The TALKING COMICS REVIEW ROUND-UP

Every week, the Talking Comics collective posts a mega-list of the comics they’re most excited to pull off the shelves that week. Check back here to see if the comics on the Pull List met the team’s expectations with reviews and quippy quotables!!! Click the links to go to full reviews and reflections!!!

Also, check out our weekly Favorite Comic Book Covers of the Week column for more coverage of last week’s new books!

Reviews for New Comics – June 1st, 2016

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BOOM! STUDIOS

Power Rangers: Pink #1 – By Brenden Fletcher & Kelly Thompson, Art by Daniele De Nicuolo & Sarah Stern

• Verdict: Buy it. Guys, it’s Brenden Fletcher and Kelly Thompson writing the Pink Ranger, and they’re obvious fans of the original series. It’s the Kimberly we’ve always deserved. – Angela

[Editor’s Note: Our very own Angela Fowler had the opportunity to read and review this book early! Check out her positive review and read her thoughts on why you should BUY THIS BOOK!]

DC COMICS

Batman Rebirth #1 – By Tom King w/ Scott Snyder & Mikel Janin

• Verdict: Buy it – This issue didn’t play out the way I expected, but that’s not me saying that it’s bad, not at all! There’s no obvious ties here to what we read in DC Universe Rebirth #1, instead laying the foundation for what I expect we’ll see in terms of tone and foundation once the Batman book proper hits the shops. So if you haven’t read this yet, keep that in mind and I’m sure it’ll help you enjoy it more. If this is the tone we can expect from Tom King’s Batman going forward, I am in! It keeps the lighter tone of the last few issues of Scott Snyder’s run and arguably brings it up further, with some really fun, pithy and dry one-liners. Bruce Wayne training by dangling off a Wayne Corp building helipad whilst chatting to Lucius Fox was very amusing. I won’t spoil it but what they do with Calendar Man here is very interesting and a cool new take on the character. I’m also very interested to see what role ‘We Are Robin’ alumni Duke Thomas takes on going forward. BRING ON BATMAN #1 – Huw 

  

• Verdict: Buy it – I think it’s fair to say that the tallest order of the DC Rebirth launch falls on the heads of the creative team for this book. Snyder and Capullo’s run is hailed by many to be one of the best Batman runs in DC’s long-standing history of the character. With that in mind, what do King, Janin, and the rest of the team bring to the Dark Knight’s legacy in this debut issue? For me, this felt like somewhat of a quiet opening, despite having a fair amount of action and explosions to brighten up the comic book page. I adore the fact that Duke remains an important part of the Batverse, and looks to be working alongside Bruce in this new iteration. That alone might get me to add this book to my pull list, but what about the rest of it? I thought it was a bit bizarre that King chose The Calendar Man as the first villain to be introduced, but as I turned the page, I grew to admire the choice to use a C to D list nemesis as opposed to one of the bigger bads. Also, that deal with his body aging as the seasons pass and then being reborn, nice touch!  Artfully speaking, I think Janin’s style on this book is an interesting touch. Because let’s face facts, those Bat-abs, okay? Something tells me that those claiming DC’s comic book pages are too “male-gazey” will have little to say about this particular issue. Anyhow, I’ll be checking out King’s Batman for at least a little bit to see how things shape up. In fact, the only reason I’m still on the fence is because of the double-shipping hoo-hah that DC plans to roll out. Between this and Snyder’s upcoming title, I just don’t know that I need both titles in my life, you know? – Steve

Green Arrow Rebirth #1 – By Benjamin Percy & Otto Schmidt

• Verdict: Buy It – Oliver Queen once again has a goatee….I’m sorry did you need some other reason to buy this book?  Benjamin Percy and Otto Schmidt bring the Emerald Archer to vibrant life by refusing to ignore the parts of the character that have been all but forgotten in the last five years. While some of the dialogue might have been a little on the nose (do we really need to call Ollie a Social Justice Warrior twice?) I think the spirit and tone of this new Green Arrow is right on the money.   Add to this the wonderful interaction between Mr. Queen and Ms. Lance and you have my first surprising standout of the new Rebirth universe.
• Verdict: BUY. Green Arrow Rebirth #1 does hit some first-issue snags in both the dialogue and visual departments, but overall it’s an enjoyable and entertaining (re)introduction to the world of Oliver Queen. The real draw here is the reunion of Ollie and Dinah, and Benjamin Percy and Otto Schmidt do a wonderful job of bringing them back together in an action-packed, socially-aware fashion that stays true to the core of their beloved backstories. – Joey

[Editor’s note: Check out Joey’s full review of Green Arrow Rebirth here!!!]

Superman Rebirth #1 – By Peter J. Tomasi, Art by Doug Mahnke & Jaime Mendoza

• Verdict: Wait and see – There might have been a little too much going on in this first issue for me to be comfortable with adding this title to my pull list. It’s a lot of diving into the past and re-capping of events from recent issues. While it might be nice to get all of that out of the way – so as to launch into brave new territories in the issues to follow – I’m just not feeling it, yet. Honestly, I think that if this book was about passing the torch to Ms. Lang, having her become a new Superwoman, I’d be a lot more interested. I will say this, though. That strange smile on Superman’s face featured in the final panel of the book has me curious. What is he up to? My gut is telling me to stick with this title, even if my first impressions of it are mixed. If nothing else, my faith in Tomasi’s writing might get me to check out the next issue or two. – Steve  

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Control #1 (of 6) – By Andy Diggle & Angela Cruickshank, Art by Andrea Mutti & Vladimir Popov 

• Verdict: BUY. Stunningly rendered, Control #1 is a brutal, gritty bit of noir crime fiction. A case gone wrong DC Metro Detective-Sergeant Kate Burnham takes her down a rabbithole of political corruption, violence, and painfully personal loss. Diggle & Cruickshank craft a dynamic and powerful protagonist in Burnham and the artwork from Mutti & Popov is simply dazzling. Fans of crime-procedurals, check this one out! – Joey

MARVEL COMICS

Civil War II #1 – By Brian Michael Bendis & David Marquez

• Verdict: Check it out – I have hugely mixed feelings about this issue, sadly I can’t explore them fully as they go into spoiler territory. At first I was taken in by the moral debate that takes place early on, although I’m really not convinced that Captain Marvel’s stance here is in keeping with her character, even after factoring in her work with The Ultimates. It all gets a bit too doom and gloom towards the end for my liking, with the end looking very dire and set to get even worse going forward. That being said it’s very well written and a gorgeous book to look at. I certainly won’t stop reading this, but carrying on may well be down to morbid curiosity. – Huw

Spider-Women Event Omega – By Dennis Hopeless & Nico Leon 

• Verdict: Buy it–and the trade, too, once it comes out! A perfect wrap-up for a perfectly wonderful event; the multi-title story comes to a satisfying conclusion, with each heroine having an impact on the denouement, and each in her own signature style. As has been every issue of the entire tale, this finale is chock-a-block with action, humour, and heart, and an absolute delight–Bob

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And that’s our Pull List for this week!!! If you happen to pick up any of these books, please join the conversation here or on twitter and let us know what you think! As we update the site with reviews and verdicts on these comics, we’d love to include your input!

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