March 31, 2023

Tonight starts the big Wrestlemania weekend, which is one of my favorite times of the year. There is going to be a bunch of wrestling this weekend so I wanted to get some of these new comics read.

I could not get the books on Wednesday this week because I had the make-up parent/teacher conferences scheduled for that day which meant I could not get them until Thursday.

There were some terrible storms in the area with tornados and heavy rain that are just coming to an end so I waited to get on the computer. Here are the books from this week that I have read.

Strange Academy: Finals #5. Written by Skottie Young and drawn by Humberto Ramos. I have really loved this series so far. The big showdown with the Strange Academy characters and Emily with Dormammu went into full throttle and there was a huge surprise at the end. The ultimate deus ex machina showed up to confront Emily. And they used her middle name too. It was Emily’s parents! I have to say I laughed heartily at that. I did not expect that twist coming.

It’s Jeff #1. Creative team: Kelly Thompson and Gurihiru. Um… what was this? This was a weird book with a bunch of shorts that involved a land shark named Jeff. There was nearly no dialogue and almost no words. Some of these shorts were funny and some were cute. That was about all I could say about Jeff.

Avengers Beyond #1. Written by Derek Landry and penciled by Greg Land. This basically is the continuation of the All-Out Avengers series from earlier this year (or late last year) when the Avengers realized someone had been messing with their heads and keeping them confused over situations. Apparently, it was the Beyonder. And he is the omen for something even worse. This was a lot of fun.

Image Anthology #8. This was recommended to me by Todd because there was a short, introduction to an upcoming book by James Tynion IV called WorldTr33. The short story was interesting, but Tynion has my trust. Since most of the rest of these stories in this anthology were in part 8s, I did not read them. Maybe I want to look for the other books here.

Local Man #2. The creative team on this series is Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley. This book has caught my attention quickly. I have really enjoyed this so far. I love the idea of the fallen superhero trying to just get his life on track, but having to deal with a negative image.

Daredevil #9. “The Red Fist Saga Part 9” Written by Chip Zdarsky and drawn by Manuel Garcia. Zdarsky’s Daredevil run is coming to its end soon, and this was amazing again. Zdarsky has been so consistently sensational in the Daredevil series for the last few years that I can not imaging what the book will be when his run comes to an end. I would venture to say this run by Zdarsky rivals, if not exceeds, the run of Al Ewing on The Immortal Hulk.

Something is Killing the Children #30. “The Girl and the Hurricane Part Five.” Written by James Tynion IV and illustrated by Werther Dell’edera. Things are ratcheting up again as Erica tries to plan to save Gabi and Riqui from Cutter. Tis series has a great way to make even the transition or filler issues seem just awesome.

Deadpool #5. “Render Reveal Party” The Carnage symbiote exploded out of Deadpool’s guts, bringing Cletus back to the book. However, that was a short return as another horror arrived. There are plenty of moving pieces here, but I have liked this Deadpool series more than some of the other variations over the years. The character Valentine is fascinating and might wreck Deadpool.

Invincible Iron Man #4. “The Autobiography of Tony Stark Chapter Four” Feilong has taken over Stark Industries and Tony Stark is not happy. Iron Man dominated this issue’s confrontation with the new CEO but there are some things that straight physical power can fix. This series has really started to work over Tony Stark even more. and I am here for it.

The Neighbors #1. Written by Jude Ellison S. Doyle and art by Letizia Cadonici. An unlikely family move to a new home with some, let’s say, bizarre neighbors. This new horror series from Boom! Studios had an intriguing first issue. I am curious to see where this comic heads.

Clobberin’ Time #1. Story and art by Steve Skroce. This was a team-up between The Thing and the Hulk. And I have to say, I did not like this one much at all. It looks like this series will be Thing teaming up with other heroes because next issue looks to include Wolverine. I’m just not sure that I’ll be buying that issue.

The Ambassadors #1. Written by Mark Millar and drawn by Frank Quitely. This is a cool concept, where someone is deciding which six people will receive super powers. Only six people. This is off to a good start. I enjoyed Millar’s book, King of Spies, and I think this could be a great book.

Wasp #3. Written by Al Ewing and with art by Kasia Nie. Janet Van Dyne and Nadia Trovaya wind up in worlds where they never have connections to Pym. Watching these characters who we know become different people, but still the same, is great. Al Ewing is one of my favorite writers working today.