BATMAN: LAST KNIGHT ON EARTH #1/ Script by SCOTT SNYDER/ Pencils by GREG CAPULLO/ Inks by JONATHAN GLAPION/ Colors by FCO PLASCENCIA/ Letters by TOM NAPOLITANO/ Published by DC COMICS

Review by ROY BUCKINGHAM 

Have you ever picked up an issue of Batman, and found yourself saying “I like this comic, but what would make it REALLY good is if they Mad Max-ed it up!?” That is pretty much what Snyder and Capullo have done with Batman: Last Knight On Earth.

In this event book, the apocalypse has come and gone, but in a way that no one could have ever predicted. The last survivors are seeking refuge from their slowly dying world but a newly awoken Batman refuses to join them, seeking a way to save the world in the wasteland.

This first issue left me with a ton of questions, apart from who asked for this series in the first place. Despite the weird idea, I wound up liking this more than I thought I would. That being said, Snyder’s script drags in some places, such as when Tank Girl Wonder Woman delivers a heavy exposition dump. Capullo’s artwork looks good, apart from the unnaturally unpleasant Amethyst cave. Still, the premise and execution are interesting enough to make me curious about the next issue.

DOOMSDAY CLOCK #10/ Script by GEOFF JOHNS/ Art by GARY FRANK/ Colors by BRAD ANDERSON/ Letters by ROB LEIGH / Published by DC COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

Dr. Manhattan’s motivations are finally revealed, along with an amazing discovery that will forever change the cosmos of DC Comics’ reality.

Geoff Johns’ continues to do a fair job impersonating Alan Moore, though I do wish he’d go back to writing his own original work. Still, this issue is worth picking up just for the concept of The Metaverse – a reality outside of the various multiverses from which the base concepts of fictional characters were kept safe from alteration. In other words, the generic Superman who everyone knows as a champion of Truth and Justice regardless of when Ma and Pa Kent died or how Krypton was destroyed? This is where he comes from.

Gary Frank’s and Brad Anderson’s art is as impressive as ever and Johns’ frame story – a Film Noir movie about a double-crossed detective – is engaging on its own, even outside of the cosmic shenanigans and the meta-narrative. Though it remains to be seen if this series will become a standard, it is an interesting read.

 

FANTASTIC FOUR #10/ Script by DAN SLOTT/ Art by PACO MEDINA & KEVIN LIBRANDA/ Colors by JESUS ABURTOV/ Letters by VC’S JOE CARAMAGNA/ Published by MARVEL COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

The Fantastic Four are settling into their new digs, but Franklin and Valeria are bored out of their minds. The Lower East Side is a bit of a comedown after years of making your own universes and exploring deep space. Thankfully, an invasion of giants and an encounter with Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur will liven up their Uncle Ben’s block party and show them the good side of Yancy Street.

I’ve been steering clear of the War of the Realms event, having little interest in big-event books in general and Thor in specific. I’m glad, however, that I didn’t skip Fantastic Four this month. Dan Slott delivers a fun yet heartfelt story that puts the focus on Reed and Sue Richard’s kids and the all-too-human story of two teenagers dealing with change. The artwork is equally solid and the action well-blocked when Clobbering Time arrives. Fantastic Four #10 is that rarest of all comics – an event tie-in that can be read by regular readers and crossover followers with equal ease.

 

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: THE COMIC #6/ Created by JOEL HODGSON/ Script by JOEL HODGSON, HAROLD BUCHHOLZ, MATT MCGINNIS, SETH ROBINSON, SHARYL VOLPE & MARY ROBINSON/ Art by TODD NAUCK, MIKE MANLEY, JACK POLLOCK & MIMI SIMON/ Colors by WES DZIOBA, MIKE MANLEY, JACK POLLOCK & MIMI SIMON/ Letters by MICHAEL HEISLER/ Published by DARK HORSE COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

The walls between various comic book realities begin to fall in on each other and hilarity ensues. Can Kinga and Max get Jonah and The Bots back to reality and fit in one more commercial for those wonderful Tostino Pizza Rolls?

Mystery Science Theater 3000 has been a difficult comic for me to review. As a fan of the show, I’m inherently biased and I haven’t been entirely sure how well the humor of the show translated to non-fans in a comic book form. Personally, I think they did it in an artful manner and this is the best we could have hoped for in adapting MST3K into a comic book. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I for one hope we’ll see more of the Crow Crypt-Keeper in the future.