EYG Comic Cavalcade #205

May 31

Summer is here! Yay!

Another big week of books. I have multiple copies of some of the variant books out this week, particularly Mark Spears Monsters.

Comic of the Week

Exquisite Corpses #13

I found the finale of this 13-issue limited series to be spectacular. It has been one of the best series of the past year + and the finale hits the perfect step. James Tynion IV created such a top notch book and the announcement at the end of an Exquisite Corpses Season Two coming at some point was a thrill. This was one of the books that consistently had some awesome variants available, including this week as I picked up both the A cover and the B cover.

Books This Week:

Marc Spears Monsters #10. “Chapter 10: The Dungeon of the Damned” Written by Marc and Lucas Spears and illustrated and cover art by Marc Spears (Cover E- Bronze Medalist). The book featuring the group of monsters continues to be one of the more fun books each month. The art from Marc Spears is always amazing and each issue has exciting fights between monsters, this one highlighted by Dracula vs. Vlad the Impaler. What else could you want?

Flash #33. “The Speed was Power, and the Speed was Joy-Part III” Written by Ryan North and illustrated by Gavin Guidry. Cover art was by Gavin Guidry (Silver Medalist). Flash has to team up with Captain Cold to prevent a nuclear bomb from going off in Central City. Wally spends a chunk of the issue just looking for the bomb. Ryan North has brought his style of comic storytelling to this book and it has been excellent so far.

The Hab #2. Written by Joshua Dysart and art by David Lapham & Bill Sienkiewicz. Cover art was done by Charlie Adlard (Gold Medalist). The bunker where these survivors have escaped to has a major problem… there is something in the water supply that is causing horrifying hallucinations. Bad Idea has been releasing quality comics over the last year or so and The Hab feels as if it is right in with those other great books.

Escape #7. “Chapter 7: Hope and Delusion” Written by Rick Remender with art and cover art by Daniel Acuna. Escape returned from hiatus this week with a powerful issue as Milton’s plan to sabotage the Titan cannon continued. Milton has to face off with a whole bunch of the Fascists to accomplish his escape. Good to have this book back.

Corpse Knight #2. Written by Michael Chaves and art by Matthew Roberts. Cover art was done by Matthew Roberts and Rico Renzi. Foy and her undead father come across an evil unlike any other. This issue takes the world of fantasy and included more supernatural horror in its story.

Hornsby & Halo #0. Creators were Peter J. Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg. Cover art was done by Peter Snejbjerg & John Kalisz. This was another prelude to the upcoming Unbelievables crossover. We had another book #0 last week with The Rocketfellers and now we get some more on the background of Rose and Zach.

Doomquest #1. Written by Ryan North with art by Francesco Mobili. Cover art was done by Alex Ross. I also picked up the B cover variant with art by Mr. Garcin. Doctor Doom is heading into the past with a special time machine that he invented after hearing Reed Richards speculating about it. Doom faced some issues and wound up on the Titanic. I wonder if he’ll find Rose.

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #3. Written by Phil Hester and penciled by Ryan Kelly. Cover art was done by Ryan Kelly. The split between the townspeople remained a problem, but things get even worse when the rain stopped falling. This has been a solid book, based on the horror movie franchise.

The Ultimates #24. Written by Deniz Camp and art by Juan Frigeri. Cover art was done by Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon. I also grabbed the B cover by Marcos Martin. This focuses on the battle with Bruce Banner and She-Hulk. I do think this book has suffered recently as the end of the Ultimates universe has been slow going. I wish this would just get done with since the ending is coming. It seemed as if the Maker is finally free, so we can wrap this up. It is kind of sad that if feels like this Ultimate Universe, which was such a huge hit, is going out in a petering manner.

Hyde Street #12. Creators are Geoff Johns & Ivan Reis. Cover art was done by Ivan Reis. This is the second part of the Butcher of Hyde Street, giving us more details on this character and, apparently, killing off Pranky.

Feral #23. “Chapter 23: The Test” Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Trish Forstner. Horror cover homage done by Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner. This wonderful book continues to be exceptional. Once again, we get two stories, with one focusing on the cats from Feral and the dogs from Stray Dogs. Both working around the people who were trying to solve this disease. Feral has been one of the best books every month.

Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Versity #2. Written by Jordan Morris & Joe Kelly and art by Pere Perez with Rafael Perez Granados. Cover art was done by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Lorenzo Ruggiero & Marte Gracia. The Spiders continue their training with Norman Osborn, who introduces a robot that can ape any of Spider-Man’s main villains. Unfortunately, a villain is able to hack into the robots and set them all after the Spiders at once.

Red Roots #2. Written, art and cover art by Lorenzo De Felici. Red Roots has been a slow burn so far, but the horror part of this book has been solid so far. It has some interesting storytelling and I am looking forward to seeing where this will go to.

Wonder Man #3. “The Three Hours of Traffic” Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Farid Karami. Cover art was done by Farid Karami & Rachelle Rosenberg. The Spot makes an appearance in Wonder Man too this week. We get a battle with Spot, Wonder Man and the Grim Reaper. I also love that Hellcat is in this book too.

Is Ted Ok? #4. Written, art and cover art by Dave Chisholm. There is a major reveal in this month’s issue of Is Ted Ok? and it boggled the mind. The last half of this issue was as stressful as any issue up until this point. There are two more issues to go for this story. Can’t wait to see how it plays out.

Did You Hear About Mimi Green? #1. Written by Connor Goldsmith with art and cover art by Josh Cornillon. This new book from Dark Horse featured an influencer whose perfect social media presence is rocked by the reveal of a post she made years ago, putting down a woman because of her weight. It leads to a big time horror story… and one we should all take note of.

Detective Comics #1109. “Flight” Written by Tom Taylor with art by Mikel Janin. Variant cover Gerald Parel. Oliver Queen was pushed out the window by Arabella at the end of last issue, and Batman was there in case Oliver needed him to save him. Spoiler: he didn’t. Arabella seems to be quite the rough little girl.

Infernal Hulk #7. “The Hated and the Feared” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with art by Adam Gorham and cover art by Nic Klein. The X-Men are taking on the Infernal Hulk because the Infernal Hulk believes he is the king of monsters, and he is putting the X-Men in that category. Or is there a specific member he is after?

X-Men #30. “Danger Room, Pt. 5” Written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Netho Diaz. Cover art was done by Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, & Arthur Hesli. The group known as the Danger Room is celebrating their major successes against the X-Men, but they should know that they should not celebrate until the game is over. And the X-Men are ready to strike back.

Planet of the Apes Versus Fantastic Four #4. Written by Josh Trujillo and art by Andrea Di Vito. Cover art was done by Greg Land & Rachelle Rosenberg. The FF get their powers back and take care of Dr. Doom, who turns out to be a Doombot. They head back to their own time with a lot of questions about the Planet of the Apes.

Justice League Unlimited #19. Written by Mark Waid and art by Dan Mora. Variant Cover D was done by Mario “Fox” Foccillo. The Justice League is taking some criticism for their new amnesty program for super villains. Who knew that Lex Luthor might be the one to straighten things out?

Wiccan and Hulkling: Raid of Ultron #1. Written by Wyatt Kennedy, Zoe Tunnell, Tegan Quin, and Josh Trujillo with art by Stephen Byrne, Rachel Stott, Luciano Vecchio and Bradley Clayton. Cover art was done by Russell Dauterman. What happens when Billy and Teddy throw a family get-together? You risk the chance that Ultron will show up. This was a fun one shot book with Wiccan and Hulkling.

The Peril of the Brutal Dark #4. “Chapter Four: The Brooklyn Bridge Incident” Written by Chris Condon and art and cover art by Jacob Phillips. Ezra sets up a meeting at the Brooklyn Bridge… but he winds up having to deal with robots. I have been enjoying the noir style of this Vertigo book.

The Life and Death of Lucas Dreamwalker #1. Written by R.L. Stein and illustrated and cover art by Francesco Francavilla. Another one shot book, this one written by the iconic R.L. Stein. This was a strange book as it felt as if I should have known more about Lucas Dreamwalker than I did. Then, I noticed that I had not looked too close at the title when Luke died and it surprised me. I guess I should have paid more attention to the title.

Absolute Wonder Woman #20. “Season of the Witch Part 5 of 5” Written by Kelly Thompson and art by Hayden Sherman. Cover art was done by Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire. Wonder Woman and Zatanna join forces in order to survive, but Diana makes a sacrifice that ends up in a surprising situation for her.

Other Books this Week: Final Boss #6, Superman: Father of Tomorrow #1, The Seasons #10, Honor and Curse: Eternal #3, Fireborn #2, Lost Fantasy #10, Planet Atmos: Exordium #2, and Gotham Academy: First Year #4.

Quick Hits: Quick Hits starts off this week with Sentry #3. It’s a sad story featuring Bob’s dog. In Generation X-23 #4 things are going poorly for Laura. I was able to get The Last Starship #7 from last week. Thanks Todd. The finale of Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre #4 came out and it was a bloody fun time. Pretty Hate Machine #2 has a cool dynamic with our lead character and the monster he sees. Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress #2 continues the story of the albino hero. In Your Skin #2 is another horror comic that tells us about an aging actress. Void Rivals #30 sees the end of the Quintesson War story arc. More weird alien stuff happening in 51 #3 from Mad Cave. Spirit of the Shadow #5 brings the story to a close. Exploit #3 continues the story of the murder of Cole Saxon.

Spider-Noir S1 E4, E5, E6

Spoilers

“A Mistake I’ll Never Make Again”

“Betrayal”

“Nightmare on a Gurney”

I watched the next three episodes of the Amazon Prime series, Spider Noir. I loved the first three episodes of this pulpy-fun and we jump right back into the action.

When episode three left off, Silvermane was shooting someone, and it turned out to be just another guy with Winston.

We are introduced to another ex-army platoon guy, who turns out to be a low-level villain from Marvel Comics named Megawatt. The Spider fought him in public and does defeat him.

We are introduced to actress Amy Aquino’s character, Dr. Faber. She was the connection between the four villains, as she treated them all just before their powers manifested. She was a decent person who made some bad choices trying to save her son, who was another person in the experiment.

We get an origin of The Spider, and see how he is connected to Sandman, Tombstone, and Megawatt. It was one of the scarier moments of horror in the show as Ben got bit by a transformed man-spider.

The third episode, “Nightmare on a Gurney,” felt very much like a sci-fi, B-movie, crazy scientist noir. The show has been great, using all noir tropes in the different episodes.

An interesting point mentioned in that third episode included Faber’s son telling Ben Reilly that they were looking for the Spider, but he had changed his name, so they could not find him. Could Ben have been originally Peter Parker and changed his name to Ben Reilly. We know they could not use the name Peter Parker because of rights and technicalities, but this way covers the base.

Ben Reilly has been playing this character as anything but a hero. He is downright selfish, but it feels as if that came form Ruby’s death more than anything else.

Nic Cage is spectacular in his Cage-i-ness. Brendon Gleeson has been doing a great job bringing the sinister to Silvermane.

This has been great. I can’t wait to watch episodes 7 & 8.

2026 Eisner Awards Nominees

Best Short Story

  • “Blood Harvest,” in Brain Damage, by Shintaro Kago, translated by Zack Davisson (Fantagraphics)
  • “The Curse Room,” in Brain Damage, by Shintaro Kago, translated by Zack Davisson (Fantagraphics)
  • “Football Is Not War,” by R. K. Russell and Wilfred Santiago, in Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports Project (Stacked Deck Press)
  • “Red Snapper in the Rea,” by Michael D. Kennedy, in Milk White Steed (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • “trAPPed” by Anand RK, Suparna Sharma, and Natalie Obiko Pearson (Bloomberg News)

Best One-Shot/Single Issue

  • Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1, by Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, and Meredith McClaren (DC)
  • Absolute Martian Manhunter #1, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)
  • Assorted Crisis Events #4, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski (Image)
  • Coin-Op no. 10: Wet Cement, by Peter and Maria Hoey (Coin-Op Books)
  • Ice Cream Man #43: “One Page Horror Stories,” by W. Maxwell Prince and others (Image)
  • Something Is Killing the Children: A Monster Walks into a Bar #1, by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera (BOOM! Studios)

Best Continuing Series

  • Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, and others (DC)
  • Absolute Wonder Woman, by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, and Mattia De Iulis (DC)
  • The Department of Truth, by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (Image)
  • FML, by Kelly Sue DeConnick and David Lopez (Dark Horse)
  • The Power Fantasy, by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard (Image)
  • Storm, by Murewa Ayodele, Lucas Werneck, and others (Marvel)

Best Limited Series

  • Absolute Martian Manhunter, by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (DC)
  • Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring, by Patrick Horvath (IDW)
  • Bronze Faces, by Shobo, Shof, and Alexanre Tefenkgi (BOOM! Studios)
  • Crownsville, by Rodney Barnes and Elia Bonetti (Oni Press)
  • Everything Dead and Dying, by Tate Brombal and Jacob Phillips (Image)
  • Out of Alcatraz, by Christopher Cantwell & Tyler Crook (Oni Press)

Best New Series

  • Assorted Crisis Events, by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski (Image)
  • Batman Vol. 4, by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez (DC)
  • Black Cat, by G. Willow Wilson and Gleb Melnikov (Marvel)
  • Exquisite Corpses, by James Tynion IV, Pornsak Pichetshote, Michael Walsh, and others (Image)
  • Ghost Pepper, by Ludo Lullabi (Image)
  • Temporal, by Stephanie Williams and Asiah Fulmore (Mad Cave)

Best Publication for Early Readers

  • All the Hulk Feels, by Dan Santat (Abrams Fanfare/Marvel)
  • The Faraway Forest: Wally’s Route, by Debbie Fong (Chronicle Books)
  • The Fire-Breathing Duckling, by Frank Cammuso (TOON Books)
  • Night Light, by Michael Emberley (Holiday House)
  • Steve, A Rare Egg, by Kelly Collier (Kids Can Press)

Best Publication for Kids

  • The Cartoonists Club, by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud (Scholastic Graphix)
  • Chickenpox, by Remy Lai (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
  • Creature Clinic, by Gavin Aung Than (First Second)
  • Night Chef: An Epic Tale of Friendship with a Side of Deliciousness! By Mika Song (Random House Graphic)
  • Oasis, by Guojing (Godwin Books/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
  • A Song for You and I, by K. O’Neill (Random House Graphic)

Best Publication for Teens

  • Angelica and the Bear Prince, by Trung Le Nguyen (Random House Graphic)
  • Clementine: Book Three, by Tillie Walden (Image Skybound)
  • Everyone Sux But You, by K. Wroten (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
  • Hello Sunshine, by Keezy Young (Little, Brown Ink)
  • This Place Kills Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux (Abrams Fanfare)
  • Trumpets of Death, by Simon Bournel-Bosson, translated by Edward Gauvin (Graphic Universe/Lerner)

Best Humor Publication

  • And to Think We Started as a Book Club, by Tom Toro (Andrews McMeel Universal)
  • Ew, It’s Beautiful: A False Knees Comics Collection, by Joshua Barkman (Andrews McMeel Universal)
  • The Great British Bump-Off: Kill or Be Quilt, by John Allison and Max Sarin (Dark Horse)
  • Jeff the Land Shark, by Kelly Thompson and Tokitokoro (Marvel)
  • Physics for Cats, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Spent: A Comic Novel, by Alison Bechdel (Mariner Books)

Best Anthology

  • Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports Project, edited by Meghan Kemp-Gee and Megan Praz (Stacked Deck Press)
  • DC Pride 2025, edited by Andrea Shea and Jillian Grant (DC)
  • Noir Is the New Black Season 2 (FairSquare Graphics)
  • Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology, edited by Van Jensen (Blue Creek Creative)
  • 2000AD 2026 Annual Featuring Judge Dredd, edited by Oliver Pickles (Rebellion)

Best Reality-Based Work

  • Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance, by Ben Passmore (Pantheon)
  • Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me, by Mimi Pond (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Fela: Music Is the Weapon, by Jibola Fagbamiye and Conor McCreery (Amistad)
  • Globetrotters: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s World Tour, by Julian Voloj and Julie Rocheleau (Abrams ComicArts)
  • Muybridge, by Guy Delisle, translated by Helge Daschert and Rob Aspinal (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Surrounded: America’s First School for Black Girls, 1832, by Wilfrid Lupano and Stéphane Fert (ABLAZE)

Best Graphic Memoir

  • The Ephemerata: Shaping the Exquisite Nature of Grief, by Carol Tyler (Fantagraphics)
  • My Life in 24 Frames Per Second, by Rintaro (Kana Manga US)
  • It Rhymes with Takei, by George Takei, Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger (Top Shelf)
  • Precious Rubbish, by Kayla E. (Fantagraphics)
  • Raised by Ghosts, by Briana Loewinsohn (Fantagraphics)
  • Talking to My Father’s Ghost: An Almost True Story, by Alex Krokus (Chronicle)

Best Graphic Album–New

  • Cannon, by Lee Lai (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Drome, by Jesse Lonergan (23rd St. Books)
  • The Fable of Erkling Woods, by Juni Ba (Goats Flying Press)
  • A Garden of Spheres, by Linnea Sterte (Peow2)
  • More Weight: A Salem Story, by Ben Wickey (Top Shelf)
  • Shadows of the Sea, by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics)

Best Graphic Album–Reprint

  • Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Storybook Edition, by Patrick Horvath (IDW)
  • Ginseng Roots: A Memoir, by Craig Thompson (Pantheon)
  • Goes Like This, by Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics)
  • Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen: The Deluxe Edition, by Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber (DC)
  • Tongues, by Anders Nilsen (Pantheon)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium

  • Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1), by Tamora Pierce, adapted by Vita Ayala and Sama Beck (Abrams Fanfare)
  • The Compleat Angler: A Graphic Adaptation, by Izaak Walton, adapted by Gareth Brookes (SelfMadeHero)
  • Dead Man Walking: Graphic Edition, by Sister Helen Prejean, adapted by Rose Vines and Catherine Anyango Grünewald (Random House)
  • Ghost Boys: The Graphic Novel, by Jewell Parker Rhodes and Setor Fiadzigbey (Little, Brown Ink)
  • Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel, by William Golding, adapted by Aimée De Jongh (Penguin Classics)
  • A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel, by Ursula K. Le Guin, adapted by Fred Fordham (Clarion Books)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

  • Buff Soul, by Moa Romanova, translated by Melissa Bowers (Fantagraphics)
  • Cornelius: The Merry Life of a Wretched Dog, by Marc Torices, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • In the End We All Die, by Tobias Aeschbacher, translated by Andrew Shields (Helvetiq)
  • Nocturnos, by Laura Perez, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)
  • Raging Clouds, by Yudori (Fantagraphics)
  • Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, by Anaïs Flogny, translated by Dan Christensen (Abrams ComicArts)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material–Asia

  • Hirayasumi, vols. 4–7, by Keigo Shinzo, translated by Jan Mitsulo Cash (VIZ Media)
  • Land, vol. 1, by Kazumi Yamashita, translated by Kevin Gifford (Yen Press)
  • Purgatory Funeral Cakes, by Sanho, translated by Danny Lim (Dark Horse)
  • Tokyo Alien Bros., vols. 1–3, by Keigo Shinzo, translated by Casey Loe (VIZ Media)
  • Yan, vols. 1–2, by Chang Sheng, translated by Vanessa Liu (Titan Manga)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips

  • Arthur Ferrier’s Pin-Up Parade Box Set, edited by Rian Hughes (Korero Press)
  • Barnaby, vol. 5: 1950–1952, by Crockett Johnson, edited by Eric Reynolds and Philip Nel (Fantagraphics)
  • The George Herriman Library: Krazy & Ignatz 1928–1930, edited by J. Michael Catron and Bill Blackbeard (Fantagraphics)
  • Rea Irvin’s The Smythes, edited by R. Kikuo Johnson and Dash Shaw (NYRC)
  • Terminal Exposure: Comics, Sculpture, and Risky Behavior, by Michael McMillan, edited by Lucas Adams (NYRC)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

  • AKIRA Volumes 1–5 Hardcover Collection, by Katsuhiro Otomo, edited by Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye, and Lauren Scanlan (Kodansha USA Publishing)
  • The Atlas Comics Library No. 7: Girl Comics, edited by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo (Fantagraphics)
  • Comics of the Movement #1, by Courtland Cox, Jennifer Lawson, Alfred Hassler, and Benton Resnik (Good Trouble Comics)
  • Hothead Paisan, by Diane DiMassa, organized by Anika Banister (NYRC)
  • Scream! The Specials 1985–2024, edited by Chiara Mestieri (Rebellion)
  • Weird Science Vol. 1 XXL, edited by Grant Geissman (TASCHEN)

Best Academic/Scholarly Work

  • Comic Art in Korea, by John A. Lent (University Press of Mississippi)
  • Comics of the Anthropocene: Graphic Narrative at the End of Nature, by José Alaniz (University Press of Mississippi)
  • Graphic Narratives of Resistance, by Jennifer Boum Make and Charly Verstraet (Edinburgh University Press)
  • Latinx Comics Studies: Critical and Creative Crossings, edited by Fernanda Díaz-Basteris and Maite Urcaregui (Rutgers University Press)
  • Manga’s First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905–1989, by Andrea Horbinski (University of California Press)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

  • CANON, by Colin Blanchette and Alex Eklund
  • Comic Book Creator, edited by Jon B. Cooke (TwoMorrows)
  • Dummy, edited by John Kelly (The Dummy Corporation)
  • Shelfdust, edited by Steve Morris, http://www.shelfdust.com
  • SKTCHD, by David Harper, http://www.sktchd.com
  • SOLRAD: The Online Literary Magazine for Comics, edited by Daniel Elkin, http://www.solrad.co (Fieldmouse Press)

Best Comics-Related Book

  • Crumb: A Cartoonist’s Life, by Dan Nadel (Scribner)
  • Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic)
  • How Comics Are Made, by Glenn Fleishman (Andrews McMeel)
  • Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide to Graphic Narrative, by Eleri Harris and Shay Mirk (Abrams ComicArts)
  • Only What’s Necessary: Charles M. Schultz and the Art of Peanuts, by Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)
  • Ooops…I Just Catharted!: Fifty Years of Cathartic Comics, by Rupert Kinnard, edited by William O. Tyler (Stacked Deck Press)

Best Publication Design

  • The Art of Manga, designed by Tessa Lee (Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco/VIZ Media)
  • The Essential Peanuts, designed by Shawn Dahl with Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)
  • Fruits Basket: The Complete Box Set (Collector’s Edition #13), designed by Wendy Chan (Yen Press)
  • Red Light Properties: Unfinished Business, designed by Dan Goldman (Kinjin Storylab)
  • The Marvel Art of Michael Allred Slipcase Edition, designed by Kurtis Findlay (Clover Press)
  • Weird Science Vol. 1 XXL, designed by Anna-Tina Kessler (TASCHEN)

Best Webcomic

  • The Accidental Undergrad by Christian Giroux (Fieldmouse Press)
  • Keeping Time by Kody Okamoto (keepingtimecomic.com)
  • The Legend of Parvaterra by Raúl Arnáiz (WEBTOON)
  • Sable: A Ghost Story, by Ethan M. Aldridge (sablecomic.com)
  • Superfish, by Peglo (WEBTOON)
  • Terran Omega: The Ghosts of War, by PJ Holden (pauljholden.com)
  • Tiger, Tiger by Petra Erika Nordlund (tigertigercomic.com)

Best Digital Comic

  • DeadAss, by hakei (VIZ Media)
  • In the Real Dark Night, by Jimmy Gownley (G-Ville Comics)
  • The Lycan, by Mike Carey, Thomas Jane, David James Kelly, and Diego Yapur (Comixology Originals)
  • Overwatch 2: Against the Tide, by Brandon Chen and Velinxi (Blizzard Entertainment)
  • Practical Defense Against Piracy, by Tony Cliff (delilahdirk.com)
  • The World of Lublu, by Charbak Dipta (The Charbax Store)

Best Writer

  • Deniz Camp, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC); Assorted Crisis Events (Image); The Ultimates (Marvel)
  • Scott Snyder, Absolute Batman, Batman/Deadpool (DC); By a Thread: Book 2 (Comixology Originals), You Won’t Feel a Thing (DSTLRY)
  • Mariko Tamaki, This Place Kills Me (Abrams Fanfare)
  • Kelly Thompson, Absolute Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey (DC); Jeff the Land Shark (Marvel)
  • James Tynion IV, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd: The Power of the Blood (BOOM! Studios); Let This One Be a Devil, Red Book (Dark Horse); The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY); The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image); Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man (Image Skybound)
  • Stephanie Williams, Street Sharks (IDW); Roots of Madness (Ignition Press); Temporal (Mad Cave)

Best Writer/Artist

  • Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image)
  • Jamal Campbell, Zatanna (DC)
  • Jesse Lonergan, Drome (23rd St. Books)
  • Chang Sheng, Yan, vols. 1–2 (Titan Manga)
  • Linnea Sterte, A Garden of Spheres (Peow2)
  • Kazumi Yamashita, Land, vol. 1 (Yen Press)

Best Penciller/Inker

  • Elsa Charetier, The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY)
  • Sean Phillips, Giant Size Criminal #1, The Knives: A Criminal Book (Image)
  • Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)
  • Chris Samnee, Batman and Robin: Year One (DC)
  • Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns (DC)
  • Eric Zawadzki, Assorted Crisis Events (Image)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist

  • Teddy Kristiansen, Black Hammer: Spiral City (Dark Horse)
  • Cathy Malkasian, Shadows of the Sea (Fantagraphics)
  • Qu, Slices of Life: A Comic Montage (Bulgilhan Press)
  • Martin Simmonds, The Department of Truth (Image)
  • Mika Song, Night Chef: An Epic Tale of Friendship with a Side of Deliciousness! (Random House Graphic)
  • Linnea Sterte, A Garden of Spheres (Peow)

Best Cover Artist

  • Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); TMNT Nightwatcher, TMNT Godzilla (IDW); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image)
  • Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman, Absolute Batman 2025 Annual, Batman #1, Batman/Deadpool (DC)
  • Francesco Francavilla, Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars: Tales from the Nightlands (Dark Horse); Absolute Batman, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman: Full Moon, Nightwing variants (DC); Green Hornet/Miss Fury (Dynamite); Star Trek: The Last Starship, Twilight Zone (IDW); Dick Tracy (Mad Cave)
  • Mateus Manhanini, Absolute Superman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Mr. Terrific: Year One variants (DC); Doctor Strange, Ironheart: Bad Chemistry, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Phases of the Moon Knight, Star Wars: The High Republic, Storm, The Ultimates (Marvel)
  • Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman & Robin: Year One #7, The New Gods #8 (DC)
  • Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns #3-12 (DC)

Best Coloring

  • Jordie Bellaire, Absolute Wonder Woman, The Nice House by the Sea (DC); The Exorcism at 1600 Penn (IDW); Assorted Crisis Events, The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image); GI Joe (Image/Skybound); EC Catacomb of Torment, EC Epitaphs from the Abyss (Oni Press)
  • Ninakupenda Gaillard, Chickenpox (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
  • Jesse Lonergan, Drome (23rd St. Books)
  • Matheus Lopes, Batman and Robin Year One (DC); The Seasons (Image)
  • Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)
  • José Villarrubia, This Ink Runs Cold (Alan Spiegel Fine Arts); Ghostbox (Comixology Originals); Dracula Book 2: The Brides, The Witcher: The Bear and the Butterfly (Dark Horse); It Rhymes with Takei (Top Shelf)

Best Lettering

  • Janice Chiang, Acro and the Cat, All Upon a Time, Beyond the Aural Vault, Republica, Solarblader (Sandstorm); John Carpenter’s Blood of the Taken: Next of Kin, Pause, Tales of Science Fiction (Storm King)
  • Clayton Cowles, Absolute Batman, Batman, Batman & Robin: Year One, Birds of Prey, Black Canary: Best of the Best, Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman, (DC); Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #1-3 (Marvel)
  • Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Ill Vacation, Stillman (Comixology Originals); Absolute Martian Manhunter, Challengers of the Unknown, DC K.O., The Flash, Green Arrow, Poison Ivy (DC); Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Starship Godzilla, (IDW); Author Immortal (Image); Our-Soot-Stained Heart (Mad Cave)
  • Nate Piekos, American Caper #1, Archie Vs. Minor Threats, Black Hammer: Spiral City, The Brood, Minor Threats: The Last Devil Left Alive, Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons, The Umbrella Academy Plan B, Welcome to Twilight (Dark Horse); I Hate Fairyland (Image)
  • Ben Wickey, More Weight: A Salem Story (Top Shelf)

The Eisner Awards Hall of Fame judges have chosen 16 nominees from whom voters will select 4 to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer. These 4 will be joining the 19 individuals that the judges have already chosen for the Hall of Fame. The 16 nominees are Kate Carew, Colleen Doran, George Evans, Crockett Johnson, Peter Kuper, George McManus, Kevin Nowlan, Mimi Pond, Posy Simmonds, Jeff Smith, Paul Smith, Leonard Starr, Akira Toriyama, Mark Waid, Chris Ware, and S. Clay Wilson. 

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/eisner-awards-2026-nominees-announced-dc-comics-deniz-camp-lead/#google_vignette

Daredevil: Born Again S2 E8

Spoilers

“The Southern Cross”

The second season of Daredevil: Born Again on Disney + had its finale tonight in a dramatic courtroom showdown that turned into a brutal desperate slugfest inside the courthouse.

Matt Murdock, after getting medically aided by Jessica Jones, had Mayor Wilson Fisk summoned to the court to testify in the trial of Karen Page. Once I discovered that Fisk was going to go through with the appearance, I knew what Murdock was planning.

Murdock got Fisk on the witness stand and was hitting him verbally with all of his crimes, which was being objected to and sustained. But Murdock kept pounding away at it, until he was able to use the video of the first mate’s testimony.

The DA said that the video could not be admitted without someone to collaborate the details, which was exactly what Murdock wanted. You could see what Matt was preparing. In fact, it seemed clear that Fisk was understanding what was about to happen too. He called Matt a fool.

In a moment that would have made Tony Stark proud, Matt Murdock turned to the packed courtroom and said “I…am… Daredevil.”

Secret identities in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are a rare thing, with, I guess, Spider-Man being one of the few remaining.

With Murdock able to testify that Fisk was bringing the arms into the city through the port, the trial began to unravel quickly. Jessica Jones and the Governor strolled in to watch the remainder of the case. I loved the court room stuff. I thought this was easily the strongest part of the finale.

With Fisk in a freefall, the charges against Karen were dropped.

The mob of Daredevil-masked individuals were on their way up to the courthouse. There was a definite Jan. 6 feel to it, making it a bit awkward. Kingpin’s brutal murder of a bunch of these mob members was hard. The giant standoff with Fisk and the mob was not my favorite moment, but the final face to face with Murdock & Fisk was potent and I liked how it was not just another DD/Kingpin fight.

It was amazing how Murdock ended up in jail and Fisk wound up on a beach, but it definitely felt as if Fisk lost and Matt won.

The end of the episode with Luke Cage returning to Jessica and Danielle was awesome. Mike Colter strolling into the Alias Investigation office made me very happy.

There were so many things that were set up for a season three including with Heather Glenn putting the Muse mask on, The Jessica/Luke stuff, Karen survived, Cole made a face turn, White Tiger appeared and was kick ass, Mr. Charles has a new guy-Bullseye, and BB got her job at the paper.

Strong work overall. Great season.

Daredevil: Born Again S2 E7

Spoilers

“The Hateful Darkness”

Whoa. Did not see that coming.

The penultimate episode of season two of Daredevil: Born Again dropped on Disney + tonight and, oh was an ending.

Prior to that ending, I legitimately pumped my fist when Matt Murdock walked into the courtroom to be a co-defense attorney for the trial of Karen Page.

Last week when Karen was at the gunpoint of AVTF goon Officer Powell, I worried about how she was going to escape that predicament without being killed. Imagine my surprise when she is walked into the cop precinct and fingerprinted, booked and placed in jail. I actually said, “They arrested her?”

It made a lot of sense when they talked about it. Fisk wanted to do everything by the book, above board, so they could put her on trial with their vigilante court… which, again led to Matt Murdock strolling into the court displaying his gigantic balls.

When Matt spoke with Karen, I had the move figured out, especially when the “previously on” segment reminded us that Matt Murdock as a “hero” according to Wilson Fisk. Even though I had it figured out, I still popped like crazy.

I wish Matt had more to do in the court. I wanted extended scenes of Matt cross-examining Powell or any other AVTF agent on the stand ( I see you Cole). Even with the limited time we got in court, I loved the Matt Murdock stuff.

Meanwhile, Daniel was preparing to deliver BB to Buck. BB figured out what he was doing and was able to convince him to let her go. Daniel went to approach Buck without BB and Buck brutally beat him to try and get him to reveal where she was. Daniel honestly did not know and he spoke to Buck, trying to get him to turn away from Fisk. It looked like he was going to convince him of it.

And then Buck shot him.

Screen to black. I sat here with my mouth agape for a good thirty seconds. I couldn’t believe what had happened. Watching Buck coldly readjust his suit and step over Daniel’s body was shocking. I suppose Daniel might not be dead, but it sure seemed as if it were a final blow to the young Gandolfini.

RIP Daniel.

Jessica Jones approaching Mr. Charles at the beginning was awesome. It is so great to see Krysten Ritter again. She is such a perfect casting of the role. Charles also dropped the name “Luke” during this conversation. Jessica told Matt about what she discovered (and met Cherry… who looks great after his recent heart attack. Great to see Cherry). Jessica is still basically out, needing to stay with her daughter Danielle.

Bullseye was given one good deed to do from Daredevil, and he took it. Bullseye saved the Governor from being strangled to death by an assassin sent by Fisk. However, he looked as if he left the assassin alive, which might be a great thing for getting Fisk. Prior to the attack, the Governor had decided it was time to get Fisk out of the New York mayor’s office. Here is something to help with that, perhaps.

Karen and Heather’s confrontation in the prison was epic. Karen showed how much of a bad ass she really was, not succumbing to Heather’s old true or false questionnaire that she screwed the Swordsman with. Karen got under Heather’s skin big time as Heather slapped Karen multiple times as Karen laughed at her. The image of Muse peering through the window was scary and certainly seems to be foreshadowing Heather’s own mental illness.

Next week’s finale is going to be huge. I hope the people who apparently aren’t watching this show come to their senses because this is wonderful.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #200

April 26

It feels like we just started the EYG Comic Cavalcade a little bit ago, but we have reached the golden #200. I never thought about reaching this milestone when I switched it over from EYG Comic Catch-Up back in March 2023. It has been three + years with this column. It has changed a bit, but it has remained a consistent post every week, if not more.

I am planning on continuing the EYG Comic Cavalcade with #201 next week. There is no need to restart the numbering. I love the high number count on the Comic Cavalcade, which is the highest number we have at EYG.

One of the new additions to the EYG Comic Cavalcade column is the Comic of the Week. It was birthed out of the EYG Favorite Comic Cover of the Week and I have enjoyed picking a book each week and highlighting it. This week’s Comic of the Week is a big one…

Comic of the Week

Spider-Man/ Superman #1

The big book of the week was Marvel’s turn for the team-up between Spider-Man and Superman. There are multiple covers for this book, of course.

Most of the stories of this book were very meh. However, the first story, written by best selling author Brad Meltzer, was absolutely tremendous. I loved this first story with the interactions between Superman and Spider-Man. I feel as if Brad Meltzer had a fabulous grasp on the character of Peter Parker.

I loved the situation they put Peter and Clark in and the resolution of the story was such an excellent tale.

The foil variant was the Gold Medalist of the week too.

Books This Week:

Amazing Spider-Man #27. Written by Joe Kelly with pencils by Ed McGuinness & Carlos Gomez with Francesco Manna. Cover art was done by Ed McGuinness & Marte Gracia. The Death Spiral storyline ends with this issue, having Mary Jane/Venom come to a dramatic and fatal confrontation with Torment. Spider-Carnage did not last very long as Peter Parker kicked the symbiotes butt with his empathy and caring.

Infernal Hulk #6. “Siege.” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with art by Adam Gorham. Cover art was done by Nic Klein. Iron Man heads in to take on the Infernal Hulk and practically tear the literal planet apart. The brutality of the Hulk right now is off the chart and it is amazing to what extent Tony Stark will go to kill the Hulk.

Captain America #9. “Doom’s Shadow” Part 4. Written by Chip Zdarsky and art by Ton Lima. Cover art was done by Valerio Schiti & Romulo Fajardo Jr. Captain America and Alina Von Doom are trying to get everyone to work together to face off against Salvation.

The Sentry #2. Written by Paul Jenkins and art by Christian Rosado. Cover art was done by Alex Maleev. This was a tough issue for Bob, as he is struggling through the events of the issue. Bob is trying to make sure that the Void does not come out… unless he is already out. The final page of the issue was a little scary.

Rafael Garcia: Henchman #2. Written by Peter Murrieta & D.E. Schrader with art by Ben Herrera. Cover art was done by Flops. The second issue of the new Titan book is very entertaining. Rafe is now in charge of his group and things do not go as well as he hoped it would. I found this to be a funny book and an easy book to read.

Justice League Unlimited #18. “Aftermath: Part Two” Written Mark Waid with art by Clayton Henry. Cover art was done by Dan Mora. The Justice League has initiated its new Super-Villain Amnesty Pilot Program and Lex Luthor seems to be taking full advantage of it. Can he be trusted? Come on… we know that he has a plan besides being a new heroic JLU member.

The Flash #32. “The Speed was Power, and the Speed was Joy- Part II” Written by Ryan North and illustrated by Gavin Guidry. Cover art was done by Gavin Guidry & Giovanni Niro. The second issue of Ryan North’s new run on The Flash was awesome. Flash has been one of my favorite DC characters even though I was not buying his book. North brought me in and he immediately has me invested in the new storyline.

Rogue #4. Written by Erica Schultz and art by Jim Towe. Cover art was done by David Nakayama. Rogue has been having trouble with her powers and her memories. Some of those are coming back and it has to do with a time when she absorbed Sabretooth’s personality and she did some horrible things. This has been a really strong solo series for Rogue.

Cyclops #3. “Seeing Red” Part 3. Written by Alex Paknadel with art by Rogê Antonio. Cover art was done by Federico Vicentini & Marcio Menyz. Speaking of a really strong solo series, Cyclops has been sensational so far. The whole thing with his lack of ruby quartz glasses has been cool and it has brought some real drama in the storyline. This might be my favorite new X-Men solo books since the end of Age of Revelation.

Marc Spector: Moon Knight #3. “Agency” Part Three. Written by Jed MacKay with art by Devmalya Pramanik. Moon Knight vs. Bushman. Marc Spector goes through his own problems as the battle with Bushman rages on. Meanwhile, Zodiac is in the background egging Marc on in the battle.

Absolute Flash #14. “Mirror Master Part Two” Written by Jeff Lemire and art was done by Haining. Cover art was done by Nick Robles. Wally is trying to get back to his father, but he and Linda are trapped inside the mirrors. Mirror Master has a deal to make for Wally.

Wolverine #19. “Wisdom and War” Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Martin Coccolo. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian. Logan and Hercules is brought out of their savage battle by Athena. She is looking to recruit Logan to battle the Adamantine. Then, Wolvie’s claws wound up being broken, which felt both amazing and something I have seen before. I am curious about what is going to happen next.

Spider-Versity #1. “Most School Spirit.” Written by Jordan Morris & Joe Kelly with art by Pere Perez. Norman Osborn has recruited a group of Spiders and is wanting to train them. Norman is not a known teacher and his method of training may not have been the way you should go about it. Miles, Spider-Woman, Spider-Girl, Spider-Boy, Ghost-Spider, Silk and Arana are the Spiders.

Detective Comics #1108. “Flight Part Two.” Written by Tom Taylor and art was done by Pete Woods & Bruno Ardias. Cover art was done by Mikel Janin. Batman, Black Canary and Green Arrow are out to try and move about Gotham City inside the Hatchbat. Yes, I said Hatchbat. Thanks Barbara!

Corpse Knight #1. Written by Michael Chavez and art by Matthew Roberts. Cover art was done by Matthew Roberts & Rico Renzi. I also picked up the die cut variant cover by Matthew Roberts (Silver Medalist). This was one of my favorite books of the week. It was probably the runner-up to Spider-Man/Superman #1. This was a kick ass book and I really enjoyed this story with the little girl whose father came back from the dead… kind of.

Exquisite Corpses #12. Written by James Tynion IV and art by Michael Walsh. Cover art was done by Michael Walsh. I picked up the D cover Anandre. It was the penultimate issue of this awesome series. And we have a winner… or do we? There is some last minute manipulation going on in the tournament and setting up the finale next issue. Exquisite Corpses has been a fabulous series.

Phantom of the Opera #3. Written by Tyler Boss and art and cover art by Martin Simmonds. The latest Universal Monsters book at Image has been quite solid so far. The Phantom makes his move for Christine while Raolo and the police are trying to catch him.

The Phantom vs. the Sky Band #1. Written by Ray Fawkes and art and cover art by Federico Sabbatini. The Phantom returned again with some brutal damage in the jungle. This one shot was a fun issue that looks like there will be some other Phantom one shots coming soon.

The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #3. “Broken Glass & Spilled Beer.” Written by Chris Condon and art and cover by Jacob Phillips. The mystery of this noir Vertigo series continues to deepen as Ezra gets his butt kicked. This might have been my favorite issue of this series so far.

Strength and Ash #1. Written by Evan K. Pozios and pencils by Stefano Cardoselli. Cover art was done by Stefano Cardoselli & Francesca Perillo. This is a new Keenspot comic about a super hero who is killed and his child is perhaps a legacy. This was a different looking book that I really enjoyed. It was a number one that I just pulled off the stand. I found the Stefano Cardoselli art very unlike anything else on the market right now.

Other Books this week: American Caper #6, The Beauty #5, Spirit of the Shadows #4, Void Rivals #29, No Place #5, and Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre #3.

Quick Hits: Absolute Wonder Woman #19 came out this week with a new power for Diana, and it is not a good one. Hello Body Horror #1 is a one shot that had a black bag variant cover as well. Black bags are the new in thing, and I picked up one, giving me the C cover. The bronze medalist winner this week is a new book from Image called In Your Skin #1. There is a new Mad Cave sci-fi book called Planet Atmos: Exordium #1. It is an interesting new book. Mad Cave is always providing excellence, it seems. I was given a group of Superman books for Superman Day this past weekend. These include Supergirl: The World, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1, Supergirl #1, Superman: Time and Time Again, Supergirl’s Zoo-Per Heroes and Superman #1. I grabbed a big book called Head Lopper #1, but I did not get into that very much. Wanda is taking on Dormammu in the Sorcerer Supreme #5. The second issue of The Other/Half #2 from Ignition Press came out this week too and it was a lot of fun. Barbarian Behind Bars #3 saw some more behind bars action as our barbarian loses his special jewel.

Here’s to another 200 posts!

Daredevil: Born Again S2 E6

Spoilers

“Requiem”

What a way to end an episode…

That final few moments of DD vs. Kingpin and the standoff with the AVTF and Karen outside was unbelievable. When that screen went to black, I was not ready for it.

I loved the appearance of Jessica Jones. We get the first appearance of her daughter. That was cool. I assume this is more comic accurate and that the father is Luke Cage, and we’ll learn about that later in the series. It seems that Jessica has been having issues with her powers since the birth of her daughter. They come and go. Not good for someone like Jessica Jones.

Karen is going darker with every episode. The conflict between Karen and Matt over Bullseye in this episode was one of the most intense ones in the series so far. It was a stunning moment of acting from Deborah Ann Woll. It makes me wonder if this is leading toward the death of Karen, who is one of those characters from the comics who has had an iconic death.

Daniel sets up B.B. to see if she is the leak. He gave her info that was fake, to see if she would release it. B.B. nearly does it, but she ends up deleting the message.

Matthew Lillard has some great scenes in this episode too, including one with the mayor. It feels as if there will be some big stuff with Mr. Charles moving forward.

The death of Vanessa devastated Fisk, and I was never sure what he was going to do. I did know that the doctor should not have come in to speak to Fisk. That giant Kingpin bearhug snapped the poor doctor’s back was brutal. Then the big Daredevil/Kingpin fight at the end of the episode was awesome.

There are two more episodes to go. I am not sure what else there can be. This season has been so great so far. I can not imaging where this is heading.

Daredevil: Born Again S2 E5

Spoilers

“The Grand Design”

Daredevil: Born Again S2 E5 is a rough one. Vanessa survived the initial injury at the hands of Bullseye last episode, but eventually succumbs at the end of the episode. The episode played like a “life-flashing-before-here eyes” for Vanessa as she flashed back to the art gallery and the night she met Wilson Fisk.

The episode had a bunch of flashbacks because this is the long awaited episode that saw the return of Foggy Nelson, albeit in flashback only. I know there were a lot of people who were in the “Foggy faked his own death” camp, but this sure feels like an end to those wishes. I do have to say that I am not sure what the purpose of the flashback was for Foggy, outside of getting Foggy back on screen. Foggy’s acquaintance from his youth who they got off the charges he was facing was a strange situation too. I feel like this guy is coming back in the story at some point.

We also got some appearances from Wesley from the original series during these flashbacks. Of course, Karen killed Wesley back during that original run on Netflix.

Daredevil and Bullseye are on the run from the AVTF after the confrontation at the gym. Bullseye seemed ready to die and tried to get Matt to leave him behind, but Matt was not having any of it. When he brought Bullseye into the hideout where Karen was staying, she gave Matt a look like she was ready to rip his throat out before she killed Bullseye. This might be a spot where the relationship between Matt and Karen is tested.

Daredevil dropped a hint about a “nurse” he knew that could help Bullseye. Could this be an allusion to Night Nurse aka Claire?

Speaking of being tested, what will Wilson Fisk do now that Vanessa is gone. When the doctor walked in to talk to Fisk, I joked that he was going to be killed if Vanessa did not make it. I am now worried about that doctor.

The doctor is just one step. The Kingpin is going to bring the fire to New York City. This is going to lead to the arrival of Jessica Jones, I bet.

I was also very worried that BB was in the trunk of that car that Buck and Daniel drove to Albany. I was concerned for Daniel too, as Buck seemed to be preparing to kill him as the leak. I have heard the online speculation that Daniel might be the MCU’s Rose, and I wondered if this was going to be proven untrue today.

This was a great episode highlighting Vincent D’Onofrio’s performance as Wilson Fisk when Vanessa came to for a short time. He is absolutely stunning as this character and having what has been Wilson’s heart ripped away from him. He deserves an Emmy nomination for this work.

Amazing episode that was tricky, but it hit every beat.

Daredevil: Born Again S2 E4

Spoilers

“Gloves Off”

Wow, what an episode.

We get so much Bullseye in this episode and a huge shock at the end.

Wilson Fisk’s big boxing match is up next, and I know I do not want to be the opponent facing him. The giant monster can pound away.

It does seem as if the whole thing is a plan to try and lure Daredevil and/or Bullseye out. And in that case, it did work. Just not exactly how Fisk had planned.

He had sent Vanessa away. Off to see the Governor. She did so and seemingly swayed her over to their side. However, she made it back for the conclusion of the fight, watching Wilson pummel some poor schmuck ( who was like 30-2 record wise) into oblivion.

Bullseye shows up, killing members of the AVTF members with knives and all kinds of other projectiles, marching his way toward the Fisks. He threw a crystal figure of Fisk in NYC, which was shattered and one of the pieces went into Vanessa’s skull. The imagery of the red blood pouring from her skull across her white dress as she laid on the boxing ring mat was unbelievable.

If Vanessa is dead, I don’t know what Wilson Fisk is going to do. he is barely stable as is and losing her would absolutely send him over the edge.

He’s going to blame Daredevil as well, as DD deflected a bullet that was going to kill Bullseye when Fisk picked up the gun that Venessa had and measured an already injured Bullseye. This led to Bullseye escaping from the boxing venue before anyone could catch him.

Even if Vanessa survived, Fisk is going to even more unhinged. I have a feeling that this is where we get Jessica Jones from very soon.

Things are going to be wild from now on.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #197

April 6

It is Monday and I am behind on the Comic Cavalcade. The reason was I spent yesterday binging a bunch of movies on streaming which left no time for the Comic Cavalcade. I was able to finish reading the books last night and early this morning and since I am still on spring break, today will be a good day to do this one.

Comic of the Week

Daredevil #1

The new Daredevil not only received the Bronze Medal in the Favorite Comic Cover of the Week, btu also the new Comic of the Week. The new start for Matt Murdock as a law professor at ESU was an awesome idea and I really enjoyed how Stephanie Phillips wrote this script. I picked up three of the variant covers too. I should have four more bags on the way from Midtown Comics.

Books this week:

Venom #256. Written by Al Ewing and art by Carlos Gomez. Variant cover B by David Nakayama. The Death Spiral continued with the Venom book. Torment attacked Dylan, but he is able to escape. However, everyone did not get out of the situation unscathed. One of the most hated characters in Marvel, Paul, who got between Peter and MJ came to his end as Torment killed him. A roar of happiness crossed over the entire Marvel Universe audience.

Deluge #5. Written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Marika Cresta. Cover art was done by Riley Rossmo. The cool Ignition Press comic Deluge ended with this issue. The creatures that have been coming after the prisoners have some troubles. I enjoyed this book so much because of the simplicity of the story. They do not go out of their way to explain what was going on and the very end of the book was great. Ignition Press has been quality over the last six months or so.

Groo: The Prophecy #1. Written by Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier with art and cover art by Sergio Aragones. Groo makes his return to Dark Horse with the new mini-series. It is a little different than previous Groo series as it started out with Groo, accidentally so, became a hero for a town that did not recognize him at first. Groo has been a favorite of mine since way back when he was in Marvel/Epic comics in the 1980s.

Tyler Rake: An Extraction Story #1. Written by Ande Parks and illustrated by Ronan Cliquet. Cover art was done by Declan Shalvey. This was an excellent new book with the character from the Netflix movie franchise Extraction (played by Chris Hemsworth). An action comic with this break out character. This was a really good book.

Royals #1. Written by Derek Kirk Kim with art and cover art by Jacob Perez. This was an interesting new series around a new pair of brothers who have a telepathy connection, making them very effective as a team in the world of poker. The story really started off strong as Castor and Paul showed off their con of their poker, even in the face of the criminals involved.

Wonder Man #1. “The One” Written by Gerry Duggan and penciled by Mark Buckingham. Cover art was done by Paulo Siqueira & Rachelle Rosenberg. A new series coming after the hugely successful and beloved Marvel Studios Television show Wonder Man. The comic had some special use of film in the art. It is great to see Hellcat making an appearance once again.

Kilroy is Here #1. Written by Joe Pruett and art and cover A art by Dalibor Talajic. I also picked up the B cover by Brian Bolland (Silver Medalist). This one-shot was the return of the character of Kilroy, who apparently had been in his only series years ago. I enjoyed how Kilroy was used in this book and the use of how Kilroy is perceived by the world around him.

X-Men #28. “Danger Room PT. 3” Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Netho Diaz. Cover art was done by Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. The team known as Danger Room is taking it to the X-Men, or at least it appeared that way. How many of the X-Men are now dead? I don’t know, but Quentin Quire and Temper are not too happy and are out for revenge from the shooting of Glob.

Bizarro: Year None #1. “Chapter One: The Planet” Written by Eric Carrasco & Kevin Smith with art by Nick Pitarra. Cover art was done by Nick Pitarra & Michael Garland. So this story takes place in an early continuity, covering the origin of Bizarro, or at least a version of it. Bizarro takes Jimmy Olson and Perry White to his own world to be a part of the Daily Planet… and he made Jimmy the Editor in Chief.

All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #9. Written by Stephanie Phillips with art by Paolo Villanelli. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Federico Blee. Gwen has been dealing with a bunch of troubles and her friends and family are getting concerned. They should be concerned as Gwen is turning into a new Green Goblin.

Lion King #3. Written by Edwin Galmon with art by Edwin Galmon & Carlo Lauro. Cover art was done by Edwin Galmon. I have been enjoying this Lion King series. My personal favorite part of the book has been Simba and Nala who are in search of a missing baby elephant. The showdown between Mufasa and the leopards is tense, but not my favorite part of the story, though it is solid.

Captain Marvel: Dark Past #1. Written by Paul Jenkins with art and cover art by Lucas Werneck. It is good to see Carol back in her own book, dealing with a mystery from her past with memories that she had not recovered from Rogue. It is always fun to see Carol interacting with Tony Stark and Jessica Drew. The supporting characters were always one of my favorite parts of Captain Marvel’s previous series.

Batman #8. “Three Old Men, One Night in Gotham” Written by Matt Fraction with art by Ryan Sook. Cover art was done by Jorge Jimenez & Tomeu Morey. Batman called on Alan Scott to visit him in Gotham for a cup of coffee. Batman is picking the brain of Scott, the original Green Lantern, for any ideas to deal with his Vandal Savage problem. I enjoyed the interaction between Alan Scott and Batman, especially in the coffee shop.

Absolute Superman #18. “King of the Black Land” Written by Jason Aaron with art by Rafa Sandoval. Cover art was done by Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola. A new story kicks off in this issue, featuring the debut of the Absolute Shazam. He was called King Shazam on the final page of the issue and he looked really cool. Shazam had a look much like Shazam combined with Black Adam.

Deadpool: April Pool’s Day #1. Written by Gail Simone and art by C.F. Villa, Robert Gill, & IG Guara. Cover art was done by David Baldeón & Rachelle Rosenberg. It is April 1st, Deadpool’s favorite holiday, and he is out trying to deal with a bunch of genre hopping. Several Marvel guest stars appear at the end as Deus Ex Machinas. I am a fan of Gail Simone and she does a great job on this Deadpool special.

Alien: King Killer #1. Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Carlos Nieto. Cover art was done by David Yardin & Marco Menyz. The Marvel Alien series have been up and down for me. Some I have enjoyed and some have droned on. After the first issue of this one, I am intrigued and I am looking forward to seeing if this one can carry the mantel of the Alien franchise again.

Other books this week: Arcadia #4, Godzilla #9, The Autumn Kingdom #3, Marvel Rivals: Duel of Kings #1, and The Eternals: 50th Anniversary Special #1.

Quick Hits: It looked as if Nova: Centurion #6 is the final issue of this book starring Rich Rider. I was liking this take on the character so I am sad that it is going away, much like Planet She-Hulk is ending. A book that I never would have guessed that I would be collecting is Ursula #2, and yet here it is. I do like the way this story is unfolding and I think Dynamite Comics has done it again, giving me a book that I never would have bought. The comic magazine known as Comics! The Magazine #2 is out this week with an interview with Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley from the Invincible Universe. Image dropped Ghost Machine: The Official Guidebook #1 this week, which had character info from the Ghost Machine universe of books from letters A-H. I picked up two of these, the A cover and the cover that is an homage to the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe. I love that Ghost Machine has become big enough to warrant a guidebook like this. The Gold Medalist in the Favorite Comic Cover of the Week this week went to a second printing of Narco #1. This cover, done by Daniel Hillyard is actually way better than the first print in cover work. Megalith #0 came out from Bad Idea, but it was actually nothing more than a preview for several upcoming Bad idea books. The Megalith preview only was about four pages or so. It looks great, but I am not sure this was worth the time. The final issue of another Dynamite book came out this week as the team up concluded with Gargoyles/Darkwing Duck #4. This was another Dynamite book that I had no intention of buying, but one that I found interesting to pick up. Doctor Strange #5 continued with the troubles in Asgard, though it looks like Stephen may be connecting back to Midgard and Clea next issue. Speed Racer #7 has more racing action. Finally, yet another Dynamite book, The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town #4, ends with this one.

Daredevil: Born Again S2 E2, E3

Spoilers

“Shoot the Moon”

“The Scale & the Sword”

This week, Disney + dropped episode two and three of Daredevil: Born Again tonight.

There are some amazing things happening in this series. The highlights of these two episodes include:

  • Trial of the Swordsman. Spoiler… it was fairly rigged and he was found guilty.
  • Reveal of the Mayor Kingpin online person: It’s Bebe.
  • Matt and Karen lead an attack on the AVTF base in Red Hook.
  • Daredevil got all the caged individuals out.
  • White Tiger returns… kind of…
  • Bullseye is running around. He killed two AVTF agents in the elevator- brutally.
  • Heather continues to slip into darkness.
  • Fisk was preparing to box, killed his trainer.
  • Daniel is concerned that the leaks were coming from his laptop. He warns Bebe.
  • Gallo’s death is covered up as a car wreck.
  • Karen and Matt are roused out of the bar where they are hiding out.
  • Cherry is safe, gotten out of the hospital before the AVTF got him.
  • Vanessa has weird dreams
  • Kingpin had the ship blown up, killing the workmen on the ship.
  • Karen captured a AVTF agent who wants to help them stop Fisk.
  • Karen and Matt take up residence in Frank’s place.

The Daredevil fight scene at Red Hook was awesome, with DD and Jack fighting brutally.

I am anxious for Jessica Jones, who has yet to appear. I am excited to get her into the show.

Episode two was a little slower, but I thought the characterization is great. This show has done a really great job including the story of the ensemble cast around Matt and Karen.

It did feel a little easy for DD to get into the cages and to get the people out of the prison.

However, I did not want episode three to end. When it went to black screen, I literally yelled out. I wanted it to continue. I am excited to see next Tuesday.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #196

March 29

What a massive week. I got so many books this week. Then, there were multiple issues of Superman/Spider-Man books that I got, plus five of the new Mark Spears book. Maybe it wasn’t as big of a week if there weren’t as many variants this week.

Comic of the Week

Feral #22

Feral is one of the most consistently entertaining comic books every month. Tony Fleecs, Trish Forstner & Tone Rodriguez have brought us one of the best horror series on the market and a thoroughly engaging and thrilling. And who would have guessed that? This issue is also huge as it ends with the shocking reveal of the upcoming crossover between Feral and Stray Dogs.

They continue to have the best horror movie themed variant covers too.

Books this week:

Superman/Spider-Man #1. “Truth, Justice and Great Responsibility” Written by Mark Waid and art by Jorge Jimenez. The big crossover between the two most iconic characters of their company is pretty cool. This first one is from DC Comics. There are a bunch of stories in the book that are all fun too. There are many covers to the book, of which I picked up seven of them.

MidKnight Man #1. Written, drawn and cover art by Mark Spears. The new comic from Mark Spears is all about a superhero who dubs himself the MidKnight Man. Again, I picked up five covers of this because I do love Mark Spears’s cover art. The book itself was okay. I was not as into it as I usually am for the Mark Spears Monsters books. There were several funny meta jokes in the book too, which I am always down for. The book says that #2 will be coming out later this year, which is funny too. When? Who knows?

White Sky #2. Written by William Harms and art and cover art by JP Mavinga. I also grabbed the Invincible special variant cover for this book, also done by JP Mavinga. Violet is removed from her father and she has to face the brutality and horrors of the world on her own. What is out there that she will run into? White Sky continued its compelling storytelling from issue one. There is a lot of visual storytelling in this book, which I enjoy tremendously.

Phantom of the Opera#2. Written by Tyler Boss and art and cover art by Martin Simmonds. The latest Universal Monsters book from Image has some absolutely tense moments in it. I have to say, the artwork of Martin Simmonds, which is definitely unlike most artists, really works well for this series. It provides that sinister tone to it and you are never quite at ease.

Ripcord #2. Written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Aneke. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes (Bronze medalist). Dillion is in search of her sister, and she is not going to let any Australian rednecks get in her way. She shows the kind of bad ass that she is in this issue with some seriously graphic moments, specifically with a rail gun. Move over Arnold, Dillion is here now!

Amazing Spider-Man #25. Written by Joe Kelly with art by Ed McGuinness. Cover art was done by Ed McGuinness & Marte Gracia. While Spidey, Venom (Mary Jane) and Carnage (Eddie Brock) are trying to stop Torment, they are afraid that Torment is after their family members. They race to get to Aunt May and Aunt Anna in time… when they realize that it is not Peter and MJ’s family that they needed to worry about. Hey there, Dylan Brock.

The Punisher #2. Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Jose Luis Soares. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Guru-eFX. Microchip and Frank are looking for a doctor to help figure out what is wrong with Frank. Hint… most everything. Jigsaw is making a move too.

Fantastic Four #9. Written by Ryan North with pencils by Humberto Ramos. Cover art was done by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. The Fantastic Four is facing off with another dimensional Sue Storm and she is hugely kick-ass. There are a couple of scenes with our Sue having her head turn invisible by Invincible Woman and it is disturbing as can be. No thank you, please.

Uncanny X-Men #25. “Where Monsters Dwell” Finale. Written by Gail Simone and art by David Marquez & Luciano Vecchio. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Matthew Wilson. The X-Men wrap up their fight with the monsters as Rogue stepped up big time as leader of this group. I loved the appearance of these monster characters that we do not get as much as we could.

Rafael Garcia: Henchman #1. Written by Peter Murrieta & D.E. Schrader with art by Ben Herrera. Cover art by Kit Wallis. This new series from Titan Comics features as character who is a member of a criminal organization as a henchman and he is looking to advance to an open position, more of a leadership role. This is the first ever henchman interview in comics. A fun first issue.

Is Ted Ok? #2. Clearly the answer is no. Written, drawn and cover art by Dave Chisholm. Ted is finding unexpected things at his work and they are playing on his psyche. Not 100% sure what is real and what might just be inside Ted’s head. And I like it that way. So far, this has been an entertaining read and I am curious to find out what is going on around Ted’s workplace. Why does he need to be watched? Questions abound.

Hyde Street #11. Written by Geoff Johns and art by Ivan Reis. Cover art was done by Ivan Reis & Danny Miki with Brad Anderson. We dive into the past of Pranky and we see how the Butcher of Hyde Street is freed from his prison. Things do not look like they are going to turn out well for the residents of Hyde Street. I loved cover A on this book and it nearly found its way into the medals this week. It just came up short.

The Flash #31. “The Speed was Power, and the Speed was Joy” Written by Ryan North and illustrated by Gavin Guidry. Cover ary was done by Gavin Guidry and Giovanna Niro. I wanted to give Flash a try this week. I have always liked the character and with Ryan North taking over the writing duties on the book, I thought I would give it a try. The book featured Wally West and it was really pretty cool, including a wild online campaign to cause trouble for the Flash. I love Ryan North’s work on the Fantastic Four, so I hope it is as excellent for the Flash.

Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon #2. Written by Chip Zdarsky and art by Luca Maresca. Cover art was done by Leinil Francis Yu & Romulo Fajardo Jr. Wolverine, who is in search of a group of missing mutants, comes across David Colton, the unknown Captain America (which Zdarsky wrote about in the new Captain America series) and they have to face off with Nuke. Zdarsky has some excellent ideas about these characters and I think this is the most compelling that Nuke has been in ages.

Iron Man #3. “Forged in Fire” Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Carmen Carnero. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin. Iron Man is trying to get MODOK to lead him to Madame Masque, while trying to keep the giant head alive from AIM. Not sure Tony really wants to find her.

Detective Comics #1107. “Flight Part One” Written by Tom Taylor and art by Pete Woods. Cover art was done by Mikel Janin. Green Arrow and Black Canary move into Gotham City and immediately cause problems for Batman, messing up one of his undercover operations. Tom Taylor is another of the great writers that I feel can do no wrong and this is a great example of his solid work.

The New Avengers #10. Written by Sam Humphries and art by Ton Lima. Cover art was done by Stephen Segovia & Rain Beredo. The Killuminati storyline comes to a close, as does this version of the Avengers. It was fun at the end to see Captain Marvel and Iron Man chastising Bucky for putting together this team and not letting them in on the clones running around. Oh, and we almost got Baron Zemo back. Sorry Zemo. No go.

Rogue #3. Written by Erica Schultz and art by Luigi Zagaria. Cover art was done by David Nakayama. Rogue, whose powers are going bad, is in search of answers from her past. Those answers have led her to find Constrictor.

Final Boss #5. “Stage 5: Red Sands” Written by Tyler Kirkham and art by Tyler Kirkman with David Miller. Cover G art was done by Tyler Kirkman (Gold medalist). The first arc of this book ended with issue five. Tommy is in full battel mode where as he even discovers a fire wings power. I was given the G cover in my pull box for this series, which is a cool and very bloody cover with Tommy fighting Invincible.

Minor Arcana #15. “The Ballad of Budd St. Pierre: 1981-1983” Written, illustrated and cover art by Jeff Lemire. We get a back story for the character of Budd St. Pierre, told fully in a flashback to the early 1980s. It was a very difficult story with some tragedy in the tale. I like this type of issue as it helps flesh out some of the important supporting characters.

Justice League Unlimited #17.Aftermath: Part One” Written by Mark Waid and art by Clayton Henry. Cover art was done by Dan Mora. The tournament participants return to the Watchtower, except Superman. Wonder Woman comes up with an idea… put some villains on a Justice League team. Batman ain’t too happy (course when is he…).

The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #2.Written by Chris Condon with art and cover art by Jacob Phillips. I also picked up the C Cover variant by Leandro Fernandez (Silver Medalist). Ezra Cain is investigating a couple of cases, one dealing with the missing husband of Mrs. Meyer and the missing artifact the Anvil of Hephaestus. This new Vertigo book is one of the best. Awesome noir style cover too.

Ultimate Endgame #3. Written by Deniz Camp and art by Terry & Rachel Dodson and Jonas Scharf. Cover art was done by Mark Brooks. Ultimate Carnage showed up and actually killed Peter Parker. I was shocked that they did this, complete with scenes by Mary Jane, but this certainly signals that the Ultimate universe is truly coming to an end.

Department of Truth #36. “Deviation 9: Beauty and the Beast.” Written by James Tynion IV and art by Ben Templesmith. Cover art was done by Martin Simmonds. We are in the early 1990s and the focus of the new arc of The Department of truth is cable TV and the media. There are some wild images through this book as we meet a character watching TV all day.

Wiccan: Witches’ Road #4. Written by Wyatt Kennedy with art by Andy Pereira. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. Wiccan has lost the power of the Demiurge, but he has found himself a reunion with his mother Wanda, his brother Tommy and Storm (for some reason). Then, it looks like Kate Bishop may be on her way too for next issue. A Young Avengers reunion!

Absolute Wonder Woman #18. “Season of the Witch Part 3” Written by Kelly Thompson and art by Hayden Sherman. Cover art was done by Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire. Diana loses an arm again! And Zatanna comes to help her… leading to another conflict.

Other books this week: Dungeons of Doom #3, Inglorious X-Force #3, Marvel Knights: The Punisher #4, Fantastic Four: First Foes #1, Return to Sleepy Hollow #5, Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun #2, Generation X-23 #2, Absolute Martian Manhunter #10, and The Center Holds #2.

Quick Hits: I picked up Sherlock Holmes The Dark Detective Special: Doctor Nikola and the Soldier Legacy #1, from IPI Comics. It is always a challenge because it seems as if IPI Comics never puts a price on the cover and the shop won’t accept the fact that it means it is free. Their web site did not have a listed price either. I finally found proof of cost on the In This Issue Comics website. By the way, there is no Sherlock Holmes in this book either. Just Brutal #2 came out this week and I had pulled both the A and B covers for some reason. I must have messed up while putting it on my list, because there does not seem to be any reason why I wanted the variant cover for this. Liquidator #5 from Mad Cave ended with this issue. I had lost interest in the book a few issues ago. I read through Conan the Barbarian #30 this week. I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It showed Conan’s strategy as well. Spirit of the Shadows #3 from Oni Press is such a weird book. Its art is very reminiscent of Steve Ditko to me. W0rldtr33 #19 resumed this week. It has a disturbing, yet beautiful cover that was another one that I heavily considered for the Favorite Comic Covers of the Week. I watched the first three episodes of Invincible on Amazon Prime this weekend, and it feels like it is reaching the part of the story taking place in the facsimile of Invincible Returns #1, that I picked up this week. Void Rivals #28 sees part 4 of 6 in the Quintesson War story arc. Honor and Curse: Eternal #1 is new from Mad Cave. I have seen this cover several times and I was hoping it would still be on the stands. It was, and it was an interesting read. Godzilla Infinity Roar #2 sees Galactus eat Godzilla, but big purple does not have it go well. Get Galactus some Alka-Seltzer. Sai Dimensional Rivals #3 saw Sai continue to search for the Seventh Stone across the dimensions. And then, finally, it was Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre #2 which is a hugely satirical comic with lots to say about our political world these days, tucked away in this comic book.

EYG Favorite Comic Cover of the Week

March 26

What a haul of comic books this week. I got over 50 books this week, though there are several variant covers involved. Last week, there were no variant covers int he medal winners, but this week there are two of the three.

It is also surprising because officially, I picked up like seven Superman/Spider-Man #1s, and five MidKnight Man #1s with Mark Spears, and none of them made the medal platform this week. Amazing.

A bunch of the also-rans, including one that I really wanted to give a medal to, but just came up short.

Also-Rans: Hyde Street #11 (this is the one that really came close), Superman/Spider-Man #1 (multiple covers), MidKnight Man #1 (Cover A was my favorite of these), W0rldtr33 #19, Feral #21 (cover A), Feral (Cover B), White Sky #2, Return to Sleepy Hallow #5, and Universal Monsters: Phantom of the Opera #2

Bronze Medalist

Ripcord #2

Cover art by Jorge Fornes

What a beautiful cover with the wolf dominating the pink sky, blood dripping from its fangs. The shadowy figure standing in silhouette of the sun. All of this is just great. Jorge Fornes has been carving out a good year for himself.

Silver Medalist

The Peril of the Brutal Dark #2

Variant cover C

Cover art by Leandro Fernandez

Any time I spot a variant cover on the stands that just grabs my attention, it has a good chance of ending up on this list. I love the black and white cover that really gave me a noir vibe.

Gold Medalist

Final Boss #5

Variant cover G

Cover art by Tyler Kirkham

This book was in my box at In This Issue. I did not order the variant cover. I usually have the cover A pulled for me. I don’t know why this was in my box, but I am not complaining about it. What a bloody, brutal and awesome cover featuring Invincible.

Daredevil: Born Again S2 E1

Spoilers

“The Northern Star”

Daredevil: Born Again premiered its first episode of season two tonight on Disney + and I am all in already.

This was a great first episode which featured some exciting action, some intriguing characters, and enough suspense to build on moving ahead.

Matt Murdock is missing. Or at least, he is not showing his face around New York. Meanwhile, the Mayor of New York, Wilson Fisk, has armed up the battle against vigilantes and has empowered his brutal strike force to be able to do whatever they want. It is kind of close to home these days.

Matt and Karen Page are working together, in the shadows, trying to bring Fisk down. Daredevil (with the awesome DD on his costume chest plate) kicked off the episode by boarding a ship that was smuggling weapons into New York. When the captain realized that Daredevil was there, he sank the ship. He said it was his orders.

Fisk was involved in the arms smuggling, of course, so he is anxious to salvage what had sunk. When the attorney general came to see him, it seemed as if Fisk was in some trouble, with words like oversight being bandied around.

However, into the office strolled Matthew Lillard, suddenly taking over the scene completely. Lillard is playing someone named Mr. Charles, and he apparently has some big time connections in the MCU. While he was grandstanding in the Mayor’s office, the attorney general received a phone call after which he immediately folded. During the one-sided conversation, we heard him say the name Ms. de Fontaine.

What??????

Obviously, this is a reference to Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the character played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Falcon & the Winter Soldier, Thunderbolts and Wakanda Forever. Last we saw Val, she was head of the CIA and putting together the New Avengers, in a backhanded, manipulative manner. I did not expect that name drop to come, but it only added to the curiosity and intrigue that I felt for Mr. Charles. I look forward to seeing this guy moving forward.

Heather Glenn is back and being a horrendous person. She is on the hook in the Kingpin’s organization doing dirty work, such as falsifying the psych report on Swordsman to make it look like he is not a balanced individual. Yet, it seemed that Heather may be the one who is less than balanced as she is hallucinating images of Muse. I hope this use of Muse will be able to rebuild him from the character assassination that took place in season one. The way Muse was written and the lack of development of Muse was easily the worst part of season one. Maybe this will be a fascinating way to bring the specter of Muse back in a scary way. Plus, who deserved it more than Heather?

The episode ended with the AVTF beating up Cherry at the end, but not before he was able to signal Matt to come help him. Matt showed up in his Daredevil outfit, but Cherry was having a heart attack, which distracted Matt. The AVTF agents were able to get down the distracted DD and peeled off his mask, finding out that Daredevil was Matt Murdock. Before they were about to put a bullet in Matt’s head, several sniper-like bullets came through the window and killed the agents.

It was a shocking end to the episode and I, like I am sure everyone, thought this was Frank Castle. However, when the knife came flying into the room with the symbol on it, with the words “You’re welcome” written on it as well, I realized it was not Frank Castle who saved Matt’s life.

It was Bullseye.  Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter himself. The man who shot and killed Foggy in season one. It certainly appeared as if Bullseye could be part of Daredevil’s team to oppose Mayor Fisk, proving the old adage that the “enemy of my enemy is my friend”… well, maybe not friend. Reluctant ally? Blood feud enemy?

This was a great kick off to the new season. I loved Matthew Lillard and just how brutal Daredevil is. I am excited about seeing the return of Jessica Jones, who is not in this episode. Can’t wait for Krysten Ritter to reprise her Netflix role. Jessica Jones is actually one of my favorite comic characters and I loved season one of her show. Season two was okay, and I never saw the third one, but I am so pleased that Jessica Jones is back in the MCU.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #196

March 22

It is the EYG Comic Cavalcade. It has been a busy weekend once again. I generally like to have this done before Sunday evening, but time got away from me.

Plus, it is taking a little longer because I am being distracted by season four of Agents of Shield, with the Ghost Rider appearing.

Comic of the Week

Dead Teenagers #1

Written by Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Dead Teenagers follows a group of friends stuck in a time loop, reliving their high school prom night and dying repeatedly until something in 2026 might cause the loop to be broken. This was a great new horror comic and a fun read.

Silver Medalist

Books this week:

Amazing Spider-Man #24. Written by Charles Soule with Joe Kelly and guest artist Jesus Saiz. Cover art was done by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Lorenzo Ruggiero & Dean White. Death Spiral continues with this issue of Amazing Spider-Man that includes Spidey, Venom and Carnage wind up facing off with Torment. The dialogue between Spidey and Venom/MJ is some of the best of the book.

Exquisite Corpses #11. Written by Che Grayson with James Tynion IV with art by Gavin Fullerton with Michael Walsh. Cover art was done by Michael Walsh. We are down to Pretty Boy and Fox Mask Killer in the big tournament. Exquisite Corpses has been one of the best comics over the last year and it is building to its last couple of issues.

Wrestle Heist #4. Written, Drawn and cover art by Kyle Starks. The big pay per view event, Fightsgiving XIV is here and Sterling Steele and his crew are preparing to pull off their planned heist. However, there is a problem. Hanson knows the heist is coming because of the traitor in Steele’s team. Great kayfabe action.

The Sentry #1. Written by Paul Jenkins with art by Christian Rosado. Cover art was done by Alex Maleev (Bronze Medalist). Bob is back, struggling to keep balance with his other side…the Void. After Sentry’s appearance in Thunderbolts MCU movie, the return to the comics was inevitable.

Wade Wilson: Deadpool #2. “Bad Omens” Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Geoff Shaw. Cover art was done by Geoff Shaw & Alex Sinclair. Deadpool has suddenly someone providing him with info on future events.. and he has found a way to make money saving them. While it is still snarky Deadpool, the mystery of what happened to his daughter is creating a new emotional Wade.

Infernal Hulk #5. “All His Servants” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with penciled by Kev Walker. Cover art was done by Nic Klein (Gold Medalist). Bruce Banner has to come back. He tried to stay out of it, but he realized that he was not able to stay away. The Infernal Hulk is making thing tough.

Captain America #8. “Doom’s Shadow Part 3” Written by Chip Zdarsky with artist by Jan Bazaldua. Cover art was done by Valerio Schiti & Frank Martin. Cap inside Latveria continues as he and Alina Von Doom are trying to find the weapons of Doom before anyone else does… including Thunderbolt Ross.

Nightwing #136. “The Crossroads” Written by Dan Watters and pencils by Denys Cowen. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes. A new story arc kicks off in Nightwing entitled “Bludhaven Lore.” Nightwing picks up a woman on the freeway. That sounded much less dangerous than it turned out to be.

Geiger #22. Written by Geoff Johns and art by Gary Frank. Cover art was done by Gary Frank & Brad Anderson. Geiger and the Northerner are on their way to Detroit to try and find answers about the Unknown War.

Marc Spector: Moon Knight #2. “Agency” Part Two. Written by Jed MacKay and art by Devmalya Pramanik. Cover art was done by Paulo Siqueira & Rachelle Rosenberg. While Marc Spector and Zodiac are “teaming up,” Bushman is making his return, preparing to murder Marc Spector.

Cyclops #2. “Seeing Red Part 2” Written by Alex Paknadel with art by Rogê Antonio. Cover art was done by Federico Vicentini & Marcio Menyz. Cyclops is in the woods, being chased by the Reavers, and he has lost his visor. I have enjoyed the first couple of issues with Cyke.

X-Men #27. “Danger Room, Pt. 2” Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Netho Diaz. Cover art was done by Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, and Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. The new group Danger Room is featured through this issue.

Ultimates #22. Written by Deniz Camp with art by Juan Frigeri. Cover art was done by Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon. Ultimate Captain America and Ultimate Bucky and their story. This has a terribly tragic ending that was extremely surprising.

Mortal Thor #8. “A Tragic Tale of Asgard.” Written by Al Ewing with art by Juann Cabal. Cover art was done by Alex Ross. No Mortal Thor in this issue as we spent the time in Asgard with Magni and a strange rabbit.

Absolute Flash #13. “Mirror Master Part One” Written by Jeff Lemire with art by Haining. Cover art was done by Nick Robles. Wally and Linda spend some time together… until they get pulled into a mirror. If you know Flash, you know what this is leading to.

Sam and Twitch Case Files #22. Written by Thomas Healy with Todd McFarlane and art by Von Randal. Cover art was done by Raymond Gay with Steve Canon. A guy from a former case texted Sam and Twitch to come see him, only to be found by the pair, dead. Appearing to be a suicide, something did not fit together and Sam is in a dangerous place.

GI Joe #20. Written by Joshua Williamson and art by Andrea Milana. Cover art was done by Tom Reilly. Duke meets Optimus (no longer Prime). A truce between the two was a fascinating result between GI Joe and the Transformers.

Barbarian Behind Bars #2. Written by Elliott Kalan and art by Andrea Mutti. Cover art was done by Francesco Tomaselli. Darcor continued to be held in prison and the process moves along. The Mad Cave series is one of the strangest and most original on the market.

Planet She-Hulk #5. Written by Stephanie Phillips with art by Aaron Kuder. Cover art was done by Aaron Kuder & Sonia Oback. She-Hulk is fighting across Sakaar and it seems like she has taken a specific position… Queen?

Devil on my Shoulder #4. Written by Kyle Starks with art by Piotr Kowalski. Cover art was done by Piotr Kowalski with Brad Johnson. The final issue of the series finds our heroine finish her path of vengeance against the men who had assaulted her years ago.

Other Books this Week: Kill All Immortals II #3, Super Creepshow #1, Leprechaun Horror Comics #1, Ghost Pepper #9, Mary Sue #5, Ultimate Wolverine #15, Deathstroke the Terminator #1, and American Caper #5.

Quick Hits: Wanda vs. Agatha highlighted the story in Sorcerer Supreme#4. DC had a couple of new number one issues this week, Lobo #1 and Batwoman #1. Neither one was interesting enough for me to continue. Batwoman was the most intriguing one between the two, which was not what I was expecting. D’Orc #1 had a third printing this week. Another new cover by Brett Bean. Racer X #5 is back within the world of Speed Racer. X-Men of Apocalypse #3 is still in the Savage Land as Gambit and Rogue matchup again. The horror book The Thing on the Doorstep#2 is one of the books that I did not get to read yet. That also goes for End of Life #2, the Vertigo book. The Lucky Devils #7 is still one of the best and most beautifully drawn books on the market. New Titans #33 show the new team roster. The Last Day of Lovecraft #5 sees this series end. Finally, the one shot book from AWA Pick Up #1 has not yet found its way on to my CLZ app. Not sure what is taking so long for it to be on it.