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Sequential Snark: Hanna Barbera Reboots, Riverdale Visitors & More!

Strike up the band and keep the heat on. So many titles are reaching their arc’s crescendo!

Whether it’s Dastardly and Muttley on their last issue, Nightwing reaching the Final Boss stage or Green Arrow having a throwdown in the way down, there is so much final fight music playing as these issues get read.

 

Dastardly and Muttley #6
Words – Garth Ennis
Pictures – Mauricet, John Kalisz, Rob Steen

The effects of the world slowly creeping into a cell painted insanity are taking it’s toll.

All the regular highly skilled groups you’d think would be sent after War Pig One have been sent and failed. The world’s fate rests in the hands of Zee, Uncle, Mutt and Dick.

Dick (who is still only in a hospital gown under the harness) attempts a crazy last ditch mid-air maneuver to wrangle the rogue rocket.

But sanity they find is a finite resource they’re fighting to save as it slips from them.

The writing and the art, I praise both and it’s well deserved. This ending is very Ennis.

Kudos for the subtle jokes, a White House staffer becomes a dino. The gas makes you an exaggerated version of yourself were they a D.I.N.O. perhaps?

With Ennis such visual wordplay is very possible.

 

Green Arrow #37
Words – Benjamin Percy
Pictures – Juan Ferreyra, Deron Bennett

What truly matters and what do we allow to define us?

The family that through the obligation of birth we make a place in our life and hold onto, or the family we embrace in friendship though maybe not connected by D.N.A. that makes us better people.

Emi’s shot in the chest, Oliver’s mother Moira did it and remains damn smug about it. She’s made a statement with the one action against her son and Shado, who as this secret underground tomb becomes a more insane death chamber attacks Moira with nothing left to loose.

Meanwhile, wasn’t Wendy in mortal danger?

 

 

 

Green Lanterns #40
Words – Tim Seeley
Pictures – Barnaby Bagenda, Mick Gray, Ulises Arreola, Dave Sharpe

The Green Lanterns get to help with a flood.

It’s nice to help people in a way where kicks and punches aren’t involved and they’re reinvigorated by the experience. A fellow hero helping on the flood asks Simon about Night Flier (his fling from a couple issues back), has he seen her lately?

The Justice League (Cyborg mostly) looks into it and all the small-time heroes who’ve disappeared had used the dating app Simon used for the hook-up.

One somewhat unhelpful interview with the app’s team later, the perp reveals themselves. They used the info to pick victims for an intergalactic super-powered slavery ring.

Too bad no one knows any space cops that could do something about this…

 

Harley & Ivy Meet Betty And Veronica #5
Words – Marc Andreyko, Paul Dini
Pictures – Laura Braga, Adriana, Melo, Arif Prianto, Deron Bennett

Reggie’s dressed as the Joker and lost in Gotham City (at the intersection of Kane and Montana, he should raise a FINGER for a taxi… Hint!).

Any other bat-book I’d say this was a great way to end up dead but this is half an Archie Comic, so I’ll give him 50% survival chances.

Unfortunately the mugs he intimidated earlier pick him up instead, bringing all our cast back to Riverdale.

Sabrina pops everyone back into their original bodies, and is deliciously sardonic while doing it.

But now the hard part happens, if the swamp is going to be saved Harl and Pam are gonna need Betty and Veronica’s cooperation.

Scummy business partners are revealed (Lenny’s backing the Swamp construction- duhn duhn duhn!), Unsafe practices set in place (this last issue looks to end with a bang!), and Hubert calls for some extra butler help.

Come back for the conclusion same Riverdale time, same Riverdale channel.

 

Harley Quinn #37
Words – Frank Tieri
Pictures – Mirka Andolfo, Alex Sinclair, Dave Sharpe

We start with a late night infomercial, Harley’s gone pay to pummel.

She’ll beat up people in New York for a check. It’s an interesting way to work through the series of life jolting issues that’ve recently hit her.

Her friends are worried but she’s still demanding space so they’re left on the outside unable to help. Or at least the less sneaky ones are.

As everyone else remains distracted, Penguin makes his move on the collected New York mob scene with two giant ‘roided out flesh eating mutant penguins. The ensuing scene would be horrific in a less cartoony book.

I think we’re gonna need Harley up and ready to take on Penguin’s upcoming Gotham invasion, but that will only work if she lets someone help her first.

 

Justice League #38
Words – Priest
Pictures – Marco Santucci, Alex Sollazzo, Willie Schu

We pick up the scattered League members as dispersed last issue, and Flash is left alone to debug and repair the Watchtower.

Things go sideways for Barry (think when the automatic doors at the market don’t work, but in space) and he risks his life to save the wayward delivery person.

Bruce blames himself for everything (as usual), but it’s too the point where his friends are worried and they ask Clark to intervene.

But someone who has learned and grown from recent events is Vic (Cyborg). He’s had the ability to look fully human for a while, only now is he comfortable enough to actually let himself try it.

It’s nice to see someone not punishing themselves for matters beyond their control.

I do wonder if the writers of these books ever get to talk over their scripts with each other. In Green Lanterns, Jess was hoping the app would match her with Nightwing, lets just say her tastes remain… Bat-centric.

 

Nightwing #38
Words – Sam Humphries
Pictures – Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo, Carlos M. Mangual

Oh Nightwing, this is not a bad issue. I have higher standards for you since I know you can meet them. But like a bad episode of The Twilight Zone, it’s still better than other shows, but the storyline beats don’t come as a surprise and are not the joy I was hoping for.

Nightwing is too late to stop the Judge from silencing his witness. The Judge is noticeably sloppy with his hideout (the hide part was missing) and Dick is able to get in to confront him.

Almost every character that was involved in the arc is pulled back in (with the exception of Lucy Weatherton who I’d like to see again). It is still well drawn, the panels are noir and moody, the pulpiness of the style will hold me till this yarn ends.

The Judge is an all knowing scheming always be-shaded villain that reappears in Dick’s life going on and on about how much he perceives. There is a “twist” I’ve seen coming just from the absence of something for many issues. This next one won’t be the conclusion but it will be soon and I hope for a better arc next round.

 

Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles #2
Words – Mark Russell
Pictures – Mike Feehan, Mark Morales, Paul Mounts, Dave Sharpe
Sasquatch Detective
Words – Brandee Stilwell
Pictures – Gustavo Vazquez, Chris Sotomayor, Dave Sharpe

The Red Scare, McCarthyism, the Cold War, Stonewall – all with anthropomorphic animals you grew up knowing. Like if Hanna Barbera made a Muppets-ish film but as Oscar bait.

First issue was a reintroduction, this one continues with the course of their day getting further into what makes them miserable. Huckleberry Hound’s life is so sad, I wouldn’t be able to stand it it they introduce Droopy – I really could not.

Despite the threat above them all of being picked up in the government’s spotlight (and summarily blackballed) Snagglepuss continues to help those who ask or need it, refine his play, and live his life with those who make him happy. But with maniacs in places of power like Special Council Gigi Allen how long can such a happiness sustain?

Sasquatch Detective is fluff. It’s harmless, it has fun in it’s chapter and maybe that’s why it’s the back up story to counterbalance the sea of heaviness and depression within the Snagglepuss Chronicles.

The writer knows this character and it’s world, but it feels like they tried too hard to establish too much in so few pages. I hope they get picked up for at least a limited series so we can see what this team can do when given breathing room.

 

The Jetsons #4
Words – Jimmy Palmiotti

Pictures – Pier Brito, Alex Sinclair, Dave Sharpe

Last issue ended with George blowing the secret Jane was sworn to keep. Unluckily enough everyone was in earshot (Elroy, Judy, Lake, Astro and Rosie).

As that happened, a piece of the underwater creature was stowed away on the ship’s bottom. It expands and attacks as they try to blast it off.

Lake tells her dad, who tells the world and now everyone knows there’s only 3 days till a meteor kills us all. It really doesn’t go well, and Jane’s explanation of “George read my mind” goes as well as you’d think.

No one has a solution to save Earth, but Spacely shows George a secret. He built an interplanetary ship that can fit 3 more, he will save ¾ of the family!

So, exciting?

The stiff poses with unrelated facial expressions punctuated by dead eyes make me wonder what could have been if this creative team was different. The writing is obvious ($5 on the sea monster being the meteor solution?) and art remains consistent (it’s tragic) but this week answers the question “why is EVERYONE in skin-tight suits? Spencer Cogswell shows us this artist is not confident with layered fabrics. Lines drawn on a nude form with added boots is the extent of their comfort zone.

 

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