**AS ALWAYS BE MINDFUL THAT THERE WILL BE SLIGHT SPOILERS, READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL!!**

 

Robin Rises: Omega #1

Writer: Peter Tomasi

Artist: Andy Kubert

Reviewer: Aitch Cee

 

With all the furor over the changes that Marvel Comics has announced this week, many have overlooked yet another change in the works and it may possibly be the return of Damien Wayne. In this book Tomasi does a good job with really starting readers off on a journey that few only knows how it will end. The first portion of the book does a fine job of getting readers familiar with Damien and his relationship with Bruce Wayne going all the way back pre- “New 52’ reboot. Once that is done, it’s a flash forward to the present as Batman, Ra’s al-Ghul as well as a few other allies fight against Darkseid’s forces for his son’s body. We also find out that there is more going on with a crystal (aren’t we doing this with the Infinity Gauntlet also hmmmm?) that is embedded within Damien’s casket.

 

I am a bit on the fence with the Justice League showing up at the end, I mean it works even in its clumsiness, but it’s good to see that someone is paying attention to SOME continuity as a few members are not present and one is.   As far as Kubert’s art, it was a mixed bag for me.   I enjoyed his work on the characters but when it came to the fight scenes, it was entirely too frenetic for my tastes so I was thankful that some of the scenes were short. Overall, with everything happening in the Batman universe this was a good kick-off on Batman’s quest to get his son back.

 

3 out of 5 stars

 

Judge Dredd #21

Writer: Duane Swierczynski

Artist: Shane Pierce

Reviewer: Ray Willis

 

After making an assault on the Hall of Justice, Judge Dredd, Chief Justice, and the other Judges were sucked into the unknown Dark Judge that has appeared out of nowhere. In this issue we finally found out what happened to Judge Anderson, after her death at the hands of former Judge Tarjay and transformation into a Dark Judge. Duane Swierczynski really crafted an excellent issue where we are shown how Judge Anderson went through the whole ordeal and also get to find out how the Dark Judges are being possessed. The story thats being crafted around Anderson is really amazing and how Anderson is trying to figure out what is happening is astounding. Anderson used her psychic abilities to literally hide in the back of her mind to literally survive but without medical attention didn’t make it. I can say Judge Anderson is one tough woman, that even in death she clinged on to life even in her own mind. The bodies of the deceased are not given life through the black goo but a creature takes the body over.The story is literally like a horror film where Anderson is seeing this creature trying to breach the inner sanctity of her mind to destroyer her.

The art by Shane Pierce is excellent and really adds so much to the issue. The design on the characters and creatures are are really excellent, especially the almost Karl Urban look on Dredd. The atmosphere that is taking place is unreal, even though it is taking place in her mind. Its like watching an episode of the Twilight Zone or a very surreal dream you would have. This issue is really crafted so well with the art and really good story, I can’t wait to see what happens next in this arc of Judge Dredd.

5 out of 5 stars

 

Original Sin #6

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Mike Deodato

Reviewer: Oz Longworth or (as the Collection Agency calls him) The Defendant

 

Okay, so Original Sin has been a sort of shapeshifting mutant of a crossover event in its own right. It regularly interchanges hats, going from “murder mystery” to “typical superhero adventure” to “flashback saga” without warning like an iPod stuck on shuffle. First, it was “Who Killed the Watcher” and now it’s “The Secret History of the Secret History of Nick Fury.” I’m saying all this to say….I have no goddamned idea what this book is about anymore.

 

Furthermore, this issue didn’t help things along at all. The lion’s share of the book was dedicated to Nick Fury’s “detective” squad standing around trying to get some straight answers out of him about what’s going on. We get some insight into Fury’s “complicated relationship” with the late Watcher via brief flashbacks. Meanwhile, Captain America’s team is STILL light years behind the ball, figuring out the things that everyone else seems to already know. Oh, yeah and there’s some bad guys sneaking around while everyone’s still pissed at each other. This story has most of the entertaining exchanges you would expect from all these unlikely people being in the same room together (with that in mind, Marvel really needs to get the Punisher in more awkward team ups like his alliance with Doctor Strange), but honestly, these things only truly benefit the reader when you know the narrative is still going somewhere. And it’s just not. We’ve been stuck in a room wondering what the hell Fury wants for three issues now and considering that his character has always been pretty “to the point” when it’s time to come clean with whatever he’s been lying about that week, this makes things sort of discouraging. On the upside, Mike Deodato’s artwork is…..well, Mike Deodato’s artwork. Pretty much everything is beautifully rendered and use of shading and silhouettes works perfectly with Jason Aaron’s ominous narrative tone.

 

Bottom Line: It’s a great looking, atmospheric book. I just wish I knew what was happening.

 

3.5 out of 5 stars