mysteriousmre's Reviews (1.22k)

I was pleasantly surprised by Bendis’ characterization of Batman in this story. I thought we’d get a serious noir story, but Bendis goes for a more light hearted romp through the DC Universe (not unlike the Batman: The Brave & The Bold tv show). It’s a great change of pace from the more mature Batman stories we’ve had the past 5 years. Worth every penny if you ask me. Great comfort food during quarantine.

A fun romp that’s one part Superhero story, one part swashbuckling adventure. It’s a fun, well paced story with plenty of fun twists on characters from the Marvel universe. Shame this only got 1 volume. Would have loved to read another in this style.

Pretty disappointed with this one. On one hand, I appreciate King’s commentary on US involvement in the Middle East and the discussions he wants to start, on the other hand the characterization is very thin and that made this book a chore to finish. I also don’t think King really gave a good reason for why the Omega Men needed the White Lantern for their plan. Interesting premise for a political thriller, spoiled by poor characterization.

Another home-run for the TMNT reboot. While it doesn't reach quite the same highs as the last volume did (Secret History of the Foot Clan was sooooooo good), the worldbuilding pays off big time with the New York gangs all going to war for control of the city.

A ton of fan favorite characters make their official debut in this new continuity, such as Bebop & Rocksteady from the 80s cartoon and Hun from the 2003 tv show. While Bebop and Rocksteady remain the same (albeit SIGNIFICANTLY more dangerous), their take on Hun is almost an entirely different character and I'm personally conflicted on that. I'm still very fond of the stoic muscle man from the tv show, but the character they've created for Hun in this volume has far more depth to him and a more interesting relationship to Casey Jones. I'm interested to see how that side story pans out.

A lot of my previous complaints of the series are non-existent in this volume. Fight scenes are better choreographed, and the action is very kinetic. 2 artists in particular that I want to mention are Ben Bates who absolutely killed it on the Bebop & Rocksteady villain mini, and Mateus Santolouco who draws the City Fall arc and would define the style of the book moving forward. Great read all around.

A volume that's light on story and heavy on action. Not my favorite, especially since this feels more like part 1 of 2, but the action IS great and the ending has me pumped for what happens next.

A fine enough retelling of Black Lightning’s early career and his first encounter with Tobias Whale. In some ways I like this over Black Lightning: Year One, where the setting is more grounded and doesn’t have a supernatural component. On the other, Jefferson is missing his familial relationships (his wife and daughters get cameos), and while a lot of complex themes are included like systemic racism and gun violence, they aren’t explored in a meaningful way. In short, Cold Dead Hands is good, just not great.

Not terribly deep or accurate to the games it's based off of, but a ton of fun nonetheless. The art and tone *REALLY* sells this book. The main characters are expressive in Mato's style and the Pokemon are rendered in ways that make them cute, cuddly, sharp, and cool. The story takes itself seriously and has a bit of an edge to it, a nice change of pace that sets this apart from other representations of the franchise. While many of the characters are wildly different from their in-game counterparts, they're all charming in their own way. Whether you're a long-time fan or just getting into the series, this manga is a fun romp and absolutely worth checking out.