Off-Topic: Comic Book Reviews *Spoilers Alert*

I'm adding a new feature to my comic book reviews, which includes my wife's overall feelings about the book. She is a harsh comic book critic, though she reads just about everything I buy. If she likes a book, it has to be really, really good. So I'm going to be adding a new addendum entitled: "my wife's review." It will be either a thumbs up or a thumbs down. I just think y'all should take extra notice when my wife likes a comic book. I do.

DC's SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #4
They did something weird with the pacing in this issue, by telling the story out of order. I'm not sure if it did much to add to the issue, but it didn't detract from it much. Here we see Zod up to his old tricks, while Superman-as-Clark and Wonder Woman seek to deal with the repercussions of the world finding out they are an item. The world, too, is reeling from the news. There is some really great stuff here, especially regarding the latter storyline. I know some are critical of the way Wonder Woman is handled in this series, but I don't see it. Both this and the main Wonder Woman comic book are emphasizing different parts of the classic character. I'm loving this.

Storyline: 4.5 Stars
Dialogue: 4 Stars
Pacing: 3 Stars
Art: 4 Stars
Overall: 4.5 Stars

My Wife's Review: Thumbs Up

Dynamite's GRIMM #9
In this issue Nick faces a Japanese wessen unlike any he's ever faced before. It is a cross between an insect and samurai. The twist is that this samurai is a serial killer that targets cops as a way to get to Nick. It is gruesome and frightening, though the art deadens the emotional impact (I'm still not a fan of the art in this one). There is a surprise ending and a hint that we will be seeing some Hercules-inspired stories coming up. This comic book continues to capture the spirit of the show, and I'm a big fan. I hope that the actors on the show approve of this book, because I know some don't like the way Dynamite gets to use their likeness. I'd like to get one of these books signed by the actors some day.
Storyline: 4 Stars
Dialogue: 4 Stars
Pacing: 3.5 Stars
Art: 2.5 Stars
Overall: 3.5 Stars

My Wife's Review: Thumbs Up

Marvel's THUNDERBOLTS #20/ NO MERCY #1
I've never been a huge fan of the Red Hulk storyline (though I like the aesthetic), so I've not kept up with this comic. But this month it features Johnny Blaze's Ghost Rider and while the last few forays into this character by Marvel have sucked, I had to give this book a try. Ghost Rider is an old favorite of mine and I know how great the Rider and Blaze can be in comics. In this book we have a team of anti-heroes (heavy on the ANTI) who have teamed up to take care of each other's personal business. Business none could deal with alone. The comic has a deep dark side, but there is a ton of humor here, too. I loved this book. The jokes were spot-on, and the use of Johnny Blaze was superb. This was the best single comic I've seen him in since Trail of Tears. There was this joke about Blaze doing 'two bad movies' that was obviously a reference to real life, and that was just cool. My one issue here is that there is all this devil imagery, and talk of 'hell' and I just don't handle that stuff well. When I laugh at that stuff I feel a little dirty afterwards. It is the mysticism in me... I've seen hell and I've see the seductiveness of evil and I don't like to even think about that stuff. But there is no way to be a John Blaze fan and not get exposed to that kind of stuff and really, in the annals of comic books Ghost Rider is pretty tame when it comes to that. So can I handle it? I think so. I'm definitely going to be collecting more in this series, now, that is for sure.

Storyline: 4.5 Stars
Dialogue: 4.5 Stars
Pacing: 3 Stars
Art: 3 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars

My Wife's Review: N/A

DC's JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #11

JLA has been in a kind of holding pattern since FOREVER EVIL began and I'm getting just about sick of it. I like Martian Manhunter and all, but really none of this is advancing the character for me. Here Manhunter and Star-Spangled girl continue their quest to free the rest of the Justice League. They fight Clayface and I have to say, that battle is pretty epic. But it only makes up 1/5 the book. The rest is really just filler, and that is too much filler for one comic book. Like so many of my favorite books right now, my favorite JLA member is missing: Green Lantern Simon Baz. I like the way Justice League: Dark is handling the Forever Evil storyline much better. But JLA has been a crawl of a story for four issues now. The dialogue is okay, and the art is fantastic, but the rest is falling flat.

Storyline: 2.5 Stars
Dialogue: 3 Stars
Pacing: 2.5 Stars
Art: 4 Stars
Overall: 3 Stars

My Wife's Review: Thumbs Down

Archie Comics' AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #3

This book came late to my subscription box, but boy was it worth the wait. The world has become aware of what is going on as the zombie plague spreads rapidly beyond Riverdale. Archie goes off to find his parents, while two of the kids at Veronica's mansion turn zombie on the rest. The individual scenes are what really drive this book, and boy are there some doozies here. Ginger and Nancy burning down Pops and boosting a motorcycle to get the heck out of dodge was my favorite, but I also like Archie's interaction with Betty as he escapes Veronica's house through a grate. The dialogue, the art, it all adds up to create this individual vignettes that are something right out of a horror movie. I can't wait to see where it takes me next.

Storyline: 4.5 Stars
Dialogue: 5 Stars
Pacing: 3.5 Stars
Art: 4 Stars
Overall: 4.5 Stars

My Wife's Review: Thumbs Down

DC's DC UNIVERSE VS MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE
The adventure continues as we learn the details of what happened to Superman, and He-Man's allies are left to fight the rest of Earth's heroes. Dark Orko takes center stage and we learn more about his relationship with Skeletor. This comic has a difficult task as it must play tongue-in-cheek sometimes and serious others. It only succeeds in either task about half the time, but when it does succeed its just a blast. I'm enjoying this way more than I thought I would and I will be coming back for more.

Storyline: 3.5 Stars
Dialogue: 4 Stars
Pacing: 3 Stars
Art: 3.5 Stars
Overall: 3.5 Stars