PICKS OF THE WEEK - July 8, 2020

• BATMAN: THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES #2: DEATHSTROKE! Finally, after decades of cartoons and comics Slade Wilson makes his debut in the BTAS universe. Dini and Burnnett play him bold and brash and every bit as capable of standing toe to toe with the dark knight detective. They really nail his voice as a suave mercenary rather than just a grizzled, cold blooded killer; which makes him every bit more dangerous when you see how his charisma seems to be his sharpest weapon. Templeton’s art and design fits right in with the aesthetic of the show making it seem like he has been there all along. The B plot they’re building with Jason Todd, added with a dash of whatever other tricks up they have up their sleeves says that this book will surely live up to the pedestal the animated series is rightly placed at.

• DETECTIVE COMICS #1023: Speaking of Batman, back in on his first ever series, Detective comics is gives you a quick tale setting up for the crossover “Joker War”. The issue moves at break neck speed but Brad Walker keeps up with his pencils, giving you a blend of classic, comic, and animated styles that suit the dark knight and his adversaries well. Tomasi just seems like he is having fun writing these wild adventures of the caped crusader, so much so that you can quickly get swept up in it moving from panel to panel. Also, there is a surprise villain that If you were fan of the Snyder run on BATMAN you’ll be as joyous as the Joker at their return, setting the stage for some very big things to come.

• FANTASTIC FOUR: EMPYRE #0: For a prelude issue into Marvel’s EMPYRE Event, this one has a lot fun highlighting the dynamics of Marvel’s first family. Dan Slott, pumped a lot of heart into this oversized issue and everyone really gets a chance to stand out as the FF and company get stranded out in space and have to right some wrongs, and fix their ship on a Las Vegas style planet full of murderous mayhem and cosmic card games. A New adversary with connections to a long-standing marvel villain comes into focus and seems to fill this vacant role with ease and showmanship. A few cool callbacks for tried and true FF fans and two new welcome, though unexpected, additions to the ever growing first family will have you interested for what’s to come and bring you in for a rough landing into EMPYRE.