February 23, 2023

So it is Thursday, which makes it NEW COMIC BOOK DAY!

Yeah, it was supposed to be Wednesday, but then there was ice. Enough ice to keep me at home form school for the last two days (although today was not too bad). It kept Comic World & Games closed on Wednesday, pushing me back until today to pick up the new books.

And when I did, there were a bunch of really great ones.

Amazing Spider-Man #20. This issue’s guest writer was Joe Kelly and the guest penciler was Terry Dodson. A group of three did the cover art: John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz. Spidey and the Black Cat, along with White Rabbit, confronted a group of tech bros with some familiar tech. They were the Silicon Six. While they may not have been the most threatening danger, it was fun with the interactions between Spidey, Cat and White Rabbit.

Something is Killing the Children #29. “The Girl and the Hurricane Part Four” As we see the funeral of Gary, Cecilia speaks with the Dragon about the problems that face the House of Slaughter. Cecilia made a decision that meant she was going to be more directly involved. Meanwhile, Erica made her way out of the police station after the slaughter by Cutter. Written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Werther Dell’edera.

Harrower #1. Written by Justin Jordan and illustrated by Brahm Revel. This new horror comic from Boom! Studios had an excellent debut. There were some great tension in the book, with some frightening imagery. There were some really shocking moments in the town that has had a local legend of the Harrower for years. It does seem as if a legend is not the proper term. I really enjoyed this first issue.

Blue Book #1. Written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Michael Avon Oeming. What a fascinating book. I have to say, this is yet another awesome book written by James Tynion IV. I love his work on Something is Killing the Children and The Department of Justice and this fall right in with those. This is apparently real life stories of UFOs and UFO abductions. The first issue features one of the most well known stories of Betty and Barney Hill. There is a backup story as well about a certain encounter at Coney Island. The coloring of this book is spectacular, bringing a unique quality to the book. Looks like Tynion has yet another hit on his hands.

She-Hulk #10. Written by Rainbow Rowell and drawn by Takeshi Miyazawa. Jen Bartel did the cover art. Jack o’ Hearts regained his power, putting his developing relationship with Jen on the rocks. When Jack took off, Jen had to continue to go about her life because “life goes on.” I have to say that I am invested in the relationship between Jen and Jack and I hope it can work out, though I am afraid that we have sadness in our future.

Strange Academy: Finals #4. Written by Skottie Young and the art is done by Humberto Ramos. The Strange Academy has become one of my favorite groups of characters. Even those that I did not have as much of a connection with seem to be a lot of fun. When Iric returned to his brother after he realized that Emily was up to no good, his reconciliation with Doyle was especially powerful. Iric’s brother Alvi’s anger at his brother’s betrayal was not gone immediately, but provides us with even more drama to play towards. The students are working toward helping New Orleans with an upcoming ‘storm of the century’ and Emily and Dormammu are on their way. Exciting stuff.

Superman #1. “Voices in your Head” Written by Joshua Williamson and penciled by Jamal Campbell. I’m not a huge Superman fan, but this was an interesting new book. I am not sure how I feel about the new Lex Luthor vibe happening here, but it did keep my interest. I chose this because of this weird variant cover that I had no idea what it was about. Then, I was not exactly sure what happened at the end of the book either. I will admit to being curious.

Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise #4. “Shape and Nothing More” Written and drawn by Tradd Moore, this Doctor Strange book earns its name because this is extremely strange. Honestly, I am not sure I know what happened in the book. The artwork, however, is so unique and so artsy that it is an enjoyable read. The colors jump off the page and the work is beautiful. I still am not sure what I read, but I had fun doing it.

Black Cloak #2. Written by Kelly Thompson and penciled by Meredith McClaren. Phaedra wakes up in the morgue, surviving the potentially fatal stabbing form last issue. However, Prince Freyal did not survive, setting up our main mystery of this fantasy story. We get some flashbacks in the issue too and the coloring of the flashbacks are beautiful, setting up the mood for the book.

Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man #5. Written by Taboo & B. Earl featuring art from Juan Ferreyra. Spidey completes his trip to Los Angeles and his confrontation with the Demon Bear. This was one of my favorite of the current Spider-Man limited series as this felt more like Spidey and was actually happening in continuity. We also get the debut of Dream Spider.

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1. “Defender of the Realm” Written by Tini Howard and drawn by Vasco Georgiev. Not sure how I felt about this. I have always enjoyed Captain Britain, but with his sister replacing him, I am a little uncertain. It did not help matters that I was not sure what was going on for much of the book. It felt like I jumped into the middle of the story instead of with a number one. It was good to see Rachel once again and I am intrigued by the Captain Britain Corps. I might have to give this one another issue to see how I feel.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1 & 2. Written by Tom King and drawn by Bilquis Evely. This was a couple of books that my friend Todd made me buy. This is another DC book that I am not sure how I feel. The first issue started off with a character narrating and I had no idea who she was. It was a little slow starting off, but once Supergirl showed up, the book picked up quite a bit. However, there are some questions I have. Mainly, did they just kill of Krypto? I love Tom King and trust him to give me a great story and this series is one of the books that James Gunn mentioned as the basis for one of his movie projects for the DCU. This variation of Supergirl feels different than I have seen before and I kind of like it.