Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

Reviews

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? | Unreliable Narrator

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It would take Crisis on Infinite Earths to stop Superman. Wolfman and Perez’s cosmic classic was meant to be the first story in a new era for DC’s heroes. Which meant the end of Superman and Action Comics, and the creation of one last story.

Alan Moore’s Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? marks the “end” not for the hero, but more for Superman’s two on-going series and what they represented. It’s a bold book that provides a kind of final statement on the hero’s whole ethos, and it’s still a magnificent example of how to say goodbye to not just heroes, but particular definitions of heroism.

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? is, unabashedly, an attempt to recreate that prior miracle. Like its predecessor, it comes before an important reboot (in this case, the major developments and cosmic expansion between Final Crisis, Blackest Night, and New Krypton), the death of an iconic hero (Batman: RIP.), and ushers in the ending of two of DC’s longest-running titles (Batman & Detective Comics). [Read more…] about Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? | Unreliable Narrator

Marvel Cosmic Universe by Donny Cates Omnibus | Nothing the Matter with the Stars

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Donny Cates is inarguably one of the hottest writers of this generation. His style is a sort of love letter to new and beautifully strange beginnings:

  • 60s Marvel, the company’s first rebirth full of hope and wonder
  • 90s Marvel, where Cates’ love for the medium seems to begin (or at least cement)
  • And Cates’ own, personal story, with all of its second chances

These elements return again and again in Cates’ work. They’re also why he’s such a natural fit for Marvel’s cosmic lines; his voice is so big, he really benefits from that scale. It seems only right he have a tome to match: Marvel Cosmic Universe by Donny Cates. [Read more…] about Marvel Cosmic Universe by Donny Cates Omnibus | Nothing the Matter with the Stars

Daredevil Season 2 – A Complicated Disaster

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The war within Matt Murdock rages on. But with the coming of a new embodiment of justice comes an even more personal test for The Man Without Fear.

Debuting on Netflix in 2016, Daredevil Season 2 follows Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, now solidified in his role as The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, working to clean up a city left in disarray after his takedown of The Kingpin Wilson Fisk at the end of Season 1. But Matt’s work as both a masked hero and a lawyer are suddenly complicated by the arrival of Frank Castle, played by Jon Bernthal, a lethal vigilante known as The Punisher, and the return of Elektra Natchios, played by Elodie Yung, Matt’s old college flame now at the center of a war with the ninja clan known as The Hand. And Daredevil’s physical and spiritual battles with these two dark reflections are what inform the story of Daredevil Season 2. [Read more…] about Daredevil Season 2 – A Complicated Disaster

Wonder Woman 1984 Movie Review!

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Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but this Christmas HBO Max and Warner Bros released Wonder Woman 1984 via their streaming service in response to the ongoing global pandemic. Wonder Woman is the first big 2 superhero movie released since February 2020’s Birds of Prey, and the sequel to 2017’s immensely successful Wonder Woman.

To break down the instantly divisive film, Comic Book Herald writers and superb comic book critics Sara Century and Zoe Tunnell jump in to talk all things Wonder Woman 1984. [Read more…] about Wonder Woman 1984 Movie Review!

What Was Wonder Woman Really Up To In 1984?

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Wonder Woman has been around for a really long time – since 1941, in fact! Yet, there are huge swathes of her comic book history that modern readers know next to nothing about. Diana, Princess of Themyscira, is a character that spent a notable portion of her history being written by writers that didn’t seem to fully click with her, which makes revisiting her vintage era a pretty dubious prospect for even her most ardent fans.

Yet, it is also true that a lot of the less-remembered comics of DC’s Silver and Bronze Ages are full of underrated gems, so it’s always at least worth a look. With the release of Wonder Woman 84, it got me wondering – what exactly was Diana up to in 1984? For that, dear reader, we have to look to Wonder Woman Vol. 1 #311-322. [Read more…] about What Was Wonder Woman Really Up To In 1984?