Fantastic Universes

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” Writer: Tom King Artist: Clay Mann Color Artist: Tomeu Morey Letterer: Clayton Cowles Review by Eric Lee Batman/Catwoman  #3 offers more of the same solid narrative while progressing the stories at a somewhat halting pace. The good news is that this issue feels a little more clear on where the  timeline delineations  are set. Thanks to some festive border designs on certain scenes, the flow of the story really improves. Readers will not be distracted from the story to think about whether this is the past, present, or future. Now they can enjoy the plots progressing more. Speaking of plot progression, most of them are starting to shape up to be really interesting ideas. The most fascinating one is the future plot where we see Helena Wayne in action as… Huntress of the future? She is not named here, but she gets a cool superhero costume. We also get a real taste of her personality. Writer Tom King sets up a really cool conflict between the straight-laced Hel

“ Batman: White Knight Presents Harley Quinn ” – Book Five Writers: Katana Collins and Sean G. Murphy Artist: Matteo Scalera Color Artist: Dave Stewart Letterer: AndWorld Design Review by Kendra Hale Batman: White Knight Presents Harley Quinn  #5 is upon us this week, and it’s a reward for those who have waited patiently.  Last time  we were left with cards being shown, but tricks still up the sleeves of both parties. Hector had history visit him, while Harley and Duke were learning more about the Producer and Starlet causing all the chaos in Gotham. History Made Present If there’s a theme overtly present in this chapter, it’s one of the past coming back for a reckoning. We start the issue with Hector making his decisions over the past and present, while Harley’s forced down memory lane herself. A voice from the past comes forward to give an unexpected hand, and even Bruce Wayne starts to come to terms with where he is in this new world.  Most of all The Starlet is coming for the recko

“Exploring Gotham City” Writer: Mathew K. Manning Art: Studio Muti Review by Steve J. Ray There are a few companies that, as soon as you hear their names, you know that you’re guaranteed pure quality. Sideshow Collectibles, and McFarlane Toys spring to mind, and so does the wonderful  Insight Editions . Whenever I get a press release from Insight, I know that I’m about to see something beautiful. When  Exploring Gotham City  was announced, back in January, the publishers proved that they, once again, are batting 100. This book is a brilliantly written, and beautifully illustrated treasure that can be enjoyed by fans of all ages. How can I call a reference book, targeted at a mainly young audience be brilliantly written, you ask? Because of the effort, research, and storytelling that’s gone into it. Matthew K. Manning  doesn’t just write comics, he’s a historian and expert on the medium. I’m a massive Batman fan, and many friends have dubbed me Geekipedia, or Nerd Yoda. Matt Manning, wi

The Next Batman: Second Son #1 Writer: John Ridley Artists: Tony Akins, Ryan Benjamin, and Mark Morales Color Artist: Rex Lokus Letterer: Deron Bennett Review by  Steve J. Ray Summary DC’s  Future State  event has given us fresh new takes on the greatest comics characters of all time. Now, by popular demand, and after great reviews from fans and critics alike, John Ridley’s expanding on the origins of Tim “Jace” Fox in  The Next Batman: Second Son  #1. Positives Tim Fox is a badass. Yes, this look back at his special forces/black ops days is a real eye-opener, and strengthens the case for his worthiness of the mantle of the Bat. John Ridley writes a sympathetic, believable, and impressive character. Enough seeds are sown to build intrigue and interest for future instalments, and the plot and dialogue pump along at a solid pace. The art team of Ryan Benjamin, Tony Akins, and Mark Morales, alongside Rex Lokus on colors, also do a fine job. Deron Bennett’s letters are always great, and I

Article by Adam Ray How very true to form for little old me to talk my big talk about the hot new card game and all the reasons why those who's ever hated drawing four lands in a row should play it. Here's the difference, I did actually play this game before once. Mythgard is a fascinating card game by Rhino Games. It's available for PC on Steam and mobile clients across all generations of phones as a digital card game should be. Come on Arena, I wanna play Magic on my very old phone. That's two bashes against Magic in a row. Naughty. I can feel the editor coming for me with a spray bottle. Mythgard's overall card aesthetic is one of high sci-fantasy and cyberpunk. Fantasy has had a grounding in card games due to Magic, but the advent of this and games like Kards (themed around World War II) is a very welcome break. Demons and strange beings are abundant in this game, as are familiar things like criminal enterprises, and the science fictional cyborgs. There are

“Generations Forged” Writers: Dan Jurgens, Robert Venditti, and Andy Schmidt Artists: Mike Perkins, Marco Santucci, Paul Pelletier, Norm Rapmund, Bernard Chang, Joe Prado, Colleen Doran, Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Dan Jurgens, and Kevin Nowlan Color Artist: Hi-Fi Letterer: Tom Napolitano Review by Steve J. Ray It started in  Detective Comics  #1027 , continued in  Generations Shattered , and now the time spinning, cosmic powered, legacy busting epic concludes, in the pages of  Generations Forged . It’s been six weeks since we got the previous chapter, but the wait was well worth it. This is a book filled with nostalgia, but jam-packed with freshness, and planted with seeds that will bear fruit for years, and decades to come. Generations Forged This is such a clever book. Not only do we get heroes and villains from the Golden Age (the original Kane/Finger Batman), the Silver Age (Sinestro), the Bronze Age (Kamandi), and the Modern Age (Steel), but the talents creating this book span ge

“Finale” and “Run, Red Hood, Run” Writers: Mariko Tamaki, and Joshua Williamson Artists: Dan Mora, and Giannis Milonogiannis Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire Letterers: Aditya Bidikar, and ALW’s Troy Peteri Review by Steve J. Ray This is it,  Future State: Dark Detective  #4 is the grand finale, before the regular  Detective Comics  returns next month… and what a great finale it is! Mariko Tamaki has delivered a first rate four issue mini-series. We’ve met amazing new characters, had fresh and interesting takes on old ones, and seen a thrilling, intriguing and dangerous new world. This is a great take on Batman, and Bruce Wayne hasn’t felt this real, or this dangerous in a long, long time. We also get to see beneath the mask of Peacekeeper 01,  the man who “killed” Batman , and the brains behind the Magistrate. I’m not spoiling anything here, but if that’s who I think is, when  Detective Comics  returns we have a load of questions that need answering, in the run up to when events in that