Things have not slowed down in the comic book world. Throughout the month of August we had a lot of big developments going on. That includes Marvel having their A.X.E.: Judgment Day big event going at full force at the same time DC Comics’ Dark Crisis event is going on. If that wasn’t enough we had BOOM! Studios Power Rangers comic books ramping up towards a major game changing 100th comic book issue for the franchise. To collect some of the big events that happened during August I’ve put together my Top 10 comic book moments for the month.
A.X.E.: JUDGMENT DAY #2
There were certainly a lot of big things from character decisions to action sequences to choose for what could be the most notable thing that took place in A.X.E.: Judgement Day this month. For me the biggest one was this two-panel discussion between Cyclops and Captain America. Cyclops was 100% ready for Captain America attempt to call out the mutant resurrection protocols being kept secret from the Avengers. Cyclops response efficiently shuts Captain America up as the Avengers have not always been there for mutants when they need help most. If A.X.E.: Judgement Day accomplishes anything it is the Avengers coming to realize they need to stop trying to act like authority figures and actually build a relationship on trust that has them view the X-Men as equals, and not only when it’s convenient to them.
BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #6
There is so much about this double page spread that makes this a standout moment. What really cements it is the Batman costume. Using the classic yellow oval with blue cowl and boots gets you into how this is a story that takes place during the early Dynamic Duo days. It all helps to make both Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson effortless performance they put on as Batman and Robin work so well. It also makes them both smiling throughout the performance be natural part of the entire scene and completely in character for both of them.
CAPTAIN MARVEL #40
Well that is certainly one way to take off magic gauntlets that are magically keeping you in another realm for a trial you had no choice but to be in. Captain Marvel sure didn’t hold back in doing this. The whole visual of seeing her burn off her entire hands and forearms to the point there is only bone is crazy. Its not something I ever expected from a Captain Marvel comic book.
DAREDEVIL #2
As Daredevil Matt Murdock has come to terms he will never be seen as heroic as Captain America and other heroes. Its not the direction he chose for himself as Daredevil. But even then, as Daredevil, we’ve seen Matt save countless people so it is great that when he needs help most its those same people he has saved that have his back. It’s a touching character moment that reminds Matt that even though he is going down a new path with Elektra as co-leaders of The Fist that at his core he is a superhero that helps and inspires others to act heroic like they do here.
DARK CRISIS #3
This spread page does such a great job presenting the Justice Society of America as a sign of hope that not all is lost post-Death Of The Justice League. Each member of the JSA shown on this page brings that aura of hope with them. This all helps builds so much more excitement for what we could see happen next in Dark Crisis from different character interactions to action sequences.
HULK #8
For all the epic action we’ve gotten in the clash of Marvel titans in the latest Hulk vs Thor story one of the biggest take aways is how terrifyingly strong Thor is. Of course with this version of Thor we’ve seen him gaining extra power by the gamma radiation he absorbed. But as Odin previously said, what we witnessed in the Banner Of War is a version of Thor that had no limiters. This was a Thor who was no longer holding back and this double page spread of Thor literally ripping Yggdrasil, otherwise known as the World Tree, in half is terrifying to see. It really gets over how Thor really does hold himself back from going all out even when fighting the likes of Hulk, especially now as All-Father.
MIGHTY MORPHIN #22
By far one of the most hype moments in all of Power Rangers history is this double page spread of Kimberly Hart summoning all of the Pink Rangers across history to back her up in the fight against future Power Rangers’ villains. Kimberly leading everyone to shout out their version of the morphing sequence is such an awesome moment. It all speaks to the incredible legacy that was started with six Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which Kimberly was a key part of, that we get moments like that shows how the franchise has endured across generations.
ROBIN #17
Damian Wayne and partying on a beach are two things I never thought we see. But hey things change and people evolve in ways we couldn’t expect. And for Damian after we finally see him find a group of friends that he doesn’t feel like he has to always be on Robin mode with he is actually able to have fun. The only other time we’ve seen this side of Damian is with Jon Kent as the Super Sons. The various images of how Damian is having fun with Flatline, Connor Hawke, Mara Al Ghul, and others all made you happy for him that he could get this time to just having fun with peers.
SPIDER-GWEN: GWENVERSE #5
If Peter Parker and Miles Morales could hold together the entire Spider-Verse then of course Gwen Stacy could do the same thing. Being at the center while doing so just screams cool moment. The various images of the different Spider-Men and Spider-Women across the Multiverse enhances this feat that Gwen Stacy as Ghost Spider accomplishes.
X-MEN #14
If fighting for their survival against the Eternals and Celestials wasn’t enough of course the X-Men had to step up to save the world from a solar flare attack. This did give Iceman the chance to shine as he showcased why he is an Omega-Level Mutant. Creating an ice shield around Earth strong enough to protect the planet from a solar flare gets that message across.