Who can honestly say they don't love a good fight between comic book characters? I assume you can't, otherwise you wouldn't be here now, right? This week I narrowed down my favorite fights and, while DC and Marvel once again earned a spot, this is the first time a comic from Image appears in this segment! Batman and his allies taking on Damian's massive clone was an obvious choice, Kaine had a brutal fight that I simply had to include, and Luther Strode dropped my jaw with some insane action. Don't forget to sound off below with your top 3 battles in new comics this week!
Batman / Nightwing / Red Robin vs. The Heretic (BATMAN INCORPORATED #9)
Picking up immediately after Damian's death, The Dark Knight confronts his son's killer. As expected, Batman goes all out against the Heretic, even shattering the sword that took his son's life with his bare foot. Prepare for Batman in beast mode with Chris Burnham totally killing it on pencils.
Batman gives it his all, but we're talking about a character that shrugged off an arrow through the chest. Despite his more vicious tactics, the Caped Crusader's effort is futile. Luckily for him, though, Nightwing and Red Robin are slowly recovering in the same area. It's an uphill struggle yet Batman still manages to get some damaging hits in before going down.
Nightwing recovers before Tim and is able to save Wayne from having his back broken (again). The acrobat gives us a great display, fully utilizing his agility as he dances around the powerhouse. He gets his licks in but it's not too long before the brute takes him down with a single strike.
In the end, it takes Tim using a freaking tank to make the powerhouse flee. It makes me really wonder what this dude's limitations are. So, who else thinks this huge villain turns out to be the future Damian we've seen before?
Scarlet Spider vs. Los Lobos (SCARLET SPIDER #15)
I've been incredibly mixed on Khoi Pham's work in SCARLET SPIDER, but the man absolutely delivered and then some for this savage brawl. Kaine has given into the Other and has finally become a true monster. Those two Werewolves have been really fearsome (even if a street gang temporarily held their own...), but this new version of Kaine? Yeah, I'd need to change my underwear if I ever saw this thing in an alley.
In spite of the physical upgrade and spooky makeover, these two werewolves clearly aren't afraid. The trio engage in a vicious symphony of slashes, stabs and even bites. Before you know it, one of the Los Lobos loses and eye and that's only the beginning of their worries...
As you can see above, Kaine's new form has a few new and quite nifty upgrades -- one being pointy legs. Instead of using them for say, crawling... Kaine decides to straight up impale one of his enemies straight through the chest. My reaction was pretty much the same as Aracely's when I read that moment.
So let me get this straight... Kaine rips out an eye, stabs one in the chest, and then rips off a friggin' arm? Like I told ya, this fight is shockingly savage.
Luther Strode vs. Jack the Ripper (THE LEGEND OF LUTHER STRODE #4)
The stunning cover lured me in and, seeing as I like Justin Jordan's other work, I thought I'd give this a chance. My immediate reaction upon completing the issue: WHY HAS NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS BOOK? Seriously, Jordan's Image comic feels like it was made just for this weekly segment.
Seriously, I can't get over how astonishing this book looks. Colorist Felipe Sobreiro and artist Tradd Moore deserve the most delicious cookie ever for their work on this title. It's a fast, fun and animated feel -- it practically seems like screengrabs taken from the most violently awesome cartoon I've ever witnessed.
This is yet another classic display of power versus skill. As you can see, Luther's strength and durability doesn't mean much when his enemy lands dozens of hits before he can barely connect. However, the tide soon turns as Luther gets a good grip on Jack the Ripper. Prepare for the best slam you'll see all week -- and yes, that's taking into account when the Heretic smashed Batman.
Believe it or not, this is just the beginning of this issue's craziness. The fight isn't even close to over and I've left out some of the goriest moments. Seriously, I'm so glad I decided to randomly check this book out and I highly recommend you do the same if you're looking for some ridiculously fun and over the top action.
Honorable Mentions
- Gambit and Joelle vs. Baron Strucker's creatures (GAMBIT #10)
- Spider-Man vs. Ultrons (SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #6AU)
- Guardians of the Galaxy and Iron Man vs. Badoon (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1)
- Batman's secret identity vs. His own Judgement (BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #18)
- Rick the Stick vs. "Tyler" (FIVE WEAPONS #2)
- Uncanny X-Force vs. Bishop (UNCANNY X-FORCE #3)
Gregg Katzman is a freelance writer for Comic Vine and IGN Entertainment. This is the part where he shamelessly plugs his Google+ and Twitter page in hopes of getting a new follower or two.