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.
The last day of July brings us back to EYG Comic Cavalcade. We are all the way up to #214. Wow. So awesome. Just a few more weeks of summer vacation remaining. *SAD*. I love getting these done on a Friday instead of barely getting it done on Sunday or maybe even Monday afternoon.
Saw Spider-Man: Brand New Day yesterday afternoon and it was fabulous. I am going back to see it again tomorrow morning.
I was watching the Eisner Award results coming in on X last Friday. They are always given out at the Friday night of San Diego Comic Con. I like to purchase graphic novels that win Eisner’s and this year, I purchased off Amazon Drome by Jesse Lonergan and This Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki & Nicole Goux. Drome won Best Publication for Teens and This Place Kills Me won Best Graphic Album–New. I should also congratulate DC Comics which won 12 Eisner’s on the back of the Absolute universe.
Comic of the Week
Feral #25
The exciting conclusion of the Stray Dogs/Feral crossover is our big Comic of the Week. The scenes in the fire is tremendous. Feral has been one of my favorite comics every month.
The foil cover of this issue, which I spied on the stand, wound up with the Bronze Medalist of the Week. The cover pictured is the B cover that is always an homage to a horror movie
I’m curious to see if some of these characters remain together as the comic progressed. Either way, this was a huge winner this week.
Books This Week:
Galactic #2. Written by Curt Pires with art and cover art by Amilcar Pinna. DSTLRY seems to be back on track with their one book or so a week. That is better than no books for six months though. This was an easier book to get back into as it has a definite Star Wars vibe to it. I find this to be very easy to read and engaging of a story. I am very pleased that DSTLRY did not fold completely earlier this year that we are able to get the ongoing story of this book.
The Dirt Beneath the Devil #1. Written and cover art by Dan Panosian and art by David Ferracci. This was a new Western book with a definite tinge of the supernatural. The devil horse is tamed by a lovely woman, but not tamed completely. This is one of those books that feels like has only just started.
Doomquest #3. Written by Ryan North and art by Francesco Mobili. Cover art was done by Alex Ross (Silver Medalist). Doom has come off of the Titanic and has found himself embodying George Washington during the Revolutionary War. How will the narcissistic Doom deal with the power of the Father of America?
Queen in Black #1. Written by Al Ewing with art by Iban Coello & Ze Carlos. Cover A art was done by Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin. Cover C art was done by Peach Momoko. I also grabbed two of the blind bags for the series (I am a sucker for blind bags) that had art by Artgerm and the other one was the black blank version. I was unsure about the Queen in Black story arc, but this number one grabbed my attention so I expect that I will be reading this moving forward.
Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day #3. “King’s Ransom” Written by Dan Slott with art by Marcus To. Cover art was done by Phil Jimenez & Alex Sinclair. Mister Negative has mind control over the Punisher and Spidey is trying to do what he can to save Frank and to keep him from killing everyone. Nice branding on this since the movie came out this weekend.
The Greatest American Hero #1. Written by Don Handfield and art by Alper Geçgel. Cover A art was done by Rob Prior. Cover D art was done by Rafael Loureiro (Gold Medalist). This is basically the same story that was dropped on Free Comic Book Day which was my Comic of the Week that week. I love this book and I can’t wait for the story to move along in issue #2.
The Patron #1. Written by Christian Ward and art by John J. Pearson. Cover art was done by Christian Ward. This is a fascinating new book from Ignition Press. It is interesting that we do not really have a protagonist in this book. Instead we get a person behind the scenes to help promote a new artist… only to see that artist dead. New awesome premise that I am anxious to see play out.
X-Men #34. “Mark of Cain” Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Greg Land. Cover art was done by Tony S. Daniel, Mark Morales, & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. This issue gives us a look at Juggernaut and his thoughts on being a hero and, specifically, being an X-Man. It is a strong individual issue featuring an underused character from this current team. I was excited to see Juggernaut in this setting.
Mortal Thor #13. “An Endless Take of Asgard.” Written by Al Ewing and art by Juann Cabal. Cover art was done by Alex Ross. This was a strange issue as we get to see the future of Asgard with Magni assuming the throne of the kingdom. We went literally eons into the future to see how Magni reacts to the threats. Again, I am not sure how this falls under the “Mortal” Thor, but it was a fun read, even if it does not mean anything moving forward.
Detective Comics 2026 Annual #1. “For the Main Man Who Has Everything.” Written by Tom Taylor with art by Nicola Scott. Cover B art was done by Guillem March. Batman and Lobo team-up when the bounty hunter comes after Batman to collect a bounty. This was a fun one-off book with these two characters.
What if…? Spider-Man #1. “What If Kraven Survived his ‘Last Hunt?'” Written by J.M. DeMatteis with art by Yildiray Cinar. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. This latest What If..? was a well written book which dives into the story of Kraven and what happened in this context. I especially liked that they did not just leave Peter in the coffin. They had him dig himself out, but he had to deal with the mental challenges of being buried alive. Peter still was who he was at the end of this What If…? despite the chance to do something else. I like that.
Geiger #24. Creators are Geoff Johns & Gary Frank. Cover C art was done by Dean Haspiel. Tariq Geiger faced off against an army of Junkyard Joes and he winds up in chains. Little did we know, Geiger is being used as bait to attract President Griffin. Big battle in Geiger #25!!
Jessica Jones: Alias- Red Band #5. Written by Sam Humphries with art by Geraldo Borges. Cover art was done by David Mack. I love Jessica Jones, but, I have to be honest, this red band series has not been one that I am a big fan of. I am not into the inclusion of Typhoid Mary here and the whole Mephisto arc did not engage me that much. This is definitely my least favorite Jessica Jones mini series that Marvel has released.
Justice League: Knight Vision Special #1. Written by Mark Waid & Joshua Williamson with art by Miguel Mendonca. Cover C art was done by Mark Spears. This one-shot featured Batman teaming up with Lex Luthor to take on Prometheus. Batman and Lex with their banter was the highlight of the comic.
Generation X-23 #6. “Mutant Generation” Written by Jody Houser with art by Emilio Laiso. Cover art was done by Partha Pratim Sarkar & Romulo Fajardo Jr. I really enjoyed this issue of these new characters as Laura and Gabby lead them and try and inform them on how to be heroes. I liked these new X-characters and I hope they continue to develop these characters.
Black Star #1. Written by Kristin Kreuk, Peter Mooney, and Eric Putzer and illustrated by Joe Bocardo. Cover art was done by Martin Simmonds. In the 19th century fur trade, Dr. Dashiell Carlyle discovers he possesses unexpected magical healing abilities during a violent firefight.
Red Roots #4. Written, drawn and Cover art by Lorenzo De Felici. This was my favorite issue of this book so far as we finally get some idea of what’s going on with this book. The explanation of what the “Red Roots” was about was gripping. I hope this keeps getting better each issue.
Midknight Man #2. Written by Mark and Lucas Spears with art and cover art by Mark Spears. We are following Midknight Man as he searches for answers on who he really is. The mega feel of this book is great and Mark Spears has brought an enjoyable story to this character.
Predator Versus Planet of the Apes #1. Written by Greg Pak and art by Alan Robinson. Cover art was done by Stonehouse. Another fun Predator book where the Predator arrives and kills himself some apes. I have enjoyed other works with the Planet of the Apes and to see them match up with Predator.
Other books this week: Reborn: Ultimate Impact #3, Rocket Raccoon: Rocket Rewind #1, X-Men: Outback #2, Conan the Barbarian #33, Alice Forever After #5, In Your Skin #4, and Everybody Loves a Jewel Thief #3.
Quick Hits: Mad cave’s Is Ted Ok? #6 comes to the conclusion with this issue. It turned out to be quite a challenging issue and I am not sure how I felt of the end. The Horror of Godzilla #1 has some cool imagery in the book with a neat cover, but it is probably not going to be a book I pick up every month. We’ll see. With Queen in Black debuting this week, there are a bunch of side books such as Queen in Black: Hela #1 and Queen in Black: Defenders of Light and Dark #1. The second book of those was more interesting because of the cast which included cool characters such as Beta Ray Bill, Iron Man and Cloak and Dagger. Shard is back in the present with Bishop #2. Land of Never #2 is interesting as the Flying Man is being investigated and we are seeing Peter Pan in a new light. I picked Nano #1 off the stand on Wednesday. It is a new Dark Horse book with a strange future situation. I am not sure what is going on, but I do think that I am intrigued. Dead by Daylight #4 brought that series to an end for Titan Comics. Not my favorite of the books a month, but still fairly readable. The Eye Collector #2 continued to be a weird, wild book that is different than any book I collect. I do think I am going to continue with this one. Then, Pretty Hate Machine #4 gives us a major reveal about what was going on and it is a rough one. Only the Savage are Left #2 is quite the emotional issue and makes me ready to get the next issue.
The fifth week of the month still brought us some great covers.
Also Rans: Queen in Black #1 (Cover C), X-Men #34, The Horror of Godzilla #1, The Patron #1, Feral (Cover A), Greatest American Hero #1 (A Cover), Justice League: Knight Vision Special #1 (Cover C), Feral #25 (B cover), The Mortal Thor #13, and The Dirt Beneath the Devil #1.
Bronze Medalist
Feral #25
Cover F virgin foil
Cover art by Trish Forstner & Tone Rodriguez
Feral has had some of the best covers during its run, and this wraparound foil virgin cover is right there with some of the tops. This is a lovely foil of Cover A, which still made the Also-Rans.
Silver Medalist
Doomquest #2
Cover art by Alex Ross
Dr. Doom leading the Revolutionary War soldiers across the Delaware River is a fun cover, done even better by the iconic Alex Ross. This is a wonderfully enjoyable cover for a fun series.
Gold Medalist
Greatest American Hero #1
Variant Cover C
Cover art by Rafael Loureiro
This is my favorite cover for the new Greatest American Hero series from the number ones. It is an homage cover, which I always enjoy, of Action Comics #1. The use of Amp Comics in the title is clever and the drawing of Ralph was great.
I picked up a bunch of back issues this week in several locations. At Comic World, Todd had a new small collection that included Machine Man #1,2, and a couple of older X-Men books (#143, #116). He also gave me a copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey #2 (thanks Todd). At In This Issue, I picked up a bunch of Avengers Vol. 3 and Spectacular Spider-Mans. I picked up I Hate Fairyland Vol. 2 #1-7 off eBay.
Less than one week away from Spider-Man: Brand New Day movie. I will be watching it next Thursday at noon. I can’t wait. Spidey is my absolute favorite fictional character of all time. Very excited.
Comic of the Week
Dog Tag #3
This was another unexpected winner this week. I have enjoyed this Mad Cave book so far, but this week’s issue caught me off guard and I found myself reacting in an emotional way to the story. One scene in particular nearly had me tearing up. I am not sure I can recall a time when a comic book elicited tears from me, so it was unexpected.
Books this Week:
Amazing Spider-Man #33. Written by Joe Kelly with art by Ed McGuinness. Cover A art by Ed McGuinness & Marcio Menyz. I picked up variant cover C by David Nakayama (Bronze Medalist). Legacy number #997 means that the build to #1000 is underway. Spidey teams up with a new band from Damage Control and they take down some of the villains together. Meanwhile, May and her long lost son go for dinner. I sure hope they don’t just make May’s son a villain, but I suspect that is where this is heading.
Spider-Man: Long Way Home #2. Written by Jonathan Hickman and art by Adam Kubert. Cover art was done by Adam Kubert & Arthur Hesli. The pursuit for the Cosmic Cube continued with Spidey, Punisher and the Hulk all after it for their own reasons. This has not been my favorite Spider-Man book out recently. Still, anything with Spidey is down for me.
Uncanny X-Men #32. “Mars Needs Mutants” Part 3. Written by Gail Simone with art by Rogê Antonio, Jim Towe and Federica Mancin. Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio & Matthew Wilson. The Outliers step up their game and so Rogue and Gambit redub them “The New Mutants” and give them new outfits. However, the promotion does come with some bad news. Gambit and Rogue are leaving the group for awhile to take care of business. If Deathdream cries, we all cry.
Terminal #1. Written by Robert Kirkman & Joe Casey with art by Andy Kubert. I picked up a couple of blind bags celebrating this new series and got a couple of covers from Art Adams. The new series features all new superhero characters in an all-new superhero universe. I thought this was excellent and it gave me thoughts of Strikeforce: Morituri from Marvel.
Flash #35. “The Speed was Power, and the Speed was Joy-Part IV” Written by Ryan North and illustrated by Gavin Guidry. Cover art was done by Gavin Guidry & Adriano Lucas. Wally West was using his new power, flashes of insight, to predict future problems so he could save them before the events happened. I feel as if that has the potential for bad things in the long run, but we’ll see. I have enjoyed Flash since Ryan North took over the writing chores.
Universal Monsters: Blood of the Wolfman #2. Written by Joshua Williamson and art by Leomacs. Cover art was done by Leomacs & Pip Martin. I also picked up variant cover B by Jacob Phillips. There is a classic feel to this book as our main character Adam struggled with a possible transformation into a werewolf when he massacred a whole college party. This has been an excellent book so far, fitting nicely into the Universal Monsters books from Image.
Void Rivals #32. Written by Robert Kirkman with art by Conor Hughes. Cover art was done by Lorenzo De Felica. I have been excited for this book for a month and a half or so with the announcement that Rom is joining the Energon Universe and would make his official debut in this issue. Now, he only shows up at the very end, but I do believe that Rom is a burst of energy into Void Rivals that it has been needing for several issues now. I am looking forward to seeing Rom moving forward.
Sicko #1. Written by Tini Howard and illustrated and cover A art by Amilcar Pinna. Cover B art was done by Juliet Nneka. This is a brand new Ignition Press book featuring a character named Valentine. She has some kind of illness that she seemed to be able to weaponize. Why this is happening is still up in the air, but Valentine is not anxious to help out whomever is chasing her in the hazmat outfits. Ignition Press has had a bunch of winners in 2026 and this feels like another one.
Narco #5. Written by Doug Wagner with art by Daniel Hillyard. Cover art was done by Daniel Hillyard & Dave Stewart. I have loved Narco and this ends the series in a satisfying way. I do think that I wanted more at the end, but that I think comes about because I have enjoyed this book so much.
Wolverine #24. “Master and Monster.” Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Martin Coccolo. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian. Wolverine’s stolen healing factor is still a major problem as he has to face off with Dr. Murat Mor, who has transformed into a huge, hulking creature. Oh, and Alpha Flight is here remaining as a pain in the butt instead of a help. I have been having a lot of fun with this volume of Wolverine over the last couple of years.
Gambit: Wanted #1. Written by Chris Claremont and art by Robert Gill. Cover A art was done by Leinil Francis Yu & Romulo Fajardo Jr. Cover B cover art(foil) was done by Kris Anka (Gold Medalist) and Cover F (Wanted variant) art was done by Phil Noto. This takes out favorite Cajun back to pre-X-Men days and places him on the streets of New Orleans with the thieves he was leading. I am not sure who (or what) ‘Lil ‘ Ro was supposed to be. Obviously it was some form of Storm, but I do not know where she was or why she was in this kiddie form. Remy LeBeau is an awesome character and I am looking forward to seeing more of him and learning, perhaps, more info on his character that I did not know. Great covers for this issue as well.
X-Men: The Hellfire Murder #1. A who’s who of writers and artists participated in this book. Writers included Saladin Ahmed, Gail Simone, Eric Schultz, Jed MacKay, Eve L. Ewing with artists including Joelle Jones, Luciano Vecchio, Aaron Kuder, Tony S. Daniel, Mark Morales, Federica Mancin, Cory Smith and Dren Junior. Sebastian Shaw is out of prison and hosting the new Hellfire Gala. Little did he know that it would be his last party as Shaw is murdered. But by whom? Wolverine and Jubilee are on the case. This is a fun book, but it felt weird as a murder case, especially since the things that were going on at the Gala. I also picked up a cover by Skottie Young for this book.
Detective Comics #1111. “Flight- Part Five” Written by Tom Taylor and art and cover art by Mikel Janin. The story of Batman, Green Arrow and Black Canary, dealing with the death of their former friend, Prion, and Prion’s brainwashed assassin daughter Arabella.
Something is Killing the Children #49. “All Her Monsters” Part Nine. Written by James Tynion IV and illustrated and cover art by Werther Dell’Edera. We are one issue away from #50 of this series. This brought an end to the Erica as a young girl story that has been running most of this past year.
Bad Thoughts #2. Written by Ande Parks and illustrated and cover art by Dave Wachter. Jack is back from his mission, but things are not good. In fact, things are escalating massively. Everyone is dying around Jack and he is being pursued by the organization. This was a big step up from last issue and led to an amazing story.
Marc Spector: Moon Knight #6. “Midnight Sons” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Devmalya Pramanik. Cover art was done by Paulo Siqueira & Yen Nitro. In an attempt to save his friends, Moon Knight is out to recruit members of the Midnight Sons. This included Clea, Daredevil, Blade, and Robbie Reyes the Ghost Rider.
Tarzan Beyond #2. “Tarzan and the Siege of Paradise.” Written by Steve Orlando and art by Renato Guedes. Cover art is done by Agustin Alessio. Tarzan takes on Blackbeard. And it does not go well. Tarzan also now has to fight his ape father Kerchak. Oh, and his ape mother Kala is here too. Not sure how that is happening, but I am here for it.
Justice League Unlimited #21. “Escape from Powers Planet: Part Two” Written by Mark Waid and art by Dan Mora & Fico Ossio. The League is in search for the Brainiac Queen and Lex Luthor is not being helpful. Secret plans from Red Tornado and Batman are the play of the day.
Excommunicated #3. Written by Jeremy Robinson and art by Tiago Palma. Cover art was done by Flaviano Armentaro. Josephine and her talking dog are heading to face off with a Father who has been possessed by some kind of demon. Excommunicated has been a lot of fun with this series so far and I am anxious to see where the next step goes.
Other Books This Week: Moonstar #5, Marvel Zero #1, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu #1, Godzilla Conquers the Multiverse #1, Estuary: A Ghost Story #4, Captain Marvel: Dark Past #4, Terrorbytes #8, and American Caper #9.
Quick Hits: We got a brand new Red Shirts book called Star Trek: Red Shirts-Ghost of the 21st Century#1. Interestingly, I was not into this book as most of the Star Trek books have seemingly lost my attention. Hello Darkness #23 had a bunch of great covers this week, including a silver medal for Jenny Frison. Odin #3 continues to be a weird and wild book. Gotta pay attention to it otherwise you are lost. Final Boss #8 is setting up something that feels new for the book. We’ll have to see where it goes. Bloodland #5 focuses in on the President more this issue than previously. Corpse Knight #4 saw Foy and her father finally make it to Joan D’Arc and it does not go quite the way she expected. I picked up a blind bag for the 300th issue of TMNT, which was also called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #20. I used to buy the series, but left it at the same time as Jason Aaron did. I got a nice virgin cover by Laird & Eastman in my blind bag. Speaking of blind bags, I picked up the Boys Premium Mystery Variant Blind Bag, which included three issues of separate limited-edition variants of some of the key issues of the series with unique variant covers. Absolute Wonder Woman #22 was released this week too as Diana finishes up her trip to the Underworld. Another Absolute book out this week was Absolute Superman #21, which saw the end of the Superman/Absolute Shazam match up. The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #6 wraps up the Vertigo series with Ezra taking care of business. It looked like there will be another Ezra Cain book coming up later on. Three issue number fives brought their series to a close this week with Wonder Man #5, Imperial Guardians #5 and A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #5. Imperial Guardians was my favorite of those three and I will miss that book, but it was clear they needed Carol Danvers back on earth for what was going to be happening in Marvel soon. Finally, the next issue of Hidden Spring #3 sees our old folks trying to get the alien to its parent.
Welcome back to the EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week. We have another very strong week of covers with some real winners.
Three variant covers this week in the medalists.
Also-Rans: Amazing Spider-Man #33, Wonder Man #5, Sicko #1 (A and B), Dog Tag #3, Terminal #1 (Die Cut cover), Terminal #1 (Arthur Adams variant blind bag cover), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #20 (aka #300) Variant Laird & Eastman virgin cover, Gambit Wanted #1 (F cover), and Bad Thoughts #2.
Bronze Medalist
Amazing Spider-Man #33
Variant Cover C
Cover art by David Nakayama
I absolutely loved this moment in Spider-Man’s career, where he was forced into wearing an old FF costume with a paper bag on his head. The “Unknown Superhero!” This cover brought the nostalgia for me and one of my favorite moments of my childhood, which is why it gets the bronze medal this week.
Silver Medalist
Hello Darkness #23
Variant Cover B
Cover art by Jenny Frison
Hello Darkness continues to have some of the best covers. In fact, I believe I picked up three total covers for this book this week. Jenny Frison has had a great career making these kind of horror covers. The red is really a great standout cover.
Gold Medalist
Gambit: Wanted #1
Variant Cover B Foil
Cover art by Kris Anka
This is just gorgeous. The beautiful foil cover with the cards and the staff all charged up complements the dark background and the smile on everyone’s favorite Cajun. This new mini series had several awesome covers, with this being the top.
Welcome to the EYG Comic Cavalcade. I am getting tired of repeating myself every week when I call it “another big week” of comics. It seems as if every week falls into that category. I really do pick up a bunch of books every week.
In fact, when i added the Comic World batch of books to my CLZ, I realized that I was eight books away from 22,222 in my collection. So I decided to find eight more back issues to reach that number. Todd helped me pick out these eight books: Storm Vol 2 #1-6, Son of Satan #4, and Hercules #11 (from Modern Comics). I left Comic World that Wednesday with the exact number of 22,222.
It lasted one day as I bought some more books at In This Issue on Thursday.
I completed the Daily Read that I started this week with Starhenge Book One: The Dragon and the Boar #1-6. Starting on Monday, I read an issue a day until I completed the book. It was by Liam Sharp and it was a wonderful sci-fi/fantasy story with Merlin, Arthur and a woman named Amber who was from present day and she narrated it with references to all sorts of cool pop culture mentions including The Princess Bride, other comics, Grant Morrison among many others. I picked it up because I had purchased Starhenge Book Two: A Kiss for Atticus #1 a couple of weeks ago and I did not want to start it without reading the first series.
Comic of the Week
The Ring: The Man Who Beat the Man #2
This was am unexpected pick this week, but I was just really engaged with this issue of the mini-series from Gail King at Dark Horse. Issue one came out last month and, truthfully, it was fine. I was not as into that first issue as I thought I would be.
However, this issue, focusing on two different boxers, I was fully into and I was just entertained fully. It was one of the last handful of books that I read this week and it was such a treat.
Books This Week:
Mark Spears Monsters #11. “Chapter 11: The Council of Monsters” Written by Mark and Lucas Spears with art and cover art by Mark Spears (Cover C-Bronze Medalist). This issue found all of the monsters on the Council discussing who should be in charge and what they should do about Dracula. This discussion was amazing and with the arrival of Malik and the Slayer. It ended in the weirdest place though as I was just confused, wondering if they had left out a page or two.
3W/3M: Foundations #1. Written by Jonathan Hickman & Nick Spencer with art by Mike Huddleston, Mike del Mundo, and Jerome Opeña. Cover art was done by Mike Huddleston. Four of the top creators in comics band together to provide a new comics universe and some straight up science fiction. It is an interesting book and I am curious to see how it progresses moving forward. The over-sized book does make it feel more special.
A Mischief of Magpies #1. Written by Simon Spurrier and art and cover art by Matias Bergara. DSTLRY feels as if it is back on track fully as we get the first number one since the company took several months off to attempt to fix the problems they were having with Diamond and their money. A Mischief of Magpies is another sci-fi epic where our protagonist, Mar, as he slipped out of the world into a mechanical city. It is another book where the format is very original and feels like a big swing.
Kingdom of Earth #1. Written by David Dastmalchian & Leah Kilpatrick with art and cover art by Soo Lee. We have another post-apocalyptic book where humans have two paths, either as livestock or being slaughtered. Our protagonist Frankie escaped being livestock and now is trying to survive in a monstrous wasteland. Dark Horse has another winning formula here. David Dastmalchian continues his horror success.
Nightwing #140. “The Dive” Written by Dan Watters with pencils by Denys Cowan. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes. Nightwing is investigating the bar called “Divebar” while the city prosecutor has given him a deadline to turn himself in. The issue also brought us a new character called “Cannibal Colm” and this guy is creepy.
Captain America #13. “Hell’s Angel”-Part 2. Written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Ton Lima. Cover art was done by Valerio Schiti and variant cover (Marvel Dimensions) was done by Alex Ross (Gold Medalist). Cap and Doom are in Hell, trying to round up a crew to help them take on Mephisto. Meanwhile, Spider-Man comes to sit at the comatose Captain America’s bedside.
Something Epic #13. Written, illustrated, and cover art (all variants) by Szymon Kudranski. I loved this book, but it has been on hiatus for nearly to years. I was excited to see it back and I loved the various homage covers that the variants were displaying. Noa and D-Ductive are back and investigating the Land of Horror after a tragedy. They find yet another dead (?) body at the very end of the new issue. I am a fan of Szymon Kudranski and I love that this is back in the rotation.
Punisher vs. Amazing Spider-Man #1. “Professional Differences” Written by Dan Abnett with art by Matteo Della Fonte. Cover art was done by Jonas Scharf & Alex Guimarães. This featured the relationship between Spider-Man and Punisher, which makes one wonder why that is. They actually have some things in common, except for their methods, which is a area of contention in this book. It takes place early after Punisher and Spidey meet the first time in ASM #129.
Avengers Armageddon #2. Written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Delio Diaz and Frank Alpizar. Cover art was done by Dike Ruan & Moreno Dinisio (Silver Medalist). The big Marvel series gets its number two as the Avengers and Fantastic Four look to try and stop the Red Hulk’s democracy rampage. Colton and Red Hulk go one-on-one and Colton seemed to flip his head. There is a huge feel of danger and suspense in the series so far.
Junk Punch #2. Written by Paul Tobin with art by Carlos Javier Olivares and Lin Visel. Junk Punch continues to be a comic that makes me laugh. I still wonder if the joke of punching someone in the groin area will remain as funny, but I did like this issue. We are introduced to several new characters in the Junk Punch world. Let’s see how this moves on.
D’Orc #6. “Fate is Fickle” Written, art and cover art by Brett Bean. Speaking of consistently funny, D’Orc is one of my favorite books every month. We learn this issue why Gloinspear is, as D’Orc said, “….such a dick?” Surprise, surprise. Gloinspear is D’Orc’s father. Okay, so it wasn’t as big of a surprise as say, Vader and Luke, but it was fun.
Smile: For the Camera #5. Written by Hannah Rose May with art by Miriana Puglia. Cover art was done by Skylar Patridge. This mini-series based on the movie series, Smile, came to a close with this issue and I have to say that I really liked the wrap up of the story. It did not end as I expected and I do like to be surprised. It felt like the ending was earned for our main character.
Mister Nemo #1. Written by Mark London with art by Alden Kaye. Cover art was done by Duncan Rouleau. This new book from Mad Cave was one of the best of the week. The art was fabulous and we get a current day adaptation of Captain Nemo, including the Nautilus. The first issue was a really cool start as we are introduced to the concept and our new hero.
Inglorious X-Force #7. “As Luck Would Have It.” Written by Tim Seeley with art by Michael Sta. Maria. Cover art was done by R.B. Silva & David Curiel. Cyclops and Quentin Quire come to have a talk with Cable and the X-Force. Scott and Nathan are, of course, father and son, while Quire is still dealing with past issues with Akihiro (whom he knew as Daken).
War Wolf #7. Written by Steve Orlando and art by Marco Perugini. Cover art was done by David Talaski. Bruin goes to the leaders and tells them what he is going to do. This penultimate issue of the series is here to set up the finale, Father vs. Son, Bruin vs. Worldkiller.
Assorted Crisis Events #9. Written by Deniz Camp with art and variant cover C art by Eric Zawadzki. “The issue centers on a kid named Chuckie who uses “TEMPS”—the first cross-temporal employment app—to secure quick cash in a pointless, cross-time war where untrained temp workers from all of human history are sent to fight. ” (Brooke, AIPT). It has been six months since we had an issue of this sci-fi/satire series from Image Comics. This one is a lot of fun.
Fantastic Four #14. “Irrational” Written by Ryan North and art by Ramon Rosanas. Cover art was done by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. This issue, featuring Jo-Venn and N’Kalla Masters-Grimm, the adopted kids of Ben and Alicia, proved the dangers of MATH, specifically the dangers of pi and its never ending digits. It is clear that math is the true villain in the world today, especially in the world of 616. We’ll see if Todd actually reads these posts.
Spider-Versity #4. “Most School Spirit” Written by Jordan Morris & Joe Kelly with art by Pere Perez. Cover art was done by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Lorenzo Ruggiero & Marte Gracia. Norman’s sneakiness is out in the open to Spider Woman, but there are more troubles than the double-dealing Osborn. The Carnage symbiote is free and has possessed one of the Spider-Versity.
X-Men #33. “Anomaly”, Part 3. Written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Tony S. Daniel. Cover art was done by Tony S. Daniel & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. Variant cover C was done by Matteo Della Fonte. The X-Men’s science team discovered the answers to the anomalies that were plaguing the Canadian Rocky Mountains. It came from the unconscious mind of Schwarzchild, member of the 3K. Ben and Quentin went inside the mind to try and stop the horrific anomalies.
Minotaur #1. Written by Si Spurrier with art and cover art by Mike Dowling. Ignition Press has been hot as can be over the last six months to a year, putting out some excellent mini-series. The latest is a sci-fi series called Minotaur. Gloria Monday was the protagonist of this series as a photojournalist who does not seem to have much empathy. She is documenting people who are haunted by outbreaks of the future.
The Rocketfellers #13. Written by Peter J. Tomasi and art by Francis Manapul. Variant cover C art done by Francis Portela. Tommy Townsend III and his robot Sterling, along with Rose & Zach, come to the door of the Rocketfellers, who are in the middle of trying to celebrate Rachel’s birthday. Part 3 of 4 in The Unbelievables? crossover sees our typical hero on hero fight and a betrayal by Sterling.
Absolute Green Arrow #3. “The Longbow Killer”-Chapter 3. Written by Pornsak Pichetshote with art by Rafael Albuquerque. Cover art was done by Rafael Albuquerque & Marcelo Maiolo. Dinah is on the case of who exactly is the Longbow Killer, and along the way, she comes across the absolute version of Solomon Grundy. Absolute Green Arrow has been extended from six issue mini series to a 12-issue series, which is great because Green Arrow has been a great read and the mystery is engaging.
The Department of Truth #38. Written by James Tynion IV with art by Ben Templesmith. Cover art was done by Martin Simmonds. The dinosaurs living in Florida is the latest Fiction making its way around the world as Hunky is on the case. He discovered at the end of the issue that his father, Huck passed away. Is that the truth? Not sure. Who ever knows the truth in this book?
If Destruction be Our Lot #3. “I Would Rather Be a Little Nobody Than to be an Evil Somebody” Written by Matthew & Mark Elijah Rosenberg with art by Andy MacDonald. Cover art was done by Andy McDonald and Francesco Segala. Abe comes across a human being, and this little girl runs from him. Abe tries to pursue but only gets himself into more trouble.
Absolute Flash #17. “Gorilla City- Part 2 of 2” Written by Jeff Lemire and art by Haining. Cover art was done by Nick Robles. Wally keeps his search going for Grodd, as Wally convinces the Rogues, whose mission is to kill Grodd, that it was not Grodd causing the problems, but actually Grodd’s father. Unfortunately, that just meant that the Trickster wound up shooting Grodd’s father in the head, killing him.
Space Ghost Annual #1. Written by David Pepose with art and cover art by Jonathan Lau. Space Ghost is ready for it all to be over, perhaps giving up the mantel of Space Ghost. First, he and the twins need to defeat Magnus. Space Ghost has to deal with the death of future Jace, Space Spectre. This annual leads into a crossover with the Herculoids.
Infernal Hulk #9. “Flash Magic” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with art by Adam Gorham. Cover art was done by Nic Klein. Banner and Doctor Voodoo head inside a soul cage to confront the Hulk, in an attempt to get the Hulk power back. Banner offers up Voodoo as a prize in a contest, the Riddle Game.
GI Joe #24. Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Andrea Milana. Cover art was done by Tom Reilly. Baroness has discovered the undercover Zartan, who has been posing as Hawk. This was after working with Destro to escape their troubles.
Tigress Island #5. Written by Patrick Kindlon with art and cover art by Ephk. This mini-series form Image ended with this issue, as out surviving women are able to escape form the island. There are lots of explosions and deaths in this issue as everything is wrapped up, although there’s one who floated away, potentially alive.
Other Books This Week: Dungeon Crawler Carl #0, Arcadia #6, End of Life #4, M1: Monster Racing League #2, John Le Carre’s The Circus: Losing Control #3, and Alien: King Killer #4.
Quick Hits: This week we kick off the Quick Hits with Of the Earth #3. This series from Chris Condon continues to be one of the more engaging books each month. We got an interesting What If…? Jessica Jones #1 where Jessica gets bitten by the radioactive spider. I liked this, but I did think the identity of the Green Goblin in this issue was painfully predictable. That did hurt the overall book. More inside the house drama is going down in Fall of the House of Slaughter #3. I loved the cover on this book, but since it was a huge week for covers, it did not achieve a medal. On a normal week, this cover by Sam Wolfe Connelly surely would have been in the top three. I will say that I was kind of disappointed with Banana Number One #1 from Bad Idea. It was goofy as all get out, but that was not the problem. The Banana Number One part of this book was maybe the first third. The rest of the book was other stories that I did not want to read. I wanted more banana. More anthropomorphic animals arrive with the Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1 from Oni Press. Honestly, I found this one to be average at best. I guess you can reach a limit with your anthropomorphic animals. Who knew? Antarctic Press Comics released Horror Comics #1, which I grabbed. I like horror comics, but this is really more of an art book with each page being a cool horror drawing by several artists. There was one short story in the book which went about three or four pages. The rest would be pin-ups with horror themes. It was great art, but not what I expected. Murder Podcast #8 brought this Ignition Press comic to an end. Honestly, this was another one that I found a little disappointing. For as creative of an idea this was, the conclusion felt very typical. Kill Switch #3 is placing our body jumping characters into some real troubling situations. Tankers vs. Ancient Aliens #2 still is more focused on dinosaurs, but it looked like those pesky ancient aliens are coming next issue. Megalith: The Olympus Saga #0 continued the weird trend of Bad Idea books releasing issues #1 and 2 and then releasing issue #0. Dynamite ended Ursula #5 which was one of the bigger surprises for me this year. No way I enjoyed this series… but I did. Star trek: The Last Starship is setting up a big confrontation between Kirk and Captain Sato. Finally, there is a book called The Last Ronin: Training Day #1 from IDW that takes place between gaps in the Last Ronin saga.
The final issue of the first book of Liam Sharp’s mini-series, Starhenge brings us the fate of Arthur, what happened to Merlin, and where Taliesin, Amber Weaver, and Daryl wind up.
As Book One ended with a distinct cliffhanger, I am happy that I am ready to move into Book Two, number one of which I have already purchased from Image Comics. A Kiss for Atticus is the subtitle for the four issue limited series. I had picked up the first issue before knowing anything about the series and I am very pleased that I did so, because otherwise, I would not have gone back to read Book One.
Once again, the book played with the format of comics, as we get another heavily narrative story of King Arthur and how he was killed by Gwynn. Merlin fleeing into the woods, transforming into an Elk as he lost him mind.
The discovery at the end of the book that Merlin was still alive and how he was discovered by Amber and Daryl… and having Merlin call Amber “Grandma” was a shock.
I loved the section of Amber’s narration where she was describing how her “…comic would piss people off.” It was such a meta moment and then she took it even further with the lines, “It would be a convoluted mess of info dumps, footnotes, and sidebars, drawn in random artsy styles, and designed to confuse even the most ardent Morrison fan” is an amazing understanding of the comic that Sharp was creating. Amber’s narration has been an absolute highlight of this book for me.
There is a lot of set up through the Book One, but it never felt like it was only world building. It felt as if the characterization was there and this creates a mood that will only expand as the next Book is released. I feel better knowing that there is a Book Two starting. Had I read this back in the released date of the original series, I am sure I would wonder if I was ever going to get more.
More there is…
Excellent work from Liam Sharp and I look forward to jumping back into this world ASAP.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 