Another glorious new comic book day has come and gone. Isn't it great how we comic fans basically have a holiday every single week? Anyway, many of us are still talking about the latest plot developments or twists with characters that happened in the new wave of comics, but this weekly segment has one simple objective: to celebrate some of the new action scenes! As usual, it wasn't easy narrowing it down to just three picks, but we had a good time reflecting on these brawls and hopefully you will, too! And hey, if you're not a fan of the ones we picked, we encourage you to praise the fight you have in mind instead of simply posting something like, "why isn't ___ in here?" It just may motivate someone to check out the comic, after all. Also, we have a discussion thread for this segment and check it frequently on Wednesdays and Thursdays. So if there's a fight you like in a new comic, be sure to recommend it in that thread before we write the feature!
SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #9
In case you haven't heard by now, Superman's in a pretty rough spot. The dude was forced to kill the latest version of Doomsday (long story short, he was absurdly powerful and there was apparently no other option), but in doing so, Kal-El inhaled a bunch of spores from Doomsday's callous body. Gross. Said spores are now turning him into "Superdoom" and he's struggling to keep control. Seeing as he and Wonder Woman are a thing now (yes, their relationship still exists no matter how hard you hate it), Diana's searching for ways to help the Man of Steel. She's turned to Hessia, an Amazon Healer, for assistance. Hessia agrees to give it a shot, but her method of "healing" Clark isn't exactly what Diana had in mind.
No, that's not a "healing ax." Hessia is straight up trying to slay Superdoom. Why'd she betray Wonder Woman's tust like that, you ask? Because Hessia says she also has to worry about the well-being of the entire world. With Superdoom around, that puts everyone at risk. Needless to say, this isn't a fight the Amazon is going to win, so Wonder Woman steps in and handles the situation like a total boss.
Superdoom is a major obstacle, but DC's latest God of War has no problem rectifying the conflict. In one swift move, Diana tangles the powerhouse in her lasso and then drags him up, up, and away! She takes Clark well above the surface and this gives the hero enough time to regain control. This gives Superman an epiphany: he has to leave Earth or else... well, it won't go well for everyone else on the planet. However, the news of Superman's transformation has reached the Red Lanterns and, when they spot him, they begin to attack. Unfortunately, Diana's already gone at this point so no one can clear things up before things get way out of hand. Here Clark is trying to do the right thing and these goofs assault him. How rude. But hey, miscommunication is almost always how these encounters begin, isn't it?
This rude interruption makes Clark lose control and the Doomsday virus takes the reigns once again. But what happens next? Does the powerhouse humiliate the Red Lanterns the return to Earth to cause more chaos? Are they able to defeat the infected Kryptonian? Or maybe Superdoom punches Guy Gardner in the face and Kara screams, "One punch! One punch!" We recommend buying Charles Soules' latest issue for all of the details. After all, you're only seeing bits and pieces and you can't get the full picture without all of the context, can you?
HULK #4
Abomination has been kicking Hulk's booty all across town in Mark Waid's latest volume of HULK, but the strong villain made one big mistake: he targeted Hulk's friends. Even though the Green Goliath's been pummeled over and over by the brute, Hulk rises to the occasion to protect the Avengers against the towering threat. Hulk equips Captain America's virtually indestructible shield and delivers one hell of a shield smash to the large foe's face.
Hulk's been getting his butt brutally kicked by Abom in this story arc. Seriously, it's been a one-sided beatdown that's full of massive punches and nothing but sadness for Hulk fans. So it's nice to see Banner finally make a bit of a comeback and land some ginormous hits of his own. You can't help but want to cheer as the Avenger smashes Abomination across the face with the shield and then unleashes with his huge fists. It's a nice little bit of fan service watching him take the edge in the fight... even if it is short-lived experience.
Mark Bagley's an awesome fit for Waid's script. A slugfest between Hulk and this upgraded version of Abomination should feel like a tornado ripping through the small town. Bagley's able to convey all of the thunderous punches and the immense amount of damage they dish out extremely well and it's an entertaining thing to witness. Unfortunately, Hulk's edge is now over and this fiend proves once again just how ridiculously formidable he has become. Why punch Hulk in the face with one fist when you can do it with two?
Hulk gave it his all but he still wasn't strong enough, so how do they stop this villain's rampage? Do the Avengers eventually overpower the behemoth and they all simply dish out a major dose of pain? Do they come up with some way to teleport him to Jupiter and it sets the stage for "Planet Abomination"? Or maybe they discover a key weakness or receive some much needed back-up? As always, we suggest reading the issue if you want to appreciate all of the details. Plus, the final events pave the way for the next arc!
DEADPOOL #30
Deadpool's new wife, Shiklah, is in an ugly situation with Dracula. War with the vampires is on the horizon and the Merc with a Mouth knows just how to take them down: by recruiting Dazzler! You see, Wilson went back in time to get Dazzler on his side because the current one wouldn't. He brought her back to the present -- well, his present -- and wants her to use her mutant powers to blast apart the vampires. But this is an issue of DEADPOOL, so you know their plan won't be totally straightforward. Instead of simply kicking down the door and unleashing all kinds of hell upon their enemies, Deadpool first makes a disco ball pop down from the ceiling. Then they kick down the door and Dazzler uses the spherical object to reflect her projectiles all over the room. It's basically a disco ball of death for these vamps. This is more than enough proof that Deadpool's a master tactician, yes?
Fun fact: this isn't the first time Dazzler's played a role in Wade's book! Back in the '97 volume, Gail Simone included the mutant in a hilarious issue. Oh, and while we're talking about it, you should really read that run (and the following limited series AGENT X) if you think Deadpool's a cool cat. Anyway, after that funktastic attack is unleashed, the mercenary leaps into action with his blades and Dazzler does her best to avoid getting any "death dust" on her.
One group of vampires have been Buffy'd, but Dracula still has many more under his command. Luckily for our fabulous duo, Deadpool has a very long list of addresses where these bloodsuckers can be found. First up: Coney Island! These vampires have been gruesomely assaulting people in the subway and team Dazzpool are about to bring the rampage to an end. Deadpool often does so much of the fighting, so he hangs back and simply watches as Dazzler destroys them with ease.
Groovy, yeah? Team Deadzzler's mission continues, but we haven't even told you about what happens with Agent Preston's search for the truth about Deadpool's family, have we? No, we haven't! Co-writers Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn end this one on a big cliffhanger, so you'll definitely want to stick around to see what happens next.
Honorable Mentions
- SUPERBOY #32
- NIGHTCRAWLER #3
- SECRET AVENGERS #4
- JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #2
- MIGHTY AVENGERS #11
- ALL-NEW X-MEN #28
- BLOODSHOT & H.A.R.D. CORPS #23
- DETECTIVE COMICS #32
- DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG-FU #2
- BATMAN ETERNAL #10
- UBER #14
What are your top three fights from this latest round of new comics? Also, don't forget to make nominations every week in the official thread or tell us via Twitter. See you next Friday and have a good weekend!