Ray Goldfield Comic Reviews

This isn't the total dud that Deadman's new series is, but it's the most forgettable.

The issue ends with a mildly creepy visual (albeit one that feels copied from every horror movie out there). But nothing can save a comic that so grossly misses the central point of its lead character.

My issues with this take on Ragman have been well known by now, but Ragman #5, the penultimate issue, drives home the overarching problem with the structure " it's just too busy.

Ragman under previous writers, most famously Bill Willingham, was a complex character whose powers came from a rich mythology and served a harsh but benevolent justice. This series hollows that character out, turning him into a generic antihero covered in a cursed object.

The second issue of Neal Adams' latest writer-artist outing has more of a story than the dreadful first issue, but it suffers from a serious execution problem.

This is very much in the spirit of the insane Batman: Odyssey, but it lacks the hilariously bizarre events of that one, and instead just comes off as grim.

Neal Adams' latest exercise in absurdity continues in Deadman #4, with an issue that doesn't deliver anything resembling a coherent narrative but does deliver so many strange creatures and visuals that it's almost worth reading. Almost.

Neal Adams' absurdist Deadman miniseries approaches its conclusion in Deadman #5, and one would assume that there are major plot developments in this penultimate issue with all the new concepts and characters that Adams has introduced. Nope!

Neal Adams' bizarre fever dream into the world of Deadman concludes in Deadman #6 " or does it? Not really, as it turns out, because Neal Adams is apparently always guaranteed a sequel.

If the series maintains this tone going forward, it could very well find its groove. But right now, it doesn't quite work.

The second issue of Female Furies takes all the problems of the first issue and doubles down on them, removing the few elements of hope that made me think the series could improve.

As this bizarre, disturbing miniseries reaches its halfway point, it finally establishes its main character and a strange and upsetting theme emerges " this is essentially a textbook fridging story, only the person the fridging is intended to motivate is another woman. I don't think that makes it any better, as Female Furies #3 once again takes us from a brief moment of hope to a never-ending wallow in horror.

Heading into its second act after last issue's mindlessly sadistic death of original Female Fury Aurelie, this title continues its bizarre exploration of sexism on Apokalips with a strange mix of extreme sexual violence, overly broad satire, and extremely topical references.

Female Furies #5 is probably the best issue of the series, just because it traffics far less in the torture of the title characters and instead has them turn the tables for the first time. The problem is, it's still just not very good " a confused satire of current-day misogyny and sexual abuse as filtered through a society that's always been monstrous, but never in such a base and human way.

I've been puzzled since the start by where exactly this bizarre comic falls into DC continuity, and this final issue makes it clear " it doesn't. It's not a lost story of Apokalips that reveals secret truths from the history of one of DC's biggest villains. It's an alternate reality that takes a completely bizarre direction in the final issue that makes it make both more and less sense in context.

Too much of the issue seems like a monologue, not a story, and Scarlet herself is a bizarrely narcissistic lead character whose revolution began out of personal pain and seems oddly disconnected from the reality on the ground.

The comic plays fast and loose with continuity, as it references both No Man's Land and has Nightwing and two Robins appear without identifying them. It takes place amid a power crisis in Gotham that's caused mass riots " spearheaded by the mysterious remote-controlled evil robot Khaos.

The plot makes more sense than some previous minis, but it's just a bizarre sideshow of a comic where everyone spends most of the issue yelling at each other and neither the heroes or the villains seem smart enough to be in this line of work.

The story is fitfully amusing, but completely fails as any sort of coherent narrative. Adams is a legend, and I'm glad he's having fun.

Batman Vs. Ra's Al Ghul #4 is the continuation of a strange series of Batman comics by Neal Adams going back almost a decade, meaning this entire series was guaranteed to be bizarre. But I wasn't quite prepared for just how bizarre.

It's been several years since the last issue of this Neal Adams miniseries, and it returns with nothing resembling a recap page or anything else to help us remember the incredibly bizarre series of events within. But I'm not sure it would make any more sense if it did.

Liam Sharp is a brilliant artist, and I'm looking forward to what disturbing scenes he'll unveil as this story continues, but the story feels like it's barely even a batman story and portrays a version of Bruce Wayne who is both casually cruel and reckless. This reminds me of early books in the Marvel MAX line before it was given a touch of maturity by...Ennis. Ironic.

Ennis has written some brilliant superhero stories over the years, but he's not at home on a character like Batman whose moral code defines him.

It's a great looking comic, but it's also an empty one. A comic by a first-time comic writer is always a toss-up, and this one did nothing for me.

Spinning out of the one-off future-set issue that wrapped Frank Tieri's run, Old Lady Harley #1 is a chaotic, action-packed alternate universe take that throws Harley Quinn and her supporting cast into a post-apocalyptic future. The problem is that it feels like a product of the past, not a story of the future.

This isn't a very good comic on its own, but it looks so much worse when compared to the excellent Sam Humphries run that's going on right now. Old Man Logan, this is not. We're not likely to be seeing any spinoffs here.

Like most of this series, there's a lot of noise but not much actually going on.

There's nothing in this story that we haven't seen many times before and nothing that stands out as a good Harley story.

It completely failed as an attempt to create a compelling alternate universe, and the last-page cliffhanger did nothing to make me want a sequel.

This title is a complete mess on every possible level, and all the characters involved deserve much better.

There are still three issues to go, but this annual feels like the series finale in a lot of ways. That's because it's the conclusion to the long-running subplot of Damian Wayne's self-destruction " and if you're expecting a happy ending, you haven't been reading this book.

This title seems to be making headway in giving itself more of a genuinely young vibe, which is what every TT book needs to succeed.

Maybe the final chapter will bring some major developments that will give this crossover a real impact, but right now it's a major disappointment.

There's some potential, but the story ultimately falls flat.

This issue has a mostly light touch that benefits it, but while it's one of my favorite issues of the series, I think it accents the fact that this team never really worked as a unit " their best issue is the one where they're barely together.

The cliffhanger is predictable, turning Joran into a one-note villain, and overall solid characterization for Beast Boy is lost in an iffy plot.

This final story arc, focusing on Beast Boy and his complex dynamic with the rest of the team and with Damian in particular, is perfectly fine but also feels sort of slight. It's a fairly minor in the scheme of things, and this version of the Teen Titans just peters out as a result.

It may be a slight step up from last month's special, but it's still one hell of a mess.

This issue has far and away the best plot of the three issues so far, but it's still a long way from being a good book. A team book can't succeed if only a few members of the team are remotely likable or interesting.

The troubled new run of Teen Titans moves forward in Teen Titans #22, packing a lot of development into only a few issues " but that's not necessarily a good thing.

The title's improving, but it's improving from the absolute bottom. It doesn't work as a Teen Titans team. But hey, Young Justice is only a few months away.

As an issue, this is well-paced and executed, but the team dynamic remains a glaring flaw in the series.

Crush's confrontation with the drug dealer who killed her parents gets as violent as this series likes to, but it also reveals the moments before their death and settles some of her questions. But this main story wouldn't work nearly as well if it didn't build a genuine, sometimes sweet connection between the two girls.

This is just not a good book on any level, and it's doing serious damage to Damian as a character.

oming off the disastrous annual, Teen Titans #27 is a marked improvement. But one-third of a good comic doesn't make for a good comic, and the story overall still suffers from bad plotting and some very unlikable characters.

A crossover like this needs two books on the same level, and this doesn't have it.

The weird crossing-of-the-streams between one of DC's best books and one of its worst continues to have predictably strange effects. Deathstroke hasn't missed a beat, spinning this bizarre tale of Deathstroke being locked up in Damian Wayne's My First Black Site-Prison Playset into something fantastic. Teen Titans, less so although Teen Titans #29 feels less aggressively bad than previous issues.

Crush is more consistent and remains probably the most engaging character in the run, but the issue as a whole seems to be an unpleasant group therapy session until Crush loses her temper " just in time for dear old dad to show up for a brawl.

Maybe the worst thing about this misbegotten run is the way it takes good characters from other books and hollows them out, leaving crass and unlikable versions that make it harder for other writers to build on a strong foundation.

We're left with more questions about Djinn, more arguments between team members, and nothing closer to a coherent team after this issue.

Teen Titans continues to be the most frustrating in the DC stable, because it has a team of characters with a lot of potential, but seems to use them in the most bizarre ways.

There's virtually no resemblance here to any sort of Teen Titans team, and the biggest problem is that I have no idea why any of these characters are putting up with each other. There's no team dynamic, because there's no real team.

Why was the team getting on Emiko's case for assassinating a mass-murdering supervillain? These kids seem to be racking up the body counts and war crimes by the issue, and not only is there no one to root for, it's getting harder to see Damian in other titles without being reminded of what a monster he is here.

By the end of Teen Titans #36, it seems we're about to see the reveal of the identity of Goth Leviathan, aka The Other, but he's been such a side note to this story that it barely matters. We're not invested in the plot, we're not invested in likable character, so what's driving this book?

This is definitely a slight improvement from the run overall, but so many elements of this issue feel like they're taken from stock comics.

Teen Titans #38 is the last issue of this run before Djinn War kicks off to close it out, and the title seems to have improved a bit " but it's still bogged down by massive characterization issues.

Robbie Thompson has jumped on script duties in Teen Titans for the final act of Adam Glass' run, and the title does seem to have ticked up a bit in quality. Unfortunately, Thompson is still stuck with the same major problem " a weak team that mostly seems like a group project crew forced to work together rather than an actual team.

Teen Titans #14, part of the final arc of Adam Glass' run, literally takes the Teen Titans to hell and back, sending each member of a dark night of the soul " but it really only emphasizes just how skin-deep most of these characters are.

Twenty issues in, there's still no sense of teamwork or friendship. We'll see what Robbie Thompson does when he goes solo, but this book desperately needs a new dynamic.

That's part of the problem here"Teen Titans should be a fun book, yet somehow it's always one of the darkest in the DC stable. I'm hopeful that the characters here, especially Wallace, Crush, and Emiko, will build on their story arc here and wind up in a better title that lets them reach their full potential in the future.

Dark-and-edgy tone? Check. Young original outlaw heroes as half the team? Check. No one acting in character? Check. The question is, why would anyone want this? I certainly don't.

A 60-page jumbo comic with art by John Romita Jr., it looks exactly like what a Superman book should look like " but that's the only good thing I can say about this complete mess of a comic.

This issue is a fascinatingly bizarre take on a very different Superman before he heads to Metropolis.

This series is a confusing mess, but it's also a fascinating one that raises a lot more questions than it answers.

Political comics aren't necessarily a bad thing, but they are when they devolve into this.

It's a serviceable issue without much obviously wrong with it, but that's the best that can be said.

Overall, this issue seems to set up a final showdown with Calculator, but it mainly blows up the segment where the book was at its best.

While Birds of Prey has a long and excellent history of stories, Batgirl and the Birds of Prey never got off the ground, and this issue sums up the reasons why.

Burnrate, Calculator's Terminator-esque robot, continues to destroy everything in sight, and the action is intense, but this series as a whole lacks what makes Birds of Prey work.

There's been a lot of attempts to revive nostalgic hits in the last few years, but this one shows that sometimes a property is a product of its time and place, and when too much has changed it's just not the same anymore. Might be time to let the Birds rest and try a new concept " Batgirls Inc, maybe?

Ultimately, the biggest problem of Gotham High is its plot. While the art by Thomas Pitulli is effective, in a gritty way that makes the characters feel more like participants in a noir film than in a teen drama, it mires them in a dull love triangle plotline that never quite goes anywhere.

This is just a one-shot that doesn't tie into anything, and that might be for the best"this Peacemaker doesn't feel like he belongs in the DCU.

The sidelining of Lois and the replacement of characters like Alfred with originals don't make this a good transition into the DC comics stories waiting for young fans, so while it's a passable story, I'd instead recommend all-ages classics like Superman Smashes the Klan and Batman: Overdrive as starter books from this line.

This feels like a strange superhero soap"which I guess it is, given the less-than six month lag time between volumes. A third installment is already previewed in the back of the book, meaning this story is likely to continue indefinitely. An odd choice to be DC Zoom's only ongoing series.

The main Super-Sons book can be frustratingly irregular, but there's a sense of genuine fun to that one. Here, I don't see anything that will bring kids back for a second volume a year from now.

Certainly better than the fatally flawed Superman: Earth One series, but lacking the feel of a bold new universe that the Batman or Green Lantern books had, Wonder Woman: Earth One is ultimately little more than a strange Grant Morrison musing on just how odd Wonder Woman's long comic book history is.

Dan Abnett's Titans run comes to a close in Titans Annual #2 " at least this version does, as the team will be combined with members of the Teen Titans and a few new characters in a few months. But while Abnett's writing has always been competent with what he had to work with, the core dynamic of the original Teen Titans reuniting hasn't worked since launch mini Titans Hunt.

A conclusion to the big Troia arc delivers a lot of action, but very little substance as Donna Troy goes up against her evil self.

Overall, this picks up on the very flawed annual and makes the League look like ridiculous heels " and Dick's decision to go along with this and shut down the team, for now, is even more ridiculous.

Oddly, it seems like splitting the Titans apart " even if the reason was the dumbest moment of the series " may have been what was needed to make this title compelling for the first time, because, in Titans #20, the majority of the plots are promising enough.

The penultimate issue of Titans, Titans #21, is essentially two comics in one, and the one that's much better...doesn't actually feature the Titans.

Titans #22 is technically the final issue of this version of Titans, although the story will conclude in an annual later this month before relaunching with the same writer but a new team and concept. That may be for the best " Abnett's a capable writer, but this particular title never took off.

With Titans #23, it feels like we're caught in some sort of spiral of the Titans books actively competing to one-up each other in just how bad they can be.

The dialogue still needs a lot of work, but the plot in this series seems to be leveling up.

The 25th anniversary issue of Titans comes only a few issues into the title's new direction, which makes it feel like less of an event. It feels more like this just combines the two next issues of the series into one oversized package, and as a result there's a lot going on here.

The book as a whole has a lot of mood whiplash, and the team dynamic isn't strong enough to make up for it.

Titans #27 is an issue drowned in tragedy in which almost nothing connects with the reader, due to the poor work done with these characters previously.

Taking a break from its own plots to tie into Drowned Earth, Titans #28 feels like it's drowning in subplots.

Most of the characters aren't likable, and those who are have been changed or hobbled somehow to make them more unpleasant to read about. Ever since the revamp, this team just hasn't worked at all.

There's still a lot of dangling plot threads here like Raven's soul self that need to be resolved, and the book will need a team we care about to drive those stories.

The plot is a mess, but the team dynamic here isn't bad and Kyle is an interesting addition to the cast " he definitely wasn't a classic Titan, but he has ties to the cast especially Donna. It's a slight improvement, but this series still has a way to go before it's a good series overall.

Unfortunately, just like most of the rest of this title, it's not that interesting " more a series of ideas in search of a plotline.

Bruno Redondo's art is excellent, but it's all largely in service of some pretty generic fantasy tropes. Still, visually this is probably the most engaging issue of the series.

Dan Abnett's Titans is ending in April, one of a wave of cancellations likely in advance of a new launch wave. After the way it's gone downhill since the Justice League line was retooled, I can't say I'll miss it.

Titans #35 has some more high points than previous issues, but largely strands them in a mediocre plot with a lot of senseless action and a weak antagonist.

It's not an overtly bad comic, but it's one that never did justice to its characters.

There's a lot of weird plot developments in this issue that come out of nowhere, none more so than the whole setup " which seems oddly ripped off from Marvel's recent failed Inhumans hard-sell.

This issue (and series as a whole) seem to be going for a Walking Dead vibe, but that's not a selling point for me.

There's still a bit too much generic monster action and shooting, but there are some nicely tense action segments along the way.

Twenty-two issues into Scooby Apocalypse, it's clear that the whole Scooby-Doo trappings are essentially just a minor element of what's become a more absurdist, more colorful Walking Dead with a more protected central cast of characters.

When the title critters actually show up, the story is a bit of fun, but it's been dragging on way too long.

Scooby Apocalypse #24 is basically a slow march to doom, which is a lot less effective because previews already spoiled what's coming next in this title.

Probably should have skipped an issue and let the main plot have the sole spotlight for a month.

This title just doesn't have the subtlety for the topics it tackles.

There's some decent material in this subplot, but unfortunately the dialogue doesn't really live up to the potential.

Not all that much going on here, and the same goes for Daisy and Cliffy. Their bonding is a nice touch in a very grim issue, but that's it.

Part of the problem with Scooby Apocalypse as a series is that it wavers between having no sense of forward motion, and putting its forward motion into fast forward. That's the issue with Scooby Apocalypse #29.

Thirty issues in, more than double the length of any other Hanna-Barbera series, it still feels like Scooby Apocalypse doesn't know what kind of book it wants to be. Sometimes it's broadly comic, sometimes it's so unrelentingly grim that it almost feels like The Walking Dead, and sometimes those two tones are crammed together in one issue.

The introduction of Fred's reanimated corpse as the new big bad of the series has given the series a burst of intensity, but the series has done very little to make us care about the humans in this series so far.

As Scooby Apocalypse continues well past when anyone expected this dark-and-gritty Scooby Doo revamp to last, it starts to develop some gems of an interesting idea.

I've got to say " I don't think Scooby Apocalypse is a particularly good book, but it's definitely one of the more interesting shaggy dogs in the DC line, pun intended.

It's the final arc of Scooby Apocalypse, and all the enemy forces are converging on the post-apocalyptic mall where the Mystery Machine crew has made their home in Scooby Apocalypse #34.

The biggest problem this series has is that it seems to go around in circles.

Overall, it was a failed experiment but one that put way more effort in than I expected based on the first few issues.

This book started out as a dark religious satire, taking us inside a corrupt corporation that claimed to be able to suck demons and corruption out of the human soul. After that first issue, though, it seems content to just be an over-the-top gross-out comedy in which a pimply idiot gapes in horror as bodies get ripped apart.

It feels like a Garth Ennis comic, partially due to the two artists being frequent collaborators of his, but it feels like one of his lesser efforts where body humor replaces storytelling.

With only one issue to go, it ends the issue with a much bigger scale than most comics from this line, but it feels like there's a lot of story still to go.

The creators behind this strange book are podcast veterans on what I believe is their first comic, and it showsit had a lot on its mind, and I think it only hit about fifty percent of those points.

The brutal finish, and a confrontation between Waller and Swamp Thing, definitely make this worth reading, but it feels like a complete contrast between this and the A-list Williams run. I'm not sure either extreme is the perfect fit.

The fourth chapter of "The Secret History of Task Force X" delivers a lot of widescreen action in the service of a plot that is unfortunately completely incoherent.

This is actually one of the better issues of the series in a bit, as it has a decent horror aesthetic and strong art by Barnaby Bagenda, but the story and the characters are still rather lacking.

The final issue of the overly long "Secret History of Task Force X" storyline delivers pretty much what the rest of the arc has " a lot of action, some of it impressive, but very little in the way of compelling character development.

Suicide Squad #33 is easily the best issue of this series, as Si Spurrier steps on board for a two-part arc that turns out to be a dark, twisted issue that cuts to the core of just how horrific the Suicide Squad concept actually is.

Si Spurrier's blackly funny Suicide Squad series has been the best this series has been since the start, giving the book a new dynamic by adding the fatalistic Juan Soria, a low-powered meta who is fully aware that he's the new guy on the team and as such is a redshirt who is doomed to die.

A mixed bag, but definitely an improvement for the series.

Suicide Squad has taken quite a significant jump in quality over the last arc, following the Si Spurrier guest arc, but it's still not quite coming together as a compelling whole, even in Suicide Squad #36.

Suicide Squad has taken an upward swing, with a compelling antagonist and a plot that relies less on complex and often boring mythology.

This issue shows that the title can take advantage of its unpredictable nature once in a while, and the foundations of a good issue are there " only to be completely undone by a nasty last-act plot twist that continues to destroy the legacy of a well-liked character.

This book has just created a band of nasty people fighting other nasty people, and that's not particularly entertaining to read.

Overall, this run has been middling to poor, but this issue is probably one of its best.

The twisted snake cultists are creepy, but the issue isn't very memorable until the second half, which is when Batman shows up and the action kicks into overdrive.

Overall, the series still suffers from an overly villainous Amanda Waller, as she tries to hunt down Batman and Deadshot, and lack of any real development for its main characters. You know, the same issues over the last forty-odd issues.

Suicide Squad #43 continues Batman and Deadshot's road trip, and at times it feels like it's three comics in one " and they're vastly different in terms of interest.

Overall, this story largely felt too thin for an extended arc, and by the end just about everything is back to status quo.

With a pared down Squad and a clear conflict, I'm intrigued by this new arc.

Combining Suicide Squad and Aquaman for the "Sink Atlantis" event has delivered a highly entertaining story, even if it gets a little over the top at times.

This felt like it should have been more than one issue, because the resolution feels very rushed " and because it's one of the better issues of the series overall thanks to its character focus.

It's a tense issue, yeah, but a lot of the story feels built around the overly villainized characterization of Waller that's been a problem for this series since the first issue.

With only one issue to go before the series ends and is rumored to get a reboot with a major creator, this series never really lived up to its potential. A relaunch will need to change things up if DC wants to capitalize on the success of the movie.

Now, for this final issue, Suicide Squad #50, the Squad is up against a threat dating back to the early issues of the series " The Tuskanga virus, a sentient alien intelligence that possesses humans and turns them into giant lava monsters. And it's gotten ahold of Amanda Waller and turned her into a hulking monster with a fang-filled mouth on her stomach. It makes about as much sense in context as you'd expect, and the team seems to be having fun making jokes at their former handler's expense. But that's really the only amusing thing here.

This isn't a perfect comic, as we don't really get to know either of the two teams in the issue, but it does a very good job of immersing us in its disturbing world. We're immediately invested, and that's a big part of success.

This title has more in common with Venditti's work on Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps than it does with his spectacular Hawkman so far, but it's an exciting read.

Overman, the Nazi Superman, is name-dropped this issue and a third, even more insane Hitler family member makes his debut, but overall this story just isn't developing how it needs to. It feels like a generic action comic that has nothing to say about the threat of Nazism.

Good art can only carry a series so far, and while Eddy Barrows' art on Freedom Fighters continues to be dramatic and epic, it's feeling more and more like the series is a massive waste of time.

This continues to be a series that tries for epic scale and delivers in gorgeous art and splash pages " but lacks the compelling foes and characters needed to make it click.

This series has felt like it's treading water since the start, mainly due to how one-note the villains have been and the fact that its take on Nazism has been " to put it lightly " not subtle.

The bigger issue is that this series is still essentially a blank slate character wise. There's no one here to get invested in yet and while the Nazis are vile, they're also so one-note to provoke no real reaction.

That's the big problem with this series overall " there's an endless sense of hopelessness that makes it rather hard to read. For a series like this to work, we have to believe that the heroes are going to win. So far the heroes don't feel like they have things together enough for the rebellion to be a compelling opposition, but Black Condor's story is the closest we've gotten.

The book goes out of its way to make us hate the Nazis " Hitler's grandson tortures two heroes in sadistic ways in the start of the issue, for instance " but it does little to establish the heroes as worth following.

If you like Eddy Barrows art, and I definitely do, this book is a feast for the eyes " but that's largely all it is, as the massive splash pages can't cover up the fact that a story and cast of characters never really developed here.

A comic pitting heroes against Nazis in this time period should probably have more on its mind than a generic year-long superhero battle.

For a series with a lot of political themes on its mind, it never really goes beyond the surface level on its concept.

Overall, if Birds of Prey #1 was going for a grindhouse action-movie vibe, it achieved it. Its story is competent and the art is excellent. But as a Birds of Prey team, it doesn't remotely live up to the Palmiotti/Conner miniseries it's competing with. The Birds always had some fun energy, and this take just feels like a dirge.

Frank Miller comics are more an experience than a coherent reading experience at this point, but there's some interesting elements in this tale. I just wish they came together into a story that knew what it wanted to be " a political satire, a cosmic epic, or a gritty crime thriller. It tries to combine all three and comes out as a gorgeous mess.

There's potential here, but the issue is bogged down in coarse dialogue and so far undistinguished characters.

Overall, this isn't bad as an expansion of the Teen Titans Academy world. It sets up a decent conflict. But it feels like it's ripped apart the world of Shazam and replaced it with things that don't do the character or the legacy justice.

One of the best shows on Netflix " if you can handle it " is Bojack Horseman, a show about a talking horse that is actually a brutally dark Hollywood satire about the price of fading fame. Ruff & Reddy, which reinvents the classic Hanna-Barbera funnymen as Hollywood has-beens, seems to be trying for a similar vibe, but it's not quite willing to commit to the darkness. As such, what we actually get is a screwball comedy that's also a story about middle-age depression.

Overall, it's an interesting experiment, but it lacks the punch of the social satire in Flintstones or Jetsons.

At this point, this series works somewhat as a Hollywood satire, but as a stand-alone story it feels way too thin for a six-issue miniseries.

A Hollywood parody through the filter of cartoons is an intriguing idea, but when you look at how Snagglepuss is executing it compared to this series, there really isn't much of a competition.

There's always been a mean-spirited tone to the series, but never quite as pronounced as in this final issue " and the issue is not the better for it.

This issue does have a lot going for it, but it's held back by obvious foreshadowing and a horrifically abusive version of Batman.

The guest art by Adam Pollina is serviceable, but lacks the smoothness of the regular artist and some of the fight scenes are unclear. There's a few interesting ideas here, but ultimately " Forget it, Jake, it's Lobdelltown.

It's a bit of a mess, but there are a select few characters who Lobdell writes surprisingly well here.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #18, focusing on Bizarro, is definitely one of the better ones of the run, even as it oddly begins abruptly with Queen Bee " now calling herself the Hive Queen " taunting the heroes.

Surprisingly, ever since this current arc of Red Hood and the Outlaws has begun, this has been one of DC's most improved books.

This arc has easily been the most compelling this title has been.

This series continues to improve, and I'm hopeful it'll stay strong.

Ever since Lobdell began his overarching arc dealing with Bizarro, Red Hood and the Outlaws has been far stronger than it has in any previous incarnation. Still, there's a few lingering problems that hold it back, particularly most things to do with Artemis.

DC's displayed a surprising amount of faith in this title over the last seven years, and it may finally be paying off.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #24 is the final chapter of a long story that set up a smarter Bizarro and a Jason Todd who seemed to be going straight, but both of those plots come to a tragic end here. Unfortunately, at least in one case, it feels like a massive waste of potential and brings up flashbacks to another, far worse recent DC Comic.

Lobdell's Jason continues to be his strongest suit writing-wise, but I definitely can't say the same about his destructive, rage-driven Batman.

This issue throws away every bit of character development Jason went through and portrays him as an angry Punisher ripoff.

The second issue this week tying in with Heroes in Crisis, this second issue of the new direction is definitely a step up from last issue's Punisher-lite comic. It's still not a very good comic, owing to some seriously wonky characterization from everyone involved. It's okay to not nail every bit of continuity " but actively contradicting your own comic from months ago, less so.

Overall, the series continues to not really work.

Red Hood: Outlaw #29 could have gone VERY badly if Scott Lobdell had them bonding over their willingness to kill, but thankfully it handles it better than that. This still isn't anywhere near a good comic, and that's mainly due to the main plot.

There are times that Scott Lobdell's long-running take on Jason Todd's various misadventures almost finds its footing and does something interesting with the character, but it always seems to pull back and throw him into some dumb plot that doesn't work.

This series has been up and down for years now, and this arc is definitely "down".

Scott Lobdell's comics often feel like they take place in a parallel version of the DCU where nothing makes sense, and that's definitely the case with this bizarre issue.

Just an odd curiosity of a book with no real direction.

This is better than most recent issues, but it feels like a tease for a better series at points.

Red Hood: Outlaw #35 is not the worst issue of the series, but it continues to be an odd run with no real defining ideas.

Some of these plots actually feel like they could have been interesting long-term, but alas, there's event comics to be told.

Lobdell likes to dig deep into his runs to find characters, but I can safely say I never expected to see the lead character from Doomed again until the end of this issue. Lobdell's certainly ambitious, but unfortunately the ambition fails to come together into a compelling read.

This idea of training a team of supervillains has promise, but the see-sawing of Jason's characterization and the constant reboots continues to be a problem for this series.

It's odd that in a series named after Red Hood, he's no longer the most intriguing part of this title.

Jason's new status quo as teacher to Lex Luthor's gang of underage villains-in-training is an amusing concept, but it rarely lives up to its potential due to the lack of compelling characters in the students and Red Hood: Outlaw #40 is no exception. They bicker, they do occasional disturbing body-horror things, but they never really feel like anything but future cannon fodder.

I feel like Lobdell, despite some plotting missteps in this book, has managed to develop a strong characterization for Jason and the title is looking up now that the full gang is back together. For all his protests, Jason is his father's son.

Overall, the best part of this series is the ragtag found-family vibe which seems to be having a good effect on Jason.

This book continues to take place in its own strange continuity where any subplot from five years ago can be pulled up at random.

This book has gone on so long that I'm sort of excited to see how Lobdell pulls it all together, but he'll need more focus than Red Hood: Outlaw #45 shows.

It's one of the better recent issues and does a decent job of tying up this long and complicated run.

This is the grittiest, most down-to-earth Red Hood run we've seen in a long time, and that's a big compliment. For the first time, Jason seems to have his own world to operate in, with Batman only at the fringes. Martinbrough came out of nowhere, but this is hopefully the start of something big for him.

The issue is tense and exciting in places, but it's not much more than that.

Cyborg #20 is the final issue and it finally addresses some of the complaints I've had with the character in-story, but does it in a rushed, heavy-handed way that blunts the impact in this final issue.

We're left with yet another run that doesn't feel like it's going to kick-start a successful solo run for the character, and it might be time to call it a day on DC trying to make it happen.

Cyborg #22, the second issue of Marv Wolfman's puzzling revival of Cyborg's solo title, turns out to be a modest improvement over the first, as it clarifies a bit about who's the antagonist and what they want. It still suffers from most of the same problems that Cyborg titles have since DC decided at the start of the New 52 that he was a solo hero now " namely, very few people, including his creator, have the big ideas to drive a Cyborg solo title.

There's relatively little that's bad in this issue, but this is overall a pretty basic plot that feels like it shouldn't have taken three issues to get here.

As the issue comes to a close, full of horrifying visuals and mysteries, it's clear that DC has a new line full of promise. If Black Label continues to explore the darker side of its heroes with this style and none of the cheap exploitation associated with many "mature readers" lines, DC could have something special here.

Mature Readers lines can go two ways, and right now this first Black Label book, unfortunately, seems to be going in the worst way possible " a dark-and-edgy cartoon of a story with little point but to be as shocking as possible. Far from this brilliant creative team's best work.

The reveals come fast and furious in these last few pages, but the series doesn't so much end as stop " leaving us with many questions about who even survived this story. It's brilliantly drawn and delivers some haunting visuals, but it doesn't remotely work as a coherent story.

If you like chaotic gore, this might be the comic for you, but to me, it largely just felt like relentless ugliness without much internal logic.

The larger mythology about these Norse artifacts has potential, but without anyone to really invest in, it's not a particularly compelling story so far.

It's all still a little too absurd to really get into, but points for ambition.

It's definitely expanding on the mythology of the original, and brings back a major threat from the first series, but it doesn't feel deeperjust bigger and grosser.

The thing about this comic is that it's weird. It's really weird, and that's not entirely a criticism. Its splatterpunk style of absurdist horror has been part of the picture since the beginning, but I don't think it ever fully embraced it until this issue.

It's not really my taste, but all put together it works as a tribute to splatterstick horror movies of the '80s.

This is another issue that's quality overall, but lacking much for us to connect with. It's still an off-brand Hulk type character in the DCU, and it doesn't match up with Venditti's other DC work yet.

This is the first of the "New Age of DC Heroes" series to debut, and it's an extremely artist-driven issue. I'm not sure if this is the style of comic to expect in coming debuts, but it didn't blow me away so far " the look and action is there, I'm not sure the story is.

I do enjoy the snarky rivalry between Amanda Waller and Colonel Jonas, but two issues in, the title character is still the least interesting part. The art is great, but with Daniel leaving after one arc, this title's future is iffy.

It's readable, but not really much else right now " there are shades of an interesting character in Ethan, but it's hard to find amid a sea of battle segments.

Good art, decent writing, but that's not enough if the title gives us zero reasons to care about its lead character, who remains a blank slate.

It's never a good sign when your lead character is the least interesting thing about your series, but that's exactly what's going on with Damage #5.

There are certainly worse books in the DC stable than Damage at the moment, but there are few things more frustrating to read than a book where decent ideas are executed poorly.

The great irony of Damage #7 is the same as the rest of the series " writer Robert Venditti seems more interested in everything surrounding Ethan Avery than he does in the main character himself.

Overall, this is one of the most interesting issues of the series, as we finally start getting some answers rather than just smashing everything in sight.

Damage rampages from one fight to another and punches some generic enemies, then disappears into the crowd to emerge again when Damage is needed to wreck things. There's virtually no forward motion in this series, and it doesn't work.

Damage is a perfect example of a title that on the surface does everything right, and underneath the surface has nothing going for it.

Damage #11 may be one of the most basic comics I have ever read. It's not aggressively bad, but it's so predictable that it feels like a computer could have spit it out of a generator.

It's a year in, and I still feel like we know about as much about Ethan and Damage as we did in the first issue. Oh, well, at least the fight scenes look pretty thanks to Aaron Lopresti's art.

Damage as a series has never come together because it's never given us any reason to care about Ethan Avery or his ongoing conflict with Damage. But the bigger problem is that the series keeps on bringing in guest stars, and gets them wrong too.

Review " Damage #14: Welcome to Monster IslandPosted on February 20, 2019 by Ray Goldfield " 0 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesDamage #14 cover, via DC Comics.Damage #14 " Robert Venditti, Writer; Aaron Lopresti, Penciller; Matt Ryan, Inker; Hi-Fi, ColoristRatings:Ray " 6/10How good can a comic be when it barely has a plot? That seems to be the question Damage wants to answer, because we're two issues away from the end and it still barely feels like we know Ethan Avery and his monster alter ego at all.

With only one issue left until the grand finale of Damage, I've largely given up on this series giving us any satisfying resolution to Ethan Avery's story and his battle with the monster lurking inside him. There's just no there there, but what surrounds him tends to be fitfully amusing " and in this final arc, more than fitfully.

I doubt Damage will ever appear again in a major role besides maybe as background cannon fodder in a big event, but it's worth noting that he ends the sixteenth issue in exactly the same place he was in the first. He's still a loner, still mostly a blank slate, and Damage is still largely out of his control and serves as a "Dark side" to the meek civilian. Just bland and forgettable.

This issue, unlike some past issues, feels more like a random collection of clever visuals and sight gags than it does like an actual comic.

Make no mistake, this is a gorgeous comic with some fascinating ideas, but it's barely a narrative.

It's a bit hard to read this story now that so much of it has already played out, but it stands on its own decently. I don't know if we'll ever get a volume two, but I'd be intrigued to see where it goes.

Unlike the other three Young Animal books, this one never quite found its narrative.

Existing characters like Bunker, Red Arrow, Vulcan, and even Shazam are lurking around the fringes, but are lucky to get a line or two. My personal favorites are probably a trio of mutated Bat-kids from Gotham. But this first issue throws so much at the page it feels more like a cliffs-notes preview of what's to come, rather than a proper first issue.

This new take on the Titans franchise has some elements going for it, but it continues to be roughly five books stuffed into twenty pages and shook thoroughly.

The concept here is pretty excellent, but it's trying to be three books in one and none of them work.

It certainly has a better energy than the previous run, but it feels like several good plots are being thrown into a blender to see what sticks.

As usual, this title is a mix of a lot of plotlines, and some are much better than others.

The bigger problem this issue is the characterization of the older Titans, with Nightwing being oddly willing to commit murder and Roy coming off as an insensitive jerkeven casually misgendering Stitch at some point. The ending delivers a very grim twist to what might be the last arc before a crossover, but it's still hard to get invested in the larger plot.

The resolution there essentially neatly takes both Billy and Dane off the table for the foreseeable future, but it doesn't really answer many questions about this book's core conceptbesides, of course, the explosion that ends this issue.

Teen Titans has been floundering for a long time, the Ben Percy run aside, and this series had a good central concept but lacked the execution to make it work.

It's not terrible, but it just sums up how scattered this latest incarnation of the Teen Titans franchise is.

This book continues to have a few interesting beats and good pieces of dialogue, but it struggles to find a larger direction or work as a Teen Titans book.

This is a final issue with a lot going ontoo much, as several plotlines are left completely unresolved.

Overall, this annual patches some things in the concept, but doesn't quite click as a whole yet.

The issue has a distinct horror vibe, with a strong cliffhanger, but there's a lot of mythology in this first issue, and it's going to be a while before we learn if this title can pull its ideas together into a compelling whole.

Unfortunately, so far, Immortal Men is a spectacle but it doesn't feel like much of a story yet.

All of the New Age of DC Heroes titles have had a vague 90s vibe to them, but I don't think any has embraced it quite as much as Immortal Men. Its team of ancient warriors in an endless war have designs and origins that largely feel straight out of the "xxxtreme" era of comics.

Probably not the worst book in the New Age of DC Heroes line but definitely the most disappointing, The Immortal Men #4 doubles down on all the series' mistakes to this point and results in a thoroughly unsatisfying read.

The concept here was good, and the writer certainly is one of DC's best, but the execution just wasn't there on this title.

The Immortal Men comes to an abrupt end with Immortal Men #6, and so what we're left with is a series that never got off the ground and still can't quite stick the landing.

Collapser is the first new series from the Young Animal line's second wave, launching alongside a revival of Doom Patrol. Co-written by Mikey Way and Shaun Simon, it's an odd duck of a book " equal parts "unlikely superhero" story in the vein of legacy heroes like Sam Alexander, Jaime Reyes, Robbie Reyes, and Khalid Ben Hassin; and deep, dark exploration of millennial angst and depression.

There's a lot of quality work going on here, especially from the art team, but I'm not sure it's coming together as a story yet.

Collapser is one of the most bizarre comics in DC's stable at this moment. Collapser #3 pulls it back from the metaphysical elements of the second issue and becomes more of a straight-forward superhero tale " albeit a surreal one with a hero that's still not the most likable.

I think this comic is trying to do something interesting about rejecting the toxic influences of corrupt parents, through the story of Liam's father, but it's bogged down in so much other stuff that it doesn't really come across and what we get is a jumbled mess of a story that is lifted by its art " but not enough to make a compelling narrative.

The addition of a major new villain with one issue to go seems to promise a chaotic finale, but it's a puzzle to me how this book can be wrapped up in only twenty-something pages.

Overall, like most of the Young Animal line this feels like an interesting experiment that doesn't quite come together into a full story.

The reunion of the old Demon Knights allies, now bitter rivals, is going to drive a lot of the conflict in the series, although the cliffhanger falls a bit flat because we know it won't stick.

Of all of the recent DC magic books relaunched, this lacks the compelling plot of Mystik U, but its fast-paced story and strong art make it somewhat enjoyable.

The Demon: Hell Is Earth #5, the penultimate issue of DC's big magic revival pretty much devolves into a series of random battles with monsters and demons that come out of nowhere.

The series ends with the status quo largely restored and both Jason and Etrigan getting what they want " a decent conclusion, but about as memorable as the rest of this series.

Flash Forward #1, the first issue of a spin-off from Heroes in Crisis is an odd duck " it's essentially two comics in one, and neither is particularly bad " although there are some glaring logical issues in one " but they go together like oil and water.

It would have been a mostly forgettable issue if it wasn't for the final page " which brings back some characters that fans have been anticipating since DC Rebirth, and promises to elevate the emotional aspects of Wally's quest to a new level.

Wally West's grand tour through the multiverse continues, and Flash Forward #3 shows the biggest problem of Scott Lobdell's writing " he doesn't know what we're actually interested in.

This is well-done, but it all feels like it's leading towards dragging Wally back into the dark. This mini has done a good job of reminding fans of the Wally they loved prior to Flashpoint, so it would be awful to get him back just to have him stripped away again.

This final issue hit most of the right notes for saying goodbye to the previous version of Wally West. I'm not sure this character really squared with what he became in Heroes in Crisis, but I do think it's a fitting tribute to the pre-Flashpoint version of the character.

It's hard to point out anything particularly wrong with this issue, but it's a story without a compelling lead, and largely comes off just feeling like a generic trip through scary scenes.

I think DC just rushed this character a bit, turning a compelling supporting villain into a less-compelling headliner, and the result is a lot of creators trying to fill in the blanks where there's very little substance to mixed results.

The penultimate issue of Lana Lang's solo series tries to pack a lot into twenty pages, and as with the rest of the series, it's only intermittently successful.

Interesting title, but a clumsy execution that lost its way after original writer Phil Jiminez left.

There could be an interesting story here, but as long as this series seems like like two kids having fun and more like a bully and his younger tagalong, it's lacking the charm it seems to be going for.

And that basically sums up this book " it's silly, it's over the top, and it's at its best when it embraces that vibe and tones down the caustic sarcasm a bit.

It's fun and silly at times, but I wish it was more so " it feels afraid to embrace the tone where it works best.

Pete Tomasi's revival of the Super-Sons series so far has been an over-the-top cosmic adventure, but the problem is that it's not nearly as much fun as it should be.

Finally, after four issues that were bogged down by too much cosmic villainy and snark between the two kid heroes, Adventures of the Super-Sons #5 gives us an issue that perfectly recaptures the Silver Age vibe the series is going for.

Halfway through, it doesn't feel like Adventures of the Super-Sons really has a strong central plot yet.

Overall, it's just an odd comic that doesn't really know what it wants to be " it's lost the innocent fun of these characters' earlier team-ups, but its darker elements don't come together into any sort of compelling larger plot.

The overall plot, though, is very thin " it's just Damian and Jon in a constant state of running from one threat or another, and it lacks a compelling thread to take it through twelve issues.

Adventures of the Super-Sons almost feels like an anthology at times. While there is an ongoing story involving the kid supervillains hunting them, it spends most of its time ping-ponging its tween heroes between one bizarre adventure and another. A lot of them have been duds, like the recent escape from Takron-Galtos, but once in a while, they hit exactly the right notes " like Adventures of the Super-Sons #9's strange space-western adventures.

As the final in-continuity Super-Sons story " at least until Damian gets a growth spurt " heads into its final act, it loses most of the momentum of the clever last issue and returns to the same old battle with the Junior Legion of Doom.

It's the penultimate issue of Peter Tomasi's salute to the former Super-Sons dynamic before Jon got a growth spurt and Damian took a level in jerkass, and this comic pretty much sums up the run as a whole " it's fun, but not memorable.

The story tries to tie everything up before sending Jon and Damian back " just in time for Alfred to let them know summer's over and it's time to head back to school. This is certainly preferable to some of the stuff the boys have been up to lately, but I think this series missed its mark as a fun all-ages book.

The Batman Prelude to the Wedding issues hit the midway point, and thus far the one thing they have in common is that they're all very weird.

Just a lackluster mini-event that didn't really add much to the coming wedding story.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of weird details going on in this issue that pretty much kneecap the story from the start.

The issue is better than the Nightwing or Batgirl ones mainly because it's not as bizarre a main plot and there's a good amount of humor here " Seeley is obviously having fun writing the caustic relationship between Bruce and Jason. However, the closer we get to the big event, the more doubtful I get that the wedding is a status quo change that will stick.

This is a slightly odd issue, as there's a lot of things reminding you that it's a delayed book, but ultimately it's a fun Arrow-family adventure that lets almost everyone have a moment to shine.

The Benson sisters, recently of Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, are jumping onto Green Arrow in a few months and this annual serves as a preview. It's also a tie-in with Justice League: No Justice " oddly, coming out the week that the main event closes but set during the events of the first issue. It's also, to my eye, a significant level-up over the Bensons' previous work.

This series has a great ensemble working for it, and Percy seems to be getting stronger with characters every issue. I wouldn't mind if after this mega-arc is over, he got to slow down and let the characters relax a bit.

Ben Percy is always at his best when it comes to high-intensity, disturbing scenes, and this issue is packed with them.

This run has its ups and downs, but as it enters its final act, it's heading there on a high.

Green Arrow #38 is the conclusion of Ben Percy's run on Green Arrow, and it ends pretty much as it spent the entire run " imperfect, but with a good core and very entertaining.

It's perfectly readable, but it's trying for a lot of the same social commentary as Priest's Justice League and Deathstroke. It's just not nearly as smooth about it.

As a fill-in, it's not one of the stand-out arcs in the series, but it does deliver a satisfying conclusion, even if it continues to be odd just how many-years-old stories are suddenly being revisited.

With the series in between big stories, Scott takes a minimalist approach to her Green Arrow story, paring back the supporting cast and focusing solely on Ollie in a tense, intimate story that pits him against an army of supervillains.

There's a lot of promise here, but it ends on ambiguous note " as stories about social injustice have to, I suppose.

Based on this first issue, this run wants to deal with heavy issues, but it's bitten off a lot more than it can chew.

As the mystery of Citizen's attack on Seattle continues in Green Arrow #44, writers Julie and Shawna Benson uncover a shocking secret from Green Arrow's past " so shocking, in fact, that it may essentially destroy the character.

The end of the issue has a few good moments where Ollie meets a fellow addict who Roy helped and reflects on his own failings, but it feels like too little, too late.

Given how good the previous Green Arrow run was, this arc has been deeply disappointing and I'm hoping the character can find his feet again soon.

Despite the complete disaster of a villain, who gets the embarrassing end he deserves, this issue actually works a little better than the previous ones in the arc. That's because the Benson sisters (in their finale on the title) put the focus back on Black Canary and her relationship with Green Arrow.

It's a shame this title didn't make Lanzing and Kelly the full-time writers earlier, because this is one of the better Green Arrow issues in some time. Whatever comes next for the characters, I hope Lanzing and Kelly are on board.

As Green Arrow gets ready to wrap up its current run, returning guest writers Lanzing and Kelly have delivered a tense and exciting penultimate arc lifted a lot by the brilliant art of Javier Fernandez.

There's a lot going on here, and it feels like this arc had to be wrapped up several issues early. I'm not sure what comes next for Ollie, but this wrap-up didn't quite stick the landing. And we still don't know why Emiko left!

Overall, not all of these stories are brilliant, but they all come together to form an excellent portrait of a unique hero.

It's a definite improvement over the previous arc, but it's still lacking quite a few elements to make it fully work " including closure, which is kind of a problem for a done-in-one.

This is the best Robinson has written Wonder Woman yet, and the appearance of the Warlord at the end of the issue makes me excited for what's to come. Definitely an improvement over the last Trinity arc.

The story is a bit rushed, with potential major developments just being dropped in the story suddenly, but overall it's one of the most entertaining stories we've gotten so far in this title.

This series as a whole has lacked direction, but this final arc is probably its best moment. Makes me want to go re-read some Warlord comics.

It's a fast read with some exciting battles against monsters, but unlike the previous arc, there's very little substance here and it loses most of the Skartaris mythology that was set up previously.

The series is coming to a close next issue with a final showdown with Deimos, and it's hard a lot of ups and downs. These last two issues don't make a good case for a revival, unfortunately.

This series was very up and down, aside from Manapul's spectacular art in the early issues. Its cancellation isn't a big surprise.

It has a lot of interesting ideas, but the execution never quite carries them through to a fully formed narrative.

The first issue has some promise, but it's never a great sign if you like the book less once the actual plot gets going.

I continue to like the two lead characters a lot, but the supernatural plot surrounding them is still somewhat lacking.

Three issues in, The Curse of Brimstone is a gorgeous, haunting comic that is unfortunately devoid of anything resembling forward motion or characters to care about.

More characters, better action and a richer mythology " it took a while, but this could be catching up to Jordan's other New Age of DC Heroes comic, Sideways.

The big showdown will have to wait for next issue, and it could deliver, but this first installment didn't really sell me on this arc.

The New Age of DC Heroes books have been all over the place with their artists, but I can safely say I was not expecting to see a comic book legend like Denys Cowan stop in for a stint on The Curse of Brimstone. He's done work for DC on the recent Deathstroke Annual, but this is such a random choice. And, as it turns out, a brilliant one for the demonic thriller's most horror-based issue yet.

It's a good, creepy issue, but it still feels like there's very little substance to this comic. Joe and Annie wander from town to town, fighting demons, but any progress in terms of story development is slower than molasses.

This series has been effective at telling creepy horror stories, but the overarching mythology isn't quite coming together yet.

This series is ending with #12 in March, and while it had some potential as a supernatural DC noir about a new magical powerhouse infecting the DCU, it lacked the compelling characters to make it truly click.

As we enter the last act of this series, it's not that the ideas here are bad, it's that " like a lot of other titles in the line " the follow-through just isn't there.

Legendary artist Denys Cowan returns for the final arc of The Curse of Brimstone, and the series takes a level up thanks to the stunning visuals. Unfortunately, it still suffers from the series' overall problem " a hero who remains pretty vague, and villains who seem more here for generic battle segments than any real menace.

Too many encounters with masters of body horror and twisted foot soldiers without any real answers. Now, in this final issue, Brimstone is finally confronted by the mastermind of his fight " and we still know virtually nothing about them.

I wasn't expecting much of this series based on how long it's been since Silvestri wroteor really drewanything, but I have to say this worked a little better for me than I was expecting.

The art by Silvestri is strong and gritty, but the story doesn't live up to it.

The visuals are good, but there is little plot advancement and the overtly bleak tone makes it hard to get invested in what's going on.

But while it works decently as a horror comic, it lacks the noir edge that makes the best Batman horror comics work. Instead, it feels like an '80s splatterpunk horror, and there's only so far that can go.

Silvestri's art continues to be right out of the '90s, and Batman and Gordon get a few good scenes, but the villain is your classic stock monologuing creep.

This story was ultimately about what I expected, but there were a few moments that hinted it could have been more.

Does it make sense? Not at all. Was it an entertaining read? In the most bizarre way, yes.

It has its moments and I can see the talent behind the creative decisions made in the comic but " I'm not sure it works in the end.

In the end, it just doesn't click as a coherent narrative, even if it is a lot better than Wacky Raceland ever was.

It's not overtly bad, but the tone is so different from the Bats we know that it doesn't quite work.

This all-ages Bat-comic spins out of the idea that Batman has created a new social network for citizens of Gotham to give the Bat-family tips on crimes, letting them stay one step ahead of villains. Both stories are fine, but definitely geared towards younger readers.

There is nothing particularly groundbreaking here, but the double-dose of Birds of Prey members this issue is a fun change of pace for the series.

The story expands to include various Bat-heroes and villains, and it's a fun little tribute to the art of creating. But the stakes are kind of lacking in this whole series, as I'm still not entirely sure what its larger purpose is in the DCU. It might have worked better as a graphic novel.

There's a distinct vibe of an old-school 50's sci-fi TV series here, with a mystery tied to the space age and a twist ending, but I'm not sure the concept is enough to sustain a whole arc, as the solicits seem to indicate.

The penultimate issue of this series' final major storyline (it'll have a done-in-one story to finish out the run in February) is unfortunately the most disappointing issue of the new run.

I'm not sure what Sebela has planned for the last issue, but consistently this series has had potential that it never quite lived up to.

This issue shows that the bones of a great all-ages comic are in this book, but it never quite reached its potential until it was too late.

So...kind of a disaster out of the gate.

There are some clever things in this part, but overall, this storyline just didn't work as a whole.

The story this issue will remind a lot of people of classic tales like "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man" or the fan-favorite "Metropolis Mailbag" issues that Dan Jurgens did yearly back in the day.

It's not a standout issue, but it does hit most of the intended points and I actually enjoyed it more than quite a few of the arcs by the main creators.

James Robinson's other DC title at the moment has been subject to some very critical words from us here at GeekDad, but surprisingly, his two-issue run on Superman has worked really well for me.

Unfortunately, I have to say this particular story has been an unmitigated failure. From the first issue, when the story began with multiple pages of Bizarro complaining about his family in Bizarro-speak, it was hard to read and unpleasant.

If this issue makes a case for anything, it's that the Superfamily status quo really works, and hopefully, Bendis will keep it intact.

No big surprises in this issue, but all three tales are fun, classic Superman with a good 90's vibe right before Bendis upends everything.

The art is great, but this issue suffers from feeling much more like a Spawn issue guest-starring Batman than a DC comicthe writing style is very distinctly McFarlane and can be a little ponderous, and Batman's dialogue sometimes feels distinctly offbeing willing to sacrifice Spawn to the Court at one point, for instance. This works best as a fusion of Greg Capullo's two most famous properties, and a brilliant showcase for his art.

The ending is clever, a message about just who Batman's ultimate villain is. But while it's an interesting experiment, it never quite sells me as a comic.

Just a fun issue all around with no weak spots.

Yes, the writer of Michael Cray and Postal is doing a story about a dog martial artist. Even more strangely, it's fantastic.

It has some intriguing twists near the end, but I'm not sure how much mileage they can get out of these characters.

Well, they can't all be winners. Spinning out of the obscure talking-car cartoon and written by the man behind such brilliant (not) New 52 characters as Bar Tor and H'el, Flash/Speed Buggy Special #1 is easily the weakest of the entire wave of cartoon crossovers

Overall, it's an effective story, but not a particularly effective crossover.

The best of this week's Hanna-Barbera crossovers, Nightwing/Magilla Gorilla Special #1 is an absurdist Hollywood satire with just the right amount of nonsense and good characterization from both its leads.

Fun, cheery stuff from a book about a talking robot dog, but surprisingly well-written!

There's a fun, silly vibe to the whole thing, but it's a very thin story that doesn't leave much of an impact.

The surprising end of the issue brings in a fairly modern character from Batman comics as a new wrinkle between the two of them, and overall this comic is a strong start. But you really need to be in sync with these versions of the characters to vibe with this comic, and it's just a little too much in some places.

The dialogue here can be a bit much at times, in its over-the-top crudeness, but there's a good-natured streak to it and it's great to see the writer's commitment to representation in little ways over the course of the narrative.

One of the best parts about this series is the way Tee Franklin is pulling in some real deep cuts from DC history. Not only does this issue include the Gardener, Ivy's ex from college, but it brings in the obscure-but-likable Gail Simone non-binary hero Porcelain.

This issue is so busy that it's hard to guess how things will play out, but it doesn't leave the best impression.

It's a funny, chaotic issue that has some good points, but it maybe tries to juggle a few too many subplots. Much like the series it comes from, its brand of humor will always be a bit of an acquired taste.

Overall, the dialogue in much of the issue is a little too busy, but the final pages which have the two leads finally talk things out are the strongest of the run. It does a good job of capturing the feel of the series, even if it's always a bit of an acquired taste.

Overall, there are some fun stories here, but much like the series itself, it's just a little too much. Most of the characters feel like parodies or caricatures, and eighty pages of that is only for die-hard fans.

From the start, this comic has an intensely nostalgic vibe, starting with the return of the extensive supporting cast from that runincluding the Gang of Harleys, Eggsy, and Red Tool. It's great to see the whole gang again, although I will point out that Tieri hilariously forgot that Coach is blind early in the issue.

It's chaotic and violent and has a few good lines, but overall it's really lacking the momentum the first issue had.

This comic is definitely indulging the worst instincts of Harley's character, and the only other subplot involves the Starro-possessed heroes stalking her.

Overall, this comic has a pretty funny central concept, but that's really all it isa concept. It says what it is on the cover, and how much you enjoy it will be determined by just how many times you want to see Harley interfere with hero origins.

Morrison often writes in a non-linear fashion, and it shows. Although everything is largely explained, it's still a rather jumbled comic that spends more time trying to make sense of its elaborate continuity than letting Derek play off this oddball group of heroes.

Sideways #1, the third entry in the "New Age of DC Heroes" lineup is my favorite of the three.

This book is finding its groove, and it just may have some legs to its story.

I'm not sure about the four-page backup (by the same creative team) that recaps Derek's origin from his perspective, but the issue overall is a win for DC.

Of the entire line, this is right next to The Terrifics for me as the best.

There's an overarching mystery involving Derek's mother's employers and their interest in Derek, but I wouldn't be nearly as invested if this title hadn't done a good job of getting us invested in Derek's story in the first place. Aside from The Terrifics, this is probably my favorite of the line.

So, just like Spider-Man, Derek now has a major guilt complex over the death of a parent figure. This all felt preordained almost from the first issue, and not only is it a disappointing fridging of an interesting parental figure, but it feels like it'll cast a long pall over the fun vibe that made this one of this line's best series.

With Dan Didio taking over on writing duties full-time, Sideways #7 is both the most ambitious issue of the series, and the most troubled.

It's all very creepy, but by taking Derek away from his supporting cast, this issue loses a bit of what makes the series work.

This is a very odd comic, sure, but it's lost the coherent storytelling and character focus that made the original arc stand out.

I still think Derek's story as a child of interracial adoption had a lot of potential, but that's not what this series turned out to be.

Derek's superhero adventure has taken him far and wide and has gone through some crazy twists, but it's never let him establish himself in the way the best teenage heroes did. That's probably why it's ending soon.

There were some interesting ideas here, but ultimately this series turned into a mess.

Sideways is ending with Sideways #13, an odd number that gives it one issue more than the typical twelve. It needed much more to make sense of the hash that this series has become. It juggles countless plots and tries to rush them to a conclusion, but few of them land.

While this take on Joker seems a bit too Leto-inspired, it does seem like this is a quality Red Hood comic that lets the character cut loose.