Sonic has had some very long comic series in the past and things have went up and down during the duration. The art can be pretty incredible at its best and below average to really bad during its worst. This is a compilation collection that brings several Sonic comics that show off the villain. Since we don’t have to worry about direct continuity or consecutive issues, let’s see if they really got the best issues in there!

Two of the comics involve Eggman’s big battle against Snively. I’ve never liked Snively and that is something that I doubt will change anytime soon. He attempts to rescue this magician who is able to control robots, but Eggman has some fighters of his own. Snively uses a really old robot type of guardian while Eggman brings in a really cool robot that can land a really good hit. Instantly we can tell who has the better robot at his disposal. Eggman also has Mecha Sally at his disposal and while Snively and the magician are able to control some of Eggman’s robots, it’s just not enough. The comic was decently good, but I think that Mecha Sally was a little under powered in the battle.

The best comic was easily Metal Sonic’s battle against Shard. Shard is the original Metal Sonic and he’s seen the error of his ways. Unfortunately, Eggman continues to build other Metal Sonics to cause some havok. Shard takes most of them down pretty easily, but then Eggman builds one with a Sol Emerald as its power source. The battle is definitely intense and while Shard knows how to make some pretty good puns, he’s also a very good fighter. Not only did the art help to make the battle fun, but things were much more exciting than the usual comic. This comic also leads into the crossover with Mega Man, which will also make you want to keep reading.

We also got a comic where Jet and the Babylon Rogues decide to go and have an adventure. There’s more of a plot then that, but this was easily the weak link in the comic. Jet isn’t a very exciting character, but he’s all right. His two partners are the main problem since they’re pretty boring. There isn’t really a sense of danger in the issue and you have to wonder about the point of it all. Maybe the plot will get more exciting in future issues.

Ixis Naugus and Bunny take on a giant creature in another comic. Bunny is definitely a lot tougher than I remembered and Ixis is tough as well. The people seem to think that he has turned over a new leaf and are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. It’s sad since Sonic tries to convince them, but to no avail. At this point, you would hope that they would have learned to trust the hedgehog a little more.

This is a collection about the villains, so it’s to be expected that Sonic doesn’t appear that much. The first comic is where most of his screen time is, but he was quickly dispatched by Mecha Sally. Her abilities are definitely formidable and Sonic didn’t seem to stand a chance against her. Sonic always seems to have a backup plan, but rescuing Sally could be very difficult. His friends aren’t much help so he may have to do this on his own.

Overall, this is a very good Sonic collection. There may not be many comics in it and the plot lines can rapidly change from one to the other, but that’s what makes it so fun. The art is consistently good in this one and the characters are mostly enjoyable. Shard, Metal Sonic, and Sonic are definitely the best characters, but Knuckles isn’t bad either. The comic is still mainly a comedy with some action, but that definitely doesn’t hurt the fight scenes. There is some very light romance in the comic, but it’s only there for a few pages at the most, so you can easily ignore it. I would usually say that this is the perfect jumping on point for the series, but it really isn’t. All the more reason that you should check it out! This way you can get used to the villains before seeing the main characters all the time.

Overall 7/10

It’s time to continue the Superman reviews as I move on to Smallville’s comic tie in! Since this comic continues the the TV show, many people were definitely thrilled about the announcement. I have not seen the show, which shows that I am perfectly qualified to review the comic. I can review it with a clear mind and won’t let the show influence me…although I think the show did drop the ball on some aspects. Of course, I would still be able to review the comic if I had seen the show.

I can safely say that the comic isn’t very confusing for newcomers to the franchise. It’s essentially your average Superman story that takes place during an early point in his career. Lois knows Superman’s secret identity and the world is pretty happy with their hero. Lex Luthor is plotting as per usual and Green Arrow gets his own subplot as well. Let’s focus on Superman for a second.

Superman is basically in character and while he doesn’t seem to be as smart as is usual comic incarnations, he’s smart enough. He lost his temper pretty quickly with Lex, but it’s to be expected since they were friends back in the day. Lex Luthor has gotten amnesia which happened during his clash with his sister. One of them didn’t live through the event and Lex also paid a cost, with his memory. Now his sister’s consciousness is inside of Lex as well, which has caused his brain to grow. Lex is now smarter than ever and just as devious. Superman believes that Lex is still a good guy deep down, but we shall see.

Green Arrow is getting ready to leave town, but he still make time to take care of the occasional villain. I don’t really care for his design in this comic and I actually prefer his new one from the Arrow tv show. The actual character is all right and it’s good to have a hero who is also rich to oppose Lex for once. A spaceship lands and Earth 2 plots start to come in, which means that he may have a much bigger role in future volumes.

There is only one fight in the volume, but it’s a pretty good one. After Lex sabotages a rocket and places someone’s mind inside of a machine. The machine man loses control and attacks Superman. It’s a pretty fun fight and many buildings are broken during the battle. There is never a doubt as to who will win the round, but it’s nice to see an opponent who can land a good shot on Superman.

The one complaint that I’d really have with the comic is the art. Superman in particular just doesn’t look right. It’s not just the fact that he looks really young, but he just looks off model for most of the comic. I believe that the art could definitely improve, but I am used to the amazing art that the New 52 contains. Art can definitely hurt the enjoyment of a comic, but it’s not awful so it won’t destroy the comic.

This comic will have a lot of references to the TV show, but it doesn’t take away from the experience. It just means that fans of the show will get an extra kick out of reading the comic, but it’s nothing that will prove to critically take you out of the issue. I found the Earth 2 plot to be interesting so I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for that. The government was cool with Superman for most of the comic, but thanks to Lex, they have started to trust him less as the comic goes on. I have a feeling that this is not a good sign for Superman and it’s only a matter of time until the Kryptonite gets involved. I recommend giving the comic a shot. Superman is the main character and he’s a character that is nearly always awesome.

Overall 7/10

Showcase Presents is a series of large comic book collections that DC created. It was a risky move because the fans really enjoy these comics, but we usually read them in color. Having them in black and white seemed like a weird decision. Can this collection succeed anyway, despite the disadvantage? Time to find out!

With over 500 pages at its disposal, you can imagine how many comics and story arcs are in this collection. So, rather than talk about all of the different stories, I will just mention some of them and try to convey how much fun they were. This collection covers the comics that came out during some of Superman’s best years. They aren’t strictly speaking, Superman comics, so much as comics about his friends. Most of the comics that are contained in this one are Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane comics. Still, since they are the main characters, Superman gets plenty of screen time. You would almost think that they were regular Superman comics while reading it.

Jimmy’s comics usually involve something happening to him and then he must find a way to save himself, without Superman’s help! (Or so he hopes) Jimmy got turned into a giant monster, he got stuck in Kandor, and he even got Superman’s powers. The last comic was one of the only ones where Superman actually lost his cool. Without his comics, he probably experienced danger for the first time in years. Maybe the first time ever!

Jimmy is pretty brave for the comics and he usually won’t go down without a fight. Even when he was dared to spend a night at the ghost house, the “ghosts” didn’t scare him. Jimmy actually gave them a pretty good fight and showed that he’s tougher than he looks. He does need to be rescued by Superman many times, but it’s usually because there are very dangerous circumstances. An alien robot duplicate of himself even tried to destroy him!

Lois got her share of comics as well including some imaginary stories. In one of theme, Lois had to stay in a bullet proof bubble for her own protection, but everyone mocked her and she had no fun. She also had a comic where she shocked Clark Kent because she explained how she got her job. She was able to solve three cases without the help of Superman! The only problem was that Superman Did help her, she just didn’t know it at the time and still doesn’t!

In one comic, Lois and Lana both got super powers and they challenged each other to a battle of super feats. Since both of them were invincible, such a battle could last a long time. In one comic, Lana got super powers once again, but this time they were permanent and she had to spend a lot of time saving Superman from average thugs. The story had a pretty sad ending and it makes you feel bad for Superman.

There were also a few time travel stories where Lois went back in time and met famous people. She met Robin Hood who was the Superman of the past! There was also a knight who was the Superman of the further past. They weren’t Clark Kent, but they were “Super” in their own way and they even had secret identities. Lois figured them out pretty quickly, but she is a detective so it makes sense. Unfortunately, these time travel stories were always the worst ones. Part of the reason why I enjoy these comics so much is because of Superman. Superman is the heart of the party and he’s one of the main reasons as to why the comics are so fun. Whether it’s a facial expression or a really clever pun, Superman makes sure that you enjoy the comic. These “Supermen” just aren’t as interesting.

Lois also got amnesia and started hallucinating that she was famous women of the past. While that issue was interesting, a much better one was when Superman went to the past and tried to relive his life and not go to the Daily Planet. As irony would have it, Superman would still meet up with Lois and he had to save her many times anyway. He decided that his life wouldn’t really change and he may as well go back to the Planet, this way he can protect everyone and also have his normal job.

As I mentioned before, the art is solid and Superman’s a great character. One of the reasons why these were some of Superman’s best years is the fact that everyone was a reasonably cool character. They all got their share of good lines and the villains were pretty neat as well. They were actually pretty smart at times and nearly tricked Lois and Superman into eroding the evidence with his X Ray vision. Jimmy and Lois are also pretty cool and this is back in their classic days. Clark Kent is also pretty intelligent and I give him a separate bio from Superman since they act differently while on screen. Both of them are great characters in their own right.

As you can see, there are definitely a lot of stories in this collection. I doubt that I even mentioned half of them! The collection doesn’t really have any fights since it’s more about Superman’s lighthearted adventures with Lois and Jimmy. Still, the art is superb and while I do wish that it were in color, it doesn’t hold the comic back. I highly recommend this comic to all readers and especially those who just want to have a fun read. It really doesn’t get much better than this and you’ll definitely be getting your money’s worth since there are over 500 pages.

Overall 7/10