Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling short reviews from the staff of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full review for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews.

Logan

Batman: The Merciless #1 (DC)– What if Batman fought his war on crime as the literal God of War? After Diana is killed in a battle with Ares, Batman picks up his helm and becomes the Merciless. Thanks to Francis Manapul on art and colors, Batman: The Merciless #1 is one of the most visual stunning Metal tie-ins with a plethora of double page spreads and panels that grip the emotions and senses like Batman cradling Diana in his arms, or little evil Robins eating their Court of the Owls counterparts. Sadly, writer Peter Tomasi skimps on the complex relationship between Diana and Bruce, but mostly redeems this gap with a fun bit of Dr. Strangelove influenced satire as the various paramilitary organizations in the DC Universe scramble to fight the Dark Knights. Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Ryan C

Black Panther #166 (Marvel)** – A pretty decent revisionist look at Klaw’s origins from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Leonard Kirk’s art is an improvement over the litany of fill-in artists on offer in recent months, but we’re still very much in “competent, but uninspired” territory here. The trend is positive, but not enough to warrant a “buy” recommendation yet. Overall: 6 Recommendation: Read

Action Comics #990 (DC)** – The penultimate chapter of “The Oz Effect” honestly isn’t much better than the previous three, with fairly nice art from Viktor Bogdanovic that has more personality than most “Big Two” illustration frankly wasted on a Dan Jurgens story that feels very rote and “by-the-numbers” indeed. Mostly events just stall here until a terrible, forced, and drama-free cliffhanger finally cuts things off. Overall: 3.5 Recommendation: Pass.

Glitterbomb: The Fame Game #2 (Image)** – Another dreary and non-dramatic installment in what has to rank as the most disappointing return of 2017. I absolutely loved the first run of “Glitterbomb,” but writer Jim Zub and artist Djibril Morissette-Pham seem to be having a tough time shaking off the rust of their long hiatus. Our protagonist basically just does the exact same thing in this issue as she did in the last, and the horror of offer seems both tepid and shoehorned-in. Oh, how a once-mighty title has fallen. Overall: 3 Recommendation: Pass

Violent Love #9** – Wow, I didn’t see that coming! One of our two protagonists dies this issue, and both are victims of a massive double-cross. The truncated time frame that follows leads me to believe that this series is being rushed toward a forced conclusion, which is semi-tragic because Frank J. Barbiere’s scripting has been solid and Victor Santos’ art is just plain breathtaking. I’ll be sorry to see this one end. High marks to Ryan Ferrier and Jamie Jones for their superb back-up strip, as well. Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

Well, there you have it, folks. The reviews we didn’t quite get a chance to write. See you next week!

Please note that with some of the above comics, Graphic Policy was provided FREE copies for review. Where we purchased the comics, you’ll see an asterisk (*). If you don’t see that, you can infer the comic was a review copy. In cases where we were provided a review copy and we also purchased the comic you’ll see two asterisks (**).