New Comic Book Reviews 11/27/24 – 12/4/24: Justice League Unlimited, All-New Venom, Two-Face, Juvenile & MORE!
New Comics Reviews for Wednesdays 11/27 – 12/4
Thanks for downloading the show to listen to us discuss (AKA argue about) these comics! But we wanted to give you Listenerds a quick way to keep track of our ratings too. Here are our new comic book reviews, ratings and our choice for the THN Permanent Collection (best of the pile) from Episode 762, featuring Justice League Unlimited, All-New Venom, Two-Face, Juvenile, and MORE! You still gotta download the show if you want to hear our full discussion though, so….
CHECK OUT THE FULL EPISODE HERE!
Joe’s Reviews:
11/27
Cover by Dan Mora
*JOE PERMANENT COLLECTION PICK!*
Justice League Unlimited #1
DC Comics
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Dan Mora
Colors by Tamra Bonvillain
Letters by Ariana Maher
32 pages for $3.99
Solicit: THE WATCHTOWER RISES! The Justice League is back and bigger than ever! In the wake of Absolute Power and the DC All In Special, Darkseid’s death has triggered a massive power vacuum in the DCU, and Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman must unite like never before and expand the Justice League to encompass every hero championing the forces of good in the face of incredible evil! As our heroes work to uncover the mystery of the dark lord’s successor, Ray Palmer’s Atom Project triggers a race between hero and villain to control the fate of metahuman abilities on planet Earth, which threatens to destroy everything the League has built. Worlds will live, worlds will die, and a surprise is waiting in store on the last page…Do not miss the dawn of the new era of justice–it all begins here!
Review: Believe the hype! Waid and Mora’s Justice League relaunch is massively ambitious in its scope, but with the personal character touches that Waid is known for. The art team of Mora and Bonvillain simply can’t be matched. Justice League Unlimited #1 returns the team to greatness, and there’s nowhere to go but up from here.
Rating: BUY IT.
Cover by Peter Snejbjerg
Hornsby & Halo #1
Image Comics/Ghost Machine
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art by Peter Snejbjerg
Colors by John Kalisz
Letters by Rob Leigh
32 pages for $3.99
Solicit: Series Premiere. It’s Good vs. Evil vs. Puberty from the minds of Peter J. Tomasi (Batman and Robin, Super Sons) and Peter Snejbjerg (Starman, B.P.R.D.)! Keeping the cosmic peace isn’t easy. But the opposing leaders of Heaven and Hell broker a deal that trades Zachary Halo, an angel child, to a demon family, and Rose Hornsby, a demon child, to an angel family, and hope this truce will halt the winds of war. It’s Nature versus Nurture as the turbulence of adolescence comes crashing down on two teenagers who have no idea just who and what they truly are… yet.
Review: Hornsby & Halo #1 is another hit for Ghost Machine. It’s a little more lighthearted than their other releases so far, offering a pleasant contrast to the gritty and cynical horror of Hyde Street. Tomasi’s script is light and fun, and Snejbjerg’s art delivers youthful energy and beautifully rendered environments.
Rating: BUY IT.
12/4
Cover by Baldemar Rivas
Two-Face #1
DC Comics
Written by Christian Ward
Art by Fabio Veras
Colors by Ivan Plascencia
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
32 pages for $3.99
Solicit: HARVEY DENT’S GREATEST TRIAL BEGINS! After years of internal conflict, both halves of Harvey Dent have reached an uneasy peace. Now Harvey will use his skills as an attorney to resolve the conflicts of Gotham’s weirdest and most dangerous criminals, starting with Victor Zsasz. When Zsasz is accused of murdering a fellow member of Gotham’s underworld contingent, who better to prove a criminal’s innocence than someone who’s been on both sides of the law?
Review: Two-Face #1 debuts a thrilling new status quo for the classic Batman villain. Christian Ward’s script is full of twists and turns, with a final page reveal that will lure you back for more. The art by Fabio Veras is intense and moody, elevated by an equally dark palette from Ivan Plascencia that explodes with color when you least expect it.
Rating: BUY IT
Cover by Adam Kubert
All-New Venom #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Al Ewing
Art by Carlos E. Gomez
Colors by Frank D’Armata
Letters by VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover by Adam Kubert
32 pages for $4.99
Solicit: WHO IS THE ALL-NEW VENOM? The smiling, swashbuckling spider-hero New York loves to hate to love is back – and more fun-loving than ever! That’s right, it’s… Wait, it’s VENOM?! An all-new host is taking the symbiote in a whole new direction – but who? It could be the Journalist…the Terrorist…the Sidekick… or even the Mayor… We’re giving you all the clues, good believers – but you won’t know until the mask comes off! Writer Al Ewing (VENOM, IMMORTAL THOR) takes Venom in a completely new direction with artist Carlos Gómez (FANTASTIC FOUR, THE AMAZING MARY JANE) bringing the story to gorgeous life!
Review: All-New Venom #1 is kind of a mixed bag. Ewing’s script is clever as usual, but he’s on this fucking ice with those terrible puns, and if Robbie Robertson ends up being the new Venom I will RIOT. Carlos Gomez’s art is fantastic. His take on the new Venom is pretty cool and his fight scenes are really exciting. The “who is Venom” mystery is fun, but I wish we got more than just a surface-level look at the star of the series.
Rating: STRONG SKIM IT
Matt’s Reviews:
11/27
Cover by Ben Harvey
West Coast Avengers #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Gerry Duggan
Art by Danny Kim
Colors by Arthur Hesli
Letters by VC’s Joe Caramanga
32 pages for $4.99
Solicit: ULTRON RETURNS… REDEEMED? Iron Man and War Machine have put together a new team of Avengers — one that includes villains seeking a path to redemption. Their case study? Ultron — who, against all odds, seems to be walking the straight and narrow… for now. But does the success of one guarantee the success of all? Spider-Woman and Firestar have their doubts. And can any amount of heroics really absolve Ultron of his past?
Review: Gerry Duggan moved from writing Iron Man to writing him in the return of the West Coast Avengers and he’s brought his delightful-light-hearted Tony Stark dialogue with him.m This new West Coast Avengers team has a new mission that Thunderbolts fans will recognize. The big twist here is Ultron is on the team and there’s a mystery as to why along with a look at a big bad that might make you question why Tony and Rhody would invite Ultron to any team. Duggin is right at home with these characters and it’s nice to see Spider-Woman back in action. I’m on board for at least a few issues to see what’s going on with Ultron but it’s Danny Kim’s stylish, animated art that brings the book home.
Rating: BUY IT
Cover by J. Bone
Welcome to the Maynard #1
Dark Horse
Written by James Robinson
Art by J. Bone
Colors Ian Herring
Letters by Jim Campbell
32 pages for $3.99
Solicit: The Maynard is a hotel unlike any other, a place where every guest and staff member has magic in their veins. It’s a hotel for magicians, witches, and otherworldly beings. It’s also where Phillipa (Pip) Dale begins her first day as the hotel’s new bellhop (and trainee house detective). She’s immediately sent on the hunt for a magical hotel thief whose daring thefts are part of a much bigger mystery, one that could turn deadly at any moment. And that’s just one of the many challenges and perils Pip must face in her new job in the magical Maynard Hotel, a wonderful, thrilling, fun place… so please come in and stay a while.
Review: When creators like James Robinson and J Bone team up you can predict an excellent result and Welcome to the Maynard #1 delivers another creator-owned hit at Dark Horse. Robinson’s story of a plucky young woman’s first day at a magic hotel is perfectly charming but when paired with an art talent like J. Bone the story feels as timeless as an animated Disney classic. The creators pack this first issue with magic, humor, and a little mystery while introducing a group of characters impossible not to love. Welcome to the Maynard is a charming read appropriate for all ages by two massively talented creators.
Rating: BUY IT
12/4
Cover by Jesús Orellana
*MATT’S PERMANENT COLLECTION PICK!*
Juvenile #1
Image Comics
Story and art by Jesús Orellana
32 pages for $3.99
Solicit: In a future where a deadly virus kills everyone upon reaching adulthood, teenagers are confined to massive medical facilities — until a mysterious new patient arrives and reveals a shocking secret! Sara is locked up in El Castillo, a fortress for troubled youth ruled with an iron fist by a retired military officer. Everything changes with the arrival of a mysterious new patient who reveals a shocking secret: the virus isn’t killing them; it is giving them telekinetic abilities that the adults are desperately trying to suppress with medication and experimental surgeries. In a race against time, they decide to use their newfound powers to escape. But when the adults find out, they will discover that not only are their lives at stake, but also the fate of the human race. Visionary filmmaker Jesús Orellana (Rosa) storms into comics with a cinematic five-issue miniseries that seamlessly bridges the gap between film and comics!
Review: It’s not often I read a first-effort comic by a filmmaker that blows me away and it’s never been a case where the filmmaker was singlehandedly responsible for the entire effort. Orellana’s story truly feels cinematic, with beautifully colored art and dynamic POV that really bridges the gap between film and comics, as the solicit mentioned. Juvenile #1 sets up a huge premise but keeps the reader trapped in a hospital with characters about to find out they’re not patients being treated for a disease but victims of a massive conspiracy with powers they didn’t know they had.
Rating: BUY IT
Cover by Stefano Cardoselli
Long Cold Winter #1
Mad Cave
Written by Francesca Perillo
Art by Stefano Cardoselli
Colors by Lorenzo Scaramella
Letters by Buddy Beaudoin
40 pages for $3.99
Solicit: In the not-too-distant future, the air on Earth has become unbreathable. However, a multinational company called Air Co. has constructed generators that provide oxygen for those who can afford it. Peace Dog, a desperate ex-soldier, who has been willing to do anything to obtain breathable air is haunted by his past and hunted by bounty hunters, though, he may have found a way out of his current predicament by helping a mysterious robot child escape the dangerous and congested city. But, someone from his past has no intention of letting him leave… alive.
Review: Long Cold Winter is the second book I’ve read from this team and it’s got all the charm and insane art of their previous robot-driven miniseries at Mad Cave, Love Me. The story is a tried and true formula, a kid seeks help from a violent protector with a past who also has a desire to change and the promise of a new peaceful life. Of course, his violent past and a cast of insane villains stand in their way. It works for this bizarre graffiti and mecha-inspired dystopian tale with truly amazing art and design by Stefano Cardoselli (fans of Jim Mafhood and Kevin O’Neil’s work will love this). Long Cold Winter is a wild and welcome treat for those tired of slick superhero stories looking for a weird, sci-fi romp in the vein of the Fifth Element.
Rating: BUY IT.
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