Hey everybody, we’ve got our picks of the week for the 13th. Lots of solid choices this week. Two books from DC, one from Image, and one from Marvel. Feel free to comment in the comments section.
Batman #25 – After an absolute bone-crusher of an issue with number twenty-four, I expected Batman #25 to not deliver on the goods. I was completely and utterly wrong. In 24 pages, Scott Snyder sets up a myriad of story-lines for the rest of the Zero Year saga, involving plant overgrowth, mysterious things in the desert, and an overarching theme of bones resetting and being reshaped. Combine this with the masterful pencils and amazing coloring, and the debut of an old-school Batman villain (really old-school), and you have a near perfect issue. -Julien Loeper
Forever Evil: Arkham War 2 – The second issue of what is looking to be the most interesting of the three Forever Evil spin-off miniseries continues full steam ahead as artist Scot Eaton beautifully portrays the characters doing what veteran comic writer Peter J. Tomasi excels at having them do: Interact in realistic and all-to believable ways. But don’t let the cover fool you: This is far from an all-out action-packed battle. In fact, it is a relatively quiet issue compared to what the cover would have you believe. But that is okay, because that’s exactly what makes it work. There’s just enough action to keep the plot moving forward, but when it comes right down to it, it’s all about the characterization. – Jeff Hill
Manifest Destiny #1 – This new book from Image is one crazy ride. The historical background of the Lewis and Clark expedition mixed with mystical monsters is one that I will continue to watch as the story unfolds. – Aaron Clutter
All New X-Men #18 –This is a packed issue. Every little character interaction is enjoyable or means something, there isn’t a panel wasted. They say time flies when you’re having fun, but there’s so much richness here that it feels like it’s longer than its page count. The undercurrent of tragedy running through the comedy shows how you can embrace the sillier parts of your universe and have fun without it being overly campy. ~ Scorpio Moon
