Comic Book Conversations

2017 was a really good year for comic book movies, wasn't it? The LEGO Batman Movie, Logan, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Kingsman: The Golden Circle were all entertaining and for totally different reasons, too. We all have our favorites - Logan's my pick - but there are two comic book movies from 2017 that also deserve some major praise: Justice League Dark and Teen Titans: The Judas Contract. Director Jay Oliva's Justice League Dark - written by Ernie Altbacker and J.M. DeMatteis - brings actor Matt Ryan back into John Constantine's selfish mind. That alone should sell most of you on checking it out. While Batman (Jason O'Mara) does stand front and center on the cover, the Dark Knight is mostly along for the ride in this one and all of the attention is rightfully placed on Constantine, Zatanna, Deadman, and Etrigran the Demon. Swamp Thing plays a brief but memorable role, too. I...

Director Zack Snyder's Justice League will soon be in theaters - the wait is almost over! There are plenty of fun ways to get even more excited for the live-action comic book movie, like reading literally hundreds of relevant comics, enjoying some of your favorite DC shows, or even just gazing at your DC collectibles. There is one way of celebrating that should not be overlooked: DC animated movies! The DC Universe Original Movies 10th Anniversary Collection went on sale today. From Superman: Doomsday to Batman and Harley Quinn, this set includes 30 animated films on Blu-ray, several special features, and a few other goodies. The impressive release made me reflect on the three decades worth of movies - Batman: Under the Red Hood is still my favorite - and it made me realize that if you're truly going "all in" for Justice League, watching some of these animated films is the perfect way to build your anticipation for Warner Bros. and DC's upcoming bl...

2016: The year I spent way too much time thinking about BvS Movies play a huge role in my life. I remember being afraid as I watched the first ant scene in Honey, I Shrunk The Kids when I was just four years old, and I remember the excitement of watching the Ninja Turtles take on the Foot Clan when I was six. Whether a film turns out to be a personal favorite or a disappointment, it has the potential to stick with you for the rest of your life. After all, you're dedicating around an hour and a half to two hours or so of your time to focus solely on a single story. It has your complete attention and you're investing time in it - not only the time you spend watching the movie, but often the countless hours you'll spend thinking about it afterwards. One of the worst things a movie can be is forgettable. Love or hate it, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is by no means forgettable. Now that we're in 2017, I want to share just how much my thoughts have evolved on one o...

Season 2 of The CW's The Flash is about to begin, and the best way to prepare for all of the new episodes - aside from reading the comics, of course - is by watching the first season all over again. Many of us love the show, but is the collection worth the cost? The short and simple answer: yes! If you want the longer answer, read on! "Now run, Barry. Run!" There's a fair amount of special features, but to me, the highlight is easily the commentary provided for the pilot episode. Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti, and Andrew Kreisberg not only sound like they're having a legitimately good time reflecting on the creation of the first episode and series as a whole, but they also share a lot of very interesting facts; everything from things that were cut to stories from the set are talked about. It's too bad there's only one commentary track from the trio - I would have loved to hear them talk about the finale - but it's a great and informative addition no...

Yup, this review is spoiler-free! TMNT #50 creative team:  Tom Waltz (writer/story), Kevin Eastman (story), Bobby Curnow (story/editor), Mateus Santolouco (art), Cory Smith (flashback art), Ronda Pattison (colors), Shawn Lee (letters) Artwork by Mateus Santolouco and Ronda Pattison Back in 2011, IDW Publishing rebooted the TMNT franchise. Everything about the iconic mutants felt familiar, but there were new faces and plenty of organic and exciting story changes along the way. Who would have thought the Ninja Turtles are now a reincarnated family? It sounds tough to swallow, but they absolutely pulled it off. Year after year, this new direction has been handled brilliantly. No matter how much the narrative changed, one thing stayed the same: Oroku Saki, a.k.a. Shredder, wants to end Hamato Yoshi, a.k.a. Master Splinter, and the Ninja Turtles. Now - four years later - the conflict between the two sides is reaching its conclusion. You know that saying "go big or go home...

The Legacy of Luther Strode #2 was pretty much one ginormous, over-the-top, and awesome fight scene as Luther, Petra, and Delilah continued their search for Cain. Issue #3 can be described the exact same way, but that doesn't matter all that much because the handling of the characters is solid, and the hectic fighting is jaw-dropping. Seriously, comic book fights don't get much better than this, people. Time and time again, I've praised Justin Jordan's ability to write dialogue that simply feels natural. The things these characters are saying feels organic and relatable; it doesn't come off like forced displays of emotion or blatantly stating exposition just so the reader knows what's up. There's several instances in this comic where Petra's blunt reactions were basically a reflection of my own; it's great having someone who's also blown away by just how stunning and ridiculous these battles can get. Someone who's constantly spewing insult...

Old Man Logan #4 Brian Michel Bendis, Andrea Sorrentino, and Marcelo Maiolo's fourth chapter of Old Man Logan  pretty much provides more of the same: It still looks amazing, it's still pretty fun, and it's still a brief glimpse of one part of Battleword before throwing us (quite literally) into another part of Marvel's new planet. Bendis' script has plenty of amusing action scenes and there's a surprisingly lighthearted cameo (which offers a nice balance to the horror vibe), but right now, it feels like this book is following a formula, and that leaves me feeling like the only real surprise is which part of Battleworld will appear on the final page. I'm sure Bendis will make me eat my words at some point, but right now, the book's following a noticeable pattern, and that's a little disappointing. It's definitely an entertaining journey, but the fast-paced nature of this story doesn't give us a lot to chew on. Instead, it's Sorrentino...