Author Archives: Doc

The X-Files S6 E1

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“The Beginning”

The opening “previously on The X-Files” showed that this season six takes place directly after the movie, The X-Files: Fight the Future, the feature length film that had been released in theaters, and the story told in that movie is included in this season premiere.

However, it is only part of the story as the episode also included details that were introduced in the fifth season finale, “The End.” Specifically, the use of the little boy who could read minds, Gibson, as well as agents Jeffrey Spender and Diana Fowley. These two agents were assigned to take over the work of Mulder and Scully, who were reassigned within the FBI with explicit instructions to not work on the X-Files again.

Fowley is one of my least favorite X-Files characters because she is such a sell out and feels as if she exists only to put a stress on the connection of Mulder and Scully. You can see that stress in this episode and Scully argued with Mulder and at one point asks him to trust her. I seem to remember a time when Mulder said that Scully was “the only one he trusts.” That seems to have been chipped away as the new Mulder only wants to hear from Scully if she agrees with him.

Diana Fowley becomes a major character over the next few seasons and it is part of the slipping of The X-Files.

The horrors that the show has put the character of Gibson through is shocking and terrifying, and not in a good way. The treatment of this kid has been very distasteful by everyone and I do like how he just calls the adults out because he knows what they were thinking.

Spender, of course, is a horrendous person too, because he is taking direction from Smoking Man, who continues to be the one character that has to have a bullet in his head. I am consistently stating how much I hate this character, which should go to show what an amazing job William B. Davis had done with this role.

However, the opening scene of the episode featuring a carpool, had some of the worst dialogue that I ever remember in an X-Files episode. It was shockingly bad and did not start the episode off well. Thankfully, an alien ripped out of someone’s chest and made things a lot better.

My memory is that The X-Files becomes difficult to watch over the next few seasons, so we will see how this rewatch progresses.

Gladiator II Trailer

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I did not know that Denzel Washington was going to be in this movie. He is always a welcome sight on the screen.

Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal are also here. Pascal and his soon to be teammate in the Fantastic Four, Joseph Quinn, are both here too.

I know there has been a lot of controversy over the hip hop music used in the trailer, but I do not think it would have bothered me had I not already heard the complaints before I watched the trailer.

I never would have thought that Gladiator would have a sequel made of it, and yet here we are with evidence that it actually does exist.

It is scheduled to be released on November 22, 2024.

Agatha All Along Teaser Trailer

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The next Marvel Television program coming to Disney + will be Agatha All Along, a spin-off of WandaVision, the first Disney + Marvel TV show, featuring the character of Agatha Harkness, who is played the by awesome Kathryn Hahn.

This teaser trailer was a surprise this morning. I was on YouTube and I spotted Kristian Harloff doing a trailer reaction to this. I had no idea there was a trailer due to be released for Agatha All Along so I was very excited.

Kathryn Hahn was one of the best parts of, arguably, still the best Marvel TV show ever. Her witch was after the power of Wanda, in particular the power of the Scarlet Witch. Wanda left her in a mental prison as such, trapped within the world she had created.

Agatha All Along has gone through a ton of renaming over the time since its announcement including Coven of Chaos, Darkhold Diaries, House of Harkness, Agatha: The Lying Witch with Great Wardrobe or just Agatha. How much of this was Marvel trolling is unknown, but that Wardrobe title feels like a Marvel joke.

After seeing the trailer, I have to say that this was not anywhere near what I was expecting. It is scheduled to release in September, in time for Halloween, and there is no doubt that the Halloween vibe is what they were going for here. There were all kinds of creepy imagery in the trailer and it had a different feel to the manner in which it was filmed. The first scene of the trailer did not feel like Agatha at all and I would not have known this was Agatha if I just saw the opening of the trailer.

I expected more of a humorous vibe, but this is an interesting switch. It is a Marvel property so there will be humor in it, but the darker tone makes me very intrigued where this series is heading.

It will release with a double episode in September.

Battlestar Galactica S1 E10

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“Hand of God”

With the fuel supplies dwindling among the fleet, Adama and his crew of the Galactica take a huge risk in an attempt to find energy to support them.

This is one of Starbuck’s big time episodes as she is shown to be capable, smart and more than just the best pilot in the fleet.

It also gave some major props to Apollo as he stepped up and took the place of Starbuck, whose knee injury was not healed fully for her to be involved in this attack plan.

After plenty of time in these first 10 episodes (and the mini-series prior) where the humans were just able to escape from the Cylons, it was good to see them articulate and execute a plan to fight back once. Their plan was offensive and gave some hope that it was not just evacuation that the humans could do against the Cylon fleet.

I’m still not getting sucked in by Baltar again. After last episode, he is still the villain in the mix to me and, even though he made a lucky pick at where to strike on the base, I am not buying him as a hero. I am not sure what motivated his mind Number Six, but it can’t be positive for the humans.

Exciting episode with some great effects. It looks really amazing for a Syfy Channel show.

The Last Stop in Yuma County

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I rented a film tonight called The Last Stop in Yuma County at the site formerly known as Vudu, which is now referred to as Fandango at Home. I had seen this listed on a few lists of great movies so far in 2024 and I wanted to give it a try. After watching this violent crime thriller, I wholeheartedly agree in that assessment. This was fantastic.

The basic set up was that a knife salesman (Jim Cummings) stopped for gas at a station in Yuma county in Arizona. The gas station was dry, waiting for the gas truck to arrive to fill up the pumps. The knife salesman was told that he could wait in the diner next door.

There was a bank robbery earlier in the day and, unfortunately for everyone involved, the bank robbers (Richard Brake, Nicholas Logan) also stopped for gas and were told they had to wait.

The diner, whose waitress Charlotte (Jocelin Donahue) was working by herself, started to fill up with people waiting for the absentee gas truck. When the knife salesman identified the bank robbers’ car (which had been one of the items identified on the radio), tensions began to rise inside the diner.

The idea of this movie was very simple, and yet brought out some exciting moments and some black comedic bits featuring a group of people who made some terribly tragic choices along the way. The film was remarkably violent but with some great scenes that tied everything together. The film was directed by first time feature director Francis Galluppi, who show a real flair for the filming of this (for the most part) single setting in which a lot of anxiety and tension was on display, starting slow and building to a point where everything exploded. There were some excellent shots of the area both inside and outside of the diner.

The actors all did a great job developing characters without a ton of time to do so. I found myself feeling connected to several of the characters without really even knowing much about them.

The story progressed quickly with some very clever writing keeping things moving even in the slow parts. It also did not turn out anywhere what I expected it to as the story took a turn that I did not see coming.

The Last Stop in Yuma County shows how effective storytelling and direction can create a tense tale with minimal time and budget. This is one of my favorite films of 2024 so far.

4.8 stars

The X-Files S5 E19, E20

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“Folie à Deux”

“The End”

The were the final to episodes of season five of The X-Files. The first one was a monster-of-the-week story and the second one returned to the mythology episode seeing the comeback of Cigarette-Smoking Man, who does not seem to have missed a beat with his manipulations and evilness.

Starting with Folie à Deux, this was a very solid episode with a scary bug antagonist. It sounded as if they were unhappy with the look of the costume they were using and had visual effects make the monster harder to see. It is a logical step that a monster that is hidden is scarier than one you can see fully.

The introduction of Diana Fowley did not work well for me. She felt as just a conflict tossed into the relationship of Mulder and Scully. This triangle that was introduced just fell flat for me. I did not mind another agent accepting Mulder’s theories, but the romantic aspect just lacked any substance.

The introduction of mind reading child Gibson was much better though and gave me some of the flavor of “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” but with a little boy instead of an old man. I found there to be less comedy in this episode than in Clyde too.

Smoking Man is back and I want him dead yet! Honestly, this villain is just so effective that I want the character to pay for all of his crimes. He told Agent Spengler that he was his father, and he continued to manipulate the entire situation, as Spengler is being set up as an antagonist for Mulder.

The image of Mulder standing before the charred remains of the X-Files was shocking and powerful. Damn that Smoking Man.

Season six is next to come.

Bates Motel S2 E10

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“The Immutable Truth”

What a season finale this was.

I wonder if this was meant to be potentially the end of the series, because this would have worked out for that with that final shot of Norman leading beautifully into what we know of the character.

Every storyline was to a point where it could have been wrapped up nicely. The whole Dylan/drug trade stuff came to a violent end with the death of just about everybody involved. Romero provided a story to cover the situation, leaving Dylan safe.

The Dylan/Norma drama was resolved too as Norma and Dylan had a great scene together where all of the baggage was finally put aside and Norma told Dylan how much she loved him and how sorry she was with the way she had treated him. She even proved it to him. She told Dylan that she had bought tickets to leave town to Montreal, a way to escape from Norman’s polygraph test, and that she had bought three tickets so Dylan could go too. The flash of recognition on Dylan’s face was amazing as he learned that his mother did love him. It’s all Dylan ever really wanted, despite how angry he had been.

Norman passes the polygraph because his other personality, Mother, told him that she had killed Miss Watson, making Norman able to say that he did not do it. Norman believed, so he could be truthful, in his mind.

The show did an amazing job of showing a young man who had decided to kill himself. He was very precise and started taking care of his life. He made a list of things to do and he went about it calmly. Perhaps the actual scene between Norman and Norma in the woods was more melodramatic than it should have been, but it showed prior that someone who is suicidal may not be out of control and this can give important information to anyone whose loved one might be considering such an action.

As I said, this could have easily been the end of the series. I wonder if they were unsure of a pick up and filmed this as a way to end the series if they were not renewed. There certainly is not many storylines, outside of Norman’s neuroses, remaining.

Maxxxine

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I would not define Maxxxine as a horror movie. The third film in Ti West’s trilogy featuring actor Mia Goth is more of a crime story set in the world of Hollywood of the 1980s.

According to IMDB, “In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past..“

Mia Goth is great. She is a star and she shines brightly in this role. Maxine Minx is such an original character that has gone through a lot of problems in her life that we saw in the film X.

The first two thirds of this movie was fantastic. It was tense and you were never sure what was going to happen. I love how when Maxine needed to step up, she did so. She had such confidence and strength that she was an inspiration.

The last act of the film, the final set piece, felt very much out of place among this movie and took a weird turn that slowed the progress the film had made. It threatened to derail the film for me, but thankfully, the corny final scene did not last too long.

By the way, Kevin Bacon was awesome in this film. I forgot to mention that but he was epic and brought some great moments to the beginning part of the movie.

Maxxxine was a solid film with a weak ending. Mia Goth carried the film on her back and she made this a success. I would have liked a better ending, but I did like where the character of Maxine Minx ended up. This was a good conclusion to the trilogy.

3.5 stars

Kinds of Kindness

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This was garbage.

The latest film from director Yorgos Lanthimos was not for me. Even a little bit. There were three basic stories with the same actors in different roles. None of them made any sense. It was a pretentious, obnoxious mess that lacked any narrative sense.

The actors involved are tremendous, but they do nothing for this film. Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, William Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, and Mamoudou Athie were in the film. They are great performers.

This film was mean-spirited, both objectified women and treated them poorly, and had things happen that (scenes involving abuse, rape, and misogyny) were both offensive and lacking any real meaning to the story.

This movie was way too long. I could not believe when the first story had credits come up on the screen because it felt as if nothing had actually happened. The story beats are scattered and convoluted.

This felt like a director who was hot off the Oscar-winning Poor Things who thought that whatever he would do would be beloved. This is not that. I really hated this movie.

0.9 stars

Battlestar Galactica S1 E9

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“Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down”

Oh, the paranoia… it is so lovely.

This episode did a great job of planting seeds all over the place, making everyone feel as if they could be a Cylon. The concept of making the Cylons look human is paying off big time with this as you are never quite sure who could be a machine.

Before going on, I have had thoughts about Gaius Baltar. His charm and humor has made me want to root for this guy, even though I saw him making bad choices everywhere. That is over for me now. This guy is officially a villain in my eyes from this point forward. Intentionally not revealing the truth of the Cylon identification testing and just making everyone pass the test because it is easier that way is the worst thing I think I have heard. I was willing to give this guy a pass before but that not the case moving forward. He may not be a Cylon sympathizer, but he is not too far away from it.

The character of Ellen Tigh is over the top. She is very unlikable as well. I found her annoying immediately and I had enough of her antics well before Baltar gave her the questionable test. I do not see any real chemistry between her and Saul Tigh. This is not the picture of the character of Saul that I had drawn up to this point. I’m not sure Ellen is someone that will build better story.

I do love the tension between Adama and President Roslin. The questions about if Adama could be a Cylon has affected the relationship and the anxiety building is awesome.

It is fascinating seeing the Cylons starting to wonder about the feelings, particularly love, that humans have, Number six’s response to “Sharon’s” behaviors on Caprica is telling and will probably become a major theme of the show. When will the first Cylon switch sides officially? I think it is destined to happen.

I am very pleased that I have started this series. I can absolutely understand why so many fans loved this show when it aired. It is top notch sci-fi and has already developed a crew of intriguing characters.

Bates Motel S2 E9

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“The Box”

The penultimate episode of season two of Bates Motel was full of major events and shocking moments.

As he was being tossed into the box, I remembered how Norman was held captive in this box out in the woods. I remembered how horrible that was and how it affected his mental state, which was fairly unbalanced as was. I can’t imagine such a torturous situation as what Nick put Norman through.

I guess Nick paid for that as it looked as if Dylan killed him with that fireplace poker.

Romero wants to give Norman a lie detector test to see if he killed Miss Watson. But when he found out that Nick had grabbed Norman, Romero told Norma he would take care of it.

And we find out for sure, or at least as sure as we could, that Norman did indeed kill Miss Watson after he had sex with her. I said last episode that all the bad things on Bates Motel happen after sex. Here was another example.

Season two has one more episode.

The X-Files S5 E18

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“The Pine Bluff Variant”

This X-Files episode was refreshing because it did not have that air of supernatural/alien that we have come to expect from the X-Files and it was a dead serious one that could actually take place in the real world. That made this episode different than most of the series and it was a nice change. I’m not saying that I would want an entire series like this one, but the tension was tight and the story worked.

In the end, it still did tie in with the greater mythology of the X-Files with the government conspiracy at its heart, but most of it was straight forward.

David Duchovny was really great taking Mulder undercover inside a group of terrorists who were looking to test a dangerous bio-weapon.

Sam Anderson (LOST, Picket Fences) appeared as US Attorney Leamus, one of the men at the heart of this bio-weapon test happening. At least, that is what was implied though it was only through Mulder and Scully’s confrontation that this is revealed. Leamus said his job was to protect the people from the truth, certainly setting him up as a foil for Mulder moving forward.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

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My expectations were very low for the fourth film in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. Axel F was released on Netflix and most of the time, these long stretches between sequels are a bad sign. Beverly Hills Cop 3 came out in the early 1990s and this is over thirty years since. And the franchise’s third film was already bad. All of this added up to my expectations being so low.

I was pleasantly surprised when I watched Axel F that I was enjoying the film, that it felt like an Axel Foley movie featuring the cast that I remembered, and that it was funny and filled with some good action.

Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) gets a call in Detroit from Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) in Beverly Hills saying that Axel’s estranged daughter Jane (Taylour Paige) was involved in a tricky case that Billy had been investigating. Billy was worried about her and thought that Axel should come and help. Unfortunately, Billy is captured and disappears before Axel could arrive in town.

Axel immediately began causing trouble in Beverly Hills and winds up arrested where he meets young detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) whose case Rosewood had been interfering with.

I was really pleased with this movie. I thought it was well done and well written. It was not just another cash grab in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. This felt like it had more on its mind than just Eddie Murphy being funny.

Eddie Murphy fell right back into the role of Alex Foley easily and had his typical charisma in doing so. He had that same flair of being an outsider in the world of Beverly Hills that worked so well in the 80s. Taylour Paige was solid as Foley’s daughter. This could have been a cliche with the adult child and deadbeat dad, but her talents and a well written script kept it feeling fresh and strong.

It was great to see Judge Reinhold back as Billy, as well as John Ashton back as Taggart. They both seemed like old friends that we missed over these years. Their participation was kept at a reasonable level, which I think was a good choice. They avoided being seen as overused and instead worked when they were on screen.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt worked well with Eddie Murphy as a younger partner whose relationship with Jane was a tad hokey. There were some solid scenes with these two actors that worked well in the film.

There were several moments that felt similar to previous installments of the franchise, including the finale, which could be considered too similar to the first film. I would have liked something a little more original in the finale because they had done some very good action throughout the film that felt new and exciting. In particular, there is a scene with a helicopter that was excellent. The lack of originality of the final set piece was a negative toward a film that had been doing very well up until that point.

Kevin Bacon is another actor in the film, as a police Captain whose expensive shoes and watch make Axel suspicious of him. Beverly Hills Cop franchise has a history of showing you the bad guy upfront and not trying to make it a mystery. This falls right in line with the other ones. I mean, the minute you see Kevin Bacon appear, you know what is going on.

I did not think that Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F was going to be any good at all, so I am beyond pleased that there was as much humor and action that worked and that Eddie Murphy and a cast of talented actors had a strong enough script to keep them and me involved.

3.85 stars

EYG Upcoming Comics Preview Issue One

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July 2024

Welcome to Embrace Your Geekness. I post a couple of different articles that deal with comics on my website site weekly, the Favorite Comic Covers of the Week and the EYG Comic Cavalcade, and I thought it was time to expand just a bit.

I have always joked about the fact that I am a trend-setter because of some of the weird books that I get. Ironically, there was once a time when I only bought Marvel comics nearly exclusively. I remember when that changed. I was heading to Comic World one night on NEW COMIC BOOK DAY after school and the owner, Ben, told me that I had to read this comic. He told me it was a horror comic and that it was awesome. He told me I did not have to buy it, but just to sit down and read it. I did.

That book was Something is Killing the Children #1 by James Tynion IV and it revolutionized my comic buying choices. I began to start looking at the independent market for books that might intrigue me as a comic reader. Instead of just focusing on characters that I love, I wanted to see stories that could engage me.

When I was a little kid, what interested me most of all was the artists in each book. I remember loving John Byrne and following him around to the different books he would draw. Now, as an adult, I am much more interested in the writer of the stories. I am more likely to give a book written by James Tynion IV, Jeff Lemire or Chip Zdarsky a chance than any current artist.

Anyway, I was looking through the Previews catalog yesterday and I got an idea for a new post for EYG. I want to pick out a few of the new books from the Preview catalog that I am intrigued by and highlight them here. Perhaps I can find a “Something is Killing the Children” for someone else like Ben did for me.

I plan on doing this column every month when the Previews catalog comes out. I will give a short summary and my own thoughts. I am not going to pick anything that I do not plan on purchasing myself just because someone else may believe it will be ‘hot.’ And there will always be a standing recommendation for “Man-Goat & Bunnyman.” Just sayin’.

Ironically, the first book I want to mention is Something is Killing the Children #0, which is the cover story of Previews. This is apparently the untold story that led to Erica Slaughter to the classic “Archer’s Peak Saga.” Written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Werther Dell’Edera, this goes right along with the current run of Something is Killing the Children which has been telling untold stories from Erica’s past. I hope this gives us more specifics and details than a typic “0” comic would. Either way, this is a must have for all Something-fans. It is from Boom! Studios.

Another big thing I found in the Previews was the next comic written by Jeff Lemire. I mentioned him as a writer that I will give a chance to because of how much I have loved his past work which included Fishflies, Phantom Road, Gideon Falls, Sweet Tooth, Essex County and the Bone Orchard Mythos. The new book is entitled Minor Arcana and it says that it features Theresa, a daughter of a small-town ‘psychic’ fraud. Theresa returned home to take care of her mother who is ill only to find that the town may need more help than she expected. This is a book that I am looking forward to because of Jeff Lemire. It is also from Boom! Studios.

Those two were two of the major ones highlighted in Previews. I have a couple more that are not standouts, but that made me curious about. The first of these is entitled The Tin Can Society from Image Comics. Written by Peter Warren and art from Francesco Mobili and Chris Chuckry, The Tin Can Society tells the story of Johnny Moore, a tech mogul who had a disability. However, Johnny is also a vigilante inside a metal suit. Johnny is found murdered and his suit missing, which leads to his childhood friends come together to try to solve the mystery. I do love murder mysteries and, if done well, this could be a great medium for it to excel. Peter Warren is a screenwriter of a film called Kill Me so I am curious to see what he had to bring to this format.

Another Image book that I am looking at is The Moon is Following Us. This is one of those that I might not have given a chance to except that it is being written by Daniel Warren Johnson who is currently doing tremendous work on The Transformers at Image. This is a story about Sam and Duncan and their six-year old daughter Penny. Penny was taken by an evil force called the Cascade and her parents need to enlist the aid of magic creatures to try and save her. Magic books are hit and miss a lot of times for me, but Daniel Warren Johnson has earned the chance to purchase this book.

And then there is a book from the small company Afterlight Comics called Silence. This is clearly a book that I would never have seen without Previews and my mindset that there are great stories besides just Marvel. This is a three-part story described as psychological horror, which is some of my favorite horror stories. It is about a comic book artist named Stanley Kane who has cardiac arrest in a taxi. When he awakens at the hospital, his agent has arranged some R&R in a small town in Michigan named Silence. There appears to be more in Silence than expected. I love these type of small town stories. I loved the TV shows Twin Peaks and Eerie, Indiana as well as the comic series Displaced, Gideon Falls or Stillwater. This sounds as if it may fall into that category.

These are a few of the books featured in Previews this month that make me intrigued. I will return with this column in August for the next round of new books. Until then, read on.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #105

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July 4, 2024

Happy Fourth of July to everyone out there. I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday celebrating the freedoms we have in this wonderful country.

Yesterday was NEW COMIC BOOK DAY and I rarely have read them all to have a Comic Cavalcade on Thursday, but this week was different. Of course, I spent time yesterday at Comic World reading the books that were pulled for me, but there was another reason. Comic World had a problem with the order, which led to a bunch of Marvel books not being delivered this week. I wound up with like eight missing Marvel titles which meant that it was going to be easier to get through what I had and complete the Comic Cavalcade sooner. It also means that next week or the week after is going to have a load of books.

The rush of books from eBay continued this week as I got several Spectacular Spider-Man issues from the early run of the series (back when it was Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man). There were also a group of Tick comics from the original New England Comics that I got including #3. I only have a few more from that first run of Tick to get for my collection to be complete. Next week I may get the Man-Eating Cow series delievered.

Books I got this week:

Tomb of Dracula #14. Not a new book this week. It was a book that I had put in my box last week because it was a decent deal and I was buying back issues. I have slowly been working on Tomb of Dracula, as it has always been a favorite of mine. I enjoy Dracula as a Marvel character and this was in hi sprime.It was written by Marv Wolfman and had art by Gene Colon.

Spider-Man Reign 2 #1. Written and art by Kaare Andrews with the variant cover art by Leinil Francis Nu (Gold Medalist). This sequel series takes a look at an older Spider-Man and his battle with a new version of Kingpin. I did not read the Spider-Man Reign original series so this is all new for me. I have historically not been a fan of the possible future type stories, but this feels more like an Elseworld-type book. It is off to a good start so I will be curious to see where it goes from here.

Feral #3. I already own Feral #3, but I got a good deal on this variant, which had the pen-and-ink version of the cover. It is a lovely looking cover for a series that has been top notch from issue one. I spoke with several others at Comic World yesterday and when this came up, it seemed to have overall raves.

Space Ghost #3. Written by David Pepose and art by Jonathan Lau. Francesco Mattina did the cover art. This is another book that has had universal praise from the people I have spoken to. Bringing Space Ghost to the present and updating him seems to have been hugely successful for Dynamite. This issue features the villain The Widow who is trying her best to manipulate the kids.

Public Domain #6. “Character Notes” Written, drawn and cover art by Chip Zdarsky (Silver Medalist). I was shocked when I saw this comic’s return announced in Previews a few months ago. The five issues of the first run were great but I never expected to see it again. However, here it is, the return of the creators of the super hero Domain. It feels very meta as several of the complaints from fans over “wokeness” are addressed here. Chip Zdarsky is one of the best writers working in comics today.

The Boy Wonder #3. Written, drawn and cover art by Juni Ba (Bronze Medalist). The first, oversized issue of this series was really great. I have lost all interest in the book at this point. It is a five-issue series so there are only two more issues to get, which I will as a completionist, but I am not interested in it any longer.

The Last Mermaid #5. Story, art and cover by Derek Kirk Kim. This continues to be a great series told mainly through its beautiful art and the images that it has. The epic battle with the mermaid and the mutants make this really a standout looking issue.

Bear Pirate Viking Queen #3. “Queen” Written by Sean Lewis and art and cover art by Jonathan Marks Barravecchia. This three issue series comes to a close with this issue. The bear is back and is involved in a very spiritual conclusion. This is a beautifully designed book with some art that made me feel like it was painting. I love these big swings in a comic book medium.

Wolverine: Deep Cut #1. Written by Chris Claremont and art by Edgar Salazar. Phillip Tan & Sebastian Cheng was the cover artists. Another trip back into the history of Wolverine as we feature a deadly struggle between Logan and Sabretooth. You would not have seen something this bloody back in the 1980s for sure.

The Writer #1. Written and created by Josh Gad and the Berkowitz Bros. The art was by Ariel Olivetti and the cover art was by Jeremy Hahn. I was looking forward to this book, but I just did not find it interesting for me. It had a lot of Jewish iconography which I struggled to follow and I just did not enjoy. I am disappointed that I did not like this more.

Local Man #11. Written by Tony Fleecs and Tim Seely. Art was done by Tony Fleecs. The cover art was done by Tim Seely, Tony Fleecs, Tom Raney & Brian Reber. Jack Xaver aka Local Man is on the trail of a case that included one of the most unexpected cameos of all time…. former Vice President Dan Quayle. Dan Quayle???

Deadpool #4. Written by Cody Ziglar and penciled by Rogê Antonio & Eric Gapstur. Taurin Clarke did the cover art. Something major is happening in this book. It looks as if Deadpool has had his healing factor removed. It looks like it could be curtains for the Merc with a Mouth.

Annihilation 2099 #1. This included two stories, both written by Steve Orlando. Story one, “The Last Nova” is drawn by Ibraim Roberson and the second one, “Dracula Risen” was drawn by Dale Eaglesham. Nick Bradshaw & Rachelle Rosenberg did the cover art. Even though I have always liked Nova and Dracula, this book was just not for me. I had a very difficult time getting into it and neither story grabbed my attention. It being 2099 may have affected my opinions on these characters.

Sam and Twitch Case Files #4. Co-plot by Todd McFarlane & Jon Goff. The art was done by Szymon Kudranski. Don Aguillo & Mirko Colak did the art for the cover. The case that Max is working on is quickly escalating and Sam is trying to get in contact with his partner to apologize (or something along those lines). This neo-noir book is excellent every week. My favorite part is that it takes place in the Spawn world with no sign of Spawn at all.