Well guys, Halloween is coming up, so it’s time for a Halloween themed review! It’s arguable as to who the main character is in this book, but I’d say that Batgirl may have taken the lead. Most of the plot is with her and Robin, while Batman gets a subplot that is actually more interesting. Let’s see how it played out!

Batgirl decides to go to a big Halloween Party and brings along Robin. Robin takes it in stride and he’s pretty cool for the book. He wears his costume with pride while Batgirl pretends that she only wore it because of Robin. That was definitely a mean move and she keeps trying to undermine Robin’s attempts to do some good for the world. A random guy who happens to be the son of a guy who’s diamond is stolen tries to help out during the final fight, but he’s a lousy fighter.

Oh yeah, the actual plot is that a diamond is stolen. It’s Halloween so the suspects are high. Can they find this person!? Well, Robin does most of the sleuthing himself, but Batman also figures out who the culprit was on his end. Still, this means that Robin was able to match Batman’s intellect which is no mean feat. The villain is decently tough, but I believe that Robin would have been able to win the battle on his own. They don’t call him the Boy Wonder for nothing!

This is a pretty solid book to add to your collection. It is really short and only contains around 40 pages, but this means that the book doesn’t drag on. I would certainly have liked the book to be longer, but it doesn’t really hurt the score that much. Batman was in character this time and he was the best character of the book. One drawback could be that there really aren’t any fight scenes in the book, but considering what the plot was, I hadn’t been expecting any. It’s still a minor negative and it should be noted. I’d recommend this to the average DC fan, but if you want a longer story, then I recommend checking out: Justice League: Any Arc that involves Superman.

Overall 6/10

It’s time for another Batman book review. Batman’s books tend to be pretty good, but can it keep it up? Robin gets a lot of screen time in this story, so while Batman is still the main character, he doesn’t get to do as much. The Mad Hatter’s not a very interesting villain, but he’s definitely better than Hugo Strange.

Batman and Robin go to watch a movie in theaters, but they are going to watch it in 3D! This is pretty big and something that they didn’t want to miss. Unfortunately, the shady glasses guy delays them and they barely make it to the movie in time. What makes things even worse is the fact that Batman has to give his glasses to a little girl since hers broke. Batman still watches the film, but it would seem that he missed out on the true experience. Batman tells Alfred to order him a pair and Robin disappears. Batman figures that Robin is already on the case, but is that really what happened?

Well, the book didn’t do Batman justice in the detective department, but he can’t always be a genius right? He wasn’t able to figure out that the villain was using his secret identity to trick people into putting on the 3D glasses. The Mad Hatter isn’t much of a threat so he doesn’t get to fight Batman at the end. Unfortunately, there aren’t really any fights in the whole book. This one’s more of a mystery/thriller I suppose. At least, that’s what they were trying to do.

I’m not sure that Robin would be mind controlled so easily, but that’s a minor gripe. A bigger gripe would be that nothing seemed to happen in this book. All of the chapter books for DC have been small in length, but more tends to happen. In the Superman and Green Lantern books, we get intergalactic fights and a lot of action. This one under performed in those areas, but Batman got to appear. I suppose that is what counts in the end.

So, if you’re a fan of the DC superheroes, then I recommend this book. It’s a good read and while it’s incredibly short, at least it won’t bore you. You’ll be done with the book in a matter of minutes. Batman is mostly in character and the Mad Hatter isn’t a great villain, but he doesn’t get to appear too much. There may not be any action, but it can be fun to see the heroes interact. If you want a true DC experience with lots of action, check out The Death of Superman!

Overall 5/10

DC has definitely gotten a lot of chapter books over the last few months. This one in particular features Sinestro as the main character, but Hal Jordan still gets a decent role towards the end. (The book is around 50 pages so the beginning is like being near the end, but Jordan gets enough screen time) Could Sinestro hold his own comic as the main character or would the plot get dull fast? It’s time to find out!

Sinestro has decided that the Green Lanterns should be defeated and he becomes the leader over two different races. They put up a good struggle, but can anyone defeat an opponent who can basically destroy an entire planet with a single attack? A Green Lantern attempts to stop Sinestro from causing havoc from planet to planet and he does much better than I would have guessed. I thought that Sinestro would just whack him to the side, but he actually chases Sinestro away. Granted there were circumstances and some may call it a bit of a stretch to say that he “Chased” Sinestro away, but that’s basically what happened.

Sinestro got his partners to terrorize other planets as well. This way they could collect enough fear to power up his giant lantern. Hal Jordan hears about this and gathers up the Green Lanterns scattered across the planet. This is definitely the most ambitious climax that I’ve seen in a DC book. 100 Green Lanterns fighting 100 Yellow Lanterns is nothing to sneeze at. Hal Jordan does a pretty good job and he actually punches Sinestro off of a planet. Would you be shocked if I said that Hal nearly knocked him out of the Solar System? Well, you may want to check this out just to see that.

Well, this was a fun book. I’ve always been a fan of the Green Lantern books since they can use more sci-fi elements and make for good beam fights. The book was short so it definitely didn’t drag on, but at the same time, it would be cool if the books could be longer. If you’re a DC fan, then I recommend checking this out. It only takes around 15 minutes so you won’t even lose much time if you dislike it. Although, I would still be surprised if you did not like the book. It’s so short that it’s hard to dislike it. The ending is arguably tragic or very thrilling. It depends on whose side you were on. So, who will you be rooting for in this book?

Overall 7/10

There have been a lot of DC Hero novels, but what about the villains? Well, in response to DC’s villain month, DC took it upon themselves to switch up the books as well. Cheetah is not alone and Catwoman also meets up with her as the book progresses. 2 villains may be a bit much for Batman to handle, but Wonder Woman appears to help him stop the evildoers.

Well, Cheetah is supposed to be the main character in this book, but I’d say that Batman gets around the same amount of screen time. That was a little weird, but the book is only around 50 pages, so it’s tough to juggle all of the characters. Cheetah and Catwoman don’t have much of a plan and seem to just want to have fun. They steal things, but since they can’t really sell them…what are they going to do?

That’s one thing that has always made me chuckle. When villains steal a very rare and priceless artifact, where are they going to sell it. They can’t just go to Ebay and try to give it to the highest bidder. The cops would be on their tail right away. The Black Market sounds like the obvious place to go, but can you truly trust another villain. That doesn’t usually work so well Regardless, they did manage to steal quite a few objects in this book.

Batman quickly gets on their trail, but even with the help of Wonder Woman, the villains manage to escape. I felt bad for the heroes since this must have been one of the biggest embarrassments of their career. Batman’s just lucky that Superman wasn’t around, since he would probably poke fun at the whole thing. Cheetah’s not exactly Doomsday and Catwoman’s no Shadow Dragon. Batman and Wonder Woman don’t really have a good reason for letting the heroes escape and it’s partially off screen to keep things believable.

Overall, this was a pretty book. It was entertaining, which is definitely the important thing. I think that book should have been longer, but since the whole series is short, that’s barely a negative. Cheetah and Catwoman got along a little too well and I would have liked to see them fight a little first. Villains should never team up so easily. This was a pretty fun start to the villain novels and I recommend it for all fans of DC. If you want a rich DC experience, then I may suggest that you first check out the Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen series.

Overall 6/10

You’ve probably already seen some of my other Superman reviews in the past. So far, Superman’s books have been pretty fun and they keep things at a nice pace. The books are very short, but that just makes you wonder how much damage the villain will end up doing. The Prankster isn’t much of a fighter, so can he hold his own book!?

Well, the plot is that the Prankster has his own TV show. The TV Show is about pulling pranks on your friends and it’s supposed to all be in good fun. Has the Prankster turned over a new leaf? Surprisingly, Superman doesn’t give him the benefit of the doubt and thinks that he’s up to no good. Jimmy Olsen goes undercover to find out, (Which is a nice homage to the old comics) but can he get away with this!?

Well, that’s the plot in a nutshell. I’m afraid that Superman doesn’t look so good. Not only was he a little out of character near the beginning, but he was unable to track the signal that Jimmy tried to send him. It was short, but he definitely should have been able to track it. Not to mention that he let a crook get away towards the beginning. With his speed, I don’t think that should ever happen to Superman. Perry White looks pretty good and he makes sure to keep everyone in line.

I will give the book props since they used the Prankster. He’s hardly Superman’s most popular opponent and he’s decently obscure. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that he’s actually a good villain. I suppose that you can’t win them all, but this does bring in some hope for other obscure characters. (The Shadow Dragon maybe!?) Let’s just hope that the Prankster can think of some new pranks for his next appearance!

All in all, this was a decent Superman book. It was pretty short as per usual, but there wasn’t a really powerful villain involved. Superman never had to break a sweat and I thought that the ending was a little cheesy. Superman, (Completely in character since he loves to mock the villains back in the classic days) decides to pull a prank on the Prankster, so that he can add humiliation onto defeat. I recommend this book if you’ve always been a big fan of DC or if you just wan’t to read a fun book. Of course, if you want a true Superman book where he gets to fight, check out Superman’s battle against Cyborg Superman!

Overall 6/10

The Green Lantern chapter books have been pretty solid. Maybe not as good as some of the Superman ones, but still above the Batman books. This one is in the middle for me. It’s definitely under the Blue Lanterns book.

Despite how the cover may appear, this book has a lot less action than the previous one. The book starts out with Hal Jordan heading off to finally go to Oa, but things keep sidetracking him. It seems that everyone needs help, but Hal is caught unaware when his power ring won’t defend him from yellow attacks. The GL members explain that yellow is the color of fear, which is why Jordan couldn’t stop it. Jordan quickly blows up a yellow construct and shows them that you must overcome fear. (Of course, he wasn’t scared the first time, so it should have worked back then….)

Hal Jordan is a pretty solid main character and he shows that you can never give up. He’s always been one of my favorite DC characters and it’s easy to see why. Sinestro is all right, but while he talks tough, he doesn’t help too much against the big threats. Besides Jordan and Sinestro. none of the other characters really get a role. The enemies were decently tough, but they were pretty one shotish.

This GL book was about average I’d say. It was pretty entertaining, but it felt shorter than usual and I missed the fight scenes. Hal barely had to use his constructs at all. I do recommend this book to all DC fans, or to people that like adventure, but you may want to check out his other books first. Just be warned, Kilowog doesn’t get to appear in an epic fashion…or in any way at all. Sometimes, the cover may attempt to trick you. I could see myself reading this book again someday.

Overall 7/10

Mxyzptlk has always been one of Superman’s trickier foes. Superman can’t really stop him unless he gets the guy to say his name backwards. That’s just about impossible to do against the average joe, but luckily Mr Mxyzptlk isn’t that smart. Still, can he hold his own for an entire book against the Man of Steel?

This is the longest Superman book so far and nearly reached 100 pages. We get to see a lot more of Clark Kent than usual as Mr Mxyzptlk keeps messing with him. Mr Mxyzptlk makes Clark Kent late to work, kick over a chair, spill some water, and even makes the world forget about Superman. Superman tries to prove himself to the world, but they’re too skeptical. Superman realizes that he must stop Mr Mxyzptlk and also stop all of his pranks before someone gets hurt. Mr Mxyzptlk has turned the town fair’s rides into giant animals that are wrecking havok on the world. One hero may not be enough this time!

It was a pretty fun book and it’s always good to see Superman use his brains to solve the situations. Superman’s a solid protagonist and he’s someone that you find yourself rooting for. Early on, he reminds the readers that he’s Superman and he is able to do everything at super speed. The other characters weren’t that great in this comic. Once Kent starts getting out of control, they should suspect that something’s up. In Metropolis, things like this happen all of the time. It would have been nice to see Lois or Perry suspect that something was up and get their own subplot. Maybe if the book were a bit longer.

Mr Mxyzptlk is still really mean to Superman, but we never really understand why. He seems to just be like a kid who wants to have a little fun. I guess, watching Superman mess up can be fun, but it must get old after a while. As far as villains go, Mr Mxyzptlk isn’t my favorite and I don’t think that he’s meant to hold his own book. A role as a supporting villain would work better I believe.

Overall, this was a pretty fun Superman book. The ending was very abrupt, (Only a few lines after the villain is defeated) but it was still satisfying. If you’re a Superman fan, or just like to read a quick/fun story, then you’ve come to the right book. I’d definitely recommend this title.

Overall 7/10

Batman has gotten several books in the Super DC Heroes line up, but this is the first one that I’ve read. It was a decently solid book, but it lacked the stakes and epicness that the Superman and Green Lantern books have been bringing to the table. Of course, Batman is still a pretty tough protagonist.

The book starts out with a pretty likable character who’s the cashier at a place that’s like Walmart. He’s ready to close the shop, but then the lights turn off and the door locks. He handles the whole thing pretty well and I’d be interested to read a book about him. Unfortunately, he doesn’t appear again, as Batman takes the stage. Batman and Batgirl secure the grounds and then Batman finds the perpetrator. The guy doesn’t seem that brave, but could he be hiding something? Batman’s going to have to use all of the intelligence at his disposal if he wants to solve this case.

The title of the book immediately lets you know who the real culprit is, which wrecks the mystery. Still, I’m sure that DC had their reasons. Scarecrow isn’t a really good villain and in a fight, he’s definitely no match for Batman. Batgirl briefly appears in the book, but she’s mostly gathering intelligence while Batman goes to confront the villains. Batman stays in character for the most part and he’s not playing around!

Naturally, the book was really short, but it was good. I’d recommend checking it out if you’re a Batman fan, or if you just like books based off of comics. Of course, I’d sooner recommend checking out the Superman books. Either way, you won’t regret checking it out!

Overall 6/10