Best of the Rest! April 17th edition.

Hey all, X back again with a new Best of the Rest post.  Between myself and JT(whose reviews with be in a blue text), there should be plenty of comics to check out.  So instead of talking about it, let's get to it!

Venom #34: Yes!  This is exactly what I want from this series!  This issue starts off with Toxin kicking Venom's ass, which leads to the mysterious cannibal showing up to join the fight.  However, Toxin is all, "Who invited you, bitch?!" and proceeds to BITE the head off of the cannibal!  That in turn leads to Venom biting off one of Toxin's arms!  Excellent!!  Toxin shrugs that off, grows a new arm and continues the ass-kickery.  Venom finally halts the assault by injecting Toxin with the serum that keeps his own symbiote under control.  Toxin rushes off since his symbiote was acting up, and Venom drags his battered ass to a rooftop to recuperate and prepare for round two. So yeah, Cullen Bunn just needs to keep doing this.  Every single issue.  Because this issue rocked.  Score: 8 out of 10.

Iron Man #8: 451 manages to get Tony his armor before Tony is murdered by Death's Head.  That leads to a massive brawl between Iron Man and DH, which 451 uses as a distraction to deactivate the cloaking device the Voldi had been using to hide from the Celestials.  The Celestials arrive and obliterate the planet and everybody on it.  Needless to say, Tony doesn't appreciate 451's actions and announces that he would have vengeance.  This issue was a meh for me.  It wasn't awful by any stretch, the fight between Tony and DH was cool, and I enjoyed 451's swerve, but I'm not going to remember this issue past tomorrow.  Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.

Daredevil #25: Matt finally comes face-to-face with one of his tormentors, a guy wearing a facsimile of his original yellow attire named Ikari(which means 'Fury' in Japanese).  Oh, and Ikari?  He has all of DD's enhanced senses.  The two have a spectacular battle across the rooftops of Manhattan, ending up in a sporting goods shop.  DD manages to set off the sprinkler system, and hopes that his foe's inexperience with his hyper-senses will cause him to become totally disoriented by the noise and falling water.  And it's a great plan.  Except for one thing...  Ikari isn't blind!  Ikari beats the ever-loving hell out of a shocked Matt, who has no choice but to turn tail and run away, all while Ikari yells taunts after him.  Yeah, this issue?  Awesome.  I NEVER saw the swerve with Ikari having his sight coming, and when Matt realized Ikari COULD see?  Amazing!  I wanted to scream FOR Matt!  That's how perfect the reveal was.  Amazing work by the incomparable Mark Waid.  Score: 9 1/2 out of 10.

X-Factor #254: Hey, this "Hell" storyline is still going on...  Okay...  Tier decides he doesn't want to kill the Hell-Lords, which pisses Polaris off since Tier kind of has to or everybody is screwed.  Meanwhile, Mephisto is unsurprisingly knocking off the other Hell-Lords, polishing off Hela right after she had killed Asmodeus.  Jezebel, Possessed Madrox and Guido attack X-Factor since Jezebel needed Tier if she had any hope in defeating her father(Mephisto).  That leads to a showdown between Monet and Guido.  This issue was solid.  Much like most of this storyline.  It's okay.  It's not great or anything, it's okay.  To be honest, I'm to the point where I'm waiting for this storyline to just end already...  Score: 7 out of 10.

Nightwing #19: So Dick Grayson is in Chicago now, as he's decided to track down and capture Tony Zucco, who, in case you were unaware, killed Dick's parents.  The cops hate Nightwing because the cops in Chi-town hate costumed heroes, and Dick is broke because he won't ask Bruce for money.  Because they're feuding again after Death of the Family and Damian's death.  But honestly, do those two really need a reason to feud?!  They're almost always pissed at each other for one reason or another!  But I digress...  So yeah, Dick has no money and has to take a roommate in his apartment...  Because that's smart for a masked hero like Dick...  Anyway, it seems Zucco, who was the person who murdered Dick's parents, is the mayor's chauffeur or something...  The mayor is corrupt, it seems.  On top of that, the Prankster is punishing criminals.  So yeah, Dick's first issue in Chicago?  Not perfect.  But hey, it wasn't awful, so there's that!  I have to say, even though he appeared on a grand total of one page, the Prankster seems extremely interesting.  I liked the costume and I liked his brand of vigilantism.  So I'll be looking forward to seeing more of Prankster and less of Tony Zucco, who was the man responsible for the deaths of Dick Grayson's parents.  In case you hadn't heard...  Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.

Dark Avengers #189: This is the penultimate issue of this series, and I have to admit, I won't really miss it...  It started off with such promise, but man did it fall apart quickly...  Basically Evil Dr. Strange dies when he randomly explodes.  That frees Skaar from Evil Strange, so Skaar can finally attack Evil Thing.  Ragnarok picks up that dimension's Thor's hammer(wait, how?!), which makes him turn into a guy who looks like the Executioner...  And AIM is still up to something, but damned if I know what!  Yeah, I don't have anything else to add to that issue...  Score: 4 out of 10.

Nova #3: In this issue of Nova, we see our protagonist run into The Watcher. He eventually is able to see through the Watcher's eyes that there are a ton of ships in the distance, but since he doesn't know what to do with that knowledge, he heads back to Earth. On Earth, Sam's mom hints she may know about Sam using his dad's helmet and says he can talk to her about anything. After that, Sam is approached by Gamora and Rocket Raccoon, who tell him he's the last of the Nova Corps and they start training Sam. In the midst of training, the Guardians mention the army that's on the way to attack Earth, and Sam tells them he saw it, thanks to the man on the moon, so they send Sam on recon since his Nova helmet can see the cloaked ships. The issue ends with Nova getting blasted in space by the ships, so I guess they can see him. Oops. I enjoyed this issue, it was nothing spectacular but it was a solid read. Score: 6.5/10

Captain Marvel #12: This issue focuses on Cap Marvel and Deathbird's aerial fight with Cap confined to her flying bike. After a long, tough battle, Cap finally defeats Deathbird, but has to fly at the end to due so, which weakens Cap due to the lesion on her brain. Throughout the issue we see her doctor talking to another doctor, the new one having dealt with a case like this before. It turns out his patient was Captain Marvel's friend, Helen Cobb, although she supposedly died in a fire. The doctors meet Cap at home to give her some news that we aren't privy to until the next issue. The issue ends with the mysterious man in the park revealing himself to be Yon-Rogg, now fully powered due to Captain Marvel's fights with Deathbird powering him. This was another solid issue, I enjoyed the fight with Deathbird but all the Doctor mumbo jumbo kinda slowed things down for me. I'm not familiar with Yon-Rogg but after looking him up and seeing he's the one that kidnapped Carol which led to her getting her powers, I'm excited to see where this goes. Score: 7/10

Justice League #19: This issue opened with Jason Todd and Alfred talking, so yeah, that's a free point from me. The two are attacked as some mysterious man who makes his way through the scan and past Batman's retinal scanner somehow to Bats' contingency room, as he has a case with a plan to beat each member of the League. The mystery man steals Superman's case, which has Kryptonite. Batman eventually returns and Jason is beating himself up for not hearing the intruder sneak up on them but Bruce says she's just glad Jason and Alfred are okay. After some help from Aquaman and Cyborg, they aren't able to figure out how this person got in or what they were after, Batman seems to know but plays dumb. Meanwhile, Superman and Wonder Woman fight some terrorists in Kahndaq, but Americans aren't allowed there, so Kahndaq is contemplating waging war on America. Batman meets with Supes and Wondy and they discuss how they went about things when he reveals he knows their dating, and also that someone came to the Batcave and took something to hurt Superman. The issue ends with Firestorm and the Atom, two of the newest Leaguers being attacked in the Watchtower by none other than Despero, wearing a Kryptonite ring. I enjoyed this issue surprisingly. I definitely didn't expect for this review to be so long. I enjoyed seeing Jason and Alfred, so... do more of that, Geoff Johns. I also enjoyed seeing Supes and Wondy fighting crime, and the odd way they influence one another, kinda reminds me their relationship in of Injustice: Gods Among Us. Lastly, this mystery man that knows Bruce could be interesting if done the right way, I'm curious to see who he is and why he'd help Despero, since I don't think it's him. Oh, and I like the new Atom, she rocks. Score: 8/10

Alright gang, that's it for me and mi amigo. Tomorrow, expect a new type of review from X, which he'll explain then, but until now, on behalf of buddy X, this is JT, signing off!

Best of the Rest! Week of 3/20/13

Hey all, X here with his final post of the week.  Yes, it's time to take a look at the Best of the Rest!  This time with 100% more JT!  Yes, mi hermano, JT, will be pitching in this week.  Probably to bring the post quality waaaaay down... But at least I'm here to bring some respectability to the proceedings.  Huh, it probably wasn't that smart to insult JT right off the bat since he'll be closing this post out, and as such will get the last word...  If I was smarter I'd delete the insults...  Meh.  So here's how it'll work.  I'll post my thoughts on a few comics, JT will post his thoughts in a different color, and then JT will close things out.  Boom, simple.  Like JT!!!  HA!!!!  *ahem*  Anyway, let's get this bad boy rolling.

Daredevil #24:  This was actually the high-point of this week's BotR post...  Which doesn't bode well as we move forward...  Basically DD is inching closer to finding out who the mystery villain who has been putting the screws to him was.  Foggy learns that he had a rare type of bone tumor, and the doctors weren't sure if it had spread or not.  Yeah, this comic is great, no doubt.  Mark Waid has a little something for everybody here.  Heroes, villains, secret plots, some drama, AND mutated dogs!  What more could one ask for?!  Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.

X-Factor #253: We get some escalation in the Hell on Earth war, as the various devils begin to wage war upon each other on Earth.  Satana tries to kill Tier(because Satana is frigging AWESOME), but Tier chases her away.  Polaris decides the best course of action was to sic Tier on the Hell-Lords, since he can hurt them.  And Madrox is a demon thanks to Mephisto.  Sadly, this comic didn't really do it for me.  I mean it was all right and all, and I LOVE that Peter David showed that other heroes were involved in battling the demons, which you don't often see in a story like this, but the narrative was kind of spread all over the place...  We were in Mephisto's hell.  And on the streets.  And watching demons fight.  And in a hotel room.  It just didn't gel for me, which is very rare for this series.  But hey, I'm sure I'll be heaping praise on the next issue, so one not-so-good issue isn't a big thing.  Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.

Saga #11:  First things first, I LOVE the hell out of this series!!!  With that out of the way, I have to admit, this issue didn't really do it for me.  Basically Marco's father helped the group get away from the space baby, but at the cost of his life.  Marco and his mom naturally don't take the death well.  That's really the extent of the main storyline here.  I've got to admit, Marco's dad dying here was a bit disappointing.  I thought that character had some legs, and figured he'd slowly fade away as the issues progressed.  Instead he popped up a few issues ago and died.  If he would have stuck around a bit, the impact of his death probably would have been greater, but sadly, that's not what we got.  Even though this wasn't my favorite issue of this great series, it still wasn't bad, which shows you the quality of this title.  Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.

Invincible #101: So yeah, Eve is pregnant again.  This time though, she has a doctor who specializes in super-human biology, and learns that she can't use her powers while she's pregnant, which you KNOW will come into play down the road.  Robot hates Mark, Cecil hates Nolan, and Thragg hates everybody.  That about sums this one up.  I hate to sound like a broken record, but again, this issue just didn't hit the mark for me...  I don't know what the problem was, but I just never connected to this comic.  It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great...  Score: 6 out of 10.

Indestructible Hulk #5: Hulk manages to defeat Attuma with some help from Lemurian rebels.  Plus one of the Lemurians makes out with Hulk.  Here we go again, you know the song I'm gonna be playing...  I never connected with this issue...  Yep, again.  There was some good here, namely Attuma, who Mark Waid wrote brilliantly, but I never fell into this story.  It was okay.  But that's all.  Score: 6 out of 10.

Dark Avengers #188: Oh boy, this comic...  Um, the Dark Avengers are still trapped in an alternate Earth.  There's some sort of mystery there concerning AIM(I think...) and the Spider-Man of that world is worshiped as a god by the likes of Shang-Chi and Misty Knight...  But he gets killed by Tigra.  Oh, and Moonstone died, but came back over the course of this comic.  See, now this comic?  This comic was bad.  Not okay, just bad.  I was willing to go along for the ride at first, I've repeatedly stated that I love alternate dimensional tales, but this one simply isn't working for me.  Probably because we have like zero character development going on here. Seriously, I have NO reason to care about ANY of the Dark Avengers.  We REALLY need to get away from the main story here and shine a light on the characters on this team...  Score: 3 out of 10.

DC Universe Presents: Starfire #18: Basically we see Starfire as a slave, then free, then allowing herself to get caught so she can free more people. The former top dog that wanted to free everyone was jealous, so he attacked her and she sliced his hands off with his sword. Upon gaining the chance to free everyone, the slaves were so afraid of Starfire they just wanted her to go, which she did. So... useless story sadly, nothing really happened, if only it showed that Star's a tough S.O.B. and scares people. Sad thing is, Joe Keatinge's last issue that starred Roy Harper was pretty good. Score: 2/10

Captain Marvel #11: Captain Marvel's been diagnosed with a lesion on her brain that expands every time she flies, it's not fatal but if she continues to fly it'll wipe away her memories, so now she's using a hover-bike, which she hates. We find out that she has some mysterious man stalking her, and he's been sending a new Deathbird, dubbed Newbird by Carol to her apartment building. Carol heads off to find Newbird and engages her in a fight in the sky, with her hover-bike of course. This was a pretty good issue, Carol continues to be written likable and fun, and the story of her not being able to fly, after putting so much emphasis on her love of flying throughout the series has been great. Score: 7/10

Justice League #18: The League is looking for new members because a few of them are busy with their cities or ruling Atlantis. Possible recruits are Black Canary (She's on the BoP...), Black Lighting, Blue Demon, Element Woman, Firestorm, Goldrush, Nightwing, Vixen, Zatanna and Platinum of the Metal Men. Platinum goes crazy, predictably, and the League and candidates take her down, with the help of The Atom. By the way, Atom is a Hispanic woman now. The League ends up picking Atom, Firestorm and Element Woman over Vixen, Zatanna and Canary because they're stupid, and Nightwing isn't interested in joining. The issue ends with them finding out their recruitment files have been hacked, so someone has info on all these heroes now. Oops! I was flabbergasted that they didn't pick at least one of the three women I named... but whatever. That aside, this issue was kind of predictable, especially with Platinum's heel turn. Score: 5/10

New Avengers #4: With time running out until Earth crashes into another Earth, the Illuminati decide to go to the other planet and try to use their Infinity Gems to blow it up, since the Illuminati's Gems broke in the last issue. Once they arrive, they see on this planet the Statue of Liberty is replaced by a statue of the Master of Magnet himself, Magneto. They also see Galactus is already about to eat this planet, but instead of counting this as a win, they decide to fight his Thanos-like herald, because why not? This issue was fine and dandy until the weird ending where they decided to fight a villain on a planet that's dying... the same planet they came to destroy. Also, I was expecting more with the fallout of them mind-wiping Captain America but not too much came of that. Score: 6/10

Red Hood and the Outlaws #18: This is Lobdell's last issue of RHATO, and after surprisingly enjoying issue 19, I was looking forward to this issue. Jason came to the realization that the reason he has lashed out at Bruce and the rest of the family is because he was trying to escape his past, but he needs to embrace it instead of run away from it. We also find out his face is going to be fine in the future thanks to Alfred's handiwork. We end things with Jason finally waking up and he's about to apologize but Bruce cuts him off and hugs him as the issue ends. I really enjoyed this issue, Jason finally being welcomed back to the fold is something I've wanted for a while as a Jason Todd fan, so this issue was a huge plus for me. Plus it really made sense for Bruce, after losing Jason once, then losing Damian, I doubt he wants to risk being distant with Jason any longer. The only thing I really had a problem with was this being billed as "Requiem" issue and Damian was never mentioned once. Score: 9/10

And THAT'S how you do a best of the rest post! Not like that farce X did last week. Anyway, I can see this being a weekly thing if mi hermano is up for it, so we can knock out even more books, considering sometimes people want info on books we read but don't review. So, look forward to me guiding X like the giant idiotic man-child he is through these posts on a regular basis. So that's it for me, until my final review of the week tomorrow. So til then, for myself and X, this is JT, signing off!

Justice League #15

Hey guys and gals, JT here with the last review of 2012 here at the X-Man Comic Blog. I know, weird right? Anyway, this review is gonna be a bit quick so I still have time to finish up the super mega boffo fun-time year end awards that myself and X are working on, so let's jump into this shall we?

Justice League #15

Summary: This issue focused on the U.S.S. Mabus, a hip that lost contact during a routine missile test into a supposedly empty ocean. Vic's dad calls him and asks him and the League to look into things when The Watchtower loses power for some reason. In Gotham, Aquaman helps Batman stop some of the Scarecrow's goons and explains the fish aren't listening to him and are swimming away from the Northeastern seaboard, so something must be wrong. Mera shows up to help Batman and Awuaman, and Bats mentions the U.S.S. Mabus, which Aquaman was unaware of. Meanwhile, Clark and Diana having a dinner date, with him telling her about his secret identity and how he uses the glasses to blend in, then gives Diana a pair and the two blend in well on their date, until a huge wave and an aircraft carrier get washed into Metropolis. Supes and Wondy spring into action, and Superman doesn't notice Lois is in danger, so she's jealous AND almost dies, HA!, when she's saved by Vulko, an Atlantean looking for Aquaman. In Gotham, Batman and Aquaman are waiting as Cyborg says the next wave is headed towards Gotham, causing Aquaman to say that Atlantis is declaring war with the Atlantean War plans, and he knows because he wrote them.
 
Thoughts: This was a very odd issue for me, I know it served to set things up for Aquaman but it made the League seem very... weak. I mean a giant wave came and it had to kill a ton of people in Metropolis since Superman and Wonder Woman were preoccupied with the carrier. I mean... in one panel WW says there are people in the streets who need their help, the NEXT PAGE, Vulko jumps out of the water with Lois, and Superman and Wonder Woman go talk to Lois... they NEVER GO SAVE THE PEOPLE!!!! But that aside this was basically just a set up issue so I won't judge it too harshly. The back-up with SHAZAM was actually the best part of this comic...so it still perplexes me he doesn't have his own series...

Score: 6/10 

Wonder Woman: What is it?
Superman: It's a job for us.

Justice League #14

Hey everyone, JT here with my last review of the comic week, and surprisingly the only DC Comic reviewed here this week. So let's get this underway, with the Justice League taking on a much more powerful Cheetah then we're used to, as well as a Cheetah-like Superman, how does the league fare?

Justice League #14

Summary: Things start off with a bang as Superman attacks the League, since he's been werewolf'd by Cheetah. His attack stops when the tribe the league were searching for show up with a horn, and blow on it to render Superman useless from the sound, thanks to his Cheetah form. Cyclops is able to mimic the sound to keep Superman incapacitated while the League split up. Batman and Cyborg stay with Superman and the tribe to try to cure him before he goes into shock from the Cheetah bite, as Flash, Wonder Woman and Aquaman pursue Cheetah. As the Tribe tries to cure Superman, they explain how the power of the Cheetah has been around for centuries and every generation has a person from the tribe that's chosen to host the Cheetah power. It turns out the Cheetah was hunted by a man known as the Godslayer who also killed other deities, but the Cheetah power survived, and until Barbara Minerva dies, the Cheetah power won't return to the tribe. Wonder Woman, Flash and Aquaman lure Cheetah to the water where Aquaman holds her until she loses her breath and passes out, allowing her to be captured. While in Belle Reve, we see Cheetah contacting someone, telling them the plan worked and she's in Belle Reve, and to let her know when Black Manta arrives. Back at the Watchtower, Batman reveals to the group after some research that Barbara Minerva is actually a long time criminal, often changing her name and appearance and she's wanted for theft, assault and even murder. Wonder Woman is obviously shocked to see that Barbara was a criminal before the Cheetah incident, and Barbara is the one who corrupted the Cheetah, not the other way around. Afterwards, we see Diana and Clark discussing how it's okay she was fooled by Barbara, because she's trusting and that's something he admires about her. From there, the two go on a date, as Superman and Wonder Woman... at a Smallville diner. So... yeah. They then go to the old Kent Farm, which is run by someone else now since Superman's parents are deceased (ugh... I liked the Kents) The issue ends as Wonder Woman and Superman kiss, and Batman creepily watches/listens with a tracker he somehow managed to place on Superman.
 
Thoughts: I get why it happened, but I really could've gone without this date. And how the hell fif Batman place a tracker on Superman.... he has SUPER HEARING. He should be able to hear something that's literally right on his back! Also, I can't help but be annoyed when Superman tells Wonder Woman he admires how trusting he is, when pre-New52 he was the most trusting guy around! Hell, he gave Luthor like a million chances to reform. Anyway, the stuff with Cheetah was interesting, I liked the swerve that Barbara's the evil one, that was interesting, as well as her apparently working with Manta and someone else. I'm also wondering if the Godslayer is someone we know, like Ra's Al Ghul or Vandal Savage, someone who could've been around to build such a legend. I did like that Aquaman is starting to get a little boisterous, which is building for his big beef with the League, which is soon if I'm not mistaken. So there were a lot of pluses to this issue, but the big sappy date with Supes and Wondy hurt my enjoyment of it.

Score: 5.5/10 

Batman: Superman is one of the most important people in the world. This man is my friend. Tell me this will work.

Justice League #13

Hey everyone, JT with my first review of the week and it's none other than Justice League, so let's get right to it because intro's are overrated, just like teams my Detroit Tigers beat in Semi-Final games. :D

Justice League #13

Summary: We pick up where we left off two months ago (Damn you Zero Month!) with Superman and Wonder Woman dealing with the fallout of locking lips, before Diana tells Clark she needs to leave and takes off. From there we jump to five days later and see Wonder Woman and Cheetah fighting each other in a gruesome battle, where we also learn that apparently Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth doesn't work on Cheetah for some reason. Wonder Woman is going a bit easy on Cheetah, tryingto help her because they used to be friends, but Cheetah doesn't want her help and uses this advantage to knock Wonder Woman out. She awakens later to see Cyborg and Flash helping her as she says she has to find Barbara, she can't fail her again. Next we see Batman and Aquaman talking to a recovering Steve Trevor, as Superman, Flash and Cyborg talk to Wonder Woman, as both groups learn about Wonder Woman's ties with Cheetah. Turns out they were friends after WW saved her from some terrorists, so Barbara used to study mythological artifacts for her and Steve. One day, Barbara mistakenly cut herself on a ancient dagger and was possessed by The Goddess of the Hunt, causing her to become The Cheetah. Steve says that Diana blames herself for Barbara becoming the Cheetah, just as she blames herself for him being attacked by Graves. Superman offers Wonder Woman help from the League in dealing with Cheetah, she denies but he persists that it's not because she needs it but because they want to help. She finally agrees to take the League's help, and they discuss that kiss and seem to be planning to continue their smooching ways. Outside the room, Flash and Cyborg have a conversation and Cyborg reveals that sometimes he thinks he's just a computer program that believes he's Vic Stone. He's not sure if he's alive and he feels like he's more computer than human sometimes, but Flash tells him computer's don't laugh, have favorite TV shows or worry about being robots. Cyborg says Flash may be right about that, and the two go meet back with Superman and Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman says they need to find the Congo Tribe that Cheetah's connected with as they may be able to help. From there we see the six league members, Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash in the Congo, looking for the Lost Tribe when suddenly they're attacked by Cheetah. She takes down Batman and Flash with quick blows then leaps on Superman and digs her fangs into his neck. Diana goes to check on Superman when he turns around and reveals he's been turned into a Male version of Cheetah?!


Thoughts: So Cheetah can turn people like a Vampire now?! Okay... I guess that helps make her more of a threat, plus it's more believable she can take on the League with help from Superman now. Maybe the next issue is when Batman pulls out Kryptonite and shows he's the master of contingency plans. This was a good issue though, I enjoyed the opening fight with WW and Cheetah, as well as the stuff with Cyborg, that really made his character a bit more relatable, since every since he's joined the team I've gotten the vibe he was more of a token character than anything, but I like that he's getting some character development for the first time since the opening arc. I do wish we had more for Aquman and Bats to do here than just interview Steve Trevor, that didn't even seem like a two person job but whatever... besides that small thing, I enjoyed this issue and I'm excited for the next one to see how the League deals with a Cheetah-controlled Superman.

Score: 7.5/10 

Cheetah: Use your lasso on your precious flock and ask them about their darkest desires. See if your adorable heart can stomach what perversions you expose within them.

Justice League #0

Hey guys, today's a JT day, and my first review of the new comic book week is none other than Justice League #0. Instead of focusing on Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the League, this issue focuses on non-other than SHAZAM himself, the man formerly known as Captain Marvel. So let's get to his origin!

Justice League #0

Summary: We start things where the back-ups in the prior issues of Justice League left off, teenage bad seed (aka asshole) Billy Batson is adopted by a pair of loving parents that also have adopted a bunch of other kids. While out one night with his adoptive brother, Freddy Freeman, Billy wanders off into a magical underground cave where he meets a great wizard, only the Wizard tells Billy that the task he has is not for someone like Billy. Billy is adamant about the old Wizard keeping his distance, and the man asks (I guess the Gods?) if the boy is the mystical one he seeks, and if he's pure good. We see a bunch of flashes of Billy being a dick to everyone, and the Wizard says he knew Billy wasn't pure good. Billy tells the Wizard no one is pure good, good people get swallowed up and become evil or get walked on, there's no one pure. The Wizard starts to think Billy may be right since he's brought many people and no one has been pure yet, but he searches Billy's soul to see if he's got any embers of good, which we also see clips of. Seemingly backed into a corner by the fact that Black Adam is now free upon the world, and Billy seems to be the best he's going to get, The Wizard bestows Billy with the power of SHAZAM, because if someone MIGHT be good, why not give them an excellent amount of power? Worked great for Black Adam, right? The Wizard tells Billy to say SHAZAM with good intentions and belief, as I guess he'll only change if he has good intentions, which may be for the best. Billy, now in the body of SHAZAM, tests his powers a bit as The Wizard explains, but he tells Billy not to waste his powers, The Wizard tells him of Black Adam and how he hopes to free the Seven Deadly Sins, and Billy is the only one who can stop him. As the Wizard takes his final breath he tells Billy that he is now SHAZAM. Billy wastes no time telling Freddy Freeman what happened, while still in the body of SHAZAM. Billy then decides to destroy a man's car because he threatened Billy and Freddy earlier when they were being delinquents. They then decide their going to have Billy buy beer... these powers are so being wasted. Before that can happen, Billy touches a Christmas light which explodes, showing that maybe he can't touch electric things without overpowering them while he's SHAZAM. He then witnesses a mugging, so he swats the mugger away and manages to knock him through a car window since he doesn't know his own strength. The woman that he saved asks what she can do to repay him, and he says he's short on cash... so she gives him twenty bucks and he and Freddy head off to buy beer. The issue comes to a close with Freddy and Billy planning to use his powers to become rich. There's also a quick back up as we see Pandora, the woman from all of the New 52 backgrounds trying to open a skull shaped box, when The Wizard appears. He says he's using the last of his powers to tell her that she shouldn't have been punished along with her other two cohorts who would become The Question and The Phantom Stranger, The Trinity of Sin, and that she was just a curious young woman that did nothing wrong. He then tells her that the box can only be opened by the Strongest of Heart of the Darkest of Heart and they can claim it's power but of course he dies before he can say who. The back-up story ends as we go to Hub City and see The Police find a little girl who was missing, The Mayor's daughter, as well as the man who kidnapped her tied to a lamp post. The police wonder who did it as we see nothing but a blue question mark taped to him (wasn't The Riddler!) and we see The Question, saying that everything is all connected as the issue ends.


Thoughts: Well... this was awesome! I love this annoying, jackass version of Billy Batson! And the way he used his powers for stupid vendettas, got paid for saving a lady, and now wants to use them to make money, he's like DC's version of Alpha or something. This issue was pretty awesome, we learned about Black Adam's past a bit, Billy finally got his powers, he's still using them like a kid instead of being super goody two shoes like he was pre-reboot. This... I guess the term would be hardened Billy Batson has been one of the best things to come out of the DCnU so far and I hope it continues. Plus I can't wait to see what happens when he actually joins the Justice League... Another thing that needs to be mentioned was the amazing artwork by Gary Frank and Ethan Van Sciver, they did both did fantastic jobs on the artwork for this issue. Also, the back up with Pandora that hyped the upcoming Trinity War was interesting. I'm curious as to who can open the box, Strong of heart makes me with Wonder Woman, maybe Bats, but he could also past for Darkest of Heart, either way, I'm interested. Plus... The Question is back, and It looks to be our boy Vic Sage!

Score: 8.5/10 

Billy: Listen, Chester (HA!), that stuff might work like candy on six year olds, but you come any closer and I'll knock out the last of your teeth.

JT's Take: Justice League #11

Hey Todd Squad, today we're gonna take a look at this month's issue of Justice League. After being so down on the series I had to review it with Brightest Day Rules, the last issue was pretty damn good, so I reviewed it normally, hopefully this issue continues the trend, so let's find out.

Justice League #11

Summary: This issue started off with the League recovering from Graves attack in the last issue, basically making each of them relive the death's of people they cared about. The League follows Graves use of their teleporter to Steve Trevor's sister's house, but arrive just as Graves leaves. Steve's sister blames Wonder Woman for getting involved with her brother, and now he could be hurt or dead, she tells Wonder Woman to bring Steve home or she'll haunt her for the rest of her life. After leaving Steve's sister, the League decides to go to Graves' cabin, his last known address, but Wonder Woman wants to go alone and plans on decapitating Graves. The League tries to calm her down, including Green Lantern putting her in a bubble, but she bursts out and backhands Hal, sending him flying. Hal goes on the offensive and attacks Wonder Woman, and Superman tries to break it up, but gets a kick in the mouth from Wonder Woman for his trouble. Cyborg notifies Bats that somehow Graves is recording them and streaming them to every device capable, world wide. The League teleports to Grave's cabin, where they all calm down. and Batman explains how Graves' family died after coming in contact with Darkseid five years ago, from some disease, and he blames the League for not saving them... Okay. Batman figures out from Graves' studies that he went to the Valley of Souls, so the League heads there, but for some reason only Cyborg can see the entrance, which is odd since you can only see it if you're walking the line between Life and Death. Upon entering, the League members each see the souls of someone close to them that's passed away, Batman see's his parents, Superman see's his parents, Aquaman and Hal see their dad's, Flash see's his mother I'd assume, but Cyborg see's himself?! The issue comes to a close as Wonder Woman see's the spirit of Steve Trevor, who tells her that she's too late.


Thoughts: I'm shocked... two months ago I HATED this series, but these last two issues have been great. This was a really good issue, I enjoyed the in-fighting, I'm curious about Cyborg being half dead, as well as if they actually allow Trevor to stay dead, since that surprised me. I'm also wondering if they were planting seeds for his sister to become a Wonder Woman villain. Overall, there was a lot of good in the comic, and hardly any bad. Plus, the SHAZAM back up has always been pretty good. If Justice League keeps this up, it could become one of my favorite comics.

Score: 8.5/10

Green Lantern: You've been dying for this, haven't you?
Wonder Woman: This isn't giving me any pleasure. But I'm sure you've heard that before. (BURN!!!!!)

JT's Take: Justice League #9 with Brightest Day Rules

Hey X-Maniacs, JT here once again with the commenter requested Justice League review featuring Brightest Day Rules! After the last issue of this series' review was pretty well received, I've been looking forward to this comic for once and it's finally here! Before I get started, anyone new or anyone who wants to get reacquainted with the Brightest Day Rules, feel free to do that by clicking here, now let's get things started!

Justice League #9

Summary: We start things off four years ago, seeing a sickly man named David, the man who wrote the book about the Justice League saving the world five years ago, basically told by his doctor that he's going to die because he's sick, he recommends he tries contacting the League but David says the League can't help him. So David pulls out a gun and kills the doctor, because why the fuck not, right? From there we come back to the present day, where we see the Paparazzi annoying Steve Trevor and asking if Wonder Woman left him for Batman or Superman... after that he goes to see his sister for dinner. Next we see Batman listening to some news report asking why Batman continues to worry about the den of Crime that is Gotham instead of dealing with the world with the League all the time, but it;s interrupted by a report that a villain by the name of The Key breaking into Arkham. Next wee see Lois Lane buy everyone lunch except Clark because she forgot him I guess, anyway he gets a text from Bruce asking if he's busy, so he heads to Arkham to help Bruce deal with the break-in, as does Cyborg. We jump back to Steve Trevor to see him arrive home and notice something is awry, and he's soon confronted by David, the book writer, but cloaked, who says he knows Steve Trevor is more than just Wonder Woman's Ex. We also cut to Green lantern and Flash, arguing about who has to clean up rubble from a fight, and then about who gets to be Bad Cop in an interrogation, and Hal let's Barry be bad cop. Um...okay. They interrogate Weapons Master and Saint Barry screws up so they have Wonder Woman use her lasso to find out that David Graves didn't want him to build him weapons, he just wanted to know how to hurt them. Back in Arkham, Bats, Cyborg and Superman discover The Key was trying to lock himself up because Graves went him his mind and stole everything he knew about the League. You're kidding me right? We then see Steve Trevor is tied up and bleeding from being worked over by Graves, who is dressed in his full villain garb, and threatens to kill Trevor's family in front of him unless he tells him what he wants to know, he concedes as the issue ends.


Thoughts: First things first I'm gonna go -10 for David just pulling out a gun and killing his doctor, that was random and kind of unnecessary, I get that he's a villain now but it came outta nowhere and served no purpose other than, he's bad! -15 for them asking Trevor is Wonder Woman slept with Superman or Batman. +5 for everyone having flashbacks but -25 for Aquaman not being included in this issue at all. -20 for a young Bruce Wayne delivering the line "I don't have a favorite color anymore." Ugh, your parents are dead, don't take it out on colors. And clearly you do, Black is a color. -15 for splitting up Lois and Clark and thinking I'm gonna give a damn when you have him pine after her again. -20 for Barry being a sucky bad cop but +40 for Hal being great at being good cop. Matter of fact, +15 for this series making me like Hal, it may suck but he's been pretty funny. +20 for them acknowledging the fact that even though Flash does stuff quickly, it still seems like forever to him. +20 for Jim Lee's awesome artwork, and another +15 for the way he makes Wonder Woman look radiant like few artists can. -45 for Graves being able to go inside of people's minds and steal their memories... They haven't explained how but until they do I'm calling shenanigans. This issue didn't make me groan as much as previous issues so I'll give it +5 for that.


Score:  -20!? Man I am being too nice!!! X-Man would roll over in his grave, or casket, considering he's a Vampire at how nice I've been lately. Or maybe, this issue is just not as bad as the last one? Time will tell, but that's it for me, hopefully things stay this positive in the future for the Justice League series.

Green Lantern: You could do it in like five seconds, Flash.
The Flash: Relative to you.  Relative to me, it's going to take hours.

That's it for me guys and gals, feel free to let me know what ya think, as well as any other books you think deserve Brightest Day Rules treatment, and until next time, I'm your friendly neighborhood Blogger-Man, Jason Todd, signing off.

JT's Take: Justice League #8 with Brightest Day Rules

Hey X-Maniacs, JT here once again with a very in-frequent post. Some of you may have noticed I haven't been around much, due to the fact I'm usually busy, lazy, or X has already reviewed the books I planned on reviewing, that damn Hippie. In my absence from this blog, I've taken over the Uncanny Scan blog, so feel free to drop by and see what I post daily over there. But enough of that, today I'm doing what was requested by you readers, a review of the Justice League comic book using Brightest Day Rules! What are Brightest Day Rules you ask? Oh, you didn't ask? Well refresh your memory anyway by clicking here. Now that you're all caught up, let's get things started!

Justice League #8

Summary:  After some prodding by the Government to add someone new to the Justice League, Green Arrow runs into the League during a fight with Amazo. He asks to be on the team and is supported by Superman but Green Lantern and Aquaman don't want Arrow on the team. The Justice League then takes Amazo's body to decommission him and leave Arrow standing there. After that we jump forward a week to see the Justice League fighting the Talons because they want to make sure everyone reads Batman. Green Arrow decides to crash the party but is once again left standing by himself once the League moves out. The following week Green Arrow helps again and is told to back off by Aquaman, because they have a past that neither of them will mention. Afterwards, we see Steve Trevor meet with Green Arrow, and they argue, with Arrow saying the League needs him as a social compass because they're not really Superheroes. Okay... We later see the League talking about Green Arrow and how they don't need a new member, and what happened the last time they allowed someone in, we then see a scene of a fight between the League and Martian Manhunter. Interesting. The issue closes with the League discussing Martian Manhunter as he listens from afar and states "They're not prepared." Also, there was an awesome SHAZAM comic at the end of this book, words can't describe how great it is, basically is Billy Batson was Damian Wayne, that's how he's written here.


Thoughts: Okay, Let's see... -20 for taking a major baddie like Amazo down off-screen! +5 for a question about Batman being answered with the sentence "He's Batman." That's all you really need. -10 for the stupid idea that every 1,000 times Cyborg teleports the League with his Boom Tube technology they end up in Apokalips and it's already happened twice. Stop using it you idiots! -5 For them finding out they've used it over 1,000 times since they were last sent to Apokalips, proclaimed they were overdue, and continued to use it. -3 for Green Arrow being shown as a fanboy instead of a Hero. +5 for Green Lantern being sick of Green Arrow already. +15 for the awesome line Green Arrow said that earned Line of the issue as seen below. -10 for them dragging out this past between Aquaman and Green Arrow by mentioning it three times in this one issue. -25 for Batman not being with the League while they fought the Talons but magically being with them when they left. -100 for the stupidity that the Court of Owls thing is happening present day, yet Hal Jordan is Green Lantern in this even though Sinestro is the Green Lantern of this Sector currently. Boom, continuity bomb bitch! +15 for how happy Wonder Woman was that she could use her sword on the Talon's since they aren't technically alive. -10 for Steve Trevor waiting in Green Arrow's secret base like he's Batman or something. +30 for the awesome scene with the League and Martian Manhunter, and +15 for that actually making me interested in this book. +5 for of everyone in that splash page with the League vs. Martian Manhunter fight that we of course got the view from behind Wonder Woman, go feminism! Lastly, +15 for the awesome but short SHAZAM story at the end, I'd much rather buy that book than this.

Score:  -78 out of 10! Not too shabby Justice League! You guys actually stayed in the double digits!

Green Lantern: We've already got one guy who can't do anything. If Batman sprains his ankle we'll call you.

Well this was fun, I'm looking forward to the next one. Any recommendations for other books to get the BDR treatment? Feel free to let me know in the comments, and that's it for me guys and gals, until next time, this is JT, signing off!

JT's Take: Justice League #7

Hey everyone, JT back once again with a review of this month's issue of Justice League. After not enjoying the last few issues of this super team's book, I'm hoping this issue with the promise of a new storyline will interest me enough to keep picking it up, so let's see shall we?

Justice League #7

Summary: In this issue we saw The Justice League ban together to take down a guy who transformed into a monster and uses little spore monsters to do his bidding or something. Colonel Steve Trevor and his team, A.R.G.U.S. try to take down the spores but basically held them off for the Justice League who came in and finished the job. Afterwards we saw a press conference where people asked why the Justice League don't just replace congress because they always save the world and are a good team. (What?) Anyway, from there we see Steve get questioned by his superiors about The League and Steve's relationship with Wonder Woman, but he basically says the people want the League to take Congress' job and maybe they should, so congress lays off. (What?!) After that we see a Video Chat with Steve and Wonder Woman that's interrupted by Cyborg, Batman, Green Lantern and The Flash who all say something to Steve, basically Tell Cyborg's dad not to try to hack communications, Batman says shut down the JLI (WHAT?! HE'S IN THE... okay...), Green Lantern asking for more food for the Watchtower, and Saint Barry being Saint Barry. After all of that, Wonder Woman asks Steve how he's doing, he says fine, she says good, and the chat ends. (WHAT?!?!?!?!?!) Then Steve tells his new secretary he loves Wonder Woman and told her so, so I guess she turned him down. The issue ends with the guy who wrote the book that documented what heroes the Justice League were in the last issue, writing a new book about how they're menaces and how Steve Trevor is the key to taking them down. WHAT?!


Thoughts: I'm done with this book. The last book took place five years ago, and before it debuted we were told we'd see a new team when the new arc started, yet, same team. Also, Geoff Johns still feels the need to give EVERY CHARACTER a line when all of them are on the page, so we get a bunch of panels with people saying one or two lines for no reason. Add that in with the fact the baddie of this issue was taken down off-camera for some stupid reason, and the fact that we're about to have an arc revolving around Steve Trevor, and you've got a recipe for a stupid book. If there was anything good about this, it's Jim Lee's art and that's about it. I really wanna drop this book but I'm tempted to keep it just so I can review this with Brightest Day rules... I'll let the comments section decide. Until next time, I'm Jason Todd, signing off.

Score: 1 out of 10.

JT: What?!

JT's Take: Justice League #6

Hey everyone, JT here once again with another review that you won't get from my blogging counterpart. That's right, I'm back with a review for the latest issue of Justice League. After the last issue got an abysmal score due to Batman revealing his identity to Hal Jordan, hopefully things only improve from here. So let's see how they turn out...

Justice League #6

Summary: In this issue we see the remaining members of the unnamed hero team, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern all rushing Darkseid while saving civilians. One of the saved civilians later goes on to write a book about the team where he christens them "The Justice League". Anyway, we also get a look at Apokalips, as Batman manages to help free Superman from Desaad and Steppenwolf. Cyborg uses his powers to open a boom tube for Superman and Batman to emerge from, and Superman takes on a weakened Darkseid, thanks to Wonder Woman and Aquaman, and pushes Darkseid into the Boom Tube, which Cyborg then disables. Somehow that sends Darkseid and ALL the Parademons away, even though that makes no sense, he also manages to short out all of their mother boxes so they won't return for a while. He's pretty adept with his powers for a guy that literally was a normal teenager playing football like two hours ago. The issue ends with the Superheroes being thanked by the president then called on to save the world again. Yawn.


Thoughts: I'm not going to lie, I gave this a very half-assed review, and as much as I want to blame it on being tired from work, the truth is this issue just sucked. I mean, there is no way this group should have been able to beat Darkseid at their current incarnation. They barely worked together, Cyborg was such a rookie he should've never been able to do half the things he did, we got a awesome glimpse of the old school Wonder Woman and they ruined it by giving her an epic page to herself and having her say "HA!" as she stabbed Darkseid in the eye. That irked me so much that I can't even explain it. Add that in with the fact Batman barely did a damn thing and you get a really crappy comic. The sad thing is Geoff is doing excellent on Green Lantern and Aquaman, but for some reason he sucks on this book. Maybe he can't write so many characters at once, because some people have like four lines at most in this issue. (Aquaman, I'm looking at you!) I'll have to see the next line up for this upcoming arc because I'm not sure I can keep spending money on this book, hell, I may have to adopt X's Brightest Day Rules for the next issue. If there was a plus here I guess the fact that Jim Lee is an amazing artist would be it.

Score: 3 out of 10.
Green Lantern: I don't wear a costume. This is my uniform.
Aquaman: And this is Atlantean Scale Mail. Do they think I'd choose orange?

JT's Take: Justice League #5

Hey everyone, JT here, formerly of Jason Todd's Comic Spot, and currently the new co-writer here at X-Man's Comic Blog. I'm not gonna bore you guys with a long intro, I'm just gonna say how cool it is to be writing at my buddy's blog and I hope any of you who aren't familiar with my reviews or style enjoy my write-ups. I'll try to review books I know Ol' X isn't reviewing as not to clash but I may review the same books time to time and see where X and I agree or disagree. (Probably the latter.) So let's get down to business with my first review here. Oh and for those not familiar with my posts, the dialogue at the end of each review is my pick for line of the issue.

Justice League #5

Summary: For those not in the know, the last four issues of Justice League have centered around Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Faux, I mean Flash, and Green Lantern and the newly turned Cyborg...er.. Cyborg, all joining together just in time to face the invading threat known as Darkseid. In this issue we basically saw the team attack and fail miserably with Darkseid using his Omega Beams to take out Superman, but The Flash escaped them by phasing through a Parademon and letting that take the blast. After seeing Superman get taken away by the Parademons, Batman has a talk with Green Lantern where he tells Lantern to think and stop attacking so headstrong without having a plan, and says the two of them are alike. Hal doesn't agree with him so Bruce unmasks and says he's Bruce Wayne and gives his whole backstory for some odd reason before literally putting his arms up so the Parademons come grab him and take him away so he can save Superman. Green Lantern takes his advice and tries to rally Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Cyborg as they head off to take on Darkseid once again, meanwhile Bruce crosses through the Boom Tube to Apokalips as this issue comes to a close.



Thoughts: First things first, It was cool seeing Hal stand up to Darkseid over and over. It was cooler seeing him get his ass handed to him, I mean between this and Green Lantern, Hal's life has gotta suck because he's getting beat down physically, verbally or mentally all the time, and since he comes off as such an ass you can't help but to enjoy it. As for this issue, I liked some stuff like Flash dodging the Omega beam and Jim Lee's art is always great, but that's where it stops for me. I mean what the hell, there's two things Batman never does and that's kill, and reveal his identity to people he barely knows/trusts. Everyone knows that, but for some reason Geoff Johns seems to not. I mean think about it, he's banging Catwoman with his mask on. His former Boy Wonder, Red Robin, still hasn't told any of the Teen Titans who he is, yet meanwhile Bruce is not only taking off his cowl, but saying his damn name (how did Hal NOT know who Bruce Wayne is?!) as well as running around in the middle of the damn city with no cowl but still wearing the bat-suit! I know the planet is under attack by Darkseid but does that mean you just say to hell with the whole Secret Identity thing?! That irked me a lot, and rightfully so because it was SO out of character for Bruce. That aside this comic wasn't that enjoyable, the team just doesn't seem like a team, it seems like a book revolving around Flash, GL and Batman with three lines a piece for Cyborg, Wonder Woman and Aquaman. I'm trying to give this series a chance but considering Batman's recklessness in this issue I just ended up more annoyed than anything.

Score: 3.5 out of 10.
 Batman: My name is Bruce Wayne.
Hal Jordan: Who the hell is Bruce Wayne?
(That's like me not knowing who Donald Trump is... he's a basketball player right?)