Supergirl #11
(W) Sophie Campbell (A) Tamra Bonvillain
HERO OF KANDOR?! With the bottled city on fire (literally), Kara Zor-El abandons the comfort of Midvale to save the last survivors of Krypton. The youth are in revolt after a shocking secret is revealed, and the Science Council is put on trial for its crimes against the next generation. Can Supergirl find peace between the two warring factions?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus #5
(W) Tom Waltz, Paul Allor, Sophie Campbell, Caleb Goellner, Erik Burnham (A) Ben Bates
The epic of Battle Nexus concludes with the most emotionally devastating fight yet when Michelangelo faces off against an old friend long thought dead: It’s Slash! Once a mindless brute who grew to become one of the Turtles’ closest friends, Slash sacrificed himself to save all of Burnow Island. But how did he survive? How did he end up in the Battle Nexus? And why is he determined to destroy Mikey? Whatever the reasons, if Michelangelo falters in this fight against someone he loves, it’s all over for the Ninja Turtles… especially when the big bad battle master has one final hand to play…
Supergirl #10
(W) Sophie Campbell (A) Joe Quinones
It’s Valentine’s Day in Midvale, and Kara has finally worked up the courage to ask her crush out for the holiday. Little does he know he’ll be on a date with Supergirl! Meanwhile, Lena Luthor struggles with their friendship fallout. Can the daughter of Lex Luthor and cousin of Superman ever see eye-to-eye again?
Godzilla Legends – Mothra: Queen of the Monsters
Writer: Sophie Campbell
Artist: Matt Frank
Mothra has fallen after a fearsome battle with a terrifying new kaiju, Antra. Without its protector, the world has entered a state of desolation. Kaiju roam freely, and what remains of humankind has been forced into hiding.
But all hope is not lost! Mira is a young woman living in the wasteland who believes she lost her entire family in Mothra’s final stand—that is, until her missing twin shows up with two fairies! If Emi is to be believed, the sisters might hold the key to the rebirth of Mothra and the Earth’s return to normalcy. They just have to travel back in time and get its egg from the Jurassic period first.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus #3
(W) Tom Waltz, Erik Burnham, Paul Allor, Caleb Goellner, Sophie Campbell (A) Vitor Cafaggi
As if the outcome of Leonardo vs. the original Shredder weren’t shocking enough, the Ninja Turtles are blown away to discover they’re not alone in the otherworldly realm of the Battle Nexus — or, indeed, in the universe itself. When the twisted battle master [REDACTED] calls for a wildcard match between former flames Raphael and Alopex, their prodigious fighting skills — and unbelievable tempers — could bring down the entire Battle Nexus!
Supergirl #9
(W) Sophie Campbell (A) Joe Quinones
NEW YEAR, NEW KARA! As the clock and the town of Midvale count down to midnight, Supergirl finds herself surrounded by new friends and found family as she ponders her New Year’s resolution. Will she turn over a new leaf, finally free of the shadow of her famous cousin, Superman? Plus, Lesla has a little secret that could lead to disaster!
The raddest TMNT event of the decade kicks off here! When one of the Turtles’ closest allies is taken hostage by a mysterious adversary, the brothers are drawn into a new dimension of adventure in the Battle Nexus. This blistering five-part weekly series finds the Ninja Turtles fighting for their lives in a martial arts challenge unlike anything they’ve faced, with four deadly champions selected from across 40 years of TMNT media to destroy the Ninja Turtles! EVERY Ninja Turtle. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus #1 kicks off a battle where the Heroes in a Half-Shell will meet characters from across the TMNT universes.
With a story by Tom Waltz, Paul Allor, Sophie Campbell, Caleb Goellner, and Erik Burnham, and script by Waltz, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus #1 is a weekly release that is another entry into the recent competition fight genre. In recent months, there’s been a slew of these types of releases, all with their own little spin. The comic isn’t bad but so far hasn’t quite delivered a must-read hook beyond the concept of the Turtle multiverse.
The issue opens with the Turtles taking on Bebop and Rocksteady before they’re snatched to a land where they’ll fight… for something. It’s Secret Wars, DC KO, so much we’ve seen before by this but folds in characters from various Turtles series. That creates some potential for the series but the initial fight that opened the issue felt more awkward than exciting and the first opponent at the end seems interesting with where it’s going but is presented in a way that falls a little flat.
And flat describes a lot of the comic. The villain and those revealed seem to have some history with the Turtles but this casual reader has no idea who they are so their history isn’t a factor. We also get a rather odd monologue that feels a little stilted sort of explaining what’s going on. The story and dialogue just feel a little off.
The art by Esau Escorza and Isaac Escorza with color by Luis Antonio Delgado and lettering by Tom Napolitano is also just ok. The Turtles have been blessed with some amazing art in recent years and that includes the Escorza’s work on The Last Ronin. This art though doesn’t quite feel like theirs with a style that feels like a blend of that recent work and art from the Mirage days. Like the dialogue, something feels slightly off about it all. There’s some solid panels and pages but overall, it doesn’t quite click for me.
The issue isn’t bad and there’s some entertaining aspects to it but it also doesn’t quite deliver enough. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus #1 leans into Turtle nostalgia it feels like and if you don’t know the characters, it doesn’t click. The battle itself is at the beginning and drags on, before the main story begins. It takes too long to get to the meat. As a weekly release, this might go a bit better since there won’t be long lags between issues but as a debut, the series feels like it’s one for the Turtle fans.
Story: Tom Waltz, Paul Allor, Sophie Campbell, Caleb Goellner, Erik Burnham Script: Tom Waltz
Art: Esau Escorza, Isaac Escorza
Color: Luis Antonio Delgado Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.25 Recommendation: Read
IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus #1
(W) Erik Burnham, Tom Waltz, Caleb Goellner, Paul Allor, Sophie Campbell (A) Esau Escorza, Isaac Escorza, Sarah Myer
The raddest TMNT event of the decade kicks off here! This blistering five-part WEEKLY series finds the Turtles fighting for their lives in a martial arts challenge unlike anything they’ve faced. For the first time, IDW’s Heroes in a Half Shell meet allies from other fan-favorite TMNT universes as they fight for their lives & discover the unbelievable secrets of Battle Nexus!
Supergirl #8
(W) Sophie Campbell (A) Haining
A ghost from Supergirl’s past returns! Years ago, to protect her secret identity, a young Supergirl created a robot to pose as Linda Danvers while she ventured around the world saving the day. Now, after years of abandonment, this mechanical Maiden of Might has returned… in the name of vengeance! Can Kara make peace with the past before it destroys her present?
Supergirl #8
(W) Sophie Campbell (A) Haining
A ghost from Supergirl’s past returns! Years ago, to protect her secret identity, a young Supergirl created a robot to pose as Linda Danvers while she ventured around the world saving the day. Now, after years of abandonment, this mechanical Maiden of Might has returned… in the name of vengeance! Can Kara make peace with the past before it destroys her present?
