Yet another good week. There are several really good covers this week. Three independent books this week so no DC or Marvel in the medal winners.
Also-rans: Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #4 (Here it is, Todd!), Batman: Dark Patterns #12, Transformers #26, Spider-Man Noir #2, Redcoat #15, 1776 #1, Fantastic Four #5, and The City Beneath Her Feet #2.
Bronze Medalist
Blue Falcon and Dynomutt #3
Cover art by Lucio Parrillo
This Dynamite Comic has had some beautiful covers in its short span of publishing. This with Blue Falcon in the rain just looking majestic dead center is an awesome cover.
Silver Medalist
American Caper #1
Cover art by Tyler Boss
I did not know what this book was from Dark Horse. However, the cover drew me to it, so I picked it up. What a lovely and yet painful cover.
Gold Medalist
Die Loaded #1
Cover art by Stephanie Hans
First issue with Image’s new book with one of the most compelling covers. The giant bear with his open mouth and a character inside… with a fox too. It makes me wonder about what this book will be about.
Sunday night. I am hoping to get this done before IT: Welcome to Derry. We’ll see how it goes.
Books this Week:
Space Scouts #1. Written by Matt Kindt with art and cover art by David Rubin. I had no idea about this book. It was from Dark Horse and it was oversized, like a DSTLRY book. I grabbed it off the shelf and really enjoyed it. It was like a blend of Hunger Games/Squid Games/ Guardians of the Galaxy. Good stuff in issue one.
White House Robot Romance #2. Written by Chip Zdarsky with art and cover art by Rachel Slott. The romantic pairing of the two robots has lead to them on the run from the US government What will happen with this duo? Chip Zdarsky has brought us another solid story with some great characters.
Assorted Crisis Events #6. Written by Deniz Camp and art and cover art by Eric Zawdzki. This anthology series has had its ups and downs. This issue is an absolute up. The premise of the book is sensational, as there is a new illness that causes the victim to jump back and forth in age. It is strangely tragic and emotional. Maybe the best book of the week.
Planet She-Hulk #1. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Aaron Kuder. Cover art was done by Aaron Kuder & Sonia Oback. I was not a big fan of the Imperial, so I was not expecting to be a fan of this book. I have big questions about continuity. However, I really liked this book and, despite the fact that I am not sure where it actually falls in the Marvel Universe, but it was an enjoyable read.
Wild Animals #4. Written by Ed Brisson and art and cover art by Andy Kuhn (Silver Medalist). Once again, Wild Animals has been fabulous. This issue has some things happen here that I simply did not see coming. Wild Animals has been one of my favorite mini series of the year.
Amazing Spider-Man #15. Written by Joe Kelly with art by Emilio Laiso. Cover art was done by Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia. This gives us some story about Peter’s new costume… oh, it is a living organism again. And he did not know that again.
Crownsville #1. Written by Rodney Barnes and illustrated by Elia Bonetti. Cover art was done by Jason Shawn Alexander. Another great new book this week, this one from Oni Press. The book features the story of a haunted state hospital called Crownsville. The art from Bonetti was the perfect tone for the story.
Laura Kinney: Sabretooth #2. Written by Erica Schultz and art by Valentina Pinti. Cover art was done by Elena Casagrande & Edgar Delgado. Age of Revelation continues X years in the future. Laura is facing plenty of troubles as Revelation ordered her to not allow the mutants to escape.
Longshots #2. Written by Gerry Duggan and Jonathan Hickman with art by Alan Robinson. Cover art was done by Ryan Brown. Who saw this coming? Three of our “heroes” are killed. Did not expect that, but it was a cool start.
Amazing X-Men #2. “A Duel of Truths” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Mahmud Asrar. Cover art was done by Mahmud Asrar & Matthew Wilson. Cyclops takes on the Darkchilde in an insult contest. It was strange, but was able to dive into character work for both of them.
DC KO: Knightfall #1. Written by Joshua Williamson with art and cover art by Dan Mora. The biggest shocker of the year… Batman, who died in DC KO, IS NOT DEAD. Who could have guessed? He wound up in some strange world where there are a bunch of Robins and Dick Grayson has taken over the Batman mantel. Trouble everywhere.
Speed Racer #4. Written by David Pepose and art by Davide Tinto. Cover art by Alessio Zonno. More racing action with Speed Racer, Racer X trying to prevent the Tiger Syndicate from winning the race. Little did they know that the Tiger Syndicate’s racer is on the path to try and kill Speed.
Vanishing Point #6. Written by Mark Russell and art by Ryan Alexander-Tanner. Cover art was done by Marcus To. This is the final issue of Vanishing Point, which I have enjoyed. There have been a lot of horror anthology books, having one with sci-fi was a great idea. The last story was not my favorite, but it had a great twist at the end.
Binary #2. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Giada Beluisa. Cover art was done by Richie Yagawa. Carol Danvers is shown how she is struggling with the Phoenix Force. The Age of Revelation moves on with the Marvel Universe.
Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #14. “The Haunting of the Wrecker Part Three” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Domenico Carbone. Cover art was done by Davide Paratore. The Wrecker came to the Midnight Mission looking for help, and guilting Moon Knight for it. Oh, and Jake Lockley makes an appearance this issue.
Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League #4. Written by Greg Rucka and art by Nicola Scott. Cover art was done by Nicola Scott & Annette Kwok. It never works out for villain team ups. Cheetah and Cheshire have a falling out over Wonder Woman and it places the job in jeopardy.
Batman #3. “Crown of Storms” Written by Matt Fraction and art and cover art by Jorge Jimenez. The story has several lanes going right now including Vandal Savage making his move against Batman and Robin, The Riddler and his efforts, and Bruce Wayne trying to make amends.
Avengers #32. “Prodigals” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Farid Karami. Cover art was done by CAFU & Moreno Dinisio. The Avengers take on Kang… as well as the Marvel Zombies. Things do not look good for our heroes, until the cavalry arrives.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #40. “Webs of Regret Part One” Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Marco Renna. Federico Vicentini & Neeraj Menon did the cover art. Assessor is back. Miles is freaked out.
G.I. Joe #13. Written by Joshua Williamson and art by Tom Reilly. Variant cover art was done by Mark Spears (Gold Medalist). The Dreadnok War kicks off this issue with Destro giving the Dreadnok’s info on Cobra Commander, who is now handcuffed to Duke. Lots of trouble starting here.
Ice Cream Man: The Mortal Coil Shuffle. Ice Cream Man has had some amazingly creative ideas, but this one takes the cake (with some ice cream on the side). This is a deck of cards, but, instead of having playing cards, there is a story on the cards. I have not read this story yet, as I just got the card sheets to space it out this night at Wal-Mart (it is a Pokémon card holder) but I can’t wait to get a look at it. As I was putting the cards into the sleeves, there are some funny one in there including normal playing cards and some that look as if they come from UNO. On the back of the container, it specifically tells you not to shuffle the cards. LOL!
Rook Exodus #8. Written by Geoff Johns and art by Jason Fabok. Cover A art was done by Jason Fabok & Brad Anderson. I also picked up Cover C by Kael Ngu. Um… spiders everywhere. Creepy for sure.
Star Trek: Red Shirts #4. Written by Christopher Cantwell and art by Megan Levens. Cover art was done by Chris Shehan (Bronze Medalist). Man, the Red Shirts are dropping like flies. This one has some really solid work, making me care about the characters here just before they are killed. You’d think I would expect it.
Other books this week: Tales of the Shadowman #3, Impact Winter: Evenfall #1, No Place #1, Echo: Seeker of Truth #1, Alien vs. Captain America #1 and TexArcanum #4.
Quick Hits: I ordered another 10 pack of blind bags off eBay of The Monster and the Wolf #1. I wound up with 7 of the 10 that I did not have, which I was very excited about. Minor Arcana #11 keeps this story rolling along. I do love me some Jeff Lemire. Charlemagne Tha God Presents Illuminati #5 is the last issue, but I have missed number four. I am not sure how it slipped past me, but I have not yet read #5 because of it. In Gotham Academy #2, we get some time to spend with Olive’s mother, which is not a good thing. I grabbed Doctor Who: The Prisoner Paradox #1. I did love the fifteenth Doctor and this has him and Belinda Chandra in it. Ultimate X-Men #21 does feel like it is approaching the wrapping point for this book as the entire Ultimate Universe is up for a big crossover event soon. I need to find some new juice for Void Rivals #24 as I am really just skimming it as of right now. Godzilla (Kai-Sei Era) #4 has some good action and, unlike some of these other Godzilla books, has Godzilla in it. Eat Your Young #3 from Mad Cave feels kind of like Exquisite Corpses in a way. This was the first issue where I was into the book. Absolute Superman #13 also feels as if it is building to something big. We are making connections with Kal-El, Lois and Jimmy. Absolute Green Lantern #8 has been one of my least favorite Absolute books, but this issue was very curious. It caught my attention for sure. The UPC codes are all over Look Into My Eyes #4. I have not scanned one as of this moment. Finally, a team-up book from Dynamite Comics called Die!Namite #1 came out this week. Vampirella is here. So is Miss Fury. There are some other characters who I am not sure about.
Good evening cover lovers. Welcome to the EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week for the first week of November. If I am being honest, this week’s covers were a little weaker. There were not as many also-rans this week even though the top three are still very strong.
There is just a few weeks to go until the 2025 Cover Artist of the Year is named in the Year in Review. Spoiler… I think this year’s winner is among the medalists this week. Should not be a surprise if you have been paying attention.
Also-Rans: DC KO: Knightfight #1, Crownsville #1, No Place #1, Amazing Spider-Man #15, Batman #3, and Alien vs. Captain America #1.
Bronze Medalist
Star Trek: Red Shirts #4.
Cover art by Chris Shehan
Rough day for this cover Red Shirt. The skeleton with the sword in its guts, chained up. Feels like overkill, but it is a stunning cover that really tells you what the series is about. Killing off red shirts!
Silver Medalist
Wild Animals #4
Cover art by Andy Kuhn
Wild Animals has been a sensational series and this cover continues some awesome work. I love the white background with the giant gun and the yellow tint. It is just a real standout among the covers this week.
Gold Medalist
G.I. Joe #13
Variant Cover B
Cover art by Mark Spears
Mark Spears is back in the gold medal round with a beautiful cover featuring Cobra Commander. I was very surprised to see Spears doing a G.I. Joe Cover. He is undeniably going to be out cover artist of year unless there is some kind of massive push by someone. He is certainly the leader in the clubhouse.
I probably have to thank Todd for putting this in my box… he gets twitchy when I don’t mention him.
Forty-five years ago today, I woke up at my friend Jeff’s house after we went trick or treating and spent the night reading his comics. Jeff had a “folder” at Comic World in Dubuque and he had a bunch of X-Men and Avengers. It was the next day that I decided that I would begin to collect comics too.
Of course, there were years where I did not buy many books. Specifically during the college years and immediate years after when I subbed. I just did not have enough money for the hobby. However, I always considered myself a comic collector. I have always considered November 1st as my anniversary. Now a days, I buy a bunch of books a month.
This month is the fifth week of the month, which generally means a lower amount of books. I still was able to get a group of solid comics.
Books this week:
Sleep #6. Written, drawn and cover art by Zander Cannon. Jonathan found a way for him to contain the shocking transformation… or so it seemed. It was a fascinating issue as Jonathan seemed to be protecting Tabby. There was also a post credit scene. Very cool. Two more issues in this book which has been so great.
Black Cat #3. “III: Word Gets Around.” Written by G. Willow Wilson and art by Gleb Melnikov. Cover art was done by Adam Hughes (Bronze medalist). Lots of cool cameos in the newly super heroic Black Cat. Ms. Marvel, Sandman… Cat has to face off with Tombstone.
Feral #17. “Onslaught” Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Trish Forstner & Tonbe Rodriguez. Cover art was done by Trish Forstner (Gold Medlaist), I was talking to another Comic World customer who told me that his girlfriend read Feral and described it as a cross between Lion King and Walking Dead. It is a perfect example. This issue really feel like a Walking Dead book with cats. I love the horror movie homage covers for this book.
Undeadpool #1. Written by Tim Seeley with art by Carlos Magno. Cover art was done by E.M. Gist. It is the Age of Revelation and X Years Later… Wade Wilson has an all new way about him as the X-virus changed him into an undead zombie-like being, but he still had his narration skills. Undeadpool is another cool concept in the current Marvel storyline.
X-Vengers #1. Written by Jason Loo and penciled by Sergio Davila. Cover art was done by Mike McKone & Morry Hollowell. The Age of Revelation moves along X Years Later with a different variation of the Avengers. Dani Moonstar has cap’s shield, Shang Chi, Cannonball, Hawkeye (with multiple arms), Vision, Water Widow (yes, it is Natasha), and Variable Man (Scott Lang, thank you). Seeing how the X-Virus affected the heroes of the Marvel Universe is fascinating.
Cloak or Dagger #1. Written by Justina Ireland with art by Lorenzo Tammetta. Cover art was done by Mike McKone & Rachelle Rosenberg. In the Age of Revelation, X Years Later… Tyrone and Tandy are married, but they can only exist on the same plane of existence at the same time very a very short time. They tag each other out like they are in a WWE tag team. Cloak & Dagger have been a favorite of mine for awhile now and I am glad they get a book in this new adventure.
Expatriate X-Men #1. Written by Eve L. Ewing and art by Francesco Mortarino. Cover art by Francesco Mortarino & Raul Angulo. Ms. Marvel is leading a group of X-Men featuring a bunch I am not as familiar with including Rift, Bronze and Melee… with a connection to Mystique.
Return to Sleepy Hollow #1. Written by Casey Gilly and art and cover art by Savanna Mayer. Ichabod Crane is back in Sleepy Hollow to investigate a new murder. This is apparently a follow up to the movie Sleepy Hollow.
Runaways #5. “Think of the Children” Part Five. Written by Rainbow Rowell and art by Elena Casagrande & Roberta Ingranata. Cover art is done by Stephanie Hans. The storyline with the Runaways and the Doombot’s identity crisis is wrapped up here. I really love these characters and hope they return again.
Stake Presents: Jessamy #1. Written by David A. Byrne and illustrated and cover art by Francesca Fantini (Silver Medalist). I had no idea what this book was about when I spotted it on the shelf. The cover was what attracted me to the book. It was not a book that I found that intriguing after reading it, but it is a beautiful looking book. More vampire stuff.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual 2025. Written by Kenny Porter and art by Michael Shelfer. Cover art by Mateus Santolouco. The annual that is like the end of the Jason Aaron run of TMNT, but without Jason Aaron. I found myself less than interested in this annual which may not be a good sign for this book moving forward with Jason Aaron gone.
Absolute Batman Annual 2025 #1. Written and art by Daniel Warren Johnson with cover art by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer. However, this Absolute Batman annual really kicked some ass. Some of the best imagery from the series yet. This was excellent.
Rocketfellers #10. Written by Peter J. Tomasi and art and cover art by Francis Manapul. It is Halloween for the Rocketfellers and they allow the kids to go trick or treating before they attempt to get away. Aunt Raina finds them and chases them away.
Mortal Thor #3. “The Father of Lies.” Written by Al Ewing and art by Pasqual Ferry. Cover art by Alex Ross. The Serpents attack Sigmund at his construction site. Not a good idea for them. Sigmund is a real bad ass with that little hammer. It is a really violent book.
All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #3. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Paolo Villanelli. Cover art by David Marquez & Federico Blee. Ghost Spider showed up to battle her old symbiote. Flash Thompson has returned as Agent Anti-Venom. I am very happy that Gwen’s symbiote and weird powers are gone and she is back to the regular Spider-Gwen.
The Beauty #1. Written by Jeremy Haun & Jason A. Hurley and art by Emanuela Lupacchino. Cover art by Jeremy Haun & Nick Filardi. New book from Ignition Comics. There is a new STD disease, but it is one that people want to be infected by because it turned the infected into their most beautiful selves. This was a great new series.
Moonshine Bigfoot #4. Written by Mike Marlow & Zach Howard and pencils by Steve Ellis. Cover art by Steve Ellis & Zach Howard. Moonshine Bigfoot’s first arc is all done with this. The book really does feel like a Dukes of Hazzard cross with the X-Files. I have enjoyed Moonshine Bigfoot.
Supernatural #1. Written by Greg Pak and art by Eder Messias. Clayton Crain did the cover art. I never watched this TV show, despite it having been on TV for like 125 years. I was curious about the book because Dynamite has done some really good stuff lately. I will say that I did like the book, but I was not blown away by it. I am not sure if I enjoyed it enough to add this to a pull list with my other massive list of books. Fans of the show should enjoy this.
Sam and Twitch: Case Files #19. Script by Thomas Healy and art by Von Randal. Cover art was done by Federico Sabbatini. There is a new arc for Sam and Twitch with a story in the past of Sam which is coming back around today. I liked this new issue quite a bit.
Death of the Silver Surfer #5. “Farewells” Written by Greg Pak and pencils by Sumit Kumar with Tiago Palma. Cover art was done by Frank D’Armata. Not sure how I felt about this. Is this a future event or is it in continuity? A new Silver Surfer is out there.
Voyeur #1-2. Written by Leah Williams and illustrated by David Baldeón. Covers were done by Joelle Jones. I saw issue to on the stand on Thursday. I was not sure when issue one came out, but I was able to pick it up too. I had the ashcan of the book and I was wanting to pick it up. Love this issue. The first two issues show the same events in different POV (which always reminds me of LOST). Good stuff so far.
Blue Palo Verde #5. Written by Ray Fawkes and art by Rimanti. I have to say, I loved this book at the beginning, but it feels like it fell off hard. I was not as interested in the conclusion as it went way weirder than I expected.
Star Wars: Han Solo- Hunt for the Falcon #2. Written by Rodney Barnes and art by Ramon Rosanas. Ramon Rosanas and GURU-eFX did the cover art. Han and Chewy continue to try and find the missing Millennium Falcon.
Other books this week: Rivals: King in Black #1, Emma Frost: White Queen #5, Nights #16, Toxie Team-Up #5, and the Treat or Read Comics (X-Men ’97 #1, Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four #1, Venom: Lethal Protector, and Hallowed Hauntings #1).
Quick Hits: I picked up the Universal Monsters: Dracula Black & White Special. I have the issues from Image, but this looked so beautiful that I needed to pick it up. The Phantom #2 came out this week with a fun adventure that felt very much like a Phantom book. Battleworld #2 brought a bunch of heroes from across the time frame. Keensport’s book Don’t Run With Scissors #4 concluded with one of the oddest ending possible. Sonja Reborn #3 and Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #2 both have classic characters thrown into different situations. Another book with the question about where the continuity falls is Imperial #4, which ends that little series. I don’t know if it is the actually happening. I know that other Marvel books seem to have ties to it even though I don’t know how Hulk could be involved if this is current continuity. It hurts my head when I think about it. Thanks a lot Hickman. Then, Blink and You’ll Miss It #3 is fairly confusing too.
The 5th week of the month is always a little short with comics, but there are several really good covers any way.
One variant and two A covers this week. All three are very apropos for the time of the year we are (Happy Halloween everybody!)
Also-Rans: Mighty Thor #3, Undeadpool #1, Runaways #5, Cloak or Dagger #1, The Phantom #2, Sleep #6 and Return to Sleepy Hallow #1.
Bronze Medalist
Black Cat #3
Cover art by Adam Hughes
Felicia has herself a top notch cover. I have not read the book yet, but that sure makes me think about Sandman. The black suited Felicia sure stands out beautifully from this sandy background.
Silver Medalist
Stake Presents Jessamy #1.
Cover art by Francesca Fantini
I had no idea what this book was, but this cover was so beautiful that it drew me to it. What a stunning cover with some wonderful imagery. The blood roses and the bats around the big moon… just exceptional.
Gold Medalist
Feral #17
Variant Cover B
Cover art by Trish Forstner
I love these horror film homages that Feral has been doing and there is yet another gold medal for it. This is a homage to Halloween and the jack lantern with the fangs just makes the cover. Love the black background against the orange pumpkin. Another sensational Feral Cover B variant.
Just a few days away from Halloween! Happy Halloween to all. This is my favorite holiday of them all.
Then, Saturday, Nov. 1 is my anniversary in comic collecting. I have been collecting comics in some form since I was in 5th grade. I remember staying over at my friend Jeff Wagner’s house to go trick or treating on Halloween and then spending the night reading comics he was getting from Comic World in Dubuque, back when the shop was over on Central Ave. I remember a bunch of X-Men books and Avengers. I was hooked, already a fan a superheroes. If my math is close, this would be my 45th year collecting (plus or minus a year or so).
Books this week:
Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #5. Written by Deniz Camp & Cody Ziglar with art done by Jonas Scharf. Cover art was done by Sara Pichelli & Tamra Bonvillain. Miles Morales finally got his hands on his baby sister and returned to his own universe…at least, his current universe. He also remembered everything from before.
No Man’s Land #2. Written, art and cover art (both B and A covers which were Gold and Bronze medalists respectfully) by Szymon Kudranski. I love this book. The worst part about it is that it is only three issues. I am not sure how they finish this mystery with only one more issue remaining. Either way, I can’t wait to see how this wraps up.
Ultimate Spider-Man #22. Written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Marco Checchetto. Cover art was done by Marco Checchetto & Matthew Wilson. Spider-Man and Goblin are back together and Peter also gets to spend some quality time with MJ.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #39. “Thick as Thieves Part Three” Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Luigi Zagaria. Cover art was done by Federico Vicentini & Rachelle Rosenberg. Miles and his team up with Black Cat and Misty Knight concludes.
The Ultimates #17. Written by Deniz Camp with art by guest artist Phil Noto. Cover art was done by Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon. This issue continues to build toward the return of Maker and focuses on Ultimate Doom.
The Undead Iron Fist #2. Written by Jason Loo and art by Fran Galan. Cover art was done by Whilce Portacio & Alex Sinclair. With Danny Rand back from the dead, we get a team-up with our undead Iron Fist with Daredevil. I love this new book with Iron Fist.
Radioactive Spider-Man #1. Written by Joe Kelly and art by Kev Walker. Cover art was done by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Lorenzo Ruggiero & Marte Gracia. It is the Age of Revelation and this book checks in with Peter Parker and sees where he is X years later. I liked this book because it still felt like Peter Parker. A lot of times with these alternate futures, they use it to create versions of the characters that are not like the current ones. This is not that way, at least so far.
Omega Kids #1. Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Andres Genolet. Cover art was done by Rod Reis. Quentin Quire is the leader of a group called the Omega Kids, who work for Revelation. However, there feels as if some of the kids may not be as loyal as they seem.
Exquisite Corpses #6. Written by Tyler Boss with James Tynion IV and art by Gavin Fullerton with Michael Walsh. Cover art was done by Michael Walsh. The tournament continues as the G4m3r Kid and Calvin were the next victims. This book continues to be one of the best on the market.
War Wolf #1. Written by Steve Orlando with art by Marco Perugini. Cover art was done by David Talaski. Sometimes your heroes are regular people and they will be the ones to fight the aliens. Mad Cave has had way more hits than misses lately and this has Steve Orlando behind it.
Fantastic Four #4. “Basic Obedience” Written by Ryan North with pencils by Humberto Ramos. Cover art was done by Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado. The FF have a new puppy… or is it? Why is it that Alicia Masters-Grimm is the only one who can tell this dog is not what it seems.
X-Men: Book of Revelation#1. Written by Jed MacKay with art and cover art by Netho Diaz. The Age of Revelation is moving along and this books looks closer at Doug Ramsey and his position as Revelation. He also may be denying the desires of Apocalypse himself.
Murder Podcast #2. Written by Jeremy Huan and illustrated by Mike Tisserand. Variant cover B art was done by Mike Tisserand. The murder podcast is still out and causing all kinds of troubles once again.
News from the Fallout #5. Written by Chris Condon with art by Jeffrey Alan Love. This is once again one of the best reads of the month, with some of the most compelling art that builds a tone and mood better than just about any comic out there. There is only one more issue to go and I have no idea where this is heading. That is awesome.
The Last Wolverine #1. Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Edgar Salazar. Cover art was done by Martin Coccolo and Matthew Wilson. I was not sure what this book was going to be, but, it is the Age of Revelation and X years later, anything could happen. So when I saw that the “last Wolverine” was actually Leonard, the teen who had been turned into a Wendigo and who Logan tried to help, I was ecstatic. I really loved that character and I was sad he left the pages of Wolverine. Glad to get him back in this limited series during the Age of Revelation.
Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man #3. “Things Worse Than Death.” Written by James Tynion IV and art by Dani. Cover art was done by Dani & Brad Simpson. Looks like Jack is planning his serum out and he is up to human trials. However, he does not try the formula on himself first, which means there may be another person out there. Another great adaptation of a Universal Monster.
Detective Comics #1102. “The Courage that Kills Part Two.” Written by Tom Taylor and art and cover art by Mikel Janin. Batman has been infected and he has a limited amount of time to find a way to cure himself before major problems come around. Tom Taylor continues to be an exceptional writer, building amazing plots and conflicts for our heroes.
Spider-Girl #5. Written by Torunn Grønbekk with art by Andre Risso & Diogenes Neves. David Nakayama did the cover art. Guest starring Spider-Man, Spider-Girl has to team up with Spidey to try and stop Hijack. Oh, and Rogue shows up too.
Thanksgiving #1. Written by Mark Russell and art and cover art by Mauricet. What happens when that weird uncle at the Thanksgiving dinner admits to being a infamous serial killer? You always suspected right? This was a fun book with a strange group of characters.
Marvel Zombies: Red Band #2. Written by Ethan Parker & Griffin Sheridan with art by Jan Bazaldua. Greg Land & Rachelle Rosenberg did the cover art. The zombies hit the X-Men, the night when Jean Grey first arrived. Jean, Spider-Man, Cap, Iron Man, Jessica Jones try to stop them. What happens when an infected Jean Grey becomes Zombie Phoenix?
The Terminator Metal #1. Written by Declan Shalvey & Rory McConville with art done by Lorenzo Re. Cover art was done by Declan Shalvey (Silver Medalist). Some humans are being protected by a reprogrammed T-800. Is that a good idea? I guess we will find out.
Hello Halloween #1. A special Halloween edition of “Hello Darkness” featuring several stories including R.L. Stein’s Graveyard Club. The cover was done by Frazer Irving. The horror stories are the usual mixed bag.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #12. “The Untying” Written by Jason Aaron an art by Juan Ferreyra. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes. This is the final issue of the run with Jason Aaron and Juan Ferreyra on TMNT. I really enjoyed the 12 issues of this book, and I am not sure if I want to continue with it with a new creative crew. May give #13 a shot and see what I think.
Drawing Blood #9. Written by David Avallone and art by Ben Bishop. Cover art was done by Kevin Eastman. Bookman is back, but in a recovery place (instead of jail). This was an interesting issue of this book and I liked the development.
Justice League Unlimited #12. Written by Mark Waid and art and cover art by Dan Mora. Ten of the time displaced heroes team up to try and help protect the earth and oversee the evacuation of the planet while the big guns are dealing with the KO.
Other Books this week: New History of the DC Universe #4, Green Lantern Dark #7, Predator: Black, White & Blood #4, Harley Quinn #55 (pumpkin spice), Outlaw Showdown #1, Immortal Legend Batman #3, Captain Henry and the Graveyard of Time #1, Silverhawks #9, and Red Vector #3.
Quick Hits: Last week when I picked up the Hector Plasm Bigfoot book, I went to eBay and found one of his earlier appearances in Hector Plasm: Totentanz book from Image. Space Ghost #4 sees Space Ghost trying to prevent a war. The Headless Horseman guest starred in Hornsby & Halo #11. I picked up Mad Magazine #46, which came out last week but I missed it then. It is a magical issue of Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #13. Things are not going well in Orla #3 as she is losing her control. Escape #3 heads back into the war with a dramatic issue. Sisterhood #4 took a turn between Sophie and Violet, setting up the finale in issue five. Absolute Wonder Woman #13 has Diana battling some electrical creature. Maria Llovet’s Artifical #2 finds us back with the android dates. The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos: Children of the Night #4 finds the conclusion with Dr. Jekyll. The eerie story of It Killed Everyone But Me #2 rolls on in its dark path. Speed Racer: Tales from the Road #1 focuses on a tale about Racer X, told in a very original manner and spectacular art design. Then, Predator Kills the Marvel Universe #3 continues to be a surprisingly good read.
This week’s favorite covers feature one variant and two A covers. One of the variants is a cool homage to a movie.
Also-Rans: Thanksgiving #1, Hello Halloween #1, Fantastic Four #4, Space Ghost #4, Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man #3, Harley Quinn #55 (Pumpkin Spice Variant), and News from the Fallout #5.
Bronze Medalist
No Man’s Land #2
Cover art by Szymon Kudranski
A spooky cover using the skull formation mixing in with the snow. Szymon Kudranski is a great artist and I have missed his work. This cover is clearly a standout.
Silver Medalist
Terminator Metal #1
Cover art by Declan Shalvey
The new Terminator series from Dynamite kicked off with a solid issue one cover. The theme of the color scheme really worked with this book. The metallic look makes this a beautifully designed cover.
Gold Medalist
No Man’s Land #2
Variant Cover B
Cover art by Szymon Kudranski
I love the Silence of the Lambs homage for No Man’s Land #2, which lands twice in the metal round. In fact, No Man’s Land #1 was a gold medalist too. Szymon Kudranski had a big return to cover art with this two covers this week.
Good day everyone. We are up to the #175 post for the EYG Comic Cavalcade. Who knew this would last so long. I feel as if I am getting close to getting this back on track to do on Saturday or Sunday. This weekend, I was busy with the October 13, but I think soon the schedule will straighten out. Monday night are never good to do these.
Books this week:
The Monster and the Wolf #1. Written, art and cover art by Mark Spears (Gold Medalist). The blind bags arrived from Kinesport this week and I was able to open all eleven books that I got. Two duplicates. I thought that was pretty good. The covers were all awesome.
Endeavour #1. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art and cover art by Marc Laming. I have been waiting for this DSTLRY book for quite a while. The Endeavour was a ship sailed by Captain Cook and this current day version turns into a “Lord of the Flies” type situation. Looking forward to continuing this one.
Don’t Forget Your Briefcase #4. Written by Eliot Rahal and art and cover art by Phillip Sevy. The penultimate issue of this Mad Cave book came out this week. I have really enjoyed this book so far with this political thriller.
Blue Falcon & Dynomutt #2. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti with art by Pasquale Qualano. Cover art was done by Lucio Parrillo. Blue Falcon is on a rampage, looking for the people who killed his dog. However, Dyno may not be official dead. We continue with the origin of Dyno-Mutt.
Nightwing #131. “Cirque Du Sin. Part 2: Circus Music.” Written by Dan Watters and art and cover art by Dexter Soy. Nightwing and Nightwing Prime are on a training mission but problems are happening. I am not sure if I am a fan of Nightwing Prime. It gives me those Spider-Man/Rek Rap vibes.
The Punisher: Red Band #2. Written by Benjamin Pearcy and art by Julius Ohta. Cover art was done by Marco Checchetto & Matthew Wilson. Punisher is back and he is out to kill everyone he wants. Kingpin is here too and things are nasty.
Unbreakable X-Men #1. “Guarding the Gate.” Written by Gail Simone and art and cover art by Lucas Werneck. I also grabbed the foil cover by Mateus Manhanini. This is a great story of loss and grief as Rogue dies and Gambit has to deal with his grief. I am very pleased that Gail Simone is continuing with one of the Age of Revelation books. I have been quite a fan of her Uncanny X-Men run so far.
Rogue Storm #1. Written by Murewa Ayadele with art by Roland Boschi. Cover art was by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. The Age of Revelation continued with this book with Storm and.. Rogue? Wait, didn’t Rogue just die in the Unbreakable X-Men #1? A cool idea to be able to maintain Rogue in this world.
Sinister’s Six #1. Written by David Marquez and art by Rafael Loureiro. Cover art was done by David Marquez & GURU-eFX. It is the X-Factor team, led by Havok, and they are dealing with Venom. I am not sure which Venom this is, but it was a fascinating book. It is unknown as to which ones are working for which ones.
Iron & Frost #1. Written by Cavan Scott with pencils by Ruairí Coleman. Dustin Weaver did the cover art. They were married once, but now we get to find out what the Age of Revelation holds for Tony Stark and Emma Frost.
One World Under Doom #8. “To Will the God” Written by Ryan North and art by R.B. Silva. Ben Harvey was the cover artist. Doom seems to be winning, battling all of earth’s heroes, but an unexpected collateral damage stops Doom in his tracks.
Captain America #4. Written by Chip Zdarsky and art by Valerio Schiti. Ben Harvey does the cover art. The big slugfest between Cap and Dr. Doom comes to a conclusion here and the “new” Cap goes to the brutality.
Incredible Hulk #30. “The Requiem Plain” Part Three. Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art by Nic Klein. Cover art was done by Nic Klein. The final issue of Incredible Hulk sees Hulk and Banner split apart (yet again) which leads to another, very frightening version of Hulk. This leads to the new series, The Infernal Hulk #1.
Artillery: Weapons of Art #1. Written, drawn by and starring Jimmie Robinson. A new book from a new company. The company is known by Invader Comics. This is an intriguing new book with the concept of art being magical. The writer/artist of the book is also a supporting player in this book. Cool stuff here.
Justice League Red #3. Written by Saladin Ahmad and art by Clayton Henry. Cover art is done by Clayton Henry and Arif Prianto. The plans of Red Tornado continues as they rescue Red Canary and bring in Deadman (YAY!). Now they are heading off to take on Black Adam!
They Choose Violence #5. Written by Sheldon Allen and illustrated by Mauricio Campetella. Cover art was done by Rahzzah (Silver Medalist). This book comes to an end with this issue. This was quite a violent book and was very much connected with race. The covers have been spectacular.
Terrorbytes #1. Written by Mark Russell and art by Felix Ruiz. Juan Doe did the cover art. I had no idea what this book was, but between seeing Mark Russell as a writer and being a new book from Mad Cave, I decided to give it a chance. It was an intriguing new book with a mysterious future with AI. Looking good.
Survive #2. Written by Robert Venditti and art by Doug Braithwaite. Cover art by Eduardo Risso. The Bad Idea comic company has been doing some good work and this thriller involving a sinking submarine is an exciting and dramatic book.
Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe #4. Written by Gerry Duggan with art by Paco Medina and Javier Garrón. Cover art was done by Mark Brooks. We got giant Hulk vs. Godzilla. The Marvel heroes are pulling a whole Power Rangers concept with their giant robot to fight the King of Monsters.
Save Now #1. Written by Matt Kinot and art done by Tomas Giorello. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes. Another new cool book from Bad Idea. This was a story where one of the main characters can travel back in time to redo problems that he faced. It was pretty great.
Amazing Spider-Man #14. Written by Joe Kelly and pencils by Ed McGuinness with Todd Nauck. Cover art was done by Patrick Gleason & Marcio Menyz. I also picked up the variant cover by Lee Bermejo. We are back with Norman Osborn on earth as he struggled to maintain the mantel of Spider-Man.
Hector Plasm: Hunt the Bigfoot #1. Written by Benito Cereno and art by Derek Hunter. Cover art was done by Ryan Ottley & Dave McCaig. I do love bigfoot stories and this is a fun combination of ghosts and more. Hector Plasm is an intriguing character and it feels as if he has had other books prior.
Sonja Reborn #2. Written by Christopher Priest and art by Alessandro Miracolo. Cover art was done by Stjepan Sejic. The new Red Sonja with the mind swap is a fascinating story.
Other books this week: Ghost Pepper #4, Return to Skull Island #4, GI Joe #12, 30 Days of Night: Falling Sun #1, Good as Dead #2, The New Gods #11, Fantastic Four x Gargoyles #1, Superman #30, and Viking Moon #1.
Quick Hits: This week’s Bronze medalist was The War #3, which ended that reprint story from Hello Darkness. Speaking of that, Hello Darkness #15 had two covers this week that I bought including one by Jenny Frison. Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #5 was another final issue for a series. There was a new Christmastime story called Yuletide #1. Charles Soule’s The Lucky Devils #5 carries on as well. DC’s Absolute Flash #8 focused in on Barry Allen and his involvement in the project that led to Wally West becoming Absolute Flash. Everything Dead & Dying #2 continues its zombie story which is unlike most any other zombie story you’ll come across. Apparently, I got that a week late, though I did not realize it. We get some origin of Darkwing Duck in Darkwing Duck #6. Racer X #2 is a bit of a cross over with the last Speed Racer story, which was a weird POV shift. Tama #3 seems to be taking that character and making it antagonistic. The Tama character is very wild at this point. I picked up Titans #28 to give it a chance. I liked the Titans when they were being used in Tom Taylor’s Nightwing run, and I am giving this variation a chance as it moves into the big Darkseid return. Godzilla Escape the Dead Zone #3 finally gave us a shot of Godzilla in the book. Finally, there was Zdarsky Comic News#16 which is always a lot of fun.
It is Friday, not Thursday because my Parent/Teacher Conferences played havoc with my comic schedule.
I received my box of books from Keensport that was the new Mark Spears book, The Monster and the Wolf. It was a blast opening those Blind bags of those books. I really thought that those would all take the top three medal spots this week… and then I went to Bettendorf and found a few other books that changed that choice.
Also-Rans: Blue Falcon & Dynomutt #2, Iron & Frost #1, Sonja Reborn #2, Amazing Spider-Man #14 (Cover B), Hello Darkness #15, Endeavor #1, and Unbreakable X-Men #1 (Variant Foil Cover).
Bronze Medalist
The War #3
Variant Cover B
Cover art by Bjorn Barends
What a beautifully powerful cover with the representation of death. The colors are amazing and work so well. It was a variant cover and I chose this over cover A.
Silver Medalist
They Choose Violence #5
Cover art by Rahzzah
This was the cover that led to the decision to NOT let Mark Spears’ new book own the top three spots. The brutal and bloody cover was as compelling as I have ever seen. In most weeks, this would be the number one book. I mean, look at the blood around the mouth of this person. It is so disturbing and beautifully frightening.
Gold Medalist
Mark Spears’ The Monster and the Wolf #1
Cover art by Mark Spears
I decided to take all of the Blind Bag books and bunch them together as the gold medalists this week. I used the Star Wars homage issue as the example because this is one of the standouts of the books I got. It’s a lot of fun.
Here we go with this week’s brand new EYG Comic Cavalcade. Plenty of books again this week. I’m going to jump right into it as the Dodgers are on in a few hours.
Books this week:
World of Revelation #1. There are three stories inside this book. All of them deal with this new world of Revelation that Marvel is building. The three writers involved with this book are Al Ewing, Steve Foxe, and Ryan North. This new future has started off strong so far. We’ll see how it goes.
Rocketfellers #9. Written by Peter J. Tomasi with art and cover art by Francis Manapul. This gives us a clear look at everything that happened prior to the trip of the Rocketfeller family into the past.
Avengers #31. “Prospero” Written by Jed MacKay with art by Javier Pina. Cover art was done by Cafu & Moreno Dinisio. This Avengers issue featured Kang and everything to do with Kang. No Avengers make more than a few small appearances in this issue.
Spider-Man & Wolverine #6. “Life and Death Choices” Written by Marc Guggenheim and penciled by Gerardo Sandoval. Cover art was done by Kaare Andrews. I spoke about how I have been disappointed by this book because of the way Spider-Man has been written. I think this issue was the best display of Spider-Man of the whole series. This was much better and I enjoyed this interaction of Peter and Logan.
SIKTC: A Monster Hunter Walks into a Bar #1. Written by James Tynion IV and illustrated and cover art by Werther Dell’Edera. This is the collection of the story that appeared in the Hello Darkness series. It is a nice compilation and a beautiful cover.
Transformers #25. Written by Robert Kirkman and art by Dan Mora & Jorge Corona. Cover art was done by David Nakayama. I have the die cut cover too by John Amor and Andres Juarez. A new arc for the Transformers kicks off with this issue, as Robert Kirkman takes over the writing. We have the lines still being drawn between the Autobots, the Decepticons and the human race.
Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and are by Pere Perez. Adam Hughes did the cover art. It seems as if J. Michael Straczynski likes to set stories in the hero’s past. We saw him do that with Captain America, and this book is set back before Peter and Gwen even got together. I am never a huge fan of past stories, but I do like Straczynski’s writing style.
Red Book #1. Written by James Tynion IV and art and cover art by Michael Avon Oeming. The next in the Blue Book series takes a look at the UFO tales in the former Soviet Union. I have always enjoyed these books and this works very well.
Deluge #1. Written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Marika Cresta. Cover art was done by Riley Rossmo. This book is new from Ignition Press and it is pretty cool. It starts off like Orange is the New Black, with a female prison. However when the prison is getting flooded, more tragic things happen. This book has its own “Deep Blue Sea” moment (if you know, you know) as I literally gasped when it happened.
DC KO #1. “Chapter One: Into the Ring” Written by Scott Snyder and art by Javi Fernandez and Xermanico. Cover art was done by Javi Fernandez & Alejandro Sanchez. Darkseid is back. The DC Universe is desperate to try and find a way to stop him. How about a tournament? And you’ll never believe who the first one out is. This had multiple covers and blind bags too.
High Strangeness #1. “Book One: 1967” Written by Chris Condom and Daniel Noah and illustrated by Dave Chisholm. Cover art by Jock. This new series from Oni Press has a new take on UFOs and the Men in Black. It had a very X-Files feel to it and I liked it. I am not sure if this is an anthology series because it did sounds as if issue two might be different.
The Department of Truth #0. Written by James Tynion IV and art by Martin Simmonds. Second story written by Scott Snyder and art by Joshua Hixson. Cover art is done by Martin Simmonds. This special issue of Dpeartment of Truth includes a back up story with the truth about Elvis Presley.
Marvel Knights: The Punisher #1. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and art and cover art by Dan Panosian. The idea of Jimmy Palmiotti and his ability to write crime stories matched up with the Punisher. What could be better?
Strange Tales #1. Written by Jeremy Whitley and art by Bayleigh Underwood. Cover art was done by Bayleigh Underwood & Jim Campbell. Nico Minoru, chased by a dragon, finds herself getting some major help… from the Scarlet Witch.
Author Immortal #1. Written by Frank J. Barbiere with art and cover art by Morgan Beem. A literary story about a failed writer who gets pulled into his favorite childhood story. The art style makes me think about Minor Arcana with Jeff Lemire.
Spider-Man ’94 #2. Written by J.M. DeMatteis and art by Jim Towe. Cover art was done by Nick Bradshaw & Rachelle Rosenberg. This book is extremely well written. I love how this book does feel like an advanced version of the animated cartoon. The use of Morlun is a great fit. And Aunt May’s bombshell was unexpected.
C.O.R.T.: Children of the Round Table #2. “Chapter 2” Written by Tom Taylor and art by Daniele Di Nicuolo. Cover art by Daniele Di Nicuolo & Rain Beredo. Our new kids with their talking weapons need to face what is coming.
Batman: Dark Patterns #11. “The Child of Fire Part 2” Written by Dan Watters and art and cover art by Hayden Sherman. Batman is in bad physical shape but fire is still causing trouble. With Batman nursing his injuries, Gordon tries to get info from Firebug.
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3. Written by W. Maxwell Prince and art by Martin Morazzo. Cover art was done by Martin Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran. I also got the B cover with art by Juan Ferreyra (Gold medalist). Superman is currently in his Superboy form and hanging out with Billy Batson at a amusement park run by Dr. Sivana and Toyman. This has been a fun series so far with the Ice Cream Man crew manning the creative team.
Harley Quinn x Elvira #1. Written by Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti and art by Amanda Conner and Juan Samu. Variant cover art by Mark Spears (Bronze Medalist). The combination of DC Comics wild Harley Quinn and the always sensual Elvira is combustible fun. I am not sure how the DC character of Harley wound up in the Dynamite book, but I am okay with it.
Absolute Batman #13. “Abomination Part Five” Written by Scott Snyder and art by Nick Dragotta. Cover art was done by Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin. Lots of stuff happening in the world of Absolute Batman, including the debut of the Absolute Harley Quinn.
Falling in Love on the Path to Hell #10. “The Winds of Change” Written by Gerry Duggan and art and cover art by Garry Brown. I love this series, but it is such a inconsistent comic. It feels like it just came back on a regular schedule and now it seems as if it is going on hiatus until 2026. It feels difficult to stay in it with the disruptions.
Eddie Brock: Carnage #9. Written by Charles Soule and art by Juanan Ramirez. Cover art was done by Jesus Saiz. Eddie Brock has been captured by the mysterious woman at the Green Phoenix Wellness Retreat. She has a way to end Carnage, and Eddie may be okay with it.
The Unchosen #4. Written by and art and cover art by David Marquez. This is another series that is ending with this issue, though there seems to be a suggestion that The Unchosen would be back in 2026. Not sure what that means, but I did enjoy this one more than the first issue.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers #6. Written by David Pepose and art was done by Eman Casallos. Cover art was done by Chad Hardin. This is another book that feels as if it just came to an end. Captain Planet vs. Captain Pollution.
Absolute Superman #12. “The Battle of Kansas” Written by Jason Aaron and art by Rafa Sandoval. Cover art was done by Rafa Sandoval & Ulisses Arreola. Superman and Lois come to Kansas. The emo Superman is pretty cool here with his special cape.
Other Books this week: Power Fantasy #12, Blood & Thunder #6, Ancestral Recall #3, The Creeping Below #4, Death to Pachuco #1, Absolute Green Lantern #7, Ultimate Black Panther #21, Event Horizon: Dark Descent #2, and Return to Planet Hulk #1.
Quick Hits: This week, Marvel started to amp up its Age of Revelation with four new titles including Amazing X-Men #1, Binary #1, Laura Kinney: Sabretooth #1, and Longshots #1. I enjoyed all four of these new books. The new Boom Studios book Marian Heretic #1 looked interesting. We will see if I continue liking it. I can see my attention being drawn away. The GI Joe universe expanded a bit with Cold Slither #1 which was unexpected. Mary Sue #1 is another new Boom Studios book. Marvel: Black, White & Blood and Guts #1 which uses the word cavalcade on the cover. I was not in love with the new book The Guy in the Chair #1 from Dark Horse. Cul-De-Sac #3 continue its cool vampire action in the Bad Idea comics. Conan the Barbarian #25 felt like a big deal issue. Super Creepshow #1 won the Silver Medal this week thanks to an awesome Dark Knight Returns homage cover. Masterminds #2 takes its second issue with the underground world. The World to Come #3 still confuses me of the continuity to the main Marvel Universe. So does Imperial War: Imperial Guardians #1. I do like the inclusion of Darkhawk, who I have always enjoyed as a character. Then, there were two Godzilla books out this week with Godzilla (Kai Sei Era)#3 and Godzilla: Here There Be Aliens #5.
It is Thursday and that means it is time for the cover of the week. We are nearing the end of 2025, and we have a blow out going on in the cover competition. Unless there is some insane push of an artist doing brilliant work over the next two months, it’s a race for the silver and bronze medal at the end of the year as of now.
This week we have two variant covers from three different comic companies.
Also-Rans: High Strangeness #1, The Department of Truth #0, Marvel Knights: The Punisher #1, Marvel: Black, White & Blood and Guts #1, SIKTC: A Monster Hunter Walks into a Bar #1, Red Book #1, DC KO #1 (two variants from the Blind Bag).
Bronze Medalist
Harley Quinn x Elvira #1
Variant Cover E
Cover art by Mark Spears
Mark Spears with yet another medal in 2025, with this lovely cover featuring two iconic females. Oh, and what exactly is Harley Quinn staring at? Beautiful purple background keeps these two ladies bursting out…
Silver Medalist
Super Creepshow #1
Cover art by Pye Parr
I love this Dark Knight Returns homage cover. The flashing lightning in the background against the dark blue of the evening sky is an iconic image and is extremely effective in the imagery of this cover.
Gold Medalist
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #3
Variant cover B
Cover art by Juan Ferreyra
Saw this variant cover on the stand and I had to have it. Such an awesome image of Superman coming through the years, facing off with the Kryptonite right before him.
I have so many comics this week. Mainly because I went to the special anniversary celebration at In This Issue in Bettendorf and participated in their bag sale. Everything you could fit into a bag they provided for $45. I went both Friday and Saturday, and did a bag each day. Day one I had 90 books in the bag and Saturday, I was able to get 104 books in the bag.
I picked up 10 Amazing Spider-Man Annuals. I grabbed a bunch of Thor Vol. 1 in the 400s. Several cool independents that I never heard before. I picked up a bunch of variant Amazing Spider-Man covers too.
It was a fun couple of days.
New Books this week:
Spider-Man Noir #1. “The Gwen Stacy Affair” Written by Erik Larsen and art by Andrea Broccardo. Cover art was done by Simon Di Meo. I do like me some noir. Spider-Man Noir is even better. I liked this first issue more than some of the previous Spider-Man Noir stories and the arrival of Gwen Stacy is cool.
The Last Day of H.P. Lovecraft #1. Written by Romualo Giulivo and illustrated and cover art by Jakub Rebelka (Bronze Medalist). One of the more interesting new books from Boom Studios. It chronicled the final day in the life of author H.P. Lovecraft, and, of course, Lovecraft is anything but ordinary. Weird and wild and a lot of fun.
Gotham Academy: First Year #1. “First Day of School.” Written by Brenden Fletcher with art by Marco Ferrari. Cover art by Karl Kerschl. New comic that was giving me Wednesday (Netflix) vibes. Olive Silverlock is our protagonist in this new series. I am not familiar with her. I am not sure if I should have been. However, the issue does a nice job introducing her to me.
X-Men: Age of Revelation-Overture #1. Written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Ryan Stegman. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer and Marte Gracia. The next major X-event kicked off with this issue. The consciousness of Cyclops is pulled X years into the future to see the current landscape of the MCU. Doug Ramsey, aka Revelation, the heir of Apocalypse, has become a mutant savior and things are really bad. There are a whole bunch of new X-titles coming out during this event and I hope they are as enjoyable as this one. I am usually not the biggest fan of the alternate futures, but this has been good so far.
Pinupocalypse #6. Written, drawn and cover art by Andrew Tarusov (Cover B- Silver Medalist). So one of the biggest surprises of 2025 came to a close here with a very satisfying final issue. With all of the zombies, UFOs and other things, we have a homage to the Attack of the 50-foot woman. This was such a fun and enjoyable series. Maybe we’ll get some more one day.
Absolute Evil #1. Written by Al Ewing and art and cover art by Giuseppe Camuncoli & Stefano Nesi. I also got the foil variant by Riley Rossmo. A bunch of new Absolute versions of some villains become the Absolute Justice. There was a literal gasp of shock over one big moment. Big book.
Batman #2. “Robin Rides the Black Mariah.” Written by Matt Fraction with art and cove art by Jorge Jimenez. I also picked up the virgin foil of this issue too This issue is focused in on Robin, and the way that the Gotham PD is now going to be treating Batman and Robin. A great spotlight on Robin and his skills.
Rook Exodus #7. Written by Geoff Johns and art by Jason Fabok. Cover art (A & B) by Jason Fabok & Brad Anderson and (Cover C) by Kael Ngu. Rook Exodus is back with the search for the other wardens. Rook encountered some other wardens on the way. It is nice to have this Ghost Machine book back after a long intermission.
White Tiger Reborn #1. “Reborn” Written by Daniel Jose Older with art by Bruno Abdias. Cover art was done by Mike Hawthorne & Federico Blee. I enjoyed the story involving the White Tiger. We get the ghost of Hector following along the White Tiger, his sister Aya Ayala.
Amazing Spider-Man #13. Written by Joe Kelly with art by Pepe Larraz. Cover art was done by Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia. After not seeing him last issue, we go into space with Peter as he tries to keep everyone safe as always. Pete tries to convince the others to remain non-lethal.
Gunpowder Prophets #1. Written by Justin Jordan and art and cover art by Patrick Piazzalunga. A new Mad Cave book debuted this weekend with yet another winner. Huck and Marley are for hire, and they bring the violence. I liked this new pair with Marley being the big bad. I am intrigued to see what is next.
Ultimate Wolverine #10. Written by Chris Condon and art by Alex Lins. Cover art was done by Phil Noto. Wolverine faces off with Omega Red and, in a shocking moment, wins. What’s in the box???? Wolverine pulls a se7en on Omega Red.
Speed Racer #3. Written by David Pepose and art by Davide Tinto. Cover art was done by Alessio Zonno. Speed Racer takes on Racer X. Nuff said.
Vanishing Point #5. Written by Mark Russell and art by Ryan Alexander-Tanner. Phil Hester & Ryan Cody did the cover art. This story had a definite Twilight Zone feel to it. It had a really good twist to it. It was very surprising end and I thought it was great.
Something is Killing the Children #44. “All Her Monsters” Part Four Written by James Tynion IV and illustrated and cover art by Werther Dell’edera. We continue to see an adventure from the history of Erica Slaughter.
Other books this week: Good Devils: Don’t Play Fair with Evil #1, Deadpool/Wolverine #10, DC’s Zatannic Panic #1, Eat Your Young #2, Kill All Immortals II #1, Toxie Team-Up #4, Tales of the Shadowman #2, Ultimate X-Men #20, Red Hulk #9, and Look Into My Eyes #3.
Quick Hits: Our DC criminals continue to plot out their plan to rip off the Justice League in Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League #3. I did not like the new Ghost Rider team up book, Spirits of Violence #1, so i will not be buying that one from now on. I picked up this cool Juggernaut cover for X-Men: The Undertow #1. I have been having a lot of fun with Star Trek: Red Shirts #3. It is a clever concept for a Star Trek series. The Justice League: The Omega Act Special #1 is a major kick off for the next big DC event, trying to save the DC Universe. TexArcanum #3 was one of the bronze medal winners this week as we had a tie. I was not planning on getting Starship Godzilla #1 because it reminded me too much of that horrendous arc when the Hulk was a ship, right after the epic Immortal Hulk run. However, I loved the Star Wars homage cover so I picked it up anyway. I do not plan on continuing it either. Speaking of Star Wars, Star Wars #6 was out this week. Be Not Afraid #4 is a bit confusing, but a good looking book. Sam & Twitch Case Files #18 was a solid book this week and the New Avengers #5 brought the evil Reed Richards clone down. Big week.
Big week this week. We have a tie for the Bronze Medal this week because I just could not narrow it down to three. In fact, there are a bunch of the also-rans that could easily have placed in the medal round.
Also-Rans: Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League #3, Batman #2 (Foil Variant), Starship Godzilla #1 (Star Wars homage variant), White Tiger Reborn #1, X-Men: The Undertow #1 (B Cover variant), Spirits of Violence #1 (C Cover Variant), and Spider-Man Noir #1.
Bronze Medalist (TIE)
The Last Day of H.P. Lovecraft #1
Cover art by Jakub Rebelka
This cover really creates a wonderful mood of this book, featuring one of the great horror, sci-fi, fantasy writers of our time. The red and black background makes this stand out.
Bronze Medalist (TIE)
TexArcanum #3
Cover art by Miguel Martos
I love this beautiful cover of the giant dragon beneath the water, a boat on the surface. The green tint across the cover truly makes this an impressive cover and it builds a curiosity of what is inside.
Pinupocalypse #6
Variant Cover B
Cover art by Andrew Tarusov
The final issue of this surprisingly epic series is a fantastic homage cover to the classic movie, The Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. This gives that place of honor to Foxy. What a wonderful cover, perfect for this series’ tone.
Gold Medalist
Poison Ivy #37
Pumpkin Spicy Variant Cover
Cover Art by Nathan Szerdy
Todd told me about these Pumpkin Spicy DC books, and I specifically looked for this issue. I do not collect Poison Ivy, but look at it. I mean, was an absolutely gorgeous cover.
Trying to catch up after the SiouxperCon last weekend. I think I am pretty close. Most of the films and TV shows are back on track, and I just have to get the Comic Cavalcade back on a regular schedule. I was able to get most everything read and I am ready for the write-up.
Books this week:
Mark Spears Monsters #7. “All That Remains.” Written, art and cover art by Mark Spears. Cover F was the Gold Medalist this week. This comic has a bunch of great covers once again. Every time the book comes out, there are so many excellent Mark Spears covers. I have been enjoying the story too.
Sleep #5. Written, drawn and cover art by Zander Cannon. I actually had this copy last weekend at SiouxperCon when I went to Zander Cannon’s booth. He had an early copy of the book and I got it signed. This week I got the issue from my pull list. This has been an excellent book.
Wild Animals #3. Written by Ed Brisson and art and cover art by Andy Kuhn. Speaking of an excellent book, Wild Animals has been one of my favorite books so far. It is a revenge story that really has me guessing about what is next. Wild Animals has been so fantastic so far that it make me anxious for the next issue.
Justice League Unlimited #11. Written by Mark Waid with art by Carmine Di Giandomenico. Cover art was done by Dan Mora. This issue of the JLU is a prelude to the next big DC event, DC KO, which is expected to lead to the return of Darkseid. If what is happening on the Watchtower is any example, things are not going to be good for our heroes.
The Twilight Zone #1. “Blanks” Written by Dan Watters and art and cover art by Morgan Beem. I was excited about the debut of this new Twilight Zone comic from IDW. I enjoyed this first issue as it had a definite feel as the original TV show did. It was in black and white, which helped create the tone of the series. The story did feel like it ended quickly, but that is something that some Twilight Zone episodes felt like too. A good start for this book.
Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #1. “Stealing Faces & Finery.” Written by Grim Jim Zub with art by Ironclad Ivan Gil. Cover art was done by Roberto De La Torre. This story kicks off with three men from three different eras: Conan, Kull, and Professor John Kirowan. Let’s see where this one takes us.
The Last Starship #1. Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly with art by Adrian Bonilla. Cover art was done by Francesco Francavilla. This was another new IDW book that I just picked up because it was on the stand. I have been enjoying the Red Shirts book and so I thought having this number one would be fun. Then, I really loved the book and the story it was telling. Starfleet was viciously attacked and most of their major starships were destroyed, leaving one more. This was very compelling and surprised me.
Hyde Street #9. Written by Geoff Johns and art by Francis Portella. Cover art was done by Ivan Reis & Danny Miki with Brad Anderson. Plastic surgery can be a great use for horror stories because of how terrible things could be, and Hyde Street uses it as a wonderful bit to make these characters all the more sad.
Escape #2. “No Trees Tomorrow.” Written by Rick Remender with art and cover art by Daniel Acuna. We get some background information prior to Milton’s efforts in the war in Nuropia. Escape is more than just another anthropomorphic comic. It gives me a little feel about Maus.
Spider-Man & Wolverine #5. “Consequences.” Written by Marc Guggenheim and art by Kaare Andrews. Cover art was done by Cory Smith. I had to buy the 1:25 variant because the regular issue was sold out before I could get to it. This was my favorite issue of this series so far because Spider-Man felt like Spider-Man. I have been disappointed with this book, but this issue helped me see Spider-Man in th estory.
The Phantom #1. Written by Ray Fawkes and art by Russell Olson. Cover art was done by Freddie Williams II, who also did the variant cover that won the Bronze Medal this week. The EYG Hall of Fame iconic character The Phantom is back in the new Mad Cave comic. Phantom kicks this off with some great action and new character work.
News from the Fallout #4. Written by Chris Condon and art and cover art by Jeffrey Alan Love. Variant cover art by James Harren. This has been such a good book so far. I love the different art style and the way they present the story.
Ultimate Spider-Man #21. Written by Jonathan Hickman and art by David Messina. Cover art was done by Marco Checchetto & Matthew Wilson. Another issue of Ultimate Spider-Man that does not have Spider-Man. We focus in on Mister Negative here and it is really solid.
The Mortal Thor #2. “Storm Warning.” Written by Al Ewing with art by Pasqual Ferry. Cover art was done by Alex Ross. Sigurd comes out in a massively brutal fighting style. Spinning that hammer around on the chain… whoa. It was remarkable.
All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #2. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Paolo Villanelli. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Marte Gracia. Spider-Gwen has a bit of a temper. I am not sure where that came from but she was blowing up at people throughout this issue.
Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man #2. “Chapter Two: Things Men Should Leave Alone.” Written by James Tynion IV with art by Dani. Cover art by Dani & Brad Simpson. I also got variant cover B with art by Mike Del Mundo (Silver Medalist). Another great use of a Universal Monster character.
Space Ghost #3. Written by David Pepose with art by Jonathan Lau. Cover art by Francesco Mattina. Tarko the Terrible was frozen in a block of ice, and they pulled a Captain America thaw out, bringing the powerful danger to the present day.
Viking Moon #1. Written by Joe Pruett with art and cover art by Marcelo Frusin. How could you ask for more? Vikings and werewolves? I mean…come on. This was way cool. I will continue on with this new Image book.
Black Cat #2. “II: Your Friendly Neighborhood Cat Lady.” Written by G. Willow Wilson with art by Gleb Melnikov. Adam Hughes did the cover art. Superhero Black Cat feels a little weird to Felicia Hardy, but she has been coming across plenty of trouble. And she seemed as if she was drooling over Daredevil (Can you blame her?).
Detective Comics #1101. “The Courage That Kills Part One.” Written by Tom Taylor and art and cover was done by Mikel Janin. A new storyline with Batman kicks off here and Tom Taylor brings the excellence once again. It’s a virus storyline and Batman is stuck in quarantine.
X-Men #22. “Dawning of an Age.” Written by Jed MacKay with art by C.F. Villa. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Marte Gracia. Doug Ramsey comes to join the X-Men. Doug Ramsey is the heir of Apocalypse, going by the name of Revelation. The final shot of the issue shows that things are not going to be good as the Age of Revelation starts next month.
Daredevil #25. “Rites of Reconciliation” Part Six. Written by Saladin Ahmed and penciled by Jose Luis Soares. Cover art was done by John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, and Richard Isanove. This is the final issue of Daredevil, which shocked me. Daredevil and Elektra make a change in their relationship status and they have to fight a brutal Kingpin.
Battleworld #1. Written by Christos Gage with art by Marcus To. Cover art by Leinil Francis Yu & Romulo Fajardo Jr. A group of heroes from different universes are pulled together by Korvac to battle. It was interesting to see these heroes in different places of their lives or different formats of their careers. Maestro is here and I love him. Young Spider-Man. King Thor. Old Hank Pym. Ms. Marvel aka Carol Danvers. Lots of interesting interactions.
Spider-Girl #4. Written by Torunn Grønbekk and art by Andre Risso and Moises Hidalgo. Cover art was done by David Nakayama. Spider-Girl is in action, and her efforts bring out a special guest star, the Amazing Spider-man.
The Thing #5. “The King of Yancy Street” Conclusion. Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Justin Mason. Cover art was done by Nick Bradshaw & Rachelle Rosenberg. The Thing’s little solo adventure trying to protect a little girl comes to its conclusion with this issue. I do enjoy Ben Grimm and he showed his power.
Other books this week: Mr. Terrific Year One #5, Endless Night #4, Predator: Black, White & Blood #3, New History of the DC Universe #3, Sherlock Holmes The Dark Detective: Knights of Frankenstein #3, Emma Frost: White Queen #4, Silverhawks #8, Red Vector #2, and Zdarsky Comic News #15.
Quick Hits: Things are getting tougher for Zach and Rose in Hornsby & Halo #10. Rose is starting to show some of her darkness and anger. Vision & Scarlet Witch #5 brings this short series to a close and we return Vision to his original state. It was nice to see Viv Vision back once again. I am not sure how I am feeling about the Death of Silver Surfer #4. I was not a big fan of this issue. Void Rivals #23 continues its major war and battles between the two worlds. Absolute Wonder Woman #12 introduces us to the Absolute Zatanna and Hippolyta finds out Diana is alive. The futuristic Batman in Immortal Legend Batman #2 was a little less interesting than last issue. Godzilla is bringing the pain and the power into the Marvel Universe in Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe #3. The X-Men give it their all. The Ultimate universe expanded a bit with Ultimate Hawkeye #1 (one shot). The Thunder War concludes in Storm #12 with several guest stars who think they are storm gods. This is another series ending before the Age of Revelation. I do not know if the Storm book returns after that X-event or if it gets a reboot. Far Down Below #5 is a great Mad Cave book that also sees its final issue this week. Blue Palo Verde #4 was really weird this week. I found it to be less engaging as I did before. Then there was more bayou crime action in The Voice Said Kill #3. One more of those to go.
After SiouxperCon last weekend, I am still trying to get caught up. As I type this, I am also watching Marvel Zombies on Disney +. I have no idea when I am going to read this large pile of books.
It was worth it to meet some awesome comic creators.
This week, we have three variant cover winners.
Also-Rans: Escape #1, Space Ghost #3, The Mortal Thor #2, News from the Fallout #3 (cover B), The Twilight Zone #1 (Sorry Todd, not a medalist this week), Wild Animals #3, All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #2, Mark Spears Monsters #7 (cover B), and The Invisible Man #2 (cover A).
Bronze Medalist
The Phantom #1
Variant Cover E
Cover art by Freddie Williams II
I love the color choices on this cover. It grabbed my attention as I already had cover A in my possession. The light purple and webs really work together.
Silver Medalist
The Invisible Man #2
Variant Cover B
Cover art by Mike Del Mundo
How else can you make something invisible? How about an eraser. Such a neat concept and I was really attracted to it. This was another book that I already had the cover A, but needed to own it too.
Gold Medalist
Mark Spears Monsters #7
Variant Cover E
Cover Art by Mark Spears
Mark Spears is back on top. What an awesome Halloween inspired cover. This is a different style than we are used to from Spears and it is very exciting.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 