Comic Reviews 03.08.2021

 

Hey y’all. It is very nice being back into the swing of these reviews; they are really fun. Bit of a mixed bag this week, but Keanu Reeves does make an appearance so be excited. Yesterday saw the return of the Featured Reviews with Infinite Frontier #0, the kickoff to DC’s next big era. We continue looking at that era here, though it won’t be full tilt for a week or two.

Anyway, onto the reviews!

But first, Gorilla Gregg from Infinite Frontier #0

Spoilers for: Crime Syndicate #1, BRZRKR #1

Crime Syndicate #1

Writer: Andy Schmidt

Artists: Kieran McKeown and Bryan Hitch

Colors: Steve Oliff and Alex Sinclair

Inks: Dexter Vines

Letters: Rob Leigh

Cover: Jim Cheung and Romulo Fajardo Jr.

 

I love the Crime Syndicate. The group’s latest reboot starts strong in a worldbuilding, but the characters are a weak point. They are entirely what would be expected, with no twists other than Power Ring being John Stewart and Donna Troy being Superwoman. What those mean for the story is unclear though.

As for the worldbuilding, there is a lot of small details that make this world fascinating. There is the typical ‘Ultraman is a dictator’ thing, though it is localized to Metropolis here. Oliver Queen is the president, and it seems he has regular meetings with Themiscyran ambassador, Superwoman. And those meetings may be a bit more risqué than a typical president-ambassador get together.

Good joke.

There are also several editor’s notes pointing readers to past stories that do not exist, adding to the sense that this world has a past we have yet to see. Like this one, each issue will feature a backup story detailing said past. This one stars Clark and has a fun twisted homage All-Star Superman’s iconic opening. Surprisingly, this is the best part of the comic as it digs into one of the stars of the series.

It helps that the art is also significantly better in the backup. McKeown, Oliff, and Vines do a good, though unremarkable job on the main story. They are handicapped by the designs of their characters as they are vastly inferior versions of their Earth-1 counterparts. Though Atomica looks pretty good. Unfortunately for that group, Bryan Hitch is a legend for a reason, and it is all on display here. From expressive characters to interesting layouts to impressive camera angles, all of Hitch’s strengths are here.

Also, Starro rolls up to conquer Earth and I love Starro, so this comic has my attention.

 

BRZRKR #1

Writer: Keanu Reeves and Matt Kindt

Artist: Ron Garney

Colors: Bill Crabtree

Letters: Clem Robins

Cover: Rafael Grampa

 

BRZRKR #1 sure is a comic book about a gut that looks like Keanu Reeves. Since its announcement, I have wondered if this series exists to be adapted into a project for Keanu to star in. Yes, yes it does. Beyond that, the comic is wholly unremarkable.

Despite being 48 pages, I can summarize the plot in one sentence: Following a mission for the US government, Berzerker talks to his therapist about his lack of long-term memories and how he is *checks notes* eighty thousand years old. It really is a comically large number at first glance.

Looks painful

Berserker just wants to die but has immortality powers that keep him alive even if, say, he is caught in an explosion. These powers make him a valuable asset to the government, who use him as an assassin to “liberate” an unnamed South American country.

None of this really matters because there is nothing to hold onto here. No notable characters or events. No intriguing hints for the future. Not even the art is particularly good. Page layouts are clean and variable. The action is clear and easy to follow. The characters ae not particularly expressive, but they all seem to be strong silent types so that is understandable. It is bog standard art to decorate a bog stand comic issue. Maybe next issue will kick the series into gear.