AQUAMAN #40/ Story by DAN ABNETT & ROB WILLIAMS/ Script by DAN ABNETT/ Pencils by JOE BENNETT/ Inks by VICENTE CIFUENTES/ Colors by ADRIANO LUCAS/ Letters by STEVE WANDS/ Published by DC COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

With a magical nuclear bomb poised to destroy Atlantis and the island nation poised to take the United States with it in retaliation, the only thing standing between the world and total devastation is Aquaman and the rogue Suicide Squad members who drew the line at destroying a nation as part of their mission. Uneasy alliance? To put it mildly. And even if they stop World War III from breaking out, can they deal with the rogue admiral who pressured Amanda Waller into following his orders?

Nobody writes political intrigue and covert action stories quite as well as Dan Abnett. Unfortunately, this final chapter of Sink Atlantis is horribly presented by its art team. Bennett’s pencils are far sloppier than usual, Cifuentes’ inks are limited to drawing outlines around individual characters and Lucas’ colors are nearly florescent in their brightness! Easily skipped by all but the most devout Aqua-fans.

 

JUSTICE LEAGUE #8/ Written by JAMES TYNION IV/ Art by MIKEL JANIN/ Colors by JEROMY COX/ Letters by TOM NAPOLITANO/ Published by DC COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

The first battle between The Legion of Doom and The Justice League is over, but Lex Luthor and his team are still at least a step ahead of the heroes of Earth, despite their recovering The Totality. Thankfully, Lex has another ace up his sleeve – an ace known as The Batman Who Laughs…

I find myself enjoying the fill-in specials more than the main story of Justice League, strangely enough. I’m not sure if it’s because I have a slight preference for James Tynion IV’s writing over Scott Snyder’s or I just like seeing the villains in action without any big mystery behind why they are doing what they are doing. It also helps that the artwork for this issue is strong, with Mikel Janin’s characters being crisply defined, Jeromy Cox’s colors being suitably vibrant and Tom Napolitano’s alternation of the lettering based on individual voices flawless. If you haven’t been reading Justice League, this is the perfect place to start.

 

LIFE OF CAPTAIN MARVEL #3/ Written by MARGARET STOHL/ Pencils by CARLOS PACHECO & MARGUERITE SAUVAGE/ Inks by RAFAEL FONTERRIZ & MARGUERITE SAUVAGE/ Colors by MARCIO MENYZ & MARGUERITE SAUVAGE/ Letters by CLAYTON COWLES/ Published by MARVEL COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

As Carol Danvers continues to try and get body and soul back together and explores the possibility of a new love with an old friend, something attacks her hometown. Something from outer space. Of course Carol assumes it has come for her, but could there be something else at play?

Without spoiling too much, I can’t help but wonder if this retelling of the origins of Carol Danvers is going to be reflected in the upcoming Captain Marvel movie. There have been some fairly minor changes before now and this issue has a change that… well, it could prove significant if it means what I think it means. That alone makes this issue worth picking up if you’re a fan of the character.  Ignoring the implications of what this might mean to Carol and her history in the comics, this book is a great character study with fantastic artwork and well worth reading on its own terms.

 

WEST COAST AVENGERS #2/ Written by KELLY THOMPSON/ Art by STEFANO CASELLI/ Colors by TRIONA FARRELL/ Letters by JOE CARAMAGNA/ Published by MARVEL COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

A fifty-foot Tigra is tearing up Los Angeles. Luckily, a new hero called BRODOK is there to help the West Coast Avengers. A new hero who is definitely a handsome and noble do-gooder and he certainly isn’t connected to Advanced Idea Mechanics or MODOK. His business is Advanced IMAGE Mechanics, which is a totally different thing!  Yeah, the West Coast Avengers aren’t buying it either. But how do they get to the bottom of BRODOK’s plans while keeping him in the dark about how they’ve figured out who he really is?

Honestly, I’d recommend this book just for the concept of BRODOK. Apart from that, Kelly Thompson writes a great character-driven comic that is full of laughs up until the last page.  Stefano Caselli’s artwork is a little off-model at points (he can’t seem to decide just how much bigger than normal BRODOK’s head is) but the artwork generally looks good and the colors are nice and vibrant. Jump on this series now, folks!  It is furiously funny and practically perfect apart from some unevenness in the art.