NEW COMICS 4 THIS WEEK (06/26/24)
*All comics will be rated on a scale from 1 to 10*
Action Comics # 1066 
Daredevil # 10
Gatchaman # 1 
Gatchaman: Ken- Deathmatch # 1 
Godzilla vs. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II # 3 
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers # 11
Redcoat # 3
ROOK: Exodus # 3
The Spectacular Spider-Men # 4
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider # 2
Superior Spider-Man # 8
Superman # 15
Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives! # 3
Zatanna: Bring Down The House # 1
Gatchaman # 1– The Science Ninja Team known as Gatchaman returns in their own series that’s sure to bring the nostalgia factor up a notch; Reintroducing these characters while putting the focus on the group’s dynamic is something that the old-school fans will appreciate with fanfare and it’s a blast seeing Ken, Jun, Joe, Jinpei and Ryu in action in a way that invokes such fond memories of the series (Which ran from 1972 to 1074); Cullen Bunn and Chris Batista do a fantastic job of setting up the team’s newest threat to deal with that involves the terrorist organization known as Galactor unleashing havoc in the city while some of the most prominent scientists have suddenly disappeared that brings a cliffhanger no one saw coming (**NO SPOILERS**); Bunn’s writing is still sharp when it comes to injecting loads of excitement in a series such as this one to where he does not come up short in the storytelling department and Chris Batista’s art is the best work he’s ever done since the visuals match up with the animated series to such amazement; Whenever it’s “G-Force” or “Battle of The Planets”, there’s no doubt that the creative team payed the way for a spectacular return while paying homage with such respect, fans old and new will be thrilled with the new direction that this series has taken. Welcome back, Gatchaman!
Gatchaman: Ken- Deathmatch # 1– This one-shot is Mad Cave’s strategic plan to put out these one-shots that puts the focus on the individual members of the team so this month Ken The Eagle gets the spotlight as he goes undercover to infiltrate an underground gambling ring with every martial artist from over the world to compete in fight to the death matches where the winners are captured then brought to a Galactor recruiting base where if they refuse to join the latter, they’re then dropped into the jungle and hunted. Too many action movie elements from the ’80s/’90s are thrown in to make this story likable but with Tommy Lee Edwards at the helm, he does manage to sift through all those parts to tell his story as it shows that he just cherry-picked anything he could use and assembled them to fit the plot but after all of that, he does deliver a story full of action and intrigue that doesn’t bring anything new to the table but nonetheless, it’s entertaining enough to where you can just enjoy it without looking too hard at the flaws presented within these pages. Ken The Eagle is undoubtedly the most recognizable character from Gatchaman, but this one-shot didn’t do him any justice.
Superman # 15– I can’t believe this is the conclusion to the “House of Brainiac” storyline. This is no doubt a finale that pulls out all of the stops thanks in part to Joshua Williamson’s sharp writing where he highlights the toll that the battle has had on not only Superman and the Super-Family but Lex Luthor himself who finds the inner hero within himself to stop Brainiac but loses more than he bargained for (**NO SPOILERS**); The ramifications from this battle will be felt throughout future storylines which I feel that was what Williamson was going for and the big Superman vs Brainiac fight is the true highlight of this issue due to how incredibly larger-than-life it turned out to be; I can honestly say that “House of Brainiac” delivered a satisfying finale to where we can’t wait to see what happens next.
Zatanna: Bring Down The House # 1– The newest title from DC’s Black Label line puts the spotlight on Zatanna Zatara, who’s got a somewhat thrilling magic show on the Las Vegas strip. However, it’s the appearance of a repeat audience member and a monster is more than willing to do damage to Zatanna’s past and present.
The series thrives on putting more focus on Zatanna’s magic background in a way that’s never been done before but I like how she turned down an invite to join The Justice League to keep her show going (That alone will get a chuckle); Mariko Tamaki does a wonderful job of crafting a story that shows Zatanna’s trauma from her past to how she never uses the word “magic” in her act to where it opens up a new mystery that’s waiting to be unraveled; Tamaki establishing Zatanna as a confident heroine is just brilliant to where she’s not looked as a low-level Justice League member but brings the mystique and tension to the forefront that truly explore what magic means to Zatanna.
Well, that’s it for me this week. Thanks for sticking around and I will see you all next time.
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