184 A Very DC Rebirth Holiday

A fun collection of recent DC Christmas stories.  It's all throw away stuff, but still a fun book to read this time of the year.

A Very DC Rebirth Holiday

Writer: A Whole Bunch of People

Artist: Another Whole Bunch of People

DC Comics

183 The Fall And Rise Of Captain Atom

Though technically not a Rebirth title, DC is trying to fix the damage they did to Captain Atom during the disastrous New 52 era.  It's a step in the right direction.  This definitely isn't the pre-Flashpoint Captain, but it's as close as we're going to get.

The Fall And Rise Of Captain Atom
Writer: Cary Bates, Greg Weisman
Artist: Will Conrad
DC Comics

182 Shazam!: The New Beginning 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

I was a big Roy Thomas fan back in the day.  But reading this, either my tastes have changed or his stuff was crap.  This is not a great series.  Maybe the cards were stacked against him going into this series, or maybe his work just does not hold up.  Either way, I'm so glad he didn't get an on-going Shazam series like he was supposed to.  It would have been quarter box stuff all the way.

Shazam!: The New Beginning 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

Writer: Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas

Artist: Tom Mandrake, Rick Stasi, Rick Magyar, Jan Duursema

DC Comics

181 X-Men Blue Vol 2: Toil And Trouble

Still my favorite of the Blue & Gold X-Men books.  Cullen Bunn seems like he's having a ton of fun with this.  I wasn't happy with the direction he was taking the Beast, but it appears to be resolved and hopefully he can get him back on track.

X-Men Blue Vol 2: Toil And Trouble

Writer: Cullen Bunn

Artist: Cory Smith, Joey Vazquez, Thony Silas, Terry Pallot, Giovanni Valletta, Scott Hanna, Douglas Franchin

Marvel Comics

180 The DC Universe By John Byrne

This is a fun, if uneven, collection of John Byrne stories that were not part of the regular series he did for DC.  It's a nice overview of some of the stuff he did and highly enjoyable.  If you're a Byrne fan, that is.

The DC Universe By John Byrne

Writer: John Byrne, Marv Wolfman, Mike W Barr, Paul Kupperberg, Roger Stern, Paul Dini, Josh Siegal, Cary Bates, Keith Champagne

Artist: John Byrne, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, Kurt Schaffenberger, Keith Wilson, Andy Kubert, Rick Burchett, Lary Stucker, Keith Champagne

DC Comics

179 Midnighter: The Complete Wildstorm Series

One of my favorite characters, especially when he's written correctly.  This book was mostly fun, but then we came to the Keith Giffen era.  His stories were fine, but they were NOT Midnighter stories.  He doesn't get the character and it shows.  Garth Ennis GETS the character and that's why his stories more than make up for the Giffen stuff.

Midnighter: The Complete Wildstorm Series

Writer: Garth Ennis, Keith Giffen, Christos Gage, Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Brian K Vaughan

Artist: Chris Sprouse, Lee Garrett, Karl Story, Rick Burchett, others

DC Comics

178 Planet Of The Apes/Green Lantern

Two properties that I adore.  One story that is definitely not canon for either series.  A lot of fun to read.  I want more PotA/DC Comics crossovers. 

Planet Of The Apes/Green Lantern

Writer: Robbie Thompson, Justin Jordan

Artist: Barnaby Bagenda

Boom Studios/DC Comics

177 Justice League Vol 4: Endless

This felt more like a collection of inventory stories than anything.  Not sure what's going on with this series.  Hopefully it was just a stop gap so they can settle the schedules of whomever is taking over the series.

Justice League Vol 4: Endless

Writer: Bryan Hitch, Shea Fontana, Tom DeFalco, Dan Abnett

Artist: Bryan Hitch, Tom Derenick, Philippe Briones, Ian Churchill, Daniel Henriques, Andy Owens, Scott Hanna, Trevor Scott, Andrew Currie, Paul Neary, Tony Kordos, Batt

DC Comics

176 Wonder Woman Vol 4: Godwatch

One of the better books being published today.  Solid, consistent and a joy to read.

Wonder Woman Vol 4: Godwatch
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Bilquis Evely, Mirka Andolfo, Nicola Scott, Scott Hanna, Mark Morales, Andrew Hennessy, Raul Fernandez
DC Comics

175 Justice League Of America Vol 2: Curse Of The Kingbutcher

Not Steve Orlando's strongest work.

Justice League Of America Vol 2: Curse Of The Kingbutcher

Writer: Steve Orlando

Artist: Felipe Watanabe, Jamal Campbell, Andy MacDonald, Neil Edwards, Scott Hanna, Sandu Florea

DC Comics

174 Superwoman Vol 2: Rediscovery

I don't know who K Perkins is, but they should not be writing comics.  This was kind of dull, uneventful, all over the place and bad.

Superwoman Vol 2: Rediscovery

Writer: K Perkins, Phil Jimenez

Artist: Stephen Segovia, Art Thibert, Jack Herbert, Jose Luis, Ray McCarthy

DC Comics

173 Jessica Jones Vol 2: The Secrets Of Maria Hill

Can Bendis please bring Gaydos and Jessica Jones over to DC when he officially starts over there?  I'm going to miss this series and these creators.

Jessica Jones Vol 2: The Secrets Of Maria Hill

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Michael Gaydos

Marvel Comics

172 Doctor Who Third Doctor: Heralds Of Destruction

I was slightly disappointed by the beginning of this story.  I expect more out of Paul Cornell.  But then he pulled the rug out from under me.  I should NEVER doubt Paul Cornell.  What he did early in the story he did on purpose and it paid off.  How's that for no spoilers?

Also, I could hear the voices of the actors in my head while reading this.  He nailed it.  I want more Paul Cornell Third Doctor stories!!

Doctor Who Third Doctor: Heralds Of Destruction

Writer: Paul Cornell

Artist: Christopher Jones

Titan Comics

171 Batman Arkham: Joker's Daughter

Not a fan of the new version of the character, but this book is soooo full of classic Joker's Daughter appearances, it's well worth the price.  Honest.  Those awful old stories are awesome!!

Batman Arkham: Joker's Daughter

Writer: Bob Rozakis, Geoff Johns, Ben Raab, J Torres, Ann Nocenti, Marguerite Bennett

Artist: Irv Novick, Frank McLaughlin, Jose Delbo, Vince Colletta, Don Heck, John Celardo, Juan Ortiz, Bruce Patterson, Dave Hunt, Kurt Schaffenberger, Drew Johnson, Rich Faber, Paco Medina, Wayne Faucher, Georges Jeanty, Dexter Vines, Meghan Hetrick

DC Comics

170 Avengers: Unleashed Vol 2: Secret Empire

Another instance of Marvel putting a hold on the regular series of a title while their big event of the month runs.  We're stuck with filler until TPTB let the creative team get back to telling stories.  Meh.

Avengers: Unleashed Vol 2: Secret Empire

Writer: Mark Waid, Jeremy Whitley

Artist: Phil Noto, Mike del Mundo

Marvel Comics

169 X-Men Gold Vol 2: Evil Empires

The first volume fell flat for me.  This volume shows some improvement.  Enough that I'll stick around for a little while longer.

X-Men Gold Vol 2: Evil Empires

Writer: Marc Guggenheim

Artist: Ken Lashley, Lan Medina, Jay Leisten, Luke Ross

Marvel Comics

168 Batgirl Vol 2: Son Of Penguin

Another series I'm enjoying way more than I really should.  This book is fun, quirky and a pleasure to read.  Hope Larson GETS Batgirl!

Batgirl Vol 2: Son Of Penguin

Writer: Hope Larson, Vita Ayala

Artist: Chris Wildgoose, Jon Lam, Inaki Miranda, Eleonora Carlini

DC Comics

167 Batwoman Vol 1: The Many Arms Of Death

A very promising start to this new series.  I already like it better than her previous solo series.  Cannot wait to see where this goes!

Batwoman Vol 1: The Many Arms Of Death

Writer: Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion IV

Artist: Steve Epting, Stephanie Hans, Renato Arlem

DC Comics

166 Legion Of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol 1

Reading this book was a labor of love.  I have such a fondness in my heart for these early stories of the Legion.  Sure, they're hokey and cheesy, but they're just a pure, innocent joy.

This massive book collects what I believe were the stories in the first three Legion Archives books.  I have those books and now I have this, too, and it was so much fun re-reading them for the first time in years.

I did look at this with a different, maybe more critical eye.  The issue to issue continuity is just plain weird to me.  What I'm talking about is this.  In one issue, we have a new member join.  Let's say it's Lightning Lass.  Then she doesn't appear again for a few issues.  Same with Element Lad.  You'd think that upon introduction, you'd get to see more of the new characters, but that's not how it worked back then.  I don't know if a bunch of stories were commissioned and then published in a random order or what.

There really isn't a ton I can say about these stories that hasn't been said before.  But these are highly enjoyable stories.

Legion Of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol 1

Writer: Otto Binder, Jerry Siegel, Edmond Hamilton, Robert Bernstein

Artist: George Papp, Jim Mooney, Curt Swan, John Forte, Sheldon Moldoff, George Klein

DC Comics