Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

DC Comics

Batman: Three Jokers by Geoff Johns & Jason Fabok | The Comedy Rule of 3s

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A little more than five years before Superman first saw print, America had already seen his kind of celebrity in Babe Ruth. Like Superman, Ruth wasn’t the first ballplayer (superhero), but in a sense, he created baseball (superhero genre.) He was the stuff of legends. And nothing was more Ruth than when he called his shot in the 1932 series held here in Wrigley Field.

Now, we are here, in an America long past that Game 1, and Action Comics #1. And now, Geoff Johns has called his shot.

A little more than five years ago, Johns revealed in the pages of Justice League: Darkseid War that the Joker didn’t have one real name, but three. This was Johns pointing into the stands, declaring the impossible. I’m going to make a massive change to one of comic’s bedrock dynamics, Joker and Batman. The move seems to say: And even though you know I’m going to do it, you’re going to be amazed when you see it. [Read more…] about Batman: Three Jokers by Geoff Johns & Jason Fabok | The Comedy Rule of 3s

The Best 100 DC Comics Since Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985)!

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In April 1985, DC Comics kicked off the most momentous event in their shared universe’s modern history. Comics superstars Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s Crisis on Infinite Earths delivered cosmic ramifications that rippled across DC’s Multiverse and remain to this day. By the time the twelfth issue concluded the event in March 1986, DC Comics was irrevocably split into a history pre and post-Crisis. [Read more…] about The Best 100 DC Comics Since Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985)!

Injustice Reading Order (DC Comics Universe)!

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Conceptually, I don’t actually *like* Injustice. The premise for this entire comics universe stems first from the 1 on 1 fighting video game, and the brief story of that video game is far from extraordinary.

The story of Injustice begins when Joker and Harley Quinn steal a nuke, launch it at Metropolis, and trick Superman from preventing the tragedy by tricking him into fighting an illusion of Doomsday that turns out to be his wife, Lois Lane. Enraged, Superman finally crosses the “no kill” line, murders Joker, and creeps deeper and deeper into an ironfisted tyrant of the world. As the face of DC’s “Kill No Man” campaign, Batman leads a rebellion against Superman. [Read more…] about Injustice Reading Order (DC Comics Universe)!

Green Lantern: Earth One Volume 2 Review

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Green Lantern: Earth One was a shocking surprise upon release in 2018. DC’s line of self-contained graphic novels had found decidedly mixed success since their launch years prior, and Green Lantern seemed like an odd fit. The other titles featured high profile creators such as Geoff Johns (Batman: Earth One) and Grant Morrison (Wonder Woman: Earth One). At the same time, Green Lantern sported an undeniably talented, but not as well known, team in Corrina Bechko and Gabriel Hardman. The graphic novel arrived to critical acclaim, presenting a hard-edged revamp of the iconic DC hero in a near-future sci-fi infused setting. Thankfully, the sequel, Green Lantern: Earth One Vol. 2, is nearly every bit as good as the original and drives the reimagining of Hal Jordan forward in exciting, timely ways.

The events of Earth One Vol. 1 left Hal Jordan as a member of the newly reformed Green Lantern Corps in a galaxy overrun by the despotic Manhunters. Picking up three years after the first volume, Earth One Vol. 2 presents an Earth that is taking its first steps to join the galactic community after learning of extraterrestrial life via Hal Jordan’s return to his home planet. Earth’s overtly authoritarian governments, including the United States, chafe at the new status quo, but progress has been made to bring Earth forward. [Read more…] about Green Lantern: Earth One Volume 2 Review