It was new comic book day yesterday! What’d you all get? What’d you like? What’d you dislike? Sound off in the comments below! While you think about that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web.
Smash Pages – 2021 Joe Shuster Award winners announced – Congrats to all.
Comicbook – Locke & Key Ending With Season 3 On Netflix – *shrug*
Reviews
Collected Editions – Crime Syndicate
How to Love Comics – Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball
Crime Syndicate #6
Written by: Andy Schmidt
Art by: Bryan Hitch, Kieran McKeown
Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…Ultragirl? That’s right, folks, Kara Zor-El of Earth-3 arrives, and it’s far from a happy family reunion! Can Ultraman take his cousin down and reclaim his place as the true last survivor of Krypton? Meanwhile, on a hidden island in the Pacific, Emerald Knight must finally decide: Will he stand with the Legion of Justice? Or will he give in to the Crime Syndicate? Don’t miss out on the shocking finale that shakes Earth-3 to its core!
Crime Syndicate #4
Written by: Andy Schmidt
Art by: Bryan Hitch, Kieran McKeown
The world has been saved by the…Crime Syndicate?! With the Starro invaders vanquished, what’s next for Earth-3’s most notorious saviors? Can loose cannons Emerald Knight, Quick, and Atomica keep their cool? Will Ultraman accept Superwoman and Owlman’s tantalizing offer? And what is Alexander Luthor plotting as all these metahuman menaces run amok? Here’s the REAL question of the month: Which heroes will join the LEGION OF JUSTICE? In this issue’s backup story, witness the origin of the Emerald Knight, illustrated by superstar artist Bryan Hitch!
Crime Syndicate #3
Written by: Andy Schmidt
Art by: Bryan Hitch, Kieran McKeown
With the Crime Syndicate’s forces combined for the first time, seeds are sown to change the world forever. But before that can happen, Ultraman, Superia, Johnny Quick, Atomica, and Emerald Knight must survive a final battle with the biggest Starro of them all-and each other! Plus: Earth-3’s Alexander Luthor makes his debut! Question of the month: On Earth-3, are Starros friends or foes? And in the backup story, witness the origin of Superwoman in tale illustrated by superstar artist Bryan Hitch!
The weekend is almost here! What geeky things are you all doing? Sound off in the comments below! While you wait for the weekday to end and the weekend to begin, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.
The Beat – A Year of Free Comics: Sign up for SUNDAY HAHA – Free comics!
The Mary Sue – RIP Joye Hummel, the First Woman to Write Wonder Woman Comics – Our thoughts are with her friends and family.
Reviews
Hashtag Show – Batman #107
Hashtag Show – Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory #1
Geek Dad – Crime Syndicate #2
CBR – Geiger #1
CBR – Green Lantern #1
CBR – The Impure #1
Hashtag Show – Magic #1
Geek Dad – The Silver Coin #1
Crime Syndicate #2
Written by: Andy Schmidt
Art by: Bryan Hitch, Kieran McKeown
With Starro ravaging the planet and controlling superheroes and villains alike, the fate of the world rests in the hands of Ultraman, Superia, and Owlman-in other words, win or lose, humanity is doomed! Question of the month: What famous Gotham foes are held in Owlman’s cave? Plus, in the backup story, witness the origin of Owlman in a tale illustrated by superstar artist Bryan Hitch!
Crime Syndicate #1 takes us to Earth-3 where “evil” version of our known superheroes rule. The issue is an interesting one presenting the group it would seem before they’ve come together and instead giving us a tease of each. Some of it works and some of it doesn’t with an issue that’s a bit choppy in quality.
Written by Andy Schmidt, the comic re-introduces us to the various members. It has them plant their flags in their own ways. All of the members are horrible individuals in their own special way. This isn’t a team or “heroes” to be rooting for, Schmidt nails that aspect down. But, the tone of the comic still feels a bit “light’ for such evil individuals. There’s a pulp vibe to it in some ways with a dose of humor thrown in which feels a bit off.
Schmidt has some fun with that “pulp” aspect though referencing comics that don’t exist and haven’t happened. It delivers a wink a nod to the history all of these characters have.
But, what’s odd is that this feels a bit of an echo to the Justice League relaunch with the New 52 bringing the team together. There’s both history and newness to it all. It doesn’t pack the punch when it the Crime Syndicate was revealed years ago as to the evil that lurked in the DC Universe and sparked “Trinity War”.
The art by Kieran McKeown is ok but doesn’t quite fit the tone of the characters. With ink by Dexter Vines, color by Steve Oliff, and lettering by Rob Leigh there’s a bit of a classic feel to the art. It matches the comedic aspects of the comic but the style doesn’t quite match that “evil” and “dark” aspect of the team I was expecting. The art is a bit to bright and light to fit well with these characters.
Schmidt is also joined by Bryan Hitch, Alex Sinclair, and Leigh in an origin story for Ultraman. The back-up story is more of what I was expecting with the main story. It’s a bit darker in tone and shows more of the torture and twisted nature of these characters. Juxtaposed with the main story, the tone issues are more apparent.
Crime Syndicate #1 is a bit too much of a fresh start with an unexpected tone that doesn’t quite fit. These were brutally evil characters who were always plotting. Here we’re presented with more goofy mirror images of heroes we know. There’s potential for the series as it goes on with more interactions but as is, the comic is a bit choppy in its presentation getting them to that point.
Story: Andy Schmidt Art: Kieran McKeown, Bryan Hitch
Ink: Dexter Vines Color: Steve Oliff, Alex Sinclair Letterer: Rob Leigh
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read
Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW
Wednesdays (and now Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in
Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!
Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.
Allergic (Graphix) – Maggie is getting a new puppy but finds out she’s allergic to anything with fur. This si the mission to find the perfect pet!
America Chavez: Made in the USA #1 (Marvel) – The character takes center stage soon in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and this series seems to start setting the ground so she does the same in the comic universe as well.
The Antifa Super Soldier Cookbook (Silver Sprocket) – What if everything the Right thought about the Left was real? An ANTIFA operative is about to get an upgrade and become a full-fledged super-soldier!
BRZRKR #1 (BOOM! Studios) – The Keanu Reeves/Matt Kindt written comic series is here. It has a hell of a lot of buzz due to Reeves and brought in a massive amount on Kickstarter. We’re excited we get to finally read it.
Chariot #1 (AWA Studios) – A military weapon in the form of a muscle car. That alone has us in for this.
Crime Syndicate #1 (DC Comics) – We head to a newly returned Earth-3 where these evil versions of our superheroes rule.
Dead Dogs Bite #1 (Dark Horse) – Seeing Tyle Boss’ name on this comic is what first got us to notice it. The story revolves around a missing person in a small town.
Demon Days: X-Men #1 (Marvel) – Peach Momoko’s new twist on the X-Men is here. We were a bit mixed on the initial preview but we’re still excited to check out a full issue. The art alone will be worth it.
ENIAC #1 (Bad Idea) – Bad Idea is officially here! We’ve read this first issue and it’s a solid debut. What does this publisher have up its sleeve? We’re expecting even more news upon release.
Infinite Frontier #0 (DC Comics) – This is the new start to the DC Universe. It’s full of possibilities and the groundwork and tease of what’s to come begins here.
Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters #1 (Oni Press) – Rainbow is looking for her sister Jonna. They’re both trying to survive in a world full of monsters driving humanity to the brink of extinction. Check out our review.
Man-Bat #2 (DC Comics) – The first issue was an intriguing look at addiction and we really want to see if the series keeps up with that theme.
Nocterra #1 (Image Comics) – The Kickstarted graphic novel is out in single issues. The world has been plunged into everlasting night. Meet Val Riggs, a ferryman who transports goods and people along deadly unlit roads.
Suicide Squad #1 (DC Comics) – With a movie out this year, the Suicide Squad is getting a shake-up and a new lineup that matches the film more. The first issue is exactly what you’d want from the series and shows readers to not get too attached to the characters.
The Swamp Thing #1 (DC Comics) – It’s a new Swamp Thing and a new vision for the character. We want to see what this new take is all about.
Transformers: Beast Wars #2 (IDW Publishing) – The cartoon is now a comic with a bit of a remix to it. The first issue set things up and now we’re getting to the good stuff.
Undone By Blood: The Other Side of Eden #1 (AfterShock) – The first series was a solid tale of revenge. We’re just hoping for more of the same.
What Unites Us (:01 First Second) – A graphic novel adaptation of Dan Rather’s essays.
Crime Syndicate #1
Written by: Andy Schmidt
Art by: Bryan Hitch, Kieran McKeown
Spinning out of Dark Nights: Death Metal, the Multiverse is reborn-and Earth-3 with it! In this six-issue miniseries, witness the true origins of the malevolent makers of mayhem known as the Crime Syndicate as a common foe unites them! But how long can alliances last between villains like these? Also in this issue, it’s the origin of Ultraman in our special backup story drawn by superstar artist Bryan Hitch!
A paranoid titan (Ultraman), a narcissist (Super Woman), a nihilist (Owlman), a broken moral compass (Power Ring/Emerald Knight), a sociopath (Johnny Quick) and a sadist (Atomica). Does the world stand a chance?
Spoiler alert: No. No, it does not. Writer Andy Schmidt and artist Kieran McKeown will launch DC’s new Crime Syndicate mini-series on March 2 to tell the origin of the evil Justice League from Earth-3!
Spinning out of the pages of Dark Nights: Death Metal, the DC Multiverse is reborn, and with it a new Earth-3! Witness the true origins of the malevolent makers of mayhem known as the Crime Syndicate as a common foe unites them! But how long can alliances last between villains like these?
Also in this debut issue, witness the origin of Ultraman in a special backup story drawn by super-star artist Bryan Hitch!
Crime Syndicate by Andy Schmidt and Kieran McKeown is a six-issue mini-series debuting on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, with a cover by Jim Cheung and a variant cover by Skan.
