February 10, 2023

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.

February 9, 2023

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.

February 8, 2023

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.

February 7, 2023

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.

February 6, 2023

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.

February 5, 2023

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!

February 4, 2023

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.

February 3, 2023

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.

February 2, 2023

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.

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.