Thursday 26 September 2013

Comic Book Reviews for 9/25/13

Alas, we've reached the end of DC Comics' Villains Month. Love it or hate it, it's over now. It went out with a bang though, releasing one-shots about some of the biggest baddies in the DCU including Doomsday, Sinestro, Bane, and Metallo.

Marvel continued its X-Men event Battle of the Atom, and a new Infinity tie-in was released that combines Ocean's Eleven with Iron Man's greatest villains. Plus: a slew of great releases from Image Comics.

Check out what the IGN All-Stars are doing in their reviews of all this week's Comixology Submit releases! Also, last week's Community Reviews will be added to this week's round-up.

Join in on the IGN Community reviews!

DC COMICS

Action Comics #23.4: Metallo

metalloWritten by Sholly Fisch | Art by Steve Pugh

"This Villains Month issue takes a look at the present-day Metallo and what he has been up to leading in to Forever Evil. We do get a bit of his origin, but a majority of this issue focuses on what it’s like to be a living weapon with emotional issues. The execution of the story is well-done, and sweet Christmas does it look amazing thanks to Steve Pugh’s art." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.0

Aquaman #23.3: Ocean Master

oceanmasterWritten by Geoff Johns & Tony  Bedard | Art by Geraldo Borges

"In the wake of Forever Evil, writers Geoff Johns and Tony Bedard craft a story together that showcases Ocean Master’s worldview. It’s a harsh one formed by his experiences as an Atlantean, and while it doesn’t try to make you sympathetic to him, it does give you a thorough understanding of why he is who he is. This issue was so close to being a success, but unfortunately it finishes with the worst kind of incomplete ending that undermines everything that came before it." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.8

Batman #23.4: Bane

baneWritten by Peter Tomasi | Art by Graham Nolan

"Villains Month is drawing to a close and I have to admit . . . it's probably for the best. This week's installment of Batman stars one of the Dark Knight's most formidable foes: Bane. Unfortunately, the story doesn't quite do the character justice. Is it possible that the title is suffering from villain fatigue? That could very well be the case, but the issue fails to stand on its own two feet as a single issue and serves as more of an extended prologue for the forthcoming Forever Evil: Arkham War #1." -Melissa

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Final Score:

6.0

Batman and Robin #23.4: Killer Croc

killercrocWritten by Tim Seeley | Art by Francis Portela

"This week, Killer Croc gets his time to shine in the fourth Villains Month issue of Batman and Robin, penned by Tim Seeley with art by Francis Portela. Over the years, the character has been interpreted with a great deal of flexibility depending on the writer and the tone of the series in which he appears. Seeley's Killer Croc is largely unrecognizable from the version we saw in Batwoman a few months ago, but each imagining of the character has its own merits. Here, Seeley presents Waylon Jones as a sympathetic figure who rises above his humble, tragic origins to become a monarch of his own underground kingdom." -Melissa

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.0

Batman: The Dark Knight #23.4: Joker's Daughter

jokersdaughterWritten by Ann Nocenti | Art by Various

"This is one weird comic book, and not in a good way. It certainly has no relation, whatsoever, to the Batman: The Dark Knight ongoing series. And it doesn't tie into Forever Evil either. It does almost nothing to justify its existence. The story is less than engaging and the main character is probably the least interesting villain of all time. Joker's Daughter is a mess from start to finish and certainly not a comic that can be recommended to fans of Batman or the Joker. This is rock bottom for Villains Month, no doubt." -Ben

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Final Score:

2.0

Batman/Superman #3.1: Doomsday

doomsdayWritten by Greg Pak | Art by Brett Booth

"If nothing else, Batman/Superman #3.1: Doomsday has an interesting structure. The story we get is heavily filtered as a father adjusts the dark tale for his daughter. There's an almost fairytale like quality, and it's pretty cool. Unfortunately, overall, the story doesn't really go anywhere or give us much insight into Doomsday. It's still a fun read, even though not much happens. Also, it's drawn by the always awesome Brett Booth, so you know it's at least worth a look." -Ben

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.1

Detective Comics #23.4: Man-Bat

manbatWritten by Frank Tieri | Art by Scot Eaton

"I didn't exactly have high hopes for Man-Bat's Villains Month issue, given how the character has been handled in the pages of Detective Comics lately. Detective Comics #900 suggested that Kirk Langstrom only just now became Man-Bat and encountered Batman in the New 52, which caused all sorts of pointless contradictions and history wiping. But this issue offers a fresh start of sorts for Langstrom as Frank Tieri hops on board to chronicle his continued misadventures. Just as Tieri did for Penguin last week, he delivers a solid outing for the villain that properly explores Langstrom's particular brand of madness." -Jesse

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Final Score:

7.8

Green Lantern #23.4: Sinestro

sinestroWritten by Matt Kindt | Art by Dale Eaglesham

"Given Sinestro’s fate at the end of Green Lantern #20, putting him back into play at this point would be disingenuous at best, so instead we are treated to an origin story that starts on the day he got his first Green Lantern ring. The tale is told from Lyssa Drak’s point of view, and as the former keeper of the Book of Parallax, she is able to share most of the dirty details. While this issue does make for a good primer on Sinestro, it doesn’t have much in the way of entertainment." -Joshua

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

6.2

Justice League #23.4: Secret Society

secretsocietyWritten by Geoff Johns & Sterling Gates | Art by Szymon Kudranski

"Even relative to most Villains Month issues, both the cover and title of this comic offer a very poor indication of the contents. And that's a shame, because not only is it one of the better written Villains Month issues, but it's also easily the most relevant to the greater equation that is Forever Evil. This issue has little to do with the Secret Society and its various members. Instead, it hinges squarely on the shoulders of The Outsider, offering a welcome glimpse into his history with Owlman and life on Earth-3." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.3

Justice League of America #7.4: Black Adam

blackadamWritten by Geoff Johns & Tony Bedard | Art by Edgar Salazar

"One of the big question marks following the end of Trinity War and the transition into Forever Evil was the status of Black Adam. Various cover images made it clear that Adam would be part of Lex Luthor's anti-Crime Syndicate cabal, but he ended Trinity War no more alive than when the story began. Furthermore, Shazam's corruption by Pandora's Box suggested that he, in fact, may be Black Adam now." -Jesse

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.5

Superman #23.4: Parasite

parasiteWritten by Aaron Kuder | Art by Aaron Kuder

"This is one of the best looking Villains Month issues, hands down. It also makes for a pretty great character piece for Parasite, who is a villain I never thought I would find engaging by himself. Impressively, Aaron Kuder is both artist and writer. If anyone wanted proof that this guy is comic book superstar, then read this issue." -Joshua

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Final Score:

9.3

The Wake #4

wake4Written by Scott Snyder | Art by Sean Murphy

"Tried and true horror tropes have run strong throughout each issue of The Wake so far, and this installment is no exception. Writer Scott Snyder has traded in genre conventions while making them feel, for the most part, new and exciting. In issue #4, a few of those tropes don't quite perform as successfully as they're intended, but Snyder and artist Sean Murphy still add a solid, enjoyable chapter to their saga." -Melissa

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

8.5

Wonder Woman #23.2: First Born

firstbornWritten by Brian Azzarello | Art by Aco

"Wonder Woman is the middle of a huge epic storyline that recently took in a turn into heartbreak territory. It is, consistently, the best comic book being published by DC Comics these days, without a doubt. Sadly, Villains Month does take the wind out of the sails a bit; this issue reads like an aside, an info dump that doesn't add a huge amount to the overall story. The good news is that doesn't stop it from being a fun read." -Ben

Click to read the entire review!

Final Score:

7.8


Source : ign[dot]com

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