12/18/19
J.R.’s Picks
Batman the Last Knight on Earth #3 – This last issue carries the same metaphorical weight as someone not knowing what they want to eat, ordering one of everything off the menu, and only realizing they can’t possibly finish it all when they sit down to eat. Batman and Joker discover the secret hiding place of the last known Batclub associates in Gotham who know go by the fitting moniker of the owls. They decide to make a move on Omega with the help of Joker’s head in a mecha-suit, a pot smoking Gordon, Barbara, Dick Grayson and their daughter Bryce. They manage to sneak in with the help of Selina Kyle whilst all the other Batman baddies and dead JLA members are name dropped in various ways. The culmination of all the story threads is satisfying and revelatory so be sure not to miss out on Snyder’s swan song to the character.
Once and Future #5 – Gran’s secrets come back to haunt her and further push Duncan toward his breaking point. Turns out Duncan’s upbringing by his grandmother was a coordinated effort in order to curb the possible future released upon England. Gran acted as a stand-in for the Fisher King which means, well…not great stuff for her if you’re familiar The Once and Future King. Duncan must travel into the Otherworld in order to stop Elaine’s nefarious plans from coming to pass. He confronts their so-called Galahad after passing many tests and manages to retrieve the grail! So how this isn’t the end of the story though and for my part I’m super excited to see where it goes from here.
Wonder Woman Dead Earth #1 – We’ve seen a lot of post-apocalyptic stories as of late (gee, I wonder why?) but as far as the super-powered ones, I think this one sits on top. A team of wandering gatherers crash land on a cryo-chamber Diana happens to be in as the group runs away from a nuclear-mutated, nasty monster. Diana helps to kill the beast only to realize that the world she once knew is dead, done in by man’s machinations of war. She stumbles upon some corpses of her friends and realizes she must journey with these new people and join up with humanity. Too bad for her, they turn on her and throw her in the gladiatorial pits with a beast-form Cheetah. Yes, that Cheetah! Do not miss this one, Daniel Warren Johnson’s action sequences are a bad ass sight to behold!
Folklords #2– Ansel and Archer continue their quest to find the folklords, only with a somewhat more melancholy tint to their step. Ansel’s optimism leads him to ask Archer how he came to be the only elf in their village but as it turns out, it’s much sadder and more mysterious than either of them thought. They come across someone in the woods and rather than talk to them, Archer straight up shoots them in the face…I don’t like this kid. Ansel offers them goat pie in recompense but the two end up running off in fear when they get little response. After further venturing into the forest, Ansel has visions of picking up a cellphone and receiving messages from an unknown source. The mystery to this series continues to deepen and I. Am. HERE FOR IT!!
John Constantine Hellblazer #2 – Holy hell. This is easily setting itself up to be the best Hellblazer run since the original series Greg and Derrick put me onto years ago. Noah starts frantically signing to everyone that Constantine is a coward and didn’t do anything to help out their initiate as angels tore him apart but unfortunately for Noah…no one in the room understands sign language. John talks to the haruspex about what’s really going on but ends up nowhere so he decides to hit the bar. It’s there he gets his first big clue: William Blake saw all these things long ago in the same spot and wrote poetry about the struggle between heaven and hell for years. After a threat on his life and a new lead, Constantine sets out to rid the world of angels. Spurrier’s run is going to go down in history, get in on it now.
Joker: Killer Smile #2 – This creeped me out so hard. Creeped me right the fuck out which is a testament to its quality. Ben starts having a fever dream at the beginning where in a mesmerizing sequence Arkham is translated in his mind into a diner. All the main Bat-baddies are there and he sits down with the Joker to eat his own brain, Temple of Doom style. He’s jolted awake and reassured by his wife that all is OK. In the morning , his son is watching a video of the creepy-ass book from the first issue. He tries to go down stairs but then Ben yells at him not to go in his office. Me thinks the doctor doth protest too much. He’s cracking and it’s leaking out onto these pages thanks to the perfection that is Sorrentino’s artwork. Just horror perfection inside this book.
Diarra’s Picks
Suicide Squad #1 – So per usual Suicide Squad fashion, the antagonists are forced to use their expertise against their will. Our favorites, Harley Quinn and Death-shot, are on the team and a few unfamiliar names. So unfamiliar even they are concerned for their safety in their upcoming mission. Again with their lives on the line, they jump into a fight unwillingly and the no-names die. We see once again the cruelty of the officials controlling The Squad, because this was the plan all along. What they were getting would be worth the sacrifice.
Kill Whitey Donovan #1 – Anna wants to kill Whitey Donovan, and we have yet to find out why. Still, Anna is hellbent to find Whitey and turns out, she isn’t the only one. Before she can go, Anna rescues Hattie, a Donovan family slave, to aid her in her mission. Hattie agrees, seeing freedom north in the end. There trek ahead will be rough, their dynamic alone drawing attention. I’m interested to see how they fair, and what did Whitey do (besides being a slave owner…)?
Heartbeat #1 – We know María Llovet can illustrate erotic horror from Faithless, but now she is writing it. We have hot blood suckers, delusional love, and a vicious teen murder! What else is left to desire?! After issue one, Eva now has to decide if she wants to turn her classmate in, and she doesn’t 🤷🏾♀️. Is it fear or is it curiosity that makes her draw close to the killer (or is it because he is super hot)? Whatever the reason, they are together now swapping spit…and blood
Stones’s Picks
Amazing Spider-Man #36 –This issue resolved the threat of Dr. Doom taking control of New York and in the process, we learn more about said takeover. The issue was a little confusing as It had almost nothing to do with Omega 2099, besides showing two pages of the Spider-Man of 2099 washing up on a beach somewhere. There was more talk about the clairvoyance device and talk about Peter finding a power supply for it. So, it could come into play later, but as for now there seems there will be no more dealings with the future, at least for the time being.
2099 Omega #1 – The conclusion to the 2099 event is here. This issue provides some much-needed explanations for what has been happening throughout the event, yet it still is somewhat convoluted. You get to see Doom do some cool things and watch the birth of the Spider-Man of 2099, but it doesn’t feel like there is any real conclusion. I enjoyed the read though!
Wonder Woman DEAD EARTH #1 – The world as we know it has come to an end due to Nuclear war. After an undisclosed amount of time the warrior princess Diana of Themyscira awakens from her slumber with no memory of the events leading up to it. The world she knew is gone and with it her friends and life. In this new unforgiving wasteland Diana chooses to team with a band of survivors in the hopes of finding clues to what happened, but also because she does not have her full strength. If you’re a fan of Wonder Woman, then you won’t be disappointed.
Star Wars the Rise of Kylo Ren #1 – What better way to celebrate the release of the Rise of Skywalker than with this wonderful comic? Issue #1 takes a closer look into the events that shaped Kylo Ren and brought him to the dark side. You find out that the Knights of Ren were around long before Ben’s turn to the dark side and that they have been in search of others to fill their ranks. You also get to see supreme leader Snoke with hair and that is a sight to behold. This issue left me yearning to know more of the backstory of our fallen Jedi, and in doing so solidified my return for issue #2
12/11/19
J.R.’s Picks
Far Sector #2 – The murder mystery in space continues with another murder! Lantern Mullein is on a chase after another killer after her prime suspect is devoured within the confines of the City Enduring’s police precinct. Unfortunately for her, her suspect is one of the Nah and flies away once they reach open air. It seems as if Jo has a little trouble controlling her ring as she’s unable to keep pursuit. The central culprit though seems to be a drug which counteracts the emotional dampeners placed on every citizen at birth. Being the only being with emotions makes for some fascinating introspection courtesy of Jemisin and coupled with Jamal Campbell’s art makes it one of the best sci-fi stories I’ve read this year. Believe it and read it!
Breathers #1 – A remarkable work coming from the mind of Justin Madson. This one is a collection of short stories wherein everyone in the world when they walk outside must wear gas mask-like apparatuses. I wish I could tell you more as to why but therein lies why it’s so good. It’s never addressed as to why everyone wears these but instead the short stories revolve around normal human experiences in everyday life or otherwise a dash of magical realism in the case of the first story. There’s a foreboding poignancy in this as well considering the current situation in Australia. Looking forward to more of this come February 2020 but for now enjoy the first issue!
Punisher Soviet #2 – Man, this is a good comic. I’m not usually one for gritty stuff but when it’s written like this I can’t help but jump on the Ennis train. Frank finds the man who’s been unintentionally imitating his style while taking out Prochenko’s men and even stranger- teams up with him in order to take out more. They find themselves surrounded in the club front Prochenko set up but take them out easily as Frank finds this man to be an old war dog and a strong ally. While leaving a hipster couple mistakes the two for an Uber in what has to be one of the funniest Punisher exchanges I’ve seen. To celebrate, the two grab Chinese and trade war stories while waiting for their next move. Very interested to see how this one plays out.
The Red Mother #1 – An extremely good horror book whose plot is going to eerily stick with me for a bit. After a night out for some pizza, Daisy and her boyfriend Luke are walking home discussing moving in together when after passing a dark alley, Luke responds to a voice he calls Mother. He’s then dragged away while Daisy’s eye is ripped from her head. After waking in the hospital days later, Daisy must come to terms with the loss of her boyfriend and her eye. Something strange happens when she’s fitted for her glass eye though – she can sometimes see through it in a complete shade of red along with a demon lost in a crowd. Spectacular in pacing and super thrilling, looking forward to the next installment.
Dungeons and Dragons: Infernal Tides #1 – I have not kept up with Zub’s run of D&D comics but luckily this seems like a great jumping-on point. A father and daughter are on the run from a flaming, hell rider as they run into two members of the main adventuring party. Delina is a sorceress who practices wild magic, one of my favorite D&D staples, and Minsc is a ranger who speaks in the third person with a magic hamster companion named Boo. If that’s not the most player character thing ever heard of, I don’t know what is. With her father captured, Delina and her friends agree to help rescue and hit up a local underground dealer for more information. They get more than they bargain for as it seems they’re in the middle of a war between devils and demons as the latter attacks them at this black-market hideout. Damn fine fantasy hijinks await you in this one.
Batman Curse of the White Knight #5 – The death of Jim Gordon shakes all of Gotham to the core as most of the city shows up to mourn his loss. Most of the city except Batman that is as he dives deep in the Gotham Reservoir to investigate Laffy Arkham and Bruce’s own ancestor. Turns out the Wayne of old was a huge asshole whose machinations in the 17th century led to betrayal, extortion, and ultimately wealth which caused the Wayne family’s vast fortune for centuries afterwards. Yikes. Meanwhile Harley interrogates her old flame Jack about the bloody message on the wall and Azrael goes a mad murder spree which left me completely and utterly shook. SGM continues the best Batman run you can get your hands on with this latest issue.
Diarra’s Picks
Dying is Easy #1 – Syd Homes is a retired cop who has turned his sights to comedy. It wasn’t a simple career change, Syd had a pretty tough time working homicide (oppose to all the homicide good times 🤷🏾♀️), and old cases still come back to haunt him. He tries to make positives out of it and talks about old cases in his comedy acts. Everyone knows how tough it is for a comedian to make a name for himself, so when he hears another comic has been steal his work, he loses it. Syd roughs the guy up a bit to send a message, nothing too serious, and guys is still talking crap with a bloody nose! Syd heads home to sleep it off, but awakes to find out the joke thief has turned up dead, and Syd’s the number one suspect!
Lucy Claire: Redemption #1 – Lucy Claire’s name used to bring fear to demons and beasties who heard it, now she is the thing of legend. These days it seems like the only things Lucy is chasing are booze and bail money. That’s how she meets Slim. He bonds her out in hopes to get her help with werewolves who have been attacking his home town. Lucy is reluctant (you know the whole ‘I’m not that person anymore, get lost kid’ routine ), but that’s when a pack of wolves show up, and Lucy gets her fighting spirit back.
Red Mother #1 – A lovely evening that was sure to end in date night coitus changed Daisy’s life forever. Her boyfriend is snatched into a dark by an unknown attacker when Daisy tried to help, she was badly injured. She wakes up the next day in the hospital, missing her bf and her eye! As you can expect, besides the extreme life change/pain of missing an eye, she lost the love of her life and everything is an adjustment. She tries to regain some sort of normality by talking to a psychiatrist, and she believes it’s helping. That is until she starts having red flashes in her vision, red flashes that get worse and worse.
Batman: Curse of the White Knight #5 – Well one thing’s for sure, Azrael is not fucking around. He continues to attack those closest to Bruce, and still believes he is the true hero of Gotham. This issue we also get to see Harley try again to bring Jack out of Joker, and this time it works! We learn more about the family feud that’s tearing Gotham apart, but Jack thinks it would be better if Batman was in the dark about somethings (good luck with that). Man, who thought an issue that started in a eulogy would be so fun!
Stone’s Picks
Spider-Man 2099 #1 – This was a very interesting addition to the 2099 event. The Miguel O’Hara we are introduced too is one who is trying to kick a drug habit after experiencing some horrible events at a place called The Ravage. While trying to avoid taking the drugs given to him by the corporate overlords at Alchemax he is also on the lookout for another supply of those same drugs so that he won’t have to be beholden to Alchemax. Through various interaction’s that Miguel has with corporate elites and street level drug dealers you get a look into the mindset of those at the top and bottom in the city’s social hierarchy. The ending was a real head scratcher, but it just makes it more exciting to find out what is going on when Omega 2099 #1 drops at the end of the month.
Doom 2099 #1 – All the other issues involving the 2099 event have been set in the future, so there has been no sense of confusion up to this point when it comes to having to juggle different aspects of time within a given issue. Doom 2099 #1, however, will require more than one read through to fully understand what was presented to us. This issue had an ending that came out of nowhere and requires a lot of thought on the readers part in trying to figure it out. Honestly, that’s all you should know cause anything else would ruin the experience for you.
Ghost Rider #3 – After being flung off a bridge by his power tripping half-brother, Danny Ketch just needs a drink. No longer a Ghost Rider, Danny can finally be free to live a normal life. That is until he’s told he is the only one who can stop his brother thus forcing Danny to have to team up with Caregiver in order to take down Johnny Blaze. The other half of the story follows Johnny Blaze as he makes his way to Las Vegas to talk with Mephisto who has been imprisoned there. Along the way he deals with some demons who have escaped hell and has no mercy for those who do not approve of his new reign.
Immortal Hulk #28 – As the Minotaur must deal with the Hulk’s destruction of Roxxon property and servers, the youth of America have become enthralled with the Hulk and have formed their own protest group called the “Teen Brigade”. The Minotaur would like to find a way to monetize the Hulk, but that proves more difficult than anticipated. In order to combat the Hulk, the Minotaur travels to a remote island in search of a greater monster and that monster is…. the abominable snowman?
12/4/19
J.R.’s Picks
Marauders #3 – Much to my chagrin Captain Kate does not make an appearance in this book but much to my surprise I super enjoyed a look into the deviant mind of Sebastian Shaw. Weeks before the events of the previous issues, Shaw makes a return to Krakoa to welcome back his son after he was resurrected. He lays out to his son, whose name is seriously Shinobi Shaw, how the smuggling aspect of the Hellfire Trading Company works and how the world has changed since the Dawn of X. Turns out Sebastian was grooming his son to be Red King, not some strumpet as Emma Frost surmised. The real mind blower comes at the end of the issue: some longtime X-fans will know it already but it’s going to be rough waters for the crew of the Marauder after this revelation.
Lois Lane #6 – Following directly after the events of, er, Event Leviathan, this issue takes a solemn look at the relationship between Lois and her father as she attends his funeral. Granted, I did not read the series and it was only spoiled to me because of Jimmy Olsen but you do not need to read that series to understand and feel the emotions on the page of this one. Honestly, that’s the best sentiment I can say about this issue is that if you take away the capes and tights, it’s just about a daughter mourning her father and that emotion hits hard. Their recently fractious relationship is laid out but also the moments in which they reconnected as well. Another stand-out from Rucka and Perkins, for sure.
Excalibur #3 – Rictor finally makes his way closer to the team in this week’s newest issue. Turns out he’s been hanging around California unable to control his powers and attempting to drink his depression away. He’s been scared to go to Krakoa for fear his powers would cause it to crack in half. Smart move but not so smart to chill in Cali which has been threatening to crack in half for a millennia. Meanwhile, the main team assaults Morgan Le Fay’s castle whilst riding on the back of Jubilee’s baby who has been transformed into a dragon. Yup. It’s getting real good. Tune in for more magical mutant madness as things start to heat up!
Powers Rangers Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 – It’s kinda hard to tell what the title of this book is because they just kinda put both of their logos on it but it doesn’t have to be that complex anyway! It’s a crossover! First the Power Rangers save the day in Angel Grove from a giant tentacle monster but turning their weapons into a giant laser gun. It’s then hinted at that Tommy (the green one) hasn’t been around for a bit. Then in NYC, the turtles battle the Foot Clan on top of a building while talking about what they’d do if they were human. Weird but whatever. Turns out though that Tommy has been in the Foot Clan all along! And leading their subordinates! He morphs to fight the TMNT which causes the MMPR to figure out where he is and thus the inevitable accidental battle ensues! A whole lot of fun, not only 90’s kids will like this.
X-Men #3 – When a bunch of mutants planting flowers are taken out in the Savage Land and their Krakoan portals subverted by a group of humans, Cyclops assembles an elite crew of his way cooler ex (Frost) and the bad guy tangentially related to her (Shaw). Turns out these humans are a part of a movement called Hordeculture wherein by controlling the genetic make-up of food plants around the world, they will kill off all populations to return the Earth to its natural state. Oh and they’re all geriatric women in mech suits. Just wild. Open this one up to see a bunch of old ladies beat the shit out of Sebastian Shaw for being creepy. They may be genocidal but he super deserved it.
20XX #1 – Man, there’s something here that’s going to explode in the next coming issues. This first issue was extremely exposition heavy but all the same, very interesting. In an undisclosed time in this coming century, there is an airborne virus which either kills you or gives you cool telekinetic powers. Mer is one of those who, over the course of the first issue, gets powers. Unfortunately, having cool telekinetic powers means you are extremely discriminated against and society in general treats you as a problem. After infected, she loses her job and then attempts to track down her cousin who also gained these powers. An interesting thought exercise turned comic which cool turn over something interesting rocks in future issues.
Diarra’s Picks
20XX #1 – Meria’s lives a simple life alone with her cat. She loves her job and today she is up for a promotion. The only problem is the future is now, and in this future the Bethal Virus has infected and killed millions of people. Everyone lives in fear they might contract the disease and wear face masks constantly to avoid it. Not everyone who gets infected dies, some people are able to live with the virus and it gives them telekinetic abilities!! (Super cool and totes worth the eye bleeding) Meria is one of these lucky unluckies now she is off the find someone she knows who survived with the Bethal Virus to help her wrap her head on her new life and abilities!
The Butcher of Paris #1 – Oh boy, I sure do love me a good historically accurate comic book adaptation! Here we have the story of Marcel Petiot, French serial killer during World War II. Fear was a common thing in Europe during that time and Marcel was able to benefit from all the chaos. I’m sure the comic will take some creative liberties, but so far we are off to a good start. Just like in real life Marcel was first discovered when a neighbor got a whiff of an unusual odor from his chimney and thought his house was on fire. When the fire department arrived Marcel was long gone, but what they found in his basement would shake them to their core. I can’t wait to read more and watch this investigation play out.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 – Tommy has been off the grid for a couple weeks and the other Rangers have been pretty concerned. The show must go on though, and all they can do is keep saving the day and hope he turns up. The catch a break when Tommy morphs and it shows up on their scanner. The gang teleports to New York immediately, but it’s not the scene they were expecting. They find Tommy fighting the TMNT!! They just think it’s another group of Rita’s monsters, but Turtles know exactly who they are. What they can’t figure out is why a Power Ranger would be doing heists for Shredder and the Foot Clan. Before the Turtles can ask, Tommy is off with the goods and the other Rangers are protecting his escape, not knowing the trouble their friend is in.
Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble #2 – As you can tell by the cover, this book is adorable. Venom is ‘trying’ to leave the villain life behind, and Spider-Man decides to take him under his wing. He even lets Venom move in with him. As you can expect Venom isn’t the best roommate, but the last straw for Spidey is when Venom sneaks into his room in the middle of the night and body swaps with him. Does Venom want to practice being a hero in Spider-Man’s body or something else noble? No, he wants to enter a contest for heroes only so he can win a prize. Not only does Spidey have to find Venom in his body, now he has all of Venom’s enemies after him too! Hopefully they can swap back before too much damage is done.
Stone’s Picks
Ghost Rider 2099 #1 – Have you ever wanted to see a T-800 with a flaming head and a retractable chainsaw for an arm? Because that is exactly what you get with this new tie-in to the 2099 event. Betrayed by his father and on the brink of death Kenshiro, or Zero as he likes to be called, falls into the digital hellscape to be met by the devil. After a devilish deal is struck Kenshiro is placed into a combat droid and he becomes the Ghost Rider. Seeking revenge against his father is only the beginning for this demonic fusion of man and machine as he also wants to destroy the corrupt D/MONIX organization that aims to do harm to the people of Transverse city. This was a great entry into the 2099 event and shouldn’t be missed.
Venom 2099 #1 – In an attempt to save a young girls life, the Alchemax corporation uses the Venom symbiote. What could go wrong with that? The issue itself is a little lackluster, but it lets you get to know this version of the Venom character. The biggest take away though comes at the end. IF you were keeping up with Absolute Carnage then the ending is going to be a treat, and it leaves you with more questions than answers which is exciting for the future of the Venom series.
The Amazing Spider-Man #35 – Doom demands justice. In the wake of the attempt on his life, Doom takes control of the city with an army of doombots and it’s up to Spider-Man and his sister Teresa to find and apprehend the assassin, or should I say Hitman. Spider-Man is made aware that the device he is carrying around with him that allows the user to scatter through an infinite number of multiverses to gauge the probability of something happening has been powered up due to the interference of Miguel O’Hara. With this being the case, they use the device to come up with a plan to stop dooms hostile takeover of New York, but things don’t go as expected. This issue was great and does a lot for the plot’s progression.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 – The heroes of Angel Grove just got shell-shocked. This issue is nothing but a good time. Tommy Oliver makes his way to New York to team with the foot with an unknown motive. This causes friction between the Rangers and the sewer ninjas with each thinking that the other is the enemy. While they battle, Shredder watches from afar as he assesses the situation and makes his goal be to control the Power Rangers. Every page is nostalgia- filled, and it had me excited to keep turning. When it was done I wasn’t disappointed.
