There’s such potential in Dark Night: A True Batman Story. Fans of superhero characters are already prepped to want to know more about the author, Paul Dini, who was so instrumental in making Batman: The Animated Series. The idea of exploring how working on a fictional superhero changes after the artist has been severely mugged is a fascinating one. Unfortunately, I found the execution superficial and self-indulgent. At a time when he was helping write the animated feature Mask of […]

As expected, DC Super Hero Girls: Summer Olympus features the group of heroes saving the day with friendship and teamwork, but it’s so good-hearted that I can’t fault it for being a bit predictable. Unlike the previous two books in the series — Finals Crisis and Hits and Myths — this one is more solo-hero-focused, as we follow Wonder Woman to Olympus for summer vacation. There are still plenty of other drop-ins from her many friends. Checking in with what […]

The collected edition of the digital comic series DC Super Hero Girls: Past Times at Super Hero High will be available in comic shops on September 27, in bookstores October 10. As written by Shea Fontana, the concept is simple, but there are entertaining touches throughout, illustrated by Yancy Labat, Agnes Garbowska, and Marcelo DiChiara. Liberty Belle (an old favorite of mine) is the teacher taking a group of superhero kids on a time-traveling field trip to study dinosaurs. Batgirl […]

Thank goodness KC pays attention to these kind of things, because I didn’t realize that this hardcover collection is “continuing directly from the Legion of Super-Heroes Archives“. Sadly, don’t expect quite that level of quality from Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes Volume One. It reprints Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #234-240, the 10-page Legion story from DC Super-Stars #17, and All-New Collectors’ Edition C-55, the infamous wedding tabloid (where Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad get married), but it […]

The latest digital comic featuring the DC Super Hero Girls (following Past Times at Super Hero High) has particular interest for comic fans. Out of the Bottle has released five installments so far, each 20 screens for 99 cents. In this story, written by Shea Fontana (who’s done the other DC Super Hero Girls comics), Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Katana, and Harley Quinn are making their own comics in Ms. Moone’s art class. Katana envisions a moody, Batman-like crime story where […]

I really love this series. Writer Sholly Fisch does a terrific job telling stories that work as straightforward Scooby-Doo adventures — where the kids have to unmask fake ghosts, while Shaggy quakes and Scooby wisecracks — while tickling us older readers hip to the references. This issue title, “Ghosts Are Not Healthy for Dogs and Other Living Things”, may give you a hint of what’s being satirized this time around. The Scooby crew have come to Karma Corners, a town […]

Wonder Woman: The True Amazon is a beautifully illustrated book that doesn’t need to exist. It’s yet another retelling of the heroine’s origin, but that’s not my biggest complaint, since it does a lovely job of actually establishing a believable society for the Amazons. My biggest objection is that this book by Jill Thompson is yet another example of a story that shows how a hero became a hero by doing a bad thing first and seeing how rotten it […]

The newest take on Batgirl began at the end of 2014, when Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher, and Babs Tarr gave us a Barbara Gordon who dressed realistically (colored Doc Martens-looking boots!), moved somewhere hip, went to college, and made new friends that represented a more diverse society. It was a breath of fresh air for the well-known-but-derivative hero. But there’s been another line relaunch since then, and Rebirth brought Hope Larson (A Wrinkle in Time, Goldie Vance) on as writer. […]