I was scared because first two issues in here were okay but then it got really good by the end.

Judd does great work when he focuses on family. So in this volume when a surprise of a certain character comes we get some new information. Also, big fight at the start including Batman fighting on team Green Arrow. Then the last half of this book focuses on relationships, family, and growth.

Good: I really enjoyed the family moments. Some of the best moments are with the green arrow family. I also enjoyed the art as it's still cartoony but for some reason when drama hits the faces are so damn good.

Bad: I thought first two issues finishing up the arc done in the last book was just okay.

A fun conclusion to Judd Winick run on Green Arrow/Black Canary. A 3.5 out of 5.

While titled as volume 6 of the sunstone series, this is actually about two new people (for the most part.)

We met Alan and Anne through Ally and Lisa story in the first 5 volumes of Sunstone. While they were great supporting cast, in this series we get to learn about their past. I'm guessing we named in sunstone volume 6 for more business standpoint since Sunstone sold really well. Saying that this volume of Mercy goes to the past, where we learn all about Anne and Alan young college days.

Alan being into BDSM and trying to live his life while all his classmates know his dark secret thanks to bullies. That's when Alan meets ally and begins his journey into the world of BDSM with his best friend. On the flipside you have Anne talking about her first bi-sexual feelings and rock/metal music. Both are stories of love, both have bumpy moments, but mostly happy. However, we know full well that won't last.

Sunstone Mercy does a great job of continuing the series without feeling like a cash grab. You have characters that are growing by sharing their past. They are about to be parents and they want to write a story and in a charming way we get to really learn about what makes them click. The story is filled with amazing art, great sex scenes, plenty of funny moments, and charming/cute parts too. Sunstone remains the top tier comic for romantic comics with some kinky sex moments. It is a must read. A 4.5 out of 5.

Steve Niles comes along and just pushes along a storyline that really...doesn't need to be made.

We have our hero Kick Ass now in control of a bunch of gangs and is trying to do better on the street. The idea is far fetch as fuck but COULD be interesting. Do something productive with the gangs, give us a inner look at trying to make the streets better....or can do a average story of the bad guys teaming up to kill Kick-Ass but somehow she still gets the upper hand.

This is kind of a lame addition to the Kick-ass series. It's not badly written, though Niles misses the Millar edginess. Also, the art is okay for what it is but the fights scenes and such don't look particularly well done. The thing with this is that it's a fast read but not all that interesting. I wish I could write Kickass simply because I love the idea but this was just meh. A 2 out of 5.

This was such a mixbag for me.

This is basically a bunch of one shots or two-part stories here. Batman going around beating up on Croc, criminals, scarecrow, freeze, and more. This is a darker Batman, after the events of Knightfall, so he ain't taking shit from no one. Longer horns, very angry with the world, and he looks more like a actual bat person.

I loved the hell out of some of these pages in terms of art. Kelley Jones draws Batman in a Gothic way but in the best way. Other designs I loved were Swamp thing and Mr. Freeze. I also thought this Batman had gone through some terrible shit and it was nice to see him deal with it. Oh yeah, and this batman is also a dick to everyone and it's funny sometimes.

On flip side besides the swamp thing story most of these stories are pretty forgettable. They feel like Saturday Morning cartoon wrap ups quick and done. I also think the art while interesting and cool the art is also very over the top and sometimes you gotta laugh.

Overall, a cool look into the late 90's batman. While not perfect I enjoyed what I read. A 3 out of 5.

One thing I really enjoy about Brubaker's run so far is he makes almost every character, even side characters, complicated.

This is really focused on Sharon trying to return to normal life. After the events of Captain America's death she hasn't been doing good. What could make it worse? Her finding out she lost a child. On top of that the volume also deals with Bucky still being the hero he doesn't think he is. He's still dealing with what he did in the past and how to continue going. Then the rest of the volume is showing bits and pieces of everyone in Caps life from Crossbones to Red Skull to Falcon.

Overall, I enjoyed the stuff with Sharon and Bucky a lot. It's well done, has purpose, and you feel for these characters. If nothing else Brubaker knows how to make them human like while also still having that superhero flare. The flipside is all the moving pieces are interesting but kind of feels filler in a way and the last issue is kind of a waste of a backstory that's not that great.

Overall, another good volume, but not great. This is the transition period when Bucky is returning to Winter Soldier and Steve comes back as cap. REBORN is next! A 3 out of 5.

The fallout of both Civil War and Reborn.

This focuses at first on Steve and Bucky and their current life. Steve is trying to figure out what he wants or if he even wants to be Captain America anymore. Bucky wants to hand back the shield, claiming he never wanted it, but damn does he represent well. The storyline after this is focused on the crazy Steve clone and his mission to save his "country" by causing chaos and killing people because...fear motivates like no other.

I really did enjoy the first issue a lot. Watching Bucky and Steve try to figure out their lives is both captivating and slightly sad. I also enjoyed the start of the 2nd arc, as it was both fun and reminded me of a good old cap and falcon team up stealth mission. However, the ending kind of was okay and the art, which I believe is different here, really didn't do much for me.

Saying that, this might be one of the weaker arcs in Brubaker's run but still good. Nothing ever tips into the bad. It's so refreshing to have a long run that goes from good-great-amazing often. A 3 out of 5.

And...just like that the series falls back to mehz at best. I think this will be jumping off point again and probably final time. The whole finding out how they made the weapons to fight the Titans is done in such a dull way and the characters here are just not interesting like the main series. A poor spin off in general. A 2 out of 5.

Ah damn this probably weakest volume in the entire run.

So Batman after his Knightmares is not having a good time. It actually opens interesting enough with Batman breaking out of Arkham. In doing so he slaps around some of his good old villains. The next few volumes is his complete breakdown, jumping around in time, and spending a little time with his pops. It all comes down to breaking him down before he goes pretty much insane.

I think the idea is good. I see what King is doing. I enjoyed the first issue here a lot of him breaking out of Arkham. The rest? Kind of boring and all over the place. The big plan by Bane was obvious, the loss of his Batfamily is weird, and the ending is kind of meh. The secret file is also a waste of time, don't bother reading it.

I usually enjoy King's work A LOT. Most of his Batman volumes are some of my favorite ever. This? This is pretty darn weak. A 2.5 out of 5.

This is when Dragon Ball Z really ramps up. After the arrival of Nappa and Vegeta the remaining Z warriors stand firm against the evils of the aliens.

And they get utterly demolished.

See, for a lot of people in the West, dragon ball z was their first anime. If not their first anime, DBZ was the first series they watched (instead of Dragon Ball). So watching the warriors of earth getting killed one by one is both shocking and shows how truly scary Vegeta and Nappa can really be.

The first half of this volume is actually just Nappa murdering everyone. He single handily kills 3/4ths of the team. I won't go into too much spoiles (Even though this series is nearly 30 fucking years old now) but lets just say that warriors who were able to match themselves up against goku in the past get murdered without a second thought in a simple chapter.

But the highlight of this volume isn't actually that. It's the fight of Goku verse Vegeta. Sure, Nappa's short fight with goku is iconic for multiple reasons. We first get introduced to Kaio Ken (A personal favorite attack for me with goku) and also the famous "It's over 9000!!!!" Though that is a misquote and is never said in the Manga. Still, the fight is short but shows how much Goku's training meant.

Then the fight against Goku verse Vegeta is breathtaking. Each time we think one of them has the upperhand, they pull off some insane shit. What's so great about this battle is the over confident Vegeta breaks slowly throughout the battle. But what is also great besides the introduction of Kaio Ken X 3 (AND 4!!!) and Gohan getting to shine a bit, is Vegeta's relentlessness. Like damn, my dude here gets hit with attack after attack, and just keeps chugging along. He's like the fucking terminator of this series at this point.

I can keep going on and on as this is top 3 arcs for me in Dragon Ball series (DB/DBZ/DBGT/Super) and I think it showcases Goku's fighting abilities so well, but also gets to let everyone shine (even if it's brief) while also showcasing awesome villains. This is truly what most Shonen Manga's hope to be, and I really can't blame them. A 5 out of 5.