Diarra's Picks:
Maw #1 - This is giving Midsommer meets LuluLemon-cult kinda vibes! Sisters, Wendy and Marion, are off to a female empowerment retreat. Wendy heard about it from her yoga teacher, and you can tell Marion is just along for the ride. While Wendy jumps right in by joining a group of women who are sharing past traumas, Marion is off bribing the shuttle driver to sneak her away to the nearest bar. Unfortunately, Marion is still forced to face her past trauma at the bar (and gain more) after a stranger hands her a drink he’d drugged. Marion awakes on the beach and knows she’s been sexually assaulted. She calls her sister to pick her up, but refuses to call the authorities after the legal system let her down in the past. They head back to the retreat and maybe this will help both sisters heal from past wounds…but something just doesn’t feel right.
Primordial #1 - Doctor Donald Pembrook is beyond excited when he gets a call from the US government to help with a top secret project at Cape Canaveral. Upon arrival, he doesn’t get the warmest welcome, and the job is not what he expected. Instead of joining their space program, they merely wanted him there to save equipment that could be repurposed after the program’s dismantle. Pembrook had just made peace with this huge bummer of a gig when he stumbles onto something very interesting. He thought he knew everything about the previous work done here, but this data does not back up the information released to the public. He reports back to the General who assigned him to this project, and, of coarse, the government lies for the government. Pembrook is simply told to stop snooping and to ensure he does, Pembrook is terminated and banned from the facility. But Doctor Pembrook immediately gets another job offer, now it’s time to relocate and forget everything he thought he knew!
Harley Quinn: The Animated Series #1 - This issue picks up right where the show left off. We saw Ivy leave Kite Man at the alter to run away with Harley. Now they begin the rest of their lives together, but this whole ordeal has been an emotional roller coaster for Ivy. Now their faces are all over the news/tabloids and they have a super pissed Commissioner Gordon on their tracks. Sensing Ivy’s stress, Harley suggests a get away and they pack up for a road trip. What they don’t know is Gordon has snuck along for the ride. Even if you haven’t seen the show, you’ll get what’s going on just fine…and start watching it, it’s hilarious and jam packed with your Gotham faves!
Stone's Picks:
Batman ‘89 #2 - An unfortunate event has Bruce taking a hiatus from being Batman and turning to philanthropy in order to help the people of Burnside. Ha! I just got that joke. Meanwhile, Harvey continues to figure out who Batman's identity, even trying to enlist the help of Tim Drake who (unbeknownst to anybody) has been the other masked vigilante defending the citizens. The unfortunate event that happens was honestly shocking though, looking back on the deaths that happen in the films it’s really no surprise. However it does show Bruce in a vulnerable state and he realizes that sometimes the Bat isn’t always the answer. There is also the return of a character from the previous movie that will surely cause problems for everyone involved.
Titans United #1 - At first I thought this had something to do with the Titans show on HBO, but that's apparently not the case. A standalone mystery that has the Titans trying to figure out why a man suddenly has become empowered in the middle of the city, and why Superboy is beginning to lose his powers. The issue wasn’t all that special but that’s not to say I didn’t find it entertaining. I'm interested to learn how that man just started using all the Titans powers before turning into a supernova. Hardcore fans of the Titans will probably read this regardless, but if you aren’t sure you may just want to wait till the next issue to see if there is any significant build up of the story.
Joker #7 - After being detained for the murders of a scientist, Gordon is proven innocent. He meets a woman dubbed Madame Halloween who is in charge of keeping track of all the heroes and villains that travel across the Atlantic. Meanwhile, in Gotham, Babs and Steph are attacked by a Talon which could mean the Court of Owls are involved. We also get to meet the daughter of a beloved character who will do whatever it takes to destroy the legacy of the man who killed him. I really enjoyed the moments with Gordon and Halloween. You can tell he is impressed with her and they way she operates. You also might suspect that he is somewhat smitten with her. I could definitely see Gordon and Halloween’s relationship build up to a romantic point only for her to get killed by Joker or some other crazy circumstance.
Greg's Picks:
*Editors note - J.R. is on vacation this week so you're stuck with reviews from the creepy guy who sits in the office - sorry!
Primordial #1 - Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino partner again, after solid runs on Green Arrow and the amazing Gideon Falls. These guys work really well together, and Primordial might be the higt point of their collaborations so far. What if the monkeys the US fired into space didn't actually die, but were captured by intelligent life? Our lead character, MIT Scientist and space aficionado Dr. Donald Pembrook, knows something is amiss. When contacted by Russian agents, his fears are confirmed and the show begins. Great first
issue. The art has a very WE3 vibe and I'm excited to read the next chapter.
Harley Quinn Animated #1 - Straight from the TV show come the adventures of Harley and Ivy. This one as a super-cute, PG-13 romantic comedy/chase comic. Great art and the story moved at a good pace. People have been wanting Ivy and Harley to hook up for years and it looks like they finally got their wish. This should be a fun comic, especially for fans of the show.
Maw #1 - The newest horror comic from creators Jude Ellison Doyle and A.L. Kaplan was a good, if albeit slow start. The horror in this comic seems twofold. One side dealing with how horribly women get treated in our society and the horror that their justice wants to take. It's only teased at in the first issue, but it seems like justice for the accused might be coming in a supernatural form. Solid art sets a moody scene, this one might appeal to SIKTC fans, give it a shot!
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