Action Comics #1064 came out last week and was a stellar opening chapter to the House of Brainiac story. I was quite impressed with the execution. If the first issue is any indication, this looks like it is going to be a great arc. Over on AIPT, Joshua Williamson did a very thorough discussion on his approach to Superman and this story in particular. This is a very in-depth discussion on many aspects of the House Of Brainiac. So it is definitely worth reading in its entirety. Here is a link: https://aiptcomics.com/2024/04/09/house-of-brainiac-deep-dive/ One thing that is clear is that Wi ..read more

Action Comics #1064, the first part of the House of Brainiac arc, came out this week and was an unbelievably fantastic issue on many levels. If there was ever a 'jumping on' Superman comic, something to recommend to friends, it's this one. This is how you start a mini-event perhaps designed to bring in new readers. Showcase everything that there is to love about the main character - here Superman's earnestness, his geekiness, his heroism. Give a glimpse of the cast of the book. Ramp the action up to 10. Introduce the main villain and have there be a serious threat on the horizon. Sprinkle i ..read more

Kneel Before Zod #4 came out last week and was another interesting and somewhat vexing issue within this series. We are a third of the way through the book and the focus and events keep shifting radically, perhaps showing how chaotic life as Zod must be. But I wonder if all the plot threads and ideas that are being showered on me in this book will ever be resolved. Joe Casey continues to write an enigmatic Zod. At times he has been his usual ultra-violent militant leader. At other times he has been portrayed as a weary old man perhaps suffering from a mid-life crisis. At times he has been s ..read more

Superman '78 The Metal Curtain #6 came out this week, ending this second series of the '78 books. I hope we get a third. This was a hopeful and inspiring ending to the Metallo story, leaning into the Donner universe feel of Superman. But there were definitely some things which felt like they were missing, things I want more of. Therefore, please DC, green light a third installment here. Writer Robert Venditti has always had a great feel for these characters in this reality. The overly nerdy Clark, the feisty Lois, the fiery Perry. They all work. Superman as a beacon of hope and not necessar ..read more

Last week I was thrilled to review Action Comics #548, the first part of a two-part story that really dove into some Kryptonian history. This was a crazy story which had Vrangs hell-bent on revenge against the world that repelled them, heading to Earth to kill Superman and Supergirl. It has Phantom Zone villains escaping their prison after taking a sacred vow to the Colossus of Hadrad. And it had Clark, Lois, and Jimmy on the trail of some news stories which seemed unrelated. Action Comics #549 was written by Cary Bates and is just as fun as part one. This one still has a lot of Krypto ..read more

Power Girl #7 came out last week, another cutesy, disjointed take on 'Paige', a character that is supposed to be the Power Girl I have known and love for most of my life. Last issue, writer Leah Williams brought Power Girl and Supergirl to Ferimbia, a mystical fairy tale land in another dimension. That was something of an issue with some fun potential that was wasted. Thankfully, this arc is only two issues, the story wrapping up here. Here is what I'll say. If you have a long, solid run on a book with a good interpretation of the character, I am more apt to tolerate a two issue cutesy sto ..read more

Sometimes you find your joy in the bargain bins.  Action Comics #548 was sitting in my local comic shop's buck box. There was a whole brick of Superman books from just before the Crisis reset. This was a time when I wasn't reading the Superman books. So these were new to me and that meant I bought a bunch. But of the ones I have read, Action Comics #548, the first part of a two part story, is my favorite. As a Supergirl mythos fan, as a Superman amateur historian, and as a reverb to the ongoing Kneel Before Zod book, this one just hit me. Too much fun. Where else will you get a story ..read more

Batman/Superman World's Finest #25 came out last week and was incredibly entertaining, giving us two stories which shined. I love this book and I hope the current team never leaves. One thing that Mark Waid has done on this book is follow a big story arc with a sort of rest issue, a done-in-one story before the next big plot begins. He also seems to like to explore the concept of World's Finest.  Who could forget World's Finest #12, the blighted date between Robin and Supergirl, a team I have dubbed 'the Next World's Finest'. He did a two issue story looking at the origin of the World ..read more

Superman #12 came out last week, the ending of a yearlong battle Superman has had with Pharm and Graft and their Lex Luthor Revenge Squad. For the most part writer Joshua Williamson has weaved a fun and interesting story. Pharm and Graft have been sending out villains to fight Superman. Superman has been forging an odd alliance with Lex. And then, the Chained and others joined in the fray. Heck, there was even an old West fun story. But what about this issue? We have waited a year for the culmination and this issue rushes us there. The whole Pharm and Graft arc ends here, with a sprint and ..read more

Well, here we are at Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong #6, the penultimate issue of this mini-series which started out like an avalance of fun but has subsequently become bogged down by too many plot line and too much 'over the top' moments. When I reviewed the first issue which were crisp and fun and reined in just a little, I described it like a guilty summer blockbuster movie. Now, it feels sort of like a Michael Bay movie, fun with all the explosions and nonsense for the first 45 minutes ... but then you're wondering how it will end. It is a shame because writer Brian Buccellato is cle ..read more