#Ape-Ril Special

[browsethestacks]

Ape-Ril Special #01 (2024)

Art by Dan Mora, Bernard Chang And Hayden Sherman

[smashpages]

DC’s Ape-ril Special (DC, March 2024) variant cover by Bernard Chang

[geekcavepodcast]

DC Comics' "Ape-ril Special" Goes on Sale in March 2024

DC Comics has announced a special ape-centric adventure for 2024. Ape-ril Special #1 will feature stories from writers John Layman, Joshua Hale Fialkov, and Gene Yang and art from artists Karl Mostert, Phil Hester, and Bernard Chang.

As per DC Comics, "Gorilla Grodd's recent incarcer-ape-tion in the pages of DC’s The Flash comic book series has left a void that Monsieur Mallah is more than happy to fill. Ape-sembling a group of the DCU’s most sinister simians, Mallahforms the Legion of D(oo-oo-ah-ah)m, with an eye toward worlddomin-ape-tion. But the world won’t be conquered that easily! Enter the all-ape JUNGLE L(ee-ee)gue. Can this team of hero-eekanthropoids be the salv-ape-tion we need, or will Mallah’s team of maniacal monkeys bring forth the ape-pocalypse?"

Ape-ril Special #1, featuring a main cover by Dan Mora, a variant cover by Bernard Chang, and a "Banana Scent variant cover by Hayden Sherman, goes on sale on March 19, 2024.

(Image via DC Comics - Dan Mora's Cover of Ape-ril Special #1)

[evilhorse]

Ape-ril Special #1

[havendance]

New Comics

(At least I got this out before this Tuesday)

Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville #2

Still fun, I thought it was less funny than the last issue, but Maxie Zeus showed up so it was still a total win.

Ape-ril Special #1

(Look, I've been busy...) The main story was fun enough. I enjoyed all the monkey puns. Compared to the two shorter stories though, it just didn't pack the same punch. I really like the Detective Chimp story. Phil Hester's pencils were a great fit. Gene Luen Yang's Monkey Prince was a delightful little epilogue. Always fun to read.

Shazam #10

I decided to start picking this one up with Campbell's run starting since I'm really looking forward to #11 and this did not disappoint! Very fun. I love the Shaz-van. I love that it has a wizard airbrushed on the side. My only nitpick is that I think Sha-van rolls off the tongue more easily. This issue did some cool stuff with the layout of the two page spread and the lettering to fit with the plot.

Birds of Prey #8

This one's going under the cut...

This issue just felt weaker than the last one.

We'll start with what I liked: Jordie Bellaire's colors were killing it as always. The emerging Megaera and Sin dynamic was the highlight of the issue. Also, all the background extras in the crowd scenes had such fun designs. Kudos to Pina for that.

And then there's what I didn't like as much. I was disappointed but not surprised to see that Barbara was back as Batgirl for this issue, just in time to get kidnapped. As I've said before, Barbara as Batgirl is a character that I just don't really care about. When she said she was staying back last issue only to rush right in as soon as things started to go wrong, I could help but think that there are other ways she could've handled the situation. You didn't need to have her be Batgirl to get kidnapped. It could've been that the fashion show stuff was a distraction and the birds came back to find that Barbara was gone or something. It'd be one thing if this whole arc were leading up to some form of Barbara being Oracle more full time since we keep getting hit with her getting in trouble as Batgirl, but I'm having trouble rustling up the opt ism for that at this point. I think I'm back on the fence as to whether I'm going to keep picking up this series.

Other things: Pina felt a lot weaker on the fight scenes than Romero did which was another contributing factor to this issue feeling weaker. Finally, I'm a little on the fence about the stuff with Barda, but I think they did mange to thread to needle of 'fun' rather than 'needlessly sexy' in the end.

[dispatchdcu]

Ape-ril Special #1 Preview

Ape-ril Special #1 Preview #aperilspecial #ape #dccomicsspecial #dccomics #comics #comicbooks #news #DCEU #dcuuniverse #art #info #NCBD #Amazon #comicbooknews #previews #reviews

Ape-ril Special #1 Preview: CAUTION: An ape-surd amount of bad ape puns are incoming. Please be ape-vised. Gorilla Grodd’s recent incarcer-ape-tion in the pages of The Flash has left a void that Monsieur Mallah is more than happy to fill. Ape-sembling a group of the DCU’s most sinister simians, Mallah forms the Legion of D(oo-oo-ah-ah)m, with an eye toward world domin-ape-tion. But the world…

[jaclynhyde]

dc comics, or: how i learned to stop worrying and love the apes

[why-i-love-comics]

Ape-ril Special #1 - "Plan of the Apes" (2024)

written by John Layman art by Karl Mostert & David Baron

[thesparkwhowalks]

A somewhat Sherlock Holmes themed chimpanzee detective teaming up with a Sam Spade themed gorilla detective. Goddamn it, I love comic books

(DC Comics Ape-ril Special #1)

[artverso]

Dan Mora - Ape Ril Special

[browsethestacks]

Ape-Ril Special #01 (2024)

Art by Dan Mora

[smashpages]

DC’s Ape-ril Special (DC, March 2024) variant cover by Hayden Sherman

[augustheart]

realized i never posted this. here's all the comics i read for the first time in 2024, not including my dnf list.

asterisks denote ongoings and were deleted once the comic concluded. you can kinda see where i lost momentum around... idk, july, maybe? partially due to mental health issues. you can also see where i would get caught up in a specific universe and start going wild.

full list is below the cut as well:

Doctor Mid-nite (1999)

Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye (2016)

Cave Carson Has An Interstellar Eye (2018)

Speed Force (2023)

Wesley Dodds: The Sandman (2023)

The Ray (2012)

Vertigo Visions: The Geek (1993)

Vertigo Visions: Dr. Thirteen (1998)

Vertigo Visions: Tomahawk (1998)

Terror Titans (2008)

Terra (2009)

Nights (2023)*

Spider-Punk (2022)

Triumph (1995)

Anarky (1997)

Anarky (1999)

Jay Garrick: The Flash (2023)

A-Force (2015)

Vertigo Visions: Doctor Occult (1994)

Blood and Water (2003)

Midnight, Mass (2002)

Midnight, Mass: Here There Be Monsters (2004)

Prez (2015)

Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles (2018)

Angeltown (2005)

Vertigo Voices: The Eaters (1995)

The Books of Magic (1990)

The Trenchcoat Brigade (1999)

Mystik U (2017)

Books of Magic (2018)

Day of Judgement Secret Files (1999)

JLA: Black Baptism (2001)

Mister E (1991)

Vertigo Secret Files: Hellblazer (2000)

Hellblazer/The Books of Magic (1997)

The Sandman Universe (2018)

The Flintstones (2016)

4 Kids Walk Into A Bank (2016)

What’s The Furthest Place From Here? (2021)*

Break Out (2022)

Mouse Guard (2005)

Alan Scott: The Green Lantern (2023)

DC Power (2024)

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen (2019)

The Red Circle: The Web (2009)

The Red Circle: The Shield (2009)

The Red Circle: The Hangman (2009)

The Red Circle: The Inferno (2009)

The Web (2009)

The Shield (2009)

The Mighty Crusaders (2010)

The Mighty Crusaders: The Lost Crusade (2015)

New Crusaders: Rise of the Heroes (2012)

New Crusaders: Dark Tomorrow (2015)

The Mighty Crusaders (2017)

Archie’s Superteens Versus Crusaders (2018)

The Fox (2013)

The Fox (2015)

The Pride (2014)

The Fox: Family Values (2022)

The Pride Season Two (2019)

Soul Kiss (2009)

Hopeless Savages (2001)

Spider-Punk: Arms Race (2024)*

Arrowsmith (2003)

Arrowsmith: Behind Enemy Lines (2022)

Astro City: That Was Then… (2022)

Final Crisis Aftermath: Run! (2009)

Blacksad: Somewhere Within the Shadows (2000) [as Blacksad (2010)]

Blacksad: Arctic Nation (2002) [as Blacksad (2010)]

Blacksad: Red Soul (2005) [as Blacksad (2010)]

Blacksad: A Silent Hell (2012)

Blacksad: Amarillo (2014)

Blacksad: They All Fall Down (2021)

Suicide Squad: Dream Team (2024)

Batman/Dylan Dog (2024)

The Wrong Earth: Dead Ringers (2024)*

Project: Cryptid (2023)*

Justice Society of America (2022)

DC’s Ape-ril Special (2024)

Sandman Mystery Theatre (1993)

Sandman Midnight Theatre (1995)

Deadweights (2024)

DC’s Spring Breakout (2024)

DV8 vs Black Ops (1997)

21 Down (2002)

DC Pride 2024 (2024)

WildStorm Thunderbook (2000)

DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack

Venom: Separation Anxiety (2024)*

Sabrina (2018)

The Weatherman (2018)

The Weatherman (2019)

The Weatherman (2024)

The X-Files/Transformers: Conspiracy (2014)

Xombi (1994)

Absolute Power (2024)

Local Man (2023)*

Local Man: Gold (2023)

Local Man: Bad Girls (2024)

Absolute Power: Task Force VII (2024)

Superman Y2K (2000)

Multiversus: Collision Detected (2024)*

DC’s I Know What You Did Last Crisis (2024)

DC All-In Special (2024)

Absolute Batman (2024)*

DC Horror Presents… (2024)*

Absolute Wonder Woman (2024)*

JSA (2024)*

Absolute Superman (2024)*

Black Lightning (2024)*

The Question: All Along the Watchtower (2024)*

[zahri-melitor]

Best DC Comics of 2024:

In terms of what I have read that came out in 2024, I do have some decided opinions, so let’s get to it.

Best ongoing of the year: Shazam!

I suspect this isn’t a huge surprise to people who follow me, but the end of Waid’s run and handing over to Campbell for most of the year, was extremely smooth and continued to make this title a highlight for me every month. It was constantly fun, while not neglecting focusing on the complicated emotions and dynamics of a foster family.

Best mini or maxi of the year: The Boy Wonder

Timingwise a lot of minis ran over the end of 2023 into 2024, which makes this call a little harder than it could be – I was hoping to be able to clearly divide 2023 minis from 2024 minis, but a bunch of serious candidates (the three JSA minis, Fire & Ice, etc) ran about evenly in both years.

However in the end Juni Ba definitely outflanked everyone else in terms of both writing and art style, creating a simple answer. The transformation of Damian’s history into a folk tale that felt like a piece of mythology, playing up the demonic elements, was a gorgeous approach to softening and clarifying a story that felt true to the core of Damian and his relationships with others, even if it didn’t always match exact details.

An honourable mention to The Bat-Man: First Knight, which I feel has been slept on by a bunch of people, but took a loving interrogative eye to turning one of Bruce’s earliest stories into a period piece with modern sensibilities.

Best anthology of the year: Ape-ril Special

This is a completely unexpected pick for me, because I originally cringed even at the concept, but in a year of generally underwhelming anthology oneshots, the apes had the most consistent quality stories and used a variety of characters on theme in ways I enjoyed.  My runner up is probably DC’s Spring Breakout!

Best event title of the year: Absolute Power: Task Force VII

This is just me having to choose between Amazon Attacks and Absolute Power: Task Force VII.

Both books were better than the events deserved them to be, but I’ve given the edge to Task Force VII as I’m getting really fond of DC’s approach of an anthology title during a big event that goes around and surveys what different groups are doing.

Best oneshot of the year: Poison Ivy/Swamp Thing: Feral Trees

This was exactly my thing, written by someone with a good grasp on both characters, and which really highlighted all of the Swamp Thing-like things Wilson’s been doing with Poison Ivy while also displaying the differences between the characters.

[superheroes-or-whatever]

Ape-Ril Special (2024)

[cybercitycomix]

Top New DC Comic Releases for the Week of March 20th, 2024.

Ape-Ril Special #1,

Batman 89 Echoes #2,

Batman Superman Worlds Finest #25,

Catwoman #63,

Green Lantern War Journal #7,

Justice Society of America #9,

Nightwing #112,

Superman #12,

Titans #9 +

Wonder Woman #7.