Welcome back to a new comic book reviews round-up! This was a notable week of comic book releases with many big endings and beginnings going on. For this week’s comic book reviews round-up we are spotlighting Birds of Prey #10, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alpha, and The Ultimates #1. Find out how these turned out with our comic book reviews round-up below.
BATMAN #148
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Jorge Jiménez
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jiménez knocked it out of the park with how they concluded the “Dark Prisons” story arc. From beginning to end Batman #148 had everything to make all the build up to this final battle against Zur-En-Arrh worth the journey. From Bruce Wayne’s personal growth to the reunion of the Batman Family, this was a great ending that builds greater excitement for what Zdarsky has planned next. Click here to read full review.
Overall Rating: 9.5 Night Girls out of 10
BIRDS OF PREY #10
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artists: Robbi Rodriguez and Gavin Guidry
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
When it comes to artistic direction Birds of Prey #10 is at the top of its game. Robbi Rodriguez, Gavin Guidry, and Jordie Bellaire have a ton of fun providing a unique style to the cross-dimensional adventures of the Birds of Prey. The design from the new costumes to the special effects utilize made this feel like a unique experience. The writing on the otherhand was very handholding with how much information dumping there is. Its one of those necessary evil chapters where this story arc needed these details to be laid out. But that does not excuse how by the end of Birds of Prey #10 we don’t progress further than when this issue started.
Overall Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
THE BOY WONDER #2
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer and Artist: Juni Ba
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
The Boy Wonder #2 is a must-read comic book. It’s as simple as that. This comic book is brimming with style and personality. But most importantly it has a lot of heart. The way Juni Ba explores Damian Wayne and Jason Todd’s dynamic makes this one of the most memorable comic books DC Comics has published this year. Click here to read full review.
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
SCARLETT #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Marco Ferrari
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Rus Wooton
As soon as you open Scarlett #1 Kelly Thompson and Marco Ferrari get you immersed in the cool spy thriller they create. The mission that Scarlett sets out on continues to strengthen the G.I. Joe side of the universe. It all comes together to another must-read series the Energon Universe is being known for. Click here to read full review.
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: ALPHA
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jason Aaron and Tom Waltz
Artist: Chris Burnham and Gavin Smith
Colorist: Brian Reber and Ronda Pattison
Letterer: Nathan Widick
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Alpha is exactly what it needed to be: a teaser for the direction of IDW’s TMNT Universe. Seeing IDW splitting the franchise up between a new core series with the original four Turtles and another series where all other characters we’ve grown to love is certainly a choice. The way it’s told is not super clean as it does feel like Jennika and others were thrown on an island because the franchise had too many characters for the new creative team to deal with. That said, both Jason Aaron and Tom Waltz each tell strong stories that you can’t help not be intrigued by. Especially with Aaron’s story the focus on Donatello creates a lot of questions for what direction the four original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will go together and individually. Hopefully both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mutant Nation live up to the potential they showed in this preview.
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
THE ULTIMATES #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Deniz Camp
Artist: Juan Frigeri
Colorist: Federico Blee
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Ultimates #1 is a foundation setter. There are a lot of big ideas presented for what the series will be tackling for the greater Ultimate Universe. By establishing this Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri get across that readers can expect the Ultimates to be the premiere superhero team for the Ultimate Universe. Through all of this Camp and Frigeri are able to develop solid chemistry between the members that will make up the Ultimates. That chemistry ends up creating questions for the direction things will go from here with how the rest of the world will view the team. It all makes The Ultimates #1 be a comic book that strengthens that strongest publishing line for Marvel.
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
X-MEN #35
CREATIVE TEAM
Writers: Gerry Duggan, Al Ewing, Kieron Gillen, Chris Claremont, Jed MacKay, and Gail Simone
Artists: Josua Cassara, Phil Noto, Lucas Werneck, Leinil Francis Yu, Walter Simonson, Mark Brooks, John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna, Jerome Opena, Luciano Vecchio, Stefano Caselli, Sara Pichelli, Salvador Larroca, and Javier Garron
Colorists: Romula Fardo Jr., Phil Noto, David Curiel, Laura Martin, Sonia Oback, Marcio Menyz, Matt Hollingsworth, Matthew Wilson, Guru-eFX, and Mory Hollowell
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
With how things went with Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X, X-Men #35 did its best to provide the Krakoa Era its final chapter. This final chapter was at its best tapping into how sad it is to say goodbye to the Krakoa Era. Though there are many moments that felt like the creative team was stretching the story rather than fully honoring what this era meant for the X-Men. Hopefully the foundation set for the future of the franchise is followed up well by the new era. Click here to read full review.
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
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