Reviews

Because you demanded it, Young Justice is returning for a third season in 2017, and that means that there's no better time to get caught up on the first two seasons. This week, we get one of the best high concepts on the series so far, and a pretty interesting spin on a classic comic book story.

While it's often overlooked from readers --- like me --- who tend to focus on monthly superhero titles, the Dick Tracy newspaper comic strip has been steadily chugging along as one of the most entertaining stories in the medium. It's consistently surprising and entertaining, and part of that comes from the fact that Joe Staton and Mike Curtis are always finding something new and innovative to do with their story. Like, say, providing readers with some of the most unexpected crossovers in comics. They've done it before, but now, they're kicking off 2017 with what will undoubtedly stand as the crossover of the year, as Dick Tracy meets up with The Spirit --- yes, Will Eisner's The Spirit -- to fight immortality crimes. And that's just the start of it.

This week, hey, remember that part in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode Manos: The Hands of Fate where Tom Servo just loses it and shouts "do something!" at the screen? It's like that, but with a train robbery set piece.

For many longtime Doctor Who fans, the era of the Fourth Doctor holds a special place in our hearts. Tom Baker, an actor with a style as unique as his appearance, played the Doctor for seven seasons and 172 episodes from 1974 to 1981. And if you were an American kid watching Doctor Who on PBS in the 1980s, he was almost certainly the first Doctor you saw. Some of his seasons are better than others, to be sure, but long before David Tennant put on his own overcoat, this era set the standard by which all Doctors were judged. So it's with a hopefully healthy amount of Fourth Doctor nostalgia that I approach Titan's Doctor Who comics. I haven't read a lot of Doctor Who comics before, but the just released Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Vol. 1: Gaze of the Medusa seems like a good place to start.

This week, I make an attempt to expand my horizons, and ask the eternal question: Hey professor, what's another word for pirate treasure?

This week sees the release of The Unstoppable Wasp #1 by Jeremy Whitley, Elsa Charretier, Megan Wilson and Joe Caramagna, which takes the daughter of Hank Pym from Avengers rookie to solo star. The first issue is packed with charm, heart and style, and proves to be not only an incredibly strong debut issue, but an even stronger statement of intent for the series at large.

Is America lost, or has America merely lost its way? That’s a question that a little more than half of the Americans who voted in this year's presidential election --- those that cast their votes for the former Secretary of State and United States Senator over the scandal-plagued, race-baiting demagogue with no experience in government at all --- have likely been pondering in recent weeks. I suppose we’ll find out over the course of what promises to be a very tense, very anxious few years. Here’s a much easier, less stomach-churning question; Has America lost its dog? Yes, yes it has, at least within the pages of Steven Weissman’s Looking For America’s Dog, the sequel to his Barack Hussein Obama.

Civil War II completely overwhelmed the Marvel Universe over most of the year, but thankfully all your favorite titles are now free from its clutches and we’re finally at the last issue. With Iron Man and Captain Marvel ready to duke it out one last time, and with Spider-Man caught in the middle, let’s get together for one last Civil War Correspondence and see how the world has changed forever... this time around.

This week, we finally hit a newly rebooted Sonic universe, and if you were worried that we wouldn't have any more mind-boggling scenarios or unanswered questions, then friend, I have some good news for you.

The DC Collectibles Designer Series has been home figures based on the art of some of the publishing arm's biggest stars like Darwyn Cooke, Amanda Conner and Greg Capullo. There have been a number of statues that have featured the stylings of those artists, and many more, but only a select few have been given the privilege of having their own individual action figure lines. Lee Bermejo is the latest to join such rarefied air with a Batman and Superman delivered in his gritty style. It's almost a shame the rest of the line was already canceled.