Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target #5 – Brandon Thomas, Writer; Ronan Cliquet, Artist; Ulises Arreola, Colorists
Ray – 8/10
Ray: This is easily the most bizarre book coming out of DC’s lineup right now, and that is 100% a compliment. The central plot—a bodyswapped Aquaman and Green Arrow battle to stop a dinosaur-person invasion of Earth—is hilarious enough. But this issue, which has the heroes teaming up with the half-reptile General Anderton, takes it to the next level. Anderton was originally set up as a generic evil General, but his complex time travel plot and the unexpected fallout are rather unique. This issue also introduces Emmett, his miniature assistant dinosaur who seems tailor-made to be a plush toy. The four of them go on a bizarre mission to get ahold of time travel technology and reverse Earth’s transformation. The plot is silly, but Ronan Cliquet draws some fantastic action scenes and infuses the whole thing with a surprising dose of suspense and body horror. It’s an oddball side story to the bigger stories for these two characters, but it’s definitely won me over.
Teen Titans Academy #12 – Tim Sheridan, Writer; Tom Derenick, Artist; Alex Sinclair, Colorist
Ray – 5/10
Ray: This first year of Teen Titans Academy has largely been a mess, with a whole host of new characters and a central mystery that drug on too long. This issue wraps up most of those subplots, but in a way that raises more questions than it answers. Red X reveals his identity—but a new, more villainous Red X with a mystery identity debuts, so we’re right back where we started. Matt, the mercurial young meta, debuts a new power but it’s never explained. And of course, Titans Tower gets destroyed for the twentieth time. This was prophesied way back in the Future State miniseries, and it claims some major casualties—in a way that may carry over some more elements from that mini. But it also leads a major character to accidentally leave another to die, in a very dark twist that continues the ill-fitting tone for the series. Teen Titans has been floundering for a long time, the Ben Percy run aside, and this series had a good central concept but lacked the execution to make it work.
Hardware: Season One #4 – Brandon Thomas, Writer; Denys Cowan, Penciller; Bill Sienkiewicz, Inker; Chris Sotomayor, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: With only six issues, it’s surprising that this book feels so deliberate but it actually works pretty well. Curtis is on the run, having found refuge with a former associate of Alva’s—who he doesn’t realize is selling him out. At the same time, Curtis’s longtime associate Tiffany, who was arrested as a way to intimidate him, makes a dramatic press conference with her attorney Bakkari (another longtime Hardware supporting player). While there is a lot of talking as these characters expose Alva, there is also a fantastic sense of tension. What will one of the most dangerous men in the world do when the walls start closing in around him? The answer, as the final act of the series dawns, is just about everything. The action picks up in a big way, but it’s a little surprising just how little we seem to know about Curtis over this series. Unlike Icon and Static, he seems less of a fleshed-out character than a charismatic player in an already ongoing drama.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
