Ah, its good to be back. I was getting settled in last week to do a review of Hellboy and the Beast of Vargu, but the internet and power went out. So here we are, with what looks to be a great set up to a series with Batman and the Spectre.
I'll be honest... its been hard to settle into a story for me post Metal for DC. There has been a lot of promise, but nothing that has really grabbed me besides maybe Shazam and Justice League. However, this one looks pretty promising. Tomasi is great at what he does and the art from Hotz fits the story well. Anyway... here we go. Oh yeah, spoilers and all that. Long Live the Host Like I said, the art is great. Nice and dark for a Batman/Spectre story. James Corrigan and his his partner are investigating a strange execution like homicide in a rainy alley in Gothom. They are met by a group of men dressed as the Spectre and one pulls a gun and shoots the partner. The Spectre appears and absolutely obliterates the gunman while the rest take off with Corrigan. Batman, spoiling a heist a few blocks away, gets word of the shooting and heads to the alley. He is interrupted by the Spectre. The Spectre needs Batman's help in finding Corrigan. Batman reluctantly agrees. Lets say hes not a big fan of the Spectre's methods.... because he did literally obliterate that gunman. Batman picks up his foot at the crime scene. The book wraps up somewhere in the sewers with the rest of the guys dressed as the Spectre surrounding Corrigan unconscious on a table while the chant "The Host must die. Long live the Host!" This book is just what I was looking for. Just Batman being Batman... not taking on another dimension or with a team of outsiders. It was just him in the streets of Gotham running into some dark culty ish. So if you are looking for some good old fashioned Batman action, this is a great jumping on point. Oh, also something I noticed in the issue that makes my heart happy... no bat undies! Pick this book up! -CBD
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Its time for another edition of "comics My Kids Can Read." We got a lot of positive feedback from reviewing Teen Titans Go Vol 1, so we decided it was time to give it another go.
Yes, there are lots of great books this week that are more geared towards the dads who read this (DCeased #2 was awesome)... however, its about the kids. This book is a classic "gateway" book for those who love Archie Comics are want to give their little ones an intro to Archie and his buddies. So, lets take a look at this one shot... as always, spoilers galore! The Cat Did It I am sure you have seen Art Baltazar and Franco's books on the shelves of your local comic shops and books stores. They tend to do mini series and one shots of some of our favorite IPs. There's even a Little Hellboy. So, look up there stuff. I am sure there is something for you out there. The story follows little Archie dealing with a version of Salem the cat (Sabrina's pet) that caused him to hold a static charge and shock everything and everyone around him. It was a fun and silly schtick that held up pretty well. It destroyed his homework, turned Ms Grundy into a "zombie," and caused him to get covered with socks from the locker room. There were classic Archie things throughout... Jughead had burgers hidden all over Riverdale, Betty had never seen where detention was before, a stop at Pop's, and even a chocolate "Moose" joke. The layout and words were easy to follow... great for a young reader. The book was a tad long (45 pages), but it was broken up in nice little bite size pieces and didn't feel like it was dragging on. Of course, the art is adorable, but not over the top cute that its hard to take in. After giving this book a read, I found it it was a follow up to a Teeny Titans/Little Archie and His Pals book, that I am sure I will pick up. The book also says there will be other Archie Comics one shots of Sabrina and Josie and the Pussycats as well. The book came out in 2017, so eBay and digitally are probably the best ways to get a hold of this book. As I mentioned before, these "Little" books are great comics to get your little kids into comics. While they are for sure geared towards younger readers with its art and dialogue, there is still plenty for Mom and Dad to enjoy. The book is rated All Ages and I agree... its fun for all. It is for sure a comic your kid can read! -CBD Back after a long break here on comicbookdads.com. This was the perfect book to get back on the horse with. Back in 2012, I got into reading comics again and the New 52 was a great jumping on point. The Batman run that Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo put together was one of my all time favorites. So when I heard this book was coming out as a "swan song" for this duo.... I was pumped. Here it is.
Oh, and as always... spoilers ahead. Getting the Band Back Together Seeing a Capullo drawn Gotham and Batman on the pages brought me back to a place where I fell back in love with comics. Court of Owls, Death of the Family, all of it.... some of the best Batman I've read. This being a DC Black Label book, I know it isn't exactly "in continuity" however, I am excited to see a big bow put on the Snyder/Capullo Batman. The story kicks off with Batman investigating something in Crime Alley. He sees a dead boy, and then a BANG! Bruce wakes up in Arkham, being told that Batman was an idea in his head and his rogues gallery were really just the doctors taking care of him for years. Bruce wasn't buying it. Good thing he wasn't. Turns out, its 10 years later and the world has gone to crap. Alfred put all this up to try to convince this Bruce.... yes, its a different Bruce, that he can choose a "normal" life. Again, Bruce is having none of it. He wakes up in a red desert. Only to find a jar hanging from a pole. Whats in the jar? Yep, the Joker's head... alive and well. Batman not knowing exactly what is going on in a destroyed world, the two head off (eh, yes...pun intended) to Coast City. It appears that the Lanterns have destroyed and died trying. Batman battles some giant babies projected from rings worn by zombie like people. They are rescued and head to an underground base lead by Wonder Woman and a few other female heroes. We find out that people had turned on heroes. Lex and a villain named Omega had taken over and most of the heroes we know are now dead (including Superman). Also, in the ultimate act of narcissism, we find out that Bruce created a machine that would clone a Batman for every generation with all the knowledge from the previous incarnation. So, in fact, the Bruce we are following is a clone. The original Batman was killed. Wonder Woman urges Batman to help the underground people head to the underworld and live in a special place there after striking a deal with Hades. Once again, Batman is having none of it. He gets a bat suit that Diana had been saving. He picks up the Joker head and heads back above ground to fight and take back the world they lost. Again, this book felt like snuggling in a warm familiar blanket. I am sure DC was banking on that bringing this creative team back together. As I type this, I hear that it is already going back for a second printing. The book is shaping up to be a solid Batman against impossible odds story with a devil on his shoulder throughout. Snyder does some nice things with the storytelling. You think Alfred is narrating at some points and it turns out to be the Joker. It seems the Omega villain might be a Bat Family member and other fun gritty Batman things that made you love the New 52 run. All in all it is a great start. You can tell the team is really getting to stretch there legs and have some fun being on the DC Black Label. I am excited to see where this adventure goes. Pick it up! -CBD |