We are back with another week of comic book reviews for this past New Comic Book Day. There were a lot of major releases this week to talk about. With that in mind this week we’ll be covering Absolute Wonder Woman #20, Batman #163, Void Rivals #30, and Zatanna #2. Find out how these comic books turned out with the latest comic book reviews round-up below.
ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #20
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey
Absolute Wonder Woman #20 is the first time it felt like Diana of the Wild Isle suffered a true loss. Yes, she has been through so much from her origin story to all the battles she’s been involved in. But through it all we’ve seen thanks to her powers and skills she has been able to overcome everything thrown at her. That was until now with how Veronica Cale gets the playing field shifted back to her advantage. The damage done by Veronica Cale positions Absolute Wonder Woman’s cast to go in many intriguing directions from here.
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
BATMAN #163
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Jim Lee
Inking: Richard Starkings
Coloring: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Tyler Smith
Batman #163 may go down as one of the biggest dud endings we’ve gotten in a Batman comic. Even if it doesn’t top the list, it’s definitely a strong contender. The payoff to everything H2SH was building toward is a final page that feels as abrupt as possible. There’s nothing about where this battle with Hush ends that makes think this is a Batman story worth following up on. Given how long the delays for part one of H2SH were , there’s a real chance we may never even get that second part. Honestly, that might be for the best. Click here to read the full review.
Overall Rating: 4 Night Girls out of 10
VOID RIVALS #30
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Andrei Bressan
Colorist: Dee Cunniffe
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Void Rivals #30 wraps up the Quintesson War in a way that feels more like the end of a chapter rather than a fully satisfying conclusion. A lot of that comes down to how the war itself gets pushed to the background, with the issue focusing more on character moments and setting up what comes next. On that level, it works well, especially in reinforcing how important Darak and Solila will continue to this series. At the same time, though, it makes the Quintesson War feel smaller than it should have. This takes away from the impact the Quintesson War was building toward as a big event-level story arc. Hopefully, the next story arc can build on this ending and give the Quintesson War more of the lasting weight it was meant to have.
Overall Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
ZATANNA #2
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer and Artist: Jamal Campbell
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Jamal Campbell takes what he established with this series debut issue and takes things to another level with Zatanna #2. Everything about this second issue becomes bigger as we go on a tour of the world Campbell is crafting around Zatanna. That is at least the feeling that this issue gives off with how Campbell has Zatanna and the new antagonist utilize their magic powers. It all helps to further drive home the key role Zatanna is now serving with the new magical title she now has.
Overall Rating: 9.5 Night Girls out of 10
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