I have my tickets for Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania later this afternoon and so I had planned on doing some comics for the Comic Catch-Up featuring Ant Man and the Wasp. I had pulled out a bunch of those issues, including the new Wasp #2 which was released yesterday and I was excited to see the movie. I had a personal day from school and everything.
Then, we wound up in a Winter Storm Warning, with multiple inches of snow forecast, including high winds. Travel is potentially dangerous. I am still waiting for a little later today to see if I am refunding my tickets and waiting until the weekend to see the movie, but it changed my plans for today’s Comic Catch-Up post.
So instead, of the theme of Ant Man and the Wasp, I decided to do another special edition of the Comic Catch-Up and do the whole series of Strange Academy.
Strange Academy was a book that I was always interested in reading, but never seemed to get around to actually doing it. I did read the Strange Academy: Finals issues 1-3 that are currently being released and I really enjoyed those, so that only emphasized the desire to read this series of books even more.
With the combination of the snow day and the lack of movie going experience today, I found Strange Academy to be a good compromise.
This morning I read Strange Academy #1-18, including Strange Academy Presents #1 (which was a part of the Death of Doctor Strange arc).
Some of the things I really loved about the series included the following :
Doctor Voodoo made a perfect headmaster so Dr. Strange did not have to be involved in every issue.
I loved the characters. Especially Doyle Dormammu, Iric and Alvi, Emily Bright, and Zoe Laveau.
I found the relationship between Doyle and Emily to be really sweet and different.
Love, love, love the character of Gaslight. His character design was just epic.
It definitely had that Hogwarts/Stranger Things vibe to it.
Cool use of some of the other magic users of the Marvel Universe as teachers.
The writing was excellent. All of the issues were written by Skottie Young.
The art was classic. As a fan of Amazing Spider-Man, I am very familair with Humberto Ramos’s work.
Some of the issues I had included the following:
The story felt a little rushed at the end, as if they tried to get to a certain point before the final issue.
The cliffhanger was not friendly at all.
A couple of the characters were not my favorites: Shaylee, Dessy, Toth all were, at best, okay for me.
The inclusion of Man-Thing was weird. I like that character but he felt out of place.
That was about it. I really liked this series and it is shameful that it languished on my shelves so long before I actually read it.
It’s Wednesday and that makes it…NEW COMIC BOOK DAY!!!
I actually got to see the books that were going to be in my pull box yesterday when went to Comic World. They always do the pull lists on Tuesdays, even though the new books do not become available for selling until the next day. So I knew that there was a pretty large bunch of books.
Here are the comics that I have read today from my pull box.
Spider-Man #5. “It’s a Spectacular Life“. Part five of the End of the Spider-Verse storyline from writer Dan Slott and artist Mark Bagley. Slott and Bagley are synonymous with Spider-Man, but the whole End of the Spider-Verse arc has not been one of my favorites. This story is an intriguing scenario involving Silk that was an okay read. I just have never been a fan of these alternate timeline/future tales. There is a more intriguing back up story featuring Photon.
House of Slaughter #12. Part Two of The Butcher’s Return continued written by Tate Brombal and drawn by Antonio Fuso. We see one of the kids that had been “rescued” by Jace, named Sunny, and his own progression toward the House of Slaughter. This book, along with the other books from the mind of James Tynion IV, are always so creatively designed and the layout of the pages and the panels are different and unique. The manner of the lay out helps infuse the story.
Mary Jane & Black Cat #3. Written by Jed MacKay and drawn by Vincenzo Carratù. MJ and Felicia are in Limbo, trying to retrieve the Soul Sword for Belasco. It is a weird story for sure, and I am not sure this would work if there was not such a fun chemistry between MJ and Cat. Black cat’s constant worrying over the secret that she and Peter have been seeing each other presents an uncomfortable dynamic for the two ladies. And S’ym’s presence does not help things.
Monica Rambeau: Photon #3. Written by Eve L. Ewing with art by Ivan Fiorelli and Luca Maresca. Photon has been fun so far in the short series and this issue is no exception. The story is confusing as we do not know exactly what is happening, but neither does Monica and that places us in a connection with Monica. And the final panel indicates that there may be something dramatic going on that we did not expect.
Fantastic Four #4. “The Baxter Initiative“. After three issues of the FF split apart without any indication of why, writer Ryan North and artist Iban Coello show us why. We discover that Reed made a split second decision in the heat of battle that affected the lives of Ben and Alicia dramatically, sending them off on their own. However, as always, the FF come back together because they are family and, even if they fight, family is there for each other. This new creative direction for the Fantastic Four has been very good so far and gives me hope that this quality can be maintained.
Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt #4. Written by J.M. DeMatteis and penciled by Eder Messias & Belardino Brabo as well as sections of the book drawn by Marguerite Sauvage and Travel Foreman. I find this book boring and I was very disappointed with it so far. I believe there is only one more issue and I’ll be glad when this one is done. I do like that Peter and Mary Jane are together (as it should always be).
Murderworld: Moon Knight #1. Written by Jim Zeb and Ray Fawkes with art by Luca Pizzari, Murderworld moves along with our final four characters attempting to survive the dangers in the game run by Arcade. Once again, our title ‘hero’ of the book does not actually appear. Moon Knight is just a facsimile from Murderworld. Our cast is whittled down to two remaining by the end, but a very real (or so it seems) cameo happens right at the end that promises to bring the excitement to the finale next issue.
Captain Marvel #46. Part Four of Revenge of the Brood. This has been a great return to form for Captain Marvel and shows how strong of a character she is, especially while interacting with her friends that are along on the adventure. Spider-Woman is great and Hazmat shows her power this issue. The dialogue is crisp and clever with a definite wit to it that works very well for these characters. This has been a consistently strong arc for carol.
Avengers Forever #14. “The Battle for the All and the Always” The seventh part of the Avengers Assemble arc rolls on with the battle with the multiversal Dooms taking center stage. We also have some strong moments from the groups of Steves. There is a fun interaction between Avenger Prime and Namor. The final panel brings the story into a new focus.
The Invincible Iron Man #3. “The Autobiography of Tony Stark Chapter Three” This issue features the background of the friendship between Stark and someone at Stark Enterprises, Zhong, who had killed himself. This backstory informed the main arc and brought us face to face with a second Stark (LMD, anyone???). The ending of the issue was nightmarish and sets up the next issue extremely well. This is written by Gerry Duggan and drawn by Juan Frigeri.
Ah, Valentine’s Day. My favorite completely worthless, made up holiday. Oh…sorry. I didn’t mean that… completely.
Actually February 14th has more significance around EYG as one of the original founders of Embrace Your Geekness has a birthday today. Happy birthday to my brother geek, Shane.
I had a doctor’s appointment this morning so that gave a an opportunity to stop by Comic World and Games and pick up some boxes and bags and boards. The fact that I have been dipping into the piles around my house with the Catch-Up also means that my piles of now read books are getting larger. I have to take some time to get things organized.
I am also still in search of Hulk #7, which kind of puts the Thor catch-up on hold since I am in the middle of the Hulk-Thor team up/fight. I’ll keep looking. I have an idea where to look next…
None of these books work very well for Valentine’s Day. That’s okay.
Blue Beetle: Graduation Day #2 & 3. I was able to pick these up today at Comic World. I did like the first issue so I was happy to see these back issues available. Jaime is being attacked by multiple other Beetles and he is having issues with his own scarab. This has been fairly interesting and there have been a nice mixture of DC guest stars such as Starfire, Batman, and Ted Kord aka Blue Beetle. This limited series has been written by Josh Trujillo and drawn by Adrián Gutiérrez.
That Texas Blood #9 & 10. Creative team is Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips. The story of what happened in 1981 continues in these books, and it is completely fascinating. I am as intrigued by Joe Bob telling the story of what happened in 1981 as anything that is going on in the current timeline. I believe that there are two more issues in the current story arc and I am excited to see where this story will take me.
Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #4. “Game of Rings Part 1” More issues with the ten rings. Now, Shang-Chi has to be entered in a contest with a bunch of other people to see who is most worthy to be considered the owners of the ten rings. Again, more fun Shang-Chi action with a bunch of characters that sound as if they come from Shang-Chi’s past and rogue’s gallery.
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #5. This is the conclusion of the Kate Bishop storyline included the actual guest star appearance by our texters from the entire series, America Chavez and Cassie Lang. I have really enjoyed the use of this character and the way Kate is able to work her way through the case. And also…Lucky the Pizza Dog! Written by Marieke Nijkamp and drawn by Oren Junior and Roberto Paggi.
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #4. Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly. The art is by Carmen Carnero. Steve and Bucky talk and show how much of a connection they have, even after everything that has happened and everything Bucky has done. I am not sure if at this time, if the book has revealed yet that Bucky is a member of the Outer Circle or if I know that because I have read something out of order. Either way, there are some problems on the way.
Stillwater #12. Written by Chip Zdarsky and drawn by Ramon K. Perez. I mean, it feels like every issue of Stillwater has a shock twist in it that just keeps evolving this series. This one has to do with Daniel and a shocking surprise of what happens to him at the end of the book.
Grim #4. “All on Black” Written by Stephanie Phillips with art by Flaviano. Jessica and her crew arrive in Las Vegas with the scythe of Death, itself. Jessica is in search of Death to learn about her past and she comes face to face with the entity. I found this issue to be excellent and I am excited to see where it takes me next.
The Department of Truth #7. Written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Tyler Boss. I used to love this book, but to be fair, it was a difficult read. There was a lot of exposition early and you really had to pay close attention so, while I did love it, it was easy to push off. Now, I have started the process of catching up with this book and I am very pleased I did because this issue about the Men in Black and a Doctor who is not a doctor was awesome. It had an X-Files vibe to it and it was great. Plus, any book that has Lee Harvey Oswald as its main protagonist has to be something unexpected, right?
That Texas Blood #7 & 8. Creative team: Chris Condon & Jacob Phillips. This Image series begins its second story arc with “Eversaul, 1981” and, I have to say, I love this series. This new arc is just kicking it. The arc deals with a murder that happened back in 1981 in Ambrose County and the memories of Sheriff Joe Bob, who was there for the case. So far, there has been a bit of exposition, but I am thoroughly engaged and entertained by it.
Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #3. “The Ring in the Stone.” Written by Gene Luen Yang and drawn by Marcus To, Shang-Chi goes to retrieve the twn rings that had been stolen from him last issue by former friends inside MI-6. This issue was filled with awesome Shang-Chi action as the rings became one. Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson drew the cover for this issue.
Midnight Suns #5. “Smoke and Mirrors.” Midnight Suns limited series came to an end with this issue, and I have to say that I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It ended with a very interesting twist dealing with Agatha Harkness. I liked this team of characters and the conclusion was solid.
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #3. Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly and drawn by Carmen Carnero. Carnero was joined by Alejandro Sanchez for the cover art. Steve Rogers is investigating the origins of where his shield came from and he is finding some shocking truths. And there was a fascinating showdown between Bucky and Peggy Carter.
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #4. Written by Marieke Nijikamp and penciled by Enid Balám. The main cover art was done by Johnoy Lindsay. Kate continues to try and overcome the Chapiteau, led by Pascale Tiboldt, the niece of Ringmaster. Kate Bishop shows just what a fun and exciting character she is, proving in this series that she is more than just a female Hawkeye.
Stillwater #11. “The Drop“. Things continue to be troublesome in Stillwater as the comic takes a one year time jump forward, solidifying the rule of the kid, Galen. Daniel and Tanya remain as the opposition, trying to talk Galen into the right decisions. Unfortunately, Ted and Sheriff Kreegs are still there too. Things are getting rough in Stillwater.
Thor #25. This is part two of Hulk vs. Thor: Banner of War. There actually isn’t a lot of Thor in this issue’s main story. There is more Iron Man and Odin. We do see images of what happened in El Paso that led to this entire problem. There are two back stories in the book too, one featuring the Enchantress and one based on an actual Norse myth.
Super Bowl Sunday. I do believe this is the main reason why there were so few movies in the theaters this weekend. You would basically lose a ton of business on Sunday and it would be hardly worth it. Of course, it still allowed me to get plenty of reading done this morning.
Honestly, there have not been very many times in February so far that I have only read for the one hour that I had intended to read. Most of the time it has been over an hour, if not considerably over an hour.
I am looking forward to watching the Super Bowl tonight, even though my favorite team is not involved. I do expect that there will be some great trailers coming (maybe for Guardians Vol. 3 or even The Marvels).
Continuing to work on catching up as much as I can…
Avengers #64 & 65
Avengers Forever #12 & 13
I have caught up with the Avengers books. Of course, I had thought that Avengers #65 would bring an end to the Avengers Assemble storyline, but I was wrong about that as it is carrying on after. I was right about being spoiled about the identity of Avenger Prime by an online website. It was my own fault I guess, but their spoiler warning did not keep me from seeing the truth. Disappointing as I may have really loved the reveal had I not known it was coming. Anyway, I am ready for the Multiversal Avengers to get wrapped up soon. It has been fun, but it is time to finish this story.
Truth: Red, White & Black #1-7. Written by Robert Morales and drawn by Kyle Baker. Okay, I found this iconic series on eBay and decided to order it. I was introduced to the character of Isaac Bradley on the Disney + series Falcon and the Winter Soldier and I loved it. I had always planned on finding this book. Now that I have read it, I have some definite thoughts. The story was remarkably powerful and filled with drama and terrible truths. Unfortunately, I found the art to be so cartoonish that it constantly undercut the powerful story that was being told. I was very disappointed with how the story looked. It deserved to be a better art style than this. I did love almost all of the covers.
Thor #24 (Legacy number 750). “The Second Son of Asgard” This huge anniversary issue of Thor featured the Funeral of the All-Father, Odin (despite Odin not being fully dead). It also featured a who’s who of Thor artists and writers over the years taking a part in telling pieces of the story. There was Donny Cates & Nic Klein, Walter Simonson, Dan Jurgens, Jason Aaron & Das Pastoras, Al Ewing & Lee Garbett and J. Michael Straczynski & Olivier Coipel. It does a good job of setting up the next adventure for Thor to head out on.
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #3. Written by Marieke Nijkamp and drawn by Enid Balám. Kate Bishop continues to try and make it through a case in search of a special ring, while a group, that appeared to be the Circus of Crime, is trying to stop her with mind controlled party guests. Kate is trying her best to make it through the case while dealing with her older sister and carrying on a text chain with America Chavez and Cassie Lang (oh, and Clint Barton is in there too). Continual fun from Kate Bishop.
Ms. Marvel & Venom #1. Writer: Jody Houser. Artist: Dave Wachter Cover Artist: Sara Pichelli & Federico Blee. The third team-up book in this little series of books where Ms. Marvel teams up to try and stop these little tracking bots. This time we got the new Venom (not Eddie Brock). With guest stars by the other comic issue stars, Wolverine and Moon Knight, this was a good wrap up.
Ghost Rider #7. “Shadow Hunters” Written by Benjamin Percy and drawn by Cory Smith and Kael Ngu doing the cover art. Talia Warroad arrives and she is looking for a new partner, and she is going for Johnny Blaze. Meanwhile, Blackheart continues to make his presence known.
Midnight Suns #4. “What Lies in the Mist” We discover the actual force behind the conflict in the story and I really liked how they brought it around from other aspects of the story. Clea also sent the G’uranthic Guardian after the Midnight Suns (in their new black and red, sparkly armor outfits Tony Stark made for them). Ethan Sacks wrote this book and Luigi Zagaria was the artist. David Nakayama drew the cover.
That Texas Blood #5 & 6. The first arc of the story is brought to a close as Joe Bob figures out the killer of Travis but not before his brother Randy takes justice into his own hands… brutally. This series has been just exceptional so far and I am anxious to see where it goes from here. The creative team was Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips.
This weekend there was no movie that I wanted to see at the theater. I certainly was not driving down to the Quad Cities to see the new Magic Mike film. Because that was the case, it opened a whole chunk of the day for the Comic Catch-Up. Today was one of the most prolific days for the Comic Catch-Up since it started.
King Conan #1. “On Maggot-Infested Waves“. Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Mahmud Asrar. I believe this was the last Conan series Marvel did while they still had the publishing rights. In this issue, the older Conan faces off with his old rival, Thoth-Amon in a brutal fight. I have enjoyed Marvel’s take on Conan and it is good to get a chance for the iconic King Conan.
Avengers 1,000,000 B.C. #1. “For the Phoenix so Loved the World“. Written by Jason Aaron and the art was done by Kev Walker. Ed McGuinness & Matthew Wilson were the artists on the cover. We get a good time to spend with the Prehistoric Avengers, which is an intriguing concept. The idea that these primal forces of the universe would exist in several iterations over the centuries is a cool concept and we get the story of the Phoenix force being Thor’s parent (though it was weird).
Spirits of Vengeance: Spirit Rider #1. I kind of liked this version of the ghost rider powers controlled by Kushala. The fact that Kushala and Johnny Blaze met up and had an adventure to save Blaze was well done. The story was written by Taboo & B. Earl and it was drawn by Paul Davidson. However, Leviathan origin was drawn by Jeffrey Veregge.
Alien #1. “Icarus Part 1” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with art by Julius Ohta. Björn Barends was the cover artist. I have to say that I really liked the first Marvel Alien #1 a few years back. This one did nothing for me. The art was excellent and the covers by Barends is a work of art, but I was disengaged with the story and felt like stopping about halfway through the book.
Stillwater #9-10. Written y Chip Zdarsky and drawn by Ramon K. Perez. Stillwater jumped with both feet into the story of the children of Stillwater, who are frozen in time at the age and physical structure they are forever because of the town’s mysterious powers. These children have become a force in the town and, with the shocking end of issue #10, the book has taken a new direction and I like it.
Cross to Bear #1-4. This series from Aftershock Comics was written by Marko Stojanović and drawn by Siniša Banović. A retired member of a group called The Order gets pulled back in by his brother to chase after The Ripper who has made his way to the American West. This series was excellent and shows that the medium of comic books do not have to be super heroes to be an exciting story. There are some really good twists in the story of Edgar and his family.
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #2. Written by Marieke Nijkamp and drawn by Enid Balám. Kate Bishop is a lot of fun as a character and this book has doubled down on the fun for her. I love how she is constantly texting America Chavez and Cassie Lang. This book shows Kate as the young person she is and how she is still an awesome archer.
Thor #23. “God of Hammers: Finale” I have jumped into trying to catch up on the Thor series. Truth be told, I have skipped several Thor issues and started with #23, mainly because I have found 23-29 and I have not located the earlier Thor issues (except a couple out of order). Either way, I want to get up to date with Thor with the knowledge that I could always return if and when I find the back issues that are missing. Issue #23 finishes the storyline where Mjolnir becomes a personified being and fights Thor. There are some interesting scenes between Thor and Mjolnir.
Superior Four#2. Written by Zac Thompson and drawn by Davide Tinto. After this issue, I have decided that I am not interested enough in this series to continue reading it. Doc Ock is a fine character but a little bit goes a long way and I am not wanting to see a bunch of Ock variants.
Ms. Marvel & Moon Knight #1. Writer: Jody Houser. Artist: Ibraim Roberson. Cover Art: Erick Arciniega. This is a pairiong of characters that should not work well together, and yet somehow does. I really liked the interplay between Kamala and Moon Knight and they worked well together in the action. This is also the first time that I have met Hunter’s Moon and that character piques my curiosity. This book has made me want to catch-up on the Moon Knight sereis soon.
That Texas Blood #3 & 4. I really love this book so far. I really like Randy and his attempt to work through the complicated death of his brother. The local sheriff Joe is awesome, in that old time sheriff way. The book is created by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips.
Midnight Suns #3. “Lost in the Dark” Written by Ethan Sacks and drawn by Luigi Zagaria, Midnight Suns take a trip into the Dark Dimension thanks to Clea. This allows the strange group of heroes to encounter all sorts of weirdness and to come across a Sorcerer Supreme from the multiverse… Tony Stark! I love Wolverine’s snarky remarks too a the book moves along.
Avengers #59-63. Jason Aaron wrote all of these except the Judgment Day tie-in issue, which wa written by Mark Russell. The art was done by Ivan Fiorelli and then Javier Garrón. The Judgment Day tie in was drawn by Greg Land and Jay Leisten. The Judgment Day tie-in was fun as it featured Clint Barton trying to pass judgment. I liked that issue. The other issues continued the travel through time to encounter other users of the primal Avengers powers and battling the Multiversal Masters of Evil. Issue #63 was the second part of the Avengers Assemble arc which will continue in Avengers Forever. I hope to catch up to where the Avengers comic is tomorrow or Monday at the latest.
Avengers Forever #11. Speaking of Avengers Forever, this is the book prior to Avengers Assemble storyline and this features Robbie Reyes as the All-Rider. “Last Ride” was written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Jim Towe and Frank Martin.
Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child (The Deluxe Edition). This hardcover graphic novel was written by Frank Miller with art by Rafael Grampá. This book is part of the DC Comics Black Label, meaning that it is a more adult book. This was really a compelling graphic novel with variations Lara and Jonathan Kent and Carrie in her Bat suit. They faced off with Darkseid and the Joker in a really well done series. I loved the original Dark Knight Returns mini series by Frank Miller, but some of the other Dark Knight series that followed were just not up to that original standard. However, this one took a step up and was well worth the time. It marks a return to quality work for Frank Miller.
Friday and another two-hour delay at school allowed me to get several books read this morning. I started a new series that I found on eBay and I continue to work on reading the Avengers.
Kicking off the weekend…
That Texas Blood #1 & 2. This is the new series that I picked up on eBay and I started this morning. It is created by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips. This is a combo of the Western and Horror genres. There is a feel of how the town is a character as well. I love the introduction of the Sheriff and I find him great. I am looking forward to seeing where this series will go as I continue it.
Planet Hulk: Worldbreaker #3. The third issue of this futuristic alternate future story. I say this every time I do these books but I am not a fan of these future out of continuity tales. We see She-Hulk wrecking crap through the book. Neat to see Korg make an appearance. This book has be fine, but not one that I am dying to see moving forward.
Predator #1. “Day of the Hunter” This is another book that was fine, but did not blow my socks off. I do like some of the Predator movies, but this comic did not do a good enough job of making me care about the humans, which is vital in this. It was written by Ed Brisson and the art was done by Kev Walker. I won’t be continuing with this.
Ghost Rider #6. “The Exorcism of Johnny Blaze“. Wolverine guest stars in this book, trying to help Johnny Blaze get that weird thing out of his head. There were some gross moments in the comic. This story was written by Benjamin Percy. The artist of this comic was Brent Peeples. Kael Ngu created the cover and these Ghost Rider covers are so awesome.
Midnight Suns #2. “Prophet of Doom”. Written by Ethan Sacks and drawn by Luigi Zagaria. David Nakayama was the artist on the cover. I had to order this book specifically because I either could not find it or missed it when it came out. Dr. Doom makes his presence known in this issue, showing how much of a bad ass he truly is.
Winter Guard #4. Writer: Ryan Cady. Artist: Jan Bazaldna. Cover Art: Toni Infante. To be fair, I have been enjoying this book, but if I am being honest, the finale here felt a little underwhelming. It was fine, but there did not seem to be anything that really brought this home to conclude the Winter Guard storyline with a bang. It was fine. Just wanted to love it.
Where Monsters Lie #1. Script was written by Kyle Starks and the art was done by Piotr Kowalski. This new comic from Dark Horse was an interesting read. I have always enjoyed serial killers and this kind of takes that into consideration when our group of character are like movie slashers. There are some creepy characters created for this series and I think it is a different book. I do wonder if this book is going to require a strong hero to play off the killers or will they continue to be our protagonists.
Avengers #56-58. Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Javier Garrón. These books feature a bunch of multidimensional Avengers to deal with as our 616 Avengers are traveling the Multiverse to counter the Multiversal Masters of Evil. Sadly, I do believe that I was spoiled with the identity of the Prime Avenger on a internet site and that makes me unhappy. I plan on getting through the remainder of the Avengers back issues, hopefully, this weekend so I can find out for sure.
Bishop: War College #1. Written by J. Holtham and drawn by Sean Damien Hill. Bishop is front and center trying to train a group of mutants for an upcoming battle. I did not know any of the mutants he was training so I was not as engaged as I might have been. Bishop is fine as a character, but I have never been a huge fan of his. The ending panel was interesting. I am not sure if I will be buying another of this series. I guess it is a wait and see for me.
Red Goblin #1. However, I really enjoyed Red Goblin #1. Written by Alex Paknadel and drawn by Jan Bazaldua, Red Goblin is following Normie Osborn and his symbiote given to him by Dylan Brock. There were some funny moments here and I loved the characterization of Normie. Then the final page was quite a shock and looked great. This is a series that I will continue to pick up.
Welcome to a very special edition of the Comic Catch-Up. It has been one that I have been waiting impatiently for since I began this on EYG, but I wanted to wait for the perfect time. At first, I thought that perfect time would be on a weekend. I was looking at perhaps my birthday or President’s Day, but Mother Nature decided to provide me with the opportunity today with a snow day from school. This gave me the whole day to complete my reading. It turned out that I did not need near as much time as I thought.
Today, I caught up with one of the best books that is on the market over the last few years and its excellent spin-off, from the mind of James Tynion IV, Something is Killing the Children and House of Slaughter.
These books are published by Boom Studios! and that was not the comic company that I read. In fact, I read almost zero independent comics at the time this began. It was a bit of a twist of fate that I started to read Something is Killing the Children.
While it is usually my friend Todd at Comic World and Games who makes me read these non-Marvel books, this time it was the store owner Ben who was at fault. I was at the shop one Wednesday getting my weekly pull list and Ben said he had a couple remaining copies of this horror comic and he insisted that I sit down and read it. He even said that I did not have to buy it if I did not like it. I like horror, but, at that time, I have not often read many horror comic books so I would have never picked up Something is Killing the Children without Ben’s efforts.
That first issue was magnificent. I was immediately enthralled by the story and the spooky art that fit beautifully. So I bought the book, not knowing how valuable that issue would eventually become as the series immediately became a sensation.
I have been very lucky with a complete set of both of these series so far and I have been excited about catching up with them. I had decided that I would sit down and do Something is Killing the Children in one day, unlike some of the other books I am doing, one issue at a time. That is why I was looking for a longer time period to read, but the book reads very quickly. So much of the storytelling involved in these issues are visual, with the art telling even more of the story than many of the other comics available that I found I flew through the book.
Because of that, I grabbed House of Slaughter as well and decided to read that as well. It was a little more densely packed that its parent book, but that actually gave it its own identity and not just being the same thing with a different title.
So, here are the books that I read this morning.
Something is Killing the Children
#16-20. “Me and My Monster” Parts 1-5
Written by James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Werther Dell’edera
This was the next major arc of the book after the initial storyline in Archer’s Peak where we were introduced to Erica Slaughter, monster hunter. This five issue arc took a look back in the past of Erica Slaughter and we found out how she wound up in the House of Slaughter and met the important people in her life. These issues shined a light on the House of Slaughter, giving us some more specific details of the mysterious entity and the rules that Erica seemed to be breaking all the time.
As I mentioned before, these books were easy reads, though still extremely complex and deep. The art does an amazing job of creating the tone of the series and also presenting several important details for the story. This is aperfect example of the old rule, “Show, Don’t Tell.”
#21-25. “The Road to Tribulation” Part One – Five
Written by: James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Werther Dell’edera
This arc goes back to the present day to see the next adventure of monster hunter Erica Slaughter, now on her own, out of the House of Slaughter. We are introduced to a new young child, named Gabi. She has a troublesome childhood and a special type of monster, one that Erica knows little about, is in this new town and killing children. We also have a major death in the series that will affect Erica dramatically. We gain a new villain who is out to kill Erica Slaughter too.
#26-28. “The Girl and the Hurricane” Parts One-Three
Written by: James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Werther Dell’edera
The next story arc for Something is Killing the Children is “The Girl and the Hurricane” and it is now in its third issue. We now take the details and characters we were introduced in the previous arc and expanded upon it. Erica is made to look like the serial killer murdering the children instead of the monsters. The merciless Cutter, who we were introduced to in the previous arc, and made her a major problem for Erica. Where the last issue left off, we see Erica in a real problem situation and we get a glimpse of how warped Cutter actually is. I am excited to see how this arc wraps up moving forward.
Something is Killing the Children is a consistently brilliant story that is an easy read, yet is more than what it seems. The story is remarkably creative and the characters pop off the page.
House of Slaughter
#1-5. “The Butcher’s Mark” Part One-Five
Story by James Tynion IV and Tate Brombal
Script by Tate Brombal
Illustrated by Chris Shehan
I had a thought that maybe the House of Slaughter may not be as good as Something is Killing the Children. I expected a step down. To be fair, the best part of Something is Killing the Children is Erica, and Erica is not in this book much. However, it is absolutely an exceptional book that works in the manner it is intended. House of Slaughter helps to increase the world of its parent book and expands on a group of characters that you have been introduced to in prior books. In this first arc of House of Slaughter, we spend a great deal of time with Aaron, the character we met in Somebody is Killing the Children arc “Road to Tribulation.” This arc is especially solid because of the relationship that the book sets up with Aaron and the new recruit, Jace.
#6-10 “Scarlet” Part One-Five
Story by James Tynion IV & Sam Johns
Script by Sam Johns
Illustrated by Letizia Cadonici
We get a brand new arc starting in #6 featuring a character named Edwin, who is a Scarlet mask and he is sent to attempt to prevent a certain children’s camp from willing a monster into existence with their words and thoughts after a woman washes up on the shore of the lake missing eyeballs. I will say that I had a little bit of trouble getting into the new character, but by the end of the arc, I thought this was excellent and very creative.
House of Slaughter #11. “The Butcher’s Return” Part One
Written by Tate Brombal
Illustrated by Antonio Fuso
Then, the most recent issue of House of Slaughter started the third arc of the series and this one is called “The Butcher’s Return” which featured the continuation of the story of Jace and the children he has been saving. It is a nice return to a character that was huge in a previous arc of the series.
Book of Slaughter #1.
Written by James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Werther Dell’edera
Book of Slaughter follows Maxine Slaughter’s progression from white mask to black mask and we learn a ton of specifics of the mythology of the House of Slaughter when Maxine reads through the Book of Slaughter. This did not feel like an awesome story, but it was fine to lay out the important facts of the history.
The Boom Studios! two series are some of the best and most engaging books available across the comic book community and I am officially caught up with them.
It is Wednesday, which means… new comic book day, of course. Before that though, I woke up early this morning and I had some time before I had to get up and get ready for school to read three books. We’ll start with those.
Then, I went to Comic World and Games, my comic book shop in Dubuque that I buy my books at this afternoon, picking up a potpourri of tasty comics. However, I sometimes buy some books that I did not intend to buy.
My friend Todd works at Comic World. He is one of the most knowledgeable people about comics that I have ever met, but he has a tendency to stick some books in my pull box that he thinks I may like. Sometimes the book is really great and I enjoy reading it and other times it is not a book that I like.
I always joke about Todd “forcing” me to buy these books. That is not the case, but it is fun to try and jab at him.
Well, this week, there were two books he “made” me buy. One that was in my box and one that he took me over to the new releases and said that I had to read it. I bought them both. I guess we’ll have to see what I thought about these new titles.
But first, the morning books…
Winter Guard #3. Written by Ryan Cady and drawn by Jan Bazaldna, Winter Guard #3 brought the Winter Guard, along with the rebels Red Guardian and Yelena Belova to see Dracula. Dracula aka Vlad Drakul, was to offer some vital information on the Operation Snowblind that Red Guardian and Yelena were searching for. With the Winter Guard in attendance, things get out of hand. This has been a very solid limited series and ther is one more issue to wrap things up.
Stillwater #8. “All the Time in the World“. Writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Ramon K. Perez continue to bring a tale of goodness in the small town of Stillwater. This issue gets to look at the history of Tanya and how she interacted with Ted. It was a nice detour from the main story and gave us some massive character moments.
Avengers #55. “Night of the Panther, Dawn of the Hawk“. Nighthawk becomes the newest member of the Avengers in this story featuring the Serpent Society, whose strings were being pulled from behind the scenes by Mephisto. Everyone’s favorite demon is being set up as a major Avengers antagonist moving forward and I’m fascinated. The writing is from Jason Aaron and the art is by Javier Garrón.
And now the new books….
Storm & the Brotherhood of Mutants #1. “Storm’s Seven“. This is the second official part of the Sins of Sinister storyline. The story is fine. I have never been a fan of an alternate future story, but there are some hints here that may make it more than what I expect. This is written by Al Ewing, who I have always liked- especially The Immortal Hulk- and drawn by Paco Medina. The group of mutants in the Brotherhood was interesting and Storm continues to show what a bad ass she is.
Avengers: War Across Time #2. Written by Paul Levitz with art from Alan Davis. This book brings out all of the nostalgia for the comics of the 1960s as this book is definitely in that style. Even with a group of Avengers travelling time trying to stop Kang. This is even an Avengers book that has Iron Man being a “bodyguard” for Tony Stark. Whoa! This is fun and I like the writing of the characters. Guest starring Willie Lumpkin!
Gold Goblin #4. Now that the Dark Web is done, this issue of Gold Goblin really took off. Norman Osborn continues his attempt to make up for his past sins, but things keep going astray for him. Jack O’Lantern gives Norman some new problems and Norman seemed to be struggling to maintain his cool. Written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Lan Medina and Rafael Pimentel.
Daredevil #8. “The Red Fist Saga Part 8“. Daredevil vs. Punisher. That is most likely enough, but er also get Frank Castle riding in on a dragon. How cool was that? Chip Zdarsky continues his epic run with the Man without Fear. Marco Checchetto’s art is sensational in this issue too.
Murderworld: Wolverine #1. Written by Jim Zub & Ray Fawkes and penciled by Carlos Nieto, this Murderworld series has been surprisingly entertaining. Especially since the book kind of does a bait and switch with their title characters. I mean, Wolverine is not in this comic. Not really. Yet, I have been intrigued and entertained by the group of character attempting to survive Arcade’s madhouse.
Secret Invasion#4. “We Got Her“. Written by Ryan North and drawn by Francesco Mobili, Secret Invasion continues as a fantastic series, really showcasing how much of a bad ass Maria Hill is, and how much of a ‘shades of grey’ character she is. She is not dealing with any of these Skrulls. The shocking end of issue #3 lead into a shocking beginning of issue #4. This has been really solid and enjoyable piece of work.
Joe Fixit #2. Written by the legendary Peter David and drawn by Yildiray Çınar. I love this book. Of course, part of the reason is that Spider-Man is a major guest star, but I have enjoyed the use of Joe Fixit and then the inclusion of Wilson Fisk. Having Fisk run into Peter Parker and not know who he was was a cool scene. This may have been my favorite book of the week.
Amazing Spider-Man #19. With the end of Dark Web, this book immediately improved. Spidey and Black Cat try to head out to take a weekend off, only to run into Mary Jane. Awkward! There was a guest creative team, with Joe Kelly as the guest writer and the trio of John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz handling the art. If this is an example of this creative team’s work, I would love to see more of them.
Okay… finally we reach the two books that Todd made me buy…
Almighty #1. Writer and artist Edward Laroche brought a story of a future society where the world crashed down around itself into a apocalyptic future. There a re a ton of these types of books released these days. And with the success of HBO Max’s The Last of Us, we’ll probably be seeing even more. Unfortunately, there was nothing special about this. There was nothing new that made me think that there would be a new idea of what the world may be like. I mean, it was fine, but it was just unremarkable. Strike one for Todd.
Coins of Judas #1. “Same Old Song and Dance“. It was weird but about a third of the way into this book and I realized that this was basically “The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo”. That was an old Scooby Doo cartoon that Scooby and Shaggy (and Scrappy) went in search of a group of ghosts that had been accidentally released. Same concept here only it is tied to the Bible and the Coins of Judas. This one was much better than the Almighty and might be worth a second look. So Todd was 1 out of 2.
Continuing some series and starting a couple of new ones. When I say ‘new ones’ I mean from a few years ago.
Here we go…
Friday #1. Written by Ed Brubaker and art by Marcos Martin. This was a special collector’s issue from Image Comics. I have to say that I found it somewhat fine, but unremarkable. Even know, I am struggling to remember what it was about. So, while I did not actively think that I was bored while reading it, there was little about Friday that made me want to read more.
Superior Four #1. Zac Thompson wrote this limited series and the artist was Davide Tinto. The inclusion of Doc Ock and three multidimensional variant of Otto Octavius was interesting. Of course, the variants were basically Wolverine, Hulk and Ghost Rider, with Doc Ock twists to them. I did like the Ock/Spider-Man design.
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #1. This is one of the better starts for a short series. I really find Kate Bishop to be a fun character and writer Marieke Nijkamp has found the voice of the young archer. Artist Enid Balám does a great job in the book. We get some family issues for Kate and, of course, Lucky the Pizza Dog.
Stillwater #7. The town of Stillwater started a new arc as we see some major violence from the Protectors and the attempts of Daniel and Laura in escaping the upcoming dangers. Chip Zdarsky is at his best again in developing this magical town and Ramon K. Perez has some fantastic art that creates the perfect tone for the book.
Avengers #54. “Even Thunder Can Burn, Even Deathlok’s Can Die” Jason Aaron and Juan Frigeri bring us the conclusion of the three part arc, The Death Hunters while setting up the storyline for the next several issue of the Avengers. The tension between Echo and Thor is fascinating and gives us a new way to look at the Thunder God. Namor’s joining of the team is another tension creating moment, not only for T’Challa, but also for Cap. I also really liked the cover of this issue. It felt like a throwback to the old days with the book’s title being used in text dialogue. Good work from Javier Garrón & David Curiel.
Winter Guard #2. Written by Ryan Cady and drawn by Jan Bazaldua, The second issue of the Winter Guard continued to focus in on Red Guardian and Yelena Belova, as they are being pursued by the other members of the Winter Guard. Darkstar and Chernobog have some uncomfortable scenes that are fun to read. The Winter Guard series has a nice flow to it so far and I have liked what I have read so far.
I am back from my conference in Des Moines and ready to finsih the Comic Catch-Up write-up. I was able to squeeze my time in this morning to continue the goal of reading. I had selected several comic issues to take with me to the hotel. I actually had plenty of time and could have read more.
Starting off with…
Avengers Assemble Alpha #1. “The Battle a Million Years in the Making“. Avengers Assemble, Part One. As the Avengers, the Prehistoric Avengers, the Multiversal Avengers came together to deal with the Multiversal Masters of Evil, which included multiversal versions of Dr. Doom, Killmonger, Venom, Wolverine, Green Goblin/Ghost Rider, Thanos and Phoenix. The book was written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie & Alex Sinclair. I knew this came after Judgment Day, which I just finished so I read it and I like this quite a bit.
Avengers #52-53. However, I was confused for awhile as I was reading this because the team was different than the one in Avengers Assemble Alpha #. The Death Hunters Part Two and Three in these two books. I finally realized that this pair of books took place before Judgment Day. Hoping to catch up with the past Avengers books soon before moving along with Avengers Forever and the rest of this storyline.
Cover the Dead with Lime #2. The second issue of the Blood Moon Comics series. Written by Jonathan Chance and drawn by Hernán González. Jack Teller is the lone Plague Doktor and he is out to try this horrible epidemic that was spreading the world, a plague whose victims seem to be coming back to life. This book has been visually cool and I want to see where it goes from here.
Planet Hulk: Worldbreaker #2. Planet Hulk: Worldbreaker was written by Greg Pak and the art was done by Manuel Garcia. I realized this issue that this story was an alternate future story, which I am not a huge fan of. Now, true, the Hulk has had one of the best possible future stories of all time (Future Imperfect). So far, this series has been kind of dull. Amadeus Cho was a Hulk that I enjoyed, but this has not been great so far. I will say that She-Hulk’s appearance was interesting and we’ll have to see how thing progress.
A Calculated Man #1. “Kill Them All“. Writer: Paul Tobin. Artist: Alberto Alburquerque. I did not like this one al all. I was bored and could not get into it. I have no good things to say about A Calculated Man.
Stillwater #6. “It’s My Duty” Chip Zdarsky was the writer and Ramon K. Perez was the artist. I had really enjoyed Stillwater, but fell way behind the series. It always felt like a combination of Twin Peaks and LOST, which are two of my favorite shows ever. This wrapped up the first story arc, which is a great spot to start once again.
Winter Guard #1. Written by Ryan Cady and Art by Jan Bazaldua (the main story) and Djibril Morissette-Phan (the Prelude). The Winter Guard, a super hero team from Russia, made several appearances in the Avnergs comic and that led to this limited series. Featuring Yelena Belova and Red Guardian, I liked this group of characters, and the story has some mystery to it.
A.X.E. Starfox #1. Written by Kieron Cullen and drawn by Danielle DiNicuolo, Eros, brother of Thanos, former Avengers known as Starfox, Eternal, comes into the middle of the Judgment Day story. Starfox had always been a favorite of mine, even if he was kind of rapey. I enjoyed this art, which was unique.
It is Sunday morning and I am back for the next installment of Comic Catch-Up, here at EYG. I am heading to a conference in Des Moines this afternoon so I wanted to make sure I get today’s February Catch-Up written, just in case. I do have several selected issues in my Loot Crate box to take along to try and find some time before or after the conference (or during? heh heh) to get my reading done for Monday. No matter what, the write-up will not come until late tomorrow night. But what I am saying is that I am dedicated to the goal of at least an hour a day through February, no matter what.
This morning’s haul….
A.X.E: Judgment Day #4-6. Written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Valerio Schiti. I had been up and down on this series so far. Issue three did not do a lot for me after a pretty solid start, but issue four was outstanding. In fact, it inspired me to go ahead and finish issues five and six this morning. The conclusion was fine, but I was just really in on issue four. The way it went through people across the planet, judging them was compelling and seeing several of the Marvel heroes facing their own judgment from the Celestial was well done. I do want to mention that one of the drawbacks to me was when the heroes started being killed off, I lost some interest because they were killing off big names and I knew that they would not be dead for good. I also like the fact that the X-men’s resurrection ability, which I have been critical of through the latest run, was part of the story and it made sense that others may not be a fan of the X-Men being, essentially, immortal. Decent event series.
A.X.E. Judgment Day Omega #1. Written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Guiu Vilanova. This was a book filled with the fall out from the Judgment Day, mostly for the Eternals. This was okay. My favorite part was the story with Ikaris and the woman he went to see, Sophia. The normal people of earth had a role in the Judgment Day series and it is nice to see the wrap up books include them as well.
Captain America and the Winter Soldier Special #1. This book, which was written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, with art from Kev Walker, leads into a storyline that continued in Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #7. I’ll need to pull that out of the pile to see where it goes. This was all set up, basically, involving a group of string-pullers involved in a large scale conspiracy in the world. Somehow, Bucky joined them. Poor Bucky has been through so much in his long life. Just one more problem.
Public Domain #5. More adventures with comic book artists and writers from the mind of Chip Zdarsky. It now has a feeling of the story of Image Comics. It has felt like the story of Stan Lee, the sotry of the MCU and now of Independent Comics. Still finding it an enjoyable read.
Ghost Rider #5. “Hell’s Backbone“. I had really liked the new Ghost Rider book when it first came out. Focusing on Johnny Blaze and his own problems was a good choice after so many other versions of Ghost Rider. Nothing against Robbie or Danny, but it is great to see the original again. This included a wild motorcycle race with Wolverine and other Marvel luminaries.
Black Panther: Unconquered #1. Written by Bryan Hill and drawn by Alberto Foche. The Spear of Bast is involved in an action packed story involving T’Challa. The villain was named Archon who led a group called The Volk, a Germanic cult. As I mentioned, there was a great series of Black Panther fight panels in this issue, making it an easy read.
Strange Academy: Finals #3. Written by Skottie Young with the artistic skills of Humberto Ramos. I have really enjoyed this series so far. I have found all but one issue of the Strange Academy series that I will dive into once I can find that final illusive comic. I have grown to love these characters and the way the story is told. The final splash page was amazing too. Can’t wait for issue four.
Wakanda #5. “Without Question“. I was going to finish this analogy series yesterday, but it got pushed to today. This issue’s story surrounded Okoye and one of the hopefuls from the Dora Milaje, Natima, Okoye’s niece. This actually tied back to an earlier issue of the anthology series where Rhino appeared. I liked the connection even though the idea is that they are separate. I liked the anthology series, showing all the nooks and crannies of Wakanda and the other characters that populate that world.
Sabretooth & the Exiles #3. “Out of Body Experience“. The Exiles take a trip into the Astral Plane in an attempt to save Orphan-Maker who had removed his mask and triggered an explosive power from within him. Again, I do like this combination of characters and the last splash page is, once again, extremely gripping. This was written by Victor LaValle and the art was by Leonard Kirk.
Avengers #51. “A Dark Phoenix Rises over Asgard“. The Death Hunters Part One, written by Jason Aaron featuring art from Juan Frigeri. The cover art was by Javier Garrón and David Curiel. The Avengers have been consistently entertaining during this back issue catch-up, and this looks to be one of the earliest moments of this multiversal battle that we see so much of in the Avengers Forever books. We get a lot of Echo, who has become the new Phoenix, and Thor, who has discovered the truth of his birth, is not happy about it. I know the most recent Avengers book deals with the identity of this mysterious Avenger Prime, so I am going to have to keep myself honest and wait impatiently until I get to it. No spoiler for me!
Welcome back to the Comic Catch-Up#12. This is the official fourth day of the special event here in February to try and help catch up my reading from the piles of comics I have around my house. Things have been going swell so far as I have been looking forward to the time allotted for the comics.
I jumped into some back issues of the Avengers this morning along with some other books that I have been working through one at a time.
So… here we go.
Avengers #46-50. When I was looking at these back issues, I saw that this storyline was labeled W.W.S.H. which stood for World War She-Hulk. That did not make me feel enthused. One, it felt derivative, as if the book was just trying to build upon the old World War Hulk storyline that is so beloved. Two, I really hated the way the Avengers comic had been portraying Jennifer Walters. I was not a fan of the brutish She-Hulk form of this character so I considered skipping this arc. However, I knew Jenn had her own series which I have been keeping up to date on and that she was back in her old form, so I had hoped this would be the catalyst for that return and this arc led into the Avengers #50 (Legacy numbered 750) extra sized book so I decided to go ahead and read the arc. And I was very pleased that I did because I truly enjoyed it. By the end of #46, I was into it and read for the next issue. This storyline was written by Jason Aaron and the art was by Javier Garrón (and issue #49 included the one-named wonder Flaviano).
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #3: Written by Cody Ziglar and drawn by Federico Vicentini, we get the introduction of a new villain who is in pursuit of Miles and the people he cares about. The character’s name is The Rabble and this character had an interesting design. I am still unsure how The Rabble will play in the series, and honestly, a good chunk of this issue was nothing much. I did enjoy the Miles team up with Misty Knight. TEAMWORK!!!
Strange Academy: Finals #2. Written by Skottie Young and art by Humberto Ramos. I always enjoyed Humberto Ramos’s work on Amazing Spider-Man so it is nice to see him with this new cast of characters. As I have not yet read the Strange Academy books, most of these characters are unfamiliar to me. I am intrigued to learn more about them as I dive more into these books.
Public Domain #4. Chip Zdarsky continues to tell the story of of copyrights and writing comic books. And he is somehow making it compelling and fascinating. I’m not sure if I am supposed to be supporting Miles Dallas, but I find him to be quite the jerk in this book.
Judgment Day #3. Judgment begins. Truthfully, this story has become a little messy. There are a lot of characters involved and I am not sure exactly who is with whom. Jean Grey has a strong issue and the book does bring back Starfox, who is always a welcome sight. And who would have guessed that you could not trust Mr. Sinister?
Grim #3. Written by Stephanie Phillips and drawn by Flaviano, continues to be an engaging book with a lot going on. We get some info on the cool character we saw last issue. He was called The End and he was quite the troublemaker. The book also gave me Dogma vibe. The Kevin Smith movie had God go missing and here, it seems that Death is missing. Of course, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
Cover the Dead with Lime #1. Written and created by Jonathan Chance and illustrated by Hernán González. This issue was set in the past, back in the 17th century and looked to deal with fighting against certain plagues. The characters are not too developed yet, but the circumstance was definitely interesting. I think I have issue #2 as well before I can decide if I want to continue to search for more of this.
A late start because of cold temperatures allowed me to get the Comic Catch-Up reading completed early and now I am finishing the post after school got over.
Continued several of the series runs that I started the other day. Some good books here.
Grim #2. “Chapter Two: The End“. Written by Stephanie Phillips with art from the one-named wonder Flaviano, Grim #2 continued the story of Jessica and her challenge after losing her scythe. She believed that her own death, a death that she could not remember, was an important piece of the puzzle so she went to break into where the memories were stored. Things did not work out well for her. Grim has been a good read so far and it has continued to hook me with the story and the art.
Avengers #45. I started in on the pile of Avengers comics that I am behind on. That took me back quite a long while with a story of Blade becoming the sheriff of Count Dracula’s new official nation of vampires. Jason Aaron wrote the story with Luca Maresca providing the art. Cory Smith and Jason Keith gave us the cover.
Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #2. “Old Friends“. Shang-Chi meets up with an old flame and partner in MI6, Leiko Wu. It was all a set up for British Intelligence to get their hands on the ten rings. This series has been written by Gene Luen Yang and the art inside this book was done by Marcus To. Dike Ruan and Matthew Wilson were the cover artists on this issue.
Wakanda #4. “The Other Path.” This was my favorite issue of this anthology series so far. It featured Tosin, a character who I had never heard of before. The opening page called him The Wakandan. I really dug this character, and I also loved the Kime as well. This was an exciting story, featuring the villainous Abomination as well.
Judgment Day #2. Uh oh. Did the Avengers just make a big boo boo? The story of the war between the factions of the Avengers, Eternals and X-Men reach a new height as the Avengers reinvigorate the Avengers HQ, which was an old Celestial. This became the literal judgment day. Kieron Gillen was the writer and Valero Schiti did the art. Mark Brooks was the cover artist. It had a very end of the MCU Eternal’s feel to it and I’m ready to see where it goes.
Strange Academy: Finals #1. Written by Skottie Young and drawn by Humberto Ramos. Strange Academy is one of the books that I wanted to read, but I just never got around to it. I always found the few issues that I did read interesting. That whole series is one that I should look into during this catch-up. I found this start of the story pretty solid. I enjoyed learning a little bit about these characters.
Public Domain #3. Chip Zdarsky continues to create a comic that is totally intriguing and engaging despite there being no super heroes and focusing on the creators of the comic books. Who would have guessed that a meeting with a lawyer over copyright law would be so fun? I am very curious to see where this book is heading.
Avengers Forever #7-9. I grabbed a whole bunch of Avengers Forever back issues and The Pillars story, Part Two, Three and Four. They were all multiversal versions of the main Avengers, #7 was a bunch of Steve Rogers, #8 gave us a special Thor and #9 brought us a different version of Carol Danvers. The creative team included Jason Aaron, Aaron Kuder, Cam Smith and Guru-EFX. The covers were all really great (especially #8) and they were done by Aaron Kuder and Jason Keith.
Welcome back to the Comic Catch-Up. I pulled out a series of books form the piles, but I avoided, this morning, reading any run of any one title. I wanted a flavor of the issues, giving me more to continue as February continues.
Apparently that troublemaker Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today meaning that there will be six more weeks of winter. That rat. Well, it just means that there may be more late starts at school (like tomorrow) to give me time to continue with my catch-up.
Today’s books:
Grim #1. “Chapter One: Don’t Fear the Reaper“. Written by Stephanie Phillips and drawn by Flaviano (one name, like Cher or Madonna, I guess), Grim #1 finds a grim reaper taking the souls to death, only she loses her scythe to her last soul. When she goes to retrieve it back i the land of the living, she discovers that the living people can now see her, something that did not happen before. This was a interesting book with a good hook to make me look forward to the next issue. I really liked Flaviano’s art too.
Wakanda #3. “Color of Death“. The third issue of the anthology series now has a story featuring Killmonger. Continuing the Marvel Comics characters being made to be more like their MCU counterparts, Wakanda #3 was written by Ho Che Anderson and penciled by Sean Hill. There is yet another really short backup story with teh “History of the Black Panther Chapter Three” written by Evan Narcisse and drawn by Natacha Bustos. Mateus Manhaini gave us an excellent cover with Killmonger in full display.
Judgment Day #1. Written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Valerio Schiti, this first issue of the limited series featuring the Avengers, the X-Men and the Eternals was very gripping. I do not plan on following the countless crossovers while reading this series as they are always a waste of time. I am looking forward to reading this book as the storyline is rumored to be an inspiration for the upcoming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty MCU movie.
Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #1. “Absolute Power”. This theme for the Marvel books that I read today seems to be making the comics more like the MCU. Shang-Chi with the ten rings, the versions from the movie, were cool and it certainly makes Shang-Chi even more bad ass. Written by Gene Luen Yang with Marcus To providing the art, Shang-Chi is in good hands. Another awesome cover, this time drawn by Dike Ruan and Matthew Wilson.
Public Domain #2. “The Usual Spot“. This is an interesting book. It is not a super hero book. It is a book about super hero creators and the rights of those creators of their characters. There feels as if there is a lot of commentary directed at the lack of artists in particular receiving appropriate royalties for their work. I had been told that this was the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby story, but this issue feels less like that and more of the MCU (and other major film companies) not providing sufficient compensation for creators of these characters that are making millions (if not billions) of dollars at the box office. Chip Zdarsky is an amazing writer who is able to get me intrigued in a story about the comic book creator and his family.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 