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Jonas Scharf, Illustrator

Alex Guimaraes, Colors

Ed Dukeshire, Letters

Recap

Basilisk is a story about The Chimera, a group of 5 individuals with powers based on the 5-senses, and the problem they have when one of their members’ deserts and teams up with a human to take them out. In the previous story arc, a major confrontation takes place when Hannah ambushes The Chimera, killing one of their members. She is aided in the battle by Regan, who has the power of enhanced sight. Hannah seeks revenge against The Chimera for the death of her daughter and husband while Regan is disillusioned by the purpose of The Chimera due to some of the tactics they used. The lost member of The Chimera possessed the power of enhanced hearing. The Chimera is aided by a man named Barrett, who is labeled as the leader of the faithful. The concept of the faithful has not been flushed out, however, it communicates a larger following who are loyal to The Chimera but do not have the powers they possess. 

The initial arc leaves the holding tension around the idea of survival. Despite the power differential between The Chimera and the humans,  they are vulnerable. Their vulnerability is communicated by the ease in which a single well-trained human killed one of their members. The death of Manny left me wrestling with two loyalties: A desire for The Chimera to survive and the desire for the underdogs to get revenge. I want the group of enhanced “gods” to survive so that I can learn more about their story, how they got their powers, and what their ultimate purpose is as a group. I want the underdogs to win because they are survivors of pain and suffering caused by the actions of The Chimera. 

In this issue, Jimmy, who has enhanced physical strength, chases Regan and Hannah and corners them in the woods. Meanwhile, Vanessa and Cara, the remaining members of the group, follow at a distance. The battle is graphic and holds the tension of a life-or-death struggle. The intimacy between siblings and the hatred that only family can have for each other when things go bad, is felt. The desperation of Hannah and her desire to seek revenge is felt. The only critique I have involves the conflict between Jimmy, Regan, and Hannah. The result was predictable and the ending of this fight felt overused and worn out. 

The larger elevated theme of this struggle between humans and their gods is spelled out at the end of the book when Hannah asks herself: Will I be strong enough to kill a god if or when I get the chance. It reads as a macro-level question that looms large for many members of society. The question speaks to a larger audience, those impacted by power-differential of the dominant group, addiction, mental health, and other important issues facing society today.  

The art is graphic, with deep dark lines and deep colors. The themes are blunt. The emotions on the faces of characters are vivid, yet sometimes subtle to reflect the internal battles happening within characters that are not always evident to all. The pacing and flow of the panels are perfect. The reader is left holding the tension of two polar – opposite groups, in part, due to the visual aesthetic of each which depicts their strengths as well as vulnerabilities clearly. 

I love this book and would recommend this story to fans of horror, and fantasy. Cullen Bunn has written a lot of books in this genre; however, this story feels original and alive. The tropes of the typical human vs powered gods are not present like most stories. However, the larger story remains compelling and I urge readers to check this out. Overall = 9/10

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Joey Braccino is back, baby! That’s right! The prodigal son has returned to the podcast, and he’s causing trouble right out of the gate. It’s almost like he never left. Almost. In addition to Joey’s triumphant return, the group talks up a whole lot of comics, news, and butt stuff. This is our last regular show of the year, and ish is about to get real!

Books: Hardware Season One #3, The Magic Order 2 #2, Fantastic Four #38, Captain Marvel #34, Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons #1, Trial of Magneto #3, Batman: Fear State Omega #1, Hawkeye #1-22, The Me You Love in the Dark #5, Karmen #1-5, Friday #1, Immortals Fenyx Rising: From Great Beginnings OGN.

Other Stuff: Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye Episodes 1-3, Doctor Who: Season 13: The Flux

The Comic Book Podcast is brought to you by Talking Comics (www.talkingcomicbooks.com) The podcast is hosted by Steve Seigh, Bob Reyer, Joey Braccino, Aaron Amos, and John Burkle, who weekly dissect everything comics-related, from breaking news to new releases. Our Twitter handle is @TalkingComics

Batman: Fear State Omega #1

Writer: James Tynion IV

Artists: Riccardo Federici (1-8,13,17,21,26-30); Christian Duce (9-12); Ryan Benjamin (14-16); Guillem March (18-20); Trevor Hairsine (22-25)

Colors: Chris Sotomayor

Letters: Clayton Cowles

Reviewer: KrisK

Thank goodness for this Omega issue! Coming out of Batman # 117, I was left feeling like I was missing a lot of information. Its sudden ending left a lot up in the air. While it wasn’t anything pressing, to end a run without any form of epilogue left me feeling shorted. Tynion ended his event with an explosive finale, but no follow up on the characters and where they stand. Enter the Omega.

Batman: Fear State Omega opens with Scarecrow being transported to the asylum. Per usual, the villain’s henchmen stage an ambush to break him out of police custody. Scarecrow informs the police that Simon Saint had provided Crane with handlers. Crane captured them and used them to experiment with his Fear State “evolving” techniques. Batman already knew about these goons, though, and he followed them to the scene. Bruce dispatches the goons and takes Scarecrow into his custody to get him to the Asylum.

Batman acts unusually chatty and chipper compared to his usual brooding self. He permits Crane to wear his mask for some reason, and then he updates him on the status of all the bit players Tynion introduced this run. We start with Simon Saint and Miracle Molly. In order to free her comrades, Molly testified against Saint. She lives in Blackgate now, probably recruiting. Batman turned a blind eye to the Unsanity Collective for now, seeing them mostly as a force for good. Saint’s company shuttered the Magistrate, and Simon seems on the way to join the Suicide Squad. Waller and Saint: a match made in heaven.

Scarecrow and Batman briefly acknowledge the other Batman before moving onto Peacekeeper-01, Poison Ivy, Clown Hunter, and Ghost Maker. The issue ties off all the loose threads, leaving Ridley and Williamson to do as they wish. Batman delivers Scarecrow to the new asylum, Arkham Tower! Because what they really needed to do was put the asylum right in the middle of Gotham so it was more accessible.

Batman’s newfound optimism for Gotham City contrasts heavily with the grieving vigilante Tynion started with a couple of years ago. Considering Williamson plans on taking Bruce on a world tour, it makes sense Batman now feels like Gotham can handle itself. Honestly, considering Batman usually serves as the Justice League Wet Blanket, its nice to see him lighten up. Disaster always hits, but Gotham always survives. The Joker alone orchestrates a mass casualty event almost every other year. Batman acknowledging this feels over due.

Tynion’s writing feels different here with his swan song. He paints the Bat Family and Gotham as highly competent and capable. Almost like they have been dealing with these bozos for years! The issue purely exists as the epilogue of Tynion’s run, and honestly, that’s alright. The world of Gotham gets thoroughly set up for future writers. After all that, the characters return to the toy box.

Honestly, the art bugs me a bit. Because this is a big special one-shot, DC uses several different artists. To clarify, none of the styles fell flat, but they did not necessarily mix well, and the sudden style difference from page to page could be jarring. It felt like pages from many stories stapled together.

Verdict: Buy! But only if you have been following the series so far. I doubt any of the information dump is required info for the next run. If you have read the earlier stuff, or even if you fell off at some point, the one shot educates you on all of the characters’ end points for their perspective subplot arcs.

Lifetime Passes

Terry Blas (@TerryBlas)

Claudia Aguirre (@claudiaguirre)

Review by Chris Ceary

Content warnings/Trigger warnings: Racism, homophobia, deportation, ageism, sexism, ableism, major character death

What would you do for a lifetime pass to your favorite amusement park? A group of teens gets the chance to answer that question when they learn that the park will issue lifetime passes if one member of your party dies during a trip. A plan is hatched and the teens begin a program where they guide older adults around the park during their summer break. Blas and Aguirre take readers on a journey both whimsical and dark.

Lifetime Passes explores a number of timely struggles such as teenagers dealing with their parents’ deportation or experiencing homophobia. The graphic novel has some interesting things to say about these topics. It is also a rare comic that highlights the lives of older adults. Age representation is so uncommon in this medium and the story handles it well. The older adults forming friendships with the teens is the emotional heart of the story. Unfortunately, at times the graphic novel strays too far from the story and into after-school special, with the tone going preachy in quite a few places. At times there is a level of “kids these days” mentality that is exhausting to read. Some threads are not fully explored. Lastly, the dramatic ending is out of step with the rest of the story in a way that takes the reader out of the emotions of the moment.     

The art is where Lifetime Passes really shines. Aguirre’s colorful sensibilities fill each page with whimsy worthy of this Disneyland-esque experience. The characters are most wonderfully realized under the artist’s hand. It is worth flipping through just to enjoy the colorful art. 

Verdict 

HIT OR MISS. Your mileage may vary for this one. It might be worth a library pick up and certainly the creative team is one to watch, but overall the book does not quite stick the landing. It has a number of interesting ideas that get marred down in its desire to make a point. 

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Cue up some Taylor Swift and let your pride flag fly because Bronwyn and Chris are crashing the podcast this week! No one will be spared as the hosts of our upcoming Webtoon podcast, Thirsty on Toon, delight and derail us at every turn. Get ready for some Damian Wayne love, Lovecraftian horror, our Hawkeye review, and Hot Pumpkin Daddy.

Books: Snow Angels Vol. 1 & 2, Lore Olympus Vol. 1, Fine Print Vol. 1, Lugosi: Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula, Miskatonix: Even Death May Die (One-Shot), Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #1, Lunar Room #1, Teenage Mercenary (Webtoon), Your Wings and Mine (Webtoon), 80 Days (Webtoon), Hollow Hearts (Webtoon), Robins #1-2

Other Stuff: Marvel’s Hawkeye Episodes 1 & 2, Guardians of the Galaxy (video game)

The Comic Book Podcast is brought to you by Talking Comics (www.talkingcomicbooks.com) The podcast is hosted by Steve Seigh, Bob Reyer, Joey Braccino, Aaron Amos, and John Burkle, who weekly dissect everything comics-related, from breaking news to new releases. Our Twitter handle is @TalkingComics

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In this episode, Aaron takes control of the hosting chair while Steve nurses a wicked hangover. We’ve also got French comic book creator David Foissard in the rotating chair to talk about saucy daddies, superheroes, and how he’s single-handedly responsible for Aaron getting back into comics.

Books: Elvira Meets Vincent Price #3, Wasp: Darkhold #1, Nubia & and the Amazons #2, Wonder Woman: Evolution #1, Fantastic Four Anniversary Tribute, Static Season One #4, Icon and Rocket #4, Excalibur #25, Hellions #17, X-Force #25, Marauders #25, S.W.O.R.D. #10, Superman: Son of Kal-El #5, Batman Secret Files: The Gardener #1, Batman #117, Nightwing #86, The Nice House on the Lake #1-6, Savage Dragon #260, Defenders #1-3, Shazam #4, Showcase Presents: The Elongated Man Vol. 1

Other Stuff: Last Night in Soho (movie), Caribou, Kara Lis Coverdale (live performance)

The Comic Book Podcast is brought to you by Talking Comics (www.talkingcomicbooks.com) The podcast is hosted by Steve Seigh, Bob Reyer, Joey Braccino, Aaron Amos, and John Burkle, who weekly dissect everything comics-related, from breaking news to new releases. Our Twitter handle is @TalkingComics

Robins #1

Writer: Tim Seeley

Artist: Baldemar Rivas

Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.

Letterer: Steve Wands

Reviewer: KrisK

Batman goes through an impressive number of Robins. Especially since New 52 shrank the timespan by about a decade. Damian marked Robin #5 by Batman’s sixth year fighting crime. Add in the time Batman accumulated pre and between Robins, and most Robins don’t make it a year. (Stephanie only lasted a few weeks.)

The Robins may be the most divisive corner of Gotham, too. (Damian is the best at being a sidekick Robin, deal with it.) Most of the preference roots in the era the reader found Batman. I jumped on right before New 52, when Dick and Damian fought side by side. (Thanks to Darkseid, Bruce pinballed through history as a time bomb.) The Robins rarely meet up for long, which is a shame, because they have the best banter in DC. Each of them ribs the others like family, not coworkers.

Robins fixes the scarcity of good banter in DC, at least for the next 6 months. Robins #1 opens with an angry stranger catching a baby robin after its siblings bump it out of its nest. The stranger then tosses a frag grenade into the nest, killing the other Robins. As all Gotham villains, the stranger lacks subtlety. Cut to Bludhaven, where the Disciples of Anarky plan to bomb “City Government”, when the Robins show up. They defeat the bombers, though not as smoothly as one would want. Red Hood even kills a guy, which I guess means we get “Punisher” Red Hood, as opposed to “Rubber Bullets” Red Hood. The rest of the Robins seem only mildly annoyed by this, even though the Bat Family notoriously hates killing.

After the necessary fight scene, we get to the Robins at their best: eating at a table. The Robins shine at relaxing around each other, as they steal food and gripe about the lack of central air blowing at Dick’s. Nightwing called them all together to finally discuss whether or not being a Robin is a good thing. Is it irresponsible for Bruce to employ child soldiers? (Yes, obviously, but nice for them to ask) Dick starts out, but Stephanie and Jason give the more reflective answers. After they all say their piece, an unexpected intruder from the past barges in and sets up the mini-series.

While I enjoyed the banter of the story, Jason’s relaxed murder and their reaction to it, clashes with previous depictions of the Bat Family. Jason sticks to non-lethal combat mostly these days, especially when he works with the Family. Seeley does set up a fun adventure though, nicely tying the Robins back to their pasts. The story sidesteps Batman as much as possible, letting the Robins exist as their own entities.

Rivas’s art mostly lands. though I don’t love some of the faces in the table talk scene. It’s too early to say if it’s an art style difference or plot relevant. Fajardo Jr.’s colors bring color to what could have been a dark book. Robin has always been the light to Batman’s darkness, so I appreciate the color contrast to the main book. Wands’ letters emphasize often, but with purpose. Nothing bolded unless the Robin would emphasize the word.

Verdict: Buy! While I have a few qualms with the book, I certainly can’t say I wasn’t entertained. A Robin-Family centric book only comes out once every few years, so I will happily dive into their fun and love for each other.

Robin & Batman #1

Jeff Lemire (@JeffLemire)

Dustin Nguyen

Review by Chris Ceary

Content warnings/trigger warnings: Violence 

    Dick Grayson was the first child to pick up the mantel of Robin, and because of that, he was the one who defined what being a Robin means. Lemire and Nguyen take us back to those defining moments in Robin & Batman #1. They explore the origins of the costume, the rocky start to vigilante training, and the even rockier start to Dick’s dynamic with Bruce. It is back to the beginning with this tale.

    Anyone who listens to Gotham Outsiders knows, I am a Robin fan. Beyond my love of Batman, the many boys (and girls) wonder are what draws me back to Gotham over and over. Whenever I see a Robin-centric title hit the stands I am there. Unfortunately, this first issue did not exactly get me in the Robin feels. It felt familiar and not in a positive way. If you are new to Batman, this may serve as a place to begin learning about the Robin legacy. If you have been a Gothamite for a while, you are unlikely to find much new here.

It was not bad. There are no problematic themes or flaws in the storytelling. It was also not particularly good. There was not much to excite discussion in this first issue. Toward the end of the issue, there were some hints dropped about the direction the story is going toward which are intriguing. Robin & Batman may well be taking readers on an interesting journey, but that remains to be seen. On a positive note, it was fun to see Dick Grayson in his old role again. If you are looking for a returning to this era in Batfamily history, this may appeal to you.

    Where the story really shines is with Nguyen’s art. Robin & Batman uses a watercolor style of art that is lovely and somewhat surreal. The Robin costume pops against the darkness of the Gotham landscapes. The visuals more than anything else, are likely to pull you from page to page.

Verdict 

WAIT AND SEE. The story has potential, but there is nothing particularly exciting in the first issue. This may be a run that will benefit from a binge when it is complete, but only time will tell. 

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WARNING: This episode contains furries, confessions, Disney+ Day news, harsh words about Spider-Man, nice houses, questionable parenting, Venom, emotions, mazes, and Melissa Megan.

Books: Harley Quinn: The Eat. Bang! Kill Tour #3, Man-Eaters: The Cursed #5, Wonder Woman #781, The Thing: The Next Big Thing #1, Once and Future #21, Strange Academy #13, Aquaman: The Becoming #3, Venom #1, Robin & Batman #1, Radiant Black Vol. 1, The Amazing Spider-Man #75-78, Batman: The Imposter #2, Newburn #1-2, Mazebook #1-3, Friday Vol. 1, Snow Angels Season 1-Season 2 #1-5, Ballad for Sophie, The Nice House on the Lake #1-2, Unnatural Omnibus

Films and TV Series: Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

The Comic Book Podcast is brought to you by Talking Comics (www.talkingcomicbooks.com) The podcast is hosted by Steve Seigh, Bob Reyer, Joey Braccino, Aaron Amos, and John Burkle, who weekly dissect everything comics-related, from breaking news to new releases. Our Twitter handle is @TalkingComics