Batman #9

Written by Tom King

Penciled by Mikel Janin

Cover by Mikel Janin

Published Oct 19, 2016

   The issue opens with the Psycho Pirate standing before Bane, seeking reassurance that he can "always stop", after mentioning he's stopped using the drug Venom. It then transitions to Bruce at Gotham Girl's beside, who tells Alfred that he's going out and that he's accepted Ms Wallers' position... to recruit a team of criminals from the Arkham Asylum to break into Bane's prison. The only way to save Gotham Girl is to get the pirate out of there, but only the most depraved of criminals would be crazy enough to do it. 

   Batman walks the asylums corridors with Commissioner Gordon and Jeremiah Arkham and as they walk, the caped crusader explains to them whom he intends to take. The first is Arnold "the ventriloquist" Weskler. He agrees to help with no questions asked. As they continue walking, Batman notices Gordon lights his pipe with his left hand and makes a note of it. Next up is the Bronze Tiger, Ben Turner. They scuffle for a minute to which the big cat notices Batman has gotten slower. "You've gotten faster" he retorts.

   They're walk takes them to "Jewelee", a catatonic inmate serving a life sentence whom has been in such a state since her partner and lover Punch disappeared. It's then Batman makes his move against the Gordon "impostor", whom turns out to be Punch in disguise. He's apparently broken out of his prison and kept up the ruse long enough to reunite with his old flame. Batman is so impressed with his commitment that he takes the two of them in for his team.

   The issue ends with Arkham protesting his final request - an inmate so deadly Batman can't possibly take her. Batman reminds him that he allowed someone to break INTO his hospital to reunite with another inmate; news that would certainly be harmful if members of the board found out. Reluctantly Arkham allows him to take her. The final page features Batman reuniting with Catwoman, and with that, the issue is to be continued.

   Excellent issue. To me, there's never enough Batman and Arkham Asylum rhetoric, and this book didn't disappoint. Plus Bane, Catwoman, Kite-Man - what more could you want? I'm seriously looking forward to the next issue. Great writing,, great artwork. I give it a 9/10.

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All New Wolverine #7

Written by Tom Taylor
Penciled by Marcio Takara
Cover by Bengal
Published April 27, 2016

   The issue opens with a flashback - Laura standing in the rain and begging Logan not to go. She explains that her teammates at the institute don't like her. He tells her he remembers walking in there for the first time... He had a hard go of it too. He asks her to trust him and drives away. She then wakes up in the apartment with someone clawing at the door, who turns out to be Squirrel Girl and an actual live wolverine.
   She explains that there were some gun toting criminals in a car that crashed into a tree, knocking the tree over and upsetting a family of squirrels. The squirrel patriarch is missing and since Wolverine was responsible for crashing the car, its up to her to help right the situation.
   Gabby suits up to go too, but Laura tells her she can't - in a scene reminiscent to Logan leaving her. So the two of them run off to find the squirrel which turns out to be in an apartment building. Somewhere along the mission, there's a selfie and there's a kid who's hoping it's actually the real Wolverine, and this and that... And Laura apologizes to Gabby for leaving her, and blah blah blah.
   That's really about it. That's the gist of this issue. Luckily a lot of these books I review are on Marvel Unlimited, because if I'd actually paid money for this book, I'd be disappointed. In fact,, if the next issue of this title is as bad as this one, I'm giving up on this book. I give it a 4/10 and it's on the chop block. Hopefully they can turn around what should be a pretty bad ass character.

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The Dark Phoenix Saga - Part 1: The "Light" Phoenix...?

Written by Chris Claremont

Penciled by Dave Cockrum and John Byrne

Published 1976-1977

   For most comic book fans, whenever you hear mention of the Dark Phoneix, you immediately think Jean Gray flying around on fire, looking all possessed and being mad, essentially. But before you can jump headfirst into that realm of the Marvel universe, one wonders where the phoenix force came into contact with Jean in the first place. The following is a quick summary of those events - before the dark part. Encapsulated in Uncanny X-Men issues 101-109, this is the Dark Phoenix Saga - part 1.

   From 1970 to 1975, the Uncanny X-Men were just publishing reprints of the books' classic issues with new covers. The book had seemingly run it's course until Giant Size X-Men #1 introduced a new team of mutants to take the original team's place. More importantly, the title brought on the man who single-handily took Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's creations and slowly turned them into a comic book phenomenon, the incomparable Chris Claremont. 

   In Uncanny X-Men 100, the team fights Dr. Steven Lang, head of the Armageddon project on SHIELD's long abandoned orbital platform. During their re-entry, they realize the ships controls are jammed and as they hurtle towards a deadly and radioactive solar flare, the only way they can survive is if Marvel Girl Jean Gray takes control of the plane telepathically. As they near it, the radiation seeps through her shield... presumably harming her as the plane hurtles towards earth. 

   After a water landing, all of the other X-Men surface from the planes wreckage except for Jean, whom they all assume is dead. As Cyclops plans to dive in to save her, she suddenly flies from the water enveloped in flames and introduces herself, screaming I am fire, and life incarnate! Now and forever, I am Phoenix,.." and with that, a super hero saga was born. 

   As she recovers in the hospital, Professor X requests only Scott stay, and sends the group of new X-men: Banshee, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine on vacation to Banshee's childhood castle home in Ireland, which unfortunately turns out to be his evil cousin's lair. Together. Black Tom Cassidy and the Juggernaut fight the new X-Men before eventually losing. Meanwhile, Jean is alert and awake in the hospital, but quietly tells friends that.. no big deal.. she's come back from the dead.

   Throughout the next few issues, the X-Men face various foes, old and new. Including Magneto, Erik the Red, even Havok. Eventually Jean is released, and when the herald of Galactus shows up, Firelord as he's called, he gets the first taste of her wrath as the Phoenix. At one point, Jean's new powers are strong enough to open a portal to space, allowing a showdown between the Sh'air Empire and the Starjammers, but as their battle rages, the light part of the powers she possesses sees their climax. She becomes an ethereal force, and is able to literally save all of mankind by holding the lattice of the M'Krann Crystal together. It's here that she realizes that with the release of her phoenix force, she has nearly unlimited powers. After the battle, the rest of the team find themselves back on earth. And this time, they know what Jean Gray can do. Over the course of the rest of the books in this series, she uses her powers to help the team and works to understand them. But coming for them all is a time when she realizes she can do anything. And it's only human for that power to eventually become corrupted.

   This run of comics to me really show what Chris Claremont meant to this title. Although his wheelhouse was always dealing with the mystics of space, he gave this legendary group of X-Men their first chance at real life. Although I'm the first one to pretty much gag anytime the Starjammers showed up in these old books, you had to take the good with the bad, the elf with the Ruskie, Cyke with the furball, the bamfs with the banshee screams, and so forth. It's a good run of books and it gets even better in the next few years from this point.

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Extraordinary X-Men #9

Written by Jeff Lemire

Penciled by Humberto Ramos

Cover by Humberto Ramos

Published April 20, 2016

   After being transported 1500 years into the future, Colossus and new mutants Anole, No-Girl, Ernst and Glob find themselves in a deserted wasteland at the base of an Apocolypse shaped temple, and attacked by 3 of his horsemen, one of which is Deadpool. They run away with the ark full of mutant embryos they're trying to protect and get separated from Colossus. 

   They soon encounter a goblin named Moogum who tries to eat them, but first gives them directions across a watery planet and finally to an Iron Man spawned AI called Stark Self in a realm known as Omega World. At first Stark Self says that Apocalypse would forbid them from assisting the mutants, but that their founder would have never turned them away. They tell the story of how Apocalypse rose again in the early 21st century and wiped out scores of races and civilizations. They allow a group of machine-men to assist the X-men. 

   Throughout the course of the next year, they battle across lands fighting fire breathing dragons, huge spiders, and even inhumans. They're finally reunited with Storm and team looking for them, right as the 4th horseman of Apocalypse, who tuns out to be Colossus, prepares to battle them with Moon Knight, Deadpool, and some other scary looking monster thing. He grabs Storm by the neck and tells them that mutantkind ends here by order of Lord Apocalypse and we're sadly left to be continued next issue. 

   I dug where this issue is going. I always love these classic X-Men, and anytime they get to train new mutants, it always leads to something cool. Lemire and Ramos did a great job of highlighting what the team has been doing over the course of the year, and I can't wait to see where it leads. I give it a 9/10.

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Justice League #7

Written by Bryan Hitch

Penciled by Jesus Merino

Cover by Tony S Daniel

Published Oct 19, 2016

   Fear continues to grip the Justice League, one by one. Batman stews in the Batcave when Superman suddenly shows up and starts beating the shit out of him. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman helps Aquaman drag a wrecked US warship onto the shore and they talk about how ungrateful America is. The two of them decide it's time to teach the country a lesson. Back at his high school, Victor scores a touchdown and then starts freaking out that everyone is looking at him weird. Green Lantern Simon Baz sits in the stands wishing he hadn't even bothered to show up. Finally Superman and Batman have a moment of clarity and start talking...

   Back at the restaurant, Jessica cowers in the fetal position flipping out and Flash runs around going through everyone's wallets. She starts to get sick, throwing up this nasty black substance resembling the fear monsters they were fighting the issue before. It attacks Flash, who figures out that they can somewhat communicate through their minds, while Wonder Woman and Aquaman make a stand against the military.

   Batman and supes keep talking through it and realize they're not feeling like themselves. Back at the restaurant, Jess and Barry realize they can fight themselves out of the fear envelopment using the lantern ring blast. The issue ends on a down note though, as Jessica quits the League and... I think, tells Flash she doesn't want to date him but I couldn't really tell. And the rest is sadly to be continued.

   It seems like I'm either complaining because a comic book either doesn't have enough content or too much. This book has just the right amount. Bryan Hitch is A plus and the art is crisp and nice. They pack tons of story into 25 pages and I'm looking toward to the next one. I give it a 10/10.

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Superman #8

Written by Peter J Tomasi and Patrick Gleason

Penciled by Doug Mahnke

Variant Cover by Andrew Robinson

Published Oct 5, 2016

   Superman and Jon work on a science project he has at the Fortress of Solitude. He builds a flying saucer that for reasons unknown, forges with some of the crystals in the fortress, and takes off. Krypto tries to catch it and it explodes, transporting the 3 of them to a mysterious island with several world war 2 ship and tank wrecks.

   A huge, shark like dinosaur suddenly swallows Superman, but some quick eye blasts soon has him being shot out of the monster's mouth. The trio then explore the island, finding several signs of the 70+ year old battle between US and Japanese forces. From above, they continue scouting, but are attacked by pterodactyls. Of course Krypto gets eaten by one of them, but kills the dino and they find him down below. They explore a little more and find more evidence of the preparations for a major military operation, culminating in Superman discovering their story written on a cave wall. What will the three of them do next? Guess we'll have to wait and see next issue.

   This book was pure filler. I know it's being released bi-monthly and that's cool, but the stories are being pushed out so fast, they're not very good. I know it's supposed to be a family affair, and they need some small adventures together to press this Superboy type character, but shelling out 3 bucks for what looks like it was just hastily thrown out is kind of a downer. I give it a 5/10.

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Batman #8

Written by Steve Orlando 

Penciled by Riley Rossmo

Cover by Yanick Paquette

Published Oct 5, 2016

   Batman and Batwoman continue fighting the monster in downtown Gotham while Spoiler and Orphan are still incommunicado in the caves. Meanwhile Duke figures out from the Batcave that Gotham Girl and Nightwing's vitals reveal the presence of Venom - to which Batman realizes is from Bane and traded to Hugo Strange for the Psycho Pirate.

   Finally deciding he's going to have to fight the Gotham Girl monster head on, Batman encases himself in Clayface, forming one of the most non-marketable Bat-costumes ever. It doesn't last long though, as she claps her hands together and sonic boom splatters Clayface off him. Luckily, Duke shows up, defying Batman's orders to stay out of the fight, with a handful of antidote. Back in the caves however, Orphan and Spoiler fire up some flares to burn the mold off of the people inside.. It works, and the people return to normal but their troubles appear to just be beginning, as the mold forms some super, evil monster thing.

   Duke sticks Claire with the antidote gun and she returns to normal, completely unaware as to what happened. As she slowly comes to though, we see Batwoman in free fall during her battle with Nightwing. She says she has a plan but i'll have to wait for the next issue. 

   Not a bad issue. I think it kind of dipped compared to the writing and art of Detective Comics, from which the story was continued from. It's not all that earth shattering of a battle but they can't all be winners. I give it a 7/10.

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