by Aaron Lightfoot, Comic Columnist
Batman/Superman #24
Written by: Greg Pak
Art by: Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes
DC has re-imagined their three biggest heroes in recent issues. Wonder Woman no longer wears the normal revealing costume she is known for. Instead, she is now depicted in a full-body suit that makes her look more like a warrior. Superman has lost the spandex and cape, and now sports a pair of jeans, a short haircut, and a t-shirt that depicts his old “S” logo. In addition, Batman isn’t Bruce Wayne, but instead the Dark Knight is Commissioner Gordon. Overall the individual series and group series of these three have drastically changed.
The story arc that is progressing in Batman/Superman is one where the Atlanteans are trying to take over a generator that is to develop a new sun. Superman has lost some of his powers and has become more vulnerable, which makes his battle with Aquaman a bit more interesting. Where the comic loses me is the execution of the story. I didn’t see a lot that interested me until the section where Clark is talking to a man who he claims he is Bruce Wayne. This shows that Bruce may come back from his questionable death to put the cape and cowl back on. Hopefully, if this happens, it will help bring the dynamic relationship between these two heroes back and will put the comic series back in the right direction.
Rating: 6.5/10
Justice League United #13
Written by: Jeff Parker
Art by: Paul Pelletier and Rob Hunter
When I picked this comic up, I have to admit I wasn’t sure who would be in this version of the Justice League. In this league, Stargirl takes the role of the leader and the list of big superhero names trails off after that. Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow have made their appearances in this series before, but other than them the series decides to go with lesser-known heroes. I like the idea of bringing obscure heroes and villains into a comic in order to let them have their moments.
What this issue lacks is progress. This issue spends a rather long time recapping the main story and not a lot on actually progressing it. On top of that the artwork is very scratchy, and there are many times where someone’s face seems to have been almost left out. Even with these flaws, I will be willing to read the next issue due to the amount of potential that it shows.
Rating: 6/10
Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #5
Written by: Dan Slott
Art by: Adam Kubert and Scott Hanna
The final issue in this miniseries for the Secret Wars shows Peter Parker, his wife, Mary Jane Watson, and their daughter, Annie May, as they end their adventure as a family. Each of them add their own flair into this finale and wrap it up in a way where everyone gets a happy ending, except the bad guy of course. In this instance, Regent, the villain who is attempting to obtain the superpowers of various superheroes, has already captured Peter, and it’s up to his wife and daughter to help save the day.
The final issue is very well-written, but the ending is a bit predictable and ends up detracting from the comic. In the end, Annie May makes her mark and leaves a question in the reader’s mind: will she end up showing up in the upcoming reset of Spider-Man, or even will she get her own series? Personally, I think there are already too many people in the Spiderverse, so the addition of another would end up over-saturating that side of the market.
Rating: 6.5/10
The Wicked and the Divine #14
Written by: Kieron Gillen
Art by: Jamie McKelvie, Matthew Wilson, and Dee Cunniffe
Proclaimed an instant cult classic, this series is, in my opinion, one of the best that there is on the market. Many comic series attempt to recap previous events, like in the Justice League United #13; however, unlike that one, this issue does it right. It is risky to show the exact same panels, but only focusing on the god Woden, the series is able to let the reader see certain aspects that they were not allowed to know about earlier. The end result is that it lets the reader discover that one of the main characters they thought was good has started to become the series antagonist.
The artwork for this series is absolutely phenomenal. The only ongoing series that may rival the artwork in this series is “We Stand on Guard.” The art keeps things very real and makes it so much easier to get invested in the characters and the story itself. Every last person I have recommended this series to has said nothing short of continuously getting their mind blown away by the story and the art. If you are not reading this series you are, plain and simple, missing out on one of the best ongoing series.
Rating: 9.5/10
