February 5, 2023

It is Sunday morning and I am back for the next installment of Comic Catch-Up, here at EYG. I am heading to a conference in Des Moines this afternoon so I wanted to make sure I get today’s February Catch-Up written, just in case. I do have several selected issues in my Loot Crate box to take along to try and find some time before or after the conference (or during? heh heh) to get my reading done for Monday. No matter what, the write-up will not come until late tomorrow night. But what I am saying is that I am dedicated to the goal of at least an hour a day through February, no matter what.

This morning’s haul….

A.X.E: Judgment Day #4-6. Written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Valerio Schiti. I had been up and down on this series so far. Issue three did not do a lot for me after a pretty solid start, but issue four was outstanding. In fact, it inspired me to go ahead and finish issues five and six this morning. The conclusion was fine, but I was just really in on issue four. The way it went through people across the planet, judging them was compelling and seeing several of the Marvel heroes facing their own judgment from the Celestial was well done. I do want to mention that one of the drawbacks to me was when the heroes started being killed off, I lost some interest because they were killing off big names and I knew that they would not be dead for good. I also like the fact that the X-men’s resurrection ability, which I have been critical of through the latest run, was part of the story and it made sense that others may not be a fan of the X-Men being, essentially, immortal. Decent event series.

A.X.E. Judgment Day Omega #1. Written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Guiu Vilanova. This was a book filled with the fall out from the Judgment Day, mostly for the Eternals. This was okay. My favorite part was the story with Ikaris and the woman he went to see, Sophia. The normal people of earth had a role in the Judgment Day series and it is nice to see the wrap up books include them as well.

Captain America and the Winter Soldier Special #1. This book, which was written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, with art from Kev Walker, leads into a storyline that continued in Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #7. I’ll need to pull that out of the pile to see where it goes. This was all set up, basically, involving a group of string-pullers involved in a large scale conspiracy in the world. Somehow, Bucky joined them. Poor Bucky has been through so much in his long life. Just one more problem.

Public Domain #5. More adventures with comic book artists and writers from the mind of Chip Zdarsky. It now has a feeling of the story of Image Comics. It has felt like the story of Stan Lee, the sotry of the MCU and now of Independent Comics. Still finding it an enjoyable read.

Ghost Rider #5. “Hell’s Backbone“. I had really liked the new Ghost Rider book when it first came out. Focusing on Johnny Blaze and his own problems was a good choice after so many other versions of Ghost Rider. Nothing against Robbie or Danny, but it is great to see the original again. This included a wild motorcycle race with Wolverine and other Marvel luminaries.

Black Panther: Unconquered #1. Written by Bryan Hill and drawn by Alberto Foche. The Spear of Bast is involved in an action packed story involving T’Challa. The villain was named Archon who led a group called The Volk, a Germanic cult. As I mentioned, there was a great series of Black Panther fight panels in this issue, making it an easy read.

Strange Academy: Finals #3. Written by Skottie Young with the artistic skills of Humberto Ramos. I have really enjoyed this series so far. I have found all but one issue of the Strange Academy series that I will dive into once I can find that final illusive comic. I have grown to love these characters and the way the story is told. The final splash page was amazing too. Can’t wait for issue four.

Wakanda #5. “Without Question“. I was going to finish this analogy series yesterday, but it got pushed to today. This issue’s story surrounded Okoye and one of the hopefuls from the Dora Milaje, Natima, Okoye’s niece. This actually tied back to an earlier issue of the anthology series where Rhino appeared. I liked the connection even though the idea is that they are separate. I liked the anthology series, showing all the nooks and crannies of Wakanda and the other characters that populate that world.

Sabretooth & the Exiles #3. “Out of Body Experience“. The Exiles take a trip into the Astral Plane in an attempt to save Orphan-Maker who had removed his mask and triggered an explosive power from within him. Again, I do like this combination of characters and the last splash page is, once again, extremely gripping. This was written by Victor LaValle and the art was by Leonard Kirk.

Avengers #51. “A Dark Phoenix Rises over Asgard“. The Death Hunters Part One, written by Jason Aaron featuring art from Juan Frigeri. The cover art was by Javier Garrón and David Curiel. The Avengers have been consistently entertaining during this back issue catch-up, and this looks to be one of the earliest moments of this multiversal battle that we see so much of in the Avengers Forever books. We get a lot of Echo, who has become the new Phoenix, and Thor, who has discovered the truth of his birth, is not happy about it. I know the most recent Avengers book deals with the identity of this mysterious Avenger Prime, so I am going to have to keep myself honest and wait impatiently until I get to it. No spoiler for me!