Author Archives: Doc

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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Part Two

Yes, because of Diamond, we have split the EYG Comic Covers of the Week have a second post including three more medalists.

Bronze Medalist

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4

Cover art by Leonardo Romero

Cool blue cover. Not sure what is happening, but I am extremely curious about it.

Vampirella #1

Variant Cover C

Cover art by Mark Spears

Mark Spears is back on the list with a beautiful Vampirella cover. I do not usually pick up Vampirella and the eerie cover helped make me want to pick this up.

Feral #11

Variant Cover

Cover art by Trish Forstner & Allen Passalaqua

This is an awesome movie homage. Feral has been doing horror movie homages on their variant, but I’m not sure which one this is. It is really great. There is a scary tone from this cover.

EYG Favorite Comic Cover of the Week

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March 26

Curse you, Diamond.

So …. no Marvel or any of the independent books this week. Diamond continues to have an inconsistent delivery schedule that makes it tougher for me. I was expecting a large number of books this week and now it has been split up into two groups.

Oh well…

Bronze Medalist

Universal Monsters: The Mummy #1

Cover art by Faith Erin Hicks & Lee Loughridge

I love these Universal Monsters books and this cover is straightforward and nicely designed. I love the straps in the background.

Silver Medalist

The Kids #1

Cover art by Dalibor Talajic

A Garth Ennis book from Image has a frightening looking cover. It really sets a tone for what this book will be offering… something that the title does not do.

Gold Medalist

Absolute Wonder Woman #6

Cover art by Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire

What a stunning cover this is. The red color and the black background works amazingly.. or should I say, wonderfully? This was a definite standout of the week.

Daredevil: Born Again S1 E5, E6

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Spoilers

“With Intent”

“Excessive Force”

Two episodes released tonight on Disney +. A definite treat.

The first episode felt like it was such a separate episode, something that did not fit into the rest of the season. And it was great. A bank robbery is something we have seen before, but with Matt Murdock in the bank, the robbers are going to have a bad day.

Yusuf Khan is the assistant bank manager who just turned down Matt Murdock’s loan. Of course, he can not stop talking about his daughter Kamala. He even name dropped Ms. Marvel. It seems as if no Marvel super hero can get loans. Not just poor Sam Wilson.

I actually shivered when Matt, in the red mask, breaks the leg of the main bank robber. It was a painful blow.

I actually loved this episode even though there was no Daredevil. We got a lot of Matt Murdock using his powers in clever ways to save the day in a hugely subtle way.

The second episode really played the two sides of the same coin as both Matt and Wilson Fisk head back to the old days, Matt donning the Daredevil costume and Fisk beating poor Adam into oblivion.

We also get more with Muse. We learn about his victims and how his art is using the blood of his victims mixed with the paint. He faced off with Daredevil over the body of Hector’s niece, who was about to become Muse’s next victim.

Another cool cameo… Swordsman. Jacques “Jack” Duquesne himself makes an appearance to discuss items with Fisk at a fund raiser.

Two great episodes. I want more from Muse.

The X-Files S8 E13

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Spoilers

“Per Manum”

The episode focused in on Scully’s pregnancy and a potential conspiracy surrounding the deaths of other pregnant women. The episode was quite tense and does a really great job of keeping the storyline uncertain. The X-Files is exceptional at keeping the story hazy, where you are never quite sure what has happened. The truth continues to be an elusive thing.

Scully has kept her pregnancy a secret from everyone except for Skinner, which I guess I did not realize. I felt for John Doggett, being kept in the dark even though he has been nothing but honorable during his time with the X-Files. I guess you could say that Scully’s distrust goes deep, and understandably so.

We got a series of flashbacks too to scenes between Scully and Mulder, when he let her know that he had discovered Scully’s ova, but doctors had told him they were not viable. A second opinion gave Scully hope and she asked Mulder to be the father. These flashbacks were new scenes film with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson and were strong scenes showing how connected these characters were.

The episode featured the debut of recurring character Knowle Rohrer, played by Adam Baldwin. Rohrer is an agent that Doggett knew, but who has potential ties to the CIA. His motivations were certainly up for question and his physical appearance felt close to Krychek, which was slightly disturbing for me.

This did have an old school feel to it and brought that classic X-Files episode.

O’Dessa

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Haven’t had a rock opera in awhile.

Well, there is one on Hulu right now starring Stranger Things star Sadie Sink. It is called O’Dessa and it is something. I feel as if I should sit with this one awhile.

Sadie Sink played the titular character O’Dessa Galloway, a young farm girl who takes her father’s guitar and set off to become a rambler, a traveling musician, like her father. Along the way, she met Euri Dervish (Kelvin Harrison Jr) and she fell in love with him. O’Dessa must overcome series of obstacles in the way of their love to play one song for the world.

There are things that this movie does extremely well and things that it does poorly. It is definitely a mixed bag for me. Starting with the positives, Sadie Sink is absolutely the star of this movie and she showed that she has a bright career after her days in Hawkins, Indiana come to a close. She has amazing charisma and displays a lot of talent, elevating the movie above what the script gives her.

That script is one of the weaknesses of the film as there is not much there below the surface area of plot and character development.

As I mentioned in my recent review of Disney’s Snow White remake, the music in O’Dessa is entertaining and, in the moment, I enjoyed it, but I am not sure that I will remember any of the songs and it did not inspire me to go buy it on Apple Music. So that is a push. I enjoyed listening to the music during the film, but it does not occupy a place in my head as great musicals would.

The post-apocalyptic world is an interesting mishmash of styles and imagery. Some areas felt like the world of “Fallout” while others feature technology and neon energy such as Blade Runner. It felt as if there should have been one or the other.

Regina Hall and Murray Bartlett appear as a couple of villainous characters that do not have much more than the villainy that they commit. Both are outstanding actors that bring more to their roles than what was on the page. The ending segment with Sadie Sink and Murray Bartlett was engaging and thrilling even if there was not a ton of depth to the characters. I truly believe that this is because of the skill of these actors.

Overall, I would give O’Dessa a slight positive as the best parts outweighed the weaknesses and the music is passable enough for an under two hour film. I do not think this will be a cult favorite though which is what it should have strived for.

3.1 stars

EYG Comic Cavalcade #145

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March 24

On Saturday, I took a trip to In This Issue Comics in Bettendorf. I do like this little shop because it has such a variety of independent books. There are some books that I picked up there that I had not ever seen before. There was one company called BQ Comics.

Because of timing, and the fact that next week’s haul at Comic World is going to be massive, I wanted to include these new independent books in an EYG Comic Cavalcade. There may be an eBay or two in here too…

Books this issue:

Crush Depth #1. Written by David “DB” Andry and Tim Daniel and art and cover art by Alex Sanchez. This was the book that inspired the trip to Bettendorf as I was intrigued by the concept of this comic. And this was one of the best books I picked up this week, including the books from EYG Comic Cavalcade#144. Engaging and entertaining action in a sub beneath the water with bizarre things happening. Mad Cave has a winner here.

Who are the Power Pals #1. Written by Duane Murray and art and cover art by Ahmed Raafat. A couple of washed up actors who had a very short lived TV show Called the Power Pals are trying to reclaim old glory. This Dark Horse book was more entertaining than I thought it was going to be.

LA Strong #1. This Mad Cave book was another book that I was not aware of. It is a charity comic for victims of the Los Angeles fires and it featured a who’s who of writers and artists. Each of them received a page or two and most of the book is not about storytelling as much as it is to speak some truth. Then some of the art in this book is breathtaking. It is a beautiful book.

Space Ghost #11. Written by David Pepose and art by Jonathan Lau. Francesco Mattina did the cover art. The copies delivered to Comic World of Space Ghost #11 were damaged and so I picked up this copy in Bettendorf to make sure that I could get it. Space Ghost is having all kinds of trouble with a whole bunch of his villains and a conflict with him and the kids.

Pop Kill #1. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Dave Johnson with art by Juan Santacruz. Variant cover D (boobies version) by Brian Steelfreeze. This was one from eBay this week. I picked up the uncensored version of the cover. I did enjoy this book with a battle between soda pop companies. It was not just because of the cover.

Ultimate X-Men #13. Writer and artist: Peach Momoko. Foil variant cover by Benjamin Su. I had this comic last week, but the foil variant cover caught my attention. I tried to ignore it, but I could not just leave it on the shelf. The cover was a beautiful one, even if it is not by Peach Momoko.

Galavera P.I. #1-4. Written and drawn by Marco Finnegan. I picked up this full four-issue series this weekend and the guy who checked me out said that he loved this series. He was right. This was fabulous. A story of a detective who has come back from the dead to take care of something he left behind. I loved the character design and the story was well written.

The 27 Run Crash #1-2. Written by Justin Zimmerman and art by by Russell Brown. This was the book from the company that referred to in the beginning, BQ Comics. It is a futuristic apocalyptic story about a man and his mech.

DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #1. “Chaos Crisis Part One” Written by Ian Flynn and art by Adam Bryce Thomas. Cover art by Pablo M. Collar. I picked this up as a collectible. I flipped through it, but did not read it. It had a nice cover, but honestly, it was just to grab a number one.

Convert #1-2. Written by John Arcudi and art by Savannah Finley. Cover art by Simon Gane. This is a series from Image that I had not heard of before, but I did like this one. It reminded me a bit of the movie The Martian mixed with a more sci-fi element. This was an interesting story so far.

Dream Weaver #1. Written by Chris Ryall and illustrated by Nelson Daniel. This is listed as a GIANT SYZE SPECIAL. I’m not sure what this was. It felt like a story that was told about a character named Dream Weaver that debuted before. It felt like it needed more explanation on what was going on. I did like the presentation overall.

Remote Space #1-3. Written, drawn and cover art by Cliff Rathburn. Another weird and wild Image Comics series. There are some wonderful character design but there is so much exposition in this book that it is hard to read. Only one more issue in this series though and it is a beautiful artistic book.

Riff Raff

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I had a chance to rent Riff Raff . I had seen the film in the theaters, but I was unable to fit a viewing into the schedule and I was interested in it because of the cast. So when it became available on Vudu, I was excited at the chance to watch it.

The cast was extremely strong, featuring Ed Harris, Jennifer Coolidge, Bill Murray, Gabrielle Union, Pete Davidson, Lewis Pullman, Miles J. Harvey and Emanuela Postacchini.

Vincent (Ed Harris) was a former criminal who escaped from the life and found a new one with a new wife Sandy (Gabrielle Union) and her son from another marriage, DJ (Miles J. Harvey). DJ was preparing to go to college when Vincent’s other son Rocco (Lewis Pullman) and his pregnant girlfriend Marina (Emanuela Postacchini) showed up unexpectedly, with Rocco’s mother and Vincent’s first wife, Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge) unconscious and in tow. Rocco has got a problem that threatened everybody’s happiness.

This film is a dark comedy in the vein of Fargo, but I do not think the comedic element is exactly strong. I did enjoy the separate characters and their stories that the film develops. Some might claim the film is slow, but I thought the development of these people were one of the strengths of the movie.

I love Jennifer Coolidge. I have been introduced to her work recently with The White Lotus and I enjoyed the character she was playing here.

Without spoiling things, I think the ending of this both worked and had several flaws to it. Most of what happened worked well for me, but there were some questions I had about how things happened and why things happened that did take away from it, in my opinion. I can’t go into too many details without spoiling it, but let’s just say that it did not leave me with the satisfied feeling I expected.

The strength of the cast pulled this up and I was engaged with the story as it developed. I wish there was another ten minutes at the end to make some things that happen make more sense than they did.

3.3 stars

What We Do in the Shadows S1 E3

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Spoilers

“Werewolf Feud”

The third episode of this series took its cue from Twilight and highlighted the conflict between vampires and werewolves in the most hilarious way.

First, can we stop a second to talk about Laszlo’s bush sculpting? I nearly fell over laughing that entire time as he proudly lead the tour of his bushes trimmed into the likeness of the vulvas of his myriad of lovers. If that was not enough, he came across his mother’s bush which had been pissed upon by a werewolf.

Okay, so that was insanely funny. As was the showdown with the wolfpack and the vampires, following the agreements of the truce between the Staten Island Vampires and Werewolves. This led to a one on one match with Nandor and a remarkable large werewolf. Nandor used a squeaky toy to cause the werewolf to leap off the roof, claiming victory. So much wonderfully clever writing on this episode.

The B-plot of the episode was every bit as excellent as Colin, the energy vampire, meets up with Evie, the emotional vampire, and there did not seem as if there was enough for both of them at work. Colin and Evie decided to work together and became a couple.

Again, this was exceptionally funny as the pair played off each other in their attempt to “feed.” Even the break up scene was hilarious as Evie wanted just one more taste from Colin.

This episode was much better than the previous one. It had two stories and did not feel like too much was crammed into the episode. This had a nice flow to it and it was really funny.

The White Lotus S3 E6

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“Denials”

Only two more episodes remaining in season 3 for The White Lotus. And things are starting to ramp up.

Still my favorite storyline has been the Gary/Greg story. He is setting up a dinner party and he is inviting some people that he feels he has some issues with. I have a feeling this dinner party could be a major event on the show.

Belinda getting caught in bed by her son was funny.

Saxton and Lochlin struggle to remember what happened on the boat with Chloe and, as memories are coming back, Saxton is feeling repulsed by what happened in the heat of the moment.

Rick is getting himself invited to Sritala under a false pretense to see her husband, whom he shared a dark back story with. Rick has a gun with him. This does not feel like it is going to end well.

Speaking about not ending well, Timothy has been having some dark, suicidal or homicidal thoughts. The troubles awaiting him back in the States are weighing on him, and both Victoria and Saxton told him that they couldn’t go on without the money. They had no idea what they were saying or how true it was about to come, but it was in Timothy’s head. The Ratcliff family is heading to that dinner party too.

My least favorite story continues to be Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie. The three blondes were fighting over Valentin staying the night. I do love these actresses, but I just don’t see what this story has to do with anything.

The Leftovers S1 E2

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“Penguin One, Us Zero”

The second episode of The Leftovers picked up the storylines from the pilot and continued them. One of the major features was Kevin Garvey and his own personal struggles. It seems as if Garvey is afraid of losing his mind and he thought he was seeing things that were not there. He had some issues with a bagel as well as the problem about the dog shooting that he participated in the other night.

Kevin’s son, Tom, is in his own trouble. He was hooked up with Wayne’s cult, and he killed an agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, and Cults who was just about to execute Christine. Tom and Christine escaped to a gas station, where they expected to meet Wayne. However, the gas station attendant was already dead, spooking Tom. Wayne pulled up before Tom could complete a phone call to his dad. Wayne instructed Tom to protect Christine and for them to go on the run until he called them back.

The man who shot the dogs came to Garvey’s house wanting to have Garvey join him the next night to shoot some more dogs. There was a pack he had discovered near the school. This is a strange piece of the story so far, especially since no one else seems to know who this bald man was. It is not just Garvey’s imagination though as his daughter Jill sees him too.

The Mayor visited Garvey’s father, Kevin Sr., at the institution and Garvey showed up while she was there. What connection does Lucy have with Kevin Sr?

It’s still early to wonder about the character played by Carrie Coon. She is carrying a gun, apparently related to Father Matt and is interviewing people about people close to them who had disappeared.

I feel as if the show will start to pick up more over the next few episodes and I am committed to watching it.

Yellowjackets S3 E7

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“Yellowjackets: Croak”

Joel McHale.

I did not expect to see him as one of the outsiders that came upon the Yellowjackets last week, but there he was, sporting a crossbow and everything.

I don’t know, if I were Joel McHale, who played Kodiak, who was a guide for the frog scientists, Edwin and Hannah, I would not have run from the girls. I had a crossbow. Even after Lottie killed Edwin with an axe, I think I might have tried to take a stand against them. He was clearly bigger and stronger than the girls.

In the end, both Kodiak and Hannah were captured by the Yellowjackets and, if what he hear about in the present day, it does not sound as if either of them make it out of the wilderness. At least, if they do, they are missing.

Then, the mystery of who killed Lottie continues to be crazy as it could, literally, be just about anyone. Taissa has been under the control of her other half for who knows how long. Something confirmed by Van when she was hallucinating at the hospital. She was throwing up blood as Shauna, Tai and Misty joined her on the way to confront the daughter of Hannah, who they believe had sent them that tape. Of course, it could also be Shauna, who had her DNA under Lottie’s fingernails.

Shauna ditched her, well, I was going to say friends, but that is not right) former team mates at the hospital and went to the daughter’s house and Shauna had purchased a big old knife. What is her plan? Or is she just still as psychotic as she seemed in the wilderness? Callie seems to be wondering if her mother is a bad person.

This episode flew by for me and I was not ready for it to end. I can’t wait for next week’s new installment… along with the rumored appearance of Hillary Swank.

The X-Files S8 E12

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“Medusa”

Setting an X-Files episode in the subway system is a solid local. I read some criticism that the subway they showed was way too clean and pristine, but I have never been in a subway before so that is something that I would not have thought about without the comment.

Scully and Doggett were here to investigate a death of a man on the train whose body had been eaten away. They received plenty of push back from the people in charge of the subway, who were not prepared to shut down the subway and cause chaos among the people who used it.

Doggett went down into the subway tunnels as Scully stayed behind to man the center. Though not mentioned, I wondered if this was because she was pregnant and she did not want to potentially expose herself to an unknown contagion. That does not feel like Scully, but it could be the underlying tone of the situation.

Transit police Lieutenant Bianco had lots of negative things to say about Scully, and it felt as if he did not want to be taking orders from a woman. I do not know if he was meant to be shown as misogynistic or just a jerk who did not want to be there, but he was back talking her and running her down to Doggett through much of the episode.

I am not sure how I felt about the end of the episode. It seemed that the mute boy came out of nowhere and the end of the medusa, the cause of the contagion, was killed so easily. It did feel too quick and did not develop it enough.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #9

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“Why We Fight”

I was wondering if this was an episode we were going to get.

When the soldiers of Easy Company were sounding like they were questioning the reason they were fighting this war in the first place, I knew we were getting the scenes we would get.

Concentration Camps.

It was tough to watch the horror of the soldiers as they walked into the camp and realized what the people who were there were going through at the hands of the Nazis. The imagery the show provided in this time was heartbreaking.

The soldiers brought the German town folk to the camp to help clean up and bury the bodies of the Jews that were dead. The shock of what the people saw was powerful. I can’t imagine the idea that they realized that they were the bad guys the whole time.

The episode focused on Nixon, who received bad news from home… his wife is divorcing him and taking his dog. Nixon spent much of the episode drinking, a specific whiskey only. He spends much of the episode searching for it.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #144

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Boy, there was a big week of comics this week, but it is nothing compared to what is coming next week.

I picked up a bunch of comics at Comic World and via eBay, as well as some purchased for me by Todd in Des Moines. I picked up a bunch of independents today at In This Issue Comics in Bettendorf that will not be included in this edition of EYG Comic Cavalcade. Depending on how much reading I get completed, I made do another issue of EYG CC before NEW COMIC BOOK DAY this Wednesday. That is a wait and see…

Next week, as I was going over Midtown Comics list, could have as many as 50 new books. That is an insane number. Probably will have to split into two EYG CC’s next week for sure.

Meanwhile, I have quite the potpourri of comic books this week. Todd calls some of the books that I pick up “unique.” It is tough when you are a trendsetter, like me.

This week’s “unique” books and others:

20 Degrees Past Rigor #1-3. Written by Rodney Barnes and drawn by Maan House. I have had issues #2 and #3 for awhile now, but I was missing #1, so they have been sitting in a pile waiting. I went to eBay to look at the book and it was rare and expensive so I put it off for some time. I finally ordered it and it arrived this week. This was just a three issue series from Zombie Love Studios and it was fun. I learned that the title was when the dead bodies started turning into zombies… twenty degree past when the body would become rigor.

X-Force #9. “The Shapley Value.” Written by Geoffrey Thorne and art by Marcus To. Stephen Segovia & Rain Beredo did the cover art. This is chapter six of the X-Manhunt, and we get the resurrection of Lilandra. This being the reason Charles Xavier has been running around free the last several chapters.

Dark Pyramid #1. Written by Paul Tobin and art and cover art by PJ Holden. This is a new series from Mad Cave that I could not find at any of the local shops and I have to grab via eBay. A podcaster goes missing during a recording session after entering a cave on Mt. Denau in Alaska. His girlfriend Becca heads to the mountain to try and find him. Intriguing mystery in this new book. Looking forward to seeing where it goes.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #31. “Pools of Blood Part Four” Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Luigi Zagaria. Federico Vicentini and Ceci De La Cruz did the cover art. Miles and Deadpool’s team up comes to an end with this issue and we get a cameo at the end of the book showing us where Miles is heading next… Hercules?

Exceptional X-Men #7. Written by Eve L. Ewing and art by Carmen Carnero. Carmen Carnero and Nolan Woodard did the cover art. Part of the X-Manhunt saga, but not a numbered chapter. This was listed as Collateral Damage and is barely connected. It is more about Axo discovering his new friend and mentor is actually Mister Sinister. Tough reveal for Axo.

The Deviant #9. Written by James Tynion IV and art and cover art by Joshua Hixson (Silver Medalist). The series comes to a dramatic conclusion after a long wait. Issue nine has been long time coming and it does not disappoint.

Absolute Batman #6. Written by Scott Snyder and art by Nick Dragotta. Cover art was done by Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin. Batman punts a young kid off a boat. It was one of the best things I have ever seen. Oh… and Absolute Joker makes his first appearance.

TVA #4. Written by Katharyn Blair and art by Pere Perez. Cover art was done by Pere Perez and GURU-eFX. I really like this mixture of the characters from Loki Disney + series and Marvel. Seeing Spider-Gwen, Captain Carter and a variant of Gambit working with B-15 and Mobius is a good time.

Saga #72. Written by Brian K. Vaughn and art and cover art by Fiona Staples (Gold Medalist). The weird and wild adventures of Hazel continue with the newest episode of the Saga. There is such a developed storyline here that it feels as if anything could happen, but I am confident that Vaughn and Staples knows exactly where they are headed. Saga is one of the best reads every month.

Avengers #24. “The Casino Job” Part 3. Written by Jed MacKay and art by Farid Karami. Valerio Schiti and Federico Blee did the art for the cover. Kang shows his treacherous side and Black Cat questions the side she is on. The Avengers then return to earth in time to discover that Dr. Doom is in control.

Absolute Flash #1. “Of Two Worlds Part One.” Written by Jeff Lemire and art and cover art by Nick Robles. I love Jeff Lemire and I have always liked the character of Flash, so this is a nice combination for me in the new “ABSOLUTE” books from DC. Wally West is our main protagonist and it sure does not seem as if Barry Allen has much of a future in this book. Good stuff so far.

One World Under Doom #2. “The Free World.” Written by Ryan North and art by R.B. Silva. Variant cover art by R.B. Silva. Victor Von Doom is showing off his new power to Valeria Richards and uses his power to “un-rock” Ben Grimm. Thing no more? We’ve seen this happen several times so I do not expect this to be a long term development… especially with the Fantastic Four movie coming out from Marvel Studios in July.

West Coast Avengers #5. Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Danny Kim. Ben Harvey did the cover art. Finally caught up with the West Coast Avengers after missing an issue awhile ago and then not getting this one on time. I do like this roster of characters so far, but with Firestar off for rehab, I would like to see someone new.

Out of Alcatraz #1. “Modesto.” Written by Christopher Cantwell and art and cover art by Tyler Crook (Bronze Medalist). This is a piece of historical fiction combined with a what if. This follows two of the prisoners who tried to escape from Alcatraz. It was believed that the escapees had drowned in their escape attempt, but in this new book from Oni Press, Christopher Cantwell tells the story of two of them surviving and what happened to them after. I enjoyed this quite a bit too.

Return of the Living Dead #2. Written by S.A. Check and James Kuhoric and art by Andrea Arcari. Cover art by Mark Spears. Another book that came to me from eBay this week. It is yet another book that has provided us with zombie action. Plus an awesome Mark Spears cover.

Those Not Afraid #2. Written by Kyle Starks and art by Patrick Piazzalunga. Cover art was done by Glenn Fabry. Our serial killer competition is in full swing, but will it be derailed when the Headless Whores Man is arrested and the Home Intruder sprung a trap. Only two issues in and it seems like we are at the end. I suppose there is more coming from our mysterious killers.

You Never Heard of Me #2. Written by Iolanda Zanfardino and illustrated by Elisa Romboli. Will uses his new power that he gained from his grandma to help save a classmate from making a fatal mistake… and perhaps gains a new helper.

Eddie Brock: Carnage #2. Written by Charles Soule and art by Jesus Saiz. Iban Coello & Frank D’Armata did the cover art. Above all else, I was distracted in this issue because they kept talking about Oceanic Airliner Flight 814 crashing, and it was taking me back to Oceanic Flight 815 from LOST. Clearly that is an homage to my favorite show ever. Oh, and Carnage and Eddie tangle with Bushwacker.

New Champions #3. Written by Steve Foxe and art by Ivan Fiorelli. Cover art was done by Todd Nauck & Rachelle Rosenberg. The New Champions vs. the Champions! Manipulated by Psycho Man, the two teams, who should be the best of friends, fight each other. Are the Champions even a thing any more?

Bug Wars #2. “Ain’t No God in Swarm City.” Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Mahmud Asrar. Cover art was done by Mahmud Asrar & Matthew Wilson. Bug Wars has been a cool read so far. Slade Slaymaker shrinks down and is in the fight of his bug-lovin’ life… in the grass outside his own house. One of the more creative books out this month.

Assorted Crisis Events #1. Written by Deniz Camp and art by Eric Zawadzki. Variant cover art B by Stipan Morian. This was a wild book. Playing with time is always a mind-f and this one is taking all of that to a brand new level. This is one of those unique books that truly is different than most books on the market.

The Hive #1 & 2. Written by AJ Lieberman and art by Mike Henderson. Another one I have been waiting for. I ordered this off eBay on Feb. 17, and I had not noticed that the seller listed the delivery time as a month + later. I was so tired of waiting for issue #1 that I ordered it from another eBay seller. Ironically, both copies of #1 arrived on the same day. I’m not giving any feedback for that first seller, nor will I buy from him again. Series is intriguing though.

G.I. Joe #5. Written by Joshua Williamson and art and cover art by Tom Reilly. Duke and his Joes are captured and tortured for info, but that is no problem. Meanwhile, Cobra Commander is planning a bomb to turn everyone in the radius of the bomb into mindless slaves to Cobra.

Challengers of the Unknown #4. “Red & Green.” Written by Christopher Cantwell and art by Sean Izaakse and Amancry Nahuelpan. Cover art was done by Izaakse & Romulo Fajardo Jr. Red leads a mission with Green Lantern and Captain Comet, leading to Red’s becoming paralyzed. There is a big time mystery surrounding the Challengers and the Omega Power and the JLU is getting a little nervous.

Deadpool/Wolverine #3. “Recruits.” Written by Benjamin Percy and art by Joshua Cassara. Joshua Cassara and GURU eFX did the cover art. Deadpool is under the control of a villain and he and Wolverine go at it… I mean, violently. Much more violence in this book than any of the Red Band books that have been polybagged.

Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #3-4. Written by Frank Tieri and art by Michael Sta. Maria. I missed issue 3 of this series so I had to wait on it too. I have to say that these two issues were way better than the first two issues. I was fully engaged with this story and I was upset over the unexpected death that occurred.

Potions Inc #1-2. Written by Erik Burnham and art by Stelladia. I picked these up on eBay, but honestly, I do not remember why. And I did not like these issues at all. I was just not interested in the story and I had trouble keeping my attention. There are three more issues in this mini series, but I do not plan on pursuing them further.

Magik #3. “Pacts” Written by Ashley Allen and art by German Peralta. Variant cover art B was done by Jenny Frison. Illyana makes a deal with Liminal that could see her rid herself of the Darkchilde for good. Will Dani Moonstar help her accomplish this?

Werewolf by Night: Red Band #8. Written by Jason Loo and penciled by Sergio Davila. E.M. Gist did the cover art. Jack Russell has become a ghost wolf while Elsa Bloodstone is trying to compile a team to come rescue him. Is it too little too late? And will Reptil be allowed to join them?

Daredevil: Unleash Hell Red Band #3. Written by Erica Schultz and penciled by Valentina Pinti and Jose Luis Soares. Variant cover C art by Peach Momoko. Things go poorly for Daredevil (Elektra) against the possessing spirit of Muse. I guess the next stage of the battle will be in literal Hell.

Question: All Along the Watchtower #5. “Into the Breach.” Written by Alex Segura with art by Cian Tormey & Raul Fernandez. Tormey & Romulo Fajardo Jr did the cover art. Renee breaks Batwoman out of Cyborg Superman’s control, but things really look bad for our heroes. The original Question makes an appearance (okay, maybe not the original one, I admit I do not know the history of the character. It just is not Renee).

The Rocketfellers #4. Written by Peter J. Tomasi and art and cover art by Francis Manapul. The Rocketfellers are continuing to hide out in the 21 Century while displaying skills that they have. The Rocketfellers are an interesting read but it can be difficult to follow at times. I just do not know the characters well enough yet.

Other books this week: Psylocke #5, Lawful #8, When I Lay My Vengeance Upon Thee #3, Sam Wilson: Captain America #3, SilverHawks #2, Zatanna #2, Blood Squad Seven #7, The New Gods #4, Mine is a Long, Lonesome Grave #2, Ultimate X-Men #13, Ultimate Black Panther #14, and The Power Fantasy #7.

Locked

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I had not heard about this movie until I saw a mention of it on TikTok. Starring Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins, this reminded me quite a bit of Phone Booth, with Colin Farrell, but with a car.

Eddie Barrish (Bill Skarsgård) was a man struggling to get his life on track. His van was in the shop and he did not have the money to pay to get it fixed and he could not keep his promises to pick up his daughter, Sarah (Ashley Cartwright) after school.

In an attempt to get the money he needed, Eddie was in search of a car that might be open where he could steal the money he needed. He was not stealing cars, just looking for stuff he could steal inside.

When he comes across a wealthy looking car unlocked in a parking lot, Eddie thinks he has struck it rich. That is until he realizes that he can not get back out of the car. He is locked inside. And a phone line from the car is ringing, demanding that he answer it.

When Eddie can’t take the ring any longer, he answers the phone to discover that the car’s owner, William (Anthony Hopkins) is on the other end and this car was a trap to punish anyone trying to rob it. William then tortures Eddie for several days in several hard to buy scenarios in an attempt for justice. Eddie does not know how deep the anger goes inside William.

I am of two minds with this one. While I like the idea and the execution, some of the things going down are hard to accept as possible. The electrified seats, the bullet proof glass, and the cameras everywhere were all accepted as part of the trap. I kept thinking that there had to be a way out of this car and that made it tough for me to accept the premise.

Bill Skarsgård, however, does a fantastic job as Eddie. Eddie goes through the ringer here, both physically and emotionally. This is one of the rare films that Bill Skarsgård has done where we can see his face, and he does not disappoint. His character is filled with all kinds of emotion and guilt over the life that he has chosen and his own failures as a man and a father. He clearly loves his daughter, even while letting her down consistently.

There just felt like there was something that did not work in this movie for me, and, I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I think it was Anthony Hopkins. He is a master at acting, but I just did not feel like he was cast properly in this role. I found his dialogue to be clunky and all over the place, lacking that taut delivery of some of his other classic villains. The film want this to be a morality tale, but it takes too long to get to the reasoning behind the trap and I found Hopkins to be more annoying than sinister.

The drama is well done and the scenes with the car in motion are both ridiculous and suspenseful at the same time. There is a scene with a slow motion deflecting bullet that is kind of laughable, but most of the action is good.

I do think the performance of Bill Skarsgård is worth the price of admission alone. Locked felt too long, even at just over 90 minutes, but what worked in the film worked well.

3 stars