February 1, 2023

January has come to an end and the Genre-ary DailyView along with it. With that concluding, it is time to officially start the Comic Catch-Up Daily Read. The goal is to dedicate at least an hour a day to reading the piles of back issues that are all over my room and try my best to catch-up. I started to do some reading in January, but I did not dedicate myself to a daily read. I was able to do eight Comic Catch-Up posts last month. This is right now number nine.

Of course, it is also Wednesday, which means it is NEW COMIC BOOK DAY! YEAH!

So there are several of the brand new issues in the pile of comics for the first of February. Truthfully, several of these books that were not in today’s haul, were read last night, but it still will count.

I honestly thought about renumbering the Comic Catch-Up, calling it Volume Two (just like so many comics these days), but I decided the Legacy Numbering was how I would go.

With that out of the way, this starts Comic Catch-Up #9 (February)

Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #1. My friend Todd at Comic World told me this was a one-shot. Imagine my surprise when I got to the last page of this issue and I saw an advertisement for next issue (#2). I really enjoyed this book with a daughter that we (at least, I) never knew Blade had. Her name is Brielle and she is starting to receive some special gifts genetically from her famous father. The book was written by Danny Lore and the art was by Karen S. Darboe. It featured a cool cover too from the art team of Ryan Stegman, Rachelle Rosenberg, Karen S. Darboe and Chris Peter. I wonder if the vocal minority and their misogamy will come for Bloodline since it is a female character. Either way, I really liked this “ONE SHOT” and I look forward to the TWO SHOT. (Heh)

Dark Web Finale #1: I have not been a fan of this Dark Web storyline that has been running through the Spider-Man books recently, but I did think it picked up a bit recently. This finale was decent. There was less of the ridiculous demons and more with Ben Reilly and Hallows Eve. I also enjoyed the character development for Madelyn Pryor. Still, Rek-Rap is in running for the worst new character. I am excited for Spider-Man books to get back to normal soon. Dark Web Finale was written by Zwb Wells and drawn by Adam Kubert, Francesco Mortarino, with Scott Hanna.

Scarlet Witch #2. There were two stories inside issue #2. The first one was written by Steve Orlando and drawn by Sara Pichelli, featuring the return of Viv Vision. I loved Viv back in the Champions and the whole introduction of her in the Vision series is some of the best comics written, in my opinion. It was great to see her come to Wanda despite the complicated history between her and Viv’s dad, Vision. The backup story included Storm in a cool little adventure for a good cup of tea. It was written by Stephanie Williams with art by Chris Allen.

Silver Surfer: Ghost Light #1. A new series featuring the Silver Surer, although Norrin does not appear much in the book. The main story details Toni who has disturbed the final resting place of Al Harper, her uncle, bringing him back in a strange form, glowing green. This is another book that is based around the story of a young girl and her younger brother. I liked this quite a bit too. It was written by John Jennings and drawn by Valentine DeLandro. Taurin Clarke did the art on the cover.

Sabretooth & The Exiles #2. Written by Victor LaValle and drawn by Leonard Kirk, this is a back issue that I picjed up today because I could not find it. I had #1 and I know where #3 is, but two was not found. I actually do think that I am enjoying this series so far. I have not been a big X-Men fan recently, but this group of characters is intriguing and Sabretooth is facing some major issues with hs healing factor. The final page of the issue had a beautifully drawn splash page.

…and now the back issues:

Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise #1-3. This series starring Dr. Strange is a beautifully original series with art and colors that are absolutely sensational. I am utterly confused about what is going on, but I am loving the journey in trying to figure it out. The art is just so unique that is grabs your attention in every way imaginable. I admit the story has me confused, but I am happy to keep trying with such a visually stunning piece of art as this. It is written and drawn by Tradd Moore and Heather Moore does the coloring (which is amazing). Issue two does list Jensine Eckwall as a special guest artist along with Moore. This series concludes with next issue.

Public Domain #1. I love Chip Zdarsky I have the run so far of Public Domain and I started with reading issue one last night. However, I realized as I got into the book that I had read this already. That did not stop me because I was enjoying the tale that Zdarsky was weaving. I will be diving into the remainder of the books with this one soon. I am interested to see if I have read any of those too.

Wakanda #2. Evan Narcisse and Adam Serwer wrote this issue and Ibraim Roberson was the artist for the first story featuring M’Baku. There was also a very short Part Two in the “History of the Black Panthers” backup story. I am working my way through this anthology series, having completed it in my collection today with issue #5. I do like the character of M’Baku, even if he is basically following the character form the MCU now.

Captain Marvel #45. Part three of the storyline “Revenge of the Brood” continued along with some cool moments with Carol and Gambit along with other X-Men, Spider-Woman and Hazmat. It started off very confusing, but we dropped the veil of confusion when we learned what was going on with our heroes. Brood everywhere and our heroes may have had them implanted inside them as well. No sign of Binary yet.

Midnight Suns #1. Written by Ethan Sacks and drawn by Luigi Zagaria, the first issue was exceptional with the joining of Wolverine, Magik, Blade, Agatha Harkness, Nico Minoru, Zoe Laveau and Spirit Rider in a group to confront demons attacking Strange Academy. The demons picked a poor day to attack as guest speaker, Blade was in attendance. This was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to finally getting my hands on issue 2.

The Killer: Affairs of the State #1. I have no idea why I bought this book. It was written by Matz and drawn by Luc Jacamon. The credits say that Edward Gauvin did the English translation, which I am not sure what that meant. I was bored out of my mind reading this book. I really did not like it. It was too dense in exposition and dialogue. A lot of times I like some good writing but this felt just too much. It felt like it took forever to get through the issue. I wonder if this was a book stuck in my box… (heh heh).

Until tomorrow…

January 26, 2023

Tonight I have a list of comics, most of which I read last night. I did not want to do a third entry in a day, so I decided to hold off on the Comic catch-Up until the next day. Now, after completing the Genre-ary Sci-Fi DailyView for Thursday, I get to move ahead with the eighth post of the Comic Catch-Up.

Dark Web: Ms. Marvel #1 & 2. Written by Sabir Pirzada and drawn by Francesco Mortarino, I was neat to read Ms. Marvel again. I like the character and I have missed her adventures. The Dark Web crossover is not a great story, admittedly, but the use of this great character really helps. Issue two has a nice appearance from Miles Morales too, which is always great. Miles and Kamala work very well together. Sure the whole concept of Dark Web provided a bunch of silly things that come to life. That is a flaw for the Dark Web, not the Ms. Marvel part. She brings the strength to the silly.

Sabretooth & the Exiles #1. “Under the Knife” This was surprisingly entertaining. The Exile crew was engaging and Sabretooth continues to be the most vicious of mutants. Written by Victor LaVelle and drawn by Leonard Kirk, we get the classic line, “Exiles Arise!” I laughed at that. The group’s dynamic is the best part of this series. I need to pick up #2 yet, though I have #3 in tow.

The All-New, All-Different Savage Avengers #6. “Escape from Nueva York“. I found this interesting as I was always a fan of the 2099 books and seeing the Savage Avengers make their way to 2099 and tangle with the 2099 Punisher is a lot of fun. Who know who or what else will make its way into the series and I am looking forward to it. This was written by David Pepose with art from Carlos Magno.

Planet Hulk: Worldbreaker #1. Written by Greg Pak and penciled by Manuel Garcia, was not quite what I had in mind. I always liked Amadeus Cho and I did find the inclusion of a younger kid Skaar to pique my curiosity, but I had some trouble getting into the first issue. I liked the incorporation of She-Hulk in the tale, especially when she was with the young Skaar.

Murderworld: Avengers #1. Another series that was something that I did not expect. I thought that the Avengers were actually invovled in the story instead of it just being part of the Murderworld idea. Once I realized what the book was going to be about, I was able to settle down and get into it. The book had an absolutely shocking moment that I did not see coming and really helped put this on the map. I guess I should not have been shocked at the twist because, looking again, it is right there on the cover. This first Murderworld book was written by Jim Zub and Ray Fawkes and the art was by Jethro Morales, and I did like where it eventually took me.

Murderworld: Spider-Man #1. Once again written by Jim Zub and Ray Fawkes, this issue was drawn by Farid Karami. We were able to now focus on a new protagonist after the previous issue’s gunshot and Eden Abraha is a serious kick ass. We also get a glimpse of Black Widow who seems to be on the case. Murderworld has been a surprisingly good time so far.

Captain America: Symbol of Truth #2. Sam Wilson, aka Captain America, teaming up with Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool? Yes, please. Deadpool has always been the best when playing off of other characters in the Marvel Universe and Sam Wilson is no exception. This issue is written by Tochi Onyebuchi and drawn by R.B. Silva.

Captain Marvel #44. “Revenge of the Brood Part Two” This story continued to be gripping, with the involvement of the X-Men. I’m not sure I loved what they did to handle Rogue, but the group dynamic here is worth the time. Carol and Jessica Drew’s friendship is always a strength. And the sudden switch at the end of the issue was unexpected. Writer Kelly Thompson and artist Sergio Davila have begun a story that has been very entertaining and that feature one of my favorite alien races in the Brood.

Hell is a Squared Circle. Written by Chris Condon and drawn by Francesco Biagini, this story about the world of professional wrestling and a wrestler who had done some bad things is really a great book. I believe that this is very much a story that could happen in the independent circuit of pro wrestling. Aftershock’s one shot prestige format book asks the question of “Is Wrestling Noir a Genre?” Moooo-ska! Moooo-ska! Moooo-ska!

January 25, 2023, afternoon

Wednesday is new comic book day!!!

With the no school day today, I was able to head up to Comic World, my comic shop, to pick up my books from my pull list (and those books that Todd missed for me. Hey Todd!!!)

It was not the biggest week this week as I wound up with about 8 new books. A couple of those are books that I have not yet read because I need to catch up with the series (Midnight Sons #5- I need to find this 5-issue series in the piles- and Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise- which is on the list to read soon and Sabretooth and the Exiles- which I have to find #2).

That left me a few issues and one standout that was my favorite new book of the week.

Thor #30. “The Legacy of Thanos Part Two” I have been behind Thor so badly. I decided to read the most recent issue instead of tying to go back and catch up on all the missing issues as of now. Hopefully, I can organize the Thor books and get them on a list to read in the near future. This was confusing, which I think is understandable. Written by Torunn Grønbekk and drawn by Nic Klein, Thor #30 had several things happen that I just did not understand, but it had a great final page. Hopefully, as I continue forward with Thor, things will make more sense. I was ready for it to be confusing because of how many books I skipped but I am committed to pushing on.

Amazing Spider-Man #18. The Dark Web storyline seems to be winding down and I will be happy when it ends. I do like how it is building Ben Reilly up as Chasm. It just feels as if the silliness with the demons in limbo (such as Rek-Rap) takes away from the overall stakes of the issue. This one was better than last issue though so with the Dark Web finale in sight, perhaps it will bring it in hot. Zeb Wells is the writer and Ed McGuinness does the pencils.

Sins of Sinister #1. Part 1: “Everything is Sinister“. Looks like the X-Men are screwing up the Marvel Universe again. Once again, I am not a huge fan of alternate futures that the X-Men seem so fond of doing. This book was interesting and I anticipate reading it, but I never feel as if it matters. I have never thought the X-Men have mattered since they could no longer die and be dead. The whole resurrection thing bothered me, but it is intriguing how this book is built around that very concept. Keiron Gillen is the writer and Lucas Werneck was the artist (although it lists a bunch of artists as ‘guest artists’ including Geoffrey Shaw, Marco Checchetto, Juan Jose Ryp, David Baldeon, Travel Foreman, Carlos Gomez, Federico Vicentini, David Lopez, Joshua Cassara and Stefano Caselli.).

Justice Society of America #1 & 2. The New Golden Age storyline begins focusing on Huntress. My friend Todd at Comic World told me that this series sucked. I thought that was a bit harsh. This new look at the JSA is messy. The biggest problem with the series is the use of the different timelines. It does nothing but muddy the waters and cause confusion. The characters are decent, but it spent a lot of time killing characters that I do not think will stay dead. I had very little connection to these characters. The story, from what I could decipher, was fine. I am not a big DC fan and I am not sure if I am going to continue with this book after issue #2. We’ll see.

And now for the best book of the week!

All-Out Avengers #5. I loved this issue. Of course, one of the biggest reasons was it featured Spider-Man vs. the Avengers and I love any book that does Spidey well. All-Out Avengers has been building this story over the first five issues about the Avengers being involved in battles where they do not remember everything about what was happening. It was confusing at the start, but it developed into a storyline that really kicked off with the final few pages of this book, with Captain America giving us the answer to the puzzle. And I was literally shocked with the reveal. It was a wonderful reveal after a book that showed how capable and intelligent Spider-Man is. Just a hoot of a book and I can’t wait to see where it will go from here.

January 25, 2023

Unexpected snow day.

I got a call early this morning saying that school was cancelled for the day and that opened up the opportunity to do my next Comic Catch-Up post. I hope to maybe get a second one done today later after I get the new comics (since Wednesday is new comics day!). Still, this gave me the chance to dive back into the pile of comics that I have been trying to whittle down.

Captain Marvel #43. I have not read much from Captain Marvel for quite a while and I have not yet gone back and found all of the past issues. That is a job for later. However, this is the new story arc called “Revenge of the Brood” and that sounds like a great place to jump back onboard. Written by Kelly Thompson and drawn by Sergio Davila, Captain Marvel gets a message from Rogue indicating that she is in some kind of trouble. She goes to see the X-Men and a team of the mutants and some of Carol’s friends head off to see what they can discover. I liked the use of the X-Men here, including Gambit, Polaris, Wolverine (Lara) and Psylocke. It is also cool to see Hazmat, who I always enjoyed in the Avengers Academy run, back in the book. Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) is another fun addition to the team. This issue is pretty much of a set-up for what is going to be moving forward, but I was always a fan of the Brood from the X-Men books and I am looking forward to continuing this book. I have a few more parts of this storyline already just waiting for the proper time to read.

Captain America: Symbol of Truth #1. Diving really deep back for this issue, we get Sam Wilson back in the Captain America gear and he is teaming up with the new Falcon. Some of the story’s interactions with Sam and Misty Knight were personal favorites for me. The last couple of pages of this issue do set up the series with an interesting note as a character by the name of The White Wolf goes to see the imprisoned Crossbones. This issue was written by Tochi Onyebuchi with art by R.B, Silva.

Wakanda #1. Two stories inside this issue as I learned that T’Challa is on the run from his country of origin. Apparently things happening in Black Panther series that I’ll need to check in with soon. This first story featured Shuri doing battle with Rhino, titled “Shuri” written by Stephanie Williams and penciled by Paco Medina. The second story was “History of the Black Panthers Part One” written by Evan Narcisse and drawn by Natacha Bustos. Rhino here is one of the issues I have with Marvel. I love the continuity of Marvel Comics, but there have been recent comics where Rhino has been less evil and developed more as a character. That does not seem to be included in this story. Some times Marvel does this with their secondary villains where they take on a different personality depending on which book they are in. I’ve seen the same thing with Taskmaster or Juggernaut or Sandman. I want more consistency.

Peacemaker: Disturbing the Peace #1. I picked this up just after the run of the great Peacemaker series on HBO Max. This was written by Garth Ennis with art by Garry Brown. The thing with this is it was nothing like the series. I’m not saying that the book was bad, because it was a very solid story, but it was not what I was expecting. It felt as if this should not have been a Peacemaker series, but, instead, the main character was someone different. Peacemaker was telling his story to a psychiatrist. It was compelling, but it just did not seem like John Cena to me and that was the Peacemaker that I loved.

Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1-4. I did not know that there would be five issues of this limited series otherwise I may have waited to read it until I got number five. I enjoyed this tremendously though. Written by Taboo & B. Earl and drawn by Juan Ferreyra, this had a throwback flavor to Bill Sienkiewicz’s work on New Mutants in the early days of that book. They tap into the Demon Bear again and this works really well. Unlike the new Kraven Spider-Man book, this falls into the actual continuity, which I like so much more. There is a distinct horror feel to the book and Spidey fits right in. I am excited to see how this wraps itself up.

Still January 22, 2023

Sunday afternoon had some time available and I had done a touch of organizing. I found Thunderbolts#3 which completed that set. I figured I could do a few more comics today.

Thunderbolts #1-5. Written by Jim Zub and drawn by Sean Izaakse, this five issue series featured a new team of Thunderbolts including Hawkeye, Spectrum, America Chavez, the new Power Man, Gutsen Glory, Persuasion and Eegro. This series felt rushed, though I did really like the characters and the basic story. It was just starting to come together and then it was over. This felt like it should have been 12-issues at least to develop things more. I would buy a regular series featuring these characters, but this felt like it was just not enough.

All-Out Avengers #3-4. I found issue #3 and I read these. Written by Derek Landy and drawn by Greg Land, the problem I had in the first two issues is now the running, behind the scenes storyline. The Avengers were realizing that there was something weird happening with their memories. There have been pretty good stories involving the Avengers and I have to say that I am invested in who is behind what is going on.

Blade: Vampire Nation #1. Written by Mark Russell and art by David Wachter. I found this one dull and uninteresting. Half way through the book I was bored and lost my attention. I like the character of Blade, but this did not do it for me.

January 22, 2023

This is now the fourth day in a row for the January version of Comic Catch-Up, which was unexpected. The consecutive run should end as of tomorrow unless something unforeseen happens. As I have stated, I plan on having a daily Comics Catch-Up during February.

I have to get some organization done too so I can start to attack these books in some kind of order. I am currently in search of Thunderbolts #3 so I can read that five issue series. I have located #1, 2, 4, and 5, so #3 is a goal for the day.

Got a good chunk of reading done this morning, across several comic companies.

All-Out Avengers #1 and #2. Written by Derek Landy and drawn by Greg Land, All-Out Avengers was confusing for me. Issue one and issue two did not seem to have any tie in with each other and issue two started off with Dr. Doom as a member of the Avengers fighting another Dr. Doom. I do not know where any of this happened. It was not tied to issue one. It was so weird that I was wondering if I had to go searching for other Avengers titles that might tie in to it, but there did not appear to be such a thing. Both stories were good (Spidey was in #1. Yay!) but they confused me.

Shang-Chi: Master of the Ten Rings #1. “Fathers and Sons” Written by Gene Luen Yang with art by Michael Yg. I guess I should have waited for this until I had read the Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings series. This seemed to be a one shot issue that helped tie up the story from that limited series, which meant a lot of it was confusing for me. I’ll have to get that organized and onto the list to read.

Blue Beetle: Graduation Day #1. “Chapter One“. This is the first DC book that I read for the Comic Catch-Up and I liked it. Blue Beetle is a character that I have always liked, especially the new version, Jaime Reyes. He does have a Marvel feel to the character. Jaime has a bunch of troubles and Superman shows up to ground Blue Beetle. Written by Josh Trujillo and drawn by Adrian Gutierrez.

Deadpool #1-3. Written by Alyssa Wong and art by Martin Coccolo, Deadpool is back again. I have been up an down on Deadpool over the years. There have been series that I have enjoyed featuring the Merc with a Mouth and there have been series that I couldn’t care less about. So far, this has been interesting with a piece of the Carnage symbiote implanted and percolating inside of Wade by a villain named The Harrower. Wade is also after Doc Ock as an audition to join a secret society of assassins called the Atelier.

Mary Jane & Black Cat #1 & #2. Two of my favorite Spidey flames team up during the Dark Web crossover event. MJ has superpowers, which I have missed somewhere. Black Cat wants to restart a relationship with Spidey and that is making her uncomfortable in this strange team up taking place in Limbo with Belasco needing Black Cat’s thief skills. This was probably my favorite fo the Dark Web crossovers so far, even if that is not saying much. Written by Jed MacKay with art by Vincenzo Carratù.

The Riddler: Year One Book Two. Written by Paul Dano and drawn by Stevan Subic. I have liked this series so far and this book continues to be dark and gritty. Paul Dano as the writer, who is expanding the story of the Riddler, the character he played in this past year’s The Batman is a cool idea. I have always loved the Riddler and this interpretation was intriguing.

There’s Something Wrong with Patrick Todd #2-4. This is one of the series that my comic shop made me buy. I would not have paid any attention to this book from Aftershock, but my friend Todd said how his name and Patrick’s (another person at Comic World) name were put together in the title. I will say though that the concept of the book was fascinating and I liked the character of Patrick Todd so far. The introduction of the crazed Zeus gives us a mysterious reason to look for as well.

January 21, 2023

I woke up early this morning. Much earlier than I needed to for a Saturday morning, but as I laid there not able to get back to sleep, I thought it was a good time to do my next Comic Catch-Up. I going to begin to number them as I move along into the daily time in February. I figure that is very much like a comic book so it works.

I have been working on trying to organize the piles into some form of order to attack more efficiently. That may be a fool’s errand because there are just so many books. My goal is to catch-up on the more recent stuff and keep the older books for another time. If I can catch-up on the recent books, every Wednesday, I can read new releases without continuing to build up more piles. Good plan, no?

Anyway, here are the books I read this morning…

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1. “Boogie Down Roller Rink” I liked this series when it first came out a few years ago during the huge Inhumans renaissance. Lunella is fun and I love the relationship with Devil Dinosaur. This new volume is written by Jordan Ifueko and penciled by Alba Glez. The book does seem targeted toward a younger audience than I am. I did like the cover art by Ken Lashley and Rain Beredo. Because of the previous series, I’ll be giving this a try for a few issues, but it may not be a long term book for me.

Gold Goblin #3. From the pages of Amazing Spider-Man, Norman Osborn has been cleansed of his sins and now trying to make up for his crimes as the Gold Goblin. I do like the characterization of Norman Osborn shown in this limited series. This was a “Dark Web” crossover book, but it is basically just a tertiary connection. Written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Lan Medina, Gold Goblin has been decent. I’m not sure I like the Gold Goblin costume design much though. I did enjoy the new version of Jack O’Lantern that appeared in this issue.

The Invincible Iron Man #2. “The Autobiography of Tony Stark Chapter Two“. Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Juan Frigeri, Living Laser arrives with a grudge against Tony Stark. Stark and Ironheart have to join forces to challenge Living Laser. The downward spiral of Tony Stark continues in this issue and it is a fascinating look at the character in a different light. However, it does one of those shameful things. On the cover, it says “One-on-one with Ironheart” and the art implies that they fight in the story. However, that does not happen. Comics pull that bait and switch tactic quite a bit and it is annoying when they do. I must say though, i love the idea of Ironheart with the Mandarin rings (obviously a point that I missed).

The Avengers: War Across Time #1. Written by Paul Levitz and drawn by Alan Davis, this book was set back around Avengers #11 (back in the 1960s). I am not sure why they felt the need to set this in the past as they did. You’ve got an interesting group of Avengers battling Hulk (or are they?). Kang, who is going to be the next big thing in the MCU) is pulling the strings. This book had a retro/nostalgic feel to it, with even the style of the comic resembling the 1960s. Not sure how I feel about this and it may require a second issue to decide if I will continue with this.

Daredevil #4-7. There have been few comic runs as sensational as Chip Zdarsky’s run on Daredevil over the last few years. He spent months and months with Matt Murdock out of his costume and the book was one of the most compelling books I read. Now, Daredevil, along with Elektra, are involved in The Red Fist Saga and, without fail, the Zdarsky penned book is amazing. Zdarsky has taken some secondary villains of DD’s rogue’s gallery and given them some depth as Matt and Elektra try to take over the Fist. With the inclusion of Frank Castle, this story feels quite epic. I can’t wait for the Daredevil vs. Punisher throw down. It should be exceptional. By the way, I love the costume design of Elektra’s Daredevil outfit.

January 20, 2023

Yesterday, we had a two-hour delay at the school where I teach. Except, when I got there, we realized that we did not have any water. The school sent any kids that were there home and the staff stayed and worked, heading to a gas station in case the restroom was needed. We had another problem coming. The boilers at our school required water and we had none. Plus, the boilers have been sketchy this year anyway. No water and no heat.

Well, today, the water did not return until early morning and the boilers would not start. So school was cancelled again at our building while the rest of the district continued on. We were told to come to school at 9:15 to have a meeting to determine what we would do today.

Making the long story short (too late, I know), that meant that I had some time in the morning that I normally wouldn’t so I carved out an hour and did another January Comic Catch-Up.

Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt #1-3. Written by the legendary J.M. DeMatteis and drawn by Eder Messias & Belardino Brabo, I typically am not a big fan of non-continuity Marvel stories (that are not What If? books). Those alternate reality books just rarely do it for me. However, the pedigree of DeMatteis writing a story that is connected to his seminal work, Kraven’s Last Hunt, makes it hard to ignore. DeMatteis is putting Spider-Man through the wringer once again. The story was told with multiple points of view, but when Mary Jane is telling the story, her boxes are in red, which I found difficult to read. Other than that, the story worked well and I was invested.

The Invincible Iron Man #1: “The Autobiography of Tony Stark” The new volume featuring Iron Man was written by Gerry Duggan and the art was by Juan Frigeri. Tony Stark has fallen on some hard times and has been going through it. This was another story that looked back at the origin of Stark and his past. This was very intriguing as well.

Fantastic Four #3. “A Shoptastic Day” Written by Ryan North with art by Iban Coello, this was the issue to focus on Johnny Storm, the Human Torch. Johnny had some funny things going down, including some new facial hair and a not-so-great secret identity. It was an intriguing look at the character of Johnny Storm in ways that have never been covered before. At first, I was not sure about what was happening, but it won me over. Looks as if we get to find out some details about what happened to the FF next issue.

Secret Invasion #3. “Now I Know You’re Human” I really have liked this series so far. I am really looking forward to the Disney + series in a few months so this has been great, focused more on Maria Hill than Nick Fury ( as the show will). Tony Stark is in this issue too, causing his normal amount of trouble. There was also a fantastic cliffhanger at the end of the issue. Secret Invasion was written by Ryan North and the art was by Francesco Mobili.

I’m hoping to get another couple of hours this weekend for Comic Catch-Up.

January 19, 2023

This morning was a two-hour delay at my school, so it gave me an opportunity to read a couple of my comics. I have been negligent about my reading over the last six months to a year. I have piles of books all over the room that I swear I am going to get to, but just never seem to.

I enjoyed the time I read today, so I have decided to do something to attack the problem. Starting in February, I will be carving out an hour, every day, to read comics that I am behind on and then I will be writing a Comic Catch-Up post for EYG.

I will be doing some entries in the Comic Catch-Up, including today, in January, but with the Genre-ary Sci-Fi DailyView still underway, I cannot guarantee that I have an extra hour to give to the Comic Catch-Up until the DailyView ends. However, because I enjoyed reading this morning so much, I am picking out a few dates in January where I can do a Catch-Up.

The books I read this morning:

Fantastic Four #2: “The Night of Doom” I had read FF #1, with the solo story of The Thing, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. So issue two was featuring Reed and Sue with a creative story about Doombots. This new version of the FF is written by Ryan North and the art, which I really like, is Iban Coello. Reed and Sue are great here and it is a very creative idea that I do not think I have ever seen before. Next issue is Human Torch, which I am excited to read.

Joe Fixit #1. This was the highlight of the morning for me. Joe Fixit #1 was a pleasant surprise and it has helped mitigate the feelings I have about the current run on the Hulk, which I have really not enjoyed. Of course, who is this character? I get a feeling that it is not Bruce Banner. So there is a cool mystery to it as well. Plus, Spider-Man guest starred. This one was great. Written by the EYG Hall of Famer Peter David and drawn by Yildiray Çınar.

Photon #2. Another book that caught me off guard with how much I enjoyed the story that it was telling. It is also a book that has a central mystery of what was going on and we got what seemed to be a new version of the Beyonder, with an old version of the Avengers. Written by Eve L. Ewing and art from the team of Ivan Fiorelli & Luca Maresca. I am excited to see where Monica’s story takes her.

The Amazing Spider-Man #17. I love the Amazing Spider-Man, but I have got to say that I have not been much of a fan of the Dark Web stuff that they have been running over the last month and a half. I do like the use of Ben Reilly as a villain (because I have always hated him for replacing Peter way back in the Clone Saga), but these demons in Limbo are ridiculous and I am just unhappy with the storytelling so far. I will, of course, keep reading it, but I definitely would like to see this story improve. Written by Zeb Wells and art by Ed McGuinness.

The Unwanted #1 & 2. This is the book that my friend Todd at Comic World made me buy. He claimed that I would enjoy this so he got me these issues. Written by James Mascia and art by Miguel Angel Hernandez, The Unwanted was an intriguing book. I did like the story that was being told. It gave me LOST vibes. I will say that I had trouble getting into the characters. There were too many of them and they all just seemed basic. I hope some of the characterization will improve, but none of them stood out as people I would love to follow. The mysteries of what was going on was engaging enough to keep buying it though.

Strange #10. “Attack on Emerald City, Finale“: I read this one despite being behind on this series quite a bit because I saw that Stephen Strange was back and I was curious to see what was going to happen. I was fairly confused about the story, which was not surprising considering I had read Strange since issue 2 or 3. I did like it and I was happy with the resolution of the story so all’s good. It was written by Jed MacKay and drawn by Marcelo Ferreira.

Wasp #1. Written by Al Ewing and drawn by Kasia Nie, Wasp was another book that I enjoyed. It told a story tying into the origin of Janet Van Dyne and it included Nadia, who I have always enjoyed. There was an old school feel to this issue and I am looking forward to seeing it play out.

That was all I read this morning. I hope to schedule another January Comic Catch-Up for this Saturday and maybe Sunday and the full blown daily event starts in February.

A Vicious Circle Book 1

Boom! Studios

Written by Mattson Tomlin

Illustrated by Lee Bermejo

The first issue of the three issue series from BOOM! Studios was released this week and it was a sensational comic.

We are introduced to Shawn Thacker, who appeared to be a happy, family man, happily married with a son who wanted nothing more than to go fishing with his father. However, we see almost immediately that there was so much more to Shawn Thacker than we ever would have expected.

We find out that there is a monster in the cellar that was ready to shake Shawn’s life to the foundation. What is the relationship between Shawn and this monster and how does it connect to the future?

A Vicious Circle Book 1 is very compelling and a fascinating read. The story grabs you immediately and it does not shy away from a shocking circumstance.

The words provided by Mattson Tomlin are brutal and quick to engage. However, the artwork of this issue is, perhaps, the finest art that I have ever seen within a comic book. Lee Bermejo begins in beautiful black and white with some of the most detailed and realistic art imaginable. When the color comes, the story takers another turn and elevates the illustration to yet another level.

The last panel of the book introduces us to yet another amazing image that promises that this story is taking yet another turn. So much happened in this first issue and yet we really do not know that much. It provided some outstanding storytelling and I am excited to see where this continues moving forward.

Geiger #1

Story Tellers: Geoff Johns & Gary Frank

Cover Art: Gary Frank

It is a survivalist tale in a post apocalyptic future. It is a story of sacrifice. It is a story of family. It is a story of a super hero.

And it was great.

Images Comics latest comic, Geiger, came out today and it was a fantastic read. The story progresses quickly, jumping around in time, giving us hints about what happened to the world and presenting us with several secrets that create a memorable Mad max type world.

The Glowing Man is a mysterious figure and the heart of the book. How did he become the way he is? We see some pieces, but, as a good narrative does, it leaves us with more questions than answers.

Some of the art in this book are majestic. There are plenty of wonderful panels that tell the story in beautiful imagery and color. There are some full page panels that are pieces of art that would be right at home on the wall of a gallery.

This was quite a winning first issue.

Alien #1

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson

Artist: Salvador Larroca

Cover Art: InHYUK Lee

Marvel has been the home for Star Wars comics for several years now. Now, another benefit from the FOX acquisition has come to light. Marvel Comics released the first comic based on the hit movie series, Alien.

Alien #1 is wonderful. The horror comic genre has been very hot lately, and this has such a classic IP to use as a backdrop. The story featured a former mercenary Gabriel Cruz, who had some kind of major event happen to him in space years before. The multinational corporation Weyland-Yutani controls the spaceways. Gabe’s estranged son, Danny, leads a group attempting to stop the corporation. Unfortunately, Danny’s group found something they did not expect.

The Xenomorph looks awesome on the pages of this comic book. The art is beautiful, in particularly the parts in space. I will say that there are some weird looking human faces in the book. It appeared as if the artist was recreating some real life faces, (including actor Lance Henriksen, who played android Bishop in the movie).

It did not take long to be drawn into the story, the father-son tale that has some horrific monsters involved. Interesting to see how the incident from Gabe’s past will play into the current situation with his son.

Off to a great start.