The Ultimates #4 and Plastic Man No More! #1 lead an excellent week in comics - September 4 Reviews

This week’s comic book reviews While I try to read everything, I can’t review everything. So, if you’re a publisher who wants me to check out their upcoming releases, email me at [email protected]!

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DC Comics

Batman #152 — Chip Zdarsky, Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and VC’s Clayton Cowles — A fantastic tie-in issue to the Absolute Power event, Batman #152 shines as it shows what makes Batman such a good fighter even against the strongest opponents: His smarts. I also loved the dynamic between Batman and Catwoman. This series is really starting to hit for me. Plus, Mattia De Iulis and Kelly Thompson’s backup story gives us one of the most beautiful versions of Big Barda yet. 8.5/10

Birds of Prey #13 — Kelly Thompson, Gavin Guidry, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles — Another exciting, unpredictable chapter of one of DC’s best series, Birds of Prey manages a large cast of characters — including magical assists from Xanthe Zhou and John Constantine — and gives them each a moment to shine. Guiday’s art here really fits the series, as Bellaire’s colors make it feel similar to Leonardo Romero’s work in past issues. 8.5/10

Plastic Man No More! #1 — Christopher Cantwell, Alex Lins, Jacob Edgar, Marcelo Maiolo, Becca Carey — Cantwell writes a funny, touching, and tragic story about a longtime Justice Leaguer who is oft-forgotten and whose personal life is spiraling. The first issue is a great Plastic Man story that shows the highs and lows of the hero, his past, and trying to fight for his future. Lins and Edgar’s drastically different art styles complement each other perfectly, with the former capturing the zanier and darker side of Eel O’Neil, while the latter’s work eschews the Golden Age in the best possible way. Plastic Man No More! is an absolute home run. 10/10

Marvel Comics

Exceptional X-Men #1 — Eve L. Ewing, Carmen Carnero, Nolan Woodard, and VC’s Joe Sabino — Ewing does excellent work (pun) bringing this book to life with Kate Pryde feeling the effects of the loss of Krakoa and meaning in life. This book captures the dread of growing up and trying to find meaning, which fits quite well with Marvel mutants and their current place in the universe. Carnero and Woodard’s work is stellar, as the expressions fight scenes, and settings are masterfully done. This is an excellent start to what should be one of the best “From The Ashes” titles. 8.5/10

The Ultimates #4 — Deniz Camp, Phil Noto, and VC’s Travis Lanham - I’m running out of words to illustrate how special this book is. The secret history of Reed Richards turns out to be gutwrenching as readers learn more about his past, what happened to the Fantastic Four, his torture at the hands of the Maker, and his becoming Doom in the Ultimate Universe. The format, storytelling, art, and all make this one of the best issues of the year — which is impressive, considering issue three also carried the same emotional punch but for totally different reasons. 10/10

Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decay #1 — Thomas Krajewski, Jason Muhr, Rachelle Rosenberg, VC’s Travis Lanham —This book is a lot of fun. It offers something fresh with its premise, and I just know Groot being patient zero will break my heart in future issues, especially with what may happen with Rocket. Even if you’re tired of the zombie genre, I recommend checking this out. 7.5/10

Oni Press

Cruel Universe #2 — Stephanie Phillips, Riley Rossmo, Ben H. Winters, Leomacs, Chris Condon, Javier Fernandez, Christopher Cantwell, and David Lapham, Richard Starkings, and Comicraft’s Tyler Smith — Cruel Universe’s second issue continues to offer a great selection of bizarre and captivating sci-fi stories with my favorite from this week’s batch being Ray Gun by Cantwell and Lapham — which tells the story about a man finding a ray gun that can erase people and their bodies as he pleases. 8/10

BOOM! Studios

Minor Arcana #1 — Jeff Lemire and Steve Wands — A solid first issue that shows the difficulties of growing up and feeling unable to escape your past, Minor Arcana is Jeff Lemire at his best, as he tells a deeply personal story that blurs the line of magic and what is truly real. For fans of Lemire’s previous works and newcomers alike, there’s much to like here. 8.5/10

Skybound Comics

Scarlett #4 — Kelly Thompson, Marco Ferarri, Lee Loughridge, and Rus Wooton — Scarlett might be the best book in the Energon line, which is no small feat considering how consistently great the comics have been so far. Issue four features some incredible fight scenes — with Ferrari and Loughridge doing some strong work, particularly with Storm Shadow and his sword fights — while expertly balancing emotional moments between characters. 9/10

Dark Horse Comics

Duck and Cover #1 — Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, Marcelo Maiolo, and Bernardo Brice — The Comixology original makes its physical print debut with Dark Horse Comics, and for those who missed out the first time, you’ll want to check out this tense, horror-filled alternate history story. Reminiscent of War of the Worlds and Super 8 but with a Cold War twist, Duck and Cover wastes little time in jumping into a strange world. Albuquerque and Mailo’s art nails both the decrepid and destroyed and the intimately personal scenes and moments. I have no idea what’s going to happen next and that’s what makes this book so exciting 9/10