Category Archives: Comics This Week

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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February 19

Big week of books this week. Lots of choices for the medals and it was a real tough decision. I had five books that I had narrowed the list down to and I considered doing a tie for both the bronze and silver medals. However, I made a final decision on the books and found my final three.

Ironically, a book that I saw on the newsstand at Comic World and grabbed because I loved the cover, did not make the cut. It was a beautiful foil cover of Ultimate Black Panther#13. There was also Amazing Spider-Man #68 which nearly made the medals.

So here are the three medalist this week.

Bronze Medalist

Shazam #20

Variant Cover D

Cover art by Mark Spears

I do not collect Shazam, but the opportunity to buy this book fell into my lap (thanks Todd) and I couldn’t pass it up. Mark Spears has been a star this year so far.

Silver Medalist

Mystique #5

Cover Art by Declan Shalvey

The Mystique series has had some extremely intriguing and attractive covers, including this issue. With the skull on Mystique’s body, and a mask in her hand, this gives us a insight into the concept of Raven. This is an amazing cover.

Gold Medalist

House of Slaughter #30

Cover art by Jorge Fornes and Werther Dell’edera

I love this one. The contrasts with the black and blues on the cover are awesome. This is such a interesting cover that it beat some really great ones. It is simply a standout.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #139

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February 15

Welcome once again with the EYG Comic Cavalcade. I was able to finish reading my books, even though I was only able to get them after school Friday. I drove through a blizzard to get the books, and I thought I wouldn’t be doing this post late to the weekend. But I was able to read comics all night on Friday, and finished them up this morning.

So here we go…

One World Under Doom #1. “The Exercise of Power.” Written by Ryan North and art by R.B. Silva. Ben Harvey did the cover art. Doctor Doom stole the mantel of Sorcerer Supreme from Dr. Strange during the Blood Hunt. Everyone was worried about where he would take it. Now we know. Doom stepped up to start his domination of the planet. I have loved Ryan North’s run on Fantastic Four, so this is an exciting arc.

Amazing Spider-Man #67. “Nothing Stops.” Written by Justina Ireland and penciled by Andrea Broccardo. Patrick Gleason & Richard Isanove did the cover art. The X-Men have stepped up in Peter’s place as champion for now, but how long will it last? I am not a fan of the way Peter is being written in this arc. I understand the thinking, but Spider-Man’s dedication to life and responsibility would not allow him to act in this manner. I don’t like it when someone does not seem to understand the character of Peter Parker. We’ll see where this goes.

New Champions #2. Written by Steve Foxe and art by Ivan Fiorelli. Gleb Melnikov & Edgar Delgado did the cover art. This has been a fun start to this series. I loved the compilation of this group of heroes as potential New Champions. I am intrigued by which ones of them will stick around and join this new team.

Feral #10. Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Trish Forstner and Tone Rodriguez. Cover art was done by Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner. This issue really took a step into horror. This comic has always had a horror feel to it, but the scene with the lady in the basement with the hungry cats was just next level.

X-Men #11. “Live Capture.” Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Netho Diaz. Cover art is done by Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer & Marte Gracia. The X-Men find a surprise when they go to investigate a spaceship. Corsair!

Eddie Brock: Carnage #1. Written by Charles Soule and art by Jesus Saiz. Cover art was done by Iban Coello & Frank D’Armata. The Carnage symbiote faces off with Eddie Brock. Can they work as a duo, or are they simply incompatible? This is a new look at Brock and a very intriguing book. I have never been a huge fan of Venom/Carnage as heroes, but this has a bizarre twist to it.

Sam Wilson: Captain America #2. Written by Greg Pak & Evan Narcisse and art by Eder Messias. Taurin Clarke did the cover art. This felt very much like the newly released Captain America: Brave New World movie. Right down to the fight with Red Hulk.

Spider-Boy #16. “Bonus Level” Written by Dan Slott and art by Paco Medina. Paco Medina and Edgar Delgado did the cover art. Thanks to Daredevil, Spider-Boy jumps back into the Dragon’s Challenge tournament along with Spider-Girl. I’m glad this arc is over.

All-New Venom #3. Written by Al Ewing and art by Carlos Gomez. Adam Kubert & Laura Martin did the cover art (Silver Medalist). Another of the suspects is eliminated from the “Who is All-New Venom?” story. It is not Madame Masque (thank god).

Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #10. “Haunted” Part 10. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Von Randal. Cover art was done by Mark Brooks (Gold Medalist). The mysterious Black Tarantula is revealed and the person behind him steps up too.

Standstill #7. Written by Lee Loughlin and art by Alex Riegel. Cover art was done by Andrew Robinson. Ryker and Jack Knife are together and Ryker is not in best shape. However, there are more problems on the way. Will they survive?

The Immortal Thor #20. “Into the Dark.” Written by Al Ewing and drawn by Jan Bazaldua. Alex Ross did the cover art (Bronze Medalist). Thor spends some time with his mother, Freyja, until the return of Torantos brings him back for a final confrontation… but not as one would expect.

Transformers #17. Written by Daniel Warren Johnson and art by Jorge Corona. Cover art was done by Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer. The final page saw the debut of Shredhead. More Autobot and Decepticon action both on earth and Cybertron.

Deadpool/Wolverine #2. “Badlands” Written by Benjamin Percy and art by Joshua Cassara. Joshua Cassara & GURU-eFX did the cover art. Deadpool and Wolverine fight some boned up dinosaurs. Wade and Logan’s relationship comes through in these pages very well.

Deadpool Team-Up #5. Written and drawn by Rob Liefeld and the cover art was done by Rob Liefeld and Juan Manuel Rodriguez. How intriguing this is. Rob Liefeld has recently fallen out with Marvel over perceived slights during the premiere of Deadpool & Wolverine and he has come out against them. It seems like this is most likely the final issue with Rob Liefeld involved for the foreseeable future. This is the final issue of this Deadpool Team-Up.

Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #5. “Scars.” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Devmalya Pramanik. Variant cover art (Torch cover) by Emilio Laiso & Mattia Iacono. Marc Specter takes on Fairchild inside the square circle. Perhaps it does not go the way one would expect.

Deadpool #11. “Pools of Blood Part One.” Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Andrea DiVito. Cover art by Taurin Clarke. Deadpool and his daughter have a special contract. It was a contract for Miles Morales Spider-Man. Miles is not going to go easy.

Batman: Dark Patterns #3. “We are the Wounded Part 3.” Written by Dan Watters and art by Hayden Sherman. Cover art by Hayden Sherman. I really love the Wound Man and the story that is behind this character. He is one of the more interesting new villains you are going to find.

Absolute Batman #5. “The 200 Part Five” Written by Scott Snyder and art by Nick Oragotta. Cover art is done by Oragotta & Martin. We get more present day/flashback with Batman and a young Bruce Wayne.

Geiger #11. Written by Geoff Johns and art and cover by Gary Frank & Brad Armstrong. Nate is out to try and help Mr. Geiger control his power. How better to do that than find the Glowing Woman?

Other books this week: Psylocke #4, The Lucky Devils #2, The Moon is Following Us #6, Marvel Mutts #1, Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #4, and Magik #2.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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February 14

So I am a couple of days late with the EYG Favorite Comic Covers post. Wednesday on NEW COMIC BOOK DAY, there was a bunch of snow. We had around 8″ here and Dubuque was around 6″ so I did not venture out. Then, Thursday night, I already had tickets for Captain America: Brave New World in Davenport. That took a trip to Dubuque out of the cards for Thrusday.

I headed to Dubuque today after school and, about halfway there, suddenly there was snow everywhere. It was getting bad, mainly because of the wind, but I made to Comic World and got home as quickly as I could. It felt like I was coming home through a blizzard, but it may be that I am just not as used to driving in weather any more. Still, I am home safe and ready to award some medals.

Bronze Medalist

Immortal Thor #20

Cover art by Alex Ross

Last year’s champion, Alex Ross, returns to the medal podium this week with one of his classic Thor covers. It is an action packed cover with Thor dead center.

Silver Medalist

All-New Venom #3

Cover art by Adam Kubert & Laura Martin

The image of the All-New Venom on the cover, with that creepy grin, stands before the red background, causing the character to stand out even more. The reflection in Venom’s eyes are a cool extra feature.

Gold Medalist

Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #10

Cover art by Mark Brooks

More red background this week and Spider-Gwen is looking awesome in this web. The web itself knocked the title off its place at the top. When I was going through my pile of books this week, this one jumped out at me. I had this one picked and the other two were the debatable one.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #138

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February 6

We had some ice last night in the weather and it has led to there being a no school day today after I had a personal day on NEW COMIC BOOK DAY. All that meant that I had some open time to finish reading the books and the EYG Comic Cavalcade is able to come out early this week.

I picked up several graphic novels yesterday, two at Comic World and two at BAM!. At Comic World, I grabbed We Called Them Giants by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans and Fantastic Four: Season One by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and David Marquez. The Gillen/Hans book is beautiful and really great. At BAM!, I got Dark Horse graphic novel Skull and Bones: Savage Storm by John Jackson Miller and James Mischler and the beautifully drawn The Road, adapted by Manu Larcenet.

This is a double dose of Marvel this week as the missing shipment from Diamond (boooooo) last week arrived with this week’s books. Diamond is really setting themselves up as the antagonist of this column.

Books this week:

Exorcism at 1600 Penn #3. Written by Hannah Rose May and art by Vanesa Del Ray. Cover art was done by Vanesa Del Ray. The possession of the President’s daughter takes more steps forward as Kevin tries to convince everyone that it was happening. I was getting frustrated how these adults were all so blind with their denial, but it seemed like everyone has come around to the truth as the penultimate issue of this series concluded.

Deadpool #10. Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Roge Antonio. Taurin Clarke did the cover art. Deadpool and Ellie are back from the dead with their healing factors compromised. Taskmaster tried to help them train their fighting style to adjust. I was not a huge fan of this issue or the way they have downgraded Deadpool’s healing factor. I am willing to see where they go.

The Patchwork Girl of Oz #1. Adapted, Illustrated and cover art by Otis Frampton. This is an adaptation of one of the novels from L. Frank Baum and I really enjoyed it. It was a surprise to find it in my box, because I did not remember actually ordering it (I’m not saying I didn’t do it. Just did not remember it). I like the more cartoony art here because it worked so well with this story. I found this to be very joyous.

Hellhunters #2. Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and drawn by Adam Gorham. Variant cover art by Salvador Larroca & Edgar Delgado. This World War II series with these characters continues to be interesting, especially now that Logan (aka Wolverine) has joined the crew. He has made it much bloodier than it had been. This dynamic is intriguing as well.

Namor #7. “The Battle of the Eighth” Written by Jason Aaron and art by Paul Davidson & Alex Lins. Varian Cover art by Olivier Coipel (Silver Medalist). I thought this was epic. Namor facing down the leaders of the different ocean kingdoms. Namor’s battles were so awesome.

The Ultimates #9. Written by Deniz Camp and guest artist is Chris Allen. Cover art was done by Dike Ruan & Neeraj J. Menon (Bronze Medalist). We get a whole issue featuring Luke Cage in jail. This Ultimate universe continues to be rocking hard.

Spider-Boy #15. “All Eyes on the Prize.” Written by Dan Slott and art by Paco Medina. with Spider-Girl’s origin art by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. Cover art by Paco Medina and Edgar Delgado. The Dragon’s Challenge rolled on as we end up with a final battle between Daredevil & Spider-Boy and Bullseye & Spider-Girl. Daredevil does something to protect Bailey that was unexpected and costs them dearly.

Avengers #23. “The Casino Job Part 2” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Farid Karami. Cover art was done by Valerio Schiti & Alex Sinclair. The ultimate odd couple is taking on the Avengers this week. Kang the Conqueror and the Black Cat. Huh? Strange pairing for sure, but Kang needs someone to steal something and he chose Felicia.

The Spectacular Spider-Men #12. “Hero Worship.” Written by Greg Weisman and art by Emilio Laiso. Cover art was done by David Baldeón and Edgar Delgado. The two Electros return and are about to defeat the two Spider-Men until we get the appearance of a scaly surprise. Honestly, this issue felt a little lesser than it has been recently. We’ll see how it goes from here.

X-Men #10. “Brinksmanship.” Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Netho Diaz. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer and Marte Gracia (Gold Medalists). This was another epic issue that was highlighted with a tension filled confrontation between Cyclops and Lundqvist. This scene was just awesome and stood out as one of the best one-on-one verbal matchups in the entire series. I loved this.

Juvenile #3. Written, illustrated and cover art by Jesus Orellana. Juvenile has just been a tremendous book over the first three issues. Sara and Max are amazing together and there is a ton of stress after they are recaptured from their escape attempt. What is going to happen to them? It is especially up in the air after we see Ella. This might be my current favorite independent book going.

Justice League: The Atom Project #2. “Cold Fusion.” Written by Ryan Parrott and John Ridley and art and cover by Mike Perkins. I will admit that I was not as into this issue of the series as I was issue #1. I do like super powered polar bears though.

Absolute Superman #4. “Chasing the Storm.” Written by Jason Aaron and art by Rafa Sandoval. Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola did the cover art. Superman seems to be messing with the Peacemakers, and they are not happy about it. I actually thought this was the weakest of the Absolute Superman books so far too. Still, I like this new take on the character.

Ultimate X-Men #11. Written, illustrated and cover art by Peach Momoko. This was an interesting book. There were several mentions of other Ultimate books, including Black Panther and the new Black Cat. I wonder if this was included to make sure everyone understood that the Ultimate X-Men was still taking place in the same universe even though it is so different from anything else.

Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #2. Written by Frank Tieri and art by Michael Sta. Maria. Tyler Kirkham and Arif Prianto did the cover art. I enjoyed how this book is building the world of this time, with all of these groups vying for power. Plus, Sabretooth takes on an alligator man. Always fun.

When I Lay My Vengeance Upon Thee #2. Written by Gus Moreno and illustrated and cover art by Jakub Rebelka. More possession this week as Father Stygian and Father Barrera have to face some seriously gross stuff.

Frankenstein New World: The Sea of Forever #1. Script by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden & Thomas Sniegoski. A follow up series from ten years ago, Mike Mignola returned to Frankenstein and young Lilja following her vision above ground. I like this take on the Frankenstein story in this new series from Dark Horse.

Parliament of Rooks #3. Written by Abigail Jill Harding with Richard Starkings and illustrated by Abigail Jill Harding. Darius has gone full monster form, though his thoughts are still with his beloved Princess Seraphina. Some beautifully drawn monster images make this book stand out. I am curious to see how this Ablaze book wraps up.

Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #4. “Rats” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Devmalya Pramanik. Davide Paratore did the cover art. Things are going rough for Moon Knight as he is out for vengeance of those that killed the Midnight Mission. Moon Knight takes it to another bloody level.

In Bloom #2. Written by Michael W. Conrad and art by John J. Pearson with Lola Bonato. John J. Pearson did the cover art. The story of the people “blooming” take another turn in a much more shocking and graphic manner. There were a couple of scenes of pure horror in this book.

Storm: Lifedream #1. Cover art was by Taurin Clarke. There are three different chapters of this Storm story that is written by and drawn by different teams. I do enjoy me some Storm and this does cover a long part of her history. It is clear that there are big plans moving ahead for Ororo Munroe.

Red Before Black #4. Written by Stephanie Phillips and illustrated by Goran Sudžuka. Goran Sudžuka with Ive Svorcina did the cover art. This book has been reminding me of Thelma and Louise while bringing in a character this issue that made me think of the Crocodile Hunter. Lots of fun.

What If Galactus Transformed Spider-Gwen #1. “Tipping the Scales.” Written by Kalinda Vazquez and art by Daniel Picciotto. Ron Lim and Israel Silva did the cover art. This is the final of the What If Galactus series and this book felt the same as a lot of the others. I was enjoying the set up, but the book ended before the big final battle. This left me feeling unsatisfied as many of these recent What Ifs have. I thought this was an excellent HALF of a story.

Power Man: Timeless #1. “Something New” Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly and art by Bernard Chang. Andrei Bressan & Rachelle Rosenberg did the cover art. This is the surprise of the week. I did not expect this to be a new series. I was not a fan of the previous Power Man: Timeless one shot from a few months ago, but this was great. They brought this Power Man into the 616 universe (it seemed like) and I suddenly found his adventure engaging as could be. I never thought I would want to read on with this book, but I do.

Phoenix #8. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Alessandro Miracolo. Yasmine Putri did the cover art. Jean Grey is going through some personal growth inside a cocoon? We get the new form of Phoenix at the end.

Wolverine #6. “Lineage.” Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Martin Coccolo with Martin Coccolo and Bryan Valenza did the cover art. Laura arrived in the book to help Logan follow the clues that are leading them to Adamantine.

Two-Face #3. Wild, but I could not find the creator credits inside this issue of Two-Face. The cover listed Ward, Veras & Plascencia but that was all I could find. I found the creators of the few pages of Zatanna at the end of the book that is appearing in all of the DC books this month. The Two-Face book has been good so far as we get a big reveal at the end of it.

Psylocke #3. “Lady-Killer.” Written by Alyssa Wong and art by Vincenzo Carratù. Cover art was done by Mahmud Asrar & Matthew Wilson. This was a solid issue of Psylocke as she met up with John Greycrow, after finding his bloody arm with a note on it last issue. This was probably my favorite issue of the series so far.

Scarlet Witch #9. Written by Steve Orlando and art by Jacopo Camagni. Russell Dauterman did the cover art. Hey, fresh off her appearance in the Avengers, Black Cat is now here stealing from Wanda. Felicia is really giving those luck powers a go. Not sure why Black Cat has suddenly been everywhere, but I don’t mind it.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6. Written by Jason Aaron and art by Juan Ferreyra. Cover art was by Jorge Fornes. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back together and… things are falling apart. They can’t get along and spend most of this issue fighting with each other. And Donnie is carrying around a rat claiming it is Master Splinter. Things aren’t good for the Turtles.

Other books this week: Grim #21, Rocketfellers #3, Bitter Root: The Next Movement ashcan, and Spirits of Vengeance #6.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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February 5

There are no covers this week from Mark Spears, so everyone else has a chance.

Plus, I have two weeks of Marvel books this week, and, partially because of this, all three medalists this week are from the House of Ideas.

Bronze Medalist

The Ultimates #9

Cover art by Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon

I have always loved those white backgrounds on these covers so this immediately moves this Ultimates book up the list. Then with the cool white jail bars covering our characters give us a nice perspective for this issue.

Silver Medalist

Namor #7

Variant cover B

Cover art by Olivier Coipel

I swapped the cover A for this one because I liked this one so much more than the cover A book. This is a great look at Namor as he is swimming in the blue of the water.

Gold Medalist

X-Men #10

Cover art by Ryan Stegman, J.P. Mayer, & Marte Gracia

Cyclops’s optic blasts shown on the cover around the entire cover. The title itself is affected by the optic blasts. This is a beautiful use of the red color and gave us something original.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #137

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February 1

Hey, it is time for the EYG Comic Cavalcade. Diamond still has not gotten things straightened out so it is a slighter week this week with no Marvel books. However, next week could be a massive week… that is if next week’s Diamond’s order can get there. I am not holding my breathe.

Today, before I went to see the movie Presence, I went to a comic shop in Davenport. I was curious and I googled to see what comic shops were in the Quad Cities. One seemed easy to get to so I picked it. The parking was horrendous, and the shop, to be honest, was like an armpit. It reminded me of Comic World when it used to be down on Central in Dubuque, only much smaller. There were boxes and piles of comics everywhere. It reminded me of Todd’s storage lot (hee hee hee).

I was hoping that there would be some smaller independent books that hadn’t been ordered at Comic World that I could pick up. There was not a ton of new issues, but there were some. For example, I picked up the Deadly Tales of the Gunslinger #2, which was a Spawn book that featured a beautiful Mark Spears cover. I had not intended on buying it, but since I saw it there for cover price, I picked it up. I also grabbed the Superman/Lex Luthor #1 book that I was not overly interested in and a foil covered Ultimate Spider-Man #13. I felt like I needed to buy something to make the trip worthwhile, and I think I picked up some fun books.

Books this week (minus Marvel):

Ice Cream Man #43. I do think my favorite horror series is Ice Cream Man and this issue has an awesome gimmick: One-Page Horror Stories. This was my favorite book of the week with very short stories by some of the greats including Grant Morrison, Patton Oswalt, Jeff Lemire, Zoe Thorogood, Geoff Johns, Matt Fraction, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Good Old Neon, Deniz Camp, and Frank Barbiere. The art for the entire book was done by Martin Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran (except for three others: Good Old Neon, Zoe Thorogood, and Ashley Walker). The cover art was done by Ryan Quackenbush.

Silverhawks #1. Written by Ed Brisson and art by George Kambadais. I have cover A by Lucio Parrillo. There are only about 5 million covers for this book. That is hyperbole, but there are literally three pages at the back of the book showing all the variant covers for this book. I can’t imagine that there is any collector anywhere who can purchase all of these covers from Cover A to Cover ZZD (+ a bunch of retailer exclusives). Dynamite has been solid recently, and I enjoyed this book too, with a passing of the torch for a new era of Silverhawks.

Freddie the Fix #1. Written by Garth Ennis and art by Mike Perkins. Todd has been looking for this one for quite awhile for me, and he was finally able to get his hands on it. It has a cover quote from Stephen King saying, “It’s Crazy Good!” Part of the Ninth Circle imprint from Image, this was a fun story with a “fixer” in Hollywood trying to fix things for the monsters that worked in Hollyweird… and I mean monsters literally. Lots of fun.

Redcoat #9. Creators: Geoff Johns & Bryan Hitch. Variant cover B art was done by Mark Buckingham & John Kalisz. We get a brand new character to interact with Simon Pure. A flashback issue featuring Johnny Appleseed. This was another really good comic from this Ghost Machine imprint of Image.

Blood Train #1. Written by Adam Glass and art by Bernard Chang. Another one shot issue from Ninth Circle, Blood Train reminded me very much of the Korean movie Train from Busan. A train and a virus that can turn someone into a creature… always a great story.

Mark Spears Monsters #3. Written, drawn and cover art by Mark Spears (Gold, Silver and Bronze Medalist). This book became the first sweep winner of the Favorite Cover of the Week for Mark Spears, with the Jaws cover winning going away. It is a beautiful cover. I love this series too as the fun with monsters continues.

The Seasons #1. Written by Rick Remender and art and cover art by Paul Azaceta. I am not sure what I thought about this book. It was a very strange book involving characters named after the seasons. This kind of reminded me of the Disney short Paperman.

Sherlock Holmes: The Dark Detective #3. “Arena of Darkness” Written by Christopher Sequeira and art by Philip Cornell. Sherlock and Watson seemed to have solved the Chimera mystery in this issue… so much that I thought this was the final issue, though the cover says that there will be a fourth issue.

Sam and Twitch: Case Files #10. Written by Jordan Barel & Todd McFarlane and art by Thomas Nachlik. Cover art by Jim Muniz & Jonathan Glapion. The case of Twitch’s officer shooting is getting even stranger than it was before. This new storyline is very interesting.

Hello Darkness #7. The other regular horror anthology series. Hello Darkness has been consistently good with some of the short stories inside being actually outstanding. My favorite in this issue was titled “Evermore,” written by David hazan and illustrated by Stefano Nesi.

Other books this week: FML #3, Book of Cutter #1, Knights vs. Samurai #5, Black Cloak #11, and Blood Squad Seven #6.

EYG Favorite Comic Cover of the Week

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January 30

Todd! It was White Savior!

I was talking with Todd at Comic World tonight and I was joking about the old issue #3 curse. It seemed as if the independent series for a short while always missed #3 for me, and I tried to remember that book that Drew had taken home that was supposed to be mine. I couldn’t for the life of me think of the name of it. I kept thinking The Last… something. I knew it was a four issue series from Dark Horse, but I couldn’t place the title. Finally, on the way back home, the word WHITE popped in my head and then it was just a matter of moments before I got to White Savior. Strangely enough, it still did not feel right, but I checked the internet and it sure was. That was a real relief getting that off my mind.

This week’s medalists are a FIRST!

Bronze Medalist

Mark Spears Monsters #3

Variant Cover E

Cover Art by Mark Spears.

What a cool cover with all of the monsters around the witch, who looks spectacular. This was in honor of a Marvel series of covers from a few years ago and it is awesome. Godzilla is up there too. Mark Spears is on fire.

Silver Medalist

Mark Spears Monsters #3

Cover A

Cover art by Mark Spears

Frankenstein’s Monster is adorning this cover looking as if he in the electric chair. Will that get rid of Frankie? I don’t know but this cover A is another amazing piece of artwork from Mark Spears. I wonder what is next….?

Gold Medalist

Mark Spears Monsters #3

Variant Cover G Metal Cover

Cover Art by Mark Spears

Absolutely stunning. Despite dropping a pretty penny for this rare cover, I think it is worth it. I love Jaws and this cover captures the terror of the man-eater perfectly. Mark Spears makes history for our site. This is the first time that the same artist has all three medals in one week. It is also the first time that three covers of the same issue placed in the top three. We had Spider-Gwen place in two medal position once last year, but this is the first time for all three places. It is not quite February yet and I do not think anyone will be catching Mark Spears for the Cover Artist of the Year from EYG.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #136.ONEDOLLAR

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January 26

Welcome to a special edition of the EYG Comic Cavalcade.

I wanted to include issues from the one dollar box that I picked up this week at Comic World, but I did not remember to add a paragraph at the beginning of yesterday’s post. So I thought we could cover it by doing a bit of a parody.

Marvel has done this several times, with Amazing Spider-Man being the top offender. In fact, just this month, Amazing Spider-Man released issue #65 and then a week later released Amazing Spider-Man #65.DEATHS. Then, this week they had ASM #66. Why they numbered the books in this way is beyond me. Why can’t #65.DEATHS just be issue #66 and continue their numbering from there? As the kids say, IDK (I hate IDK, by the way).

I have done plenty of parodies involving comics during the Comic Cavalcade (I joked about Legacy Numbering once before) so this is officially EYG Comic Cavalcade #136.ONEDOLLAR.

Books from the One Dollar box this week:

Avengers Vol. 3 #10. “Pomp & Pageantry” Written by Kurt Busiek and art by the legendary George Perez. It is an anniversary of the Avengers and the city is celebrating. This roster of Avengers features Firestar and Justice, which I like quite a bit. The party crasher is the Grim Reaper who resurrected a bunch of dead Avengers to fight against the team. Funny enough, I do not think any of them are currently dead in continuity except the original Captain Marvel and maybe Swordsman and Thunderstrike. Wonder Man, Mockingbird, Hellcat, and Dr. Druid are all currently alive and active in the Marvel Universe. It’s funny.

Black Book #1. Todd chastised me about this. He said I had never heard of the company Comico before, implying that I shouldn’t care about this book. It turned out the Black Book #1 is just a promotional book for comic that had been and will be (maybe) released by Comico. I saw both Space Ghost and Jonny Quick in here, which is funny since they are both out in Dynamite.

Captain America #601. Written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Gene Colon. The Winter Solider tells Nick Fury (the original one) a story of World War II where Cap and Bucky had to fight vampires. Listed as “A Very Special Issue of Captain America” on the cover, this was a neat book, especially with there being so many vampires in the Marvel Universe today.

The Stuff of Dreams #1. This is subtitled “A Kim Deitch Comic Book.” Kim Deitch was an American cartoonist who worked in the underground comix scene during the 1960s. This book, released in 2002, was very much in the style of those underground comix, black and white and full of controversial material.

The Dreaming # 21-23, 25, 30-31, 35. This is a Vertigo book, which was an imprint of DC Comics at the time (and is once again, I believe). It is a book of horror stories set in the Sandman universe. It featured some of the lesser Sandman characters. The books looked attractive, but I do not think I would pick up any unless they arrive in the dollar box again.

Ex Machina #9, 11-12, 33. This book is written by Brian K. Vaughn, which is absolutely a selling point, but I love the phrase Deus Ex Machina which, honestly, why I picked these up. This apparently sprung out of the events of 9-11 and I will say that, though I have not read these yet, I have scanned them through and I find this more intriguing than the Dreaming. This is from Wildstorm Comics, which was also an imprint for DC.

That’s it for this special edition of EYG Comic Cavalcade. We will continue next week with our normally numbered posts, though it will apparently only feature DC Comics and Image comics. Thanks a lot, Diamond.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #136

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January 25

It is time for the EYG Comic Cavalcade once again.

This week I did something that I rarely do. I picked up a 3rd printing of a book. I prefer the first printing and have been known to skip it if it is not 1st prints. However, Mark Spears Monsters #1 third printing had an all-new cover by Mark Spears and I loved it. It earned a bronze medal in this week’s Favorite Comic Covers of the Week and Spears continues to be absolutely fire.

Books this week:

Superman Annual #11. “For the Man Who Has Everything“. Written by Alan Moore and art and cover art by Dave Gibbons. I was talked into buying this by Todd. He talked about the story, how it had been adapted into one of the animated shows. He guaranteed that I would love it, and…. it was fine. Two things really stood out to me. This was a different Batman. He called Jason Todd “chum.” That was like an Adam West Batman line. Then, Robin saved them all, and nobody thanked him. Good thing Jason was there.

Doctor Doom & Rocket Raccoon #1. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and art by Will Robson. Cover art was done by Gary Frank & Alex Sinclair. Doctor Doom needs some specific help. And who does he call? Of course, he calls Rocket Raccoon. This was a fun issue, but some of the Dr. Doom lines felt strange, kind of out of character. It was not disqualifying for me, but it felt odd.

Amazing Spider-Man #66. “No More.” Written by Justina Ireland and art by Andrea Broccardo. Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove did the cover art. Peter is is a serious funk. The whole 8 Deaths of Spider-Man has seemingly broken him. I’m not convinced that he would be acting this way, but I do like how Cyra was so confused by his behavior. The whole kissing Black Cat was strange too.

Black Canary: Best of the Best #3. “Round Three.” Written by Tom King and art by Ryan Sook. Cover art was done by Ryan Sook. I have really enjoyed this series so far. Batman makes a guest appearance as does Ted Grant. Black Canary and Lady Shiva kicking the crap out of each other. I love this series. Tom King has done it again.

G.I. Joe #3. Written by Joshua Williamson and art and cover art by Tom Reilly. There are some trouble inside the Joes and physicality breaks out. Meanwhile, Clutch is inside Cobra, trying to stay hidden and get a message to the Joes. Will Cobra Commander find him? The new G.I. Joe has been solid so far.

Fantastic Four #28. “Die By the Sword.” Written by Ryan North and penciled by Steven Cummings. Cover art was done by Joshua Cassara & Dean White. Reed and Sue try to find a way through the magical dome over Latveria and they approach Dane Whitman, the Black Knight for aid and suggestions. Things don’t go the way they want. I have loved Ryan North’s run on FF, and I am excited that he gets to write the upcoming One World Under Doom event series.

Uncanny X-Men #9. “Off the Leash.” Written by Gail Simone and art by Andrei Bressan. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Matthew Wilson. I did not like the end of this one. I was shocked at the final page image with the brutal Wolfpack, a group of dog-like sentinels. I definitely hope something happens to save the character that look pretty dead at the end.

TVA #2. Written by Katharyn Blair and art by Pere Perez. Cover art was done by Pere Perez and GURU-eFX. We have Sylvie. We have Daimon Hellstrom. Such a fun group of characters, including our favorite ones from the Loki Disney + series. However, I am worried about Mobius. He ended the book looking pretty bad, in a pool of blood. I do not want him to be dead.

Ultimate Spider-Man #13. Written by Jonathan Hickman and art by Marco Checchetto. Cover art was done by Marco Checchetto and Matthew Wilson. Peter and Harry are in a lot of trouble as they are in the Ultimate Universe’s Savage Land as Kraven prepared to hunt them. I hope we get a Ultimate Ka-Zar. Meanwhile, Richard is trying to take his missing father’s place with the help of the AI that had replaced Peter.

Time Waits #3. Written by Chip Zdarsky and David Brothers and art by Marcus To and Marvin Sianipar. Marcus To did the cover art. Robert is back in his time and is on trial for his life. Wyatt is out for his own revenge. Robert is actually just looking to get back to his love. Zdarsky has been excellent over the years, and I do enjoy this one. I have had a little more challenge to follow these characters, but it is entertaining for sure.

X-Men: Xavier’s Secret #1. Two stories in this one shot, first one featuring Cyclops and Jean the night before she headed off to outer space as Phoenix. The second one dealing with Charles and his machinations.

W0rldtr33 #12. Written by James Tynion IV and art by Fernando Blanco. This series returned from its break. This was just like I remembered it. Confusing but completely engaging. This was involving Sammi and a flashback (?) to 1999. I love the layout of the book panels. It is original and creative.

Drawing Blood #7. Written by David Avallone and penciled by Ben Bishop. Cover art was by Kevin Eastman. Another book that was back after several months off, Bookman goes home to Maine and does not find himself welcome. We get a glance at the back story of our favorite fictional comic book writer.

Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale #2. Written, illustrated and cover art by Luana Vecchio. A second issue that i think I liked even more than issue one, which I liked a lot. Maddie finds herself in a bunch of bad situations, with boys at school and a weirdo from the gore forum she had been posting on. There are some real tense moments here and you are never sure what might happen. This has been a great story so far.

Blade Red Band #4. Written by Bryan Hill and art by Federica Mancin & C.F. Villa. Blade and Elena have some bloody fights, chopping several vampires to pieces. This may be one of the few “Red band” books that really earned that title. Blade is still in pursuit of Pontious.

Justice League Unlimited #3. Written by Mark Waid and art and cover art by Dan Mora. Plastic Man is here. I am not sure where the Plastic man recent series falls in continuity, if at all, but Plastic Man is recovering his powers here. And what happened to Swamp Thing??? This new Justice League book has been solid so far and I do like how there are a bunch of characters to use instead of just Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

Hyde Street #3. Featuring storytellers Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. Cover art was done by Ivan Reis & Danny Miki with Brad Anderson. Merry Christmas on Hyde Street. Pranky and Mister X-Ray are after Santa Claus. Yup, that is right. And then we get an appearance by the Matinee Monster. The level of horror weirdness in this series has been sensational so far. It reminds me of the best of Ice Cream Man.

Mystique #4. “Covers” Written, art and cover art by Declan Shalvey (Gold Medalist). Mystique is in search of Destiny. But she is doing it with a much more powerful ability. The ability to mimic the powers of the person in which she is shape shifting into. Angel? Juggernaut? Others? What about Nick Fury? This has been a showcase for Raven so far.

Phoenix #7. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Marco Renna. Yasmine Putri did the cover art. Phoenix takes on Thanos, who has the special artifact called the Wizard’s Eye, giving Thanos even more power. Can Phoenix stop him? Guest starring Nova, Rocket Raccoon, Captain Marvel and Sif.

The Tin Can Society #5. “Just Kids” Written by Peter Warren and art by Francesco Mobili. Cover art was by Francesco Mobili and Chris Chuckry (Silver Medalist). Our group of friends, investigating the death of their friend. They launched an assault on who they thought it was. This woman had a suit, but she was not inside it. The final page was a shocking reveal. I have enjoyed this book every issue. I wish I knew the characters better, but it has been a ride the whole time.

Metamorpho #2. “The Woman from Yesterday!” Written by Al Ewing and art by Steve Lieber. Cover art by Steve Lieber and Lee Loughridge. The relationship between Rex mason, Metamorpho and Sapphire Stagg hit a snag in this issue with some cool elemental action. I still enjoy the throwback feel this book has adopted.

What If Galactus Transformed Rogue #1. Written by Ann Nocenti and art by Stephen Byrne. Ron Lim and Israel Silva did the cover art. The next of the series of What If…? involving Galactus having to choose a different Marvel hero to be his herald. This was is okay, but the gimmick may be starting to show some ware. Watcher was back this issue though and he is always welcome.

Space Ghost #9. Written by David Pepose and art by Jonathan Lau. Bjorn Barends did the cover variant C art. Space Ghost is in a battle with the supervillain Metallus and so much is in jeopardy. Space Ghost has been such a surprisingly good series from Dynamite.

Iron Man #4. “Hellman Circle” Written by Spencer Ackerman and art by Javier Pina. Cover art was done by Yasmine Putri. It also said that the Scarlet Witch spread was done by Rod Reis. Iron Man, Ironheart and Melinda May team up to raid a Stark factory. And they come across yet another Stark Sentinel.

Other books this week: The Terminator #4, Kill All Immortals #7, Life #4, Absolute Wonder Woman #4, Scarlet Witch #8, Void Rivals #16, Lawful #7, and House of Slaughter #29.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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January 23

A day late, but not a dollar short (Todd took away my four dollars, but that is a long story). So I did not have to go to Comic World twice this week, I waited for Thursday instead of Wednesday. It also helped that there was some snow in the weather. I definitely made the correct decision.

This week’s medalists:

Bronze Medalist

Mark Spears Monsters #1 (3rd Printing)

Cover art by Mark Spears

Mark Spears is hotter than anything right now. I bought a 3rd printing of the first issue because of the cover. This cover is the scene from Monster Squad too. “He’s gonna kill your son!” Cool cover once more.

Silver Medalist

The Tin Can Society #5

Cover art by Francesco Mobili & Chris Chuckry

So much happening on this cover. I love the reflection in the glasses as the other images around the cover stand out. The color of the cover is awesome too. Very stylish.

Gold Medalist

Mystique #4

Cover Art by Declan Shalvey

This is the one that stood out to me with the Mystique face on Nick Fury’s coat and the fire and smoke in the background. This is a truly awesome mash-up cover. Completely stunning.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #135

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January 18

I got the DC/Image books on Wednesday on NEW COMIC BOOK DAY and then the Marvel/Dark Horse/DSTLRY etc. on Friday, making a full week of books. I am afraid this may be the new status quo moving forward until Diamond figures out what exactly is going on.

We had two of the Favorite Comic Covers of the Week, but only one Comic Cavalcade. When I got back from Wolf Man early this afternoon, there was no internet and it was out until around 5:30ish. That gave me an opening to finish off the books for this week.

Books this week:

Green Lantern Dark #1-2. Written by Tate Brombal and art and cover art by Werther Dell’edera. I picked up #2 a few weeks ago because it looked interesting and I seem to be liking the Elseworlds books in DC more than I like the Marvel alternate future books. I picked up the #1 on eBay and I grabbed a beautiful foil virgin cover. This was a lot of fun, and, with the creative team involved, it had definite feel of Something Killing the Children to it.

Amazing Spider-Man #65.DEATHS. “Death and the Spider.” Written by Derek Landy and art by Kev Walker. Cover art was done by Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove (Silver Medalist). Not sure why ASM does this. Why not just make this issue #66 instead of making it 65.DEATHS? Peter Parker is struggling with what he is having to do as earth’s champion and Phil Coulson’s, the possessor of the Death Infinity stone, presence does not seem to be helping much.

The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos #15. Written by Tate Brombal and art by Isaac Goodhart. Cover art was done by Nick Robles. This arc of Christopher Chaos ends with this issue as we get the truth behind what exactly Christopher Chaos is and we get a path forward. Apparently this book will be continuing with a new storyline moving forward, and this was one of the best issues of Christopher Chaos in awhile.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #29. “Webs of Wakanda Part Three.” Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Daniele Di Nicuolo. Cover art was by Federico Vicentini & Ceci De La Cruz. The Miles is a vampire storyline came to a close with his face off with Black Panther. Miles seems to have picked up yet another problem with Anansi.

Avengers Assemble #5. Written by Steve Orlando and penciled by Jose Luis. Cover art was by Leinil Francis Yu & Romulo Fajardo Jr. The Aveng.e.r.s all assemble to take on the Serpent Society in a big war in the end of this mini series. I did like the combination of these characters with Cap.

What If…? Galactus Transformed Moon Knight #1. Written by Alex Segura and penciled by Scot Eaton & Chris Campana. Ron Lim & Israel Silva did the cover art. This is the third of this stretch of What If books featuring Galactus. This book was okay, featuring Moon Knight and the other previous Galactus heralds.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #2. Written by Christos Gage and art by Eric Gapstur. Leonardo Romero did the cover art. The book tied to the upcoming Disney + animated series is a fun book. Spider-Man figures out his web sooters and then faces off with the Enforcers in this issue.

Ultimate Wolverine #1. Written by Chris Condon and art by Alessandro Cappuccio. Cover art was by Lee Bermejo. Ultimate Wolverine is this universe’s Winter Soldier. Powerful story as the Wolverine goes through some faces that we recognize. It is a violent book and a really strong start for one of the most anticipated Ultimate books of the run.

Standstill #6. Written by Lee Loughridge and art by Alex Riegal. Cover art was by Andrew Robinson. Ryker is in pretty bad shape and Colin is even worse as this book has two more issues remaining. I say it every time, but I love the way this book is structured and put together, panel-wise.

Challengers of the Unknown #2. “Mother June” Written by Christopher Cantwell and art by Jorge Fornés, Sean Izaakse, and Amancry Nahuelpan. The cover art was done by Sean Izaakse and Jorge Fornés (Silver Medalist). The mystery involving the Challengers of the Unknown and the Justice League Watchtower marches on with Batman and other Leaguers investigating.

Those Not Afraid #1. Written by Kyle Starks and art by Patrick Piazzalunga. Glenn Fabry did the cover art. Two serial killers meet up and decide to see which one of them can set the all time murder record. A wild mini series from Dark Horse.

Juvenile #2. Written, art and cover art by Jesus Orellana (Bronze Medalist). Juvenile is one of my favorite new books from Image. I love the relationship being shown of Max and Sara. I love the set up with the kids being drugged to keep their telepathy and telekinesis in check.

The Question: All Along the Watchtower #3. “Do the Collapse” Written by Alex Segura and art by Cian Tormey. Cover art was by Cian Tormey & Romulo Fajardo Jr. I have been enjoying this series and I love how it is weaved in with Challengers of the Unknown and Justice League. Question and Batwoman are trying to figure out things while doing what they can to trust each other.

Feral #9. Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Trish Forstner & Tone Rodriguez. Cover B art by Trish Forstner & Tony Fleecs. Tragedy strikes as our cats try to figure out what is going on with the Lady. Feral has been consistently excellent and filled with stress each issue.

Knights vs. Samurai #4. Written by David Dastmalchian and art by Fede Mele. Cover art was done by Gianenrico Bonacorsi and Bjorn Barends (Gold Medalist). Knights, Samurais and dragons…oh my!

Exceptional X-Men #5. Written by Eve L. Ewing and art by Carmen Carnero. Carmen Carnero & Nolan Woodward did the cover art. Finding out about Kitty’s murderous past sent a ripple through the new students, causing some to bolt.

Laura Kinney Wolverine #2. “The Devil in Me- Part 1” Written by Erica Schultz and art by Giada Belviso. Elena Casagrande & Edgar Delgado did the cover art. Laura heads into Hell’s Kitchen and she winds up on the other side of Daredevil (aka Elektra). They then team up to try and stop a group using an exploding mutant to blow up a protest.

Nights #12. “Nice While it Lasted.” Written by Wyatt Kennedy and art by Luigi Formisano. This issue definitely feels like a conclusion in many ways. I had not paid too close of attention to this book for the last several issues and it has been a long time since #11 came out. This felt like a satisfying issue though while leaving it open for future books. This is probably my last one though.

Living Hell#2. Written, drawn and cover art by Caitlin Yarsky. Jerome is out in search of demons and ghosts to return to hell. There are some intriguing creatures in this issue, including the two spirits of old women who were on the cover. Lot of creativity in this Dark Horse book.

Incredible Hulk #21. “Wolves of the Old World Part Two” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art by Danny Earles. Nic Klein did the cover art. Hulk, Werewolf by Night and Charlie, in the Godskin of Lycana face off with the monstrous wolf Varcolac. Incredible Hulk has been a little up and down recently. I do like the use of Jack Russell in this book.

Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale #1. Written, illustrated and cover art by Luana Vecchio. When I picked up the Lovesick series a year or so ago, I was not a huge fan of the book. It was interesting, but kind of dirty. I debated whether to pick this issue up. I was glad I did because this was a really good story that was still rough at times. The story followed 12-year old Maddie through some tough situations. I was compelled with the story the whole way.

Minor Arcana #5. “The Ballad of Budd St. Pierre, 1976.” Written, art and cover art by Jeff Lemire. We get some back story on Budd St. Pierre, Teresa’s late grandfather. This felt like a bit of a filler issue, but it is important to learn more about this character.

Storm #4. “A Flame in the Wind.” Written by Murewa Ayodele and art by Lucas Werneck. Mateus Manhanini did the cover art. Storm is having dinner with Dr. Doom. She had to not use her mutant powers for seven days because of the deal that Brother Voodoo had made to save Ororo’s life. She may not make that time limit.

Immortal Thor #19. “Tales of Asgard.” Written by Al Ewing and a whole bunch of artists. Cover art was by Alex Ross. We do not have Thor in this Thor comic. We come across a lot of the other characters around Asgard, including Sif, the other dimensional son of Thor, Magni, Loki, the Warriors Three, Executioner and Enchantress.

Rogue the Savage Land #1. “Heroes Never Come Home Part 1: So Alive” Written by Tim Seeley and art by Zulema Scotto Lavina. Kaare Andrews did the cover art. A flashback series when Rogue wound up in the Savage Land with Magneto. I like Rogue, I like Ka-Zar and I like the Savage Land so I think this one will be fun.

You Won’t Feel a Thing #1. Written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Jock. John Reader was a retired detective, dying of a brain tumor, but one of the cases that shook his life as a young man, The Chatter Man, is back. Can his once sharp mind help bring this vicious serial killer to justice. A great and challenging story from DSTLRY.

Through the Boughs #1. A group of Christmas stories from a plethora of great comic creators. Creators including Patrick McHale & Jim Campbell, Sweeney Boo, James Tynion IV & Jensine Eckwall, Molly Mendoza, Ryan Andrews, K. Wroten, and Grim Wilkins.

Other books this week: Finders Keepers #1, Skin Police #4, Anansi Boys #7, Spirits of Vengeance #5, The New Gods #2, The Nice House by the Sea #5 and the Moon is Following Us #5.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week Part 2

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January 17

So with the issues facing the comic book stores with the bankruptcy declared by Diamond, the biggest of the delivery companies for comic books, nobody is really sure what delivery dates may be moving forward.

Truthfully though, it seemed that this week’s Diamond’s issues were not because of the bankruptcy. Todd was telling me this week was because of a snowstorm that struck Diamond’s big warehouse in Memphis and led to a shutdown over several days which led to the distributor’s delay. Of course, this has been the rule over the last few weeks to month with Diamond as the delivery has been out of whack.

That means we have the second time when I am doing a second post of Favorite Comic Covers in a week. This week included mostly Marvel and some independents, as DC and Image was this past Wednesday. I do not have a problem with that. The more the merrier, I suppose.

Medalists this issue:

Bronze Medalist

Amazing Spider-Man #65.DEATHS

Cover art by Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove

Great Spidey cover with the torn mask over the skull. It is absolutely a compelling image that makes one a touch nervous.

Silver Medalist

Immortal Thor #19

Cover art by Alex Ross

Last year’s champion of the EYG Comic Cover Artist of the Year makes his first appearance in the 2025 race with this awesome Thor cover. This pose strikes the power of Thor as he sits upon that throne with Mjolnir and Stormbringer within reach. I love the golden huge all around Thor giving him that specific hue.

Gold Medalist

Green Hornet/Miss Fury #1

Variant cover S

Cover Art by Mark Spears

The early season leader in the race for Best Cover Artist of 2025 is an artist who may be threatening to run away with this award this year. This is already his second gold medal for 2025 and his book Mark Spears Monsters has not even come out this year yet. Mark Spears is absolutely on fire and this cover for Dynamite shows how awesome he is. Mark Spears has thrown down the gauntlet to the other comic book cover artists out there and we’ll see how things go with the rest of the year.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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January 15

Another week where I do not have the complete books to choose from as the books coming from Diamond did not arrive because of a snowstorm in the Memphis area. That meant that there would be no Marvel or many of the smaller companies. However, the big news of the week was Diamond declaring bankruptcy, throwing everything into question about how the comics are dispersed moving forward. There are huge questions facing the industry now.

Yet, I do have several books this week (and some from last week too) and I have enough for three medalists once again. And all three are Cover A’s.

Bronze Medalist

Juvenile #2

Cover art by Jesus Orellana

Another cover similar to the first issue, with the falling drugs and more around the character’s face. The white background is again a personal favorite.

Silver Medalist

Challengers of the Unknown #2

Cover art by Sean Izaakse & Romulo Fajaroo

The Challengers under water and the blue is beautiful. Oh, and there is Batman.

Gold Medalist

Knights vs. Samurai #4

Cover art by Gianenrico Bonacorsi & Bjorn Barends

A beautifully brutal cover with what looks like someone coming out from the inside of a dragon, along with some intestines and a skull. This one really stands out and shows how some horror can be lovely.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #134

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January 12

Welcome back to the EYG Comic Cavalcade! It was a big week this week especially with the back issues.

Last week I had purchased the first five issue trade paperback of Sex Criminals and I really enjoyed the book so I went to eBay to search up for the series and I found the whole series, #1-30 and #69, available. I will say that when they came in that big box, I was not prepared for the covers that were on these books. I was needing a fan to cool off. The quality of this book was high and that should not be a surprise considering it was done by Matt Fraction & Chip Zdarsky. I have not yet read all the books, but I am looking forward to it.

Another reason I got a nice influx of books this week was because Comic World added four $1 boxes of books and I could not avoid the sale. I picked up a bunch of Ed Brubaker Captain Americas, most of vol. 2 of Challengers of the Unknown, some issues from Neil Gaiman’s 1602, as well as an Avengers Annual from 1999.

Back to eBay, after this week, I am down to just five remaining Groo the Wanderer books from Marvel/Epic that I am missing. The late issues of that book are difficult to find because they were low printed at the time.

Other books this week:

Amazing Spider-Man #65. “Signifying Nothing.” Written by Joe Kelly and art by Cafu. Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove did the cover art. The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man continues with Spidey taking on the challenge of Callix & Cyra, the twins. Phil Coulson makes a guest appearance, which is not the best of things considering he is now the Infinity Stone Death Stone guardian.

Uncanny X-Men #8. “Finale.” Written by Gail Simone and art by Javier Garrón. Cover art was by David Marquez & Matthew Wilson. The crossover with X-Men finishes up in this issue as the two X-teams face off again over what they should do with Xavier. The issue continued to tease Inmate X, who is apparently not Xavier as I thought.

New Champions #1. Written by Steve Foxe and art by Ivan Fiorelli with Ig Guara. Cover art was done by Gleb Melnikov & Edgar Delgado. A new group of young heroes form under the name New Champions and they kick off their first issue. Some of these characters were from the recent Spider Woman run and they are an intriguing group. I do enjoy young heroes and I liked previous versions of Champions so I hope this will be a fun book.

All-New Venom #2. Written by Al Ewing and art by Carlos Gomez. Adam Kubert & Laura Martin did the cover art. The mystery of the identity of the all-new Venom deepens this issue as they seemingly eliminated Luke Cage as a possibility. I am not clear on how they did it, but Dylan Brock stated it at the end of the issue, so I guess that is meant to be the case. Luke Cage was one of my favorites to make the new Venom, but now I am not sure. I can’t see Robbie or Madame Masque being the new Venom, but Rick Jones feels too obvious. I am curious where this is headed.

Return of the Living Dead #1. Written by S.A. Check and James Kuhoric and art by Andrea Arcari. Cover art by Mark Spears (Gold Medalist). When a toxic gas is accidently released at Peddler’s Point, the reaction of nearby people seem a touch ghoulish. How do you survive a new outbreak of zombies out for brains? The new book from American Mythology Productions is hot, big reason is because of the Mark Spears cover.

Marley’s Ghost Graphic Novel. Based on the story A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, this graphic novel came about after nine pages of an adaptation done by legendary Harvey Kurtzman was found. The adaptation was expanded upon by Josh O’Neill and Shannon Wheeler with illustrations by Gideon Kendall. It is a beautiful and faithful adaptation of Dickens’ classic from Ablaze.

Transformers #16. Written by Daniel Warren Johnson and art by Jorge Corona. Cover art was by Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer. The Autobots and Decepticons fight on both on earth and on Cybertron, but just wait… he’s coming! It is just a matter of time before the big man himself, Megatron, finds his way back.

Sentinels #4. “We Assembled Him in the Kitchen.” Written by Alex Paknadel and art by Justin Mason. Justin Mason & Federico Blee did the cover art. This story centered around the character of Justin Seyfert, a young boy who was able to control a Sentinel. This character was around back in the days of the Avengers Academy and I always liked him. His death in Avengers Arena saddened me and this fate made it all the worse.

The Blood Brothers Mother #3. Written by Brian Azzarello and art and cover art by Eduardo Risso. It has been awhile since the second issue of this DSTLRY series came out. In fact, looking at CLZ, issue two was released in the first week of September. I love these DSTLRY books but the time between release really make it difficult to keep the story in my head. This Western tale was enjoyable, but a closer release schedule would help me considerably.

Wolverine #5. “The Call of the Adamantine” Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Martin Coccolo. Martin Coccolo and Bryan Valenza did the cover art. This new story involving Wolverine and other characters with adamantium in them is off to a very interesting start. I am also happy that our new Wendigo, aka Leonard, is still very much involved. I love the new Wendigo so here is to more with him.

Blood Hunters #5. Written by Erica Schultz and penciled by Chris Campana & Robert Gill. The team up to rescue Dagger came to an end this issue with the Blood Hunters heading in their own ways. It was nice to see Cloak make his triumphant return to the side of Dagger in this issue. I have been a fan of Cloak & Dagger since their debut way back in the pages of Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man.

Absolute Batman #4. “The 200″ Part Four. Written by Scott Snyder with art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta. Cover art was by Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin. We get some flashbacks to a young Bruce Wayne as he was starting to become whom he is. This Batman has been very fascinating as he is different yet similar to the Batman we know.

Namor #6. “The Wyrd of the Waves” Written by Jason Aaron and art by Paul Davidson & Alex Lins. Cover art was by Alexander Lozano. Namor battles himself, literally, as he continues to move toward reclaiming the throne of Atlantis. Meanwhile, the kings of the sea are all preparing for all out war.

What If Galactus Transformed Gambit #1. Written by Josh Trujillo and art by Manuel Garcia. Ron Lim & Israel Silva did the cover art. This was a much better issue of “What If Galactus Transformed…” than last issue was. This one felt like a complete story as the last one did not. Even better yet… this issue marked an appearance by Uatu the Watcher! He has been sorely missing from these special What If books and I was ecstatic that he was included here. Uatu should be in every What If book, period.

What If Mickey and Friends Became the Fantastic Four #1. “The Fantastic Four vs. Mole Pete.” Written by Riccardo Secchi (plot by Steve Behling) and art by Lorenzo Pastovicchio. Cover D variant art was done by Skottie Young. For example, the Watcher is not in this What If book, but why couldn’t he be here? I would love it if the Watcher was here and maybe even played by a Disney character.

Geiger #10. Written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Gary Frank. Cover art was done by Gary Frank (Silver Medalist). Mister Geiger is in bad shape and he is losing control of his powers. Is he a danger to everyone? Can Junkyard Joe help Geiger at all? Crossovers are happening in the Ghost Machine imprint.

NYX #7. Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly with art by Enid Balan. Cover art was done by Sara Pichelli & Federico Blee. Synch vs. Prodigy… but not to the death as the cover seems to indicate. There is also problems forming for Ms. Marvel as some of the other mutants around are getting after her for keeping a secret identity. Is this leading to Kamala Khan revealing her true self soon? Feels like that.

Daredevil: Unleash Hell: Red Band #1. Written by Erica Schultz and art by Valentina Pinti and Jose Luis. Elektra battles to protect Hell’s Kitchen while Muse is finding a way of getting his spirit out of Hell and possess another disgruntled artist. With Muse scheduled to be one of the main villains in the MCU upcoming series Daredevil: Born Again, it was time to bring him back in the Marvel Comics Universe.

The Lucky Devils #1. “First Circle: Limbo.” Written by Charles Soule and art and cover by Ryan Browne. It is a new, fun series from the creative team that brought us Eight Billion Genies. The Lucky Devils has the same flair, the same feel to it as that series. The Little Devils themselves are a very cool character design and I am excited to see where this story goes. It should be wild.

Green Hornet/Miss Fury #1. Written by Alex Segura & Henry Barajas and art by Federico Sorressa. Cover art by Francesco Francavilla. Dynamite Comics has been on a huge roll lately with their adaptations of older, classic characters and this time they are taking the Green Hornet and Miss Fury, teaming them up in their own book. I loved the noir feel of this book and the way they brought these characters into the present day of comic book presentation. Another big win for Dynamite.

Parliament of Rooks #2. “Summer” Written by Abigail Jill Harding with Richard Starkings and art and cover art by Abigail Jill Harding (Bronze Medalist). The love story hiding in a horror story finds its footing as this book moves on. The town is getting more and more scared over the monster they believe is loose but Princess Seraphina and Darius are still meeting in secrecy. This is dark and beautiful, another solid book from Ablaze comics.

Ultimate Black Panther #12. Written by Bryan Hill and art by Stefano Caselli. Stefano Caselli & David Curiel did the cover art. It is the face off between Black Panther and Moon Knight of the ultimate universe, but will T’Challa lose himself in this final showdown? Not if some guests at the end of the book have anything to say about it.

Batman: Dark Patterns #2. “We are the Wounded.” Written by Dan Watters and art and cover art by Hayden Sherman. Batman is investigating the Wound Man, and the twist of this issue is quite well done. This feels like an older version of Batman and I really have enjoyed the book so far.

Other Books this Week: Magik #1, Napalm Lullaby #8, Where Monsters Lie: Cull-De-Sac #2, and Moon Man #6.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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January 8

Welcome back for the EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week, this week on time on Wednesday night AND ALL COVERS AVAILABLE as it was NEW COMIC BOOK DAY and my comic shop, Comic World had the covers on time (sort of). I do not have to go back to Dubuque on Thursday or Friday to pick up the rest of the books this week. I have them all (for the most part).

Last week, we were all Marvel and DC. Interestingly enough, this week there are none from those two companies among the medalists.

Here we go…

Bronze Medalist

Parliament of Rooks #2.

Variant Cover B

Cover art by Abigail Jill Harding

A beautiful cover in the elegant black and white. This book has had two exceptional covers to kick off the series, both lovely and somewhat frightening too.

Silver Medalist

Geiger #10

Cover art by Gary Frank

The cover combines the faces of Geiger and Junkyard Joe in a very intriguing image. The glowing green of Geiger’s skull is very much popping off this cover and the smoke behind the Joe face is excellent as well.

Gold Medalist

Return of the Living Dead #1

Cover art by Mark Spears

This new series from American Mythology Productions is very hot and has been released some over the last couple of weeks. The cover by artist Mark Spears, himself burning up the cover work, is amazing and the cover has helped this book become such a success. Mark Spears was awarded the EYG Comic Artist of the Year in the Year in Review and I think he may be the early leader for the cover artist of the year for the 2025 Year in Review.