February 17, 2023

We had yet another 2-hour delay because of weather so I was able to do my reading in the morning before I went off to school. It was also a chance to go through a few of the piles looking for certain books and then…

I found Hulk #7!

I had started the Thor catch up but got stuck with The Banner of War which was a crossover with the Hulk series and I could not find Hulk #7, which was Part 3. That kind of brought that catch-up to a halt. However, I found it this morning and I can continue on.

I also found a bunch of the missing Moon Knight issues. I have been looking forward to the Moon Knight book and so I am excited when I was able to find the complete set of it.

On we go…

Hulk #7. So we’ll start with this one. Written by Donny Cates and drawn by Martin Coccolo, I have not been a fan of this new Hulk arc. The Immortal Hulk was as good as comics could be, but this new version just makes little sense. Having said that, this Hulk issue was tough and Hulk showed how much of a bad ass he was. And I truly worry about poor Tony Stark. He’s got a problem in front of him.

Moon Knight #1. “The Mission” Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Alessandro Cappuccio. Cover art was done by Steve McNiven & Frank D’Armata. This was a really cool new version of Moon Knight. He is taking care of the streets and the travelers of the night. This is also the first appearance of Hunter’s Moon. I am looking forward to continuing this series.

Ghost Rider #8. “Skeleton Crew” Johnny Storm and Talia out together trying to solve a case while Blackheart is causing trouble. Johnny and Talia have a good connection, but it does seem that Johnny’s Spirit of vengeance has some real problems moving forward.

The Department of Truth #9. Written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Martin Simmonds. I did not love this issue. There was so much in this book… the exposition of Hawk was just too much. It did not feel like a story. Instead, it felt like just a lot of details that was dry and hard to follow. I want more than this for this book. It is amazing how Tynion IV’s storytelling in Something is Killing the Children is so different than in The Department of Truth.

Stillwater #14. “An Appointment” Stillwater and the leaders of the town are taking the change of the borders of the town to expand their power into a neighboring city, Coldwater. This is a fascinating story and is, supposedly, the final arc of the series.

That Texas Blood #13. “What Buster Greer Got For Christmas.” The writer of this book was Chris Condon and the art was done by Jacob Phillips. This was the Christmas special issue with the group from the 1981 section being entertained at a Christmas party by a story by Sheriff Sam Cooper. Sheriff Cooper tells a ghost story from his own early days as a deputy. Another great issue from an exceptional book.

Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit #2. We returned to Kamal just as Loki is riding an elephant and nearly tramples her. I had an initial thought about what was happening here, but, after reading this issue, I am not sure my idea holds water. There is another Ms. Marvel running around so I am not sure what the situation is, but I am onboard to find out.

X-Men #17-19. It has been quite a long time since I have read any X-Men books so I picked a spot and read some for flavor. There were some characters who I had no idea who they were. Gerry Duggan wrote all three while Joshua Cassara drew issues #17 & #19 and C.F. Villa drew issue #18. I thought the use of the Brood in issue 19 was great and the images of Corsair was shocking. I thought these X-books were decent and did not have a bunch of the things that I have not liked much in the X-Men franchise.