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 reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #1 (DC Black Label) – Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #1 (BGQA from here on out) is like Neapolitan ice cream for folks who like street level heroes and socially conscious storylines. Cartoonist Gabriel Hardman cooks up an old school conspiracy thriller featuring three heroes from all over the ideological spectrum. However, BGQA #1 isn’t just talks and lectures, and there is serious power and action to the visuals as Oliver Queen punches frat bros at gentrified dive bars or Batman does his stealth thing at a corporate retreat. Hardman’s characterization of Batman is actually similar to Superman in The Dark Knight Returns, and I’m curious to see how that unfolds as this series progresses. Overall: 8.4 Verdict: Buy

Absolute Wonder Woman #14 (DC) – The two-parter about Diana fighting her dark double comes to a literally earth-shattering conclusion courtesy of Kelly Thompson, Matias Bergara, and Jordie Bellaire. Bergara is no mere fill-in artist, and he throws some beautiful, primal shapes with his layouts matching a conflicted color palette from Bellaire and painful narration from Thompson. And, on the bigger picture side of things, Absolute Wonder Woman #14 shows there is something askew and dark about the Absolute Universe, which makes heroes like Diana all the more needed. Kelly Thompson have built the foundation for a heroic, yet hellish take on the iconic superhero, and a crossover is additive to the narrative not a chore. And to wrap up, Absolute Zatanna and Jordie Bellaire’s glittering colors for her almost run away with the whole issue in a gnizilatnat esaet. Overall: 8.7 Verdict: Buy

Absolute Batman #14 (DC) – The conclusion to the big Bane/Venom arc in Absolute Batman from Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, and Frank Martin is everything I expected and more. Snyder structures the comic as a parallel story of the battle royale between Batman and Bane with an MMA match between Waylon Jones and Bibbo Bibbowski years earlier. Jones was supposed to go down early and take the money, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer and the same with Batman. Dragotta puts his heavy metal heart on the page as Batman outmaneuvers a constantly growing and bloating Bane. (He could give Demi Moore’s character in The Substance a run for her money.) Alfred Pennyworth’s narrative keeps the fight linked to Batman’s arc, and the story ends up being about fighting in community against a soulless evil. On almost the 40th anniversary of The Dark Knight Returns, Batman, once again, has an epic fight against a larger than life opponent, and Nick Dragotta puts his own unique brand on the Caped Crusader just like Miller did in the 1980s. And Bane was just an amuse bouche for an even more formidable foe. Overall: 9.9 Verdict: Buy