Kneel Before Zod #2 – Joe Casey, Writer; Dan McDaid, Artist; David Baron, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: The first issue of this dark sci-fi series saw Zod exile his son Lor-Zod, sending the boy off to the upcoming Sinister Sons series. That’s a good hook for the series—but also leaves this series without its most likable potential lead character. Lor-Zod was a brat, yes, but he was also a child trying to find his way around a world he didn’t create. Zod and Ursa, meanwhile, are both ruthless, militaristic fascists, which makes creating a narrative around them as the protagonists challenging. We see them torture a Khund soldier extensively towards the start of the issue, and much of the issue is centered around them planning a war that will use the planet’s natives essentially as front-line cannon fodder. But amid this grim, militaristic sci-fi world, there is one very interesting twist—tension between Zod and Ursa that is escalating far beyond a husband-wife spat. It’s definitely setting us up for an intriguing battle, even if neither is particularly worth rooting for right now. And that might be the point.
The Batman and Scooby-Doo Mysteries #2 – J. Torres, Writer; Scott Jeralds, Artist; Carrie Strachan, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: The rotating creative teams on this book all take a slightly different approach, and J. Torres takes us to Slaughter Swamp—where Solomon Grundy sightings are becoming more and more common. So common, in fact, that a business has sprung up of tours designed for teenagers to get selfies with the rampaging monster. When the Mystery Machine crew finds themselves stranded in the swamp, they encounter Grundy—followed by Batman, who reveals that the real Grundy is still safely locked up in Arkham. This is a clever concept for a mystery, exploring one of the spookier and more infamously haunted areas of Gotham, but it has one big problem. These books are usually designed to have mysteries that are easy to solve—but this one literally has only one suspect, and it’s clear who the culprit is the second their name is said. Fun story introducing the concept of Grundy to young readers, but even Scoob could solve this one!
Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #6 – Joanne Starer, Writer; Natacha Bustos, Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 7.5/10
Ray: This issue wraps up this thoroughly strange series with a high-stakes showdown in Smallville. As one friend of the duo is possessed by the sentient spirit of Kooey Kooey Kooey, another ancient villain with a grudge against Tora has descended on Smallville and begins targeting the residents—including Martha Kent. Surprisingly, Superman’s mom might be the most heroic character in this issue—shepherding a possessed child to safety while trying to handle things without calling her son. Things are probably a little too chaotic this issue—several different threats and about twenty different characters—and that leaves us with a slightly rushed ending, but there’s no question that this series was trying to do something new with the characters who haven’t been used much since the last JLI series. The all-star here is definitely Bustos’ distinctly Kevin Maguire-influenced art.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
