Welcome back to another edition of comic book reviews round-up! This week we’ll be covering Absolute Green Lantern #3, Absolute Superman #8, Amazing Spider-Man #5, Be Not Afraid #1, Birds of Prey #22, Imperial #1, Power Rangers Prime #7, Storm #9, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naturo #4, Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #1, and Ultimate Wolverine #6. Find out how these comic books turned out with the latest comic book reviews round-up below.
ABSOLUTE GREEN LANTERN #3
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Jahnoy Lindsay
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
The narrative being told backwards has certainly made reading Absolute Green Lantern a different experience from most comic books. We’ve already seen where Hal Jordan and Jo Mullein are in the present day. Absolute Green Lantern #3 spending time showing more about the fate of John Stewart and other residents Evergreen does get you to care more about the human side of the story. The way Al Ewing and Jahnoy Lindsay handle John’s fate and how that elevates Abin Sur as a threat was the greatest strength of this issue. That said, because everything is told in a flashback fashion there is some missing tension because you sort of expect what happens to happen. Hopefully once we get the timeline back to the present day the story will reach its full potential.
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #8
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Rafa Sandoval
Colorist: Ulises Arreola
Letterer: Becca Carey
Absolute Superman #8 is such a different reading experience from what we’ve had from this series thus far. That simply comes from seeing Kal-El have extended interactions with Martha Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olson. That is not something we have gotten from the present day segments. It gave Kal-El such greater depth as his tone is established when not simply talking to his Superman suit AI. That along with great development for Ra’s Al Ghul and Lazarus Corp did a lot to progress the narrative that has been established. The sense of danger that Superman is in came across well and builds concern for what may happen in the next issue.
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #5
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Joe Kelly
Artist: Pepe Larraz
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: Joe Caragma
Amazing Spider-Man #5 solidifies what we can expect from Joe Kelly and Pepe Larraz’s creative run. It most importantly gets the point across that we will see Peter Parker pushing forward rather standing still or going backwards. That is done in a way that emphasizes show rather than tell. Whether that is how the Spider-Man vs Green Goblin fight turns out or Peter’s interaction with Aunt May and Norman Osborn, this is a very good way to wrap up the first story arc for the newest volume of Amazing Spider-Man
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
BE NOT AFRAID #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jude Ellison Doyle
Artist: Lisandro Estherren
Colorist: Francesco Segala
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Right away when opening Be Not Afraid #1 creates an unsettling vibe that you know your going to get frightening developments for the characters of the story. Jude Ellison Doyle writing does such a great job at translating what works for the best horror movies into comic book form. Having the story set in a small farm town added so much to how unsettling the visuals Lisandro Estherren delivers are. Establishing this environment helps so much with making the tone of voice you hear when reading the dialogue for each character be distinct. Though the flat way many characters are drawn does hurt the overall design of the world that may turn off readers not used to this style. That said, if you are looking for a good horror comic book Be Not Afraid is one to check out.
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
BIRDS OF PREY #22
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Sami Basri
Inker: Vicente Cifuentes
Colorist: Adriano Lucas
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Birds of Prey #22 continues the consistent quality that this series is known for. Part of that consistency is treating the characters as having ever evolving relationships with one another. That is certainly put to the test between Black Canary and Oracle as the team deals with not knowing what happened to Big Barda. The sense of unknown as the team’s heavy hitter was seemingly taken out rocks the team. It all sets up a sense of unknown where things are going. Though that also makes the ending a bit of a disappointment as it felt like more of the usual comic book hook ending when the rest of this comic book wasn’t going for that vibe. Hopefully the payoff helps rectify the way this ending was executed.
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
IMPERIAL #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artists: Iban Coello and Federico Vicentini
Colorist: Federico Blee
Letterer: Cory Petit
Imperial #1 knocks it out of the park making this feel like the premiere comic book event that is going on right now. The scope of the story is properly epic as what happens here has a great sense of importance. The surprise of who has turned out to be the antagonist creates a lot of intrigue for what will be the new status quo when all is said and done. Click here to read the full review.
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
POWER RANGERS PRIME #7
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Melissa Flores
Artist: Michael Yg
Colorist: Fabi Marques
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Power Rangers Prime #7 is a very good start to the second half of the series life. Melissa Flores and Michael Yg tap into how things aren’t as straightforward as they normally are after the Power Rangers are formed. Each member of the cast is bringing their own baggage to the story, and it is really highlighted here. The complications that arise creates even greater intrigue in finding out where the story will go next. Click here to read the full review.
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
STORM #9
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Murewa Ayodele
Artist: Lucas Werneck
Colorist: Alex Guimaraes
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Storm #9 is a lot of set-up for the big event-level “Thunder War” story that is around the corner for this series. Through all of that set-up we get a wide range of progress from not just Storm but all the allies that she is able to call on. Murewa Ayodele and Lucas Werneck maximize the page count they are given to constantly remind the reader of the importance of what is going on. In the process Storm’s elevation continues as she deals with cosmic-level threats. It’s an elevation that she will need if the character that appears at the end of this issue is any indication of what to expect from the “Thunder War.”
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES X NARUTO #4
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Caleb Goellner
Artist: Hendry Prasetya
Colorist: Raul Angulo
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Naruto #4 wraps up the dream ninja crossover with a fun and exciting conclusion. Caleb Goellner and Hendry Prasetya hit on all the notes that will bring a smile to fans of both franchises’ faces. If you are a TMNT or Naruto fan this is a must-read comic book. Click here to read the full review.
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN: INCURSION #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Deniz Camp and Cody Ziglar
Artist: Jonas Scharf
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Letterer: Cory Petit
Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #1 gets the job done of beginning Miles Morales journey in the new Ultimate Universe. The dynamic with the Spider-Men carries this first issue. But once we get beyond that initial chemistry they have there is a lack of this feeling like a big event. There is a special element that is just not captured, and it is very noticeable. Maybe the next issue will fix that problem. Click here to read the full review.
Overall Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
ULTIMATE WOLVERINE #6
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Alex Lins
Colorist: Bryan Valenza
Letterer: Cory Petit
Ultimate Wolverine #6 is a fascinating way to utilize character development to also accomplish a lot of world building. The full dive into Wolverine’s mind provides such a great understanding of the Ultimate Universe version of the character. In the process we get more development for both The Opposition and The Maker’s Council. These developments lead to one of the better and more natural utilization of post-mortem document we get at the end of this issue. There is so much depth added that that make this comic book feel like an important chapter for the Ultimate Universe.
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
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