June has officially come to an end. That means we have reached the end of the first half of 2022’s comic book releases. With the month of June we saw DC Comics begin their big event, Dark Crisis, that will define the direction of the DC Universe for the rest of this year and set up its future. On the Marvel side of things we saw a lot of developments towards the upcoming A.X.E.: Judgment Day event, especially in the X-Men comics. Along with all that we had other big things go on this month in the world of comics. Scroll down to find out what made my Top 10 Comic Book Moments for June 2022.
BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS #16
I am a sucker for scenes with the Batman Family hanging out with each other. What made this dinner even more special was Zatanna being brought back into the fold of the Batman Family. Zatanna has always been an extended member of the Batman Family before New 52. So it was great to see that not only did the recent Batman: Urban Legends story arc reforged Bruce Wayne and Zatanna’s friendship but brought the latter back into the Batman Family. As you see in the above image Zatanna is just a natural part of the family and I hope we see her guest star in other Batman titles like Batgirls in the future.
BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #4
Not sure if anyone asked for a fusion of Batman and Superman using a Green Lantern Power Ring as the catalyst but that is exactly what we got thanks to Batman/Superman: World’s Finest. The fusion of Batman and Superman’s costume with the powers of Green Lantern fueling them is an excellent design. Dan Mora really knocked it out of the park making this SuperBat design have a lot of thought behind it with how both Batman and Superman’s costumes merged into one. It helps get across how they became a whole new character with a power level not seen before in the DC Universe.
CAPTAIN MARVEL #38
The best way to put over any character as a superhero is actually showing them in action saving people and stopping villains. That is exactly what is accomplished with this double page spread of Binary saving the day in multiple ways as they’ve become a new, separate character from Carol Danvers. The various superhero acts and interactions with various people also helps to ground the character so Binary isn’t just a cosmic hero. Binary will be a superhero just like Captain Marvel and Spider-Woman as they will also work on stopping big and small threats and everything in between.
DARK CRISIS #1
The funeral service for the Justice League was a strong way to make a statement right away as Dark Crisis begins. The speech by Nightwing during the eulogy gets across how Dark Crisis will star all the legacy characters. That includes all forms of legacy characters, whether they are older or younger characters. Deathstroke watching this speech by Nightwing with the Secret Society backing him up added to atmosphere as we know the heroes of the DC Universe will have to deal with all the villains looking to take advantage of the Justice League’s death along with Pariah and the Great Darkness.
IMMORTAL X-MEN #3
With Destiny returning in Inferno it was only a matter of time before we got a major vision of the future for the X-Men franchise. A new vision for the future of the mutants was something that was going to happen with how much has changed thanks to Krakoa that Destiny didn’t previously see coming. But unlike her previous visions that foretold the direct future what Destiny gets this time is different branching paths. While we see things like the upcoming A.X.E.: Judgment Day event everything else appears to be something that could or could not happen depending on choices made by different. Which plays into how we have seen multiple different timelines for the X-Men throughout their history and with how Hickman set up the franchise during House of X and Powers of X.
POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: COUNTDOWN TO RUIN
During Power Rangers In Space we got only got to see Andros and Zhane acting as best friends only a few times. That was obviously because their Power Rangers duties made it hard for them to just simply hang out as Dark Specter threatened the entire universe. That is what made Power Rangers Unlimited: Countdown To Ruin so refreshing was we got a deep dive into the friendship of Andros and Zhane. This double page spread does a great job summarizing the friendship they had was deeper than just being best friends. They were brothers who grew up together to become Power Rangers and were always there for each other until Zhane’s injury that kept him in cryostasis when Power Rangers In Space started.
ROBIN #15
Not only has Damian Wayne finally hit his growth spurt physically but also mentally. He isn’t the same kid that Talia Al Ghul presented Bruce Wayne when revealing they have a son. Damian has come a long way as his time as Robin has allowed him to grow to be an independent person who is able to use both his parents and grandfather’s lesson. This scene shows just that as Damian talks to Bruce and Talia not just as a son talking to his parents but as equals. Bruce and Talia understanding what Damian was telling them made how they all parted ways that much more of a stronger moment for all three characters.
THOR #26
Throwing out the craziest idea can do wonders in creating magic for comic books. The latest Hulk vs Thor story shows that can deliver a crossover event that is just fun because it is creating the big blockbuster moments fans of both characters want to see. That is what we got with Thor gaining the Gamma powers of Hulk to become even more powerful. Now we have Hulk becoming the God of Thunder temporarily thanks to help from the soul of Odin. This is just stuff I didn’t think I wanted to see but now that we got it I can’t wait for how explosive this latest Hulk vs Thor story will be by the end.
X-MEN #12
Krakoa’s resurrection protocols becoming public is a game changer. And Cyclops knows that as he mentally prepares himself for the blowback he will get by making this decision. That weight is what comes with being a leader and this talk with the rest of the X-Men shows that he is not afraid of what comes next. Cyclops fully believes he did the right thing and hopes others like his X-Men teammates will trust he made the right decision. Though Scott may not get the “Cyclops was right” moment he is looking for with A.X.E.: Judgment Day is right around the corner.
X-MEN: RED #4
There is so many things to take away from this speech by Magneto. First it reaffirms Magneto and Storm’s conviction as citizens of Arakko. There is no fear shown by Magneto, and by extension Storm, that the decision to destroy their resurrection protocol back-ups will be something they regret. That is the furthest thing from his mind.
Now the dialogue of “I find myself in autumn and I fear winter” does seem to be calling out the Quiet Council as the ones in the Autumn chairs are Charles Xavier, Hope Summers, and Destiny while the Winter chairs are Exodus, Mister Sinister, and Mystique. What this will all mean for the X-Men franchise when you factor in the visions Destiny had over in Immortal X-Men creates a lot of intrigue in what is going to come next.