It’s time for Fantastic Five, where we shout out the best comics of the week! This week, DC once again came out swinging, cleanly sweeping the top 5 comics of the week. Let’s take a look at the books!
The best comics of the week: December 18, 2024
#5: Jenny Sparks #5
Jenny Sparks #5 isn’t afraid to say things, even if sometimes what it says gets jumbled up in capes and tights. On the upside, Jeff Spokes just gets better and better, making walking dialogue scenes dynamic with tilted shots of characters on Dutch angles. I would love to see him pair up with Tom King again in the future as their artistic sensibilities work well together. We get to see him render the main characters’ backstories, giving them the trademark Tom King tragedy, which fills it with proper pathos. There’s also Batman-Superman banter, which we could never have too much of.
Read Marvel Maximus’s full review!
#4: Batman & Robin: Year One #3
Before they were the Dynamic Duo, they had to learn to live together. Waid and Samnee create an issue that shows the problems behind the mask and how they come forward to make a huge snag in the partnership. Batman’s ignorance of understanding children could be an issue in the shaping of Dick Grayson into quite a terror. Robin’s inability to check himself causes the team to lose their stealth and develops into a problem that Bruce will have to learn how to deal with or change. “Growing Pains” hitting the Batcave is an entertaining issue worth exploring deeper.
Read Christopher Franey’s full review!
#3: Absolute Batman #3
Absolute Batman #3 puts the pedal to the metal. In flashbacks, Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin produce bittersweet glimpses of Bruce’s life full of friends and love. And in the present, they deliver a heavy metal Batmobile chase unlike any other. All the while, Scott Snyder infuses tension in every lull and action with Batman having to make tough decisions that he never had to deal with before. As Alfred said in this issue, “I may actually love Batman.”
Read Marvel Maximus’s full review!
#2: Nightwing #121
Nightwing #121 continues to be Nightwing at his very best. Things aren’t easy for him, but they shouldn’t be. Throughout the first arc, Dan Watters has continuously taken the opportunity to elevate the character to greater heights while adding depth to the world around him. Additionally, the story’s art helps to bring to life a story full of action and mystery. Also, the issue has an interesting preview for the new Metamorpho series; so, if that interests you, there’s another win to find here.
Read Michael Guerrero’s full review!
#1: The New Gods #1
I can already feel the excitement of watching Ram and Cagle get up on the tightrope again for the next issue. I want to see every trick they can pull off and the ways they defy the gravity which pulls on and threatens every big swing like this one. Even as I write this, I’m constantly going back to the issue, finding new little questions I have and finding new things to look forward to. Ram and Cagle have thus pulled off my favorite type of comic experience: the kind which reminds me why comics were my first love.
