CATALYST PRIME: SEVEN DAYS #3/ Script by GAIL SIMONE/ Pencils by JOSE LUIS/ Inks by JONAS TRINIDADE/ Colors by MICHELLE MADSEN/ Letters by SAIDA TEMOFONTE/ Published by LION FORGE COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

Four days remain until the end of the world, but three teenage superheroes may have discovered the weakness of the strange Obsidian Men. But will it prove enough to turn the tide of the invasion?

If Gail Simone’s goal was to tease me with just enough of the Lion Forge superhero line to make me read the rest of their books, Mission Accomplished. The story here doesn’t do a great job of profiling all the characters (typical of a crossover event) but it does show me enough of them to make me want to see more. The artwork by Jose Luis, Jonas Trinidade and Michelle Madsen is full of pep and life, making this one high octane adventure that glows on every page. Consider me converted to everything Catalyst Prime has to offer.

 

DOOM 2099 #1/ Script by CHIP ZDARSKY/ Art by MARCO CASTIELLO/ Colors by CHRIS SOTOMAYOR/ Letters by VC’s CLAYTON COWLES/ Published by MARVEL COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

Once, Doom came to the dark future of 2099 and brought order to a chaotic world. Now a new Doom has arrived in 2099 and the future isn’t big enough for the both of them. The only certainty is that in the end, Doom will prevail… but which Doom?

I hadn’t expected the new wave of 2099 books to be this accessible or this fun, but Chip Zdarksy’s script is easily accessible and fairly thrilling despite the dystopian nature of the setting. Castiello’s art captures both the high-tech and barbaric aspects of the world with equal ease and the colors by Chris Sotomayor are suitably eye-catching. A must-read for all fans of Doctor Doom, whether you like the 2099 setting or not.

 

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #14/ Script by TOM TAYLOR/ Art by MARGUERITE SAUVAGE & KEN LASHLEY/ Colors by MARGUERITE SAUVAGE & RACHELLE ROSENBERG/ Letters by VC’s TRAVIS LANHAM/ Published by MARVEL COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

Aunt May is having surgery and Peter Parker is determined to be there when she wakes up. Naturally the world has other ideas and there’s a disaster that knocks out the power to the hospital and most of the neighborhood. Can Spidey get down to the bottom of things and save the day all by himself, while still being there for the woman who raised him?

Tom Taylor’s Spider-Man stories weren’t world shaking epics, but he remembered what few other writers in the modern era seem to in regards to Peter Parker: he’s a hero who tries to help people, even when he isn’t in costume and when all he can do is to offer a kind word. Taylor’s story shows how that can pay off in big ways and is perfectly brought to life by Marguerite Sauvage, Ken Lashley and Rachelle Rosenberg. A splendid coda to what is probably Marvel Comics’ most underrated title from the past year.

 

TALES FROM THE DARK MULTIVERSE: TEEN TITANS: THE JUDAS CONTRACT #1/ Script by KYLE HIGGINS & MAT GROOM/ Art by TOM RANEY/ Colors by HI-FI/ Letters by TOM ORZECHOWSKI/ Published by DC COMICS

Review by MATT MORRISON

In a world that was never meant to be, Terra’s betrayal of the Teen Titans took a drastically different path. Ironically, it came about not because of a dark twist of fate, but because of an act of compassion that might have turned the young heroine’s heart had the incident not also given her higher aspirations than serving her mentor Deathstroke.

This story is a misfire on nearly every creative level. Higgins and Groom’s story lacks the interesting twists that early chapters in this series had, instead presenting a fairly straight forward “bad ending” where the heroes die in an anti-climactic fashion. The artwork by Tom Raney is fairly competent, though some odd expressions, recycled panels and under-inked scenes weaken the final product. The only wholly worthwhile element is Hi-Fi’s colors. Easily the weakest of the Dark Multiverse books to date.