Category Archives: Comics

Sonic Universe Volume 7 The Silver Saga

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It is time to look at another Sonic Universe arc. Unlike the Journey one, this proves to be an epic of immense proportions. It is no exaggeration to say that this very well could be the greatest Sonic comic that I’ve read. That’s quite the feat considering that Sonic and Shadow don’t really get a role here. You will be on the edge of your seat for this story!

200 years from the current Sonic comics, Silver is still trying to find a way to save his future. All he knows is that a traitor from the Freedom Fighters will do something in the past that destroys his world. While he tries to unravel this mystery, Silver learns how to harness his abilities. Suddenly, an intruder breaks into his universe and attacks. Silver manages to defend himself and follows the opponent back to an alternate past where a demi god known as Enerjak rules. Enerjak has destroyed most of the inhabitants on the planet and now plans on ruling every planet in the multiverse. Can Silver defeat a being of unlimited power?

Right from the get go, you can tell that this is not going to be your average Sonic adventure. For one thing, it’s a lot darker and more serious toned than the rest. The setting is a ruined city and only a few heroes are still alive. We really haven’t seen a Sonic comic that was this intense. Even my other favorite Sonic comics never had this much of a sense of danger. Now, the Silver Saga is fairly dark and intense, but it never goes overboard. Silver is still throwing around jokes through these turbulent times and the other characters contribute when necessary. It helps to prevent things from getting too intense and it is still in the usual Archie style so we get to have some incredible fights.

I don’t think that I’ve seen any better fights in all of the Sonic comics either. Silver and Enerjak’s battle could pass off as a DBZ battle as they hurl islands at each other and land some tremendous blows during their fight. It is incredible and I remember a big Silver fan commenting on the blog years ago about how much cooler Silver was in the comics than in the games. I can’t deny that he is very awesome here. I liked him a lot in Sonic 06 as well, but this is certainly the definitive Silver.

It almost goes without saying that the art is very good. The author does a good job of showing how different the alternate world is from the current one. All it takes is one small change and things can really go bad. Absolute power corrupts after all and it is one of the main themes in this graphic novel as the being who calls himself Enerjak was once a hero, but he was tainted by the powers of the Chaos Emeralds.

Silver is the main character of course and this comic should help fans draw a lot of similarities to Trunks from DBZ. These two characters have always been compared as their back stories are very similar. I even found myself reading his lines with Trunk’s voice as a result and their personalities are more similar than I could have guessed. Future Trunks was a great character in DBZ so this certainly helps Silver’s case and it is safe to say that he has moved up the character ranks for me. He’s still behind Sonic and Shadow of course, but after that, he may just be a few spots away from them.

I am certainly convinced that he is one of the strongest Sonic characters. Enerjak had the power of all 7 Chaos Emeralds and he was able to beat Super Sonic and the rest of the heroes. Silver wasn’t even using his Super Silver form and he actually had the upper hand against Enerjak. He remembers that he shouldn’t solve every issue by fighting and quickly changes tactics, but it is heavily implied that Silver could have kept on going if he wanted too. It seems like he has Chaos Energy within him and can access Chaos Emerald levels of power without actually possessing them. There’s a chance that Silver has unlimited power within him, which is being hinted and that would be really cool. He’s a lot like Superman as well since Silver always tries to find a peaceful solution and can take quite the beating. It’s just hard not to go on and on about how impressive Silver was.

Enerjak made for a great villain as well. His design is really good and he did defeat the heroes. Upon destroying them, Enerjak stole their souls and uses them to power robotic copies. He never uses Sonic’s, which is too bad, but we see almost everyone else. The robots don’t have the original’s experience and ingenuity so they aren’t quite as lethal, but they are still powerful. Although, Enerjak doesn’t need them to fight. He can sink continents with ease and throw islands around. Enerjak’s power is unlimited as long as he possesses the Chaos Emeralds and he’s another top tier Sonic character. I would have loved to have seen his fight with Super Sonic as that would have definitely have been a lot of fun. I want to see Super Sonic take on foes like this as it has been quite a while since I have seen him.

I am convinced that I may never see a Sonic comic that is this good ever again. The Silver Saga was simply exceptional. There is a cliff hanger which leads into the next Universe volume and that one should be fun, (The character gets a lot of hype as everyone could be in danger according to the cops!) but topping the Silver Saga is going to take a lot more than that. We’re going to need a Sonic and Shadow team up or something like that. Every series has an ultimate arc eventually though so I guess Archie finally got one. The scene where we see all of the fighters who Enerjak has defeated may be iconic at this point and it is when we knew that things would never be the same for Sonic and his friends.

I’m also interested in seeing Silver continue with his plot to find the traitor. I’m wondering who it is and if the plot is still relevent with the recent universal shakedowns that have been happening. Hopefully Silver got to find him/her in time or his adventure will have had an abrupt end. Meanwhile, I can’t say that the new Freedom Fighters were terribly interesting, but they didn’t need to be since they just acted as distractions for Silver in this fight. They weren’t bad either, which is great since I can safely say that this comic had no negatives. It was just incredible and the ultimate Sonic experience.

Overall, The Silver Saga is one adventure that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. It really had just about everything that I could have wanted in a Sonic comic and I was not expecting it to be this good. It was amazing and felt like an epic arc that could have been in any show. I saw glimpses of the Justice League Unlimited Two Part episode, the Trunks special, and more. The idea of alternate timelines can still work. I don’t like when they get a whole movie or show about them that doesn’t seem to ultimately serve a purpose, but when it is similar to the original like with the Justice Lords, then there is more potential. This opens the door for good what if fights like Enerjak and Silver. This comic really had it all and succeeded in all areas. I highly recommend checking this out if you’re a big Sonic fan and especially if you want to see a dark Sonic adventure. Even if you’re just a comic reader, this is one of the best comics of all time so you should really check it out! Get ready for fights that will rock your world!

Overall 9/10

Adventures of Superman Volume 3 Review

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All right, it’s time for the final volume in the Adventures of Superman series! It was a fun ride and I was certainly glad to see a Superman who tried to be more heroic like he was before the New 52. He still has his moments there to be sure, but this is the Superman that I wanted. Unfortunately, I think that the writers started to forget why they even started this series. I believe that the staff varies from issue to issue, but an editor should have quickly stopped some of the madness that ensues in this final volume. We get some great stories and also some very iffy ones. Nontheless, this was still a fun series.

All right, the first comic involves a Green Lantern and this was one of the best stories in the collection. Perhaps it was the best story! Superman’s very first line is “I am Superman and I don’t kill.” Perhaps not word for word, but I remember meta physically clenching my fist and sending it skyward as I read this story while waiting for Midtown Comics to start unloading the free comics. That’s how you start a Superman story and it was fairly amazing. For context, a Green Lantern had just told him to destroy someone and that was Superman’s response. This writer certainly understood Superman. Superman has a scuffle with the Green Lantern and then Brainiac also entered the fray.

The art was very good and there was a lot of action in the story. I really couldn’t ask for a better way to start the collection. This was Superman’s best portrayal in the graphic novel and he showed us how to be a real hero. Superman is still my favorite comic book character of all time. He lives up to his name and shows us how to be good people in all circumstances. No matter how dangerous or tricky, he makes the right calls. That is why the next story was so bad.

Superman has grown tired of arresting criminals. They simply get out of jail and hurt more people. With those thoughts in mind, Superman decides to create another alter ego called the Demolisher. In this form, he breaks bones and steals kisses as he acts very impulsively. Villains won’t be getting past him! If this was Superman’s sub conscious then it wouldn’t be okay, but it would be slightly better. The fact that Superman is doing all of this willingly is terrible! He’s right that it is annoying when villains are constantly getting out of prison, but then Superman needs to improve the system, not take matters into his own hands. The story made Superman look completely out of character and it was quite sad. People love to see Superman act more like a villain nowadays, but that simply isn’t Superman.

At least the art was good for that one. The next story involved a reporter who finally made a connection between the Daily Planet and Superman. He believes that Superman is actually a publicity stunt by the newspaper so that they can sell more papers. He takes his dangerous theory over to Metallo and then things get a little tricky. Clark Kent is relieved that the man doesn’t know the full secret, but now there is a man in harm’s way. It is time for Superman to show up and take names! This comic was decent. The art was good and we got to see more of Clark Kent for the first time in what felt like forever. It reminded me of an episode in the TV show, but I can’t recall which one.

This was a standard Superman comic, which was fun to read. The art was solid and Superman appeared to be in character for the most part. It wasn’t terribly exciting and the action wasn’t as good as the first issue, but the plot was engaging and it is good to see Superman use his wits. Metallo has Kryptonite at the ready so Superman definitely has to play this match up a little more carefully than his other fights. I always had a soft spot for Metallo as he is an interesting DC villain. He’s one of the few opponents to have beaten Superman on numerous occasions.

Next up, was the Joker comic where Superman is out of character once again. Joker has arrived in Metropolis with various bombs located around the city and we know that the madman is willing to use them. The odd thing here is that Superman appears to be completely insane like the Joker. Superman manages to get the Joker worried because his emotions are all over the place. Superman will be laughing one second and threatening to kill Joker the next. The art is constantly shifting so that the Joker never stays in one form and Superman also has his Golden Age charm one moment and his New 52 glare the next. It’s very atmospheric and works to make the comic fun to look at.

That being said, Superman’s portrayal is completely unacceptable. It was good to see him grab all of the bombs at super speed and show off as he pointed out that even if the explosions took out the building, he could stop all of the rubble before it hit the street. I believe that Superman could do this with ease, but he goes off the deep end. He claims that he doesn’t generally kill, but doesn’t mind doing so and says that he will kill the Joker if he ever returns. He even threatens Batman and the whole situation is really off. Superman ends the issue laughing as he flies away. There are so many meanings that you can draw from the laugh. He could be thinking that he just pulled off the best bluff ever, he is feeling really well, or he is simply insane. My bet is on the last one as he acted like that in this issue, but the whole comic was really off. The writer definitely has no grasp on who Superman is as a character.

There was a short story about Superman babysitting, which came next. It was a decent story although Superman didn’t look as experienced as you would expect. He’s great with kids so I don’t see this as being too much of a challenge for him. I also thought that he put them in more danger than necessary as he fought Metallo. It was an enjoyable comic to read even though it was so short. The art was decent and it was certainly better than most mini comics.

Approaching the end of the collection was a story about a large robot from Krypton who lands on Earth. He has a skirmish with Superman of course, but then Superman is able to convince the robot to fight for good. They fight an army of aliens that are set on conquering Earth and the comic has a very emotional ending. It just goes to show that Krypton will never fully be destroyed as there are always more creations and Kryptonians somewhere in space. The art was good as per usual and the fight with the alien fleet was a lot of fun. Overwhelming Superman with sheer numbers isn’t possible thanks to his great abilities so this was likely pretty easy for him. I would have liked it if the aliens had some kind of super powered threat on their side to fight Superman, but it was a nice fight regardless.

Finally, we had a story involving time travel and such. Back in the 40’s or earlier, man tried to venture into space before we had the proper technology. The astronauts were stuck in a portal. Thousands of years later, the rest of the universe has been destroyed, but Superman still lives on as he finally finds the rocket with the pilots still inside and takes them to a new reality. The story was just odd. It is neat to see Superman essentially be immortal as he is one and the same from all of the eras, but I just didn’t find it all very interesting. I believe that it is supposed to be very meta and mysterious as our reality is ending and another one is starting, but I just wasn’t very interested. It was cool to see a cosmic Superman who essentially rules reality though and that he sends one to every universe. It’s the kind of issue that gives you a lot to discuss I suppose.

That was the last main story that the collection had, but there were 3 more mini comics to conclude the saga. One involved Superman deciding what to get Lois for Valentine’s. The Justice League got to appear as guest stars, which was neat. Another had Superman fight with a ghost and then realize that the ghost wasn’t real. The final story, which ended the whole series had Superman team up with Omac to defeat a powerful robot. I’m glad that the series decided to end with a fight as that’s the best way to go about this. They were all fairly charming and Superman definitely got his props.

Overall, The Adventures of Superman is now added to the list of comic series that I have read from start to finish. The 51 chapters make for a fun saga and even though the stories had their ups and downs, most of them were ups and properly portrayed Superman as the ultimate hero. There will never be quite another like him and I look forward to reading more Superman comics in the future. I recommend checking this collection out when you have the chance. It’s thicker than most of the trade paperbacks around so you’ll get a lot of value for your purchase. The stories where Superman seems to be a little meaner and more chaotic are iffy, but the rest of them give him a good portrayal and we see a nice amount of action here. Superman’s always had a great track record with comics and I look forward to seeing what I will read from him next. While it is not a Superman comic, there is a Justice League one that I will be reading soon and I’m confident that he will look good there. Until next time!

Overall 7/10

Sonic Universe Volume 4 Journey To The East Review

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It is time to finally review another Sonic Universe collection! The title already shows that this was not going to be your average Sonic adventure as we typically don’t have many journeys in the series. Sonic is always where he needs to be or he can zoom on over to the next fight so why would he need to travel. The key thing to consider is that he is not going alone this time! While not quite as good as the average Sonic comic, it’s still a decent adventure.

The Iron Dominion has taken over just about every part of the world, including the heroes’ home. Sonic and Tails have decided to tag along with Sally and Monkey Kahn as they try to convince various clans to break away from the evil empire. Will they be able to do this and weaken the main villains enough to finally overtake them or will this journey be too much for our heroes. Moreover, another faction decides to enter the fray and stir up some trouble for Sonic. He’s going to have to move quickly if the world is to be saved.

As I mentioned earlier, this comic wasn’t as good as the typical one and I believe that the plot is to blame. Why are Sonic and friends liberating all of the clans instead of going straight after the main villain? Saving their home should be top priority if you ask me and no villain can stop Sonic from saving the day. The Iron Dominion also doesn’t get to even appear so it is hard to say if they are good villains or not. They won’t be appearing in the other Sonic Universe collections so I will have to wait until I see them in the main title, which really could be a while. The journey is simply not very interesting and you can’t help, but feel that the stakes are very low.

Where’s Eggman? Where’s Knuckles or Shadow? Most of the main cast is gone and Monkey Kahn is not a great replacement. I’ve read comics with him in the past and while he is a decent fighter, Kahn simply isn’t very likable. He is fairly arrogant and believes himself to be a match for Sonic, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Kahn was easily taken down by the villains in the opening pages and Sonic had to save him. Kahn’s thunder abilities certainly do make him more powerful than most of Sonic’s allies, but the prince will never be a top level threat when it counts. His romance with Sally is also very short lived and never actually goes anywhere.

Sally looks all right, but leading on Kahn like that wasn’t a nice move at all. She needs to choose someone and then stick with the decision instead of constantly wondering. Beyond that, she will likely make for a good leader of the kingdom. Tails is still a little sensitive about how young he is and certainly doesn’t like it when villains comment on that. That being said, Tails really proves them right here as Fiona messes with him and he doesn’t look too good against the villains. He’s looked better in other Universe issues and the main series though so I’m sure that he’ll be ready next time.

Sonic is naturally the best character of the series and he always looks good. It’s just easy for writers to depict him accurately because Sonic’s formula is simple yet effective. His confidence knows no bounds and Sonic can always back up his tough talk. It’s why the hedgehog is such an incredible character. He gets taken by surprise when confronted with Fiona and her gang, but he quickly gains the upper hand and gets serious once they start to taunt Tails. Sonic’s a natural born leader and he always looks out for his comrades. Without him, the comic likely would not have been anywhere near as good.

As for the villains, most of them are one shots as the heroes go to a different clan each issue. That being said, Fiona does arrive with her posse. They help the heroes because they want to get one of their members back from another clan, but then they leave to scheme some more. I’m sure that we haven’t seen the last of them, but I don’t see how they will be much of a threat to the heroes. Sonic could easily take those guys out thanks to his speed. The villains have a speedster of their own, but he’s nowhere near as fast as Sonic.

Espio actually appears and it is interesting since we find out that he has been spying on the heroes the whole time. He knows all of their dark secrets, but still wants to be their friends. The heroes give him a bit of a hard time about this, but I’m sure that they will come around. It wasn’t personal after all and at least Espio didn’t flat out betray them, although this was close. I used to be a huge Espio fan back when I was a kid. I still think that he is a decent character, but he certainly fell down the ranks. He’s nowhere near the all stars like Sonic and Shadow nowadays.

This collection would have been a lot better if we had gotten some more action. Uniting the clans just seems like a waste if you ask me and it was practically filler. The plot will end in the main series, but that means that this one didn’t get to have much of a climax. It ends with the heroes about to head home, which is a good cliffhanger. It is just not as exciting as it could have been and this took away our chances of having a good fight.

The collection’s writing and art are good as expected. Sonic’s witty dialogue is one of the reasons why the series has done well for so many years. Naturally, the art is good as well and all of the scenes are clear and easy to follow. This is a winning formula and it’s why the graphic novel is still fun despite the rather dull plot. After all, the plot isn’t quite as important when all of the other areas are good. It is still something to take note of and a terrible plot can outweigh the other positives, but this one never went that far. I wasn’t in the mood for an adventure with Sonic, but it was unique and we got to see Kahn again. That should count for something I suppose.

Overall, Journey to the East was not my favorite Sonic comic, but the title helped to tip me off to that. Even the cover wasn’t very exciting. Sonic steals the show as expected and I’m glad that he never backs down to Kahn. Kahn’s thunder powers are good though and hopefully he will get some good fights someday. I don’t care for the various clans and their plots so I’m hoping that they don’t last for too long in the future. You really can’t have a Sonic comic without more members of the main cast and higher stakes would be good as well. I still recommend this if you’re a Sonic fan. Reading the collection will only take a small amount of time and it still makes for an enjoyable read. It won’t be a thrill a minute, but it gets the job done.

Overall 6/10

Bongo Free For All 2015 Review

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Bongo is essentially a Free Comic Book tradition at this point. It is always in the lineup and you can feel confident that the stories will be decent. They are certainly better than the average comedy issues and this year’s edition wasn’t bad. The Simpsons is still not my kind of franchise, but it will always beat Family Guy.

This issue brings a few different stories, which seems to be the norm for these comics. One adventure has Homer try to repair the holes on his roof. This proves to be a fairly difficult challenge so he is forced to take some drastic measures. You will likely be able to predict the ending from the early pages of the story, but that does not take away from Homer’s great one liner at the end. He sets the other characters straight and proves that you can still be a winner even if you couldn’t succeed in the task at hand.

None of the other stories could match up to this one. Another adventure saw Homer’s kid decide to throw a spray on his classmates, which would make them all grow beards and wreck their class photos. Little did he know that this would cause his own hair to be ruined by the teachers. Never do unto others what you wouldn’t want done to yourself. It was neat that the issue actually had a moral. Teen Titans Go probably would have had fun reversing it. It is strange to see the main character go bald because I always thought that he didn’t have hair. The spikes always seemed to have just been part of his hair. This makes more sense, but it is still very odd.

Those were the best two stories, but there were certainly others like the comic con one that drag it down. I knew that the comic wasn’t going to end well and the main guy got what was coming to him. Still, the other stories just weren’t as good or exciting. The art looks about as good as I would have expected. It is still the Simpsons so you shouldn’t expect a masterpiece, but it is nice and simple. This works well for the smug expressions from the cast. You can be assured that someone will be grinning or smirking in just about every scene. Usually, it’s only temporary since something ends up happening to the heroes.

Overall, This was a good comic. The Simpsons have experience when it comes to the comedy genre so it is nice to see them do something with that. It is still a franchise that I don’t see myself ever getting into, but there was no way that a single issue could have changed my mind on that anyway. I want to see if Spongebob is able to keep up with this issue and I should find that out very quickly. I only have a handful of free comics left to read after all!

Overall 6/10

Bob’s Burgers Review

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This show always looked intriguing even though I’m pretty sure that it is terrible. The title is just very unique and I do like shows that are about food. The problem is that the show isn’t literally about burgers all the time and that presents us with a rather tough predicament. The comic was actually a little better than I expected, but it’s still not that good. That’s never a good sign. There are a few different mini stories within the collection.

One of them has the main character decide to hatch a few dozen frogs. They take over the area and he has to think of a dicey way to get them back into the water. Let’s just say that the crude humor will make many readers back away. Another story has an alien invasion try to convert one of the main characters by getting a picture of her. She’s a little too smart for that so the tactic doesn’t work.

There are other stories, but you get the idea. The first adventure about the horse having to save the day and winning in a big battle of galactic proportions was easily the best one. You simply can’t top that and it reminded me of My Little Pony at one point. The horses just looked so intense that you could have mistaken this for a really epic action comic.

It may sound like your average comedy, but it wasn’t quite as fun as it could have been. The main problem is that we don’t have any good characters. At least Spongebob has…Spongebob. He can carry a comic on his own and the Simpsons have more personality. When it comes to Bob’s Burgers, you’re not really sure what each character’s personality is by the end. If the comic is meant to get you interested in what happens in the trade paperback, it’s safe to say that it didn’t work.

The art is fairly decent here. I suppose that it’s a little under average, but certainly good enough to allow you to read the stories very quickly. There’s not much of a chance for action scenes either so I can’t test that out aside from the brief horse fight scene. The laser battle actually looked good so the series had potential if we had gotten more action. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Crude humor held it back and the stories were either too short or just not that good.

Overall, Bob’s Burgers is not the next big thing as far as comedies go. I’m not entirely sure what the premise is…if there even is one. When I want to see a comedy, I’ll probably just check out Adventure Time. This show badly needs some kind of plot to give us some better adventures and the main characters are also going to need some development to make them more likable. This can be easier than it sounds and the comic isn’t a total lost cause. The horse story proves it…but I’m definitely expecting the other comedy issues to be better than this one. If this comic had actually had some burgers in it…it could have been a different story.

Overall 4/10

Street Fighter Review

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All right, it’s time for a big name! Street Fighter is a video game series that is still immensely popular and there are even individuals who would say that it is better than Super Smash Bros. I would never go that far, but it certainly has earned the right to be called the most popular fighting video game of all time. A comic based on the franchise was sure to be a blast and I wasn’t disappointed!

There is no real plot as the game essentially shows you how the game should be played. Every time you win, a stronger opponent is there to take you out. So, we get some brief fight scenes as every character gets a win and then gets to lose. This means that we literally have nonstop action here and it works perfectly. There’s no better way to show off the Street Fighter universe than by having their best fighters duke it out.

The art looks very good and this helps the action scenes to be even more fun. Without good art, a series that is focusing on the fights would be very risky as the action just wouldn’t be enjoyable. This is one comic where the art is more important than the writing although it is very relative. You still need good writing in order to succeed and Street Fighter has that at the ready.

This doesn’t seem to really be a preview for an upcoming ongoing, but I’d certainly be interested in reading more Street Fighter comics. The franchise has always had a lot of potential and it is very interesting. There’s currently a rumor going around that Ryu will actually make it into Super Smash. If he does make it, I’ll definitely believe that he earned his trip there. Ryu is a video game icon and while he may not be as important to the industry as Mega Man, Mario, or Pac Man, he’s still a living legend and his moveset practically writes itself.

Currently, the best free comic is still Divergence. After that, I think Street Fighter can make a solid case for 2nd. It’s just that good and I think that Ryu may actually be in the Worlds Unite crossover that is coming out. I hope so as that would be fairly neat. Now, I only have a handful of free comics to read and I saved them for last as they didn’t look as interesting as the ones that I have already read. This means that there is a good chance that none of the issues coming up will be able to surpass Street Fighter so I shall have to savor this moment.

Overall, I veered a little off topic, but the comic is really top notch. There’s not a whole lot to say about it as there’s just a lot of fights to be witnessed and no real plot, but that’s what I like to see in a Street Fighter adventure. Ryu is still a likable main character and the other fighters meant business. I was surprised that Chun Li was nowhere to be found, but I suppose that she can’t come to steal the show every time right? Reading the comic will get you in the mood to play the games and that’s why this issue ultimately succeeded.

Overall 9/10

Dark Circle Comics Review

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All right, let’s continue on with the Free Comic Book Day reviews. This comic theoretically brings three different stories, but something must have happened behind the scenes as the third one is not included. It’s a little odd as the table of contents acts like it is there and even the intro page towards the end of the collection. Unfortunately, the comic that is gone is the one that looked like it would have been the most interesting. Ah well, perhaps next time.

The first comic is about a cop who gets shot as he takes down some thugs who were over by a local school. It’s certainly the most violent comic of the bunch although it’s not too over the top. The cop’s face is now disfigured and he must learn to adapt to his new situation. Given the situation over in Baltimore, I don’t see things ending well for this series. It’s just a matter of being in the right place at the wrong time. Anything mainly dealing with cops and especially with schools as well will likely be controversial.

The art is decent although it has that gravelly look to it. It’s hard to describe, but gritty comics typically have it. So, even in a happy scene, there’s always the nagging feeling that something could happen at any time. This wasn’t my kind of story and I wouldn’t be getting the trade, but that’s why they make double packs right? The second story was better so we’re in a similar situation to the Teen Titans Go combo.

The second story deals with a guy who retired from being a superhero. It just wasn’t for him and he can now move on. Unfortunately, mysterious things start to happen and he is forced to don the costume once more. We don’t get a real feeling for what the plot’s going to be, but I’d expect it to be your average old aged hero comeback story. He’ll have some doubts, but he’ll ultimately save the day.

Again, there’s that feeling that things may not end well here, but it’s a decently interesting story. It’s definitely the highlight of the group and the costume is fairly neat. The hero looks like a mix of Batman and the Wildcat. Hopefully we will get some references to those guys at some point and it will be good to see who the villain is here. The hero has already been kidnapped so he’s off to a rocky start. The art is a little more mainstream than the first comic and it certainly makes the story easier to read. We’re not at Marvel or DC level yet, but we’re getting there.

Overall, This comic couldn’t quite hold up to the others, but the collection was missing an issue so maybe that would have been able to help it. The cop story wasn’t very good, but the hero one has potential. The main character seems to be likable so far and his son is a reasonable supporting character. As long as the comic plays its cards right, we could have a winner here. That being said, the main character needs to get free quickly or the son will likely figure out the dad’s secret identity. That would certainly throw a wrench in his plans.

Overall 5/10

Teen Titans GO and Scooby Doo Team Up Review

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It’s time for DC’s counter to the Marvel comic! This is a double comic as the title suggests and those can always be interesting, but they also mean that each story will be a little on the short side. In this case, I wish that the Scooby Doo comic could have gotten more pages as it was infinitely better than the Teen Titans adventure. Ah well, it can’t be perfect right?

In the Teen Titans comic, the girls decide to have a slumber party. Naturally, no guys are allowed so Beast Boy and Cyborg decide to have some fun bowling. Robin disappears…to do some spying. His role is pretty bad here and it is sad that he would go to such lengths to spy on Starfire. His help is almost valuable against Trigon, but not quite. In the end, we realize that even Trigon can’t infiltrate a slumber party and get away with it!

The art was decent I suppose as it looks like the TV show. Teen Titans GO is a cartoon that really varies from episode to episode. Some episodes can be genuinely good while the majority of them range from decent to downright terrible. This would be one of the weaker episodes if it was animated. There are no scenes that will get you to laugh and seeing as how this is a comedy…that’s a bit of a bad thing. The sideplot involving bowling was better than the main one for me and that’s considering that the food distractions weren’t up to snuff. Cyborg should have led off with pizza and donuts!

The Scooby Doo team up is worlds better than the Titans story. The Mystery Gang are enlisted by the Super Friends to vanquish the ghosts that have taken over the headquarters. They would do it themselves, but even Superman was no match for these guys. The Man of Steel was disintegrated by a single ray blast. Impersonating former Super Friend members, (From the big Showcase book that I read, which was neat since I apparently read that collection in the nick of time!) the mystery gang must stop the ghosts at any cost!

The body count continued to rise in that story and the whole group of Super Friends was taken down. The ending is both startling and unsurprising. It’s still a superb ending and you can bet dollars to donuts that I am interested in finding out how the story ends. Scooby Doo Team Up looks like it has the makings of an incredible comic series and I hope that it goes on for a long while. This story was just about perfect and it was both interesting and funny. The Mystery Gang were all in character and they have always been enjoyable individuals to have in an adventure. Since I also like all of the Super Friends, it makes sense that this comic would be an all star.

The art was very good as well as the issue looked like a retro Super Friends adventure. It’s not quite as high budget as those comics, but it looks fairly authentic. You’re definitely missing out if you don’t read this half of the comic so don’t let Teen Titans GO stop you. This story is worth it even if it is just to see Superman get taken down by a ghost. Who would have ever thought that Scooby Doo and friends would save Earth’s mightiest heroes?

Overall, This was a collection that was hampered by the first story. The Scooby Doo one could have gotten an easy 8, but it will have to sacrifice 2 stars to hang onto Teen Titans. Teen Titans wasn’t terrible so you shouldn’t get that impression, but it just wasn’t that good. I probably would have given it a 5 on its own. I’m still glad that I’m watching Teen Titans Go as it has certainly had its moments, but the comic would likely work better if I was reading a whole collection. That way there’s more of a chance that there would be good stories along with the bad ones. Just grabbing a random story is like gambling. You don’t always come out on top.

Overall 6/10

Avengers #1 Review

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All right, it is time to bring back the Big 2 as far as comics are concerned. Marvel’s given us a glimpse of what the new Avengers roster will look like and how they perform as a team. Comically given the term, the PC (Politically Correct) Avengers online, it would be interesting to see how good the comic was. I think it is safe to say that it was a little more fun than I had anticipated.

The Avengers head off to stop the Radioactive Man. While half of the team deals with a giant lizard that has appeared, the kids head inside the warehouse to fight the main threat. The comic seems like it will be good light hearted fun even if we do already have some casualties. The bodies are off screen, which helps for that, but I guess we’ll see if the series decides to go Uncanny Avengers level of serious on us soon or if they go for a cheery atmosphere. It’s been a while since we got the former with the Avengers so that would be fun to see.

As for the members, well, I doubt that anyone is going to prefer these guys to the originals. Falcon is not quite the same Captain America that Steve Rogers was. He overreacts quite a bit and he’s insecure about his position. Iron Man…well, we know that it’s not Stark even if he hasn’t said anything yet. The theory that it is Pepper seems to be right on. She is more experienced than the others and that’s good since the team needs someone who knows their stuff. Nova, Ms Marvel, and Spider Man are the rookies so they will grow up during the series. Right now, Nova would be my favorite from the three as he jumps into danger. He’ll likely be heavily nerfed throughout the series since he outranks the other heroes so badly. The new Thor doesn’t get many lines, but she will certainly stay as the team’s power hitter. I look forward to seeing who her alter ego is once that twist finally comes out.

While a lot of the members are new, I wouldn’t actually call them weak. It’s a little surprising, but when you really think about it, these guys have what it takes to still be Avengers level. Thor and Iron Man give the team a good amount of raw power while Nova and Spider Man help out on the speed angle. The other help give the team the sheer numbers advantage and it all adds up to a fighting force to be feared. We shouldn’t underestimate the new generation!

The art is nice and streamlined, which makes for some nice fight scenes. It’s splendid and I’m glad that Marvel has once again done a good job on the areas that count. Writing and artwork. This series has the potential to be one of the better Avenger titles even if most of the members are rookies. I forgot which comic had a hero saying this, but it sure has become easier to join the Avengers nowadays. I guess it is just something that happens with time.

Overall, Avengers succeeds in what it sets out to do. It gets you engaged in what’s happening and eager to read the full comic. We jump to the action scenes right away and the pacing seems like it will be nice and quick. While I wouldn’t want this as the main Avengers title, it seems like it’ll be a good team book to check out from Marvel. If the X-Men could have around 6-7 series back in the day, the Avengers should be able to juggle a few as well. We will see if Falcon ends up getting used to the leader role or if he is eventually forced to relinquish the title. While this issue is more exciting than Secret Wars, I preferred the latter as it still looks like it will be a blast to read. I’m highly looking forward to that big event.

Overall 8/10

Sonic and Hedgehog and Mega Man Worlds Unite Prelude Review

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It’s time for a double comic! Sonic and Mega Man seem like perfect choices for a double comic since it feels like they are always crossovering into each other’s universe. Technically, it’s only happened once, but the event was so big that it felt like more than one adventure. The thought of seeing them team up again is already epic and the fact that more guest stars will also be present is epic. Just think of it…soon, they could make this a Super Smash Bros comic! Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The Sonic comic is where all of the action is and it’s a great issue. Sonic and Silver team up to defeat the Ifrit. It hasn’t been around since Sonic Rivals 2, but portals have been opening up across the planet, which is leading all sorts of monsters to Sonic’s home world. Silver has been tasked with closing them all, but this is far from a simple mission. The heroes dispatch Ifrit rather easily and I would expect no less from the blue blur.

Sonic’s portrayal here is dynamite and there’s also something that I was thrilled about. His design is finally back to his Sonic Adventure 2 Battle one! Now, I don’t mind the “Big Hair” Sonic depiction that you see in a lot of the Sonic Universe titles among others, but this is the best design for Sonic. It’s not even close if you ask me and Sonic really seems like a seasoned pro here. Yeah, you really can’t top this comic and Mega Man wasn’t able to keep up. After all, who can keep up with Sonic right? He may have gotten the raw end of the deal in the last crossover, but I’m sure that he’s coming back with a vengeance this time!

In Mega Man’s comic, the anti robot guy is going crazy in prison. He recently got a glimpse of the future and witnessed Mavericks destroying the city. Now he believes that he was right all along about the robots and he won’t stop until all of them are destroyed. There’s not much that he can do about it though so he must wait for an opportunity. Most of the comic is simply recapping what has happened to him over the course of the series and he has definitely had a lot of unfortunate events.

I would have liked some more Mega Man action here to be sure. It’s decent set up for the crossover of course, but considering how many interesting concepts there are in Mega Man, we could have gotten something a little more breath taking. Still, I’m looking forward to seeing Bass and Proto Man help out in the crossover and seeing Mega Man X is always a treat. I’m not crazy about the mad bomber being the big villain from the Mega Man side of things though and I would actually prefer to see the return of Dr Wily!

The art for the Sonic comic is dynamite and it really can’t be beat. Everything looks flawless and Sonic continues to prove why it is easily one of the best comics out there. The Mega Man comic’s art is solid as well and I definitely know it well from previous volumes of his series. It’s certainly no Sonic, but it gets the job done and you’ll always know what’s happening on the screen. It’s a simplistic style that allows you to focus on the action.

Overall, This was a fun double comic. Mega Man’s comic was good, but it certainly wasn’t as exciting as Sonic’s. Sonic’s had the action and scope that we’ve come to expect from the Hedgehog and Silver gets his props as a powerful telekinetic. Sonic’s inventive use of the time puns is also to be commended and he certainly never backs down even when Silver tells him to stop. Sonic’s a free spirit and this is what makes him so cool. I’m definitely hyped for the big crossover event when the Worlds Unite once more. You can bet that I’ll check it out as soon as the library snags it.

Overall 8/10