It’s time for another round of comic book reviews. There were a lot of major releases this week to talk about. With that in mind this week we’ll be covering Absolute Superman #22, Batman #12, Chachu#1, Iron Man #8, M.A.S.K. #3, Neighborhood Watch #4, Power Rangers Green #1, and White Sky #5. Find out how these comic books turned out with the latest comic book reviews round-up below.
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #22
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Juan Ferreyra
Letterer: Becca Carey
Absolute Superman #22 waste no time getting right into the latest story arc titled “Brainiac.” We start off with Superman being launched out of a building leaving a crater on the ground that he falls on. That makes a clear statement of the pressure that Superman will be facing as the fight against Absolute Metallo stretches the majority of the issue. Throughout the fight we gain a great look at the extremes that Absolute Brainiac takes to accomplish his goals. The spot we are left on firmly puts over Brainiac as a villain that Superman will have to do more than punch harder to defeat.
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
BATMAN #12
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Jorge Jimenez
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Letterers: Clayton Cowles and Jorge Jimenez
Batman #12 is yet another entry point issue for Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez. Along Verity Pennyworth’s integration as a supporting character for Bruce and Damian Wayne we get several villains established and progression for several major long-term plotlines. All these developments work in a complimentary fashion to progress the world of Gotham City. In the process you get this feeling that what we are getting is the calm before the storm known as the Bad Seeds crossover event.
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
CHACHU #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Iman Vellani
Artist: Marianna Ignazzi
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Right away Iman Vellani and Marianna Ignazzi establish a vibe with the presentation of Chachu #1 that makes you want to read more. The art style by Ignazzi immediately stands out balances out capturing the feeling of a period piece with a lot cool designs for the characters and the car the lead drives. The artwork helps to amplify the great character writing by Vellani to fully develop the world we are presented with in Chachu. This all makes Chachu #1 a grand slam of a debut issue.
Overall Rating: 9.5 Night Girls out of 10
IRON MAN #8
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Carmen Carnero
Colorist: Nolan Woodard
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Iron Man #8 does a fantastic job at presenting everything that is making this direction for Tony Stark work. We get to see Tony’s supporting cast in his new students and Pepper Popps running his business shine in what they add to make this a strong title. Then we get the continued long-term developments around A.I.M. becoming more aggressive in their tactics. That’s all topped off by the return of Whiplash as he reinserts himself in a way that reminds everyone why he is a deadly Iron Man villain. It all works together in a way that the sum is made greater because of all the parts involved.
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
M.A.S.K. #3
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: Pye Parr
Colorist: Pierluigi Casolino
Letterer: Rus Wooton
M.A.S.K. #3 continues the high-octane action this series is quickly being known for. It is to the point that you are honestly surprised when the action stops and characters get a chance to recover from the intense action. This pacing does a lot to get what M.A.S.K. is adding to the Energon Universe as we see how events in other titles impact the way espionage works in the world. The final page is a good hook that adds to the danger Trakker and others are facing as we dive deeper into the franchise’s mythology.
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH #4
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Sarah Gailey
Artist: Haining
Colorist: Rebecca Nalty
Letterer: Jodie Troutman
Domestic violence is always a tricky subject to tackle. Neighborhood Watch #4 does its best to make sure it is given its proper attention while staying on track in further developing the cast and the bigger mystery of the series. The situation forces the characters to reflect on their past and what is presently going on. We are left in a spot where you do wonder what the impact of the main cast recent choices will have in their various relationships.
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10
POWER RANGERS GREEN #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Paul Allor
Artist: Gustaffo Vargas
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Power Rangers Green #1 certainly delivers a different type of post-apocalyptic setting than we usually get. The rich life Tommy Oliver has built on this planet with the kid he’s adopted and a version of Alpha Five works well in contrast to the lives we see them living now. There is a real sense that a lot has been lost. Unfortunately, it is overshadowed by how heavy-handed the writing can be. There are many moments where you are left wishing there was more environmental storytelling. Instead, the dialogue tries to do too much of the work to get across where this Old Man Tommy Oliver is at. That leads to the Power Rangers elements forced into a story that does not feel like it was originally pitched for the franchise or character. It misses the heart of what could’ve made this type of story special.
Overall Rating: 4.5 Night Girls out of 10
WHITE SKY #5
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: William Harms
Artist: JP Mavinga
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
No matter how much a post-apocalyptic setting forces young characters to quickly grow up it is never quick enough. That is a something that White Sky #5 reminds us as Violet is forced to make a choice that even after living in this world for five years it is still difficult. The sense of loss that is created by the choice she is forced to make hits on multiple levels because of the discussion that leads into that decision. That works well in compliment to all the supernatural elements we continue to get more and more of with each passing issue of White Sky.
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
For more opinions on anime, comic books, movies, and sports you can follow Kevin on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, and Twitter/X.