Giffen/DeMatteis run) and Identity Crisis, both doing their own versions of that. -This whole story arc just felt really lackluster to me. Its been a while since I liked an issue of this series.

THE GOOD: -This was the best issue of a Justice League comic I've read in a while. That was nice. -For once, I think the narration worked really well in this issue, there were some awesome lines. -I think Starman is a really interesting character. He may be the best thing that's happened to this series. -I have to admit, seeing all the New Gods was pretty awesome. -For once, I was interested in all of Scott Snyder's big-idea cosmic stuff. -Both Kendra and Shayera had some really interesting and great character moments this issue, especially Kendra. -I thought Braniac's appearance this issue was really good and I can't wait to see more. -The Perpetua stuff remains interesting. For how much longer, is hard to tell. -I feel like we got some really nice action scenes this issue, and it was nice to finally get some satisfying action sequence in such a typically boring comic. -The Source Wall's destruction was executed really well, with a nice callback to issue 1. -The ending of the issue interests me. -Ultimately, this felt worthwhile. I felt like for once, the 4.99 annual was worth the money and time. It felt like an epic story that continues what was set up in the regular issues, not just a throwaway one-shot story. THE BAD: -The art was fine, just nothing special. -As per usual, we get pounds of exposition as can only be expected from a comic by the two wordiest writers in comicdom.

THE GOOD: -Great art. Love Jim Cheung. Nice to see him actually doing the art for once. -The character work for Martian Manhunter was excellent. He was just a really compelling character this issue, not an exposition spouting robot. -I really liked seeing J'onn "playing" with his family. It was emotional and it felt right. -The interplay between Lex and J'onn was great, it left me wanting more. -I think this is the best issue of the series so far. Definitely the most reread-able. -Despite predictability, that Albie/J'onn storyline was really well-done. -That end was just perfect. THE BAD: -I don't know. Nothing I can really name, I just didn't love this issue like a 10. I didn't even love it as much as this weeks Uncanny X-Men, which I gave a 9.5.

THE GOOD: -Jorge Jimenez's art was soooo good. Perfect for drawing imps and evil Daily Planet towers. -I liked the opening for this issue a lot, Clark and Perry were well-written and it was funny. -The narration for this issue was very good. -Gotta love Mr. Mxyzptlk. -The Metropolis attack was so wacky and fun, I loved it. -Even if it was just a panel, Jimenez's cartoon art for the Fifth Dimension was so sweet. -The humor this issue was spot-on, if you ask me. -I don't trust that old Superman guy, but he was neat to see. -The ending for this issue was very good and surprisingly dark. THE BAD: -I've officially lost all interest in the Legion of Doom storyline. -Ugh. More exposition. -Ugh. More boring cosmic big-idea stuff.

THE GOOD: -This was a really good issue. This series has been much better than it started as of late. -I find the story compelling, if predictable. Is it ever a good thing when people get invited into utopias by their future selves who look a bit too happy? -Jorge Jimenez's art continues to impress, even if this issue doesn't give him as much to flex his creative muscles as last issue did. -Oh man! That Jarro scene was priceless. -This series does a good job of getting me to care about Mera and Starman's subplot, although that credit may have to go to Mr. Mxyzptlyk, considering he's one of my favorite villains period. -I think J'onn and Kendra's storyline is my favorite. I just find their characters compelling, and J'onn has always been the standout character since the start of Snyder's run. -Huh. Maybe it was because they only had three panels, maybe it was because of the setup, but I liked the Legion of Doom this issue. -Okay seeing a giant Mr. Mxyzptlyk crash through the Hall of Justice is too cool. -The end scene was solid, well-executed. I enjoyed it. THE BAD: -It wasn't as bad this issue, but this series just gives me Snyder-exposition-fatigue.

THE GOOD: -This story arc continues to be the best thing that has happened to this series. -Jorge Jimenez's art is still fantastic. -The opening scene with Not-Superman and Superman was great. -I also really enjoyed the scene with Batman and future Dick. That was great. -Jarro is probably my favorite character from this whole thing. No one else is executed to such perfection. -This comic broke the fourth wall in a really unique and unexpected way, and I absolutely love it. I've always been a sucker for fourth wall breaking. THE BAD: -The reveal with Not-Superman was kinda meh for me. Maybe I'm just tired of Perpetua and all this cosmic stuff. -Not sure how to feel about the end. It's something different, but I kinda liked where this story was beforehand. And that last page is off-putting for some reason.

THE GOOD: -This issue was alright. Not really up to par with the last few, if I'm being honest. -Love the art. Francis Manapul always delivers. -Excited to see more Bat-Mite, especially if we actually get to see a battle between him and Mr. Mxyzptlk. THE BAD: -I wish Perpetua was less cliche and more interesting. Otherwise I can't wait until she's inevitably forgotten. -This issue was way too exposition heavy. I didn't really expect anything else, considering it's written by James Tynion IV. -This issue felt like it was essentially just Perpetua and her son talking. But not in any interesting way, just in boring cliche evil villain ways. -I'm getting really tired of seeing these Legion of Doom issues pop up in the middle of story arcs.

THE GOOD: -I liked the opening for this comic a lot. -The art is beautiful. Jorge Jimenez is super-talented. -The fight between Mr. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite was as fantastic as expected. -I think Shayne is a great character. One of the best things to come out of this story arc. -Seeing all those future villains was great. -This issue did something unexpected with Legion of Doom and I really liked how they executed it. -The end was great. I think Batman's got some other trick up his sleeve, but maybe that's just me. THE BAD: -I didn't like the Apokalips setting as much as the previous issues, but oh well, that's a minor problem.

THE GOOD: -I'll be honest, I thought this issue was great. I also think this story arc is excellent in general, the best thing that's ever happened to this series. -Man, that opening scene was perfect. Just absolutely perfect. -The art is fantastic. -The humor was great. Very naturally injected into the story, but very funny. I think this series may have found it's groove. -This portrayal of the Legion of Doom was so good. -Despite not liking the Batman parts, that ending was really well executed. THE BAD: -Batman's part of the story wasn't my favorite. The most exposition, the least interesting. -I wish we could've gotten more on the Bat-Mite vs. Mxyzptlk, but oh well.

THE GOOD: -I still love Jimenez's art. He just gives everything such life. -The action sequences here are great. -I thought they took an unexpected and welcomely different approach to the Forger's character. -I didn't mind the Tynion story. He writes the League's dialogue really well. -I'm rather interested in the upcoming Doom War story. -The panels showing each of the League's different plans was great. THE BAD: -I'm still unclear on how Superman escaped. -Man, the art for the Tynion story was not great. Sorry, it's just jarring to go from a page of vibrant artwork full of passion and character to a dull and lifeless page such as this one. -Maybe it's because I just read Last Knight on Earth, but the Luthor speech hit a lot of familiar notes. -What? We didn't even get to see the end of the Bat-Mite/Mxyzptlk battle. What an absolute disappointment.

My ears perked up when Simon Spurrier's name popped up, but ultimately it just affirmed what others have said about Hellblazer being a fluke. The message is obnoxiously blunt and the story is horribly bland. Anyways, the art had a nice, fun, classic feel to it.

THE GOOD -Alvaro Martinez Bueno's art is excellent. Amazing and perfect for the series. Let us pray he never leaves the series. My favorite part of this issue. -Still pretty trippy, which is good, considering that's where the series finds its voice, stands out from the numerous other team-based series out there. -The mystery is strong and keeps me curious. Often times I lose interest with series like this, but this issue still makes me want to know what the heck is going on. -James Tynion IV appears to have dropped a lot of his extremely wordy dialogues. I appreciate this because this issue proves he can still tell a good story without the needless and tiring exposition THE BAD -The characters could use some fixing up. Zatanna is little more than a one sided jerk and Wonder Woman lacks the winning characterization I look for similar to the ones I found in the Azzarello and Rucka runs and of course in the movie. Perhaps it is just too hard coming off the phenomenal characters in his excellent Detective Comics run.

THE GOOD: -Alvaro Martinez Bueno's art is great. It is the perfect fit for both Tynion's writing and the tone of the series. -The Upside Down Man was a great villain. I have a feeling he will become an instant classic in the world of comic books. -Tynion captures the characters (for the most part-see section below) pretty well. No one has had that great of a character arc, and they're nowhere near as good as the characters in his run on Detective Comics, but they're compelling, and have good dialogue. -I love the trippiness of this comic. That is what makes it stand out from the other Justice League series, is its weird, unique visual style. -I think this series feels really cinematic, and that's a good thing. It could easily transition to a film, with very little changes necessary, a rarity in comics. -Even if its just a little, I like adding some depth to Zatanna's character. She was one of the worst, when the series started, glad to see her character improving. -I like the mystery appeal of the series. The issue raises a lot of questions, but in a really good way. THE BAD: -Wonder Woman needs to be better written. It pains me to say it, but she is the worst character on the team. The writing isn't compelling enough for her character, and her story isn't good enough either. -This felt like a pretty typical final battle to me. Villain defeats the heroes, one by one, until a new power is revealed that suddenly defats the bad guy. -This issue was a bit anticlimactic. After all that, all we really got was, "You defeated me, but I'll be back."

THE GOOD: -I did like the added depth to Bobo's character. Probably my favorite part of this issue. -Really great writing. I especially liked the narration for "The Chimpanzee Drinks" scenes. -I quite enjoyed the Myrra scenes as well. They weren't as good as some of the magical scenes in the series, but still were pretty cool. -I do like the reveal that Bobo made some kind of deal with the Blue Devil in his past that has negatively affected Myrra. THE BAD: -Daniel Sampere's art was good, but it couldn't hold a candle to Alvaro Martinez's. I actually kind of wished Greg Capullo illustrated this issue. That dragon scene was straight out of Reborn. That might be too much to ask for however.

THE GOOD: -I did like the chaos going on in Myrra however. That was well-done and it showed us just how disastrous things have become there. -Detective Chimp was a pretty great character. He has become the most well written member of the team, though I think Kirk is still the most enjoyable. -I actually liked the reveal of how Chimp made Myrra so chaotic. Not something like he was evil, but simply because he wanted to save a friend. Some of his motivation was a little iffy still, but I won't take off for that. -I especially liked it when Chimp got his redemption. -The Doctor Fate/Constantine/Swamp Thing scenes were pretty good. They were a lot of setup and started to feel like a distraction from the main story, but ultimately were still really well-written. -I liked the end. It is a good setup for the next arc. THE BAD: -The art was fine, but it doesn't compare to Alvaro Martinez's. -I wish they could have done more with Blue Devil's character. He really didn't feel like much of anything. -This issue did have some typical Tynion-esque ridiculous exposition, which this series briefly steered away from. I personally enjoy that, this is a purely personal thing, however. I wouldn't blame you at all for liking this dialogue. -The climax came and went a bit too quickly in my opinion. It felt like we cut to another scene way too fast.

THE GOOD: -The anthology format for this issue was perfect. It made this the best issue of the series and the best issue of any team-related book I have read in a very, very, very long time. -I absolutely loved the art. If there's anything the last two issues made me realize, it's that Alvaro Martinez is just a magnificent person, in terms of artistic talent. He really makes this book work the way it does. -I thought the introduction to this issue was great. -"The Soup" was a story with a great premise and executed to brilliance. Also, my favorite of the four stories. -I absolutely love all of the body horror elements of this issue. I can't say enough about them and this issue as a whole. Do yourself a favor, read this series, even if its just for this phenomenal issue. -Frankenstein and the Agents of SHADE alongside I, Vampire with both of their appearances was just epic. -"The Conjoined" was just utterly and effectively disturbing in all the right ways. -"The Offspring" was also just awesome horror. So good! -The countdown paneling was a really subtle and awesome effect. I love it! -The way the issue's framing story just escalated was awesome and perfectly subtle. -It was a simple thing, but I really dug the backwards written page. -"The Rip" was an awesome story and also the one most related to the ongoing story. -Glad to see the return of SPOILER REDACTED at the end of the issue. He was a great villain and his appearance was genuinely unexpected and creepy. -God, I love the end of this issue. It was just... perfect. THE BAD: -Nothing at all. Everything's perfect. The writing, the art, the format, the story. Also one of the most reread-able issues in recent memory.

THE GOOD: -The art is still just so good. -I think that this take on the Hall of Justice is much better than the one in the main Justice League comic. -The idea of a magic tavern hiding in the Hall of Justice is just a really good idea. -That skeleton bartender was just a detail I really liked for some reason. -I really enjoyed the storyline with all of the inhabitants of Myrra. -This issue in general was very immersive, with its settings and characters. -Fate is just such a cool villain here. -Poor Dan. THE BAD: -There was one part that gave me some serious Infinity War vibes. -The second half of this comic wasn't as good. Very exposition heavy and boring if you ask me. -The ending does not get me excited at all. Especially if that's what those characters are going to look like next issue.

THE GOOD: -God, this art's phenomenal. Alvaro Bueno is something else, man. -Heh, Tynion does a good job of making Flash funny, yet not annoying, which is a pretty great achievement. -I still love Bobo. He's the best character here by a mile. -The paneling for the second half of the comic was really good. -This definitely felt like the climax. I like the action and the intensity a lot. -That speech at the end was great. THE BAD: -Eh, I don't know if I ever really felt the Fates were a good villain. This issue really cements my negative feelings on them. Can we see more of the Upside-Down Man? How about those weird Cronenberg-esque creatures from issue 7? -God, these new character designs suck. -The flashback scenes kinda felt like filler. I mean, it was well-written, but it didn't really add anything to the story for me. -The whole fourth wall, panel-pulling thing has kinda been done before and I'm kinda over it.

THE GOOD: -Stjepan Sejic's art is great. He has always been one of my favorites currently working in comics and this issue is no exception. (And no, I did not just copy-and-paste that name) -I think Joshua Williamson is a great writer for Jessica. He captures her personality the best out of any other character. -This is mainly due to the artwork, but I thought the action scenes were great. Very cinematic-feeling. -I'm excited to see what the series does with Darkseid. I liked the way he was used in this issue. THE BAD: -This issue attempts to copy the narration style of Snyder's Justice League in the first few pages. There are two problems. One is that while Snyder and Tynion are excellent at writing in this format, Williamson is not as good as them. Second, he just drops it after the first few pages. The best part of that in Justice League is that it is a recurring theme. This issue just doesn't get that. -Generally speaking, the writing has a lot of work to be done. It doesn't really stand out as special to me. -Wasn't a huge fan of the rushed storyline. It could've spent a bit more time on setting everything up in my opinion. -This issue just isn't memorable enough, especially for a #1. It should excite readers to pick the next issue, and so forth, but instead it just provokes the reader to forget everything that happened. -Unfortunately I just felt like Azrael was just there. He didn't feel necessary enough, it was the voice that progressed the plot, not him. His character should be better, much like Tynion did in Detective Comics.

THE GOOD: -This issue's opening was great. Intriguing and mysterious, making the reader curious about what's going to happen next. -I love Dan Mora's art. It's so great, he should do more work with Grant. -That writing had me in heaven. I am a Grant Morrison nerd, so this issue really pleased me. -Those action scenes were quite amazing, I have nothing else to say. -The Norse mythology ties were great as well. -Sam was such an amazing character. Once again, that's all I have to say. -That Screamer scene was so random but so funny. I loved it. -The flying bagpipes were great in my opinion. -I loved the defeat of the villains, not in any big fight or anything, instead in the Klaus way. -The themes of redemption in this issue are pretty amazingly done. I love it. -The ending was so beautiful and perfect. -I loved this issue. In the words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that!" THE BAD: -My only complaint is that the villains could have been executed better. They had a great premise and defeat, but they had more potential than what they were, which were pretty conventional bad guy characters.

THE GOOD: -Ah man, this was just great. -Dan Mora's just such a phenomenal artist. Everything of his I've read, I've loved. -I like the calendar aspect of this. It's such a simple idea, but its executed really wonderfully. -Kudos to Grant Morrison for telling such a wonderful story using no words and 25 splash pages. -Goddamn this issue knew how to hit you in the feels. It's really, really beautiful, if I'm being honest. -I like how every page felt like it had a reason to be there. There were no weak pages at all. Each one had something to offer. Humor, heart, emotion, a nice little connection to the time period. -The reverse chronology was really effective here. -This issue made me laugh on multiple occasions. Grant Morrison really was a master manipulator of emotions here. -This was exactly what I needed after such a busy lead up to Christmas eve. After so many days of rushing, stressing, and working, being able to sit down for ten minutes and read this beautiful, beautiful comic just put me in the perfect mood. -Is there a better Christmas comic? I'm about to embark on a reread of all the issues of Klaus before this in a few minutes, and I don't think there's a comic that captures the real "Christmas spirit" all the cheesy Hallmark movies talk about better. THE BAD: -Nah. I got nothing. For what it's going for, this is the perfect comic. I think this series may be one of my all time favorites.

THE GOOD: -I quite liked this issue. Maybe even more than X-Men #1, if I'm being honest. -I like the ideas of mutants that can't enter Krakoa. I also like how fleshed out Hickman's X-World is. -Kitty Pryde is a super fun main character. This is the best incarnation of the character in a very long time. -I really like Gerry Duggan's dialogue. I'm not super familiar with him as a writer, but I can say that his plots always seem to be pretty basic, but the personality he adds on top of them makes the issues worthwhile. -This did such a great job with the charts and graphics. Duggan took what Hickman established and made it his own, adding a really welcome level of character and humor. -I like the premise of this series. Hopefully the adventures the Marauders go on will get more interesting than this one, but it's a really fresh idea. -All the characters are actually really compelling. My hope for Dawn of X is that each series adds something to the universe. So far, I'd say X-Men is the big, main events, and Marauders is the smaller stories, but with more character, fun and personality. -The action scenes were really fluid and fun here. -Really excited for more. THE BAD: -Can't say I loved the art. It was serviceable, but very bland. -The story could be better. It's a fairly basic X-Men plot, but it didn't detract too much from the issue for me.

THE GOOD: -Another really fun issue. -The Emma Frost/Sebastian Shaw storyline was my favorite. I liked the dialogue and story a lot. -Kitty Pryde is a really fun character. -The first action scene was really good. -I like this art. It's not great, but it does its job, and has some personality. And that's enough for me. -Gerry Duggan still excels at writing humor. THE BAD: -I thought the second half dragged a little. Not sure why, but I hated the tattoo parlor scene.

THE GOOD: -I loved this issue. -The art was nice. Simple, but effective. -Sebastian Shaw is just a great character, and one I find particularly compelling out of the universe. -I love the Hellfire politics. Strongest aspect of the series, if you ask me. -I'm really excited to see where this is going. THE BAD: -The graphics felt off here. It was odd to have stuff from the main storyline pop up so randomly in a one-off issue.

THE GOOD: -Loved it. -Characters have been a weak spot for DoX, except for this series, which has had consistently compelling and fun characters. -I liked the story of this issue. Politically-infused X-Men comics are great. -Kate maybe the best character to come out of DoX. She's just so fun and well-written. -I really like the idea of mutant-worshipping humans. This world has really become super fleshed out. -The Lady Deathstrike lookalike action scene was brief, but the perfect length. Also, it was a lot of fun. THE BAD: -The art was the weakest part for me. It's hardly bad, but it really is bland. I think this issue would be near-prefect if it had an artist that matched the personality of the writing.

THE GOOD: -Another great issue. Marauders can't be stopped. -Bobby and Christian's banter at the beginning was really fun and well-written. -That scene with Sebastian Shaw was great. -I love Kate's personality. Duggan writes her really well. -Still really engaged in this series. Excited to see where it goes next. THE BAD: -The art was really uneven and inconsistent.

THE GOOD: -An OK issue. Definitely the weakest Marauders yet. -I still think this comic is just a lot of fun. -I think in terms of characters, the best DoX book would be Hickman's New Mutants, but this series is close behind. Everyone here is really compelling. -Sebastian Shaw is a fantastic villain. -Great, suspenseful ending. THE BAD: -This art sucks. Everyone looks 10. -I'm tired of the bad-guy-inflitrates-good-guy's-body-microscopically trope.

THE GOOD: -The art was nice. -I know next to nothing about Callisto, but I liked her a lot here. -The Bishop action scenes were very good. -That scene with Masque was the highlight for me. Just a great example of how good of a writer Gerry Duggan can be. -Very interested by the ending. THE BAD: -The lack of resolution for last issue's ending is actually quite annoying. I'm sure it's happening for a reason, but it certainly made a lot of this issue feel unsatisfying. -Eh. Verendi feels like yet another ridiculously bland bad guy organization.

This was a great issue. Emotional and with fantastic character moments. Maybe the best Marauders yet.

This was honestly pretty confusing. The ideas were cool, but the writing executed them in a really awkward way.

Okay. Not as bad as some people make it out to be. That scene with Emma may be in line with her character, but it felt awkwardly executed nonetheless.

SPOILERS I'm glad Kitty's back but other than that I really have no thoughts on this whatsoever.

This was pretty bad. The artist seems to really struggle with drawing legs.

I didn't like this a whole lot. Some good moments, but I was mostly bored by it.

Truth be told, it's been a week since I read this, and I don't remember a whole lot, other than a vague idea that it was an above average issue for this series.

THE GOOD: -This series has some interesting themes, I guess. THE BAD: -I appreciate it for trying to be unique, but that art was just ugly for me. -I didn't like how this series just jumps right in with a ridiculous splash page, and doesn't really build itself up in any way. -I was confused. That's saying a lot because I am a Grant Morrison fan. Then again, maybe i just have to adjust, but that dialogue just really confused me. I had a very vague idea of what was going on. -I wasn't a fan of the flashback where J'onzz really felt like a dick, even though he was a cop. -Also, that sex scene (ahem, melding) felt like it wanted to be sexy but just felt disgusting. -I didn't like the characterization for Manhunter at all. I couldn't connect with him. His dialogue was weird. -I did not like the end of the issue. -This series promised to be the next Mister Miracle. It was far, far from it.

THE GOOD: -It's gimmicky, but I like the every ten years concept for Wolverine's story. -Wolverine's story gives us some great action scenes. -I thought Soule nailed the ending of the Wolverine story. -I liked Reed's character in his story quite a bit. -The art for Mr. Fantastic's storyline was great. -The end of Mr. Fantastic's story was perfect. -I liked the writing for Gorilla Man's story. THE BAD: -Paolo Siquera's art was pretty weak IMO. -This whole Wolverine story arc feels very rushed. -The Mr. Fantastic story needed to cut back on exposition. -The art for Gorilla Man's story was pure ugliness. -I just wasn't interested in Gorilla Man's story at all. -Overall as a whole, this was a weak anthology.

THE GOOD: -This has a super compelling storyline! Even if the writing pans out, I might still read just to see where the story goes. +1 extra point. -That said, the writing is quite good. I'm not a huge Donny Cate fan, but I really enjoyed this issue. -I think the character work in this issue is impressive. Despite not remembering anything, the characters still sound exactly like they should. -I know it's a small thing, but the effective placement of that title page was excellent. It sort of made me feel like, "things are just beginning." THE BAD: -I wasn't a huge fan of the art. This miniseries will have a rotating series of artists, so that could be easily remedied. -The end wasn't my favorite. I'm not a huge fan of how this series introduced that character, but I'll wait to see how it plays out.

THE GOOD: -This issue is funny! I never expected Mister Miracle to be perhaps the greatest black comedy comic book of the year, but it truly is. The jokes work, they pay off and are hilarious. -The end of this issue is really excellent. Its good to see the series being weird again, as that is what worked best in the beginning of the series. Combine that with the hit comedy-style of the mid-to-late issues of the run, and you've got a near-perfect issue. -Mitch Gerads is an amazing artist. One of the best artists currently employed at DC. On a side note: This is a personal anecdote, but I actually got the chance to meet Mitch at Emerald City Comic Con, and can I say, he is one of the nicest people I have met. Appreciative of his fans and genuinely kind to everyone. A great guy. You know what? I'm going to add an extra point to the score just because this person is a genuinely kind guy. -The characterization here is a marvel. Even the characterization of the fuuuging baby is spot on! -That end is so good it deserves to be mentioned again. Trust me, its excellent. -Naanaa THE BAD: -Nearly nothing, but I'm a critic so I gotta come up with something. My only complaint is that the defeat of Darkseid is a little too quick. He was built up so much, it feels just a little weird to see him go so fast. That said, it appears there was another mastermind the whole time, so I guess we'll see how things play out in the final issue.

THE GOOD: -I personally thought that this was a great conclusion to my personal favorite series in a long, long time. -The art was great. Need I say more? -I really liked the way this issue pulled of a non-ending while not entirely ignoring the previous issues or everybody's theories as to what was going on. -I also loved the way Scott was meeting all these dead people from the series and each one was telling him their theory as to what was going on. -Another thing I loved was how what they were saying didn't really matter to Scott. Some people are saying he gave up. I personally didn't see it that way. I saw it as that living with his wife and children is what made him happy more than anything, and I thought they executed that in a really beautiful way. -Yet another thing in the sea of things I loved about this issue. It didn't need to focus on some epic final battle or anything for it's ending. It focused instead on Scott and his family, which if not the central themes of the story (I thought it was), for me, it was the best. -I really liked that moment when Oberon talked about Rebirth's continuities and crises for two reasons. 1. It's a great bit of meta-commentary 2. It focuses on saying that the simplicity of whatever world Scott's in is why he stayed. Or why he made the right choice. Because all he wants is his wife and kid and that's all this world really is. -In fact I loved everything about Oberon's speech. Oberon has been dead for the previous issues and still is, but this one issue managed to capture he and Scott's relationship perfectly, while still being beautiful and relevant speech. -I haven't really read many Mister Miracle comics before this (except for Justice League International), so I didn't really know what the character was like a whole lot. From what I've heard King's Mister Miracle is nothing like the other iterations, but I never really cared, because I fell in love with the character at the beginning of the series, because it is a really well-written and compelling character. So when I think of Mister Miracle, I'm sorry but I think of this character from this series. Anyways, I thought that the characters were still great in this issue. -It was also just a great sending off of the series. Some people hated it, that's totally fine and understandable. I loved it. It felt really sad to see it go, but it did so in the perfect way. -I actually think the non-ending was the a great direction for this series to go. It essentially said that the whole mystery doesn't really matter, we're not ignoring it, but to Scott, it doesn't really matter, all that matters is he and his wife's happiness. -Loved that last page. I liked that it didn't end with a splash page or something, just a simple, phenomenally well-written, beautiful last page, that for me was infinitely more powerful than a splash page. -What is this successor? Female Furies? I don't know, but it's got me pumped. -All in all, I found this entire series to be more than just a comic. For me, it was a journey. -It was also one of my all time favorites. Just... putting that out there. THE BAD: -This is the first time in all my reviewing comics I found nothing wrong with an issue. I loved it. My reviews are as subjective as they get, so it doesn't mean there was nothing wrong, its just there was nothing that I personally didn't like about the issue.

THE GOOD: -The originality. This is one of the most risky, unique and original comics currently being published by Marvel or DC, and I have to appreciate it for that. -The writing. Never in a million years would I have believed Max Bemis would be the perfect writer for a Moon Knight comic, but he is. -The characterization of Marc. Excellent, excellent characterization and possibly the best exploration of his character that we've seen so far in this run -The return of Foolkiller! Honestly, I would say that Foolkiller is Max Bemis' best comic besides Moon Knight, so its great he's continuing the character, and he was used very well in this issue. -The end. I almost want the series to end here, this issue ends on such a perfect, beautiful, strong note. I loved the last couple pages and it concluded the story arc so perfectly. -The art. Jacen Burrows's art has just the perfect personality and unique style for a Moon Knight comic book. THE BAD: -Sadly, this issue is so unconventional, that sometimes its weirdness doesn't work. Sometimes it does take away from the reading experience. Still, not a major problem though.

THE GOOD: -The writing for both Rogue and Gambit was the best part of the issue. They are both great characters, well-portrayed and with great personality. One of, of not the best X-Men character portrayals in a while. -The Technet was an interesting villain league. They would be pretty typical if not for their unique powers and abilities and looks, which provide their characters some fun and unique looking action scenes. -It's very satisfying to see just a fun adventure for a comic book story. No end-of-the-world situations, just an almost rom-com-ish ruined honeymoon that is well-centered around its two main characters and held up by the humor. THE BAD: -I don't like Kelly Thompson's portrayal of Deadpool. He had some good jokes, but too many of them didn't land. Especially after writers like Gerry Duggan, and recently Skottie Young have rocked the character. Maybe he just doesn't belong in a PG-13 environment, but it didn't work for me here. -The art was not doing it for me. It lacked character and personality, just very bland and uninspired. -The size joke is so cringe worthy. Especially coming off the whip joke from the first one, apparently its just always necessary for this series to have a very cringe worthy innuendo each issue, therefore its necessary for me to deduct points from its score each issue as well. -Didn't like the end. It just wasn't a good twist. It came out of nowhere and just doesn't make me want to buy the next one.

THE GOOD: -Apparently Kelly Thompson was holding back in issue #2, because Deadpool in this issue, is hilarious. Perfect. I know want her onboard a Deadpool series. -This issue's strongest point is clearly it's characters. They are all well-characterized and really well-written. THE BAD: -The art wasn't doing it again. I think the issue would be greatly benefitted by an artist switch. As the series stands, Bazaldua doesn't capture the expressions or the pure fun of the issue enough. -This series suffers from the terrible villain cliche. Not only is Deathbird non-imposing, but also she's forgettable.

THE GOOD: -I do think Kelly Thompson has characterized Rogue and Gambit very well. They are pretty compelling characters. THE BAD: -Still not a very huge fan of the art. It just feels very plain in my opinion. It also appears to be over-sexualizing Rogue. -This issue, just generally speaking is way too bland. I can hardly remember a thing about it except I was bored most of the way through. -It feels as if the StarJammers are just thrown in there. Their contributions to the plot are so minimal, it starts to feel like their only there as fan service.

THE GOOD: -Oscar Bazaldua's art has improved a lot. The faces are still bad, but the action scenes look nice at least. -I do love these characters and they're written very well. -The opening scene here was just great. -I liked Rogue revisiting her past. It was a good storyline for one issue. THE BAD: -I did get bored with this issue, when it got it bit wordier towards the middle. -I dunno. Spiral was never my favorite. She's just so uninteresting here.

THE GOOD: -This was a really solid issue! I enjoyed it a lot! -For once I liked Oscar Bazaldua's art. Neither the faces nor the hands were distractingly bad this time. -Kelly Thompson is a good writer. This series was never her best work, but I really enjoyed the writing this issue. -The action scenes were a lot of fun. -Am I the only hoping the baby was some kind of subtle foreshadowing for a child? -That end was great. It certainly leaves you on the edge of your seat. THE BAD: -Never been a fan of Spiral. Still ain't. -Eh. Mojo turned into a pretty boring villain at the end there. That's sad. I liked him at first in this story arc.

THE GOOD: -I thought this was a really fun debut. It was entertaining and it pulled me in. -The writing for this issue was really good. Bendis' writing has devolved into pure sh*t over in the Superman department. So, I'm guessing this is David Walker's doing. If so, good job Mr. Walker. If not, well done (and surprisingly so) Mr. Bendis. -I absolutely love the art. I've never heard of Jamal Campbell before, but I hope he gets the recognition he deserves for this. The facial expressions are excellent, and the art is vibrant and energetic, but also unique. -I really like the small-town setting. It's a nice departure from Gotham and Metropolis. -I thought they were overselling Naomi. I was wrong, she is a likable character, who people can connect with. Or at least me. -I thought the ending sets up a really interesting mystery/storyline. THE BAD: -My only complaint is that more could've happened. I have a feeling this series is just getting started. Then again, I could be wrong.

THE GOOD: -I mostly liked this. It was serviceable. -Right off the bat, the art is strikingly good. I know Reis won't even do all the issues in the first story arc, which is a shame considering how pleasing his style is. -I like Sunspot. Sometimes he annoyed me, but overall I at least found him memorable. -Corsair is an interesting and complex character. -Okay, that ending got a chuckle out of me. THE BAD: -Sometimes the dialogue felt off. Maybe it's a byproduct of having two writers. I don't know. -Can't say I really like the characters as much here. There were a couple exceptions, which are noted above, but most of them were bland and forgettable. -This story is just kind of bland. I'm looking forward more to where it's going than where it went in this first issue.

THE GOOD: -I loved this issue. What an improvement over the first one. -Rod Reis's art is great. He's a talented color artist as well as penciller. -Okay, the space lawyer was legitimately hilarious. -The characters definitely felt a lot stronger here. Especially Sunspot, since the direction they were going with him was more clear. They've still got a ways to go, but I'll take it. -The story just got way more interesting. -I was a little worried with how Hickman would fit with the tone of the series, but he did great by himself. I'm almost concerned for Brisson's issues now, since I'm not as big a fan of him. -I do like the character interactions a lot. Not as much the individual characters, though. -Oh man, what a perfect way to end. THE BAD: -Hmm. I'm torn with the opening recap. It's a lot of words, but with a lot of personality. Also, it's a recap, mostly. And the new information didn't really interest me. This issue should've just started with the trial scene.

THE GOOD: -This was fine, I guess. It was what I expected. -As someone who's mildly familiar with these characters, I enjoyed them here. -The graphics were good here. They did their job, which was solidifying/expanding on the world -I liked the last panel. It made me chuckle. THE BAD: -I'm not a fan of the art at all. The faces just look really off. -Man, this issue was slow. I wasn't at all interested until the last page or so. -Oh dear, already the villain is super bland and uninteresting.

THE GOOD: -This was alright. I liked it better than last issue for sure. I just can't wait for more Hickman issues. -Boom-Boom falls down the Jack-Sparrow-esque, funny-drunk character trap a couple times, but I liked her personality enough. -I was wrong about the villains. Their motivations were surprisingly interesting. I like how these series are exploring the miracle drugs. THE BAD: -Right off the bat, I hate the art. It's not as bad as Kudranski, but boy is it overly cartoony. -Eh, I'm not interested in the story.

THE GOOD: -This issue was so much fun. I loved it. -Rod Reis's art is always great. -Honestly, I think I like Hickman's writing here better than X-Men. Maybe it's just that I wish he'd write this series full-time, and drop the vastly inferior Ed Brisson. -That recap was great. It felt like it was almost directly addressing my complaint with issue 2, and started out almost Deadpool-like with its meta-ness. Plus it was really funny. -This issue had an interesting storyline. -Man, those Shi'ar Death Commandos are neat. -Sunspot is such a great character. -Mondo and Chamber were great together. -Oh man, that scene with Magik was just fantastic. -Karma... is kinda awesome. THE BAD: -Nah, I got nothing. This issue is pretty much what comics made for.

THE GOOD: -An okay issue. -I sort of liked the very basic moral dilemma presented by the Manon and Maxine characters -I liked the villain character's death. For once, something I wasn't expecting happened in this comic. -The last few pages were actually great. Really bittersweet. Good twist. I hope more stuffy like that happens in the future of this comic. When Hickman's not writing it, that is. When Hickman writes New Mutants, everything is perfect. THE BAD: -Really awful art. The look of this comic really dampened the reading experience. -I have no interest in this story at all. -I don't care about any of these characters.

I'm not sure what to think of this issue. It was fun and clever, but ultimately it felt insubstantial. Easily my least favorite Hickman New Mutants.

THE GOOD: -Surprisingly enough, I had a lot of fun reading this issue. -Maybe I liked this more than the other Brisson issue simply because I love Sebastian Shaw. -I liked the story a lot. It felt very classic. -I liked the characters here. Brisson seems to work better with less major characters. -Nova Roma was cool and interesting. -The action was really fun. -Definitely interested in what's to come. THE BAD: -Eh, I think I was over the cartoony art the second I saw it. -That joke about burning down the Amazon landed... awkwardly to say the least.

Man, Ed really found his footing. This was a lot of fun.

Pretty good. I'll take what I can get when it comes to comics these days.

This series is the definition of fine. I don't really care about it, but it kept me engaged for all twenty pages, I guess.