EYG Comic Cavalcade #156

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June 8

Good day. It is time for the EYG Comic Cavalcade.

This past Wednesday was the first NEW COMIC BOOK DAY of the summer months so I got to spend the afternoon at Comic World, reading my books and waiting for the late arriving Diamond order to be divvied out. Good news, Comic World is going to be finally done with Diamond. Here’s hopin’ that Penguin will be more consistent than Diamond has been the last six months or so.

Books this week:

X-Men #17. “Visitor” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Ryan Stegman. Ryan Stegman & Marte Gracia did the cover art. Piper’s twin vs. Magneto (inside and controlling a Sentinel). At least it appeared as if they were able to find Kid Omega and that he was not dead.

Mark Spears Monsters #5. Written, illustrated and cover art by Mark Spears (TIED- Bronze Medalist). Monsters continues to be an amazing series of cover art as well as some of the best interior art around. Mark Spears has been a star this year and this book, which has ties to Monster Squad, is highly entertaining.

Amazing Spider-Man #5. Written by Joe Kelly with art by Pepe Larraz. Cover A art was done by Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia. I do love it when the cover art incorporates the title in some creative manner. I also picked up cover C, whose art was done by Joelle Jones & Rachelle Rodriguez. The poisoned Peter arc wrapped up as Spidey faces off with the Hobgoblin.

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 #1. Written by Brian Buccellato and art by Christian Duce. Christian Duce & Luis Guerrero did the cover art. This is a sequel to the previous mini-series featuring an alternate world where the JL fought the big two monsters. Things are back with more trouble for the Justice League.

The Patchwork Girl of Oz #5. Adapted and illustrated by Otis Frampton. I was upset by the end of this book because there was a note inside saying that they were going to have 15 more issues to tell this story, but from now on, it would be only available digitally, or in a trade paperback. I had enjoyed this series through the first five issues and this made me very disappointed. I do not like digital comics. I want to hold it in my hand (as the book called it … a floppy). This made me mad and disappointed.

Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #1. Written by Deniz Camp & Cody Ziglar with art by Jonas Scharf. Cover art (foil version) done by Kael Ngu. I grabbed this lovely foil cover featuring Miles Morales fighting the Spot. Miles finds himself in the Ultimate universe. Is he home? What does this mean for the 616?

Be Not Afraid #1. Written by Jude Ellison S. Doyle and illustrated by Lisandro Estherren. Cover art was done by Reiko Murakami. I grabbed both the A cover and the virgin cover for this new Boom! Studios book. This is a dark horror story dealing with a family and a frightening spirit out for something dastardly.

Imperial #1. “One” Written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Iban Coello & Federico Vicentini. Cover art was done by Marco Checchetto & Marte Gracia. Jonathan Hickman brings his sweeping epic to the cosmic world of Marvel. Lots of characters involved including Nova, Star Lord, Hulk, Gladiator and the Shi’ar, the Skrulls & Kree, just to name a few. It feels like another future story, but I was interested so far.

All-New Venom #7. Written by Al Ewing and art by Carlos Gomez. Adam Kubert & Laura martin did the cover art. All-New Venom has to face off with Agent Venom, so it is MJ vs. Flash Thompson. Plus, there is more with Rick Jones who still thinks Robbie is the new Venom.

Marvel Knights: The World to Come #1. “Part One: The Death of Kings” Created by Joe Quesada and Christopher Priest. Cover art by Joe Quesada. We have another possible future story, and this one has created a huge wave of controversy as they have introduced a white man as the new Black Panther. Oh my….. As if Quesada already doesn’t receive enough hate for his Marvel stuff.

Return of the Living Dead #4. Written by S.A. Check & James Kuhoric with art by Andrea Arcari. Cover art was done by Mark Spears (Gold Medalist). This was an explosive finale for this remake of the Return of the Living Dead. This was a fun zombie series from American Mythology Productions.

Daredevil #22. “Rites of Reconciliation.” Part Three. Written by Saladin Ahmed and penciled by Jose Luis Soares and Carlos Nieto. Black armor Daredevil discovered the answer to the dangerous spores that were being sent around by our villain. Too bad Joel and Ellie did not know about it.

Immortal Thor #24. “The Death of the Immortal Thor.” Written by Al Ewing and art by Jon Bazaldua. Cover art was done by Alex Ross (Silver Medalist). It appeared that Thor had made it through the huge battle against the prophecy. Thor expected to die in a heroic sacrifice. He did not. Everyone is happy. Oh… and then Loki stabbed him in the back.

The Terminator #8. Written by Declan Shalvey and art by Colin Craker. Cover art was by Declan Shalvey (Tied- Bronze Medalist). Kind of a review of what has happened so far in the Terminator. It is a very original way to showcase what has gone before.

Laura Kinney: Wolverine #7. “My So-Called Perfect Life, part 2” Written by Erica Schultz and art by Giada Belviso. Elena Casagrande & Edgar Delgado did the cover art. Laura broke out of the “perfect life” she had been trapped in to face off with the Badoon.

Storm #9. “Sinister Schemes of the Stars and Stripes Part Two” Written by Murewa Ayodele with art by Lucas Werneck. Cover art by Mateus Manhanini. Storm is in trouble with the federal government for her aid to Professor X in escaping custody. Jennifer Walters is on the case.

The Slasher’s Apprentice #2. Written by Justin Richards and art and cover art by Val Halvorson. Riley makes a pitch to the Hopton Valley Killer (which she will call HVK, because it is easier to say) to join him and learn from him on how to be a serial killer. This Mad Cave book feels very warped so far.

Pop Kill #4. Story by Dave Johnson and Jimmy Palmiotti with art by Juan Santacruz. Cover art is by Dave Johnson. This is the final issue of the soda pop wars as the twins face off over the formula that would have forever fizz. Dina is struck in the middle.

Ultimate Wolverine #6. Written by Chris Condon and guest art by Alex Lins. Cover art was done by Alessandro Cappuccio & Frank Martin. Logan looks as if he has been snapped out of the mind control forced on him as the Winter Soldier. He is the best at what he does…

Other books this week: Buried Long, Long Ago #2, The Moon is Following Us #10, The Secret Six #4, Plague House #3 and Let This One Be a Devil #4

Quick Hits: Mad Cave comics has another new number one that I picked up. It is called Endless Night #1 and it was okay. I have really liked the Mad Cave books recently and I think it is worth taking a look at them. Godzilla Heist #5 is out this weekend. There are a bunch of Godzilla comics. Almost as many as Batman. I picked up the Dynamite Comics book Giant-Size Wacky Races #1. That was a silly book. I always liked Mumbly from the Laff-A-Lympics from my childhood. I think this was a one shot but I doubt that will be a regular book on my list if it continues. Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #14 has Gwen still with King Loki in space. I would like her to get back to earth soon. I do enjoy the Dark Horse book You Never Heard of Me #4. There is one more book in that series. Absolute Superman #8 starts a new story arc and brings Superman into the orbit of Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson. Absolute Green Lantern #3 has some fun things going down with our Lanterns. I am very intrigued by Hal Jordan and his dark hand. The final issue of the series of The Atom Project #6 featured an end to the troubles of the different Atoms.

The Ballad of Wallis Island

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June 8

I had seen the trailers for this movie earlier this year, but it never came around to any theaters that were in my area. So when I saw it for rental on Vudu, I was happy to make it part of the June Swoon.

According to IMDB, “An eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island tries to make his fantasies come true by getting his favorite musicians to perform at his home.”

This is going to be an odd comparison, but this movie made me think of A Mighty Wind. They are completely different films, with A Mighty Wind being an improved film from Christopher Guest, but there was a pair of characters int he film named Mitch and Mickey, played by Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara. Mitch and Mickey were a folk singing duo who were also a couple and the split up. Mickey remarried and then they came back together to play the big folk music special at the end of the movie.

This reminded me very much of that movie thanks to the folk music pair McGwyer & Mortimer, played by Tom Basden and Carrie Mulligan. Admittedly, this is a more serious film than the Chris Guest one, but many of the ideas behind these characters feel similar.

Written by Tom Basden and Tim Key (Key played Charles, the eccentric lottery winner), this was based on a short film entitled  “The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island” from 2007. Basden & Key wrote that short as well.

This film was sweet and melancholic tone to it, as Charles tries to get his favorite pair of folk singers together to play a solo gig for him. Charles may not have been straight-up with them in order to get the reunited duo to come.

The music is great. The imagery of Wallis Island is beautiful. There are some really strong character developing going on with the limited cast, and I do like how things do not necessarily go the way you would expect.

4 stars

Sing Sing

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Colman Domingo received an Academy Award nomination for this lead role in Sing Sing. He was fabulous as “Divine G.”

While I figured this would be a prison movie, I have to admit, this was not what I was expecting.

According to IMDB, “Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin), in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors“

The only thing that I knew about this movie was that Colman Domingo was in it and, going by the title, I assumed it was taking place in the prison Sing Sing. I am glad that I went into this movie as blind as I did because it caught me so off-guard that it really made this a great experience.

I actually compare it in my mind more to Ghostlight than I did to another prison movie. It provided the power of the stage in a manner to help face the troubles of your life.

Finding out that this was a true story was another shock and made it even more impactful. The clips at the end of the film with the real people was powerful.

Colman Domingo was amazing. He has become one of our best actors working today. The rest of the cast was just as solid, as much of the cast was previously incarcerated individuals who played themselves.

Sing Sing was a outstanding film that had some real drama inside the prison without falling into the typical prison tropes that we have seen a million times. This is one of the overlooked films of 2024.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #20

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Spoilers

“Lost Hearts”

I may be wrong, but I believe this episode of The Sandman was designed as the season finale, and the eleventh episode was a surprise. “Lost Hearts” brought to an end the storyline of the Corinthian and and the Vortex, Rose Walker.

I have to say, the conclusion of these arcs and what felt like a season finale was extremely satisfying. I was very pleased with the end for Rose Walker, as she was able to live after Unity came to her and had her give away the Vortex. It seemed as if Unity was fated to be the Vortex but it happened during Morpheus’s imprisonment and so it passed along to offspring. This was a solid way to save a character that we had come to connect with over the last several episodes.

The Corinthian did go out with little fanfare. Gilbert’s return was great as he came to talk with Rose and Morpheus. The reveal that Fiddler’s Green was a place seemed to make perfect sense.

The tense showdown with Morpheus and Desire hinted at what could have been part of the future of the series, as did the final tag with Lucifer and Lord Azazel in Hell. Lord Azazel sure looked like a group of Venom symbiotes inside a body frame. It was not the best depiction of that character.

My favorite scene was Morpheus recreating Gault as a dream instead of a nightmare and how he now looked upon Lucienne in a different light. I have been critical of the character of Morpheus this season because it felt as if he was anything but the hero of this story. I like the fact that it seemed as if he had some growth too.

One more episode of the Netflix show remaining.

Predator: Killer of Killers

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The newest film in the Predator franchise dropped on Hulu this weekend, and, for the first time, the movie is animated.

The previous movie in the franchise, Prey, also debuted on Hulu and was a huge hit. I have to say, the animation opens this franchise up to even more possibilities and if they continue the quality like this, they will have a ton of success.

This is broken into three different time frames where three different warriors are “recruited.” One was in Viking times, the next was in feudal Japan and then in World War I. These three warriors are taken to face off with the ultimate Predator.

The animation is beautiful and brutal. Just because it is animated, the film does not shy away from decapitating people. There is blood everywhere at times.

The film is fast paced and a lean 90 minutes, making it really easy to watch.

4 stars

Wrestlemania IX: Becoming a Spectacle

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June 7

Since today is a big WWE wrestling day with the Money in the Bank PLE, I thought it would be a good day for the June Swoon to go to the matches. There was a documentary on Peacock that came out this year around Wrestlemania time about the behind the scenes of Wrestlemania IX from Las Vegas at the Caesar’s Palace.

I was surprised when I heard about this documentary considering that Wrestlemania IX is considered by many as one of the worst of the Wrestlemania of all time. However, it was one of the first events that put the spectacle into Wrestlemania. With this year’s Wrestlemania also in Las Vegas, I can understand the choice made by the WWE.

The WWE has always done tremendous documentaries, and this behind the scenes doc at a time when going behind the scenes at a WWE event was not done was all the more special.

Wrestlemania IX also had its share of controversy as Hulk Hogan returned to the company and ended up winning the WWE Championship back in an unscheduled match with Yokozuna after the giant sumo had defeated Bret Hart. This controversy was not pushed aside. It was dealt with by the doc, which was impressive. Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart each commented on the situation which added to the doc.

We got talking head bits from the Undertaker, Brutus Beefcake, The Steiners, Jim Ross, Rikishi, Lex Lugar, and Shawn Michaels, among others. There were plenty of stars who have since passed away, so this behind the scenes images are all the more special.

The story of how Wrestlemania came to Las Vegas, specifically to Caesar’s Palace, was interesting and hearing the people involved with Caesar’s was also cool. Watching the transformation from basically a parking lot to a Roman coliseum was fascinating.

This doc helped me appreciate Wrestlemania IX more than I had before and listening to those who were there and discussing the concerns and the controversies were a good time. WWE always does a great job with their documentaries.

3.9 stars

Ghostlight

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June 7

This was another movie that I never would have heard of if not for Dan Murrell, online critic, who put Ghostlight on his best of 2024 list. After hearing that, I added it to the June Swoon list.

Thank you, Dan. This was a sensational movie, one of the best that I have seen over the last year or so.

According to IMDB, “When a construction worker unexpectedly joins a local theater’s production of Romeo and Juliet, the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life.”

This script was beautifully constructed and the story told in a wonderful manner. Pieces of the story were given as the film progressed. We knew some of the things that happened, but they hold on to the overall events for the stretch. The writing was layered and worked so well that you could feel everything going on.

The performances were out of this world. Interestingly, the actors who played Dan and Sharon Mueller, Keith Kupferer and Tara Mallen, are married in real life, and their on-screen daughter Daisy was played by their real life daughter Katherine Mallen Kupferer. All of this made this feel real and all three of them knocked this out of the park.

I had immediate connection to this movie because I know kids like Daisy, who came out immediately with curse words and anger. I wanted to know more about what was going on, and these characters were so well done that everything was awesome.

I watched the movie on Amazon Prime and, I am not sure if this was the way it was supposed to go, but the very end felt like Prime cut off too soon. Maybe that was how the film ended, which, if so, it felt like I needed one more scene.

That was the only problem that I had with this film. It is one of the best movies I have seen in awhile. The story was small and emotional with the feeling of reality truly cutting deep. Ghostlight was great. If I were giving star ratings for these June Swoon movies, this would be five stars.

The Phoenician Scheme

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Man, who could possibly guess who directed this movie?

I am being sarcastic because this movie is about as much of a Wes Anderson movie as you are ever going to see. There are traits about a movie directed by Wes Anderson and this provided just about every one of them.

For me, Wes Anderson movies are hit or miss. I loved Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Rushmore. Asteroid City and The French Dispatch are examples of Wes Anderson movies I could do withotu.

The Phoenician Scheme was a lot of fun and I found it to be totally funny.

According to IMDB, “Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins.“

I think what made this work for me was the comic timing of Benicio Del Toro, who played Zsa-zsa Korda. He had chemistry with every actor he interacted with and he delivered these eccentric lines of dialogue with just the right amount of sincerity that made it really funny.

While there was no sign of Edward Norton, the Anderson cast of actors that appear in a lot of his movies were here too including Michael Cera, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe, F. Murray Abraham, Scarlet Johansson, and Bill Murray. You could add some other great actors such as Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Rupert Friend, Steven Park, and Richard Ayoade.

Along with all of these established veterans, starring opposite Del Toro was Mia Threapleton. Threapleton, who is Kate Winslet’s daughter, showed that she is anything but a “nepo baby” as she was outstanding in her role as Liesl. She exuded the tone of a Wes Anderson movie perfectly, really helping set up Del Toro’s lines and scenes.

The dialogue was rich and exciting in this film. I really enjoyed just listening to the actors deliver these lines and how they were able to play off of each other. The dialogue helped balance out the craziness that was going on in each scene.

If you do not enjoy Wes Anderson movies, this one is not for you. However, I found this to be very enjoyable and humorous.

4 stars

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

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The first spin-off movie from the world of John Wick was released this weekend. Ballerina featured Ana de Armas as Eve, a character that appeared originally in John Wick: Chapter 4.

This film is a prequel to John Wick: Chapter 4 as Keanu Reeves appears in the film as John Wick and, of course, he “died” in the last John Wick movie.

According to IMDB, “An assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization sets out to seek revenge after her father’s death.”

So I like this movie. I love Ana de Armas and the action is really great. My problem with Ballerina is the same I have with the John Wick franchise. There is just so much fighting and shooting that it, at times, becomes sort of repetitive. There are some moments that the action can become boring. Most of it is great, but it feels as if I could use some more breaks during the runtime.

And that is a minor gripe. I think most of this is really solid and, as I said, I like the characters and the story.

The cast is great. Along with Armas and Reeves, we get other John Wick performers such as Ian McShane, the late Lance Reddick, and Anjelica Huston. We also have Gabriel Byrne, Norman Reedus, Ava Joyce McCarthy and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

The movie gave us another viable franchise to use in the John Wick universe. Who knows how long Keanu Reeves’ body can hold up to do this type of action, but Ana de Armas could definitely hold her own.

3.8 stars

Wick is Pain

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June 6

The June Swoon documentary day continued.

Since I am heading out to see Ballerina later this afternoon, I figured this would be a good day to use Wick is Pain as the June Swoon 4 film.

The doc details the creation, filming, and the inside stories behind the filming of the John Wick franchise. Keanu Reeves is sprinkled throughout the doc with his thoughts on what was going on. Many times, you can see the excitement of Reeves over the imagery or action on the screen.

The doc goes into detail on the death of the dog in the first film and how it almost did not get made because of all of the struggles and challenges.

The spent a lot of time with the stuntmen of the series. There was an insane footage shared of a certain fall where the stuntman, Jackson Spidell, landed on his head and then had to do it again.

John Wick director Chad Stahelski, who was Reeve’s primary stunt double earlier (including The Matrix), is included heavily in the thoughts.

This is a lot of fun and fans of the John Wick franchise should love this documentary.

3.75 stars

The Only Girl in the Orchestra

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June 6

It is documentary day in the June Swoon.

Because of busy day at the theater, I decided that today I would watch the Academy Award winning documentary short for the first film of the day. It was called The Only Girl in the Orchestra, and it was a celebration of Orin O’Brien, the first woman to become a member of the New York Philharmonic.

O’Brien played the double bass the doc came about as she was retiring from her position.

It felt like this was too short and that this topic could sustain a much longer documentary. O’Brien was an interesting topic as someone who just did not want to be in the spotlight. She said, in the doc, “I didn’t have any ambition of being a soloist, I liked being in the background.“

She even revolted against the very idea of the documentary focusing on her. O’Brien’s niece, Molly O’Brien directed the documentary and tried to convince her that she a valuable topic.

Her passion for music definitely came through in this doc, even if it is too short. Oren O’Brien is a fascinating character that shines in the short.

A Working Man

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June 5

A Working Man is just about what you would expect from a Jason Statham movie. He plays basically the same character he has played for many years now. That being said, a good revenge/one-person army thriller can be decent, especially if you know what you are getting, and this one is not terrible.

It’s not great either though.

According to IMDB, “Levon Cade (Statham) left his profession behind to work construction and be a good dad to his daughter. But when a local girl vanishes, he’s asked to return to the skills that made him a mythic figure in the shadowy world of counter-terrorism.”

I actually had some hopes at the beginning of the movie. They dropped a couple of ideas that made me think this might be more than just what I was expecting. Some character bits that, if expanded upon, could make this a surprise. Unfortunately, those bits were dropped as quickly as they were mentioned, and it absolutely went straight into the kind of movie that we have seen countless times.

Jason Statham is good in this type of role, but there is almost nothing new here. David Harbour appeared in the film, but his role was really small. Still, you can never go wrong with David Harbour.

There was a major plot thread left dangling, probably leaving it open for a potential sequel. However, that does not make it as satisfying as it could have been.

This is disposable entertainment and that can be okay at times. Again, if you are after that kind of movie, you could do worse than A Working Man, which felt like a poor man’s John Wick.

2.5 stars

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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June 5

This is another big week of books with a bunch of choices. I’m not even including the beautiful variant C cover for Pop Kill #4 by J. Scott Campbell because, though I did buy it, it was not for me. It would have definitely been in the conversation.

Because this is the second week with tough decisions, I have instituted a new section called the Also-Rans. These are the covers that were in consideration, but did not quite earn a medalists.

Also-Rans: Amazing Spider-Man #5 (Cover A), Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #1 (Foil Variant), Be Not Afraid #1 (Virgin Cover), and Amazing Spider-Man #5 (D Cover)

We also have a second time ever TIE for the bronze. I just can not choose between the final two so…

Medalists…

Tie!

Bronze Medalists

The Terminator #8

Cover art by Declan Shalvey

I love this cover with the different grey squares as the Terminator skull is in the background. The Terminator covers have been solid during this run, but this is the first to medal.

Tie!

Mark Spears Monsters #5

Variant Cover C

Cover art by Mark Spears

Mark Spears continues his domination of the Favorite Covers of the Week with yet another awesome Monsters cover. The werewolf is wonderfully scary and I love the Todd McFarlane homage.

Silver Medalist

The Immortal Thor #24

Cover art by Alex Ross

This is a powerful image of Thor, done by the one and only, EYG Hall of Famer, Alex Ross. The lightning coming off Thor and mixing with the title is fabulous. Love this.

Gold Medalist

Return of the Living Dead #4

Cover art by Mark Spears

Brains! They are tasty… but not near as tasty as this new zombie cover from Mark Spears. There are so many details on his painting work that something as played out as zombies have an all-new feel to it.

Memoir of a Snail

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June 5

The June Swoon entry today is the final of the 2025 Academy Award nominees for Best Animated Feature, Memoir of a Snail. It is an Australian stop motion film.

According to IMDB, “A bittersweet memoir of a melancholic woman called Grace Pudel – a hoarder of snails, romance novels, and guinea pigs.”

The voice cast featured some of the top level Australian actors including Emmy and Tony Award winner Sarah Snook, Academy Award nominee Kodi Smit-McPhee, Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver and actor Eric Bana.

This animated film is not one for kids. It is a distinctly adult story told in the stop action format. It is a funny film, with a very tragic feel.

The film was written, directed and produced by Adam Elliot and it was loosely based on his own life.

Even though the movie was dark, it had a remarkable flair for life and the eccentricities of the human condition. The film is chocked full of adult themes mixed in with the humor. It is powerful and deeply affecting. It is a wonderful example of what is possible in the animation style.