It is that time again for the favorite comic covers of the week. Once again, the race to win this year is hot. Unlike last year, which was decided half way through the year, this one may go down to the final few weeks. It is an exciting few months coming up.
Also-Rans: The Greatest American Hero #3 (A, C), Thor #801 (Cover B-Hercules), The Eye Collector #4, Feral #26 (B Cover-The Shining homage), Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day #5, Terrorbytes #10, Absolute Batman #24, Black Star #3, Any Given Smile #1, D’Orc #8, Generation X-23 #8 (B Cover), and A Mischief of Magpies #2.
Bronze Medalist
Crimes Against Nature #1
Cover art by Mattia Monaco
What a fun cover. This cover really makes me want to see what is going on in this new Image book. It absolutely stands out among the books on the stands this week.
Silver Medalist
The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe #1
Cover B Foil
Cover art by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado
A beautiful gold foil cover with two of my all-time favorite characters in Spider-Man and Kermit the Frog. What more could I ask for. This one was absolutely going to get a place in the medal round this week.
Gold Medalist
Thor #801
Cover art by Alex Ross
This close up on Thor’s face is powerful, intimidating, and regal. The eyes on Thor just dominate this cover. This is a great way to kick off a new arc for the Thunder God.
Good day to all. The EYG Comic Cavalcade is here. Last week at Comic World I picked up a pack of Batman Vol. 3 which included #92-100. I have not bought a bunch of Batman over the years. In fact, these are the only Volume 3 books that I own.
I also picked up a four-issue series from Mad Cave on eBay this week called Hours of the Wolf. I picked this up because it looked as if the series is coming back later this year.
Comic of the Week
DNX #1
The new crossover between X-Men and Fantastic Four with the storyline of the X-Virus finally coming to a head. Things feel very hectic and dangerous as the X-Men and 3X start to arrive at Philadelphia, which is where the virus was originally released in the Age of Revelation arc.
I picked up a bunch of DNX blind bags as well, and I got some interesting Skottie Young covers, a red blank cover and one with Temper. Apparently there are no more blind bags with A covers any more. Great thing, Marvel.
Books this Week:
Avengers Armageddon #4. Written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Delio Diaz & Frank Alpizar. Cover art was done by Dike Ruan & Moreno Dinisio. The Avengers battle Red Hulk in a huge battle… and one of the biggest events. Dalton has become the new Miracleman in the Marvel Universe. It looks like Miracleman is going to be the mystery member of the new Avengers coming soon. Meanwhile, some bad things are about to happen.
X-Men #37. Written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Netho Diaz. Cover art was done by Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons & Arthur Hesli. More DNX action with the X-Men taking on 3X. All inside the mind of Cassadra Nova. Quentin Quire has a secret weapon… Jean Grey. The appearance of Phoenix caught me truly off guard and it was awesome.
Uncanny X-Men #35. “Fear and Fight Clubs” Written by Gail Simone and art by Luciano Vecchio. Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio & Matthew Wilson. The X-Men are on the trail of the monsters that have abused our new hero Howler. Wolverine connected with Howler, who he could relate to. Howler is the newest awesome new mutant that Gail Simone has given us.
Something Epic #15. Written, illustrated and cover art by Szymon Kudranski. Variant cover C was the gold medalist this week. The mystery series continues with an appearance by the Headless Horseman and then Frankenstein. I really love the artwork from Szymon Kudranski and this arc with all of the allusions to the different characters.
Pancho Villa: Monster Hunter #1. Written by Hector Rodriguez III with pencils by Ariel Medel. Cover art was done by Canaan White. Pancho Villa-General-Revolutionary-Monster Hunter. This new book from Amp Comics was a lot of fun and gave positive representation to the Mexican community.
Redcoat #20. Creators were Geoff Johns & Bryan Hitch. Cover art was done by Bryan Hitch & Brad Anderson. After last week’s shocking issue where Simon’s wife and kids were murdered by Benedict Arnold, thing hit the fan. Simon went all feral on Arnold, and anyone else connected to the event. His vicious attack left him apparently paralyzed after falling from a window. It has been a burtal couple of issues for Simon.
Spider-Man: Long Way Home #3. Written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Adam Kubert. Cover art was done by Adam Kubert & Arthur Hesli. Some big time battles between Hulk, Punisher and Spider-Man highlight this issue. The art was so monumental that it had to be turned to the side to fit it in the book. It looked as if the Hulk has his oversized hand on the Cosmic Cube so… that’s bad.
Exquisite Corpses: Fox Mask Killer #1. Written by Che Grayson with art by Adam Gorham. Cove art was done by Adam Gorham. We get a backstory on the Fox Mask Killer and we see her desire to get out of the assassin game to be with her daughter. There is a sadness to this issue as we follow through the efforts of Naomi Raturugi and exploring her origin.
Nightwing #142. “Downwind” Written by Dan Watters with art by David Lapham. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes. Nightwing is in a race against a truck filled with dynamite that is heading toward Gotham. The spores from the whole Bad Seeds arc are affecting a few people from Bludhaven, leading to this conflict.
Queen in Black #4. Written by Al Ewing with art by Iban Coello & Paco Medina. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin. The Queen in Black Hela takes on Knull. I have to say that this issue of Queen in Black became a bit too choppy for me. It felt like it was spread around too much between the spin-off issues making it too convoluted. Hopefully this will finish stronger.
Daredevil #7. “Of Moles & Owls Part 2” Written by Stephanie Phillips with art by Flaviano. Cover art was done by Lee Garbett. Daredevil has to fight his way across the city, facing off many of the dangerous criminals such as Tombstone, Silvermane, The Track Suit Mafia– all after the Kingpin’s ledger. We get the return of Elektra.
Detective Comics #1113. “Bad Seeds: Toxic Skies” Written by Tom Taylor and art by Jeff Spokes. Cover art was done by Mikel Janin. After Batman fought to the roof of police headquarters, he discovered that Vandal Savage was not going to stop the zeppelins from dropping a toxic, mass-casualty herbicide on the city, even when Batman told him that thousands of people would die from it. Batman has to go and stop the zeppelins. This crossover with Batman continued.
Hornsby & Halo #16. Creators are Peter J. Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg. Cover art was done by Peter Snejbjerg & John Kalisz. Zach and Rose go to meet up with the DeadTones, the latest Unbelievables. The DeadTones are a rock group whose powers help make the stage show all the more spectacular.
Dog Tag#5. Written by Mark Russell with pencils done by PJ Holden. Cover art was done by PJ Holden & JP Jordan. The synopsis of this book is as follows: “A small group of American soldiers must defend the Austrian castle against hundreds of incoming SS troops. Unexpectedly, German Wehrmacht soldiers inside the castle join forces with the Americans in the only known battle of the war where U.S. and German troops fought side by side” This is the penultimate issue of this series. The war is coming to a close.
Ofiusa #1. Written, art and cover art by Guillem March. This first issue from a new Image Comics book features a love triangle spanning two timelines. This was a little challenging to follow at times, but I did like the look of the book and the characters.
Absolute Green Arrow #5. “The Longbow Killer Chapter 5” Written by Pornsak Pichetshote with ar tby Raphael Albuquerque. Cover art was done by Raphael Albuquerque & Marcelo Maiolo (Bronze Medalist). I’m not sure I followed this that well. I thought they revealed who the Green Arrow was two or three times. And then, he seemed to be there at the end. I might need to re-read this one to know what is happening.
Marc Spector: Moon Knight #8. “Midnight Multitudes” Written by Jed MacKay with art by Devmalya Pramanik. Cover art was done by Jose Luis Soares & Rachelle Rosenberg. Moon Knight turned the Midnight Sons over to the Mansion Ravenous in able to get his friends back. It’s all part of Marc’s plan, but Daredevil, Ghost Rider and Blade don’t have to like it.
Showdown #4. Written by Dave Wielgosz and illustrated by Tadd Galusha. Cover art was done by Steve Lieber & Jack Cole. Trish and Harvey prepare for their big showdown in the final issue next month. However, the house on fire may not allow the showdown to commence.
GI Joe #26. Written by Joshua Williamson with art and cover art by Tom Reilly. The chase to capture the Baroness continues, but she seems to be one step ahead of the team of Joes in pursuit of her. I hope she does not turn away from the Joes because I do like the use of the character.
Other books this week: Viking Moon #4, Queen in Black: Defenders of Light and Dark #3, Star Trek: The Last Starship #11, X-Men: Outback #4, Absolute Cassandra Cain #1, Tyler Rake: An Extraction Story #5, Vampyrates #3, and 51 #5.
Quick Hits: I grabbed a graphic novel this week from Mad Cave called Havana Split: Welcome to Cuba. I have not had a chance to finish it, but it was an interesting start. A new Dark Horse book was released this week called The Big Shakedown #1, which dealt with a major earthquake. The Patron #2 featured a serial killer trying to make art more valuable, by killing the artist. There was a new cover book from Joe Kubert. The Joe Kubert: 100 Years- A Life in Covers #1. More action with Red Roots #5 continues. We get a new Dynamite Comic series as we get Space Ghost vs. The Herculoids #1. I’m not a big fan of the Herculoids, but I do love the Space Ghost books. The Marvel Mangaverse has a new issue this week with Arcane Avengers #1. The book Killer Influences #3 came out too. The story came to a conclusion. The End of Life #8 was an entertaining issue this week. Eddie is trying to escape from his capture… despite not being very successful. Just Brutal #6 came to an end this week. Then there was more stuff under the ground with The Hab #4.
It is time for the EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week. Some good books this week and a brand new Blind Bag!
Also Rans: Something Epic #15 (Cover A & D), Pancho Villa: Monster Hunter #1, Space ghost vs. Herculoids #1, Dog Tag #5, Red Roots #5, Ofiusa #1, Tyler Rake: An Extraction Story #5, DNX #1 (cover C, S, N).
Bronze Medalist
Absolute Green Arrow #5
Rafael Albuquerque & Marcelo Maiolo
The Absolute Green Arrow has an awesome cover with this scary man cover. He kind of reminds me of Ghost Rider here. I love the color scheme. of this cover.
Silver Medalist
DNX #1
Blind Bag Virgin Y cover
Cover art by Artgerm
I got this virgin cover in a DNX Blind Bag (and I also got the non-virgin version of this art). It is a lovely rendition of Temper, a fiery young X-Man.
Gold Medalist
Something Epic #15
Variant Cover B
Cover art by Szymon Kudranski
Yes, it is another horror cover homage. This one is an homage of the classic movie, The Shining, with D. Ducktive doing the iconic pose of Jack Nicholson. Love those horror homages.
Welcome to the EYG Comic Cavalcade! This week I got a mini-series off eBay to honor the loss of the iconic EYG Hall of Famer Tim Curry, who recently passed away. I saw the Rocky Horror Picture Show-The Comic Book on Covrprice.com and I searched for the series on eBay. It was expensive but it was worth it.
Todd also picked up Spawn #1 for me at a, seemingly great, price of $11.00 dollars. It’s not that I collect Spawn, or even like the character that much, but it is nice to have the book in my collection.
Comic Book of the Week
Six of Us #1
This was my favorite book of the week, by far. The new Tom King book that definitely has Friends flavor to it, with an unexpected murder at the end. It went from a sad issue featuring the loss of a close friend (much like Matthew Perry) to a surprising end.
I found this very entertaining and I am excited about the rest of this new Dark Horse book.
It also was the Gold Medalist for the EYG Favorite Comic Cover of the Week… the variant issue.
Books this Week:
Omega Kids #2. Written by James Patrick with art and cover art by Pauli Junquera. Brady has the Omega Book but there are plenty of others looking to grab control over it. Including the Mob. I loved issue one of the book and number two was okay, but not to the level of #1.
Wolverine #27. “This Man, This Metal” Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Julius Ohta. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian (Silver Medalist). Wolverine is still dealing with his broken bone claws. I thought we were done with the Adamantine battle, but Wolverine goes after the golden villain once again.
The Punisher #8. “Big Guns Part 2 of 4” Written by Benjamin Percy with pencils by Jose Luis Soares. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Guru-eFX. This issue continued with the Punisher and Deadpool team-up. Well, team-up might not be the right way to say it as they spend a lot of time shooting at each other too. This started in the previous Deadpool book and will continue next month.
Doomquest #4. Written by Ryan North with art by Francesco Mobili. Cover art was done by Alex Ross. Doom’s trip around the timeline sees him reuniting with his long-lost love Valeria. This turned out to be a bit of a love story for our big time despot. The ending of the book sets up issue five with a shocking twist tied to Susan Storm.
Black Cat #14. “XIV: Mayday” Written by G. Willow Wilson with art by Gleb Melnikov. Cover art was done by Josemaria Casanovas. This is a Queen in Black crossover as the FF needed Felicia to steal the Supreme Intelligence Seeds from outer space, and Black Cat could not refuse the challenge.
Challenges of Doom: Spider-Man #1. Written by Al Ewing with art by David Messina. Cover art was done by Fabrizio De Tommaso. I picked up the variant cover B which was done by Peach Momoko. We get a meeting between Doom and Spidey in the early days. Doom looked down on Spidey and Spidey kept on trying. Doom nearly came to respect Spidey… but just not quite enough.
Iron Man #9. “Whiplash’s Revenge” Written by Joshua Williamson and art by Carmen Carnero. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin. I picked up the Timeless Variant cover B by Alex Ross (Bronze Medalist). Who is the new Citizen V? I would have never guess the answer… Happy Hogan? Happy is alive and fighting at Tony’s side.
From Parts Unknown #5. Written by Adriano Ariganello with art by Daniel Caval. Cover art was done by Daniel Caval. The mini series of a combination of Lucha wrestling and vampires comes to a close with a big time throwdown with the wrestlers. I enjoyed the series and it was hinted that this sereis will return in 2027. To that I say hurrah!
Barbara Gordon: Breakout #5. “For You.” Written by Mariko Tamaki with art by Amancay Bonvillain. Cover art was done by Karl Kerschl. This issue was quite brutal at times as there were some bloodletting and throats slit. It was bloodier than many of the Red Band books that came out over the last year or two.
The Forever Home #1. Written by Christian Ward with art by Sami Kivelä. Cover art was done by Christian Ward. This new book from Oni Press features one of the most intriguing premises of the last year or so. The premise is the inside the sealed smart-home refuge, time crawls—only 20 minutes pass for every full year that goes by in the outside world. It is a great start and I am ready to continue reading the series.
Fury of Firestorm #6. “The Fury Part 6” Written by Jeff Lemire with art by Rafael De Latorre. Cover art was done by Rafael Da Latorre and Marcelo Maiolo. I just discovered that the book has been extended to fifteen episodes by DC Comics, which made me extremely happy. This book has been excellent so far and more is just a great thing.
Zorro #3. Written by Howard Chaykin with art and cover art by Jorge Fornes. Zorro gets off the pirate ship and returned to Capistrano to stop the villains. I have enjoyed this short series of Zorro as I have also been liking the Zorro Legacy book.
Spawn ’77 #1. Written by Mark Spears and Todd McFarlane with art and cover art by Mark Spears. Spears and McFarlane also did a variant cover. The amazing art of Mark Spears makes this new Spawn book something more than just another Spawn book. It is a three issue mini series that elevates the character to a new level for me.
Neighborhood Watch #5. Written by Sarah Gailey and illustrated and cover art by Haining. The final issue of this book wraps up this mystery story with a big showdown. The premise of the issue was “Jill’s would-be murderer catches up with her, demanding to be taken to the mysterious ‘Shed Five’ to find evidence that the Open Arms Collective is a terrorist group. Bianca and Val prepare to fight back in the explosive series finale.”
Of the Earth #5. “Quality Time” Written by Chris Condon & Andrew Ehrich with art and cover art by Charlie Adlard. Tabby comes to face off with the horrifying oil monster. There are some major explosions and one more issue in this, the penultimate issue of this book.
Batman & Robin Year One: Dynamic Duos #2. “Chapter Two” Written by Mark Waid with art by Chris Samnee. Cover art was done by Chris Samnee and Mat Lopes. Dick Grayson goes undercover (and we get one of the funnier scenes of the month as Batman shows that he cannot do the makeup work on Dick) to try and discover the leader of a child gang.
Transformers #36. Written by Robert Kirkman with art by Jason Howard. Cover art was done by David Nakayama. The Aerialbots are here and they combine into Superion. Starscream returned to the front of the story. Cobra-la attacked the Autobots. Optimus and the military figure out a way to rid the earth of certain Decepticons.
Iron Knight #1. Written by Cody Ziglar and penciled by Kei Zama. Cover art was done by Yuji Kaku. The Marvel Mangaverse’s next book is Iron Knight, which sees a new version of Moon Knight. Actually, a couple of new versions of Moon Knight as they try and stop the Red Devil.
The Other/Half #5. Written by Jim McCann with art and cover art by Joe Eisma. Another of the final issue of books this week. The mystery of what happened to the missing diamond is revealed and Henry and Ethan renew their vows. I liked this book a lot too.
Inglorious X-Force #9. “A Force to Be Conflicted” Written by Tim Seeley with art by Michael Sta. Maria. Cover art was done by RB Silva & David Curiel. Hey, who knew but it looked like Cable was the bad guy after all. Can X-Force prevent Cable from killing Ms. Marvel?
Chachu #2. Written by Iman Vellani with art and cover art by Marianna Ignazzi. We get quite a bit of backstory of the family. Leila and her uncle (“Chachu”) are on the case of his missing wife. Written by MCU’s own Ms. Marvel, Iman Vellani, this new Image book is definitely interesting.
Other books this week: The Karman Blade #1, Planet Atmos: Exordium #5, Honor and Curse: Eternal #6, Blood & Thunder #17, The Three Stooges #1, Nano #2, Star Trek Deviations: Evermore #1, and The Living Corpse #1.
Quick Hits: Marvel Comics released Marvel Gold ’76 #1 that included Star-Lord, Nova, and Jack of Hearts vs. Bullseye. We got the next issue of Comics! The Magazine #7 which included some of the big stars of the crime comics genre including Ed Brubaker. The Folk of Dooney Hollow #1 is a new book from Ignition Press from the horror genre. The Bad Seeds storyline continued with the Bad Seeds: Gotham Central #1 focused on Gordon. Doctor Strange #10 ended the run of Doctor Strange in Asgard. I was never a fan of this version of Doctor Strange and I am glad that he and Angela are heading back to earth. Starhenge Book Two: A Kiss for Atticus #3 has one more issue to go with the new arc. Tankers vs. Ancient Aliens #4 actually returned to the Tankers and the Aliens after a few issues of weirdness. Innards #4 has also some weirdness under the ground. Tarzan Beyond #3 sees Tarzan and Jane is some trouble. After several months, Odin #4 finally came out. It has been awhile since issue #3 and it was difficult to pick it back up from the time frame. The DC book, Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #3 was a lot of fun. ID Crime dropped a new series called Fixation #1 which explores toxic para-social devotion, nostalgia as a drug, and the dangerous side of obsessive fandom.
Another big week of covers. The race for the Cover Artist of the Year is really heating up.
Also-Rans: Doomquest #4, Challenges of Doom: Spider-Man #1 (Peach Momoko version), Spawn ’77 #1 ( Cover A & B), The Punisher #8, The Omega Book #2, and Marvel Gold ’76 #1.
Bronze Medalist
Iron Man #9
Variant Cover B (Timeless)
Cover art by Alex Ross
For some reason, I love Hellcat. She is the definition of a C-level hero, but I just have always liked her. So this beautiful cover from Alex Ross was a major draw for me. Plus, the white background is another favorite of mine.
Alex Ross is a major competitor in this season’s Cover artist of the Year.
Silver Medalist
Wolverine #27
Cover art by Dan Panosian
Inspired by the iconic Todd McFarlane cover with the Hulk appearing in the reflection of the claws, this new version is beautiful with the reflections of the Savage Champions. Wolverine is looking really rough in the black background. This is very stylish and awesome.
Gold Medalist
Six of Us #1
Variant cover E
Cover art by Raul Allen
I was excited to hear about this new Tom King book from Dark Horse, but what truly drew my attention to this comic cover was how the bottom corner looked to be ripped and the inside page revealed. That is on the cover, but it is what page one would have looked like had it been torn. I found this so clever that I had to grab the variant.
Happy Labor Day to all of Geek Nation. Another fun week of comics from Marvel, DC, Image and a whole bunch of the independent comics.
Comic of the Week
World’s Weirdest #1
While this may not have been the best story of the week, I am a huge fan of “Weird Al” Yankovic and seeing him interact with Superman and Batman was a treat. Plus, I was always a fan of Mr. Mxyzptlk and having the imp as a co-star was awesome. And we get the official pronunciation… (MIX-YEZ-PITTLE-ICK)
I purchased all five covers for this one shot and two of them wound up medaling (a Gold and Bronze).
Go Weird Al!
Books this week:
Daredevil #6. “Of Moles & Owls” Part 1. Written by Stephanie Phillips with art by Flaviano. Cover art was done by Lee Garbett. Foil cover was done by Superlog (Silver Medalist). The Owl goes a long way to get the attention of Daredevil. Of course, Matt Murdock is having his typical problems in all the areas of his life.
Teen Titans #1. “Meet the Teen Titans” Written by Kyle Higgins and art by Danielle Di Nicuolo. Cover art was done by Danielle Di Nicuolo & Marcelo Costa. The new team of Teen Titans are here, led by Red Hood. This group of characters has a couple of all-new characters and several that are lesser or downright minor characters from the pages of DC Comics. I like how they have dug deep into their history for some of these characters.
Doom Patrol #1. “The Cat’s in the Bag.” Written by Darcy Van Poelgeest with art and cover art by Niko Henrichon. I have not had much, if any, history with the Doom Patrol before this comic so I did not have any real connection to the characters. After reading this new book from DC, I am hooked on these characters. I would even go as far as to say that had it not been for “Weird Al” this week, Doom Patrol #1 is probably the Comic of the Week. DC is doing some great work.
Marvel Magnaverse: Web of Blood #1. Written by Joe Kelly & Jack Kelly with art by Kenny Ruiz. Cover art was done by Yuji Kaku. Technology has failed and this alternate universe is forced to use magic. Miles Morales, Laura Kinney, and Illyana Rasputin are out leads and they are out to attempt to stop Armageddon. This was a dense read, but I did like what was presented.
Crowbound #1. Written by Jeff Lemire with art and cover art by Dustin Nguyen. Variant cover B art was done by Jeffrey Alan Love. Rose does not want to give her daughter over to the Factory. Children are to join the workforce at age 13. I have always enjoyed the work done by Jeff Lemire, especially these kind of creepy, horror-based storylines and this post-apocalyptic tale fits right into his wheel house.
Wade Wilson: Deadpool #8. “Big Guns” Part 1. Written by Benjamin Percy and art was done by Geoff Shaw. Cover art was done by Geoff Shaw & Alex Sinclair. The Big Gun crossover started with this issue where we get a crossover with Deadpool and Punisher.
Captain America #15. “Hell’s Angel” Part 4. Written by Chip Zdarsky and art by Valerio Schiti. Cover art was done by Valerio Schiti & Romulo Fajardo Jr. Cap and Doom are in Hell, hoping to take on Mephisto for the thrown of the dimension. As you could probably guess, taking on the Devil in his own home is not the best idea. However, Mephisto has his own little tricks that might swing the tide for Cap and Doom. Who’s going to make the deal with the devil?
Tales of Wonder #1. Written and drawn by Steve Skroce. Cover art was done by Steve Skroce & Ian Herring. There are two classic comic creators, Stu and Jake, who have come back after decades apart because of a conflict relating to credit and creative differences. Remind you of anyone? However, what happens when these two legends’ creations come to life?
Legion of Superheroes #1. “Who Killed the Future?” Written by Joshua Williamson and art by Hayden Sherman. Cover art was done by Hayden Sherman & Tamra Bonvillain. I also picked up variant covers by Mark Spears and by Jim Lee & Alex Sinclair. When I was a young comic reader, I did enjoy the Legion of Superheroes, but I had never been a collector of the book. With the new version of the Legion, I really liked the first issue. I am looking forward to the All In Legion book moving forward.
Superman: The Stranger#1. Written and drawn by Wes Craig. Cover art was done by Wes Craig & Jason Wordie. This is a story of Superman set in 1938. Superman has not gotten all of his powers, as he can not even fly yet. This series is from the DC Black Label, which is designed for the more mature readers. I am not sure yet how this will fit into that, but I did like the aesthetic of the book.
Archie #1. Written by Ben H. Winters and illustrated by Fabio Moon. Cover art was done by Stuart Immonen. When I heard that Oni Press was going to do an new Archie comic, I was kind of excited. I thought that Oni would take the Archie characters and put them in a new story, maybe similar to Riverdale the TV show. Take the opportunity to re-invent the characters. Unfortunately, that is not what happened. We got some of the typical Archie comics, much like a series of comic strips. I was disappointed with the creative choice.
Fantastic Four #16. Written by Ryan North with art by Ramon Rosanas. Cover art was done by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. The Fantastic Four crash their ship on a distant planet and, despite their best intentions, cause a major upheaval among the planet’s religious world.
She-Spawn #5. Written by Gail Simone with additional script by Todd McFarlane and art by Ig Guara. Cover art was done by Thaddeus Robeck. This surprisingly fun series wrapped up this week with Jessica getting little Al where he needed to go. I have enjoyed this series despite not being a fan of Spawn.
Royals #6. Written by Derek Kirk Kim and art and cover art by Jacob Perez. Another series that came to a conclusion this week, Royals was another book that surprised me with how enjoyable I thought it was. The brothers and their telepathy helped wrap up the series.
Spider-Woman 50th Anniversary Special #1. “High Tag Wins” and “The Mysterious Spider-Woman.” Written by Ann Nocenti and Dan Watters and art by Stefano Raffaele and Andrea Broccardo. Cover art was done by Olivier Coipel. We get two Jessica Drew time periods in this anniversary special. One that was back in the past and one that is there to set up the upcoming new Spider-Woman series later this year.
The Deadman #4. “Fixing a Hole.” Written by W. Maxell Prince with art by Martin Morazzo. Cover art was done by Martin Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran. Deadman heads to Heaven and waits in the waiting room for a meeting with God. That is.. if he really exists. Deadman is full of self-reverence and humor.
Ben 10 #5. “Man of Action.” Wr3itten by Steven T. Seagle and art and cover art by Robert Carey. Ben is struggling trying to get his new “watch” to work correctly and to rescue Grandpa from the evil circus that they found themselves stuck in. The book added some level of mystery with Grandpa and his exact connection to Ben and Gwen.
Batman #13. “Siege Tactics” Written by Matt Fraction with art by Matteo Scalera. Cover art was done by Matteo Scalera & Tomeu Morey. With plants covering Gotham, Batman decided it was time to make his presence known at GCPD. He was ready to face ff with Vandal Savage. He just had to get to the roof of the building. It wasn’t going to be easy.
Venom #261. Written by Al Ewing and art by Carlos Gomez. Cover art was done by Carlos Gomez and Frank D’Armata. This issue tells us the story of how Reed Richards originally removed the Venom symbiote from Peter Parker… only it told the story from the POV of the symbiote. It goes to show you how an all-time story can be changed by who was looking at it.
Other Books this Week: Strength and Ash #3, Project Perseus #1, Conan & Dragonero #5, Black Panther & Namor: Doomed #1, Marvel Zombies: War Zone #1, Bludwire #3, The Perfectly Monstrous Life of Adam Frankenstein #1, 100 Bullets #3, Prima Apparata #1, and Absolute Green Lantern #18.
Quick Hits: This week saw a couple of X-Men books that are outside the normality of the mutants’ run. X-Men ’97 #4 with X-Men in the future, and X-Men: Omega Red Dawn #1 which take us back to an early confrontation with Omega Red. Neither were favorites of mine. The Energon Universe runs on as MASK #4 comes on. After months and months, Marvel released The World to Come #6 which wrapped up the short series. I am not sure why this took so long to come out, but I am glad it finally wrapped up. I grabbed a number one from Boom! Studios with No Gods No Monsters #1. This was another book that just did not grab my attention and I do not expect to be continuing on with it. Rook Exodus #11 was back after a slight break with the continuation of the arachnid storyline. Escape #9 was a brutal story that really highlighted the tragic circumstances that occur during war. Ignition Press brought us Sicko #2 this week as things get nastier for Val, and she showed that she was not necessarily a hero. Absolute Superman #23 brought us the Absolute Toyman, messing with Superman’s mind. The final issue of Megalith: The Olympus Saga #4 came out this week as it felt like a giant Kaiju fight. It felt a little underwhelming for this series that I had really enjoyed leading up to this issue. More devil horse action in The Dirt Beneath the Devil #2 although the fate of the horse seemed to be ended at the end of the issue. I’m guessing that that dead horse is not yet finished. Babylon Cove #4 keeps bringing more and more monsters in pursuit of Heather. Save Now #4 finally brought this story to an end with a creative time travel solution to the problem. Bad Idea’s new book Warbird #1 arrived this week after an issue zero a few months ago. It looked like some super spy action. Jeff Lemire’s Minor Arcana #18 unpacks some of the background of why Theresa she left Limberlost.
Big week of covers this week. Lots of great foil covers and a plethora of EYG Hall of Famer, “Weird Al” Yankovic hanging out with Superman and Batman.
Also-Rans: World’s Weirdest #1 (D cover, A cover), Fantastic Four #16, Legion of Superheroes #1 (C Cover), Daredevil #6, Warbird #1, Crowbound #1, Bludwire #3, 100 Bullets #3, The Deadman #4, Archie #1, and Absolute Superman #23.
Bronze Medalist
World’s Weirdest #1
Variant Cover B
Cover art by Mark Spears
Weird Al and Mark Spears? Yes, please. This is a fantastic cover featuring Supes and Bats in their neat little Al shirts. And Al’s hand resting upon the cowl of Batman… well, only Weird Al can get away with that.
Silver Medalist
Daredevil #6
Variant Cover C Foil
Cover art by Superlog
One of the foils this week that just stood out like crazy. The beautiful foil of DD’s radar sense really bring the energy. I have no idea who Superlog is, but he gets a Silver Medal.
Gold Medalist
World’s Weirdest #1
Variant Cover E foil
Cover art by Dan Schoening
Many foils are just a foil copy of another cover, but this version is an all-new one from Dan Schoening… and who knew Mr. Mxyzptlk could play the accordion?
This is an homage to Weird Al’s album “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3D.
Last week, The Greatest American Hero #2 claimed two spots in the medal round and this week it goes to Weird Al. Ain’t it great?
It’s Monday and this is what I was afraid of. With school starting, the time I had over the summer was gone and I was unable to get the Comic Cavalcade finished simply because I had too many comics to get everything read on time. It will be a challenge every week, and I did not even go to a movie at Cinemark this week.
Comic of the Week
Void Rivals #33
Void Rivals had been a successful series that I had gotten somewhat tired of over the run of the last 30+ issues. Since the first ten or so of this book, I have not been a huge fan. I would still buy the book and it did have some positives here and there.
Then, they have added the Spaceknight Rom to the roster.
Suddenly, I love this book and the story is fascinating… all because there is Rom. I like the adjustments they have made to Rom’s character and the introduction of Carpet is interesting. It is great that a book can reinvent itself and freshen up its own tale.
Books this Week:
Amazing Spider-Man #35 (LGY ASM #999). Written by Joe Kelly with art by Francesco Manna. Cover art was done by d McGuinness. Peter and May have a heart to heart about Peter’s current feelings and Spider-Gwen goes crazy, forcing the Web Slinger to try and prevent Damage Control from taking her away. This issue ends with a massive reveal that will lead into Amazing Spider-Man #1000 in a couple of weeks.
X-Men #36. “A Theft” Written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Netho Diaz. Cover art was done by Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons & Arthur Hesli. The Chairman (aka alternate version of Hank McCoy) approached Magneto with an offer to cure him of the problems he has been having with his powers if he would join the 3K. Magneto told him to go pack sand. Thus, Chairman nearly killed the Master of Magnetism. The X-Men are ready to face off with 3K once and for all. This will be kicking off the DNX crossover.
Rocketeer: Infiltrator #2. Written by Gabriel Hardman with art by Dean Kotz. Cover art was done by Dean Kotz. We have more Rocketeer action with Nazis and movie makers. I have liked this short series so far and it might have me looking into future versions of The Rocketeer moving forward.
Detective Comics #1112. “Flight, Finale” Written by Tom Taylor with art and cover art by Mikel Janin. The story featuring Batman, Green Arrow, Black Canary and their old friend Prion ended as the heroes tried to help Arabella find the closure she needed. I liked this story as it sets up from the past and the future both. Tom Taylor does a fabulous job of weaving everything together in a sweet arc.
Flash #36. “The Speed Was Power, and the Speed Was Joy- Part VI” Written by Ryan North and illustrated by Gavin Guidry. Cover art was done by Gavin Guidry and Adriano Lucas. Flash is putting his new Flashes of Insight to the test by heading over to Metropolis. However, it seemed as if a trip to see Green Arrow may have not been Wally’s best choice. Oliver was less than enthused with the way Wally has been going about his work lately and he called in the Justice League. Trouble for Flash.
Operation: Iron Coffin #2. Written by Kenny Porter with art and cover art by Tyrell Cannon. I also picked up a B cover with art by Juan Ferreyra. Dracula is on the Nazi train and making his way to the children who he sired. Things are very bloody and not going very well for Dracula. There is one more book in this series set for next month.
Hammerfist #1. Written by Rick Remender with art and cover art by Steve Epting. Here is a great, new crime/action/supernatural series with a main character that is anything but likeable. Mike Denton is a deadbeat father, a drug addict and a hitman. Yet he winds up with a weapon that ends up with him that requires him to put aside his selfishness to save his daughter. Great first issue, and I almost gave this the Comic of the Week.
Universal Monsters: Blood of the Wolfman #3. Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Leomacs. Cover art was done by Leomacs & Pip Martin. Adam turned himself in when he was feeling as if he was responsible for the slaughter at the college dorm. Oh, he was responsible and that would not be the only slaughter in this book. Look out police department.
Denver #1. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray with art by Pier Brito. Cover art was done by Amanda Conner. Variant cover D art was done by Dave Johnson. Water is rising, and the planet is being overwhelmed. Max Flynn is here to protect his family at any cost. This was originally a Kickstarter back in 2014 and now it has found its way to Mad Cave.
The Greatest American Hero #2. Written by Don Handfield & Joshua Malkin with art by Alper Geçgel. Cover art was done by Erwin Arroza. Variant cover B art was done by Eranga Devasurendra (Gold Medalist). Variant cover C art was done by Rafael Loueriro (Bronze medalist). Ralph Hinkley is back and he is right in the middle of trouble once again. Now, he is not only struggling to be able to control his suit, but he is an old man too. This has been an epic series so far from Amp Comics and I am excited to see it continue.
Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracy #1. Written by Ram V and art and cover art by Mike Perkins. The new comic from DC’s Vertigo imprint was released this week. Rookie psychic Daniel Burroughs joined Division 9 and they must stop someone from stealing the head of a giant-king, which would break an ancient ward protecting Britain from invaders.
Wolverine #26. “Savage Journey” Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Julius Ohta. C0ver art was done by Dan Panosian. The Savage Champions have made a return to get Logan’s help. I am unfamiliar with the characters of the Savage Champions, but they were very intriguing.
Batman: Bad Seeds-Sunset #1. Written by Matt Fraction & G. Willow Wilson with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli & Cliff Rathburn. Cover art was done by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cliff Rathburn & Tomeu Morey. The new big Batman crossover featured Gotham getting overwhelmed by prehistoric plants. Pamela Isley aka Poison Ivy, is the new Gotham Mayor and it does not seem as if it was a wise vote.
Fall of the House of Slaughter #4. Written by Tate Brombal and illustrated by Adriano Turtulici. Cover art was done by Sam Wolfe Connelly. This is the final issue of this four-issue mini series that is going to lead directly into Eric Slaughter’s return in Something is Killing the Children #50.
The Lion King #5. Written, art and cover art by Edwin Galmon. Simba and Nala are able to find the missing elephant and return them to their family. I have loved this series featuring these characters. I thought it might be the final issue of the series, but it looked as if the book will start a new arc next month featuring Timon and Pumbaa. Cool.
Excommunicated #4. Written by Jeremy Robinson and art by Tiago Palma. Cover art was done by Flaviano Armentaro. Josephine is now a saint and her power is dominant as she is taking on the demons. I liked this short series that feels like it could be more to the story.
The Ring: The Man Who Beat the Man #3. Written by Gail Simone and art by Elisa Romboli. Cover art was done by Oliver Barrett. In this issue, we get Wei “The Great Wall” Zhang vs. Ramon “The Lion” Valdez. I did love the way the comic followed the story of Ramon, seeing all of the troubles he had and his attmept to overcome it. This has been an excellent book so far.
Black Cat #13. “XIII: Fatalism” Written by G. Willow Wilson and art by Andrew Genolet. Cover art was done by Josemaria Casanovas. Black Cat and the Punisher have to team up to take on a monster escaped from the Negative Zone. Singularity showed up to lend a hand. Then, Punisher’s dog is okay and forgives Felicia. Black Cat has been an awesome book.
Justice League Unlimited #22. “Escape from Powers Planet: Part Three” Written by Mark Waid and art by Dan Mora & Fico Ossio. Cover art was done by Dan Mora. Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, and Mister Terrific are on the planet Dronnda trying to recapture the JL Power Bank. However, Amazo showed up to make thing bad. Mister Terrific takes all of the powers and kicks some butt.
What If…? X-Men #1. “What If Cassandra Nova Killed Charles Xavier?” Written by Ashley Allen and art by Sumit Kumar. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. Cassandra Nova kills Professor X in the womb in this book, but, again, it feels like just half of a story. It was an interesting story but I could tell as the book was coming to an end that they were going to not fully conclude the book again. That is a little annoying.
Tomb of Apocalypse #1. Written by Ashley Allen and art by Domenico Carbone. Cover art was done by Rod Reis. I have to say, when I saw a book with the title Tomb of Apocalypse, I did not think that the main protagonist of the book would be Jubliee. It was a solid book though.
Other Books this Week: X-Men Outback #3, Hidden Springs #4, Ghost Pepper #14, Terrorbytes #9, Star Crossed #2, Predator Versus Planet of the Apes #2, Dog Tag #4, Conan the Barbarian #34, and Pretty Hate Machine #5.
Quick Hits: Two books this week came out that I already had gotten out of MASK blind bags. MASK: Origins #1 and Rom #1 were both in blind bags (technically I ordered the ROM #1 off eBay), and out before. However, the Rom #1 was a die-cut cover, so there is that. I am happy to have the Rom cover. Terminal #2 dropped this week as the new universe of these heroes continue. It is horror anthology week too with Hello Darkness #24 and the R.L. Stein book Stuff of Darkness #1. Hello Darkness has multiple short stories and “The Cat in the Coffin” is the story behind Stuff of Darkness, which felt kind of childish to me. Wanda is out there challenging multiversal powers in Sorcerer Supreme #9. The only Queen in Black comic this week is Queen in Black: Venom Unchained #2, focused on Eddie Brock combining with Sleeper. This felt like it should have dropped before Queen in Black #3 as it occurred before that issue. Gambit Wanted #2 sees Gambit taking on Bullseye in New Orleans in a flashback story. Final Boss #9 is on the level of Invincible bloody this week as Tommy takes a serious beating. Kingdom of Earth #2 sees a character named Virago (nicknamed “Guilly the Guillotine”) decide to not kill Frankie, who chooses to follow him. Land of Never #3 gets truly brutal as Peter really goes off the deep end. I was actually scared a bit from the brutality of Peter. The Eye Collector #3 continues to be the weirdest book of the month. I really am not 100% sure I know what is happening, but it is awesome to look at. Corpse Knight #5 felt like it took a different path for Foy as a truth is revealed. Another Ignition Press book that has been pretty good is Bloodland #6, with yet another vampire tale. More monsters are around in Minotaur #2 with photographer Gloria Monday after the story. Black Star #2 featured a time jump as the questions around Dashiell’s control over his powers deepen. There were two Absolute books this week as Absolute Wonder Woman #23, kicking off a new arc for the Amazon, and Catwoman #3 were released. Bad Thoughts #3 was the silver medalist for the EYG Favorite Comic Cover of the Week.
It’s getting late… I need to jump right into this week’s books.
Also-rans: Batman: Bad Seeds-Sunset #1 (A cover), Sorcerer Supreme #9, Hello Darkness #24, Fall of the House of Slaughter #4, The Greatest American Hero #2 (Cover A), Hammerfist #1, Rom #1 (Die-cut cover), Denver #1 (D cover), and Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracy #1 (A Cover).
Bronze Medalist
The Greatest American Hero #2
Variant Cover C
Cover art by Rafael Loueriro
This is an awesome homage cover to Amazing Spider-Man #50, the Spider-Man No More cover. Ralph front and center, walking as if he had something better to do. Love the look of the book and this has been a huge win for me from Amp Comics.
Silver Medalist
Bad Thoughts #3
Cover art by Dave Wachter
I love the colors of this cover. With the stream of red blood from the recently dead body flowing across the yellow ground. The black background with the red title works so well for this book.
Gold Medalist
The Greatest American Hero #2
Variant Virgin Cover B
Cover art by Eranga Devasurendra
Greatest American Hero has two of the top three this week, with the A Cover in the also rans. The red and black cover is just a beautiful cover with the scene of the UFO in the blackness. Spectacular cover on this book and my favorite of the week.
Sunday afternoon and I am ready to start working on the EYG Comic Cavalcade. I am still worried about writing this when school starts. I stayed home Saturday and spent all day reading comics, but when some more movies come out in the theater, that option won’t be around. Because of time, I might have to write the Comic Cavalcade before I read everything. We’ll see how it goes.
Comic of the Week
The Last Driver #1
I almost chose Redcoat #19 for this award, but I could not overlook this comic from Image. It is such an original story and the format of the book was awesome. Sean Murphy and Simon Gough are the creators of this book and they do a great job of creating a new world and making it feel lived in in the very first issue. We also have compelling characters introduced immediately and I was engaged with them.
The format of the book, turned to the landscape look, was so great and I wondered why comics didn’t do this more often. I think it is similar to Anime from Japan, except this starts at the front instead of from the rear.
Books this Week:
Redcoat #19. The creators are Geoff Johns & Bryan Hitch. Cover art was done by Bryan Hitch and Brad Anderson. I read this one early this week, and I was totally flustered by it. It was so good and it made me feel something. I saw the tragic events coming in the middle of the book, but I really wished I was wrong. I wasn’t.
Uncanny X-Men #34. “Chapter Two: Repent.” Written by Gail Simone with art by Luciano Vecchio. Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio & Matthew Wilson (Silver Medalist). More mutant goodness as we see more of the new demonic face of Gambit and Rogue attempting to save him. We also have a new character at the end of the story named Howler, who looked very cool. There’s also a new villain named Repent. Lots going on here.
Mortal Thor #800. “Ouroboros” Written by Al Ewing with art by Pasqual Ferry. Cover art was done by Alex Ross. Variant cover C art was done by Declan Shalvey (Gold Medalist). The 800th issue of Thor comes along taking Sigurd in a new direction. He has to do battle with the Serpent. There are a cople of back up stories in this issue, including stories written by Chris Condon and Kieron Gillen.
Queen in Black #3. Written by Al Ewing with art by Iban Coello & Paco Medina. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin. The third installment of the Queen in Black includes Spidey, Venom and Dylan trying to get to the Baxter Building. The issue ended with Torch, Nova and Captain Alliance facing off with a Firelord symbiote. Not good.
Punisher vs. The Amazing Spider-Man #2. “Central Intelligence” Written by Dan Abnett and art by Alvaro Lopez. Cover art was done by Jonas Scharf & Alex Guimaraes. Early days of the relationship between Spidey and Frank Castle as we see the connection between them and the differences of them as well.
Daredevil #5. Written by Stephanie Phillips with art and cover art by Lee Garbett. Daredevil’s first arc comes to an end as Daredevil battled the new villain Omen, ho either dies at the end or only seemed to die at the end. It was not clear.
Spider-Man/Hulk: Fire and Brimstone #1. “Sacramental Health” Written by Kevin Smith & Andy McElfresh with art by R.B. Silva & Federico Blee. Spider-Man and the Hulk wind up facing off with a group of villains called The Manosphere, including Absorbing Man, Stilt Man, Plantman, Molten Man, Sandman, Titanium Man, Mole Man, Man-Bull, and Everyman.
Avengers Armageddon #3. Written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Ario Anindito. Cover art was done by Dike Ruan & Moreno Dinisio. Wolverine tracks David Colton and things do not go well for him. Things in this comic are turning to a really bad situation. Nuclear weapons are launched at the end of the book. This book is going to alter the Marvel Universe moving forward.
Zorro’s Legacy #2. “Friend or Foe.” Written by Dan Abnett and pencils by Aaron Lopresti. Cover art was done by Aaron Lopresti with Walter Pereyra. David de la Vega jumps into action as a present day Zorro as his uncle Donny recovers in the hospital. This new take on Zorro is a fun new way to look at it and I have been enjoying this book.
Altered States: Warlords #3. Written by David Avallone with art by Mariano Benitez Chapo. Cover art was done by Joseph Michael Linsner. This issue of the Warlords focused on Tarzan’s arrival, joining up with Red Sonja and John Carter. There is only one more issue of this story which seems very quick as these characters have only just arrived.
The Last Starfighter #2. Written by Benjamin Raab & Deric A. Hughes with art by Willi Roberts. Cover art was done by Taurin Clarke. The construction of the Star League is underway, though problems arise very quickly and the end of the book is highly tragic and surprising.
Lazarus Order #1. Written by Sloane M. Siegel with art and cover art by Juan Doe. With a plot overview: In a medieval world, illness causes monstrous transformations. The Lazarus Order uses devout plague doctors who trade their freedom and lifespan to God for supernatural powers.
Junk Punch #3. Written by Paul Tobin with art by Carlos Javier Olivares & Christine Larsen. Cover art was done by Carlos Javier Olivares. I have been enjoying this book and, even though it still feels like it has one main joke, it has yet to become old. They added in an origin story for Clara and a steamroller. This is still a hoot of a story.
If Destruction Br Out Lot #4. “The Mystic Chords of Memory.” Written by Matthew & Mark Elijah Rosenberg with art by Andy MacDonald. Cover art was done by Andy MacDonald & Francesco Segala. The plot synopsis is Abe, a robotic replica of Abraham Lincoln, struggles with a dangerous “spark” addiction. He uses jolts of electricity to numb his memories of a mysterious human girl he encountered.
Something Epic #14. Written, Illustrated and Cover art (all three covers) was done by Szymon Kudranski. Dracula is dead. He is the latest character that has fallen during the course of the investigation by Nora and D. Ducktive. This is just one of the most entertaining book of the month mainly because you have no idea what might be happening next.
Dead Acre: Black Badge #2. Story by Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle, written by Cullen Bunn with art Riley Brown. Cover art was done by Riley Brown & Fares Maese. Dead Acre is a supernatural Western following the exploits of dead demon hunter James Crowley.
Mister Nemo #2. Written by Nark London with art by Alden Kaye. Cover art was done by Duncan Rouleau. This comic book after two issues has been a hugely entertaining one. I have thoroughly loved these first two issues as we get to know Mister Nemo and his attempt to recruit others for his team. The spy aspect is just as good as the rest.
Nightwing #141. “The Courthouse” Written by Dan Watters with pencils by Denys Cowan. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes. Will Nightwing turn himself in as he has been requested to do by the police of Bludhaven? Or will someone else step forward to support Nightwings story about what happened on that freeway that killed so many people.
Hornsby & Halo #15. Creators are Peter J. Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg. Cover art was done by Francis Portela & Brad Anderson. Variant cover B done by Francis Portela. After the team up with the Trillion Dollar Kid, Hornsby & Halo are trying to get back to their lives. Meanwhile, a new group of Unbelievables called the DeadTones arrive and are ready to rock.
War Wolf #8. Written by Steve Orlando with art by Marco Perugini. Cover art was done by David Talaski. Bruin faces off with his alien son. The final fight wrapped the series up with a nice bow. I enjoyed this sci-fi/space opera story told in this series from Mad Cave.
Absolute Green Arrow #4. “The Longbow Killer Chapter 4” Written by Pornsak Pichetshote with art by Rafael Albuquerque. Cover art was done by Rafael Albuquerque & Marcelo Maiolo. This comic has really taken a step toward real horror, as we get a couple of scenes that shocked me, including a hand being decapitated that was unexpected. The mystery about who Green Arrow is deepened as it went along. This is one of my favorite Absolute books.
Absolute Flash #18. “Now You See Me.” Written by Jeff Lemire with art and cover art by Nick Robles. However, I do love the Absolute Flash series as well. Wally faces some new villains. What happened to Grodd at the very end of this book? It seemed very shocking, but maybe it is magical.
What If …? Runaways #1. “What If the Runaways Hadn’t Run Away?” Written by Rainbow Rowell and art by Zulema Scotto Lavina. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. This was one of the better What If books during this recent new run. I really enjoyed how the Runaways were written in this and how things played out. The only problem I have with these What Ifs are it done not feel complete at the end. Each of these new What If books should be double issues to tell their story more completely.
Dispatched #2. Written by B. Clay Moore with art by Daniel Gete. Cover art was done by Daniel Gete & Lee Loughridge. This has been one of my newest favorite books of the month. It makes me think a lot of the movie Die Hard and the TV series MacGyver. “Ben”, our delivery driver, is in the building showing off his tremendous, but mysterious skills.
GI Joe #25. Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Tom Reilly & Andrea Milana. Cover art was done by Tom Reilly. The Baroness is on the run after Hawk killed a witness. It was not Hawk, of course. It was Zartan, but he took advantage of the undercover to make it look as if Baroness was the actual killer. The GI Joe force called Nightforce is on the case. Can GI Joe survive this internal struggle?
Bug Wars: The Coming of the Wardoom #1. “Bugs in the Walls” Written by Jason Aaron with art by Mahmud Asrar. Cover art was done by Mahmud Asrar & Matthew Wilson. Bug Wars is back with Slade Slaymaker struggling to get through the day as cockroaches crawl all over his body…even while he was at school. It did not do great things for his reputation.
Other books this week: American Caper #10, Lady Mechanika: Mechanical Menagerie #4, Bishop #3, Reborn: Ultimate Impact #4, Everyone Loves a Jewel Thief #4, Inglorious X-Force #8, and Star Trek: The Last Starship #10.
Quick Hits: We are kicking off this week with an ashcan from Marvel’s upcoming Midnight Universe. The Midnight Universe Black & White Ashcan Edition is a cool ad for what is coming in September from Marvel. Monsters abound in Dark Horse’s Only the Savage are Left #3. This week’s Queen in Black: Defenders of Light and Dark #2 featured a close-up on Cloak & Dagger. The new issue of Mad #601 had a fun cover featuring Alfred E. Newman as the Devil in Hell. The final issue of Image’s Nights #20 came out this week. This has not been my favorite book recently since around #7 or #8, but I kept buying it to keep my collection complete. Alien King Killer #5 wrapped itself up with this issue. Kyle Starks’ Vertigo series End of Life #7 is getting rough on Eddie. Vampyrates! #2 has vampire action on the seven seas. How could you ask for more than vampires and pirates? Tankers vs. Ancient Aliens #3 goes way back for some origins. I mean, way back. A great cover from Mark Spears appeared on The Phantom vs. The Singh Brotherhood #1 where the Phantom has to go into a prison to help stop an incursion. Nathan Fillion’s concept Witness Point #2 continued with the story of the town with all of the witness protection people hiding out. Doesn’t seem like it isn’t going to last much longer. We dived into the reason why some racers are monsters in M1: Monster Racing League #3. Rogue and Captain Marvel have a great scene between the two of them in the finale of Captain Marvel: Dark Past #5. This book kind of gave Rogue another sister. The Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day #4 comic has received an extended run and this issue included a Mister Negative controlled Punisher. Then, Lucky Devils #9 was released and was initially the final book in the series, but at the very end of the book, it stated that there would be a Lucky Devils #10 to wrap things up. Killer Influences #2 is getting darker, which is impressive considering this was about a serial killer. Kill Switch #4 is another series this week that feels like the book is over, but the story is not done yet.
Here we are, back on Thursday nights. And it is a big week of covers. Legitimately, there are a bunch of covers that could be in this medal round. There were three exceptional Something Epic covers and a Mark Spears that wound up on the outside looking in.
Also-Rans: Something Epic #14 (Cover A, B, C), The Phantom vs. the Singh Brotherhood #1, Mortal Thor #800 (Cover A), Avengers Armageddon #3, Daredevil #5, Punisher vs. the Amazing Spider-Man #2, Nights #20, Absolute Flash #18, Absolute Green Arrow #4, War Wolf #8, and Nightwing #141.
Bronze Medalist
The Lucky Devils #9
Variant Cover B
Cover art by Steeve Seeley
This cool cover makes one of the Lucky Devils kind of look like Hot Stuff, which was one of my favorite characters of my youth. This is such a fun thing.
Silver Medalist
Uncanny X-Men #34
Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio & Matthew Wilson
What an awesome look at Gambit. He sure looks like the Gambit we got at the end of season two of X-Men ’97. I love the black and white look with the red and green jumping off the cover.
Gold Medalist
Thor #800
Variant cover Foil
Cover art by Declan Shalvey
A beautiful foil cover for the 800th issue of Thor, here technically as the Mortal Thor. The blue of the cover truly stands out with the foil background. It is a beautiful piece of art.
This is the final EYG Comic Cavalcade before I go back to school next week. It has been so great being able to read the comics with plenty of time and still get this out early in the weekend. That will change as the time will become limited and, with the number of books I buy, I can’t see me getting this done until late Sunday, if not early next week. Still, I am dedicated to getting this post out as soon as possible.
Comic of the Week
Cult-De-Sac #1
This week’s Comic of the Week is the new horror based comic by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Fico Ossio for Ignition Press.
We have seen the idea of a Homeowners Association being evil before such as the X-Files episode Arcadia, but making it into a cult was a cool twist.
What I liked most about this issue is how much time they spend setting things up, including introducing characters and observing the setting. They could have immediately jumped into the cult, but the story takes time to establish what they needed to in order to build the suspense and the concern for the Hanson family, moving into this new world. Great stuff.
Books this Week:
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1. “Level 1: Sins of the Father.” Written by Bryan Edward Hill with art by Nico Leon. Cover art was done by Simone Di Meo. The foil cover variant was done by Pere Perez (Gold Medalist). Miles returned to his black outfit as a new volume kicked off for the youngster. Miles has to take the concept of the movie Speed to a whole new level to keep a person from exploding. It is great to have Miles back in his own book.
Spider-Versity #5. “Most School Spirit.” Written by Jordan Morris & Joe Kelly with art by Pere Perez. Cover art was done by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Lorenzo Ruggiero & Edgar Delgado. In order to save one of the students, Norman Osborn takes back the symbiote that turned him into Red Goblin, forcing the Spiders to stop him. The end of the book saw Jessica Drew with the remainder of the symbiote, hinting at something new for her.
Infernal Hulk #10. “The Riddle Game.” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with art by Adam Gorham. Cover art was done by Nic Klein. I picked up a Spider-Man: Brand New Day variant cover by Mauro Cascioli. This is the final issue of the Infernal Hulk, but the story is continuing on through a series of one shots, leading to a major Hulk story arc. This monstrous Hulk has been very fascinating as this story progressed and I do like what Phillip Kennedy Johnson is building here.
Barbara Gordon: Breakout #4. “The Reason and the Why.” Written by Mariko Tamaki with art by Amancay Nahuelpan. Cover art was done by Karl Kerschl. Variant cover E art was done by Mark Spears. Officer Myrna Shelton is now in the prison for backup for Barbara Gordon. It is a good thing as Barbara needs it badly.
Absolute Batman #23. “The Straw Man Part 5.” Written by Scott Snyder with art by Nick Dragotta. Cover art was done by Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin. Clayface makes his presence known in a brutal way, shape shifting into Batman and killing Tim Drake of the Robins. By doing so, he is framing Batman in the public eye. The book recreated the iconic moment where Batman held the dead body of Robin in his arms (though it was originally Jason Todd who he held).
D’Orc #7. “A Bit Bogged Down.” Written, drawn and cover art by Brett Bean. D’Orc is reeling form the discovery of the truth of his father and he comes across a nice woman who is seemingly wanting to help him. Sadly, she is a succubus and Bog-Men are at her beck in call. D’Orc is a consistently entertaining book that I look forward to every month.
Fury of Firestorm #5. “The Fury” Part 5. Written by Jeff Lemire with art by Rafael De Latorre. Cover art was done by Rafael De Latorre and Marcelo Maiolo. Firestorm is facing with dual time periods as Firehawk tried to reach Robbie while Hawkman and other JL members try to stop Firestorm. I think only Jeff Lemire can tell this story without it being overly convoluted.
X-Men #35. “A Gift.” Written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Tony S. Daniel. Cover art was done by Tony S. Daniel & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. This issue served as a prelude to the upcoming DNX arc. We have an existential crisis for Hank McCoy, and he believed that Illyana Rasputin is someone who could help him. Hank had to face the fact that the leader of the 3K is just another version of himself and Illyana’s own Darkchilde made her the perfect foil for Beast.
The Twilight Zone #10. “A Life Well Lived.” Written by Rosemary Soule & Charles Soule with art and cover art by Sean Peacock. A couple of girls find their way to an underground bunker where their arrival puts the entire world in jeopardy. These individual stories in The Twilight Zone book have done a great job of creating the mood and the feel of the original series.
The Punisher #7. “Collateral Damage.” Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Farid Karami. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Guru-eFX. Frank Castle goes head-to-head with the new villain Collateral Damage. Collateral Damage was a victim of a shootout Frank had had in his past and C.D. was back with some awesome specialty bullets to try and finish off Frank.
Showdown #3. Written by Dave Wielgosz and illustrated by Tadd Galusha. Cover art was done by Steve Lieber & Jack Cole. Trisha is preparing for her massive showdown with Harvey, but she was beginning to doubt whether or not the revenge was worth it. I do like it that they are making this deeper than just a revenge story.
Rascal Randy #2. Written by Tyler Boss and featuring art and cover art by Dylan Burnett. Who could guess that a cartoon creation named Rascal Randy could cause such problems for its creator, Elias Friedman? The origin of the assassin from Exquisite Corpses rolls on with the second of five issues in this mini series. I like the different format of the story, with the flashbacks told in a different color/shade.
Venom #260. Written by Al Ewing and art by Carlos Gomez. Cover art was done by Carlos Gomez & Frank D’Armata. Cover B cover art was done by Tim Seeley. In this Queen of Black crossover, Venom #260 focused on the history of Dylan Brock and his relationship with Eddie Brock.
Seven Wives #3. Written by Zoe Tunnell with art by Tesslyn Bergin-Dicoi. Cover art was done by Keyla Valerio. The mystery of who killed cult leader Matthew Dunn wrapped up in this short mini series. It was an interesting end to the story, but I am not sure it was completely satisfying. This felt like it was too short of a series and this story could have used another issue or so.
Batman & Robin Year One: Dynamic Duos #1. Written by Mark Waid with art by Chris Samnee. Variant cover D art was done by Hayden Sherman. This issue featured the cult of Barbatos, which funny enough, I had never heard of until recently when I watched the second season of Batman: The Caped Crusader on Amazon Prime. This also included Catwoman with another girl alone on the streets.
Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #2. Written by Jude Ellison S. Doyle with art by Fran Galan. Variant cover C art was done by Hayden Sherman. The Clayface book has been very solid so far, and I actually felt bad for some of the side characters we met in this issue. Of course, the book is meant to help build toward the DCU movie Clayface that comes out in October, and I think it has accomplished that goal.
Wolverine #25. “Eruption.” Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Martin Coccolo. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian. The final showdown with the doctor who stole Logan’s healing factor, Alpha Flight and Wolverine takes place on the edge of an active volcano. Never a good place for a fight. It is nice to get this story over with so Logan can be back to his normal way with his healing factor. I don’t mind stories like this, but it was so obvious that he was getting the healing factor back that it took away most of the stakes.
X-Men United #6. “Shadow Play Pt. 2.” Written by Eve L. Ewing & Evan Narcisse with pencils by Tiago Palma & Eduardo Pansica. Cover art was done by Stefano Caselli & Federico Blee. The X-Men have to face off with a dark and evil version of themselves as the team is trying to reunite.
Transformers #35. Written by Robert Kirkman and art by Jason Howard. Variant cover C art was done by Jason Howard & Annalisa Leoni. Optimus Prime responds to a fierce fight involving Cliffjumper, Shredhead, and the Combaticons. General Flagg and Doctor Arkeville stabilize Shredhead using spare parts from Onslaught. I have a feeling that those spare parts from a Decepticon will not turn out well.
The Trillion Dollar Kid #2. Written by Geoff Johns with art by Peter J. Tomasi. Variant cover C art was done by Stefano Simeone. The crossover with Hornsby & Halo and the Rocketfellers concluded with this issue as they are able to prevent the early start of the Robot War and the saving of Tommy’s friend robot, Sterling. Tommy has not found his parents yet, but it seemed as if he was continuing his search via other “Unbelievables.” I like Tommy, but, again, this felt a little short for a crossover event. I do appreciate Ghost Machine’s efforts to do a crossover though.
Generation X-23 #7. “Homecoming.” Written by Jody Houser and art by Marco Renna. Cover art was done by Partha Pratim Sarkar & Romulo Fajardo Jr. Wolverine (without his healing factor) showed up coincidentally where Laura and the others were hiding out. I have started to enjoy this book more with each issue and this one might be my favorite of the series so far. I like the use of Wolverine here and I like how he did not have the healing factor, keeping things in continuity.
Tyler Rake: An Extraction Story #4. Written by Ande parks and illustrated by Ronan Cliquet. Cover art was done by Declan Shalvey. . In this chapter, Tyler and his team arrive in the Philippines to face a heavily fortified city controlled by a hostile adversary named Molina. Tyler Rake has been an enjoyable mercenary in this book so far.
The Dogsitter #2. Written by Jamie S. Rich and illustrated by Megan Levens. Variant cover B art was done by Cully Hamner. I grabbed the second issue of this book this week after not being sure what this book was going to be about. I expected issue one to have some twist, but it turned out to be basically a romance comic. However, I have liked reading this, and I suppose you could say that a different genre of comic that is not apocalyptic, vampire or techno is a good thing.
Other books this week: Ghost Pepper #13, Honor and Curse: Eternal #5, Blood & Thunder #16, Gastronomique #1, X-Men ’97 #3, Malevolent #6, Did You Hear About Mimi Green? #3, Planet Atmos: Exordium #4, and The Nice house By the Sea #11.
Quick Hits: Godzilla finds himself in the Roar of the Worlds #1, the latest Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theater book from IDW. I saw Gail Simone express her admiration for Godzilla books lately on BlueSky and she is right. Godzilla seems to be able to fit into any story well. Vertigo’s Bleeding Hearts #7 sees more zombie action and the strange POV of Poke. I don’t usually pick up facsimile books and I pick up even less Archie books, but the covers for this week’s Archie Facsimile Edition #16 (Laugh #166) featured two covers parodying the covers of two of my all-time favorite Beatles albums, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road. I was just unable to turn them down. Of the Earth #4 was back among the medal winners in this week’s EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week with a bronze medal. Charles Adlard has been a very exceptional cover artist for that series, medaling several times. Dark Horse had a couple of books out this week that were fun and intriguing, that being The Shaolin Cowboy: Staying A.I. Live#2 and Beast of Boriken #2. Another number two this week was Starhenge Book Two: A Kiss for Atticus #2 by Liam Sharp. This book feels just so epic and the art is breathtaking. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little confused with the story though. Queen in Black: Thor #1 gives us a dual story of Sigurd Jarlson and Beta Ray Bill. More Asgardian adventures fill up the Doctor Strange #9 book as Strange continues his mantel as Sorcerer Supreme of Asgard. Hank Howard returned with more noir pizza adventures in Hank Howard Pizza Detective in The Fair Play #1 from Bad Idea. I grabbed a beautiful B cover of this book that came up short on the EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week, but is still a lovely piece of art by Mico Suayan. More drama from beneath the earth’s surface goes down in Innards #3. Then, Just Brutal #5 from Ignition Press keeps the pressure on the ascension of these kids into the new heroes of the book.
This is the last Wednesday night EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week as I have to return to the classroom and will not be able to get both the books at Comic World and In This Issue in the same day like I did this summer. The plan is to move the post to Thursdays starting next week.
For the last Wednesday, we have some great covers.
Also-Rans: Infernal Hulk #10 (A cover & F cover), Absolute Batman #23, X-Men #35, The Punisher #7, Exquisite Corpses: Rascal Randy #2, D’Orc #7, Hank Howard in The Fair Play #1, Clayface: Celebrity Dirt Story #2 (C Cover), Batman & Robin Year One: Dynamic Duos #1 (D cover), Venom #260 (Cover B), Laugh Vol. 1 #166 facsimile (Cover C & D).
Bronze Medalist
Of the Earth #4
Cover art by Charlie Adlard
I had a hart time with the final choice this week, but the blue/black cover really stood out and those eyes are very amazing.
I am not sure what the black across the face is, but it is truly compelling.
Silver Medalist
Barbara Gordon: Breakout #4
Variant cover E
Cover art by Mark Spears
This beautiful cover by Mark Spears is one of the best images of Barbara Gordon I have ever seen and her orange prison attire against the black background really makes this stand out.
Gold Medalist
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1
Variant Cover B Foil
Cover art by Pere Perez
A stunning foil variant cover that I picked off the stands this morning. The gold foil behind Miles is just amazing and I love the black background and white title. I did not think anything was beating Spears’ Barbara Gordon, but this was just undeniable.
Good morning all. Here is the first August edition of the EYG Comic Cavalcade. Summer is flying by and I have been enjoying my time off. My friend Todd is off on an adventure to Connecticut to go to a comic convention in search of wild signatures ranging in price. Good luck, Todd.
This week saw a group of ashcans released at the comic shops and I picked up several of them. There was the Kai-Sei Era Preview: Godzilla, Dark Horse’s Canto: The Clockwork Chronicles, Any Given Smile/You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive from ID Dark, and Star Trek/Start Trek: Zero Point. Ashcans can be a fun little preview and, at times, surprisingly collectible.
Comic of the Week
The Omega Book #1
A new Mad Cave book came out this week with a couple of cool covers, both A and a couple of variants. Written by James Patrick and illustrated by Pauli Junquera, we have another new book that features a protagonist that is a priest. Of course, Ordained was a huge hit for Bad Idea, and if The Omega Book can reach that level of entertainment, we’ll be in great shape.
It feels very different from Ordained, however, as this deals more with a mysterious book that holds the secrets of the universe. There is a family tie in the story as well, grounding what could have been a wild cosmic ride.
Books this week:
Fantastic Four #15. “Somewhere, Something Incredible…” Chapter One. Written by Ryan North and penciled by Humberto Ramos. Cover A art was done by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. I also picked up cover E by Kris Anka (Gold Medalist). IT FINALLY HAPPENED! THE REAL CELEBRATION OF THE FF’S 65 ANNIVERSARY… JOHNNY STORM GOT RID OF THE MUSTACHE!!!!!! I’ve hated that mustache and with Johnny getting rid of it, the FF book is perfect again. Okay, that may be a touch hyperbolic, but I am glad it is gone. Ryan North even used the end of the mustache as a major story bit. Hallelujah.
Endeavour #3. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art and cover art by Mark Laming. This might be the final DSTLRY book that started before the company’s troubles only to be delayed for months. This was one of my favorites before the shut down and I enjoyed this finale. This felt very much like Lord of the Flies on a deserted ship with a scary virus. The ending is nearly exactly like Lord of the Flies.
Uncanny X-Men #33. “Wild Ride,” Chapter One: “A Different Kind of Prison” Written by Gail Simone and art by Luciano Vecchio. Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio & Matthew Wilson. As Rogue and Gambit go to see Gabriel, Devil Hunter for help with the evil inside Remy, the New Mutants (formerly the Outliers) are struggling with the departure of their parental figures. Another strong new story arc from Gail Simone. Uncanny X-Men has been my favorite X-book for awhile now.
Queen in Black #2. Written by Al Ewing with art by Iban Coello & Paco Medina. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, & Frank Martin. After issue number one from last week, issue two followed up on the action with the Symbiote Intelligence. Dylan Brock is also front and center in this story as there is a coming of age arc inside the giant crossover.
The Smart Division #1. Written by Zack Kaplan and illustrated and cover art by John J. Pearson. A new mystery series from Dark Horse paired up an odd couple of FBI agents to investigate what seems to be the perfect crime. How does AI factor into this story? Set five minutes in the future, this is a clever book with a great premise.
Amazing Spider-Man #34. Written by Joe Kelly and penciled by Ed McGuinness. Cover art was done by Ed McGuinness & Marcio Menyz. I also picked up Cover E by Simone Di Meo (Bronze Medalist). Spidey and Agent Griffyn team up again, this time to face off with Electro. Meanwhile, the new wrinkle in Peter’s life, Cormac, is getting closer with Aunt May as this series continues its march to #1000 Legacy.
Power Rangers: Green #1. “The Dragon’s Grave” Written by Paul Allor with art by Gustaffo Vargas. Cover C art was done by Chris Mooneyham and cover F foil was done by Tony Harris (Silver Medalist). I am not a big fan of the Power Rangers, but I did like the character of Tommy Oliver, so when I heard the green Ranger was getting the future apocalypse/loner treatment like Last Ronin did for the Turtles, I gave this a chance. Tommy was not as alone as I expected in the book, but it was a fun enough read to continue on with the Boom! Studios comic.
White Sky #5. Written by William Harms and art and cover art was done by JP Mavinga. Violet is in all kinds of trouble as she is in search of her father. The ghosts all around her are only getting more dangerous and the chance of a ghostly invasion increases. White Sky has been a great series so far and the personal note at the end of the issue from writer William Harms gives us even more insight into his mind when creating this story.
Chachu #1. Written by Iman Vellani and art and cover art by Marianna Ignazzi. Written by Ms. Marvel actor Iman Vellani, this is the story of a 19-year-old Pakistani-Canadian girl who goes to California with Hollywood plans, only to meet up with her uncle, whose wife has disappeared. The pair team up to try and solve the mystery.
Minor Arcana #17. “The Lovers: Part Two” Written by Jeff Lemire and illustrated by Jeff Lemire & Letizia Cadonici. The relationship between Teresa and Missy is investigated through a series of flashbacks as they search for Brad inside the Edgewater Hotel pocket dimension.
Ripcord #5. Written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Aneke. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes. Dillon has been searching the Australian Outback for her missing sister, Janelle, and trying to avoid the creatures that had been created by the drug called “Ripcord.” The series ended with this issue, leaving us on an odd final line from Dillon, insinuating that she was not going home despite saving her sister. Not sure what that was meant to imply, but the book has been a great read, especially with some of the best art/colors of any book on the stand.
The Deadman #3. “Helter Skelter” Written by W. Maxwell Prince with art and cover art by Martin Morazzo. Deadman takes a trip to Hell. The story is told in a remarkably original fashion very much in the style of Ice Cream Man. I have mentioned that before when talking about this series, but this issue is truly one that uses that style. Looks as if Deadman is heading in the opposite direction next issue, so there could be some fireworks.
Iron Man #8. “Attack of Whiplash” Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Carmen Carnero. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin. The villainous Whiplash is back to challenge Tony. There is a second Whiplash that showed up at the end of the book. And, who is the new Citizen V? Lots of things going on with the new Iron Man book which is also building toward Legacy #700.
Royals #5. Written by Derek Kirk Kim with art and cover art by Jacob Perez. Paul and Castor have been reunited in their attempt to rescue the other twins, Minah and Minee. Royals has been a lot of fun through five issues, and next issue will be the conclusion.
Ben 10 #4. “Man of Action” Written by Steven T. Seagle with art and cover art by Robert Carey. Ben and his family go to the circus. Nothing could happen there, right? Unless there is a giant scary clown as the main attraction of the circus… along with other weird bug type creatures. Add to the trouble that Ben is having his own struggles with the band and it all comes out with trouble.
She-Spawn #4. “How We Murdered Each Other” Written by Gail Simone with art by Ig Guara. Cover art was done by John McCrea. Our hero, Jessica Priest has to deal with the problem of the Terror Angels closing in on her and young Al. She also has to deal with the conversation of the future between the two of them. She-Spawn has been one of the biggest surprises for me this year as I never thought I would be this engaged in she-Spawn.
Fort Psycho #1. Written by Matt Kindt and art and cover art done by Brian Hurtt. An elite group of agents that had been formed by the government to prevent a major act of terror from the underground network called the Seven Seals, but the final conflict resulted in a terrible tragedy. Now the former operatives were sent to an island to serve their sentences. This was different than I expected, but I liked it a lot.
From Parts Unknown #4. Written by Adriano Ariganello with art and cover art by Daniel Caval. After the murder of Pietro, Bruno explodes and brutally attacks everyone around. However, this is exactly what the vampires wanted. Little did we know that death may not have held a finality for Pietro. The penultimate issue of this series was a bloody good time.
The Accessories #1. Written by David Dastmalchian and Leah Kilpatrick with art by Patrick Piazzalunga. Cover art was done by Lukas Ketner. Igor is tired of being overlooked by Doctor Frankenstein. Renfield is trying again to escape from the clutches of Count Dracula. Can the pair team up and accomplish what they have always desired? This is a clever idea and I really like the art in the book.
Captain America #14. “Hell’s Angel” Part 3. Written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Ton Lima. Cover art was done by Valerio Schiti & Romulo Fajardo Jr. Steve Rogers and Victor Von Doom persist in their attempt to recruit an army to do battle with Mephisto in Hell. Cap gets the bad news in this issue that one of the head people in Mephisto’s charge is the Red Skull.
Wade Wilson: Deadpool #7. “Badpools–Part 2” Written by Benjamin Percy adn art by Alex Lins. Cover art was done by Geoff Shaw & Alex Sinclair. Wade Wilson is fighting against his body pieces. This is a weird and wild arc for Wade. He is still dealing with his own loss which is the more interesting part of the issue.
Batman #12. “Verity” Written by Matt Fraction with art and cover art by Jorge Jimenez. We have the debut of Verity Pennyworth, the niece of Alfred and Verity has arrived to take her uncle’s place beside Batman. She wins over Damian, which was never a certain.
Marc Spector: Moon Knight #7. “House Hunting” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Devmalya Pramanik. Cover art was done by Paulo Siqueira & Rachelle Rosenberg. Moon Knight recruited the new Midnight Sons to help him retrieve his friends and allies from the Mansion Ravenous. However, I guess you can never trust Moon Knight as he turned Daredevil, Blade and Ghost Rider over to Achilles Fairchild in exchange. I did not see that coming.
Absolute Superman #22. “Metallo” Written by Jason Aaron with art by Juan Ferreyra. Cover art was done by Juan Ferreyra & Ulises Arreola. Superman must fight the Absolute Metallo, who was the former Peacemaker Christopher Smith and the Kryptonite in Metallo is causing all sorts of trouble for Superman. All this with Brainiac on the outside looking in. This was a strong issue with Superman having to use more than just his power to stop Metallo.
Neighborhood Watch #4. Written by Sarah Gailey and illustrated and cover art by Haining. Bianca and Val are trying to protect Jill as past lies and her abuser catch up with her. We learn that Jill’s husband Erik may have been abusing her and could be the reason she is in a coma now. Bianca got caught by him as she looked for evidence in Jill’s house.
What If…? Captain America #1. “What If Captain America was Revived in 2099?” Written by Marc Guggenheim and art by Ron Lim. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. Steve Rogers was not found by the Avengers in this tale from Uatu the Watcher. Instead, he is revived in 2099 with the heroes of the time battling against Alchemax Stark-Fujikawa (the A.S.F.) and Steve faces off with the president of the United States… Red Skull!
Other Books this Week: Marvel Tokon First Strike #1, X-Men of Apocalypse: Omega #1, Marvel Rivals: Origins of the Hood #1, Lost Fantasy #11, 100 Bullets: The US of Anger #2, Bludwire #2, Conan & Dragonero #4, and Absolute Green Lantern #17.
Quick Hits: This week we saw the completion of the latest BBC Doctor Who book with Doctor Who: Circuit Breaker-Dawn of the Daleks #2. It featured the iconic Doctor villains, The Daleks, and their …origin? I’m not sure the time frame of this book, but I do like this snarky Doctor. Comics! The Magazine #6 is out this week with the Violence & Mayhem issue. The magazine featured an interview Matt Kindt and Brian Hurtt about the new Oni Press book Fort Psycho. The Other/Half #4 sees the reunion of Henry and Ethan. Ghost Machine: The Official Guidebook #5 concluded with a group of characters from Hyde Street. I love the handbook style Ghost Machine gave us and this issue had an interior different than the others. It is 65 years of Fantastic Four comics so to celebrate, Marvel released the Fantastic Four: 65 Years of the World’s Greatest Comic Covers #1. It is an interesting book that does give us all of the FF covers from their first issue from the 1960s. There are several stories from the life of Mary Jane Watson in Mary Jane: Face It Tiger #1. MJ is one of my favorite NPCs so I love that she gets the respect that she deserves. Bad Idea is at it again with a weird book called ReALLIGATOR #1. I did like this one more than the banana one from a few weeks ago, but this is certainly weird. Queen in Black has only one side book this week and it featured Eddie Brock. In Queen in Black: Venom Unchained #1 we follow Eddie in prison. There are just so many symbiotes in the Marvel Universe, I would not be opposed to limiting those down to one or two. Gotham Academy: First Year #6 ends its run with this book, which still sets Batman up as an antagonist for Olive Silverlock. MASK #3 was released, continuing the Energon Universe. Punchline and the Vaude-Villains vs. Violante #1 from Hero Tomorrow Comics is back, which apparently was a former book as well. Then, Babylon Cove #3 came out this week. The protagonist of this book, Heather, is not a very likeable character, and her hometown is getting a reminder of that. However, there seemed to be something more going down than just Heather’s rants. Dead Teenagers #5 wrapped its run this week with a “kind of” happy ending.
The penultimate post of the Wednesday EYG Comic Covers of the Week. I have next week, and after that, I have to return to school and so it’ll probably have to return to Thursday nights.
The covers are strong again this week.
Also Rans: The Omega Book #1, Dead Teenagers #5, The Deadman #3, Ben 10 #4, The Other/Half #4, White Sky #5, Marc Spector: Moon Knight #7, Captain America #14, Fantastic Four #15, Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger #1, Amazing Spider-Man #34, and Power Rangers: Green #1 (virgin).
Bronze Medalist
Amazing Spider-Man #34
Variant Cover E
Cover art by Simone Di Meo
Neat Spidey cover from Amazing this week. I love the perspective of this cover as Spidey web swings right toward the viewer. Amazing Spider-Man is racing toward Legacy number 1000 soon.
Silver Medalist
Power Rangers: Green #1
Variant Cover F Foil
Cover art by Tony Harris
I was excited to hear about the futuristic take of Tommy the Green Ranger and this foil cover that I saw on the stand today was awesome. The beautiful green foil stands out well and the art on the cover is exceptional.
Gold Medalist
Fantastic Four #15
Variant Cover E
Cover art by Kris Anka
Look at this spectacular cover featuring Sue Storm on the variant cover of the 65th anniversary for Fantastic Four. It is beautiful and really does an amazing job of making her look like she is partially invisible. It is so lovely.
