Welcome friends, this is the Book Report where we look at five brand new comics and give you a quick review. We have a couple of DC Books as well as a little something from the Star Wars Universe thrown in for good measure. Enough jibber jabber, let’s get to the books!

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The high adventures of Zayne Carrick are kind of in some sort of limbo. Right now the story seems to simply be moving along the back drop of the Mandalorian War, kind of giving you the feeling that the book is simply treading water. Don’t get me wrong, the book is still fun to read, but it feels like its lacking direction ultimately. The last few issues have felt this way which means two things, it’s one of the least confusing parts of the story and therefore a good time to pick up the book and easily know what’s going on (mostly because there’s nothing really going on). If you’re the least bit interested in KOTOR then now is the time to get the book before it gets back into anything deep.

Like death, blood and guts? Then Ultimatum is the book series for you! I like Jeph Loeb a lot but this book is going in a direction that I’m not sure I can still follow. Don’t get me wrong, the book is interesting, but it seems to be shocking just for the sake of being shocking. This forces certain players to act out of character like the Blob for instance, what on earth makes him a cannibal? There is a lot of killing in this book, a whole helluva lot to be exact, it’s starting to get gratuitous. Fans who want a darker comic should give this book a look, but fans that are put off by over the top violence for simple violence’s sake should steer clear.

Like Annihilation this is another great space story from Marvel comics. I love this series I really do and strongly recommend it for any reader. Havok is the leader of the Starjammers, Black Bolt has become King of the Kree, Gabriel Summers aka Vulcan is the Emperor of the Shiar, and all hell is breaking loose across the stars. There are a lot of things happening at the same time but the writing team does a good job of keeping you in the story, the artwork is awesome and the action is intense. Because the characters are at war there is death involved but it’s not overly graphic like Ultimatum, so the kids are safe. Again, this is one book to look out for.

Azrael: Deaths Dark Knight (Battle for the Cowl)

Iann Robinson has a great review of this book, check it out here! The book, dear readers is incredible to say the least. Batman is on a long vacation and there are several candidates to fill his shoes. This first issue of three gives you the impression that Battle for the Cowl will be exactly that, a battle. The art work is first rate and the story is solid, with some interesting revelations about the world that Batman lives in.  If you’re a Batman fan then I’m preaching to the choir, for those of you who aren’t this might be one of the best times ever to get on board with the Dark Knight.

The effects of Batman’s absence are very far reaching, one book that’s the hardest hit is the Outsiders. Batman’s handpicked super team is striking out on their own with Alfred playing the part of benefactor. Geoforce is the team leader with a cast of usual suspects. The new addition to the team is the brand new Owlman, we’ll have to see how this works out. This issue is the second time the new team has been to together and I feel like Peter J. Tomasi is still working out all the kinks. This is a new jump on point for readers so if you’re looking for a new team book then by all means give this one a try.