Waller vs. Wildstorm #3 – Spencer Ackerman/Evan Narcisse, Writers; Jesus Merino/Vicente Cifuentes, Artists; Michael Atiyeh, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: The Wildstorm Universe usually goes in one of two directions in stories—either embracing the ’90s core of the characters, or reinventing them as a sober spy thriller. This series definitely takes the latter approach, and it’s better for it. While the battle between Amanda Waller and Jackson King is the focus of the title, it’s actually Lois Lane who feels like the lead here. The rookie reporter, chasing things that go deeper than she knows, has become target #1 and is in Waller’s sights—which means she’s being pursued by a truly unhinged, pre-divorce Slade Wilson who is handled by his wife Adeline behind the scenes. Slade’s attention is split, though, with the superpowered Jackson King who has resumed his old superhero life and is looking to take Waller down from the outside of the organization. It’s a very fast-paced story, and this issue has some of the better action scenes of the story so far.
Batman Incorporated #12 – Ed Brisson, Writer; John Timms, Artist; Rex Lokus, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: This action-packed series comes to a close this issue, with the conclusion of the Joker Incorporated story Joker has taken his fellow clown-themed killers from around the world, formed them into a kill squad—and then given them all bombs in their necks to try to force Batman Incorporated to kill them. For some of the heroes, these fights are very personal—as Raven Red is going after the man who nearly killed his father, and the Batman of Japan is trying to save his villainous sister. But amid the final showdown, there are some casualties that bring an end to the experiment. Overall, this was a fun series but I don’t think the fusion of this crew with Ghost-Maker quite worked. They never gelled as a team, which may have been the point, and I’m hoping the very intriguing assassin gets more spotlights in the future. The quieter scenes with Ghost-Maker are probably the best part of the issue.
The Batman and Scooby-Doo Mysteries #12 – Ivan Cohen, Writer; Dario Brizuela, Artist; Franco Riesco, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: Also ending this week is this fun all-ages series, which teamed up Gotham characters and the Mystery Machine crew in all-ages adventures. For this final issue, the characters are teaming up with Batman—but not the one we know. This is the first appearance of Terry McGinnis in this continuity, as a mishap while chasing a monster leads Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, Fred, and Velma to be transported fifty years into the future. While Terry is at first suspicious of them, it doesn’t take long before they all team up for a high-tech adventure. However, as the chase continues against the Royal Flush Gang, the teens start figuring out that not everything is adding up in this brave new world. There are some really clever twists to this story, although kind of an abrupt wrap-up and a great last-page reveal. Very much hoping this comes back for a third season.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
