“You should have filled up the gas tank before we left!”
Batman: Knightwatch Batman Day Special Edition #1
DC Comics (November, 2021)
“Cloud Of Bats” and “Black Ice”
WRITER: J. Torres
ARTIST: Erich Owen
COLORIST/COVER ART: Carrie Strachan
COVER CO-ARTIST: Marcelo DiChiara
LETTERER: Saida Temofonte
EDITOR: Michael McCalister
Two very short chapters today as we focus on the Striker side of the mission. Last time we got more proof that Op-Center has gotten a lot more competent since last we saw them.
So we have two short chapters, two and three pages respectively, that barely form a complete chapter by Chapter By Chapter count rules. If I were reading these books on my own, and I do try to enjoy my reading experiences for these reviews, it wouldn’t matter. For review purposes however, and with how many chapters this thick paperback has, reviewing two pages seems a waste of time.
I was taking to someone who has read other Tom Clancy novels but not the Op-Center series. He had heard that the stories were quite dry, and that is a concern as well. A lot of it reads like a trivia book that happens to have a story in it because at times it really doesn’t connect to the story beyond “hey, want to know the history about this location, weapon, or tool?” while occasionally telling us information about characters that we don’t need for a story. Your writing guide may have information about a character that you’ll never use but will help inform how you write the character and how he/she would approach a given situation or comment. We the reader don’t need to know every detail if it isn’t going to affect anything. It’s the overdose of worldbuilding that has really weakened my enjoyment of the book, but it’s better than the previous novel.
With that, we have two chapters so let’s get them read.
“My Spider-Sense is telling me there’s danger. With really bad breath.”
Free Comic Book Day 2025: Amazing Spider-Man/Ultimate Universe #1
Marvel Worldwide, Inc (what happened to “Marvel Comics”?) (June, 2025)
LETTERER: Joe Caramagna
The Amazing Spider-Man: “When Death Strikes”
WRITER: Joe Kelly
PENCILER: John Romita, Kr.
INKER: Scott Hanna
COLORIST: Marte Gracia
SPIDER-MAN CREATORS: Stan Lee & Steve Ditko
Ultimate Spider-Man: “Incursion”
WRITERS: Cody Ziglar & Deniz Camp
ARTIST: Jonas Scharf
COLORIST: Bryan Valenza
Some heroes seem more inspired to action by the villain.
Over at the Clutter Reports this week I got to do the last project that needs the big table…at least for now. Nice to have more room to move in the studio.
So I didn’t get to do the Space Adventures review, and I just about got the regular comic reviews done on time. So I’ll have to put that on hold and just get back to it when I’m caught up with the new acquires. Should be a couple of weeks. There’s more Free Comic Book Day, Batman Day, and Superman day offerings to come. Plus the next Chapter By Chapter review of Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Mirror Image, which will be two short chapters. Plus whatever else comes to mind.
Have a great week, everyone!
Recently I did an episode one review for the new Adult Swim series, produced by Williams Street and airing on the Toonami anime and action block, and coming from the creator of Cowboy Bebop. I hadn’t expected Adult Swim to post episode one to YouTube so I can show you, but since they did (who knows for how long) I’m going to take advantage.
The short version is Lazarus takes place three years after the miracle drug Hapna turned out to be a curse…and anyone who took it has only 30 days to live unless they find its creator. Why add that to the situation? Don’t know. I’ve only seen up to episode two on Sling’s Cartoon Network/Adult Swim preview channel. (If you look for it, note that one list as of this writing only has one episode and the other has both of the first two episodes, though the network itself is up to episode five, at least on the Toonami site, with only the first two episodes unlocked unless you have a cable, satellite, or paid streaming account that carries Cartoon Network, or on the Max paid streaming service.
Episode one sets up the situation and introduces our entryway into the world of Lazarus. Axel Gilberto is a master at escaping prison, which is where his ton of life sentences comes from. The titular organization, obviously taking the name of the Biblical figure from the New Testament they hope to emulate by avoiding death, who are searching Dr. Skinner, the creator of Hapna, want him on their team. He’s not convinced to take the job offer, but he’ll learn it wasn’t a request. Episode two will introduce the rest of the team and why they were “recruited”, but for now enjoy the choreography from the stunt coordinator of the John Wick franchise, Chad Stahelski, and of course the series creator, Shinichirō Watanabe–the man behind the legendary Cowboy Bebop and not the legendary failure that is the live-action demake. If you already saw it and don’t need to watch it again, I do have a couple of bonus videos you might still enjoy.
The Clutter Reports (my other site) Atop The Fourth Wall Crisis On Earth Prime Lean Into Artcast Bully Says “Comics Oughta Be Fun” Siskoid’s Blog of Geekery
Cartoon Hero’s Lair SF Debris Four Million Years Later
BW Media Spotlight 