3.5 Razors

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures #5

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures #5When Fishface attacks a cruise ship looking to get his hands on his former partner-in-crime Victor Sousa, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello show up to save the day. For the first time the Turtles find themselves fighting the fish-mutant in water, and Fishface turns out to be far more trouble in his natural habitat.

Raphael questions putting their own lives on the line to save a gangster (which turns out to be prophetic as Victor eventually turns on his would-be rescuers). Although the ship is sunk, the Turtles eventually are able to stop Fishface and turn Victor over to the police allowing Leo to show his brother that saving a criminal doesn’t mean letting him go free.

Of the characters created for the new animated show, Fishface is one of the oddest. I haven’t been the biggest fan of his, but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures #5 uses the setting to the character’s advantage, making him a credible threat given the circumstances the Turtles find themselves in. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Batman ’66 #5

Batman '66 #5The latest adventure set in the world of the 60’s Batman television show pits Batman and Robin against The Sandman who puts all of Gotham City into a highly suggestive sleep to complete the largest robbery the city has ever seen. After catching the Dynamic Duo in his trap as well the villain attempts to pry the location out the Batcave out of them by controlling Batman’s dreams (which include a couple of really cool panels by artist Ruben Procopio).

Despite nearly giving away the secret location of the Batcave (and with it his secret identity), Batman eventually realizes and takes control of the dream allow the heroes to wake-up and put the villain to sleep (so to speak). The Sandman falls very much into the D-list category of Bat-villains, but the tale is fun and certainly fits the style of the comic.

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Daredevil #33

Daredevil #33Daredevil‘s unusual adventure in the South continues as he finds himself shot by locals who take him for one of the monsters and then saved by the Legion of Monsters, repaying his earlier attempt to save them from a lynch mob in the last issue. However, the hero finds himself in a stand-off with the group who attack him again once they realize the dangerous information he’s after.

After coming to an understanding with the group, and finally armed with the knowledge of what the Darkhold is, Daredevil sets out to confront Lucien Sinclair, a local wizard of the Sons of the Serpent with pages from the magical totem which could cause serious problems for everyone involved (and which it appears Daredevil has his own plans).

Like the last issue, Daredevil #33 is weird and goofy adventure but I thought the humor worked better this time around. Daredevil’s right of passage to get to Sinclair works well, as does the panel showing the pissed off hero finally confronting the wizard. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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The Shadow #19

The Shadow #19Although I’m not the biggest fan of Andrea Mutti’s art in the issue, The Shadow #19 marks a good opportunity for those looking for a place to jump in on the title. The issue not only begins a new story arc involving the mysterious past of the man known to the world as Lamont Cranston but also reintroduces Margo Lane, The Shadow’s network of spies around New York City, and his ability to coerce information out of unwitting allies (such as the police commissioner) as The Shadow searches for a connection between the Russian mob and a series of kidnappings of young women from wealthy local families.

Putting both his network and the intimidation tactics of his alter-ego to good use, Cranston manages to locate and save every single victim but what he finds at the scene will force The Shadow to leave New York City and journey halfway around the world to understand what the box containing a severed finger wearing a ring very much like his own signifies. The issue sets up the larger mystery with a single-issue tale that works well all on its own. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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Red Sonja #5

Red Sonja #5Writer Gail Simone’s opening arc continues as Red Sonja returns down the mountainside with her bodyguards Ayla and Nias to receive the rest of the cure for the plague slowly destroying her body and exact vengeance on her former friend Annisa for killing the king who freed them both from the pit while leaving his kingdom to die of plague.

Dealing mostly with Red Sonja returning from her exile and slowly regaining her strength and fire at witnessing the atrocities of a woman she once loved as a sister, Red Sonja #5 spends most of its time setting up next month’s final issue to the opening arc as the two warriors step into the arena to battle one more time.

The issue does end with a bit of a twist as both women come face-to-face with a common foe from their past suggesting that the epic final battle between the two warriors that the storyline has been leading to may not occur in the arc’s final issue (or perhaps at all if both don’t survive the attack of their former slave master). Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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