2016 Comic Challenge 294 Zombies! Feast #01

TITLE-Zombies!Feast #01
PUBLISHER-IDW

I have no clue if or when this IDW Zombies! series connects to any of their other Zombies series/mini series.

A prisoner transport bus has a wreck out in  the middle of nowhere. It is up to 3 guards to lead 8 prisoners across a few miles. Mostly cause neither radio or cell phones work in this area.

They stumble upon a farm house,no it's not going there I think.While there,and looking for a phone,they run into a child zombie.

This time Shane Maccarthy does the writing chores and the art is by Chris Bolton. Again no clue who either is.The decent wraparound cover is by Bolton,but there is a variant that has Ted McKeever art. I wish I would have gotten that one.

I do have one later issue in this series. Might read it soon. But honestly unless I found later issues for a buck or less I wouldn't bother with this.

Zombies!Feast #01 gets a borrow.

2016 Comic Challenge 293 Dark Knight III The Master Race #07

TITLE-Dark Knight III The Master Race #07
PUBLISHER-DC Comics

Batman is dead and Superman is rushing him off somewhere. I do love how Miller sees Superman,all powerful but boring and in the end not nearly effective as he should be.

Back in Gotham,Carrie Kelly finds out Bruce is dead. Ends up meeting with the Commissioner on the roof of the Gotham Police HQ. After a lengthily discussion on if what all just happened was worth it,Carrie is says it is the Commissioner seems to think it wasn't,Kelly leaves. To bury the dead,but as a parting line makes sure the police know she will provide them with a new bat signal.

We go back to Superman with the now dead Batman. They enter a cave and Superman tosses Batman  into what I am assuming is a Lazurus Pit. Cause a younger and alive Bruce Wayne comes out of it.

The daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman,this girl's name will not stick in my memory,is recovering with the rest of the surviving Kandorians. Gets told to go get her brother.

She arrives on Paradise Island. Manages to see and talk to her baby brother,before her mother shows up. The daughter thinks cause she has a surprise army of Kandorians waiting on her word she is good to go. But Diana has gathered an massive army of Amazons.

And so ends the main part of the book. Like every other issue we get a shorter back up story. Spotlighting someone that doesn't get much attention in the main story. This time it is Hal Jordan. In the main story we see a man all bundled up crossing a desert. Turns out it is Hal and he is searching for his ring. Gotta love that Miller drew all of this back up.

Dark Knight III The Master Race #07 gets a BUY!

2016 Comic Challenge 292 Zombies! Eclipse of the undead #01

TITLE-Zombies!Eclipse of the Undead #01
PUBLISHER-IDW

Got this comic in a lot of "10lbs of random comics". Had no idea at the time that IDW even had a zombie comic.

Our lead is a medical student.Who is living in one of the stadiums in LA. The stadium is surrounded by zombies,but the military is still there keeping them out.

Then food and water run  out,the military leaves during an eclipse. And someone on the inside is infected.So we get an outbreak of zombies in the stadium.

No clue how long this series ran.The cover is ok I guess. A bit dark but not the worst I have seen.El Torres is the writer and Yair Herrera is the artist. Never heard of either.

If I happen to find the later issues of this series for a buck or less I might grab them. But this is just a slightly above average spin on your typical zombie story.

Zombies!Eclipse of the Undead #01 gets a borrow.

2016 Comic Challenge 291 Black Hood Season 02 #02

TITLE-The Black Hood season 02 #02
PUBLISHER-Dark Circle Comics/Archie

Yeah it is a few weeks late,but fuck it at least Black Hood only comes out a few weeks late instead of months late.

Starting off right where the last issue ended,the Hood manages to dodge the bullet and runs off.

After ending up at a shelter,and shaving and cleaning himself up,he meets with a man that helps out the people of the shelter.

During this the man that confronted the Hood in the park is at a pawn/gun shop. He buys a shotgun,then goes on a killing spree.

Hood sees a news report about this on TV. And realizes it happened at a place he had stopped a crime on his way out to the west coast. Realizing ,after seeing the message the hitman left in blood on the pawn shop counter,he has to accept the responiblily of having and using the Black Hood.

The issue ends with the Hood stealing a car and we assume heading out to find the hitman.

After that instead of a true crime piece we get a reprint of an early 80s Black Hood story from an issue of Blue Ribbon Comics. The preface to this story leads me to believe at least the Dark Circle Black Hood is connected to all the previous Black Hoods published by Archie under whatever imprint they used at the times.

The Black Hood Season 02 #02 gets a buy.

2016 Comic Challenge 290 The Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe

TITLE-The Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe
PUBLISHER-Marvel Comics

Yeah,I know I should have read this one shot years ago. Being a huge fan of both The Punisher and Garth Ennis.But even though I have owned it for close to 10 years I never read it.

Set in a universe were Frank  Castle's family dies in Central Park.Innocents killed in the crossfire between a huge battle,Avengers and X-men vs aliens. Frank snaps when  he gets to the scene. Pulls out his sidearm and kills Cyclops and a bunch of other heroes. He is stopped and sentenced to life in jail.

But a group of rich civilians all of whom either got injured cause of superhero battles or who lost loved ones cause of the same.This part really feels like the genesis of Ennis' later series "The Boys".

Frank agrees,and over the course of this longer than normal comic he manages to kill off every hero and villain in the Marvel Universe.

Finally after killing the last hero,Daredevil,Frank goes to tell the people supplying him  with the ways and means to finish this mission. And lets them know he is done. After being told that he will never be done,Frank kills all of them. Then remembers there is one superhero/villain left. And in the next to last panel Frank Castle eats a bullet and dies.

Fuck this was good. I know it is kind of popular now to rag on Ennis and what the fanboys perceive as his hatred of superheroes. To me it feels more like Ennis deeply loves superheroes and is tired of seeing the same regurgitated crap being published for decades now. So made a simple change,instead of the Mafia killing the Castle family it is super powered beings,and brings us a damn good story. One that thankfully I doubt will ever get a sequel.

The Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe gets a BUY!