Review Justice League #22

One of the biggest hits for DC's New 52 is Justice League. It's easily one of the best team titles on the shelves, and not just because of the fantastic action sequences. These characters are just getting to know one another -- and like any family there are things they like about each other and things they don't. Figuring out how to work together to save the planet can be messy, and that struggle is endearing.

In issue #22, the leaguers and their secondary teammates have a mystery on their hands with the crash-landed Watchtower, but something much worse is on the horizon. Billy Batson is determined to take Black Adam's ashes back to Adam's native soil of Kandaq, but he creates an international incident. The Justice League and the Justice League of America respond, and as Madame Xanadu has correctly predicted, a war breaks out.

Trinity War is the crossover event of the summer, and while it's going to be a slugfest, don't ignore the greater mystery surrounding Superman that is boiling under the surface. Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis are a wonderful team, the story is complex and engaging while the art is fantastic. '

You can read my full review of the book on the Broken Frontier site HERE.

Review Batman #22

Chapter 2 of Zero Hour kicks off in Batman #22, and Scott Snyder is in great form with an action-packed story. Angry and reckless, young Bruce Wayne isn't Batman yet. He has the drive, he knows his mission, but he's making mistakes and enemies while he struggles with his methods.

Read my full review on the Broken Frontier site HERE.

Review Superman Unchained #2

You have to read this book. I know you probably have a pile of books to read before you get to Superman Unchained #2, but you need to push this to the top of the stack -- it's that good.

Scott Snynder and Jim Lee aren't fooling around, and issue #1 wasn't a fluke. To use a film analogy, Superman Unchained is a summer blockbuster that delivers all of the pulse-pounding action you could want and all of the character development and clever plot twists that are usually missing from those films.

As the mystery deepens, Snyder adds the World's Greatest Detective, and the brief scene between the world's finest is easily worth the book's price. Jim Lee is at the top of his game, and you don't want to miss his gorgeous rendering of the batcave.

My full review is posted on Broken Frontier and you can read it HERE.

Review The Private Eye #3

Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin are at it again. The third issue of their pay-what-you-want online-only comic, The Private Eye, is a must read for mystery fans. The momentum established in the first two issues was not an accident, folks. This is a fast-paced, entertaining book that requires attention to the details offered in Martin's art.

With this issue, Vaughan starts with an enormous violation of P.I.'s privacy as we take a tour through his dreams. My full review is available at Broken Frontier, and you can check it out HERE.

The Private Eye is a terrific story well told. You're going to enjoy it.

Review Fatale #15

I'm a fan of mysteries, noir, and pulp fiction. Little wonder then, that I liked Fatale from its very first issue. The blending of the supernatural and noir within the title is balanced so well that characterizing the book as one genre or the other does it a disservice.

With issue #15 the creative team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips launch a new story arc that propels us back into the grand mystery of Josephine and the men who revolve around her.

I reviewed it for Broken Frontier, and you can read it HERE.

Please leave a comment on their site and let me know how you liked the book.

Review Witchblade #167

With issue #167, Chicago-based private investigator Sara Pezzini is launched head-first into a new story arc that is a great jumping-on point for the series. Writer Tim Seeley is in fine form on this book and has made good progress toward giving the supporting cast more depth, responsibility, and opportinities for mayhem. But it's Sara's struggle to balance her supernatural responsibilities with just being a woman trying to pay the overdue rent that will earn Seeley new readers.

My full review is up on the Broken Frontier site, and you can read it HERE. Feel free to leave a comment about the book on their site.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Staff Pics June 19, 2013

Good news! The guys at Broken Frontier named me a staff writer! It's very cool news, and it means that I'll have to keep myself to a regular writing schedule each week. That can only be a good thing.

I've enjoyed my return to writing comics reviews, and the BF editors would like me to branch out by writing some opinion pieces and doing creator interviews. That should be a fun challenge, and I'm looking forward to it. If you have some ideas, please send them my way!

I'm contributing to BF's Monday-morning feature, Staff Pics. Each week we offer a short preview look at notable comics coming out that Wednesday. You can check out this week's Staff Pics HERE.

Happy Wednesday and enjoy your new books!