The penultimate issue of this mini series and Daily Read was the fifth issue by Liam Sharp. Sharp has been extremely excellent in the tale he is weaving with Merlin, futuristic robots, and Arthur.
Once again, the narration is done by Amber and her quippy manner makes this exposition-heavy issue fly by with a better pacing than you would have guessed.
This issue focuses upon Merlin’s problems in the past and Arthur’s aging and his ambition. Because of his ambition, Arthur was losing his main goal, which was protecting magic.
We see Amber and Daryl wind up in the past too, in order to escape the future killer robot. She is naked much of the book.
There is only one issue left, so we will have to see how this will wrap up.
It starts off with Amber facing off with a death robot from the future and, suddenly, Daryl turned into something else as well.
One of the most creative ways this comic has been different than most is the manner in which it presents its material. In this case, the confrontation with Daryl and this death robot is shown in standard comic format, and in the narrative, Amber, who has been out narrator from the beginning, states that she had drawn this confrontation – in order to process her thoughts.
This section of the book was such a departure from the art style, reminding me of the style from issue two. However, this felt more weighty that that did. Part of that is the full page panels that this book was pulling out during this section of the narrative. It felt more important.
Then, it went back to cover more details of Merlin’s life, saying that this needed to be covered or you (meaning the reader) would be confused (she actually said that this would not make any f-ing sense).
The Merlin section in the 5th Century dealt with the Uther Pendragon legend and how Amber stated it actually went down, specifically what led to the birth of Arthur. This section was back to the painting style of the book and included a dense amount of narration. However, this narration is done in such a style that it was easy to follow and entertaining to read.
And it ended up back with Amber, laying naked, and meeting back up with Daryl and she ended the book with the statement that it was not 2022 anymore and asking the question, “Oh God, Daryl, what did I do?”
This is the biggest week pf the year. I have a ton of books that made the first cut for cover of the week. It was a huge challenge to narrow it down to just three, but I have dedicated myself to not having any more ties for the calendar year of 2026.
All three of the medalists have white backgrounds, which is a weakness of mine.
This is huge Also-Ran category this week. A couple of them just barely fell short of the medal round.
Also-Ran: D’Orc #6, Fall of the House of Slaughter #3, Something Epic #13 (Cover B, C), Fantastic Four #14, What If…? Jessica Jones #1, X-Men #33, Mister Nemo #1, Mark Spears Monsters #11 (Cover A, B, D), Of the Earth #3, Space Ghost Annual #1, Minotaur #1, Absolute Green Arrow #3, Arcadia #6, Horror Comics #1, Kingdom of Earth #1, and Assorted Crisis Events #9 (Cover C).
Bronze Medalist
Mark Spears Monsters #11
Variant Cover C
Cover art by Mark Spears
Last year’s Cover Artist of the Year is back with another awesome shark cover. There was a foil cover of a shark for cover B, but this one stood out more for me. The blue color working against the white background really helped this shark to pop off the cover and the water skier in her yellow bikini… well, she is in for trouble. This is a great cover and having it in the Bronze medal tells you what this week was like.
Silver Medalist
Avengers Armageddon #2
Cover art by Dike Ruan & Moreno Dinisio
This one started off down the list of the books this week, but with each swipe past it, it picked up momentum until it finally placed itself as the silver medalist. The face off with Iron Man and Red Hulk inside the cloak of David Colton really is striking. Then, the white background with the slight strip of red beside the title is very attractive. When I first separated out the first round of books, this one was not my choice, but it just got better each time I looked at it.
Gold Medalist
Captain America #13
Variant Cover- Marvel Dimensions
Cover art by Alex Ross
The Marvel Dimensions covers have been awesome, but this black and white cover from Cap #13 is heads and shoulders above some of the others that I have seen. It is a stunning piece of art that I saw on the stands and, despite already having a butt load of books that I was buying today, I had to have it.
So issue three is centered on the building of Stonehenge and Merlin’s part in doing it. It was a fascinating issue that I really enjoyed. This gave us more with Merlin than we had gotten before, which was nice, because I had not felt as engaged with that part of this story as much as I had with Amber.
And it sure seemed as if these two timelines are going to cross now, thanks to Stonehenge.
The art continues to be sensational, beautifully rendered and stunning.
We are half way through the series and it feels as if it is just about to really get started.
The story continued with its dual timelines. In one, Merlin convinces King Aurelius to begin construction on Stonehenge. In the other, Amber reunites with Daryl in Brighton. Little do they know that future Mor-Dreadnaughts are coming for them.
I have really liked the manner in which this story is being presented, even if I find it challenging to follow at times. I like a good challenge and this feels compelling and engaging.
Daryl deserted Amber at a point in the past, returning a year later at Halloween.
The art is fabulous once again. The painting style of Liam Sharp works so well with this book. There were a couple of pages that were drawn more like a cartoonish style, which was quite a divergent path in the book. Those three pages were drawn by Sharp’s daughter, Matylda McCormack-Sharp.
The story continues to feel epic as each issue builds a little more. Issue three tomorrow!
This is the second short series for the Daily Read. Back in March, I did a daily read of the Vertigo series by Gail Simone called Clean Room which went eighteen issues. I read one issue a day and did a write up for each. It has been four months and I have picked up a new (old) series that will work for this.
When I picked up Starhenge Book Two: A Kiss for Atticus #1, I figured that there would have been a previous series. I went to eBay and found the first series. It arrived earlier this week and, I thought this morning, that I could do a Daily Read with the new series.
So I read #1 tonight. I think this has a lot of potential. There is a future character name Merlin sent back to Arthurian times. There are several time frames involved in this story as it seems as if it was being narrated by a woman in the present time named Amber Weaving.
Everything that I have read in this first issue makes me think that this is a real epic story.
The art by Liam Sharp is beautiful. I loved the layout of several of the panels which form a larger pic that I thought was so cool.
I am engaged with the story even though something like this may be a challenge to get into it.
It is time for the EYG Comic Cavalcade. We are all the way up to #211. Wow.
This week, I went to In This Issue on Thursday to kill some time before heading over to Cinemark and, one of the things I grabbed there was, Amazing Spider-Man #107. It was a splurge, but it was something I wanted. I also grabbed a variant cover of ASM #573 featuring Steven Colbert swinging around holding Spidey. I am continuing to work on getting the ASM series. I am down to three issues missing from Vol. 2.
When I picked up Starhenge: Book Two last week, I realized that this series was needing me to read a previous series. So I ordered Book One: The Dragon and the Boar off eBay. I have not gotten around to reading them yet, but it is on the list for this summer. Hopefully, I can read them before the next issue of Book Two comes out.
Comic of the Week
Operation: Iron Coffin #1
Dracula killing Nazis? How awesome is that. There is actually more to this than just that simple premise. Dracula is in a bargain for his life. He made a deal with the devil to return to earth to kill all of the vampires that he sired in exchange for his own resurrection. Of course, the Devil is never a straight shooter, as he pulled an Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) trick and gave Dracula back his empathy.
The first issue was filled with some awesome material and the cover art led to this issue winning a bronze medal this week.
Books this Week:
Black Cat #12. “Between a Glock and a Hard Place” Written by G. Willow Wilson with art by Andres Genolet. Cover art was done by Josemaria Casanovas. The team-up/fight between Felicia and the Punisher has been extremely entertaining. Even if the way they brought them into the same orbit was odd, the results have been spectacular. G. Willow Wilson, who wrote so many classic Ms. Marvel issues, has a great grasp on Felicia Hardy and her life as the Black Cat.
White Boat #3. Written by Scott Snyder with art and cover art by Francesco Francavilla. I had picked up the first two issues of White Boat together about a year and a half ago. I remembering being extremely enthusiastic about the two issues of the DSTLRY book. Then, it never came out. It was finally released this past Wednesday and I barely remembered anything about it. I sure hope that if DSTLRY is putting out series again, that they are not taking months and months between release.
Fury of Firestorm #4. “The Fury- Part 4” Written by Jeff Lemire and art by Rafael Latorre. Cover art was done by Rafael Latorre and Marcelo Maiolo. I also grabbed a variant cover by Mark Spears as well. Truth is coming out as Firehawk confronted Professor Stein over his morally questionable hand in the creation of Firestorm and herself. The Fury of Firestorm has been an excellent book so far and I am looking forward to the finale coming soon.
Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #1. Written by Jude Ellison with art and cover art by Fran Galan. I grabbed a variant cover by Dave Johnson (Silver Medalist). With a DC Studios movie coming out in October, Clayface gets his own mini-series. The book focuses on identity and looked at who this Clayface actually is. The issue includes some body horror, which is something that the upcoming film will be rumored to include.
Daredevil #4. “Tomorrow’s Devil-Part 4” Written by Stephanie Phillips with art and cover art by Lee Garbett. Stephanie Phillips has been kicking butt in this new run on Daredevil. Daredevil faces off with The Owl to get info on the new threat, Omen. I laughed out loud when DD mentioned the name Omen, and The Owl said “You named him?”
Exquisite Corpses: Rascal Randy #1. Written by Tyler Boss with art by Dylan Burnett. Cover A art was done by Dylan Burnett. Cover B art was done by Tyler Boss and Cover F art was done by Javier Pulido (Gold Medalist). The first spin off of the classic limited series Exquisite Corpses finds the stands this week with an origin story of Rascal Randy.
Wolverine #23. “Power Grab” Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Julius Ohta. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian. Wolverine faces off with the Taskmaster, who now has Wolvie’s healing factor. Who is behind the power switch? We find out this issue. Can Logan switch his power back before it is too late?
Uncanny X-Men #31. “The Devil I Know” Written by Gail Simone with art by Jim Towe & David Baldeon. Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio & Matthew Wilson. This is the continuation of the story arc “Mars Needs Mutants.” We get a bunch of the Brood arriving to mess up a student dance. The Outliers remain some of my favorite new characters in all of Marvel.
Bleeding Hearts #6. Written by Deniz Camp with art and cover art by Stipan Morian. I also picked up Cover B with art by Ariel Olivetti. Big events happening in the zombie hunt as Poke and Mush have their big one-on-one conversation and Poke revealed to him that he has a beating heart. Mush did not take it well. This was the end of the first arc of this book, but there are plenty more stories to tell with these characters as Poke is reunited with Rabbit.
Witness Point #1. Written by Heath Corson with art and cover art by Soo Lee. I thought this was written by Nathan Fillion, but it seemed as if he was part of the creators for the book. A murder in a small town normally would not draw the attention of the FBI, but, what if, this was a murder that took place in a small town where a bunch of witness protection witnesses are being housed? That might make a huge change. This is an intriguing Dark Horse book.
Transformers #34. Written by Robert Kirkman with art by Jason Howard. Cover art was done by David Nakayama. The Combaticons launch an assault on the Autobots while Optimus is having a face-to-face discussion about the future with General Flagg. Flagg also gets into a fight with Doctor Henri Arkeville.
Absolute Catwoman #2. “The Yarn- Chapter Two” Written by Scott Snyder & Che Grayson. Art and cover art was done by Bengal. Catwoman sets up an auction to try and trap the thieves who stole from her. It brings her back into contact with her old crew, The Calicos.
Showdown #2. Written by Dave Wielgosz and illustrated by Tadd Galusha. Cover art was done by Steve Lieber & Dillon Shook. This issue follows Harvey Harlowe as he wades through the horrible state of his life. He was blamed for the death of Trish’s little brother and we get to see how he prepared for his showdown with Trish.
Zorro’s Legacy #1. “Dead or Alive” Written by Dan Abnett with pencils by Aaron Lopresti. Cover art was done by Aaron Lopresti & Walter Pereyra. It is present day and the mantel of Zorro has been picked up by Donny De La Vega, a relative of the original Zorro. However, when Donny was badly injured in a battle, his nephew David, who had been training with him and insisting Donny use more up to date weaponry, stepped into the role as a new Zorro for the new world. This gives us a darker, more vengeful Zorro than we have ever seen before.
Baby Garfield #4. “Baby Garfield’s First Bath” written by Ben Clayton and art by Olivia Amoah and “Baby Garfield’s First Road Trip” written by Annie Nishida and art by Kay Davault. Cover art was done by Agnes Esposito. This is the final issue of the four part Baby Garfield series from Boom! that I never would have guessed that I would have enjoyed. But I did enjoy it quite a bit.
Ben 10 #3. “Man of Action” Written by Joe Casey with art and cover art by Robert Carey. The US Army is chasing Ben in his different form and, meanwhile, another alien is landing on the earth in the form of Crab, who is an alien bounty hunter. Things look difficult for Ben and his family.
Altered States: Warlords #2. Written by David Avallone with art by Mariano Benitez-Chapo. Cover art was done by Joseph Michael Linsner. I also picked up the cover D with cosplay by Jacqueline Goehner. While it seemed as if Red Sonja was a goner, John Carter has arrived on Mars. He has a plan on how to rescue Red Sonja.
Barbara Gordon: Breakout #3. “What Am I Missing?” Written by Mariko Tamaki and art by Amancay Nahuelpan. Cover art was done by Karl Kerschl. This issue splits the story into two, with a flashback to Batgirl, Nightwing, Batwoman and Huntress on a mission and the current timeline with Barbara undercover in a prison. Things have gone very poorly for Barbara in the present.
The Rocketeer: Infiltrator #1. Written by Gabriel Hardman with art by Dean Kotz. Cover B art was done by Dave Stevens. I picked this book up off the shelf the other day. I have always enjoyed the character of Rocketeer, but I have not picked up many of his comics over the years. With this one at a number one, I grabbed it to see what it was like. I liked what I saw as we got some Rocketeer under cover at a Nazi movie set.
From Parts Unknown #3. Written by Adriano Ariganello with art and cover art by Daniel Caval. Whoa! Pro wrestling vampires are not an original thought, but they are the only ones that are real. And who saw the end of this issue coming? Not me. I have found this wrestling/horror amalgam book from Pesto Comics extremely fun and engaging.
Seven Wives #2. Written by Zoe Tunnell with art by Tesslyn Bergin-Dicoi. Cover art was done by Keyla Valerio. The murder of Matthew Dunn remains unsolved as Detectives Aguilar and Halwell are trying to figure out what has happened, and how did Dunn’s seven wives play into the case.
Dispatched #1. Written by B. Clay Moore and illustrated by Daniel Gete. Cover art was done by Daniel Gete & Lee Loughridge. Morgan Powers is living under a government-issued alias and he is now a delivery driver. However, his next delivery has more trouble than anticipated. Dispatched has a distinct Die Hard vibe and I was into the first issue. Daniel is a unlikely hero and he struggled with PTSD from his past.
Absolute Batman #22. “The Crooked House” Written by Scott Snyder with art by Werther Dell’Edera. Cover art was done by Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin. Cover C art was done by Brett Bean. Batman and Harley are forced to work together to try and avoid the Robins, who were in pursuit of them. Oh, and the Scarecrow is here too.
Tyler Rake: An Extraction Story #3. Written by Ande Parks and illustrated by Ronan Cliquet. Cover art was done by Declan Shalvey. Tyler Rake is back, heading into what seems like an impossible situation in an attempt to free an individual. Tyler Rake was hiding out, hoping just to live his life, when the government arrived, forcing him back into action.
The Twilight Zone #9. “A Day in the Day in the Life” Written, art and cover art by Juni Ba. This issue of the anthology series was not my favorite one. The art and design of the book is spectacular, but I just could not get into the story.
Vampyrates! #1. Written by Fred Van Lente and illustrated by Luca Pizzari. Cover art was done by Luca Pizzari & Adam Guzowski. I also picked up the Luca Pizzari unlimited virgin cover that supposedly glows-in-the-dark. Vampires and pirates! I mean… am I at the center of that Venn diagram, or what? This was a wild first issue and it sure sets up for a fun run at Boom! Studios.
Speed Racer #10. Written by David Pepose and art by Davide Tinto. Cover art was done by Alessio Zonno. Speed is out of his mind from the V-gas. He is angry and out of control and he is heading into a race through the center of a volcano. Is this the end for Speed Racer, or should all of the other racers look out for themselves?
Circuit Breaker: Adversary of the Daleks #1. Written by Dulce M. Montoya & Dan Watters with art by Roberta Ingranata. Cover art was done by Jay Anacleto. I don’t know where this version of the Doctor came from but she is not any type of Doctor we have seen before. She is bad tempered and snippy. She seems to not care for anyone or anything. Plus, she does not remember much of her Time Lord past. She does not even know the Daleks.
Other Books this Week: Blood & Thunder #15, The Seasons #11, Jeff The Land Shark: Superstar #1, It’s Symbie #1, Fantastic Four: First Foes- Shalla Bal #1, X-Men ’97 Season 2 #2, Did You Hear About Mimi Green? #2, and Strength and Ash #2
Quick Hits: Wanda continues to be a kick ass Sorceress Supreme in Sorcerer Supreme #8. She is off in search of the Extinction King and she is being accompanied by the Sorcerer Supreme of the Quantum Realm. Will sparks fly for the magicians? Bad Idea dropped a one shot called Dingoliath #1 which focused upon a giant monster. This was an easy read as much of the story was told visually. Star Crossed #1 is the new series from Dark Horse written by Mark Millar. The universe’s two best thieves are being pursued by everyone after a brazen robbery. I picked up MASK #2, even though I got a preview copy of this very issue in a blind bag last month. I grabbed a book called Calexit: Say Goodbye to Hollywood #1 but it had the inside cover saying that there were several previous issues that were before. I’m not sure yet if I am going to find these on eBay or just go with this book. Innards #2 shows us the terrors of deep-Earth mining and give us some insight into Boo Wright. I was excited to see Aladdin #1 from Dynamite, but I was not into this book. These Disney Dynamite books are strange. The books that I do not think I will care about grab my interest and those that I feel like are hit for me are not. The team up in Conan & Dragonero #3 continues as they fight a dragon. Just Brutal #4 sets our kids up to face their destiny… but are they ready? W0rldtr33 #21 keeps building intrigue as I am never quite sure what is going on. Hank Howard: Pizza Detective- The Inside Job #1 is a one-shot book from Bad Idea that has several Hank Howard short stories. The, the black and white reprints of Daniel Warren Johnson’s wrestling book Do A Power Bomb! #1 came out this week.
Also-Rans: From Parts Unknown #3, Daredevil #4, Fury of Firestorm #4, Black Cat #12, Tyler Rake: An Extraction Story #3, Exquisite Corpses: Rascal Randy #1 (B cover), Star Crossed #1 (E cover), and Innards#2.
Bronze Medalist
Operation: Iron Coffin #1
Cover art by Tyrell Cannon
Dracula vs. Nazis. So awesome. The great cover by Tyrell Cannon seeing Count Dracula ready to snatch a train. The big red moon in the background is beautiful too.
Silver Medalist
Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #1
Variant C Cover
Cover art by Dave Johnson
This felt like a movie poster cover to me, and I have found those to be some of my favorite ones over the last year or so as there have been a bunch of these. I am also a fan of the white background as I always am. The look of the folds across the cover is cool as well.
Gold Medalist
Exquisite Corpses: Rascal Randy #1
Variant Cover D
Cover art by Javier Pulido
It’s a PEZ! I loved this virgin cover. It was an expensive book but I could not deny it. I could not leave it on the shelf. It is truly a brutal and beautiful and bloody cover.
Happy 250th Birthday to the United States of America. I hope everyone has a fun and safe Fourth of July.
I picked up a lot of Mad Magazine issues from eBay this week, which included, specifically, the one issue that I went looking for. Mad #533 featured “Weird Al” Yankovic as special guest editor, and was full of fun and crazy comedy. “Weird Al” is one of my absolute favorites and I wanted to find this issue. It seemed like it was pretty high priced on eBay, but I found it included in this lot and the total for the seven books was right around the same cost for the individual book. That was a winner for me.
I picked up a few graphic novels/trade paperbacks this week. The graphic novels included a version of George Orwell’s 1984, which was pretty cool. I also grabbed a graphic novel called “Rain” which I mistakenly did not realize that I already owned. Then there was a paperback that collected an Oni Press series called Hellbreak and a DC trade called Superman: Supercorp.
Comic of the Week
Ordained #3
This was a fantastic issue of this series from Bad idea. You could tell that they originally were going to have the series end after three issues, because of the way this wrapped up. The demand for Ordained must have convinced them to tag on a fourth issue, as they have a final section at the very end, almost like a post credit scene, that sets up issue #4. I am not complaining about it at all. I would buy a full-time, ongoing series of Ordained.
The B cover of this week’s book ended up as runner up for the bronze medalist for the EYG Comic Covers of the Week.
Books this week:
The Last Starfighter #1. Written by Benjamin Raab & Deric Hughes with art by Willi Robert. Variant cover D art by Stephanie Hans (Gold Medalist). This is a new Mad Cave series that is a direct sequel to the 1984 cult-classic movie, The Last Starfighter. Alex Rogen is back and his adventures have just begun. This is an intriguing start to a series and Mad Cave has earned my trust.
The City Beneath Her Feet #3. Written by James Tynion IV and art and cover art by Elsa Charretier. I did not think that I was ever going to see the conclusion of this series. DSTLRY has been rumored to be going under and I was a big fan of a bunch of their books. DSTLRY’s downfall made me very sad, but I am excited that this one came out. Hopefully, the company can get back on course or, at the very least, release those final issues of the cool stories that had been started, much like this one.
The Dogsitter #1. Written by Jamie S. Rich and illustrated by Megan Levens. Cover art was done by Megan Levens and Nick Filardi. This seemed to be a straightforward romance story about a woman named Gemma, who has left college and is supplementing her income by walking dogs. I am not sure if there is going to be more to the story than that, but she does meet someone at a party that she takes up with. I kept waiting for the inciting incident, but it did not seem to come. Ignition Press has been doing great stuff lately, but I am not sure this is going to be my cup of tea.
Star Wars-Rogue One: Saw Gerrera #1. “The Price” Written by Marc Bernardin with art by Federico Blee. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Laura Martin. I typically do not buy a lot of Star Wars books, but I saw writer Marc Bernardin on his podcast Fatman Beyond (that he does with Kevin Smith) talking about this project he did with Marvel. I am a fan of Bernardin, so I decided to pick up a copy. I actually enjoyed the book very much, despite not being a knowledgeable fan of Saw Gerrera from the Star Wars franchise. I saw him in Rogue One and Andor, but that was the extent of my knowledge. This was a good read.
Amazing Spider-Man #32.Written by Joe Kelly with art by Patrick Gleason. Cover art was done by Patrick Gleason & Dean White. Spidey has to deal with the arrival of Cormac Crane, Aunt May’s unknown son. He is using his fists to work out some of his anger and frustrations which is a bad thing for Tombstone and the Vulture. How does the death of the Shocker play into Spidey’s rampage? It is all here.
Wade Wilson: Deadpool #6. “Badpools–Part 1” Written by Benjamin Percy and art by Alex Lins. Cover art was done by Geoff Shaw & Alex Sinclair. What happens to the pieces of Wade Wilson that get chopped off? Well, at the current time, they are regenerating into weird little Deadpool-like creatures and are causing trouble for the Merc with a Mouth.
Zorro #2. Written by Howard Chaykin and art by Jorge Fornes. Cover art was done by Stewart Moore. Zorro is on the oceans, sailing with a crew of pirates, and they are dealing with the forces of the French ruler Napoleon Bonaparte. There is one more issue of this short series from Alien Books.
Royals #4. Written by Derek Kirk Kim with art and cover art by Jacob Perez. Good news! Paul and Castor are not dead! They were shot at the end of last issue, but they survived and were separated. With that, the chasm between the brothers has stretched even further. This has been one of my favorite books of the month ever time it is released.
She-Spawn #3. Written by Gail Simone and art by Ig Guara. Cover art was done by Marco Falla. Jessica Priest appeared to be in the past with a job to protect a young kid… Al Simmons??? That is a name that is familiar to the Spawn Universe. Lots of things going on in this series and it is, once again, brought to life from the writing of Gail Simone.
Killer Influences #1. Written by Joey Esposito and art by Valeria Burzo. Cover art was done by David Baldeon & Ki Diaz. A wannabe reporter is on the trail of a local serial killer, but when she finds him, there is a twist in the story that I did not see coming. This is a new book from IDW, under their Crime label.
The Mortal Thor #12. “Worldwyrm” Written by Al Ewing and art by Jesus Saiz. Cover art was done by Alex Ross (Silver Medalist). Donald Blake confronted Sigurd and revealed his “true face” which was thr serpent Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent. What can the “mortal” Sigurd do to stop it?
The Deadman #2. Written by W. Maxwell Prince with art by Martin Morazzo. I picked up three covers of this issue: first cover A by Martin Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran, second cover D by Mark Spears and then finally, cover E, a glow-in-the-dark cover by Steven Subic (Bronze Medalist). Deadman comes to Gotham to find help. He wanted Batman, but the Caped Crusader turned out to be too difficult to possess so Deadman settled for Plastic Man instead.
Fantastic Four #13. Written by Ryan North and art and cover art by Andrea Sorrentino. I have been a huge fan of the Ryan North run of Fantastic Four, but I have to admit, this issue was a stretch. Sue and Johnny pretending to be Ghost Rider to scare their villains is an original thought, but I do not think it worked well for this book. It was funny seeing Reed and Nicki pulling the same trick just to see if they could do it.
What If…?: Secret Wars #1. “What If the Ultimate Universe Survived the Secret Wars?” 616 Peter Parker wound up in the Ultimate Universe, trapped. The battle with the Maker continued and Peter turned up with the X-Men at the end. This was not my favorite What If issues as this felt lacking.
Dead Acre: Black Badge #1. Written by Cullen Bunn and art by Riley Brown. Cover art was done by Riley Brown & Fares Maese. I also picked up a special cover by Darick Robertson hidden behind a red Spoiler/Content warning sheet. This appears to be a comic adaptation of a graphic novel of the same name. I am not sure if the graphic novel is the whole run of what this series is going to be or not. All I know is that I loved this first issue.
The Punisher #6. Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Farid Karami. Cover art was done by David Marquez & GURU-eFX. I grabbed a variant cover D of this issue with the red bloody skull. The Punisher is out and about, doing his personal mission, but there is a sniper shooting at him. That sniper… Collateral Damage.
Iron Man #7. “Super Science.” Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Von Randal. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin. War Machine has returned! It is great to see Rhodey once again and I hope they include him in the ongoing Iron Man book. It is where he belongs.
Sam & Twitch Case Files #25. Written by Thomas Healy with additonial script from Tidd McFarlane and art by Von Randal. Cover art was done by Ig Guara. Sam and Twitch wrap up their latest case, and it feels as if this series is done. I have not heard anything for certain, but the book sure seemed to put a final bow on everything. If this is the final issue, I will miss this book.
Neighborhood Watch #3. Written by Sarah Gailey with illustrations by Haining. Val and Bianca are trying to keep Jill hidden from the police, including her bullet wound. Jill’s “runaway” daughter returned as well and she has something that she knows about this mystery.
X-Men United #5. “Shadow Play.” Written by Eve L. Ewing with art by Eduardo Pansica. Cover art was done by Stefano Caselli and Federico Blee. While the adult X-Men are trapped in a different dimension, Lourdes Chantal and other shadowy threats approach the school, forcing the younger mutants to step up their game. Ms. Marvel is there, but I wanted her to take more charge than they did here. She has a ton of experience from the Avengers, Champions and so on.
Batman #11. “Mutineers” Written by Matt Fraction with art by Jorge Jimenez. Cover A art was done by Jorge Jimenez & Tomeu Morey. Cover B art was done by Dustin Nguyen and Cover F art (Beefcake Batman) was done by Chris Anka. Batman has to deal with the dangerous Anarchy while discovering a criminal conspiracy that will change Gotham’s underworld moving forward.
Batman/Green Arrow/The Question; Arcadia #4. Written, drawn and cover art was done by Gabriel Hardman. I am not sure what continuity this series falls into because it seemed as if Gabriel Hardman was watching the first Iron Man movie since the final scene is reminiscent of it. Arcadia has been a long time coming with this final issue.
The Other/Half #3. Written by Jim McCann with art and cover art by Joe Eisma. Ethan is arrested for the mysterious jewel robbery, but Henry is not ready to give up on his husband. He wants to help so much that he even approached Ethan’s homophobic parents for help, against Ethan’s wishes.
The Shaolin Cowboy: Staying A.I. Live #1. Written, art and cover art by Geof Darrow. A fun new series from Dark Horse returned to the world of Shaolin Cowboy. From my research, this is a character that had been in several other series over the past 25 years. I enjoyed this issue from Dark Horse so I may have to look back into the history of this character moving ahead.
Beast of Boriken #1. Written by Julio Anta with art and cover art by Daniel Irizarri. Puerto Rican activist Loli Flores is involved in a protest to attempt to protect land from developers. During the groundbreaking ceremony, a creature of some sorts was awakened and set free to cause trouble.
100 Bullets: The US of Anger #1. “Chapter One: At Thee I Swing.” Written by Brian Azzarello with art by Eduardo Risso. Variant cover B art is done by Jock. I really liked this format with the black and white pages. It felt like the proper way to present this type of story. This was another one that had an earlier book.
Other Books this Week: Tales of the Shadowman #7, Nights #19, Godzilla (Kai-Sei Era) #12, Catching Hell (Featuring Reggie Bannister) #1, Faceless and the Family #1, Starhenge Book Two: A Kiss for Atticus #1, Masterminds #5, and Malevolent #5.
Quick Hits: Marvel dropped another swimsuit special this week, with the title being Marvel Swimsuit Special: Brand New Beach Day#1. It is not much. There are some great pieces of art involved which is the purpose. The story is meh. As I was going through the pile of comics I bought at In This Issue when I came across Lilo & Stitch 626 #2, which confused me. I do not collect Lilo & Stitch so I was confused as to why it was in my books. I think I figured it out because I was missing Lion King #4. So I think I went to pick Lion King off the shelf and accidentally grabbed Lilo & Stitch. Maybe I was distracted by other independent books on the shelf. I did go back to get Lion King afterward. Comics! The Magazine #5 came out this week that featured an interview with Mark Spears. The Rook universe characters make their appearance this week in the Ghost Machine: The Official Guidebook #4. This is a great book to keep handy when reading rook because some of the issue I have for this series is that I am not sure which character is which. Somehow, I had missed the Energon Universe G.I. Joe #18. I was able to pick that one up to complete the run so far. Absolute Martian Manhunter #12 finished off its run with this issue. Absolute Green Lantern #15 brings us the debut of the Absolute Sinestro. It was another comic that I missed and had to pick up when I went back to In This Issue. Minor Arcana #16 continued with Teresa and her weird magic. Big shock at the end of the issue. Doctor Strange #8 has had a difficult time keeping my attention at this point. There was a lot of Angela in this book. Challengers of Doom: Mr. Fantastic #1 came out and showed a beginning of the relationship between Doom and Reed Richards. I picked up the Peach Momoko cover for this issue. American Mythology Productions released a new version of Return of the Living Dead, which was a mini series a couple of years ago. It was Return of the Living Dead: Untold Tales of the Tarman #1. It might have been a one-shot, but it is left off with a cliffhanger that feels like it was a start. I guess we’ll see. Babylon Cove #2 saw the story of Heather Hutchens returning to her hometown continue with some major problems. I liked this issue more than the first one. Finally, Ripcord #4 was pretty bloody and violent this month and I am not a fan of this issue.
Big week of books this week. It was difficult to narrow it down to just three, but I wanted to make sure I avoided any ties since that week a few weeks ago when we had three ties.
Also-Rans: Ordained #3 (A cover), Ordained #3 (B Cover), 100 Bullets: The US of Anger #1 (C Cover), Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #4, Marvel Swimsuit Special: Brand New Beach Day #1 (A Cover-wraparound), The Deadman #2 (A Cover), The Deadman #3 (D Cover-Mark Spears), Neighborhood Watch #3, The Punisher #6, Babylon Cove #2, Marvel Swimsuit: Brand New Day #1 (E Cover), Dead Acre: Black Badge #1, and Comics! The Magazine #5.
Bronze Medalist
The Deadman #2
Variant Cover E- Glow in the Dark
Cover art by Steven Subic
I was picking this book up for Todd at In This Issue and I just could not leave it out of my own collection. I did not know it was a glow-in-the-dark issue. It was just so beautifully disturbing with the stunning black and white and the image of Deadman in the center of the cover.
Silver Medalist
The Mortal Thor #12
Cover art by Alex Ross
Alex Ross is one of the masters of covers and this one with Thor and Sigurd crawling out of the eyes of Donald Blake is creepy. Then, the green shading of the cover is really something you do not see on a cover often. This one is a standout.
Gold Medalist
The Last Starfighter #1
Variant Cover D
Cover art by Stephanie Hans
I went to pick up the A cover of this new book from Mad Cave, but I put it back on the shelf when I saw this cover. I loved this cover and its dark, shadow across the character with the beautiful stars and space in contrast behind him… just spectacular.
June is nearing the end, and here is the newest EYG Comic Cavalcade!
Thanks to Todd for bringing me a whole bunch of What If Vol. 2 issues. I do love the What If series and I am pleased to have them.
Comic of the Week
Narco #4
I believe this book has really begun to hit its stride as Marcus has realized that he is really being framed for murder, and he has started to figure out what is happening. Marcus is one of the most original and unlikely lead character that you are going to see in a comic.
The B cover is one of the Favorite Comic Covers of the Week, taking the Gold Medal for its Hitchcock homage cover.
Books This Week:
Ultimate Endgame #5. Written by Deniz Camp with art by Terry & Rachel Dotson and Jonas Scharf. Cover art was done by Mark Brooks. The finale issue of this series and the entire Ultimate Universe came through this week. I had some problems with this ending. The Ultimate Endgame started out with such fire and it has petered out so badly. Then, I was surprised how this book ended… it was such a happy ending that it did not feel right.
Ultimate Universe Finale #1. So this is a wrap up for all of the separate characters of the Ultimate Universe, seeing where they were left at the end of Endgame. Again, this just did not feel right. I kind of wish that the end of the Ultimate Universe would have been kept secret and the end would just catch everyone off guard.
Nectar #4. Written by Jeremy Robinson and art by Annapaola Martello and Francesco Francini. Cover art was done by Chris Shehan. Nectar finished up with a fiery end as Pastor Grant rampaged across the island. I loved the series and it sounded as if the butterflies are returning at some point in the future. Until then, this will have to serve for now.
Wolverine #22. “Doctor’s Orders” Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Julius Ohta. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian. Wolverine’s healing factor is messed up again, but it seems as if someone has stolen it from Logan… and has given it to Taskmaster.
Venom #259. Written by Al Ewing and art by Carlos Gomez. Cover art was done by Carlos Gomez & Frank Martin. I have been picking up the Venom book during the crossover with Spider-Man, but I am not sure how I feel about the new Venom (with Mary Jane) and whether I wanted to keep picking it up. I wasn’t going to buy this, but I broke down. I am still not sure if I care about the Queen in Black which is coming soon.
Captain America #12. “Hell’s Angel” Part 1. Written by Chip Zdarsky and art by Valerio Schiti. Cover art was done by by Valerio Schiti & Romulo Fajardo Jr. Captain America is in Hell and he is teaming up with Doctor Doom to try and stop Mephisto. Then, the last panel saw the return of the Red Skull. Zdarsky’s run on Cap has been excellent so far and the Hell story is very compelling.
Doomquest #2. Written by Ryan North and art by Francesco Mobili. Cover art was done by Alex Ross. Doctor Doom is stuck in a loop on the Titanic. This was a lot of fun and one of the more original ways to use Doom. Ryan North continues to be one of the best writers working Marvel today.
The Twilight Zone #8. “Hollywoodland” Written, illustrated and cover art by Gabriel Hardman. This is a great issue. The Twilight Zone comic has been sensational every issue and each story feels like a story that you would have seen on the original TV show.
Feral #24. “Chapter 24: Breakout” Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Trish Forstner & Tone Rodriguez. Cover art was done by Trish Forstner & Allen Passalaqua (Silver Medalist). The cats and the dogs are running around the pound as the doctors are trying to cure the rabies disease. Feral continues to be one of the best books around.
Universal Monsters: Blood of the Wolfman #1. Written by Joshua Williamson and art by Leomacs. Cover art was done by Leomacs & Pip Martin. The latest Universal Monsters book is Wolfman and I love the first issue as they begin to set up the Wolfman. It seemed as if they are setting up a legacy.
Corpse Knight #3. Written by Michael Chaves with art by Matthew Roberts. Cover art was done by Matthew Roberts & Rico Renzi. Foy is poisoned and her undead father has to save her. Corpse Knight is a solid fantasy book from Image.
White Sky #4. Written by William Harms and art and cover art by JP Mavinga. Violet and Walter have arrived in San Francisco only to see that it is destroyed. There are a lot of scenes with white. This has been a solid book so far, but it does feel like it needs to start progressing soon.
Justice League Unlimited #20. “Escape from Power Planet: Part One” Written by Mark Waid and art was done by Dan Mora & Fico Ossio. Cover art was done by Dan Mora. The title of this was “Escape from Power Planet” but we only spend a few pages on Power Planet with Metamorpho, Guy Gardner and Hawkgirl. Most of the issue is spent battling a Brainiac on the Watchtower with Luthor causing trouble.
A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #4. Written by Phil Hester with Pencils and cover art by Ryan Kelly. This movie based series has been really good. It seems that Lonnie has finally proved to the other citizens of the town that these aliens are really dangerous and that they have to do what they can to protect themselves. This has worked well in the IDW series.
Hornsby & Halo #14. Creators are Peter Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg. Cover art was done by Peter Snejbjerg. The second part of the Unbelievables crossover sees the Trillion Dollar Kid, aka Tommy Townsend III has come to Warwick in search of other Unbelievables, specifically Zach and Rose. They team up to find out if Tommy’s parents are in Heaven or hell.
Detective Comics #1110. “Flight Part Four” Written by Tom Taylor with pencils and cover art by Mikel Janin. Batman, Green Arrow and Black Canary are out to try and help a young girl, the daughter of a former teammate of theirs, Prion. Oh, and the young girl is a trained assassin.
The Infernal Hulk #8. “Beasts of the Sanguine Tree” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with art by Adam Gorham. Cover art was done by Nic Klein. I also grabbed the Alex Ross variant. Bruce Banner is back with the Avengers, but he has bad news. Their idea to take on the Infernal Hulk with the original Hulk won’t work because Banner says he is now immune to Gamma rays. What is going to happen next? Whatever it is, it is with the help of Brother Voodoo.
Spider-Versity #3. Written by Jordan Morris & Joe Kelly with art by Rafael Perez & Granados. Cover art was done by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Lorenzo Ruggiero & Dean White. Norman runs the Spiders through a practice session based on the Ringmaster, and, lo and behold, someone using the powers of the Ringmaster showed up. Suspicious.
X-Men #32. “Anomaly” Part 2. Written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Tony S. Daniel. Cover art was done by Tony S. Daniel & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. The X-Men’s science team is forced to deal with gravity anomalies while being targeted by Department H. So they decide to unleash Magneto. Hm… sounds like a recipe for chaos to me.
Flash #34. “The Speed Was Power, the Speed Was Joy- Part IV” Written by Ryan North and illustrated by Gavin Guidry. Cover art was done by Gavin Guidry & Adriano Lucas. Flash goes to Mr. Terrific to try and figure out about his “flashes of insight.” They seem to lead him to Gorilla Grodd.
The Eye Collector #1. Written by Jonathan Ball with art and cover art by G.M.B. Chomichuk. A weird and wild new horror comic from Image, we get a strange ancient being that has their curiosity over earth reignited by wishes made by the Apollo 10 crew. This is a bizarre book. I’m curious about it as well.
Void Rivals #31. Written by Robert Kirkman and art by Conor Hughes. Cover art was done by Lorenzo De Felici. This Void Rivals issue is a stand alone book featuring the character of Skuxxoid. In the letter page, it says that Skuxxoid tied Megatron as the Energon character with the most standalone issues. This book as a feel like Saga. And I am excited about the debut next issue in the Energon Universe of Rom.
Absolute Superman #20. “Up, Up and…” Written by Jason Aaron with art by Rafa Sandoval. Cover art was done by Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola. Superman teams up with Hawkman and Steel in an attempt to defeat the Absolute Black Adam/Shazam. There seemed to be a special amalgam going down in the last panel that looked absolutely awesome.
Absolute Wonder Woman #21. “Friends & Neighbors Part 1 of 2” Written by Kelly Thompson with art by Dillon Snook. The cover art was done by Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire. Diana heads back to the Underworld in search of Circe and her mother. Then, Barbara Minerva has to make a decision about the powers of Cheetah.
Hidden Springs #2. Written by Rob Williams and art and cover by Nil Vendrell. The giant baby Kaiju is being pursued by the military and the group of elderly retirees are forced to try and save the kaiju. Hidden Springs has been a fun book so far and you would not expect some of the things that are going on. Teh protagonists are fun and unlikely heroes.
Escape #8. Written by Rick Remender with art by Daniel Acuna. I got cover B which was done by Cary Nord. Milton finds himself in a real bad place as he has signaled the air raid of the town, but the family that he has been staying with feels betrayed. Escape is a tense comic with fuzzy animals.
Is Ted Ok? #5. Written, drawn and cover art by Dave Chisholm. This issue is full of exposition, but it gives us the background and history behind Ted. There are flashbacks, revelations and truths flying all over the book, setting up next issue’s finale.
Generation X-23 #5. “A Numbers Game” Part 5. Written by Jody Hauser with art by Marco Renna. Cover art was done by Partha Pratim Sarkar & Romulo Fajardo Jr. Laura and Gabby get the X-numbers out of Faculty 23 and they are apparently teaming up. However, there are a couple of wild cards in the mix.
Gotham Academy: First Year #5. “Chapter 5: We’ve Been Here Before.” Written by Brenden Fletcher with art by Marco Ferrari. Variant cover b Annie Wu. Olive gets trapped in a loop while searching for her mother. The whole issue was very dreamlike and I was not sure what exactly was happening. Batman is here so I am sure everything is gonna be ok, right?
Barbarian Behind Bars #5. Written by Elliott Kalan with art and cover art by Andrea Mutti. What a horrible way to end this series. There is an absolutely wicked cliffhanger at the end of the story that left me unhappy about what I just spent five issues reading. I do not know if there is more of this book coming down the line or if the old “THE END?” thing was just a mean trick. It definitely tainted the final issue.
Terrorbytes #7. Written by Joseph Sieracki and art and cover art by Maxi Dall’o. The story of Donald Drummer and his life is very compelling in this issue. I am not sure what happened in the end, but I was engaged throughout this anthology book.
Bludwire #1. Written by Paul Allor and art by Ermitis Blanco. Cover art was done by Victor Ibanez. Ace and Zora are two sex bots who go on the run from their corporate owners. This is an interesting new comic from Mad Cave.
Other Books This Week: Moonstar #4, Honor and Curse: Eternal #4, Red Roots #3, American Caper #8, In Your Skin #3, Planet Atmos: Exordium #3, and Conan the Barbarian #32.
Quick Hits: Kevin Smith’s Bizarro Year None #2 came out this week. I heard Smith promote this book on Fatman Beyond. It is an intriguing issue. The Hab #3 from Bad Idea is the Bronze Medalist this week in the EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week. We get even more fun from the wild book from Titan Comics called Rafael Garcia: Henchman #4. Racer X #8 came to a close with this character, who I suspect will still appear in Speed Racer’s book. Punisher is the focus of Reborn Ultimate Impact #2 as he faces off against some of the new villains/heroes??? created by the boxes Miles lost. I’m not sure how I feel about this book right now. We go into the past once again as the X-Men: Outback #1 came out. I must say that I liked this roster of X-Men, especially with Longshot and Dazzler involved. Mind MGMT: New & Improved #1 by matt Kindt came out this week. I picked up a blind bag for this issue as well… I am a sucker for blind bags… and I got a 3D variant of the book. 51 #4 from Mad Cave released this week as we have some alien tech that gives people super powers. Exploit #4 finished up as they were able to reveal all the details behind Kincade’s crooked schemes, and then sent him to Estonia. The video game-like comic Final Boss #7 came back with a new issue this week after a short break. Pretty Hate Machine #3 was extremely intense this week as there are some brutality going down. Speaking of brutal, The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery#5 saw Ezra in a blimp, trying to avoid Nazis. It gave me Last Crusade vibes. Alice Forever After #4 from Boom! Studios asks the question about Alice’s mental health.
Also-Rans: Captain America #12, Infernal Hulk #8 (Alex Ross variant), Gotham Academy #5 (B cover), Doomquest #2, The Twilight Zone #8, Blood of the Wolfman #1, and Nectar #4.
Bronze Medalist
The Hab #3
Cover art by Charlie Adlard
This is such an awesome cover with this monstrous creature with some green stuff and those bloody teeth. This is such a dominant looking cover. Love it.
Silver Medalist
Feral #24
Cover B Variant
Cover art by Trish Forstner & Allen Passalaqua
It was another of the classic horror movie homage covers that is just awesome. I love every one they do, and this one is no exception. Colors are great.
Gold Medalist
Narco #4
Variant Cover B
Cover art by Daniel Hillyard & Dave Stewart
Another homage cover as this one is an homage for Alfred Hitchcock. So much creativity on this cover and the body shadows floating around Marcus like the Birds. Love it.
New banner this week, getting rid of all those butterflies on the old one. Still very much fun making these, trying to hit upon important books from all of the publishers.
eBay sent me several Amazing Spider-Man books this week as I continue to try to complete my Vol. 2 collection. I have several more in the mail on its way, leaving me with three issues. With those three exceptions, I’ll have issue #195-today of Amazing Spider-Man soon. Too cool.
Comic of the Week
Rom #1 (Skybound)
I may be cheating this week as the Comic of the Week actually came out inside the MASK blind bags from a couple of weeks ago, but I just received my copy from eBay today and I loved it.
I was an old fan of Rom during the Marvel years and I was really excited to hear that Rom was joining the Energon Universe at Skybound. I wasn’t sure if this was just a Rom cover of the MASK#1 or if it were its own book, but when I scanned through the book after opening the packaging, I could tell that this was its own story. I loved that too. Rom has some adjustments from Robert Kirkman which work well and the new character “Carpet” is a fascinating addition. I can’t wait to see the mystery of Rom unfold moving forward in Void Rivals starting in issue #32.
Books This Week:
Land of Never #1. Written by Steve Orlando with art and cover A art by Miguel Mora. Variant cover B art was done by Sebastian Piriz. Jim Hoke’s daughter Wendy has been missing for years. Hoke believed that he saw a hulking figure take Wendy out of the window, but no one would believe him. In fact, Hoke is a suspect in her kidnapping. We’ve got some Peter Pan stuff going on here and I am here for it.
Something is Killing the Children #48. “All Her Monsters” Part Eight. Written by James Tynion IV with art and cover art by Werther Dell’Edera. We continue into the past with young Erica Slaughter trying to understand the hardest part of the House of Slaughter, killing off the witnesses, even if they happen to be children. Is the tragedy stoppable?
Amazing Spider-Man #31. Written by Joe Kelly with art by Patrick Gleason. Cover art was done by Patrick Gleason & Dean White. We get the TALK here. How can it be possible that Aunt May has an actual child with Ben Parker? This story goes back and forth between the story of May and her unknown birth and Spidey battling Vulture and Tombstone. This is one of the biggest, most major retcons to Spider-Man in the last few years. He has an actual cousin. How will this affect Peter Parker?
Uncanny X-Men #30. “Mars Needs Mutants” Written by Gail Simone with art by Rogê Antonio. Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio & Matthew Wilson. More wild mutant action from the pen of Gail Simone. This has been one of the most consistent X-Men books of all and I have a huge respect for Gail.
Nightwing #139. “The Waterfront” Written by Dan Watters with pencils by Denys Cowan. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes. Nightwing is still struggling to overcome his guilt over the highway incident from a few issues ago. With the new highway going through Bludhaven, a bunch of bodies show up in the water. Nightwing found a way to investigate these deaths which leads him to a church. This was a great issue and Nightwing is struggling with himself.
Of The Earth #2. “Chapter 2: Red Zone.” Written by Andrew Ehrich & Chris Condon with art and cover art by Charlie Adlard (Gold Medalist). The oil company sent a representative to investigate the strange things at the Winters’ Ranch. Chris Condon has become one of my favorite writers in comics today. He knows how to tell a story and build that mysteriousness and tension.
X-Men United #4. “Ancient Orc Oaken Arclight” Written by Eve L. Ewing with art by Tiago Palma. Cover art was done by Stefano Caselli & Federico Blee. I also picked up Cover C with art by Kris Anka (Bronze Medalist). The X-Men are doing a mysterious campaign… much like D & D, only in the X-Men style, they are actually doing it. Deathdream is in the group in the campaign and I do love that character.
Dog Tag #2. Written by Mark Russell with pencils by PJ Holden. Cover art was done by PJ Holden & JP Jordan. We follow Tom into his new assignment… leading a troop of survivors of D-Day into Europe on missions. The mission, go into the town St. Lo to see if the Germans have deserted it. Once they, they have to face their own moral thoughts. Dog Tag has been great the first two issue and another awesome Mad Cave book.
If Destruction Be Our Lot #2. Written by Matthew & Mark Elijah with art by Andy McDonald. Cover art was done by Andy McDonald & Francesco Segala. The Lincoln robot is out in trouble. After seeing a “human” at the end of last issue, the belief is that he is malfunctioning and requires a reboot. Maintenance is a horror show and ABE is on the run. The creativity is off the charts with this Image book.
The Trillion Dollar Kid #1. “Who are the Unbelievables? Part 1 of 4” Written by Geoff Johns & Peter J. Tomasi with art by Stefano Simeone. I grabbed cover B and its art was done by Ivan Reis, Danny Miki & Brad Anderson. The new book from Ghost Machine debuted this week, tying together the other books from this title including Hornsby & Halo and The Rocketfellers. Tommy Townsend is on quest to find thee other “Unbelievable” and it starts in this issue. Crossover alert!
Absolute Green Arrow #2. “The Longbow Killer” Part 2. Written by Pornsak Pichetshote with art by Rafael Albuquerque. Cover art was done by Rafael Albuquerque & Marcelo Maiolo. The wildness of the Absolute Green Arrow is huge. I loved this series, with how dark and mysterious it is. I am clearly not sure what is going on or who is doing this, and I love that.
Absolute Flash #16. “Gorilla City Part 1 of 2” Written by Jeff Lemire and art by Haining. Variant cover B art was done by Taurin Clarke. Wally and Grodd are reunited. Not sure that is a good thing. This Absolute Flash is excellent every issue. It is one of my favorite Absolute books every week. Good characters and fun story.
Absolute Batman #21. “The Straw Man Part 3” Written by Scott Snyder and art by Nick Dragotta. Cover art was done by Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin. We get the Absolute version of Two-Face this issue. Two Face is seen with shadowy figures from Bruce’s friends, who all seem to be villains. Oh, and there is the Joker (I think it was Joker..)
G.I. Joe #23. Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Andrea Milana. Variant cover G (B&W) was done by Tom Reilly. The Baroness and Destro have to team up and we get the secret origin of Risk.
Redcoat #18. Creators are Geoff Johns & Bryan Hitch. Variant Cover B art is done by Leonardo Colapietro. The truth comes out for Simon Pure. He tells his wife his own personal history and it might have cost him his family. Meanwhile, men of George Washington have captured Benedict Arnold. This is a dark moment for Simon and feels like the “Empire Strikes Back” part of the story. Redcoat is an outstanding book.
Wonder Man #4. “The-Four-Oh-Five” Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Laura Braga. Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio. So…umm… Simon Williams and Patsy Walker take their relationship to new heights. Yes, they get naked and have sex… while flying in the air among the clouds. It was not what I expected to see in this book.
Imperial Guardians #4. Written by Dan Abnett with pencils by Eduardo Pansica. Cover art was done by Sean Izaakse & Nolan Woodard. The gimmick of having the members of the team addressing the world via camera, much like a reality show (like Big Brother). This is a great way to inject humor into the story as well as allowing the readers to know info that the rest of the cast does not. It is a clever addition to this comic.
The Punisher #5. “Under his Skin” Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Jose Luis Soares & Sergio Davila. Big battle issue as Frank squares off with Jigsaw. The brutality of their fight is what carries this issue through as much of the art is just panels of the two of them engaging in violence. The new Punisher book has been solid since its return to Marvel.
Drawing Blood #11. Written, drawn and cover art by Kevin Eastman. I loved this issue. Of course, I barely remember Drawing Blood, a 12-issue series, that debuted in April 2024. Issue #10 came out in January of 2026 while this issue came out in June. The length between these issues are really making it tough to maintain any real momentum for the book. It takes most of the first half of the story to refresh what everything that has happened. Only one more issue to go. I wonder what month it is scheduled to be released in?
Excommunicated #2. Written by Jeremy Robinson with art by Tiago Palma. Cover art was done by Flaviano. I also picked up the Unholy Body Bag (polybag) variant cover which was done by Tyler Crook. Former nun Josephine has to team up with the demon Edimmu to avoid an attack. That decision does not make things better for Josephine, as Vatican officials are on the case. Excommunicated, from Vault Comics, has been a welcomed addition to the horror comics that are all across the landscape of comics these days.
War Wolf #6. Written by Steve Orlando and art by Marco Perugini. Cover art was done by David Talaski. This issue gives us the true story of Bruin and how he stopped the original invasion of the Oorts. Apparently, the Bear is nowhere near as much of a hero as he had presented himself as. Can The Bear step up for earth for real this time? Who knows, but War Wolf has been a solid book from Mad Cave.
Kill Switch #2. Written by Sophia Bank & Don Handfield with illustration by Gabriel Ibarra. Cover art was done by Erwin Arroza & Gabriel Ibarra. It sure seems that everybody can figure out that Atlas is not Detective Kate Sloan. That included Agent Perez who apparently the real Kate Sloan. Mind f*cks galore in this Massive Comics series.
Other books this week: Deadly hands of K’un-Lun #5, Star Trek: The Last Starship #8, Justice League: Dream Girls: A DC Pride Event #1, The Beauty #6, Inglorious X-Force #6, Sorcerer Supreme #7, Absolute Green Lantern #15, and Supergirl: Survive #1
Quick Hits: I am a sucker for blind bags. I picked up the Marvel 616 blind bag this week, which included a black and white version of Doomquest #1 and a facsimile of Iron Man #149. There was also a Doom paper mask inside, which was fun to wear and yell “KNEEL BEFORE DOOM!” Not that I actually did that…. um… moving on. Hello Darkness #22 featured a new ongoing story from Ryan North of FF and Flash writing. I also grabbed a variant virgin cover that was the Silver medalist this week. Odin #2 came out this week and is just as wild and confusing as last time. You really have to give it James Tynion IV with forcing people to really check in with his writing. Big anniversary issue came out this week with Mad #600 with a great cover from EYG Hall of Famer Sergio Aragones. More deaths happening in Dead Teenagers #4 from Oni Press. And even more deaths in Smile: For the Camera #4. Tough time to be a model in that book. Two other Spider-Man books, besides Amazing, came out this week with Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1 where he faces off with Hulk and the Punisher for the Cosmic Cube, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day #2 where Spidey has to work alongside the Punisher. Paul Chadwick’s Concrete: Stars Over Sand #1 came out from Dark Horse this week, bringing Concrete back from Chadwick’s original series from the 1980s. We get the next What If book with What If…? The Mighty Thor #1 where Thor got the Venom symbiote in Secret Wars instead of Spidey. I like the fact that these What If books recently have Uatu back watching things. He was missed in the What If books like the Disney ones where the Watcher was not involved. What If is synonymous with the Watcher. Megalith: The Olympus Saga #2 gives us more giant megalith action from Bad Idea. When does a kidnapping become too much of a problem? When it is a kid? End of Life #5 sees h0w that plays out. A new one shot The Phantom vs. The Red Dragons #1 dropped this week and actually has a continuing story into an0ther one shot next month. I guess they were allergic to issue #2. The final issue of Magik & Colossus #5 came out and wrapped up this story for the Rasputin siblings. Then Bloodland #4 from Ignition Press has some head chopping goodness.
This week, I decided to make sure that we only had three medal winners this week instead of having ties for each medal like last week. That was just excessive.
Also-Rans: Odin #2, Absolute Batman #21, GI Joe #23 (B&W variant), Something is Killing the Children #48 (variant cover B), The Trillion Dollar Kid #1 (B Cover), Land of Never #1, Dog Tag #2, Nightwing #139, Smile: For the Camera #4.
Bronze Medalist
X-Men United #4
Variant Cover C
Cover art by Kris Anka
Woof.
This is an absolutely stunning cover featuring Emma Frost. I have always enjoyed the white background and … I mean… look.
Silver Medalist
Hello Darkness #22
Variant Virgin Cover
Cover art by Anwita Citriya
So very creep and a beautifully demented cover with the red tint makes the decapitation so much fun.
Gold Medalist
Of The Earth #2
Cover art by Charlie Adlard
Another beautifully creepy cover. I loved the look of the bird flying across the sun. The creepy hand coming out of the ground is great.
Another big week of books. I spent three hours at Comic World on Wednesday with no electricity. We had a couple of days of big storms in the area and the storm in Dubuque that day led to the lights going out. Thankfully, I was still able to get some read thanks to my seat by the window. Natural light worked great. The storm was quite powerful though. The lights came back on just before they intended to close up shop.
I have picked up several Marvel Team-Ups this week. Todd got me a few and I picked some up at eBay. I am still waiting on #53, but once it arrives I will have the volume one of Marvel Team-Up completed. I have been working on it over the last couple of years and now that it is nearly completed, I am excited.
Book of the Week
Wolverine #21
While there are several big time books out this week (MASK #1, Avengers Armageddon #1, D’Orc #5, Absolute Catwoman #1 etc.), I decided to pick a book that had one of my favorite stories, one that was small and enjoyable.
Wolverine #21 features Nightcrawler forcing Logan to go on vacation. While on vacation, they run across Absorbing Man and Titania, also trying to be on vacation. Of course, fisticuffs ensue.
It is such a fun little story, which felt great after such a major arc with Adamantine. Wolvie’s bone claws are not even regrown yet. Small little story among some epic books this week.
Books This Week:
MASK #1& #2. Written by Dan Watters with art by Pye Parr. MASK (Mobile Armored Strike Kommando) joins the Energon Universe in a big way. Not only was there a number one with a cover by Pye Parr, but there was also a blind bag which had some fun covers… and some unbelievable special books. I picked up a gold foil that was not the MASK #1- it was MASK: Origins #1. I also got a foil advance copy of issue #2, which was shocking. There is also a ROM special in the blind bags that I have ordered on eBay. I love MASK in with the Transformers and GI Joe and Void Rivals.
Absolute Catwoman #1. “The Yarn” Written by Scott Snyder & Che Grayson with art and cover art by Bengal. The newest Absolute book came out this week. I also picked up a cool foil cover with Catwoman’s symbol. Once again, the Absolute books have all been great and this new one is every bit a good as the others.
Muppets Noir #4. Written and art by Roger Langridge. Variant cover B art is done by Jae Lee & June Chung. The fun series from Dynamite Comics featuring the Muppets in a noir setting came to a close with this issue. Kermit comes back to consciousness after the case of where Meringue has been. Flip Minnow is on the case, but it got solved despite that. I love the Muppets and this Dynamite series was so much fun.
Bad Thoughts #1. Written by Ande Parks and illustrated and cover art by Dave Wachter. Jack Coates can look inside people’s brains and see the bad things that they have done. This new Ignition Press book is solid, continuing a strong year for the company. This is a very creative book with some real bad things to think about.
Tarzan Beyond #1. “Tarzan and the Deathless Pirate King” Written by Steve Orlando and art by Renato Guedes. Cover art was done by Agustin Alessio. Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic character Tarzan gets a bump to the present day, and seems to have found a way to maintain his age, along with his love Jane. I found this new Tarzan to be very interesting and engaging and I am excited about continuing his adventures.
D’Orc #5. “The Baths of Gore” Written, drawn and cover art by Brett Bean. D’Orc spends this issue naked and trying to stop an evil witch. Little does D’Orc know that he has an unfortunate connection to the witch that might just lead to his downfall. This has maintained the great humor and solid storytelling over the first five issues.
Barbara Gordon: Breakout #2. “Black Out” Written by Mariko Tamaki and art by Amancay Nahuelpan. Variant cover C art was done by Matteo Scalera. Barbara Gordon is having a difficult time in prison. She has gone in to the prison as a part of a plan to deal with Vandal Savage, but she has taken a beating and drugged to the point of hallucinations. Nightwing guest stars.
Black Cat #11. “Crime and Punishment” Written by G. Willow Wilson and art by Andres Genolet. Cover art was done by Adam Hughes. This was another book I considered for the book of the week because of the lower stakes story inside. Black Cat accidentally hits the Punisher’s dog with a car and sets Frank off with an anger and a thirst for vengeance. Something seems to be wrong with Felicia’s bad luck powers too, right when she really needs them.
X-Men #31. “Anomaly” Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Tony S. Daniel. Cover art was done by Tony S. Daniel, Mark Morales, & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. This issue sees the debut of the X-Men’s Science Team, as led by Beast. It includes Magneto (?), Kid Omega, Xorn, Animalia, and Ben Liu. This is an intriguing concept that I like, although I question a couple of those team members.
Avengers Armageddon #1. Written by Chip Zdarsky and art by Delio Diaz and Frank Alpizar. Cover art was done by Dike Ruan & Moreno Dinisio. The Avengers are assembling to go to Latveria and try and stop Red Hulk from his rampage. Red Hulk is out to destroy countries that do not follow Democracy and is threatening to just do whatever he wants. However, the Unites States government wants the Avengers to stand down and let them handle it. Good luck with that. This was also packaged in a polybag with a Magic card called “Warstorm Surge.” The Marvel Universe is gonna change…
Daredevil #3. Written by Stephanie Phillips with art and cover art by Lee Garbett. Matt Murdock’s hypersenses are going haywire and not working correctly so Spider-Man is here to try and help him train without them. It all seems to be connected to the new villain, The Omen, who had thrown Matt out the window last issue. This new arc for DD is great already and I have loved what Stephanie Phillips has done with the character so far.
Fall of the House of Slaughter #2. Written by Tate Brombal with illustrations by Adriano Turtulici. Cover art was done by Sam Wolfe Connelly. Victor St. George and his emissaries arrive at the House of Slaughter, ready to make a move. Everyone is tense because of the imminent demise of the Old Dragon. There is a lovely cover on this issue and we are awaiting the results of the political thrills.
Jay & Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past #1. Written by Kevin Smith and penciled by Giuseppe Camuncoli. Cover art was done by Marco Checchetto & GURU-eFX. I also picked up a variant cover done by Jim Mahfood. Jay and Silent Bob make their first appearance in the Marvel Universe, interacting with a bunch of Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, X-Men, Deadpool, and the Avengers.
Jessica Jones: Alias Red Band #4. Written by Sam Humphries with art by Geraldo Borges. Cover art was done by David Mack. Things are not going well for Jessica Jones. She has been captured, put on trial for her connection to Typhoid Mary, and has seen her relationship with Luke Cage shaken, if not totally pulled apart. Then, she finds out that the demonic creature that she has been fighting is an agent of Mephisto. Rough times for the First lady of New York, for sure.
Captain Marvel: Dark Past #3. Written by Paul Jenkins with art by Lucas Werneck with Eder Messias. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. Captain Marvel has been captured and, after being called in by Spider-Woman, the Avengers are on her trail. Big boom though at the end of the issue. I have been really liking this new series with Carol at the center.
Mortal Thor #11. “Room At the Top” Written by Al Ewing with art by Jesus Saiz. Cover art was done by Alex Ross. Sigurd faced off with the Minotaur in the offices of Roxxon. The fight led to the CEO taking a flying crash out the window and finding him plummeting to the concrete bellow. He looked pretty dead at the end. But Sigurd has no break because Donald Blake showed up at the end.
Mark Spears Monsters #0. “All That Remains” Prelude: Have You Found the Yellow Sign? Written, illustrated and cover art by Mark Spears. We head down to Clown Town in this remastered edition of the FCB Day issue. I picked up four of the new covers for this book. Mark Spears continues to be a great artist on covers, even if he has not been as dominant in the EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week competition in 2026 as he was in 2025.
Transformers #33. Written by Robert Kirkman and drawn by Jason Howard. I picked up cover F, the Energon Universe 3rd Anniversary variant by Tom Reilly. Optimus is trying to come to grips with the Autobot he is now, after losing the Matrix of Leadership. This is a fascinating struggle for Optimus, something we haven’t seen before.
The Sentry #4. Written by Paul Jenkins with art by Christian Rosado. Cover art was done by Alex Maleev. Bob finds a balance between the Sentry and the Void, and steps up to help save the Marvel Universe once again. He also finds a new replacement for his dog. This series ended with this issue, but I feel as if Sentry is staying around.
Fury of Firestorm #3. “The Fury-Part 3” Written by Jeff Lemire with art by Rafael De Latorre. Cover C variant art by Dustin Nguyen. We get to see the situation through the eyes of Professor Martin Stein and Stein shows himself to be not quite the good guy that we always thought he was. The angry Firestorm is on his way to Pittsburg. That does not sound good for Pittsburg.
Space Ghost #12. Written by David Pepose and art by Jonathan Lau. Variant cover C art was done by Michael Cho. Space Ghost and Tempus the Time Master have a final face down and a major character bits the dust. Can Space Ghost get past the pain of the sacrifice or is this the end of the line for our hero?
Bishop #1. “Time After Time- Part 1” Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Mario Santoro. Cover art was done by Davide Paratore. We get the beginning of some back story for Bishop and his sister Shard. Storm makes a guest appearance in this issue.
Baby Garfield #3. “Baby Garfield’s First Beach Day” by Jordan Morris and Thien Pham. “Baby Garfield’s First Thunderstorm” by Katie Cook and Jay Fosgitt. Cover art was done by Agnes Garbowska. The second story in this issue was my favorite as the first one felt like I had seen it before. Still a fun book
Ben 10 #2. Written by Joe Casey and art by Robert Carey. Cover art was done by Robert Carey and Ren Spiller. Another really enjoyable issue of Ben 10. I was not a fan of the cartoon, but this has been top notch so far. Dynamite seems to have a skill to create great books around some IPs that I don’t care much about.
Altered States: Warlords #1. “Red Sonja, Red Planet.” Written by David Avallone and art by Mariano Benitez Chapo. Cover art was done by Joseph Michael Linsner. Red Sonja gets transported to Mars and trouble ensues. The cover featured a group of characters such as Vampirella and who I assumed was Tarzan. We find out at the end of this issue that the one I did not recognize was John Carter. Such a intriguing mash-up.
Other books this week: Ghost Pepper #12, Blood & Thunder #14, Monsters in Love: A Pride Anthology #1, The Center Holds #4, The Thing on the Doorstep #5, and Lady Mechanika: The Mechanical Menagerie #2
Quick Hits: A new racing book from Image caught my attention this week as M1: Monster Racing League #1 came out. It has an intriguing premise and a fascinating new character named Dev. I saw a funny comparison that this book is like K-Pop Demon Hunters and Fast and the Furious combined. Tigress Island #4 went kind of wild this month with several of our characters biting the big one with bullets to the head. Rough for some. Speed Racer #9 saw Speed getting drugged accidentally, making him become crazed and reckless… more than normal. The final issue of Archie x The Army of Darkness #5 came out this week with Archie finally being able to finish reading from the Necronomicon. New comic from Bad Idea this week was Tankers vs. Ancient Aliens #1 and this thing was wild. Dinosaurs and military men. The Hollywood Reporter said of Tankers… “Absolutely ridiculous in the best way possible.” Speaking of ridiculous, Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theater Presents: Godzilla’s the Odyssey #1 was dropped this week. Wild. Disney’s Ursula #4 continued to be a surprising read for me as I can not believe that it has engaged me as much as it has. Alien King Killer #3 conflict among the people of the story. Brotherly conflict can be some of the best in literature. The zombies are getting ready for their big hunt at the mall. Conan & Dragonero #2 sees Conan and Dragonero fight and then team up. Surprised? Not really. Dead by Deadlight #3 sees quite the slaughter this issue. Some of them I was happy to see go. The two issue mini-series from Bad Idea, Hank Howard-Pizza Detective: A Slice of Life #2 ended this week and they announced another Hank Howard book for later in the year. The Nice House by the Sea #10 feels like the series is going to be closing soon as some major things are revealing.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 