Hannibal Tabu is a writer, journalist, DJ, poet and designer living in south Los Angeles with his wife and children. He's a winner of the 2012 Top Cow Talent Hunt, winner of the 2018-2019 Cultural Trailblazer award from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, his weekly comic book review column THE BUY PILE can be found on iHeartRadio's Nerd-O-Rama podcast, his reviews can be found on BleedingCool.com, and more information can be found at his website, www.hannibaltabu.com.
Plus, get free weekly web comics on the Operative Network at http://bit.ly/combatshaman.
Catwoman #26 posits the idea that after all of Gotham almost burned down from the latest toss-up between the Joker and the Bat, the titular Selina Kyle has gone back to basics, returning to her neighborhood of Alleytown to take it over from the mobs running the streets. What's that you say? Yes, Catwoman did […]
In Guardians Of The Galaxy #7, it's a new day in the farthest reaches of the universe as all the great spaceborne empires come together in their own Paris Peace Conference to ratify guidelines and come to a common understanding. Because this is the Marvel universe, of course, that means some brand of shenanigans are […]
In Firefly #21, the crew of the Serenity looks like they found the end of the tunnel as they have spent what feels like forever on the run. A corporation called Blue Sun is expanding law enforcement to frontier regions that formerly enjoyed much less scrutiny, but the crew is safe and sound. They just […]
Big Girls #3 is a gigantic update to the story and pulse-pounding action; this wildly inventive science fiction adventure series gives readers a deeper understanding of the characters and the world they inhabit. Ember's origin on a far from the enclave called The Preserve is revealed, as her uncomplicated father and two brothers suffered in […]
With striking and crisp visuals, The Legend of Yukmouth #1 is a bold new issue is filled with ominous atmosphere and chilling moments. Like the movie Belly, it masters the visual elements of emotions — intimidation, confidence, determination — and codifies it into sequential art. A mysterious and powerful man rolls up on the storefront […]
The X of Swords crossover is less a series of tales told in multiple avenues and more a single tale weaving through the periodical schedules of multiple series. As such, reviewing Hellions #5 (or Cable #5 or New Mutants #13) is not exactly like a regular comic book review, as you don't get a story in any of […]
Commanders In Crisis #1 is a bold, jam-packed debut issue wears its politics on its sleeve as that arm punches a bad guy in the face. Carefully balancing exposition, plot development, and action, this new superhero concept takes hints of things you know while introducing all-new characters and a bigger-than-life threat. First, the dramatis personae. […]
It was said that studying to become a Jedi master was a hard life with danger and uncertainty. In Star Wars: Darth Vader #6, we see that the instructional elements for a Sith are not at all easier, with the erstwhile Anakin Skywalker facing Palpatine's harsh discipline after the emo adventures on Naboo. His return […]
The third time is certainly the charm as the new adventure series from Boom! Studios again hits every note perfectly. With cinematic camera angles, effective characterization, and lore that gets more effective with every issue, Seven Secrets #3 is your new favorite comic book. A teenager named Caspar has a chance to step into a […]
Much like this week's Batman #100, Amazing Spider-Man #49 is a "landmark" issue (if you add the old numbering this is #850, but they restarted it, so does that even count?) amounts to much ado about nothing as all the sturm und drang of a gigantic slobberknocker amounts to next to nothing being different than […]
With a comical slant and a hard science fiction edge, this fast-paced, The Orville: Launch Day #2 is an enjoyable issue that gives you many of the thrills of the TV show. The characters are true to themselves, many get a chance to shine, and the photorealistic artwork brings familiar and alien environments to life. […]
Getting pretty far afield from the central theme of a crew of mutants on the high seas, Marauders #13 dives deep into the relationship Ororo Monroe (Storm) has with her ex-husband and his Wakandan relatives. It achieves half of the storytelling mandate in that its conclusion (for the needs of the larger X of Swords […]
After the breathtaking debut issue, this installment of the new espionage send-up takes its foot off the accelerator and coasts, which is a troubling choice for a four-issue miniseries. There are still plenty of entertaining elements to work with here, but where the first issue astonished, this one merely suffices. Nora Freud is a […]
In a genuinely depressing kind of jack-in-the-box sense, in Batman #100 the Joker War goes a long way to press DC Comics' favorite button, the one on the far right side of the Atari 2600 that made everything easy again. There are some bright spots worth noting. Proving, for once and for all, that Oracle […]
This issue takes a close look at an Imperial commander who lost her guiding star and knows exactly who is to blame. Ellian Zahra is a ruthlessly competent Imperial officer, known by some of the biggest names in the power structure and hell-bent on ending Leia Organa. With effective flashbacks that deftly danced between the […]
With equal parts Criminal and the vibe from HBO's Run, this issue cranks up the stakes for its ne'er-do-well protagonist Saffron Chu while doubling down on the bloodshed. If you're a little squeamish, this issue's gore-heavy panels might be a bit much for you. The gag is this: Saffron has a boyfriend named Eddie Molay who […]
This story encapsulates the basics of Marvel's first family while setting them into the larger fictional continuity. The core value of this intellectual property is family, and Dan Scott's script really nails the close, personal connections between characters. The issue hits both all elements of the modern-day while getting into nostalgic moments so steeped in […]
The escalation of Moon Knight into some kind of world-ending power continues in its baffling inexorability, despite any logic or sanity that might hope to stop it. Most of this issue, Marc Spector (Moon Knight's legal name, for anyone who missed it) trades punches with T'Challa, which on its surface sounds insane (T'Challa the Black […]
The facts are these: most of this issue is comprised with people yelling at each other, then "video clips" of things that (in story) happened beforehand. There is one very brief moment of action which is undercut by the weirdly immature behavior of the character in question, who ironically was more mature in his televised […]
Hh. Well, Ludocrats #5 is the end of the wildly ambitious mini-series about a world of mad, whimsical aristocrats sworn to fight dullness in any possible form. In this issue, characters make gags that are callbacks to things they did before. The art dynamically takes you through a trial (that's more interesting than the one […]
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