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CBR reviews this week’s biggest comics, including Batman ’89, Avengers: Tech-On, The Defenders, Batman: The Adventures Continue and Hardware.
Each week, CBR has your guide to navigating Wednesday’s new and recent comic releases, specials, collected editions and reissues, and we’re committed to helping you choose those that are worth your hard-earned cash. It’s a little slice of CBR we like to call Major Issues.
If you feel so inclined, you can buy our recommendations directly on comiXology with the links provided. We’ll even supply links to the books we’re not so hot on, just in case you don’t want to take our word for it. Don’t forget to let us know what you think of the books this week in the comments! And as always, SPOILERS AHEAD!
BATMAN ’89 #1 (DC)
COMIXOLOGY
Batman has come a long way in the three decades since his first modern feature film, but Batman ’89 #1 serves as a welcome return to Michael Keaton’s Dark Knight and director Tim Burton’s Gotham City. Screenwriter Sam Hamm teams up with Joe Quinones, Leonardo Ito and Clayton Cowles for the first comic book follow-up to 1989’s Batman and Batman Returns, which sets a Billy Dee Williams-inspired Harvey Dent up against the Dark Knight.
Much more than a simple exercise in nostalgia, this outstanding debut stands as a celebration of all things Batman, drawing on unfulfilled cinematic plans and obscure Batman: The Animated Series references in equal measure. Everyone on the creative team is operating at the top of their game, especially Quinones who slips a truly impressive number of delightful easter eggs into his well-drawn pages.
AVENGERS: TECH-ON AVENGERS #1 (MARVEL)
COMIXOLOGY
While Marvel just finished a miniseries that saw the Avengers don giant mech suits to fight evil, Avengers: Tech-On Avengers #1 ostensibly flows from the same overall premise. However, Jim Zub, Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz and Travis Lanham’s debut issue has a flashy style that makes it stand out all on its own. As part of an S.H.Figurearts-producing collaboration with Bandai Spirits, this issue sees Earth’s Mightiest Heroes forced to find a new way to save the world after their powers are neutralized in a surprise attack.
Even though this is based on an action figure line, this is far more than a standard tie-in. Zub’s script delivers classic Marvel superhero action with a few smart twists that bend the plot into some intriguing shapes. Meanwhile, Chamba’s art has a frenetic energy that captures the turbo speed excess of Capcom’s ‘90s Marvel fighting games in the best way.
THE DEFENDERS #1 (MARVEL)
COMIXOLOGY
In their classic form, the Defenders have historically been a team for the outcasts of the Marvel Universe with a roster that’s usually as strange as their adventures. With The Defenders #1, Al Ewing, Javier Rodriguez, Alvaro Lopez and Joe Carmagna recapture the odd spirit of the title with an introductory story that draws on the far reaches of Marvel history as Doctor Strange assembles a new team of strange heroes.
This debut issue plays to its strengths incredibly well. Ewing’s penchant for reworking obscure bits of Marvel lore into fresh new plots is put to perfect use here, with a story that draws smartly on the Defenders’ past. Rodriguez and Lopez turn those bizarre ideas into brilliant, mind-blowing artwork with a psychedelic tinge that makes this essential reading for any Marvel fan.
BATMAN: THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE – SEASON II #3 (DC)
COMIXOLOGY
Similar to Batman ’89, Batman: The Adventures Continue – Season II is a continuation of Batman: The Animated Series that returns to the fan-favorite DC Animated Universe. In this issue, Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Rick Burchett, Monica Kubina and Josh Reed team Batgirl and Huntress up for a Birds of Prey-esque tale.
The Adventures Continue has consistently found inventive ways to twist familiar characters into the DCAU, and this issue turns one forgettable cartoon villain Jazzman into a memorably horrifying villain with a few tweaks. With sharp writing and pitch-perfect art that captures the feel of the show, this issue — and the series as a whole — plays out like a slightly more adult version of the beloved cartoon.
HARDWARE: SEASON ONE #1 (DC)
COMIXOLOGY
As DC’s Milestone Returns relaunch continues to revitalize some of the most underrated heroes of the ‘90s, Hardware: Season One #1 sees its titular armored hero take flight again. Framed for a crime he didn’t commit, this issue sees inventor Curtis Metcalf go on the run with nothing but his smarts, a high-tech suit of armor and a small arsenal by his side.
Within that narrative framework, Brandon Thomas, Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz, Chris Sotomayor and Rob Leigh construct a story that handles systemic racism and high-octane action with equal aplomb. Veteran collaborators Cowan and Sienkiewicz still make a dynamic artistic duo, with Sotomayor’s colors giving their distinctive work a modern sheen that cements this as one of the best-looking books on the stands.
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