Pick of the Week:
Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 - Time is running out for the turtles and Splinter. They need to find a way back to their universe before the mutagen completely reverses itself. Shredder has had allies since his arrival in Gotham, and now the turtles have finally won over Batman's trust. One thing I really love about this series is it combines the dark and the grittiness of Batman, which hearkens to classic TMNT, but maintains the humor of turtles. Things really hit the fan though, as Casey Jones makes his triumphant return to help the turtles, only to lose the prized possession he had brought across the interdimensional void to prolong the turtles life. Not only did he lose it, but it is in the hands of the Shredder and heading towards the one place in Gotham you would not want something like that to go. The next issue is going to be bonkers in this amazingly well-done crossover.
The Haunted Mansion #1 - When I heard that Marvel was turning one of my favorite rides into a comic book, I was a bit skeptical. When I heard that one of the best horror authors, Joshua Williamson, was penning it, I was intrigued. After reading the debut I am pleased at how Williamson, Jorge Coelho, and Jean-Francois Beaulei managed to capture the magic of the ride and fit it onto the comic book pages. There are some subtle, and not so subtle, references to the ride which is sure to please the Disney fan. The story revolves around Danny, a 15-year old who has to face his fears and enter the mansion. I won't spoil what compels him to overcome his fear and set foot in the building, but with Williamson at the helm, this should be one enjoyable book. It is fun to see a lighter side of the man who brought us the Nailbiter and Ghosted.
Descender #11 - It has been a while since I reviewed an issue of Descender, so a brief refresher is in order. 10 years ago, massive robots dubbed harvesters appeared around the 9 core worlds. After causing mass destruction, the robots vanished and mankind has since banned all robots. Upon the discovery of Tim-21, an android that appears as a human child, Dr. Quon and Captain Telsa must flee and find themselves at the heart of the robot resistance. In this issue, we learn that Psius and his followers, who lead this resistance, worship the harvesters as gods and have big plans for their revenge. We even meet another child unit who appears as a twin to Tim-21. It seems that the secrets that Tim-21 and Quon hold are the only things keeping them alive. Great sci-fi adventure that is extremely well written by Jeff Lemire, drawn beautifully by Dustin Nguyen, and features some of the best lettering I have seen recently by Steve Wands. Good stuff.POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.
