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.

May 25, 2024

Welcome back to another episode of Comic Cavalcade.

Todd has been busy. He went to a con in Minnesota recently and he brought me back a huge amount of back issues that I had been missing. I have been filling back issues of Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 books, and Todd got me four ASM. I told Todd to look for certain issues of The New Warriors Vol. 1 and Groo, particularly from Marvel/Epic run.

He got me a ton of these. Literally I think it was over 40 books. Of course, I had blundered too. I told Todd that I did not have any Groo issues from Image because I did not see any of them listed on CLZ. I had forgotten that those were listed under Sergio Aragones Groo. I actually had all 12 issues from Image and Todd picked up several of them for me. My bad.

Books this week:

Her Frankenstein. By Kawashima Norikazu. Originally published in 1988, this manga graphic novel has just been released. I am not sure how I felt about this graphic novel. I was not a huge fan of this book, but it was an interesting and quick read. I like the addition to my collection.

Saga Volume 5. Written by Brian K. Vaughn and drawn by Fiona Staples. Continuing my way through the compilation of the Saga story, this week I read Volume 5. Once again, it is a compelling tale and a very excellent read. I buzzed through this volume as things just keep happening.

Ultimate Black Panther #4. Written by Bryan Hill and art by Stefano Caselli. Cover art by Caselli & David Curiel. Queen Okoye takes on the force of Ra and Khonsu to try and save the world of Wakanda. She discovers her husband T’Challa, along with some help… Killmonger and Storm.

Something is Killing the Children #37. “Road Stories Part Two” Written by James Tynion IV and illustrated and cover by Werther Dell’edera. Another story from the past of Erica Slaughter. I like these past stories as we can see more about Erica and her connection to the house.

Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #1. Written by Stephanie Phillips and drawn by Federica Mancin. Cover art by Mark Brooks (Bronze Medalist) and variant cover by Ernanda Souza (Gold medalist). I picked up two versions of this book, including the foil cover. Gwen is in the 616 universe now. I am not sure where that happened, but it had something to do with the TVA and O.B. Why is Gwen being told she should not be in costume? I really liked this first issue and I am happy Gwen is in the 616 universe.

Black Widow & Hawkeye #3. “Broken Arrow Part 3” Written by Stephanie Phillips with art by Paolo Villanelli. Stephen Segova & Jesus Aburtov did the cover art. This was told in two times, one earlier in the early days of Hawkeye and Black Widow and one in the current time frame with Hawkeye and Black Widow in Madripoor.

Sensational She-Hulk #8. Written by Rainbow Rowell and art by Andres Genolet. Cover art is done by Kris Anka. She-Hulk’s confrontation with Ganymede goes physical and the relationship between She-Hulk and Jack of Hearts takes a big step. She-Hulk has been very entertaining since Rainbow Rowell took over the writing duties.

Blood Hunt #2. Written by Jed MacKay and drawn by Pepe Larraz. Larraz and Marte Gracia did the cover art. The Avengers make a come back against the Bloodcoven. What happened to Miles Morales? So much happening through this major crossover.

Union Jack the Ripper #1. “Ghoul Britannia” Written by Cavan Scott and penciled by Kev Walker. This is the full red variant cover issue. I have always liked Union Jack and this is a new take on that character, tying it into the Blood Hunt story. I enjoyed this issue very much. They also tied it into the Union mini series which I liked from a few years ago.

Amazing Spider-Man #50. Written by Zeb Wells and penciled by Ed McGuinness. Cover art was done by McGuinness and Marco Menyz. Big issue as Norman Osborn returned to the Green Goblin. It was an intense issue as Spidey and Goblin went after each other hard and evil Spidey seemed to return at the end. There are several shorter, back-up stories in this extra large anniversary issue.

Superior Spider-Man #7. “Superior Spider-Island” Written by Dan Slott and penciled by Mark Bagley. Bagley & Edgar Delgado did the cover art. Otto Octavius has sent out an army of spiders to take over the mind of EVERYBODY! Everyone is speaking like Doc Ock. Can Spidey and Anna Marie do anything to stop him?

Sam and Twitch Case Files #3. Script by Todd McFarlane and art by Szymon Kudranski. Jonathan Glapion did the cover art (Silver Medalist) Twitch continued to work on the mysterious murder investigation outside of his home city. This detective book has been great, though I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of the way the dialogue is handled, sans word balloons. I like trying something new, but this makes it harder to read.

Spectacular Spider-Men #3. “Arachnobatics Chapter Three: Meanwhile…” Written by Greg Weisman and penciled by Humberto Ramos. This was another issue that I picked up two covers this week because I really liked one of the variant covers. This was a strange issue with Peter and Miles in situations that did not feel real. Like Peter is married to Gwen, with kids.

Blood Squad Seven #1. Written by Joe Casey and art and cover art by Paul Fry. This was a new series featuring a group of super heroes who are back after a group of heroes, who were more like celebrities, were gone thirty years before. I had a little trouble following this issue, but it is an intriguing concept.

Void Rivals #9. Written by Robert Kirkman and art and cover art by Lorenzo De Felici. Desperately trying to keep Solila alive after being impaled at the end of last issue, Darak comes across an Autobot, Springer. Springer vs. Proximus round one.

Fall of the House of X #5. “The Turn” Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Lucas Werneck & Stefano Caselli. Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia did the cover art. Major battle with Nimrod, we see some serious battle with Storm and Cyclops.

Rook Exodus #2. Written by Geoff Johns and art by Jason Fabok. Fabok and Brad Anderson did the cover art. This Ghost Machine series is one of the best of the new run at Image. I would say this is just behind Redcoat among these books. I love these new characters and I love the setting with the animals.

Cobra Commander #5. Written by Joshua Williamson and art by Andrea Milana. Milana and Annalisa Leoni did the cover art. This series comes to a close with Cobra Commander stepping up to be the head of the new group, Cobra!

Immortal Thor #11. “God of Doom” Written by Al Ewing and art by Valentina Pinti. Alex Ross did the cover art. Thor calls together the children of Odin! Who knew there were this many?

Blue Book: 1947 #4. Written by James Tynion IV and drawn and cover art by Michael Avon Oeming. We go through the story of Roswell in more detail. I enjoy this somewhat true(?) adaptation of what happened in Roswell.

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #7. Written by Brian Buccellato and art by Christian Duce. Drew Johnson & Romulo Fajardo Jr did the cover art. This Monsterverse title comes to an end with the Titans being returned but not before the death of Guy Gardner led to Kong with a Green Lantern power ring. What? This crossover series has been iffy at times, but that moment was all cheese and fits with the Monsterverse perfectly.

Other books this week: Feral #3, Grim #17, Ghost Rider: Final Vengeance #3, Local Man #10, Man’s Best #3, and X-Men ’97 #3

Next issue of EYG Comic Cavalcade will be the epic #100! I plan on some special things to commemorate the accomplishment of 100 posts (including a Legacy number). I will reflect back over the last few years and how my personal comic collection has changed over that period of time and how EYG helped that happen. Plus, new books from next week as well.