DC’s Beach Blanket Bad Guys Summer Special
DC Comics
Writers: Lee Bermejo, Jeff Loveness, Paul Dini, Vita Ayala, Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko, Michael Moreci, Tim Seeley, Shea Fontana, Daniel Kibblesmith,
Artists: Francesco Matinna, David Williams, John Paul Leon, Amancay Nahuelpan, Max Raynor, Minkyu Jung, Carlos D’anda, Laura Braga, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith.
Lettering by: Tom Napolitano, Carlos M Mangual, Deron Bennett, Clayton Cowles, Dave Sharpe,
Colors by: Steve Buccellato, John Paul Leon, June Chung, Matthew Wilson, Paul Mounts, John Kalisz, Luis Guerrero, Arif Prianto, Tomeu Morey.
DC’s Summer Special is here with 10 scorching stories featuring our favorite DC villains. A delightful lineup of artists and writers bring each story to life in a collection you don’t want to miss. With Mr. Freeze, Cheetah, Lex Luthor and more, this summer special is a perfect purchase to enjoy this summer.
Worlds Finest
The first villainous tale of the special is a showdown between the clown prince of crime and bizarro. Bizarro is destroying the beach front and Mr j, dressed as the bat, turns up ready to battle. The art by Francesco Matinna is outstanding and there is a very well written nod to the movie Batman v Superman by Lee Bernajo. This was one of my favorites of the special even though it was quite a surreal read it was very well done.
Help
Lex Luthor’s car has broken down and he’s in need of assistance. A passerby stops and offers help resulting in a conversation between the two as he repairs Lex’s car. Lex notices the man has a Superman tattoo which triggers him to ask why that symbol. I won’t ruin it’s ending but the story that is told by the man and how it ends made me admire the character of Superman. I’m somebody who usually isn’t a fan of supes and it’s the opposite of what I personally like to read. The dialogue written by Jeff Loveness is short and sweet yet nails the message of Superman.
Close Shave
Written by the brilliant Paul Dini, story number three follows Mrfreeze in a giant robot he has created called “Glacier Vengeance”. His giant freeze machine captures an ice cream truck and it’s owners after noticing its mascot is his own likeness. The story is written beautifully by Dini and has an ending every Mr. Freeze fan will love. One of my favorites of the special.
False Idols
A young archaeologist finds the lair of the powerful villainess Cheetah after searching her entire life. She seeks support and admiration for her idol only to shunned away. This story’s writing was quite deep and takes a mirrored look at ones rise to power which becomes apparent when Cheetah is confronted in the final pages.
Icy Embrace
This is one of the best stories in the special. An expedition to Greenland to find an old treasure is financed by Black Manta. The team is aware of his past exploits but his intentions initially seem honorable. The art is crisp and the colors used by Matthew Wilson really conveys the cold claustrophobia as the story unfolds. It reminded me of the classic horror movie The Thing.
Giganta Strong
Giganta returns to the place she grew up and the carnival is in town. She reminisces about her old life and has a run-in with old bullies from her past leading to a destructive finale. This was my least favorite story of the special for two reasons. I’m not familiar with the character and the story was one that had been done many times before.
Cruel Summer
A fight between Gorilla Grodd and the Flash takes up most of this story with an interlude of a flashback to Grodds mother. Its dialogue between the two was a well-placed change of tone in the special and features art by the brilliant Minkyu Jung that capture each blow between the two.
Dog days of
This story centers on a young girl witnessing Deathstroke on an assassination job and blackmailing him to help her. I loved the dialogue, the art and it’s ending was incredible. It surprised me and made me sit back and then to reread it over. Excellently done and a great stand-alone story by itself.
Perfect gentlemen
The Penguin is infatuated with Veronica Vreeland, Gothams “debutante darling.” With the help of a trainer at Gotham fitness, he sets out to improve his physique to win the girl. In true penguin style, it takes a dark turn with some well-executed humor throughout.
Independence
Set in Earth three, another world, another time, the final story of the special had me hooked from the beginning. It features a host of characters from superwoman to Hal Jordan and it doesn’t hold back in setting itself from the previous stories told. The closing sentence made me laugh out loud and was a great finish to a superb summer special.
I enjoyed this summer special immensely. It made me both laugh and feel sad, I felt a fondness for Superman id personally not felt before and was great to see these villains outside of their usual settings. A must buy for any dc fan to own this summer.