April 27

Here I am with the 150th edition of the EYG Comic Cavalcade, which is quite the accomplishment, if I do say so. Since this has replaced the EYG Comic Catch-Up, the Cavalcade has been one of the most consistent posts we do on EYG.

This post requires that I read the books I get each week, the number of which has only grown over the last few years. I currently have two separate pull lists at two separate comic shops in two separate cities in opposite direction from my home in Maquoketa. Then, this write-up generally takes quite a while to write. I would guess that from first word to last picture, it takes around two hours to complete, and that is if I am not distracted by other things. Such as right now, I am trying to watch the first three Andor episodes while I do this. It is a distraction because of timing.

This column, and the previous Comic catch-Up, are the reason I got my collection in order and organized. I am very proud of that, and I am grateful for EYG.

Last week, I mentioned how I completed my Groo the Wanderer Marvel/Epic comic run. I completed another run this week, albeit considerably less impressive. I picked up issues #9 & 10 as well as #1 & 3 of the Zdarsky Comic News giving me all ten issues of the newsletter. It is not large, but it still does remind me of the old Marvel Age books that I loved. This newsletter from Zdarsky features more than just Marvel. They are fun, if not slight.

I also grabbed three more of the freebies from the Superman Day last weekend, including Jimmy Olson’s Supercyclopedia.

Here is the next 150 issues of EYG Comic Cavalcade.

This week’s books:

Amazing Spider-Man #2. Written by Joe Kelly and art by Pepe Larraz. Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia did the cover art. Peter has been poisoned and flipped out, just like the Rhino did last issue. I am pleased with the new creative team and the current path Spidey is on in this new volume. A surprise return at the end is fascinating.

Blasfamous #1-3. Written and illustrated by Mirka Andolfo. I found these three issues in the back issues box of DSTLRY books that I had never heard about. I have always loved DSTLRY books and I was excited to see one that I obviously had missed. Unfortunately, this was not a story that caught my interest as most of this company’s books have done. It’s nice to have them though.

Out of Alcatraz #2. Written by Christopher Cantwell with art and cover art by Tyler Crook (Gold Medalist). I picked up a variant cover of this issue too which is pretty awesome as well. The Out of Alcatraz book from Oni Press has been engaging as well. I am never quite sure what is going to happen next and it does a great job of building some tension.

Falling in Love on the Path to Hell #7. “A Broken Clock.” Written by Gerry Duggan and art and cover art by Garry Brown. I had somehow missed this issue and it was tough to find. Thankfully, Todd was able to find one in Des Moines. This has been a fantastic series so far and I am hoping that this will continue on its excellent path.

Moonshine Bigfoot #1. Written by Mike Marlow and penciled and cover art by Steve Ellis. A new and extremely creative new book from Image features a sasquatch who had been left as a baby, raised by a couple of moonshiners. This book has a feel of The Dukes of Hazzard and Smokey and the Bandit, while throwing the fun use of cryptoids.

Universal Monsters: The Mummy #2. Written and art by Faith Erin Hicks and cover art by Hicks and Lee Loughridge. Helen is having memory flashes, and she is remembering a past life, one including Imhotep himself. The Universal Monsters run of books at Image have been excellent and The Mummy is telling a great story as well.

Assorted Crisis Events #2. Written by Deniz Camp and art and cover art by Eric Zawadzki. A shout out to colorist Jordie Belaire because the coloring of this issue makes this series stand out among a lot of other books. Doing something different really sets this aside from other anthology books that are being released right now.

Avengers #25. “Masters of Evil” part 1. Written by Jed MacKay and art by Valerio Schiti. Variant cover B art by Russell Dauterman. A brand new Masters of Evil is formed in this issue and I love them. The inclusion of Madcap in particular was cool.

New Champions #4. Written by Steve Foxe and art by Ivan Fiorelli. Cover art was done by Gleb Melnikov & Arthur Hesli. I do like this formation of new young heroes under the Champions label. This issue gives us the “secret origin of Gold Tiger.”

X-Men #15. “Twin.” Written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Ryan Stegman & CF Villa. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer & Marte Gracia. Piper Quinn’s twin, a twin that was never born, pulled itself out of her and began a rampage. The end of the issue saw the arrival of a new group of X-Men… huh?

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #5. Written by Christos Gage with art by Eric Gapstur. Cover art was done by Leonardo Romero. The final issue of this prequel series to the Disney + animated series wrapped up with Spider-Man getting some major victories against Silvio Manfredi and the Enforcers. He also had a funny way to hide the injuries he had sustained from Aunt May. Pratfall anyone?

One World Under Doom #3. “The Devil We Know.” Written by Ryan North and art by R.B. Silva. Ben Harvey did the cover art. A group of villains including Doc Ock, Arcade, Mysterio, the Goblin Queen, Baron Mordo and MODOK have joined the struggle against Doctor Doom. However, it looks like business is about to pick up as Dormammu jumps int the frey.

Predator Versus Spider-Man #1. Written by Benjamin Percy and penciled by Marcelo Ferreira. Cover art by Paulo Ferreira. I also picked up cover D by Marcelo Ferreira. Despite how much I love the character Spider-Man, I had not been looking forward to this series. Yet, after reading number one, I am in. It was brutal, scary and intense and I want more of it.

Green Lantern Dark #4. Written by Tate Brombal and art by Werther Dell’Edera. Cover art was done by Dell’Edera & Giovanna Niro. Quite a dark issue as it lives up to the title. Interesting takes on the characters of Beast Boy and Bat Wraith. This has been an excellent read each month and that is from someone who is not a big fan of Elseworlds stories.

G.I. Joe #6. Written by Joshua Williamson and art and cover art by Tom Reilly. Big confrontation between Duke and Cobra Commander. This issue does a great job of creating a rivalry between these two individuals and the groups behind them. It also continues building towards the GI Joe/Transformers crossover.

Hornsby & Halo #6. Storytellers are Peter J. Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg. Peter Snejbjerg & John Kalisz did the cover art. Zach and Rose are taken to see where they came from… first to Hell and then to Heaven. And it shakes them to their core.

Werewolf by Night: Red Band #9. Written by Jason Loo and penciled by Sergio Davila. F.M. Gist did the art for the cover. This is brutal and bloody as Lilith’s plan to take advantage of Jack comes to its head. Things are getting scary with this book.

Eddie Brock: Carnage #3. Written by Charles Soule and art by Jesús Saiz. Cover art was done by Iban Coello & Frank D’Armata. Carnage takes on Sidewinder, and then, Carnage and Eddie brock have their own internal conflict.

Minor Arcana #6. Written and illustrated by Jeff Lemire. Cover art by Jeff Lemire. I also picked up the unlockable virgin variant cover by Laura Perez. Teresa and her mother got into yet another argument and Teresa prepared to leave. However, she wanted to apologize to her childhood friend first. Lots of things then happened.

Absolute Wonder Woman #7. “The Lady or the Tiger Part Two.” Written by Kelly Thompson and art by Mattia De Iulis. Cover art by Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire. Diana’s trip into the Underworld to save Circe brings her into conflict with Hades and a struggle to answer an age-old riddle that had confounded her for years. This was a really well written story and I really enjoyed the inclusion of all of the Greek mythology in this book.

Magik #4. “Reunion.” Written by Ashley Allen and art by German Peralta. J. Scott Campbell & Tanya Lehoux did the cover art. Illyana and Danielle Moonstar are reunited from their best friends days with the New Mutants, but there are more issues between them than they care to admit.

Justice League Unlimited #6. “Partners and Puppets.” Written by Mark Waid and art by Travis Moore. Cover art was done by Dan Mora. This is the second part of the crossover with World’s Finest and it continues the Gorilla Grodd story. However, the whole Air wave story felt rushed and I was not happy with how the story progressed. It seemed as if it needed more time to develop instead of just throwing it a handful of pages and saying it was done. Disappointing arc so far.

Dust to Dust #5. Written by JG Jones & Phil Bram with art and cover art by JG Jones (Silver Medalist). I love the sepia tone of the art in this series. JG Jones’s work is just perfect for this story that they are telling. It is a story that is continuing to be mysterious each issue.

X-Force #10. “The X-Equation.” Written by Geoffrey Thorne and art by Marcus To. Backup story by Fabian Nicieza and art by Edgar Salazar. This is the Legacy number 300 of X-Force and the final issue of the series for now as Forge’s secret plans are revealed to the team and they are not fans of them. The variant cover art (Marvel vs. Capcom) was done by Bengus.

The Last Boy #2. Written by Dan Panosian and illustrated by Alessio Avallone. Cover was done by Dan Panosian. The tale of Peter Pan and Wendy continue separately through this issue, with each facing troubles. Heck, if I did not know better, I might consider Peter Pan to be the antagonist of this book. Hmm. Intriguing.

Infinity Watch #4. Written by Derek Landy and art by Enid Balám & Ruairi Coleman. Salvador Larroca & GURU-eFX did the cover art. The Infinity Watch is back from the weird-o universe, adn Star changes things back. But it is not much better.

Ultimate Black Panther #15. Written by Bryan Hill and art by Stefano Caselli. Stefano Caselli and David Curiel did the cover art. T’Challa is attempting to find other allies in the African countries, but they have not heard of Wakanda. But T’Challa is looking of help to deal with the anti-vibranium.

Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #5. Written by Frank Tieri and art by Michael Sta. Maria. Cover art was done by Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz & Rain Beredo. This was a really strong ending to a series that got better with each issue.

Those Not Afraid #4. Written by Kyle Starks and art by Patrick Piazzalunga. This is getting darker as the serial killers have upped the ante in their attempt to set a new record. I’m not sure how I feel about this issue as the difference between serial killer and spree killer is debated. However, the final panel with the return of a certain individual elevated this book more.

Other books this week: Blade Forger #2, Deadpool/Wolverine #4, Metamorpho #5, Bug Wars #3, Absolute Martian Manhunter #2, and The Power Fantasy#8.