A lot has transpired in comics over winter break, but there is never a better way to catch up than to just dive right in to the books that were released this week.
Robin War has come to a close and those of you who have not had the opportunity to read all of the chapters or tie-in books take note: if you like the Batman universe, you will truly enjoy this event. However, as Robin War comes to a close, a slew of new stories will be entering the DC Universe.
Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion has arrived as the latest story that follows the corps is helmed by the very talented writer Tom Taylor and equally-gifted artist Ethan Van Sciver. Alongside the Green Lantern Corps story will be The Legend of Wonder Woman, a 9-part story that follows the Amazonian princess as she develops into the founding member of the Justice League that she is today.
Without further ado, here are the reviews for the books released on January 13 along with a new 10-point rating system to make the individual scores much clearer.
Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 – Grade: 8.4
This story continues to leave the reader in the dark regarding how these two universes have come together despite spending the first two issues attempting to explain just that. However, the Ninja Turtles versus Batman fight that opens up the issue is incredibly enjoyable and good for a few fan service moments. The art from Freddie Williams II is unique and truly melds both worlds seamlessly without the visuals distracting from the character’s dialogue. Writer James Tynion IV also makes a strong effort to bring together the comedic tone of TMNT with the dark tones that have forever surrounded Batman.
Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion #1 – Grade: 8.8
Edge of Oblivion has a lot of interesting characters and components that have to be managed properly or the story could go awry, but Tom Taylor is up to the task and the first issues leaves a lot of promise for this six-issue series. The Green Lantern Corps are still lost and the numerous personality differences lead to a lot of discord amongst the team. Between a Bd’g-Guy Gardner scuffle and the differing values when it comes to saving a race of people, Taylor has quickly found the sweet spot for bouncing these characters off of one another. With that being said, the Corps need to start making their way back towards the DC Universe at some point rather than being bounced around with no return in sight.
The Legend of Wonder Woman #1 – Grade: 9.0
This story takes the cake when it comes to making Wonder Woman interesting again and it is nice to see her get highlighted in such an amazing way. Not much is ever really made of who Wonder Woman is or how she came to be when you look at the members of the Justice League and discuss origin stories for each of them. Batman’s parents died, Superman was sent from a perishing planet, Flash was struck by lightning and Green Lantern was chosen by the ring. The Legend of Wonder Woman brings Diana’s origin into the light and makes the story of a princess with incredible powers seem both fascinating and intriguing. The art from Ray Dillon is also stunning to look at, with detail and polish on almost every page.
Robin War #2 – Grade: 8.1
Despite singing this event’s praises earlier, the conclusion could have been a lot more polished and a little less predictable. The best take away from this storyline though is the justification of the We Are Robin team and especially their leader Duke Thomas. Thomas has been a welcome addition to the Bat family and his burgeoning friendship with Damien Wayne will be fun to monitor in the coming months. Nevertheless, the end of Robin War had repercussions that will have small ripple effects throughout the DC universe. But based on the first few chapters of the event, this story had the opportunity to create some real waves and finish in a way that would have left the audience both fulfilled and wanting more.
Slash and Burn #3 – Grade: 7.7
One of Vertigo’s stronger new stories, Slash and Burn continues to boast its mystery to a lot of success. It is very easy to get lost in the mind of the Rosheen Hayes as she works her way through these series of arsons. The mind games being played in this book are unfortunately overshadowed by the lack of character development in Rosheen’s past. The story wants the reader to make connections that just have not been established enough for there to be any real emotional ties to these peripheral characters.
Superman: American Alien #3 – Grade: 9.5
Superman: American Alien started off strong, then stumbled a bit and has now released its strongest issue to date as Clark Kent is mistaken for Bruce Wayne. This book is Joelle Jones artistic masterpiece and Max Landis’ playground for a fun view into the life of young Clark Kent as he decides to live it up for once. This issue is filled with humorous moments as future-Superman gets a taste of what future-Batman’s life could be like. However, we find out throughout the book just why it was so easy for this group of people on a party boat to mistake Clark for Bruce.
