NEW COMICS 4 THIS WEEK (04/17/24)
*All comics will be rated on a scale from 1 to 10*
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest # 26
Cobra Commander # 4
Dudley Datson And The Forever Machine # 1
Elvira Meets H.P. Lovecraft # 3
Ghost Rider: Final Vengence # 2
Giant-Size Hulk # 1
Miles Morales: Spider-Man # 19
Moon Man # 2
Penthouse Comics # 2
Roxxon Presents: Thor # 1
The Spectacular Spider-Men # 2
Spider-Boy # 6
Superman # 13
Ultimate Black Panther # 3
Wonder Woman # 8
Dudley Datson And The Forever Machine # 1– Collecting the Comixology series, Dudley Datson strives to be a great inventor but his horrible luck on things going wrong for him (Showing up to an event in his underwear will leave him with plenty of embarrassment) and caring for his sick father proves too much to where he’s thinking of giving it up; That changes when Dudley suddenly finds himself smack dab in the middle of a war zone at his school where he’s given a special watch and teaming up with a talking dog, it looks like Mr. Datson is humanity’s only hope; Everything about this series is just fantastic due to Scott Snyder leaving heavily on the Sci-Fi elements but making sure Dudley is the hero we as readers want to cheer for despite his unfortunate string of events. The introduction of a secret group known as The Chymical Society adds more layers to this concept as their sole purpose is to protect humanity from any evil and seeing Dudley being thrown into this society helps in setting him up for the adventure of a lifetime; Lighthearted with a touch of brilliance, this series is a love letter to the underdogs who follow their dreams while displaying that being intelligent is a beautiful thing.
Giant-Size Hulk # 1– What I like about this giant-size edition is that we get a story that ties into the current series. I might add there are times within the story that it strays away from the horror aspect that current Hulk writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson loves doing as The Hulk faces off against a boogeyman who gets off on terrorizing young adults who enjoy hopping trains while he spends time figuring out how to help his friend Charlie; Johnson ramps the action and suspense with great lengths that feels as if Paul Jenkins ghost-wrote this story and feels like a classic Hulk story that makes this a worthy entry to the Giant-Size editions and reprinting Incredible Hulk # 372 is the icing on the cake. An excellent Hulk story for fans to enjoy.
Penthouse Comics # 2– This issue continues to blend action, thriller, and drama with a large amount of sex (And yes, there are plenty of sexual overtones within the stories featured in this second issue. It’s not shocking because it’s Penthouse) but while every story continues to shine with their installment, it’s part two of the Steve D/Jef story “Gun Crazy” that comes off as pushing the envelope due to the introduction of a character known as ‘Superwhiteman” that exceeds in its storytelling but the concepts are just off the wall which is not a bad thing but will guarantee to push some buttons. Overall, it is another entertaining read but I do feel like I should be drinking a glass of wine and listening to ’90s smooth jazz whenever I read this title because believe it or not, it will bring out the mature gentleman for any guy who is a genuine fan of this series.
Roxxon Presents: Thor # 1– This tie-in to “The Mighty Thor” is a comic book artifact that feels so real with the Roxxon Corporation putting out their own Thor comic that takes liberties with the character but is heavy on the corporate side (I still chuckle over Thor having an alter-ego known as “Chad Hammer”); The rewriting of Thor’s history makes for great satire (Which Al Ewing has fun with) and shows that with an issue like this can have some edginess to it but at the same time, can get some laughs in, therefore making this a great read.
Superman # 13– Moving into the second installment, “House of Brainiac” gives us a chapter that finds Brainiac putting his plan into fruition but the most surprising factor in this issue?! Superman’s interaction with Lobo because while some of us were looking forward to another classic all-out brawl between these two, we instead get an entertaining partnership as the two of them set out to confront Brainiac so right away, it produces such wonderful results that will surprise anyone given their storied yet frantic history and another delightful element is the partnership between Supergirl and Superboy that seems them shine together while making it compelling, in turn, carries this issue’s subplot; The interactions that Superman and his supporting cast is a welcoming development that amazes every chance it gets thanks to the plot advancement and stunning character moments that continues in building “House of Brainiac” into an inventive arc.
Well, that’s it for me this week. Thanks for sticking around and I will see you all next time.