Hey there, thanks for taking some time to check out the latest edition of Best Battles in New Comics! In case the title didn't make it obvious enough, this is the place to be if you want to enjoy looking at some of the best brawls that went down in the most recent comic books. Now, there were a whole lot of options this week -- just like there is just about every other week -- so narrowing it down to just three picks wasn't the easiest decision around. That means your favorite fight may not be below. If that's the case, go ahead and give it some love in the comments and tell the world why it was awesome. You just may motivate someone else out there to check it out.
GRAYSON #6
This week's first highlight comes from the latest issue of GRAYSON. Tim Seeley (writer), Mikel Janin (artist) and Jeromy Cox's (colorist) comic unleashes an extensive, swift and brutal fight between Dick Grayson, a.k.a. Agent 37, and Midnighter. Sure, Grayson trained with Batman and the dude's incredibly agile, but Midnighter's enhancements means he's virtually unbeatable when it comes to purely hand-to-hand combat. Everything you can do or would possibly do, he knows it's coming. Grayson's got some slick moves, but to call this an uphill struggle for Grayson would be a pretty big understatement.
If someone made "Dick Grayson vs. Midnighter" in the battle forums, odds are a mod would lock it and just about every single poster would say it's a stomp in Midnighter's favor. And while Midnighter does begin with the edge, Grayson isn't a character you should ever underestimate. His combination of skill, agility and drive will allow him to accomplish the seemingly impossible. He's able to switch things up and land a combo and, to many fans, that is the seemingly impossible in this scenario. Way to go, Grayson.
Don't worry, it's not long before the writer and artist remind us how a brawl between these two would go down. As if Midnighter didn't have a big enough advantage as it is, the absurdly dangerous opponent steals Grayson's hypnos implant. So yeah, things aren't looking so great for Agent 37, are they?
Does Midnighter continue the vicious beat down or does Grayson hold onto hope and find a way to overcome the ginormous obstacle? This issue teased a fight and man, it most certainly did deliver. There's plenty we're not showing you and Janin sure knows how to capture the motion and impact in this hand-to-hand encounter.
STAR WARS #1
Star Wars has returned to Marvel and thankfully, it has made a fantastic debut. Jason Aaron (writer), John Cassaday (artist) and Laura Martin's (colorist) first issue takes place between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. It wastes no time throwing us right into the Rebel Alliance's latest mission against the Galactic Empire and it just feels so good to be back. It's such a fun way to pull us into this universe and the ambush hits you with so much nostalgia. Who doesn't love seeing the Rebels go undercover and then take down some Stormtroopers?
Seeing as this is Star Wars' huge return to the publisher, you didn't think Stormtroopers would be the biggest challenge the Rebels face, right? Of course not! They had to go big or go home with this opening chapter, and they certainly did. It turns out Darth Vader is en route and, in an attempt to save his friends, Chewbacca tries to snipe the Sith Lord. Yeah, good luck with that, you lovable big walking carpet.
As totally expected, Vader isn't someone who can be easily surprised and the dude has no problem deflecting the blasts with his lightsaber. But why put his reflexes to use when he can use those absolutely useless Stormtroopers as human shields, right? It's such a heartless and badass feat. It's a nice way to bring us back to the original universe and remind us just how cold and intimidating Vader can be.
Look, this is where we usually try to justify checking out the issue, but come on! We're talking about Star Wars' brand new ongoing at Marvel and it's written by Jason Aaron. What more do you honestly need? And yes, it's very possible someone's arm or hand has an unfortunate encounter with a lightsaber. It just wouldn't be Star Wars without someone losing a hand or arm, yeah? Seriously, go read this if you even remotely like the franchise.
INJUSTICE: YEAR THREE #16
One of the previous editions of the Battle of the Week was Sinestro vs. Wonder Woman. According to the voters, Wonder Woman would win in a good fight. But according to the latest chapter of INJUSTICE: YEAR THREE, it would be a very one-sided encounter. Brian Buccellato (writer), Sergio Davila (artist), Juan Albarran (inks) and Rex Lokus' (colors) digital comic shows us a very confident and determined Diana absolutely dominating an outraged and struggling Thaal Sinestro. Apparently, being one of the greatest ring-slingers doesn't mean when you're facing Wonder Woman. Yellow construct in her way? She has no problem smashing right through it.
As Wonder Woman shows no sign of slowing down or giving Sinestro even a little bit of mercy, Ares prevents Hal Jordan and Billy Batson from stopping the slaughter. You can pretty much imagine him channeling his inner Ken Watanabe and then saying, "Let them fight." Sinestro does what he can to hold the Amazon back, but nothing is even fazing her.
Sinestro may be getting destroyed, but his mustache is still intact and that's what truly matters. But seriously, the savage display doesn't stop for even a second and Wonder Woman has the lantern locked in her sights the entire time. With a clenched fist and a focused look on her face, Wonder Woman continues to obliterate Sinestro. It's a violent and bloody encounter, but you can't help but laugh a bit when you look at Sinestro's upcoming expression. You can only imagine what's going through his head after Diana's fist smashes against his cheek. It's a little surprising a Red Power Ring didn't seek Diana out during the encounter. How frightening would that be?
We'll be completely honest with you, things don't get any better for the alien. He's immensely powerful and great in combat, but in this scenario, Wonder Woman's sheer speed and might was just too much for him. How far does Diana go, though? Does anyone step in? The fight doesn't last much longer, but the chapter does end on quite a cliffhanger.
What are your top three fights from this latest round of new comics? Support what you love and tell the world below. Also, don't forget to make nominations every week in the official thread or tell us via Twitter. Check back next Friday for a new edition of this segment. Have a good weekend!