Tag: dc rebirth

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by Karson

Welcome back to Weekly Reads! Where we take a moment on New Comic Book Day to reflect upon last week’s titles!

Before jumping in, an update: I’m starting a small, new, hopefully weekly post titled Best Bets (you can find the first post here). Simply put, it’ll be a recommendation of the best book (or books, depending on how many high-quality titles are being released) to purchase that week. That’ll be the core, then I imagine we’ll have some other types of recommendations come out of it too. It should be a lot of fun! Weekly Reads is probably going to see some formatting changes as well, but since I’m not sure what they are yet, I’ll save that for another day.

So they say that the first step of breaking an addiction is admitting you have a problem? Well, I have a problem. I’m getting way too wrapped up in the DC Universe and it’s causing me to get behind on a lot of (often higher quality) titles that I want to be reading. If anyone has advice on trimming back your pull list, that’d be greatly appreciated 😀! Until then, let’s talk about last week in comics… or at least in the DC Universe…

👎 – Skip, read at your own risk
👌 – Okay, not great, not bad, you might find something to like here
💪 – Great, highly recommended

DC

If you’ve been following along for awhile now, you’re probably starting to see a trend in my DC section. Namely, I praise the same titles every other week. Which makes sense because most of their titles are being released biweekly, so instead of just gushing over Green Arrow and Batman, how about I gave you a few second breakdown on each book this week?

Aquaman #5 – 💪

This issue feels a lot like Action Comics, it’s pretty much non-stop action from start to finish, and a nice little surprise waiting for you at the end. “The Drowning” story arc will conclude next issue (two weeks from now) and I’m not going to have a problem recommending the trade when it’s released, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the title so far.

Batgirl & the Birds of Prey #1 – 💁

I didn’t read it! Maybe there is hope for me after all.

Batman #5 – 💪

Issue 5 puts a nice, little bow on the “I Am Gotham” arc. It answers a lot of questions and it’s a lot of fun to see some other characters coming to aid Batman in his battle against the god-like Gotham (or Gotham Man, or whatever you like to call him). I have no problem recommending this run to friends, it looks like Batman is in good hands with King.

Green Arrow #5 – 💪

Green Arrow wraps up it’s ongoing arch this week as well. This run felt very much like Miller’s Born Again Daredevil run (high praise). If you would have asked me when Rebirth happened what my favourite titles would be, Green Arrow wouldn’t even have been a consideration, so I’m glad I gave it a chance. Definitely a favourite of the Rebirth books.

Green Lanterns #5 – 👌

This series has grown more and more on me with each issue and this week is no different. The “Red Planet” arc is in full swing and Jessica is going to have to step-up to the plate in a big way next issue to save Earth from becoming the next home of the Red lanterns!

Harley Quinn #2 – 👌

This series is far from must-read, I was suckered into it because I was surprised by the first issue. Basically, this is DC’s Deadpool, so if that’ your thing, you’ll probably like this book… or if you just like Harley Quinn, that might help too.

Justice League #3 – 👎

DC’s flagship title is probably one of it’s weakest right now. The transitions between issues are jarring and while there are big action pieces, nothing feels like it will carry any weight in the universe. I’m sure this title will hit it’s stride eventually, it just hasn’t happened yet.

Nightwing #3 – 👌

Batgirl joins Nightwing and Raptor this issue. This arc is starting to get really interesting. I’m loving
Javier Fernandez’s art.

Suicide Squad #1 – 👎

This might be the first time I didn’t like an #1 as much as the Rebirth issue that come before it. Perhaps a new Jim Lee book makes it worth the price but right now there just isn’t enough going on for me to recommend it… hopefully it picks up the pace in the coming issues.

Supergirl – Rebirth #1 – 👎

Book is technically enjoyable, just not worth buying.

Superman #5 – 💪

Action Comics isn’t the only solid super hero book on the market, Superman is almost as hot! We have Superman, Lois, their son, and Eradicator all up on the moon. Oh, and as the cover hints, the Hellbat suite! This issue was a blast.

Marvel

Black Widow #6 – 💪

Every issue Chris Samnee and Mark Waid deliver a comic book experience like no other. This book is unreal.

Power Man and Iron Fist #7 – 👌

The days of Power Man and Iron Fist being must-read are now behind us, but this book is still enjoyable and only loosely connected to Civil War II (that might all change next issue). The humour still exists but isn’t as commonplace as it was the first few issues. Go pick up the first five issues and wait and see how this story pans out.

Image

I dropped the ball…

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by Karson

It’s that wonderful time of the week again, New Comic Book Day! Weekly Reads is where we take the time to reflect upon last week’s titles.

DC

If you’ve been around for awhile, you’ll know I’m hooked on DC’s Rebirth right now. I keep telling you I’m going to cut back but every week I’m still picking up and reading everything I can. This week was no different.

Action Comics 960-000

💪 Action Comics #960

God damn, Action Comics is living up to it’s title right now! Not only does Superman’s battle with Doomsday continues this issue, but we got Wonder Woman in on the action too! It is also revealed very early in the issue that there is cloaked figure observing the battle from afar, who is presumably responsible for Doomsday’s latest appearance. If you like your comics light on dialogue and heavy on action, this book is for you.

Red Hood and the Outlaws - Rebirth (2016) 001-000

💪 Red Hood & the Outlaws – Rebirth #1

My lack of DC knowledge was put on full display reading this, I had no idea Red Hood was Jason Todd! So that was cool to find out. Man oh man, does DC have a lot of series with Batman involved (and still more to come!). I love how these Rebirth titles pay homage to iconic character moments, here we have Soy recreating the horrific events of “A Death in the Family” and it looks SO good! Lobdell did a perfect job capturing the friendly but strained relationship between Todd and Batman. I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series. This is probably my favourite of all the Rebirth issues so far.

👌 Batgirl #1

If you are worried about character baggage and not understanding what is going on in a book, this is a title for you. Batgirl is probably the most accessible of DC’s Rebirth titles. That said, the stakes didn’t feel high enough to peak my interest.

👌 Detective Comics #937

I’m enjoying the run so far. It’s nothing extraordinary but I’m entertained every issue. Again, if you are looking for a more Batman focused book, look elsewhere. This title pays much more attention to the team of Batwoman, Clayface, Red Robin, Spoiler and Orphan.

👌 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #1

You better know a thing or two about Green Lantern going into this or I fear you might get lost. Surprisingly, I’m more interested in Green Lanterns than I am this title but we’ll see where it goes.

👎 Nightwing #1

… I don’t have much to say about this book. Nothing really stood out for me. I think it’s probably heading in a cool direction but this issue wasn’t very memorable.

👌 The Flash #3

Flashes are everywhere! More and more people keep receiving the speed force, so much so that there’s now a training centre. Giandomenico’s art in this is great. I was growing tired of people becoming speedy but by the end of the issue we have a twist that will hopefully tug the series in a more interesting direction.

👎 Wonder Woman #3

I hate to give this book a thumbs down, because for all intents and purposes, the creative team is doing a great job. In fact, Sharp’s art is some of my favourite from all the Rebirth titles thus far. I blame my disinterest in this book entirely on my lack of Wonder Woman knowledge, I really don’t have a clue what is happening right now. Perhaps if I sat down and read 5 or 6 issues at a time I wouldn’t run into this problem. I think this series will be easy to recommend in trade, and if you have a knowledge of the character you’ll probably enjoy it, but if you’re like me and not familiar with Wonder Woman, you’ll probably want until you can read a few of these together.

Marvel

Yikes, maybe we should break out DC into it’s own article. It’s getting out of control. If you want to see something interesting, look at the first few Weekly Reads and observe the balance of Marvel to DC, it has completely flipped on it’s head.

👎 Black Panther #4

I know this series is getting a lot of love, but I find it difficult to read week by week. There’s just too much going on to remember it all, I definitely recommend waiting for this arc to end and go pick it up in trade.

Captain America - Steve Rogers 003-000

💪 Captain America – Steve Rogers #3

Gimmick or not, Spencer is doing a great job of orchestrating this story arc. Each issue being more interesting than the last. I can’t wait to see where it goes.

👌 Civil War II #4

I’ve been vocal with my dislike of all things Civil War II but this issue was pretty darn good. I think a lot of my issues with the series came from reading all the tie-in’s and being letdown by how little happened. However, if you just read the main book, I think there is enough going on week to week to stay interested and you don’t have to worry about feeling lost.

👎 Extraordinary X-Men #12

It’s my favourite of the current X-Men books but it’s just not worth the price of admission anymore. The art is great though!

Image

One of my favourite ongoing series’…

Outcast 019-000

💪 Outcast #19

I don’t think it’s aliens. I don’t think it’s demons. I don’t know what the heck it is but I do know that you should be reading this book and watching this show!

SDCC 2016: Geekscape Interviews Joshua Williamson of ‘Flash: Rebirth’!

by jake108

With the recent launch of DC’s Rebirth, I was able to catch up with Joshua Williamson, lead writer on The Flash: Rebirth series at Comic-Con. We sat down and had a chat about The Flash!

TheFlashRebirth

Jake: Rebirth just launched. What’s your pitch to those out there who don’t buy comics, who haven’t bought comics on a regular basis, and are new to this whole “Rebirth” launch. What would you say to entice them to buy into The Flash?

Williamson: If you like super hero books and want a character who actually enjoys being a super hero, rather than some of the other books that have become dark and gritty, and you want a fun book, you should read The Flash. It’s about a man who got hit by lightning and now can run really quick and really fast, and he’s someone who enjoys helping people.

Jake: The Flash Family is all here now, in Rebirth, –

Williamson: Are they all here?!

Jake: Well, with the two Wally’s, Barry, and now August, how is it juggling all of these speedsters at once?

Williamson: It’s been hard. Especially after issue three, there’s a lot of them. They don’t all have names. It’s like, “I know this one’s name, this one’s name, this one’s name, and this one’s name. The rest of you all are all faceless.” Like, they’re just in the crowd of Speedsters. It’s funny, in editorial, we know the names of some of them because we kinda had to. One’s named Roger. I don’t know if he’s ever actually mentioned, no one ever goes, “Oh, hey look, it’s Roger.” We try to focus on a smaller group. There’s a couple that get introduced in the next issue that you’ll see. August is a big one that was introduced in Issue 1. But I’m always trying show Barry’s perspective. The book is about Barry Allen and I want to keep that going.

Jake: How difficult was it introducing a new villain who hasn’t been touched on too much in Godspeed? How was that experience introducing a new super-villain in the DC Universe.

Williamson: It was a lot of fun. For me, I’ve had a really good time working with him, doing a sort of darker version of this character. I’m curious of what people are going to think about him. You know? He’s not Professor Zoom, he’s not like a Joker-type bad guy. He’s very calculated, and it’s a very emotional story for him and his relationship in the book, you’ll see. I think there will be people, when he is really introduced, I think they’re going to be readers who are like, “Is he the bad guy? Maybe he’s right!” You’re going to get some instances like that. For me, it’s just been fun. I like bad guys, I like writing bad guys. I hope people dig it. It’s been a lot of fun.

GodSpeed

Jake: I understand his colors are white and gold, which is an unconventional color palate to use for a super-villain.

Williamson: Yeah! We’ll see what people think!

Jake: Are you drawing any inspiration from past storylines or threads going back throughout the history of The Flash?

Williamson: Oh yeah. I’m looking at everything.

Jake: How long have you been reading?

Williamson: Since I was a little kid! I love Impulse, I was a big time Wally fan, so I pull from that. I pull from a lot of the Mark Waid stuff. I read some of the old Silver Age stuff and I come up with things. Like what I think our second arc is going to be, after issue nine or issue ten, is pulled from a lot of Silver Age stuff. I’m pulling from a lot of places.

Jake: That sounds great. You’ve been doing a great job!

Williamson: Thanks, that means a lot. I am a Flash fan, so for me, I wanted to make sure it was a book that I would want to read. That would suck if you were writing a comic and were like, “I wouldn’t read this.”

The Flash Rebirth is currently on store shelves right now, with a new issue releasing twice monthly! Check it out!

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads

by Karson

We are experimenting with a new format the next couple of weeks, let me know what you think!

👎 – Skip, read at your own risk
👌 – Okay, not great, not bad, you might find something to like here
💪 – Great, highly recommended

Be sure to check-out the end where I tell you why I think DC is in the position to win over a lot of life long Marvel fans, including myself.

MARVEL

👌 Amazing Spider-Man #14
It’s all Regent all the time. Setting up for Dead No More? I don’t think so. Reading it because it’s Spider-Man and that’s it.

👎 Uncanny X-Men #8
While initially I was enjoying it, Uncanny X-Men has became my least favourite of the X-Men books. The Apocalypse Wars arc has lacked focus and this book, despite it’s strong characters, offers little to the narrative.

👌 Civil War II – X-Men #1
Solid book, plants seeds of the X-Men’s involvement in Civil War II. Much like last week’s Civil War II – Spider-Man, a good read but not necessary if you’re just trying to keep up with Civil War II.

👎 International Iron Man #4
How they can slap a Civil War II logo on this book is beyond me right now. At least with Invincible Iron Man (discussed a few weeks ago) it was just a little behind Civil War II, this book I have no idea where it even fits into the narrative. I could be swayed but I have a hard time seeing how this isn’t anything but extra money in the bank for Bendis.

👎 Civil War II #2
I don’t know if I’m just frustrated with how many damn books Marvel has released under the Civil War II title and how little has went on but honestly, this has me so down on Marvel. We have to be more than a dozen books in and I could summarize in a single sentence what has happened so far. Marvel wants your money and in my opinion is doing little to deserve it.

DC

👌 Batman #1
Fun, emotionally impactful story of Batman doing the impossible. The ending left me curious as to where this series is heading.

💪 Green Arrow #1
Surprisingly, this was my favourite of DC’s #1’s this week. Solid writing, stand out art, and jaw-dropping ending.

👌 Green Lanterns #1
My least favourite of the current Rebirth titles. There are a lot of cool elements and nothing that I can point to that is glaringly wrong with the book, it just isn’t clicking for me.

👌 Superman #1
This book is all about Superman and his super-powered son. I really like the father/son dynamic at play here and can’t wait to see where it is taken.

💪 Titans – Rebirth #1
I loved this book. I wish I was more in tuned with the DC Universe because I think that knowledge and appreciation would put this title on a whole other level. I was so emotionally tied into everything that happened throughout this issue. Such great stuff! If you haven’t got into Rebirth yet, this is the book to do it.

Book Of The Week

Titans Cover

Thought Bubble

Being a die hard Marvel fanboy all my life, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think by this fall, DC Comics is going to be my #1.

Right now, it feels like Marvel is taking their fan base for granted while DC is actively trying to please them. Anyone who loved Captain America: Civil War and goes to their local comic book store because Civil War II has peaked their interest is going to feel completely lost when they think they are expected to read nearly every title Marvel puts out each week to keep caught up with the event. There is no need for this, especially when none of the side books have done anything substantial to drive the story forward. Honestly, we have to be close to a dozen Civil War II related titles released and I can still summarize the story in a single sentence. Not to mention, after the dust settles on this arc, Marvel is going ahead with their own reboot or rebirth or whatever you’d like to call it, which further dwindles the value of the Civil War II run.

Historically, switching allegiances was a difficult thing to do, since if you want to read a certain character you are stuck with the company that owns it. However, Marvel has taken the spotlight off of their historically significant characters and started to shine the light on all-new versions of them. Sure, Marvel may own the characters I love, but I hardly see them nowadays, and when I do the character rarely resembles the one I grew up loving. There is a real opportunity to distance yourself from Marvel books and not miss out on anything.

While Marvel is in a slump, DC is delivering unbelievable value to fans. They aren’t doing anything fancy either; they are just trying to please comic book fans. Rebirth has been perfect in that it makes all the titles accessible to new readers, yet still offers bonuses to the publisher’s long-time fans by embracing the history of their properties (at least I think it does, I’m not in that camp). They price all their book and one low price, making them accessible to anyone. While DC is also introducing new iterations to their main characters, the changes feel much more complimentary than what Marvel is currently doing.

I don’t know the in’s and out’s of the comic book industry, I don’t know the numbers or even how much winning in comic books matters these days, maybe it doesn’t? I do know that comics mean a lot to me, and in my heart, for the first time in 26 years, DC has a chance to be #1.

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by Karson

Welcome to Weekly Reads! It’s your little dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my comic book reading!

📚🏊📚

That’s right, we are swimming in a pool of awesome comic books this week! Let’s talk about them!

Ongoing Reads

Brian K. Vaughan’s PAPER GIRLS is back with it’s 6th issue! Vaughan tells the story of a group of 12-year-old paper girls who get caught up in some pretty crazy apocalyptic scenario. Aside from a ton of awesome 80’s references, there are also some cool time travel mechanics. There are so many questions I’m dying to find the answers to. I’m really digging Cliff Chiang’s poppy art style too. You won’t want to pick up this book without reading #1-5 first, but they’re definitely worth it.

Jason Aaron and Giulia Brusco’s THE GODDAMNED is a book I want to like a lot more than I actually do. Brusco’s work is breathtaking throughout the series, the sense of bareness and desolation that his settings matchings the book’s tone perfectly. As always, I think my lack of enjoyment for the title stems from some bad expectations on my part. The main character, Cain, just isn’t who I expected him to be. He has done too much crying and not enough kicking ass… It looks like that might change next issue though. I can’t recommend this series because I’m just not a fan, but I think there are a lot of people out there who love and would love THE GODDAMNED.

The second issue of THE PUNISHER was pretty standard Punisher stuff; the Punisher kills a lot of people a lot of different ways. Well, mostly by shooting them. The books ending left me in shock though, it’s a moment that you only see in the medium of comic books. Before you ask, no, Frank Castle didn’t hail hydra.

Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli’s run on Spider-Man continues with AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #13. If you like seeing super heroes get into school yard fights, this issue is for you. Iron Man and Spider-Man squabble and insult each other while Miles gets into a little bit of trouble with Regent. I can’t see myself getting too invested in this storyline, I just want Dead No More, but we still have 3 more issues to go.

New Reads

Superman Rebirth 1

DC’s Rebirth is in full effect! Last week brought us four Rebirth issues; Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and Green Arrow. These issues feel a lot like Free Comic Book Day books, it’s mostly just setup for things to come. If you aren’t familiar with the DC Universe (like me!) these books are still accessible. Even at the new, lower, price point, I don’t think any of these Rebirth issues are worth picking up, just read a summary instead. If you’re on a tight budget, just pick one of the characters and roll with that. Or wait a month or two and find out what book everyone is loving. Got no shortage of cash? Read em all! Nothing has wowed me yet, I’m just enjoying the newness of it all.

A simple guide for getting into DC Comics:
1. Listen The Geekscape DC Universe: Rebirth Special
2. Accept that Ian Kerner is human and not a walking comic book encyclopedia.
3. Pick one character (or more) that interests you and start reading.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Pink 001-000

BOOM! Studios’ Power Ranger line-up is expanding with this week’s MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: PINK #1 by the creative team of Brenden Fletcher, Kelly Thompson, and Daniele Di Nicuolo. This book is pretty much what you see is what you get. It isn’t on the same level as the other Power Rangers book but if you like the universe this is probably worth picking up, otherwise, you’re probably better spending your money elsewhere.

Civil War II 1

Amongst all the DC Rebirth, Marvel quietly began their big summer event with CIVIL WAR II #1. All the big surprises took place in the Free Comic Book Day issue and this book shows us what led up to it and the aftermath. We won’t get into spoilers, but basically a new inhuman is discovered that can see the future, a couple of characters die, and everyone is conflicted over this. There are A LOT of books involved in this arc, and right now I’m worried that it’s going to be hard to keep up with if you aren’t reading everything. This book did nothing to calm my worries.

Invincible Iron Man 10

On that note, I decided to read some more Brian Michael Bendis this week and checked out INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #10. That didn’t do me much good. Unless I’m missing something, this book is lagging behind the rest of Marvel’s ongoing stuff. Mary Jane isn’t even working for Stark yet, which we are seeing in both Civil War II and the Amazing Spider-Man books. So basically we are getting some back story explaining the events that took place on Free Comic Book Day and Civil War II #0, which I guess makes sense since it’s “Road to Civil War II.” Anyways, long story short, it’s frustrating to be reading these things out of order and for me, just makes me feel crazy for not just reading in trade.

Next Time

More Rebirth! More Civil War! The Fix #3!

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by Karson

Welcome to Weekly Reads! It’s your little dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my comic book reading!

Big week, huh? Let’s shift the format ever so slightly this time and begin with New Reads, then follow that with our Ongoing Reads.

New Reads

https://www.instagram.com/p/BF6js2vnvbS/?taken-by=skottieyoung&hl=en

The reason for last weeks events being so interesting are twofold. First, we have the actual events that happened in the comics, and second, we have the fan’s reaction to them. I will begin with my experience with the books then give my brief thoughts on the fan reaction.

Captain America - Steve Rogers (2016-) 001-000

Let’s start with Captain America. By now everyone knows the big twist at the end of Captain America: Steve Rogers #1, but at the time of reading the book I didn’t. I can thank our very own Jonathan London for that.

So reading the issue I knew something was going to happen but never would I have been able to guess what it was. As I got to the second last page I almost thought I was dreaming as I saw Captain America push Jack Flag out of an airplane, and then I turned the page… “Hail Hydra.” What!? Holy @*$K! I couldn’t believe my eyes. Honestly, I was a blown away. I’ll jump a little more in depth in a second but first I’d like to get my thoughts on DC Universe: Rebirth #1 (don’t worry, it’ll be quick).

DC Universe - Rebirth (2016) 001-000

Alright, I’ll admit, I don’t have much to say about Rebirth. I’ve essentially read nothing from New 52 until now. That said, I thought this book was pretty freaking cool. Who knows though, I might just be biased by the Watchmen stuff but at the end of the day I think it accomplished its goal; it made me want to read more DC.

Do I think Dr. Manhattan being responsible for the creation of the DC Universe is cool? Yes. Do I think multiple Jokers being alive in the DC Universe is cool? Yes. I am happily drinking the DC kool-aid! This is probably the most excited I’ve been about reading comics in my life.

Geeks, we have it so awesome right now. Movies, comics, television shows, video games, all being pumped out about all the characters and stuff we love and we can access them instantly. Then on top of that, we have services that provide us access to basically every movie, comic, television show, video game ever made. We shouldn’t go berserk when things like this happen, we literally could substitute whatever is bugging us with more things than we could ever consume in our lifetime.

If you have a visceral reaction against what’s happening, just don’t read the books. Find new books to read (heck, maybe even try creating your own). We live in an age where you can pretty much consume anything ever made, ever! You just have to seek it out. Which will be a much more efficient use of your time than crucifying a creative who wrote something that you disagree with. Better yet, when you do find something that you love, use social media as an opportunity to reach out and insert a little more positivity into our world…

In a matter of seconds I just sent a message to the writer of the comic book I read… see that’s cool. Hey, know what else is cool, he writes The Fix…

Awesome, that made me feel good.

I think I am going to leave it at that for now because chances are if you’re reading this, you are in the same boat as me, and if you are someone sending death threats to Nick Spencer you probably aren’t reading this anyways. Just remember, if you love stuff, take advantage of social media and let the creators know. I’m sure they appreciate it.

Now, how about some ongoing reads!?

Ongoing Reads

Extraordinary X-Men… can you say Venom Wolverine!? Yep… that’s a thing… if that intrigues you, start reading Extraordinary X-Men.

Captain Marvel wrapped up her first story arc with issue 5 and I’d say it was pretty damn enjoyable. The arc overall was a lot of fun, you’re going to enjoy getting to know Captain Marvel and her team. The only downside is the stakes never felt too dire, there was never really a main bad guy to fight so the story feels a lot more like solving technological problems than battling a powerful enemy.

Next Time

Crap, there is a lot of good looking stuff coming out. These next few weeks might get interesting…

Civil War II #1
The Punisher #2
The Amazing Spider-Man #13
Batman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Superman Rebirth #1
Paper Girls #6
The Goddamned #4

Can anyone send me a winning lottery ticket?