August 4, 2023

Big week in the world of comics. I helped my friend Todd move his ridiculously huge comic collection from one storage unit to another that had more room. He needed it. I saw some amazing comic books in that collection that made it (basically) worth the hard work and sore back.

I do have to say that seeing Todd’s collection and the piles of comics that he had in his unit, I felt much better about my own piles.

Plus, I was able to pick up some back issues myself. I picked up Devil Dinosaur #1, 2, 3,4, 6 (yes, not #5) which was written and drawn by EYG Hall of Famer, Jack Kirby. I looked through the books, which were in really good shape considering that they were put out in 1978. I have always liked Devil Dinosaur and this was a fun group of books to add to my own collection.

There were five issues in the Knight Terrors series this week, all of them #2s. These books will continue through August and they continue to be pretty solid. The separate books are building toward the Knight Terrors #3 & 4. This week’s best issue was Knight Terrors: Batman #2. Then followed by Knight Terror: The Joker, Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy, Knight Terrors: Black Adam and then, bringing up the rear, Knight Terrors: Ravager.

Then, I picked up a trade paper back of Southern Bastards: Volume 1: Here Was A Man by Jason Aaron and Jason Latour. I had heard about Southern Bastards before but never picked it up. This trade paperback collected issues #1-4 of the award winning series. I knew I was in for something different on page one as we see a dog pooping. This was brutal and very well written. Earl Tubb came back to his hometown to wrap up his father’s old house because his uncle (who was living there since Tubb’s father had died)went to an old folks home. Earl Tubb cambe back into town to find that everything is being run by Coach Boss, the local football coach, and everyone is looking the other way. This was sensational and I might have to look into finding the full series, not just being happy with the trades.

Other new books this week:

Strange Academy: Miles Morales #1. Written by Carlos Hernandez and with art by Juann Cabal, Alvaro Lopez, and Guiu Vilanova. Nick Bradshaw & Edgar Delgado did the art for the cover. I love the Strange Academy, though this is a new creative team. I liked what I saw so far. Using Miles Morales in the book worked surprisingly well and who knew that the 2023 Multiversal Math Bowl would be so impactful.

Astonishing Iceman #1. “Out Cold Part One” Written by Steve Orlando and drawn by Vincenzo Carratù. Jesus Saiz did the cover art. I was afraid this was going to be one of those series that take place in the past (like another X-book I’ll talk about later), but I was happy to see that it was set after the Hellfire Gala. It seemed as if Bobby Drake had been killed in the Hellfire Gala book, but something else is going on here. It was interesting and I want to find out what is happening.

Fantastic Four #10. “The Long Way Home” Written by Ryan North and drawn by Leandro Fernandez. There is a page promoting the upcoming G.O.D.S. series that was written by Jonathan Hickman. The cover art was Alex Ross. This was a one-issue story arc with a group of aliens were aboard a ship and the Fantastic Four tried to help them out. The story was all about POV and it was nicely constructed.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. Written by Erica Schultz and penciled by Julian Shaw. I have the C variant cover of Wolverine (?) by George Perez. Not only do we see Hallows Eve back trying to get to Ben Reilly, but we also see this tied into the events of the Fall of X as Mary Jane’s Aunt Anna goes crazy from the poisoned medicine from Krakoa. RIP George Perez.

Love Everlasting #10. Written by Tom King and featuring art by Elsa Charretier. Joan Petersen has become an old woman in a nursing home. While there, she finds love and… after being in 1963 for a long time, she finds herself in a new place. And she does not take it well.

Moon Knight #26. Written by Jed Mackay (and Jonathan Hickman) and art by Federico Sabbatini. Stephen Segovia & Rachelle Rosenberg did the cover art. We get a story centered around Hunter’s Moon.

Magneto #1. “Chapter One: Things Past!” I mentioned earlier about Astonishing Iceman taking place in current continuity… well, the new Magneto series does not. This takes place back with the New Mutants days when it seemed as if Xavier had died. I still am not a fan of these flashback series because they just do not feel important because if they were important, they would have told the story when it started. I do not think I am continuing with this Magneto series.

Nocterra Nemesis Special. Written by Scott Snyder and Tony S. Daniel with art by Liam Sharp. This looks to be setting this book up for the conclusion of the storyline with Nox and the darkness.

Warlock Rebirth #5. “Theory of Evolution.” Written by Ron Marz and penciled by Ron Lim. This flashback series finishes up with Adam Warlock and Eve Warlock teamed up to face off with the High Evolutionary.

Peacemaker Tries Hard #4. “Book Four.” Written by Kyle Starks and with art by Steve Pugh. Cover art by Kris Anka. Peacemaker vs. Snowflame (the cocaine-powered super villain). Nuff said. This book has the same awesome feel as the Peacemaker HBO Max series did.

Scarlet Witch #7. Written by Steve Orlando and art by Lorenzo Tammetta & Sara Pichelli. Russell Dauterman is the cover artist. Wanda gets a visit from her father’s clone, Joseph. And they go to Oz… off with the Wicked Witch of the West. Yeah, I’m not kidding.

X-Men #25. “From the Shadows.” Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Stefano Caselli. Joshua Cassara & Marte Gracia were cover artist. Heavily focused on Kate Pryde and her identity within the X-Men. Haven’t seen Kate this brutal before and it sounds like she is going by the name Shadowkat once again. X-Men is currently fire with the latest Mutant Massacre by Orchis.

What If…? Dark: Venom #1. Written by Stephanie Phillips and featuring art by Jethro Morales. Philip Tan, Jay Leisten & Rachelle Rosenberg did the cover art. What happens when the Venom symbiote, after Peter Parker gave it to Reed and the FF, wound up hooking up with an angry Ben Grimm? Lots of trouble. This has been my favorite of the What If Dark issues so far.

Doctor Strange #6. “Life During Wartime.” Written by Jed MacKay and drawn by Juan Gedeon. There is another page focusing on G.O.D.S. that was written by Jonathan Hickman. Alex Ross does the cover art. We find out that Dr. Strange spent thousands of years fighting for the Vishanti against the Trinity in the War of the Seven Spheres. This turned Dr. Strange into a wild warhound and looks to be leading into a face off between two Dr. Stranges. Intriguing stuff here. Jed MacKay has been providing some top notch work for Marvel recently.

The Mildly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos #2. Written by Tate Brombal and art by Isaac Goodhart (based on an idea by James Tynion IV). Cover art by Nick Robles. There is all kind of weird stuff going on with Christopher Chaos. There is Dracula Boy. There is The Wolf. The Helwing Corp. This was been fun so far.

Black Cloak #6. Written by Kelly Thompson and art by Meredith McClaren. The first story arc comes to an end here as Phaedra uncovers the total truth behind the murder of Frey. The truth behind the city’s magical power is also revealed and Phaedra takes a step that will change everything.

Grim #12. “Lost for Life” Written by Stephanie Phillips and drawn by Flaviano. Jessica is still trying to save her friend, and she may have to claim the role of the Grim Reaper. And what about her mother?