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CBD Thoughts 8/13/25
Aug. 17th, 2025 12:21 pmJust the highlights of the week for me! Mostly DC, some indie stuff.
DC:
Aquaman 8: Another banger issue. Felt a little fast, but the framing of a poem helps the pace of the ending work. Timms' art continues to really elevate these chaotic, disparate panels and make it flow in a way a lesser artist would struggle under. Its a very direct, very fast story that doesn't really leave a whole lot of room for me to discuss--a bit heavy on character cameos, but I assume that's to prep for the arc after this one, as Arthur presumably rebuilds? Relocates? Atlantis. Solid superhero stuff.
Green Lantern Corps 7: I enjoyed this issue. Aya and Jadestone not being affected the emotional wave because they're robots is one of my favorite obscure robot tropes EVER, so it's appealing to me specifically, but it also works with the cosmology of the Emotional Spectrum, too. They're quick to get things moving once they have a direction, which prevents the story from being bogged down by the newly-lethargic characters. I do think this part suffers a bit from the large cast, as they have to go out of their way to collect the affected characters to get them all on board together, but it also reinforces how much this removal of emotions has affected the universe--even the strongest.
While I knew of the weird mom-in-the-ring thing John has going on, it feels like this specific series (or the GL main book) didn't establish it very well, which makes the suddenly independent, talking ring feel like a very out of left field element. Also, she helped gather up the rest of the crew, but evidently left John himself behind? He's not on Aya's ship. Why? I'm sure he'll be back later, but... how?
With the GL having multiple books, it does sort of assume that you're reading both this and the main GL book, where the part 1 of this issue was, but that might throw off some people. I'm always skeptical of books that require more than 1 book to follow the story, as its, on one hand, a blatant marketing thing, which is why its usually streamlined in trade... but GL has a massive cast, and trying to pack it all into 1 book would also be a task that would affect the quality of story. Let's leave it as I'm glad this story is limited to GL stuff and not like a giant crossover event. I am enjoying the story, seeing as I am one of those people who was reading both.
Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman 3: I know a lot of people don't like this character or this series. And I totally understand why. There's a lot of things I don't like about it either. But, and this might be blasphemous, I kind of like Trinity? Maybe because this comic actually shows her to be vulnerable, and I generally kind of like bratty characters, but I think if they transitioned her less from being Tom King's pet OC to actually being a WW character, she'd actually be a good addition.
One of the biggest 'problems' with Wonder Woman as a character is that, to a lot of modern readers, her lore feels exceptionally impenetrable, and she and her younger counterparts (which are usually the throughlines for newer audiences to connect to these characters, their growing pains existing alongside the things the audience needs to learn with them) usually aren't given a whole lot of reason to interact with her. They're usually relegated to team books, which is fun, but doesn't connect them to the hero they're supposedly tied to. Like, Robin works WITH Batman directly, and even the Superboys/Supergirl lived with or adjacent to Superman at some point in their lives. Maybe I'm missing something, as I'm not a WW aficionado, but it never seemed that her 'sidekicks' really worked alongside her in any significant capacity, which meant they never really felt tied to her. That's part of the reason by Absolute Wonder Woman has been killing it--it boiled the character down to her bare essentials and doesn't try to over-complicate too early, as well as making sure everything is tied together in a clear, if mythological, way. That may change as the series continues and they try to add more WW OG elements, but I'm hoping that when they do get time to start fleshing out side characters, they actually make them feel like they belong alongside her. But this is supposed to be about the Trinity issue, so...
Steve Trevor was kinda cringe but I kinda like him that way, too. It gives him some distinct character, but it also keeps his core trait of just being a nice dude. Being a nice dude can sometimes make a male love interest come off as bland--as Steve has often been accused of--but honestly, who actually dislikes nice dudes? He sees a girl crying and tries to comfort her, not by telling her platitudes, but by meeting her on her level and maybe leaning a little too hard into the being a goof. But that just makes him feel human.
I never love King's dialogue, so it still suffers from that, but honestly...? I liked this issue more than I thought I would. If someone told me they hated it, I would understand, but despite its flaws, there really is the spark of something here. And while the series is titled 'Daughter of Wonder Woman', I also like the fact they are, in fact, factoring in Steve as being important to their daughter, too. It makes the relationship that spawned her feel meaningful, and that in turn makes her interaction with her father feel meaningful, too.
Other:
So I ended up picking up issue 1 of the new Bloodshot series. I'm not usually into vampire stories, but this one is actually shaping up to be fun. Very irreverent, but not overdone to the point of annoyance. I've already committed to trying out some of the new, upcoming Valiant stuff anyway, so I might as well tack this one on as well. I'm looking for something to replace a lot of my Marvel stuff anyway. Is it time for me to actually become a Valiant fan?
Transformers 23: Is it weak to say that I teared up a little? We're nearing the climax of this arc (and of Johnson's time on the series, period! No!!!) so all I can really think about is how its gonna end. Any direct confrontation between Optimus and Megatron is going to be hype. Aagh! Can't wait!
DC:
Aquaman 8: Another banger issue. Felt a little fast, but the framing of a poem helps the pace of the ending work. Timms' art continues to really elevate these chaotic, disparate panels and make it flow in a way a lesser artist would struggle under. Its a very direct, very fast story that doesn't really leave a whole lot of room for me to discuss--a bit heavy on character cameos, but I assume that's to prep for the arc after this one, as Arthur presumably rebuilds? Relocates? Atlantis. Solid superhero stuff.
Green Lantern Corps 7: I enjoyed this issue. Aya and Jadestone not being affected the emotional wave because they're robots is one of my favorite obscure robot tropes EVER, so it's appealing to me specifically, but it also works with the cosmology of the Emotional Spectrum, too. They're quick to get things moving once they have a direction, which prevents the story from being bogged down by the newly-lethargic characters. I do think this part suffers a bit from the large cast, as they have to go out of their way to collect the affected characters to get them all on board together, but it also reinforces how much this removal of emotions has affected the universe--even the strongest.
While I knew of the weird mom-in-the-ring thing John has going on, it feels like this specific series (or the GL main book) didn't establish it very well, which makes the suddenly independent, talking ring feel like a very out of left field element. Also, she helped gather up the rest of the crew, but evidently left John himself behind? He's not on Aya's ship. Why? I'm sure he'll be back later, but... how?
With the GL having multiple books, it does sort of assume that you're reading both this and the main GL book, where the part 1 of this issue was, but that might throw off some people. I'm always skeptical of books that require more than 1 book to follow the story, as its, on one hand, a blatant marketing thing, which is why its usually streamlined in trade... but GL has a massive cast, and trying to pack it all into 1 book would also be a task that would affect the quality of story. Let's leave it as I'm glad this story is limited to GL stuff and not like a giant crossover event. I am enjoying the story, seeing as I am one of those people who was reading both.
Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman 3: I know a lot of people don't like this character or this series. And I totally understand why. There's a lot of things I don't like about it either. But, and this might be blasphemous, I kind of like Trinity? Maybe because this comic actually shows her to be vulnerable, and I generally kind of like bratty characters, but I think if they transitioned her less from being Tom King's pet OC to actually being a WW character, she'd actually be a good addition.
One of the biggest 'problems' with Wonder Woman as a character is that, to a lot of modern readers, her lore feels exceptionally impenetrable, and she and her younger counterparts (which are usually the throughlines for newer audiences to connect to these characters, their growing pains existing alongside the things the audience needs to learn with them) usually aren't given a whole lot of reason to interact with her. They're usually relegated to team books, which is fun, but doesn't connect them to the hero they're supposedly tied to. Like, Robin works WITH Batman directly, and even the Superboys/Supergirl lived with or adjacent to Superman at some point in their lives. Maybe I'm missing something, as I'm not a WW aficionado, but it never seemed that her 'sidekicks' really worked alongside her in any significant capacity, which meant they never really felt tied to her. That's part of the reason by Absolute Wonder Woman has been killing it--it boiled the character down to her bare essentials and doesn't try to over-complicate too early, as well as making sure everything is tied together in a clear, if mythological, way. That may change as the series continues and they try to add more WW OG elements, but I'm hoping that when they do get time to start fleshing out side characters, they actually make them feel like they belong alongside her. But this is supposed to be about the Trinity issue, so...
Steve Trevor was kinda cringe but I kinda like him that way, too. It gives him some distinct character, but it also keeps his core trait of just being a nice dude. Being a nice dude can sometimes make a male love interest come off as bland--as Steve has often been accused of--but honestly, who actually dislikes nice dudes? He sees a girl crying and tries to comfort her, not by telling her platitudes, but by meeting her on her level and maybe leaning a little too hard into the being a goof. But that just makes him feel human.
I never love King's dialogue, so it still suffers from that, but honestly...? I liked this issue more than I thought I would. If someone told me they hated it, I would understand, but despite its flaws, there really is the spark of something here. And while the series is titled 'Daughter of Wonder Woman', I also like the fact they are, in fact, factoring in Steve as being important to their daughter, too. It makes the relationship that spawned her feel meaningful, and that in turn makes her interaction with her father feel meaningful, too.
Other:
So I ended up picking up issue 1 of the new Bloodshot series. I'm not usually into vampire stories, but this one is actually shaping up to be fun. Very irreverent, but not overdone to the point of annoyance. I've already committed to trying out some of the new, upcoming Valiant stuff anyway, so I might as well tack this one on as well. I'm looking for something to replace a lot of my Marvel stuff anyway. Is it time for me to actually become a Valiant fan?
Transformers 23: Is it weak to say that I teared up a little? We're nearing the climax of this arc (and of Johnson's time on the series, period! No!!!) so all I can really think about is how its gonna end. Any direct confrontation between Optimus and Megatron is going to be hype. Aagh! Can't wait!
7/30/25 CBD Thoughts
Jul. 31st, 2025 01:35 amCovering stuff from last week AND this week. A double feature! And I have NOT forgotten my promise to talk about the Mega Man Timelines, but now that the X issue is out I will have Thoughts for both. Regardless...
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Thoughts on DC Comics This Week
Jun. 26th, 2025 03:24 pmI got sick and then got busy, so I've been slacking off these past couple weeks. I won't waste time catching up on everything I missed, so here's my thoughts for THIS week's comics. The first issue of Mega Man Timelines dropped this week (finally!), but I'm going to give that its own post. Otherwise, I really only have stuff to say about DC this week.
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Weekly Comic Thoughts
May. 19th, 2025 10:49 amReally late, but I've just been busy.
Aquaman 5: I think its very interesting how this arc has been pulling characters from existing stories. From the folklore of Jenny Greenteeth to the appearance of Captain Nemo and the Nautilus of 10k Leagues Under the Sea, it makes me wonder if those are part of the wider point of the arc or just easy-to-add characters for this soft relaunch of Aquaman for the average person to get into? I mean, Arthur is, himself, already a pastiche of King Author of Camelot but make it underwater.
Green Lantern Corp 4: Dunno if this is a retcon or what, as I am fairly new to GL stuff, but Keli just turned 12? Dang. Also, the parallel of Simon taking two kids to a shady 'underground' for her birthday vs Guy taking a meek trainee to the same underground... lmao. But yeah, they are definitely retconning Keli's origin, or at least the origin of her glove. Not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, I have no attachment to her specifically as a character, as I'm largely unfamiliar with her, but she definitely felt a little... overtuned? Like, the child super genius who builds stuff WAY better than any hyper-advanced alien society kind of cheapens the special-ness of the Lantern Rings, and I understand wanting her to 'fit in' more with the other Lanterns. On the other, since the Lanterns have a unifying power origin, its somewhat harder to make them feel unique in terms of ability, and so by doing so they run the risk of removing what made her unique. It's a tough position to be in.
Fire & Ice: Hell Freezes Over 2: I do like having Superman's mom been involved and savvy. What I don't like is how Tora and Bea are fighting. It feels rather juvenile and petty, for lack of a better word. This story can't decide if it wants to be a goofy slice of life thing or a superhero story that's tied into the larger, current happenings (what with Grodd's sister being a character and him looking for her). I'm normally down for bodyswap stuff, and the whole cast getting involved is a fun idea, but most of these characters are not well known enough for the flipping around to land. Though I am sort of enjoying Zachary Zatana. I think the other characters bounce off him well. If only they bounced off each other half as well...
Supergirl 1: Ended up trying the first issue of this series. It was okay. The art has the vibe of a more low-key story, which I don't mind but the story is trying to emphasize Kara's more heroic traits. It feels very Saturday morning cartoon, particularly with the hokey page where she saves that redhead girl from falling debris. The "I got you" panel is clearly supposed to be a shoujo-type "look at how hot/impressive she is" thing, but it feels... flat. Despite these gripes with the opening, the impostor taking over not just her Supergirl life, but her Linda Danvers life is a good enough mystery to make me consider picking up the second one. The second half of the issue is definitely the superior one.
However, I feel like Fake!Supergirl is somehow the redhead girl Kara saved earlier. Or, at minimum, related somehow, given that redhead was going on about how Supergirl was better than Superman.
Don't Run With Scissors 1: Trippy. Seems to have some sort of supernatural angle, but the issue was so short that it felt more like a teaser for the series rather than the first issue. You know how people will pull out select panels when reviewing something in video format to illustrate the story? It felt like that, a selection of story elements instead of the whole thing. Its unpolished in terms of both story and art but it does have character. Honestly, it sort of gives JTHM vibes if the story was trying to take itself seriously instead. There's literally nothing to say about the characters, though, beyond the sheriff kind of being a dick.
Absolute Batman 8: The parts with Freeze are good. And I understand what they're going for with the conversation with Bruce's friends being in shadow, but the disconnect between the visuals and the genuinely heartfelt words that Bruce needed to hear make it not land as intended, I think. The strongest parts are the bit where they're talking about how Malone felt guilty for being the 'reason' Bruce's dad died, as the last kid through the door, but you could actually SEE Malone. Of course, it coalesces into the end of the conversation, where Waylon (?) strikes a match and illuminates Bruce and his feelings along with the literal surroundings, like, I GET it. But I just think it could have been portrayed better. The light of his friends' words illuminating a snowy night juxtaposed with Bruce using fire against Freeze is obvious but it WORKS. It's not bad, I just wanted more to work with on the lead up, I suppose.
I do like the fact Waylon is the one who verbally gets through to him, and is the one he calls to rely on at the end... and then ends up getting kidnapped and taken to Ark M. Always a good cliffhanger. Despite my entire paragraph of gripes, I did enjoy this issue. Absolute Batman is not my favorite of the Absolute books, but it is solid and I am engaged.
A fairly low-key week.
Aquaman 5: I think its very interesting how this arc has been pulling characters from existing stories. From the folklore of Jenny Greenteeth to the appearance of Captain Nemo and the Nautilus of 10k Leagues Under the Sea, it makes me wonder if those are part of the wider point of the arc or just easy-to-add characters for this soft relaunch of Aquaman for the average person to get into? I mean, Arthur is, himself, already a pastiche of King Author of Camelot but make it underwater.
Green Lantern Corp 4: Dunno if this is a retcon or what, as I am fairly new to GL stuff, but Keli just turned 12? Dang. Also, the parallel of Simon taking two kids to a shady 'underground' for her birthday vs Guy taking a meek trainee to the same underground... lmao. But yeah, they are definitely retconning Keli's origin, or at least the origin of her glove. Not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, I have no attachment to her specifically as a character, as I'm largely unfamiliar with her, but she definitely felt a little... overtuned? Like, the child super genius who builds stuff WAY better than any hyper-advanced alien society kind of cheapens the special-ness of the Lantern Rings, and I understand wanting her to 'fit in' more with the other Lanterns. On the other, since the Lanterns have a unifying power origin, its somewhat harder to make them feel unique in terms of ability, and so by doing so they run the risk of removing what made her unique. It's a tough position to be in.
Fire & Ice: Hell Freezes Over 2: I do like having Superman's mom been involved and savvy. What I don't like is how Tora and Bea are fighting. It feels rather juvenile and petty, for lack of a better word. This story can't decide if it wants to be a goofy slice of life thing or a superhero story that's tied into the larger, current happenings (what with Grodd's sister being a character and him looking for her). I'm normally down for bodyswap stuff, and the whole cast getting involved is a fun idea, but most of these characters are not well known enough for the flipping around to land. Though I am sort of enjoying Zachary Zatana. I think the other characters bounce off him well. If only they bounced off each other half as well...
Supergirl 1: Ended up trying the first issue of this series. It was okay. The art has the vibe of a more low-key story, which I don't mind but the story is trying to emphasize Kara's more heroic traits. It feels very Saturday morning cartoon, particularly with the hokey page where she saves that redhead girl from falling debris. The "I got you" panel is clearly supposed to be a shoujo-type "look at how hot/impressive she is" thing, but it feels... flat. Despite these gripes with the opening, the impostor taking over not just her Supergirl life, but her Linda Danvers life is a good enough mystery to make me consider picking up the second one. The second half of the issue is definitely the superior one.
However, I feel like Fake!Supergirl is somehow the redhead girl Kara saved earlier. Or, at minimum, related somehow, given that redhead was going on about how Supergirl was better than Superman.
Don't Run With Scissors 1: Trippy. Seems to have some sort of supernatural angle, but the issue was so short that it felt more like a teaser for the series rather than the first issue. You know how people will pull out select panels when reviewing something in video format to illustrate the story? It felt like that, a selection of story elements instead of the whole thing. Its unpolished in terms of both story and art but it does have character. Honestly, it sort of gives JTHM vibes if the story was trying to take itself seriously instead. There's literally nothing to say about the characters, though, beyond the sheriff kind of being a dick.
Absolute Batman 8: The parts with Freeze are good. And I understand what they're going for with the conversation with Bruce's friends being in shadow, but the disconnect between the visuals and the genuinely heartfelt words that Bruce needed to hear make it not land as intended, I think. The strongest parts are the bit where they're talking about how Malone felt guilty for being the 'reason' Bruce's dad died, as the last kid through the door, but you could actually SEE Malone. Of course, it coalesces into the end of the conversation, where Waylon (?) strikes a match and illuminates Bruce and his feelings along with the literal surroundings, like, I GET it. But I just think it could have been portrayed better. The light of his friends' words illuminating a snowy night juxtaposed with Bruce using fire against Freeze is obvious but it WORKS. It's not bad, I just wanted more to work with on the lead up, I suppose.
I do like the fact Waylon is the one who verbally gets through to him, and is the one he calls to rely on at the end... and then ends up getting kidnapped and taken to Ark M. Always a good cliffhanger. Despite my entire paragraph of gripes, I did enjoy this issue. Absolute Batman is not my favorite of the Absolute books, but it is solid and I am engaged.
A fairly low-key week.
Weekly Comic Thoughts
May. 10th, 2025 05:15 pmI don't think I'll talk about every title I pick up in a given week, now or going forward, so much as this will be a highlight reel of things that caught my eye.
Amazing Spider-Man 3: I do think Itsy-bitsy is an underutilized villain in ASM, and I like her updated design, but I will never not roll my eyes at the need for every female character to at least attempt to kiss Peter. Particularly given that she's his daughter, sorta. Yech. Still, this relaunch has thus far engineered an interesting enough mystery, and I'm interested in seeing where this character goes.
Sonic the Hedgehog 78: Some good character stuff, if very domestic feeling. This, somehow, despite the fact an entire floating town is about to sink. I do enjoy Kit's animosity to Tails. Not only is a good parallel to Surge's animosity for Sonic, but its way more interesting than characters being universally beloved. Though, while not stated, I think its fairly obvious that Kit set the whole thing up to set up Surge as the 'hero'. Can't wait to see that particular Chekov's gun fired in the future.
And I am VERY excited to see how Whisper and Mimic's 'final' fight goes... with Silver, who has a history of having extreme reactions to threats and a willingness to murder if he feels it necessary as Whisper's ally... very excited!
Absolute Superman 7: I was lukewarm on the first arc of the Absolute Superman series. Of the Absolute books, it was definitely the weakest to me. But Braniac's story in this latest issue was genuinely compelling, and if the series is moving this this direction, I can see myself keeping up with it.
Absolute Green Lantern 2: Apparently people are not vibing with the horror overtones of the Absolute Green Lantern book, and I don't get it. This book is great so far. The religious horror aspects appeal to me on a personal level, but also make sense for a mysterious alien being that we cannot understand. Though I wonder how Stewart is planning to 'remove' Abin Sur with a seemingly normal ring, and how this all ties into Hal getting the Black Hand and Jo getting the GL powers. The Green Lantern powers are, at one point, described as a 'flame' despite there explicitely being mentions of light being a spectrum, so I'm very curious about how all this works in this new universe.
Amazing Spider-Man 3: I do think Itsy-bitsy is an underutilized villain in ASM, and I like her updated design, but I will never not roll my eyes at the need for every female character to at least attempt to kiss Peter. Particularly given that she's his daughter, sorta. Yech. Still, this relaunch has thus far engineered an interesting enough mystery, and I'm interested in seeing where this character goes.
Sonic the Hedgehog 78: Some good character stuff, if very domestic feeling. This, somehow, despite the fact an entire floating town is about to sink. I do enjoy Kit's animosity to Tails. Not only is a good parallel to Surge's animosity for Sonic, but its way more interesting than characters being universally beloved. Though, while not stated, I think its fairly obvious that Kit set the whole thing up to set up Surge as the 'hero'. Can't wait to see that particular Chekov's gun fired in the future.
And I am VERY excited to see how Whisper and Mimic's 'final' fight goes... with Silver, who has a history of having extreme reactions to threats and a willingness to murder if he feels it necessary as Whisper's ally... very excited!
Absolute Superman 7: I was lukewarm on the first arc of the Absolute Superman series. Of the Absolute books, it was definitely the weakest to me. But Braniac's story in this latest issue was genuinely compelling, and if the series is moving this this direction, I can see myself keeping up with it.
Absolute Green Lantern 2: Apparently people are not vibing with the horror overtones of the Absolute Green Lantern book, and I don't get it. This book is great so far. The religious horror aspects appeal to me on a personal level, but also make sense for a mysterious alien being that we cannot understand. Though I wonder how Stewart is planning to 'remove' Abin Sur with a seemingly normal ring, and how this all ties into Hal getting the Black Hand and Jo getting the GL powers. The Green Lantern powers are, at one point, described as a 'flame' despite there explicitely being mentions of light being a spectrum, so I'm very curious about how all this works in this new universe.
Mega Man FCBD & Timelines Thoughts
May. 3rd, 2025 01:14 pmFinally, the new Mega Man Timelines Free Comic Book Day preview is out! I've been waiting for this. My poor LCS has had to listen to me ask about it over and over again, since I almost always work on Saturdays and therefore typically miss these, at least AT release, and I absolutely did not want to miss it.
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