February 19, 2023

I got to sleep in a little this morning, which for me meant I was awake at around 7 AM. That was actually pretty nice for once, though I did wake up to use the bathroom and do Wordle in the middle of the night. The Wordle was actually really tough and turned out to be a word that I did not know/that I had never seen before. It was a miracle that I got the word in four moves.

Once I officially got up, I grabbed the comics that I had picked out from the night before to read today. I had plenty of time to read prior to heading to see a couple of movies today, but I did not have time to do the write-ups. So before it is time to watch The Last of Us tonight on HBO Max, I’m going to knock this out…

Captain America: Symbol of Truth #4. Writer Tochi Onyebuchi and artists R.B. Silva & Zé Carlos worked on the story of Sam Wilson’s Captain America and the new Falcon and their struggles with Crossbones in the nation of Wakanda. I do like the character of Sam Wilson and I do also like him as Captain America. Next issue looks like a big throwdown with T’Challa and Sam.

Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #5. Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly featuring art by Carmen Carnero, this issue continued to dive into the Outer Circle story. It also answered a question I had after last issue of this book. I was wondering if Bucky had assumed the position of Revolution on the Outer Circle yet in continuity (because I had read another Cap book where Bucky had done so), but obviously that had not yet occurred. With the events of this issue though, it should be coming soon.

Moon Knight #2. “Strings“. Mr. Knight winds up in an apartment building, protecting a group of older people who were being mind controlled to do the bidding of a villainous janitor. Honestly, this issue was not my favorite.. It was fine, but I thought it was somewhat of a step down after a very strong issue #1. Looks like there will be more with Hunter’s Moon next issue so I expect it to pick up again. This just felt like an unnecessary issue. I hate the term “filler” but this is what it felt like.

Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit #3-5. I finished up this limited series that had been written by Samira Ahmed and drawn by Andrés Genolet. I did like the path this story took as I was not sure of how it was heading. I thought I had an idea at first, but it was different than I had thought, which is always good. Kamala Kahn is always fun and the Kamala copycat took a cool twist and actually could have set up for future Ms. Marvel adventures. Nice guest appearance from Nadia, the Wasp too.

The Department of Truth #10. Written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Martin Simmonds, the Department of Truth was a bit of a snoozer last issue, but I was very excited with this one because it went into one of my personal favorite topics, Bigfoot. I was really looking forward to seeing how the weird, conspiratorial series was going to address the sasquatch and I was very engaged with this one. There were also several pages throughout the book of a handwritten (in a form of cursive even) of a diary of a kid whose father had seen a bigfoot and it drove him to suicide. These pages also included what looked to me sketches of bigfoots as well as other doodles and looked like pages had been folded and were, at times, difficult to make out. This was a really excellent way to tell this sotry. The bigfoot sotryline continues next issue and I am all here for it.

Stillwater #15. “Peace and Love.” Daniel has seemingly taken a step toward portraying himself in the Messiah role that some people saw him as, going as far as trying to refrain from any violent response to Galen and his forces. However, when Galen had Clara kidnapped and buried alive, Daniel begrudgingly agreed to save her, only to discover that Clara had some connection to the reason Stillwater residents do not age and that heal as they do. Could be some big reveals next issue.

That Texas Blood #14. Starting up another new arc, this time in the 1990s, we get a dramatic murder and some shocking imagery in the book to go along with it. Joe Bob has been sheriff for three years and something horrible has come to Ambrose County. Chris Condon was the writer and Jacob Phillips does the art in this “horror” book that is taking a page out of Silence of the Lambs.

Captain Carter #1. Written by Jamie McKelvie and drawn by Marika Cresta, Captain Carter, straight out of the What If…? animation show on Disney +, returned after being frozen in the ice during World War II. There were some immediate problems for the woman out of time as some of the governments tried to fight over who had the right to Captain Carter. Peggy Carter is an awesome character and I am looking forward to this book as it moves along.

Ghost Rider #9. “Slaughterhouse” Johnny Blaze and Talia Warroad continue their investigation, coming to Chicago, which turned out to be one of the five points in the nation where the supernatural events have been rising. They come across some of the worst scenes we have seen so far in this book and Ghost Rider has to come out to get some. Ghost Rider is written by Benjamin Percy and Cory Smith provides the art.

Grim #6. “Chapter Six: Devils and Dust“. I am just a couple of issues away from being caught up with Grim and it gets better every time. Jessica finds herself in even more trouble since her father, Death, revealed himself to her and then “died.” This issue starts off with a scene during World War I at No Man’s Land in 1917. Grim is written by Stephanie Phillips and drawn by Flaviano.

Thor #26. Hulk vs. Thor: Banner of War Part Four of Five. I’m not sure how I feel about this book, or more accurately, this crossover story arc with Thor and Hulk. Thor has become a raging, out-of-control anger monster Hulk and Hulk has gotten the hammer and has gained the power of Thor. Weird, right? One more issue to see if this arc pulls out a strong conclusion, but, truthfully, I am not holding my breath for it. This is written by Donny Cates and has art from Martin Coccolo.