Dave's Rants Archive
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Last Updated 12/28/18
All reviews copyright 2007-2018 by Dave Van Domelen
This page holds an archive of my comic book reviews for the
past few years. The originals are posted to rec.arts.comics.reviews on
Usenet newsgroups, and some time between Wednesdays I throw in some minimal
formatting and link the file in here. Most of the time these will be
spoiler-free "Capsules", but once in a while I'll go whole-hog on a
review.
Best Books of:
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009
2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018
A listing of what I considered to be the best comics of the last few years,
these are all the titles that got a "Strongly Recommended" or better rating
in my reviews at the time, with all the biases that implies. No entries for
2013 and 2014, since I didn't get a lot of books those years.
Recent Columns
Comics of note (Strongly recommended or better, usually) will be in
boldface, with an asterisk if they're Strongly Recommended. While
most of my reviews are spoiler-free capsules, the occasional full review will
be underlined. Categories of material are "Other
Media" (not actually comics, but comics-related), Digital Comics, Trades and Graphic
Novels. Traditional "floppies" are in black.
- February 2,
2018 (January stuff): Scooby-Doo & Batman the Brave
and the Bold DVD *, The Witch Boy *,
Ms. Marvel #26, Moon Girl #27, Black Lightning Cold Dead Hands #2-3 (of 6),
Deathstroke #27, Deathstroke Annual #1, Justice League #36-37, Future Quest
Presents: Birdman #6, The American Way: Those Above and Those Below #5 (of
6), Astro City #50, Invader Zim #27, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #62,
My Little Pony Legends of Magic #10, Transformers vs. Visionaries #1, Optimus
Prime #14-15, Transformers Lost Light #13, Comic Book History of Comics v2
#1-2, Atomic Robo the Spectre of Tomorrow #4 (of 5).
- March 5, 2018
(belated February comics): Black Panther (movie)*,
Gotham by Gaslight (DVD), Hilo vol 4, Action
Presidents vol 1-2, Black Panther Annual #1, Ms. Marvel #27, Moon Girl
and Devil Dinosaur #28, Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #4 (of 6),
Deathstroke #28, Justice League #38-39, Future Quest Presents: Birdman #7,
The American Way: Those Above and Those Below #6 (of 6), Invader Zim #28,
Kaijumax Season 3 #6 (of 6), My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #63, My
Little Pony Legends of Magic #11, Transformers vs. Visionaries #2 (of 5),
Optimus Prime #16, Optimus Prime Annual 2018, Transformers Lost Light #14-15,
The Comic Book History of Comics v2 #3, Empowered and Sistah Spooky's High
School Hell #2-3 (of 6).
- March 30,
2018: Lego DC Super-Heroes the Flash DVD, Adventure Finders vol 1, Black [AF]
America's Sweetheart, Ms Marvel v2 #28, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur
#29, The World of Krypton #1, Black Lightning Cold Dead Hands $5 (of 6),
Deathstroke #29, Justice League #40-41, Future Quest Presents #8, Invader Zim
#29, The Tick 2018 #3, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #64, My Little Pony
Legends of Magic #12 (of 12-ish), Transformers vs. Visionaries #3-4 (of 5),
Transformers Lost Light #16, Atomic Robo the Spectre of Tomorrow #5 (of 5),
The Comic Book History of Comics vol 2 #4 (of 4).
- April 28,
2018: Jessica Jones S2, Avengers Infinity War,
Overwatch #16, Marvel Rising #0, Ms. Marvel #29
*, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #30, Black Lightning Cold Dead Hands #6
(of 6), Deathstroke #30, Justice League #42-43, Future Quest Presents the
Herculoids #9, Astro City #51, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #65
*, My Little Pony Legends of Magic Annual 2018, Transformers Lost Light
#17, Optimus Prime #17-18, Empowered and Sistah Spooky's High School Hell #4
(of 6).
- May 31,
2018: Batman Ninja, Deadpool 2, Sparks!, Economix: How Our Economy Works (And Doesn't Work), The
Manga Guide to the Universe, Ms. Marvel #30 *, Deathstroke #31,
Future Quest Presents the Herculoids #10, Invader Zim #30, My Little Pony
Ponyville Mysteries #1, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #66, Transformers
vs. Visionaries #5 (of 5), Transformers Unicron #0, Optimus Prime #19
- June 27,
2018: Cloak & Dagger (TV), Luke Cage Season 2 (eps
1-2), The Phoenix #331, Moon Girl and Devil
Dinosaur #31-32, Marvel Rising Alpha #1, Ms. Marvel #31, Deathstroke #32,
Future Quest Presents the Herculoids #11, Astro City #52 (of 52), The Tick
#4, Invader Zim #31, Kaijumax Season 4 #1 (of 6), My Little Pony Ponyville
Mysteries #2, Transformers Requiem of the Wreckers Annual 2018, Transformers
Lost Light #18.
- July 26,
2018: Ant Man and the Wasp, Luke Cage Season 2 (the
rest), The Princess Who Saved Herself,
Ms. Marvel #32, Marvel Rising: Squirrel Girl & Ms. Marvel #1, Deathstroke
#33, Future Quest Featuring Frankenstein Jr. #12, The League of Extraordinary
Gentlemen: The Tempest #1 (of 6), Smoketown #8 (of 8), Mystery Science
Theater 3000 The Comic Free Preview, Empowered and Sistah Spooky's High
School Hell #5 (of 6), Real Science Adventures: the Nicodemus Job #1 (of 5?),
My Little Pony Ponyville Mysteries #3, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
#67-68 *, Transformers Bumblebee #1-2, Transformers Lost Light #19-21,
Optimus Prime #20-21, Transformers Unicron #1-2 (of 6).
- August 29,
2018: Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman Rage of
Atlantis, Marvel Rising: Initiation, Gravity Falls
Lost Legends, Rolled & Told Free Issue, Ms. Marvel #33, Marvel Rising:
Ms. Marvel & Squirrel Girl #1, Deathstroke #34, Real Science Adventures: The
Nicodemus Job #2 (of 5), My Little Pony Ponyville Mysteries #4 (of 5), My
Little Pony Friendship is Magic #69, Transformers Bumblebee #3 (of 4),
Transformers Lost Light #22 (of 25), Optimus Prime #22 (of 25), Transformers
Unicron #4 (of 6).
- September 27,
2018: Freedom Fighters: the Ray DVD, Iron Fist Season
2, Ms. Marvel v2 #34, Marvel Rising Omega #1, Deathstroke #35,
Catalyst Prime Astonisher #10 (v3 #1), The Wrong Earth #1, Kaijumax Season 4
#2 (of 6), League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Tempest #2 (of 6), Real Science
Adventures: The Nicodemus Job #3 (of 5), My Little Pony Ponyville Adventures
#5 (of 5), My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #70, Transformers Lost Light
#23-24, Optimus Prime #23, Transformers Unicron #4 (of 6), Star Trek
vs. Transformers #1 (of 4).
- October 31,
2018: Daredevil Season 3 (episodes 1-9), Monster Atlas vol 1: the Americas, Spider Force #1 (of 3),
Ms. Marvel v2 #35, Deathstroke #36, Catalyst Prime Astonisher #11, The Wrong
Earth #2, Captain Ginger #1, Empowered and Sistah Spooky's High School Hell
#6 (of 6), My Little Pony Nightmare Knights #1 (of 5), My Little Pony
Friendship is Magic #71, Transformers Bumblebee Prequel #4 (of 4), Optimus
Prime #24, Transformers Unicron #5 (of 6).
- November 27,
2018: Spider Force #2 (of 3), Ms. Marvel v2 #36, Deathstroke #37,
Catalyst Prime Astonisher #12, The Wrong Earth #3, Kaijumax Season 4 #3 (of
6), Real Science Adventures: the Nicodemus Job #5 (of 5), My Little Pony
Nightmare Knights #2 (of 5), My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #72,
Transformers Unicron #6 (of 6), Optimus Prime #25 (of 25), Transformers Lost
Light #25 (of 25), Star Trek vs. Transformers #2 (of 4).
- December 28,
2018: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse *,
Venom, Kanako's Life as an Assassin, Adventure
Finders Chapters 6-16, Adventure Finders vol 1 TPB,
The Hidden Witch, Breakfast of the Gods TPB, Spider Force #3 (of 3),
Spider-Geddon Handbook, Ironheart #1, Deathstroke #38, Catalyst Prime
Astonisher #13, The Wrong Earth #4, My Little Pony Nightmare Knights #3 (of
5), My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #72, Star Trek vs. Transformers #3 (of
4).
Rant Archives
This is where older Rants will go to keep the main page from getting
cluttered. Only the files from March 2007 onward will be here, but searching
Google Groups for Dave, Rant and the title of the comic you're interested in
will usually do pretty well, assuming I reviewed the book. (In 2012 I
shifted from weekly to monthly reviews, so the archives shift from months to
years.)
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