Book Review: JSA vol 1 - Infinity Inc vs. the Justice Society

Longtime fan favorites Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Jade, Obsidian, Jesse Quick, Hourman, Wildcat, and Sand are all back on the roster, but the team is fractured in more ways than one. Will Golden Age ideals hold true as the JSA races to respond to its latest threat? Or does it need a more hardcore approach to stand a chance against the new Injustice Society of America? Collects JSA #1-6.

JSA vol. 1: Infinity Inc vs. the Justice Society by writer Jeff Lemire and artist Diego Olortegui was published September 2, 2025, by DC Comics.

Book Review: Superman's Good Guy Gang

Eight-year-old Clark Kent is pretty super: super fast, super strong, and super cool! But being so super can also be super lonely, until he meets fellow super powered kids, Kendra Saunders and Guy Gardner a.k.a. Hawkgirl and Green Lantern! Together, they’ll form a club where other supers can be themselves, test their powers, grow together, and maybe earn some good guy points along the way.

Superman's Good Guy Gang by Rob Justus (with lettering by Lucas Gattoni) will be published on July 1, 2025. DC Comics provided an early galley for review.

Book Review: DC's Misfits of Magic

Ricki Jones is your average middle-grader. Her fellow-orphan-turned-adopted-brother Ross is, too. The seven mystical monks training them to protect the Earth from dark supernatural forces are pretty standard adults—they want nothing more than a little peace over summer vacation and all their prior attempts to get the kids out of town led to the camps going out of business. So this year? Rikki and Ross are heading to the town library, where Zatanna Zatara took a camp counselor job she expects to regret.

It’s fate (not like, Dr. Fate, just regular fate) that brings her together with Danny Cassidy, the Blue Devil. He’s got ADHD and kinda fused with his Halloween costume, giving him demon powers. And Boston Brand, who died in a horrifying microfiche accident and roams the halls as Deadkid. And don’t forget June Moon, who changes into an incredibly powerful sorceress named The Enchantress. But don’t hold that against her, she’s really very sweet when she's not causing trouble.

Book Review: Harley Quinn's Bud and Lou - Trouble Times Two

When Harley's hyenas, Bud and Lou, are framed with stealing the lasso of truth they’re forced to team up with two members of the Super-pets, Ace and Jumpa, to find the culprits. The unlikely team sets off on an adventure that leads them from Oswald Cobblepot's penguins to Mr. Freeze's polar bears. At the chance of being reunited with their beloved Harley, will Bud and Lou save the day and be the good guys for a change? If they aren’t careful, the lasso of truth might reveal how they really feel about being heroes!

Harley Quinn's Bud and Lou: Trouble Times Two written and drawn by Ben Hed with colors by Kendall Goode will be published on March 4, 2025. DC Comics provided an early galley for review.

Book Review: Teen Titans Go! On TV!

Robin isn’t just a sidekick, he’s a star. Or he will be, once the people who produce reality TV shows see him in action! He can do it all: lead a team! decorate a secret lair! bake a cake that looks like a dangerous weapon! All he needs is a lucky break.

When his teammates break out before he does, his ego takes a beating. Without a team to lead, can Robin save Jump City all on his own? Nope, because he doesn’t even want to try! Maybe if they followed him on social media? But even the Hive has more followers than he does.

Teen Titans Go! On TV! by Amanda Deibert and Agnes Garbowska will be published on January 7, 2025. DC Comics provided an early galley for review.

Book Review: Slugfest

The most bruising battle in the superhero world isn't between spandex-clad characters; it's between the publishers themselves. For more than 50 years, Marvel and DC have been locked in an epic war, tirelessly trading punches and trying to do to each other what Batman regularly does to the Joker's face. Slugfest, the first book to tell the history of this epic rivalry into a single, juicy narrative, is the story of the greatest corporate rivalry never told. It is also an alternate history of the superhero, told through the lens of these two publishers.

The competition has spilled over to the even the casual fans, bisecting the world into two opposing tribes. You are either a Marvel or a DC fan, and allegiance is hardly a trivial matter. Perhaps the most telling question one can ask of a superhero fan is, Marvel or DC? The answer often reveals something deeper about personality, and the reason is wrapped up in the history of both companies.

Book Review: Batgirl and Beyond

For over sixty years, every woman who took on the mantle of Batgirl has been a powerful, independent heroine, each belying the sidekick status the name implies and connecting with a unique subset of marginalized fans. Betty Kane, the original Bat-Girl, was a hero for young girls at a time when the genre was leaving them behind. Barbara Gordon embodied the values of the women’s liberation movement and became a powerful figure in disability representation. Cassandra Cain was a woman of color in the traditionally monochromatic DC Comics universe. Stephanie Brown was a perpetual outsider, a voice for those who never belonged but kept trying regardless.

Book Review: The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley

Harleen Quinzel is many things, a gymnast, anxious, broke… but the last thing anyone would call her is evil. Harley Quinn on the other hand…

When Harleen signs up to participate in a clinical research trial with her girlfriend, Pamela, the most she can hope for is extra cash in her wallet and a chance to get her anxiety under control. But what she gets instead are increasingly larger gaps in her memory and stolen mementos from some guy named Jack she’s never met. Soon, Harleen discovers she’s sharing her life with Harley—a take-no-prisoners, who-cares-about attendance, maybe-we-oughtta-save-the-bunnies kind of girl. She is the opposite of Harleen in many ways. She is anarchy in a cute dress. And although she’s throwing Harleen’s life completely off track, maybe she ain’t so bad either…

Book Review: Prez - Setting a Dangerous President

2046: Oregon teen Beth Ross has just been elected President of the United States of America. Age restrictions were abolished when corporations gained the right to run for office. Elections are now held on social media, and after a corndog accident makes Beth Ross go viral, a nation is shocked to wake up and find that "Corndog Girl" has just become their new president.

The eyes of the world are on Beth. But in a nation so used to misrule that the poor are willing to do anything on TV for a chance at a better life, will a fresh start be enough to undo the damage caused by Boss Smiley and his corporate shadow government?

Book Review: Red Hood and the Outlaws vol. 1 - Redemption

No sooner has Batman's former sidekick, Jason Todd, put his past as the Red Hood behind him than he finds himself cornered by a pair of modern day outlaws: Green Arrow's rejected sidekick Arsenal, the damaged soldier of fortune, and the alien Starfire, a former prisoner of intergalactic war who won't be chained again. As a loner, Jason has absolutely no interest in this motley crew of outlaws. So what's he going to do when they choose the Red Hood as their leader?

Released August 1, 2012, from DC Comics, this volume collects Red Hood and the Outlaws 1-7.

Book Review: Teen Titans vol. 4 - Light and Dark

The Teen Titans face off against one of their quintesential rivals for the first time in The New 52: the extradimensional demon lord Trigon!

The demon Trigon triumphs over the Teen Titans, turning one of their own against the team! As he begins to turn Manhattan into a staging ground for a demonic takeover of the planet, the Titans must mend the cracks formed between them if they stand any chance against the demonic villains and his corrupted children.

This volume was published by DC Comics on July 22, 2014. It collects Teen Titans 18-23.

Book Review: Teen Titans vol 3 - Death of the Family

The team is finally reunited in the wake of Death of the Family, but something is very wrong with Red Robin! What did The Joker do? As Red Robin's condition worsens he and the team must face an even greater threat when the new Dr. Light is coming for Solstice!

This volume was published by DC Comics on December, 24, 2013. It collects Teen Titans #0, 15-17, Batman #17 and Red Hood and the Outlaws #16.

Book Review: Teen Titans vol. 2 - The Culling

When the organization known as N.O.W.H.E.R.E. captures Superboy, the Teen Titans, and Legion Lost and pits the young heroes against each other to weed out the weak, it will take everything the most famous teen heroes of the DC Universe have to save themselves from each other. But the ruthless Harvest won't give up easily leading to one of the young heroes making the ultimate sacrifice for the others.

Collecting: Teen Titans 8-14 and Annual 1, and DC Comics: Presents 12. Published June 25, 2013, from DC Comics.

Book Review: Teen Titans vol. 1 - It's Our Right to Fight

Tim Drake, Batman's former sidekick, is back in action when an international organization called Project N.O.W.H.E.R.E. seeks to capture, kill or co-opt super-powered teenagers. As Red Robin, he's going to have to team up with the mysterious and belligerent powerhouse thief known as Wonder Girl, the hyperactive speedster calling himself Kid Flash and few more all-new teen super-heroes to stand any chance at all against N.O.W.H.E.R.E. But as Superboy meets them for the first time, the Titans have to wonder, is he a friend - or foe?

Published September 11, 2012, this volume collects Teen Titans #1-7 in 2011.

Book Review: Flashpoint Beyond

The world of Flashpoint returns! After sacrificing everything to help the Flash put the universe back together and save Bruce Wayne's life, Thomas Wayne wakes up in a world he thought was no more. Forced to don the cowl once again, Batman prowls the streets of Gotham searching for answers to how this world still exists, but what he starts to uncover will send him hurtling around the globe. But the answers Thomas is seeking will have drastic effects on the DC Universe and its past, present, and future!

This collection of Flashpoint Beyond #0-6 was released in December 2022 by DC Comics.

Book Review: Superman - The Harvests of Youth

Despite being a superpowered teenager, high school has been pretty normal for Clark Kent; but his idyllic life is wrenched away when the death of a classmate rocks all of Smallville. As he and his friends grieve, the challenges they face become darker, more complex, and deeply insidious. Clark feels completely out of his depth when Smallville’s latest threat proves that it takes more than fists and laser beams to save the day. For the first time in his life, he must grapple with life’s biggest questions, and confront his own mortality (or lack thereof) to become the hero his beloved town needs.

Acclaimed GLAAD media award-winning writer and artist Sina Grace tells the deeply moving and quintessential story of teen Clark Kent and the town that must overcome grief and hate to restore hope.

Superman: The Harvests of Youth will be published on October 3, 2023. DC Comics provided an early galley for review.

Grace's artwork along with the colors by Cris Peter capture that small town, midwestern vibe. They contribute to establishing the setting of Smallville which has always been a critical element to the young Superman mythos. Growing up in the Bronze Age of comics, Superboy's adventures were very much a mainstay of my reading. So, in some respects, this book radiates the feeling of "being home".

Grace has also tapped into the high school vibe quite well. Clark, Pete, Lana, Chloe, Gil and Amy all act and sound like teenagers of the most recent generation. The story is clearly set in recent times, with gaming consoles and cell phones and fancy coffees all part of these teens' lifestyle.

The main story line is a heavy one, showing that even the greatest of powers are of little use in certain situations. The themes are something that will especially resonate with younger readers- those who have grown up in the 21st Century with all the challenges their generations have had to endure. It is very much a story of innocence lost and having to wrestle with the complex issues that come with growing towards adulthood. At one point, Clark and Lana are talking about how Clark's parents advised him to cope with the situation. Clark tells her that his parents never had to deal with this stuff when they were young. This sentiment rang true to me. Yes, in the 80's I had classmates in high school who passed before graduation, but it was mostly due to automobile accidents and the like. We compartmentalized emotions and feelings, instead focusing on moving forward. Maybe that isn't always the right way to deal with situations.

Superman: The Harvests of Youth tells a solid story and will definitely resonate with the right audience.

Book Review: Dark Crisis (On Infinite Earths)

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League are dead. The remaining heroes are left to protect the world from an onslaught of violent attacks by DC’s greatest villains! Leading the charge is a super-powered Slade Wilson...but this time there’s something dark fueling his rage.

Can the younger heroes, led by the 21st century Superman Jonathan Kent, step out of the shadows of the classic icons to form a new Justice League? And will that be enough to stop a darkness greater than anything they’ve ever faced from destroying everything? The world burns as Pariah and the Great Darkness make their play for planet Earth!

The blockbuster creative team of writer Joshua Williamson and artist Daniel Sampere bring years of stories to an explosive crescendo in this massive, cross-generational saga, the latest in DC’s famed canon of Crisis events—and the next evolution of the DC Universe! This volume collects Dark Crisis #1-7.

Book Review: Dark Crisis - Young Justice

Tim Drake, Impulse, and Superboy go missing during the Justice League’s funeral. The only person concerned enough to find them? Cassie Sandsmark, a.k.a Wonder Girl. But...the three boys of Young Justice aren’t on this Earth anymore...they’re on the world of their dreams, one they may never want to leave! If anyone can rescue the boys, it's Wonder Girl! Cassie will help them navigate the strange fantasy world they're trapped in...but isn't Cassie back on Earth?

Dive into the adventure and discover which Cassie is lying with Dark Crisis: Young Justice! Collecting Dark Crisis: Young Justice #1-6.

Book Review: Dark Justice - Worlds Without a Justice League

The Justice League are dead. Or are they? During an epic battle against Pariah and his Dark Army, Earth's defenders sacrificed themselves to save the Multiverse. The team seemed dead to their world, but Pariah, needing power to fuel his plans, imprisoned the League members on custom-made worlds using his growing powers. Each world is tailored to the innermost desires of the Justice League. What Pariah intends to do with these worlds is a mystery...

Crafted by an all-star creative team including Tom King, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Tini Howard, Simon Spurrier, Dan Jurgens, and many more, Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League directly ties into the event Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, giving readers a look at what happened to the legendary heroes after the shocking events of Justice League #75. It collects the five Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League one-shots.

Book Review: Justice League vs. the Legion of Super-Heroes

One thousand years in the future, a Legion of Super-Heroes comes together to dedicate their lives to recapturing the great age of heroes of the 21st century. When the heroes discover that reality is falling to a great darkness in both times simultaneously, the Justice League and the Legion of Super-Heroes must team up to stop it all.

Soon, the Justice League are trapped in the 31st century, and the looming terror of the Great Darkness hovers over both time periods simultaneously. Even as the great heroes of the 21st century get to experience the fantastic far-flung future, the mysteries behind the Gold Lantern and the Great Darkness threaten all of existence. What is the secret behind the Great Darkness? And will the greatest heroes of two ages be able to stop it before it's too late?

Two of DC’s top super-teams clash, as threads from legendary writer Brian Michael Bendis’ runs on Legion of Super-Heroes and Justice League collide in a story with both the present and the future at risk! Released December 2022, this collects Justice League vs. Legion of Super-Heroes #1-6.