February 22, 2023

Well, it has happened. Ice. I really do hate ice storms. Much more than snow storms.

Of course, this is Wednesday, but with Comic World & Games closed today because of the aforementioned ice, there will be no new comics today. Hopefully, tomorrow?

And there is no school yet again. At this rate, the June Swoon may be threatened.

Because I have all day and not much on streaming to watch, I may do yet another Comic Catch-Up later this afternoon or evening. I have sorted out some more series to start with as I wrapped up a couple of the other ones this morning.

That Texas Blood #16-20. Written by Chris Condon and drawn by Jacob Phillips. This is one of the series that I have now wrapped up. I saw an advertisement for this book in another comic and I decided to give it a chance and I absolutely loved it. Sherriff Joe Bob is one of my favorite characters no matter what age we are seeing him at. This conclusion to the Red Queen Killer storyline was tense, simple and rooted in character. I was so rooting for Lu to escape the clutches of RQK that I hadn’t been so nervous for a supporting character in a long time. I hope we will get more from That Texas Blood at some time in the future.

King Conan #5 & 6. The next book that I wrapped up this morning was Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar’s King Conan. King Conan was given quite an effective end, with his battle with Thoth-Amon being extremely dramatic and King Conan II giving a helpful gesture that aided his father extremely well.

Captain Carter #4 & 5. The third series that I finished off today was the Captain Carter series written by Jamie McKelvie and drawn by Marika Cresta. It was a nice finish of this arc for Captain Carter as she had to deal with a couple of vampires attempting to manipulate British politics. I do like this character although I have never been a huge fan of out-of-continuity stories.

Spider-Man Noir #5. Written by Margaret Stohl and drawn by Juan Ferreyra. This was the final book that I finished up this morning by completing the noir tale. I have to say that I found the conclusion of this five-issue story to be a little messy. I definitely preferred the first Spider-Man Noir story to this one. Still, it was fine and I am glad that I revisited the series to complete it.

The Last Book You’ll Ever Read #1. Written by Cullen Bunn and drawn by Leila Leiz. This was one of the books that I organized up this morning. I have issues 1-7 to start with (not sure how many more there have been). This premise is very intriguing as it seems that there is a certain book, written by our main character Olivia Kade, that is bringing out the darker forces of people’s personalities. I am interested to see where this one heads.

Fantastic Four: Road Trip #1. Written by Christopher Cantwell with art from Filipe Andrade. Valerio Giangiordano & Tamra Bonvillain were the artist for the cover. This was a fun, side adventure featuring the Fantastic Four going on vacation as a family to the Grand Canyon, only to see Reed’s obsessive desires to study a meteor crater nearby in Winslow lead to the team coming face to face with their mortality. This was a fun read, featuring the FF in an excellent adventure.

A.X.E.: Iron Fist #1. Written by Alyssa Wong and featuring art from Michael Yg & Marika Cresta. Chris Sotomayor was the cover artist. When I finished the new Iron Fist series a couple of days ago, I saw that this one shot during the Judgment Day storyline continued the story of Lin Lie, the new Iron Fist. This was a very good story, featuring Loki too. I really like how the books have started to write Loki, and this was a great example of it. I do like Lin Lie in this role and how he is different than the Iron Fists that preceded him.

Captain America: Symbol of Truth #7. “Pax Mohannda Part 2.” Sam is dedicated into finding out who killed the Prime Minister and he is determined to lead a mission into Mohannda. The government sticks him with a new partner, since Falcon was “injured.” Look who it is… Nomad aka Ian Rogers, the kid raised by Steve Rogers while he was stranded in Dimension Z. The relationship between Sam and Ian was compelling and the ending with Falcon was shocking. Written by Tochi Onyebuchi and drawn by Ig Guara.

Moon Knight #5. “Horoscope.” This was a cool story with the tale flipping back and forth between Moon Knight pursuing his friend Soldier, who was looking like he was trying to kill Moon Knight, and Moon Knight in a therapy session with his therapist, diving deep into some of the reasons behind why Marc is as he is. There was a lot of good character work in this issue and it ends with a shock. Written by Jed MacKay and drawn by Alessandro Cappuccio.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

February 11, 2023

This weekend there was no movie that I wanted to see at the theater. I certainly was not driving down to the Quad Cities to see the new Magic Mike film. Because that was the case, it opened a whole chunk of the day for the Comic Catch-Up. Today was one of the most prolific days for the Comic Catch-Up since it started.

King Conan #1. “On Maggot-Infested Waves“. Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Mahmud Asrar. I believe this was the last Conan series Marvel did while they still had the publishing rights. In this issue, the older Conan faces off with his old rival, Thoth-Amon in a brutal fight. I have enjoyed Marvel’s take on Conan and it is good to get a chance for the iconic King Conan.

Avengers 1,000,000 B.C. #1. “For the Phoenix so Loved the World“. Written by Jason Aaron and the art was done by Kev Walker. Ed McGuinness & Matthew Wilson were the artists on the cover. We get a good time to spend with the Prehistoric Avengers, which is an intriguing concept. The idea that these primal forces of the universe would exist in several iterations over the centuries is a cool concept and we get the story of the Phoenix force being Thor’s parent (though it was weird).

Spirits of Vengeance: Spirit Rider #1. I kind of liked this version of the ghost rider powers controlled by Kushala. The fact that Kushala and Johnny Blaze met up and had an adventure to save Blaze was well done. The story was written by Taboo & B. Earl and it was drawn by Paul Davidson. However, Leviathan origin was drawn by Jeffrey Veregge.

Alien #1. “Icarus Part 1” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with art by Julius Ohta. Björn Barends was the cover artist. I have to say that I really liked the first Marvel Alien #1 a few years back. This one did nothing for me. The art was excellent and the covers by Barends is a work of art, but I was disengaged with the story and felt like stopping about halfway through the book.

Stillwater #9-10. Written y Chip Zdarsky and drawn by Ramon K. Perez. Stillwater jumped with both feet into the story of the children of Stillwater, who are frozen in time at the age and physical structure they are forever because of the town’s mysterious powers. These children have become a force in the town and, with the shocking end of issue #10, the book has taken a new direction and I like it.

Cross to Bear #1-4. This series from Aftershock Comics was written by Marko Stojanović and drawn by Siniša Banović. A retired member of a group called The Order gets pulled back in by his brother to chase after The Ripper who has made his way to the American West. This series was excellent and shows that the medium of comic books do not have to be super heroes to be an exciting story. There are some really good twists in the story of Edgar and his family.

Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #2. Written by Marieke Nijkamp and drawn by Enid Balám. Kate Bishop is a lot of fun as a character and this book has doubled down on the fun for her. I love how she is constantly texting America Chavez and Cassie Lang. This book shows Kate as the young person she is and how she is still an awesome archer.

Thor #23. “God of Hammers: Finale” I have jumped into trying to catch up on the Thor series. Truth be told, I have skipped several Thor issues and started with #23, mainly because I have found 23-29 and I have not located the earlier Thor issues (except a couple out of order). Either way, I want to get up to date with Thor with the knowledge that I could always return if and when I find the back issues that are missing. Issue #23 finishes the storyline where Mjolnir becomes a personified being and fights Thor. There are some interesting scenes between Thor and Mjolnir.

Superior Four#2. Written by Zac Thompson and drawn by Davide Tinto. After this issue, I have decided that I am not interested enough in this series to continue reading it. Doc Ock is a fine character but a little bit goes a long way and I am not wanting to see a bunch of Ock variants.

Ms. Marvel & Moon Knight #1. Writer: Jody Houser. Artist: Ibraim Roberson. Cover Art: Erick Arciniega. This is a pairiong of characters that should not work well together, and yet somehow does. I really liked the interplay between Kamala and Moon Knight and they worked well together in the action. This is also the first time that I have met Hunter’s Moon and that character piques my curiosity. This book has made me want to catch-up on the Moon Knight sereis soon.

That Texas Blood #3 & 4. I really love this book so far. I really like Randy and his attempt to work through the complicated death of his brother. The local sheriff Joe is awesome, in that old time sheriff way. The book is created by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips.

Midnight Suns #3. “Lost in the Dark” Written by Ethan Sacks and drawn by Luigi Zagaria, Midnight Suns take a trip into the Dark Dimension thanks to Clea. This allows the strange group of heroes to encounter all sorts of weirdness and to come across a Sorcerer Supreme from the multiverse… Tony Stark! I love Wolverine’s snarky remarks too a the book moves along.

Avengers #59-63. Jason Aaron wrote all of these except the Judgment Day tie-in issue, which wa written by Mark Russell. The art was done by Ivan Fiorelli and then Javier Garrón. The Judgment Day tie in was drawn by Greg Land and Jay Leisten. The Judgment Day tie-in was fun as it featured Clint Barton trying to pass judgment. I liked that issue. The other issues continued the travel through time to encounter other users of the primal Avengers powers and battling the Multiversal Masters of Evil. Issue #63 was the second part of the Avengers Assemble arc which will continue in Avengers Forever. I hope to catch up to where the Avengers comic is tomorrow or Monday at the latest.

Avengers Forever #11. Speaking of Avengers Forever, this is the book prior to Avengers Assemble storyline and this features Robbie Reyes as the All-Rider. “Last Ride” was written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Jim Towe and Frank Martin.

Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child (The Deluxe Edition). This hardcover graphic novel was written by Frank Miller with art by Rafael Grampá. This book is part of the DC Comics Black Label, meaning that it is a more adult book. This was really a compelling graphic novel with variations Lara and Jonathan Kent and Carrie in her Bat suit. They faced off with Darkseid and the Joker in a really well done series. I loved the original Dark Knight Returns mini series by Frank Miller, but some of the other Dark Knight series that followed were just not up to that original standard. However, this one took a step up and was well worth the time. It marks a return to quality work for Frank Miller.

Whew.. that’s it. Until tomorrow…

February 10, 2023

Friday and another two-hour delay at school allowed me to get several books read this morning. I started a new series that I found on eBay and I continue to work on reading the Avengers.

Kicking off the weekend…

That Texas Blood #1 & 2. This is the new series that I picked up on eBay and I started this morning. It is created by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips. This is a combo of the Western and Horror genres. There is a feel of how the town is a character as well. I love the introduction of the Sheriff and I find him great. I am looking forward to seeing where this series will go as I continue it.

Planet Hulk: Worldbreaker #3. The third issue of this futuristic alternate future story. I say this every time I do these books but I am not a fan of these future out of continuity tales. We see She-Hulk wrecking crap through the book. Neat to see Korg make an appearance. This book has be fine, but not one that I am dying to see moving forward.

Predator #1. “Day of the Hunter” This is another book that was fine, but did not blow my socks off. I do like some of the Predator movies, but this comic did not do a good enough job of making me care about the humans, which is vital in this. It was written by Ed Brisson and the art was done by Kev Walker. I won’t be continuing with this.

Ghost Rider #6. “The Exorcism of Johnny Blaze“. Wolverine guest stars in this book, trying to help Johnny Blaze get that weird thing out of his head. There were some gross moments in the comic. This story was written by Benjamin Percy. The artist of this comic was Brent Peeples. Kael Ngu created the cover and these Ghost Rider covers are so awesome.

Midnight Suns #2. “Prophet of Doom”. Written by Ethan Sacks and drawn by Luigi Zagaria. David Nakayama was the artist on the cover. I had to order this book specifically because I either could not find it or missed it when it came out. Dr. Doom makes his presence known in this issue, showing how much of a bad ass he truly is.

Winter Guard #4. Writer: Ryan Cady. Artist: Jan Bazaldna. Cover Art: Toni Infante. To be fair, I have been enjoying this book, but if I am being honest, the finale here felt a little underwhelming. It was fine, but there did not seem to be anything that really brought this home to conclude the Winter Guard storyline with a bang. It was fine. Just wanted to love it.

Where Monsters Lie #1. Script was written by Kyle Starks and the art was done by Piotr Kowalski. This new comic from Dark Horse was an interesting read. I have always enjoyed serial killers and this kind of takes that into consideration when our group of character are like movie slashers. There are some creepy characters created for this series and I think it is a different book. I do wonder if this book is going to require a strong hero to play off the killers or will they continue to be our protagonists.

Avengers #56-58. Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Javier Garrón. These books feature a bunch of multidimensional Avengers to deal with as our 616 Avengers are traveling the Multiverse to counter the Multiversal Masters of Evil. Sadly, I do believe that I was spoiled with the identity of the Prime Avenger on a internet site and that makes me unhappy. I plan on getting through the remainder of the Avengers back issues, hopefully, this weekend so I can find out for sure.

Bishop: War College #1. Written by J. Holtham and drawn by Sean Damien Hill. Bishop is front and center trying to train a group of mutants for an upcoming battle. I did not know any of the mutants he was training so I was not as engaged as I might have been. Bishop is fine as a character, but I have never been a huge fan of his. The ending panel was interesting. I am not sure if I will be buying another of this series. I guess it is a wait and see for me.

Red Goblin #1. However, I really enjoyed Red Goblin #1. Written by Alex Paknadel and drawn by Jan Bazaldua, Red Goblin is following Normie Osborn and his symbiote given to him by Dylan Brock. There were some funny moments here and I loved the characterization of Normie. Then the final page was quite a shock and looked great. This is a series that I will continue to pick up.

February 4, 2023

Welcome back to the Comic Catch-Up#12. This is the official fourth day of the special event here in February to try and help catch up my reading from the piles of comics I have around my house. Things have been going swell so far as I have been looking forward to the time allotted for the comics.

I jumped into some back issues of the Avengers this morning along with some other books that I have been working through one at a time.

So… here we go.

Avengers #46-50. When I was looking at these back issues, I saw that this storyline was labeled W.W.S.H. which stood for World War She-Hulk. That did not make me feel enthused. One, it felt derivative, as if the book was just trying to build upon the old World War Hulk storyline that is so beloved. Two, I really hated the way the Avengers comic had been portraying Jennifer Walters. I was not a fan of the brutish She-Hulk form of this character so I considered skipping this arc. However, I knew Jenn had her own series which I have been keeping up to date on and that she was back in her old form, so I had hoped this would be the catalyst for that return and this arc led into the Avengers #50 (Legacy numbered 750) extra sized book so I decided to go ahead and read the arc. And I was very pleased that I did because I truly enjoyed it. By the end of #46, I was into it and read for the next issue. This storyline was written by Jason Aaron and the art was by Javier Garrón (and issue #49 included the one-named wonder Flaviano).

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #3: Written by Cody Ziglar and drawn by Federico Vicentini, we get the introduction of a new villain who is in pursuit of Miles and the people he cares about. The character’s name is The Rabble and this character had an interesting design. I am still unsure how The Rabble will play in the series, and honestly, a good chunk of this issue was nothing much. I did enjoy the Miles team up with Misty Knight. TEAMWORK!!!

Strange Academy: Finals #2. Written by Skottie Young and art by Humberto Ramos. I always enjoyed Humberto Ramos’s work on Amazing Spider-Man so it is nice to see him with this new cast of characters. As I have not yet read the Strange Academy books, most of these characters are unfamiliar to me. I am intrigued to learn more about them as I dive more into these books.

Public Domain #4. Chip Zdarsky continues to tell the story of of copyrights and writing comic books. And he is somehow making it compelling and fascinating. I’m not sure if I am supposed to be supporting Miles Dallas, but I find him to be quite the jerk in this book.

Judgment Day #3. Judgment begins. Truthfully, this story has become a little messy. There are a lot of characters involved and I am not sure exactly who is with whom. Jean Grey has a strong issue and the book does bring back Starfox, who is always a welcome sight. And who would have guessed that you could not trust Mr. Sinister?

Grim #3. Written by Stephanie Phillips and drawn by Flaviano, continues to be an engaging book with a lot going on. We get some info on the cool character we saw last issue. He was called The End and he was quite the troublemaker. The book also gave me Dogma vibe. The Kevin Smith movie had God go missing and here, it seems that Death is missing. Of course, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Cover the Dead with Lime #1. Written and created by Jonathan Chance and illustrated by Hernán González. This issue was set in the past, back in the 17th century and looked to deal with fighting against certain plagues. The characters are not too developed yet, but the circumstance was definitely interesting. I think I have issue #2 as well before I can decide if I want to continue to search for more of this.