5-11-25 — Christina Critiques
- Christina Pfeiffer
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Happy Sunday, friends! I lolligagged again this week and do not have Stoker or Booker Shortlist reviews but I still have AMAZING reviews for you. I can’t let you go without.
Let’s get into some comics and a top release coming this week.
INJUSTICE: YEAR ONE
Written by: Tom Taylor
Release: 3/8/16
Page count: 425
KU: Yes Hoopla: Yes
Synopsis: The Joker’s day has come - his last hurrah. But no one could have anticipated the true consequences. A beginning of the clash of titans.
First line: “Gotham has fallen silent.”
Favorite line: “Flash - ‘They will rise up against us.’ Superman - ‘Maybe. And let them come at us with sticks.’”
Thoughts: Holy cannoli. This seriously started out with a bang and ends with a bigger one. Constant action throughout and a new side of our favorite superheroes makes this an unputdownable graphic novel.
Rating: 5/5
INJUSTICE: YEAR TWO
Written by: Tom Taylor
Release: 1/15/15
Page count: 554
KU: Yes Hoopla: Yes
Synopsis: The entire Green Lantern corps (and their planet) come to overthrow Superman but it, of course, doesn’t go as planned.
First line: “We saved the entire world from a planet-core-eating zombie moon. We deserve one drink.”
Favorite line: “She especially likes putting tutus on toys cars. She likes the idea of a ballerina car.”
Thoughts: Still trucking along. If I could tell you anything, it would be to not get attached to any character. Your heart will be ripped out.
Rating: 5/5
INJUSTICE: YEAR THREE
Written by: Tom Taylor
Release: 1/16/18
Page count: 345
KU: Yes Hoopla: Yes
Synopsis: Superman and Sinestro are best friends, Green Lantern Corps is slowly dying, and Constantine all come together in this collection.
First line: “I called in a lot of favors.”
Favorite line: “I’d lie, cheat, and make deals with all the devils in hell to keep her safe.”
Thoughts: The absolute best one out of the series so far - John Constantine is a brilliantly written character and even more in this collection. I loved him so much.
Rating: 5/5
INJUSTICE: YEAR FOUR
Written by: Brian Buccellato
Release: 1/15/19
Page count: 328
KU: Yes Hoopla: Yes
Synopsis: Batman must turn to a God, Ares, for help with the mess Superman is making. But what happens when all of Olympus must take a side in the Earth battle?
First line: “A Kingdom that a scant few believe exists… and even fewer have ever seen.”
Favorite line: “You’re playing a game of chicken with thousands of lives at stake.”
Thoughts: Wowzer. This was action packed and blood soaked. Just when I thought I had it all figured it out - nope. Another crazy development was around the corner.
Rating: 5/5
INJUSTICE: YEAR FIVE
Written by: Brian Buccellato
Release: 1/14/20
Page count: 480
KU: Yes Hoopla: Yes
Synopsis: Superman is getting a wee bit paranoid and forces all to pledge loyalty. Loyalty is tested even on Batman’s side especially when Bane comes to “help”.
First line: “So stupid … and selfish … a thief… an absentee father and coward who never stood for anything… had the audacity to stage a prison break for his own son.”
Favorite line: “How the Hell did this happen?” “An unfortunate case of prison justice, it seems.”
Thoughts: The entire series was phenomenal. But… the ending was so… underwhelming. I am going to continue to the next part of the universe - INJUSTICE 2 and hope this ending makes sense.
Rating: 4.5/5
THRIFT STORE PUZZLE
By: John Boden
Release: 5/13/25
Page count: 150
KU: No Hoopla: Yes
Synopsis: A dementia patient makes friends with an orderly and his nephew-in-law and begins to tell a tale that will leave a trail of death until its very end.
First line: “I know what you’re going to say when I tell you that I am two hundred and forty-six years old.”
Favorite lines: “It’s like a puzzle from the thrift store, there are pieces missing and no matter how much time and attention you give it, it will never be complete.”
“To them, he was a ghost in the cemetery of their existence.”
“Any book can be a Bible is it guides, balms, bribes, and belittles.”
Thoughts: Taking away the personal attachment I have to the characters, this novella is beautifully heartbreaking. While rooting against the villain, the reader finds acceptance in the unknown. Cathartic, personal, and filled with beautiful foreboding prose - Boden gives us the modern DR. JEKYL/MR. HYDE meets TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE.
Rating: 6/5
Other recommendations: THE ETIQUETTE OF BOOBY TRAPS