Comic Book Reviews (Week Jan 22, 2020): Batman Issue 87, Marauders Issue 6, and More!

Welcome to my comic book review roundup for this week (January 22, 2020). As usual, I’ll be going over all of the titles I’ve read. My current review list includes Batman Issue 87, Marauders Issue 6, Far Sector Issue 3, Black Panther Issue 20, and more. So, let’s begin.

So, what do I think of James Tynion IV’s current Batman arc? Well, I’m not really sure. It is clear that Tynion IV has a destination in mind when it comes to where he wants Bruce to go in the current story. Bruce has decided to change all of Gotham City for the better, but a whole lot of villains have other plans. Also, there’s definitely something Selina isn’t telling Bruce. I hope she does confide in him soon. I don’t want any unnecessary drama between the two.

The action sequences are fun and I liked seeing Batman use new Bat-vehicles. However, the art by Guillem March isn’t the best. The body proportions are off. Seeing Oswald getting tired of everything and taking things into his own hands was enjoyable, though.

Recommendation: Hmmm. At this point in the arc, it’s up to you.

Far Sector Issue 3

This new Green Lantern book continues to be immensely enjoyable. While I do like the power granted by the Green Lantern ring, I have never been much of a fan of the Green Lantern Corps. I don’t think I have ever read a solo Green Lantern comic book until Far Sector from writer N.K. Jemisin. It’s just so good!

The current issue dealt with Jo trying to handle a confrontation between the aliens who wished to remain emotionless and those who wanted to feel emotions. There’s definitely something up with police brutality having a link to Jo’s past. I’m looking forward to learning more about her life. There’s a lot of politics involved in this story. With Jo basically being a police officer on an alien planet, seeing her struggle with situations is understandable.  

The final panel showed her getting angry and frustrated because of the planet’s police firing at unarmed civilians. I’m ready to see how powerful she is.

The art by Jamal Campbell continues to be gorgeous.

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

Black Panther Issue 20

We are slowly but surely inching toward the final battle. I get that there are fans who have grown tired of Coates’ writing style. He seems to be writing a novel instead of a monthly comic book series. Readers expect the plot to progress with each issue. However, Coates is definitely taking his time. That’s why I hope the payoff is good.

His current arc has made me enjoy T’Challa as a character. I liked seeing him talk to his ancestors. Being a King and the Black Panther, he should realize there are things even a leader can’t do alone. He is human after all, and sometimes his pride gets the better of him.

Other than that, I enjoyed Shuri’s conversation with Bast. Shuri handled the situation well, in my opinion. She didn’t refuse or beg for Bast’s help and made it clear that Wakanda’s battle strategy would be effective even without Bast’s aid.

I also enjoyed seeing the current villain praise Storm and her divinity. Ororo is definitely a target because she’s currently Wakanda’s most powerful weapon. It will be interesting to see how the bad guys decide to take down the weather-manipulating Goddess.

Recommendation: The slow pace isn’t for everyone. So, it’s understandable if you wait for the trade version to be released.

Excalibur Issue 6

As someone who hasn’t been enjoying Tini Howard’s Excalibur series, I have to say I liked reading issue 6. The story focused a lot on the relationships between characters. We got to see Betsy save her brother and work through some stuff.

Rogue and Gambit had a heart-to-heart, too. Apparently, Rogue’s nightmare dealt with her feeling pressured to have a baby on Krakoa and realizing that for one to live, the other had to die. I liked Gambit being supportive of his wife and standing with whatever decision she would make down the line.

With the current arc coming to a close, a lot of seeds were planted for future stories. Seeing Apocalypse experimenting on Morgan le Fey, while expected, was still shocking to see in comic book form. He’s clearly pulling the strings here. It will be interesting to see how Betsy reacts to it all.

The art by Marcus To suits the story well.

Recommendation: You should consider reading this issue and then decide if you want to work your way back.

Marauders Issue 6

I get why some Storm fans aren’t happy with how writer Gerry Duggan has been handing her in Marauders, but I can’t be mad at Duggan. At least, not yet.

Even though I’m a Storm fan, I continue to enjoy this series. There’s just something about it that makes me immediately begin waiting for the next issue as soon as I finish reading the final page. Y’all, the cliffhanger ending in Marauders Issue 6 made me go, “Wow! Duggan really went there?”

I can’t wait to see what happens next. Also, the report Yellowjacket shared from inside Pyro’s bloodstream was fun to read. I’m not sure about when Yellowjacket will be detected, but I hope we get more reports before he does.

Now, would I like to see Storm do more in Marauders? Yes. Especially because right now this is the only X-Men title where she is supposed to be one of the main characters. But, then again, I kind of understand where Duggan is coming from. He tweeted about how Storm doesn’t have a lot of room when it comes to making her go through dramatic changes in Marauders because of the work Coates is doing.

Duggan had more freedom to play around with Kate, and that’s what he immediately did when writing Marauders. And I don’t know about you, but I liked how Kate’s being handled. But Ororo is a different story right now. From what I can tell, we will have to wait and see how Coates concludes his story before we can get some major developments for Storm in the X-Men titles.

Apparently, Ororo will be leading a team of young mutants in the upcoming Children of the Atom series.

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Issue 47

At this point, my review for MMPR should just be “PICK IT UP!” because yes, this series (by writer Ryan Parrott) is just that spectacular. Kimberly and the rest of the MMPR found out what Trini, Zack, and Jason had been up to as the Omega Rangers. All of their reactions made sense.

Out in space, Kiya is working on her own plans. There’s a big battle brewing and I’m here for it!

Recommendation: You already know what I think! Ha!

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What did you think of Batman Issue 87? Did you enjoy Marauders Issue 6? 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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