#DC Comics News Reviews

[dccomicsnews]

Review: I Am Batman #15

Review: I Am Batman #15

Review: I Am Batman #15 [Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers] Writer: John Ridley Artists: Karl Mostert Colors: Romulo Fajardo Jr. Letters: Troy Peteri Reviewed By: Derek McNeil Summary I Am Batman #15: A Dark Crisis tie-in issue! When Jon Kent first asked Jace Fox to join the new Justice League the answer was a firm “no”. But as Deathstroke and the Legion of Doom hunt the heroes of…

[sylvieserene]

My thoughts on Primer: Clashing Colors #1 - "Color Me Impressed" (2024)

This was a comic I was waiting a long time for and was super excited about its story. Not because omg New character, Primer!! Nah, because of Teen Titans lol

That too the TEEN TITANS ANIMATED SERIES 2003

I seriously had high hopes for this comic but let's just say I'm disappointed.

Without getting into spoilers,

The writing is just meh at best. Primer is fleshed out decently but the writing for TT03 cast is horrendous at worst and ooc at best.

This comic also suffers from the "Telling but not showing" problem, similar to Nightwing (2016) comic by Taylor.

It's clear that the writers prefered Primer but it's almost like they didn't really do much research over the Titans' personality and that was of less priority. They act a lot like their TTG! (2013) Counterparts rather than TT03 characters. Even the humour is similar to TTG! (2013) and not the original show unlike what was being advertised.

As a Primer comic, it gets the job done and highlights her nicely but as a teen titans fan who was looking forward for the TT content rather than Primer, it's pretty disappointing and saddening.

⚠️ Now getting into spoilers ⚠️

(click off if you want to or scroll down to the end if you wanna skip and basically go to the summary)

The introduction to Primer is pretty decent and I think it does a decent job and blooming her personality.

I believe most of you here must have seen this particular panel in the teasers before the comic's release. It catches the TT03 essence nicely but this is where characterisation jumps in.

As I said Primer as a character isn't of concern to me but as a TT fan, TT is.

So here's where things went downhill in characterisation and character consistency.

You are saying Slade came out in the open, got unmasked and it's of NO big deal to Robin?

Lemme rephrase this to you; Slade, the evil mastermind, who never does anything without a reason and NEVER leaves his basement other than the reason for kidnapping children, touched grass and came out at day and Robin is unphased? It doesn't make ANY sense.

Even more so, when the story tries to pretend it's on purpose.

Slade was NEVER unmasked other than that skull reveal scene and that one Easter egg from TTG! 2003 spin off comics. So the fact, this scene was displayed as something comical is genuinely baffling. The Titans KNOW he doesn't get caught unless there's a catch. This part makes absolutely zero sense.

Then this part ...

The problem with this part is, characterisation. BB debatably acts like himself but Raven? No. It's ooc for her to go "Awww :D" like that. If anything, the best possibility is that she'll say the same line but she'll say it with full and utter sarcasm.

I think most BBRAE fans will agree with me on this one but they both had romantic POTENTIAL but they weren't anything other than good pals in the show. And we haven't gotten any hint at their relationship even in the spin off comics which were canon to show. Which in simpler terms means, this is ooc. Most of the development BBRae can have is after the show and after they get older. But the comic claims they are same Titans who haven't aged a day thus THIS IS OUT OF CHARACTER FOR RAVEN TO SAY!

Raven is a gloomy, sarcastic character who doesn't express what she feels instantly or openly, it would have made a lot more sense if she said the same line sarcastically (where she could blush implying a subtext incase they really wanted to insert BBRae but not making too obvious)

It really makes no sense for her character as depicted in TT03 to suddenly melt at the idea BB giving her tulips if it is the same Raven from TT03. Raven isn't that stereotypical girl character. She's a reserved and introverted person who was still learning to open up even to the series very end.

If this is the TT we know and love, this can't be her.

I'm not bashing the ship btw, I'm bashing the writing. Atleast be faithful to the character's personality while doing fan service!!

If you say, it's the same people who haven't aged a day since the last time you met. You can't have it be that oh yk they changed. Both the statements can't be true at the same time.

Then this scene:

This scene looks straight up from TTG. Back to making Robin dumb af and the team bashing him into normalcy. I'm tired of this trope like jeez, TT ROBIN WAS NOT LIKE THAT!!!

Infact if anything, "Can we just call it 'the battery'?" Line is something BB would say not Raven. Also Starfire getting mad at Robin for saying a long name and rolling eyes? She would never. Robin taught her earth customs and language patiently. If anything, she's that one person who would never eye roll on Robin even if he says something dumb. If it's the same Starfire from TT03 AS ADVERTISED.

Then there's this panel....

Two things, Robin never had a car in TT03. He had a bike named R-Cycle. Second, Starfire always carried Robin while Beast Boy carried Cyborg as a Pterodactyl. The Titan with a car was Cyborg. And when the car was out, everyone rode the car instead of taking the skies. Why the hell would Cyborg be carried out by Starfire when the car is right there??? It makes no sense.

It's incredibly strange how the writer is going long lengths to not make the two (Robin and Starfire) even merely interact with eachother.

How hard is it to just be canon accurate? These are stuff you catch on literally one rewatch. Did the writers not even do that or did they go with fanon or what they remembered from their childhood or like spent 5 mins trying to remember the characters through YT shorts and called it a day?

Like this is the only time they technically look at eachother to talk anything other than business:

Then coming back to Slade, I said the story tries to pretend it was all on purpose.

This further proves that this Slade isnt the same evil mastermind we knew of. This is some other guy.

Then this,

Yk what the awful part is? This . This isn't something you would see in TT03 or anything similar. This is simply something you can expect to see in a fan comic.

And wanna know what's worse? Ravager already existed in TT03 verse except she was Rose Wilson not this guy. This simply just means the writers didn't even BOTHER doing minimum research on the show beforing stamping in characters.

========================================

SPOILERS END!!!

Like I am genuinely lacking words as to describe this mess of a Teen Titans 2003 representation. This isn't them at all.

If anything, this isn't anything like they promoted and advertised. If anything, this is simply a TT03 AU which has nothing to do with the show.

It's neither faithful to the show nor the characters nor the established canon.

If anything, this feels like a shameless cash grab..ik some of y'all be mad at me for saying this but yeah. That is what this is.

If anything, it feels like a clickbait way to get people to Primer without actually bothering to respect that clickbait through which you are trying to pull people in.

It's shameful and disappointing and if I'm being honest, this got boring fast. I didn't enjoy it at all.

The writers prioritised cheap comedy and Primer over the Titans who are apparently a big part of her journey. They didn't even feel hesitant in making all the characters go ooc. The story itself is pretty bland and not interesting and genuinely nothing unique about it other than the Titans who apparently were TT03 as left on the final episode.

Anyway, this feels like an AU TT03 self insert OC fan comic at best or a version of TT based on TTG 2013. Frankly, it has the humor and characterization of TTG. Infact, I think this can totally work out as a 'tame' episode in TTG.

Introduction of Primer to TT and her demeanor to them to get along and on the team gave off Massive Terra vibes, it's almost like the writers got heavily inspired from it.

Tldr, the characterisation and characters of TT aren't like their TT03 counterpart but rather TTG one with a lot more grounded personalities. They often go ooc and say things which they won't say if we went with TT03 canonicity. Deathstroke is basically a joke now. The story itself is boring and uninteresting and doesn't make me like Primer any better. The comic falsely promotes this as the TT03 version even though this is, at best, a TT universe maybe inspired by the 2003 show but not the 2003 show. It's closer to 2013 one.

Personally, I'm severely disappointed and I'm gonna say it again, this is a total cashgrab and not worth reading.

[fancyfade]

honestly one thing i don't like about zero year is that it seems like they take beats from other stories, but can't let them be un-dramatic, or even just... not the most cinematic, explosive thing ever. Like everything from Batman-in-past has to be amped up to match Batman-in-present. And as a result there's no room for character growth, because everyone has to start at essentially what is their 'final form'.

like I don't really care for most joker backstories, but the zero year joker falls into a vat of chemicals thing is reminiscent of the TKJ origin (intentionally) which itself was calling back/building off to 'tec 168. In both of those, the situation that spawns the chemicals thing is pretty 'small scale'. TKJ has proto-joker helping two people past security in a lab he used to work at, 'tec 168 has proto-joker committing robbery just for money's sake.

while it's obviously up to the reader whether these stories are good, none of them feel epic in scale. It's not trying to be epic. TKJ is analysis of the joker, batman, and gordon, and the question as to whether one bad day can fracture anyone (with the answer 'no')

compare the relatively simple setup for TKJ joker tripping to the complete battlefield and chaos in zero year. Red Hood already has the city in terror, he has like half the police or he's already done his thesis (link) and is already connected to Bruce via the death of Bruce's parents which inspired him. He essentially already is 'joker', jsut with a different name, so there's no real purpose of the origin. And then in terms of the 'needs to be epic' scale - we have a huge dramatic showdown in the ACE chemical factory with bullets flying, philip (bruce's uncle) shoots at joker, gets shot and dies, bruce tranqs jim, grapple with the joker over the chemicals... etc.

similarly, a lot of the reason batman: year one sticks in people's heads is because we see Bruce genuinely failing at things that later are effortless for him. We see Bruce figuring out how to be Batman.

Zero year has some of that - in that he doesn't have his costume yet. But he's pretty much already still batman. he's already got his disguise, he's pretty much perfect at fighting (in a backup story we see him fighting people in a death-match for 28 hours straight as new combatants are added as bruce defeats yet refuses to kill his opponents). Like... I don't think Scott Snyder could do "bruce gets beat up trying to stop thieves on a fire escape while making sure no one ties". it's so... non-epic in scale. And everything Snyder does has to be big and dramatic and involve city-wide threats in his batman run. but it results in a 'year zero' bruce who does not really feel like he's any different from a fully realized batman in any way possible, because he already has to start as the bestest of the best.

which IDK. maybe was fun to read about when it was coming out. but as a work of literature it's just... boring. All style no substance.

[mylifeinfiction]

Harleen by Stjepan Šejić

He smiles... and I make the worst mistake of my life... I smile back.

As fascinating an origin story as it is a compelling, thematically complex study of mental illness, Stjepan Šejić's Harleen shows us the 'meet cute' behind the twisted relationship between Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime, The Joker, and Dr. Harleen Quinzel. It's heavy on the psychiatric, favoring conversations and inner monologue over any substantial action; a choice that works beautifully in showing how inevitable Dr. Quinzel's transformation into Harley Quinn really was. However, the moments of action we do get, throughout, are delivered in a satisfyingly graphic manner that effectively displays the erratic, manipulative psychology of these characters.

I really enjoyed getting a more nuanced look into Harley Quinn, a character I'm mostly familiar with through animated series (where she's little more than a caricature of 'mad love') and films (where's she's so far gone, there's really no trace of Dr. Quinzel left). Šejić's smart writing and gorgeous artwork elevate this character to something more interesting, more consequential, than a secondary villain while also giving further insight into the psyches of several other Batman villains, in the process.

9/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

[kryptonbabe]

Superman's love life archives: Lyla Lerrol's tragedy

From Superman #141 (1960) by Jerry Siegel & Wayne Boring

Lyla Lerrol is one of Superman's briefest and lesser known love affairs, but one that carried a lot of meaning for Kal-el, at least while he was with her, for their love story happened in a Krypton before its doom. Lyla would only appear on this one issue for a long time, until getting mentioned post-crisis and appearing as a sort of villain. In her origin her imminent death is not exactly a surprise given what we know about Krypton, still, the story packs a punch, if not for her and Kal-el's love story, for the personal perspective we gain seeing Superman exploring and getting to know the people of his planet before its destruction.

So this is my long and unnecessary deep dive into Lyla's first issue.

After a freaky accident, Superman goes back in time to Krypton, gets stranded there due to the effects of the planet's red sun, is mistaken for an extra in a sci-fi movie, and finally meets Lyla, the famous actress on the set. All of that on the first pages, and I'm skipping lots of things. This is fast-paced!

After that, Kal-el gets to go to his biological parent's wedding and there has one of his many introspective moments in Krypton. In fact I felt most of the heartbreak and sadness of this story during these moments in which Superman is thinking about how he wishes he could tell Lara and Jor-el how much he loves them, without inevitably telling about their tragic end, how he wishes he could save this planet from its doom. After avoiding them at the wedding, he broods and decides to spend time with his parents no matter what.

Introspective Superman is a real mood, I can almost hear the most melancholic classic rock jams of Krypton playing on the background, while the night cityscape of his home planet slowly moves.

Despite admiring the artist, I don't think the stern aesthetic Wayne Boring gives his art always matched the tone of the silver age stories he drew, in this case though, it is perfect.

(I had to include Superman meeting Krypto, the superdog, parents!)

Kal actually manages to work for his dad while in Krypton, he becomes Lara and Jor-el's close friend and when they realize he has thing going on for Lyla they become obsessed with making the two a couple, and inevitably, after several attempts, they succeed. I mean her initials are L. L., he has no other choice...

The word love is used often between these two, it takes a little time for their relationship to fully blossom, but once it takes off it's all or nothing, true love forever, which is par for the course in romance comics of the time. Lyla has her own career and social life, but once she meets Kal-el these things become somewhat secondary. Her character is not unlikeable, there was room for further development, however there's a lot going on with this issue already and the focus is never fully on her as a person, but rather as a love interest.

Time passes and yes, they kiss a lot. This page is so beautiful, it stands out for how the art and writing combine to make a metaphor between the burning passion of Superman and Lyla and the cataclysmic forces of nature working to destroy Krypton at that very moment. How two powerful forces can coexist in antagonism to each other. The planet often gives signs of instability, constantly reminding Kal-el his time is running out. Later he will choose to save Krypton, building a huge ark to save its people, but Brainiac will steal the whole city the ark was built on. Which was really funny to me, I mean Clark you simply don't make plans involving Kandor unless you want to get kidnapped by Brainiac!

It's a slow process of acceptance for Superman, he broods a lot, carrying the heavy weight of his secrets, but after Kandor's fiasco he accepts to die with his parents while basking in his love for Lyla. More time passes, it is not clear how much, but it is implied that Kal-el spends months living on Krypton.

Meanwhile he discovers Jor-el watches Martha and Jon's life as a soap opera, knowing every detail about their lives, not creepy at all... Then, things escalate and Superman's uses a gun to break the statue mentioned above to reveal Jon's rival is a swindler and make Martha love Jon instead of him. Absolutely convoluted and so very entertaining.

Also Kal-el caused such an impression on his parents, that Lara has a dream about him and decides to name their future kid after him (while Jor-el basically ignores her). So Superman's Kryptonian name was inspired by himself. Which made me think just how many time paradoxes did Kal-el provoked on his little trip to Krypton. We've been blaming Barry Allen all this time for the New 52, but what if...

At this point everyone knows about Krypton's imminent destruction, but Superman and Lyla are so in love they decide to get married despite of it. Kal-el is not willing to ruin the mood with his bummer origins so he also decides to keep the secret. There's a melancholy in the air, but he accepts his destiny, and they all dance in this futuristic jazz club.

However, fate had other plans and after a freaky accident... Kal-el is thrown into space, eventually accessing the yellow light of another sun, recovering his energy and going back to Earth. While Lyla, who could not possibly imagine her lover could survive such an accident, is left in tears, doomed to die soon, without ever seeing Kal-el again.

Superman gets back to Earth reminiscing about the time he spent on Krypton, the happiness he shared with his parents and his love for Lyla. Although he seems quite relived on the last panel, he has so much going for him on Earth, a girlfriend, friends, his job and superpowers. This story is rarely mentioned and I think that's actually a healthy choice, to languish over what he lost on Krypton, his biological parents and a lover, could become a burden, a weight he could not afford to carry as a superhero. Or the other writers simply didn't care to bring back this story line.

The issue was written by Jerry Siegel himself, one of Superman's creators. I already loved him for his contrived sci-fi and the working class Superman of the golden age, but I was positively surprised by his talent for melodrama, despite the lack of depth in Lyla's character, this was an emotional story with a good amount of action, although my intention with this post was to focus on the drama. Wayne Boring's art in the textless panel of Lyla crying while looking at the sky, searching for Kal-el's body is heartbreaking, and his art overall is really good on this issue. It is an obscure entry in Superman's love life, but an interesting and entertaining one. Worth reading. Thanks for reading this!

In case you're interested, Lyla's post-crisis appearance is on the story arc Superman: Godfall (2004) by Joe Kelly, Michael Turner & Talent Caldwell.

[kilowogcore]

Heya poozers, it's time fer Kilowog's pick a' the week! This is where I pick the best comic I read this week and give ya' a non-spoiler review of it. Keep in mind I really only read DC comics. I want to read more, but I ain't got the time. This week was another tough one, because Batman's arc finale was amazin' and actually made me love Batman, which ain't easy ta' do, but ultimately I had ta' go a different direction.

Kilowog's Pick: John Constantine: Hellblazer: Dead in America Vol. 1 #6 by Simon Spurrier, Aaron Campbell, Jordie Bellaire, Steve Wands, Matthew Levine, and Chris Conroy.

This whole series has been fantastic, with Simon Spurrier showin' he can write horror an' Aaron Campbell showin' he can illustrate it, but this issue really took the cake fer me.

They play around with metacommentary an' fourth wall breakin'. That's something we see all the time from people like Deadpool an' Harley Quinn, or from writers like Alan Moore an' Grant Morrison, but when they do it it's makin' big serious points, or else bein' silly an' goofy.

This is about horror. It's a horror comic. A twisted tale a' obsession with story an' obsession with makin' story perfect, the madness of bein' able ta' change things narratively, an' some fantastic art that takes full advantage of the comics medium to show the fourth-wall-breakin' an' reality-warpin' powers at play.

Yeah, any time there's a fourth wall break comic it's kinda whimsical, but whimsy can turn ta' horror easily under the hand of a good writer, an' Simon Spurrier is a good writer.

The issue ties in with the larger plot of this series, but the metacommentary stands alone an' I think it'd be enjoyable even fer people who ain't readin' the rest of it.

An that's my pick a' the week!

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

So, a bit of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow news. Apparently as part of DC finally getting on the Marvel Infinite Comics train, i.e., introducing digitally exclusive vertical scroll comics on their subscription service, titles such as Batman: Hush, All-Star Superman, and the aforementioned Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will be reformatted to launch as webtoon-style offerings on DC GO.

Further musings under a read more because IDK how long I'll ramble about this. XD

On the one hand, I guess this makes...some kind of sense, from a brand synergy standpoint. The titles they've picked to launch alongside the new originals are all connected to upcoming film projects (All-Star has been cited by James Gunn as an influence on the new Superman movie, and obviously WoT is being adapted as a film. Less sure about Batman: Hush, but I'm sure there's some sort of Batman project in development, this is DC/Warner Bros after all.)

So. presumably, these picks are going to bring the titles to a new audience that maybe doesn't read comics as like. Physical books. Okay. Sure. They wanna get that younger webtoons demographic. Okay.

BUUUUUT.

DC already has some Webtoon exclusive comics actually on Webtoon, a free service that requires very little effort/buy-in from younger readers. You can pay for content on the app/site, but you don't have to.

DC GO is being bundled into the DC Comics subscription service which is like. 75 USD annually for their basic tier, 120 USD annually for their fancy plan. It's 8 dollars monthly, I guess, which I suppose is fairly competitive...(but it's still twice the cost of paid manga app options.)

I guess what I'm saying is: I'm curious if this is going to work well, the way they've set it up. You can already read/buy the titles relaunching on the subscription service as-is, without the vertical reformatting. As for the originals titles...there's already some negative buzz around the Nightwing comic in particular, so I can't imagine that these are designed with your average adult comic fan in mind. Which is not a bad thing, mind you! But again, like...you have the Webtoon deal. Why are you not putting your new Webtoon style offerings on Webtoon?

(Answer probably has something to do with having to share the profits, honestly.)

(OR, possibly, they are realizing that popularity on Webtoon does not translate directly into physical comic sales so they'd prefer to get the money where they can i.e. digital subscription service cost.)

ANYWAYS. To bring it back to Supergirl; I guess I'm glad that a Supergirl book is part of a set of launch titles, and I'm kind of curious to see how they'll chop up the art to fit the vertical scroll. Like...how are you gonna turn the double page spread of Kara riding Comet into something that will fit the dimensions of a mobile phone without severely compromising either the text or the image??? We'll have to see, I suppose!

(...Okay one last nitpick if you're going to make Nightwing an underwear model in your fanfic-y webtoon it might behoove you to make the underwear actually look good which, based on the preview images, they have not. They have not done that. XD)

(...also Birds of Prey just did the whole 'DC characters go undercover as underwear models' thing now that I think about it. An...interesting...trend...? XD)

[relaxedstyles]

[dconscreen]

DC's Arkham Asylum Series No Longer Moving Forward at Max

 'Kite Man: Hell Yeah!' Gets New Trailer | https://youtu.be/HnHKPjTUdOs

'Harley Quinn' Season 5 Gets Exciting Release Date Update

'Batman: Caped Crusader' Teases Different Take From Year One

'Batman: Caped Crusader' Trailer Released by DC and Prime Video | https://youtu.be/KfpMcukj29k

'Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League' Shares Posters, First Trailer | https://youtu.be/RyX5AL1NwNQ

Creature Commandos Star Calls James Gunn's DC Series "Moving"

James Gunn Addresses Leaked Superman Set Photos

'Superman' Set Photos Provoke Justice League International Speculation

'Superman': Christopher Reeve's Son to Cameo in James Gunn's DC Reboot

'The Sandman' Season 2 Gets a Bunch of New Cast Member Announcement

'The Batman Part II' Star Reveals When Sequel Will Begin Filming

'Zack Snyder's Justice League' Is Headed to Theaters

The Arrowverse Wanted to Suit Diggle Up in a Green Lantern-Inspired Costume, But DC Refused

Join Our Riotous DC Debauch!

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[thereasonsimbroke]

Warner Bros.' Creative Freedom Vs Disney's Producer Control

In Ep. 597, Millennial Mike and I discuss how Hollywood studios like Warner Brothers and Disney navigate changing dynamics, the evolving director-producer relationship, the impact of visionary filmmakers, cinematic storytelling's future amidst trends like AI-driven filmmaking, and more! Chapters 3:12 The Changing Landscape of Hollywood Studios 18:24 Impact of Directorial Vision 35:55 Nolan's Creative License 37:09 Pushing Boundaries with Batman 37:32 Spectacle and Elevation 39:40 Reimagining Batman's Mythology 49:06 Tim Burton's Dark Influence 51:35 Planning a Saga 55:58 Directorial Vision vs. Studio Interference 59:30 Zack Snyder: An Antidote to Disney 1:01:45 Zack's Five-Movie Arc 1:04:10 Built-in Reset Point 1:08:48 Changing Plans and Geoff Johns' Influence 1:49:50 Expectations and Studio Strategies 2:00:36 The Redesign of Sonic the Hedgehog 2:08:00 The True Value of Art 2:12:37 Looking Forward and Optimism

FOLLOW/SUPPORT MILLENNIAL MIKE: @millennialmike (Mike's Vero) @TheExilesNet (Mike's X) The Ronin Council (YouTube) Millenial's Substack As always, we appreciate your constructive Feedback, Suggestions, and Questions. You can also leave us an audio question on SpeakPipe. Thank you for your continued love and support! Enjoy the show. Daniel Podcast Awards 2019 || Games & Hobbies (Winner) Podcast Awards 2017 - 2018, 2020 - 2022 || Games & Hobbies (Nominated) Official Site FOLLOW US: - X | @ReasonsImBroke and @TRIBPod - Instagram - Threads - Pinterest - Tumblr - Discord Lounge - YouTube Channel SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts / iHeartRadio / TuneIn / Overcast SPREAD THE WORD: If you're enjoying the show, please head over to iTunes and leave us a rating and a review! Each one helps new Brokettes discover the podcast. Contribute to the Hero Initiative to offer assistance to comic creators facing difficulties. Show your support for the AFSP's efforts by donating to the Autumn Snyder Tribute Fund. CREDITS: Opening/Closing Jingles - Alex Scott Show Logo By - Opanaldiova

The latest episode of The Reasons I'm Broke Podcast!

[batmannotes]

Absolute Batman 3 Jokers, Why Jason Fabok is DC's Best Artist

Save 43% off this hard cover at Amazon now. Direct link here.

Who are the three jokers?

Batman doesn't understand how or why, but the fact is certain: the man he has spent a lifetime chasing isn't one man at all. There are three Jokers. Now that he knows the unbelievable truth, Bruce needs real answers. Joined by Barbara Gordon and Jason Todd, two former victims of the Joker's brutality, the Dark Knight is finally on a path to defeat the madman once and for all. Every last one of him.

Geoff Johns (Doomsday Clock, Batman: Earth One) and Jason Fabok (Justice League: The Darkseid War) reunite to present one of the most highly anticipated comics events in years! Collects Batman: Three Jokers #1-3 in the stunning Absolute Edition format.

[white-weasel]

Seeing everyone praise an author in the comments of a TikTok and I’m wondering if I just read one of her duds or if I just didn’t “get it”

[fancyfade]

Wonder Woman 1987 runs ranked

Greg Rucka's Run (#195-226) - This is my absolute favorite run on WW1987. Rucka's got a good handle on Diana's character, and is very good at creating plots with lots of threads that are interesting to read. I think the way that Greek Gods are re-imagined (except for Hera and Zeus) reflects well in other DC-universe stuff at this time with regards to magic, which is the idea that old gods change with humanity to survive.

Eric Luke's (#139-159) - creator of devastation, my all time favorite wonder woman villain!!!!! So much good just for that! And we also have Artemis training cassie, what is not to love?

George Perez's run (#1-62) and Messner-Loeb's (#63-100) - these two both have bits I really like and bits I really don't. they're this high, because the fact that they each ran for so many issues means that the good parts outweigh the bad parts, and it's easier to forget about those. George Perez does very strong worldbuilding for the Amazon's and Diana's initial cast of supporting characters, Messner-Loebs introduces some very fun plots and characters (like Space Era Diana, Donna Milton, and Artemis).

Philip Jimenez's (#164-188) - Jimenez's run I feel bad putting down here, though I did like it. It started very strong, and I loved the way he retconned the worst bits of Messner-Loeb's Hippolyte. With Hippolyte's actions in the contest no longer being tied to Messner-Loebs trying to make her partially responsible for what Heracles did, and almost vicitm blaming her, it made it feel much less just 'pile on hippolyte' to see the next part of what he addressed, which is the way that the amazons of bana mighdall were treated as second class citizens. the de-establishing of the monarchy was great. in general, my only complaint about jimenez's run is i feel like a lot of the plotlines are rushed, and we don't really have a lot of time to see the cool worldbuilding stuff he was setting up. And Villainy Inc was boring and wasted time we otherwise could have spent on the interesting worldbuilding stuff.

John Bryne's (#101-136) - reading this run was like pulling teeth. It was so boring. the only positive part is that he created Cassie. For that he ges one (1) right.

I did genuinely enjoy all of these runs except for Bryne's, it's just a ranking of which one I remember enjoying more.

[wolrith]

i feel like there needs to be some sorta study about the way opinions on games work, and this weird hatefully dependant relationship gamers have with game reviews, sites like ign and shit. i noticed it particularly on the new suicide squad game - for those out of the loop, the new "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League" game is out, with a pretty disastrous pre-launch, and worse launch. Before games come out, normally early copies are given out to reviewers so they play it and give out their impressions before release, so people know whether to buy them or not. on paper this concept is good, and can heavily affect the launch of the game and the way people perceive it. however, this concept doesn't always, or even usually, work, because reviews are so skewed and biased. games like cyberpunk 2077 had one of the worst releases ever seen in gaming, with a completely broken mess of a game that didnt pack half of the features promised, yet pre-launch reviews were top tier, with 5/5s and 9/10s all over (screenrant compilation of reviews). so obviously, either most polished and minimized versions are given out at times to hide the mess, or reviewers are paid off or just plain stupid.

now, not for those reasons, the suicide squad game's early copies were not given out to reviewers. this was likely because the game isn't very good, or at least doesn't meet expectations, and the studio didn't want to showcase it before launch, so people still buy it. This could be because the studio didnt want to pay reviewers off, or they weren't confident that reviewers would be dumb enough to give good reviews. Alternatively its because they thought their reputation would be even further tarnished if a well reviewed game turned out to be an utter piece of shit again. obviously this all backfired and the review embargo was incessantly spoken of and speculations about the games shittiness rose.

few days later, game comes out - only people seen to be having a good time? I've seen people saying to not believe reviews and to play the game yourself - no one is saying its an amazing, reality shattering masterpiece, but its a fun looter-shooter. it has some cool designs and ideas, and the gameplay is pretty fluid (I haven't played it, im quoting people ive seen, who aren't qualified reviewers). launch is pretty tame comparatively, and is honestly one of the better releases the studio could've hoped for probably. it performs pretty mediocre on day one, but pre-launch was a weird clusterfuck so its not surprising. overall, for a game most people dubbed 7/10 at best, with terrible expectations and advertising, launch is great.

and the come the reviews. IGN has given the game 5/10 - which, for IGN, is basically a 1/10. IGN is notorious for very rarely dipping below 7/10, giving some of the biggest pieces of shit, truly 1/10 games, passable scores. On recent reviews i had to scroll pretty far to find a game below 6 (and was plenty surprised to find a 1/10 game, The Day Before), and those with 5s and below are normally minor, non-AAA games like Bluey: The Game, or some weird fortnite festival with a 4/10. Games with horrendous reviews from people I've spoken to, and some game critics on youtube, like avatar: frontiers of pandora, have survived with a 7/10 despite underwhelming launches and mid-to-terrible gameplay and story. What I'm getting at basically, is that Suicide Squad is one of the few triple-A games I've seen in a long time to get a bad score, when normally IGN sucks big studios like warner brothers off.

So, could this be because the game is shit? Unlikely, since as I said, people were enjoying it. If you disagree with that because you didn't enjoy it, then disregard and remember that significantly bigger pieces of shit still got better scores than suicide squad.

REMEMBER THE CYBERPUNK LAUNCH (9/10 UwU) [Editors note: Editors note 2: Update: Editors note:]).

So no, i don't believe IGN gave suicide squad a 5/10 just because its a bad game. Following a careful analysis and bonking my head with a brick until I got a concussion, i do believe IGN only gave suicide squad a bad score because of the review embargo. Frankly if you told me the reviewers didn't even play the game, i would probably believe you, because it seems like the most agenda-fueled, hate-stirring vengeful move IGN has done in a while, even going so far as to use the memory of the late Kevin Conroy, batman's voice actor, to stir hate by calling his performance in the suicide squad game 'a waste', despite kevin stating before he enjoyed playing an evil batman. IGN literally used a dead guy's performance in a game to indicate the game is a waste and not worth the effort, to stir hate in players and push their salty agenda. Why? Presumably, because they didn't get early review copies. Because they want to discourage this in future releases, because their entire website is built on getting bribed to suck off bad games and save them from terrible launches. They know they've been failing in recent years. With shitshows like cyberpunk not passing under the gamer radar anymore, studios know that a few paid off reviewers wont do enough to salvage their half-assed pieces of shit, so either they gotta make good games with effort, or polish them afterwards anyways, and either way reviewers aren't a worthwhile investment anymore.

On a sidenote, I'd love to come up here at the climax of my post with hard evidence IGN gets bribed for good scores. I have some old articles from like 2012, and a bunch of people on reddit who said so, but not really any hard evidence. There were allegations thrown around regarding starfield, another terrible game with good scores, that IGN got bribed by microsoft to give it a good review. IGN chief pledged to quit his job if evidence was brought forwards, and i dont think that happened. I can't prove to you beyond a reasonable doubt that IGN is bribed to be so skewed; at the very least, it seems like a profitable cycle of investments. Game is terrible and cheap, studios pay IGN to put a bandaid on it, release is profitable, the end. But with no evidence, its only really a theory... a... a... nay, i shan't.

So what did we learn? It seems like IGN is intentionally trying to tank the Suicide Squad launch, because they're salty over being cut out of the scam. It seems like journalistic integrity is thrown even farther out of the window, with IGN trying to act like mafia loan sharks by roughing up the game for not coming with a share of the profits, and discouraging future games from following suit. IGN right now seems like a parasite on the gaming industry, a leech that's been profiting off this perpetuating cycle of the industry dying with terrible cheap games that kill the genre's artistry. Now it looks a bit like the game industry is healing, and the IGN leech is starting to peel off, no longer able to cash in on failure games like the tabloid scum they are.

Don't let IGN discourage you from playing good games. This isn't an advertisement for the Suicide Squad, I barely even know if its actually good. IGN is clearly biased though, and so are most other game review sites. Do not trust reviews from corpo-sites, simply said.

[queen-ofc]

Movie Review - Blue Beetle - First Impressions !! SLIGHT SPOILERS MENTIONED!!

Hello everyone!

Movies are something that I am OBSESSED with! Film is my passion! Ever since I was a little girl, I would critique every movie I've ever seen to my parents, so much so that they'll sit and listen after we finish a movie because they always expect me to say something about it.

I have always wanted to share my passion for film with the world, but I have never the confidence nor will to start, but that's all going to change. I wanted to start off my little series of movie reviews with the one I had just seen in theaters today: Blue Beetle!

Now, Jaime Reyes' Blue Beetle has ALWAYS had a special place in my heart. I grew up watching the series Young Justice, and I continue to watch it today. Ever since I saw Blue Beetle on the screen, he instantly connected with me and has kept his #2 spot on my list of all-time favorite DC characters. (#1 being Dick Grayson Robin/Nightwing.)

This has been a HIGHLY anticipated movie for me! Ever since the trailer first came out, I was anxiously waiting for it to hit theaters, keeping track of every day in between, counting down the very seconds until its release, and as soon as it did, my parents and I jumped on the opportunity to go see it in theaters! To see my boy hit the big screen and finally get recognized by so many people as a hero in the DCU just filled me with overwhelming joy. So, as one could expect, I had incredibly high expectations for this film. And to make a long story short, overall, I wasn't disappointed!

⚠️WARNING! THE FOLLOWING CONTENT FROM THIS POINT ON CONTAINS SPOILERS! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!⚠️

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As I said, overall, this was a very enjoyable movie, but there were a couple things I wanted to point out that could've improved it!

1) Now, this one is mostly a bias of mine, so feel free to ignore this point and move on to #2 if you'd like.

Something that really stuck out to me was the fact that Jaime's father told him something like, "The Universe knows" or "... chose you" (obviously not an exact quote, but you get the idea.) During the movie, I noticed that they were hitting a lot of stereotypes regarding Hispanic/Latino families. Keeping that in mind, I'll go back to Jaime's father. Now, already a lot of people can tell it's obvious that Jaime seems to be visiting him in a heaven of sorts, with the candles around his father symbolizing that. However, there was no mention of God at all during this time, which in my personal opinion, seemed like something that could've been an easy switch; from "universe" to "God" or "the Lord" or something along those lines to show a Catholic or some other Christian denomination belief system.

However, this is just a minor thing, and luckily, it doesn't affect the story at all. Now, I'll get into something a little more unbiased and a little more major to Blue Beetle's story.

2) They should've established a good relationship with the Scarab.

Now, I'm not saying to remove Jaime's relationship with his family to this, but I'm just saying to add it. I loved the fact they included Jaime's family in all the scenes, making them an essential part of the movie, but adding this would dive into the Blue Beetle's story a bit more. Yes, the movie would be a tad longer, but it would be so much better.

Throughout the movie, the growing relationship between Jaime and his scarab is always implied and never actually produced in the scenes. Instead, he seemed thrown into the action and already knew how to use his scarab to his full extent after just a single battle. It's like we were missing a big chunk of the story, and just thrown into the action.

At the beginning, the scarab seemed hellbent to kill any and every threat in its wake, yet at the end, it tells Jaime that he shouldn't kill the enemy. It tells Jaime "We aren't murders." That doesn't seem right to me considering there was no time in between when Jaime taught the Scarab such things. The control Jaime had over the Scarab also seemed just given to him, instead of earned.

What they should've done, is have some sort of "training montage" in the movie. A time when Jaime finally has the Scarab in a calm mood and is talking with it to learn exactly what his abilities are and how to use them all. He should've had to fight a little more with the Scarab, telling it why they don't kill innocent people. Jaime should've had to command control of the Scarab himself, instead of it being handed to him on a silver platter. Only when the Scarab and Jaime are fully in sync would the Scarab acknowledge why it's bad to blatantly murder people regardless of what they have done, making the "We aren't murders" line so much more meaningful after all they had been through.

Another thing that I would fix, is to more obviously establish the fact that only Jaime can hear the Scarab. Only at the very end of the movie does this fact become clear, meaning that people who didn't know the Blue Beetle and his powers probably would've been confused about that fact. I think they should've had a small scene where Jaime is having a conversation with his Scarab, maybe even arguing with it, in front of his family or his girlfriend. The family/girlfriend would obviously be confused, thinking that he was talking to them, when in reality he wasn't.

Maybe he gets into a fight with a family member or his girlfriend while he's trying to argue with his Scarab because the family member or girlfriend thinks that he's insulting them when he's insulting the voice in his head. Make it a little bit of a joke when he's fighting the enemy and gets into another argument with his Scarab, making the enemy think Jaime is talking to them, only making Jaime have to repeat himself that it's not them he's talking to, but the Scarab.

Just small ideas, but all ones I believe would make a big difference.

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That concludes my initial reaction to Blue Beetle! I really hope my writing was comprehensible as I just kinda brain dumped it all on here and my brain is far from organized, haha. However, I do plan on making a more in-depth review of the movie once it hits a streaming platform and I can watch it a second time! After all, you can miss a lot of things the first time!

Being that this is my first time actually posting any of my thoughts on a movie, please give me some grace. As I do want to continue to do these types of things, sharing my thoughts on movies I love, I would appreciate constructive criticism and thoughts on how to more accurately organize my thoughts before I write them! I would also love recommendations of blogs that do any kind of reviews so that I could learn from them too! And please, share your thoughts on this movie!

Thank you for reading! <3

[kilowogcore]

Let's try somethin' new which I'm callin' "Kilowog's Pick a' the week" where I talk (spoiler free) about my favorite comic book from this week. Keep in mind I pretty much just read DC stuff (I'd love ta' read more, but I ain't got the time), an' I'll also only be considerin' single issues, not collections.

This week was tricky. A lotta good stuff came out, and pickin' between Batman and Robin #10 an' Blue Beetle #10 especially took me a while! I gotta go with Blue Beetle, though.

Kilowog's Pick: Blue Beetle Vol. 10 #10 by Josh Trujillo, Adrián Gutiérrez, Wil Quintana, Lucas Gattoni, Andrew Marino, and Katie Kubert.

The first storyarc a' the new volume concludes with this issue, an' the whole arc has been really important for Jaime Reyes. He's had ta' make a lotta tough decisions about who he is an' what it means fer him ta' be not just a hero, but a leader.

This issue brings all that to its climax, with implications fer who Jaime is, who Khaji Da is, an' who they wanna become. It's the kinda meaty character work I adore, an' while there's also plenty a' action (just look at that cover!), the real conflict ain't just what Jaime does, but how he does it. By the end a' the issue I wuz reminded once again why I love Jaime (an' why I recommend his original solo run ta' any comic book fan).

An' that's my pick a' the week!