Best Battles in New Comics: 3/20/15
Let's get ready to (watch comic book characters) rumbllllllllllle! Sorry, couldn't resist. Thanks for taking some time to check out the latest edition of Best Battles in New Comics, the most amazingtastic place to be if you want to enjoy watching some really cool brawls with some of your favorite comic book characters. This week's edition has one highlight from Marvel, one from DC, and one from IDW. Oh, and if your favorite fight isn't below, give it some love in the comments. Now, on to the highlights!
MOON KNIGHT #13
Our first highlight comes from Cullen Bunn's first issue of MOON KNIGHT! The visuals you're about to hopefully enjoy are by Ron Ackins, Tom Palmer, Walden Wong, Victor Olazaba, and Dan Brown. Bunn's debut issue has a simple premise: there's some people capturing ghosts -- no, not the Ghostbusters -- and Moon Knight's going to shut down their operation. We've seen Marc Spector drop nameless goons countless times before, but this team makes sure it's still fun.
With the way this art team captures the force behind the hits and gives us solid perspectives, I could watch Marc pummel a wave of goons all day. But Moon Knight isn't just a good hand-to-hand fighter; the dude's also incredibly talented with throwing weapons. So, Bunn reminds us of that by making the hero put a few to great use. The way it's all choreographed is so satisfying, too.
Awesome recovery, Marc! And yeah, it really sucks to be that criminal, doesn't it? I guess he's just lucky none of the crescent daggers tagged him in the face. But one in each wrist? Yeesh. Anyway, that man is quickly taken out of the picture just moments later, but some of you are probably wondering how these guys are capturing ghosts, right? Instead of a proton pack, this group wears gloves which allow them to grab the spirits and then they place in them in orbs. Moon Knight may not be a ghost, but the device can still hurt him. Luckily for the hero, he's way more skilled than his opponent.
What happens next is pretty embarrassing for Moon Knight, but he makes up for it by the cool way he wins the fight. Yeah, we spoiled the fact he wins in the end, but you honestly thought he wouldn't? Come on! Bunn's debut may be a swift standalone story, but it's off to a pretty interesting start!
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #44
Now we're taking you into the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This issue was created by Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, Cory Smith, and Ronda Pattison. This is a huge issue for the franchise (we won't spoil why in here) and a majority of the pages are spent in two different locations. In one spot, we have the Leo, Raph, and Mikey battling General Krang. In the other, we have Donatello attempting to take on Bebop and Rocksteady all by himself. Donnie may be infinitely smarter and more skilled than the two not-so-bright mutants, but they're ridiculously powerful.
Clearly, the bo staff-wielding hero in a half shell is in a rough spot. Metalhead shows up and attempts to give him time to escape, but it's just no use. The big mutants hit Donatello in the back and then they show the guy no mercy whatsoever. Bebop approaches the Ninja Turtle while he's down and just unleashes. The way Smith and Pattison handle the panels makes it pretty tough to watch. Meanwhile, Rocksteady doesn't show the little robot any mercy either; he rips off one of its arms.
Donatello is obviously in need of some serious help. There's plenty of other mutants in the city and Harold Lillja (the guy who was controlling Metalhead) has called them for help. Elsewhere, the three brothers have been struggling to keep General Krang down for the count. They've been going at it for quite some time and even a sai in the alien's robotic head hasn't done the trick. Well, Leo has a great idea.
What's going on back in the city? Was Alopex, Nobody, or Splinter able to make it back and humiliate Shredder's two goons? Or maybe the Mutanimals answered the call? Or, maybe Bebop and Rocksteady were able to get away with something truly terrible? And despite having his robotic head taken off, the alien still won't stay down! This is a pretty big issue for the franchise, so if you're a TMNT fan, we strongly encourage you to go read it.
BATMAN/SUPERMAN #20
Our third and final highlight comes from the latest issue of Greg Pak's BATMAN/SUPERMAN. The visuals were created by Ardian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes, Mark Morales, and Ulises Arreola. Superman finally has the opportunity to meet more of his family from Krypton (they've been trapped in Kandor), except it's not a warm and fuzzy reunion. Thanks to the Phantom King, a.k.a. Xa-Du, Kal-El's relatives don't want to give him and Supergirl a hug; they want to murder them!
Sure, Kara and Kal could probably obliterate these Kandorians if they truly wanted to, but the fact they're fighting family is really messing with them. These opponents may not be holding back and they're trying to inflict all kinds of terrible, terrible pain upon the heroes, but that doesn't change the fact they're loved ones who are clearly under the control of a villain. Superman begs them to fight Xa-Du's influence, but it just isn't working. Luckily for him, Batman has a plan that goes beyond trying to just reason with them!
No, that's not a glow stick or something the Dark Knight picked up at a rave. He made that after Martian Manhunter was able to give him a drop from the core of Krypton's sun. Basically, it weakens a Kryptonian's powers. But even a weakened Kryptonian shouldn't be underestimated and Batman is soon struck by one heck of a heat vision blast. Despite the violent attack on Bruce, Superman has been doing everything he can to avoid hurting his mind-controlled family members. Eventually though, he realizes he can't keep enduring their attacks forever and he needs to go on the offensive.
The duo may have just unleashed huge punches, but the struggle with "Superman's Joker" isn't over just yet. The situation gets even crazier and it's very, very possible another character or two will lend a hand! Seriously, you probably won't predict how it all plays out. And if you do, well, bravo! Plus, the art team makes the entire story quite an awesome thing to witness.
What are your top three fights from this latest round of new comics? Support what you love and tell the world below. Also, don't forget to make nominations every week in the official thread or tell us via Twitter. Check back next Friday for a new edition of this segment. Have a good weekend!
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