Fantastic Universes

"Three Jokers" - Book Three Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Jason Fabok Color Artist: Brad Anderson Letterer: Rob Leigh Review by Steve J. Ray So,  Batman: Three Jokers  #3 landed in my DC Comics Box account on Friday night. This issue brings to a close a story that has been many years in the making, has raised the interest of fans, journalists, and even complete newbies to comic books. Has the finale lived up to the previous two issues, has it been worth waiting years for, and has it lived up to expectations? The answer, in all honesty, is… no. This final chapter builds on and  surpasses  its predecessors, it’s been worth the wait, and more… and has blown all my expectations out of the water. I said in my review for issue #1, that I went into this series fully expecting to hate it. I now love this story so much, that I’ve pulled out my first edition, first print of  Batman: The Killing Joke  (the prestige format version with the John Higgins colors), and ...

“Who Are You?” Writer: Peter J. Tomasi Artist: Kenneth Rocafort Color Artist: Daniel Brown Letterer: Rob Leigh Review by Steve J. Ray Several great titles ended this month, and  Teen Titans  will see its finale in November. This means that many characters I love have question marks hanging over their futures.  Detective Comics  #1029 clears up doubts about one such character, while introducing another, all-new one, in The Mirror. As the title suggests, just “Who Are You?” our shiny faced enigma? Peter J. Tomasi continues to dangle small, yet enticingly delicious carrots for us to follow. We have a populace divided between those who support Batman, and those who want to see him unmasked, even amongst elected officials and the police. Plus, after the “Joker War” left Bruce Wayne homeless (manorless?), and without his billions, we’ll be seeing a very different Dark Knight in the months to come. Now we have yet another new adversary for Batman… or do we? Is The Mirror re...

"The Cost" Writer: Ram V Artist: Amancay Nahuelpan Color Artist: June Chung Letterer: Rob Leigh Review by Steve J. Ray This is it!  Justice League Dark  #27 finally brings us the first full-on, drag out fight between our heroes, and the dreaded Upside Down Man… and what a fight it is! This series has been a cerebral one from the start, but this issue proves that it can also deliver action with the best of them. The script is fast paced, every character stays true to themselves, and absolutely shines. Issue #26  revealed that the villain’s numerous physical scars were, in fact, something even more horrific. I’d always wondered how this creature could see with no eyes… how wrong was I? Every scar was, in fact, a closed set of eyelids… so the night does indeed have a thousand eyes! Every Action… From the very first issue the stellar writers on this series have shown us that, while magic can potentially bestow near limitless power, there’s always a cost. The title of this new...

"Rise Of The New God" and "The Weight Of Leadership" Writers: James Tynion IV and Bryan Hill Artists: Jesus Merino, Vicente Cifuentes and Nik Virella Color Artists: Ulises Arreola and Hi-Fi Letterers: Tom Napolitano and AndWorld Design Review by Steve J. Ray The Batman Who Laughs is no more . Sadly, that’s actually really bad news, as he has now absorbed the power of a Bruce Wayne who became Doctor Manhattan. This has made him virtually omnipotent, and transformed him into the Darkest Knight. Now, in  Dark Nights: Death Metal – Rise Of The New God , the villain is taking the battle straight to Perpetua. One cosmic powered evil is about to throw down with another, with the entire multiverse at stake! This kind of universes shattering cosmic craziness isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but when the world is all doom and gloom sometimes this kind of entertainment feels like a ray of sunshine. Also, for anyone who grew up reading Golden and Silver Age comics, some of this st...

"Suicide Squad" - Part Ten Writer: Tom Taylor Artist: Bruno Redondo Color Artist: Adriano Lucas Letterer: Wes Abbott Review by Max Byrne As penultimate issues go,  Suicide Squad #10  is right out of the top drawer. Indicative of his run on this title, Tom Taylor has brought events to the boil in an expert fashion, setting us up for the finale next month. This run has been a fast paced, highly eventful action-fest, but never at the expense of character and nuance. Serving up a host of new protagonists is one thing, but to make the readers care, and feel invested in their fates, is proof positive that Task Force X have been handled with all the care, and reverence that they deserve. Following on from the events of the last issue, there was some small part of me that hoped that Floyd Lawton’s demise was an example of bait and switch, with the chance of a mini-resurrection. Sadly, such thoughts appear to be well and truly quashed. Yes, his fate is well and truly sea...