August 1, 2024

We have another week of new comic releases, along with some back issues to look at here at EYG Comic Cavalcade. The Blood Hunt is coming to a close so there will be fewer vampires running around the Marvel Universe. This series was decent for a summer saga, but the major step with Dr. Doom really sets the world of Marvel in some challenging situations. I guess Doom is messing with the MCU now too, with the face of Robert Downey Jr.

I just received my copies of two books that I had supported via a Kickstarter campaign last year. As i was messing around at Kickstarter, I came across a project that I had funded last year, but had never actually done the final approval. I clicked on it, and everything went through. So today, I received the reward in the mail. It was issue 1 and 2 of Painkiller Jane: Beautiful Killers, signed by Jimmy Palmiotti. It was a cool surprise after such a long time.

I picked up a bunch of Eisner nominated graphic novels this week too. I actually had an order of four from Amazon that had not been delivered. On Saturday, after several late days and Prime indicating that the order may be lost, I re-ordered the books. Of course, then Monday, the missing package showed up. I was able to cancel the re-order before it was shipped so I did not have to deal with sending anything back. The standout book I go here was called A Guest in the House by E.M. Carroll. There was also a multiple time Eisner winner, Roaming by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki.

Just a couple of week before I have to go back to school. We’ll see how that affects the time available for the Comic Cavalcade.

Books this week:

Saga #67. Written by Brian K. Vaughn and art by Fiona Staples. After a long break, Saga is back once again! It has not seemed as long for me as I just recently discovered the book and just got #66 recently so it felt as if it was not as long of a break. It is great to get back into this world with these characters that have been so awesome over the last sixty-six issues. I hope this can maintain its release schedule so I have Saga to look forward to every month for the extended future.

Amazing Spider-Man #54. Written by Zeb Wells and drawn by Ed McGuinness. McGuinness, Mark Farmer and Marcio Mentz did the cover art. The final showdown between Norman Osborn and Peter Parker takes place as the evil Goblin sins bounced back and forth between them. Zeb Wells has one more story arc to go before ending his run with ASM so we’ll see where that takes us.

Ms. Marvel Annual #1. Written by Iman Vellani & Sabir Pirzada with art by Giada Belviso. Salvador Larroca & Guru-eFX did the cover art. The Infinity Watch story continued in this issue with Ms. Marvel coming across the possessor of the Soul Gem, Multitude, a young robot. There is also the next part of the Death Stone Saga, by Derek Landy & Sara Pichelli. I have liked this mini-saga at the end of these annuals. We’ll see where it takes us next.

Immortal Thor #13. “The Vengeance of the Gods“. Written by Al Ewing and drawn by Jan Bazaldua. Alex Ross did the cover art (silver medalist). Thor meets up with Hercules and the pair go searching for the Goddess of Night, Nyx. I have to say though, I saw Hercules ask Thor if he knew about Nyx, and I thought, jokingly, that that was the new X-book with Ms. Marvel. Ha ha. I loved the interaction between The King of Asgard and the Prince of Power.

Blood Hunt #5. Written by Jed MacKay and illustrated by Pepe Larraz. Cover art was by Larraz & Marte Gracia. The big crossover comes to a close as the heroes are able to break through the darkness to bring forth the light… well, did I say the heroes? Maybe not all of them were heroes… and I am not referring to Dracula. We get a new Sorcerer Supreme here… and he is Dr. Doom. Bad things ahead in the Marvel Universe.

X-Force #1. “Where Monsters Dwell.” Written by Geoffrey Thorne and art by Marcus To. Stephen Segovia and Bryan Valenza did the cover art. A new X-Force is back, with Forge pulling together several other team members whose only caveat to joining was “No Deadpool!” Well, there was “some” Deadpool.

Fantastic Four #22. “Safe Once More” Written by Ryan North and art by Ivan Fiorelli. Cover art was by Alex Ross. I have been a big fan of Ryan North’s work on FF and this is one more banger. Especially the scenes with Reed and Alicia in New York, struggling to save as many people from the vampires as they could. I had never seen Reed stretched so much that he was tearing. Ugh. Alicia stood out in this issue with her ability to keep Reed focused on what they needed to do. This was one of the better Blood Hunt crossover issues of the run.

Ultimate Spider-Man #7. Written by Jonathan Hickman and art by Marco Checchetto. Checchetto & Matthew Wilson was the cover artist. Look at who is here. It is Otto Octavius. He is working with Osborn to discover the limits of their Stark suits. This all leads to the appearance of Iron Man at the end.

What If…? Donald Duck Became Wolverine#1. “Old Duck Donald.” Written by Luca Barbieri and art by Giada Perissinotto. Variant cover art was done by Peach Momoko (Gold Medalist). Yes, Donald Duck is Wolverine. Mickey Mouse is Hawkeye. Goofy is Grey Hulk. Pluto is Colossus. There is a bunch of What If fun with Disney and Marvel’s big mash-up.

Drawing Blood #4. Script by David Avallone and artwork by Ben Bishop. Kevin Eastman did the cover art. With trouble circling, Books has a place where everything is at an even higher elevation… a comic convention! With the SDCC just finishing the timing of this issue was spot on, and I found this perhaps the best, most interesting issue of Drawing Blood so far.

Black Widow: Venomous #1. Written by Erica Schultz and art by Luciano Vecchio. Leirix did the cover art. This issue dives deep into the partnership between Natasha and her new Symbiote. Natasha decided that her symbiote required the training that she went through in the Red Room in order for their pairing to work out. She asked for some help from her friends. I do think there are too many symbiotes running around the Marvel Universe, but this one with Black Widow has some possibility.

Sam and Twitch Case Files #5. Script by Todd McFarlane (co-plotted with Jon Goff) and art by Szymon Kudranski. Mirko Colak and Javi Fernandez did the cover art. The case that Twitch has been working on took a nasty twist, and Twitch is going to find himself in some serious trouble. I was shocked by the way this turned in the issue. I had to go back and read through it again to make sure what I thought happened actually happened. This has been a really solid Spawn universe series with no sign of Spawn. I love that.

Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin #4. Written by J.M. DeMatteis and art by Michael Sta. Maria. Cover art was done by Paulo Siqueira & Rachelle Rosenberg (Bronze medalist). This flashback series ended with Spidey facing down the Proto-Goblin and Gwen Stacy’s mother’s death.

The Department of Truth #24. Written by James Tynion IV and art and cover art by Martin Simmonds. The lead up to the Kennedy assassination continues as we see how things started to pull Lee into the world of the Department. This is a very tight story that requires every bit of attention and it is so worth it. I love that the Department of Truth is back on the comic stands after a long hiatus.

X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #4. Written by Steve Foxe and penciled by Netho Diaz. Dotun Akande did the cover art. Winner, winner, chicken dinner! My prediction last time came true this time as Doug becomes the heir apparent to Apocalypse with a brand new name… Revelation. I like the redesign of the character and I am excited to see where Doug Ramsey takes us from here.

Ghostlore #12. Written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Leomacs. Cover art by Reiko Murakami & Leomacs. This series wraps up with a dramatic final battle between the preacher and his daughter Harmony and Shane. It has a very powerful ending to this story.

Other books this week: Captain Marvel #10, Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt #3, Judgment Day #3 (even though I still swear Judgment Day #1 does not exist), The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos #11, Grimm #19, Nights #9, and House of Slaughter #25.

July 11, 2024

Welcome to EYG Comic Cavalcade, issue 106.

I would like to welcome anyone reading this column from the Comic World newsletter. I approached the owner of Comic World, Ben, on the Fourth of July and asked him about including this column as well as a couple others that I do, in his weekly newsletter. It needed some more comic references as it had a lot of game parts (it is Comic World and Games) and Ben thought it was a great idea. We started last week, but I had already written those columns so I was not able to welcome anyone new.

With the Comic Cavalcade, I include books that I have purchased recently. It is not necessarily a review per se. It is more about my own thoughts about the books. It is not only books released this week, although it may be that as well.

The look at eBay this week. I picked up some Groo the Wanderer books from his Marvel/Epic run. I loved Groo and I am working on getting that series filled out. It is not easy to find Groo, but eBay has been a great use.

There was another story at eBay. I was looking at finding a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #207 and I was looking through the different possibilities. Most had a range of $8-$20 for the book, before shipping & handling. However, I came across someone who had posted the book and had listed the price as $299.00. HUH? I could not believe it. Did someone actually expect anyone to pay that much for the book? I thought about making a “Best offer” of like $15 dollars to see what the response would be.

Books this week:

Amazing Spider-Man #53. Written by Zeb Wells and art by Todd Nauck & Ed McGuinness. McGuinness & Marcio Menyz did the cover art. The Spider-Man/Green Goblin showdown continues in this book and Osborn’s sins are anxious to get back to Peter Parker. I am not sure how this is going to wrap up, but I am excited to see. Plus, Ms. Marvel using Doc Ock’s arms? Yes, please.

Avengers #16. “Blood Hunt Finale“. Written by Jed MacKay and art by C.F. Villa. Josua Cassara & Guru-eFX did the cover art. This brings Cap and his Avengers crew that he recruited story to a close as Cap vs. Baron Blood ends. I really enjoyed the chemistry with this team, in particular, Quicksilver and his snarkiness. It was cool too to see Hazmat back involved with the Avengers. I loved the reference to Avengers Academy, which I loved as a series back when.

Spider-Boy #9. “The Lost Boy” Written by Dan Slott and art by Nathan Stockman & Paco Medina. Cover art was by Paco Medina & Edgar Delgado. Spider-Boy is involved in a new story, featuring the Spiderverse. With Bailey lost in the Great Web of Life and Destiny, I feel as if we are getting an answer as to why Bailey was forgotten by the entire world.

Ice Cream Man #40. “Decompression in a Wreck [Part Two]” Written by W. Maxwell Prince and art by Martin Morazzo. Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran did the cover art. I did not expect last issue’s story of a car crash to be expanded into a second part, but this book made it so. I’m not sure many books would be able to make this work in one issue, let alone two, but Ice Cream Man did it. Very impressive work.

Union Jack the Ripper #3. “Hunger” Written by Cavan Scott and penciled by Kev Walker. Cover art by Rod Reis. Violent vampire action from Union Jack. These three issues have bene fun as we get a look at a character that we do not get to see very often. This is a decent Blood Hunt crossover series that gives us an idea of what is happening in another corner of the Marvel Universe.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22. Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Brent Peeples & Daniel Picciotto. I have a variant cover by Ron Lim & Israel Silva showing Deadpool shooting Miles Morales with little suction cups. It is the Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Variant cover. My biggest question I had when I started this issue was… why does Miles’ mask get torn every issue? How many masks must Miles actually have at home? I swear every time I see Miles, he is having his masked shredded. Was this time so they could show Miles’ fangs? I don’t know, but I like Miles and Bloodline together.

X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #3. Written by Steve Foxe and penciled by Netho Diaz. Dotin Akande did the cover art. I think last issue I commented on the deaths that was happening in this series. Here, of course, we find out that none of those characters actually died. That did feel as if it undercut the story that was being told. Still, I do like the use of Angel here as well as some of the others involved. My guess is that Doug Ramsey will wind up the winner here. He seems the least likely.

The Incredible Hulk: Blood Hunt #1. Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art by Danny Earles. Nic Klein did the cover art. Bruce Banner arrives in an apparent Western ghost town that was spooky, but not what it seemed. The Hulk vs. scary underground vampires? That sounds like fun.

Transformers #10. Written by Daniel Warren Johnson and art by Jorge Corona. Johnson & Spicer did the cover art. The Image Transformers continues to be an excellent read. We get some action with Beachcomber and a truly shocking moment with the Decepticons and a whale. This has been the best Transformers we have gotten since the 1908s cartoon.

Geiger #4. Created by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. Gary Frank & Brad Anderson did the cover art for this Ghost Machine title. Barney, Geiger’s dog, has been taken and he is going all John Wick on everything in his way. We also get a strong help from Nate for once.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. Written by Derek Landy and penciled by Ron Lim. Cover art was done by Salvador Larroca & Edgar Delgado. The Infinity Watch storyline continued in this annual as Overtime, the bearer of the time stone, meets up with Spider-Man in a very Groundhog Day-type story. The back up story with Coulson’s return from the dead with the Death stone is great too in the few pages it gets.

Daredevil #11. “Introductory Rites Part Eleven.” Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Aaron Kuder. The cover, which had a huge closeup on Bullseye’s face, was by John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna and Richard Isanove. Elektra rescued Matt from his beating at the hands of the possessed Kingpin, and they prepare to face off with Wilson Fisk once again. Daredevil is one of the most consistently good comics from Marvel no matter who is writing it. Saladin Ahmed has taken the reigns of the book from Chip Zdarsky without missing a beat.

X-Men: Psylocke-Blood Hunt #1. Written by Steve Foxe and featuring art by Lynne Yoshii. Stephen Segovia & Alex Guimaraes did the art for the cover. This was one of my favorite of the Blood Hunt one shots so far as I enjoyed the action of the book while getting to know more about this Psylocke as a character. I do not know much about Kwannon as Psylocke but this issue would make me want to learn more.

Get Fury #3. Written by Garth Ennis and penciled by Jacen Burrows. Dave Johnson did the cover art (Silver Medalist). I am very glad that I decided to give this series another look after my first read of issue one did not hook my attention. After re-reading issue one, I was in on the story and this issue continues to showcase both Frank Castle and Nick Fury. Intriguing set up and I enjoy the use of the narration as a framing device.

Domain #1. Written by Chip Zdarsky and art by Rachel Scott. This is an original idea. This gives us the comic that is being created for Zdarsky’s Public Domain book, which returned for the next arc recently. Wildly, this gives us the comic story of the Domain, now a woman. I am curious to see where this goes from here, but Zdarsky is one of my most trusted writers around.

Kid Venom #1. Written and drawn by Taigami. Cover art by Taigami and Richard Isanove (Bronze Medalist). Very manga like, Kid Venom was not a book that caught my interest. I liked the look of everything, but I just did not find myself engaged with the story or the character. The last Kid Venom book was intriguing enough for me to give this a look, but I do not think it is something that I am going to keep buying after this week.

Giant Size Silver Surfer #1. “Hierarchy of Power” Written by Mat Groom and art by Tommaso Bianchi. Bryan Hitch & Alex Sinclair did the cover art. This featured Silver Surfer vs. Terrax where we see that the Silver Surfer is more than just a powerhouse. However, the cover is what bothered me. It made ask the question… does the Silver Surfer have toes? It sure looks like it on the cover and that made me question if he has just had bare feet this whole time. This cover needed Rob Liefeld to draw it (if you know, you know).

Ain’t No Grave #3. Written by Skottie Young and drawn and cover art by Jorge Corona. This comic feels about as much of a Skottie Young comic book as you will ever get. It reminds me very much of Middlewest in ways that is unexpected. Centered around a card game, this gives us some extremely dramatic moments for Ryder.

Ghost Rider: Final Vengeance #5. “Chain Gang”. Written by Benjamin Percy and art by Danny Kim. Juan Ferreyra did the cover art. This is setting up a big finale next issue as Johnny Blaze and Zeb are finding their way to the new Ghost Rider, The Hood. Chicago has already seen better days.

Crocodile Black #3. Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and illustrated by Som. Cover art is by Andrea Sorrentino and Dave Stewart. The variant virgin cover art is by Gabriel Hardman (Gold Medal). This is a complex book that is dealing with mental illness, PTSD, and the rejection of family members in a dramatic and violent manner. Crocodile Black is an amazing story that gets better each issue.

Kill All Immortals #1. Script by Zack Kalan and art from Fico Ossio. Oliver Barrett did the cover art. This new Dark Horse book introduces us to the family named Asvald whom seem to have a special power and an understanding among them. This new series kicks off with a very fascinating and unexpected first issue.

Doctor Strange #17. Written by Jed MacKay and art by Pasqual Ferry. Alex Ross did the cover art. Bats, Doctor Strange’s loyal ghost dog, proves himself to be a good boy as he helps Mordo save Doctor Strange from his vampire curse.

The Ultimates #2. Written by Deniz Camp and art by Juan Frigeri. Cover art is by Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon. The villainous Midas takes on Cap and Iron Lad while wearing Iron Lad’s father’s original armor. Mind games galore as this fight takes place inside the White House. The Ultimates have been interesting so far, and the arrival of America may make things every more interesting.

Other books this week: Wonderland: Return to Madness #1, Werewolf By Night: Blood Hunt #1, Blood Hunters #3, Black Panther: Blood Hunt #3, Life of Wolverine, and Wolverine: Blood Hunt #3.

July 4, 2024

Happy Fourth of July to everyone out there. I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday celebrating the freedoms we have in this wonderful country.

Yesterday was NEW COMIC BOOK DAY and I rarely have read them all to have a Comic Cavalcade on Thursday, but this week was different. Of course, I spent time yesterday at Comic World reading the books that were pulled for me, but there was another reason. Comic World had a problem with the order, which led to a bunch of Marvel books not being delivered this week. I wound up with like eight missing Marvel titles which meant that it was going to be easier to get through what I had and complete the Comic Cavalcade sooner. It also means that next week or the week after is going to have a load of books.

The rush of books from eBay continued this week as I got several Spectacular Spider-Man issues from the early run of the series (back when it was Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man). There were also a group of Tick comics from the original New England Comics that I got including #3. I only have a few more from that first run of Tick to get for my collection to be complete. Next week I may get the Man-Eating Cow series delievered.

Books I got this week:

Tomb of Dracula #14. Not a new book this week. It was a book that I had put in my box last week because it was a decent deal and I was buying back issues. I have slowly been working on Tomb of Dracula, as it has always been a favorite of mine. I enjoy Dracula as a Marvel character and this was in hi sprime.It was written by Marv Wolfman and had art by Gene Colon.

Spider-Man Reign 2 #1. Written and art by Kaare Andrews with the variant cover art by Leinil Francis Nu (Gold Medalist). This sequel series takes a look at an older Spider-Man and his battle with a new version of Kingpin. I did not read the Spider-Man Reign original series so this is all new for me. I have historically not been a fan of the possible future type stories, but this feels more like an Elseworld-type book. It is off to a good start so I will be curious to see where it goes from here.

Feral #3. I already own Feral #3, but I got a good deal on this variant, which had the pen-and-ink version of the cover. It is a lovely looking cover for a series that has been top notch from issue one. I spoke with several others at Comic World yesterday and when this came up, it seemed to have overall raves.

Space Ghost #3. Written by David Pepose and art by Jonathan Lau. Francesco Mattina did the cover art. This is another book that has had universal praise from the people I have spoken to. Bringing Space Ghost to the present and updating him seems to have been hugely successful for Dynamite. This issue features the villain The Widow who is trying her best to manipulate the kids.

Public Domain #6. “Character Notes” Written, drawn and cover art by Chip Zdarsky (Silver Medalist). I was shocked when I saw this comic’s return announced in Previews a few months ago. The five issues of the first run were great but I never expected to see it again. However, here it is, the return of the creators of the super hero Domain. It feels very meta as several of the complaints from fans over “wokeness” are addressed here. Chip Zdarsky is one of the best writers working in comics today.

The Boy Wonder #3. Written, drawn and cover art by Juni Ba (Bronze Medalist). The first, oversized issue of this series was really great. I have lost all interest in the book at this point. It is a five-issue series so there are only two more issues to get, which I will as a completionist, but I am not interested in it any longer.

The Last Mermaid #5. Story, art and cover by Derek Kirk Kim. This continues to be a great series told mainly through its beautiful art and the images that it has. The epic battle with the mermaid and the mutants make this really a standout looking issue.

Bear Pirate Viking Queen #3. “Queen” Written by Sean Lewis and art and cover art by Jonathan Marks Barravecchia. This three issue series comes to a close with this issue. The bear is back and is involved in a very spiritual conclusion. This is a beautifully designed book with some art that made me feel like it was painting. I love these big swings in a comic book medium.

Wolverine: Deep Cut #1. Written by Chris Claremont and art by Edgar Salazar. Phillip Tan & Sebastian Cheng was the cover artists. Another trip back into the history of Wolverine as we feature a deadly struggle between Logan and Sabretooth. You would not have seen something this bloody back in the 1980s for sure.

The Writer #1. Written and created by Josh Gad and the Berkowitz Bros. The art was by Ariel Olivetti and the cover art was by Jeremy Hahn. I was looking forward to this book, but I just did not find it interesting for me. It had a lot of Jewish iconography which I struggled to follow and I just did not enjoy. I am disappointed that I did not like this more.

Local Man #11. Written by Tony Fleecs and Tim Seely. Art was done by Tony Fleecs. The cover art was done by Tim Seely, Tony Fleecs, Tom Raney & Brian Reber. Jack Xaver aka Local Man is on the trail of a case that included one of the most unexpected cameos of all time…. former Vice President Dan Quayle. Dan Quayle???

Deadpool #4. Written by Cody Ziglar and penciled by Rogê Antonio & Eric Gapstur. Taurin Clarke did the cover art. Something major is happening in this book. It looks as if Deadpool has had his healing factor removed. It looks like it could be curtains for the Merc with a Mouth.

Annihilation 2099 #1. This included two stories, both written by Steve Orlando. Story one, “The Last Nova” is drawn by Ibraim Roberson and the second one, “Dracula Risen” was drawn by Dale Eaglesham. Nick Bradshaw & Rachelle Rosenberg did the cover art. Even though I have always liked Nova and Dracula, this book was just not for me. I had a very difficult time getting into it and neither story grabbed my attention. It being 2099 may have affected my opinions on these characters.

Sam and Twitch Case Files #4. Co-plot by Todd McFarlane & Jon Goff. The art was done by Szymon Kudranski. Don Aguillo & Mirko Colak did the art for the cover. The case that Max is working on is quickly escalating and Sam is trying to get in contact with his partner to apologize (or something along those lines). This neo-noir book is excellent every week. My favorite part is that it takes place in the Spawn world with no sign of Spawn at all.

June 28, 2024

Another big comic week. Todd brought me a bunch of Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 issues. I mean… a bunch. I also was able to finish up my New Warriors Vol. 1 collection as issues #70 and 72 arrived from eBay. It was a big week from eBay again as I got some of the original Tick series, some Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man original issues and the one issue of Spider-Man/Deadpool that I was missing.

I finished the rebagging/reboarding/reboxing of the collection. It was a major goal that I had set for this summer, and I was able to complete it early because I had started early. It was also the first week in awhile that I did not buy bags or boards at Comic World. Ah… freedom!

Next up is the organization of the collection. I started that this week too and discovered that it is going to be an even biggest task. Books are scattered all over the place. All in boxes, but it might take even longer to organize than it did to rebag etc.

Anyway, new books this week:

Animal Pound #4. “Titan’s Bad Day” Written by Tom King and illustrated by Peter Gross. Variant cover art by Yuka Shimizu. Piggy’s power play of rabbit-eating has led to even more control. The political metaphor going on here is very obvious and filled with thrill.

Void Rivals #10. Written by Robert Kirkman and art by Lorenzo De Felici. Variant cover art by Cory Walker. Darak and Solila seem like they were making it after round two between Springer and Proximus. However, it looks like things are only getting worse.

X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #2. Written by Steve Foxe and penciled by Netho Diaz. Cover art was by Dotun Akande. The war for the right to replace Apocalypse as the Earth’s mutant ascension moves on with Apocalypse’s son Genocide’s arrival. Some of the contenders are not going to make it.

Superior Spider-Man #8. “Superior Spider-Man, No More” Written by Dan Slott and penciled by Mark Bagley. Mark Bagley & Edgar Delgado did the cover art, which was an homage to Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 #50 (one of the most iconic covers of all time). The final issue of this series sees the end of Doc Ock’s plan to take over the world thanks to Spidey, Spider-Boy and Anna.

Rook Exodus #3. Creators: Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok. Cover art by Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson. Rook and Dire Wolf are coming together with other wardens to face off with the bear warden, Ursaw. Sides are being drawn and trouble is here.

Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt #2. Written by Bryan Hill and art by German Peralta. Cover art was done by Ken Lashley & Juan Fernandez. Tulip, Johnny Blaze, Victoria Montesi and Ghost Rider are teaming up trying to find out why Blade has become the head of all vampires. Blade is here to let them know.

Jackpot & Black Cat #4. Written by Celeste Bronfman and art by Emilio Laiso. Varian cover art by Betsy Cola. The final issue of the latest team up between Felicia and Mary Jane see them taking on the Owl and his men as well as Felicia’s girlfriend, Amelia. I do like the friendship between MJ and Cat, even if I wish MJ would not be a super hero.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #6. “Under the Same Moon” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Devmalya Pramanik. David Paratore did the cover art. Reese, Soldier and 8-Ball are trying to bring as many bystanders they can to the Midnight Mission. And everywhere they turn…vampires. Of course, two of them are also vampires. With no Moon Knight in this series, the side cast has done a great job of keeping it going until things get straightened out.

Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider#2. “Haunted Part Two” Written by Stephanie Phillips and drawn by Federica Mancin. Mark Brooks did the cover art. Peter, Miles and Silk are trying to find out what Gwen Stacy is doing in the 616 universe. She’s not telling. And the Chameleon is here to cause trouble.

Union Jack the Ripper: Blood Hunt #2. “Blood Ties” Written by Cavan Scott and penciled by Kev Walker. Rod Reis did the cover art. A more brutal and bloody Union Jack than we are used to before. Union Jack has come into his own fighting vampires in Blood Hunt.

No/One #9. Written by Kyle Higgins & Brian Buccellato with art by Geraldo Borges. Nicoletta Baldari did the virgin variant cover art. Prop 87 has passed and chaos ensued. Violence has broken out across Pittsburg and even No/One is not sure what is going to happen.

Something is Killing the Children #38. “Road Stories Part Three” Written by James Tynion IV and art and cover art by Werther Dell’edera. Another single issue story of Erica Slaughter and her past. She has been injured and is hiding out in a treehouse. It’s not as calm as that sounds. I’m really liking these stand alone issues for now.

Plastic Death & Dolls #1. Written by Doug Wagner and art and cover by Daniel Hillyard. What an interesting first issue this was. Two pages in and we have a decapitation. And it looks like our protagonist is the one who is doing it. Is he a serial killer? I am excited to find out. I am pleased to finally get this first issue which was actually out a couple of weeks ago.

Blood Hunt #4. Written by Jed MacKay and drawn by Pepe Larraz. Larraz & Marte Gracia did the cover art. The big crossover series continues to make exciting action. We discover why Blade has done what he has done…and we get a return from Moon Knight. Marc Specter is alive once again as Khonsu finally is free from his Asgardian prison. Blood Hunt has been a lot of fun so far as it is down to about a month remaining.

Zatanna: Bring Down the House #1. “Book One” Written by Mariko Tamaki and drawn by Javier Rodriguez. Variant cover art was by done by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau and Jorge Jimenez. Todd made me buy this DC book. He was right. This was very good and I enjoyed the take on Zatanna. I was different and had a mystery behind it.

Universal Monsters: Creature of the Black Lagoon #3. Written by Dan Watters & Ram V with art and by Matthew Roberts. Cover art by Matthew Roberts & Dave Stewart (Bronze Medalist). This has been an excellent use of the Creature of the Black Lagoon and there is quite a twist at the end of this issue, the penultimate one for the mini series.

Department of Truth #23. Written by James Tynion IV and drawn and cover art by Martin Simmonds (Silver Medalist). YES! It is the return of Department of Truth! I did not think this was going to happen, and as I caught up with the series during the EYG Comic Catch-Up, I was sad when issue 22 seemed to be the final one. After a long intermission, this is back again and this was a great issue. There was some member-berries involved here, but it was awesome. This was a big week for James Tynion IV as this came out, there was a new Blue Book 1947, W0rldtr33 and Something Killing the Children.

The Spectacular Spider-Men #4. “Chapter Four: The Pitch” Written by Greg Weisman and penciled by Humberto Ramos. Cover art by Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado (Gold Medalist). Arcade and Mentallo are showing off their new technology by screwing with Peter and Miles. Peter and Miles are preparing to square off against each other.

Redcoat #3. Geoff Johns & Bryan Hitch are the creators. Bryan Hitch & Brad Anderson did the cover art. Todd told me to read this one right away. It was okay. I do like the way this book has been using the historical figures in the story. This has been my favorite of the Ghost Machine books.

Daredevil #10. “Introductory Rites Part Ten” Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Juann Cabal. Cover art was done by John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna & Richard Isanove. When one of the kids of Father Matt’s home finds the Daredevil costume, all things go wrong. But Matt can’t focus in on that because Kingpin is here… and possessed by one of the demons that Daredevil has been battling recently.

Wolverine: Madripoor Knights #5. “Heroes Rise Again” Written by Chris Claremont and art by Edgar Salazar. Phillip Tan & Sebastian Cheng did the cover art. The final showdown between Cap, Wolvie and Black Widow and the Hand happens here. There was some decent character development for Cap this week.

Thanos Annual #1. “The Infinity Watch” starts. This is a storyline that is going to go across some of the annuals as Thanos, with the newly formed Death stone, is in search of the stone bearers of the other infinity stones. We also learn who the new Death stone bearer is… and it was Phillip Coulson! Welcome Back Phil!

W0rldtr33 #11. Words by James Tynion IV and art and cover art by Fernando Blanco. The internet is down and the world is in a chaotic situation. The W0rldtr33 crew is on it, but Gregory seems to be opposite that. Everything is coming together into an intriguing sotry. It has been tough to follow at times, but I enjoyed this issue quite a bit.

Magik: Blood Hunt #1. Written by Ashley Allen and drawn by Jesus Hervas. Rod reis did the cover art. This one shot includes some excellent story involving Illyana Rasputin. Magik has always been one of my favorite New Mutants/X-Men so it was cool to see her featured in this one shot.

Black Widow & Hawkeye #4. “Broken Arrow Part IV” Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Paolo Villanelli. Stephen Segovia and Jesus Aburtov did the cover art. This series wrapped up as the symbiote is shared around by Natasha and Clint. Clint as the symbiotic archer was a pretty cool sight, even if I am not a huge fan of having so many symbiotes running (slithering?) around the Marvel Universe.

Blue Book 1947 #5. Written by James Tynion IV and art and cover art by Michael Avon Oeming. The second volume of Blue Book ends its run with the story of Project Blue Book and its eventual end. It is a continually fascinating book and I am hoping we see more of the UFO storytelling in the future.

Other books this week: Grimm #18, Drawing Blood #3, Rare Flavours #6, Project: Cryptid #10, X-Men ’97, Ultimate Black Panther #5, Nights #8, and Blood Squad Seven #2.

June 20, 2024

It is time for the EYG Comic Cavalcade! This weekend, I went to the Northpark Mall in Davenport to go to the Quad Con Comic & Toy Show. I went to this in Dubuque last year at the Five Flags Center, but I enjoyed that one more. This time was spread out throughout the entire mall and I spent a lot of time just walking around and I was tired by the end. I did pick up a ton of books, specifically several Amazing Spider-Man books. My favorite was Amazing Spider-Man #58, in a CGC case, rated 7.5. I got a bunch of Captain America Vol. 4 books out of the dollar box.

Loaded up on a bunch of books from eBay too. Some issue that were missing from my collection. With my CLZ, I can see the odd issues that I did not have. So I grabbed some things such as Patsy Walker aka Hellcat #10, Groo the Wanderer #90, New Warriors #58, Rom #40, Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade #4, and Ms. Marvel #8.

Other books this week:

Saga #66. Another of the eBay books was the most recent Saga issue. I have been desperate to get these since completing the ninth volume. I can only say that I can’t wait for the next issue. Come on Vaughn and Staples…. let’s get this done!

Groo: Gods Against Groo #1-4. Another one I got from eBay (delivered today actually) and I love Groo. Yes, the jokes may be repetitive, but they are always funny. Sergio Aragones is exceptional and keeps getting Groo better and better.

The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos #10. Written by Tate Brombal and art by Isaac Goodhart. Cover art by Nick Robles (Gold Medalist). This episode goes into more depth with Christopher Chaos as he tries to discover what he is.

Captain America #10. “Revelations from the West End” Written by J. Michael Straczynski and art by Jesus Saiz. Taurin Clarke did the cover art for this issue. Cap goes to recruit a seer for Lyra, but Steve does not know that the seer has her own agenda.

Blow Away #3. Written by Zac Thompson and illustrated by Nicola Izzo. Annie Wu did the cover art for this one (Silver Medalist). Brynne has decided that she needs to find out what happened to the hikers she has dubbed Red and Blue, after their coat colors. What kind of danger is she going to find herself in?

Sensational She-Hulk#9. Written by Rainbow Rowell and art by Andres Genolet. Genolet and Romulo Fajardo Jr did the cover art. She-Hulk is being recruited for the Avengers and that might upset her entire life. Will it out her relationship with Jack of Hearts. This is the penultimate issue for this series (which makes me really sad) so we will see what the new normal for Jenn is going to be.

Invincible Iron Man #19. “If I Only Had a Heart” Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Andrea Di Vito. Kael Ngu was the cover artist. Tony and Rhodey reunited in their armor to finish up the Orchis battle. And Rhodey recruited a group of characters to form together to become “The Work-Release Avengers!” Not really, but that line made me literally laugh out loud.

Feral #4. Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Trish Forstner & Tone Rodriguez. Forstner & Fleecs teamed up for the cover art. The cats return to their human home only to find even more horrors going on. The rabies outbreak is not stopped by their home.

Amazing Spider-Man #52. Written by Zeb Wells and art by Ed McGuinness & Todd Nauck. McGuinness & Marcio Menyz did the cover art. Peter has been transformed into the Spider-Goblin by Norman Osborn, but is there someone who is here to help him? And how is it Ben Reilly?

Doctor Strange #16. Written by Jed MacKay and art by Pasqual Ferry. Alex Ross did the cover art. Another Blood Hunt tie in issue. The focus is on Wong and him trying to prevent the attack of Victor Strange. This is an intriguing Blood Hunt tie-in.

Captain Marvel #9. “Bezdar” Written by Alyssa Wong and penciled by Ruairi Coleman. Stephen Segovia & Romulo Fajardo Jr. did the cover art. Another penultimate issue of a series, Carol is trying to stop the Undone when she comes face to face with Yuna and Leonore, which brings about a tragic ending.

Uncanny Valley #3. Written by Tony Fleecs and art and cover art by Dave Wachter. Still a very creative story as Pecos Peet and Oliver are running from toons out to get them. Sorry, but the greatest thing ever happened as we meet the character Kung Fu Buggy. Yeah baby!!!! A whole lot of fun.

House of Slaughter #24. “The Butcher’s War Part Four” Written by Tate Brombal and illustrated by Antonio Fuso. Cover art was done by Nimit Malavia and Werther Dell’edera. Jace is facing all kind of troubles from the Dragons and Jolie is causing all kinds of problems.

Wolverine: Blood Hunt #2. Written by Tom Waltz and art by Juan Jose Ryp. Ben Harvey did the cover art. Wolverine and Nightguard are being pursued by Maverick’s vampires, as Maverick has a plan to take advantage of what is happening across the planet. Even though I do not collect Wolverine, I have enjoyed this short Blood Hunt mini-series so far.

Man’s Best #4. Written by Pornsak Pichetshote and illustrated and cover art by Jesse Lonergan. The two dogs and a cat are trying to find the Captain, and as they are going on, they are having all kinds of troubles with each other. They are displaying really human traits as they doubt each other and fight between themselves. I believe this is also a penultimate issue, setting up the conclusion next month.

Black Panther: Blood Hunt #2. Written by Cheryl Lynn Eaton and with art by Farid Karami. Andrea Sorrentino did the cover art. This is a tough read. As much as I have been enjoying the Wolverine mini series, this one is less so. There has been so much going down with gods such as Khonsu or Bast that there is less about Black Panther. I did consider this as one of the medal winners this week.

Under York #2. Written by Sylvain Runberg and art and cover art by Mirka Andolfo. I had a hard time with this book. It has been such a long time since issue #1 was released that I just did not remember much of anything that was going on. None of the characters stuck out to me and I found most of this a chore to get through. Hopefully it will not be multiple months before the next issue comes out.

Immortal Thor #12. “The End of All Songs” Written by Al Ewing and art by Valentina Pinti. Alex Ross did the cover art (Bronze Medalist). The children of Odin story continued as Thor and the rest come to face off with Tiwaz.

Uncle Scrooge and the Infinite Dime #1. Written by Jason Aaron and art by Oaolo Mottura, Francesco D’ippolito, Alessandro Pastrovicchio & VItale Mangiatordi and Giada Perissinotto. My variant cover was done by Ron Lim & Nolan Woodard. Marvel is owned by Disney. Hence, we get Uncle Scrooge, who, according to writer Jason Aaron, is the greatest adventurer of all time. I may disagree with that sentiment, but it is a cool issue to own for my collection. I am looking forward to the Disney What If books that are promoted within.

Spider-Woman #8. “New Kids on the Block” Written by Steve Foxe and with art by Ig Guara. Cover art was by Leinil Francis Yu and Sunny Gho. Jessica is in San Francisco and trying to deal with the new group of heroes, The Assembly. Is there something sinister behind this group. Duh, of course there is.

Ultimate Spider-Man #6. Written by Jonathan Hickman and art by Marco Checchetto. Checchetto teamed with Matthew Wilson as cover artists. Peter finally lets Mary Jane and his family know that he is being a super hero (part because of his bruised face, other part because of May’s blurting out). He also gets the name he will be going by… Spider-Man!

Dracula: Blood Hunt #2. Written by Danny Lore and with art by Vincenzo Carratù. Cover art was done by Mateus Manhanini. Dracula is in pursuit of Brielle, who is running away instead of going after her father. There is a great cameo by Daredevil here.

Displaced #5. “What’s Left?” Written by Ed brisson and illustrated and cover art by Luca Casalanguida. This brought this mini series to an end, and I have enjoyed this series. However, I am just not fond of the way this one ended. It felt a little anticlimactic.

Other books this week: Destro #1, Venomverse Reborn #1, Project Cryptid #6, and The One Hand #5.

June 13, 2023

It is that time of the week once again as I am providing the EYG Comic Cavalcade!

This weekend, I am heading to a comic/toy show in the Quad Cities and I am excited about it. This is the same folks who put on the one I went to last September in Dubuque. I had a lot of fun at that one, and picked up some cool comics along the way. With my collection in a much more organized manner than last September, I will have a better knowledge of back issues that I need instead of just guessing and hoping that I do not duplicate myself.

Todd also got me several of the Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 books that I was missing. It seemed as if volume 2 was the stretch of Spidey books that I missed the most of. It would have been during the time when I did not have a lot of money, right out of college and subbing. Todd is continuing to look for back issues for me in Kansas City this weekend. Thanks again, sir!

Here are this week’s books:

Saga #55-65. After the shocking end of volume 9 (which I thought would be the end of the series only to find out that it was not), I went to eBay and found this run of Saga. It arrived this week and I dove right into it, consuming the content quickly. Such a great series! Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples are amazing together in this book.

Giant Size Daredevil#1. “The Devil You Know” Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Paul Davidson. Bryan Hitch & Alex Sinclair did the cover art. This giant size issue focuses on the return of Kingpin to relevance in Hell’s Kitchen, often times a bloody path that he has taken. This leads into the next arc in Daredevil’s own comic.

Lawful #1. Written by Greg Pak and illustrated by Diego Galindo. Qistina Khalidah did the cover art. This new Boom! Studios book has a definite flavor of Saga to it, with one of our main characters having to never break the rules. He must follow them all at all times and his friend does not seem to want to do that. Interesting start even if it does not grab you the way Saga did.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #21. Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Brent Peeples & Daniel Picciotto. This is a Blood Hunt tie-in and shows us how Miles happened to be turned into a vampire. Miles has a tough life for sure.

Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin #3. “Eyes in the Night” Written by J.M. DeMatteis and art by Michael Sta. Maria. Paulo Siqueira & Rachelle Rosenberg did the cover art. This issue focuses upon the Osborn section of this story, seeing both Norman and Harry and what happened to them during this period.

Incredible Hulk #13. “Doctor Voodoo and the Soul Cage Part Two” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art and cover art by Nic Klein. The Hulk and Banner are trapped inside the soul cage and they are continuing to try and find Charlie before it is too late.

Avengers #15. Written by Jed MacKay and art by C.F. Villa. Joshua Cassara and Guru-eFX did the cover art. The Blood Hunt continues here as Captain America’s newly formed squad of Avengers battle the forces of Baron Blood. I like this team of Avengers, but I always like Steve Rogers on the team. Just seems right to me.

Scarlet Witch #1. Written by Steve Orlando and art by Jacopo Camagni. Russell Dauterman did the art on the cover. The new Scarlet Witch series started off by introducing to us a new character named Mantor and then promptly killing him off. Or at least as dead as one may be in a magic book. I mean, Wanda did get eaten by a giant monster. That did not stop her.

Fantastic Four #21. “To Curse the Darkness” Written by Ryan North and art by Ivan Fiorelli. Cover art is done once more by Alex Ross. This is another Blood Hunt tie in as Reed and Alicia wind up in New York facing off with “vampire-like creatures” as Reed put it. Reed used his stretching in creative ways to prevent the innocents from being attacked. Meanwhile, what is happening with the rest of the FF back in Arizona?

Transformers #9. Written by Daniel Warren Johnson and art by Jorge Corona. Cover art was by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer (Gold Medalist). More exciting Autobots/Decepticon battles as led by Optimus Prime. Ratchet sacrificed himself to save one of his Autobot buddies. Is that it for Ratchet?

Blood Hunt #3. Written by Jed MacKay and drawn by Pepe Larraz. Larraz & Marte Gracia did the cover art. The huge crossover continues as Bloodline (aka Brielle, Blade’s daughter) learned that her father is behind everything that is happening, Doctor Strange and the other heroes were able to control Miles Morales and Sam Wilson, aka Captain America gave a rousing speech. Inspiration everywhere!

X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #1. Written by Steve Foxe and penciled by Netho Diaz. Dotun Akande did the cover art. Since he is heading to Mars, Apocalypse is looking for someone to take his place as the overseer of the ascension of mutants on earth and 12 mutants have stepped up to vie for the position.

Strange Academy: Blood Hunt #2. Written by Daniel Jose Older and art by Luigi Zagaria & Eric Gapstur. Edgar Delgado did the cover art. When the kids from Strange Academy discover that their friend Pia was already a vampire, they changed their tune about searching for the Darkhold so all vampires could be eliminated. Oh and a strange visitor arrives in the last few pages… Dr. Doom?

Spider-Boy #8. “Fun & Games” Written by Dan Slott and art by Jason Loo. Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado did cover art. After turning the Humanimals back to human (or at least those that they could), Spider-Boy heads back to NYC to retrieve a photo of himself with his mother. Unfortunately, Puzzle Man has some fourth wall breaking to do.

Deadpool #3. Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Rogê Antonio. This is a phot variant cover with a pic of Deadpool from the upcoming movie, Deadpool & Wolverine. Deadpool is reunited with his daughter Ellie in the middle of a battle with Crossbones. Wade discovered that he had more in common with his daughter than just blood.

Jubilee: Blood Hunt #1. Written by Preeti Chhibber and penciled by Enid Balám. Cover art was done by Erica D’Urso & Rachelle Rosenberg. Jubilee was once a vampire. That makes her an obvious but major player in the Blood Hunt. She teams up again with the Forgiven to battle vampires in this one shot in the Blood Hunt crossover event.

Ghostlore #11. “Tests” Written by Cullen Bunn (and Riccardo La Bella) and illustrated by Leomacs (and Francesco Segala). Reiko Murakami and Riccardo La Bella did the cover art. Lucas and Harmony come face to face with Shane and discover the secret of him… he is also a ghost.

Ultimate X-Men #4. Written and drawn (and cover art) by Peach Momoko. This is a beautifully illustrated issue with much of the story being told visually. We discover an important piece of information about where this dangerous shadow is actually from. Plus, we see these new forms of the characters responding. I do enjoy this new and original rendition of the X-Men in the Ultimate Universe.

G.O.D.S. #8. “The Fourth Axis” Written by Jonathan Hickman and art by Valerio Schiti. Mateus Manhanini did the cover art. Hickman’s latest epic comes to a close with a wild time traveling encounter with Wyn going all over the place. This has been a challenging read and it is not just another comic book. There was a lot of creativity and originality in the story and characters. I love the design of the In-Betweener here too.

The Deviant #6. Written by James Tynion IV and art and cover art by Joshua Hixson (Silver medalist). This series has been excellent as there is such a intriguing mystery at its center. Could Michael really be the killer? Derek does not believe it. I forget that James Tynion does this book until I am doing the Comic Cavalcade write up, and then I realize why I love this book so much.

Deadpool/Wolverine: World War III #2. Written by Joe Kelly and drawn by Adam Kubert. Adam Kubert and Frank Martin did the cover art. Wade Wilson is in bad shape. So bad of shape that he even has some pity from Wolverine. They are in the battle for their lives.

Napalm Lullaby #4. Written by Rick Remender and drawn and cover art by Bengal. Sam and Sarah are struggling to survive their confrontation with Janitor. Still not 100% sure what is happening in this book, but it is lovely to look at. Love the character designs here too.

Geiger #3. “What are Books Good for Anyway?” Written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Gary Frank. Frank & Brad Anderson did the cover art. Geiger finds a library and a certain book that takes him back to his past. When that book gets ruined, what will happen?

Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #2. Written by Justina Ireland and penciled by Marcelo Ferreira. Bjorn Barends did the cover art (Tie for Bronze Medalist). I was talking to another customer in Comic World the other day about Blood Hunt and he mentioned how he feels iffy about the heroes killing these vampires since they are basically humans who could be turned back from their vampire forms. Spidey expresses the exact same philosophy, which is exactly what Spider-Man would be thinking about. Spidey has always been about saving EVERYBODY and that has always been one of my favorite aspects about him as a hero.

Something Epic #11. Written, illustrated and cover art by Szymon Kudranski. Noa and her duck continue to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Zeus, and they head to meet Thor and also eventually to see Set. This series is spanning all across the mythological world and has amazing art inside.

Ain’t No Grave #2. “Chapter Two: Anger” Written by Skottie Young and art by Jorge Corona. More Western action as only Skottie Young can provide as Ryder head toward the boat Her Blind Majesty. Excellent art and some wonderful visual storytelling.

Crocodile Black #2. Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art by Som. Cover art by Andrea Sorrentino with colors by Dave Stewart. This is an intriguing book, even though it is fairly confusing. Our main hero is named Danny, but he had taken on the life of a vet named Leo, but it seems as if he is possessed by some kind of crocodile creature. I like this book, but it may require a re-read to understand what is happening.

Other books this week: Torpedo 1972 #4, Night People #4, and Monsters are my Business #3.