Comic Book Reviews (Week February 10, 2021): Love is a Battlefield Issue 1, Happy Hour Issue 4 & More!

Welcome to my comic book reviews for this week (February 10, 2021). I will be covering DC: Love is a Battlefield Issue 1, Mighty Morphin Issue 4, King in Black: Black Panther Issue 1, and more!

DC Comics gave readers an enjoyable Valentine’s Day-centric anthology with DC: Love is a Battlefield. The 10 mini-tales featured various characters. Some of the stories I liked while some I couldn’t make myself to read. Don’t get me wrong. That wasn’t a jab at certain creative teams. It just came down to personal preference and the characters I’m a fan of. 

The first story’s titled “Perfect Matches” by writer Christos Gage and artist Xermanico. The premise involved Batwoman (disguised as Matches Malone) and Catwoman infiltrating Maxie Zeus’ wedding party. The reasoning made sense. With a group of supervillains attending the same party, might as well put trackers on them, right? It’s an okay story that also touched on how Bruce and Selina are connected and don’t require a traditional marriage to continue being a couple.

Now, “The Beginning” by writer Tim Seeley and artist Rebekah Isaacs was definitely the best story in this anthology. Featuring Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, the mini-story gave us an amazing recap of how these two iconic characters met, became friends, helped heal each other, and fell in love. DC Comics needs to hire Seeley to write a Harley and Ivy comic book ASAP! 

“Able” by writer Pornsak Pichetshote and artist Chris Mooneyham was an emotional little moment. Set during WWII, it was about how queer individuals have always put their lives on the line to protect their countries, and yet society still didn’t accept them.

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

Does it have obvious queer characters? Yes.

King in Black: Black Panther Issue 1

I had high hopes from King in Black: Black Panther issue 1, and I’m happy to report that writer Geoffrey Thorne didn’t disappoint. While, for some reason, the writers handling the X-Men books are adamant about distancing Storm from T’Challa, their connection continues to be a thing in other comic books. It’s very weird.

King in Black: Black Panther issue 1 showed T’Challa trying to get his priorities straight after witnessing Knull taking control of Storm. The current tie-in explored T’Challa as a King, a hero, a brother, a son of Wakanda, and basically Storm’s soulmate.

I enjoyed how the main narrative shared a story from when T’Challa was a kid. It was about how even a single claw (powered by a focused mind) is enough to ensure victory. Seeing Shuri and Okoye play their roles in T’Challa’s grand plan was exciting. They all trust each other greatly.

The art by German Peralta packed a punch during the action sequences as well as the more slowed down emotional moments. 

And yes, the current issue made me dislike Marauders issue 13 even more. KiB: Black Panther issue 1 showed T’Challa remember Storm as he worked hard to guarantee the survival of Earth. Marauders 13, on the other hand, had the literal mutant Goddess betray the man who loves her because we’re supposed to believe she’s running out of time (when we all know, due to how X of Swords worked out, Storm could have waited a few more hours). 

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Knock Em Dead Issue 3

From writer Eliot Rahal, Knock Em Dead issue 3 ended up taking a very surprising turn. I knew the narrative was going to explore more of the paranormal stuff Pryor’s gotten himself into, but I wasn’t expecting things to occur in such a manner. Pryor’s decision to be possessed by another friendlier spirit was very odd. I get that he and his sister were desperate for money. However, I think things could have been handled better.  

Recommendation: Up to you.

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Mighty Morphin Issue 4

Writer Ryan Parrott knows how to deliver engaging Power Ranger stories. The latest issue saw the battle turn against our heroes. Seeing the Rangers having to run away from Lord Zedd was refreshing. It’s rare for villains to get the upper hand during their confrontations with the Rangers.

We also got two reveals. Candice showed her real self to the Rangers and we got to know about the new Green Ranger’s identity. I don’t want to spoil it, but in my opinion, the young man handling the responsibilities of being the current Green Ranger made sense.

Let’s see how our heroes figure out how to stop Zedd from taking over Earth this time around. And they better hurry, because from what I could tell, there’s a bigger war brewing.  

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Happy Hour Issue 4

I was provided with a free digital copy of Happy Hour issue 4 for review. The opinions I have shared are my own.

Writer Peter Milligan’s Happy Hour issue 4 allowed Kim and Jerry to get intimate with each other. However, there’s a catch. Being together made them happy and we all know the two don’t want to feel happy all the time. While I’m okay with Jerry and Kim being a couple, I didn’t like Kim being shown naked while there was no nudity from Jerry. I’m not a fan of nudity in media.  But if a piece of content is going to show naked bodies, it better not discriminate by only having women show skin.

With Jerry and Kim finally reaching the location Hamm told them about, I laughed at the realization the two had when they saw how things operated in the new area. The grass always looks greener on the other side. Let’s see if Kim and Jerry are able to disrupt the status quo in a place where no one is allowed to be happy.

Recommendation: Pick it up.

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Space Bastards Issue 2

I was provided a free digital copy of Space Bastards issue 2 for review. The opinions I have shared are my own. 

I liked how Space Bastards issue 2 decided to give us a little history lesson after introducing a gore and action-filled world in the debut issue. The current issue followed Roy Sharpton’s journey to becoming the Postmaster General and CEO of The Intergalactic Postal Service. I was surprised to learn about the circumstances Roy was sold the Intergalactic Postal Service. With a lot of debt to pay off, I liked how Roy came up with the idea to make postal delivery into a dangerous game. It’s all about making money for Roy, regardless of how many people die in the process. The issue also shared how Manny began such a job. Of course, criminals would make the best employees for Roy’s business.

But it’s time for Roy to think of something else because Power Industries is ready to introduce a teleportation system for delivering packages. I’m interested in finding out how Roy’s going to counter such a move to ensure the survival of his business.       

If you’re into an action-packed space adventure with a lot of death and no guilt, complete with characters that say and do offensive stuff, Eric Peterson and Joe Aubrey’s Space Bastards is for you. With artist Darick Robertson delivering comedy and blood through attention-grabbing visuals.  

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

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You can read our review of Commanders in Crisis issue 5 here.

Which comic books did you pick up this week? Did you enjoy DC: Love is a Battlefield?

Let us know. 

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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