Crisis in a Half Shell

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borg’s Best of 2019–The Best in Comics

Filed under: Backstage Pass, Comics & Books, Con Culture, Fantasy Realms, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café, Superheroes — Leave a comment

December 29, 2019

Our borg Best of 2019 list continues today with the Best in Comics. If you missed them, check out our review of the Best Movies of 2019 here, the Kick-Ass Heroines of 2019 here, and the Best in Television 2019 here.

We reviewed comics from every major publisher this year, and were pleasantly surprised with all the new characters and content available. You’ll find both some new creators on the list this year and some fan favorites who keep making better comic books each new year.

Here are the best comic books for 2019:

Best Limited Comic Series (tie) – Sara by Garth Ennis and Steve Epting (TKO Studios) and Goodnight Paradise by Joshua Dysart and Alberto Ponticelli (TKO Studios). The new publisher TKO Studios began with a bang with these two incredible stories. Sara is what every fan of war comics hopes for, and Goodnight Paradise brings the realities of life in the 21st century to the comics page in a story that will stay with readers a long time.

Best Ongoing Comic Book Series – Ghost Tree by Bobby Curnow and Simon Gane (IDW Publishing). Haunting, mythic, and sweeping, this story of a man reflecting on his past and coming to terms with the present combines with Asian legend tropes to form an emotional and curiously funny tale. Sure to leave readers begging for more.

Best Sci-Fi Comic Series, Best Comic Book Writing – Ascender by writer Jeff Lemire and artist Dustin Nguyen (Image Comics). Lemire owned this category with two fabulous science fiction tales, both with strong female lead characters. Runner-up: Sentient by Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Walta (TKO Studios).

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Tags: Alberto Ponticelli, Alex Lopez, Anita Bennett, Ascender, Aztec Empire, Batman, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Crisis in a Half Shell, Ben Herrera, Best Comic Books 2019, Best in Print, Best in Print 2019, Best of 2019, Big Red Hair, Bobby Curnow, Crisis in a Half Shell, David Hahn, DC Comics, Dustin Nguyen, Dynamite, Ed Piskor, Fantastic Four: Grand Design, Frank Cho, Freddie Williams II, Gabriel Walta, Garth Ennis, Ghost Tree, Goodnight Paradise, Hard Case Crime, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, James Tynion IV, Jaxxon, Jeff Lemire, Jin Yong, Joshua Dysart, Kevin Eastman Studios, Mario Mentasti, Marvel Comics, Max Allan Collins, Ms. Tree, Ms. Tree One Mean Mother, Obey Me, Paul Guinan, Radically Rearranged Ronin Ragdolls, Radically Rearranged Ronin Ragdolls Issue #1, Rob Bredow, Sara graphic novel, Sentient, Simon Gane, Stan Sakai, Star Wars 108, Star Wars Adventures, Steve Epting, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Green Lantern Issue 6, The War of the Realms, Titan Comics, TKO Studios, TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo, Usagi Yojimbo, Valance

Preview–Summer Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover event gets better and better

Filed under: Comics & Books, Fantasy Realms, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café, Superheroes — Leave a comment

July 3, 2019

If you enjoy Batman and especially if you read Batman comics, there’s one series you should be reading right now. And if you’re a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan, there’s one event you can’t miss this year. It’s Crisis in a Half Shell, the third crossover/team-up series of writer James Tynion IV and artist Freddie Williams II. We previewed the series here at borg back in April. It’s the most fun extension–after a lot of creators have tried–to the actual Crisis on Infinite Earths, with a Batman-centric tale including a host of Bat-villains. Two issues into the series with a third issue arriving at comic book stores today, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III also has that classic space fantasy look from its multiverse plot, stirred by ultimate villain Krang.

Fans of original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creator Kevin Eastman should take note–Tynion and Williams have cleverly tied original Eastman artwork created for this series into the story. It works seamlessly and has a great Outer Limits/Twilight Zone impact. As we expected from seeing the first images of the new character concept drawings of Batman, the Turtles, and the villains back in April, this series is both classic Batman and classic Turtles. Fans of either–and fans of both–franchises will be impressed with every inch of each page, including Jeremy Colwell‘s coloring that makes for a perfect partnership with Williams’ vibrant, dynamic, wall-to-wall action layouts and painterly style. And Tom Napolitano‘s lettering takes different turns to emphasize voices, with a great, evocating type especially for this new world’s Joker counterpart.

Today’s new cover art by Williams and Colwell just can’t be beat. It’s flat out one of the year’s best covers. Take a look at this big preview of Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Issue #3/Part 3 of the Crisis in a Half Shell story, plus previews of the cover art to Issues #4 and #5, courtesy of DC Comics and IDW Publishing:

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