Hello ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our first Comic Review round-up provided by the Comics Division of Geeks Of Color where we take on some of the issues of the week and give you our thoughts on them, enjoy! And, please, if you are interested in any of these books go on and support your Local Comic Shop.

BATMAN: THE DARK PRINCE CHARMING

Written and Art by: Enrico Marini

Review by: Paige Allen

The Joker embarks on an outrageous crime spree to get Harley Quinn a present for her birthday. After failing to get her nice jewelry, and totally ruining her birthday party, he finds the perfect gift for his love: the kidnapped daughter of Bruce Wayne!

And yes, you read that right – Bruce Wayne apparently has an eight-year-old daughter, the result of a one-night stand with a waitress named Shelley Alleges. At least that’s what she tells him and the media, though he’s incredibly skeptical at first. But once the Joker takes the child hostage and severely incapacitates her mother, Batman begins a brutal crusade across Gotham to try and get her back.

Italian comics writer and artist Enrico Marini is not a household name in America yet, but Batman: The Dark Prince Charming is sure to turn some heads. The strongest component of his new miniseries is his dreamy artwork, which is reminiscent of warm watercolor brushstrokes and casts Gotham as an eerie world of shadows. It’s also clear that Marini is a diehard Batman fan, as he injects some classic features into his narrative like Jim Gordon’s decades-long attempt to quit smoking and the typical homoeroticism between Batman and the Joker.

I could do without mostly all the women in this comic walking around half-dressed and angry, but here’s hoping they have more agency in the second half of this book. So far, I’m incredibly charmed by this near perfect debut.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Bats

Black Lightning: Cold, Dead Hands #1

Written by: Tony Isabella

Art by: Clayton Henry

Review by: Tevin Murphy

Tony Isabella’s return to Black Lightning is just as fun as you’d expect it to be. Isabella’s writing coupled with the art of Clayton Henry is the perfect fit for DC’s Rebirth. Isabella perfectly updates Jefferson Pierce to fit not just within Rebirth, but also 2017. Black Lightning is one of DC’s less popular characters, but this book definitely peaked my interest in the character. The characters design has been updated and aside from his superpowers he feels pretty relatable. One of my favorite things about Black Lightning in this issue is that he seems to be a little rusty or inexperienced with his powers and we get to see him adjusting to that. There’s a line in the comic about Cyborg teaching Jefferson that how to levitate or “fly” using the Earth’s Electromagnetic field. It was a nice little nod to an established relationship between Black Lightning and Cyborg. Yall know I’m always here for Black comic book characters interacting.

The issue’s conflict centers on a robbery by “The Weathermen” thats foiled by Black Lightning and the amount of unease this creates with the police.We find out that Jefferson is attending a wake for his father hosted by a Press club, but while reminiscing about his father Jefferson and Detective Tomi Colavito, his friend, are called away. The WeatherMen have returned and are demanding Black Lightning. Of course Jefferson defeats them and it is in the aftermath that the series conflict is established. The figure behind providing the WeatherMen with their advanced tech frames Black Lightning for their murder and causes the police and the city to turn on him.

The issue addresses many people’s feelings about the police and their treatment of people without beating you over the head with it. One of my favorite things about the Social Justice aspect of this comic is that it clearly has a message and an opinion, but it doesn’t feel like a speech.

Overall I’d rate Black Lightning a 4 out of 5!

BATMAN #34

Written by: Tom King

Art by: Joelle Jones and Jordie Bellaire

Review by: Paige Allen

In part two of “The Rules of Engagement,” Batman and Catwoman are on the search for Holly Robinson. She recently committed 237 counts of murder, and Catwoman took the fall for her. Now, she’s been sentenced to death by lethal injection, which certainly puts a damper on any honeymoon plans. So, the new couple go to visit the one woman who seems to know where in the world Holly is hiding – Talia al Ghul, Batman’s former lover and the mother of his child. How deliciously convenient.

Talia doesn’t want to talk, however. She’s itching for a fight, and when Batman doesn’t give her one she stabs him in the back. But Catwoman is good to go. First, she pulls that sword right the fuck out of Batman’s back and leaves his ass on the ground like the bad bitch that she is. Then, she accepts Talia’s challenge to fight to the death for the information she needs to be a free woman. And now the real fight begins… in the next issue.

Anything Tom King writes is basically a sure thing, so it’s not surprising that his Batman storyline has been pretty stellar. We’re coming out of the dramatic “War of Jokes and Riddles” arc to fully embrace the BatCat love affair, and King makes them very playful and passionate. It’s nice to see the lighter side of the Dark Knight, though now I’m ready for the plot to pick up. I’m also ready to see more of Joelle Jones’ beautifully gritty artwork. Her Selina is all kinds of Audrey Hepburn mischief, and her Talia is the brownest, most beautiful iteration I have ever seen. Together, this creative team feels like a match made in heaven.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Bats

Bombshells: United #5

Written by: Marguerite Bennett

Art by: Marcelo Di Chiara & Siya Pol Oum

Review by: Britany Murphy

Wonder Woman has been busy rescuing Japanese-American citizens who were internment camp detainees and facing off against Clayface who is spreading over the camp like a virus in an attempt to stop Wonder Woman in her duties to rescue the innocent in issue number five of Bombshells United.  

With Clayface coming at them from all angles, the group is forced to split up in attempt to draw the villain to one of them. However, his gaze is focused on Wonder Woman. He cannot believe she would be defending those in the interment camp and while the pair seemingly have a moment, Clayface stands firm in his opinion and we end with the the pair about to have clash for the ages.

Bombshells United #5 is definitely one to read. Marguerite Bennett’s take on characters such as Clay Face, Donna Troy, Cassie Sandsmark and of course, Wonder Woman is great. It perfectly balanced action with good storytelling, and an even better view on why justice always needs to be fought for.
4/5

BATMAN: THE DEVASTATOR

Written by: Frank Tieri
Art by: Tony S. Daniel, Danny Miki, Tomeu Morey, and Tom Napolitano

Review by: Paige Allen

There are a lot of things to praise about Scott Snyder’s latest Batman-centric epic, Dark Nights: Metal. Arguably, the best thing about the event has been the seven evil iterations of Bruce Wayne, who exist in the Dark Multiverse that parallels the universe of our beloved heroes. This week, the spotlight is on The Devastator, born following the demise of Superman.

On Earth -1, Superman has somehow become evil and no one knows why. For this twisted version of Batman, the justifications don’t matter. Superman has betrayed his love for him and the hope he promised the world. To stop his reign of terror, Batman injects himself with a strand of the Doomsday virus he concocted which transformers him into a corrupt version of Superman’s most powerful foe. Following this defeat, he joins The Batman Who Laughs to destroy the main DC Universe.

Meanwhile, Metropolis in our heroes’ universe is now scrambling to protect itself from the evil Batmen that are destroy the world. Unfortunately, the Devastator is quick to infiltrate the city and infect the populous with his virus, turning everyone – including Lois Lane – into monsters.  

Batman: The Devastator easily makes the top three best evil Batmen stories so far, with its emotionally vibrant narration from the Devastator and its strong, appropriately muted artwork by Daniel and co. Its only real drawback is that, compared to the other Metal backstories, its plot and execution are not as interesting as The Red Death or The Merciless. But it’s perfectly fine as a standalone evil Batman story, and a strong addition to this event’s wondrously strange mythos.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Bats

And that’s it ladies and gentlemen, hope you enjoyed and, if you did, leave a comment about your favorites or send a pic of your pull list from this week!

Published by Gabe Gonzalez

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