Author Archives: Alex K Cossa

Review: X-O Manowar #5

XO2017_005_COVER-A_LAROSAAric of Dacia Urth is a man tired of war but like so many soldiers trying to escape combat, especially in fiction, he is inescapably drawn back into a war that’s slowly becoming his concern. But the man who wields the most powerful weapon in the galaxy refuses to wear the armour that gives him his name, save for a small sliver he has carved off from the sentient armour and forged into a ring. To say that Aric isn’t happy with the sentient armour, and all he has done using that armour, would be a bit of an understatement.

One of the main reasons this review is late is because I wanted to be able to appreciate the artwork in the printed form when I picked up the issue from my LCS, as I’ve always found that the watermark doesn’t allow the art to shine – and X-O Manowar is perhaps the most affected by this in Valiant’s current line up. The Doug Braithwaite‘s line work remains uninked under the colours of Diego Rodriguez, which gives a whimsical feeling to the violent battle scenes in the issue.

Writte by Matt Kindt the comic opens just after Aric has explained to his alien lover, and his resignation and determination not to be the man he once was permeates through the rest of the comic. Despite the fantastical story taking place in the far-flung reaches of space, X-O Manowar #5 is, perhaps above all else, a story about a man desperately trying to find out who he is. Is he more than the armour that has made him a legend on Earth, or is he nothing without the scared armour of Shanhara?

The journey that we’re being taken on as Aric finds the answer is, frankly, one of the most exciting things in comics right now.

Story: Matt Kindt Art: Doug Braithwaite
Colourist: Diego Rodriguez Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Story: 8.75 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Faith And The Future Force #1

FFF_001_COVER-B_KANO“Faith “Zephyr” Herbert – former member of Unity, current Harbinger Renegade, and Los Angeles’ #1 superhero – is the universe’s last, best chance at survival! Centuries from today, a devious artificial intelligence has unleashed a blistering attack on the very foundations of time…one that is unwriting history from beginning to end! Now, with her options exhausted, Neela Sethi, Timewalker – the self-appointed protector of what is and will be – has returned to the 21st century to recruit Earth’s greatest champions of today and tomorrow to oppose this existential threat…and she needs Faith to lead them! But why Faith? And why now?”

I was oddly impressed with the first issue of Faith and the Future Force. Not because of the art, which is impressive in its own right. What struck me most of all is the way that Jody Houser is weaves an intuitive story about time travel and effortlessly explains how the Timewalker method works within the Valiant Universe without spending pages and pages dedicated to something that could easily lose readers. And by doing this, she also asks the time old question of whether you would alter history if you could, and answers it, in an almost subtle throwaway exchange midway through the comic.

After the last few issues of Faith failed to deliver on the promise shown earlier in the series, I’ll admit to approaching this issue with some trepidation. But with Jody Houser returning to the fresh and exciting feeling of those early issues, coupled with what feels like a genuine threat – something that we haven’t really seen in some time – there was no need for any hesitancy on my end; this is one of the most enjoyable comics starring Faith that I’ve read in some time.

Stephen Segovia and Barry Kitson are on art duties here, and neither they nor colourist Ulises Arreola disappoint – indeed my only complaint is the watermark on the review copy kept me from being able to really appreciate the vibrancy of their work. Especially around the time doors.

Ultimately, this issue has everything you want in a good comic; it makes you genuinely think while providing enough humour and action that you may not even notice yourself doing so.  I hoped I’d enjoy Faith And The Future Force #1, but I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I did.

Story: Jody Houser Art: Stephen Segovia and Barry Kitson
Colours: Ulises Arreola Letters: Dave Sharpe
Story: 9 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

DC Rebirth Recap And Review For Comics Released 7/19

Welcome to Graphic Policy’s DC Rebirth: Recap And Review where we take a look at the comics released under DC‘s Rebirth banner and try to work out just how accessible they are for new readers – we’ll also be providing  recap of sorts for the relevant story beats up until the issue in question in order to help you figure out if the series is something you’re interested in.

Each comic will receive a rating of Friendly or Unfriendly based on how easy it was for

new readers to pick them up; the ratings are based solely on the issues released in the post-Rebirth ongoing series. More consideration regarding the comic’s accessibility will be given for the specific issue being read rather than the series overall, but if reading a back issue will help, then that will be mentioned. Generally, the quality of an issue won’t be discussed unless it directly impacts a new reader’s enjoyment of the series.

You may notice that not every comic is covered week to week, and that’s because I  sometimes forget to read them  (although that doesn’t happen often). If I have missed an issue, typically I won’t go looking for back issues to catch up on events – this feature is all about accessibility for new readers, after all.


 

AQM_Cv26_dsAquaman #26 Aquaman has been dethroned as King of Atlantis, and is currently presumed dead to almost everyone as he hides in the deepest crevices of the city. But Mera has just found out he’s alive… it’s Friendly, and very well illustrated.

Batman #27 An interlude into the story that’s pitting the Joker against the Riddler with Batman caught in the middle. A War Of Jokes And Riddles takes place in the second year of Batman’s career, and we’re being told the story as Bruce relates it to Selena Kyle whilst their in bed. This interlude is a Friendly place to jump into the series.

Green Arrow #27 I don’t remember enough of what happened to give a recap. So based purely on the strength of this issue: Friendly.

Green Lanterns #27 Simon’s ring was destroyed, and Earth’s resident Green Lanterns were hurled into the deep recesses of space, and they have no idea where they are (neither do we, making this Friendly as we find out together what’s going on).

Nightwing #25 This issue brings to a close a tale where Nightwing was lured to a boat by the new Blockbuster – a man who styles himself as a hero trying to save Bludhaven – only to find a time bomb literally seconds from blowing a boat full of supervillains up. As a SM_Cv27_dsjumping on point for the future, this is Friendlier than you’d expect for a concluding chapter.

Superman #27 The Kent family take a tour through some important historical locations throughout the Eastern United States (I could be wrong there, my US geography isn’t great in regards to matching names to their locations). The comic is easy enough for new readers to pick up as you don’t really require any previous knowledge of the events in the series, making this a Friendly jumping on point.

Super Sons You know who Superman and Batman are? This is a comic about their sons, and it’s one of the stronger series in DC’s line up right now. Friendly, and awesome.

Trinity #11 Eh… it’s a relatively Friendly issue as our heroes face a non-generic alien foe… but it isn’t that great, either. Wait till next issue if you’re curious because this is the concluding chapter to the current story.

Review: Rapture #3

RAPTURE_003_COVER-B_JONES“Ninjak and Shadowman have launched an all-out assault against Babel – the ancient being determined to breach heaven – on the dark and decaying battlefields of the Deadside. But are the combined might of sword and shadow enough to stop this biblical force of nature…or will they need the help of an ancient and weary warrior whose power transcends their understanding? And as oblivion inches ever closer to Earth, Tama the Geomancer and Punk Mambo must step out of the darkness and halt Babel’s forces from infiltrating the land of the living as Valiant’s Shadowman-driven standalone event fight on!”

When you put a comic down and say “holy shit that was awesome” you’re usually referring to the writing, art or some combination thereof. Seldom do you put down an issue and say the same things about the lettering, because when a letterer does a god job you don’t notice it as you spend more time enjoying the issue in front of you; the sign of a good letterer is when you don’t notice their work. But with Rapture #3, and indeed the entire series so far, Dave Sharpe has been bringing to life Babel’s unique way of speaking with a surprisingly effective way of lettering his speech, which allows you to get a mere glimpse at the complex mind of the series villain.

Once again, Andrew Dalhouse‘s colouring is wonderful, and truly bring the Deadside to life (pun not intended). The art team of Cafu with Roberto De La Torre gave Dalhouse some fantastic virgin art to work with, and the end result is a comic that is utterly wonderful to look at. But it’s not just wonderful to look at; Matt Kindt once again delivers a solid script, driving the plot forward without rushing the development of the story – Kindt is truly a master of his craft.

Rapture #3 is another solid issue in the story.

Story: Matt Kindt Art: Cafu with Roberto De La Torre
Colour Art: Andrew Dalhouse Dave Sharpe
Story: 9 Art: 8.75 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review, but this review is based on the print copy I picked up from my LCS.

Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 7/22

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.

Ryan C

RoyalCity_05-1Royal City #5 (Image)** – Jeff Lemire wraps up the first story arc of his long-form series with an issue that’s an almost unconscionably quick read given its $3.99 cover price, but the biggest blunder comes with the poorly-executed and clumsy double-cliffhanger, which actually serves up the most surprising revelation first and then follows it up with one that you already saw coming. Still, the art’s lush and beautiful, and the story at least moves all the major plotlines forward. Overall: 6.5 Recommendation: Read

Winnebago Graveyard #2 (Image)** – The second issue of Steve Niles and Alison Sampson’s fast-moving homage to ’70s cult horror is every bit as masterful an evocation of its various “source materials” as was the first, and while you can predict every beat in the story, who are we kidding? That’s a big part of the charm here. Granted, as sparse as the script is chances are this thing should simply have been released as a 64-page special (or, if you absolutely must pump the public for cash, a graphic novel), but Sampson’s art is so flabbergastingly gorgeous that I’m more than happy to shell out for bucks a pop for it in singles. Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

 Jimmy’s Bastards #2 (Aftershock)** – Garth Ennis and Russ Braun are the definition of a “known quantity” creative team at this point, and if you like their brand of irreverent, bordering-on-sick-and-wrong humor and cartoonishly exaggerated, but still very much grounded in reality, illustration, odds are you’ll get a kick out of this story about a James Bond stand-in being hunted down by his literally hundreds of illegitimate kids. Personally, I do like it, and so I’m having all kinds of guilty-pleasure fun here, especially since this issue kick-starts the plot into gear much better than the first did. Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Buy

Batman #27 (DC)** – It seems pretty early on for “The War Of Jokes And Riddles” to need an “interlude,” as this issue bills itself as being, but whaddya know — once again Tom King shows that his stand-alone stories in this series are so much better than his long-form “arcs.” The origin of Kite-Man is far from the joke one would expect, and King deftly handles some very sensitive and tragic subject matter with genuine skill and compassion — and that double-splash with The Joker saying “good grief” is the biggest laugh we’ve gotten from any Batman book in decades. Fill-in artist Clay Mann, for his part, does a pretty nice job with a style of illustration that falls somewhere in between that of the the series’ two regulars, David Finch and Mikel Janin. All in all a great read that’s nice to look at. Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Patrick

IHateFairyland_14-1 I Hate Fairyland #14 (Image)** – Skottie Young is back on story and art, sending Gert into the labyrinth of Loveth Lovelord to retrieve the Balls of Redemption. If she succeeds (naturally, defeating the dragon at the centre), she gets her wish to become good. If she fails, she marries the creeptastic LL. Along the way, she also makes any number of marriage deals and indeed faces a dragon. This issue just clocks along with a cocky skip in its step and is great, sour-candy fun. Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Lazarus X+66 #1 (Image)** – This is the first in what I take to be a series of standalone issues that explore Greg Rucka’s very complex world. Good idea! In this story, Rucka and artist Steve Lieber deliver the story of Casey Solomon’s training to be an ultra-elite Dagger. It’s a very solid basic training story, and Lieber does a great job on the art, but if you didn’t know it existed in the Lazarusverse, you would think it was taking place in today’s mundane reality. In that sense, although it adds a bit to Casey’s story, it doesn’t follow through on the promise of exploring and expanding the world. Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

Bitch Planet Triple Feature #2 (Image)** – As I thought, the second issue of this anthology feature finds its feet: as Kelly Sue DeConnick points out, the tone is not “mercilessly bleak” but ROBOCOP. And I will always buy that for a dollar. Real quick: Che Grayson and Sharon Lee De La Cruz bring us the “Miss Tween Neck Competition” – but what price victory? And what other very precise anatomical competitions are also going on?… In “This is Good for You,” Danielle Henderson, Ro Stein and Ted Brandt make a very sharp link between “self-care,” “family values,” and “compliance.” And anchoring the pack, Jordan Clark and Naomi Franquiz’ “What’s Love Got To Do With it” brings us the story of Amaya, a nurse who, upon turning 30, needs to avoid the Old Maid Tax, receiving for her birthday a literal Biological Clock. This issue is the one you’ve been looking for, Kelly Sue. Overall: 6.5, 8, and 9. Recommendation: Buy

 Bettie Page #1 (Dynamite)** – The premise is that we are reading the secret diary of Bettie Page, who in 1951, in exchange for a lift to Hollywood, became a federal agent. Writer David Avallone gives us a tough-as-nails, sharp-as-a-tack Bettie, and Colton Worley nicely captures her look. But otherwise, it’s a bog-standard story of a secret cult plot that takes way too long to develop and does not otherwise require the presence of its protagonist. When you have an iconic character on your hands, I think you can do a lot more with it. Mostly it made me want to go back and watch Mary Harron’s excellent Notorious Bettie Page. Well-made and professional but missing heart and spark. Overall: 7 Recommendation: Read 

 

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 (**).

Those Two Geeks: Episode One

The hosts of Gotham Weekly return with a new name and a new episode count as they move aware from being a Batman centric podcast into the wider world of nerd and geekdom. Think of it as our very own Rebirth!

But don’t worry, Bat-fans, despite the new name, there’s still a lot of Batman talk this week  as Alex and Joe sit down to talk about Spider-Man: Homecoming and Batman #26.  

This week’s Comic Club (the feature we don’t name in the actual podcast), in which our hosts assign a comic to the other in rder to discuss it the following week, has Alex reading Batman And The Shadow #3 and Joe tackling Batman/Elmer Fudd #1. 

If you want to join in the conversation then next week’s Comic Club assignment for the hosts will be:

For Joe: Kill Or Be Killed #1 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
For Alex: Dark Days: The Casting #1 by James Tynon IV, Scott Snyder, Andy Kubert, Jim Lee, John Romita, Jr.

As always, the Alex and Joe can be found on twitter respectively @karcossa and @jc_hesh if you have suggestions for a future Comic Club comic for them to check out.

Underrated: Comics not in Diamonds top 100 sellers for June

This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Comics not in Diamonds top 100 sellers for June.


This week we’re going to be looking at a list of comics that are all fantastic, but don’t get the attention that they deserve. Now I’m not even going to pretend to have a definitively exhaustive list of underrated comics here, because we’re hoping  that you decide to check at least one of these series out next time you’re looking for something new either online or at your LCS, and giving you a huge list to check out would be counter productive to that. Instead, you’ll find four to six comics that are worth your attention that failed to crack the top 100 in sales. You’ll notice that there’s only one comic from a publisher featured – this was done to try and spread the love around, rather than focus exclusively on one publisher.

Where possible, I’ve also avoided comics that have appeared on the last version of this list, but the only hard stipulation for this week: not one of the comics made it into the top 100 for May’s comic sales, according to Comichron, which is why they’re Underrated.

 

mother russia 1Mother Russia #1 (Alterna)
June Sales Rank/Comics Sold: 361 /3,298
Alterna’s range of newsprint comics have been a fantastic addition to my pull list, with the stories on offer crossing numerous different genres and styles, and each one easily being worth the price of admission. Mother Russia is set toward the end of the second World War and stars a Russian sniper as she faces off against hordes of zombies to save a child. For a buck and a half, you really can’t go wrong with this gem.

Catalyst Prime Accell #1 (Lion Forge)
June Sales Rank/Comics Sold: 347 /3,644
A rather unique take on the whole speedster idea where Accell doesn’t speed up like characters such as the Flash and Quicksilver, but rather can move faster than thought for a limited time… and when he slows down all the injuries he would have sustained catch up to him. As a take on a speedster, it’s fun and a fresh character that you can’t help but want more of.

Pestilence #2 (Aftershock)
June Sales Rank/Comics Sold: 253 /7,056
A medieval zombie series that reimagines the Black Plague as something with a little more shuffling and biting. Absolutely brilliant stuff.

SW_002_COVER-B_SAUVAGESecret Weapons #1 (Valiant)
June Sales Rank/Comics Sold: 125 /21,938
An offbeat series about a group of rejects with powers that are basically useless (think turning your skin into a statue like hardness… but then being unable to move, just like a literal statue) have to band together in order to face off against a killer who is much better equipped to take them down. Beyond this, the sense of camaraderie and family among the rejects echoes back to the early X-Men comics; this miniseries did better in the sales charts than I expected, but it’s still an underrated gem.

 


Unless the comics industry ceases any and all publication look for a future installment of Underrated to cover more comics that aren’t cracking the top 100.

Review: Britannia: We Who Are About To Die #4

BRITANNIA2_004_COVER-A_MACKThe horrifying truth behind Rome’s grisly string of murders has finally come to light… but will Antonius Axia and his mysterious new partner – the gladiator Achillia – be able to stomach it? It’s a race against the clock to stop a serial killer – who may very well be the vengeful spirit of Apollo himself — before it strikes again! But should Antonius and Achillia fail in their mission, they’ll condemn not only Rome…but those Antonius holds dear as well.

After the last issue, my expectations for Britannia: We Who Are About To Die #4 were, to put it politely, in the toilet. The were so low that I almost didn’t bother reading the issue, but as I’m sure you can tell I did end up opening the review PDF.

At this point, if you read my review of issue #3 you’ll know I had some issues with the way that Peter Milligan wrote certain aspects of the issue. Thankfully that isn’t the case here; We Who Are About To Die #4 is a stronger issue than the third issue was, because the time where the action and plot furthering dialogue were happening at once were kept to a minimum.

While the issue had the distinct feel of the last few scenes of an episode of Scooby Doo as it wrapped up the four part story, the finale of We Who Are About To Die was stronger than the closing chapter of the first miniseries. Milligan reverses the downward trend of the last two issues (although to be fair the second issue was still good, just not as good as the first) as he neatly ties everything together – without the comic feeling too rushed.

Almost every thread is tied up, although some are done so better than others, the issue left me feeling as though this story at least was complete – if not the strongest from the publisher that I’ve ever read.

Juan Jose Ryp and Frankie D’Armata continue to breath life into the pages of the comic as only they can; again, the hyper detailed art is incredibly strong here, which I’ve come to expect from Ryp and D’Armata’s work over the past year and change.

At the end of the day the issue does have some minor problems; the Scooby Dooesque conclusion doesn’t work as well within the general context of the story as I’d have hoped, and had the line “and I would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for that pesky Detectioner!” appeared I wouldn’t have been surprised. But I think I would have laughed.

As I said, not a bad issue, but not as great as the first.

Story: Peter Milligan Art: Juan Jose Ryp Colourist: Frankie D’Armata
Story: 7.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review. 

Review: Secret Weapons #2

SW_002_VARIANT_DE-LA-TORRE“Oscar-nominated screenwriter Eric Heisserer, writer of the international sensation Arrival, joins forces with Harvey Award-nominated artist Raúl Allén (WRATH OF THE ETERNAL WARRIOR) for the next electrifying chapter in Valiant’s latest prestige format epic!”

Do you want to know what one of the most exciting new series is this year? Hint: you’re about to read a review about its second issue.

Written by Eric Heissera and with art by Raul Allen (with Patricia Martin)  Secret Weapons  is a book that focuses on the rejects from Toyo Harada’s psiot activation program. For those unfamiliar with what that means in the Valiant Universe psiots are people with latent superhuman powers that require activation, a potentially deadly and very painful process, before the nature of those powers are revealed. You may end up with the ability to fly, talk to and control technology, or make inanimate objects glow. Somewhat brightly.

While books like Harbinger, Imperium, Generation Zero and Harbinger Renegade focus on characters with useful, often powerful abilities, Secret Weapons centers around a group of characters who have some less than useful abilities, to put it politely, and hilariously useless to put it honestly.

But when somebody is hunting those psiots whose “failed” activations have left them with some pretty pointless powers (one guy can generate things from thin air – but has no control over what he generates), then alone they’re basically screwed. Thankfully for them (and us), a saviour in the form of the technopath Livewire, one of the more famous – and powerful – activated psiots who has appeared to help to guide these rejected misfits and help them stay alive long enough to get some answers.

Secret Weapons #2 follows the incredible quality of the first issue with an equally strong offering; Heisserer is able to move the story along at a relatively brisk pace while simultaneously keeping it slow enough for the reader to learn more about the characters involved – although credit should also be given to Raul Allen and Patricia Martin and the way that they bring to life these wonderfully eccentric characters into a story that’s happening in the background of the Valiant Universe.

There’s a brilliant fight scene that showcases the forced inventiveness these characters must have with their abilities that had me genuinely smiling from ear to ear as I read it. That I was also unsure of whether any of the characters involved would end up six feet under is both a testament to Heisserer’s skill and the advantage to using characters there were previously unknown to the reader.

Allen and Martin’s are  work is doubly impressive when Livewire enters a…. different realm…

This is simply a beautifully constructed comic in every way possible.

I said in my previous review that this was shaping up to be another home run for Valiant, and I’ll stand by that. Secret Weapons is without a doubt the best comic with the word Secret in it’s title this summer; whether you’re a Valiant fan or not, make sure you’re reading this.

Story: Eric Heisserer Art: Raul Allen and Patricia Martin
Story: 9.25 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.

 

DC Rebirth Recap And Review For Comics Released 7/12

Welcome to Graphic Policy’s DC Rebirth: Recap And Review where we take a look at the comics released under DC‘s Rebirth banner and try to work out just how accessible they are for new readers – we’ll also be providing  recap of sorts for the relevant story beats up until the issue in question in order to help you figure out if the series is something you’re interested in.

Each comic will receive a rating of Friendly or Unfriendly based on how easy it was for

new readers to pick them up; the ratings are based solely on the issues released in the post-Rebirth ongoing series. More consideration regarding the comic’s accessibility will be given for the specific issue being read rather than the series overall, but if reading a back issue will help, then that will be mentioned. Generally, the quality of an issue won’t be discussed unless it directly impacts a new reader’s enjoyment of the series.

You may notice that not every comic is covered week to week, and that’s because I  sometimes forget to read them  (although that doesn’t happen often). If I have missed an issue, typically I won’t go looking for back issues to catch up on events – this feature is all about accessibility for new readers, after all.


 

AC_Cv983_open_order_varAction Comics #983 Superman has been attacked by his greatest enemies, and they;ve beaten seven shades of shit out of the Man Of Steel (it doesn’t help that he’ currently blind). Before the final blow came, the cavalry arrived…. it’s a Friendly comic. And really fun.s

Dark Days: The Casting #1 Just… not the best place to jump in. Unfriendly.

Detective Comics #960 I’ve never really been all that familiar with Azreal, nor his backstory, and this arc is pretty heavily steeped in both. An android/dude-in-a-mechsuit with a connection to Azreal’s former bosses has killed a bunch of ex-monks… and Batman’s talking to Zatanna. On the whole this is borderline Unfriendly.

Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps #24  A Green Lantern murdered a Yellow Lantern, and Corps Leader Stewart just found out that a criminal was using this information to blackmail the murderous lantern – and threaten the precarious peace between the two corps.. This issue is Friendly enough.

Justice League Of America #10 Another first part, another chance for you to hop into a series that, personally, I dread reading every month. But you may like it, and if you do you, then I’m pleased for you.

New Super-Man #13 A wonderfully written series, New Super-Man finds our young heroes coming to grips with a foe that’s more powerful than any one of them – Emperor REDHOTO_Cv12.inddSuper-Man! This Friendly issue won’t be the easiest place to jump on, but it’s certainly doable.

The Flash #26 Uh… in a nutshell, Reverse Flash pulled the Flash into the future, revealed his identity to Iris and then decided to show him stuff. Depending on how you like your timey-wimey travel stuff done this is either Friendly and worth reading or best avoided. Personally, I enjoyed it.

Red Hood And The Outlaws #12 You can probably tell what the issue is about by the cover, and it’s homage to the Death Of Superman arc from the 90’s. Bizarro is suffering from cellular degeneration due to his limited life span as a clone, and his teammates aren’t too sure what to do. A Friendly issue in one of the most exciting Batbooks.

Titans #13 The Titans are currently attacking a facility to find Bumble Bee’s memories after they were siphoned off and emailed (or something) somewhere else. What results is an entertaining battle that feature’s a character eerily reminiscent of Valiant’s H.A.R.D. Corps. Is it Friendly kinda.

Wonder Woman #26 The first part of a new arc is always a decent place to hop on board, and this issue is no exception. Assuming you know who Wonder Woman is, this is a Friendly issue.

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