Wess Reads Comics - Week of 2/15/17

Each week, Wess grabs a few issues from his stack of comics to share his thoughts with you. If you're looking for a place for brief, initial impressions, then this is it! Have questions about books that Wess didn't review? Then leave a comment below!


Nightwing #15

Credit: DC Comics
To/Sotomator

Written by: Tim Seeley
Art by: Minkyu Jung & Chris Sotomayor
Letters by: Carlos M. Mangual
Cover Art by: Marcus To & Chris Sotomayor
Published by: DC Comics

Every so often, typically at the end of storylines, I'll step back and reevaluate how many books I'm reading each week and which ones I want to keep pulling. Nightwing has been on double-secret probation for a while. Ever since the beginning of Rebirth, I've felt it's just missed a lot of the impact of so many other books out there. So this issue was going to be it. The Epilogue to the "Blüdhaven" storyline was going to be the last Nightwing issue I was going to get for a while.

And then I read it.

At the end of a storyline with some D-list villains (and that's generous), Nightwing finds himself in a relationship with an old villain, The Defacer (Shawn Tsang). Throughout the issue, we get to see Dick talk about his relationship in different stages to various team members. While I was disappointed that we haven't arrived at a Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon romance (#TeamDickara), I was willing to give this girl a chance. And through the issue I came to really like the interaction between the two of them and start to wonder what their future would look like. I don't want to spoil the ending so I'll just say the ending was extremely surprising and ultimately is keeping me a Nightwing reader for the time being.

Grade: B+

Credit: DC Comics
Jimenez/Sanchez

Super Sons #1
Written by: Peter J. Tomasi
Art by: Jorge Jimenez & Alejandro Sanchez
Letters by: Rob Leigh
Cover Art by: Jimenez & Sanchez
Published by: DC Comics

I've been waiting for this comic to come out every since it was announced with Rebirth. The idea that you have these two, very young superheroes was very intriguing to me. You have Damien, who was raised most of his life to be a killer by Ra's & Talia al Ghul before coming to live with Bruce and serves as a vigilante as the current Robin. Then you have Jon: the son of one of the most straight-laced people on the planet and the most tenacious news reporter to ever work for the Daily Planet. They are opposite in so many ways but with the set up in 'Superman' and now in 'Super Sons' you get to see how they complement each other and, ultimately, that they both need each other. Since Bruce and Clark have a strained relationship, this could ultimately be what helps bring them together to be the friends that we want them to be.

In the first issue, we get to see Damien flex his muscles as the Alpha of the duo; coaxing Jon into situations he wants to avoid because he just wants to be a good son and please his parents. The dynamic between them is great with Damien wanting to be first and fancies himself a mentor to Jon while Jon isn't going to take anything lying down and wants to remind Damien as often as possible that he does, in fact, have super powers. A great read so far and I can't wait to see where this duo goes.

Grade: A



PULL LIST

DC Comics

• Action Comics Vol. 1 - Path of Doom TPB by Dan Jurgens, Patch Zircher, Tyler Kirkham, Stephen Segovia, Art Thibert, Tomeu Morey, Ulises Arreola, Arif Prianto, & Rob Leigh
• Batman #17 by Tom King, David Finch, Danny Miki, Jordie Bellaire, & John Workman
• Batwoman: Rebirth #1 by Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion IV, Steve Epting, Jeromy Cox, & Deron Bennett
• Green Lanterns #17 by Sam Humphries, Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, Blond, & Dave Sharpe
• Justice League #15 by Bryan Hitch, Fernando Pasarin, Matt Ryan, Brad Anderson, Richard Starkings, & Comicraft
• Nightwing #15 by Tim Seeley, Minkyu Jung, Chris Sotomayor, & Carlos M. Mangual
• Super Sons #1 by Peter J. Tomasi, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez, & Rob Leigh
• Superman #17 by Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Sebastián Fiumara, Dave Stewart, & Rob Leigh
• Trinity #6 by Francis Manapul, Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy, Matt Santorelli, Hi-Fi, & Steve Wands
• The Wild Storm #1 by Warren Ellis, Jon Davis-Hunt, Ivan Plascencia, & Simon Bowland

Marvel Comics

• Captain America: Steve Rogers #11 by Nick Spencer, Jesús Saiz, Scott Hanna, Rachelle Rosenberg, VC's Joe Caramagna
• The Clone Conspiracy #5 by Dan Scott, Jim Cheung, John Dell, Jay Leisten, Justin Sponsor, & VC's Joe Caramagna