Review: Action Comics #984

Action Comics #984 came out this week and was another incredible issue, wrapping up the Revenge storyline in a very entertaining and satisfying way. I really feel like this was a big blockbuster movie of an arc. There was tremendous action. There were incredible character moments. There was a reclamation of a supervillain who I was tired of seeing. And best of all, there was the return of some Superman mythos, something that will be fascinating to follow.

Writer Dan Jurgens really weaved a wonderful story as the motivation of the villains completely flipped halfway through the story, keeping me very engaged and on the edge of my seat. I said it last issue and I'll say it again. This is the best General Zod story I have read in about 20 years. I have been bored with Zod prior to this arc where he suddenly became a deadly, strategic, and somewhat sympathetic character.

After seeing Jack Herbert and Viktor Bogdanovic play with all the Superman family, we get Patrick Zircher's take. The art here is stunning. As always, Zircher gives the proceedings a cinematic feel, delivering a well-paced and gorgeous book.

And we get more Mr. Oz ...

On to the book.

Review: DC Comics Bombshells #31

DC Comics Bombshells #31 is the penultimate issue of this title and the penultimate issue of me collecting this title. I have been talking about dropping this title for a while. The series is coming to an end next month. There is a new title coming out shortly thereafter but I think I am out. The stories have become too meandering and too confusing. And the whole thing seems to be weighed down with the messages that Marguerite Bennett is trying to impart and proselytize to the audience.

I have said it before and I'll say it here. Tell me a good story that has a message and I'll be engaged. Have a message you want to say and then construct the story around it and everything just feels forced and I feel preached at.

And it is a shame that I am leaving because the first year of this book was brilliant. The story came first there. And it is also a shame because Supergirl has taken center stage in this last arc.

On to the book.

Review: Super Sons #6

Super Sons #6 came out last week and was just an absolute delight of a book. I have been loving this fast-paced, fun-loving look at the DCU through the eyes of these young heroes since its inception. And I have also loved how the differences between the sons, the down-to-Earth Jon Kent and the cynical assassin Damian Wayne, has been a nice catalyst for the stories. I think we definitely have seen the two boys rub off on each other in a nice way. And, of course, the frenemy aspect of their relationship has been tussle-filled blast.

Writer Peter Tomasi does his typical great job of showcasing the personalities of the two boys, with those differences seeping in at the edges. Throughout this book, Damian has come on as something of a bully, telling Jon he is doing things wrong. And we have seen Jon, at times, try to adopt some of Damian's ways. Here, we see some of that subtle bullying again. At times, I wonder why Jon would hang with Damian, unless he thinks Robin is 'cool and edgy' or is just desperate to share the super-powering side of his life with a peer. My hope, based on the cliffhanger, is that Jon will rub off a bit on Damian for once.

Jorge Jimenez's art has sizzled since issue #1 and that doesn't change here. He so effortlessly shows emotion, warping anatomy slightly to sell the feeling. When Jon is happy, you just see him exploding off the screen with an impossibly huge smile. But it his take on the Titans that grabbed me here. Great stuff.

On to the book!

Supergirl Show SDCC Trailer And News

Last weekend was the San Diego Comic Con and most of the Supergirl news revolved around the upcoming third season of the show. Search YouTube or Twitter and you'll get snippets of the many interviews and panels the cast did.

The big release for me was the sizzle trailer for the third season. That is available on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaI6dcoRRQQ

The trailer makes it seem as if the season starts out in a dark place. We hear in a voice over say:

The decision I made, he couldn’t have made that sacrifice. But me, I couldn’t have lived with myself if I hadn’t. I will always make the decision I made. I am not a human. I tried to be but I’m not. Kara Danvers was a mistake.

It is clear that Kara is grieving over losing Mon-El, a decision she made. And her defense is to suppress her emotions, to deny her humanity, and become perhaps a colder, more calculating 'alien'.

And the scenes we see in the preview do a nice job of echoing that.

Perhaps with too many screencaps I break down the trailer.

Review: Superman #27

Last week I gushed about Action Comics #983, claiming it transported me back to a younger age. The brutal fight, the twists and turns, the Superman Family feel of that comic grabbed me. Suddenly I was young Anj again.

This week I got transported back in time again. Reading Superman #27, I felt like that young Anj again. This time it wasn't the epic action or crazy super-heroics that did it. Instead it was the lesson in civics within the issue.

I grew up in a time when comics were a place to learn lessons about good and evil. It was a place where the heroes were immaculate role models. I learned right and wrong from my parents, growing up in a stable, loving home with 'by the book' parents. But comics reinforced those lessons. Do good by people. Follow the law. You have rights but we live in a society; your rights shouldn't supercede anyone else's. This was also a time where the heroes starred in one page public service announcements talking about not running away, keeping the streets clean, and the danger of hitchhiking.

I didn't mind those lessons. I was inspired by them. In comics today, where every hero seems conflicted, where heroes kill, where 'evil is relative', where fighting/flaunting authority is the default, there are few lessons in civics or civility. (I know ... I know ... I'm old.)

This issue shows Superman and Lois taking a vacation, reminding Jon what a great country America is at its core, and teaching him a few lessons along the way. Plotters Patrick Gleason and Peter Tomasi give us a nice throwback sort of a story. And the art by Scott Godlewski is loose enough to keep the book from feeling weighed down by the material.

I loved it.

Statues, Statues, Statues

In their continued effort to make me poor, DC and other companies continue to put out Supergirl merchandise. And in an odd cosmic convergence, a bunch of new statues have all been solicited or revealed within the last few days, many at San Diego Comic Con (and thanks to blog friend Firebird for passing on the photos). I probably won't get all of these. My poor wallet!

The one I would love to get is this Tweeterhead exclusive statue of Supergirl in her Bronze Age costume flying in the clouds with Streaky. Here is the link:https://tweeterhead.com/product/supergirl-and-streaky-maquette/ 

Review: The Fastest Women Alive

Every so often, a complete surprise is dropped into your lap. Blog friend Mart Gray tweeted me that I should head to https://www.comixology.com/  because there would be a Supergirl surprise waiting for me.

And there was.

Supergirl and Jessie Quick team up in the Snickers free comic The Fastest Women Alive. The story is a nice little tale by writer Stuart Moore and artist Paco Diaz that not only promotes Snickers (they really satisfy you) but also includes nice character moments between Kara and Jessie, and even homages DC history nicely.

As a fan of Jessie Quick, someone missing since Rebirth ... as a fan of these two being teammates in James Robinson's run on Justice League of America ... I was thrilled.

And the art is nicely rendered. I think the two main characters look great!

On to this free comic ... seriously go download it!