May 14, 2023

Happy Mother’s Day!

I am very much of a Momma’s Boy so I want to make sure to wish all mothers out there a great day. You deserve it.

My own mom was never fully down with my comic collecting, but she never tried to talk me out of it either and she always supported me in doing what I wanted to do.

She knew that comic books were part of who I was. Who I am.

So everyone have an epic and awesome day with your family and give your mom a kiss and a hug from EYG.

Comics today…

Middlewest #16-18. Written by Skottie Young and drawn by Jorge Corona. I wrapped up the Middlewest series this morning. As I mentioned before, Abel came face to face with his dad, which is what the series had been building toward since the moment Abel ran off. As all the elements came together, the conclusion was very satisfying for the readers seeing Abel with so much confidence and his father in such a new and vulnerable situation. I had a feeling this book would wind up with a confrontation that was more emotional than physical, although there were some beautifully illustrated moments in the final issue. This ended in a very positive manner and I am pleased to have read it.

Black Cloak #5. Written by Kelly Thompson and featuring art by Meredith McClaren. At this point, Black Cloak is, at best, an okay book. I have to say that I am just now reading it as a completionist and curious to see how it wraps up. It did have a cool sneak peak of a book called The Cull, which is listed as coming out in August that I may give a shot. Otherwise, Black Cloak is just an average tale for me.

The Ambassadors #4. Written by Mark Millar and drawn by Olivier Coipel. We get yet another character introduction, Codename: Brazil, and I did like the story behind this character and the switch up they pulled off to make this a little different than the previous issues. I have liked this story so far, but I do hope a larger story kicks off soon.

Spider-Gwen: Shadow Clones #3. Written by Emily Kim and drawn by Kei Zama. Gwen has to face off against some of her more evil clones who have snatched young Reed Richards. We also get the answer to whom has been behind the arrival of the clones too with the final page showing us Dr. Lyla Bennett.

Invincible Iron Man #6. “A Blast From The Past” Written by Gerry Duggan and drawn by guest artist Andrea Di Vito. Kael Ngu was the cover artist. In this issue, we get present day Tony Stark narrating a flashback issue that takes place during the time when Tony was in the Silver Centurion armor in the West Coast Avengers. The White Queen makes an appearance as well. The cover featured a throwback to the covers from the time period as many of these type of books have been doing.

Superman: Lost #3. “The Tide” Written by Priest and featuring art by Carlo Pagulayan. Carlo Pagulayan & Jason Paz, with Elmer Santos did the cover. This is another bigtime winning cover for this series so far. I enjoyed this book too, with Superman meeting up with some space dolphins. This Superman in space saga feels similar to the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow series, which was up and down for me. So far this has been pretty solid, but they have the same yellow sun missing beat that was in Supergirl.

I Am Iron Man #3. “Chapter Three: Best Friend.” Written by Murewa Ayodele and including art from Dotun Akande. Iron Shogun is here in a special Mother’s Day issue. I really like the design of the Iron Shogun armor and I thought this issue’s story flew by. Nice to see War machine again.

Captain Marvel #49. “Revenge of the Brood: Conclusion.” Written by Kelly Thompson and art by Sergio Davila. The cover was done by Juan Frigeri & David Curiel. Carol is angry over the death of Binary and she has plans to wipe out the Brood once and for all. Unfortunately, her plan could result in a dangerous situation for everyone. There was a great scene between Carol and Rogue, whose connection goes back a long time (Avengers Annual #10, in fact). One more issue with Kelly Thompson writing this book.

Ghost Rider #14. “Sibling Rivalry” Written by Benjamin Pearcy and pencils by Cory Smith w/ Brent Peeples. Bjorn Barends did the cover art. We are building toward the Johnny Blaze vs. Danny Ketch confrontation as we continue to see things that Danny has done under the influence of Infernal Labs.

Rogue & Gambit #3. “Broken Promises and Broken Bones.” Written by Stephanie Phillips and drawn by Carlos Gomez. The search for Manifold continued as Rogue winds up face to face with a group of controlled villains that will be a battle for life and death. The relationship between Gambit and Rogue continues to be the standout section of this book. There is a beautiful cover on this issue by Steve Morris.

All Eight Eyes #1. Written by Steve Foxe and including art by Piotr Kowalski. A new book from Dark Horse that is set in Alphabet City in 2003. A drifter named Reynolds is out trying to save the city from giant spiders. He teamed up with Vin, who had just been kicked out of his apartment for not paying rent, to try and prevent the spread of these monsters.

Phantom Road #3. Written by Jeff Lemire and drawn by Gabriel H. Walta. Special Agent Weaver from the FBI arrived on scene and dives head first into the investigation of what weird things are going down in this town. Lemire does an excellent job of setting up a sense of tension while building these new characters. This is another winner from Lemire.

Nocterra #14. Written by Scott Snyder and including art by Tony S. Daniel. This issue features a blending of two parts of the story. One, we see Emory reunited with his mother prior to the darkness falling across the planet. This story turns out fairly sadly. Two, the crew arrive in Eos in an attempt to put Augustus’s formula into effect and save the world from the darkness. The next issue looks to be setting up a major confrontation in Eos. Nocterra has been consistently great every issue.