As I said with the past two volumes, I absolutely loved this book. Hawkins' writing is spot on. Yishan Li's work on the main story is fantastic and I pretty much loved every panel of it, every expression in the normal days or the intimate scenes, and I loved the eroticism of it all. This is one of the best things I've read in comics in 2020.

At the time I originally read them, Miracleman was a series that took me to someplace new and fascinating that I wasn't getting from other comics. Works were changing, maturing, and becoming something more because of stories like this. With it having been years since those first experiences, i've enjoyed picking up the hardcover collections that have come out. With this series though, I wanted to be able to take it in through the single installments, to revisit in smaller form rather than marathoning through it again, while also enjoying the way the recoloring job comes across on the digital platform. Miracleman is a fascinating work across the board but it's the Golden Age works and beyond that really made me a huge fan of it. The results here are impressive with what's been done and I cannot recommend it enough.

Miracleman has a solid installment all around here yet I find myself thinking that the second story is one that might resonate better if I had re-read everything from the first three books before this one. Such is the price one pays sometimes. This issue really works well for me with the first story on a number of levels and is the kind of almost Twilight Zone type of standalone piece amid the bigger tapestry that examines parts of a world. I liked the second installment for the shift in art style but I couldn't connect with the characters or setting for a number of reasons. The ideas behind it are solid though and the takeaway of how life in a world like this in the Golden Age would be growing up is really interesting to examine more deeply.

The Forever War in its graphic novel form made a bit impact on me during my younger days and I've revisited this in its trade form over the years. Digging into it once again at this point in my life, and at the nature of the world as it is today, is definitely intriguing. Some things continue to remain the same and that's no surprise while other aspects of the book are a bit more dated, albeit they're things that aren't delved into too deeply so that it doesn't impact it too much. Haldeman's story is importand and Marvano brings it to life beautifully here with his artwork and presentation. This is a series that you can easily see being done by a lot of top talent this days, reminding me of how the Pax Romana series for example is handled with its mix of text and artwork, and I'd love to see a new incarnation of this brought to life even as I adore Marvano's adaptation. Good stuff here to expose a new generation to if they're willing to take a chance.

The second part of The Forever War puts things into place for the war to really get underway while only hinting a bit more at the kind of weird scale of it all that's hard to comprehend in some ways. Haldeman's story is one that works a kind of bleak emptiness about it as we're not really trying to empathize with the soldiers and the situation but rather just to understand it. That, combined with Marvano's artwork, may make you feel a bit distant from what's happening but it should make you work harder to really understand the mindset and struggle that they're facing, doing things that they don't want to do while grappling with their mission being a key part to survival of the species. This chapter ramps things up a lot after the introductions and training aspect and Mandella's life is only just starting in this war.

As much as I had enjoyed what kicked off the series when I first read it years ago, this was the installment at the halfway mark that really made me fall in love with it. An exploration of the realities of war across vasts spaces, the truth of how technology progresses amid wartime, and the troubles that will come from it when fighting in this environment. Haldeman's story is well told in this incarnation with some great character moments for Mandella and Marvano delivers on so many different settings and elements with how the world looks in this time period that it has that proper ring of truth to it even all these years later. A very good book that should be devoured from start to finish several times over.

I'm wary of what the series may bring about in terms of the story, because it can go pretty dark, but it's got its hooks in me deep right now.

Overall, Negative Space has a strong second issue and it has me cringing at the long wait for the third installment. So worth it though.

With a likely twist or two to come in the conclusion, there's plenty of places it can all go and I'll be very pleased even if it's predictable. Negative Space is certainly a weird book, as they're billing it, and it reminds me of some the really creative material that cropped up in the 80's black and white glut with some great gems in the mix. Gieni and Lindsay are crafting an intriguing tale that plays to its own tune and you can sync up with it wonderfully if you look at it just right. There's a superficial level you can enjoy and there's the side where you can sit down for hours and just talk concepts with people, explore the artwork, and the combination as meaning. That's the sign of a fantastic work and that's what this is.

Negative Space is that kind of hard read that is so worth it because of what it can do to alter your view of your life and the world around you and to allow you to bring change into it. This final installment delivers everything it needs to and then some, making for a fantastic capping point. Lindsay and Gieni really did some great work here that may have taken a bit to get there with some of the gaps between issues but in the end it's the produced work that will remain. This is a series to snap up in trade form in a big way, devour, and then get into serious discussions with friends about as there's a lot to peel away and dig into with it. Very recommended.

While I hated that I ended up waiting as long as I did to get into Monstress, I'm glad that I've got half a year's worth of issues to dig into over the next couple of weeks before I have to suffer the wait for new issues like everyone else. Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda have put together something here that reminds me of so many of my favorite influential works but bringing their own sense into it all. While the comparatives are there at the moment in order to showcase the way it can be accessible to new readers, this is a series that I believe will stand alongside them for years to come in the same way with other books being compared to it. This is an impressive first issue that has so much potential with the talents involved that it's almost intoxicating.

Monstress works to build its world more here and Marjorie Liu is essentially bringing a novel to life in this form, something that so many other books rarely feel like or are capable of. What allows it to truly work, however, is Sana Takeda's artwork. Takeda does some jaw-dropping work throughout this to really make it come to life with a richness and detail that's just stunning. Every scene, every panel, has these little details that engage and stand out with the way it makes it so lived in and authentic that you could easily imagine that she's illustrating this from a real place with real people. The flow of the book is fantastic, especially considering all the dialogue and narration, and it feels like a substantial read rather than a casual flip-through and done in five minutes or less. It's the kind of book that feels very much worth every penny and then some.

Monstress continues to be a dense read but it's a combination of both the writing and the artwork. There's a lot of detail to what Liu is putting into her scripts with the dialogue but also in the design of the world, which gives Takeda a whole lot to work with and expand upon. It's such a visual treat to dig into each of the panels " made easier with the zoom capability with the digital edition " and just admire all the work that goes into it.

Monstress is a fantastic realization of world building in comics while also telling the story of the characters themselves. It's blending the two in the right way without favoring one over the other in an unbalanced way. They complement and build each other and that ends up creating something that's complex (but not complicated) where you have to work at it just a bit to really engage with it. This is not a casual read but something you sit down to absorb and realize that you will be revisiting past installments regularly to find new context and connections and become even more engaged with it. Liu and Takeda are master weavers with this work right out of the gate and I'm fearful of how it'll be with a couple of years of issues under their belt as it builds into the endgame. Fantastic stuff worth being here from the start for.

Monstress adds more to its overall mythology and does a lot of great stuff here. Liu's crafting of this world and its characters is strong and engaging, making for some really great scenes throughout and forward progress in natural ways with great twists. Takeda is fantastic here once again and I feel like I can't sing her praises enough with what she does with the layouts, details, and just the flow of panels. While there isn't anything that's radically creative or over the top it does present a real mastery of what's going on and how to bring it out in a smooth and engaging way. This is a book worth re-reading multiple times for multiple reasons and taking in all the details of the artwork is a big one.

Monstress continues to be a book that I really want to soak up on a monthly basis but also find myself frustrated by it because I want to just bing on it in a big way. Like, reading a novel kind of way. Liu and Takeda hit some really big points here that serves to close out the opening arc and it adds lots of details and a change in the dynamic between some of the characters. New reveals are made and it feels like there's progress afoot, even if it's not entirely discernible at the moment. This is a series that merits re-reading multiple times as new installments come out and reading arcs in full in order to get ready for what's next to come. Great stuff and very recommended.

This issue works good as a quasi-launching point with its smaller focus on Maika and those around her without going deep into the woods with other characters elsewhere and that helped to make it feel a lot more cohesive. Liu's craft is pretty damn strong here and the pairing with Takeda just makes it utterly brilliant to watch unfold. It's so easy to get lost within the details of the pages and forget the story because of what she does here. I can't recommend it enough, though I'll continue to say that this is a series you want in trades for the most part.

Monstress continues to move at a really good pace, one that's almost a bit disconcerting after the first six issues of the series. There was so much in there with so many locations and characters that it was overwhelming in all the right ways to hook you. Here, with its smaller focus and slower pace, we get a better look at where Maika is now and the dynamic between her and her compatriots as well as how they come across to others. I really like the crew of this ship, which means we're going to lose some of them to be sure, but Liu and Takeda do so much in such little space to make us care about them and become invested in them that it reminds you how poorly so many other books out there are doing it.

Good stuff all around here that's building a fascinating world that's richly detailed and brought to life through Takeda's impossible to praise too much artwork.

Aliens: Dead Orbit grabbed me from very early on just for its visual style in bringing us this cramped and claustrophobic world with all of its detail. As the crew and our lead character come into focus, a collection of people that will be killed soon enough, the sense of dread builds quickly and effectively. Stokoe's pacing is spot on here and what we know of the cast is engaging with the lives they lead and what they have to deal with. The mystery of the new ship and the arrival of the xenomorphs inside hopefully has a flashback tale to be told as I want to know the journey of this ship and its crew but I'm also excited to see how things unfold on this station once it gets running. I'm definitely excited to see where this goes as Stokoe has everything lined up perfectly.

Aliens: Dead Orbit is delivering some great material here as it works within the realm of the familiar. That's something that could be a problem with other works but the Aliens franchise opens itself up to a lot of interpretation and creativity in both writing and art so that each can stand alone without being judged truly against the rest. Stokoe has crafted a great environment for this to play out in that leaves me wanting more of it (and a live-action incarnation already, even if it would likely play out a little like Saturn 9) just to really connect with the location and characters. There's a lot more to come with how this will unfold and the violence is only just now really getting ready to begin, and hopefully a twist or two along the way.

Aliens: Dead Orbit continues to delight from issue to issue but I also know at this stage that it's going to be an even stronger read in a single sitting. Stokoe's artwork is hugely engaging for me as there's so much to take in that if you just "read" it quickly, which you can for many pages because of the light or non-existent dialogue, you're missing a lot of what's making this such a strong work. It's worth several reads and really digging into the detail over and over to just soak it all up. Very recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series from start to finish as James Stokoe delivered a strong work across the board. The gap between issues is a killer but for those that read it in the future they'll have a single run to just absorb and enjoy. This is almost a theatrical experience in what he produces here, giving us enough character to set the stage but keeping the focus on the tension, panic, and chaos that comes from trying to survive. The details are incredible and I love the look of this from the layouts to the character designs. This issue goes a bit bigger on the exteriors and that made me want a lot more of that as well. Definitely a great book and a wonderful way to dig into the franchise a bit more without needing a huge amount of mythology to engage with.

All Star Western is one of those kinds of books that I really wanted to support because it is bringing something different to the table while still working within the existing framework of the larger DC Universe. I love that it can give us some historical context, though you obviously don't want that to be a constant and overriding factor. Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray do a bang-up job here of creating the Gotham of the 1880′s and inserting Jonah Hex into it as well as a supporting cast that demands more time be spent with them. It can all easily turn into a soap opera drama of sorts but there's a lot of appeal in that by seeing how Gotham operated all these years ago. Combining that with Moritat's artwork, the extra pages, the lack of double page spreads and a great sense of pacing, All Star Western knocks it out of the park with ease and demands you come back for the second issue as quickly as possible. Worth every penny.

While there's less pages devoted to the main storyline here, which is disappointing, the actual content itself is solid. The exposition is a bit less than the first but the focus on the characters is thoroughly enjoyable, especially as we get to see Hex cut loose in dealing with a large group of undesirables. Palmiotti and Gray continue to have a very enjoyable book here because the core character of Hex makes it so as they've learned him inside and out over the last few years.

It should also be a success because Leila Leiz is an utterly fantastic discovery here in how she brings this to life. While I tend to do my second and third passes on a book for certain details or looking at the script in full to see what I missed, this book kept me for both of those revisits just for the artwork and greater appreciation of Bonvillain's color work on it. I'm already eager for the first arc to be done and over with so I can savor it in full as the monthly wait is going to be a rough one.

I'm not surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. The creative team behind it is strong and the other works from James Patrick definitely have delivered when it came to the concept and setting things up. And the execution and follow-through for that matter. With this series, the opening salvo is very strong and I'm excited to see what kinds of chances it'll take and what it really wants to do and say. I'm ready for heartbreak within the story as I can easily see how badly things will go but have a hard time seeing it go right, which is what the real world has done to me. I'm hopeful that there's hope in all of this, however, as it would be really nice to be inspired. I think this may be the team that can pull that off.

Astronaut Down is playing with a pretty familiar concept for a lot of comic readers but James Patrick is able to deliver it in a pretty engaging way. It doesn't feel like it has some of the usual fluff that we get or subplot material that's counterproductive to the tension. Watching our lead work through the situation and trying to grapple with it is definitely engaging and I love what Rubine brings here with the visual design and Briski's color work to highlight the way everything looks.The green hue to everything through the exposed light is intriguing to see play out and how it would re-color the way clothing and so much more would operate. I'm excited to see what's next.

There's a lot to like with this property and while it does feel like it's a screenplay moved to comics to some degree, that doesn't change the fact that it's pretty engaging and interesting. It works with some tough concepts and ideas in how people would react to a situation like this and I rather like seeing it going through to places where there aren't easy answers because of the conditions at play. It's a series that I wouldn't mind much if it ends on a real downer because of the motivations at play and what's going on, though I can imagine a few outs that would change everything. Regardless, this is a really solid installment that ups the ante and highlights the complexity of what's going on in moral terms that's definitely intriguing.

I'm really enjoying this series and wish we had a longer form one that really had a chance to explore the stresses and pressures of it more. Douglas is really grappling with some difficult things here and it plays well in the space that we get so I'm certainly not holding anything against it. It's a creative way to work things and seeing him trying to cope with what he feels as a failure while having the real chance at ahppeinss and fulfillment right there in front of him is great. There are no easy answers here and someone will always be hurt by any choice made, so it's coming down to what he feels is the right thing and going forward with that. How it'll play out is what makes the upcoming finale exciting.

I really enjoyed this series overall with what it did and the complexity of what it's trying to get across. As Patrik says in the afterword, it could have gone in a lot of different directions and I'd actually be curious to see how so many of them could have turned out – except for the one lettered in comic sans. The concept here is a solid one and it delivers a familiar thing in a way that resonates and works well. The script is solid with a good mix of action elements and character material with some great dialogue and difficult things for the characters to work through. I loved the look of it as Rubine consistently delivers (and avoids mullets as necessary) so that we have something that really strands out, especially in Briski's work in the color design for these infected areas. Definitely a treat for those that discover it in collected form.

Definitely a lot of fun, beautifully illustrated and a hell of a potentially great ride ahead.

Chrononauts is pure guilty pleasure painted across a big, beautiful canvas. I expected a crazy fun time with the talent involved here and it's paying off immensely in just the second issue, which makes me even more excited about what's to come. There's some good unpredictability about events here that certainly drives this well and there's a lot to like in the way we see Corbin and Danny deal with everything, first with their individual situations and with each other, before they go all out and just live life in the moment. Playing all that out while seeing it from the command center's point of view as well makes for a laugh but it also adds a bit of weight to it because you know the other shoe is going to drop, and hard, in unpredictable ways sooner rather than later. Very fun stuff and a great read.

Chrononauts essentially assaults the senses here and takes you on quite the ride. I'll admit, a lot of attention at the moment is on the visual thrill of the Mad Max: Fury Road movie. While I don't expect the Chrononauts film to match it, if they manage to capture even half the energy of this book in this particular issue with its crazy chase sequence across time, they'll definitely be striving for some lofty but attainable goals. There's a crazy kind of fun to all of this as the guys ride it out as best as they can, and the collateral damage is just striking in seeing it all unfold. I can't help but wonder about some of the mechanics of all of this, having been raised on hard science fiction, but I'm able to push it off to the side simply to enjoy the surreal and hilarious run that we get here. Danny and Corbin are definitely far too much fun to watch in this form.

Chrononauts is an absolute treat of a series to read from start to finish. While it felt a bit wonky in the first issue as you tried to connect to what it wanted to do, once it got underway it was just a crazy action adventure piece with two wild and crazy guys. You have to totally discount the science of it all when you get down to it, which is easy with most time travel based properties, and just enjoy it like the characters do. There are serious things along the way, but for the most part it wants to just enjoy what a situation like this could provide, but not in your old school stoner style that we might often get instead, or something hyper militarized and dramatic. It finds the right mixture of fun and adventure along with tension and great action scenes. Very recommended across the board.

Having been out of the Conan loop for quite a long time, this was an excellent re-introduction to the character and has left me eagerly anticipating more issues. A lot of first issues really don't do a good job of being a jumping on point and making it accessible to new readers while still being serviceable and engaging for existing fans, but Brian Wood nailed it just right here. It makes me want to check out some of his earlier adventures while eagerly looking forward to more. And Becky Cloonan captured it just right with the artwork, with his rough and ragged style while also bringing in the striking and disturbing beauty that is Belit. There aren't many books that make me really want another issue right away, but the first installment of the Queen of the Black Coast has done just that and more can't come soon enough.

While material involving Belit directly is a bit slim here, she has some great scenes and the issue moves the story forward in a quick and exciting way. The focus is kept squarely on Conan and we definitely see how quickly lives can end here, either by his hand directly or just being near him when you get down to things. His role as a catalyst in life is evident here very plainly and it follows up what we got in the first issue very well. That gave us a lot of material about Belit from the sailors point of view and here we get just a bit more first hand material. Both of these instances serves to really entice us even more about her, to want to know more. And seeing how she gets as it goes on here, it practically demands you come back for another issue. I've always liked Conan on a basic level, but I don't think I've ever been this enthused about the character in comic form.

This series continues to just utterly delight me. With its standalone nature from the rest of the DCU, we're able to just delve into a story without worrying about the bigger picture while knowing that we're all wrapped up in this world. The focus on Constantine and Midnite with a good dash of Oliver and the introduction of the real dangers here keeps the book moving, pretty damn snappy, and highly engaging. Doyle and Tynion are really nailing John in terms of his character, especially set against Midnite, but it's Rossmo and Level that are crushing it with this book. The artwork and layouts as well as the detail is just fantastic. It all comes together in such a beautiful way that I want more quickly, but would wait an age to get more of this quality.

The ongoing Bombshells series is one of my favorite things to dig into and I love what Bennett has been doing there with the characters, the direction, and the tweaks to this timeline. How she gets as much done as she does is beyond me but the results are fantastic, particularly with this book. The ongoing series has so much more that can be done that I hope this annual shows that some spin-offs or one-shots can be produced and made to be a whole lot of fun as ways to tie into other events. This book does a lot of great character stuff that will change part of the ongoing and I'm excited to see how that will play out. I'm also over the moon at getting such great artwork and sense of fun and love out of it from Charretier as I've thoroughly enjoyed what I've seen from her in the past year and hope she finds more opportunity to play in the Bombshells field.

Is that optimism I feel? Hope? Potential? I've felt it before but there's that sense about Rebirth that they have figured it out, that they are trying to do a course correct here. Not just a post-Flashpoint course correct but an industry-wide course correct going back to the darkening of the 80's comics. The comics industry as a whole is bigger and wider now than it ever was before in terms of the content produced and taking the chance, the risk, of trying to infuse more hope and optimism into the superhero side is hugely appealing.

Doctor Star is a familiar story told in a familiar way but with such a polished and engaging execution riding on top of the events of other Black Hammer universe works that it's simply raised up by that alone. Lemire and Fiumara are strong talents playing at the top of their game here and it shows. I've long enjoyed works that tackle the past in a new light and it's been going on for decades and can still have surprises. This one is setting up its foundations very well with an engaging character in the title role, putting in a few supporting connections, and pulling it all together with fantastic artwork that gives it the emotional weight it needs. The next issue cannot come soon enough.

It continues to be little surprise that I'm enjoying this as much as the main series and the other miniseries that we had set within the Black Hammer universe.

With little in the way of anything in the fantastic here overall, this is a very small and personal installment with Jim dealing with the harsh reality of his life choices. Lemire and Fiumara gave us a great story that adds more character to the Black Hammer universe in all the right ways. It's a beautiful tale overall and it doesn't go for quick and easy fixes but instead simply delivers the reality of it and that makes for a strong connection. These read very well in individual form but I can imagine it'll be an even stronger read when done in a full sitting/trade. Very recommended.

Fu Jitsu was the kind of blitz of a surprise that I like about trying new books. I had no idea what to expect going into it and it took a bit to reorient into its own particular style, but once you do it just wins you over completely. Nitz and St. Claire go into this with some great energy and enthusiasm that it's positively infectious. Nitz handles the info dump as well as can be and it serves to make Wadlow an interesting character right out of the gate. What really helps is that St. Claire really does deliver in the visual design as there's a richness to it that makes it worth poring over afterward, especially digitally, to soak up all the details. This should be one hell of a ride if the opening installment is any indication.

With the show off the air and the third season not exactly lighting a fire under me with enjoyment, I'm really digging this series and what it's doing. It feels like in some ways it's able to go more all-in on the relationship and the physical-fun side of it as well as with the dialogue. And that kind of openness about the pairing means it works even better. It's definitely a lot of fun to see them navigating things here and Ivy trying to figure out how to be the one in charge while Harley struggles working with the “batfam” as she puts it. We get a decent subplot here with Batgirl and Nighwing in dealing with Lady Firefly but it's more just to showcase some action and connections to Harley it seems like.

This series continues to be a pretty dense one as there are a lot of things going on in each issue, a lot of dialogue, and a lot of panels. It works well because there is so much happening and that it feels like the show without it trying to be active in the same way. Franklin definitely gets that it's two different mediums and rules and is using the comic side to its advantage to tell its own story but also complement the show. It again looks great with Mikel stepping in for the artwork here and delivers something delightful within the larger Harley framework.

Lucky Devil starts off incredibly strong here. The narrative is engaging, the dialogue works well, the concept hits the right notes and covers a good deal of ground here, and it just opens up into all kinds of possibilities. And then there's Fran Galan's artwork. Bunn sets everything up right so that Galan can just go to town, from the absolutely beautiful old-school Playboy-esque nature of the two shots of Stanley's girlfriend we get to the ultraviolence of what happens when Zed's cut loose and out of control. The settings look great, the diverse settings hit a sweet spot, and Stanley is presented as the right kind of wimpy down on his luck white guy schlub that works as a good shorthand to allow time to be spent covering other areas. I can't wait to see more.

I really liked the opening installment of this series and this one carries things forward well without it picking up exactly where we left off. Stanley isn't the type to worry and confuse himself over what he should do but is instead the rare character with determination and intent, which is a dangerous combination even without demonic powers. Watching him grow here is definitely a lot of fun to watch because it reinforces just how dangerous he is and the way his plans are coming together – and the obstacles that are starting to appear. Bunn's script is solid as always, economical where it needs to be, while Galan's artwork is a delight in the variety to the character designs and the general visuals for all things demonic.

Lucky Devil continues to be a fun twist on things when it comes to this concept. Bunn has our Stanley playing in a few areas with his influence growing thanks to the demonic powers but we also see that he hasn't lost his humanity. He's taking an interesting approach to the whole heaven and hell thing in a way that could actually help humanity, or doom it for reasons yet unknown. The dialogue is fun and I continue to like the cast overall, but it really stands out all the more with Galan's great artwork, especially with the color design that's being used for it. The whole thing just clicks wonderfully.

Overall, this is a fantastic team that I hope reunites if not for more of this but for another project to play with as they're definitely well-suited with the end result.

I totally loved the serious and grim take we had on the Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys in the previous miniseries we had but I am absolutely loving this Nancy Drew series. Though there is serious material here that it doesn't shy away from it's something that feels a bit lighter, a bit more accessible, and just absolutely beautiful to look at. Jenn St-Onge put together a great looking book that just made me want it to be a slice of life book to enjoy everyone hanging out and having fun together. But Kelly Thompson has given us the first tastes of the story to come and it takes a dangerously dark turn at the end. I'm excited to see where this goes.

The Omega Men isn't something that comes across as new reader friendly, and frankly I don't think it's even established reader or lapsed reader friendly. There's not a lot of exposition here to set up the time frame or events that seem to be surrounding this, nor is there a lot of digestible dialogue from those chasing them since it's a smattering of English and alien language, with only names really being understandable. It sets the mood and tone, but it doesn't make it accessible. Or interesting when you get down to it.

The Omega Men is a series where I fully feel like I get my value from the book with what it does. With a solid read to it and some beautifully detailed artwork with fantastic layout designs, I'm feeling fully immersed in this world even as I'm struggling to understand it all as a lot is place on the reader. We get a bit more about the Alpha and the Omega religious-ish aspect of the culture, more about the Citadel and their operations, and a nudge as to what Kyle's role in all of this may be as it goes on. There's some really stark moments that hit hard about what's happening as it does make it clear that these aren't heroes in the classical sense, but rather rebels that have to make hard choices in their struggles to free likeminded people. I'm definitely very hopeful about this series as it's off to a very promising start.

King and Bagenda are putting together an utterly amazing book here. I've been wary of it because I have a hard time believing books like this can last from publishers, but each installment just draws me in all the more and captivates me. King's dialogue and use of character is spot on here and with Kalista it feels like he's found a really strong voice to work with that can make for some really big scenes in the future. It's a great story that's taking shape here but one that is hugely driven by Bagenda's work. These aren't alien worlds in the old sense of weirdness from 1950's science fiction but rather weird worlds from the standards of today. It's a cruel galaxy out there and Bagenda's vision of it comes through in a really haunting way as we see Euphorix here even from afar, understanding its oppressive nature. There's a lot to like here and Omega Men is one of those books you really have to work for. But the payoff so far has been very, very rich.

The Omega Men has quickly become one of the best books of the year for me, which naturally makes me fear its fate. With these first four issues we've gotten a strong story with some fantastic characters and beautiful artwork. Cypress handles things well as the guest artist here, sticking to the style but bringing in his own flair, while King continues to weave some beautiful storytelling here overall even as he mostly focuses on just two characters. Rayner is humanized here in the space of half an issue in a way that I don't think has been done in a compelling way in the years since his introduction. There's a great sense of the tragic about him tied to the altruistic side that's generally out of vogue. Sweeping him into this space based arc with a heavy focus on science fiction more so than space opera is a big positive in grounding the dreamer before he can be rebuilt. I'm hugely enthused for this series and all four installments are must-read books.

This series has been an utterly delight from the first panel as it's a book that makes you work for it. This installment gives us a look at the world of Changralyn and the kind of religious aspect that permeates this quadrant in general. It's easy to see why the Guardians have an agreement to stay out of here since there's a whole lot of fanatics as we've seen from several of the worlds so far. This issue really drives home that point in a big way and its focus on Broot is spot on and fantastic. I'm excited to see how these pieces all come together and what revelations, twists and turns are still ahead. King is crafting a fantastic story here that I'm already eager to read in full again and the work of Bagenda in this issue is just fantastic. The ability to make these people like Broot come alive like he does is just striking and wonderful.

The Omega Men turn in another strong and striking sequence with what it does here in exploring the characters and advancing the larger storyline incrementally and in big ways. The physical progress is definitely nicely done as it really does move us around the quadrant and it balances that with some great character material as we get to know who these people are and what their real goals are. I'm hugely intrigued to see where it will end up going and what twists are ahead. Though King gets the plugs for the story and the pacing of it, the work done by Bagenda here is once again phenomenal. I just can't help but to love what he puts into every panel on every page with the detail and the beauty of how the colorists bring it out even more. There's something magical about this book as it feels a lot more like comics for grown-ups than I expected it to be. It's handily winning me over each issue and has me wishing that there were a few more books from DC like this to savor.

The Omega Men has a fairly traditional escape installment here that's made fantastic in its actual execution. With beautiful visuals in both character and backgrounds " those backgrounds! " and a very smooth flow in how the panels are laid out, it's so easy to be caught up in this book with what it's attempting to do that you just enjoy the singular aspects while also taking in as a part of the whole work that King and company are crafting here. Giving the majority of the focus to Kyle and Kalista definitely works here " I practically want a Kalista solo book if I can't have a weird one of the two of them together " and I love how it all comes back together at the end with enough time to really up the anticipation for what's to come. Fantastic stuff across the board here.

King and Bagenda have crafted an amazing story here that has hit one of its biggest high points yet and has me craving the next installment immediately. Each issue has built this narrative in a great way with all its twists and turns that now take on a new context with what we know and in turn demands a full rereading, which is the sign for me of a fantastic series. A lot of this would not have worked without the simply excellent artwork from Barnaby Bagenda as he continues to do some fantastic layout designs that draws you deep into the story while providing character designs that just grab me in a huge way. I love this book and can't wait to just consume it all at once when all is said and done.

I wasn't sure if King could maintain things with this issue after what he did the last time around but he damn well pulled it off and set things up for Kyle to really be interesting with how he tries to resolve this. I'm excited to see what comes next for this group as the chaos is likely to just expand from here, especially now that hard choices are going to have to be made. The book continues to be a treat across the board and once again Bagenda just absolutely nails everything here with the visual placement, the layout design itself, and all of the little details that creeps into it here and there both in character and background. This is once again one of those books that you really do read several times to soak up all the details and savor it each and every time.

As events continue to grow and we dig into the harsh realities of it all, the Omega Men are on the frontlines and finally feel like they're achieving something. They've spent so long plotting and planning while surviving and trying to get things into place that they can now just act and feel like they're in the moment – even with all the chaos and the realities of a war like this. It'll be interesting to see how all this resolves as it feels like there are a few twists yet to hit, but damn if the ride isn't thrilling throughout. King and Bagenda have delivered since the start and this installment is no exception.

The Omega men is a powerful work when taken in small monthly doses and I can only imagine it being an even more powerful work when read in full. I'm excited to see how the finale plays out but also saddened that there won't be opportunities for future exploration by this team with the structures they've created. King and Bagenda have seeded some fascinating and intriguing material into the DC Universe that elevates it as a whole, putting the galactic stage on a very different level. While I suspect few, if any, will get to play with it depending on how Rebirth goes, this is a strong and self contained storyline that is a must-read that belongs on every comic readers shelf to remind of just what the medium can do with familiar characters long thought to be outdated by the years.

The Omega Men has been one of the best books I've read this past year and a solid and complete work that just completely delighted me month after month. This issue serves as a perfect epilogue of sorts to what's gone down with how this war unfolded and the sheer attrition that went on during it. King and Bagenda have put together something truly special here that will get overlooked by many for some time to come because it played to the science fiction side of the DC Universe instead of the usual capes and cowls on Earth. When people do discover in trade form and in sales in years to come, they'll find what a lot of us were raving about and truly treasure the experience they get out of it. This is the kind of work that helps to push the boundaries within the big established universe and I can't wait to follow these creators onto new works to see what they have in store for us elsewhere.

Queen of Swords does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to Serra this time around and it definitely works well. I find her a far more engaging character now and I like the support that she's getting from La'Kandra and the way Deadheart is just all-in on “face it, fix it” with everything. The action in this installment is solid and there's a lot of things going on but the dynamic we get to see more of with Soren and Serra and understanding Soren goes a long way toward explaining a lot of other events. I'me excited to see how it all comes together for the finale and where it'll spin into next because I want to keep seeing these characters in some form and what they're going to do.

I really enjoyed this series overall and I imagine those who read it collected will have a great time with it as well. It's pretty straightforward and fun action/fantasy material with a good sense of humor but also a pretty serious approach in general. It doesn't devolve into wacky but it also knows when to be lighter and more human and engaging. I do think we're going to need a good series checklist soon to show how all of this fits together for newer readers coming in but this one manages to stand alone pretty well even while knowing that thee are lot of interconnected parts from the past journeys of all of these characters. It's a great read with fun and fantastic artwork that tells its tale and gets on and ready for what's next. Easily recommended for fans of this genre and those that are just starting to sample it.

I thrilled to pretty much every issue of the original Rebels series and it's one that reads well both as individual chapters and as an overall work in one very engaging sitting. This series begins to expand upon what people fought for and the hard work of actually working and creating a functional government to protect and serve all people. Brian Wood's script may get a bit exposition heavy at times but it captures the nature of these men and the politics of the time – and how they were expressed in sessions – just right. Combine that with Mutti's artwork that captures not just them well but the curious nature of John Abbot, the worry of Mercy and Seth, and the loss of other children along the way and you've got a book that's rich and top shelf. A must read.

Very good material all around and a strong part of the larger whole that's being woven together.

Rebels continues to engage and entice me with what it does. The series is exploring some neat areas of history through John Abbott's eyes and it's revealing certain things and ideas that can make for rich and engaging stories – pushing me toward looking for some good historical fiction to expand upon what Brian Wood and Andrea Mutti are doing here. There's a lot to like in understanding more of this period and what was going on and the creative team is firing on all cylinders once again.

The second Rebels series is delivering a strong story of John Abbott with some nice ties to his past in regards to his father and how he viewed the differences in what men are fighting for. The historical aspects are definitely interesting to engage with and seeing how the son views what the father did and the situation they were in compared to the nature of it under a full on government setting definitely works well. Wood's script keeps this very human, which isn't easy with someone like Abbott, and Mutti delivers another round of beautiful pages that just keep me poring over the details of the characters and ships to soak it all up. Very good stuff.

Rebels continues to be a must-read series for me as it delves into some fascinating stuff and brings it to life well, and makes me want to see out novels that explores the truth and reality of this time. Wood's scripts are minimal in a way but they convey a lot and the dialogue helps to present several fronts to soak up. Andrea Mutti was a favorite of mine on the previous series and he's once again delivering some fantastic pages, particularly those opening pieces in New York and then the beauty of Vermont when it shifts up there. Great stuff all around and definitely worth sinking your teeth into.

This story works an interesting reworking of various events of the time to showcase Washington and some of his views and approach to what was going on. With him being barely in his early twenties at this stage there's definitely the presentation of a confidence and assuredness that's interesting to see, both in dealing with the natives and the British administrators. The dialogue is modern enough as one would expect but the back and forth works well to give a good feel for all involved. As with past issues, Andrea Mutti simply kills with this series as his style is perfectly suited for it, especially with Affe's color work. There's a lot to like just in taking in facial expressions and exploring the details of the backgrounds and costume design along. Good stuff and it leaves you looking forward to what the next two issues will bring for this run of the property.

Rebels has another great standalone issue that explores more of this period of the Revolutionary War and the many weird and strange stories that exist within it. A nod to Hamilton is certainly fun and getting a look at what happens to people alongside the war when they're not actively fighting is always interesting, as it dealing with the younger aged group. The book has a lot to like in terms of story but I almost want to say that this was more like a revelation for me with Casalanguida's artwork. I've really enjoyed his work on a few other series I've read recently but here it just seems like it comes alive in a very different way with the character designs and the landscapes that I want to see a whole lot more of this kind of work from him.

Similar to the first series, I cannot recommend this property enough. Dramatizing historical events is nothing new but when it come to American history we seem to be stuck on certain eras and people as opposed to telling the wider, richer, and engaging stories that exist out there because there's no perceived interest. But until you put it out there and showcase the drama, intrigue, and the larger than life personalities nobody will know that there is an interest. Brian Wood's work here has been fantastic from start to finish and I wish it was getting far more attention, not just from readers, but from developers of film and TV projects because I want this to spring to life with even more intensity and richness. But, until then, we have this series and all the treasures that it offers, including this installment with some gorgeous artwork from Joan Urgell that has me looking for more of their projects.

I went knowingly into this book that there would be no answers given here, especially this early. With Simone's work on the prior series and what she's accomplished since then, I'm in the camp that's hopeful for an intriguing and layered story with feints and teases along the way to the real truths of it. What Simone and Lashley do here is to introduce us to a tense situation, give us a variety of characters that you can latch onto in different ways and others that you want to know more about, and to make it brim with excitement because everything feels like it's going to come crashing to a close rather than just being the start of something. Normally a push like this in the final pages would feel very forced with what it's trying to do, but the combination of pacing, artwork and character material already elevates it to something more. And oh boy do I want more.

The story setup here is spot on as it serves both as a strong launching point for people new to the books but familiar with the characters while also serving as a strong bit of story progression from both ongoings, though heavily towards the Vader series. Jason Aaron has found his groove recently in the main book and that shows here. The real "surprise" for me here is seeing Mike Deodato's artwork on the book. I've enjoyed his artwork before, but man, this just feels like he's put absolutely everything into it as a kind of culminating point to show how big he can go. It's the kind of book where I'm glad I'm reading digitally so I can pinch and zoom to really look at the details up close. This is a strikingly beautiful work with great captures of the actors blended in while still being its own thing. Forget Secret Wars, this is the event of 2015 to be reading.

This is definitely a dark horse favorite of mine of the relaunch so far since it has such a vested and unique history to it. Similar to Batgirl, it's a character and title that took many chances over the years and defined itself because of it so going back and doing anything that may change it makes people hesitant. But if this first issue is the barometer to go by, we're in for one hell of a treat.

With the first two issues of the series, Swamp Thing completely reinforces my decision to make this a release day same-day purchase. I'm trying to keep my pull list for those small, to the titles I really want to read that keep me intrigued and excited and Swamp Thing hits a lot of good moments here. The story of Calbraith is awkward at first until you realize how it fits into things and then you read it again to get more out of it. There's a lot of infodump material coming here, but it's made compelling through the way it's revealed and though Paquette's artwork, though the double page spreads didn't work that well for me as the flow didn't feel natural. But it's a small quibble compared to all the positives here. The third issue can't come fast enough, especially after the end of issue tease we get here.

There's a lot to like here. A lot. I'm not the biggest fan of horror material but this book opens well even if some of the general ideas are familiar ones. Pepose handles the pacing very well and as it settles on Vieri you find yourself drawn in more and more to what's going on. There are good layers of complexity it can exploit but also keep it quite personal to the characters directly Cormack's artwork is just fantastic and Justin Birch's lettering plays in some complicated panels expertly so that it adds to the tension and excitement as it unfolds. I'm really curious to see just how dark and grim this can go and what it can do if it's untethered from being truly historical and just making some real changes to the world it exists in. But even if it sticks small and behind the scenes in a sense, it sets up an exciting story to delve into that I suspect won't pull any punches.

Bunn has put together a very layered tale that draws you into the lives of a lot of characters that you want to follow almost all of them to see more of before things go crazy. That's not easy to do and so many creators fall very short in this regard. But Bunn infuses amazing life into his works with a cast like this. Hurtt and Campbell take it to a whole other level with the design and color work so that it's incredibly rich and distinctive as we get the modern tale and an array of views of different periods and types of monsters with their settings.

There is a lot going on in this issue as we get more of the monsters rising to claim the title of god of monsters and they all have an agenda that doesn't go with the other.

Each of the three tales here presents their own take on things and works through a different approach to the kind of tone it wants. There's an ease and smoothness about all of them and each of them appeals to different aspects of what Thor is and who the characters has been, is now and could be in the far flung future. The beauty of comics, and superheroes in particular, is the way they can be re-interpreted in so many ways and so many times. There's a good, honest simplicity in the final story that shows us a Thor without depth but with a lot of fun. And it contrasts well to the heavy weight of the first story from Jason Aaron. But it's also well bridged by the middle story with the new mystery Thor that we're dealing with. I had a whole lot of fun with this book through and through with each team and what they brought to the page. This is an easily accessible book and the kind that really needs to be shared with audiences of all ages.

This is the kind of work that has all the polish and professionalism that you expect from creatives at the top of their game without any of the problems that come from overconfidence. It delivers something that's instantly accessible to new readers while having all the things that will draw in longtime fans of Snyder and Capullo.

The story expansion is solid but I was really captivated by the visual design here. I wanted to see more of what Capullo can do with Gus' original period and to see more of the demonfolk and how the horn transforms people more as there's a great fluidity to how its presented here. Normally, I'd really dislike all-white outfits like this and the skintight design but Capullo again makes it work in a way where I wouldn't expect, especially with the diverse crowd of characters here.

If there's an area to take issue with here, it's on the ComiXology side as they really need to have a way for Unlimited members to subscribe to the book so that when new installments arrive they show up in My Books. If you don't pay attention and check weekly, you never know when the latest issue actually arrives.

I flat out love Barbaric. I almost want to say we get too much material in this issue but it's designed to lay out the basics and get us on our journey – and I think it does it without the need for future flashbacks to expand on it more. We'll need to know the witches intent in doing this to Owen but that can all come from going forward and I'm hopeful that's the path so we can simply join Owen on his journey. And I really hope Moreci has a lot planned for this because Owen is a really great character from the get-go, as is his axe, and our first blush look at the new witch at the end is going to raise interest all the more. It's a great read with fantastic artwork that has me excited for this in a huge way.

Barbaric in its opening run – which ended a year ago next week – was an absolute blast. I'm glad it was given the time to be done right for more as I enjoyed the special we got recently and then getting into a new storyline here. It's beautifully illustrated and colored, the script is fun, and the dialogue hits right. This is not a fast read even though it has a ton of action but it also manages to feel like natural dialogue during the action without just being constant quips. There's a ton to love with this opening installment as it puts all the right pieces in play and reconnects us with our cast well. I'm excited to see what's to come and to have more adventures with this group as the concept grows and becomes more realized.

Barbaric has been firing on all cylinders since the first installment and this new series is hitting it right out of the gate. The team has a lot of fun with great dialogue, solid pacing, and a chance to let things breathe a bit as necessary as well. Again, I'm glad that we kept Owen's story to a minimum here because I can imagine it dominating soon enough but by giving Steel and Soren a chance to stand out we get to connect with them a lot more and understand what they're going through in their effort to save him. It's a strong issue in terms of character and story and it delivers the same with fantastic artwork, detail, and just a sense of self that exudes confidence in all the right ways.

One of the things that I really love about this series is that while it does focus on the big action and fighting sequences and just the comedy of the axe that Owen swings, but it also gets into real dialogue. And not just platitudes or simple things. We get steel really going into what happened to him and why he's so wary and weary with it all but continues to fight. And it explores more layers of Owen himself and how this curse has turned him even more in this direction. It's strongly scripted and the artwork is just brutally gorgeous, especially the final sequence with Deadheart we get and how Steel changes along the way. I'm excited to see how it all wraps up.

Barbaric opened strong and carries that energy and enthusiasm smoothly into the second issue here. Moreci's script covers a lot of ground with a lot of dialogue and information coming out but he also knows when to shut up and just let the action flow or the expressions convey what needs to be said. Gooden's artwork is once more fantastic and I really like what Duke is bringing to the color design, especially with Soren's flashback sequences. A little more background for the present story makes its way here but I really like how well the relationship dynamic is set for the two characters here as it avoids being fully antagonistic or instant friends as well. I like both, and I love Axe, so I'm excited for what's next.

The Hell to Pay storyline is definitely delivering on the fun, though I felt like Owen did upon seeing the frogs as well. Dropping into what's going on there takes a little bit to connect with and get the feel of but once it gets underway it's definitely a lot of fun but something I'm glad we're not spending too much time on. I like getting some time with Deadheart and the tease of what's to come there and there's a lot to like in seeing Soren doing her best to get serious and work toward their goals, even if they're being sucked into a sidequest that will be interesting to see how it unfolds. It's a solid installment that's showing more of what the real focus will be.

I've got that mixed feelings on the approach to publishing in that we're getting small series of arcs, but mostly I come away from it in that if it keeps the series in the spotlight and gets more made, it's worth it. The quality of this three-issue run is strong across the board with writing, artwork, lettering, and the color design, resulting in a fantastic experience from issue to issue. It's got a lot of great old-school feelings to it but with all the polish and maturity of modern comics to it. This scratches an 80s indie black-and-white era kind of thing for me where creators were able to just tell the story they wanted and really deliver something that feels special and unique. I'm excited for the next round to see how they handle building the mythology more of this world and how the cast handles all the big changes.

Barbaric continues to deliver what works well with the characters and its style which make for a great read. I do wonder if this would have worked better as three issues with some tighter sequences because it does have a small feeling of dragging at this point, but it's building well toward what's coming next for the finale and what it'll lead into from there. Frogly is the character you care the most about at the moment though and watching him go through that is just horrifying to watch and I'm glad both Deadheart and Owen were impacted by it. I'm hoping Soren's story tightens up a bit more though some of it may just read better when you have all of it at once instead of monthly.

Barbaric was a wonderful breath of fresh air when it began but it was also incredibly nostalgic at the same time to some of my 80s and 90s comic origins. Owe may just be a barbarian but there's plenty of nuance to him and then the whole curse thing itself. The axe is the perfect delight and I really liked how Soren was integrated into things so that while you do get sexy moments, that's ht the main focus. I'm excited to see what the future holds for this property and the seeming large plans that they have in store for it as it's off to a great start.

Barbaric continues to be a hell of a blast to read with what it does. The story is fun, the artwork is fantastic, and it continues to progress and change with each iteration with what it's trying to do. I like breaking it into smaller parts since longer ongoing books are harder to sustain and this makes it work in a clear and strong fashion. The finale for this arc provides for a lot of changes, a lot of humor, and some pretty exciting violence to unfold. I'm looking forward to seeing more of everyone's stories going forward and am glad to see where Owen is going to be at this point and what's in store for him. This property is an absolute delight that I cannot get enough of.

Bettie Page: Unbound is a fantastic bit of fun that's a great jumping on point for people.

Bettie Page Unbound started off strong with its first issue but takes such beautiful leaps here that I'm in love. Avallone's script is great and the dialogue is exactly what it needs to be but Ohta and Wright with the designs and color work with its heavy reds and blacks just makes this absolute gorgeous. Fans of Vampirella must own this book and it's the kind of work that needs to be seen outside of the usual fans in a big way. I'm pretty much just gushing over this project in general but this installment clicked for me unlike any other Bettie Page book so far. I'm excited to see what comes next as something a little Barsoom-like is on the horizon.

Having enjoyed this run so far, I was glad to see Bettie getting some time as Dejah Thoris even if they really had to make it clear that it was a parody of her world for various reasons. Bettie looks good in here and Avallone amusing takes one of the more standard leading male characters from the Barsoom works and has him come across as kind of a buffoon in a number of ways. There are fun moments of action here and I like all the time between Bettie and Jake speaking English since it reveals a lot. Ohta has a lot of fun with the creature design throughout though they play it tamer than I expect when it came to Bettie's outfit in relation to what Dejah usually wears. Still, good fun all around that has me excited for the finale.

Bettie Page: Unbound has been a blast and with another three or so issues solicited so far there's more story ahead. This issue wraps up the main storyline that we've been running with by going with a little public domain style work for the basis but I'll admit I had a lot of fun with her taking on the roles she did in the previous installments. There is a lot going on here and the minor epilogue we do get is pretty packed and fun. The main storyline is a real delight, though, as we get to see Bettie going up against some really great beings that have always been interesting to see how they'll be interpreted by different creative forces. Avallone and Ohta definitely have their own spin on it.

I've been loving Dynamite's Bettie Page books for a while now and this one is no exception. Avallone works the epilogue side well and I'm glad we're given such things to unpack each installment and let Bettie kind of move forward and realize more about herself while also making decisions about who she wants to be. Moy R handles the art this time around and it's definitely a lot of fun with a great take on the character that doesn't try to mimic the ongoing artist but instead brings their own joy and passion to it, which definitely brings Bettie to life. It's a solid installment that has me eager to see what's next for my favorite pin-up.

With a gorgeous cover and a fun setup to everything, Bettie Page: Unbound gets its next arc underway with ease. It's easy to read into it a bit by some of the selling points but the fun is certainly there in the campy 50s era material that populated a lot of projects as fears of Communism rose significantly and loss of a way or life lead people to darkly dangerous ways to combat it. Bettie's on the outside with all of this and while she does some silly stuff herself, such as keeping Lyssa at too much of a distance, we're going to see her doing what she does best in figuring out the scam that's being worked. Avallone has her moving in a really good direction once again and with more pages from Ohta in our future, I'm just excited to see what's to come.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers in its various forms are some of my favorite movies so the fun of a Bettie Snatchers storyline is right up my alley. Avallone is having a lot of fun here as it's playing pretty straight into classic horror of the day while Baal, stepping in on the artwork here, captures the surreal aspects really well. It's weird and quirky and I'm not sure how the whole thing is going to go but I know it's going to have some great fashion, action, and some hilariously over the top lines at times.

Bettie Page has been firing on all cylinders for a while now and this issue is no exception. It's also a bit of a change from the recent storylines as she's more out on her own than usual and she's not quite as filled with quips either, highlighting the seriousness of what she's facing. This issue puts it in even clearer terms while heightening her fear levels as well because of just how nuts the whole situation is. Avallone's script keeps things moving with an "on the train" installment while the trio of artists provide for some solid continuity across styles so that it's a good experience for the reader without anything jarring. And I'll say it again, what a cover!

Bettie Page Unbound is moving right along and it's proving to be a lot of fun. I'm enjoying the Bettie Snatchers storyline as it plays out but it does have something of a lighter touch than other stories, not quite as deep and fewer reveals so far as to the truth of what's going on just yet. But it's using that lightness to keep it hopping with Bettie on the move and doing her best to save the world and her friends once more. It's a fun read with great artwork that makes me smile through just about every page watching it unfold. Very easily recommended.

The end of this storyline may follow out in a familiar and predictable way but it offers a lot of neat little moments to draw upon going forward. Avallone has crafted some really strong stories for the comics incarnation of Bettie Page that have been delightfully fun, silly, exciting, and full of adventure. It's the kind of thing that you look at and think it shouldn't work in the slightest and then are amazed not only that it works but works so well. Crafting the tales with a team like this with Ohta and Wright as well just takes it to a whole other level. I can't recommend these various runs enough as something that should be required reading. Great stuff throughout and a solid end to this storyline.

Dark Ark clicked for me in a very surprising way and has me really curious to see where Bunn and Doe are going to go with it. It's open to a lot of potential, especially if we get to see more of the other ark and how it's all going to factor together. Doe really gets to go big with the visual design here as the creatures are intriguing, the layouts are fantastic, and the distinctiveness in the colors – especially in contrast to the very earthy color work on Shrae and his family – really sets a fantastic tone. This is a book that I'm eager to see more of with where it wants to go and to just soak up for Doe's visual design alone as it's very strong. Definitely worth checking out!

I'm thrilled that Dark Ark is back with a new series. I was a huge fan of the first and the path that Bunn took us on. Doe's artwork and color design is a huge part of the appeal and that holds true here as it's wonderfully distinctive and connects well in showing off this world at this point in time. This new chapter is opening in the right way by touching on the past a bit more so we can understand the present and future for some of the characters while also exploring how everything is going after the end of the first series. There's a lot more to explore and I can't wait to see what else this team has in mind for those who survived the Dark Ark – and if we'll ever see Noah and his ark.

Dark Ark lays out several paths of where the story is going to go and that's without knowing how the arrival of Aris will change things. That's bringing something different from the past into the present and really set some competitive moments for Khalee to recognize and deal with. There's a lot to like in pretty much all of these paths that are laid out before us and I want to see all of them, especially more of Kruul and his club out practicing. Bunn has a lot of irons in the fire for this storyline and JJuna Doe does an excellent job of bringing it to life but also to a whole other level.

Dark Ark got my attention easily with the first issue and the second one really does cement my interest in it. Cullen Bunn has something that's intriguing and tense as it feels like a powder keg ready to blow and that's something that Juan Doe brings to life wonderfully panel after panel. I've enjoyed his artwork before but this feels like he's operating on a whole other level and coming into it with a kind of creative freedom that's just taking it to a new height. This issue ramps things up, explores more of the creature dynamics, and sets in motion more of the chaos that's going to follow. I can't wait to have more and at the same time I'm fearful of how it's going to end, and how quickly we'll end up at that point. Very recommended.

The Dark Ark series gets underway again after taking a few months off and moves along smoothly enough, even if I'm not a fan of changing artists in the slightest. The story elements are all continuing to come together but I still find that it really needs to hit a moment where it defines what this book is going to be about. I like the stories are presented and the hints of what's to come but there's also that need to really get to the meaningful moments of change so that it's more than just rising tensions and all sorts of power plays among those struggling to hold onto the slivers of power that they do have before Noah arrives.

Dark Ark presents a pretty nicely done twist to how events played out with Maldoon's death and spends its time focusing on the array of creatures and how none will step up in the face of what the vampires represent. Cullen Bunn has a lot of fun coming up with the various defenses and some of the interactions that exist between the races and you get a good sense that Juan Doe is just having a blast with all these layouts and creature designs, giving them more details in the close up moments but also filling out a large ensemble piece wonderfully. This still doesn't feel like a book I would normally check out and enjoy but it's working for me in a big way and I can't wait to see what the end payoff is with it and what twists may still be in store.

Though I'll still admit I'm not as intensely invested in this as I was the first series for a couple of reasons, I'm definitely still enjoying it and hoping for more. The next issue is set to conclude things but there's still so much sprawling story that looks to be open to being told that I'm hoping we'll see it revisited sooner rather than later. This installment puts a few more things into motion with Rea and Khalee as both are being manipulated well for these goals. It's a smooth and engaging read and I really like what Jesus Hervas has brought to the title with its look and style, especially with Juancho's color design that's going for a more earthy approach than the prior series.

Dark Ark is the kind of series that I can just see how expansive and intriguing it could be. I can easily envision dozens of issues just in this time period before it shifts forward over the millennia into something even more based on the characters here. Cullen Bunn is definitely enjoying this particular snapshot in time with what's going on and it leaves me wanting much more of it and the bigger picture. And it definitely has me wanting to see Juan Doe explore more of it as this is just massively well done on his part to give it such a rich and intriguing look with its designs and colors. I can't get enough of it and hope for some really slick hardcover glossy works some day.

This series is one that's essentially among my most anticipated works to dig into, which is more frustrating as I missed the fourth issue without realizing it and had to correct that before reading this one. Cullen Bunn's story is really coming along here with some great little twists and setting a larger stage ahead that I can't wait to get into. But I also love just flipping through this after reading it and soaking up the little details and layouts that Juan Doe has put together with all the various creature designs. The angels really stand out in a fantastic way here and I can only imagine what a scene in heaven must look like based on that and what Doe is capable of. It's a long wait until this series returns in May but every issue is very much worth it.

There will be more, right? There has to be. I don't mind a series of miniseries or even some one-shots here and there to space things out and tell the tales of this time and place. But there has to be more coming because this work is just that good. This incarnation wasn't quite as strong as the first but it's working a different storyline and a lot of what we get here is setup for these final pages so that it can move forward again with a clearer head and vision. If we do get more, I'mt totally up for Hervas coming back, though I'll be quite honest and say that I'd love to see Juan Doe return as well now that his series has finished. But I'm also game for him doing more of his own original works. What a series of choices! Regardless, Cullen Bunn has put together a story and concept that I crave more of and this miniseries delivered a lot of great stuff and has me wanting more. That's a really rare thing these days, to be honest, so I'll be hopeful.

After a good hiatus, Dark Ark is back and I couldn't be more thrilled. Bunn delivers more background in this installment for Shrae and his family and it has me hoping that more flashback storyline material is coming to give it all just a bit more weight. I really like the elements we get there and I'm intrigued by what's going on with Noah's ark and how badly things might be getting there. We've seen the dark ark struggle itself and it's no surprise we'll see Noah struggle. This is a fantastic book from top to bottom and I just adore practically every page here from Juan Doe. The character designs, the placement of the view, the colors, it's all so tightly specific and creates such an engaging atmosphere that I want so much more of it.

I can't recommend this book enough and I can't wait until I can read it in full " even if I want to have stories that span the ages afterward to follow the lines.

Dark Ark has another strong installment here as we see Shrae working the mother of all monsters in the present and forcing through what needs doing in the past with the ark and bringing the monsters together. I really like what we get from his daughter and her friend of sorts with Janris in adding more color to the project and knowing just what kind of dangers are ahead for her and all the others that Shrae has brought with him. There's some real sense of danger about everything here and Bunn and Doe are doing a great job of bringing it all together so that each installment is thoroughly engaging while enhancing the whole.

Dark Ark continues to move the story forward well while teasing some potential new twists with what Shrae is dealing with. His time with the Echidna is intriguing as it sets the tone for their interaction but I also really liked what we got from Shrae's engaging with his own master over events and how the Echidna is viewed. Flashback material continues to build a solid foundation for the journey of this ark while the dangers on the ship are only growing. Cullen Bunn delivers issue after issue with this series and it's made great through Juan Doe's artwork in ways that are hard to express.

Dark Ark moves us closer to things reaching a big point what with the rain close to stopping and there's a sense of dread. With Echidna dealt with and the basic sussing out of her place within the grand scheme of things and how Shrae is just a pawn himself, the dread is certainly rising. I really like how things play out on deck with the monsters being subservient to mother but also a kind of worldview shake in that she's in just as much a bind as they are and food is minimal in general. There are more breaks in the facade going on here and it's really thrilling to watch as everything feels like it's on the edge of falling apart.

Dark Ark gives me exactly what I hope for with each issue in that there are familiar turns and unexpected turns and I'm unsure of where it's going to go and just what prices will be paid. This issue keeps things close and personal on the human side with what they struggle with but we also get some really sweet time with Nex along the way as well as digging into some brief but enjoyable material with Kruul. I love this book from start to finish and can't wait to see what the next step is for it.

Dark Ark has been killing it since the start and this installment is no exception. It's almost a calm before the storm kind of installment as we get a sense of what's to come and there's a lot of really strong moments with. Shrae's communications are intriguing as are the pieces we see of what's residing on the land already and how that may impact things. The whole lot of man and monster has been held together very tenuously from the start but now one can see just how factional it's going to get and how that will just break apart into something really terribly for way too many different players in this game.

Dark Ark continues to be one of my most anticipated books every month and this issue is no exception. I love the interplay between everyone at this point and the mystery of who these new arrivals are – though to be fair, this is apparently their land and Shrae and the monsters are the true invaders. There are a lot of things at play here and the various pieces of it with the humans and their interactions along with the kinds of odd alliances struck with some monsters like Kruul sets up a lot of possibilties. Cullen Bunn delivers wonderfully here and Juan Do again puts to page some of the best looking comic art I see every month.

Dark Ark delivers more intrigue here and expands on what's going on a bit with the wings and halos that those more versed in the lore will get quicker than I. But the mystery is engaging as is watching how everyone is dealing with it.

If this is the end of Dark Ark " and I hope it isn't " it's the exact kind of downbeat and dark ending that it needed to be.

Mister Miracle provides a lot of tantalizing possibilities here with its opening issue and I'm excited to see where it's all going to go. It's open to so many different directions and has so many characters that it can draw on that trying to guess just isn't going to be fun, and I want to simply experience each issue as it arrives. King and Gerads have put together a fantastic first issue here that really gives us a great look at all the different forms and faces that Scott Free has worn over the years and those that are important to him. The uncertainty of how firm the ground is that we're standing on only adds to the excitement because it can shift in so many ways. There's a lot to like here and it's a strong start for what may be a fantastic ride.

Mister Miracle is a book that's going to be a long haul kind of work when all is said and done it's just going to deliver in a big way. The individual issues are not going to be everyone's cup of tea but it's the kind of slow tease that I want, revealing ideas and tantalizing pieces of dialogue while nudging us toward the larger truths. The story has plenty of directions it can go and that uncertainty is a delight but the certainty of the book is that it's going to look fantastic. Mitch Gerards is just so ideally suited for this in a way that I don't think I could have predicted that I'm really enjoying the re-read digitally through guided view to allow each tight little panel to stand out all the more. I can't wait for more.

King and Gerards are firing on all cylinders and if I get this kind of series every few years from someone like Tom King similar to The Omega Men and this then I'm going to be a very happy comic book reader for years to come.

As strong as this issue is I think a lot of readers will end up being surprised by how much more it will resonate when read in full with the whole run. I had thoroughly loved Omega Men as I got into those first few issues for what they presented and the emotion of them and that's playing out here. But when read in full afterward, an issue like this will take on a greater meaning both because of what comes after but also because of the lead-up to it being so fresh in your mind. King and Gerards are delivering a great story here with fantastic artwork with a character that is compelling in the right hands like this. I can't get enough of it but am savoring each new experience in anticipation of the complete experience as both are just so different but wonderfully done.

Mister Miracle continues to do some strong work but this is one of those almost kind of side bar issues where it's doing something very character focused that in some ways may not feel like it's fully important. Spending an entire issue on a day before execution is something other series would do for half of it at best but I loved that King delved into it in full, spent a lot of time going through some of the banality of life within that, but also digging into the joys and pleasures as well. And really, Mitch Gerards brings it to life in such a fantastic way that it's so easy to become wrapped up in it all and feel a connection. I can't wait to see what's next.

Mister Miracle is going to mean a lot of different things to different people depending on your connection to the character, Jack Kirby's work, and the larger themes that Tom King is bringing into it. Even with all of these larger elements there's also a very simple and accessible storyline playing where those new to it can enjoy it a great deal and hopefully want to explore the character more. This issue is just a whole lot of fun even while dealing with some darker aspects of what's going on and it left me grinning while wondering how well they'd actually handle a reno " and if they'd do it themselves or get someone in. I still can't get over how strikingly beautiful this book looks as it delivers something really special here in each issue " and eventually in a fantastic single volume read.

Mister Miracle continues to just deliver great stuff. This is a wonderful moment for longtime fans of these characters to see them moving forward as they are with something new instead of running in place. King makes it heartwarming, funny, and a little tense along the way as well though it never felt like there was a real risk here, which I actually appreciate.

Mister Miracle continues to be an utter delight in what it does. It's engaging as it teases out the story and delves deep into the character, touching on interesting areas and providing a great connection to the past through the future with their son, quite the little king of a character.

This is a strong installment once again and I can't wait to re-read it after processing it a bit more just to save Mitch Gerards' artwork even more because each of these panels is gold in so many ways. Very recommended.

Mister Miracle puts out leads into an impossible spot and forces them to figure out how to deal with it. While a solution is come up with you can see how fraught with problems it is and just how disastrously bad it can go, even if it's the only real one besides simply giving in. And admittedly, that would make for an engaging story to move forward with. King and Gerards takes us through the complicated emotional aspect of this in regards to the relationship at hand and that makes for some really discomforting moments of humanity for all involved.

Tom King has crafted a strong book throughout the run and that really does carry through here in a really great way as it touches on so many different areas while keeping Scott central to it all.

It's a wonderfully done series that accomplishes a lot and is beautifully illustrated. It's a work that many will revisit in the coming years and discover new things about it and themselves.

Free Comic Book Day is one of my favorite events of the year since I get people to go that don't normally delve into comics much itself. This issue was one of my highlights in picking up because it sets things up for Secret Wars well for new readers, gives something solid for a taste of it for the ongoing readers, and then provides an outright fun action oriented work with some great talents as we get the Attack on Titan story in full color legally. This issue does some good advertising along the way for Marvel's Disney XD properties, the Secret Wars event itself and for the Kodansha Comics Attack on Titan series. So it's a solid marketing vehicle overall, but it's also a pair of great short teaser stories. Definitely worth grabbing no matter which kind of comics fan you are.

This is a solid first issue that focuses on the action, but also brings the reality of the situation to the forefront with the emotion. Solid all around.

Secret Wars continues to give me the main event book that I want in that it's not a lot of weird craziness going on, big splash pages or outlandish situations. It's a book that has the titans that have walked the Earth as heroes and villains engaging each other in some big concepts while very personal emotions run hard underneath. Stephen is one that really makes out well here with his level of importance and the way he's serving as a kind of balance to things, at least for the moment. The interactions he has with both those from the life raft and with Doom show different sides of him and his desire to make things work so that existence can continue and find a way. Where he thinks its best shot may be is now being revealed though. There's a lot to take in here and a lot of great little moments of expressions and dialogue between the characters that really drives it all home. A very good installment once again.

With a lot of exposition here, some of which was likely covered in some of the lead-up material spread across other books prior to the event, this issue of Secret Wars is like a godsend for people like me that aren't heavily involved in all of Marvel's books. The detail and expansion on what's going on is very interesting to have revealed and it adds some much needed context for me with what's going on, as well as tying me back to the original event all those years ago. The end result is a book that for me reads very, very well and kept me eager to turn the page to find out more, especially as it got into the Molecule Man and what he represents. It does look like the book is getting ready to kick it into action mode for the next couple of issues though going by the end panels and that will definitely be welcome as it needs to start pulling things together for the reveal of what will be born from all of this.

While those far more invested in the Marvel Universe and all the Incursion events that have lead up to this may get a lot more out of it, I'm admittedly getting a more superficial view of everything. And I'm more than fine with it because this is just a treat to read and engage with with both the dialogue and the artwork. I have no idea what the real endgame here is because it doesn't seem like there is one beyond a complete relaunch with some changes. This issue gives us a look at some good character material involving a few more truths of how Battleworld came together, some of the tricks of it, and some of the tragedies. It's really intriguing and I love it – but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Secret Wars continues to feel like a strange event in its main book that leaves me baffled as I've talked about before. This installment is no different in that I adore everything going on even as I feel like I'm reading a quarter of the actual event ideas. It's even more amusing on a different level with how important the Fantastic Four elements are to it yet their book and characters have been dragged through the mud in so many arenas the last couple of years that it's like a strange disconnect. There's a really powerful sense of what's unfolding here and I'm loving every moment of it while wishing for an all-encompassing novelization to really grasp at all the subplots that we get teased pieces of here.

Secret Wars continues to be engaging in its own way, even if it feels like we're getting a Cliff's Notes version of what's going on in this main series. As we hit the penultimate installment, the overwhelming array of forces at work here brings a lot of things together that we've seen pieces of before. Having not read most of the side series I find myself looking at it from a distance, not connecting with it on a bigger level. I love the way it's unfolding and the scale of it all, but there's something that continues to feel like it's a big opportunity that was just missed. I'm thoroughly enjoying it for what it is, and it's beautifully put together, but as an event it feels so unlike others that I can't quite figure it out. It doesn't help that it's all been delayed as well and that the relaunch has already happened, making this all feel even more awkward in a way.

As a miniseries itself, Secret Wars utterly delighted me and frustrated me. I loved every single page, every line of dialogue, and every bit of artwork. At the same time, it felt like it was a Cliff's Notes version of the story as there were so many things going on and I had no idea if any of it took place in the various miniseries that ran alongside it as there were no true referential areas that said "go here to see this story".

There's a lot of good detail to be had in this book but what I'm the happiest about is that Peter Calloway was able to make this completely accessible with the time period, the characters, and moving around in the timeline so that you get the scope of things. I always dread first issues because so many forget how to set the foundations to bring readers into it rather than frustrating them. Here, he makes me want to know all about Nathaniel's story from the mafia time driving the trucks to the struggle to find work as a doctor and beyond. And to see what has haunted him for years so as to not tell his family about it until his deathbed. Georges Jeantry brings it to life beautifully and captures the places and people with really great style that lets you feel like these are real lived-in places, not just notes for a story design. I'm excited to see what comes.

Shadow Doctor blew me away in its first issue and the second is just as strong, if not more so with the foundations already setup. The story of Nathaniel is engaging in the main pieces we've seen so far and I hope Calloway is able to take us through much more of his life over the course of it than just these early years as I imagine there are a lot of good tales to come from it, or at the least, engaging views to express through someone that lived through all of this just under a hundred years ago. Georges Jeanty has put together another fantastic looking installment and the book as a whole is just brilliant – except for the covers that seem to actively work against it.

Shadow Doctor continues to be a really good book and I like a lot of what's going on here. The flashback side is where it feels like it gets into trouble even though it's probably some good core foundational material for our leading character. But as presented, it just feels a little too much and mucks with the pacing and intensity of the present storyline involving one of Capone's guys getting shot. Calloway keeps the dialogue moving well and pretty engaging, especially in those later scenes, and Jeanty's artwork continues to beautifully capture this time period in a really fascinating way.

Shadow Doctor is a thoroughly engaging book from start to finish with each issue and this one is no exception. Watching Nathanial deal with events in front of him here and the way he's being pushed and pulled yet will be all alone in the end is tough to watch. You can see how things are going to turn, past and present, but it doesn't remove the sting or the shame one feels over seeing events unfold as they do. It's a low-key story this time around but it provides good insights into what Nathaniel is thinking and why he ends up like he does decades later.

Shadow Doctor was a really engaging series based on real-world events that sheds some additional light on a well-known series of events. I liked the look at things that we got here because it's to the side of what's usually presented and opens us up to a lot of new elements and events that were going on and highlights what was hidden for years. Calloway's script worked well to bring it to light in an engaging way and Jeanty's artwork was perfect for it in bringing it to life. I just wish the series had better covers to it and I'm excited for the experience first-time readers will get in the collected edition eventually.

Though The Hangman was on my interest list since the first cover first landed awhile ago, my interest is upped considerably with this first installment. The twist isn't exactly a shocking or out of this world one but it's executed so smartly and with enough investment in the character to want to see him ended that I'm now even more interested in seeing what happens here. While I do try to keep the number of truly grim books I read to a minimum, this one is definitely on my must-read list to see if Tieri and Ruiz can capitalize on what they've set in motion here and dig deep in some dark and engaging ways. The potential is here and this is probably the strongest of the first issues from Dark Circle Comics yet for me.

I'm very close to calling this book a guilty pleasure because it feels like I shouldn't be enjoying it as much as I am. But the enjoyment that I suspect Tieri and Ruiz are getting out of producing it is bloody infectious. Spending an issue in hell after watching the hell out how Michael lived his life is definitely a strong turn to take, one that I wasn't quite sure I was expecting as I thought we'd get something similar to how The Black Hood operates, but I love the direction it's taking and the way it is so utterly embracing it. The pages here are fantastic with great layouts and some really great character designs, particularly for the devil, and it all flows in such a smooth and engaging way with the script that I ended up reading it three times in a row just to take it all in. More, please!

The Hangman is a kind of frustrating book just in the time between installments but the end result is fantastic. I'm looking forward to the first trade just to see how well it flows in that form in building its overall narrative, but I'm glad that the book works well in its single issue form as well. This chapter expands our world now that Minetta is back in the real world and he's just starting to get his education – one that I agree with Jack about in wishing that he was told more prior to starting it. It's an area where it's almost a joke of sorts just to see how long one might survive without any real knowledge, but part of it is just to winnow out the weak and those incapable of truly handling the job so it makes sense. This installment does some great stuff across the board and I can't wait to see what Tieri and Ruiz have in store next.

Is this the end? Apparently so. Everything feels open ended but no other issues are solicited and it comes across as the start of everything and not the end. That said, considering it's been seven months between issues and the Dark Circle Comics line in general comes across as incapable of handling a schedule, it might as well be the end. Which is unfortunate because The Hangman has a lot going for it and a lot that can be explored. Tieri's script is solid here as it plays out and Ruiz handles the action sequences wonderfully with the pacing and layouts while also delivering some fantastic expressions with Minetta as he deals with everything. I think I've liked this character more than the other Dark Circle titles so I'm certainly hoping that this isn't the end of the line for him.

This series requires a certain kind of humor, but if you've got it, you're going to adore this.

While it's going to take awhile to get this rolling, The Sun Beyond the Stars is exactly what I was hoping for from this series. Hickman and Pitarra work exceedingly well together in crafting a really particular kind of world and the work as a whole here is just completely engaging even if the bones of the storyline are predictable and familiar enough. It's the quirks, characters and the sharp pivots that makes it a blast to read with the twists and turns you don't expect – and then realize you should. With the caper fully underway and the job at hand in motion, we get a strong second installment that leaves me craving more and ready to re-read both installments a few times between now and the next. Very, very good stuff.

While I read the previous series in trades, I'm really enjoying being able to take the time with the individual issues here – even bimonthly – to soak up the atmosphere. Hickman clearly knows how to enjoy this universe and does so in some great ways with the cast he's assembled and the alien races and worlds that he's building. The story itself is straightforward enough so it's easy to connect with, but it's the characters that make it both a thrill and a challenge since they're so very distinct. All of it allows Nick Pitarra to really just run wild with it and I'm loving the way he continues to bring all of this to life in a way that feels so non-standard and welcome. This is not a book that could work anywhere near as well with "traditional" comic style and Pitarra's work is what helps to elevate it to even greater levels. I can't wait to see what's next in this wide, weird, galaxy of theirs.

The conclusion to this series is one that I can see really frustrating or even angering fans for the seemingly offhanded way it deals with two characters that mean a lot to them. The supporting cast here may not have connected for many but I really enjoyed this experience overall and the kind of weirdness and color that it brought together and look forward to binge-reading it in the future after a little time to see how differently it flows. The ending is one that fits in with the general theme of the work as a whole in that things happen, good and bad, that in the end are just things. I may have wished for larger and grander stories for these characters but at the same time there's a kind of old school Kubrick / Clarke feeling to how this all ends, poking a stick in the reader's eye just to remind them that anything can happen here.

As an opening issue, they really hit it out of the park here and essentially demand you come back for more. I can't wait.

The book does a very good job of balancing the two main stories here and slowly weaving them together as our new character makes her way into the facility and starts trading blows with Frost Giants, which is easily done as they keep mocking her in comparison to the former wielder of the hammer. The internal/external dialogue aspect of the character is interesting as it gives us a new spin on Mjolnir itself, and that could lead to some really good things that can upgrade the "character" of Thor overall in the long run.

I'm pretty cautious when it comes to buying new singles because the prices just make me cringe too much. But Thor is a book that pretty much demands that it be bought, savored and enjoyed fully – and repeatedly. There's an intriguing story being weaved here that we're just getting some real first tastes of and seeing how the spiraling impact will unfold. It's progressing about as you'd expect and taking its time, even though it's really just covering a few hours in total so far, but it's setting up what already feels like a big story that expands here with what we now know about Jotunheim. With some great dialogue and solid exposition as well as utterly beautiful artwork that's masterfully colored, this is definitely the way you introduce a new character in an old role and shake things up without truly alienating fans. It's more a mystery at the moment and one that I'm licking my lips to know more of the truth of.

Questions still abound here to be sure, especially with wondering who is under the helmet and what impact she'll have when she gets to Midgard and ends up taking a position there somehow – particularly if she and Odinson end up working side by side in the future. And those questions will be enjoyable to see play out once it gets moving in these new directions. The first four issues of the series, beautifully illustrated, tells a great tale of the handover in power that happened for reasons still unknown. It shows that there's a lot of mystery still to be had with Mjolnir that can surprise Odinson and we know that we haven't seen the last of Agger at Roxxon and Malekith with their plans. I'm looking forward to seeing what they may be, but the potential of what our new Thor can bring to the table is what has me excited to see the next installment. Very good stuff here and definitely a lot of fun in a way I couldn't have predicated.

This series continues to be a real delight to read and soak up, both through the dialogue, actions and artwork within. There's a sense very quickly here that there's a larger plan at work, one that I hope survives the coming event of Secret Wars, because the potential for some great storytelling that impacts a good but underused area of the Marvel Universe is really exciting to see unfold. Thor has some good scenes here, but it's also difficult to become fully invested as we have no idea who she is and it can be a bit frustrating. But we get some good material with Odinson and I'm liking the portrayals of others that are being well used here, such as Freja and some good time with Sif this installment. Odin is who I'm really keeping my eye on because the idea of working him to being a clear cut despot for awhile and all that that entails could make for some great stories as others in Asgard fall to their sides.

This installment of Thor spends a lot of time talking and moving particular pieces around and that makes it an engaging read. And one that's not over in a couple of minutes, which certainly adds value to the cost of the book. With a lot of solid scripting throughout, good movement between stories and the gorgeous artwork from Russell Dauterman, it's an expositionary piece that lays out a lot of what's going on and in store and does it in a way that just draws you in completely. I love the whole Agger and Malekith story with the potential there and there's a lot to like in seeing Odinson struggle with trying to figure out who it is that's taken over the mantle, even as far more pressing matters are brushed aside in true form. Luckily though, it looks like Thor is about to take center stage next time around and we'll see her getting some good hammer action in.

There's some great storytelling going on here for the characters and they're all inhabiting such a fascinating world visually as Russell Dauterman continues to make this a hugely impressive book just from that alone. I keep a limit on the number of series I'm reading, but this book is right along the top in those that cannot be missed. Very good stuff.

This eight issue run of Thor is one that got me back into the character and property after far too many years away. The combination of the detailed writing with the narration and dialogue made it quite engaging and I enjoyed the way the mystery was teased well throughout it, though the faking out we got last time around left me less than pleased. Having read the second Secret Wars issue where we get introduced to the Thors, I'm curious about that series and what it will present, but I'm not terribly excited about it in an eager way. Still, there will be some interesting things coming from it I expect and I'm definitely in considering the team involved. But I'm also really looking forward to getting back to this story already.

Archie Vs. Predator is very light on Predator and even light on Archie, as much of the focus is on Betty and Veronica and then everyone else as a group. But that's standard fare in a lot of ways over the years and it works well to establish that these are the characters you've known for a very long time. The simplicity of it works well and there's plenty of little bits throughout it that establishes the characters and their base personalities well so that they're accessible even if you've never read an Archie book before. I suspect more of the payoff that fans are looking for will be in the next installment, but I'm really curious to see how they'll handle it. The tease of the Predator we get is solid and what he's up to as well. This is one of those perfect if unexpected pairings for titles out there and it works just on the curiosity factor alone. But it also looks to be a pretty fun ride with talent that definitely knows what makes an Archie book what it's supposed to be.

This is deliriously awesome. It is, very much, a simple premise. But with every simple premise, it's all about execution. The story here takes us through the familiar ideas and plays with them well, particularly with the jaguar curse and some of Betty's backstory regarding why she knows so much about it all. We get a good focus on her and Veronica here and that has them dealing with the situation in their own particular way, but it serves to blend in the other characters for help and support. The end result is a fast moving book that has a really great amount of dialogue and quirkiness about it to make it thoroughly fun and engaging. And bringing the Predator into Archie style may still feel like a weird combination, but damn if it doesn't work to make it an absolute hoot. I'm loving it and am glad there's two more issues to come.

Archie vs Predator continues to be a really fun title overall, even with its quiet start that put the pieces into motion. This installment whittles down the cas in a couple of different ways and it's a lot of silly horror style fun done in the Archie style. It's the kind of thing where yes, you do feel a bit bad for laughing at it and enjoying it, but you also can't help but to enjoy it because it's so well put together. The dialogue flows well, the snappy patter is spot on, as is the serious side of it, and the panel layouts keeps things dense where it needs to be to present the right kind of feeling. Combine that with the great artwork that brings it all to life and it's got me grinning from ear to ear throughout.

This issue also has a two page Josei & the Pussycats segment, but I'm far less familiar with them and it didn't really connect with me.

I enjoyed a good Dejah Thoris story and I'm still riding the high of the recent Barbarella series. I really lamented seeing that go but I'm also nearly instantly in love with Williams and Garcia's interpretation of her. The story is the most basic of setups at the moment as it's all about bringing them together without explaining the larger mystery and that's fine. Both of their worlds and lives feel fully realized in this form for what we need to know about them and their first interactions together highlight their core personality traits even more. Garcia's artwork is definitely strong here and I'm excited to see more of how the characters are going to be brought to life and the worlds that they inhabit.

The banter, the silliness, and the seriousness are all well-balanced and make for an entire book of great scenes that has me wanting more as quickly as possible. Very recommended.

While the gap between issues is quite frustrating there's just so much to love about the book that I want more and more. The visual aesthetic is admittedly a big draw for me but Williams brings in a lot of great material in here bringing these characters to life with personality. Garcia's artwork is strong and the world design visuals are captivating. The story gives us a good twist toward the end that will definitely give us a new way of looking at what's going on and providing some new challenges. There's a lot to like in this book from start to finish and I'm super excited to see more soon of this pairing.

This is a strong opener for me and it could make for one hell of a run and is the kind of thing that instantly feels like it needs to be done in multiple mediums from the get-go.

While the first issue of Betrothed worked better for me overall with its mix of foundation elements and a strong focus on the two leads, this one reads very well when taken in conjunction with that to start moving things forward and showing that as much as these two can be on the same page there are some fundamental differences.

It's a fun and crazy ride that's embracing the outlandish parts in the right way and grounding itself in others to remain accessible for readers, making it the best of both worlds.

The penultimate installment of this opening arc is one that's all about being on the move, which works well after the bit of a breather we got the last time around. The time on Priam is brief and it's not without cost which isn't a great thing because you really don't want to see anyone else taken down at this point. Sean Lewis definitely keeps everything hopping here as those that aren't keen on the way things were supposed to go make their move, which allows Steve Uy to really work some great intensity in the designs and flow of the panels and how these characters act and react. I can't wait to see how this arc ends and just what it might set up for the future.

This wraps up an opening arc as well as can be when it feels like it should be half a dozen issues away with more exposition in between but I like what we got here and want more.

Bettie Page has been a really fun property for me in the last couple of years and I'm ecstatic to see it back. It has a certain quality and life about it that just makes it a blast to watch play out and David Avallone is on top of his game here as we get lots of setup, nods to the past, and great lines. Julius Ohta delivers some fantastic artwork that allows Ellie Wright to bring to life even more with the color work. It's just strong throughout and I can't wait to see more of this story and these characters.

It took a little bit to get back into the groove of this series but it clicked well and a second read through made for even more enjoyment with most of the first one coming back. David Avallone continues to have a solid handle on this world that he has Bettie moving through and it's utterly delightful in a way that truly clicks. The lighter elements with the more serious storyline is well-handled and Julie Ohta brings it together with his artwork a fantastic way, giving Bettie even more allure, if such a thing was possible. This series is a whole lot of fun and I can't wait to see more.

I'm still surprised at how much I enjoy the Bettie Page series since I kind of started it a couple of years back figuring it wouldn't be interesting at all. But Dava Avallone has so captured the right voice with all of this that it becomes an enchanting and exciting period spy thriller with the right kind of light touch. This issue brings her fully into Queen Elizabeth's circle and it works far better than it should, both through the dialogue and the artwork. It's fun, light and breezy, but still carrying the weight of what's been going on since the very start with the UFO scare and the various plans in motion to take advantage of it. I loved seeing Bettie teaming up with the Queen here and getting things done in her own particular way with skill and flourish amid a few stumbles and concerns. Very fun stuff and a hidden gem.

I continue to have a blast with Bettie Page and can't wait for more. There's a lot of charm and fun in what's basically a wrapup moment for part of the current story and it's bittersweet. Watching as we finalize things with the Queen is quite enjoyable since you know it couldn't last long but you want more time between the two as they play off each other so well. It's something where you know the Queen has made out better for knowing Bettie, beyond just being kept alive. Julius Ohta and Ellie Wright are a great time and the visual design of this book is spot on throughout and I absolutely adore the cover. I can't wait to see more of what this team will be putting together.

This epilogue installment does some nice place setting for what's to come and I definitely enjoyed it, though not quite as much as the main story that we'd been having for the four issues prior. It's low stakes a little quiet, and there's not much of a threat going on here to really get behind.

Lemire teases and tantalizes for the most part here with what's going on, not giving us any direct answers or ideas but hitting enough aspects so that you want to know more.

Black Hammer continues to build the larger narrative of what's going on in the background as it explores the impact on the individual members. The connected nature of their lives is a thread that runs through it all, though this installment focuses mostly on Gail's past as Golden Gail and what she has to do to manage in this world to keep up the lie. I like all the little bits and pieces of it and the small but important expansions we get on the larger storyline that's playing out. While it's a familiar story to be sure, it's all about the execution that makes it work so well. And a big part of that is Ormston's artwork as he simply delivers panel after panel with great designs, camera angles, and just the detail of it all to really expand the mood of it. It's a very engrossing work that hits very quickly and has me eager for so much more of it.

Black Hammer continues to deliver exactly what I'm looking for with this type of book. I enjoy these takes on superheroes as it just clicks for me in a really big way as one of the subgenres of comics. With the focus on Barbalien, showing his world and some of his backstory that explains his approach to dealing with things, he feels very fleshed out in just a little bit of space and makes you wish there were rafts of back issues to dig into that showcases his journey on Earth – and before on Mars. I definitely want more of what's going on outside of all of this, the why of it's happening, but I'm just adoring the character explorations Hopefully this is all just the start to something that this team can revisit for years to come after the main story is done as I can definitely see wanting to fill in the blanks to a lot of it with some creativity.

Black Hammer is the best. It's that simple. The team here does excellent work and I can't wait to see where it's going to go next and what crazy and weird revelations will hit. I'm glad we got some quality time with Abraham with his background this time as it's going to factor into what's to come sooner rather than later, but it was the whole household and dinner sequence that just made me fall even more in love with this book. Fantastic stuff all around that I can't wait to get more of, which in itself feels like it will never be enough. Engaging, intriguing, wonderfully illustrated, and just damn fun.

Black Hammer continues to be a book where when a new installment comes in you really ought to pull out all preceding ones and just binge it. There's a lot that you get the second and third time around with smaller details in both dialogue and artwork that it really shows what a layered and intriguing work that it is. You can read it with a superficial side and enjoy the story and not think more on it as well, but for those willing to deep dive you can get a whole lot more. Lemire's nailing the script and characters but Ormston once again brings about such a fun and fascinating series of locations to dig into that I don't know what character or period I'd love for him to just go wild with in a bigger and longer way. I love the old school science fiction pieces here as it's just so fun and so sweet in its own way that it makes me grin pretty damn big. Great stuff once again that can be read almost as a standalone piece but also as part of a larger sprawling work.

Black Hammer delivers some strong material once again as I'm definitely excited to learn more about Madame Dragonfly and the weirdness behind her story. Each of these characters could easily maintain their own book in this style while exploring their pasts that I'm torn between wanting that and wanting these tighter explorations. There's a lot going on here in exploring the past and how trapped everyone is in different ways and a new arrival is going to shake things up by asking more questions and setting more things askew. I'm excited to see what's going to come next, something few books get me to say these days.

The return of Black Hammer is definitely welcome and focusing on the character of Black Hammer even more so. Digging into his past reveals some familiar beats that are executed well as Ormston provides for some very fun pages and layouts to deal with his past and early adventures, as well as the creativity of the Kirby inspired material. At its core is the story of a father and daughter and the separate that exists because of what they've gone through. It's a very solid issue that brings more things into the picture in a clearer way while still holding back enough for some twists and turns ahead that I'm looking forward to discovering more of.

Black Hammer continues to be one of my favorite books in general and it's the kind of thing I already can't wait to read in full when all is said and done. The opening arc brought a lot of things into focus and now we're digging into the details more, piece by piece, and it's becoming an even more chilling storyline. If you subtract the super powers you basically have a Twilight Zone kind of storyline going on here and it works very well just from that perspective. Lemire and Ormston continue to craft a larger tale here and each new piece of it that comes into focus is engaging, but it's the smaller stories that win me over from issue to issue. There's a lot to like here and I already liked Gail, but damn if this round of backstory just make her all the more a tragic figure that I'm really hoping finds a safe path out of this to what she deserves.

Black Hammer spends just a little bit of time at the farm and that means not a lot of reveals in the present or much in the way of the family dynamic that really gets me interested. It's a tighter focus with just Talky and Weird with a dash of Lucy just to connect things and it works very well, there's no doubt. I like what we get for their friendship/origin story and Rubin delivers some great looking pages while capturing what it is that makes the young Weird who he is with that kind of science fiction material. But the issue just feels like it's missing enough of what it needs to nudge things forward a bit more or any of the bigger trappings to connect it all together. It's a very good story and explains a lot of the bond that exists between the two.

Black Hammer reveals more but my wariness as to what's true and what's deception keeps me from going all in on any particular theory. That makes it a whole lot easier to just enjoy the ride and I'm definitely getting to do that with this installment. I loved the material in the past with the Y-Force but also really dug what we get from Earl and Lucy as that seems like the piece that will blow everything up if it's left to fester too awful long. The reveals are coming in more and more and this installment features some fantastic work from Dean Ormston, especially the flashback with the monster du jour and how the Y-Force kids are handled. Very good stuff all around.

Black Hammer has a solidly small and personal issue here for Mark/Barbalien in all the right ways, giving us another look at his past, the bond he has with Gail, and how assured he is in what he wants from life. That runs well alongside what we see with Gail struggling with this existence and the threat that Abraham is now facing from the locals. Add in a little more about the truth of this place that's coming through thanks to a fresh set of eyes that hasn't been worn down by it and I'm digging this as a strong if quiet chapter in the work.

Black Hammer in its main run has done some really great things in filling in the backgrounds of our leading characters and the world they left behind. Stories like this give us an even more human view of them through others, though Lucy is becoming a central character in her own right.

Black Hammer has delighted me for pretty much every issue in its run because I'm thoroughly enjoying its character and story but also the pacing of it. That aspect is what really helps to draw me into it like a really good novel would as opposed to how most, but certainly not all, comics are done these days. The reveals here are really nicely done even if fairly well telegraphed for a bit but just seeing it all come together provides for the right swell of feelings. And a huge part of that is just the way Dean Ormston pulls it all together. I usually talk about the art a bit more and it's definitely great here, especially with what we get from Lucy, but the combination of everything in this installment just had me more focused on the story itself. I definitely need to find more of his work to check out beyond this series.

A time-hopping Elvira that's going to meet a range of famous writers? Okay, fine. I'm in. Like, completely. I didn't go in with any expectations as I've learned to do that many years ago when trying new things and the discovery of the team involved made this utterly delightful. David Avallone should still be writing a Bettie Page book but the fact that he's writing this means I'm completely on board. Can I be 200% on board because of Dave Acosta's artwork as well? Well, I am, because it's just fantastic with with Andrew Covalt brings to it with the color design. Everything about this book is spot on and I can't help but to enthusiastically recommend it because it's just fun. FUN!

The second issue of the series sadly took a bit longer to get here than I would have liked but the property is one where they can mostly manage it in standalone issue form with connective tissue bringing it across. This one feels a bit more decompressed in a way since it's not doing the heavy lifting of the setup that the first one did so everything is spread out a bit more than before and it's a mild readjustment to get used to that. David Avallone continues to have a blast here bring Elvira to life as he captures her personality so well while Dave Acosta just breathes so much life into every panel that it's a delight to read several times by just looking at all the little details of each page. Very recommended.

This Elvira series has been great from the start and I love that it's managing to hold onto that energy with its third issue – though it might be overwhelming in trade form. Getting into this installment with a new location, new but familiar characters, and a familiar structure for most of it, the enjoyment really does come down to the twist on history with the characters and dialogue combined with great art. Everyone is putting in a top-notch job here and it delivers from the first page to the last with everything that you'd want from an Elvira book. Very recommended.

Elvira is a hoot. While her show was never something I connected with the character she plays is idea in this kind of form to really take it to a whole different level and explore it with. The humor works very well and the referential side is a delight with the way it has some pretty deep cuts. Avallone keeps things moving well but shifts gears at the end, which was definitely needed after four issues of familiar structure, while Dave Acosta simply does some great work with fantastic designs, details, and care. Combine that with Covalt's color work and this is just exciting to read.

This Elvira series is a lot of fun with what it does in giving us a good road trip book into some bad places for our title character. David Avallone completely mastered the tone of the book and voice of the character from almost the first page so it's just smooth and delightful here as it feels incredibly authentic. Dave Acosta has been one of the stronger artists in Dynamite's stable over the years and is incredibly well-paired with this title as he brings Elvira to life wonderfully while also working some really grin-inducing material for others like Poe, Vlad, and more. I can't wait to see where this goes next.

Elvira is as we've seen in previous issues but it feels like it slows down just a touch here and isn't quite as filled with quips, which works in its favor.

While it didn't feel quite as strong as the previous issue, Elvira is getting closer to the goal within hell at least and having a blast the whole way there. We get some amusing nods to a lot of different facets of life and fandom, and the gent that started a lot of storyline as he's circling the drain that is hell as well, but the book mostly works by the pairing with Glenn and the various demons they deal with at each level, whether they be giant minotaurs or bureaucrats. Avallone and Acosta have a great rhythm here with what they're doing and it's definitely a fun installment as it does what it needs to in covering a few more levels.

I've enjoyed the whole Dante's Inferno arc as it played out but I liked what we had before with Elvira time-tripping through history and interacting with those that would create the stories of horror in the future. Wrapping up this arc is welcome and the team put it together in a pretty fun and enjoyable way here even if there are predictable elements and a little more comical recap than I was looking for. Elvira's a great character to work with and tossing her into hell for a while definitely made for some amusing moments even if some of it is more familiar than I care for. Avallone and Acosta continue to nail the look and tone of this book in a great way and it continues to be one of those gems that you wish more people discovered.

Elvira has been a blast since it got underway and in all of its forms so far and this issue is no exception. If you've enjoyed what's come before you'll enjoy this as she starts something new, works a little film fun, and even gets a little rubba dub dub in the tub. The fanservice element is nicely done and with a wink and a nod all around in the way that makes this series special. Avallone continues to capture her voice well and play her in this more active way while Acosta is the master of delivering some fantastic artwork. Hell, the main cover is even a Kevin Eastman cover and that tickles teenage me to no end.

Elvira has fun with horror and supernatural in a hospital and it delivered what I expected and was looking for. From skimpy outfits to things not going her way at all, it certainly changes up her position in the grand scheme of things and she's intent on putting her world right once again. There are plenty of gags about the white outfit that definitely made me grin and I'm very curious about the addition of Soul Survivor even if it is a kind of homage to Batman in a way. Avallone has plenty of fun here but Acosta gets to make a lot of fans dreams come true with some of these visuals here.

Elvira continues to be fun for a lot of reasons. The character herself, Avallone's dialogue feeling as natural as it does from her, and the artwork. Combine that with silly stories that are played kind of straight and allow for all the weirdness and you get something delightful and fun. This installment gives us some good time with just Elvira at first and I love the white dress for a change of pace. The rest of it is just lots of action and silliness that delivers on all the right points. I can't wait to see how things go upside down even quicker now that the demon has been summoned.

Elvira in comics form is a really fun character to work with because you can do most anything with her. And the things she doesn't want to do, well, this is a character that I'm sure bites back against her creative team. The end of Mistress of the Dark brings the cult storyline to a close, brings dark Elvira back to the forefront, and has a lot of fun with the whole thing before finishing off Vlad for good – for now. Avallone definitely has captured the right tone for this character in order to tell amusing stories while Dave Acosta brought us a lot of really great material and some decidedly fun sexy Elvira material herself. I'm glad there are more trades for this getting into stores that hopefully get Dynamite to produce a few more miniseries as well for Elvira to run around in.

Great Passion is a series that brings together some good stuff and with it being promoted as a mix of a hard-boiled work with a Harlequin style romance in all the most chaotic of ways, well, I'm hopeful that it'll pan out because something wild and crazy would be great. The key ingredients are here with the characters and motivations as well as how it's presented, and we've got the right cooks in the kitchen with Robinson and Feister. I can see what it can be here but it's not a knockout first issue that would really cement it as a must-read book just yet. It has me very hopeful, however, because it's got everything it needs to achieve it. Robinson has certainly built the cred to pull it off and Feister certainly has the design of the book down wonderfully and that'll make it a worthy trip to take.

Grand Passion carries through on the promise of the first issue and has me craving the next one already. If it can handle this throughout its run it'll definitely be a series that ranks higher as a whole as I'm trying to not go overboard in how solid it is. There's a lot to like here in getting to see more of what both Doc and Mabel are up against and the potential for what will follow. Robinson's crafting a fun story here that Feister delivers in bold strokes, some great sensuality, and some really intense moments. Definitely worth it for fans of this particular genre that we don't get done well enough in comics.

Grand Passion was a book I checked out initially as a curiosity but has become a series that I'm becoming increasingly passionate about. There's a lot to enjoy in the first two installments but this one delivers such a strong character piece tied up with some great dialogue and wonderfully done sexuality that it does make me wish that more books dabbled in these areas more regularly where warranted instead of keeping it off to the side or implied. Robinson, Feister and Curiel have delivered a fantastic book here that will read even better when it's done up in full series form. Very recommended.

Grand Passion got me hooked early on but it cemented itself quickly with the second issue as something to really be passionate about. It's easy enough wordplay but there's something really fun and compelling here. Yeah, it's mostly just what you'd get with a two-hour TV movie at best or something stylish as a ninety-minute feature from an up and coming director, but when presented in comics form it's something that feels different enough and has a strong design to it that lets it work. Mac and Mabel are an absolute blast to watch here and the story simply clicks wonderfully. I can't get enough of this and hope that they make it out and have another adventure in the future already. I want more of this couple in the making in a big way.

Grand Passion simply clicked for me from the beginning and delivered consistently issue after issue. It worked great in singles form but I imagine it'll be a very fun ride when done as a trade. You can see this basically being a hard and fast move broken out into five installments and while a film of it may not stand out unless through something like casting or cinematography, it stands out wonderfully here thanks to Feister's artwork and how Robison plots this and delivers the dialogue. A great book that will stand alone very well while still making me crave more of their story.

Sometimes an opening installment really gets you. Join the Future is a familiar plot but the execution is so spot on that it got a bit of an extra bump in the grade. Kaplan's story takes the right time to unfold and explore the basics and then introduce the characters so we know the stakes and what the cast are up against. But it really is, at this moment, Piotr Kowalski's book. There's a lot of great detail to this book with the double-page spreads at the start and then the small town side of it with all the natural elements, I absolutely loved the look of the book and that helped to notch it up a bit further. I'm definitely curious to see what Kaplan goes with this based on his past works that I've read and reviewed as it should be a pretty fun ride.

The opening installment of this had me sold when it hit a few months ago and I'm glad to finally be able to start moving forward with this again. Kaplan's a writer whose works I generally like a lot, though some I've struggled with, but when they click with me I'm pretty all-in on them and this is definitely one of those. Piotr Kowalski nails the visual design of this perfectly and the color design is perfect in bringing us that kind of cleaner and clearer look of the countryside in the future even where man exists. I do hope we'll see more of the future city stuff itself and explore it and its history a bit more but right now Clem's journey looks to be a lot of fun, if familiar, with the potential for some neat execution to it.

Join the Future really hits a solid middle of the storyline kind of episode here where it takes the necessary downtime to explore a few things, make a few reveals, and “level up” our lead a bit in more ways than one. You really feel for Clementine both through Kaplan's dialogue but also the expressiveness that Kowalski gives her. I also continue to really love the way Brad Simpson colors this series as it has such good earthy tones without it becoming a dustbowl or overly barren. It's got a life to it that really works well. And after reading so many books recently where I wanted to strangle some letters for overcomplicating the work, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou really does deliver a solid and accessible work here that made every piece of dialogue and more easy to read.

Join the Future continues to be a solid book and I liked this installment of it. It did feel a bit more repetitive than it should have, assuming this is still a six-issue series, as covering the same ground again so quickly doesn't sit well with me. But Clementine is already in a better place to handle what's going on and it unfolds well here as she deals with three different types of authority that are telling her what to do and how to do it. Kaplan's script is solid and keeps things moving forward but making me want to see a dive into one of these underwater cities. I like what we get with the main pieces here and how Clementine handles most of it and am curious to see how this new stand she's taking at the end of the book will really unfold.

While I do wish that the series had more installments going forward and that this wasn't tagged as the end, it's a complete enough story for this cycle that it works well enough. I'll hold out hope for more but I'll also feel largely sated by what we get here because it was executed as well as it was – even if it was a bit of a rougher ride to keep up with because of the pandemic. The writing is solid with good characterization coming in for Clementine and I loved the earthy look of everything both in the illustration of it and the color design. It's a familiar tale but this spin on it worked well and leaves me wanting more.

Andolfo's artwork is gorgeous throughout and warrants the overall grade alone with how Swanson is presented as well as the relationship between Goodwill and Hellaine that really has me curious to see the truth of it. This is going to be potentially one of my favorite books of 2020.

I really love just about everything with Mercy but I'm fearing it as a serialized book, especially launching as it did just before the pandemic got fully underway. It's one that I think is going to read a whole lot better when you have the trades and I desperately wish this was just done as an OGN and even had a hardcover edition at launch as I'd be all over that and likely jumping up and down about it. I love these first two issues but they bring out so much for the reader to take in that you really need to read them both together without a gap and likely do the same for the next couple. It's complex, beautiful, and intriguing with what it wants to do an I want more of it right now.

I love Andolfo's works so I'm really hopeful it has a strong group of fans behind it and I'll be in the second wave when the collected editions can deliver something that will work better for my reading needs. It's such a gorgeous book it really deserves a big audience for it.

The strength of the creative team is what's going to drive American Monster at first and then I suspect the story and characters are going to completely grab us. There's a raw nerve that feels like it's being played with here to see what sticks and strikes and that's definitely engaging to watch – particularly with such beautifully disturbing artwork as we get from Doe here. A lot of opening issues make it clear exactly what the book will be like and you can tell from there the opening arc to some degree. Here, it's captivating because it's unclear what it's agenda is and where it's going to go. In a sea of predictability, that's hugely enticing and I can't wait to see more.

I'm thoroughly enjoying American Monster as it moves into its expansion and exploration phase punctuated by some solid moments of violence to make it clear what it wants to be. I'm definitely getting a very TV-accessible vibe off of it as I can imagine it being an AMC or Cinemax show that could make for some engaging viewing. There's a lot of potential to be worked with here and I'm curious to see how all the pieces fit as it progresses. In the meantime, it's very easy to get into the mood of the series thanks to the absolutely gorgeous and striking artwork from Juan Do. I love the layouts and the choices used here, particularly when Downs questions Montclare, as the camera placement provides for some really intriguing views through which to take all of this in. Good stuff all around that, if it hits its stride in a big way, will be hella impressive.

The Autumnal has the familiar kind of chilling tease of horror that I'd expect from something of this nature and, saying it as a compliment, it has a Stephen King-like feeling about the setup and preparation for what's to come. I like both Kat and Sybil and hope to see more of who they are when they're not facing what feels like a daily existential crisis in how to survive and hold on. There are some great moments between the two and a strong bond but it teeters on less of a parental one than one of two people with the same issues. I'm definitely curious to see what's coming as the right hooks are here and the artwork is just gorgeous throughout. The look of the town is great in capturing that quintessential New England town in the fall. I'm excited to see how this team intends to progress.

The Autumnal touches on some of the darker elements from the opening issue that are in the background, such as how Kat's mother may be buried, and those darker edges around the corners certainly set the tone for everything. I continue to find the Kat/Sybil dynamic to be the best part of it and to just see what it is that Kat is thinking while trying to provide for her daughter. There's a lot to like throughout and the fun of the neighbor kids at the end before their mother shows up adds a little more to the overall unease. It continues to be a great read that looks great and has me looking forward to more of it to see the mysteries grow and unfold.

The Autumnal continues to build its foundation well with the town and the unnerving aspects to it that are just everywhere. There's a lot to like with these elements and seeing them come up in different places, real and imagined, while Kat struggles to find a place to be. I really liked seeing Kat get away from the town and allowing her to have a moment to unload while reminding us that she's trying to find a place where she can be herself as well. It's continuing to explore some interesting horror and darkness that's building slowly and I'm completely on board for it at this point to see where it's going to go.

Everything we learn about Clementine just makes me worry for Kat's daughter because one can imagine a newly arrived person being the easiest story to manipulate in order to get what she needs. Kraus' story covers a lot of different ground across this installment and I continue to enjoy the way it doles out its information while focusing on the characters that it does. It moves at a good pace here and even though the flashback storyline may be a bit longer than it needs to be it provides the background that we really do need for it all to work. I'm really curious to see where it goes next.

I continue to really enjoy The Autumnal with the mood that it presents throughout with its mood and style. Though the story is slowly doling out bits and pieces of what's actually going on, it's doing it in a way that makes each issue engaging and never feels like it's dragging out in a problematic way. I'm enjoying see more of Kat finding things to engage with in the world and almost thinking she could find a life here again but to also have so many things warning her away. I love the dialogue and the style of it as well as just being totally into the art style in a big way. I can't wait for more.

There is a whole lot going on in this issue and it takes the calm and measured pacing of the previous issues and pushes it into overdrive. Kat is now on the move, acting and reacting to events, and doing everything in her power to try and make sure that Sybil stays alive. It's a thrilling issue that pushes everything to where it had to go but is exciting to watch in order to see how Kat reacts, how Sybil handles it, and some of the associated fallout from it. Just her baseline fear of leaves at this point takes it to a whole other level and the instances of that are fantastic. I can't wait to see what's in store next.

The Autumnal is set to wrap up in the next installment and it's hard to tell if this is going to be a good end or a dark end. Both could legitimately work but I'm hopeful that if they do go the dark way that they embrace it and go all-in on it. Kraus' work here definitely hits a sweet spot with the way we get the reveals and conversational tone for everything and the way Shehan and Wordie are able to deliver the whole thing with such an eerie nature makes me really appreciate the medium all the more. It's hauntingly beautiful.

The Autumnal started off strong in what it presented to the reader and it held solidly throughout, taking each piece and building issue by issue to be this really fascinating book. I thoroughly enjoyed Kat's journey here with her daughter in what she wanted to be, struggling with a hard and dark past of her own and trying to find a new way forward, only to discover so much more. Kraus did a great job with this book in just about every way to make it a compelling read while Shean and Wordie gave it such life and beauty and terror throughout. This is the kind of book when a complete run is solicited that you want as a coffee table edition.

It's a solid and engaging read that allows the story to be told through the visuals just as much as the dialogue. Hoyt and Musabekov have all the ingredients here for an absolutely fantastic book and this opening installment sets the table perfectly for what's to come and I'm incredibly excited.

Barbarella continues to be one of the properties that I am overall still surprised that it works as well as it does and that it delivers beautifully with each issue. I'm hard-pressed to think of a single bad issue in Dynamite's run in general and this new series from this new creative team is simply taking it to new heights. It's got a great script and pacing and the artwork is fantastic. It may not be the kind of property that everyone will get into but it's a top-tier book with its production and content and should be one of the jewels in Dynamite's crown.

While Automata didn't strike me as strongly as some worlds we've seen previously, partially because cyborgs just creep me out, it is a solid installment that shows the furthering bond between Barbarella and Talyn and why it's so critical. Their relationship is even the focus of the Lady's plan here to get Barbarella into the right mindset for the next phase of it. It's a bit of a slow and curious installment overall but it's wonderfully illustrated and hits some key notes that I couldn't help but to love it.

The story has me curious where it'll turn next but I'm just going back into the issue again and again to look at more of the gorgeous artwork.

Barbarella continues to delight and I really enjoy these kinds of one-off standalone pieces that we occasionally get. Yes, there's a lot of good stuff in serialized arcs and all, but the lost art of a standalone issue still delights me to no end when done well.

Barbarella continues to be a fantastic book across the board. I really enjoyed the sidestory we had in the previous issue and it's very easy to get back into the groove of the main storyline here as we reconnect with it after a small break. The arrival on The Lady's homeworld reveals some key things about her to be sure and that's going to be capitalized on more as Barbarella and her team figure out how to secure themselves a ship and some safety. Hoyt's script here is a delight with its humor while Musabeko's artwork is just gorgeous in every panel. I can't wait for more.

Barbarella really does a great job with what it's attempting to do here. The character is iconic for a lot of reasons and her performance in the early part here is a big reason why it still connects after so many decades with its openness and reality. Hoyt's script works to take us across a bit more terrain with a good bit of fun mixed in so that it's not just constant tension and drama.

Hoyt has crafted things well here and while I may not be all on board for how good of an opponent that Lady is, I really enjoy how Barbarella is presented in dealing with her and others. A lot of it is in the scripting to be sure but it's also how the script is brought to life as Musabekov really delivers on the expressiveness and emotion of our leading character. Through that we feel more that is in the script that might not come through otherwise and that's really key to making this as strong as it is.

Knowing more is coming and that it's part of a larger story has me excited to see what Sarah Hoyt has in store for us. This issue wraps up things with Lady really well as it connects a few things from the past, shows where Barbarella is in the here and now, and just how far she'll go to protect her friends. It's a solid story that I imagine will read even better in full and it's filled with gorgeous artwork and some great covers. I love this series immensely as a whole and really enjoyed how it came together in the end.

Descender moves into its new arc but it mostly still plays with what we had, so it doesn't jump away until another day – which I was fearful of when I saw the "new story arc" splashed across the description. The storylines at play here are fantastic, fun, and interesting, all of which is wrapped up once again in some jaw-dropping artwork from Dustin Nguyen. Lemire definitely delivers a great series of ideas and characters that Nguyen is able to bring to life in such a breathtaking way. It's so rich in color design and overall detail that it's easy to get lost in the minutiae of each issue. And worth doing so, in fact!

Damn this book for being as engaging as it is. This issue shifts gears just a bit to spend its time working on Andy and Blugger, two surprising characters that I really like a whole lot considering their minimal roles so far overall. While I crave more of what's going on elsewhere, this issue does a great job of bringing it all to life. Nguyen continues to delight in his visual design of things, but he's a bit more restricted here with what he can do since it's mostly in-ship material or flashback pieces to the mining colony that's a little looser and done with a far simpler color palette. It's all very appropriate to the storyline, though, so it's not a complaint. But the shift in tone through color and location definitely stands out against the first seven installments of the series.

A lot of the book is just about getting a feel for where everyone is at the moment while bringing out a little more background material across several of them. I'm really enjoying each of their journies and what they represent while also just enjoying the humor and quirkiness that comes from it. Even Driller isn't driving me batty with his phrasing, which surprises me. Lemire continues to build towards the big picture here and adds some really tantalizing teases at the end with regards to the Hardwire. Nguyen is just beyond words with how this book looks and is designed, leaving me just in awe of it with each installment as there's so much detail to it and a really great sense of design and color that's simply captivating. It's a beautiful book that stands out against the rest in a huge way. I can't get enough.

Descender continues to expand what we know and who we know with this issue while still ensuring that the core cast remains prominent. There are some really fun digs that Telsa gets in regarding Quon and I loved the gaming bit with the two TIM's as there's some beautiful artwork in that area. Dustin Nguyen is really bringing something beautiful to life here and I'm loving the look and feel of it as the coloring and the texture of the book is fantastic. Even reading it digitally there's just this great sense of texture about it. The team here continues to do great stuff and it's another installment where I can't wait to see what happens next across the board all while wanting to binge read everything that's out so far.

Descender has another fantastic outing here where it lays down a lot of information without providing in a massive dump. There are a lot of smaller things learned that builds a larger narrative and a lot of dangers lurking in the midst. This book serves as a great building block for the larger story that's at play with so many things introduced seemingly so casually yet with a layer of importance that can't be understated. Lemire continues to deliver a great story that Nguyen takes up by several levels because of the beauty, pacing, and designs of the artwork. This is a collaboration that just resulted in something very hard to decribe in a way, but something that reminds that this is what kind of creativity the market needs a whole lot more of. I dig deep into superheroes but they are not the end all be all for me. And Descender is a shining beacon of where more books need to go.

Descender fills in a little more backstory this time around as it eases us back into the larger storyline. Lemire delivers a good look at why TIM-22 is as he is and it's very easy to feel sympathy for him considering what he's been through. There's a lot to like here in getting a look at the events that changed everything and how some survived. Dustin Nguyen brings this to life in a really great way as there's such an air of loneliness about TIM-22 before it all goes wrong and then seeing the way he has to struggle after that is compelling through the decay that he's going through. Nguyen is delivering some of the best work of his career here and the passion shines through with how it's presented across the board with detail, color, and layouts. I can't get enough of the world he's bringing to life.

Descender answers a lot of background questions about Telsa and her situation that have been touched upon or given a nod to previously. It's a solid look at the character and serves as her origin story for the most part and while that might feel forced in some books it's definitely welcome here. The cast expansion has hit throughout the run with a look at the key players and Telsa's been one I wanted a lot more time with, particularly as I love her design and detail with the coloring, so getting a lot more of that from Nguyen is like win/win for me. A very solid issue that takes us to some new places at the end and has the potential for a really neat reconnect with other characters as the story progresses.

Descender is working some very enjoyable material for me where it's filling in some of the gaps in our knowledge and doing it with the same attention to detail and style that the book has sine the beginning. Bandit's a dicey character to try it with but i think the payoff is definitely there I really like the little guy even more now and have hopes for some very fun scenes ahead for him. Going back to the period with everyone going south across the systems, Andy being shuffled offworld, and TIM-21 shutting down, it's a very small story in a number of ways but it delights across the board. Lemire and Nguyen deliver exactly the kind of story that Bandit should get.

Descender has another solid entry in the Singularities arc of character backstories that we've been getting. Lemire may be taking a risk with some readers in doing something like this but it's worked exceptionally well for me as a whole because it's made me even more invested in their stories and pasts within the context of the present. It's also given Dustin Nguyen a chance to explore these character at different ages and showing their growth and changes over the course of it, which is always interesting. He essentially nails this book once again from start to finish and I always feel bad for not say much beyond it looks like perfection to me. I can't imagine this book working like it does in the hands of most other artists because his style and the coloring just separates it in a way that it needs to be. I love how it has elements of 70's style science fiction mixed with 80's character designs and today's sensibilities. It's just fantastic.

Descender closes out this round of background stories with another difficult character that, while not deep or rich in what we learn, provides more understanding of him and the larger world that the story exists in. Lemire makes him interesting and fun in his own gruff way and I love the banter and humor between him and Scoops. Nguyen's style continues to impress the hell out of me with how this looks and working with the mines and mostly robots here just hits a certain sweet spot in otherworldiness. Part of me wishes we'd just get a portfolio of science fiction oriented landscapes, cities, stations, and so forth from him like we used to in the 70's. So much neat stuff here that inspires the imagination.

Descender gets all stories on track in the present, at least for the three we get here, as Orbital Mechanics gets its arc underway. It's definitely a lot of fun though it did leave me wishing for more dialogue and exposition since there's a lot of dialogue-free material here. That said, it's a definite treat to get some beautiful Dustin Nguyen artwork in this way as we see just how well he conveys the story without words. Between the designs, the roughness of it, and the color work, this continues to be a great looking book that makes me want a whole lot more of it. I don't think the series suffered under the Singularities arc for me but I suspect for many that this issue is a "return to form" for it.

Descender's picking up momentum again with the Oribtal Mechanics arc and it's pretty clear here that there's going to be some chaos ahead. Lemire and Nguyen continue to blend some solid pieces together to tell the tale with some emotional aspects, such as Andy and Blugger early on, to some fun action sequences and reactions, such as TIM-21's abilities and Telsa's views of it. There are a lot of pieces on the board and they're definitely working well individually and as an interwoven tale. It's a book that continues to work well in the individual issue form while taking on a bigger feeling when you read through a whole lot of it at once. Very recommended.

Descender never stopped firing on all cylinders for me, even when it devoted an installment to my favorite robodog, but it's ramping up hard and strong for what's to come next. Lemire is delivering a really solid story with different elements in different locations but I have a hard time imagining that it would work anywhere near as well without Dustin Nguyen. Lemire packs a lot of dialogue and story elements into each issue and I feel like I never talk about Nguyen's artwork enough but I really love the expressiveness that comes through with the minimal approach in some pages, such as Telsa's time against white backgrounds made starker by the color work for her hair and a few other elements. When it shifts to more detailed and complicated scenes the layouts are just fantastic and cinematic as they draw you in. I love his work in general but this series is just on a whole other level in how he's delivering with it, issue to issue.

Descender continues to fire on all cylinders for me as the various stories get a good bit of attention and you see the way everything is coming together but at the same time operating its own event and thread. While I'm curious as to what the Driller storyline will reveal as that's a big area of mystery at the moment, the rest of it is somewhat predictable but beautifully executed both in script and artwork. There's a lot to like here from top to bottom and when you read it consecutively with other issues in this arc it feels like the book is racing to its explosive moment, which is what I can't wait to see now.

Descender continues to be a book that I thrill to with each new installment and am excited for the day that it ends so I can just burn through it all in one massive reading to see the themes come together in clearer ways. Jeff Lemire has largely impressed me over the year with an array of titles, though his original creations are what really click the best as opposed to playing in other people's sandboxes. Descender has been firing on all cylinders from me from the start and his work with Dustin Nguyen is one of those fantastic partnerships that just results in wholly unexpected and wonderful ways. This is another great looking book that I could just spend hours poring over the details of the designs and expressions of the characters and the worlds that they're creating.

Descender gets its new arc off in a big way while not providing much in the way of answers. Lemire's keeping the pacing at a good level where there's a lot of tension and sense of urgency about things while still expanding on what's going on and how it's going to impact the bigger picture. And just like past issues, Dustin Nguyen makes this an absolute delight to read multiple times. I love the way the pages come across, the texture of it all, the color design, and just the rawness of it where sometimes it almost feels like storyboards taken a step further and about to be fully animated. It has its own life that just draws me in, panel after panel. Very good stuff that has me eager to see what else this arc has in store.

There's a lot to like in this installment but damn if it doesn't feel like it goes by far too fast, which makes me glad it holds up so well with repeated readings.

Descender issues that work with certain characters aren't going to fly for a lot of readers and especially ones that seemingly take us far away from the main storyline that's going on in all its wonder. I get that and have a low level of frustration myself considering the scale of events going on. But with this issue, we get a really fun little story with Driller that showcases his hero's journey nicely and has me curious once again as to what his larger role will be in all of this as it progresses. It's not a game changer but it introduces some fun elements and it simply a delight to look at if nothing else.

Descender's building well to the final installment of this particular arc while also hinting at more of the bigger picture. Lemire keeps things working in a kind of minimal way but it hits the salient points and infuses enough character to keep it moving along since we've had so many more detailed character stories told previously. I really like what we get in the cyberspace sequence in this installment and hope we see that utilized again as it can make for some interesting angles to work with. Dustin Nguyen delights once again with the way the book is laid out and the just the way it looks so rough with great color work and a bright kind of science fiction world during a period where things are at their bleakest. It could easily have been done as a dark and moody piece but the minimalist and heavy white approach just raises my interest in it.

As much as I like the big moments it's the small moments that clicked the best for me, following what Tesla and TIM-21 are up to as they make their way further down and make some startling discoveries about what may really be going on. I still haven't a clue how long this will actually run but it has the potential for a bit of endgame coming up based on this discovery or it could be at the halfway point, both of which would delight me for different reasons. This series delivers the kind of science fiction that comics rarely does and even more rarely does well. This is an engaging and very fun book and the end of this arc puts us into some new places and even greater danger, which in itself is thrilling and frightening.

I really liked the flow of this and Dustin Nguyen is creating something that really is quite magical with the visual presentation of events with the machinery, worlds, and characters. I can't wait to see what's next.

The conclusion of this two-part arc reveals much of the foundations of the series itself and what our characters are facing and why. There are likely to be twists ahead still and some aspects that are different, but the crux of it is here and it's going to come down to how everything is handled more than anything else. Jeff Lemire has been going strong with this project from the start and getting all this exposition, so beautifully illustrated by Dustin Nguyen, is exactly what I'm a fan of a lot of his independent projects as it's easier to work this kind of stuff. The arc covers a lot of ground but never feels rushed and is able to breathe so that you soak up the details and the larger meaning while it also rolls around in your head afterward as you digest the ramifications. I can't wait to see what's next.

Descender continues to do some great stuff here for me as there's a lot at stake for just about everyone.

Lemire and Nguyen have had a strong run from the first issue and that hasn't changed at all for me, making this a really great installment as part of the whole.

Descender has been building to some of these moments for a long time and I'm not sure they quite resonate as strongly as they should, though it could just be me. Jeff Lemire has a lot of things in the air here and I'm really curious to see what's up with Driller and Mizerd with his talk of ancient mystical forces that are now being drawn into it.

I really love the team and the work that was put together here as it felt unique and engaging in a way a lot of series struggle to get close to. Dustin Nguyen's art style alone made this one of the best series I've read the last few years and just getting more of Jeff Lemire's writing on the original side is a huge plus. Definitely a standout series for me.

I had no idea what to really expect with Gotham by Midnight as I really picked it up on a whim because it was a new series and had some decent buzz from what I could casually see. What I got was a book that's obviously familiar in a sense with what it's doing, but it's beautifully and smoothly executed in a way that it feels like a book that's been worked at and polished for years. There's an ease about this that leaves you want to really dig into it and get to know these characters more. The situations they find themselves in will obviously be the main thing that goes on, but the potential for so much more with the cast, the setting and the precinct itself has me excited and hopeful that the book runs for quite awhile. Very, very recommended.

There's a lot going on in this issue, but it's more an exploration of Sister Justine more than anything else while also revealing that there may be a number of dark things ahead for this particular group to investigate. Corrigan gets to be a bigger player in this issue and his time with Rook is well done, though I'm curious to see how much more of Rook we might end up seeing. The focus on Justine is good as you really feel like you know her more after all of this and can understand why she works in this precinct and works with these somewhat unsavory characters. There's a really great look and feel to this book across it with the writing and artwork, and especially the color design that really drives it home in an even more intense way. I'm not sure where this series is going or what it wants to really do, but it's opened up a door to a fascinating side of Gotham that I want to see more of – and especially without much in the way of capes.

Telling a good standalone story feels like a lost art these days and this one, while connected to the larger story going on, works exceptionally well. The structure is handled well and it layers it with the background story for Drake that helps to really make her all the more interesting in this unusual group of officers. The main story certainly has its creepy supernatural factor that makes it a whole lot of fun to watch play out as Corrigan and Drake try to figure it out. Bringing Tarr in helps to provide a quirky aspect to it as you kind of end up waiting to see if he's going to get gutted by it. We also got a brief nod to Rook as he's continuing his investigation, and a little time with Sister Justine as well, which was nice. Overall though, this is Drake and Corrigan's show for this installment and it sets a great tone while continuing the big picture story that's going on with a new piece of the puzzle. I'm loving it.

The exploration of things over the previous three issues has been fascinating because we got a solid horror-mystery story that allowed us to get a feel for the characters in a basic way but also gave us time to grasp the nature of the department and their view of the city itself. It's been a curious build with what it's doing, and I was glad we got to see more of Corrigan as a cop than the Spectre. But with the plan and truth revealed here with the creatures and their likely centuries old grudge, it takes on a whole different feeling now as that unfurls and we see the Spectre being played in a big way. With some wonderfully sharp dialogue and character bits combined with gorgeously raw and rough artwork that fits the series perfectly, this is a thoroughly exciting book to dig into that hits all the right marks.

Gotham by Midnight brings its opening arc and massive threat to a close, though with it more set up as a delayed kind of closure as opposed to something with some finality. What it does is mostly give us the grand battle between the two large supernatural entities, but it's almost all processed through the eyes of Corrigan and everyone else from the team. There's a great scale to the events and it's well balanced by the personal side so that we really feel invested with everyone, and with the loss that comes with it as well. The book has plenty of places to go from here and I'm definitely curious to see what approach it'll take and if the cast changes much, but overall this has been a great arc as a whole that's filled with some great artwork to bring it all together. Definitely a book to pick up in trade format if you're not a fan of monthlies.

Gotham by Midnight is one of those books I really missed during the Convergence months, so it's great to finally have it back and slink into the supernatural side of Gotham again. There's a really good world to work with here and it's populated with some intriguing characters, which look great through Juan Ferrerya's interpretation of them. This is a simple kind of issue though in terms of the actual supernatural element, but it's a strong issue in design and for the time spent with Drake and Rook getting what they can out of Corrigan with what he really is. It's done in a way where most books hem and haw over it, so I definitely liked the more straightforward approach used here. There's some real darkness waiting in the wings it feels like and I'm eager to see more of it exposed based on the simple teases placed here.

Gotham by Midnight has another strong supernatural installment but one that's also layering in some great character material. I've long liked the Corrigan character so seeing his struggle with what happened to Sister Justine here is welcome, as is his strong Specter side moments. Weaver's story really has me intrigued to see how it unfolds as well, as Fawkes makes it a thoroughly engaging storyline that will have bigger implications. But the best thing about this book is Ferreyra's artwork as he does some fantastic design work here. The side views of the houses for a couple of pages with events playing inside is strikingly beautiful, especially with the colors used, and just the sense of hopelessness that comes from so many panels and characters, notably Weaver, is amazing to watch. His artwork is adding another defining chapter to the look and feel of this book and it's one that brings Fawkes' storyline to life in an even bigger and better way.

Fawkes is providing for some strong standalone issues with what he presents to the reader to keep us engaged while laying down some really good character details to build who the team is and how they struggle to interact with each other.

What we get with this installment is a clearer idea of just where it'll go for the arc and that it could really end up wrapping up things in a way that gives us some closure. The focus on what Corrigan has been up to the last few years is interesting as we see the IA pair really put it all together and try and get to the truth of it all, all while touching upon Drake and the others in different ways. Ferreyra really gives it a great sense of tension as the shift between mid-range scenes and close-up panels helps to expand on what Corrigan is going through, shifting him from his cool confidence to the panic that hits at the end.

As we race closer to the end of this series the stakes are being raised considerably. I'm really curious to see where Corrigan will be left at the end of all of this and what it means for the Spectre, but I'm also really on edge to see what happens to Drake and the others because of their involvement. These are characters with so much potential to tell some great creepy stories that I'm hopeful for some other similar incarnation in the future. Fawkes and Ferreyra are killing it with this book and this issue in particular just takes it up a few more notches for me. Strong storytelling with a great sense of mystery and fear about it all.

Though lighter in a sense when it comes to what's actually accomplished here, Gotham by Midnight has another strong installment. The dead coming back with unresolved issues is a familiar enough concept and one that we've seen in comics (and DC Comics) many times over the years. Its execution here is solid and it's given some proper weight with the narrative while also showing the struggle the police have in trying to deal with it all. The storyline is bringing everything to a head and I have hopes that it'll put us in a very good place afterward where this crew might be able to function again some day in some way. Right now, though, Fawkes and Ferreyra have crafted a strong second arc within this series and I have hopes that an omnibus collection someday might get a lot more people to realize what they missed out. Solid installment that has me excited to see how it's all going to conclude.

Gotham by Midnight has been a strong series as a whole and this finale does some really good stuff in giving us closure while also being open-ended enough that whoever works these characters next are free to really move them forward. I'm naturally disappointed that the book drew to a close because the idea of working half year arcs of a supernatural design within Gotham with the crew put together here is just fantastic stuff. It's the kind of thing that I'd want to see translated to the small screen, to get novels of, to really dig into and enjoy. Fawkes and Ferreyra really hit it out of the park in this second arc and made it something special. Those who read along with it as it came out know this and I'm hopeful that a lot more will discover it in the years to come in collections and sales and realize what we all missed out. Very recommended.

Matt Wagner feels like he's still drawing this as he has for the past couple of decades and there's a wonderful kind of consistency there mixed in with the growth that comes from time with the layouts and some of the more science-fiction elements of the ship and the drone. I'm excited for what's to come and this just puts me in the perfect mood for all of it.

With this being an eight-issue run there's an opportunity to play around with a couple of worlds first before hopefully settling into dealing with one in particular and moving the narrative forward. This issue wraps up the first world – and never use the first world you find – and starts to get us on our journey again after showing just what it is that Prime has to learn in order to do this job. It's well-handled overall with what it does and I love the exploration of the Gyk and just how detailed yet basic all of the information is. And just how little of it Prime thinks matters in order to make an informed choice.

I'm continuing to enjoy new adventures with Grendel: Devil's Odyssey but I'm mixed about how the future should be. It feels like it's time to change the cycle to something new but I'm also feeling like it's time to go back to the very beginning and move forward anew. Yet I want more Prime stories because when done well, they're damn engaging. Even with the frustrating aspects of the story that we get here I want more of it in order to see how it can play out. Wagner's artwork continues to be really engaging to watch play out with the story and this world and I enjoy the way the dynamic works between him and Sigma as well as the new creatures he faces. I'm definitely curious to see what's next.

Grendel continues to be one of my all-time favorite properties and while I'm hopeful for a time beyond Prime, this story is delivering what may take us there. I'd love to see Wagner finish this off and turn it into public domain and let anyone else tell stories going forward based on how he ends it here. This issue is a solidly strong one as we see Prime's past a bit more and the way he and Sigma are able to work together better than Prime might think they can. It's got a great look that delivers on what I love about the Prime material while capturing his voice perfectly. I can't wait to see what's next.

It's been way too long between installments but the series is ideal in its structure to be able to handle this kind of yearlong break without breaking the series. The story starts us off on a new world to explore while sticking to the main concept and it delivers an engaging piece that makes for some good time to talk about what it offers up. It's a standard two-issue story so it'll complete the next time around as we move past the halfway mark here. I'm also excited that the letter from Matt Wagner that's included has him talking about an unexpected series that will be coming after this, which has me really excited to see what the next stage of this property is.

Grendel: Devil's Odyssey continues on well here as we get Prime finally arriving someplace where there are sentient creatures operating that he can interact with. They're far behind where humanity was in a lot of ways and that means a lot of work to ensure that they can evolve right to be comparable. There are a lot of really enjoyable moments in this as Prime's plan moves forward but it also has its share of disturbing moments as well. I'm excited to see where this arc goes and if there are more worlds on the horizon to deal with.

This series has delivered in spades for me since the start of it but this one is probably the strongest story/character one yet in terms of giving us a world that's more nuanced and complex than the others. I really like what we get here and how the story has flowed since Prime got here and the path that he ended up on. The artwork was great as always with interesting characters and designs to bring it all together that resulted in engaging storytelling. There's a ton to like here and I'm excited to see how it concludes in the next issue – and to race to the last page to see news about another series that I hope will be coming after this.

I've really enjoyed this series a lot overall simply because it connected me back with the Grendel property again after so long. Wagner has a lot of fun with two-part storylines across it in exploring worlds and how Prime would deal with it while searching for a new home for humanity. With the way this closes, it sets us up for a bigger understanding of the universe at large – a familiar one to science fiction fans – while also bringing us full circle to see what humanity has been up to after being left alone for so long. I'm thrilled that there is more Grendel coming because each series has me fearing that it's the one where Wagner will say that it's time to put it to rest. It's definitely well done and will be a great binge read for a lot of fans.

Mother Panic with its debut issue has angled in on a certain sweet spot for me in a way that just clicks. DC Comics has worked some really good things over the years when it comes to exploring the seemingly endless potential of Gotham itself and something like this that gets gritty and dangerous is exactly what's needed. Houser and Edwards have a very strong book here (and I'm curious to see what the backup feature becomes, though I generally loathe those in ongoing books) that has me wanting to see a lot more of Violet and what she's been up to all this time. And to see exactly how she works in going after her goals and the weird alignments that may come out of it in interacting with others. Definitely the book that has me the most excited from the Young Animal line.

Mother Panic continues to intrigue even as it works seemingly familiar concepts and approaches. Houser's bringing us a character in Violet that leaves me wanting more because she seems broken but has put herself together in a way that has her functioning and effective similar to Batman but with a whole other worldview. There are so many variations on the Batman theme out there that I love discovering a new way to bring it out. With some light blending of other familiar Gotham names here and some really fantastic artwork from Edwards – especially in his use of color – Mother Panic is a strong looking title across the board and the second issue is further cementing that for me as my must-own Gotham based series.

Mother Panic is certainly delighting me still and this installment just further cements it as I continue to prefer the "edges" of Gotham based series. The inclusion of Batman and Batwoman is well done as it's not a dominating piece but an understandable and necessary one to fit into the area as a whole. The focus on Violet is what makes it all work as we dig into her past more in seeing how things went down with the tragic backstory and what her brother Victor did and it's all useful and important. But the present day material has a really great sense of intensity about it both in the writing and the fantastic artwork that really drives it forward in a hugely engaging way. This is a book that I foolishly wish was weekly or that I had a couple years worth of material to discover and just binge the hell out of it. It's that good.

Mother Panic continues to deliver the goods on the fringe side of Gotham for me that I crave, playing in the familiar but working its own angle and carving out its own territory. Houser kicks off the new arc nicely here – and I like that it's at issue four and not issue seven – while building the larger narrative of Violet herself. This book also makes out very well with the addition of Shawn Crystal on the art duties as there's a really neat sense of design about it with the architecture but also in how Violet is presented – both in her socialite side that captures her laziness and boredom about it as well as the more angular look of Mother Panic. When you can get a costume like that and bring in a sense of warmth and humanity about it when she holds Pretty, you're doing some great stuff.

I'm still loving Mother Panic a whole lot and in ways I didn't think I would when I first tried sampling the series. This installment gives the characters time to breathe and exist without having to deal with world ending or city ending issues. That lets us get into their minds more, or at least Violet's, and that sets the tone and mood of the book as a whole. Especially when it comes to dealing with her mother! The more we become immersed in this world the more I'm both intrigued and frightened by it, both because of the story but also through the wonderful interpretation that Shawn Crystal brings us. Very good stuff.

Mother Panic has a solid enough installment here with what it's doing in establishing Violet more, the dynamic of her relationships, and the way her goal itself is starting to take shape more. The background with Gather House is the big piece of this arc overall with the reader getting a greater view of it through Pretty and her own memories. Jody Houser definitely has me wanting to see a lot more of Violet as well as her Mother Panic persona and particularly how the whole dynamic at home is going to grow when it comes to her mother and Otis. Shawn Crystal did a great job on this arc in giving it his own style rather than trying to mimic what the series started out out as and I'm curious to see how the next arc will take shape in all departments.

Mother Panic continues to be a really fun book that delivers on what I want, Gotham without Batman or most of the usual crew. It's a big city with a whole lot of nooks and crannies to explore without heavy crossover material. Violet's story is coming alive more and more each issue as we know her, the support group that's being fleshed out around her, and the seemingly changing nature of her goals. This installment brings us some great artwork from John Paul Leon and the end result is a pretty engaging book that has me excited for what comes next.

Gotham without the usual caped crusaders is the Gotham that I want to see and Jody Houser is delivering. Her work with John Paul Leon is spot on here as it delves into more of how she's changing in who she is and how she fights in this city and I keep wishing it could sustain a twice a week format. The growth here with the supporting cast is really fun to watch, including some wonderfully done time with our favorite rat catcher, but it's Violet that's the draw and understanding how far she'll go and what she'll do is what keeps me reading. There's not a lot of costume time here but that's not a bad thing. It's Violet under it all and understanding her more ups the understanding of her in the costumed role. Very good stuff here.

Mother Panic continues to delight issue after issue and I'm looking forward to reading a lot of these issues in a row eventually rather than the monthly run I'm on now. Each issue provides so much to dig into and enjoy that I'm eager to revisit it with a larger view in a single sitting to connect the threads that Jody Houser is weaving even better. John Paul Leon did a solid job throughout this arc in capturing the look of this vision of Gotham and Stewart's colors just took it up a few notches along the way as well. It's a very fun book that gives us a great look at Violet as we try to figure out who she really is and how she's been formed over time and experience. Definitely worth checking out in full.

Mother Panic is the kind of book that still feels like you have to work at it to really get the most out of it and part of that is unlocking more of who Violet is with each arc. And that really can be difficult with a monthly book. Jody Houser continues to work a really intriguing larger narrative for the character that I'm hopeful will get more time to unfold and be explored and I'm digging the way the artists are rotating into it combined with the shorter arcs themselves. Shawn Crystal is a perfect addition to the roster and I'm excited to see more of his interpretation of the cast and settings here.

Mother Panic is firing on all cylinders for me and sometimes even more so when there isn't any action to the book. This is a solid character piece that moves us through more of Violet's past, the connection with Jane expanded, and a good look once again at how Violet processes things and deals with those that she knows she can't trust, which is pretty much everyone. Events turn quickly at the end here and I'm excited to see how badly it goes for all involved the next time around. The real win for me with this issue is the combination of all the creative elements that results in the book but Shawn Crystal's artwork once again makes this resonate in a way that just delights me from the first panel to the last. Very good stuff.

With the Young Animal line dealing with a weird crossover event with Justice League coming up and Mother Panic being a part of that with a Batman/Mother Panic special, this series feels like it's hit a concluding point that makes me really kind of surprised and unhappy. I love what Houser and the rotating art teams did on this title and I want a lot more of it, which I hope will get picked up with either a new series or a continuation in 2018. This issue works a lot of things out and puts Violet in a new place, using the Mother Panic name and getting closer to her mother while also cutting more ties to her past in a brutal way. This is definitely a very fun book with some great designs that fits perfect in the Young Animal imprint. More, please!

The book as a whole is just engaging throughout for me, with great narration pieces, solid dialogue that flows well and a visual design that's just striking. There's a sense for me that this would work better here than in a live action piece simply because of the way you get to be drawn to the details of it all and Mutti makes it feel very lived in and natural, making the artwork a big part of the appeal.

There's a very good build to events here and giving some solid progression for both the revolutionary side and the story of the characters, separately and in various groups and configurations, it leaves me wanting a lot more to see how their lives go and what they become involved in.

While Rebels may not make a lot of forward motion in the cause of the revolution itself, what we do get is some strong material showing the formative years for Seth and more of the complicated relationship with his father and his family in general. There's a great starkness to it that's played out well here and it's thoroughly engaging to read and watch it unfold. Playing that against what we get in the present as he returns home, first giving us some great time with Mercy that explores her situation, it all adds up to a really engaging work that deals with the mundane side of existence at the time and the opening salvos of the larger war that's beginning to capture more attention – and complicating relationships between those that feel they have a stake in it and those that just want to mind their own business.

Rebels once again delight me utterly, even more so with the refreshed context of the times and some of the players, so this issue definitely clicked very well for me. Brian Wood continues to tell an engaging story that doesn't feel traditional in any sense of the word as it moves through different periods within the timeline, almost always progression, but it's made so much smoother and engaging because of Andrea Mutti's artwork. There's such a great richness and depth to it, so much detail that I just get caught up in, that I have to read it a couple of times because of the way I'm drawn to the smaller moments. I can still see why this is a hard book for many, but it's hitting it out of the park for me on a regular basis.

It's a strong installment from a storytelling point, both in words and visuals, as the whole thing makes you really feel like part of the time and place. Though I talk more of the actions and events, it continues to be critical to talk about the artwork as Andrea Mutti really brings this to life in a raw way that's just staggering in some of its details, layouts and the whole flow of it. It's one of those books that looks so rugged in a way that's very hard to produce authentically that it bowls me over every single time I get a new installment. Beautiful, beautiful stuff.

Rebels finishes up here with Seth's main story and we get two standalone issues ahead of us – one of which will have another short story for Seth in it that takes place during the war. This arc has been a fantastic read through and through with the narration, the dialogue itself and the kind of cuts between time to give us a big picture view but humanized enough. A lot of that humanizing comes from Andrea Mutti's artwork though as he made this series something more. I'm a fan of Brian Wood's work to be sure, but Mutti has infused this with such a sense of place and time, a rawness and earthiness, that I felt very in the moment throughout it. His character designs along took it to another level and just made it feel authentic with expressions, especially when it comes to Seth. I'm eagerly looking forward to what's to come next in the series as a whole but it's going to be interesting to see if they can match or top this arc for me with the team ahead.

Rebels has a solid enough story here and idea, but it all comes down to wanting to have those last few pages in a way. I enjoyed the story of Sarah from the war itself and found her grin infectious from it. And I'm in complete agreement with the presentation of what was owed and how there were creative ways to get out of doing it, which is a travesty. Recognition of the problem, even now over two hundred years later, is important. But I almost feel like we needed a one-off story to show it from the government position of why they chose it, those who fought against it – if any, and a real dialogue. The story is good but it just felt like a little too much moralizing, which is something that the series hasn't done in its opening arc.

Rebels continues to be a delight as it expands the general themes and ideas from this time period with new and intriguing ways to look at things. There are a million stories to be told from this period that range around the world to be sure and focusing on very different angles offers up so much potential for it. I really enjoyed the Silence Bright story here with what it did and I was thrilled to have a little more Seth and Mutti in the back portion. It's really wonderful stuff that works historical fiction in the right way to express the concepts and ideas while not getting completely bogged down in some of the details. I think this book could do both and take it to the next level though. But therein is the room to grow and that has me excited to see what else is to come.

The standalone tale here works in a number of ways and it really tickles my history-loving self in a good way. It's fiction to be sure, but based on how events at the time played out and it really makes me wish history was taught in this manner because I know I would have been a lot more engaged when I was younger in humanizing it instead of just memorizing dates, battles, and names. Wood delivers a solid story within the small confines and really humanizes it, but it's Mutti that takes it to the next level and makes you feel real empathy and compassion for all involved. The artwork is lush in its own distinctive way and continues to be perfectly suited to the material, giving it a life and a presence that a lot of other artists would not be able to convey properly. Very recommended.

While I would have liked to have known a bit more about our lead character here, both before being brought in as a soldier and of his career, what we do get is something that likely fits a good number of the fifty-six thousand men that fought in the revolution from the British side. Though a good number served for king and country, tradition and family, a lot ended up there for very different reasons and not all that willingly in the end. Brian Wood delivers a properly somber and haunting ending here which Jones and Bellaire bring to life in a way few series really manage to achieve. Every installment of this series was fantastic and the upcoming full collection of it later this year really is a must-own piece of work that I cannot recommend enough.

The lack of talk about men and relationships is welcome here as we have Leia coping with a tragedy, not looking for a shoulder to cry on, and to find a way to be useful to her people in their time of need while still being a royal.

The second installment of the series carries events forward from the first very well and provides for an engaging and fun book while also keeping it properly serious and even a little threatening at times with what's going on. Leia's not a blank slate even based just on the movies, and what we get here is a solid exploration of her in the post-ANH world where she's had a lot of loss and is refocusing herself on a mission that's smart, makes a lot of sense and isn't something that I'm aware of being done before, at least not in the comics. Waid's dialogue is on point and there's a lot of good stuff here throughout and he's really making me like Evaan even though I know I shouldn't on some level. Combined with the beautiful artwork from Dodson, who does some great stuff with young Leia in the couple of ages we see her, it just leaps off the page and has a whole lot of appeal in providing these new views of her. A great book all around.

The Princess Leia series continues to be a really fun and engaging work as we get a better look at the character and her form of diplomacy and interaction with other people. This is one of those humanized, compassionate and understanding leaders that routinely get mocked for what they do, because she strives to be the best person she can, even with all her failings that happen. The survivor's guilt is an interesting angle to play, since it was lost in the films to be sure, and providing a contrasting personality with Evaan certainly helped. Showing more diverse characters and survivors only expands it overall, and this installment pushes us well towards the finale of the arc as positions change and we're going to see Leia set things right as best as she can. Here's hoping for a good conclusion – and another series being announced, as there's so much to explore here.

The Princess Leia miniseries is one that dealt with an area that I liked in the post-A New Hope world that I don't recall seeing being dealt with before in the old canon – though I'm sure it was. It's presented well here by giving her a motivation, something to do and a reconnect to her heritage amid the chaos that the galaxy is becoming embroiled in more and more. With a good concept behind it, some great artwork and the introduction of a well done character in Evaan, the series gave us a largely female oriented cast throughout without even realizing it and avoided all the usual problems of romantic subplots or tension. What we got was a great addition to the overall expanded narrative done up beautifully. This has me hopeful for more in the future, whether it's in this time period or something in the past or future. Especially if it's with this team again.

The book has a great sense of style and energy about it, a kind of rawness that plays to that whole cyberpunk era without really going whole hog with the worst of the cliches, but it also really embraces the referential side here of the cast as they talk about things from decades past and turn a lot of words into verbs. It may be a bit off-putting at times, but it doesn't quite date it and adds a certain kind of charm. I'm certainly intrigued.

I was intrigued by The Tomorrows with its first installment and this one shifts the narrative elsewhere to focus on Claudius and his trying to pay back a friend. It's a straightforward piece in a sense because there are basic ideas at work. But it's on that's set in an intriguing place and time that has a lot of potential with what can be explored, if it can (or wants to) break out from the predictable. What keeps the book engaging this time around compared to the first is the personality and presence of Claudius and what he's attempting to do and a good part of that appeal is Jason Copland's artwork. He's able to bring out something that really stands out well with its style and the color palette used for it in order to be its own work and set the tone and atmosphere for it. I'm definitely becoming more and more curious about the work but I'm also getting that sensation that this might be one that flows a hell of a lot better when read in succession.

The Tomorrow's plays big with what's at stake here as we see a global operation get underway to drive chaos into the world and you do wonder at the end game of it all. When that comes onto the page I found myself perking up a bit more. The app side of the story is solid enough and I like the little creative touches of referential material that Pires brings into. This is my first experience with MacEwan's artwork and it and his panel layout reminded me of a lot of later Grendel work from Matt Wagner, particularly in his Devil's Reign run and what Patrick McOewn did in War child. It's very well done with the action sequences and I loved the character designs from top to bottom, from basic kids in uniforms to the combatants that get involved. It's an intriguing issue that again has me really interested in the work as a whole and its connective tissue.

A book like The Tomorrows is open to a love of interpretive reading and that's always fascinating to see what each reader brings to it because of their own beliefs and backgrounds. I'm still not sure of the overall connective storyline here and feel like I'm on uncertain ground. Each installment certainly stands on its own as an intriguing short form story and each artist brings something magical to it. Andrew MacLean deals with this kind of near future storyline with pitch perfect artwork for it, reminding me of some of my favorite indie books from the 80's during the first waves of the black and white boom where styles really expanded and exploded. His work here is just striking and full of expression that drew me in all the more. This chapter feels like we're at the tipping point and about to look into the abyss – and that's both exciting and frightening.

The Tomorrows is one of those books that I love partially because I have no freaking idea where it's truly going to go or what it's real goals are. It's easy to get complacent in a world of superhero comics and shared universes where the more things change the more they stay the same. The Tomorrows is about real change, real problems and difficult choices to resolve them on an epic scale. Pires has another strong installment here and it's one that's made even stronger by Liam Cobb's artwork. It's my first experience with his work but I absolutely loved his rendition of the characters here, the emptiness of the backgrounds that are wholly appropriate to the story at hand and the entire "romantic" interlude that adds its own kind of distant warmth. This is another strong issue that I hope makes up a strong larger work when it all comes together.

Fuck yeah! Damn. This book just moves me. And that's with this long gap. Pires and Zeigler connect on a great level here in bringing this story to a close in so many ways. There are layers to dig into here, the kind of thing that you really want to be able to sit down and just tear apart in big, broad ways with people and suss out so many meanings – including all the footnotes added for reference. The Tomorrows is not a book that you just casually read. The Tomorrows is a book you damn well sit and consume and then contemplate and discuss for quite some time afterward. I can't recommend it enough, especially for those that are struggling to find works with real meaning and engagement that will challenge you as a reader.

This is a series that may take a couple of issues to really connect with readers but I get the sense that it'll be worth the time and investment.

Unholy Grail caught my attention in a big way with the first installment and checking in on it here in the third just reinforces that there's something fun to be had here, albeit in a dark way. My enjoyment of Bunn's works are kind of hit or miss but this one is firmly in the hit category as we see this tale of the Knights of the Roundtable in a new way. The script keeps things moving, the characters are interesting to see how they react to what's going on, and I love the darker take on it all. It's Mirko Colak's artwork that just elevates it to a whole other level, however, and is the kind of work that really needs to be seen and understood in how to approach this kind of project and others like it. I love the character designs and settings and just how everything is put together from top to bottom here.

Having been a big fan of the original series and the miniseries that came out, it's very easy to get back into the world of Black Hammer. The Age of Doom name makes it sound pretty ominous and it has me hopeful that there'll be some solid revelations and forward movement here as it gets underway sooner rather than later. It's the one area where Lemire leaves me a little wary as the payoff has to be pretty strong after all this time. That said, the journey is most of the fun and he and Ormston have put together a strong book with great visuals, lots of neat locations, and some great character designs that makes me wish we had the whole run to just burn through and re-examine with multiple readings already. The next issue can't come soon enough.

Black Hammer adds another solid and engaging issue where more of the truth is starting to come out. It makes me hugely curious to go back and re-read everything (something I get from almost every issue) just to see how I missed with what was put into motion. I really like Lucy's side trip adventure here as she's being forcibly delayed but I also really enjoyed what we got from Abe and Barbalien with how their stories are going. There's just so much to like that this issue left me grinning from ear to ear as we get closer to just what may be happening here.

Black Hammer: Age of Doom continues to give me exactly what I was looking for in it. While it could have drawn things out a bit more before getting to the reveal I'm glad it happened here because it throws everything into uncertainty and the way the core group reacts to what happened, the why of it, and what they may have just lost could be some pretty great material ahead. With so much strong work released so far from Lemire and Ormston, I can't wait to see where they go next.

Black Hammer has been firing on all cylinders for me since the start and this issue brings a lot of story points full circle. There's a lot of fallout to be dealt with that will take time and potentially the bigger picture itself that could come into play based on the actions taken here. Lemire sets the pace well with a good nod back at first for Lucy's path before making sure the reality of the loss that they're all feeling is made real. Dean Ormston has another great installment here as he captures the pain and heartbreak that Abe's feeling and the anger from Gail within the same page. I can't wait to see what's going to come next.

Black Hammer overall has been quite the journey and a sidebar story like this is more than fine for me, especially when I'm also in the midst of reading the Quantum Age series and have had some really great miniseries running alongside the mothership book for a while now. This one puts its focus on Weird and Lemire definitely enjoys writing him, though he's a bit less disconnected this time around than in past installments. Rich Tommaso breathes a solid life into the story with its own flavor of weirdness and I'm looking forward to seeing where they go with it overall, and hoping that Lemire and Tommaso can figure out a good Weird miniseries someday as well.

The two-part arc focusing on Colonel Weird and what happened once the ship left the other space has been a fun little diversion but it's one where I totally understand why it frustrates and annoys a segment of the audience. This one wore a little thin toward the end of it for me but I got the general idea – it just wasn't one that really did much of anything for more. Lemire definitely has fun in playing with these concepts in a way that reminded me of parts of Grant Morrison's Animal Man run while Rich Tommaso delivered some really fun and enjoyable characters, settings, and general weirdness for Colonel Weird to deal with. I'm looking forward to what's next, however.

Black Hammer gets back on track here but does it in what is a fairly predictable way. There really aren't any surprises here beyond possibly who it is that tries to reconnect with Lucy at the end, and even that was likely to be a very small pool of players. Lemire's script is solid and I like Lucy's tale with what we get but I especially like the Barbalien elements and the exploration of his world a bit. Some of that is through Ormston's art more than the story itself but that piece just clicks wonderfully and Ormstron's work in general is once again fantastic from start to finish. I can't wait to see what's next in this chapter of the series.

The pacing for this storyline is pretty solid as I can imagine it going a lot longer already, yet we're getting some very good movement forward for it. Lucy as the linchpin isn't a surprise as she was the catalyst for change at the farm as well and having Talky aware means he's able to tweak and nudge things quickly already. I really liked what we're getting from Mark since it's taking him out of the usual environs and expanding more on his whole home, which what little we got before was always interesting to see. I also really like how Lucy and Talky interact and just how her curiosity can't stop her from tugging at things and figuring out what's going on. It's a solid installment all around and I just love how Ormston handles all the various environments, particularly the Martian side for Mark.

I've been enjoying Black Hammer since the start and it continues to be a whole lot of fun with what it does even if there does feel like we're kind of looping around the same central issue. This installment helps to get a bunch of the team back together again as the big threat is on its way and it works really well since these are characters we know so well and are intriguing when viewed through new iterations. I love the dialogue, the pacing, the artwork, it all just comes together spot on. I'm excited to see where this particular arc builds to next as all the pieces are falling into place wonderfully.

Black Hammer has been a slow build kind of series since pretty much the start and it continues well here while also bringing out the latest reveals and hints of how it'll all wrap up. Lemire's plan looks pretty solid in how it should bring things to conclusion that will give the characters new paths forward that will please fans while also setting up for a larger and expanded Black Hammer universe to play in.

It's a good book that Dean Ormston delivers here with the artwork with Dave Stewart and hopefully we'll see some nice oversized high-quality editions over the years to savor and revisit it in.

I won't say this is an easy lift for Snyder because every writing project has its challenges and no matter how easy it comes to mind, putting it to page is its own host of birthing challenges. That said, this is a very straightforward setup that we've seen in any number of films before in terms of the actual structure and intent. The trappings have some welcome elements to it that are wonderfully designed, and that's no surprise with the talented Francis Manapul handling it and the colorwork. It's got a strong look but also manages to work a lot of really solid variety to it because of the Veils, which I hope is utilized more going forward. Snyder's got a solid story here, one that easily appeals to me as I used to enjoy things like the Philip Marlow series on HBO decades ago. It's old school with the right flair and sets up an interesting storyline.

Snyder's writing on this is reminding me more and more of Peter F. Hamilton's Salvation novels and that's making it easier to dig into it all.

Clear continues to do some interesting things even while playing to a familiar beat. I get a flavor of the “I, Robot” movie here in some ways with what it's doing in terms of a science fiction mystery plot that involves new technology, death, family, and so forth. It's a little chaotic in how it reads on a monthly-ish basis when you get down to it, but it'll be something that when you borrow and read the whole run, or get the trade, it'll flow together a lot better. It's the give and take of this kind of release model, frankly. I like what Snyder is doing overall and Manapul's artwork has some really gorgeous sequences throughout, so it's a fun and enjoyable read that will be a very different experience when it's all available.

Clear has been an interesting ride overall even if it is one that I've struggled with at times. I'm eager to see how the final installment will go now that we've had such a significant reveal here with what's going on because it can make quite the impact overall. It's a solid read even while being just exposition for the most part with some mild action thrown in for some variety. Manapul's artwork is always great and even just doing this works out well because of the layouts and design to keep it flowing in a really good way to engage the reader and feel like things are happening as the tension rises.

Deception is the name of the game when it comes to the world of Hellblazer and the opening issue of Constantine here does that really well. With a great sense of design and particularly panel layout from Riley Rossmo, the book delves deep into things in a great way and makes you feel like you're fully inserting yourself into this other world. Doyle and Tynion bring Constantine to life in a solid way here where you get a solid sense of who he is, but without a massive info dump to bring new readers up to speed. It covers a lot of ground and because of some of the dense panel layouts, it gets into a lot of material and really feels like a strong read that you can go back and re-read and get even more out of. Very recommended.

Constantine is admittedly working a familiar plot here but it executes it so well and with such smoothness that I'm totally on board with it. It's the kind of book that you do want to settle in to read late at night with minimal lighting and engage completely with it and nothing else. Working through his world without involving others for a bit helps to make it his book as does keeping the supporting cast very slim to say the least. I'm thoroughly engaged with this book unlike a lot of others because it demands that kind of attention on all fronts and it pays off well in the short term and hopefully in the long term as well when it becomes collected. This is definitely one of the better books I've gotten involved in recently.

Constantine has a solid installment here that works well in advancing the story a bit but not too much.

Constantine: The Hellblazer does a solid job of exploring the two sides of the title character and where he was as the rebellious youth that can do anything to the man who now realizes the true weight of his decisions and the fact that everything he touches turns awful. It's really well illustrated with the two artists and styles for each period so that they're clear and unique, particularly with the rougher and more wild backstory design that has a sense of youth and recklessness about it. Though I dislike the structure of the book it's the story itself that keeps me and the team here pulls it off pretty well in giving us a rock bottom Constantine moment (many there have been over the years) while also showing us exactly how he may snap out of it. Whether it's in time or not remains to be seen.

Though this arc isn't a strong one in a sense, at least from a single issue perspective as it may read better in collected form, returning to this incarnation of Constantine is welcome. The team has put together a strong book with interesting areas to explore and a whole world of potential. Sometimes it does feel like its' being a bit too wordy and exposition heavy for its own good, but it fits with the character and the approach of the book. Combine that with the fantastic layouts that have a great flow about them and generally strong design elements that stand out and you've got a great book. I'm really curious to see where it goes next and if it'll go more personal or something bigger and different.

This is one of the best single issue reads in recent memory for me and it comes on top of a pretty strong opening arc. The team here has completed gotten into the groove of the character quickly and just delights from issue to issue. With great writing and fantastic characterization, we're just scraping the surface of what can be done here and I'm excited to see what comes next. Especially when Riley Rossmo is involved because the art is just incredible here. He captures and conveys so much throughout these pages and the montage aspect of it with a wonderful creativity to some of the demons that I just grin thinking back on it. Which won't last long because I'm going to go read it again and savor it all once more. Very, very recommended.

There's a great kind of magic to this book where it's like the team is just firing on all cylinders issue after issue. The artwork from Rossmo and Level works really well here as we get to see something creepy and disturbing. There's a good level of violence to be had here, though it still feels like it's pulling back from the edge just a touch so as to not go too far. The stories haven't needed it yet, but you can feel that it's being cautious. I love the dialogue here between the two leads and the whole morning after routine is just great, made all the more so by the expressions that we get from Rossmo and Level with it. Another strong installment that leaves me hungry for more.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire is how Constantine's life goes and this installment is no exception. We saw how foolishly brash he was the last time around in the club that Neron took over and he's just as cocky here in order to keep Neron off balance in how to deal with him. I love the way Midnite has to try and deal with him and the way Blythe does once they show up just adds to it. This is definitely an amusing trio to watch as they work through the escape and Rossmo just delivers hand over fist once again here. There's some amazing artwork in this book with some fantastic design elements and layouts that just makes it a hugely compelling work. This arc is proving to be a delight and it feels like there are a few more shoes yet to drop.

Constantine is moving closer to the big event here and there's a lot to like. This is a quieter book overall in a way yet it's one that's more personal. The back half plays to some good character material that makes me like Oliver more while still fully understanding Constantine's reaction to everything. Watching his adventure with the fairy and knowing what's coming has him essentially cutting back on connections now so as to not cause pain or to have pain inflicted upon him because of actions. Doyle and Tynion certainly handle it all well and Foreman and Silver are solid artists that capture the look of the book just right while not mimicking Rossmo's style. There's a good flow to it here and I like the layouts and designs, it just lacks some of the really neat hooks and tweaks that Rossmo puts into it. I've enjoyed Foreman's work before and I definitely like what he brings to the table here.

As much fun as I had with parts of this book something still just felt off about it. I totally get what Constantine is doing in trying to take himself out of it because it's not his fight and he's not the crusading type, though as we see he is trying to help out some of those affected. But when you know the scale of the problem is going to impact everything eventually, he is the type that will try and deal with it sooner rather than later – at least with this. The book has its moments and I delighted at a little Gabriel time, but with the odd feeling and the Deadman problem combined, the book wasn't quite as strong as it could be.

As things get ready to come to a conclusion here as Rebirth is about to get underway, Constantine has a very good issue here that explores where things stand, brings in a little help at the end that's not exactly thrilled with him, and looks like we'll get a solid end point for it in the next installment. Eryk Donovan stepped in for the art on this issue and it certainly feels like it's a part of the style we've had from the start with its somewhat quirk style and I liked it well enough because it has the shape and feel of what came before, but not quite to the same degree. I'm curious to see what becomes of this property as the Rebirth event goes on but I'm also wondering if we're about to hit a jumping off point as well.

Constantine: The Hellblazer ends solidly enough as it brings this arc and this series to a close. I love having Constantine as a part of my regular reading rotation and the team here did a really good job with it over the past year while trying to walk the balancing act of being in the mainstream DC universe while leaning heavily toward its old Vertigo side. With a lack of superheroes and just some brief cameos before for some of the other magical characters, it largely stood on its own which was a huge part of its appeal for me alongside Doctor Fate and The Omega Men, a trio of books that gave me some great reading during their runs. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for these creators in the future as they produced some solid storytelling and I'll definitely be back when Constantine is ready to take us through more of his slice of the world.

I never thought I'd get into Elvira comics a few years ago but, like the Bettie Page books that Dynamite puts out, I'm a huge cheerleader of them because they are absolutely fun and delightful. Avallone knows how to work this property in different ways and the addition of Price makes for a really delightful time with the dialogue, in-jokes, and obvious innuendo. Juan Samu's artwork is fantastic here in how they capture both our leads and present the world so that there's a good bit of comical to it but also a kind of sexiness that carries through. Combine that with some great settings and background pieces and it just comes together wonderfully. This is a somewhat standard but strong start to the new storyline that takes us further down Elvira's path, which she's happy to recount in brief along the way. Very recommended.

Elvira and Vincent continue to be a hoot to watch together and the book really looks great with so many wonderfully silly moments throughout. It's a good read and one that you definitely feel like you get your money's worth with it.

This series has been a delight as I expected it would be and this issue carries that forward. Taking the cast to Cairo and playing with some of the themes there is fun, as is seeing Vincent all done up ala Alan Quartermain whereas Elvira would lean a little more Indiana Jones. They manage to avoid playing into some of the worst tropes and cliches while still handling the larger storyline just right. The dialogue is an absolute delight and the self-awareness at times hits a special sweet spot for fans of works like this. Elvira continues to be one of the best books on the market.

Elvira continues to be one of the most surprising titles that I've come to love so much that I hate it when there are gaps between runs. Hopefully, the next storyline gives us more delights as the pairing continues as this opening piece is going to be a fun one to try and top. This one was an absolutely wonderful pairing between Elvira and Vincent Price that really worked on several levels and the script completely took advantage of that. The end result was some delicious dialogue and silly antics, and a lot of mutual respect, that made for a thoroughly fun storyline. It's able to go big, silly, and weird but still has the right kind of grounded heart to make you really engage with the cast across the board. This was a really delightful storyline that's definitely a must-own Elvira run. of issues. Here's hoping the next storyline can match if not exceed what was done here.

With a straightforward setup in place here, Ether: The Copper Golems does a lot of fun stuff in introducing us to Boone and what's going on with him. You get a good sense of how it moves forward from the previous series while still being very accessible to new readers (and making them want to go back and read that original run).

Ether tickles a particular fancy with me even though the story that we get is fairly straightforward. The Disappearance of Violet Bell is a mystery chaser and if you've read/seen a few of those you know the basic structure. The opening sets the stage predictably but what makes it work is the combination of the details, setting, the nuance of the world, and the visual design. Kindt and Rubin are well-paired in this project and I can see both of them inspiring each other to new creative levels to bring this place to life while infusing it with the emotional elements it needs to gain a few more notches. Boone Dias is still my favorite character in the run and this issue looks to give us something more to grapple with when it comes to him while expanding the world at the same time. I'm excited for what's to come.

The second issue of this Ether series deliveres exactly what I wanted out of it by expanding on its weirdness with new things and fleshing out some past weirdness. I really like watching the stilted dynamic that we get between Boone and Glum since they've got a history but Glum is just plain done with certain aspects of it and is going through what's required here. Boone's obliviousness is both good and bad for him but in the end, it is how he survives until he has to really understand something. I like the motions that we get here and am curious to see how the creative team builds on dealing with these gods.

Ether: The Copper Golems digs deeper into what's going on here but hasn't hit anything really solid in a way.

Every issue of Ether is full of creativity that a dozen writers could mine for ages and explore in some way in other books. That's both its boon and its flaw because it'll never be mined, just teased. But it tantalizes the mind so much. Kindt keeps the journey moving here as Boone Dias does his best in his own odd way and it's fun to see Glum just trudging alongside him doing his best as well to keep up or save him. I like the places we ended up this time around and those that we meet as it expands this world and our core cast in who they are and what they're like. Very good stuff, once more.

With some pretty good reveals and explanations going on here, giving us a greater understanding of the Ether and its impact on Earth as well, Ether delivers another strong segment of the larger storyline while fleshing out the world in general. I'm definitely curious as to what Ubel's bigger intent here is as Grondor likely only has a sliver or facet of it. Kindt keeps things moving well and gives us a lot of great material to enjoy the expansion while Rubin is able to bring so many neat visual teases and tidbits to it so that it feels fully realized in this form. I can't get enough.

The combined talents on this book are pretty great in general but what they seem to bring out of each other makes this a kind of surreal joy to read as it's unexpected even while familiar and delights no matter the page and what it's doing.

Ether: The Copper Golems has been a very fun series but the ending issue doesn't quite stick the landing for me. The twist with Golden Blaze sets a delaying action, which is fine, but the flow of events just feel overly stacked here. The action in the first act is fun and I really liked what we got out of Boone and Perdua toward the end hit a certain sweet spot for me in storytelling and visual design. Rubin gets a lot of great stuff to work with here and showing us the turn for the worse toward the end just adds to the excitement. I'm uncertain where the third book will go overall but I'm anxiously looking forward to more of Boone's adventures with the rest of the gang.

This is a wonderful series. It's another book that I really wish would get an oversized coffee table-sized book so that the artwork could be appreciated even more on high-quality paper.

I've long enjoyed the Green Lantern property and all the creativity that comes from it but moreso when it spends its time away from Earth and most of those with it. Hence my enjoyment of the lesser known books or the Corps books themselves. While Grant Morrison is bringing us back to working with Hal directly here, it works as I think he has a good enough handle on a way to push the character and do something interesting with him. And even if that falls a bit flat there's still everything else that he has going into motion here that will fascinate and expands. Liam Sharpe has long been a favorite of mine in the art department and he delivers a fantastic looking book here with Oliffe's color work, which thankfully doesn't feel like it overdoes it on the green in the way some colorists do. It's a solid opening that has me coming back for more.

I'm still not sure what it is that The Green Lantern is going to be but the first two issues have exposed a fascinating book even if it hasn't completely engaged me in a way. Morrison's style of dialogue still feels just a touch off to my ears but it delivers the kind of style it needs to in order to create the mood that it wants. I'm loving the style of the aliens that we're getting throughout it and just the kind of epicness of the structures that exist out there as it leans into some classic SF aspects. Liam Sharpe is a fantastic artist in general but he's getting to shine in some new ways here with this series.

There's an enjoyable flow to this that plays with big ideas that reminds me of classic Star Strek in a way that's definitely a positive. Morrison is having fun here in how he's managing the whole thing and we make out with some absolutely stunning artwork from Liam Sharpe.

Setting the stage for what's to come, the two tales we get here while talking at a bar is definitely intriguing. It has all the right kind of next-level science fiction I want from it in that even though we get some decent action it's not all about the usual superheroics punching around. There's a sense of something meatier in motion and it's unfolding slowly and carefully. I'm really digging the alien designs in general and just how peculiar some of them are and the embracing of the weirdness at times. Sharp's artwork is fantastic with Olliffe's color design and I'm digging what Morrison is up to even if I'm not seeing the big picture yet. I'm enjoying watching each piece reveal itself.

The Green Lantern continues to delight overall even if Morrison wants to have things the easy way with the flashback here.

The Green Lantern has been a strong book since it got underway and has given us a more "mature" version of Hal and the Corps itself that we've long needed to explore, especially with more of the weird and engaging elements of science fiction about it. This issue is a much smaller and more personal one but it resonates all the more for its storybook-like design and the way it was able to really make me care about all that's involved with what is Emerald Sands and what it represents. Morrison is firing on all cylinders here while Sharp is turning in some of the best material of his career, leaving me excited to see what else is next.

I have no idea where this is truly going to go nor how long it's going to run but damn it has its hooks into me with this first issue. There's a sense that the creative side is totally in sync here to bring out something that's distinctive and intriguing while being sensual and disturbing in very different ways. We get glimpses of the characters but no true understanding of who they are yet, but we want to know. It's sharply written, beautifully illustrated, and wonderfully colored as it's brought to life. Insexts was my primary desire from Aftershock when they announced titles for their launch lineup and the opening issue has paid out in spades.

Insexts grabbed me firmly with the first installment and this one has me really wishing there were already half a dozen issues out so I could soak up more of it. While I enjoy a lot of works from a range of creators when they work in the mainstream superhero side, I'm always more interested when they get to bring their own ideas, unencumbered by the dictates of the corporate side, and just run with it. Marguerite Bennett has been doing some great work yet there's a kind of passion here that just takes it to a whole other level. And that's made even more so because of Kristantina's beautiful and haunting artwork. I can't get enough of it and just skim through and look at various panels to take in all the details separate from the story itself. It's a fantastic looking book with a story that demands you come back for more. I can't get enough.

The third installment of Insexts isn't quite as strong as the first two but mostly because it's exploring a few different elements while getting ready for what's next. It's a moment of calm and quiet threats that could blow up at any moment. What it does alone, once again, is for this team to really savor the period and the people. Kristantina continues to bring some fantastic work to the page in bringing the story to life. The costume design along is highly appealing with all of its details and I love the way the women come across here with both a softness and a harshness, sometimes within the same panel, that just gives it a rawness that's captivating. The settings also stand out well here with the room and exterior work that makes it feel even more grounded and real, particularly with some great camera angles used that doesn't go for the obvious titillation but rather entices with it in its own way. Very good stuff all around that has me excited for what's next.

Insexts begins to move us to a larger world with what it introduces here and there's some great uncertainty about where Mariah and Lady fit into it. While I'll admit that I'd like a little more time with just the two of them before the expansion, the book has hit the ground running already and worked well to keep their dynamic front and center.

Insexts works through a good deal of material here with a lot of neat little moments here and there that just deepens the characters throughout. I really like the relationship that exists between Lady and Mariah because it goes beyond them to the family that they've built while digging into some of the aspects of society they have to figure out as well. Bennett continues to really put a lot into each issue as they're fairly dense with what they want to get done and that provides for some good challenges for Kristantina to bring to life. I absolutely love her panel layouts and the flow of them when they blend together as it's really detailed and well thought out in carrying our view of the storyline across. Great stuff all around that has me excited when I can just dig into a ton of issues at once for a marathon session of reading.

Insexts has a solid installment here as it takes us into two-part finale for this arc as it sets the stage fully for Lady and the Hag to go all out against each other. Most of what we get is spent understanding the lives of the women under her control at the moment and the wedges that Lady brings into it, but we also get to see some tensions within her own ranks over what they're doing. Notably from the men, of course. Insexts has us ready to finish out this arc the next time around and I'm curious what it will do next as the world is certainly open to the characters here. Bennett continues to deliver a solid story – one that I continue to suspect reads even better in compiled form – while Ariela Kristantina delivers one of the most luscious looking books on the stands these days. Great stuff all around for the discerning audiences.

Insexts was the first AfterShock series that I picked up and the only one that I've stuck with full on throughout as I'm doing the trade route for pretty much all the others. This is on the strength of the creative team and that they're going for something you don't see in other books. Margeurite Bennett and Ariela Kristantina have delivered consistently issue after issue and I can't wait to read it in one sitting to get a different view of how it all flows. We get a very solid conclusion here, one where the next arc can go in any number of directions, and I can't wait to see what they come up with .This is easily one of my favorite books to recommend, especially to non-comic readers to show them something a bit different and hauntingly beautiful.

Though we only had one skip month it's felt like we've been away longer than that, so a return to the world of Insexts is welcome. With all that Marguerite Bennett is involved with I always fear for some of the things she's working on falling away and Insexts along with Bombshells are two that I hope don't end anytime soon. She and Kristantina bring us up to speed easily enough here with where our leading ladies are while not spending any real time on recap or exposition to connect new readers, which is a dicey thing to do but something that I think works well enough with a book like this. The change in locale is a big plus and I'm quite interested in what Phoebe will bring to the series as well as the other mysteries that are just starting to claw around the edges. Here's to a new arc!

Insexts is a series that delivered very well for me for the run I read previously and I get the sense that this arc was a strong one too with how it ended. Marguerite Bennett is definitely a talent as many know from her varied works over the last few years and I absolutely adored everything that Ariela Kristantina brought to this series and that AfterShock went and let them run with it. What I really hope is that this is the kind of series where we see them stepping up their collections side a bit as once we get this half released we get a really great complete hardcover edition on some high quality paper for the fans to savor, a real definitive version that I'm already anxious to own and have a showpiece. Definitely recommneded in full.

It's a fun read but it's also a fantastic visual trip as Luca Casalanguida continues to reinforce why I look forward to everything Bond related he does as it sets a high bar for other artists. Definitely recommended.

Damn. Damn, I say. Books like this are not easy to write and make compelling, particularly as a standalone without any story material backing it up beyond your understanding of the real world. And it's even more problematic for an artist unless there are a lot of flashback scenes and other material to give it more to work with. But Ales Kot delivered from start to finish and Antonio Fuso put together a book that was engaging in each panel, with each look, that conveyed what was necessary. While I wish they were more blunt toward the end with the torture that was used as there's no reason to truly shy away from it considering what's in the films, I'll give that they may think that doing it off-panel as they did gives it a more terrifying feeling and they'd be right. A strong book.

The Body has a bit of a lull here, though there are some good moments and it'll tickle a particular fancy just right for seeing Nazi's getting dealt with.

The Body has had a solid run so far and this issue is no exception. The white supremacist installment was a definite change from the first two and this one goes in its own direction as well, showing more of what Bond gets involved in without it being world ending missions that take him all over the globe. Kot keeps this moving well and Marron's artwork is definitely right for this particular story of a cabin in the woods and its very closed in nature with two people in a small space staying alive and watching what may be coming from them. Definitely looking forward to more.

I really enjoyed this series a whole lot because we got some great standalone stories that connected together in interesting ways. And we got to have a range of great artists taking a stab at Bond and showing some really interesting interpretations, all of which left me wanting more from them on their own dedicated miniseries.

It's a solid work and this is definitely, as I said previously, one of my favorite Bond miniseries to date and it leaves me wanting to see what else Kot and the other artists can pull together in the future.

The more I thought about this issue and upon a second and third reading, the more I appreciated it and became more enthused about it as I wrote about it. Definitely a solid and worthy book to check out.

Justice League Dark continues to be one of my most anticipated titles of the monthly books I get and this one just reinforces it. The main storyline isn't exactly pushed to the side but rather looked at from different angles before it all picks up again. I was surprised to see the book deal with Boston and Dawn so quickly, but I liked what it brought into play and gave us a chance to look at relationships among the power and supernatural. Constantine gets a nice plug here as well though he's again just a very small part of the storyline so far that will hopefully be expanded sooner rather than later. Add in Zatanna and what she brings to the table along with a neat little moment with Madame Xanadu to hint at more of what's to come and there's a lot of very good elements here. It hasn't come together, but the individual pieces are thoroughly enjoyable.

While the book focuses heavily on these three characters to good effect, it touches on others as well while bookending the whole thing with the Enchantress in a positively creepy way. It also works the story involving Zatanna and John Constantine together, highlighting their relationship and the way it's been over the years. With the way that superheroes are still relatively new to the modern world, I hope we keep getting nods about the supernatural element being there for many years prior to that in the shadows. Bringing Constantine in here is still the most awkward element of the book, but I love the bits involving his and Zatanna's past. There's a lot to like here and Justice League Dark really continues to be one of my top five books of the relaunch. This issue builds events more and defines the cast better while whetting our appetites for everyone working as a group.

I like kaiju, I like heist films, and I enjoy comics. Everything is coming up my way here as we get the first foray into this world where kaiju are real. I like the idea of using one as cover for the big score that they want to pull off here and knowing that things are likely to go horribly wrong at some point. Patrick's script covers a lot of ground here in a really strong way and I'm definitely keen to see more of Broo's artwork and designs, especially as the potential for some crazy action sequences are in the offing in order to pull off the heist. There's definitely a lot to like here and I suspect it's going to please kaiju fans a lot as it gets out there and into more hands.

It's a solid read that handles its exposition really well while also delivering some very fun and dynamic action sequences to keep it moving along elsewhere. I'm loving this run already and that's going to put a lot of pressure on the rest of the run.

The second Kaiju Score series is ramping things up well and the tease of the kaiju delivers here, though I'll admit that I'm sure some readers are wishing for more kaiju. But for me, it was trying to understand how things like this would operate in a world where there are kaiju. What kind of heists there would be, the new complications that come from it, and the new kinds of scores that can be achieved. Patrick is delivering a really engaging score here that's part of a bigger game and Broo once again delivers a great look for it, whether showcasing the plan itself or just focusing on the way the characters move and interact through dialogue and exposition. I'm eager to see more of this run.

I had a whole lot of fun with the first issue of Kaiju Score as I got into the groove of it and this issue hits the ground running with it so that it's just a delight. The characters are moving as professionally as they can, all things considered, and seeing the way it's starting to fall apart already definitely makes for a lot of fun as you can see the chaos ahead. Patrick's script is definitely hitting all the right marks for me and I'm really enjoying what Broo brings to the page, from the design of the buildings and its architecture to the monsters themselves. And especially the characters. It's a lot of good fun that has me eager for more.

Kaiju Score throws some real challenges at the gang, which isn't unified to say the least, and it just sets us up for a lot more problems as it all starts to come together. Marcos' quick thinking is keeping them in the running to get the goods but there are so many obstacles, ones he hasn't even realized yet, that it's fun watching them get so close to the line and just keep edging it on. Patrick's script definitely works well here and has a better flow than the first two issues at this stage while Broo's artwork is spot on perfect for all of this and I'm excited to see what else is in store for this run.

I've definitely been enjoying this series a lot since it's working with the concepts of the first without repeating everything that was done there in the same way. This one has a lot of things going on as the plan gets underway but there are twists and turns along the way with some betrayals just to make it all the more dangerous. I do enjoy the tighter feeling of a four-issue series like this even as I wonder how it'll get wrapped up next time around, but it has the right sense of tension to it and the chaos created along the way works well. Patrick's script works well to cover a lot of ground while Broo's artwork once again looks great and conveys this world in a really neat way.

The follow-up from the creative side at the end isn't as clear as I'd like in regards to whether there will be more but this is a world I'd easily come back to anytime. It's got some fun ideas about it, it's creative in its execution, and I really liked that it avoided the trap of just doing the same thing over again with some tweaks. This series dialed in on Michelle in the right way to provide the connection beyond the kaiju and it felt like a propr sequel in a world that's expanding in front of us. Patrick and Broo have a really great title here that I hope people discover in the trade collections over time as it's got a strong evergreen feeling about it to me in that it'll be a real delight to anyone who discovers it.

I can easily see how it can be expanded theatrically as well that will enhance and tell the story better for that medium. Regardless, the book stands on its own and I hope we get a return to this world for a lot more.

I have some pretty high expectations for this series because this is a concept that I like a lot and it has two really strong talents working on it. Thompson knows how to write a good verbose script and dialogue it which he's done here in setting the foundations. Hickman's an incredibly talented artist that can really work some great layout ideas and simply excels when it comes to character designs with how she brings them to life. The pairing is ideal, the material is spot on, and all the potential is there. This is one series I'm very excited for that starts off just right for me.

There is a lot to take in with this issue and when combined with all the details of the first we're getting an interesting world realized, or at least this particular slice of it. It's definitely solid and intriguing as a standalone issue but I imagine it will definitely flow differently when taken in full in a collected edition. What we get here further showcases Catrin's slide into despair and all the struggles in trying to get to a place she wants to be but is further out of reach. It's heavy on the dialogue and narration to good effect and the layouts and artwork help to really tell the story of what she's going through in really great ways, especially some of the sparseness of it all that reflects where she's ended up.

Depending on how badly relationships have gone in your own life, you'll get different things out of a series like this. I've had some rough breakups and endings that already made the first issue a hell of a rough read and the events here only serve to reinforce my own self-critiques of how I acted a long time ago. There's a lot to like in watching how this unfolds with Catrin doing so much to deceive herself and the artwork elevates it to a whole other level. It's hauntingly beautiful and disturbing in far too many scenes even though those scenes are really just simple things, such as clubbing and dinner. But with the character layer here that we understand it takes on so much more meaning.

Lonely Receiver has been a hell of a ride so far and even when we get an issue where I have no idea of what's really trying to be said here it's still engaging as hell. Thompson's script takes us into Catrin's head in a big way but it's something that I can't process myself and I felt like a stranger in a strange world. It's definitely easy to immerse yourself into and try and suss out the meaning and I'm hopeful the next issue will provide more details or that on a full-series read that it's all going to make a lot more sense.

Lonely Receiver is the kind of book I felt like I haven't seen in years and years. It's the kind of project that I think each time I read it, especially in collected form down the line, it's going to have a different feeling and I'm going to get different things out of it. Which is what I find with Thompson's books in general. Jen Hickman's work here is just fantastic and so much of it at times reminded me of the artwork of Bernie Mireault and Tim Sale from the original ongoing Grendel series that I just fell in love with it more and more. The talent and skill on display in this book is just nothing short of amazing.

Sometimes you come away from a first issue and just go wow. Moth and Whisper was one of those books for me that just made my day when I read it and left me excited for what's to come, but also to begin researching the team behind it a bit more and find out what else I've missed by them in their respective careers. The story is straightforward and accessible but it's wonderfully stylish and engaging with lots of potential to run with. It's one of the best things I've read in a while for a first issue and I can't wait to get my hands on more and to see what the run will be like as a whole.

I love the look of everything from top to bottom that makes a good book and even greater book. I can't wait for more.

Moth & Whisper really did have me hooked just from the front cover as it left me wanting to pore over the details of it and see it unfold within the book. Jen Hickman is producing a great looking distinctive project here with some wonderful design elements that I wish we had more time to linger with.

Anderson continues to delight with these characters and the forward progress of the story while Jen Hickman has dazzled me once again with great designs and layout with a really strong flow to it that makes it engaging in the best way, particularly with the action. I can't wait for more.

While Ido think that the first issue was the strongest of the series and some of those strengths didn't carry through fully, Moth & Whisper was a really strong and enjoyable series across the board. Anderson captured the world well and gave us a lot of interesting characters with a lot of room for potential and exploration. Hickman put together a strong visual design for it with some really great creative moments and layouts that delighted me as I moved from page to page and linger on.

While horror is not my thing in general, I actually like it in comic form with the right combination of talent. Snyder handles things solidly here and with just enough teases and nudges to keep the flow going while Francavilla's artwork is the really big draw here. Both time periods are well-presented with the color design and just how everything looks, making it easy to really get into this world. I like that we get something unusual with the film, a grander plan, and then the actual film shot itself that must have happened. There are a few layers here to explore and the start of it focuses on the end before dipping back hits the right spot. Definitely another series that'll be very easy to keep up on with a lot of anticipation.

This has all the right elements of horror to it as it moved onto the next stage here as the war finished and things began to come home. I like the use of the son that's seeing what's really going on and trying to get people to listen while at the same time we get things in the present where both men aren't quite on the same page in how they're reaching each other. It's a really smartly scripted book in its pacing and Francavilla delivers some absolutely gorgeous artwork, especially with its color design, to make something really intriguing and enjoyable to read here. This adds more fuel to the fire and has me excited to see where it goes next.

There's a lot of good stuff going on here, especially the brief but critical moments we get between Orson and his father over what Orson's mother is going through and how that changes the course of the investigation. There's a lot of familiar movements here in how Forest and the director handle their discussion but it's executed well with the art style while the material set in the past is interesting just to build up the lore of the Ghoul, even if it is again a familiar and kind of generic thing in a way. The execution is what's driving this more than the actual story because it is a familiar thing, but it's done so well and with enough hooks to draw you in that you want to see it unfold and have some kind of hope for the characters, especially for the younger ones like Alex and Orson.

I have no idea where Patience! Conviction! Revenge! might go next. There are easy places it can hit but this is very much a journey book because it's going to get into some weird dialogue places based on what we get from Renny and Robot Paul here.

Patience! Conviction! Revenge! hits me much in the same way the first issue did. I love what Kindlon is doing here with the story as I can figure out the basics but I'm mostly just loving every line of dialogue between Renny and Robot Paul and want more and more of it. Pairing that with Ferrari's artwork is definitely spot on as there's a great synergy between them with the kinds of layouts he comes up with and just the designs for just about everything. I'm excited to see what else this team has in store but these first two issues have delivered in spades for me the kind of offbeat material that AfterShock has been producing amid more familiar titles. Very recommended.

While this is mostly an action piece and forward moving semi-montage type of work in the quest to free Loske, it's one that has a lot going on. There's a ton of dialogue between the two storylines going on here and some of that may feel overdone at times but it serves well the characters as we know them and it reveals plenty about them and their situations. It's fun even if it doesn't move at a fast pace that you'd expect for a segment like this and it fits in with the greater whole. Kindlon and Ferrari are definitely having a blast here and it's very easy to get caught up in all of it.

While part of me does wonder if this series is going on longer than it should there's a whole lot of fun with so many little bits of character material and dialogue. Both of the storylines working here are fun for different reasons but I'm digging more of Robot Paul's journey at the moment just because of what he has to deal with. Kindlon handles both of them well and Ferrari's artwork gives it a good sense of energy and purpose to drive it forward. I'm really enjoying seeing what Renny is going through and how everything is coming together with the mission as it gets closed to the revenge portion.

Patience! Conviction! Revenge! had a lot of great moments throughout its run. It has a crazy kind of intensity that I loved and it took its time in a number of areas to truly reveal itself. Kindlon made it wordier than some other series of a similar nature would do but that worked well with how Renny operates and the larger scale of events playing out here. Marc Ferrari over-delivered in the artwork department as this is just a fantastic looking book through and through with the characters, the settings, and the general backgrounds and world designed. I loved this run a lot as a whole and definitely hope people discover its crazy in trade form down the line.

If you're going to launch a superhero comic these days, you have to have a lot of really strong elements to it that make it work. Steve Orlando and Patrick Piazzalunga have all the right fixings here and have put together a fantastic start. While there are certainly familiar pieces to it that any longtime reader can see with ease, it's the execution and the details, the trappings of the world, that elevate it. There's a lot that can be explored here in so many ways that it really is limitless and I'm excited to see which direction that the team goes with it. The opening is one of the strongest ones I've read for a first issue of a superhero book in quite some time and I've got my fingers cross that they can deliver on it.

While this is more about the reactions than forward progress for the book, Project Patron has a very solid installment here in showcasing the reactions and trying to work through what happened. It digs a bit more into how the program works and what people who are a part of it expect to be of their lives when all is said and done and that does help a good bit in smoothing things out. Orlando's script lets us get a few more clues out of Moro with their dialogue and I really just love the look of the book in general, even if it's almost washed out in blues/greens in this one that keeps it dark and cool. I'm looking forward to seeing more of what's to come as it feels like there's a lot of potential to tap into here.

Project Patron is evolving nicely here as a series and seeing the gang work through their issues due to Kone's death plays out well. The larger villain operating in the background has a couple of pages here as he sets up for bringing a new foe to the table but it's definitely subplot material in this issue. Orlando and Piazzalunga once again give this a good flow and look overall with the script and visuals making it an easy read but one that has some good meat on its bones to sink your teeth into. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how it progresses and how far it really wants to go.

Project Patron plays in a really fun area of superhero comics and it does so in a way that really worked well. The cast was one that definitely made for an engaging read within the project itself in seeing how they came together while seeing them through Moro's analytical eyes. The final issue plays big to the action as it should with Woe really going at it and taking down Patron hard – once again – and giving us a whole lot to like on that front. It's a good and fun read and one that I suspect reads really well in a single setting as the whole run at once.

Red Sonja is the kind of property that comes around from time to time that I get into as something clicks with the creative team. Mark Russell has a straightforward story set here but the trappings are spot on and the way the dialogue works with that edge of weird whimsy to it is just delightful. I like the way Sonja ends up in the position that she does and how she's going to handle it going forward " and Hyrkania itself. Mirko Colak give this a fantastic sense of being a really lived-in raw and rough world while also delivering up some fantastic character designs. The flow is strong and it was an book that had me from the first panel to the last and wanting to see a whole lot more, both of what's to come and things happening in between the panels we do get here. Very recommended.

The second installment puts a potentially big change in the mix for Sonja and her people and I'm definitely intrigued with the story potential there.

Russell is giving us some great character material while playing to the larger story while Colak gives us some great visuals and layouts, both of which are done with a really great density to it that it feels like I'm really getting my value out of the book and not just a quick read of simple action and adventure. I'm excited for what's next once again.

I'm still surprised I'm as engaged with this character as I am. I've liked my past experiences with Sonja with her previous titles and her Sword of Sorrows crossover event but it's not been a book that I ever felt really called to me. Russell and Colak are going with something that feels vastly different from what we had before in the way that the King Conan title felt like it was giving readers something different from the original ongoing work. I'm loving the way Sonja is dealing with the threat to her people, enjoying the heck out of watching Dragan deal with the demands of an empire and his position, and the growing cast of characters that are just a delight from start to finish. Red Sonja has had a lot of great artists in its ranks over the years and Mirko Colak should be standing tall among them with what he's doing here. More and more, please!

Red Sonja has had a lot of strong runs over the years from great creative teams. This fifth volume series from Russell and Colak is exactly what I've been looking for in order to feel really connected to it.

I'm excited to see what Mark Russell has next and hope that he and Colak are on this for a while to really dig into the world that's being detailed and explored here.

Russell's script is solid but we're getting close to a point where this fight can go on only for so much longer before it weighs down the larger narrative and the reader's interest. You do see that events are starting to turn more toward a real change coming, but it definitely needs to come sooner rather than later. It's a strong book, however, and it does a good job to advance several small pieces here.

There are a lot of moving parts with this war that's underway and I do like that the "curse" gets mentioned along the way to remind us that he's operating all of this because of that " for the most part. The battle has not gone well as Sonja and her people are engaged in scorched earth techniques while trying to keep ahead. Both sides are suffering in similar and different ways and the way Russell has it unfolding definitely keeps your attention throughout it. It's a great looking book once again and this serves to get more things setup for what's to come still.

Everything gets bleaker as Red Sonja goes on and I'm really curious at this point, nine issues in plus a special, at what the breaking point will be that starts to turn things around. The Sorcerers are an interesting addition to the moment and I'm curious where that'll go, but the short term focus will definitely be on events that happened while Sonja was away. Russell is really putting the people through dark times in order to land wherever it is that he's planned and you can't help but to feel for them. Especially with how great Bob Q is at delivering the visual for it where the bleakness is ever-present and it's only getting worse.

While not quite as strong as previous issues, partially because there are so many flashbacks that breaks up the narrative flow, Red Sonja is in a really interesting place. I love that we're ten issues in " plus two specials " and it's a still-evolving story as opposed to strong breaks with new stories playing within the general idea. This is a war of attrition that Sonja is facing as Queen and it's taking some serious toll on her and her people. Russell's moving this along well and I'm thrilled to have Mirko Colak back. Bob Q put in some fantastic work over his run on it but Colak just has that extra little bit of hard earthiness and angularity to his work that really makes it all work for me.

I've really enjoyed this first year of larger arc storytelling from Mark Russell with a character like Sonja. It's easy to write for trades for the character with smaller adventures and more personal things, but tackling a larger war story requires a bigger commitment and avoiding going for the ease of the other route. Mirko Colak is definitely an artist that I identity heavily with Sonja's look now as there's a great earthiness and roughness to it that captures the feeling of the period and the world well. Russell and Colak bring a big phase of this war to a close here but it definitely doesn't end the war and that's going to get into some fascinating new material.

Red Sonja continues to be a fun book because not only does it do the big stuff it needs to but it also delves into the areas you don't expect. Watching as she figures out how to organize a group that will go off to deal with food shortages is pretty good and not usual comics material as it's often dealt with as a few panels as part of a larger epilogue. Sonja's story is good here and I like seeing the events going on in Shadizar as well as the weary and wounded troops make their way back after such a brutal and demoralizing loss. It's a good book and one that brings in one of my favorite artists as well to help out which just makes it all the more enjoyable.

Red Sonja has been working through a pretty solid storyline from start and each new phase brings some welcome ideas and concepts for Sonja to be involved in. I do like that it's not all about Sonja and it's taking a larger view of everything going on, keeping it from being all about her and her blade. The result is a series that feels more like a novel in a sense with its details, seriousness, and understanding of how countries work in this environment. Russell's storytelling has me eager to see each new chapter and Bob Q's duration on the book is always welcome with a solid grasp on how to present this world in tone and style.

I continue to hope that Mark Russell's run on this character goes for quite some time to come, even if we have to restart at the first issue and do it as miniseries. Red Sonja is the type of character and this is the type of story that deserves to have dozens and dozens of issues under its belt so that it can really unfold as strongly as it has been so far. Russell's got a lot more story to tell and if we continue to get artists like Bob Q on it with this issue and some of the previous artists rotating in, this will definitely delight fans. This issue does a lot of setup but it works some good foundations and makes clear some of Sonja's real challenges ahead.

Red Sonja has been firing on all cylinders for the longest time now and this installment, which mostly just moves the players around the board a bit with setup for what's to come, hits a lot of strong points just in dealing with tradition within a kingdom and how corrosive it is. As someone said recently, tradition is peer pressure from the dead. While some of it is useful and helpful, much of it is problematic and should be reworked or discarded entirely. Russell's moving well to provide new challenges for Sonja with her new position and I'm excited to see just how far all of this goes.

With solid writing and great artwork that captures the situation well, it's a strong addition to the overall narrative of the series.

This volume of Red Sonja has been engaging since the start and each issue has built on it beautifully. Mark Russell may be following a somewhat familiar fantasy/swords and sorcery template here but it's imbued with the talent of a writer of his caliber that gives it life instead of feeling like it's by the numbers. This issue brings certain aspects to a close while opening doors to others and I'm excited to see what's beyond them. Combined with the great artwork from the team here, this continues to be one of my favorite series of recent years that hasn't disappointed.

Finding good comic material within this particular genre is hard. Harder than it should be, all things considered. Red Sonja has been a character I really like since she gets involved in crossovers well and there's a lot of fun there. But getting the core book treated so well here with an expansive story that pushes the character forward and unlocks more of what makes her tick is fantastic.

I've always enjoyed Red Sonja overall and I've been delighting to a lot of the crossover projects she's involved in. But when it comes to getting to a big part of what makes the characters and her world work, Mark Russell is absolutely nailing it. This has quickly become the definitive run for me on the character and with a few more issues to go before it wraps up, I'm excited to see where it's going to go and how it will all play out. Russell's had a great run of artists to work with on this series and Miracolo is definitely a strong way to bring the events to a close with as they deliver page after page, panel after panel. Excellent stuff.

When Mark Russell's run is said and done I can see where he's been able to tell a large and sprawling tale with a lot of neat things to it but also, in his own way, resets the property to zero. That's not an easy thing to do but I suspect a big hardcover omnibus of just this run will be viewed as one of the best definitive versions of the character for some time to come. This issue sets up a lot of what will revolve around the final couple of issues of this storyline and I'm excited to see how it's all going to play out, but knowing that this is a setup piece it also lacks that certain something that really makes it feel definitive.

Red Sonja continues to excel with its larger overall storyline and I'm really enjoying that we're hitting the results of all of this build-up. Especially since Cyril's story was one that started so curiously and has had the most twists along the way. And to have Sonja go from leading her people to being just one person once again fighting the good fight. This issue works through a lot of things and gets us closer to the end of it all and I'm excited to see just how it's all going to play out. There's a lot to like here with the story and excellent artwork.

Red Sonja has been delighting me since Russell took it over and each installment has been a strong one in my mind. He's got a great handle on the fantasy era that it exists in, the harshness of it, the beauty of it, and so much more. This issue takes us right up to the edge of the ending and it has some really great payoff, especially considering the hubris of so many of the cast over the past two years of issues. I'm excited to see it come to a close in a sense but mostly I'm lamenting the end of the run of one of the best Sonja storytellers that we've had over the years.

With great storytelling, fantastic character artwork, gorgeous covers throughout, Red Sonja has reached a real pinnacle with this run under Russell's guiding hand.

There have been a lot of creative teams on this property over the years and I've enjoyed a lot of the spinoff books with crossovers/team-ups a lot. So I always know that no creative team runs forever and I'm not spending my time comparing the past two years of story to what this team is doing here. This work must stand on its own. I do think it's a mistake to pick up as a ten years later thing and reference what came before instead of just starting fresh with a first issue and moving forward from there. That said, Lieberman has put in a decent enough opening idea to bring Sonja back after a while and Moss is a fantastic artist that can really shine on something like this with more time and good story material to work with. The opening pages to this are a little rough to figure out the what's what, but once it gets moving it hits its stride and will have me back for more. It just won't be at the top of my pile " though it has the potential to reclaim that spot.

While I had no doubt Luke Lieberman would deliver a solid story for Red Sonja, I was just wary about it following so quickly after what I consider to be the definitive Red Sonja series. His building on that, smartly moving forward ten years, shifts in direction in the right ways, and what we get in this installment helps to reinforce that he's making the right choices in the script. Drew Moss has been a favorite of mine for some time, especially on Dynamite titles, and his work here is just perfection for the story. I love the expressions that Sonja has as well as some of the supporting cast. There's a lot of detail but there's also an expansive cleanliness to it all that with the color design makes this a really great looking book.

Red Sonja is close to ending this particular incarnation and storyline and I'm feeling pretty sad about it. Lieberman stepped into a tough situation but delivered a really exciting and interesting storyline that has a lot of room to grow far beyond what we got here. But I understand what they're doing and why. This issue moves things along well and extricates Sonja from the Sultan's clutches but the reality it was all a really big and important lesson that Sonja was teaching the others about the world and how it works, just in her own particular way and style. A solid book with great artwork and a gorgeous cover. I love it.

Red Sonja continues to be a great character and this storyline worked well enough to provide some additional closure, taking place years after the previous storyline ended. The writing was spot on and the artwork was great and we got more gorgeous covers out of this run so I can't complain in the slightest. I'm going to miss this iteration of Sonja more than any other that I've read in the past decade but I know there are a lot more in my future to sink my teeth into and enjoy.

Sherlock Frankenstein has put together strong talent to tell a story that will expand on a lot of characters, including one that has become a key player within the main Black Hammer series. Jeff Lemire leans into what the flashback side of things well here to give us more of a different range of periods and characters that has such a love of that era but done through modern style of writing to give it the thing it needs to connect.

As I'm digging Black Hammer immensely for a range of reasons, it really is no surprise that I'm enjoying Sherlock Frankenstein & the Legion of Evil. Even with the title character not showing up in this book. Lucy's digging into things like a proper journalist and pursuing whatever avenues she can and even if they don't lead to a specific thing it helps to build a bigger picture. The time with Cthu-Lou is spot on fun with the right kind of humor and creepiness but also ties to the larger narrative. I really liked Lou and wish he had a better family situation and I really like what we get out of Lucy as this progresses. Lemire's nailing the characterizations perfectly and I cannot get enough of what Rubin and Stewart are doing here with the artwork. The settings are rich and engaging, the quirky bits of Lou's initial transformation to his more laid back later look, and the way Louise looks? It's all just so hauntingly perfect.

There's a lot to like in this issue and in this series in general. As we've talked about before both in this series and the main Black Hammer series, Lemire is working with familiar ideas with great execution. His work with Ormston takes it to a whole other level combined with the pacing and dialogue while what we're getting here with David Rubin is a great expansion showing different sides and ways to view things.