Batman/Superman #3.1 Doomsday Review

Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Brett Booth

Besides maybe the Riddler Villains Month issue this was the one I was looking forward to the most as I have really been enjoying the series so far, and when I heard that Brett Booth would be working on a story arc following this issue I was even more excited about seeing his artwork on it.

Plot

The House of El remember Doomsday and the damage he caused.

Review

This was a very good issue, as although it didn't amaze me as much as I hoped it would, it was still a brilliant issue. Greg Pak has been a bit inconsistent during Villains Month, as although all the issues he's written have been good, they have all varied in overall quality. He did however do a great job of introducing Doomsday to the New 52, as although this wasn't quite the story that I hoped it would be, it was very exciting at times, leaving a lot of possibilities for the future. There was also a lot of drama in this issue, and Pak handled the character interactions perfectly as they were very interesting. The tone of the issue was also brilliant as it managed to be dark and mysterious whilst also being lighhearted at times.

The best part about this issue was easily the artwork, and Brett Booth produced some of his best artwork in this issue. With Booth being DC's go to guy for re-designs and tweaks I was looking forward to see his re-design of Doomsday and I wasn't disappointed. Booth has draws some extravagant characters in the past but the beautiful detail in this monster was something else, as he managed to get the look that everyone knows whilst adding in his own unique touch, and I think these changes made Doomsday look even more ferocious. The other characters were also drawn perfectly, and I especially loved how he drew Zod and Kara Zor-El as both showed brilliant emotion.

Now the thing that I was looking forward to the most in this issue was seeing Doomsday, and although what we get to see is amazing, the amount of time he appears in the issue is slightly disappointing. Pak did however do a great job of showing his legend, as although we didn't get a proper origin story for Doomsday, nor a full on attack from him we still get to see just how ferocious he is, and how much destruction he can cause.

Another villain made an appearance in this issue, as Zod, who Pak wrote an issue on earlier in this month would appear for a short time. Now this appearance doesn't initially have a lot of impact, but there is more than initially meets the eye. Now I won't go into any more detail as to avoid spoilers, but I personally really enjoyed the appearance of this villain, and although I would rather have loved to have seen much more of Doomsday himself, it was nice to see Zod, and given the fact that they'll both be in Superman/Wonder Woman it was to see them both in the same issue.

Zod would not be the only well known Superman character to make an appearance in this issue, as a young Kara Zor-El, who is better known as Supergirl would ask her father Zor-El about this monster. Now this was in my opinion the appearance that made up for the earlier disappointment, as Pak managed to add so much emotion into this sequence, whilst also adding some lightheartedness and even a small bit of humour. I also enjoyed the change in tone that this sequence would give the issue, as it allowed it to be more diverse, and unique.

Final Verdict

This was a fantastic issue and although not quite the Doomsday issue I was expecting it was still very enjoyable. The issue also had a lot of drama and excitement, with some of the best artwork that I have ever seen from Brett Booth. There was also plenty of emotion and even a bit of lightheartedness, and if there was more of Doomsday this could have easily have been a perfect issue. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this, especially if you're fans of Pak's work, but if you are Doomsday fans I'd recommend caution as you may be disappointed.

Rating: 8/10

Justice League of America #5 Review

WARNING: THIS WILL SPOIL THE ENDING OF JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #4!

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Brett Booth

This has been one of my favourite series in the New 52 lately, and it's really been the superior Justice League title. I've also loved seeing the developments of the character's, and overall the build up to Trinity War has been amazing.

Plot

After killing Catwoman, the Secret Society of Super Villains plan to take the rest of the Justice League of America out. Meanwhile Green Lantern (Simon Baz) joins goes to the JLA's Headquarters to discuss joining the team.



Martian Manhunter Back-up

The Martian Manhunter discovers the creature responsible for the destruction of his planet, and goes to seek his revenge.

Review

This was yet another brilliant issue, and although it wasn't quite as good as last issue, it wasn't far behind. Geoff Johns has really been doing a fantastic job on all his series, but this has been the one that has stood out the most for me as of late. The way he's developed this team over the first five issues has been amazing, and even more during this, as with the Secret Society of Villains having already killed Catwoman, the JLA will have to work as a closer unit to defeat them. Johns' also writes the character's brilliantly on their own, as you can always see their personalities, and characteristics, and although I've enjoyed seeing them work together, they've been just as interesting individually. The drama in this issue was also outstanding, as the issue was really deep, and dramatic, as well as suspenseful. The action was also handled superbly in this issue, and it was very exciting, and dynamic, and the dialogue during it was amazing. To be fair the dialogue was brilliant throughout the entire issue, mainly when the leader of the Secret Society was talking, as he's a really mysterious, and interesting character.

The art from Brett Booth was once again outstanding, and I've been extremely happy that he's managed to work on this title for these two issues, and wish it was for longer. I really enjoyed David Finch's art in the first three issues, but Booth's has been simply phenomenal, and much better. His work in DC has been amazing, and I've loved what he's done in both Teen Titans, and Nightwing, and this may just even be better. The detail in Booth's art is simply fantastic, and there are little, to no imperfections, if any at all. The layout of Booth's artwork was also brilliant, and it really added flare, and drama to the issue, making it stand out more, which is always a positive. The best thing about Booth's art however has to be how he handles action, and he showed that in here. The action sequences were simply outstanding, having ton's of excitement, and suspense. Booth also does a great job of drawing all the character's, and I love how he manages to make them all look like they usually look, whilst adding his own subtle changes, and style. Booth also did a fabulous job of showing the character's emotions, and facial expressions, as you could easily tell how they felt, which adds more depth to the story.

This issue would be the first in the series to properly introduce the Green Lantern, Baz Simon into the JLA. Now Baz doesn't do a great lot in this issue, but the fact that he's finally joined the team made me happy, as I loved him in Green Lantern. At the same time I was happy that Johns waited till his Wrath of the First Lantern story in Green Lantern was finished before properly introducing him to this series, as it helps with continuity. I also loved how Baz wasn't alone in this issue, as he was with Agent Fed, and fellow Green Lantern, B'dg, and the interaction he had with these character's was simply amazing.

Now last issue ended with Catwoman being killed. Now I won't go into great detail about how this was developed in this issue, but I will say my thoughts on the matter. The fact that Catwoman was killed last issue was slightly shocking, as although it was already speculated, it was still shocking to see, and was very dramatic, leaving the perfect cliffhanger. I was however not entirely happy with how it was continued in this issue, as although Johns was clever about it, it kind of took away from the amazing sequence, making it feel slightly cheap, which wasn't nice.

The JLA continued to fight the Shaggy Man, with certain other members going after the rest of the Secret Society. Now this sequence wasn't quite as good as the one from last issue, as although it was still exciting, and dramatic, with brilliant dialogue, and art, it didn't have quite as much suspense. I did however love how the team finally worked as a team, and although they weren't the most well oiled unit, they worked pretty well together. I also enjoyed how other members of the Secret Society reacted to certain things during this sequence, especially from their mysterious leader, and I would really love to see more of the Secret Society, and learn more about their leader in the near future (hopefully the villains month for the Secret Society will grant that wish).

This issue also had things that looked to be setting up the Trinity War, and although I won't go into any details, as to avoid spoilers, it has got me even more excited than I already am about the event.

The Martian Manhunter back-up continues in this issue, with the Martian Manhunter finding the creature responsible for the demise of Mars. Matt Kindt has really been doing an outstanding job with these back-up stories over the last few issues, and although they haven't been the best back-ups stories I've ever read, they've been very enjoyable, and have made me start to like the Martian Manhunter more, as I used to really dislike him. I loved how we got to see some emotion from the Martian Manhunter in this story, and how the goal of getting vengeance fuelled him. I also found the events that would occur to be very interesting, and look forward to seeing any possible development to them. Manuel Garcia, who worked on the back-up story in issue 3 returned to once again do the artwork on this back-up feature, and once again it was outstanding. His style really suits the Martian Manhunter, and he's the second best artist to feature on this back-up, after the late Scott Clark, and I hope he's able to work on it on a permanent basis.

Final Verdict

This was a fantastic issue, and although not quite as good as last issue, it was still amazing. The action was continued perfectly, and the dialogue was perfect. There were also some great developments, as well as hints towards Trinity War, which was brilliant. There were however a couple of things that bugged me, and that's what ultimately dropped the overall rating of this issue. I would however still recommend this issue, and the series so far, and can't wait for the start of Trinity War.

Rating: 4/5

Justice League of America #4 Review

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Brett Booth

I have been loving this series, and it is quick becoming my favourite Justice League series, as although both Justice League, and Justice League Dark have phenomenal over the last couple of years, this series in it's short time has been going from strength to strength.

Plot

Catwoman has infiltrated the Secret Society of Super Villains' hideout, and is letting her curiosity get the better of her. Amanda Waller enlists the help of Dr. Light, and the Justice League of America follow his finding to the Secret Society's hideout.

Martian Manhunter Back-up

The Martian Manhunter explains why he's vulnerable to fire, and how his planet was destroyed.

Review

This was an amazing issue, and probably the best in the series so far. When Geoff Johns is good he's phenomenal, and although we don't always see this, it's brilliant when we do. I loved how he managed to make this issue everything that I hope for in a comic, as it was dramatic, interesting, mysterious, and entertaining, all at the same time, which was brilliant. The way Johns has continued to develop the character's in this series has probably been what I've loved the most, as he's taken a couple of character's who have had poor outings in their solo series (Catwoman, and Hawkman), and made them amazing again, which I can't thank him for enough. The way Johns has handled the action in this issue was also superb, as although not a lot of it was as exciting as we've seen in the past, it did help with the pacing of the issue perfectly, and there was one action sequence that was really exciting, and entertaining. I've also loved how Johns has handled the dialogue in this issue, as it was perfect, felling very natural, and realistic. I also really liked how he handled the character's emotions, in this issue, as although that's something that the artist mainly shows, Johns dialogue also showed this perfectly.

This issue was the first in the series not to have been drawn by David Finch, with Brett Booth taking over art duties for this issue, and the next, with Doug Mahnke then taking over during Trinity War. Now I have to say that although I really liked Finch's art on this series, I'm so glad that Booth has taken over, and am just upset that it's only for two issues. To be honest I'd never thought of Booth working on a Justice League book, expecting his run on Nightwing to be much longer than it is (it will end after issue 21), but after seeing his art on this issue I'm very happy that he's on the series, even if it is only two issues. The detail in Booth's art is just outstanding, and he really makes everything look amazing, which I've always admired about his artwork. The thing that probably stood out the most for me with Booth's art was the way he drew the character's, as he managed to make them all look phenomenal, especially Catwoman, and Shaggy Man. I also loved Booth's layout's, as they really added more drama, and suspense to the issue, making it that much more exciting. As I said earlier Johns did a brilliant job showing the character emotion through his dialogue, but as is usually the case the artist still shows the most emotion, and this is no different with Booth. Booth did an amazing job of this, as you could see the curious, and charm in Catwoman's expressions, and you could also see both the determination on Stargirl, and the frustration, and anger on Waller, all of which was amazing.

This issue started with Amanda Waller giving Dr. Light a call, asking for his help. Now I'm not the biggest fan of Dr. Light, and don't know too much about him as a character, besides the basics, but it's nice to see him make an appearance in this series. Without going into too much more detail about Dr. Light's appearance in this issue, I'll finish by saying that I really look forward to seeing what role Dr. Light will have to play in this series, and how Johns will use him in the rest of this story, especially considering Dr. Light used to be a member of the Secret Society of Villains prior to the New 52.

In this issue the JLA got themselves a lovely new modified C-17 Boeing military transport jet. Now I loved the fact that the JLA got their own jet, especially with the classic logo on the side, but when it was revealed that the plane could also turn invisible, I couldn't help but see a similarity to Wonder Woman's Invisible Plane. Besides that I really loved all the cool things that Steve Trevor described about the plane, and hope that although it's apparently just for this mission, that we see it, or another one later on in the series.

Last issue ended with Catwoman being taken in by the Secret Society, and being strapped to the same chair that Scarecrow was strapped to in the second issue. Catwoman however wasn't going to sit and wait for the Secret Society though, as this cat was very curious, going for a look around the Secret Society's hideout. Now I really liked these small sequences, and although they weren't as exciting as the sequences the rest of the JLA were involved in, the conversation from Catwoman was very fun, and added a bit of humour to the issue.

Last issue also showed that Stargirl hasn't been happy with Amanda Waller keeping of active duty, only using her in the media. Well this issue saw Stargirl sneak onto the back of the invisible jet, and Waller was far from happy. Now this didn't take up much of the issue, but I loved that Stargirl finally took matters into her own hands, as Waller has been manipulating people as often as she can, and although that's what make her character the way she is, it's nice when you see someone stick it to her, and that's essentially what Stargirl has done here. Besides that we may now get to see what Stargirl's like in action, which should be interesting, and I really look froward to seeing that.

What was probably the best thing about this issue had to be the appearance of Shaggy Man, which was amazing". Again as with Dr. Light, I don't know a lot about Shaggy Man besides the basics, but it was nice to see him in this issue, with the JLA having, "finally something worth fighting," as Hawkman put it. Now the fight that would embroil between the JLA, and Shaggy Man was also amazing, and very exciting, and this along with the brilliant dialogue from Catwoman was what made this issue as good as it was. Booth's art as I said earlier also really made this sequence that much more phenomenal, and although I'm sure Finch (who's brilliant at action sequences himself) would have done a good job, it would have been hard to have topped what Booth has done here. I also look forward to seeing how this fight continues in next issue.

Now I won't go into any detail about the next part, but I will say that the ending of this issue was shocking, and amazing, and it alone is worth getting this issue, and I look forward to seeing how it continues into the next issue.

One of the other things I've loved about this series over the last couple of issues has been the Martian Manhunter back-up stories, but I wasn't too sure if I liked this one. Matt Kindt did a decent job of telling the story of how Martian Manhunter returned to find his planet in ruins, and how he's vulnerable to fire. I did however find it slightly slow, at time, and it also felt slightly confusing at times, feeling a little too far over the place. It was still however enjoyable, and although it's not necessarily memorable, it was nice to see why he's vulnerable to fire. The art from Andres Guinaldo was good, and although I still prefer the art that Manuel Garcia, and the late Scott Clark produced on the last two stories, Guinaldo still did an amazing job, and you could really feel the Martian Manhunter's emotions. Talking of emotions, that was another thing that Kindt did brilliantly in this story, as I loved how it was very emotional, and sad, with the Martian Manhunter recalling what is probably the saddest time of his life, and like Guinaldo's art did, Kindt did an excellent job of showing this.

Final Verdict

This was probably the best issue in the series so far, being nothing short of phenomenal. The issue itself contained everything I love in a comic, being dramatic, emotional, mysterious, humorous, and exciting, all in the right doses, and Johns really out did himself here. The action was also spectacular, and with appearances from both Dr. Light, and Shaggy Man, Johns definitely seems to be livening things up. I would highly recommend this issue, and the series as a whole, and can't wait for the next issue.

Rating: 5/5

Teen Titans #16 Review

Writers: Scott Lobdell & Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Brett Booth

I have enjoyed this series since it started over a year ago, and although it's had a few bumps along the way, it's still been a very fun series. I was looking forward to this part in the Death of the Family crossover, as it also has this series crossing over with Red Hood and the Outlaws, something I wanted to see, especially considering Scott Lobdell writes both.

Plot

This issue sees Red Robin (Tim Drake) facing of against Red Hood (Jason Todd) in a fight to the death, with their fathers on the line.

Review

This was a brilliant issue, and probably the best in the series so far. Scott Lobdell, and Fabian Nicieza have done a terrific job on this issue, and after Red Hood and the Outlaws #16 being terrible, I was dreading that this issue would follow suit. Gladly it didn't and it was truly a marvelous issue. Lobdell produced a brilliant plot for this issue, with Nicieza doing a phenomenal script. All the characters were handled brilliantly in this issue, something that's not always happened in the past, and it also didn't entirely focus on the Red's, which I liked.

Brett Booth once again did a truly phenomenal job on the artwork, and I will be sad to see him leave this series. I will however gladly greet him on Nightwing, as well as former Nightwing artist Eddy Barrows joining this series, and I think the swap in artists will make the series' more fresh, and dynamic, as sometimes having the same artist for a long time can make a series stale (although it's not happened with Booth or Barrows so far). Booth did however finish with a bang, as he did nothing short of perfection on this issue. I've always loved his art, and if you see his art in this issue you can see why. His style is very unique, whilst fitting in with the series' he works on, and I think he could do a brilliant job on any series. He draws all the characters perfectly, but I mostly enjoy how he draws Joker, and the Red's. I also have to give a lot of credit to Andrew Dalhouse, as his colours in this issue are phenomenal, and really give the tone, and feeling this series needs.

Brotherly love. To older readers it may be strange seeing Tim and Jason having a brotherly bond, but I for one have enjoyed it. There will be a lot of people who will dislike this as Tim and Jason actually kind of hated each other prior to the New 52, and it was Nightwing (Dick Grayson) that Tim had a brotherly bond with. It made a lot of sense then because Jason was out of the picture for so long, but now I actually think it's better having Tim and Jason have the bond, as Jason really needs someone from the Bat-Family that he can connect with, and Tim is the best candidate, as he still doesn't forgive Batman (Bruce Wayne), he's never really liked Dick, and Robin's (Damian Wayne) characteristics would clash with Jason. Plus also Bruce has Damian as a partner, and although Dick mainly works solo he still has a close connection with Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), so having Tim and Jason having a brotherly bond pairs them of nicely. Plus Tim wanted to be Red Robin, and not Robin to respect Jason's memory, which has to count for something. Anyway I was always looking forward to this as they'd already acknowledged that they were friends, and with Lobdell writing both series' there wasn't any reason not to have them crossover. I also hope that they have some involvement with each other in the future, whether in a crossover or not, as despite this being good it wasn't necessarily the best circumstances.

The fight itself was amazing, and I loved how shocked Tim was when Jason pulled his gun on him. What I really liked about this fight was that both characteristics were shown perfectly, as you could see the reluctance in both of them, whilst seeing their individual characteristics. You see Jason jumping in feet first, not wanting to take anything for granted, whilst Tim was only fighting to survive, giving himself time to figure everything out, both of which I liked. Booth also did an amazing job of the art in this sequence as it was very dynamic, and showed the emotions between both characters perfectly. I also loved Joker's involvement in this sequence, and liked that he was goading them on, taking nothing but amusement from the Red's predicament.

The only thing I disliked in this issue was that there was a point in the middle that was focused on setting up future events. Don't get me wrong I'm interested in these events, and if done properly they could produce some fabulous stories, but there is a time and a place for things like this, and this wasn't the time. A similar thing happened in RHATO #16, and to me they just feel forced, and could easily wait till the next issues.

Final Verdict

This issue was phenomenal, and the best in the series so far. The fight between the Red's doesn't disappoint, and it's a fitting conclusion to what's been a sketchy crossover (the Teen Titans and RHATO crossover, not Death of the Family). I would highly recommend this issue, and hope that the series continues to be as good.

Rating: 4.5/5

Teen Titans #15 Review

Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Brett Booth

This has been a very fun series, but overall inconsistent, with some good issues and some poor. I was hoping that it's part in the Death of the Family crossover, and that due to it crossing over with Red Hood and the Outlaws, that it would put the series back on course, and although it has, it still wasn't quite as good as I hoped.

Plot

This issue sees the Teen Titans enlist Batgirl's help following Red Robin's kidnapping at the hands of the Joker (which happened at the end of the last issue). As Kid Flash speeds around Gotham City, trying to find any clues to Joker's whereabouts, he doesn't realise he's making things worse.

Review

This was a very good issue, and better than the last couple of issues. Scott Lobdell has done a brilliant job of introducing this series into the Death of the Family crossover, and setting up the meeting between the Teen Titans and the Outlaws. Although I was hoping for this to follow-on from Red Hood and the Outlaws #15 it was probably a good idea to have both this issue, and Red Hood and the Outlaws finish in a similar way. I think that this was a good idea, because there will be people who read this series, and not read RHATO, so if this was a direct follow-up then they may have been confused, and if this issue does in fact continue in RHATO #16, at least they've been warned. I also loved that Lobdell kept the other members of the Teen Titans in this issue, as over the last few issues we've only seen Red Robin. Superboy, and Wonder Girl. At the same time I am also happy that Superboy isn't in this issue, as that would clash with the events of H'el on Earth.

I was extremely happy that Brett Booth was back to do the artwork on this issue, and am happy that he will be doing the art on the other Teen Titans issue featured in Death of the Family. It is however a shame that he won't be staying on after this story, and I hope that he comes back to do artwork on this series sometime in the future. The minute I opened this issue I remembered why I initially loved this series, as although this series has had decent artists in Booth's absence, none have even came close to being as good as him. There was only one thing I had a small complain with about Booth's art, and that was Joker's face. Don't get me wrong, he did a fabulous job of drawing Joker, it was just that it was hard at times to tell that he was wearing a mask, as he looked like normal Joker. If it wasn't for prior knowledge, as well as the straps, and hooks at the side I wouldn't have realised it was a mask. Besides this Booth's art was amazing, and I loved the way he drew all the characters, and especially how he drew Batgirl, as she was perfectly drawn, and looked exactly like she does in own series, as sometimes characters in guest roles don't reflect their own series, but she did brilliantly. I also have to say that DC have done a brilliant job of keeping continuity since launching the New 52, and that most guest characters look like they do in their own series, and follow the same timeline (give or take an event).

Batgirl's Help

Batgirl's guest appearance in this issue was brilliant. Although it was advertised in the solicit I was more excited in seeing Batgirls appearance after it was mentioned in RHATO #15. Although Joker's been getting about a lot over this crossover, I've also noticed that Batgirl herself has been getting about a bit, making an appearance in Batman #15 (along with the rest of the Bat-Family), a small appearance in Nightwing #15, and now in this. There were two thing I really liked about Batgirl's appearance, and that was that she was acting like the person in charge, whilst treating the Teen Titans like children, and trying to fit in jokes wherever she could. The other thing I like was that during Red Robin's monologue, he knew she'd act like this.

Kid Flash, and Solstice Try to Find Joker

As I said earlier, I was really happy that the rest of the Teen Titans made an appearance in this issue, and that it wasn't all Red Robin, and Joker. I also liked that Kid Flash, and Solstice were the tow characters mainly shown, as I've enjoyed seeing the possibility of a relationship grow in them. It was also nice to see Kid Flash use this as a chance to show off, as he sweeps Solstice off her feet. Kid Flash, and Solstice split up whilst looking for the Joker, and it is revealed that Kid Flash's speed is doing more harm than good. I won't spoil exactly what happened, and sorry if anyone's worked it out purely on that sentence. Although they wasn't involved much, I was also happy that Bunker, and Wonder Girl got a few lines in the issue, and despite all the chaos going on around, Bunker was still able to be happy, and cheerful.

Joker's Joke

I wasn't too sure if I actually liked Joker in this issue or not, as I liked some things about his appearance, but disliked others. The overall conversation between Joker and Red Robin was good, although not brilliant, and I liked that Red Robin wasn't intimidated by him. The main thing however that I wasn't keen on was that Joker said what Red Robin was thinking. The reason I didn't like that too much was that it looked like Joker could read minds, and although it was obviously a coincident, it didn't work for me, and I'd rather it was left out. I did however like that Red Robin was able to work out Joker's plans, even if he didn't like what he was seeing. There was also one other thing that I was hoping to see that didn't happen, and that was Red Robin, and Red Hood interacting with one another, but hopefully that will happen in both RHATO #16, and Teen Titans #16.

Final Verdict

A very good issue, and I'm happy that Teen Titans is back on track. I would recommend this comic to anyone whether you're getting Teen Titans already, collecting the entire Death of the Family crossover, or just starting to collect comics. I would however warn fans of Red Hood and the Outlaws that this doesn't continue the story from the last RHATO issue, and that of you were getting this issue for that, you may be disappointed.

Rating: 4/5