Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. March 30, 2015

COMICS

Chuck Palahniuk’s sequel to Fight Club, Fight Club 2 wraps up with issue #2 - can anything go wrong with Tyler’s plan? Probably. …Omega Red and the Soviet Super Soldiers show up to give the X-Men of the 90’s some guff! Wicked Massive Awesome Radical times to be had in X-MEN ‘92 #1! … Darth Vader #18 is action packed as Vader lays his resources on the line and a battle is brewing! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

TRIPLE SHOT with a DC CHASER: The Road To REBIRTH – Grayson #18, We Are Robin #12, Teen Titans #18, Secret Six #12 at FORCES OF GEEK

It’s a DC Comics takeover today as we get closer to the Rebirth event and a new Batman on screen. We start off with a new creative team on Grayson before Rebirth, more Gotham sidekick action with We Are Robin and Teen Titans (guest starring Wonder Woman). Over in Secret Six, Strix is faced with dilemmas from the League of Assassins.

Are you ready for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? Be sure to check back Friday morning for the Forces of Geek review when it is posted!

Grayson #18
Writers: Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly
Artist: Roge Antonio
Publisher: DC Comics
Pub. Date: March 23, 2016
UPC:  76194132185101811
PRICE: $3.99
BUY IT HERE


Things are really heating up for Dick and Spyral this issue, but Grayson aka Agent 37 isn’t really at the center of all the action.

With Lanzing and Kelly (Batman and Robin Eternal) jumping on as writers to wrap up this arc, where a lot of threads were just sort of hanging there, we start the issue in the middle of the action at the St. Hadrian’s school for wayward spy girls.

With guest appearances from Bronze Tiger, Grifter and Midnighter, Dick leads a team against Leviathan. 

Helena is seriously injured in the melee, but at the end we have Agent Zero and her sister vying for the top of the stack as someone from their past makes a surprise appearance.

This is most certainly not a jumping on point for readers, perhaps not many people out there are even aware that Dick is a spy now, but no matter. With Rebirth, Nightwing returns and we can turn our back on this now overly complicated spy story. 

I sure wish Seeley wrapped this arc up, though because this issue is a bit confusing, and I have been reading this book since the beginning!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. March 23, 2016

COMICS

The Finches Meredith and David bring Wonder Woman to issue #50 on this Batman v Superman week! Twirl on over to your LCS (Local Comic Shop) on the way to the theatre! LeaguePodcast ally Paul Allor goes What If? with G.I.Joe: Deviations #1 - begging the question What if COBRA ruled the world? … Independence Day #1 is the movie tie-in to the sequel that you didn’t ask for. But we must be ready this time, right? … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE DARKSEID WAR PART 1 (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE DARKSEID WAR PART 1 (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Jason Fabok, Various
Publisher: DC Comics
Pub. Date: March 09, 2016
Price: $24.99
UPC: 978140125977852499

Collecting Justice League #40-44,
DC Sneak Peak: Justice League #1

BUY IT HERE

In this week leading up to the biggest DC movie event ever, the debut ofBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (still a mouthful), we’ve got a hardcover release of volume 7 of Justice League from Geoff Johns with art by Jason Fabok.  

Volume 7: Darkseid War Part 1 pits the New 52 Justice League against a reimagined Fourth World and introduces some new and interesting characters for the modern age.

These are definitely comics more skewed toward the longstanding DC Comics fan than the casual reader, but if someone were to wander off of the streets and grab this hardcover in preparation for the movie (a scenario often prescribed by comics journalists like myself, but rarely do the masses imbibe) they may be entertained but will certainly leave with a lot of questions.

Johns, recently announcing yet another ‘Crisis’ aka Rebirth, lays the groundwork for the theory of the DC multiverse in Darkseid War.  Besides the usual cast on the side of the righteous, we see Darkseid pitted against the powerful Anti-Monitor and a view of how these worlds came to be.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. March 16, 2016

COMICS

Nice guy and superman Huck faces his past enemies in the latest Huck #5 from Mark Millar and Raphael Albuquerque. Bendis and Maleev have taken on Daredevil and deconstructed Moon Knight, now the team gives us a different look at Tony Stark with International Iron Man #1. Is Doom really his friend? How will Mary Jane fit into Stark Industries? Where is Pepper? ,,, Damn, Obadiah! Archer and Armstrong are back at it again with a new #1. This buddy cop comic between what can best be described as a Morman and his 7,000 year old drunk buddy is always a good time in A+A #1. … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

FOG! Chats With STEVE LIEBER About His New Series About Awful People, THE FIX! at FORCES OF GEEK

Hands down, one of the funniest comics from the House of Ideas to come out in this new age of Marvel NOW! was the often overlooked but still celebrated-among-thieves Superior Foes of Spider-Man. You know what? I’m not even sure his holy Web-Head even showed up for more than a few panels in the book. That’s some next level genius marketing there.

From the twisted minds of Steve Lieber (Hawkeye, Hawkman, Whiteout) and Nick Spencer (Morning Glories, Captain America, Astonishing Ant-Man) with team mates (accomplices?) Ryan Hill (colors) and Nic J Shaw (lettering and design) comes their latest Image Comics creation: The Fix. 

This creator owned book is already turning heads for it’s colorful language and comedy the toes the line between violence and the absurdity of real life. It turns out The Fix is about awful people. Who knows if these guys turned the mirror on themselves to get inspiration?

Heck, at least they were nice enough to return my emails! Artist and co-creator Steve Lieber joins us today to previewThe Fix, conveniently just in the nick of time for you to ‘convince’ your shop to order it from Diamond. 

We must warn you moms out there, Steve and I get a little blue in the interview. Earmuffs!

FOG!: You guys have gone and done it again. The question is…why? How did The Fix come about?

Steve Lieber: A collaboration this great doesn’t come around every day. Nick writes characters that I love to draw! Our tastes in what’s funny on the comics page dovetail beautifully. So after we finished Superior Foes, we were eager to work with each other again. Nick had three ideas for our next project. One of them grew into The Fix.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes – JUSTICE LEAGUE: COSMIC CLASH (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Super-genius super-computer and compulsive Collector of Worlds aka Brainiac 1.1 has his sights set on our Earth but the Justice League is there to stop him!LEGO Justice League - Cosmic Clashis the fifth film in the LEGO DC Comics Super Heroesdirect-to-video series.

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg and Hal Jordan Green Lantern protect the Earth from being shrunken to Kandor size but not without some help and a bit of timey-wimey adventures.

Digging into the lore of DC Comics Silver Age and recent history, this Lego movie is one for Superman and Batman fans of any age.

The movie opens at the Hall of Justice where everyone except Batman is playing a trust game of hide and seek.

Batman (Troy Baker) refuses to play because he’s sort of a wet blanket and refused to think of his Justice League co-workers as anything other than associates.

Younger teammates The Flash (James Arnold Taylor) and Cyborg (Khary Payton) take the opposite view and embrace friendship!

Led by Blue Boy Scout Superman (Nolan North) and the ultra confident Wonder Woman (Grey Griffin) and Green Lantern (Josh Keaton), the League takes to the sky when the Klaxon alarm warns of a threat to Earth!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. March 9, 2016

COMICS

It has been nearly a year since we lost Boston’s Vulcan son Leonard Nimoy to the great expanse. IDW celebrates Spock in Star Trek #55 - Legacy of Spock part 1 of 4. … Nathan Edmondson’s Red Wolf #4 from Marvel puts a Native American chief from the old west town of Timely into modern day Santa Rosa as desert travelers emerge from the shadows. … Jupiter’s Circle Vol. 2 #4 introduces a new villain! From mastermind Mark Millar (Kingsmen: Secret Service, Kick-Ass). Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

ZOOTOPIA (movie review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Produced by Clark Spencer

Story by Byron Howard, Rich Moore, 

Jared Bush, Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee, 

Joshie Trinidad, Jim Reardon

Screenplay by Jared Bush, Phil Johnston

Directed by Byron Howard,

 Rich Moore, Jared Bush

Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman,

Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, Tommy Chong,

Octavia Spencer, Jenny Slate, Shakira

Disney’s Zootopia is the latest from the main mouse studio to anthropomorphize animals and have them burrow into our hearts.  Jason Bateman stars as fantastic fox Nicholas P. “Nick” Wilde opposite the real star of Zootopia, Ginnifer Goodwin as Zootopia Police Department’s first bunny rabbit officer Judy Hopps.

In a world where predator and prey have put aside their differences and mostly live in peace side by side in the city of Zootopia, some mammals have gone missing and Judy sets out to get to the bottom of the mystery in fear of losing her job.

The resolution and detail of the best animation technology and talent in the world is on display here with Zootopia, as the Disney machine keeps on rolling. 

Zootopia is a funny movie but not without drama, as the city of Zootopia is revealed to us as a whole new world where animals dominate!

Cleverly, the movie sets us up with young bunny Judy in a school play that reflects the rules of the new society we are introduced to in Zootopia. If only more fantasy movies gave a wink and five minutes of exposition at the top we’d all leave the theatre a little less rattled!

Sure, that’s for the kids who will no doubt be watching this over and over on iPads in the backseats on road trips, but for an adult, the explanation serves to rationalize our own obsession with scooping up Zootopia toys from the aisles of Target. We adults will be able to say, “I love THE MESSAGE Zootopia has to teach kids, that we can all GET ALONG”, in the same breath as we snatch the last plush Judy Hopps off the shelf—leaving a snot-nosed kid in a carriage crying because we took his favorite new toy.

Moving on, Judy (Ginnifer Goodwin) is mocked by her parents and her 237 rabbit siblings that she wants to become a police officer. These jobs are typically occupied by bigger, stronger species. Through pure will and determination she trains her way through Police Academy (in a Full Metal Jacket montage) and earns her stripes to move away from her parent’s carrot farm in Bunnyburrow to the big city to be assigned to Zootopia Police Department.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

FOG! Chats With THE ONLY LIVING BOY Writer/ Co-Creator David Gallaher! at FORCES OF GEEK

Harvey-Award winning comic creators David Gallaher (High Moon, Convergence: Green Lantern Corps) and Steve Ellis (High Moon, Hulk, Breaking Bad) have dubbed their studio Bottled Lighting and judging by the success of the comics they produce this is an appropriate name! 

David joins us today to talk about The Only Living Boy: Volume One which is coming to bookstores everywhere fromPapercutz. 

The Only Living Boy started as a webcomic and was previously printed in a Kickstarter campaign before being collected in the upcoming edition.

David took the time to talk with us today to tell us the origin of this comic and more below as how Bottled Lightning came to be!

FOG!: I’ve just finished the first volume of The Only Living Boy and I can’t believe what I’ve been missing! How has the community support from Kickstarter to the webcomics helped you guys get the book to the people?

David Gallaher: First of all, thank you. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. 

Technology has enabled us to reach everybody who has an internet connection and we love the digital community that has helped bring The Only Living Boy to the forefront. 

We’ve been able to offer the series through so many different platforms — Kickstarter, Tapastic, Noisetrade, Tumblr, comiXology, Humble Bundle — and the response has been extraordinary. We’ve have over 200,000 readers across platforms and that’s been really special to us. 

Our passionate fans are the reason we are here.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. March 2, 2016

COMICS

Waid and Samnee are at it again with a familiar Daredevil sometime girlfriend and big screen Avenger in a brand new Black Widow #1. … Green Lantern hits #50 this week as Hal faces off against the Parallax gauntlet and defends the Earth. … Horror comic writer Peter Millagan returns with a new Image comic The Discipline #1 revealing a carnal seduction mystery that will change Melissa’s life forever! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

EDDIE THE EAGLE (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Produced by Adam Bohling, David Reid, Rupert Maconick,

Valerie Van Galder, Matthew Vaughn

Screenplay by Sean Macaulay, Simon Kelton

Directed by Dexter Fletcher

Starring Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Christopher Walken,

Mark Benton, Keith Allen, Jo Hartley, Tim McInnerny

“The thrill of victory, ..and the agony of defeat” was the signature tag on ABC’s Wide World of Sports program depicting ski jumper Vinko Bogataj tumble in a fateful failed jump.

We are now two years away from the next Winter Olympics in PyeongChang when this movie about a victorious ski jumper hits the screen. 

Eddie the Eagle tells the story of British ski jumper and famous underdog Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton) and coach Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) preparing for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

Produced by Fox in association with Marv Films (Matthew Vaughn), this Dexter Fletcher directed film is full of heart and the spirit of amateur athletics driving men and women to pursue their dreams to become Olympic athletes. 

The movie certainly has it’s moments of big screen action but for American audiences, the reverence to an underdog British sports icon might land the jump a few meters short of a qualifying distance.

While the story in the biopic is mostly made up, it is partially based on Eddie’s 1988 book Eddie the Eagle: My Story. We open to see a boy with a leg brace grow up to be the first British ski jumper since 1929. 

Eddie (Egerton) doesn’t meet the requirements to join the downhill ski team in 1984 so shifts focus to ski jumping which he has never done before! He borrows enough to make it to the only ski jumping training facility in Europe, Garmisch in Southern Germany. There, he meets up with the fictional Bronson Peary (Jackman), an amalgamation of some of Eddie’s real life coaches at his real life training ground, Lake Placid. 

Going from the smaller hill to the 70m run in the movie, Eddie gets the skiing part down but not the critical landing piece, but always seems to get back up to try again. The American groundskeeper Bronson Peary takes some persuading to help out Eddie but of course does to train him for the 70m.

The screenplay as a backbone to this story is a bit predictable, with the old drunk coach being coaxed out of retirement before the kid breaks his fool neck. There is a significant cameo with Christopher Walken playing the Qui-Gon to Jackman’s Obi-Wan in a voiceover as Eddie is learning how to ski from Warren Sharp’s (Walken) book.

I guess there comes a time in every studio filmmaker’s career where they need to make an 80s throwback winter sports montage movie — and this is that film for both Matthew Vaughn and Dexter Fletcher. From the Back To School Specialand Quantum Leap synth theme score to mixed with songs from Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Thin Lizzy on the soundtrack the music captures the essence of the time.

Training montage? Check. Multiple training montages? Check.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

TRIPLE SHOT with a DIGITAL CHASER: Black Magick #5, Army of Darkness Furious Road #1, Street Fighter X G.I. Joe #1 Plus Adventures of Supergirl #3 - Forces Of Geek

EDITOR’S NOTE: This reviewer read an unlettered proof of ARMY OF DARKNESS: FURIOUS ROAD. it is now known that this is not a ‘silent’ issue. The new, Updated TRIPLE SHOT below!

TRIPLE SHOT with a DIGITAL CHASER: Black Magick #5, Army of Darkness Furious Road #1, Street Fighter X G.I. Joe #1 Plus Adventures of Supergirl #3

We’ve got witches, werewolves (not swear wolves), and Ivan meeting G.I. Joe
in this week’s Triple Shot!

Rucka and Scott finish up the first volume of Wiccan detective story Black Magick. 

Over at Dynamite, Ash stars in Army of Darkness and a Clash Sandinista track comes

to life as they team up with Capcom to promote a battle royale game 
Street Fighter V with Street Fighter X G.I. Joe #1. I got next game!

Sterling Gates continues on a very satisfying compliment to Supergirl on CBS
with Adventures of Supergirl Chapter 3 only on ComiXology!

Black Magick #5 
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Nicola Scott
Publisher: Image Comics
Pub. Date: February 24, 2016
UPC: 70985301997800511
Price: $3.99
BUY IT HERE

The latest in this witchy supernatural detective story Black Magick
from the superstar team of Greg Rucka (Lazarus, Stumptown,
Star Wars, Gotham Central) and Nicola Scott (Earth 2, Birds of Prey)
wraps up the first arc before taking a hiatus to get an issue in the can
and to release a trade in April.

When the trade hits, I’m hoping for more attention to this incredible book.

Part police procedural, part Wiccan ceremony, Black Magick tells the story
of Rowan Black, a witch on the Portsmouth police department as a detective. 

Fans of the show iZombie (and the comic, duh) will appreciate the
supernatural mixed with the police work that we know Rucka
is so great at constructing. When I read Rucka’s crime books
I want to marathon The Rockford Files!

Of course Nicola Scott’s art is knockout amazing, full of detail, and with the
exception of expressions of magick it self is black and white (published in
four color process, with greyscale inks). She draws beautiful and
realistic ladies and is one of the best artists on the shelves today.
Color assists on the art by Chiara Arena.

This story wraps up some loose ends but leaves you wanting to know more
about the threats darkening Rowan’s door.

I don’t know much about spells and witchcraft in real life but if
I want to pretend, I can recite the spells from this well-researched book,
cleverly edited by Jeanine Schaefer (formerly of Marvel, now a freelance editor).

Army of Darkness Furious Road #1
Writer: Nancy A. Collins
Art: Kewber Baal
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Pub. Date: March 2, 2016
UPC: 72513024590801011
Price: $3.99
BUY IT HERE

I’ve said it before, and now that I see another Army of Darkness title from Dynamite,
I’m even more confused.

Oh well, we live in a time where Flash and Supergirl will team up across different
networks, Ash vs. Evil Dead is a TV show and someone more scary than a
hologram from The Dark Knight Returns is angling to be president.

What am I on about? I simply do not understand the rights issues
involved with Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise! Can the TV show not really
not use the store name of S-Mart? Is it even possible to break up print distribution
rights for a property? 

Just last month, I praised Space Goat’s Evil Dead 2: Cradle of the Damned
and looked forward to Ash taking on Hitler. …and then this happened!

Dynamite (perhaps the holder of the MGM Army of Darkness license?
Spitballing here…) is about to unleash Furious Road, a Mad Max
 style look into the future 20 years from ‘now’.
This story is set twenty years from whenever ‘now’ is.

Acclaimed horror writer Nancy A. Collins also has a few
comics under her belt (Swamp Thing, Jason vs. Leatherface, Vampirella)
set us up here with a post-apocalyptic road warrior view of Ash’s beloved hometown,
complete with ridiculous outfits, shaved haircuts and heavily armored cars. 

Many reviewers (myself included) were mistakenly slipped an unlettered proof.
Thankfully we received a new copy of the book for us to revise our review. Sorry about that! 

What was criminally missing was the famous Ash quips and references to
previous issues and even a certain Cabin in the Woods.

Not to be one-upped by a Hitler book, Dynamite goes Legion of Monsters 

 with this one has Frank N. Stein (he prefers Michael),
Eva and the Daughter of Dracula enlist Ash to track down the Necronomicon.
I guess this is just another tricky day at the Housewares Department at S-Mart for Ash.

Highly recommended for fans of whatever movie or tv show is your
favorite one starring the guy with the chainsaw hand!

 

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. February 24, 2016

COMICS

Don’t talk about it, but please read Fight Club #9 from mastermind Chuck Palahniuk and artist Cameron Stewart. … Matt Wagner and Dan Schkade continue Will Eisner’s Spirit #8 uncovering the mysterious and deadly Mikado Vaas! … Black Magick #5 concludes Book One ‘Awakening’ from the super spooky team of Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. February 17, 2016

COMICS

Power Man and Iron Fist #1 - The Original Heroes for Hire and soon too be Netflix stars in Defenders (we hope) are back with a new book! … Star Wars picks up Lenil Yu as artist on the flagship book for a new arc called Rebel Jail in issue #16! … The Mighty Thor #4 has Asgard torn asunder at the All-Mother faces the All-Father! Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

WHERE TO INVADE NEXT (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Produced by Carl Deal, Tia Lessin, Michael Moore

Narrated and Directed by Michael Moore

Featuring Krista Kiuru, Tim Walker,

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir

Despite the title, Where to Invade Next isn’t a military strategy guide, but rather a brilliant look at global routines in other civilized countries that the US could take a cue from.

Where to Invade Next is subversive documentarian and divisive liberal political pundit Michael Moore’s latest movie and his first film since 2009. Moore takes us around the globe to point the camera back at ourselves in a different light as he uses invasion as a metaphor for cafeteria style policy changes that we could use in the United States as a means for treating our citizens better.

Stylistically, the movie isn’t as aggressive or pushy as his other films.

This one takes an already much described ‘kinder and gentler’ style as Moore visits these other countries to tackle everything from free health care to school lunches.

Where to Invade Next may just have enough style and grace to appeal to both sides of the aisle and at the very least get a conversation going about what changes would or could happen here at home for a better tomorrow.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

FOG! Chats With JIMMY PALMIOTTI To Hype, HYPE, His Latest Kickstarter! at FORCES OF GEEK

Jimmy Palmiotti joins FOG! to push Hype, his latest book with Justin Gray, which just surpassed it’s Kickstarter goal with just under two days left of it’s crowdfunding campaign.

For the uninitiated, Jimmy currently writes Harley Quinn for DC Comics with his wife, Amanda Conner, as well as All-Star Western (and formerly Jonah Hex) with Justin, and started the Marvel Knights Imprint with Joe Quesada; as well as many television and movie credits to his name including Painkiller Jane.

When it comes to creator-owned comics, Jimmy gives us good reason for fans to support the books they love from creators they care about, so read on to learn about Hype, a new superhero that only limited time to get his mission accomplished—much like the target goal on his new Kickstarter!

If you are in the area, be sure to catch up with Jimmy at the Long Beach Comic Expo this weekend! LBCE is one of the most creator-friendly conventions in the country that celebrates comic books and pop culture and diversity.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Triple Shot With a Digital Chaser: NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #17, STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY #3, G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #225 Plus ADVENTURES OF SUPERGIRL Chapter 2 at FORCES OF GEEK

Harley’s shaping up to ship out of Belle Reve as Tim Seeley takes over on New Suicide Squad #17, the cadets are up to their necks in secrets and competition in Star Trek: Star Fleet Academy #3 and Springfield might not last as ‘A Nice Little Town’ as it survives the conclusion of Cobra World Order in Hama’s G.I. Joe #225. 

Still reeling from this week’s Alan Moore inspired Supergirl episode? There’s more to be had in ComiXology for the tie-in weekly Adventures of Supergirl Chapter 2 written by fan favorite Sterling Gates!

NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #17
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist/Cover: Juan Ferreyra
Publisher: DC Comics
Pub. Date: February 10, 2016
UPC: 76194132184401711
Price: $2.99
BUY IT HERE

Tim Seeley has been an architect of the current Batman & Robin: Eternal and other Bat-Books, Nightwing and most recently, Grayson.

Aside from his work as an artist and writer on many independent books, Seeley has grown into a DC Comics powerhouse, adapting to these important legacy characters and making them his own.

This August’s Suicide Squad movie will re-introduce the world to Joker and Harley Quinn with familiar faces filling the rolls. Suicide Squad is soon to be a household name, beyond the reach of the CW version we’ve seen in the Arrow-verse.

This jumping on point for readers feels much the same for Seeley, as he has admitted to not knowing much of Task Force X before taking this assignment. This is refreshing for me as well, as I’m not a huge Suicide Squad fan generally speaking, but was excited to check out these pages.

When Fred Van Lente took over on G.I. Joe in 2013, I feel like he had the same attitude, and these were some of the most refreshing stories I have read in the IDW run. Van Lente played it loose but with reverence, a fine line and difficult to do if you are a dyed in the wool fan. 

Tim Seeley’s Suicide Squad starts fresh with a basic mission of mismatched baddies selected by Amanda Waller to kick some ass before being locked up again. It’s formulaic for sure but a great jumping on point.  Seeley himself cites Harley Quinn for a big influence on his own Hack/Slash’s titular character Cassie Hack. All of that seems right.

If his first issue is any indication, there will be roster changes in the coming months and status quo will be messed with. This new run is off to a fun start, and a welcome shift from the issues leading up to #17.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. February 10, 2016

COMICS

A new creative team takes over New Suicide Squad #17 featuring Harley, Headshot, Amanda Waller and the rest of Task Force X. Tim Seeley (Grayson, Hack/Slash, Batman and Robin Eternal) takes over and redefines Suicide Squad in advance of this summer’s blockbuster movie! .., Cadets Kirk and Uhura uncover a mystery as the other cadets vie for top ranks in the Centennial Competition in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy #3! … G.I.Joe #225 puts an end to the Cobra World Order storyline but something tells us Springfield isn’t “A Nice Little Town” for much longer! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

BATMAN: BAD BLOOD (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Batman: Bad Blood is the latest DC Universe Animated Original Movie and is quite possibly the best Bat-family animation since 2010’s Batman: Under the Red Hood. The animated franchise rebooted itself to align with the New 52 in 2012 withJustice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, and Batman himself, along with Damian Wayne and Nightwing, Alfred and the rest have their own continuity to follow now starting with 2103’s Batman: Son of Batman and the Court of Owls storyline in 2014’s Batman vs. Robin. 

With a dynamic screenplay from comic book industry veteran J.M. DeMatteis (Justice League International, Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt), Batman: Bad Blood borrows heavily from New 52 storylines featured Grant Morrison’s Batman, Batman Incorporated, Batman and Robin and Batwing as well as Batwoman from Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III. 

The stripped down Batman: Incorporated story in Batman: Bad Blood definitely works, with dynamic action, great character work and introduction and nods to the spanning comic stories that preceded this feature.

Batman: Bad Blood introduces some key members of the family, while piggybacking on Batman: Son of Batman andBatman vs. Robin. Batwoman (Yvonne Strahovski) appears early on as an uneasy ally to Bruce Wayne (Jason O’Mara) before Batman disappears from Gotham City.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]