Last Week's Comics, Ranked. (28/12/16)

A highly subjective ranking of a selection of last week's comics (28/12/16).

1. Wonder Woman #13
2. Mother Panic #2
3. Star Wars #26
4. All-Star Batman #5
5. Dark Knight III: The Master Race #7
6. Deadpool: Too Soon #3
7. Black Widow #9
8. Action Comics #970
9. Captain America: Steve Rogers #8
10. Batman Beyond #3
11. Detective Comics #947

Review: "Super Powers" #1

Not really knowing what it wants to be is probably Super Powers' biggest problem. Rated "E", writers Art Baltazar and Franco want the comic to appeal to children as well as to adults, but make the crucial mistake of imagining a children's story meant for grown-ups, instead of creating a proper one that can be enjoyed by older audiences as well. Ads for the comic that run even as recent as this week suggest the comic was supposed to have an entirely different story in some key areas. An assumption backed up by the comic's frequent lack of cohesion. 

The same, unfortunately, goes for Super Power's art. Although appealingly drawn by Art Baltazar, its simplistic style and crooked lines are again overtly self-referential and self-aware. There is still enough time for this six-part series to turn things around, but Super Powers needs to find a coherent tone and approach to convince.

4/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Superman" #7 / "Wonder Woman" #6 & #7

"Superman" #7: Another proof how well Superman can work on a small scale. A very down-to-earth story with a very down-to-earth Superman, who changes space and Doomsday for a country fair and petty thieves. A welcome change.

7/10

"Wonder Woman" #6: There'll never need to be another Wonder Woman origin story, because it can't really get any better than this. Scott's art wonderfully matches the grace and beauty of Rucka's story.

9/10

"Wonder Woman" #7: A rather confusing finale to what used to be a thrilling and captivating storyline so far. There was potential for a far better ending, but this feels like a rushed affair.

6/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Batman Beyond" #16 / "Green Arrow" #6 / "Justice League" #4

"Batman Beyond" #16: Read this if you want to start with "Batman: Beyond Rebirth" next month, as it'll give you a much better insight of what's going to happen. Apart from that, it's a pretty solid and entertaining read.

7/10

"Green Arrow" #6: Now with the start of a new story arch, it's clear to see that Benjamin Percy has a clear idea and concept of what he want's to do with Green Arrow's characters going forward. Intriguing, captivating, and loads of fun.

8/10

"Justice League" #4: It sure is highly entertaining, but Hitch does little in this issue to advance either story or character progression. Also, trying to give every Justice League member the same amount of "screen" time is a noble cause, but focusing on the more important aspects and characters would have definitely helped here. 

6/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Wonder Woman" #2 / #3 / #4 / #5

The Lies (#3 and #5): It's an intriguing and highly captivating story about Wonder Woman's expulsion from Themyscira and her and Trevor's subsequent fight against Urzkartaga. And most important of all, it stays true its core themes of identity and the rewriting of history.

9/10

Year One (#2 and #4): A carefully woven and well-narrated Wonder Woman origin story, that excels in its nuanced and invigorating depiction of Themyscira and the heartfelt way it recounts Steve Trevor's life prior to Wonder Woman. This could well go on to be one of Wonder Woman's quintessential origin stories.

9/10 

Review: "Justice League" #1 / #2 / #3

After the rather dull and too conventional "Justice League: Rebirth" #1, it's good to see that Bryan Hitch was able to turn the series around considerably. From what looked to be your next "giant-space-alien-attack-forces-heroes-to-save-the-world-story", the comic has incorporated a few welcome twists and turns to the formula, to make it stand out in comparison to other series. 

But "Justice League" also scores with the presentation of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman etc., where each hero is given fair and considerable attention, with a focus that truly emphasizes the concept of the sum that is greater than its parts.

8/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Superman" #5 / "Wonder Woman" #1 / "Deathstroke" #1

"Superman" #5: The action is solid here, as the "Son of Superman" storyline slowly approaches its conclusion. But the real highlight here is the Kent family going crazy with Batman's gadgets in his moon cave. Pure fan service that is.

7/10

"Deathstroke" #1: Its narrative mode, where little chapters jump back and forth in time is a good choice of telling the comic's story, but Deathstroke himself, unfortunately, has lost some of the grit and mercilessness of the "Rebirth" issue. 

6/10

"Wonder Woman" #1: It's reliance on art over dialogue continues to be a thorough success for "Wonder Woman", perfectly fitting the protagonists sturdy quest for truth. One of DC's best "Rebirth" titles.

8/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "Supergirl: Rebirth" #1 / "Wonder Woman: Rebirth" #1 / "Batgirl and The Birds of Prey" #1

"Supergirl: Rebirth" #1: It does a good job of introducing Supergirl and what we can expect from the series going forward, but its Kryptonian werewolf story does not have too much to it so far.

6/10

"Wonder Woman: Rebirth" #1: 

If only every one of DC's "Rebirth" issues could have been like this one... Taking into account all the different origin stories and versions of Wonder Woman, this properly sets the stage for the character going forward. 

9/10

"Batgirl and The Birds of Prey" #1: A whole lot of fun with an engaging story and three main characters that really click. It's exactly what you'd want from the Birds of Prey.
8/10

"The Good, the Bad and Something About Comics": "Justice League: Rebirth" #1

                + Positive                                        - Negative

Doesn't waste any time in getting to the action Art is in line with other current “Rebirth” titles Convincing dynamic between the “League” members Characters feel distinct and unique Knows how to stage and dramatize the concept of the Justice League

Clark Kent’s conflict of whether to join the Justice League seems largely artificial Generic space-alien-invader Not as funny as it thinks it is

A solid first issue for Justice League that gets to the point immediately, but has still considerable room to improve.

6/10

Comic of the Day 2/5: "DK III: The Master Race" #4

Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello have decided to go all out on this issue, with results that don't always convince. 

Everything in DK III: The Master Race #4 is supposed to be meaningful, important and grand. From the amazingly composed first panel that harks back to the shrinking of The Atom to the confrontation between Superman, Lara and the Kryptonians to a surprise appearance of The Flash, everything is extremely fast paced, first class entertainment. But it was their ability to squeeze every ounce of drama of a selected amount of scenes that have made the first three issues so special.

Andy Kubert's pencils and Brad Anderson's colors only add to the spectacle. Images of blood on snow and a Bruce Wayne that looks even more battered than in the last issue make for a relentless and violent atmosphere that penetrates the whole comic. The Batgirl tie-in comic complements the main story perfectly, as it knows to impress with great gestures and even adds Aquaman to the mix. 

But featuring Batman, Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Robin, The Atom, The Flash and Aquaman, DKIII: The Master Race is too crowded and has too much to tell to actually make a valid point. As a one-off spectacle it's great, but I hope Miller and Azzarello return to the moderate and more ponderous atmosphere that so magnificently defined the series .

7/10