EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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Week of September 9

Three winning comic covers, three separate comic book companies. Nicely spread out this week. There is one variant cover and two number ones. One artist who is already in the EYG Hall of Fame, and in fact was in an early class (Class of 2012).

It is September 11th today and it is a good day for reflection.

Bronze Medalist

Groo: Minstrel Melodies #1

Cover art by Sergio Aragones

This is the EYG Hall of Famer. Sergio Aragones has been treating us with Groo books for years and Groo is one of my favorite characters and this cover really captures the humor of the character.

Silver Medalist

Wolverine #1

Cover art by Martin Coccolo & Bryan Valenza

A new Wolverine book featuring some great variants, but I think the cover A is right there with the best of them. This gives us an amazing view of Wolverine the character atop of these skeletons. I also love the snowy trees in the background.

Gold Medalist

Geiger #6

Variant Cover B

Cover art by Francis Manapul

A glowing man and his two-headed dog. What more could you want. I love the shades of green across this variant cover as Geiger seems to be relaxing with a book. Beautiful art.

Bonus Action Vol. 2 E2

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Spoilers

“Battle at the Parade of Celebrants”

The second episode of the second volume of Bonus Action was the combat that was set up last week. The parade that Bric was so looking forward to was attacked and danger was placed upon the heroes.

This was so awesome.

Bar’b was unbelievable.

Everyone had a remarkably awesome moment. Marlon was excellent. Rory pulled a remarkable retribution moment with a Nat 20. Bric and his boulders…

So much fun.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E3

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Spoilers

“Two for the Road”

So, why is Zach Galifianakis such a dick?

The three actors who are intended to play Oliver, Charles and Mabel came to shadow our plucky podcasters and became involved in the investigation into the Westies.

Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy and Eva Longoria clearly were playing caricatures of themselves in this episode, but I have to say, they were easily my least favorite part of this entire season so far.

I have loved this season, but the three actors felt like something crammed into the story that just did not work. I will admit Eugene Levy’s partnering up with Charles to look into the patch-wearing Richard Hatch was the best of the three. Eva Longoria was way over-the-top and annoying. Galifianakis was downright disrespectful to Oliver and I found him to be the worst of the three.

The episode is much stronger with the time that Oliver, Charles and Mabel are together. The beginning with the murder board and Detective Williams and the ending scene when the three were having a housewarming for Mabel’s squatting in the apartment that the sniper had shot from were both considerably more entertaining than them with the actors.

One has to wonder though… why Perfect Strangers?

There were a bunch of clues dropped this episode and several red herrings that played out, including Kumail Nanjiani, who we meet as Christmas all the time dude.

This was my least favorite of the episodes so far in season four, but it was just because those first two were so excellent for me. I am fully engaged in the mystery of who shot Sazz and how it related to Charles.

Only Murders in the Building airs on Hulu.

Battlestar Galactica S2 E15

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Spoilers

“Scar”

A Battlestar Galactica Starbuck-centric episode is always great. Starbuck is simply been put through the wringer for this entire series and she has been slipping into the bottle more. Her guilt over Anders and being unable to get a rescue mission back to Caprica, as well as her guilt over the deaths of other pilots have pushed her into being very brittle.

Scar is that Cylon Raider ship that has been targeting and killing pilots in a manner unlike other Cylons. Scar is known as the “Ace of aces” and a master of sneak attacks.

The show featured the conflict between Starbuck and Kat, as the two women showed their anger with one another over just about everything.

Katee Sackhoff was exceptional in the episode, being able to play up the myriad of flaws displayed by Starbuck and still be a dominant force on Galactica.

The show told the story out of order, as it flashed from the confrontation of Starbuck and Kat with Scar, back to the time before they headed out.

There are some great action scenes in the episode too.

The X-Files S6 E17

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Spoilers

“Trevor”

This was yet another X-Files episode that I swear I have never seen before today. I am surprised how many of those types of episodes happened during the first six seasons, which was a time where I was an extremely big X-Files fan.

“Trevor” is a monster-of-the-week story dealing with an escaped convict who, because of a tornado, developed the power to walk through objects. Wilson “Pinker” Rawls is the convict who was in pursuit of what seemed to be missing money he had during a robbery prior to his incarceration, but the story turned out to be something much more personal.

It is revealed about halfway through the episode that Pinker was, in truth, looking for an old girlfriend named June who kept a secret from him. The secret was that she had given birth to his son, a boy named Trevor.

I saw a quote from the director of this episode, Rob Bowman, who indicated that, yes Pinker was a terrible killer, but the main antagonist of this episode was June, because she had hidden the fact from him that she had given birth and that he just wanted to be with his son. I do not think there is a bigger bunch of hooey than that. It felt as if the show tried to make Pinker the victim at the end and, when June hit him with a car, killing him, that she had done the wrong thing. Even Mulder made a comment that maybe Picker just wanted another chance.

What a load of crock. Seriously, this guy had been leaving a path of dead bodies in his wake as he was searching for June and Trevor. He would have killed Scully if she hadn’t gotten away, inside a phone booth. Mulder had discovered that, although he could walk through objects, he could not pass through things that was an insulator to electricity, glass, rubber etc.

This switch at the end trying to place Pinker in a positive light dragged the episode down several pegs for me. I did enjoy what was here prior to that, but the show just did not build any sympathy from me for this murderer.

The Greatest American Hero S2 E3

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Spoilers

“Don’t Mess Around with Jim”

Did Tony flunk?

I ask because at the beginning of this episode of The Greatest American Hero, Ralph was getting after Tony to meet him at his house an hour after school let out in order for them to work together so Tony would not flunk. Tony wasn’t excited about the extra work, but he eventually agreed to Ralph’s pressure (Sure felt like blackmail to me). However, Ralph was kidnapped in the school parking lot after school and taken away.

And there was not one mention of Tony after that.

I really expected that there would be some kind of tag at the end with this dangling plot point, but there was not. So I can only assume that Tony was going to flunk.

The episode was pretty good in-between the fate of Tony. The man who had Ralph (and Bill) kidnapped was a man who had just faked his own death. A man who was big enough of a figure in the world whose funeral would be aired on live TV. This man had his will taken and needed Ralph and Bill to help him reclaim it.

The truth was mixed though. The man knew about the suit from the “little green guys” and his friend was able to tell Ralph how to use the suit’s telekinesis.

Turned out, the man who had faked his own death, at one time, had a suit of his own from the aliens. He apparently abused the power and the aliens took it away from him.

The idea that Ralph was not the first to be approached by the aliens is a fascinating idea and helped to build the world even more.

This episode was really solid and shows that this show had spent time doing more than just breaking cases. This episode was a development for both Ralph and Bill. This was the third really good episode in season two.

Bates Motel S4 E3

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“Til Death Do You Part”

Every episode that sees Norma and Romero getting closer reminds me of how much I loved them as a couple and how I wanted to root for them, despite the fact that I knew this was doomed from the start.

Their relationship feels as if it has been built since day one. While it may seem as if it were tossed together in one moment, the truth is that they have had interactions with each other since the first season and this all makes sense.

Norman is totally frightening as he is dealing with his anger at Norma for putting him in the psychiatric home. His ability to manipulate is being shown, and it is still up in the air if anyone around there believes him. Dr. Edwards seems to be very low-key and calm when dealing with Norman, but even he gave a look at the end when Norman was accusing his mother of murder that made me wonder where he was going to fall on it.

It was good to have Dylan return to lend an ear for Norma and to face off with Chick. His time with Emma has been great, but he belongs in the Bates craziness too.

Tension is building this season and I can’t wait to see what is going to happen once again.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

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It has been literal decades since the release of Beetlejuice and this weekend we finally arrive with a sequel to the 1988 comedy. Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder resume their roles from the first film in this sequel, also directed by Tim Burton.

I will be honest. When I first saw the trailer for this sequel, I was not very excited. It looked like this movie was going to just revisit the same bits as the 1988 film did and I saw no reason to get excited for this. I do like Michael Keaton though and I had some hope.

After seeing the sequel, I found it to be a fun film that is definitely worth a viewing, even if it is far from perfect.

According to IMDB, “After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s (Winona Ryder) life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s (Michael Keaton) name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.”

The cast of this film is sensational. Michael Keaton pulls of Betelgeuse with the deft touch of a master, losing not one step from the first film. Jenna Ortega is a wonderful addition to the cast, making a perfect daughter for Winona Ryder’s Lydia. Catherine O’Hara is over the top as Delia Deetz, who was recently widowed. The cast was excellent and pulled off the comedy with an ease.

I do have to say that I thought the storylines going on in the movie were very messy and chaotic. Some of them felt as if they were there just to fill time. The individual plot points did not form together into a tight and cohesive story. Instead it was much more of a disjointed tale. Some of them worked well, especially in this type of a movie, but the overall story was not what this movie will be remembered for. Some of the storylines in this movie could have easily been removed from the movie and there would be little to no change in what happened.

The world of the dead is totally fascinating and fun to watch as the film treks though it. The special effects were great most of the time and the extended use of practical effects made the dead world feel like it was in the same world as the original. For most of the time, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice looked great.

There is a fantastic scene involving “MacArthur’s Park” near the end. I loved that. Michael Keaton may be the best lip syncher in movies.

I had fun watching this sequel. It is far from a great movie and the story is completely messy. I think you could easily take Willem Dafoe and Monica Bellucci out of the film without missing a beat and you would never miss them. Still, the drawbacks of the film did not detract from my enjoyment of the film. It was worth my time and I would recommend it, especially for those who were fans of the 1988 Beetlejuice.

3.6 stars

EYG Comic Cavalcade #114

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September 6, 2024

Friday afternoon and I am diving into the EYG Comic Cavalcade for the week.

This weekend, I am heading up to Dubuque to the Dubuque Comic & Toy Show this Sunday at the Five Flags Event Center. I went last year and had some fun. This year WWE Hall of Famer Honky Tonk Man is in attendance. Not sure I am going to do anything with him, but he does connect back to my childhood. I know Comic World will have a presence at the event, so I will probably go to their table as well.

Books this week:

Exceptional X-Men #1. Written by Eve L. Ewing and art by Carmen Carnero. Carnero & Nolan Woodard did the cover art. Another new X-book, this time featuring Kate Pryde, who has apparently stopped demanding that people call her Kate and reclaimed the name of Kitty. Thank goodness. I was very tired of that little bit of character development. I am very pleased with Kitty becoming a somewhat happy person again.

Plastic Man No More #1. Written by Christopher Cantwell and art by Alex Lins. Alex Lins & Marcelo Maiolo did the cover art (Bronze Medalist). Plastic Man has always been a comedy character, but this new take on him brings a more serious tone to him as he is starting to break down. Can he escape the Justice League’s laughs to help himself or save the fate of his son?

Minor Arcana #1. Written, illustrated, and cover art by Jeff Lemire. The brand new series from the creative mind of Jeff Lemire appeared this week, focusing on the daughter of a local psychic who returned to her hometown to try and take care of her mother. Of course, there are more things going down than just that as any Lemire book can tell you.

Daredevil #13. “Introductory Rites, Part Thirteen” Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Chris Campana. John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, and Richard Isanove did the cover art. Daredevil is facing off with the demons that have been torturing him over the last thirteen issues as things are coming to a head. And you see the Kingpin unlike you have ever seen him before.

The Ultimates #4. Written by Deniz Camp and guest artist Phil Noto. Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon are the cover artists (Gold Medalist). Doctor Doom of the Ultimate universe is trying to reestablish the Fantastic Four, but there has not been a huge success as of yet.

Incredible Hulk #16. “Lament for a Fallen Crown, Part Two“. Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art by Danny Earls. Nic Klein is the cover artist. This weird Hulk story arc continued this issue and I have just not been much of a fan of what is happening so far. I remain optimistic that things may pick up.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #24. “Birds of a Feather, Part Two.” Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Federico Vicentini. Federico Vicentini & Neeraj Menon did the cover art. Newly vampired-up, Miles is desperate to maintain his bloodlust, but his anger is loosed upon The Vulture.

What If…? Donald Duck Became The Mighty Thor #1. “Donald Thor vs. the Stone Ducks of Saturn.” Variant cover art by Walter Simonson & Laura Martin. The fun Disney/Marvel mishmashes return with Donald Duck this time finding the enchanted walking stick that would transform into Mjolnir and change Donald into the Mighty Thor.

The Spectacular Spider-Men #7. “The Kitchen Sink.” Written by Greg Weisman and penciled by Humberto Ramos. Cover art was done by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. Peter and Miles bring down K.N.A.I.V.E. (which stands for New Artificial Intelligence Villain Extreme… the K is silent).

Animal Pound #5. “Who’s A Good Dog?” Written by Tom King and illustrated by Peter Gross. Variant cover art by Jorge Fornes. This thrilling series brought to a conclusion with plenty of shocking moments. Animal Farm mixed with the ins and outs of current day politics brings you this amazing series. I have no idea who Piggy is meant to represent (hmm… it ain’t Tim Walz).

Spider-Boy #11. “Massive Course Correction.” Written by Dan Slott and art by Paco Medina. Paco Medina and Edgar Delgado did the cover art (Silver Medalist). Bailey Briggs is back in the memories of the world after spending the last three years out of their minds. The memories bring Bailey’s mother back into the mix, and her parenting style may be shunting his buzz.

The Immortal Thor #15. “Return of the King.” Written by Al Ewing and art by Jan Bazaldua. Alex Ross did the cover art. Thor has taken in the power of Zeus… and it may be too much. And how does Loki play into this? Thor is the King of Asgard and he has some power.

Scarlet Witch #4. Written by Steve Orlando and art by Jacopo Camagni. Cover art was done by Russell Dauterman. Wanda vs. Griever battle to see if Wanda can come back alive. Quicksilver and Polaris play huge roles in the adventure too.

Public Domain #8. “New Life.” Written and drawn by Chip Zdarsky. More drama surrounding the creation of the new Domain comic book. How fun is it to hire a new letterer? Find out here.

Uncanny Valley #5. Written by Tony Fleecs and art and cover art by Dave Wachter. Oliver is facing off with The First, with a little help from his mother and his grandfather Pecos Pete. This has been a remarkably creative series so far and this penultimate issue sets up a powerful final.

Rook Exodus #5. Creators Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok. Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson did the cover art. Rook is having problems connecting with his flock because of his own deep seeded traumas. Can Pumba help Rook straighten things out? Rook Exodus has been a really solid part of the Ghost Machine imprint.

Moon Knight Annual #1. Written by Dan Watters and artist Marco Renna. Salvador Larroca & Edgar Delgado does the cover art. The Mind Stone is playing havoc with Colleen Wing. And Nightmare does not help the situation at all. Moon Knight steps up and tries to help out.

Get Fury #5. “As Flies to Wanton Boys.” Written by Garth Ennis and penciled by Jacen Burrows. Cover art was done by Dave Johnson. Frank Castle has finally found Nick Fury in the Hanoi Hilton… or at least what remains of Nick Fury. There are some actually disturbing images of Nick Fury in this book. There is a reason it is listed as ‘explicit content.’

Other books this week: Venom War: Spider-Man #2, The Boy Wonder #5, Spider-Man: Homeroom Heroes #1, Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decay #1, Arkham Horror #2, and The Infernals #5.

Upcoming Comics Preview

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September 4

Well, I picked up my edition of this month’s Preview at Comic World tonight and, to be honest, this catalogue does not have a large number of new books that interested me.

What jumped out at me was a new issue from Dynamite, Green Hornet/Miss Fury #1. Dynamite has been releasing some quality work recently which included Space Ghost and Jonny Quest. The new series is a noir mystery book, which I always enjoy, and, at least, Green Hornet is an interesting character to add to Dynamite’s oeuvre. Written by Alex Segura and art from Federico Sorressa.

Image is preparing to release a new version of G.I. Joe #1, with what looked like a ton of possible covers. Some of the G.I. Joe books have been okay for me, and i will most likely at least pick up issue one of this new series.

Another company that has been fire lately has been DSTLRY. The only drawback I have seen from this new comic company has been release time. They put out a new issue and it seems like forever before the next issue comes out. Still, there are two intriguing new books from DSTLRY from Previews. You Won’t Feel a Thing #1 is a new series from Scott Snyder and Jock. It is a story about a retired homicide detective with a brain tumor sapping his mind. A serial killer from his past has returned… or has he? This sounds very psychological and thrilling.

The other new DSTLRY book is written by James Tynion IV and featuring art from Love everlasting artist Elsa Charretier. I have a total trust in James Tynion IV and, while the synopsis is not overly clear about the premise, there is a hint of mystery and Tynion is a huge selling point for me.

That was about it in this Previews. I’ll probably skim through it again before making a final judgment, but this looks like a slow month.

EYG Favorite Comic Cover of the Week

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Week of September 2

It is NEW COMIC BOOK DAY so it is time to pick our medalists for this week. Last week we had no Marvel, but will the House of Ideas make its way back to this week’s medalists? Let’s see…

Bronze Medalist

Plastic Man No More #1

Cover art by Alex Lins & Marcelo Maiolo

I have always enjoyed Plastic Man, but this cover is a little unexpectedly frightening and that’s cool.

Silver Medalist

Spider-Boy #11

Cover art by Paco Medina & Edgar Delgado

This Spider-Boy cover is just a lot of fun. Just hanging out on the back of a school bus. While holding on to his Spider-Man lunch case. This works so well.

Gold Medalist

The Ultimates #4

Cover art by Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon

A Doctor Doom mask with Fantastic Four mice. What a fascinating cover, plus I love the white background. White background is always a personal favorite.

Bonus Action Vol. 2 Ep.1

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Spoilers

“A Spring’s Awakening”

Bonus Action returned to officially kickoff their second volume of D & D role-playing action with the wonderful cast of characters and a remarkably creative DM.

One of last year’s top surprises was the arrival of Bonus Action from the Preview’d guys, Adam lash and Jay Schmidt. They had decided to film their group’s gaming as a YouTube series and I found it to be very fun.

The cast returned this season with DM (Or as he says, friendly neighborhood campaign manager) David Armstrong as well as Jay and Adam (playing Bric and Victor respectively), Amanda Nicholas as Barb’E, Ja-Ron Young as Marlon, Josh Hurley as Todd, and Jason Spina as Rory. This only works because of these talented individuals with their acting, improv and interpersonal skills. They all have a total grasp on their characters and it makes it a total rush watching them play into the amazingly constructed and described world of Wild Country.

This episode kicked off with an unexpected one-on-one with David and Amanda, in a flashback for Barb’E, and it was tremendous, emotional and thrilling.

The rest of the episode was set up and character development, both important and silly in many manners. Making Todd’s 4th Wall Breaking a part of canon is truly a hoot.

I will say that the cliffhanger at the very end was fairly shaky. How could you?

This was a ton of fun and next week’s combat at the parade (or is it Pear-Raid?) will be something special. Glad this is back.

Only Murders in the Building S4 E2

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“Gates of Heaven”

Two episodes in and I am completely enthralled with this new season of Only Murders in the Building.

Steve Martin may be doing some of his best work of his long and illustrious career as Charles went through the episode trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he might have been the target of the murder attempt that claimed the life of his friend and stunt double, Sazz. Martin’s performance was beautiful as he spoke to the delusion he was seeing of Sazz. This was both sad as could be and relatable in a situation that just was crazy.

While Charles was breaking our hearts in his apartment (and kind of reuniting with escaped killer Jan), Oliver and Mabel went to investigate the Westies, people who could be the shooter in apartments across from Charles’ place, in the west end of the Arconia. These were some weirdos, led by Richard Kind’s “Stink Eye Joe” aka Vince Fish and his moving pink-eye. We also met a family who invite Oliver and Mabel to join them in a card game called Oh Hell. Some of the things that happen with the Westies are truly crazy and are either meant to throw us off or to highlight how crazy things are in this part of the Arconia. We certainly see that they know something more than they let us know.

We do not meet the Westie that Charles dubbed Christmas Guy, played by Kumail Nanjiani. Apparently, his apartment is decorated for Christmas year round. Oh, and by the way, when Oliver and Mabel were in the apartment where they believe that the shooter took the shot, Oliver found some tinsel. That clue may be too on the nose to be anything but a red herring, but you never can tell with this show.

I thought this was tremendous, with Steve Martin and Jane Lynch were amazing. I found the documentary that was the only time Sazz’s own face was on the screen packed a powerful wallop. Steve Martin’s moments at the beginning of the episode when he had Sazz’s ashes all over his hands and he did not know how to wash them off respectfully was both funny and crushing at the same time. His plan of washing off the ashes and catching the water in a bucket, putting the water in a Mason jar and allowing the water to evaporate to leave the ashes was never going to work, but it displayed the tremendous shock that Charles was suffering from.

I love the start of this season and I am thoroughly enjoying each episode so far. Only Murders in the Building airs on Hulu.