That Texas Blood #7 & 8. Creative team: Chris Condon & Jacob Phillips. This Image series begins its second story arc with “Eversaul, 1981” and, I have to say, I love this series. This new arc is just kicking it. The arc deals with a murder that happened back in 1981 in Ambrose County and the memories of Sheriff Joe Bob, who was there for the case. So far, there has been a bit of exposition, but I am thoroughly engaged and entertained by it.
Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #3. “The Ring in the Stone.” Written by Gene Luen Yang and drawn by Marcus To, Shang-Chi goes to retrieve the twn rings that had been stolen from him last issue by former friends inside MI-6. This issue was filled with awesome Shang-Chi action as the rings became one. Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson drew the cover for this issue.
Midnight Suns #5. “Smoke and Mirrors.” Midnight Suns limited series came to an end with this issue, and I have to say that I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It ended with a very interesting twist dealing with Agatha Harkness. I liked this team of characters and the conclusion was solid.
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #3. Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly and drawn by Carmen Carnero. Carnero was joined by Alejandro Sanchez for the cover art. Steve Rogers is investigating the origins of where his shield came from and he is finding some shocking truths. And there was a fascinating showdown between Bucky and Peggy Carter.
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #4. Written by Marieke Nijikamp and penciled by Enid Balám. The main cover art was done by Johnoy Lindsay. Kate continues to try and overcome the Chapiteau, led by Pascale Tiboldt, the niece of Ringmaster. Kate Bishop shows just what a fun and exciting character she is, proving in this series that she is more than just a female Hawkeye.
Stillwater #11. “The Drop“. Things continue to be troublesome in Stillwater as the comic takes a one year time jump forward, solidifying the rule of the kid, Galen. Daniel and Tanya remain as the opposition, trying to talk Galen into the right decisions. Unfortunately, Ted and Sheriff Kreegs are still there too. Things are getting rough in Stillwater.
Thor #25. This is part two of Hulk vs. Thor: Banner of War. There actually isn’t a lot of Thor in this issue’s main story. There is more Iron Man and Odin. We do see images of what happened in El Paso that led to this entire problem. There are two back stories in the book too, one featuring the Enchantress and one based on an actual Norse myth.
Super Bowl Sunday. I do believe this is the main reason why there were so few movies in the theaters this weekend. You would basically lose a ton of business on Sunday and it would be hardly worth it. Of course, it still allowed me to get plenty of reading done this morning.
Honestly, there have not been very many times in February so far that I have only read for the one hour that I had intended to read. Most of the time it has been over an hour, if not considerably over an hour.
I am looking forward to watching the Super Bowl tonight, even though my favorite team is not involved. I do expect that there will be some great trailers coming (maybe for Guardians Vol. 3 or even The Marvels).
Continuing to work on catching up as much as I can…
Avengers #64 & 65
Avengers Forever #12 & 13
I have caught up with the Avengers books. Of course, I had thought that Avengers #65 would bring an end to the Avengers Assemble storyline, but I was wrong about that as it is carrying on after. I was right about being spoiled about the identity of Avenger Prime by an online website. It was my own fault I guess, but their spoiler warning did not keep me from seeing the truth. Disappointing as I may have really loved the reveal had I not known it was coming. Anyway, I am ready for the Multiversal Avengers to get wrapped up soon. It has been fun, but it is time to finish this story.
Truth: Red, White & Black #1-7. Written by Robert Morales and drawn by Kyle Baker. Okay, I found this iconic series on eBay and decided to order it. I was introduced to the character of Isaac Bradley on the Disney + series Falcon and the Winter Soldier and I loved it. I had always planned on finding this book. Now that I have read it, I have some definite thoughts. The story was remarkably powerful and filled with drama and terrible truths. Unfortunately, I found the art to be so cartoonish that it constantly undercut the powerful story that was being told. I was very disappointed with how the story looked. It deserved to be a better art style than this. I did love almost all of the covers.
Thor #24 (Legacy number 750). “The Second Son of Asgard” This huge anniversary issue of Thor featured the Funeral of the All-Father, Odin (despite Odin not being fully dead). It also featured a who’s who of Thor artists and writers over the years taking a part in telling pieces of the story. There was Donny Cates & Nic Klein, Walter Simonson, Dan Jurgens, Jason Aaron & Das Pastoras, Al Ewing & Lee Garbett and J. Michael Straczynski & Olivier Coipel. It does a good job of setting up the next adventure for Thor to head out on.
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #3. Written by Marieke Nijkamp and drawn by Enid Balám. Kate Bishop continues to try and make it through a case in search of a special ring, while a group, that appeared to be the Circus of Crime, is trying to stop her with mind controlled party guests. Kate is trying her best to make it through the case while dealing with her older sister and carrying on a text chain with America Chavez and Cassie Lang (oh, and Clint Barton is in there too). Continual fun from Kate Bishop.
Ms. Marvel & Venom #1. Writer: Jody Houser. Artist: Dave Wachter Cover Artist: Sara Pichelli & Federico Blee. The third team-up book in this little series of books where Ms. Marvel teams up to try and stop these little tracking bots. This time we got the new Venom (not Eddie Brock). With guest stars by the other comic issue stars, Wolverine and Moon Knight, this was a good wrap up.
Ghost Rider #7. “Shadow Hunters” Written by Benjamin Percy and drawn by Cory Smith and Kael Ngu doing the cover art. Talia Warroad arrives and she is looking for a new partner, and she is going for Johnny Blaze. Meanwhile, Blackheart continues to make his presence known.
Midnight Suns #4. “What Lies in the Mist” We discover the actual force behind the conflict in the story and I really liked how they brought it around from other aspects of the story. Clea also sent the G’uranthic Guardian after the Midnight Suns (in their new black and red, sparkly armor outfits Tony Stark made for them). Ethan Sacks wrote this book and Luigi Zagaria was the artist. David Nakayama drew the cover.
That Texas Blood #5 & 6. The first arc of the story is brought to a close as Joe Bob figures out the killer of Travis but not before his brother Randy takes justice into his own hands… brutally. This series has been just exceptional so far and I am anxious to see where it goes from here. The creative team was Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips.
When I was a young comic book fan, I was a fan of the Legion of Superheroes. I’m not sure what appealed to me as a youngster, but I did love the variety of characters. I never collected the book for any regular amount of time, but I did like them. So I was pretty excited to see that the newest DC Animated movie was going to be based on Legion of Superheroes.
After escaping from the doomed planet of Krypton, Kara (Meg Donnelly) was deflected from her path to reunite with her cousin Kal-El (Darren Criss) on earth. However, under the guise of Supergirl, Kara was struggling to control her powers and was having a difficult time assimilating to the lower technological earth.
Superman had an idea. He used a time cube to take her to the 31st century and have her start training in the Legion Academy. Once there, she came across Brainiac-5 (Harry Shum Jr.) whom she mistook for the villainous Brainiac. Their fight led to both young heroes to be in trouble at the Academy.
There are a ton of voice actors involved, considering the typical cast of the Legion of Superheroes is large. Other voice actors here included Jensen Ackles, Matt Bomer, Darin De Paul, Ben Diskin, Victoria Grace, Jennifer Hale, Ely Henry, Eric Lopez, Zeno Robinson, Daisy Lightfoot, Cynthia Hamidi, Yuri Lowenthal, Robbie Diamond, and Gideon Adlon.
It was fun seeing all of these Legion characters appearing on screen, but I have a major question. Is there really a character named Arms Fall Off Boy? (After a quick google search, there absolutely was a Arms Fall Off Boy. Geez).
The story of the film is pretty simple and will not hold up to much scrutiny. It all revolves around a MacGuffin that was being kept in the Legion’s unbreakable vault (which, as soon as it was mentioned at the movie’s beginning, I thought that it was clearly being broken into later). Supergirl and Brainiac-5 are forced to team up despite there being conflict between the two of them. Of course, it also will lead to a romantic pairing between them. That was pretty cliché.
Unfortunately, most of this film is basic super hero clichés that lack any real depth to them. Because there are so many characters involved, most of these characters are basically their powers, without any deeper understanding of them. You would think that, with decades of great Legion stories, they could find one with more oomph to adapt.
I did find the animation of the film to be a step up from some of the other DC Animation projects. While it may not be at the upper end of animation styles for big movies, this was better than what it had been in the past and it makes me hopeful that the animation will not be the area they will skimp on moving forward.
While it was fun to see some of these heroes appear on the screen (although there was no significant parts for some of my favorite Legionnaires like Wildfire, Karate Kid, and Chameleon Boy- though it was fun to see Bouncing Boy and a flash of Ferro Lad), this movie is really more of a Supergirl film than one of the Legion of Superheroes. The drawbacks to the story and lack of characterization overall really hurt this movie.
One of the creepiest movies I have seen in a long time is now on Shudder, named Skinamarink, and it was directed by Kyle Edward Ball.
Not only is is one of the creepiest films I have seen for quite a while, but it is also one of the oddest, especially in terms of structure. Skinamarink does not have much of a narrative, and you have to pay close attention to really understand a plot. You never see the faces of any of the characters, outside of a couple of quick flashes, and the sound mixing of the film is difficult to hear or to make out.
The basic plot is that there are two kids, Kaylee, who is six, and Kevin, who is four, and they wake up in their house in the middle of the night to discover that their father has disappeared and the doors and windows of the house have vanished. After that, there are some unbelievably frightening things that happen (or do they?).
Skinamarink legitimately put me on edge from the moment it started. I kept focusing on the screen, waiting for something to happen that would explain to me what the film was going to be about and how it would be structured, and that just never came. It kept me unnerved from start to finish and I was tense and anxious, staring at the darkness on the screen and wondering why these moments were occurring.
I listened to William Bibbiani’s podcast, Critically Acclaimed, when he spoke of Skinamarink and he used the perfect word to describe the movie. He said that the film was about “dread.” I agree with that assessment completely. I felt dread through the entire movie and the film only ratcheted that mood up with every image (or lack thereof).
It would not be wrong to call this an experimental horror film.
I can also completely understand why some people may hate this movie. It is intentionally slow and plenty of people are going to struggle with the format of the structure of the narrative. The audience score at Rotten Tomatoes is at 44% because it is not what anybody has ever seen before. It is not like any horror movie out there and the plenty of people are going to be divisive because of that.
While narrative is usually something that I watch closely in a movie, there is no denying that this movie got to me in several organic ways. There were some scenes that caused me to have a cold chill run down my back and a few times when I gasped. The film absolutely unsettled me, and not too many films have been able to do that.
Skinamarink may not be for you. I can understand if you hate this movie, but I can not argue that it affected me physically as I watched it and I was uneasy and skittery as it progressed. It may have been a touch too long, but Skinamarink does not pull any punches and creates a movie that is different from anything else you have ever seen.
This weekend there was no movie that I wanted to see at the theater. I certainly was not driving down to the Quad Cities to see the new Magic Mike film. Because that was the case, it opened a whole chunk of the day for the Comic Catch-Up. Today was one of the most prolific days for the Comic Catch-Up since it started.
King Conan #1. “On Maggot-Infested Waves“. Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Mahmud Asrar. I believe this was the last Conan series Marvel did while they still had the publishing rights. In this issue, the older Conan faces off with his old rival, Thoth-Amon in a brutal fight. I have enjoyed Marvel’s take on Conan and it is good to get a chance for the iconic King Conan.
Avengers 1,000,000 B.C. #1. “For the Phoenix so Loved the World“. Written by Jason Aaron and the art was done by Kev Walker. Ed McGuinness & Matthew Wilson were the artists on the cover. We get a good time to spend with the Prehistoric Avengers, which is an intriguing concept. The idea that these primal forces of the universe would exist in several iterations over the centuries is a cool concept and we get the story of the Phoenix force being Thor’s parent (though it was weird).
Spirits of Vengeance: Spirit Rider #1. I kind of liked this version of the ghost rider powers controlled by Kushala. The fact that Kushala and Johnny Blaze met up and had an adventure to save Blaze was well done. The story was written by Taboo & B. Earl and it was drawn by Paul Davidson. However, Leviathan origin was drawn by Jeffrey Veregge.
Alien #1. “Icarus Part 1” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with art by Julius Ohta. Björn Barends was the cover artist. I have to say that I really liked the first Marvel Alien #1 a few years back. This one did nothing for me. The art was excellent and the covers by Barends is a work of art, but I was disengaged with the story and felt like stopping about halfway through the book.
Stillwater #9-10. Written y Chip Zdarsky and drawn by Ramon K. Perez. Stillwater jumped with both feet into the story of the children of Stillwater, who are frozen in time at the age and physical structure they are forever because of the town’s mysterious powers. These children have become a force in the town and, with the shocking end of issue #10, the book has taken a new direction and I like it.
Cross to Bear #1-4. This series from Aftershock Comics was written by Marko Stojanović and drawn by Siniša Banović. A retired member of a group called The Order gets pulled back in by his brother to chase after The Ripper who has made his way to the American West. This series was excellent and shows that the medium of comic books do not have to be super heroes to be an exciting story. There are some really good twists in the story of Edgar and his family.
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #2. Written by Marieke Nijkamp and drawn by Enid Balám. Kate Bishop is a lot of fun as a character and this book has doubled down on the fun for her. I love how she is constantly texting America Chavez and Cassie Lang. This book shows Kate as the young person she is and how she is still an awesome archer.
Thor #23. “God of Hammers: Finale” I have jumped into trying to catch up on the Thor series. Truth be told, I have skipped several Thor issues and started with #23, mainly because I have found 23-29 and I have not located the earlier Thor issues (except a couple out of order). Either way, I want to get up to date with Thor with the knowledge that I could always return if and when I find the back issues that are missing. Issue #23 finishes the storyline where Mjolnir becomes a personified being and fights Thor. There are some interesting scenes between Thor and Mjolnir.
Superior Four#2. Written by Zac Thompson and drawn by Davide Tinto. After this issue, I have decided that I am not interested enough in this series to continue reading it. Doc Ock is a fine character but a little bit goes a long way and I am not wanting to see a bunch of Ock variants.
Ms. Marvel & Moon Knight #1. Writer: Jody Houser. Artist: Ibraim Roberson. Cover Art: Erick Arciniega. This is a pairiong of characters that should not work well together, and yet somehow does. I really liked the interplay between Kamala and Moon Knight and they worked well together in the action. This is also the first time that I have met Hunter’s Moon and that character piques my curiosity. This book has made me want to catch-up on the Moon Knight sereis soon.
That Texas Blood #3 & 4. I really love this book so far. I really like Randy and his attempt to work through the complicated death of his brother. The local sheriff Joe is awesome, in that old time sheriff way. The book is created by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips.
Midnight Suns #3. “Lost in the Dark” Written by Ethan Sacks and drawn by Luigi Zagaria, Midnight Suns take a trip into the Dark Dimension thanks to Clea. This allows the strange group of heroes to encounter all sorts of weirdness and to come across a Sorcerer Supreme from the multiverse… Tony Stark! I love Wolverine’s snarky remarks too a the book moves along.
Avengers #59-63. Jason Aaron wrote all of these except the Judgment Day tie-in issue, which wa written by Mark Russell. The art was done by Ivan Fiorelli and then Javier Garrón. The Judgment Day tie in was drawn by Greg Land and Jay Leisten. The Judgment Day tie-in was fun as it featured Clint Barton trying to pass judgment. I liked that issue. The other issues continued the travel through time to encounter other users of the primal Avengers powers and battling the Multiversal Masters of Evil. Issue #63 was the second part of the Avengers Assemble arc which will continue in Avengers Forever. I hope to catch up to where the Avengers comic is tomorrow or Monday at the latest.
Avengers Forever #11. Speaking of Avengers Forever, this is the book prior to Avengers Assemble storyline and this features Robbie Reyes as the All-Rider. “Last Ride” was written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Jim Towe and Frank Martin.
Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child (The Deluxe Edition). This hardcover graphic novel was written by Frank Miller with art by Rafael Grampá. This book is part of the DC Comics Black Label, meaning that it is a more adult book. This was really a compelling graphic novel with variations Lara and Jonathan Kent and Carrie in her Bat suit. They faced off with Darkseid and the Joker in a really well done series. I loved the original Dark Knight Returns mini series by Frank Miller, but some of the other Dark Knight series that followed were just not up to that original standard. However, this one took a step up and was well worth the time. It marks a return to quality work for Frank Miller.
The Last of Us has consistently brought the quality to HBO Max every week. This week, the show arrived on a Friday night in order to avoid the scheduling conflict with the Super Bowl, which is airing during the shows normal release time frame. It was a very intelligent move and it brought something even more special for a Friday night.
This episode’s conclusion did not bring tears to my eyes. It was so far past that. I had an empty feeling, a hollow feeling in my gut. It was devastating.
Such an amazing roller coaster ride of emotions.
As I have mentioned before, I have not played The Last of Us video game so I am approaching this show without any prior knowledge of these characters and their eventual fates. So the introduction of Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Keivonn Woodard), brothers who were on the run from the crazy Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) for a reason we did not know, at first, felt like the expansion of our group. Henry and Sam, the young boy Sam who was deaf and had to use ASL), seemed to fit beautifully with Joel and Ellie. Which only made it more heart-breaking when they met their fates.
That scene where Henry shoots the infected Sam, with the blood pooling upon the floor, and then, in shock, kills himself, was beyond much of anything I can remember. The last time I remember feeling that anguish in my gut over a TV show was when Negan killed Glenn on the Walking Dead.
These two actors who played Henry and Sam, Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Woodard, did an amazing job of making us care about their characters in a very short time. They had a natural charm about them and I know I was rooting for their continuation in the series. Alas, it was not to be.
But the horrible ending was not the only epic part of this episode. We also got an unbeleivable zombie reveal as a ton of the infected came running out of a sinkhole to attack and brutalize Kathleen’s forces just as she was about to kill Henry. The little girl clicker was unbelievably frightening and The Bloated was massive and dominant.
Oh and… damn Joel… who knew you were such a great shot with a sniper rifle? He was picking off infected mere steps away from Ellie. I would have to question every shot, afraid that I might accidentally shoot Ellie.
The show has done a sensational job of creating the tone of anxiousness and the feel that something is about to happen around every corner. It really does an excellent job of giving the audience an insight into what it would be like to live in this Hellscape world. However, we still are able to find those little moments of humanity and joy even in this world. For example, the laughs of Sam as Ellie showed him the stupid pun book from last episode. Even Henry commented about not hearing that laugh in a long time. Ellie’s very existence provides the show with something that was lacking with The Walking Dead, hope.
Every episode has been absolutely stunning so far and, in five scant episodes, has taken its place at the very top of the list of video game adaptations.
Friday and another two-hour delay at school allowed me to get several books read this morning. I started a new series that I found on eBay and I continue to work on reading the Avengers.
Kicking off the weekend…
That Texas Blood #1 & 2. This is the new series that I picked up on eBay and I started this morning. It is created by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips. This is a combo of the Western and Horror genres. There is a feel of how the town is a character as well. I love the introduction of the Sheriff and I find him great. I am looking forward to seeing where this series will go as I continue it.
Planet Hulk: Worldbreaker #3. The third issue of this futuristic alternate future story. I say this every time I do these books but I am not a fan of these future out of continuity tales. We see She-Hulk wrecking crap through the book. Neat to see Korg make an appearance. This book has be fine, but not one that I am dying to see moving forward.
Predator #1. “Day of the Hunter” This is another book that was fine, but did not blow my socks off. I do like some of the Predator movies, but this comic did not do a good enough job of making me care about the humans, which is vital in this. It was written by Ed Brisson and the art was done by Kev Walker. I won’t be continuing with this.
Ghost Rider #6. “The Exorcism of Johnny Blaze“. Wolverine guest stars in this book, trying to help Johnny Blaze get that weird thing out of his head. There were some gross moments in the comic. This story was written by Benjamin Percy. The artist of this comic was Brent Peeples. Kael Ngu created the cover and these Ghost Rider covers are so awesome.
Midnight Suns #2. “Prophet of Doom”. Written by Ethan Sacks and drawn by Luigi Zagaria. David Nakayama was the artist on the cover. I had to order this book specifically because I either could not find it or missed it when it came out. Dr. Doom makes his presence known in this issue, showing how much of a bad ass he truly is.
Winter Guard #4. Writer: Ryan Cady. Artist: Jan Bazaldna. Cover Art: Toni Infante. To be fair, I have been enjoying this book, but if I am being honest, the finale here felt a little underwhelming. It was fine, but there did not seem to be anything that really brought this home to conclude the Winter Guard storyline with a bang. It was fine. Just wanted to love it.
Where Monsters Lie #1. Script was written by Kyle Starks and the art was done by Piotr Kowalski. This new comic from Dark Horse was an interesting read. I have always enjoyed serial killers and this kind of takes that into consideration when our group of character are like movie slashers. There are some creepy characters created for this series and I think it is a different book. I do wonder if this book is going to require a strong hero to play off the killers or will they continue to be our protagonists.
Avengers #56-58. Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Javier Garrón. These books feature a bunch of multidimensional Avengers to deal with as our 616 Avengers are traveling the Multiverse to counter the Multiversal Masters of Evil. Sadly, I do believe that I was spoiled with the identity of the Prime Avenger on a internet site and that makes me unhappy. I plan on getting through the remainder of the Avengers back issues, hopefully, this weekend so I can find out for sure.
Bishop: War College #1. Written by J. Holtham and drawn by Sean Damien Hill. Bishop is front and center trying to train a group of mutants for an upcoming battle. I did not know any of the mutants he was training so I was not as engaged as I might have been. Bishop is fine as a character, but I have never been a huge fan of his. The ending panel was interesting. I am not sure if I will be buying another of this series. I guess it is a wait and see for me.
Red Goblin #1. However, I really enjoyed Red Goblin #1. Written by Alex Paknadel and drawn by Jan Bazaldua, Red Goblin is following Normie Osborn and his symbiote given to him by Dylan Brock. There were some funny moments here and I loved the characterization of Normie. Then the final page was quite a shock and looked great. This is a series that I will continue to pick up.
A show about a woman who can tell when people are lying get involved with actors whose very job is to be false.
This episode may have been a touch over the top with Charlie running around trying to figure out what had happened while the play was actually being performed.
Kathleen Townsend and Tim Meadows are our murderous pair of actors, former TV show partners on a buddy cop show. They reunited to perform a play for one night only, and they set up a stage trap door to become a trap.
This whole episode was quite a departure from the other episodes. Charlie is not on screen a lot and the case was spent with more humor than past cases.
I am very happy that the show has been changing the formula up a bit. The general concept is still there, but it has switched up just enough to keep the show from feeling stale.
I would be ready to see Benjamin Bratt to make a reappearance and bring the story back to Charlie. I know that is happening this season so I would be anxious to see Charlie take the lead.
Welcome to a very special edition of the Comic Catch-Up. It has been one that I have been waiting impatiently for since I began this on EYG, but I wanted to wait for the perfect time. At first, I thought that perfect time would be on a weekend. I was looking at perhaps my birthday or President’s Day, but Mother Nature decided to provide me with the opportunity today with a snow day from school. This gave me the whole day to complete my reading. It turned out that I did not need near as much time as I thought.
Today, I caught up with one of the best books that is on the market over the last few years and its excellent spin-off, from the mind of James Tynion IV, Something is Killing the Children and House of Slaughter.
These books are published by Boom Studios! and that was not the comic company that I read. In fact, I read almost zero independent comics at the time this began. It was a bit of a twist of fate that I started to read Something is Killing the Children.
While it is usually my friend Todd at Comic World and Games who makes me read these non-Marvel books, this time it was the store owner Ben who was at fault. I was at the shop one Wednesday getting my weekly pull list and Ben said he had a couple remaining copies of this horror comic and he insisted that I sit down and read it. He even said that I did not have to buy it if I did not like it. I like horror, but, at that time, I have not often read many horror comic books so I would have never picked up Something is Killing the Children without Ben’s efforts.
That first issue was magnificent. I was immediately enthralled by the story and the spooky art that fit beautifully. So I bought the book, not knowing how valuable that issue would eventually become as the series immediately became a sensation.
I have been very lucky with a complete set of both of these series so far and I have been excited about catching up with them. I had decided that I would sit down and do Something is Killing the Children in one day, unlike some of the other books I am doing, one issue at a time. That is why I was looking for a longer time period to read, but the book reads very quickly. So much of the storytelling involved in these issues are visual, with the art telling even more of the story than many of the other comics available that I found I flew through the book.
Because of that, I grabbed House of Slaughter as well and decided to read that as well. It was a little more densely packed that its parent book, but that actually gave it its own identity and not just being the same thing with a different title.
So, here are the books that I read this morning.
Something is Killing the Children
#16-20. “Me and My Monster” Parts 1-5
Written by James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Werther Dell’edera
This was the next major arc of the book after the initial storyline in Archer’s Peak where we were introduced to Erica Slaughter, monster hunter. This five issue arc took a look back in the past of Erica Slaughter and we found out how she wound up in the House of Slaughter and met the important people in her life. These issues shined a light on the House of Slaughter, giving us some more specific details of the mysterious entity and the rules that Erica seemed to be breaking all the time.
As I mentioned before, these books were easy reads, though still extremely complex and deep. The art does an amazing job of creating the tone of the series and also presenting several important details for the story. This is aperfect example of the old rule, “Show, Don’t Tell.”
#21-25. “The Road to Tribulation” Part One – Five
Written by: James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Werther Dell’edera
This arc goes back to the present day to see the next adventure of monster hunter Erica Slaughter, now on her own, out of the House of Slaughter. We are introduced to a new young child, named Gabi. She has a troublesome childhood and a special type of monster, one that Erica knows little about, is in this new town and killing children. We also have a major death in the series that will affect Erica dramatically. We gain a new villain who is out to kill Erica Slaughter too.
#26-28. “The Girl and the Hurricane” Parts One-Three
Written by: James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Werther Dell’edera
The next story arc for Something is Killing the Children is “The Girl and the Hurricane” and it is now in its third issue. We now take the details and characters we were introduced in the previous arc and expanded upon it. Erica is made to look like the serial killer murdering the children instead of the monsters. The merciless Cutter, who we were introduced to in the previous arc, and made her a major problem for Erica. Where the last issue left off, we see Erica in a real problem situation and we get a glimpse of how warped Cutter actually is. I am excited to see how this arc wraps up moving forward.
Something is Killing the Children is a consistently brilliant story that is an easy read, yet is more than what it seems. The story is remarkably creative and the characters pop off the page.
House of Slaughter
#1-5. “The Butcher’s Mark” Part One-Five
Story by James Tynion IV and Tate Brombal
Script by Tate Brombal
Illustrated by Chris Shehan
I had a thought that maybe the House of Slaughter may not be as good as Something is Killing the Children. I expected a step down. To be fair, the best part of Something is Killing the Children is Erica, and Erica is not in this book much. However, it is absolutely an exceptional book that works in the manner it is intended. House of Slaughter helps to increase the world of its parent book and expands on a group of characters that you have been introduced to in prior books. In this first arc of House of Slaughter, we spend a great deal of time with Aaron, the character we met in Somebody is Killing the Children arc “Road to Tribulation.” This arc is especially solid because of the relationship that the book sets up with Aaron and the new recruit, Jace.
#6-10 “Scarlet” Part One-Five
Story by James Tynion IV & Sam Johns
Script by Sam Johns
Illustrated by Letizia Cadonici
We get a brand new arc starting in #6 featuring a character named Edwin, who is a Scarlet mask and he is sent to attempt to prevent a certain children’s camp from willing a monster into existence with their words and thoughts after a woman washes up on the shore of the lake missing eyeballs. I will say that I had a little bit of trouble getting into the new character, but by the end of the arc, I thought this was excellent and very creative.
House of Slaughter #11. “The Butcher’s Return” Part One
Written by Tate Brombal
Illustrated by Antonio Fuso
Then, the most recent issue of House of Slaughter started the third arc of the series and this one is called “The Butcher’s Return” which featured the continuation of the story of Jace and the children he has been saving. It is a nice return to a character that was huge in a previous arc of the series.
Book of Slaughter #1.
Written by James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Werther Dell’edera
Book of Slaughter follows Maxine Slaughter’s progression from white mask to black mask and we learn a ton of specifics of the mythology of the House of Slaughter when Maxine reads through the Book of Slaughter. This did not feel like an awesome story, but it was fine to lay out the important facts of the history.
The Boom Studios! two series are some of the best and most engaging books available across the comic book community and I am officially caught up with them.
It is Wednesday, which means… new comic book day, of course. Before that though, I woke up early this morning and I had some time before I had to get up and get ready for school to read three books. We’ll start with those.
Then, I went to Comic World and Games, my comic book shop in Dubuque that I buy my books at this afternoon, picking up a potpourri of tasty comics. However, I sometimes buy some books that I did not intend to buy.
My friend Todd works at Comic World. He is one of the most knowledgeable people about comics that I have ever met, but he has a tendency to stick some books in my pull box that he thinks I may like. Sometimes the book is really great and I enjoy reading it and other times it is not a book that I like.
I always joke about Todd “forcing” me to buy these books. That is not the case, but it is fun to try and jab at him.
Well, this week, there were two books he “made” me buy. One that was in my box and one that he took me over to the new releases and said that I had to read it. I bought them both. I guess we’ll have to see what I thought about these new titles.
But first, the morning books…
Winter Guard #3. Written by Ryan Cady and drawn by Jan Bazaldna, Winter Guard #3 brought the Winter Guard, along with the rebels Red Guardian and Yelena Belova to see Dracula. Dracula aka Vlad Drakul, was to offer some vital information on the Operation Snowblind that Red Guardian and Yelena were searching for. With the Winter Guard in attendance, things get out of hand. This has been a very solid limited series and ther is one more issue to wrap things up.
Stillwater #8. “All the Time in the World“. Writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Ramon K. Perez continue to bring a tale of goodness in the small town of Stillwater. This issue gets to look at the history of Tanya and how she interacted with Ted. It was a nice detour from the main story and gave us some massive character moments.
Avengers #55. “Night of the Panther, Dawn of the Hawk“. Nighthawk becomes the newest member of the Avengers in this story featuring the Serpent Society, whose strings were being pulled from behind the scenes by Mephisto. Everyone’s favorite demon is being set up as a major Avengers antagonist moving forward and I’m fascinated. The writing is from Jason Aaron and the art is by Javier Garrón.
And now the new books….
Storm & the Brotherhood of Mutants #1. “Storm’s Seven“. This is the second official part of the Sins of Sinister storyline. The story is fine. I have never been a fan of an alternate future story, but there are some hints here that may make it more than what I expect. This is written by Al Ewing, who I have always liked- especially The Immortal Hulk- and drawn by Paco Medina. The group of mutants in the Brotherhood was interesting and Storm continues to show what a bad ass she is.
Avengers: War Across Time #2. Written by Paul Levitz with art from Alan Davis. This book brings out all of the nostalgia for the comics of the 1960s as this book is definitely in that style. Even with a group of Avengers travelling time trying to stop Kang. This is even an Avengers book that has Iron Man being a “bodyguard” for Tony Stark. Whoa! This is fun and I like the writing of the characters. Guest starring Willie Lumpkin!
Gold Goblin #4. Now that the Dark Web is done, this issue of Gold Goblin really took off. Norman Osborn continues his attempt to make up for his past sins, but things keep going astray for him. Jack O’Lantern gives Norman some new problems and Norman seemed to be struggling to maintain his cool. Written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Lan Medina and Rafael Pimentel.
Daredevil #8. “The Red Fist Saga Part 8“. Daredevil vs. Punisher. That is most likely enough, but er also get Frank Castle riding in on a dragon. How cool was that? Chip Zdarsky continues his epic run with the Man without Fear. Marco Checchetto’s art is sensational in this issue too.
Murderworld: Wolverine #1. Written by Jim Zub & Ray Fawkes and penciled by Carlos Nieto, this Murderworld series has been surprisingly entertaining. Especially since the book kind of does a bait and switch with their title characters. I mean, Wolverine is not in this comic. Not really. Yet, I have been intrigued and entertained by the group of character attempting to survive Arcade’s madhouse.
Secret Invasion#4. “We Got Her“. Written by Ryan North and drawn by Francesco Mobili, Secret Invasion continues as a fantastic series, really showcasing how much of a bad ass Maria Hill is, and how much of a ‘shades of grey’ character she is. She is not dealing with any of these Skrulls. The shocking end of issue #3 lead into a shocking beginning of issue #4. This has been really solid and enjoyable piece of work.
Joe Fixit #2. Written by the legendary Peter David and drawn by Yildiray Çınar. I love this book. Of course, part of the reason is that Spider-Man is a major guest star, but I have enjoyed the use of Joe Fixit and then the inclusion of Wilson Fisk. Having Fisk run into Peter Parker and not know who he was was a cool scene. This may have been my favorite book of the week.
Amazing Spider-Man #19. With the end of Dark Web, this book immediately improved. Spidey and Black Cat try to head out to take a weekend off, only to run into Mary Jane. Awkward! There was a guest creative team, with Joe Kelly as the guest writer and the trio of John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz handling the art. If this is an example of this creative team’s work, I would love to see more of them.
Okay… finally we reach the two books that Todd made me buy…
Almighty #1. Writer and artist Edward Laroche brought a story of a future society where the world crashed down around itself into a apocalyptic future. There a re a ton of these types of books released these days. And with the success of HBO Max’s The Last of Us, we’ll probably be seeing even more. Unfortunately, there was nothing special about this. There was nothing new that made me think that there would be a new idea of what the world may be like. I mean, it was fine, but it was just unremarkable. Strike one for Todd.
Coins of Judas #1. “Same Old Song and Dance“. It was weird but about a third of the way into this book and I realized that this was basically “The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo”. That was an old Scooby Doo cartoon that Scooby and Shaggy (and Scrappy) went in search of a group of ghosts that had been accidentally released. Same concept here only it is tied to the Bible and the Coins of Judas. This one was much better than the Almighty and might be worth a second look. So Todd was 1 out of 2.
“Did you know diarrhea is hereditary? It runs in your genes.”
I did not expect some laughs in The Last of Us. The show, while being brilliant so far, has been less than a happy romp. It has been painfully emotional with death and loss and an intense mood with dangers around every corner.
And yet, with one book of puns read through by Ellie, The Last of Us brought laughter and snickering at some of the worst puns around.
The show was never going to be a stand-up routine though and there were some tough problems. This episode the dangers did not come from the monsters or the infected. It came from the humans.
This was an episode that was meant to highlight the relationship between Joel and Ellie. Joel has not, to this point, connected with the little girl. He was with her now because of Tess. We saw the humanizing of Joel and the beginning of a real relationship with Ellie that he had avoided up until this point.
After several very emotional episodes in a row, this one stepped back a bit and gave a more laid back episode (to a point) and I dug it.
Continuing some series and starting a couple of new ones. When I say ‘new ones’ I mean from a few years ago.
Here we go…
Friday #1. Written by Ed Brubaker and art by Marcos Martin. This was a special collector’s issue from Image Comics. I have to say that I found it somewhat fine, but unremarkable. Even know, I am struggling to remember what it was about. So, while I did not actively think that I was bored while reading it, there was little about Friday that made me want to read more.
Superior Four #1. Zac Thompson wrote this limited series and the artist was Davide Tinto. The inclusion of Doc Ock and three multidimensional variant of Otto Octavius was interesting. Of course, the variants were basically Wolverine, Hulk and Ghost Rider, with Doc Ock twists to them. I did like the Ock/Spider-Man design.
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #1. This is one of the better starts for a short series. I really find Kate Bishop to be a fun character and writer Marieke Nijkamp has found the voice of the young archer. Artist Enid Balám does a great job in the book. We get some family issues for Kate and, of course, Lucky the Pizza Dog.
Stillwater #7. The town of Stillwater started a new arc as we see some major violence from the Protectors and the attempts of Daniel and Laura in escaping the upcoming dangers. Chip Zdarsky is at his best again in developing this magical town and Ramon K. Perez has some fantastic art that creates the perfect tone for the book.
Avengers #54. “Even Thunder Can Burn, Even Deathlok’s Can Die” Jason Aaron and Juan Frigeri bring us the conclusion of the three part arc, The Death Hunters while setting up the storyline for the next several issue of the Avengers. The tension between Echo and Thor is fascinating and gives us a new way to look at the Thunder God. Namor’s joining of the team is another tension creating moment, not only for T’Challa, but also for Cap. I also really liked the cover of this issue. It felt like a throwback to the old days with the book’s title being used in text dialogue. Good work from Javier Garrón & David Curiel.
Winter Guard #2. Written by Ryan Cady and drawn by Jan Bazaldua, The second issue of the Winter Guard continued to focus in on Red Guardian and Yelena Belova, as they are being pursued by the other members of the Winter Guard. Darkstar and Chernobog have some uncomfortable scenes that are fun to read. The Winter Guard series has a nice flow to it so far and I have liked what I have read so far.
I am back from my conference in Des Moines and ready to finsih the Comic Catch-Up write-up. I was able to squeeze my time in this morning to continue the goal of reading. I had selected several comic issues to take with me to the hotel. I actually had plenty of time and could have read more.
Starting off with…
Avengers Assemble Alpha #1. “The Battle a Million Years in the Making“. Avengers Assemble, Part One. As the Avengers, the Prehistoric Avengers, the Multiversal Avengers came together to deal with the Multiversal Masters of Evil, which included multiversal versions of Dr. Doom, Killmonger, Venom, Wolverine, Green Goblin/Ghost Rider, Thanos and Phoenix. The book was written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie & Alex Sinclair. I knew this came after Judgment Day, which I just finished so I read it and I like this quite a bit.
Avengers #52-53. However, I was confused for awhile as I was reading this because the team was different than the one in Avengers Assemble Alpha #. The Death Hunters Part Two and Three in these two books. I finally realized that this pair of books took place before Judgment Day. Hoping to catch up with the past Avengers books soon before moving along with Avengers Forever and the rest of this storyline.
Cover the Dead with Lime #2. The second issue of the Blood Moon Comics series. Written by Jonathan Chance and drawn by Hernán González. Jack Teller is the lone Plague Doktor and he is out to try this horrible epidemic that was spreading the world, a plague whose victims seem to be coming back to life. This book has been visually cool and I want to see where it goes from here.
Planet Hulk: Worldbreaker #2. Planet Hulk: Worldbreaker was written by Greg Pak and the art was done by Manuel Garcia. I realized this issue that this story was an alternate future story, which I am not a huge fan of. Now, true, the Hulk has had one of the best possible future stories of all time (Future Imperfect). So far, this series has been kind of dull. Amadeus Cho was a Hulk that I enjoyed, but this has not been great so far. I will say that She-Hulk’s appearance was interesting and we’ll have to see how thing progress.
A Calculated Man #1. “Kill Them All“. Writer: Paul Tobin. Artist: Alberto Alburquerque. I did not like this one al all. I was bored and could not get into it. I have no good things to say about A Calculated Man.
Stillwater #6. “It’s My Duty” Chip Zdarsky was the writer and Ramon K. Perez was the artist. I had really enjoyed Stillwater, but fell way behind the series. It always felt like a combination of Twin Peaks and LOST, which are two of my favorite shows ever. This wrapped up the first story arc, which is a great spot to start once again.
Winter Guard #1. Written by Ryan Cady and Art by Jan Bazaldua (the main story) and Djibril Morissette-Phan (the Prelude). The Winter Guard, a super hero team from Russia, made several appearances in the Avnergs comic and that led to this limited series. Featuring Yelena Belova and Red Guardian, I liked this group of characters, and the story has some mystery to it.
A.X.E. Starfox #1. Written by Kieron Cullen and drawn by Danielle DiNicuolo, Eros, brother of Thanos, former Avengers known as Starfox, Eternal, comes into the middle of the Judgment Day story. Starfox had always been a favorite of mine, even if he was kind of rapey. I enjoyed this art, which was unique.
It is Sunday morning and I am back for the next installment of Comic Catch-Up, here at EYG. I am heading to a conference in Des Moines this afternoon so I wanted to make sure I get today’s February Catch-Up written, just in case. I do have several selected issues in my Loot Crate box to take along to try and find some time before or after the conference (or during? heh heh) to get my reading done for Monday. No matter what, the write-up will not come until late tomorrow night. But what I am saying is that I am dedicated to the goal of at least an hour a day through February, no matter what.
This morning’s haul….
A.X.E: Judgment Day #4-6. Written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Valerio Schiti. I had been up and down on this series so far. Issue three did not do a lot for me after a pretty solid start, but issue four was outstanding. In fact, it inspired me to go ahead and finish issues five and six this morning. The conclusion was fine, but I was just really in on issue four. The way it went through people across the planet, judging them was compelling and seeing several of the Marvel heroes facing their own judgment from the Celestial was well done. I do want to mention that one of the drawbacks to me was when the heroes started being killed off, I lost some interest because they were killing off big names and I knew that they would not be dead for good. I also like the fact that the X-men’s resurrection ability, which I have been critical of through the latest run, was part of the story and it made sense that others may not be a fan of the X-Men being, essentially, immortal. Decent event series.
A.X.E. Judgment Day Omega #1. Written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Guiu Vilanova. This was a book filled with the fall out from the Judgment Day, mostly for the Eternals. This was okay. My favorite part was the story with Ikaris and the woman he went to see, Sophia. The normal people of earth had a role in the Judgment Day series and it is nice to see the wrap up books include them as well.
Captain America and the Winter Soldier Special #1. This book, which was written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, with art from Kev Walker, leads into a storyline that continued in Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #7. I’ll need to pull that out of the pile to see where it goes. This was all set up, basically, involving a group of string-pullers involved in a large scale conspiracy in the world. Somehow, Bucky joined them. Poor Bucky has been through so much in his long life. Just one more problem.
Public Domain #5. More adventures with comic book artists and writers from the mind of Chip Zdarsky. It now has a feeling of the story of Image Comics. It has felt like the story of Stan Lee, the sotry of the MCU and now of Independent Comics. Still finding it an enjoyable read.
Ghost Rider #5. “Hell’s Backbone“. I had really liked the new Ghost Rider book when it first came out. Focusing on Johnny Blaze and his own problems was a good choice after so many other versions of Ghost Rider. Nothing against Robbie or Danny, but it is great to see the original again. This included a wild motorcycle race with Wolverine and other Marvel luminaries.
Black Panther: Unconquered #1. Written by Bryan Hill and drawn by Alberto Foche. The Spear of Bast is involved in an action packed story involving T’Challa. The villain was named Archon who led a group called The Volk, a Germanic cult. As I mentioned, there was a great series of Black Panther fight panels in this issue, making it an easy read.
Strange Academy: Finals #3. Written by Skottie Young with the artistic skills of Humberto Ramos. I have really enjoyed this series so far. I have found all but one issue of the Strange Academy series that I will dive into once I can find that final illusive comic. I have grown to love these characters and the way the story is told. The final splash page was amazing too. Can’t wait for issue four.
Wakanda #5. “Without Question“. I was going to finish this analogy series yesterday, but it got pushed to today. This issue’s story surrounded Okoye and one of the hopefuls from the Dora Milaje, Natima, Okoye’s niece. This actually tied back to an earlier issue of the anthology series where Rhino appeared. I liked the connection even though the idea is that they are separate. I liked the anthology series, showing all the nooks and crannies of Wakanda and the other characters that populate that world.
Sabretooth & the Exiles #3. “Out of Body Experience“. The Exiles take a trip into the Astral Plane in an attempt to save Orphan-Maker who had removed his mask and triggered an explosive power from within him. Again, I do like this combination of characters and the last splash page is, once again, extremely gripping. This was written by Victor LaValle and the art was by Leonard Kirk.
Avengers #51. “A Dark Phoenix Rises over Asgard“. The Death Hunters Part One, written by Jason Aaron featuring art from Juan Frigeri. The cover art was by Javier Garrón and David Curiel. The Avengers have been consistently entertaining during this back issue catch-up, and this looks to be one of the earliest moments of this multiversal battle that we see so much of in the Avengers Forever books. We get a lot of Echo, who has become the new Phoenix, and Thor, who has discovered the truth of his birth, is not happy about it. I know the most recent Avengers book deals with the identity of this mysterious Avenger Prime, so I am going to have to keep myself honest and wait impatiently until I get to it. No spoiler for me!
I am a longtime fan of the New England Patriots and, of course, that meant that I have loved Tom Brady for his success and how he has helped bring multiple Super Bowl championships to New England. Because of that, I have been excited to see 80 for Brady, a film based on a true story based around Super Bowl LI from 2017, the Super Bowl that the Patriots came from behind against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Pats trailed 28-3 in the third quarter only to make a wild comeback to push the game into overtime before winning in OT.
The film is based on a true story of a group of women who were huge Tom Brady fans that decided they wanted to to head to Houston for the big game.
In the film, the four lead women were played by Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, Rita Moreno and Jane Fonda. The four women played the characters of Lou, Betty, Maura and Trish respectfully.
The ladies arrived in Houston to attend the NFL Experience and go through several bizarre shenanigans.
This is a silly, lightweight, puffy film that is absolutely dominated by the four lead actors. Tomlin, Field, Moreno, Fonda are easily the best part of the film, their charisma and chemistry absolutely killing it. I believed 100% that they were best friends and had been together forever.
Some of the things that happen during their Super Bowl adventure felt like a bad sitcom. Still, the silly moments work moderately well because of the actors.
Tom Brady appeared as himself several times throughout as a vision to Lou, speaking inspirationally to her about the attempts to make it inside the game. The film used a ton of highlights from the big game, including some of the most intriguing close up dialogue from the players. Once again, as a Patriots fan, it was awesome to relive the amazing comeback in the biggest stage of them all.
Though the film is advertised as being “based on a true story,” but there were things from the film that were clearly ridiculous and did not happen. I am not saying that it needed to be exactly how it happened because it is not a documentary. It is meant for an piece of entertainment and most of the additional scenes worked in the film.
80 for Brady was funny and was an enjoyable film, especially as a Patriots fan. Those Brady haters out there are probably going to be rolling their eyes, but the lightweight film was a lot of fun with four amazing actors that carried the film.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 