None of my regular comics come out on the first week of the month, so I usually skip my trip to the comics shop unless I have some reason to be in that part of town.

But I really want to read the next chapter of "I Am Bane!" It's terrible but there's something very compelling about its badness, like an Ed Wood movie. Or a Jerry Lewis movie from the late 1960s or later.

(I don't read Batman regularly, I should explain. I decided to get "I Am Bane!" because ... I dunno. I sometimes like to keep track of Batman "event" comics, even when they're stupid?)

Also, I heard Providence #12 was shipping this week. We'll see.

Providence #12 was there! Yay! I got the Cthulhu cover. It's AMAZING!

I couldn't find the Cthulhu cover online. This an alternate cover. There may well be three or four more.

It's the last issue. I ordered #1 and #2 a few days ago and should get them soon. That only leaves #5.

As for Batman #20 with the latest (but not the last) chapter of "I Am Bane!" ... it's pretty bad. I'll try to find time to provide a more lengthy critique in a few days, but it really boils down to this: "When the creators take themselves and their work this seriously, they really should make more of an effort to edit out more of the dumb stuff. Because it sticks out like a sore thumb."

Riverdale #1: This comic tells stories set between episodes of the show. It is such a treat to be reading Archie Comics again--with updated twists and this comic fits perfectly with the show. There are two stories in this issue.
The first one is about Archie, Reggie, and Moose joining the football team and being hazed by Chuck Clayton and the other players. There are lots of references to Jason Blossom in the story and we see what a stand up guy Archie is.
The second story is about Cheryl hazing Betty when she joins the cheerleaders. Cheryl is the captain and the story emphasizes the disdain between the Coopers and the Blossoms. Veronica is right by Betty's side as Cheryl dishes out tasks for Betty to complete. There is a hilarious scene with Betty and her mother. The word balloon as Mrs. Cooper lectures Betty made me laugh out loud--literally.
Still having a bit of adjustment at how Cheryl and Chuck are depicted. In the comics, Chuck was a really great guy. In the Riverdale universe, he's a bully and misogynist. Cheryl was more mischievous in the comics and here she is depicted as a truly mean girl.
Still, it was nice to see Archie, Betty, and Veronica triumph. If you are not watching the show, you might be lost a bit when reading this series, but it is still very accessible.
The art is provided by Joe Eisma. He makes the characters look like teenagers and very reminiscent of their tv counterparts.
8/10

Written by Dan Abnett. Art by Philippe Briones. Cover by Brad Walker and Andrew Hennessy.

In this issue we find out Dead Water is someone new. Mera is more effective at stopping Dead Water than Aquaman. Arthur & Mera go into the lagoon to find out why people are changing into Dead Water. The Aquamarines discover is NOT the lagoon but something else changing people. They try to tell Aquaman & Mera but lose contact with them. On the last page Aquaman & Mera discover something weird at the bottom of the lagoon.

DC' Rebirth has been great for Abnett. He has been stellar on Titans & Aquaman! I can't wait for next issue when we find out what is at the bottom of the dead water lagoon!

8/10.

Written by Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason. Art and Cover by Patrick Gleason & Mick Gray.

After Superman Reborn the family is once again the Kents. I don't remember if reality altered & the new 52 Superman & Lois ever existed?

Batman & Robin come to the Kent farm. The tests Batman ran on Jon leads him to believe that Jon may be even more powerful than Clark. However Jon's powers are not progressing as Batman thinks they should. Batman investigates the Cobb Diary farm next door & is trapped by a black & green creature.

New status quo. The Kent family is no longer in hiding. The interactions between the family & their neighbors show that reality has altered. Tomasi excels at showing great family dynamics. I loved the scene with Batman & Robin having pie with the Kents. I also like that Batman doesn't intimidate Lois at all. Looking forward to the rest of the story.

8/10.

This was definitely a return to form for Superman; the last story arc was a bit of an editorially mandated misstep but this brings the book back its family focus which was what made me love the book in the first place. In addition to that I love the relationship between Jon and Damian and the comment that Clark made to Bruce, "We'll just have to shine brighter." was an amazingly perfect bit of dialogue for Superman. This is the Superman I hear in my head Tomasi's art is the Superman I see.
Grade: 8/10

Batman #20 is growing on me a bit. I read it again an hour or so ago, and I read it imagining the voices of some distinctive actors saying the lines.

I used H. Jon Benjamin for Batman. (He's Sterling Archer. He's also Bob on Bob's Burgers.)

I used Patrick Warburton for Bane. (He's Brock Sampson on The Venture Brothers. He was also Elaine's boyfriend for a while on Seinfeld.)

And I used Samuel L. Jackson for the narrator. Then I got to the end, when I realized I had forgotten that Bruce's mother Martha Wayne is the narrator. So I'm going to read it again with a different narrator later on. (Hopefully tonight.) I tried to think of a few actresses with distinctive voices, and I'm considering Scarlett Johansson. But I'm thinking Martha Wayne might sound more like a Kennedy or some East Coast matron. So I might try Katharine Hepburn or Bette Davis.

I'm also considering Jessica Walter. She voices Mallory Archer - Sterling's mother - on the TV show. She'd be a great Martha Wayne!

I should add that I still think "I Am Bane!" is pretty silly. I'm just trying to jazz it up a bit to make more palatable so I can spend enough time looking over it several times so I can write a helpful and informative (but not particularly objective) review.