ACTION COMICS #1000 Review: A Superman Story Without Superman

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The third story in the epic 1000th issue of Action Comics, An Enemy Within, is a Superman story where Superman doesn’t save anyone. Written by Cindy Goff and Marv Wolfman, with art by Butch Guice and the late Curt Swan (to whom the story is dedicated), An Enemy Within uses an unusual framing device: though narrated by Superman, he is nowhere to be seen. While the Man of Steel is off in Japan battling drones controlled by Brainiac (also mentioned, but not shown), he uses his super senses to monitor a police stand-off in Metropolis, where the seemingly deranged principal of a local high school is holding children hostage.

The story shows us that we can’t always wait for someone else to solve our problems. Each one of us can and must take action in the face of evil. Superman, here a stand-in for any authority, may have bigger fish to fry, which is why we, or in this story police captain Maggie Sawyer, need to step up and do our part to make the world a better place. Sawyer and her team rescue the students by taking out the principal, but they do it with rubber bullets. It turns out the man was being controlled by Brainiac after all and, in acting as Superman would, the police manage to avoid two tragedies. They save the children and, by using non-lethal means, spare the man’s wife the pain of losing her husband.

The artwork by Swan, from a previously unpublished story, looks good but seems to be from a comic unrelated to Superman. The grittier feel of the police pages stands in contrast to the classic four-color splash page that closes the chapter, previously published in Superman: The Secret Years #2. The letters, done by Rob Leigh, are attractive and clear.

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Knuckles Dukes It With New Villains In SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #3

By

Anthony Wendel

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The new Sonic The Hedgehog series from IDW Comics spends its third issue reintroducing the fan-favorite frenemy Knuckles the Echidna to the story, along with two original characters named Rough and Tumble. Will these new additions keep the book on track or derail it?

Summary

Sonic meets up with Knuckles and finds a town being bullied by a pair of skunks named Rough and Tumble.

Writing

Writer Ian Flynn starts off the issue by nailing the dynamic between Sonic and Knuckles. A perfect “best friends who may throw down every once in awhile” setup is spelled out in just a few panels. This relationship has been one of the driving forces in the entire Sonic franchise for years and it’s inspiring to see it is getting just as much attention as it ever did previously.

The issue also features a decent introduction of new characters. It’s good to see it won’t simply be the characters which have only appeared in the games. The joy of the original Archie series was the introduction of comic-exclusive characters and how they had a way of shaking up the characters here and there. The only question is if some of the beloved characters introduced in Sonic SatAM will make an appearance or not. Here’s hoping as the world needs more Bunnie Rabbot, Princess Sally, and Antoine D Coolette.

Artwork

The artwork seems to synchronize with the previous issues of the series and yet harkens back to the Archie series. This makes perfect sense as artist Jennifer Hernandez used to work on the original series. The introduction of Rough and Tumble feels like the two characters have been around much longer thanks to the art style.

Heather Breckel really makes sure to add little tiny details with the color working. The details like eye color and action effects seem to pop off the page thanks to the attention paid to the colors.

The letters by Corey Breen helps to allow very energetic scenes play out. The introduction of Rough and Tumble are especially punctual thanks to the lettering work.

Conclusion

The new series continues its journey without losing any of its steam. The new villains are fun, the old characters are classic, and the energy feels just as good as it ever did. This is what Sonic The Hedgehog comics should feel like.

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Review: KICK-ASS #3 Introduces Its Supervillain And Raises The Stakes

By

Manuel Gomez

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Kick-Ass #3 by Mark Millar, John Romita Jr., Peter Steigerwald, and John Workman introduces a deadly new supervillain and places Kick-Ass in her most dangerous situation yet.

Kick-Ass #3
Written by: Mark Millar
Art by: John Romita Jr.
Colors and Digital Inks by: Peter Steigerwald
Letters by: John Workman

Kick-Ass Created by: Mark Millar & John Romita Jr.

Patience Lee’s shaking up the city’s organized crime rings to feed her family and give stolen money back to the community. But the enemies she’s making have friends in low places, friends that will avenge their bosses come hell or high water. The city’s most violent offender is fresh out of jail, and he’s got Kick-Ass in his sights.

Writing

With Kick-Ass #3, Mark Millar finally introduces his nemesis for Patience Lee, the mob enforcer Violencia (Spanish for violence). And in typical Millar fashion, the villain is hyper-violent, over the top and completely entertaining to read. This chapter is almost an origin of Violencia, as Patience/Kick-Ass doesn’t even appear for a few pages. Instead, we a fantastic opener that gives the reader a clear picture of who/what Violencia is and what he is capable of. Millar creates a sense of real fear and danger with this character, elevating the stakes of the story to new levels.

We also finally get to see how closely connected Patience’s brother-in-law Maurice is to organized crime, as she finally crosses path with him in her Kick-Ass costume. That set-up creates a huge amount of tension that leaves the comic on it’s strongest cliffhanger yet.

Art

The art team here is just about perfect. John Romita Jr. and Peter Steigerwald combine their talents to create images that are at once gritty and sleek. It’s that duality that has always captured the simple brutality of a hard punch or a bullet to the head in a Kick-Ass book. You can honestly almost feel every impact. It’s a hard line to balance on because a lesser art team would simply allow it all to become way too over the top. Romita and Steigerwald manage to add a bit of elegance to the whole thing, which makes Kick-Ass unique.

Conclusion

With this third issue, the new Kick-Ass feels like it’s finally getting its own identity. It makes you realize that the concept originally created in Kick-Ass ( a more ‘realistic’ depiction of a costumed vigilante) is one that is extremely malleable and can create all sorts of interesting takes.

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STEVEN UNIVERSE Records THE BIG SHOW But Gets The Wrong Sadie

By

Anthony Wendel

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Summary: Steven records the rise of Sadie’s new band, Sadie Killer and the Suspects.

Review

It’s another Sadie episode. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the girl has come a long way since Sadie’s Song and showcases there is another side to her character. Unfortunately this episode doesn’t give the viewer the side of her which is most interesting.

Back in Sadie Killer, it was revealed Sadie struggles with a mixture of guilt and anxiety which sometimes makes it hard for her to function in the world. This is the Sadie which is fascinating to watch evolve and play out through her struggles. This isn’t the aspect of Sadie this episode chooses to focus on. Instead it’s more about her mother Barb and how she can be a bit too clingy. The fans have seen a more interesting side of the character and its far more engaging exploring it than rehashing previous problems.

It’s interesting to see Greg acts as the band’s manager. Mostly because of how competent he comes off in the role. Red herrings are used with him wanting to spend some of his royalty money to get the band better equipment and booking a large gig for them through an old contact. This would have been the easy way to tell a story by having Greg go overboard, hyping things up, and it directly sabotages the show. Good to know the creative team isn’t taking the creative team isn’t taking the easy route when it comes to storytelling. It does raise the question about how much longer they will use the “Steven’s dad is rich” sub-plot to move the story. Of course even if they say he is broke in the next episode not much will change. He’ll still own the car wash and be living out of his van. For now though if managing Sadie’s band gives him more screen time then he should just keep up the fine work. Greg seems as much like the link between the Gems and the Humans as much as Steven is.

Not a bad human episode but not the best Steven Universe has produced.

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DC on CW Weekly Review: A Double Dose of ARROW and Kevin Smith’s FLASH

By

Jon Barr - TV Editor

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April 16, 2018

This series will be a brief, semi-comedic review of the CW superhero shows. You can check out last week’s review post here. The only shows discussed will be ‘Arrow’, ‘Flash’, and ‘Supergirl’. There WILL be some spoilers discussed, so only look at the reviews you’re up to date on!

Arrow, “Brothers in Arms” (April 5th)

The balance between the Diggle and Diaz conflict makes for an okay episode. The more focused conflict between Oliver and John works better than the general Team Arrow break-ups. The semi-resolution between the two also works better than the total split. On the other end, Diaz is still a vague threat, whose primary strategy is just… having lots of people. The threat of impeachment is the most concrete, scary threat that’s come from Diaz in this post-Cayden James world.

SCORE: 7/10 People Telling Oliver That Diaz Has Already Won

The Flash, “Null and Annoyed” (April 10th)

While Kevin Smith has made some great CW entries, this episode doesn’t land as well. It’s a nice-looking episode to be sure, but the content is severely lacking. Aside from a strong episodic villain, ‘Null and Annoyed’ is very weak. This goofy Ralph Dibny is a complete 180 from the past few episodes of character development. Plus, the return of Ralph’s Stretchy Blackface Power is incredibly unnerving. Danny Trejo seemed to be phoning it in hard, as if he really hated being in this episode. The reveal of Thinker drugging his wife lost steam by the time it came around. While the potentially corrupted Harry is interesting, it doesn’t do enough to ground a weightless FLASH.

SCORE: 6/10 Silent Bobs

Arrow, “Fundamentals” (April 12th)

ARROW uses a very uninspired framing device to set up a new status quo. Oliver getting secretly drugged with Vertigo makes the specifics of the plot confusing. Exactly how much of Arrow’s new behaviors are drug-induced, aside from obvious hallucinations? It was smart to bring back Adrian Chase – the series could use a strong villain to actually scare Oliver. What works is the idea of Green Arrow going back to his loner ways. The show has felt oversaturated with vigilantes as of late, so refocusing ARROW on Arrow is a promising start to a potentially better future.

SCORE: 6.5/10 Science Fair Projects

WEEKLY WIN TALLY:

The Flash: 7 Weeks

Arrow: 5 Weeks

Supergirl: 4.5 Weeks

What show did you think won the week? Does Legends of Tomorrow or Black Lightning take your vote? Let us know in the comments below!

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Review: THE WALKING DEAD There Is No ‘Wrath’ In The Season 8 Finale

By

Matthew Sardo

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AMC concluded the eight season of The Walking Dead Sunday night with ‘Wrath,’ and boy does it fall flat.

There will be spoilers in this review, turn back now if you haven’t watched the season eight finale.

The conclusion of ALL OUT WAR was built to be epic. Instead, fans of The Walking Dead were treated to a conversation. ‘Wrath’ had no weight and or a cinematic quality to it. Yes, there was a plot twist, but the build-up to the final battle between Rick and Negan was straight up tedious. There was no crisis of conscious for Rick, if there were the dialogue and direction didn’t help the cause.

The point of ALL OUT WAR is for Rick to realize there is a better way than killing your enemy if society is to survive the zombie apocalypse. ON top of that, the purpose of ALL OUT WAR is to be anti-climactic because Rick doesn’t kill Negan, but showrunner Scott M. Gimple could have given fans an epic battle as his final act as showrunner. Instead, ‘Wrath’ gives you a little bit of this and a little bit of that with no substance.

The Walking Dead Season 8 — Danai Gurira as Michonne, Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 16 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

The episode predictably starts and closes on the same narrative. Maggie ends the season on an evil note. Rick and Michonne gloat in front of Negan, which seemed entirely out of character for both of them. The only saving grace of the first 15-minutes was Jerry; Cooper Andrews has a comedic timing that works so well opposite of Khary Payton’s Ezekiel. Josh McDermitt never varied Eugene’s performance as the plot twist unfolded and it added to generic nature of the episode. The Morgan storyline, while compelling does nothing to move the needle for Rick’s crew and Morgan, becomes more of a distraction than an addition.

‘Wrath’ is the most disappointed I been with The Walking Dead ever in the eight season on the air. The new showrunner for season nine, Angela Kang will need to come out strong to course correct for a weak season eight.

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Yoda May Make A Return In STAR WARS: EPISODE IX

By

Jackson Hayes

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April 15, 2018

One of the highlights of last years Star Wars: The Last Jedi was the return of Master Yoda. The Jedi legend returned to offer advice to Luke in his hour of need as he had done so many times in the past. Many saw this scene as a nod to the original trilogy and a fantastic sendoff for a great character, however, that may not be the case.

According to Daily News, an insider shared with them the news that Yoda will be returning once again in Episode IX:

“The success of the scenes featuring Yoda in The Last Jedi were huge. Yoda will again appear as a ghost as he acknowledges Rey’s success and growth as a Jedi. The scenes are due to be put together later this year.”

Now, this report should be taken with a grain of salt as many “inside” scoops have turned out to be incorrect. However, it doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility that this could occur. The addition of Yoda in Episode VIII was a highlight for both fans and haters of the film, which is hard to pull off given the divisive nature of the film. Lucasfilm could be looking to keep the ball rolling by using a classic character once again.

Would you like to see Yoda appear in Star Wars: Episode IX? Let us know in the comments below!

The Last Jedi is currently available on Blu-Ray/Digital

Luke Skywalker’s peaceful and solitary existence gets upended when he encounters Rey, a young woman who shows strong signs of the Force. Her desire to learn the ways of the Jedi forces Luke to make a decision that changes their lives forever. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren and General Hux lead the First Order in an all-out assault against Leia and the Resistance for supremacy of the galaxy.

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Dolby Cinema Unveils Exclusive AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Poster

By

Aric Sweeny

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April 15, 2018

With under two weeks to go until Avengers: Infinity War lands in theaters, Dolby Cinema has unveiled a new poster for the film.

The poster is absolutely gorgeous. With so many characters included in the movie, it’s tough to create pieces of visual marketing that give the heroes the spotlight they deserve while not feeling cramped or out of place. Shuri from Black Panther has a prominent place on the poster, leading me to believe she’ll be heavily featured in Infinity War.

“As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment – the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.”

Avengers: Infinity War features Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, and Josh Brolin as Thanos.

The film releases on April 27.

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JUSTICE LEAGUE: NO JUSTICE #1 Preview: Brainiac Attacks!

By

Anthony Composto - EIC

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April 14, 2018

In the fallout from Dark Nights: Metal comes Justice League: No Justice, and DC Comics is giving you the chance to take an early look at the first issue!

At the end of DARK NIGHTS: METAL, the unthinkable happened: The Source Wall, the absolute limit of the known DC Universe was not just breached, but completely broken, leaving the DCU transformed and exposed to terrifying new threats that only they can face, but in the way you might think. New teams and unexpected alliances will be the key to the superhero teams of Earth facing down this new danger.

The four-issue miniseries will be co-written by Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson, and James Tynion IV, with art by Francis Manapul.

Click here and check out the preview on DC’s website!

Justice League: No Justice will see the League team up with some of DC’s strangest heroes and most sinister villains to create four new factions (Team Mystery, Team Wonder, Team Widsom, and Team Entropy) to take on new threats from beyond the Source Wall.

You can see the full teams and learn more about the series right here on Monkeys Fighting Robots.

Are you excited for Justice League: No Justice? Sound off with your thoughts in the comments below!

Justice League: No Justice #1 hits stores May 9th.

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The Russos Say Thanos Is Stronger Than Hulk, Call Him “Fairly Invincible”

By

Aric Sweeny

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April 14, 2018

So, just how powerful is Thanos going to be in Avengers: Infinity War?

This is a question many fans are wondering ahead of the film’s release. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo recently talked to Cinemablend about the Mad Titan, and shared some details that should get Marvel fans incredibly excited. Here’s what the duo said.

I mean it’s like death comes to call for the Avengers. This is a nearly unbeatable force who is determined to destroy half the life in the universe to bring it to balance. He sees it as an overgrown garden that he needs to prune. As you mentioned, he is fairly invincible He’s a sort of genetic mutation who’s the Genghis Khan of the universe. He’s unbeatable on the battlefield, stronger than the Hulk, skin in invincible. So it’s going to cost the Avengers something to defeat him.

The part that sticks out to me is the last line. What will it cost the Avengers to defeat Thanos? Many are speculating that notable members of the team will die, and I tend to agree. Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Vision, and Drax all have to potential to be taken out by the Mad Titan.

Are you looking forward to Avengers: Infinity War? How should the film handle Thanos? Chime in down below, in our comments section!

“As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment – the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.”

Avengers: Infinity War features Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, and Josh Brolin as Thanos.

The film releases on April 27.

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