EYG Comic Cavalcade #191

February 15

Welcome to the EYG Comic Cavalcade. Happy Valentine’s Day. Happy Presidents’ Day. It is a fun stretch of the month for me as my birthday is also coming up this week.

I am beginning a new feature for the EYG Comic Cavalcade this week. It is:

The Comic of the Week:

Every week, I will pick one book that is the best book of the week and talk about it officially. In the past, I have mentioned when a book might be my favorite of the week, but I never officially dubbed it so. From now on, I will pick my personal favorite each week and give a bit of a summary of it. For the first Comic of the Week, I have:

The Comic of the Week

Wade Wilson: Deadpool #1

Coincidentally, this is also our Gold Medal winning book for Favorite Comic Cover of the Week. Written by Benjamin Percy and art by Geoff Shaw, Wade Wilson: Deadpool #1 gives us a new look at Wade Wilson after something tragic has happened to Ellie. We do not know exactly what it is, but it has turned Wade suicidal and he spends the issue trying to find a way to kill himself, even though his healing factor, which has been fully recharged, prevents him from killing himself. It was a great read and I am intrigued with the new ideas with Deadpool.

Books this week:

The Nobody Graphic Novel: Written, illustrated & cover art by Jeff Lemire. This is a new graphic novel version of a Jeff Lemire graphic novel that has been long out-of-print. It is a reimagining of the classic tale of the Invisible Man in the Jeff Lemire style. From Dark Horse, I really enjoyed this book. It shows how creative you can be even with a story that has been told many times. Image just finished the Invisible Man Universal Monsters mini-series and this feels like a wonderful companion to that story. I love Jeff Lemire too.

Just Brutal #1. Written by Dennis Hopeless with illustrations and cover art by Brahm Revel. This might have been a runner up for the Comic of the Week. It is a new book from Ignition Press, which has been on a real hot streak recently. The thing I liked the best was the manner in which the comic was narrated. It had characters in the story telling the readers what was happening, in a very break the fourth wall style. I enjoyed this one a lot.

Bleeding Hearts #1. Written by Deniz Camp with art by Stipan Morian. This is the official first new book from the resurgent Vertigo line from DC Comics. This features thinking zombies. If I am being honest, I was a little let down by this issue. I had anticipated this more and it was only okay. I plan on continuing to pick it up so I do hope it will improve.

Spider-Man: Noir #5. Written by Erik Larsen and art by Andrea Broccardo. Cover art was done by Simone Di Meo. The latest version of the Spider-Man Noir series came to a conclusion this week with Peter getting his powers back and kicking some Nazi butt. We saw the first trailer for the Amazon Prime series Spider-Noir starring Nicolas Cage this week, so this could be a hot pick up.

Black Cat #7. “VII: Symbiosis” Written by G. Willow Wilson and art by Gleb Melnikov. Cover art was done by Adam Hughes. Black Cat and Mary Jane reunite and Mary Jane has a secret to share with her. It is a symbiotic secret. Black Cat and the new Venom team up hoping to find their way into the Negative Zone.

Cyclops #1. “Seeing Red” Part 1. Written by Alex Paknadel with art by Rogê Antonio. Cover art was done by Federico Vicentini & Marcio Menyz. Scott Summers gets his own solo series and he finds himself in serious trouble in the Northern Rockies in British Columbia and his visor is damaged. What is Scott going to do?

Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #5. Written by J. Michael Straczynski with art by Pepe Perez. Cover art was done by Mark Bagley & Dean White. Spider-Man’s story from his early days comes to an end in this issue as he makes a decision about which woman he wants to pursue… only to have that choice ripped away from him.

Barbarian Behind Bards #1. Written by Elliott Kalan and art by Andrea Mutti. Cover art was done by Francesco Tomaselli. This alliterative book was the surprise book of the week. I did not expect to like this book, but I have been a big fan of Mad Cave over the last year or so. I picked up the issue because of Mad Cave and I really enjoyed the strange tale of a barbarian in present day, dealing with the court system. Give me more of this.

The Digger #1. Written by T.S. Luther with art and cover art by Sam Gudilin. This was one of the most original new series of the week. From Invader Comics, The Digger #1 is like a darker version of Indiana Jones, told from the POV of the Boy. The Boy knows he needs money to help his sick grandma, and he meets up with the man with the devil’s eyes. I love the layout of this book as it is very different style than what I am used to in comics.

Star Wars: Jar Jar #1.The Unseen” Written by Ahmed Best & Marc Guggenheim with art by Kieran McKeown & Laura Braga. I know it is Jar Jar Binks. I, along with everyone in my generation, hated this character in the Star Wars prequels. I found it silly that he was getting his own one shot Marvel Comics book. I picked it up because I just had to see what it was going to be like. It was like that car wreck that you can’t take your eyes off it. I am ashamed of myself.

DC KO #4. “Trial By Absolute” Written by Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson with art by Javi Fernandez & Xermanico. Cover art was done by Javi Fernandez (Bronze Medalist). I also picked up a versus cover by Dan Mora (Bronze Medalist). It was not going to take too long to have crossovers with the Absolute characters… and here it is. Absolute Batman, Absolute Superman and Absolute Wonder Woman are here into the battle. And it looks like we have a tournament winner. One more issue of DC KO left.

The Thing on our Doorstep #1. Written by Simon Birks and art and cover art by Willi Roberts. A new Image Comics book adapting a Lovecraft story that takes place inside the Arkham Sanitorium. Daniel Upton and Edward Derby were best friends for ever, until Daniel shoots Edward dead in the sanitorium. Daniel swears he did not do it, despite holding the smoking gun. Creepy.

Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1. “Agency” Part One. Written by Jed MacKay with art by Devmalya Pramanik. Cover art was done by E.M. Gist. Marc Spector is back once again in a new series from Marvel. I swear Moon Knight has a new series every year and a half or so. They all seem to be written by Jed MacKay, so I wonder why they can’t all just be the same series. Once again, Marc is facing some mental problems, but, to the rescue, Zodiac????

Space Ghost #8. Written by David Pepose with art by Jonathan Lau. Cover art was done by Francesco Mattina. Space Ghost faces one of his most dangerous villains ever- The Antimatter Man. However, the Antimatter Man has an unexpected connection to Jace and Jan.

Planet She-Hulk #4. Written by Stephanie Phillips with art by Emilio Laiso. Cover art was done by Emilio Laiso & Sonia Oback. She-Hulk has to fight her recent lover Jack of Hearts on Sakar. This was a solid book that had a shocking final page that I just did not see coming. I enjoyed the relationship between Jenn and jack in the previous She-Hulk series, and I am glad it is being revisited here.

The Center Holds #1. Written by Larry Hama and illustrated by M.D. “Doc” Bright. Cover art was done by M.D. Bright & Joe Quinones. This new superhero project started at Boom! Studios with a sad note. Artist Mark Bright had passed away in 2024 and, after seeking approval from the Bright family, this book is moving forward. Boom is donating part of the proceeds for this book to the Hero Initiative, a charity helping comic creators that are in need.

Geiger #21. Written by Geoff Johns and art by Gary Frank. Cover art was done by Gary Frank. Geiger and the Northerner are together trying to deal with the fact that the Northerner had been pulled out of his time around the Civil War to the time after the Unknown War. This still feels like a big crossover event is in the cards.

Rocketfellers #12. Written by Peter J. Tomasi and art and cover art by Francis Manapul. The Rocketfeller family is trying to come to grips with the tragic events of last issue, where Roland was killed in an explosion. Raina is still here, but she did not remember anything.

Crownsville #4. Written by Rodney Barnes and illustrated by Elia Bonetti. Cover art was done by Jason Shawn Alexander. The mysteries and the uncertainties of the haunted Crownsville are coming to a head in this penultimate issue of the horror series from Oni Press. This is another book with a great and original layout that helps build a tone unlike most comics on the market today.

Gargoyles & Darkwing Duck #2. Written by Greg Weisman and art by Ciro Cangialosi. Cover art was done by Tad Stones. I did not think I was going to be collecting this book, and yet, here I am with issue two in my collection and enjoying the story. It is a fun pairing between Darkwing and the Gargoyles, specifically Goliath. Dynamite Comics has been dynamite in making these unlikely characters engaging in their books.

The Phantom #5. Written by Ray Fawkes with art by Russell Olson. Cover art was done by Freddie Williams. This newest arc of the Phantom is closed with this issue. I did like this book, but I wish it wouldn’t be over so soon. It seems as if there is another Phantom series coming soon, and I just do not know why this has to be a new number one.

Absolute Wonder Woman Annual #1. “Cursing and Cursed.” Written by Kelly Thompson and art and cover art by Mattia De Iulis. Diana heads to see Athena in an attempt to help break the curse on Medusa and her sisters.

Hank Howard: Pizza Detective- “The Two Hollywoods” #2. Written by Robert Venditti and art by David Lapham. Cover art was done by Andrea Sorrentino (Silver Medalist). Hank Howard is back in his conclusion to the two-issue series with a noir detective and pizza. What a perfect mix. The black and white crime story gives us a beautiful blend of violence and pizza.

Other books this week: Blood & Thunder #10, Mary Sue #4, Sherlock Holmes-The Dark Detective: Knights of Frankenstein #5, Immortal Legend Batman #6, Gigante #1, The fall of Ultraman #1, and John le Carré’s The Circus: Losing Control #2.

Quick Hits: Tom Taylor’s DC book, C.O.R.T.: Children of the Round Table #6 concluded the story, though it is wide open for a potential continuation. I prefer to see an ending that gives a more concrete finish with a slighter hint of a return. Violence and vengeance remains the par for the course in Dark Horse’s Devil on my Shoulder #3. I grabbed another reprint of an Absolute Batman cover, this one being Absolute Batman #15, with a foil cover. I am telling you that DC is not slacking on taking advantage of these Absolute books. I guess you strike when the iron is hot. I hear they are reprinting the entire line coming soon. Wild. James Tynion IV’s future techpocalypse series is back with w0rldtr33 #18. You really have to pay attention to that book to follow along. Alien vs. Captain America #4 came to a shocking end with Cap back in the ice, but he is not alone. Godzilla actually appears in Godzilla Escape the Dead Zone #6. I swear this is the King of Monster’s first appearance in this book outside of flashbacks or storytelling. It is also the final book, but it does not wrap the story up. It heads immediately into another book which I do not think I will be buying. Ultimate X-Men #24 brings that story to an end too, as the Ultimate universe is ending soon. I have appreciated Peach Momoko’s vision of the Ultimate X-Men even if I did not love the book. I liked the difference of it. Transformers #29 features another battel between Optimus Prime and Megatron. Apparently, Han Solo does not find the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars: Han Solo-The Hunt for the Falcon #5, which is another book that ends this week. The Last Day of H.P. Lovecraft #4, on the other hand, is the penultimate book of this series (I believe). I did not expect for Miss Fury’s head to have been ripped off her shoulders in Die!Namite #5. Surprised for sure. A one shot from the Hello Darkness world came out this week called Good Bones & Other Sordid Tales #1.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

February 11

Today I took a personal day from school so I was able to spend NEW COMIC BOOK DAY at my two stores. Started the morning at In This Issue in Bettendorf and spent the afternoon at Comic World and Games in Dubuque. Always fun spending time with others who appreciate the hobby.

Even more so, I got to do some reading, and I got all my new books on the same day so I do not have to wait to chose the cover of the week until Thursday night.

Also-Rans: The Thing on the Doorstep #1, Space Ghost #8, Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1, Absolute Batman #15 (Second printing-foil), The Digger #1, and Bleeding Hearts #1 (foil virgin).

Bronze Medalist

DC KO #4

Variant cover G/Bracket Cover

Cover art by Dan Mora

This one reminded me of the Godzilla vs. Marvel Universe covers that I really liked from last year as they set this up like a fight poster, the match-up of the tournament front and center. I like how this builds this tournament up with the images of those that remain.

Silver Medalist

Hank Howard Pizza Detective: The Two Hollywoods #2

Cover art by Andrea Sorrentino

I love the shades of purple across this cover for Bad Idea’s new book. It has a compelling imagery across it as well, with the black standing out beautifully among the purples.

Gold Medalist

Wade Wilson: Deadpool #1

Cover art by Geoff Shaw

There were some outstanding covers for the new Deadpool series, and the cover A is right up there with some of the best of them. Something has made Wade Wilson want to end his life, which is a difficult thing for him to accomplish. The look of Wade on this cover gives that feel of hopelessness and all-consuming anger despite not seeing his actual face. The cover does a great job of telling you what this new arc is all about.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #190

February 8

Welcome to the Big Game Day! Patriots vs. Seahawks later today. Before we get to that, I want to get to the EYG Comic Cavalcade. I am a Patriots fan so… good luck to them!

I have just about mined the full possible Marvel Team-Ups from the collection at In This Issue. I think there was one more available to me that I left behind because it was a little more expensive. I plan on picking that up next week.

Books this week:

D’Orc #1. “D’Orc Days Ahead” Story and art by Brett Bean. I picked up three covers. Cover A by Brett Bean, Cover B by Jorge Corona and Cover C by Jason Howard. This is my favorite new book of the week. This Image Comics book features the debut of D’Orc, a half-orc, half-dwarf, and he is hilarious. He has a talking shield and I really get a Groo the Wanderer vibe from this book. It is funny and written extremely well. It is really hot right now too. I love D’Orc.

Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #1. “Tea Ceremonies, Masquerades, and Funerals.” Written by Murewa Ayodele with art by Federica Mancin. Cover art was done by R.B. Silva & David Curiel. Storm is back and she continues to show off how powerful she has become.

Avengers #35. “The New Universe” Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Sergio Davila. Cover art was done by Russell Dauterman & Rachelle Rosenberg. The Avengers are on the precipice of a new universe in their struggle with Kang. Who knows where this cosmic tale is headed?

Amazing Spider-Man #21. Written by Joe Kelly and Penciled by John Romita Jr. and Todd Nauck. Cover art was done by John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna and Marcio Menyz. Norman Osborn has been taking his lumps as he tried to step into the shoes of Spider-Man. Fortunately for Norman, Peter Parker is back on earth!

Crescent City Monsters #1-4. Written by Newton Lilavois and art and cover art by Gian Carlo Bernal. This four issue series is also autographed by its creator Newton Lilavois. I saw an ad for this on TikToc with Lilavois himself selling it and it looked very interesting. The books are beautiful black and white, but I have not yet read them. I am looking forward to reading them as soon as I can find the extra time.

Batman #6. “Long Night” Written by Matt Fraction with art by Jorge Jimenez. Cover art was done by Jorge Jimenez and Tomeu Morey. Batman is back out after the tough date night from last issue. Things do not get much better. There are some nice scenes with Jason Todd and Damien.

Ultimate Endgame #2. Written by Deniz Camp with art by Terry & Rachel Dodson and Jonas Scharf. Cover art was done by Mark Brooks. I also picked up cover C by Lee Garbett and cover D by R.B. Silva. The big Ultimates universe crossover event continued with the Ultimates, Spider-Man, Killmonger, and the Master. Does the Master take over Doom? Is that a bad thing? No polybags this time!

All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #7. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Paolo Villanelli. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Federico Blee. Gwen and Fabian sitting in a web.. k-i-s-s-i-n-g… that is until all the crap hits the fan. There is a very circular situation that seemingly happens in this issue that is a call back to Amazing Spider-Man #122. Or is it all Mysterio?

The Nice House by the Sea #7. Written by James Tynion IV with art and cover art by Alvaro Martinez Bueno. Cover C art is done by Javier Rodriguez. Here is another book that has been on the shelf for a long time. Issue six came out in March of 2025. Almost a whole year. However, this is tied to DC Comics new version of Vertigo so now is a good time to return to the comic shop, I guess.

Planet of the Apes Versus Fantastic Four #1. Written by Josh Trujillo and art by Andrea Di Vito. Cover art was done by Greg Land & Rachelle Rosenberg. A powerless FF arrive on the Planet of the Apes and have to face off with the classic characters. What does the Red Ghost have to do with this? This issue is a lot of fun as the Marvel vs. 20th Century Studios faceoffs continue.

Wolverine #15. “Alpha Flight” Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Mike Henderson. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian. After teaming up with Silver Sable and just before they engaged in a little noogie noogie, Alpha Flight attacked Wolverine in an attempt to capture him. Wolvie should know that Canada is not the friendliest place for him.

Superman: Chains of Love #1. “Creepers” Written by Leah Williams and art by Ig Guara. Variant cover D art by Ig Guara and Arif Prianto. I loved this book. The Creeper is one of my favorite secondary DC characters and his relationship in this book with Livewire is a lot of fun. Super heroes (villains?) as podcasters is a funny idea.

War Wolf #4. Written by Steve Orlando and art by Marco Perugini. Cover art was done by David Talaski (Silver Medalist). The truth about what really happened to Bear Bruin is coming to the front. What is the truth? It is coming to the front.

Magik & Colossus #1. “Bound by Blood.” Written by Ashley Allen and art by German Peralta. Cover art was done by David Nakayama. The Rasputin siblings get their own feature in the Shadows of Tomorrow arc in the X-Men universe. I am not sure who it is behind the troubles for Piotr and Illyana, but I have a guess….

Knightfight #4. Written by Joshua Williamson and art and cover art by Dan Mora. Batman is going through all kind of trouble with his battles with alternate Batmen… all seemingly for him to get back involved in the KO tournament. Not sure how that is fir, but I guess we’ll find out in DC KO #4 next week.

Uncanny X-Men #23. “Where Monsters Dwell” Part One. Written by Gail Simone with art by David Marquez. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Matthew Wilson (Gold Medalist). In what felt like an intervention for Gambit, we get Elsa Bloodstone and a bunch of monsters including Morbius, Mummy and others.

Ripcord #1. Written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Aneke. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes. Ripcord is a new drug that will transform the user into mindless killers. Dillon, however, will not give up until she finds her sister. Great first issue from Ignition Press set in the Australian Outback.

Absolute Superman #16. “This Universe Will Break Your Heart, Kid” Written by Jason Aaron with art by Juan Ferreyra. Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola did the cover art. We get the debut of the Absolute Hawkman and I really like this version of that character. Absolute Lex Luthor also shows up as Brainiac tries to recruit him.

The Twilight Zone #4. “False Bottom.” Written by Written, drawn and cover art by Nate Powell. I also picked up variant cover B art by Francesco Francavilla. This Twilight Zone issue is one of the more tragic examples of a story. It felt like a real Twilight Zone episode you would have seen, but the unhappy ending was tough to handle.

Other Books this week: Event Horizon: Dark Descent #5, Marian Heretic #4, Absolute Green Lantern #11, Godzilla #7, Eat Your Young #6 and DC KO Boss Battle #1.

Quick Hits: The final issue of Dark Horse’s Space Scouts #3 dropped this week as the whole competition came to a finale. Cullen Dunn had another book released this week, which was The Autumn Kingdom: The Wraithbound Queen #1. It felt like a sequel to something that I was unaware of, but it was pretty solid. Dunn is a top notch writer. Sam & Twitch Case Files #21 was the Bronze Medalist cover this week. Nova Centurion #4 showed off Richard Rider’s power and his intelligence as the last Nova. More conspiratorial action dropped in Department of Truth #35. Godzilla: Infinity Roar #1 sees the King of Monsters across the cosmos of the Marvel Universe. Maybe Godzilla is finally getting around to destroying the Marvel Universe as was mentioned in his previous book. The latest crossover comes to the forefront with Archie X The Army of Darkness #1. Archie Andrews and Ash Williams together? Seems like a match made in Hell. DC x AEW #1 brings the world of professional wrestling into the DC universe. High Strangeness #4 continues its weird story arcs through the decades. This one is especially odd. Ultimate Wolverine #14 is counting down until the end of the Ultimate Universe. One of the surprises of the week was Gargoyles/Darkwing Duck #1. I have been collecting Dynamite Comics Darkwing Duck book, but I did not think I would be buying this book moving on. It was way better than I thought it would be.

Agents of Shield S2 E19, E20, E21, E22

Spoilers

“The Dirty Half Dozen”

“Scars”

“S.O.S. (Part One)”

“S.O.S. (Part Two)”

The Inhumans arc of Agents of Shield wrapped up with the last few episodes. Jiaying and the Inhumans tried to start a war with Shield only to find that things were not going to go in a positive way.

Lots of arcs were resolved in these episodes including:

  • Kyle MacLachlan’s run as Daisy’s father, Cal. His ending is kind of happy, even though the idea of mindwiping someone is iffy at best.
  • Skye officially began calling herself Daisy Johnson.
  • Raina, who had been an antagonist through most of the first two seasons of the show is killed by Jiaying in a way to keep her quiet.
  • Robert Gonzalez is murdered via the Terrigan crystals at the hands of Jiaying. See ya later Edward James Olmos.
  • Agent 33 and her crazed vengeance on Bobbi came to a close when Ward accidentally killed her thinking she was May.
  • Ward apparently is the new head of Hydra.
  • Post credit of the monolith swallowing up Simmons was creepy as all get out.
  • Coulson had his left arm chopped off by Mac to prevent the spread of the Terrigen after Coulson caught the crystal, preventing it from breaking and killing the rest of them.
  • Coulson talked about forming a small team of powered individuals (aka Secret Avengers)
  • Lincoln turned on the other Inhumans to help Daisy and the Shield agents.
  • Mac joined back up with Shield despite his initial doubts.
  • Fitz and Simmons were the Jin/Sun (from LOST) of this show, something always happening to keep them apart.

Kyle MacLachlan is a tremendous actor. He could bring unbelievable levels to a crazed killer. He was basically Mr. Hyde from Marvel Comics, but I could understand and relate to everything he did. I think he was a fabulous character and I was pleased that he had such a strong arc this season.

The whole Agents of Shield connection to Avengers: Age of Ultron with the arrival of the Helicarrier felt a touch awkward since much of the action around the reveal of the Helicarrier and the secrets Coulson was keeping played out in the movie. Because of that, the storylines felt a touch anticlimactic. Still, the season did a great job of wading through the stuff that was necessary and still created some tense moments of action and exciting scenes.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #189

February 2

Once again, I am very late with this column. Still, with the Genre-ary coming to a close until 2027, I hope I can get this back on a more regular basis.

I have been picking up a lot of back issues recently, both from my two comic shops and off eBay. I am still working on Marvel Team-Up from In This Issue, the Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 books I am missing, and I got a bunch of Sensational She-Hulk during John Byrne’s run.

I need to catch up with putting these books away too. I have a couple of large piles awaiting me to put them in the proper boxes. I need to get this done before the next round of new comics on NEW COMIC BOOK DAY, which is just a couple of days away.

Books this week:

Survive #5. Written by Robert Venditti with art and cover art by Doug Braithwaite. Survive has been one of my favorite books of the last several months. The Bad Idea comic was very cinematic in its storytelling. ZI will say that I think the conclusion was a little short of what it has been so far, but I can understand that I had the bar set really high. This was a wonderful five issue series.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Federico Vicentini. Cover art was done by Francesco Mobili & Marte Gracia. Spider-Man and Rapid team up to try and stop the weirdness of Screwball in this fun pairing.

Iron Man #1. “A New Nightmare” Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Carmen Carnero. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin. There is a brand new arc for Tony Stark, as he is still just pushing the limit. So much so that a new group of Illuminati are looking into what they need to do to keep Tony Stark under control. Good start for the armored Avenger.

Malevolent #1. Written by Justin Jordan with art and cover art by John Bivens. I also picked up the Cover B which may or may not be done by Phil Hester. Either Hester or Jorge Corona. 30 years before, demons were unleashed into the world of humans. However, now humans have created a weapon to kill the demons… if she does not kill the humans first. Interesting new dystopian future story from Image Comics.

Wrestle Heist #2. Written, Drawn and Cover art by Kyle Starks. Is Grave Digger the best wrestler to never win the big one? And who is Ocho Bolo? How does it all work together in this pro wrestling saga? What evil plan does promotor Buddy Hanson have? We know he has one.

Infernal Hulk #3. “Whatever Happened to Bruce Banner?” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with pencils by Kev Walker & Nic Klein. Cover art was done by Nic Klein. We get a look in this issue of where Bruce Banner is and how his life is going. Iron Man and Reed Richards make a cameo appearance looking for help to face the Infernal Hulk.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #42. “Webs of Regret: Conclusion” Written by Cody Ziglar with art by Marco Renna. Cover art was done by Federico Vicentini & Neeraj Menon. This is the final issue of Miles’s current book as he and Peter take down the Assessor. I enjoyed the banter between the two Spider-Men in this book and I expect that Miles will be back in his own title sooner rather than later.

Spirit of the Shadows #1. Written by Daniel Ziegler & Nick Cagnetti with art and cover art by Nick Cagnetti. Erik Leroux was a musician who loved his music and his love, Katrina. His sudden death sent his soul to a carnival-like Spirit World beyond this world. But death did not end things for Erik. Another intriguing horror series from Oni Press.

Feral #20. Written by Tony Fleecs with art by Trish Forstner & Tone Rodriguez. Cover B art was done by Tony Fleecs, Trish Forstner & Allen Passalaqua (Bronze Medalist). I do love these horror covers that Feral has been doing the last year plus. It has also been one of the best books on the market consistently every month. The issue is tense and suspenseful and you are never sure what is going to happen next.

Dust to Dust #7. Written by JG Jones & Phil Bram with art and cover art by JG Jones (Gold Medalist). Dust to Dust has not been seen since #6 came out August 2025. I looked that up and, honestly, it felt like it should have been much earlier. It was a pretty good issue considering I was uncertain about what was going on.

Strange Tales #4. “Hela on Earth?!” Written by Jeremy Whitley and art by Bayleigh Underwood & Carola Borelli. Cover art was done by Bayleigh Underwood & Jim Campbell. Hela is here. The young heroes in Strange Tales, including several Runaways, Spider-Gwen and Wiccan & Hulkling wrap up this short series.

Detective Comics #1105. “The Courage That Kills Part Five” Written by Tom Taylor with pencils and cover art by Mikel Janin. Things are going really poorly for Batman, who is infected by Lion’s virus, and realized that the whole thing was a distraction.

Final Boss #3. “Stage 3: The Wharf” Written by Tyler Kirkham with art by Tyler Kirkman with David Miller. Cover art was done by Tyler Kirkham. The video game-like book that reminded me of Street Fighter continued this week with some solid action. This has been a fun book that makes me feel like I am playing a video game.

Absolute Batman #16. “Bat Out of Hell” Written by Scott Snyder & Nick Dragotta with art by Nick Dragotta. Cover art was done by Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin. We continue the team up between Absolute Batman and Absolute Wonder Woman as Batman and Wonder Woman head to the Underworld to look for a way to help Bruce’s friend, Waylon. Not sure things worked well.

Drawing Blood #10. Written by David Avallone with art by Ben Bishop and cover art by Kevin Eastman. Another book that is back after quite a long layoff. This book about a comic artist who is trying to deal with his greatest creations being changed for a movie has been pretty solid. I actually felt like I was able to get back into this book easier than some of the others that take the long break.

Punisher: Red Band #5. “Urban Warfare” Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Julius Ohta. Variant cover art was done by Clayton Crain. This red band book came to an end, but it sounded as if this series was being picked up in the next Punisher book coming soon. I am still not sure what the continuity of this book is and I am not sure what that means for the next Punisher #1. I guess we will see.

Marvel Zombies: Red Band #5. Written by Ethan S. Parker & Griffin Sheridan with are by Jan Bazaldua. Greg Land & Rachelle Rosenberg did the cover art. This was a great version of Spider-Man in the zombie world. I thought this use of Spider-Man was right on spot. Jean Grey was back again as Phoenix.

Justice League Unlimited #15. Written by Mark Waid and art by Dan Mora & Sean Izaakse. Cover art was done by Dan Mora. Mister Terrific and the time misplaced Leaguers have had better days. Batman and Superman do not make it and we find that we have a traitor in the group. JLU has been good during this time of KO, when all the main Leaguers are gone.

Justice League Red #6. Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Clayton Henry. Cover art was done by Clayton Henry & Arif Prianto. The drama around the Red Tornado and the Crimson Cloud ended in this issue as the JL Red brought the end to this saga.

Terminator Metal #4. Written by Declan Shalvey & Rory McConville with art by Fabio Gallo. Cover art was done by Declan Shalvey. This was one of the better issues of the Terminator books, going back to the original series. I really enjoyed this issue a lot.

Absolute Flash #11. “The War of the Flashes” Written by Jeff Lemire with art and cover art by Nick Robles. This has a feeling of a big finale happening as Absolute Flash is getting a lot of the story from ghost Barry Allen and is preparing to take on all the problems.

Escape from Skull Island #1. Written by Simon Furman with art by Christopher Jones. Cover art was done by Maria Wolf. The story picked up from Return to Skull Island, a mini series from last year. There is a lot of Kong in this book, but he had seen better days.

Void Rivals #26. Written by Robert Kirkman with art by Andrei Bressan. Cover art was done by Lorenzo De Felici. The Quintesson War Part 2 is underway and we meet the bizarre Quintesson judge, Judge Naven. Once again, the book has brought Darak and Solila are back together again. Still the best this book gets is when they are together.

Absolute Wonder Woman #16. “Season of the Witch, Part 1 of 5” Written by Kelly Thompson and art by Hayden Sherman. Cover art was done by Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire. We get the debut of Absolute Zatanna and the Absolute Suicide Squad. Zatanna is taking Diana’s magic powers away from her.

KO: The Kids are all Fight Special #1. Written by Jeremy Adams with art by Travis Mercer. Cover art wa done by Bruno Redondo. This is a one shot that kind of brings together a bunch of the young heroes of the DC universe that are on their way to the Titans series. This was an interesting group of characters and I may give this a chance when they become the new Titans.

Other books this Week: Tales of the Shadowman #2, Astro Quantum #1, The Author Immortal #4, Harley Quinn x Elvira #4, Lost Fantasy #7, Blink and You’ll Miss It #5, DC’s Supergirl: Next Door #1, Conan the Barbarian #28 (Silver Medalist), and Be Not Afraid #5.

Quick Hits: Another good use of Spider-Man is in Marvel’s 1776 #3. I hate it when books use Spidey but do not do him justice or have him do things that are not in his character. This one has done a solid job. A new book from Invader Comics is Do Not Disturb #1. It is a noir-type book dealing with a character that has died and a mystery. It’s pretty good. Save Now #0, the origins of the Save Now characters is strong too. Wanda vs. Agatha Harkness in Sorcerer Supreme #2. More Oz action in No Place #3. The horror anthology book Hello Darkness #18 has some of the most original stories in all of horror comics. A one shot book following up on Bug Wars was released this week with Bug Wars: The Spyder Wytch Special #1. I picked up Sonja Reborn #5 from Dynamite, ID’s Return to Sleepy Hollow #3 and Absolute Martin Manhunter #8.

Wonder Man S1 E5, E6, E7, E8

Spoilers

I finished the final four episodes of Wonder Man on Disney + and I have to say that this is one of the best Marvel Disney + shows in a while. It’s up near the top of my list with WandaVision, Loki and Agatha All Along.

It is one of the least Marvel Marvel Studios TV shows. It is original and more focused on character. It avoided the typical, big CGI fest at the end with the villain fight while still providing a satisfying conclusion to the show.

I will say that when it ended, I really wanted more. That is a successful sign for any show.

I noticed the tremendous dialogue on this show, specifically in the last half of the episodes. The dialogue between Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kinsley was wonderfully written. It was both comedic and realistic. The pairing of these two characters is the main reason why this show worked as well as it did.

The first episode back after “Doorman” was an important one, and, while it may have been the shortest of the season, it was so very impactful. “Found Footage” worked on so many levels that it was the perfect return to form after the black and white origin episode for why Simon had to keep his superpowers hidden.

Joe Pantoliano made a triumphant return to resume playing the character of Joe Pantoliano.

The twist at the end with Trevor reclaiming the Mandarin mantel to protect Simon’s secret was unexpected but brilliant. Seeing Ben Kingsley re-deliver those epic lines such as “You never saw me coming” was awesome.

The biggest question I have is why Marvel decided to drop this series all on one day instead of on a weekly basis. This felt like a show that, if you dropped the first two or three together and then go weekly release, would have built viewership and word of mouth, much like Agatha All Along did, another show that people wondered if we needed only to find out it was amazing. Now, instead, Wonder Man gets dropped one day and could go the way of Echo. Even a daily release schdule like What If…? got might have been better.

I do hope that we get more of Simon Williams somewhere in the MCU. The talent of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is too impressive to waste on just one 8-episode series.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #188

January 25

It has been a cold weekend here in Iowa. I was finishing up reading my pile of books this week.

Books this week:

Exquisite Corpses #9. Written by Tyler Boss with James Tynion IV and art by Valentine De Landro with Michael Walsh. Cover art was done by Michael Walsh. I got variant cover B by Valentine De Landro as well. Exquisite Corpses continues to be one of the best books on the market. There are only four more of this series coming so things are ratcheting up.

Bloodland #1. Written by B. Clay Moore and art and cover art by Mack Chater. A new Ignition Press book featuring the collapse of America and vampires. Yes, there has been a lot of vampire books over the last few years, but this one felt very original and different. Ignition Press has been solid over the last six months or so and this feels like another winner.

Fantastic Four #7. “All Mankind’s Concern” Written by Ryan North and penciled by Humberto Ramos. Cover art was done by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. The FF are off earth to respond to a call from Galactus, but they expect an alien invasion. Their kids form a team, with some help from other heroes. Mad Thinker has an idea about this all.

Inglorious X-Factor#1. “A Force to Be Expected” Written by Tim Seeley and art by Michael Sta. Maria. Cover art was done by R.B. Silva & David Curiel. Cable is back and he is recruiting a team of X-Factor once again. He pulls in Archangel, Boom Boom and Hellervine, which make a potent group of mutants. What is the true story here? And why is Domino ready to shoot Cable in the head?

Spider-Man ’94 #5. “Chapter Five: Resurrection” Written by J.M. DeMatteis with art by Jim Towe. Cover art was done by Nick Bradshaw & Rachelle Rosenberg. The mini-series that continued from the end of the 1994 animated series comes to an end with a final battle with Morlun and Kaine.

Wiccan: Witches’ Road #2. Written by Wyatt Kennedy with art by Andy Pereira. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. Down, down, down the road…. Wiccan has to fight a dragon on the Witches’ Road… but not just any dragon… but Fin Fang Foom!

X-Men #24. “Three Thousand” Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Tony Daniel. Cover art was done by Tony Daniel, Mark Morales, & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. The group known as 3K takes center stage as the Hank McCoy who actually went into the future, returned to the present with all the details of the Age of Revelation and the formula for the Mutant Virus.

Everything Dead & Dying #5. Written by Tate Brombal and art and cover art by Jacob Phillips. This Image book is one of the better books Image has put out recently as the final issue brings some powerfully sad moments. One of the most creative uses of zombies in any comic recently appeared in this book.

The Mortal Thor #6. “Hide and Seek” Written by Al Ewing and art by Pasqual Ferry. Cover art was done by Alex Ross (Bronze Medalist). Sigmund has to face off with The Cobra, showing off his skills with the hammer once again. There are a few people questioning what is going on with this guy.

The New Avengers #9. Written by Sam Humphries and art by Ton Lima. Variant cover B art was done by Karen S. Darboe. Can we trust the Black Widow? That is what Bucky is trying to figure out, but it sure seems like the question he should ask is ‘Can he trust Carnage?’

The Beauty #3. Written by Jeremy Haun & Jason A. Hurley with art by Emanuela Lupacchino. Cover art was done by Jeremy Haun. Who is the Boogeyman? How does he fit into the world where everyone wants to catch the latest STD, which turns you beautiful? This feels as if something bad is about to happen.

Captain America #6. “Doom’s Shadow” Part 1. Written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Delio Diaz & Frank Alpizar. Cover art was done by Valerio Schiti and Frank Martin. I also picked up the foil version by Ivan Tao (Gold Medalist). Cap is approached by Nick Fury Jr. with an offer that Cap is not too keen on accepting. He also is trying to have a date with Sharon.

Rogue #1. Written by Erica Schultz with art by Luigi Zagaria. David Nakayama did the cover art. Rogue is here with her solo comic under the Shadow of Tomorrow banner. Though it is a solo book, she has Gambit appear as well as some of the other X-Men from her Louisiana team. She heads off to find Mystique and Destiny, and is shocked by what she finds.

Amazing Spider-Man #20. Written by Joe Kelly with pencils by John Romita Jr., Paco Diaz & Todd Nauck. Cover art is done by John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, and Dean White. I picked up another variant cover by Lee Bermejo (Silver Medalist). Norman Osborn continues to struggle in his replacement of Peter. Aunt May wants to talk to Norman. Ooh…

Nightwing #134. “The Game” Written by Dan Watters with art by V. Ken Marion. Cover art was done by Dexter Soy. Nightwing and Zanni face off in the Fifth Dimension where their effects dramatically cause destruction in Bludhaven. What can Nightwing do?

Assorted Crisis Events #8. Written by Deniz Camp and art and cover art by Eric Zawadzki. One of the best books of the week. I love this creativity of this story, with our comic fourth wall breaking. Even the design of the book’s format is something that I have rarely seen, certainly not in the details of the format.

Redcoat #16. Written by Geoff Johns and art by Bryan Hitch. Cover art was done by Bryan Hitch & Brad Anderson. Another book I loved this week. Albert has found Simon with a problem. Benedict Arnold is back. And… oh he is BACK! Great set up for the new arc. I am anxious to see how this moves on.

Gunpowder Prophets #4. Written by Justin Jordan and art and cover art by Patrick Piazzalunga. Huck and Harley are on the path of finding America, who has been taken. This is a fun series with two of the most violent characters you’ll ever get.

Planet She-Hulk #3. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Emilio Laiso. Cover art was done by Aaron Kuder & Sonia Oback. More outer space adventures by She-Hulk. There was a mention of She-Hulk in space in another book, which makes me happier. The cosmic continuity has bothered me and so I hope this is an answer.

X-Men of Apocalypse #2. Written by Jeph Loeb and art and cover art by Simone Di Meo. Alternate universal X-Men versus each other. Oh… and there is Phoenix too. This is an interesting book for what is is. Not sure if it means anything.

Cul-De-Sac #6. Written by Mike Carey with art and cover art by Jonathan Wayshak. This Bad Idea book wrapped up with this issue. It is another vampire book that has a lot of creativity and originality behind it. I have enjoyed the characters of Cul-De-Sac vey much.

Other books this week: Power Fantasy #15, Death to Pachuco #4, Psylocke Ninja #1, Ghost Pepper #7, Good as Dead #5, Nights #17, Ultimate Black Panther #24, and Star Wars #9.

Quick Hits: Cap has to face off with a surprise monster during WWII in Alien vs. Captain America #3. Flash Gordon is in a lot of trouble in Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny #2. I was missing The Last Starship #3 so I picked it up off eBay, and then The Last Starship #4 came out this week. I mentioned earlier how strong Ignition Press has been. Murder Podcast #4 is another example. Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox #3 provides more excellent sci-fi action. Terrorbytes #4 is an excellent sci-fi story this week with Mr. Brace. More trouble between Daredevil & Punisher #3. Can’t we all just get along? Spidey and Wolvie are still jumping around the multiverse in Spider-Man & Wolverine #9. There is some great crime action in American Caper #3. Mad Cave has been dropping a bunch of Speed Racer content over the last several months and the new one-shot Speed Racer: Tales from the Road #1. Green Lantern: Galactic Slam #1 brings Kyle Raynor into the world of cosmic wrestling. Finally, we got the time travel action of Liquidator #3.

Agents of Shield S2 E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6

Spoilers

“Shadows”

“Heavy is the Head”

“Making Friends and Influencing People”

“Face My Enemy”

“A Hen in the Wolf House”

“A Fractured House”

The second season of Agents of Shield starts off with new team members and characters leading to the Inhuman story- tied to Skye’s arc.

With Shield, Mac has arrived. Mac becomes a major force on this show moving forward. At this point, he is just a semi-regular, but he will become more as the years go on. Trip remained with the team after the end of last season. Bobbi Morse arrived in episode six. Morse is the name of the Marvel comics character Mockingbird, but the TV show never called her that. Lance Hunter was a merc at first when he arrived with Lucy Lawless. Lucy did not make it though as she wound up dead at the hands of the Absorbing Man. Turned out Bobbi and Hunter were formerly married. I remembered how much I loved these two. They were not on this show long enough.

Kyle MacLachlan joined the show as Skye’s mysterious father. He dropped the first hint about a new name for Skye. We learn later that he is basically the character of Mr. Hyde. He played a wonderful crazy.

Jemma went undercover at HYDRA. It did not last too long, but it helped bring us Bobbi. It is also a way to show the problems being faced by Fitz. Fitz was struggling during his recovery from the water trap from last season.

Raina is having troubles all over the place. Karma is surely mucking her up badly. She is scared of Skye’s father and Hydra’s new baddie, Daniel Whitehall, who was actually tied to an object from the Peggy Carter days.

Ward is being held in a cell in the cellar of the Shield base. They were using him as info. Then his older brother came back into the arc in episode six.

Melinda May is still such a bad ass. I loved her episode where she had to fight herself.

Polite Society (2023)

January 15

Polite Society has been on my queue over on Peacock since the 2024 June Swoon. I had just never gotten around to watching it. It was not that appealing for me.

However, when I came across it on my queue a few days ago and it listed it as a comedy, I thought this would be the perfect chance to put this one to bed. The Rotten Tomatoes score was strong and I thought I would finally give it a chance.

According to IMDB, “Ria Khan believes she must save her older sister Lena from her impending marriage. After enlisting her friends’ help, she attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood.

I had a hard time getting into the movie at first. It did not grab my attention to really intrigue me. However, I have to say that about halfway through the film, I started to get into it and was much more engaged.

I do think the wilder the plot became for the film, the more interested I was.

I enjoyed the performance of Priya Kansara as Ria, the sister whose behavior did seem out of control. She was very funny, even if she was hard to like at first. She seemed so over the top that it made her a bit abrasive. However, once the shoe dropped, things took off.

I loved the performance of Nimra Bucha, who played Raheela. She became a devastating villain and an amazing foil for Ria. Bucha, who also appeared in Marvel Studio’s Disney + series, Ms. Marvel, showed exactly what she could have been on that show with her big time villain turn. She was sinister in the very best possible way. I would have loved to have seen this side on Ms. Marvel more. Even though the plot became exaggerated, she made it work with everything about her.

The film had a definite Bollywood feel to it, mixed with a martial arts film. It was very original and I wound up very much enjoying it, even after the slow start for me.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #186

January 11

It is Sunday night and I have finally gotten to the EYG Comic Cavalcade. It has been a busy weekend of movies and completing season one of Agents of Shield. There is a lot of good stuff this weekend, but I had to make sure there was time to finish reading the comics from this week.

I finally got my Ultimate Endgame blind bags from eBay. I picked up 10 of them and did decent with the copies. I got the Peach Momoko cover, the wraparound cover, the Skottie Young cover, the Wasp 1:50 incentive, and the Cafu variant. I also got a few duplicates that I had already gotten, including three of the Spider-Man/Wolverine covers. I also picked up a blank blue line variant. Fortunately, none of my books were damaged, which a lot of the Ultimate: Endgame books were. Marvel should not put the A cover inside the blind bags, as I have seen some people get multiple copies of that issue. The Mark Spears blind bags were much better since there were more variety inside them.

Books this week:

X-Men #23.Assassin” Written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Tony Daniel. Cover art was done by Tony Daniel, Mark Morales, & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. The future Cyclops’ mind takes roto inside the past Cyclops body, and he tries to kill Doug before he becomes Revelation. Doesn’t work.

Amazing Spider-Man #19. Written by Joe Kelly with art by Pepe Larraz. Cover art was done by Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia. I also picked up the variant cover with art by Lee Bermejo (Bronze Medalist). Peter and his space crew prepare to face off with Hellgate in an attempt to get Peter back to earth. We will see how things go.

Hank Howard: Pizza Detective in The Two Hollywoods #1. Written by Robert Venditti with art by David Lapham. Cover art was done by Alex Maleev. Another fun, new book from Bad Idea, Hank Howard is a private detective who seems to specialize in cases involving pizza. Huh? I do love me some noir, which this fits perfectly.

Wolverine #14. “Silver and Snow” Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Martin Coccolo. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian. Wolverine meets up with Silver Sable in the wilderness of Canada to help a couple of mutants stay free. This draws the attention of Alpha Flight!

The Twilight Zone #3. “The Relic” Written, drawn and cover art by James Stokoe. A futuristic post-apocalyptic tale in the style of the classic TV show. This was my least favorite of the Twilight Zone issues from IDW so far, but I do love the black and white layout.

Deluge #3. Written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Marika Cresta. Cover art was done by Riley Rossmo. The prisoners of the flooded prison have more to worry about than water. They are being attacked by the creatures that are in the water… and they are frightening. Deluge ahs been a great book so far for Ignition Press.

Blue Falcon & Dynomutt #5. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti with art by Pasquale Qualano. Cover art was done by Lucio Parrillo. I believe this was the final issue of Blue Falcon & Dynomutt, which upset me. I have been enjoying this book and I love the new take on the Hanna-Barbera characters.

Absolute Batman: Ark M #1. “A History of Arkham” Written by Scott Snyder & Frank Tieri with art and cover art by Joshua Hixson. We get a comprehensive history of Arkham Asylum in the Absolute Universe. This was a fascinating book to read and gave us a real intriguing story.

Batman #5. “Date Night” Written by Matt Fraction with art and cover art by Jorge Jimenez. I also picked up the 1:25 variant cover by David Aja (Silver Medalist). Bruce Wayne and Dr. Annika Zeller are on a “date” (depending on whom you ask) but they are being pursued by a new villain named The Ojo. This is a fun book with no appearance by Batman.

Spider-Man: Noir #4. “The Gwen Stacy Affair, Part IV” Written by Erik Larsen with art by Andrea Broccardo. Cover art was done by Simone Di Meo. Someone has taken away Peter’s super powers and has been dressing up as Spider-Man and being more violent.

The Monster and the Wolf #2. Written, drawn and cover by Mark Spears (Cover B- Gold Medalist). I ordered this from Keenspot directly, and I got it in the mail late this past week even though it technically is not released in comic shops until next week. I do love the Monster books from Spears.

Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League #6. Written by Greg Rucka with art by Nicola Scott. Cover art was done by Nicola Scott and Annette Kwok. This heist book concludes with this issue as Cheetah and Cheshire are able to show off how complex they had made their plot. Every time you thought it was done, there was a twist. Nicely written.

The Phantom #4. Written by Ray Fawkes and art by Russell Olson. Cover art was done by Freddie Williams II. The Phantom is shot. Can he make it to safety and still survive? Only with a little help from his friends.

Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider #6. Written by Stephanie Phillips with art by Van Randal. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Federico Blee. Gwen is hoping that her new band can win an upcoming Battle of the Bands. Why are there always super villains around?

Nova Centurion #3. “For the Corps” Written by Jed MacKay with art by Alvaro Lopez & Matteo Della Fonte. Cover art was done by Alessandro Cappuccio & Rachelle Rosenberg. Richard Rider has been fun in this series so far. I have always like Nova and this has been giving him to me in a new and exciting manner. I am still unsure about time and continuity, but I am trying not to let that bother me.

Absolute Superman #15. “In Blue” Written by Jason Aaron with art by Juan Ferreyra. Cover art was done by Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola. Superman is trying to do everything he can to help the people of earth. Not only that, but he is reading poetry to Ra’s Al Ghul. Oh, and Brainiac is walking around. That can’t be good. Superman is in his new blue suit too, while he is sucking up wildfires.

War Wolf #3. Written by Steve Orlando and art by Marco Perugini. Cover art was done by David Talaski. Bruin returned from the spaceship after all of the aliens retreated. He was able to parlay that story into a senator-ship and political power. But what really happened on that ship? Mad Cave has another good book going.

Other books this week: Conan: Scourge of the Serpent #4, Ultimate X-Men #23 (A & B covers), Marvel Rivals: The Cities of Heaven #1, Marvel: Black, White & Blood and Guts #4, and Arcadia #2.

Quick Hits: Starting off this week with a new series from Dark Horse called Devil on My Shoulder #2. It is brutal and violent revenge tale that has been very entertaining so far. Absolute Green Lantern #10 is out this week. It has been picking up steam a bit after struggling to keep my attention. This is still decent, but one of the lower of the Absolute books. Knightfight #3 picked back up after kind of losing me last week. This week was much more engaging than the whole weird Clayface stuff from last issue. Ultimate Wolverine #13 has a brutal fight between Wolverine and Ursa Major. It is a battle that was way more graphic than many of the Red Band series. We have a new issue of Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #2. Not sure what Batman is doing in this issue with some of his choices. FML #7 is back after a LONG hiatus. I hate it when independent books take such a long break between issues. It is nearly impossible to keep up any sort of momentum. FML #6 came out September 3, 2025 making it about 4 1/2 months between issues. Godzilla Kai-Sei #6 had two covers for me this week. I picked up one of its covers that was an homage to Superman #75. It was a cool cover. Eat Your Young #5 came out too, with the violent struggle within a family to survive.

Agents of Shield S1 E18, E19, E20, E21, E22

Spoilers

“Providence”

“The Only Light in the Darkness”

“Nothing Personal”

“Ragtag”

“Beginning of the End”

Season one of Agents of Shield was wrapped up tonight as the storyline with Hydra and Shield came to a conclusion.

The truth behind Ward being part of Hydra came to light and he teamed up with Garrett, Raina and Deathlok to try and recreate the GH-325 that was used in TAHITI.

Lots of cool stuff in these episodes:

  • A sort of Absorbing Man came into play as we meet the cellist that was connected to Coulson.
  • Melinda may returned after leaving the team
  • We got to catch up with Maria Hill.
  • We met Eric Koenig, played by Patton Oswalt, an agent of Shield in Fury’s secret hidden base.
  • Eric was murdered by Ward. Ward was trying to get Skye to decrypt the file she fixed.
  • The show hinted at a storyline for season two, dealing with Skye’s past and the truth that she is an Inhuman.
  • It was revealed that Coulson left a message saying TAHITI “must be shut down because of horrific side effects the drugs had on test subjects, which could only be mitigated by erasing the victim’s memory of what happened.”
  • Raina made a sample of GH-325 and it ended up being given to Garrett, who was revealed as the first test subject in the Deathlok program.
  • Ward trapped Fitz and Simmons in a pod and ejected it into the ocean. They sank to the ocean floor.
  • Nick Fury makes an appearance and rescues Fitz and Simmons.
  • The magic drug started to cause Garrett to go mad.
  • We see where Garrett recruited and trained a young Ward, by leaving him alone in the woods for six months.
  • Skye and Ward had a big showdown at Cybertek.
  • Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury has a cool cameo in the finale.
  • Fury made Coulson the new Director for a new, rebuilt Shield.
  • We see Billy Koenig at the end of the finale show up. He is also played by Patton Oswalt.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #185

January 1

Happy New Year! On the most recent NEW COMIC BOOK DAY, there was a small number of books. DC Comics did not put out anything at all and Image only had a handful of books. That made the day a little lesser.

There were a couple of MAJOR events this week though that led to me picking up a variety of covers.

I traded some of the duplicates of the Mark Spears Monsters #8 with a few of the others at Comic World. I have 29 separate covers of that book as of right now.

X-Men: Age of Revelation-Finale #1. Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Ryan Stegman with Netho Diaz. Cover art is done by Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer & Marte Gracia. I also picked up Cover C with art by Marcus Martin (Gold Medalist). The last three months have been dominated by this X-Men future story and it was brought to an end with this issue. It left off with a mystery as the Beast whose mind had been believed to have been brought into the future with Cyclops was not the Hank McCoy that we knew. This mutant story was interesting and looks to still be threatening our regular Marvel Universe.

The Lucky Devil #6. Written by Charles Soule with art and cover by Ryan Browne. After quite a break for this series, Lucky Devils are back to cause more trouble for the humans that they are whispering to from their shoulders. The art in this book continues to be one of the best of all independent books.

Ultimate Endgame #1. Written by Deniz Camp with art by Terry & Rachel Dodson and Jonas Scharf. Cover art was done by Mark Brooks. I picked up a blind bag of this book where I got a cover by CAFU. I also grabbed the foil by Derek Chew and a Spider-Man/Wolverine variant by Dan Panosian. The story of the return of the Master and the downfall of the Ultimate Universe begins in this issue with some major things that happen.

The Ultimates #19. Written by Deniz Camp with art by Juan Frigeri. Cover art was done by Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon. The story focuses on the Ultimate Wasp and Ultimate Hank Pym and their background. It also brings us the debut of the Vision, who promptly rips the brain out of Nick Fury (who I believe is a LMD).

Predator Kills the Marvel Universe #5. Written by Benjamin Percy and penciled by Marcelo Ferreira, Daniel Picciotto, and Brent Peeples. Cover art was done by Leinil Francis Yu & Matt Milla. We get Iron Man suits for Wolverine and Spider-Man in order to stop the Predators. Too bad Kraven doesn’t get one. This series comes to a close.. for now.

Marvel Zombies: Red Band #4. Written by Ethan S. Parker & Griffin Sheridan with art by Jan Bazaldua. Cover art was done by Greg Land and Rachelle Rosenberg. Spider-Man, Jessica Jones, Ultron and Doc Ock meet up with the New Avengers… and Spidey is guilted into revealing his identity to everyone. Meanwhile, zombie Reed Richards gets his hands on the Infinity Gauntlet. SNAP.

The Punisher: Red Band #4. Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Julius Ohta. Variant cover art was done by Kaare Andrews. Punisher is on his way to Tombstone, and is leaving a path of blood and brains along the way. One of the better uses of the Red Band polybag is this Punisher book.

Harley Quinn x Elvira #1. This came in a Mystery Variant Blind Bag from Dynamite. I picked up one where I got a cover by Amanda Connor (Bronze Medalist) and another where it was the cover from the #1 by Mark Spears (thanks Todd). Blind Bags are just a lot of fun… unless you get the same basic cover out of nearly every bag (sorry Todd).

Feral #19. Written by Tony Fleecs with art by Trish Forstner & Tone Rodriguez. Cover art was done by Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner. I also picked up the horror homage cover B done by Tony Fleecs, Trish Forstner & Allen Passalaqua (Silver Medalist). Feral continues to be one of the best books every month. The drama inside the Pet Store is coming to a head as Elsie heads out of the store on her own.

Sorcerer Supreme #1. Written by Steve Orlando with art by Bernard Chang. Cover art was done by Leirix. Stephen Strange is gone. Doom is dead (for now). That leaves earth without a Sorcerer Supreme. Not for long… Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch takes the mantel for herself, the hell with anyone else. The Vishanti may have something to say about that.

The Undead Iron Fist #4. Written by Jason Loo and art by Fran Galan. Cover art was done by Whilce Portacio & Alex Sinclair. Danny Rand completed his mission and returned to his death… although it sounded as if he might be called back to the real world again in the future. This series ended with this issue. I did enjoy this book and I wish it would have had a longer shelf life.

Tin Can Society #9. Written by Peter Warren with art by Francesco Mobili. Cover art was done by Francesco Mobili and Chris Chuckry. This Image book put out its final issue as well with this one. I have to say that this series felt like it kind of sputtered to the end, though part of that could have been the release schedule for it. I have to say that I was less excited for this finale than I was for the series in the first half of the books.

Other Books this Week: The World to Come #5, Escape #5, Lost Fantasy #6, Marian Heretic #3, and Mary Sue #3.

Agents of Shield S1 E4, E5, E6

Spoilers

Three more episodes of Agent of Shield, and, if I am being honest, I do not remember any of these. I know I watched this show religiously when it was on ABC, but I do not remember much of anything in them.

I remember Raina, but more during the Inhumans run when she got turned into a cat-like being.

I know I have not watched these episodes multiple times, but, even still, I should have more memory of them than what I do.

The whole Agent Ward leaping out of the Bus with a parachute to save Jemma Simmons was cool, but it made me wonder about his statis as a Hydra agent, which we know will come about soon.

I did not remember Skye’s betrayal of the team because of a former boyfriend from the Rising Tide, but I think I do remember her confession about not knowing her parents or her backstory.

There are plenty of intriguing hints being dropped for these different characters including Coulson’s time dead, May’s traumatic event, and especially Skye.

It was fun seeing Titus Welliver, the Man in Black from LOST, as one of Coulson’s superiors in Agent Blake. I don’t remember what happened to him as a character, whether he died, was Hydra or is out there somewhere.

I guess it is a good thing that I am starting this rewatch because I do not remember much about this series, outside of how much I loved these characters. I am reminded how awesome Fitz and Simmons are, how bad ass May is, and how downright cool Skye (eventually Daisy Johnson) is. I do remember how Ward was the one I liked the least of the crew, and that is still the case.

Of course, above them all was Phil Coulson, who I still state is one of the best characters to come out of the phase 1 MCU.

Agents of Shield S1 E1, E2, E3

Spoilers

“Pilot”

“0-8-4”

“The Asset”

I began my Agents of Shield rewatch this afternoon with the first three episodes, bringing the team together.

These first three episodes reminded me why I loved this show so much. One of the biggest reasons was Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson. He is so charming and funny and a joy to watch. They set up the mystery of Tahiti (it’s a magical place) right away and they do a fine job of teasing that something was going on.

I love Melinda May, aka The Calvary. She is such a bad ass in this show and her chemistry with Coulson and everyone in the cast is spectacular.

Fitz and Simmons are such cool characters. They are not the type of characters that you would expect in a spy show like this, but their presence is extremely awesome.

Chloe Bennett, who played Skye (at least Skye at this point…. one day to become Daisy Johnson) is another great character who is so easy to root for. There is just enough of uncertainty about Skye to make you wonder what is going to happen.

Grant Ward, on the other hand, is more difficult because I know where his character goes. Watching him in these first episodes, knowing that he was in Hydra, was much more difficult. I wonder when they knew, as a creative team, that Ward would be betraying the team as a Hydra agent. There does not seem to be any signs or hints at this point.

These first episodes are used to bring these characters together in a team, something that did not seem likely to happen in the early part of the show. They were arguing and fighting and did not trust each other, but their plan to sabotage the Shield plane bonded them together.

The Samuel L. Jackson cameo as Nick Fury was awesome too as he yelled at Coulson. Fury’s question about Lola, Coulson’s flying car, was both funny and telling.

I know that this show winds up having to slosh along until the Hydra reveal in Captain America: Winter Soldier, but it has started off strong. I wish that the show had more continuity to the MCU as I would love to see Melinda May appear in MCU films or shows.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #184

December 28

We are up to the final Comic Cavalcade of 2025. The next NEW COMIC BOOK DAY is New Year’s Eve and, even with a smaller pull list as it looks to be, there is no way to finish it up before the clock strikes midnight.

2025 has been a great year for comics. With this last week’s load of books, I passed 20,000 comics in my personal collection. That was a cool thing. It was just a few years ago that my collection was in such a mess that I had no idea how many comics I had. Now, after several years of work, my books are all bagged, boarded, boxed, and counted. Sure, there are books where I am unsure where they are still, but it is certainly progress.

I received my order of Mark Spears Monsters #8 this week. I picked up 24 blind bags from Keenspot and I wound up with 19 new covers. I only had 5 duplicates, which I am considering a huge success. I also got three foil covers and three glow-in-the-dark covers in the blind bags. I am pleased with the delivery, even if it felt as if the package was never going to get here.

Books this week:

Sleep #7. Written, drawn and cover art by Zander Cannon. The penultimate issue of Sleep came out this week and it continues to be one of the best, most creative books on the market. I am anxious to see what surprises we are going to have in store for us in the finale next month.

Red Book #3. Written by James Tynion IV with art and cover art by Michael Avon Oeming. More UFO stories from the Soviet Union and, setting up, China for next month. Tynion IV writes this as if it is the truth and that it is out there.

The Will of Doom #1. Written by Chip Zdarsky with art by CAFU. Cover art was done by Jonas Scharf & Alex Guimarães. Dr. Doom is gone (yeah, right) but the Doombots are causing trouble. One issue with the Doombots is that they always believed that they were the true Doom. This one-shot feels important as Chip Zdarsky is heading toward the big event next summer. How will this fit into that?

Orla #5. Written by John Lees with art by Sally Cantirino. Cover art was done by Sally Cantirino & Dearbhla Kelly. Orla was a fun book that seems to believe in true love, even over that desire to murder and eat your lover. This is the final issue of this Mad Cave series.

DC KO: Red Hood vs. The Joker #1. Written by Scott Snyder & Joshua Williamson with pencils by Dustin Nguyen & Giuseppe Camuncoli. Cover art was done by Jorge Corona & Sarah Stern. I also picked up cover C by Guillem March (Gold Medalist). This was the most interesting of the first round match-ups in the KO tournament because of the history between Red Hood and Joker. Many of the other match-ups did not have much background to them, but this one was firing on all cylinders.

Gunpowder Profits #3. Written by Justin Jordan with art and cover art by Patrick Piazzalunga. Marley and Huck got in trouble for their murder of the motorcycle gang last issue, but it seemed as if the gang was not going to let death stop them. Just an excuse for Marley to be even more violent. Meanwhile, America has been snatched away.

Sisterhood #5. Written by Maytal Zchut and art by Leila Leiz. Cover art was done by Leila Leiz with Alex Sinclair. The final issue of this Hyde Street story sees the weird end to the friendship as one person is arrested for the crime. Was it the right person though?

Rocketfellers #11. Written by Peter J. Tomasi with art and cover art done by Francis Manapul. The Rocketfellers have been running through time to avoid Raina Rocketfeller, Roland’s sister. However, Raina has caught up with the family which lead to, apparently, a tragic result. I did not see this coming.

Justice League Unlimited #14. Written by Mark Waid with art and cover art by Dan Mora. The Terrific Ten storyline continues as yet another of the out-of-time heroes bites the big one here. That means that they are down to six.

Absolute Superman #14. “Son of Nowhere, Nothing and No One” Written by Jason Aaron with art by Rafa Sandoval. Cover art was done by Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola. Big finale between Superman and Ra’s Al Ghul. The last panel brings the character a little closer to his true look. Thanks Ma.

Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman #6. “What’s the Point of a Corgi?” Written by Tom King with art and cover art by Belen Ortega. With the time travel shenanigans going on in this series, we now have Trinity gain a chance to meet her father, Steve Trevor. Admittedly, it is only via the clay molding manner which does not sound nearly as fun.

Justice League Red #5. Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Clayton Henry. Cover art is done by Clayton Henry & Arif Prianto. Black Adam is throwing shade to Red Tornado. Is the mind behind the Justice League Red actually plotting against them? As I am not as much of an aficionado of DC, am I supposed to know who the Crimson Cloud is?

Tama #5. Written by Adam Schlagman & Doug Pasko with art by Daniel HDR. Cover art was done by Ashley Witter. Tama continues his brutal path of killing people. Can the video game creature be shut down before it becomes the ultimate monster? Spoiler: Answer is no.

Detective Comics #1104. “The Courage That Kills Part Four” Written by Tom Taylor with art and cover art by Mikel Janin. Batman is in a race against time as he has now become symptomatic with the virus that he has been fighting against. How does the Scarecrow fit into this?

Amazing Spider-Man #18. Written by Joe Kelly and penciled by John Romita Jr. Cover art was done by John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz. I also picked up the variant cover by Simone Di Meo, featuring Mary Jane. Norman Osborn and J. Jonah Jameson sit down to talk about their connection to Peter Parker.

Spider-Man ’94 #4. Written by J.M. DeMatteis with art by Jim Towe. Cover art was done by Nick Bradshaw & Rachelle Rosenberg. Spidey and Kraven take on the powerful Morlun. Somehow, it sure looked like Morlun turned into Swamp Thing on the final page. Marvel should watch out for copyright lawsuits.

X-Vengers #3. Written by Jason Loo with pencils by Sergio Davila. Cover art was done by Mike McKone & Morry Hollowell. The X-Vengers X-ssembled! Or something like that. This is another of the Age of Revelation books that was fun, but felt unneeded. It just gave a flavor to the rest of the Marvel Universe.

Cloak or Dagger #3. Written by Justina Ireland with art done by Lorenzo Tammetta & Edoardo Audino. Cover art was done by Mike McKone & Rachelle Rosenberg. This was another fun book as we get a chance to see Cloak and Dagger’s daughter kick some butt during the Age of Revelation.

Undeadpool #3. Written by Tim Seeley with art by Carlos Magno. Cover art was done by E.M. Gist. I liked this book at first, but I am not sure if I enjoyed its conclusion during the Age of Revelation. Deadpool got himself got it appeared. Still lots of death X Years Later.

1776 #2. “Our Sacred Honor” Written by J. Michael Straczynski with pencils by Sean Damien Hill. Pete Woods did the art for the cover. Okay, Spidey and Cap together with the revolutionary war soldiers is a hoot. I love their little hats. Clea vs. Morgan Le Fey is a bigtime throwdown.

No Man’s Land #4. Written, drawn and cover art by Szymon Kudranski (Silver Medalist). This awesome story of a murder mystery that could lead to major troubles between the US and the USSR comes to a close. While the mystery is not a great one (considering we did not really have a list of suspects), the resolution is epic. The scene with the showdown was amazing and I actually had my jaw drop with the presentation of it. I loved this four-issue series.

Hello Darkness #17. Variant cover art was done by Jenny Frison (Bronze Medalist). Another strong issue with multiple horror stories. There is always a great deal of variety in this Boom! Studios book.

Absolute Wonder Woman #15. “The Mark of Hecate” Written by Kelly Thompson and art by Hayden Sherman. Cover art was done by Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire. After over a year of publications, the Absolute Universe has finally crossed over. In this book, we get the first ever team-up between Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Batman. The story will continue in the next Absolute Batman book.

Other books this week: Masterminds #3, Godzilla Escapes the Dead Zone #5, Blink and You’ll Miss It #4, Titans #30, Absolute Martian Manhunter #7, Fire and Ice; Nekron #1, Event Horizon: Dark Descent #4, Gray Lady #1, Immortal Legend Batman #5, Return to Sleepy Hollow #2, and Red Vector #5.

Quick Hits: Final Boss #2 is back with more hand to hand fighting in the style of the classic video games. In the spirit of the awesome blind bag trend, I picked up an Image Christmas Blind Bag that was supposed to guarantee me a incentive comic of one of Images books. I got the 1:25 version of Assorted Crisis Events #5, which was a cool cover. Hornsby & Halo #13 featured a battle with an angel and devil in search of our heroes. The crime comic called American Caper from Dark Horse is, once again, a very enjoyable book. Dynamite put out The Lion King #2 as Simba was on the case of a missing elephant baby. The Marvel Winter Break Special #1 follows up the Marvel Swimsuit special from earlier this year. Still silly, but some fun art. Expatriate X-Men #3 was my least favorite of the Age of Revelation books this week. Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 #6 sees our heroes and the big titan monsters in bad shape. Is that supposed to be a monster version of Cheetah? The Quintesson War has begun in the pages of Void Rivals #25. Ignition Press comics gave us Voyeur #3 this week as we get even more adult comic action. I received Hero Hiro #2 from Keenspot this week along with the Monsters book. While this is a little young, I do like the story that they are telling. Finally, it is Star Wars #8 as Luke is doing his best Spidey under the rubble routine.