DJ's Comics Blog

It has finally arrived. Doomsday Clock #1 sets the stage for this event, which will last for the next year. I'm not going to lie, nothing really happens in this first issue, it just sets up for the next element issues. It follows Rorschach as he gathers up a couple of people, Marionette and Mike, and take them to his partner, 'to find god'. At first we believe that his partner is Nite Owl, but it is then revealed that it is Ozymandiasm and that their quest is to find Dr Manhattan, who we are led to believe is the mastermind behind the events of D.C. Rebirth. At the end of the issue, Superman appears for the first time, having a nightmare, and we discover that this is something that has never happened to him before, further hinting at Manhattans meddling within the DC Universe. As usual, Geoff John's knocks it out of the part with his writing, cementing the fact thatheis one of the best writers in the business today. Gary Frank's pencils were excellent as well, w...

I didn't expect this. Brian Michael Bendis, who has written almost exclusively for Marvel for the last 17 years, has signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics. I'm always in two minds about his work, sometimes he's incredible and writes some captivating and legendary stories, but sometimes he also writes some garbage, and doesn't pay attention to continuity. That said, I am quite interested in what he has to offer DC and their universe, and which books he is going to be writing for. On the other hand, I'm worried for the futures of the books he has been writing for Marvel, namely Jessica Jones and The Defenders, as I don't really think that many other writers care for them as much as Bendis does, (considering he created Jones) , and I feel that they will either get cancelled or just trundle along, getting more and more terrible.

First of all ... I'm back. Hi. Now, I have just this second finished reading the final issue of Spectacular Spider-Man before the Legacy arc begins, and boy was it ... different. In the previous issue, Peter had made a deal with Jonah Jameson that Spider-Man would provide him with an interview for his new blog, and due to this, Jonah would not be allowed to write about Spider-Man for a year. This whole issue focused upon that concept, which was kind of fun. Re-treading past events of their relationship, until finally Peter unmasked himself in front of Jonah, revealing himself after over 50 years of hatred between the two. The issue ends with FBI agents swarming Jonah's apartment, just missing Peter. Once he arrives back at his own place, agents are watching, setting Legacy in motion. This issue was ... okay ... not terrible, but not the greatest comic I've ever read in my life.

SPOILERS AHEAD ...  It's been over a year now, but the identity of Mr Oz in DC Rebirth has now been revealed. He has been working away in the background of the DC Rebirth landscape since it began in the middle of last year, taking key figures such as Doomsday and Tim Drake. His only full on interactions were in the pages of Superman and Action Comics. Rumours circulated for months on who this mystery figure could possibly be: Was it Ozymandias from the Watchmen universe? This could have made sense, due to Doctor Manhattan's seeming involvement in the overarching events of Rebirth. Was it Superboy Prime? Was it pre-New 52 Lex Luthor? Was it  Mister Mxyzptlk again? It turns out that it was none of these characters, but it was a much more intriguing option. It took the majority of the issue, but only a few lines gave a hint as to who this figure really was. He kept referring to to everybody as "humans", and at the end he says "Had I only known what a cessp...

The main issues of Secret Empire wrapped up this week. (Finally!) In truth, I feel that it was underwhelming, mostly due to the 'memory' of how Steve used to be coming out of the Cosmic Cube and battling his 'evil doppelganger'. However, it is nice that Nick Spencer didn't just have some characters travel back in time to find Steve Rogers, and then the same battle taking place. This whole conclusion is mostly being used to set up the events of the Captain America portion of Generations, and the  overarching Legacy initiative that begins at the end of September. This also means that Sam Wilson's days as Cap are numbered, as he will be returning as Falcon in his own Legacy solo series. My rating for this issue is a 6.5/10. (Now we're just waiting on the Omega issue to show us the aftermath. Yay!)

Ah, Marvel crossover events. Those things that they tell us are going to be a set length, with a bunch of pointless tie-ins that add nothing to the experience. You feel safe in the notion that it will all be over after those issues are done, only to be told halfway through that an extra issue has been added. That's the feeling I have with Secret Empire #9. There's absolutely no earthly reason why this couldn't have been the finale of the event, but for some reason we needed all of this filler, where the Underground is searching for fragments of the Cosmic Cube, and with 'Steve Rogers' in the forest for so many issues. It was revealed in this issue that this version of Steve Rogers was the memory of how Kobik knew him before she transformed him into an agent of Hydra, which was a twist that could be telegraphed from a mile away. I'm also still confused about who the narrator of this story is. For this issue's content, I'll give it a 6/10 (For th...

The six month journey to the climax of this event had begun. This first issue of Dark Nights: Metal, brought to us by the superstar duo of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, is brilliant. (Obviously!) The art is excellent, the writing is great, and most important of all ... Batman is being Batman. I can't really say much, due to spoilers. But I can definitely recommend that you read this book, and maybe read some of the tie-ins as well (even if they don't advance the story in any way.) The cast of characters that had been assembled is an all-star cast of Justice League members: Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Aquaman, and Cyborg. Aquaman being there is kind of a spoiler for what happens in the events of his solo series, which is annoying, but I think I can cope. I give this issue an 8/10 rating.