February 18, 2023

So, this was what I had intended to do this past Thursday, but the snow had a different idea.

I was going to the movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on Thursday, but we had a big winter storm that day and I decided to stay safe instead of trying to make my way through the snow. That meant that I would not see the movie until Saturday. I have my tickets for later this morning and I am excited to see it despite the middling reviews it has received from critics. I’ll have my own review posted later today.

In order to get into the proper mindset, I decided that I would do the Comic Catch-Up around a theme today… all about Ant-Man & the Wasp. There were several books that I have featuring the pair of them (also Kang, who is the antagonist in the new movie) and this would be a great opportunity to read these.

I have always liked the character of Ant-Man (or any of the variations of Ant-Man over the years) so this works nicely.

Wasp #2. Written by Al Ewing and drawn by Kasia Nie. This is the most recent series featuring Janet Van Dyne and Nadia, and it came out this past Wednesday. I really have enjoyed how this series has tied the story into the past of Janet Van Dyne, and how it does a solid job of not pushing Nadia into the background. In fact, we see clearly how much of a bad ass Nadia truly is. The mother-daughter type relationship between the two Wasps make the book a personal read. And then I have no idea what happened on the last page, but I am thoroughly excited to find out what next issue.

Ant-Man (2022) #1-3. Written by Al Ewing and drawn by Tom Reilly. We see several issue focused on the different Ant-Men from over the years: Hank Pym, Scott Lang and Eric O’Grady- all being used by a future Ant-Man to help battle a god-like Ultron. How does it turn out? No idea since there is an issue four and I do not have it (or have not found it yet). I really enjoyed how this book took each story from the timeframe of each individual Ant-Man and gave the same feel of that adventure. The Hank Pym issue (#1) felt like a story that would have been told in the 1960s.

Kang the Conqueror #1. “Only Myself Left to Conquer.” Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly with art by Carlos Magno. Mike Del Mundo did the art on the cover. Time travel is always a wild ride and anything to do with Kang can be a challenge. Here, a Kang goes back in time and meets up with a younger version of himself in an attempt to train the young Kang in the ways of power, to avoid the frustrations that he had suffered over the centuries. Kang putting the old conflict “Man against Man” to the literal test.

Ant-Man (2020) #4-5. Written by Zeb Wels and drawn by Dylan Burnett. Eduard Petrovich drew the cover. I remember this limited series when it first came out. I had read the first three issues but never got around to finishing it up. Scott Lang and his daughter Cassie were trying to stop the villainous bug-guy, Macrothrax and his attempt to take over the world with the bug army. The battle takes place in the Savage Land (no sign of Ka-Zar anywhere). This was a nice conclusion to an odd story. I love the interactions with Scott and Cassie and the conclusion is both awesome and gross.

The Darkhold: Wasp #1. “King Maker“. This story took place during the “Darkhold” event that happened in the Marvel Universe. I am not familiar with what happened in the arc, but the opening does indicate that Janet had read from the Darkhold and that the book showed her a darker, more twisted path her life could have taken. The story deals with a real horrible moment in the life of Janet and the moment that may have forever tainted Hank Pym, who was shown as a obsessive scientist who would smack his wife around. Written by Jordie Bellaire and drawn by Claire Roe.

Bring on the movie!!!

February 17, 2023

We had yet another 2-hour delay because of weather so I was able to do my reading in the morning before I went off to school. It was also a chance to go through a few of the piles looking for certain books and then…

I found Hulk #7!

I had started the Thor catch up but got stuck with The Banner of War which was a crossover with the Hulk series and I could not find Hulk #7, which was Part 3. That kind of brought that catch-up to a halt. However, I found it this morning and I can continue on.

I also found a bunch of the missing Moon Knight issues. I have been looking forward to the Moon Knight book and so I am excited when I was able to find the complete set of it.

On we go…

Hulk #7. So we’ll start with this one. Written by Donny Cates and drawn by Martin Coccolo, I have not been a fan of this new Hulk arc. The Immortal Hulk was as good as comics could be, but this new version just makes little sense. Having said that, this Hulk issue was tough and Hulk showed how much of a bad ass he was. And I truly worry about poor Tony Stark. He’s got a problem in front of him.

Moon Knight #1. “The Mission” Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Alessandro Cappuccio. Cover art was done by Steve McNiven & Frank D’Armata. This was a really cool new version of Moon Knight. He is taking care of the streets and the travelers of the night. This is also the first appearance of Hunter’s Moon. I am looking forward to continuing this series.

Ghost Rider #8. “Skeleton Crew” Johnny Storm and Talia out together trying to solve a case while Blackheart is causing trouble. Johnny and Talia have a good connection, but it does seem that Johnny’s Spirit of vengeance has some real problems moving forward.

The Department of Truth #9. Written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Martin Simmonds. I did not love this issue. There was so much in this book… the exposition of Hawk was just too much. It did not feel like a story. Instead, it felt like just a lot of details that was dry and hard to follow. I want more than this for this book. It is amazing how Tynion IV’s storytelling in Something is Killing the Children is so different than in The Department of Truth.

Stillwater #14. “An Appointment” Stillwater and the leaders of the town are taking the change of the borders of the town to expand their power into a neighboring city, Coldwater. This is a fascinating story and is, supposedly, the final arc of the series.

That Texas Blood #13. “What Buster Greer Got For Christmas.” The writer of this book was Chris Condon and the art was done by Jacob Phillips. This was the Christmas special issue with the group from the 1981 section being entertained at a Christmas party by a story by Sheriff Sam Cooper. Sheriff Cooper tells a ghost story from his own early days as a deputy. Another great issue from an exceptional book.

Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit #2. We returned to Kamal just as Loki is riding an elephant and nearly tramples her. I had an initial thought about what was happening here, but, after reading this issue, I am not sure my idea holds water. There is another Ms. Marvel running around so I am not sure what the situation is, but I am onboard to find out.

X-Men #17-19. It has been quite a long time since I have read any X-Men books so I picked a spot and read some for flavor. There were some characters who I had no idea who they were. Gerry Duggan wrote all three while Joshua Cassara drew issues #17 & #19 and C.F. Villa drew issue #18. I thought the use of the Brood in issue 19 was great and the images of Corsair was shocking. I thought these X-books were decent and did not have a bunch of the things that I have not liked much in the X-Men franchise.

It was a slow afternoon. I started watching a movie, but I was bored with it so quickly that I just did not want to continue it. With all of that, I decided to go ahead and do another Comic Catch-Up.

Nightcrawlers #1. “Voices of Fire”. Written by Si Spurrier with art by Paco Medina. This is the next book in the Sins of Sinister X-Men storyline. I really disliked this one too. I was somewhat interested in the overall storyline, but this brought it to a sudden end for me. And I have always enjoyed the character of Nightcrawler, but this was not my bag.

Department of Truth #8. “The Man in the Black Helicopter” We return to the world of Cole Turner and the diving back into the conspiracy theory stories are fun. We were introduced to a new big guy. Department of Truth continues to be one of the more intelligent and confusing series around.

That Texas Blood #11-12. Creative team: Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips. The second arc of the series comes to a close with a solid conclusion with Joe Bob finishing his story of 1981. I enjoyed this arc as much as the first one. That Texas Blood has been one of the most creative and original creations of the last few years.

Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit #1. Written by Samira Ahmed and drawn by Andres Genolet. Kamala spends some time on vacay in Chicago. And then, something weird started to go down. Bollywood? Loki on an elephant? What is happening? I can’t wait to find out. I do love Kamala.

Wolverine #30. “Father Knows Beast“. Okay. Not sure what exactly is going on here. I have not followed the X-Men much over the last few years, so I was pretty shocked to see Beast being such a monster. Then, watching Wolverine kill Beast was unbelievable. I guess I should follow the X-Men closer than I have been. I do not collect Wolverine, but I liked the cover so I picked this up.

Grim #5. “Death & Dying in Las Vegas” Written by Stephanie Phillips and drawn by Flaviano. Jessica Harrow comes face to face with Death and discovered that Death was actually her father. It was a massive issue with some major events happening. I really have been enjoying this series catch-up.

Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #5 & 6. The Game of Rings came to the conclusion as the ultimate owner of the Ten Rings is determined. We also got the background of the Ten Rings.

King Conan #2. “Conan’s Last Stand at the Edge of the World.” Jason Aaron was the writer and Muhmud Asrar was the artist. This book continue the war with the zombies on the boat and then another section dealing with King Conan and his son.

Stillwater #13. “Some Sort of Miracle.” Chip Zdarsky wrote the book and Ramon K. Perez does the art. Things start to move toward what they claim is the final arc of the series. Galan is preparing to take the war to Daniel and the others.

February 16, 2023

Well, Mother Nature screwed up another plan.

I have my tickets for Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania later this afternoon and so I had planned on doing some comics for the Comic Catch-Up featuring Ant Man and the Wasp. I had pulled out a bunch of those issues, including the new Wasp #2 which was released yesterday and I was excited to see the movie. I had a personal day from school and everything.

Then, we wound up in a Winter Storm Warning, with multiple inches of snow forecast, including high winds. Travel is potentially dangerous. I am still waiting for a little later today to see if I am refunding my tickets and waiting until the weekend to see the movie, but it changed my plans for today’s Comic Catch-Up post.

So instead, of the theme of Ant Man and the Wasp, I decided to do another special edition of the Comic Catch-Up and do the whole series of Strange Academy.

Strange Academy was a book that I was always interested in reading, but never seemed to get around to actually doing it. I did read the Strange Academy: Finals issues 1-3 that are currently being released and I really enjoyed those, so that only emphasized the desire to read this series of books even more.

With the combination of the snow day and the lack of movie going experience today, I found Strange Academy to be a good compromise.

This morning I read Strange Academy #1-18, including Strange Academy Presents #1 (which was a part of the Death of Doctor Strange arc).

Some of the things I really loved about the series included the following :

• Doctor Voodoo made a perfect headmaster so Dr. Strange did not have to be involved in every issue.
• I loved the characters. Especially Doyle Dormammu, Iric and Alvi, Emily Bright, and Zoe Laveau.
• I found the relationship between Doyle and Emily to be really sweet and different.
• Love, love, love the character of Gaslight. His character design was just epic.
• It definitely had that Hogwarts/Stranger Things vibe to it.
• Cool use of some of the other magic users of the Marvel Universe as teachers.
• The writing was excellent. All of the issues were written by Skottie Young.
• The art was classic. As a fan of Amazing Spider-Man, I am very familair with Humberto Ramos’s work.

Some of the issues I had included the following:

• The story felt a little rushed at the end, as if they tried to get to a certain point before the final issue.
• The cliffhanger was not friendly at all.
• A couple of the characters were not my favorites: Shaylee, Dessy, Toth all were, at best, okay for me.
• The inclusion of Man-Thing was weird. I like that character but he felt out of place.

That was about it. I really liked this series and it is shameful that it languished on my shelves so long before I actually read it.

February 15, 2023

It’s Wednesday and that makes it…NEW COMIC BOOK DAY!!!

I actually got to see the books that were going to be in my pull box yesterday when went to Comic World. They always do the pull lists on Tuesdays, even though the new books do not become available for selling until the next day. So I knew that there was a pretty large bunch of books.

Here are the comics that I have read today from my pull box.

Spider-Man #5. “It’s a Spectacular Life“. Part five of the End of the Spider-Verse storyline from writer Dan Slott and artist Mark Bagley. Slott and Bagley are synonymous with Spider-Man, but the whole End of the Spider-Verse arc has not been one of my favorites. This story is an intriguing scenario involving Silk that was an okay read. I just have never been a fan of these alternate timeline/future tales. There is a more intriguing back up story featuring Photon.

House of Slaughter #12. Part Two of The Butcher’s Return continued written by Tate Brombal and drawn by Antonio Fuso. We see one of the kids that had been “rescued” by Jace, named Sunny, and his own progression toward the House of Slaughter. This book, along with the other books from the mind of James Tynion IV, are always so creatively designed and the layout of the pages and the panels are different and unique. The manner of the lay out helps infuse the story.

Mary Jane & Black Cat #3. Written by Jed MacKay and drawn by Vincenzo Carratù. MJ and Felicia are in Limbo, trying to retrieve the Soul Sword for Belasco. It is a weird story for sure, and I am not sure this would work if there was not such a fun chemistry between MJ and Cat. Black cat’s constant worrying over the secret that she and Peter have been seeing each other presents an uncomfortable dynamic for the two ladies. And S’ym’s presence does not help things.

Monica Rambeau: Photon #3. Written by Eve L. Ewing with art by Ivan Fiorelli and Luca Maresca. Photon has been fun so far in the short series and this issue is no exception. The story is confusing as we do not know exactly what is happening, but neither does Monica and that places us in a connection with Monica. And the final panel indicates that there may be something dramatic going on that we did not expect.

Fantastic Four #4. “The Baxter Initiative“. After three issues of the FF split apart without any indication of why, writer Ryan North and artist Iban Coello show us why. We discover that Reed made a split second decision in the heat of battle that affected the lives of Ben and Alicia dramatically, sending them off on their own. However, as always, the FF come back together because they are family and, even if they fight, family is there for each other. This new creative direction for the Fantastic Four has been very good so far and gives me hope that this quality can be maintained.

Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt #4. Written by J.M. DeMatteis and penciled by Eder Messias & Belardino Brabo as well as sections of the book drawn by Marguerite Sauvage and Travel Foreman. I find this book boring and I was very disappointed with it so far. I believe there is only one more issue and I’ll be glad when this one is done. I do like that Peter and Mary Jane are together (as it should always be).

Murderworld: Moon Knight #1. Written by Jim Zeb and Ray Fawkes with art by Luca Pizzari, Murderworld moves along with our final four characters attempting to survive the dangers in the game run by Arcade. Once again, our title ‘hero’ of the book does not actually appear. Moon Knight is just a facsimile from Murderworld. Our cast is whittled down to two remaining by the end, but a very real (or so it seems) cameo happens right at the end that promises to bring the excitement to the finale next issue.

Captain Marvel #46. Part Four of Revenge of the Brood. This has been a great return to form for Captain Marvel and shows how strong of a character she is, especially while interacting with her friends that are along on the adventure. Spider-Woman is great and Hazmat shows her power this issue. The dialogue is crisp and clever with a definite wit to it that works very well for these characters. This has been a consistently strong arc for carol.

Avengers Forever #14. “The Battle for the All and the Always” The seventh part of the Avengers Assemble arc rolls on with the battle with the multiversal Dooms taking center stage. We also have some strong moments from the groups of Steves. There is a fun interaction between Avenger Prime and Namor. The final panel brings the story into a new focus.

The Invincible Iron Man #3. “The Autobiography of Tony Stark Chapter Three” This issue features the background of the friendship between Stark and someone at Stark Enterprises, Zhong, who had killed himself. This backstory informed the main arc and brought us face to face with a second Stark (LMD, anyone???). The ending of the issue was nightmarish and sets up the next issue extremely well. This is written by Gerry Duggan and drawn by Juan Frigeri.

February 14, 2023

Ah, Valentine’s Day. My favorite completely worthless, made up holiday. Oh…sorry. I didn’t mean that… completely.

Actually February 14th has more significance around EYG as one of the original founders of Embrace Your Geekness has a birthday today. Happy birthday to my brother geek, Shane.

I had a doctor’s appointment this morning so that gave a an opportunity to stop by Comic World and Games and pick up some boxes and bags and boards. The fact that I have been dipping into the piles around my house with the Catch-Up also means that my piles of now read books are getting larger. I have to take some time to get things organized.

I am also still in search of Hulk #7, which kind of puts the Thor catch-up on hold since I am in the middle of the Hulk-Thor team up/fight. I’ll keep looking. I have an idea where to look next…

None of these books work very well for Valentine’s Day. That’s okay.

Blue Beetle: Graduation Day #2 & 3. I was able to pick these up today at Comic World. I did like the first issue so I was happy to see these back issues available. Jaime is being attacked by multiple other Beetles and he is having issues with his own scarab. This has been fairly interesting and there have been a nice mixture of DC guest stars such as Starfire, Batman, and Ted Kord aka Blue Beetle. This limited series has been written by Josh Trujillo and drawn by Adrián Gutiérrez.

That Texas Blood #9 & 10. Creative team is Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips. The story of what happened in 1981 continues in these books, and it is completely fascinating. I am as intrigued by Joe Bob telling the story of what happened in 1981 as anything that is going on in the current timeline. I believe that there are two more issues in the current story arc and I am excited to see where this story will take me.

Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #4. “Game of Rings Part 1” More issues with the ten rings. Now, Shang-Chi has to be entered in a contest with a bunch of other people to see who is most worthy to be considered the owners of the ten rings. Again, more fun Shang-Chi action with a bunch of characters that sound as if they come from Shang-Chi’s past and rogue’s gallery.

Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #5. This is the conclusion of the Kate Bishop storyline included the actual guest star appearance by our texters from the entire series, America Chavez and Cassie Lang. I have really enjoyed the use of this character and the way Kate is able to work her way through the case. And also…Lucky the Pizza Dog! Written by Marieke Nijkamp and drawn by Oren Junior and Roberto Paggi.

Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #4. Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly. The art is by Carmen Carnero. Steve and Bucky talk and show how much of a connection they have, even after everything that has happened and everything Bucky has done. I am not sure if at this time, if the book has revealed yet that Bucky is a member of the Outer Circle or if I know that because I have read something out of order. Either way, there are some problems on the way.

Stillwater #12. Written by Chip Zdarsky and drawn by Ramon K. Perez. I mean, it feels like every issue of Stillwater has a shock twist in it that just keeps evolving this series. This one has to do with Daniel and a shocking surprise of what happens to him at the end of the book.

Grim #4. “All on Black” Written by Stephanie Phillips with art by Flaviano. Jessica and her crew arrive in Las Vegas with the scythe of Death, itself. Jessica is in search of Death to learn about her past and she comes face to face with the entity. I found this issue to be excellent and I am excited to see where it takes me next.

The Department of Truth #7. Written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Tyler Boss. I used to love this book, but to be fair, it was a difficult read. There was a lot of exposition early and you really had to pay close attention so, while I did love it, it was easy to push off. Now, I have started the process of catching up with this book and I am very pleased I did because this issue about the Men in Black and a Doctor who is not a doctor was awesome. It had an X-Files vibe to it and it was great. Plus, any book that has Lee Harvey Oswald as its main protagonist has to be something unexpected, right?

February 13, 2023

Jumping right in tonight….

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.

February 12, 2023

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.

February 11, 2023

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.

Whew.. that’s it. Until tomorrow…

February 10, 2023

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.