Brian Michael Bendis makes his (official) debut on Superman with this week’s relaunch of the hero’s main title. It has been a long-awaited debut as the past couple of months DC has been promoting this story with “BENDIS IS COMING” ads. Now he's here and paired with Ivan Reis. So, does this issue live up to the hype? For the most part, yeah, it does! It’s everything you would expect from a good Bendis book - and some bad things you would expect.
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With the announcement that Brian Michael Bendis will be writing the forthcoming Superman titles starting with The Man of Steel, I would say most people wanted to check out The Man of Steel first before diving into his Superman or Action Comics. The reason being, so people can get a taste as to how Bendis will handle Superman. Now that The Man of Steel has ended, fans will either feel a need to continue with Bendis’ Superman, feel let down, or feel indifferent about everything. With that said, I would have to go with the latter.
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The Man of Steel has been showcasing an array of all-star artists and issue number five is no exception as artist Adam Hughes steps up to the plate. Unfortunately, this is not one of Hughes’ best work and it is not one of the best issues either.
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This summer, Walmart shoppers will receive a personal invitation to discover the lore behind their favorite DC experiences as DC Entertainment announced today that a series of “giant” monthly comics will be sold exclusively in more than 3,000 participating Walmart stores around the country.
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By the second or third issue of a comic, fans should get a feel as to whether they want to continue buying the series. This is even truer when it comes to a mini-series since fans will decide fast if they want to drop the comic because if it doesn’t grab their attention quickly, then there is little hope that it will later. So, is The Man of Steel #2 worth reading?
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The long ongoing debate about which superhero beats the other can easily get people’s knickers in a twist, and regardless of the endless cases made for each side, die-hard fans are not easily swayed and would much rather go at each other’s throat than to betray their favourite superhero. So, of course, I am aware that I won’t be putting an end to this debate today, but that’s the fun of it, because what’s better than engaging in some playful banter about fictional figures that do not exist?
Read MoreThe Man of Steel meets his ultimate match when Doomsday comes to Earth – hell bent on destroying everything and everyone in his path, including the Justice League – in the all-new, action-packed The Death of Superman, part of the popular series of DC Universe Movies. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment, the feature-length animated film arrives from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital starting July 24, 2018, and on Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD August 7, 2018.
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I love Superman. Plain and simple. When I was a kid, I only really liked him because, well, I was a kid, and he was a superhero. The superhero. And, for a few teenage years, I didn’t like him for all of the easy, low hanging fruit reasons to dislike him. He’s too strong. He’s boring. His one weakness is too readily available. Blah blah blah. But, when I finally sat down and actually read books like Superman: Birthright, Superman: Secret Identity, Kingdom Come, and All-Star Superman, I quickly came to love him for everything he truly embodies. So, you better believe I was hyped when I found out that, among other things, Rebirth meant the original Superman was returning to the limelight. Now, just a couple of weeks ago Action Comics #1000 came out and paid thorough homage to the legacy of the Man of Steel. Admittedly, I stopped reading Action Comics after a couple of months, mainly because I found the other Clark Kent (when that was still a thing) to be insufferable. However, I absolutely picked up that issue, and it was fantastic. So, I am kind of surprised to see Action Comics Special #1 come out this week. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems a bit strange, maybe even pointless, to release a special right after the infinitely more special 1000th issue.
Read MoreFinally. This is a word to describe the first story in DC’s anthology sampler in time for free comic book day. The trouble with this book though is it is a luxury item if you try to get it during free comic book day as it is the very large cost of 25 cents. Is it worth it? Beyond a doubt. If this review factored in price, then this will easily be a perfect score. This review does not, and instead will look at all three stories and grade them individually before the big reveal for the score of this issue!! (spoiler this issue is a 4/5).
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Hope is important, it pushes us towards something better, and it can make a meaningless life meaningful. We hope for a better future, but we also, as poet Robert Frost points out, hope that the past turned out all right for what it was.
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Industry icon Frank Miller continues his long-standing relationship with DC as a five-project deal is announced today by DC Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee.
Amongst the planned releases from the legendary writer/artist is a forthcoming graphic novel starring Carrie Kelley, whom Miller created for the genre-defining series BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. Marking Miller’s first-ever foray into storytelling for young readers, the new graphic novel will feature illustrations by artist Ben Caldwell (PREZ).
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DC Black Label, a new publishing imprint from DC Entertainment, gives premier talent the opportunity to expand upon the canon of DC’s iconic Super Hero comic book characters with unique, standalone stories that are outside of the current DC Universe continuity. An all-star lineup of creative teams will craft their own personal definitive DC stories in the tradition of compelling literary works like BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE, DC: THE NEW FRONTIER and WATCHMEN.
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The creative talent of ACTION COMICS writer Dan Jurgens and the SUPERMAN team of Patrick Gleason and Peter J. Tomasi have brought legions of Superman fans story after story filled with action, humor, emotion and candor--traits that have continued to present Superman as an enduring symbol of hope, optimism, truth and justice. This May, the conclusions to their epic runs serve as the centerpieces of two special one-shot issues.
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DC is going all-out to celebrate the one-thousandth issue of ACTION COMICS—the longest continually published comic book of its kind in history, the series that introduced Superman to the world and the title that launched the superhero genre. The Jim Lee-drawn cover features a new costume that integrates a variety of classic and new elements, including the Man of Steel’s trademark red trunks.
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Comic book characters have been a big part of people’s lives since early childhood, whether they realize it or not. They also may not have been introduced through the medium of comic books either, as these characters have gone on to excel in other areas too. There have been a vast amount of TV shows, films and various games based on the likes of Superman, Batman, and Spiderman over the years; so you could say it’s games in their various forms, where comic book characters have really hit dizzy heights.
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It’s December, so that means ‘tis the season for holiday specials like this one, and ‘tis the season for starting reviews off with the phrase “’tis the season.” In the wake of Rebirth last year, I was looking forward to DC’s DC Rebirth Holiday Special #1. It seemed like a great way to celebrate the season and the overall success of the relaunch. Unfortunately, if my LCS had gotten any copies (I didn’t ask, but I’m sure they did), they’d sold out of them before I got there. This was also before I started reviewing for Comic Bastards (if only barely), so I didn’t have access to any review copies. Oh well, I told myself, and I figured it maybe wouldn’t have turned out to be that good of a read anyway. In retrospect, that seems like an unnecessarily sour attitude to take during the most wonderful time of the year. And, the best way I can think of to make up for that is to take an optimistic look at DC Holiday Special 2017 #1.
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During DC’s kick off “Meet the Publishers” panel at New York Comic Con today, Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee announced there will be a star-studded celebration to commemorate the 1000th issue of ACTION COMICS, the longest running and first-ever superhero comic to reach 1000! The Publishers also revealed a new commemorative logo for the celebration.
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I remember having some particular interest in Trinity when I was first looking over DC's new releases that would be launching with Rebirth. I couldn't tell you exactly why, though the promise of a book focusing specifically on the dynamics between Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman intrigued me. I now know there had previously been an ongoing weekly book with the same name and conceit, but at the time, I was easily hooked by a novelty I somehow hadn't really ever considered. I read the first six issues before stopping, mainly because I'd managed to fall behind in my reading after around Trinity #3. I didn't really want to play that much catch-up, so I opted to just finish up the first story arc and leave it at that. I enjoyed the book enough (I even briefly considered reversing my earlier decision and checking my LCS for back issues), but ultimately I decided that treating those first six issues like something of a limited series was enough for me. And then, this annual cropped up. After some slight deliberation, I decided I might as well let it be the final say in whether or not I picked up the main book again.
Read MoreWell, I finally fucking got it! I don't know what the hold up was, possibly the Dungeon and Dragons hoodie I didn't get, but hey... no wait that sounds great. Oh well, the rest is pretty baller too. I'm a huge fan of the Loot Wears so I'll take'em when I can. Check it out and check out this week's podcast to see an explanation of the weirdness of this one and why it's all rushed. Back to normal next time.
Read MoreThe theme this month should have been "comic books" since it was all comic book stuff... plus Mario Bros. because it's not a Loot Crate without something from Nintendo being in it. I think my favorite crate was last month because there wasn't any Nintendo shit in it. Anyway, you'd think that this one would be custom made for me but as usual, there was just that weird, dated bit of nerdom to this. A tiki glass? What the fuck am I going to do with that? I'm not going to collect them all that's for sure. A replica of Captain America's shield from the first Captain America film... that's the worst of the three! And it's the fake one he used for the play! Anyway, there was some okay stuff and some "what the fuck do I do with this" stuff. I am looking forward to the Loot Wear edition.
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