DC Horror Presents Creature Commandos #2 – David Dastmalchain, Writer; Jesus Hervas, Artist; Alex Guimaraes, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: Like its sister DC Horror book, this title seems to take place within DC continuity but sort of off to the side. Its characters will intersect with major DC heroes and villains, but the entire tone has a darkly twisted edge to it that doesn’t really fit with the rest of the universe. Now that we have our core team – the Frankenstein monster ironically known as Lucky, racist vampire Vincent, and inner-city werewolf vigilante Wanda – they’re deployed under the auspices of a shady general to take on horrors and supernatural crime. This issue, that includes working with Zatanna on an undead human trafficking crisis. The horror visuals are strong, but the lead characters don’t have much development so far and Vincent in particular is a deeply unlikable figure. Still, it’s good to see Dastmalchian getting to bring his taste for campy 80s-inspired horror to the DCU.
My Adventures With Superman #6 – Josie Campbell, Writer; Pablo Collar, Artist; Nick Filardi, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: It’s the final chapter of this series which bridges the gap between the first two seasons of this fantastic animated series. In many ways, the series grew so much between the first two seasons that it feels like there’s less to work with here, but head writer Josie Campbell neatly sidesteps that issue by introducing new villains – and a new hero in Amazo, a powerful robot that developed its own conscience after befriending Superman. Now that the insane Dubois has called down a massive strike on Metropolis to take out Amazo and Superman, it’s the deciding moment for the android as he proves his humanity – possibly by making the ultimate sacrifice. I knew this couldn’t be a totally happy ending because of the character’s absence in S2, but kudos to Campbell for how she handled everything. This is a great finale, and a perfect little holiday treat given the setting. Bring on season three!
The Batman and Scooby-Doo Mysteries #11 – Sholly Fisch, Writer; Puste, Artist; Carrie Strachan, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: One of the most entertaining parts of this series is the way it shifts location and theme so well, with this issue focusing on a haunting at the Gotham Library – where Barbara Gordon has just gotten a job as an assistant librarian. This title has transitioned her from Batgirl to Oracle without a traumatic event, making her Gotham’s top tech hero – but she still hasn’t told her father about either of her secret identities, which makes it a little more complicated when she, Commissioner Gordon, and the Mystery Machine crew wind up in a locked-room mystery as a fairly obscure Bat-villain uses hapless henchmen in disguise to pull of an unlikely heist. It’s a denser, weirder mystery than this series usually has, with some fun twists along the way. Plus, Shaggy and Scooby face what might be their most nefarious enemy yet – library quiet policies, even when you’ve just seen a g-g-g-ghost!
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
