September 22, 2023

Several great new books this week. Going to jump right in…

Omega the Unknown #4. “Cats and No Dogs.” Written by Steve Gerber & Mary Skrenes and illustrated by Jim Mooney & Pablo Marcus. Well, actually, this isn’t a ‘new’ book this week. It is from 1976 and I picked up this whole series recently. I have been taking my time reading through the 10 issues, doing #4 today. These have been a really fun read and I love the mystery of what is going on with Omega and James-Michael.

Predator Versus Wolverine #1. Written by Benjamin Percy and with art from Ken Lashley, Greg Land, Jay Leisten and Andrea Di Vito. Cover art was by Marco Checchetto. There was not a book more surprising this week than Predator Versus Wolverine #1. I had zero interest in this and only picked it up because it was a Marvel #1. However, I loved this. They way they followed the battle between Wolverine and the Predator though the years and how they were both damaged as they went, well it was excellent. A lot of the story is told through the images of the art and I love that style. This was really enjoyable and I am looking forward to more.

Hexagon Bridge #1. Written and drawn by Richard Blake. This is a beautifully illustrated book with a new world that is very interesting. This first issue introduces us to several new characters and slowly gives out what is happening in this world. We meet Elena, Jacob and Adley in separate sections of the story. I am curious to see where this goes from here.

Captain America #1. “Beginnings.” Written by J. Michael Straczynski with art by Jesus Saiz. I loved this new take on Captain America. The look at his early life, prior to the Super Soldier Serum, is a fascinating look at this character and the present day gave me vibes like Matt Fraction’s run on Hawkeye. I enjoyed this book tremendously.

Amazing Spider-Man #34. Written by Zeb Wells and art by Patrick Gleason. Cover art was done by John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz. This was the greatest cover of the week. One of the best Spider-Man covers I have seen in a long time. This whole dark Spider-Man run is tense and worrisome. I hope Peter does not do anything that he cannot come back from or that taints who he is. I surely do not want a long term Dark Spider-Man.

Fishflies #2. Written and drawn by Jeff Lemire. This one was a little more difficult to follow that last issue. Todd then let me know that there was a misprint, where a whole page was reproduced in this issue. A full black page was in twice when it was meant to be only once. That was sad that I did not realize what had happened when I read it.

Nocterra #16. Written by Scott Snyder with art by Tony S. Daniel. The story of Nocterra comes to a conclusion with the darkness that has taken over the planet removed. While there are still some of the main antagonists still out there, this is a solid wrap up for the series. The note at the end indicated that there would be more to come from this world, but this could be a solid finish if they do not return to it.

Uncanny Spider-Man #1. “Park Life.” Written by Si Spurrier and art by Lee Garbett. Tony Daniel & Sonia Oback did the cover. I did not understand why this book was happening. I did not know why Nightcrawler would be dressed up like Spider-Man. I wondered why I should care about this. Then I read it. And I loved it. I was intrigued by the set up, I loved the reason why Kurt Wagner was dressed as Spidey, and I loved Spidey’s actual use. I thought this was way better than it had any right to be.

Loki #4. “The Liar: Finale” Written by Dan Watters and drawn by German Peralta. Dustin Nguyen did the cover art. Loki’s mission to reclaim the pieces of Naglfar, the cursed ship Loki created from the fingernails of the dead. The confrontation with Bullseye (plus the inclusion of Spider-Man) was cool. This series came to an end with this, making it appear as if Loki was heading back to his lying past.

Big Game #3. Written by Mark Millar and art by Pepe Larraz. This continues to be a shocking series, as characters are just killed left and right. I wonder if things will be retconned at some point. I have been enjoying what is going on. Come on, Hit Girl!

Tenement #4. Written by Jeff Lemire and art by Andrea Sorrentino. This horror series, a part of the Bone Orchard saga, is doing a great job of creating a tense and anxious story. The use of black and red is artistically wonderful images. There are some seriously creepy moments in the book too.

Something is Killing the Children #33. Written by James Tynion IV and illustrated by Werther Dell’edera. This continues to be an excellent story, though I have to say that it does feel as if they are stretching out the story before the eventual battle between Erica and Cutter.

Rare Flavours #1. “Chapter 1: Masala Chai.” Written by Ram V and illustrated by Filipe Andrade. One of the most original new books from the week. Creating a documentary that follows Rubin Baksh around eating the most delicious foods. This new Boom! Comics offering is different and curious.

Antarctica #3. Written by Simon Birks and drawn by Willi Roberts. Antarctica has been a very good book so far. I am still learning who is who, but the story is compelling and the twists have been powerful. This has been a real exceptional book so far.

Strange Academy: Moon Knight #1. “Solve for X” Part 2. Written by Carlos Hernandez and drawn by Julian Shaw. Nick Bradshaw and Edgar Delgado did the cover art. I do love the Strange Academy, and their interactions with Moon Knight and Miles Morales is a ton of fun.

Klik Klik Boom #4. Written by Doug Wagner and drawn by Doug Dabbs. I was so happy to see Serena Biggs at the beginning of this issue because I was almost certain that she had been killed at the end of issue #3. Sprout, by the way, is just about as kick ass of a character as you are going to find.

Uncanny Avengers #2. “New Avengers.” Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Javier Garrón. The mutants involved in this issue seems to have a problem with Cap as the leader of this Unity Squad. Who would have thought that the voice of reason would come from Deadpool?

Alpha Flight #2. Written by Ed Brisson and drawn by Scott Godlewski. Leonard Kirk & Edgar Delgado are the cover artists. Alpha Flight is trying to get their way through the current world troubles with Orchis and the Box Sentinels. These are some cool characters that we have not seen a lot of and this series is a welcome change.