Overall, I'm excited for this series. It's fun without being too frivolous, and has the capacity to explore the tumultuous terrain of familial and romantic relationships in a candid but reasonably lighthearted manner.

The whimsy continues in this second installment of the Errand Boys saga. It's a colorful romp through a doubly-colorful universe, and the action doesn't stop. There are fewer large panels in this issue than the first, which highlights the sudden intrusion the Lopaz brothers have made into each other's lives. We get a little more depth to Jace and Tawnk's relationship as well as some individual backstory, and we start to see them work together as a team.

I know I've harped on this book for lackluster writing before, and I'm about to do it again. The narration is poor, but the dialogue in this issue in particular was grating.

The problems with the writing in this series remain exactly that in issue four, so there's not much point in my delving into that again. The story took a slower pace in this issue which was absolutely necessary due to the more sensitive tone, and there were a couple of excellently executed moments. Personally I feel that the major outburst from Jace just before he is hauled off to serve his sentence was too abrupt, however. It needed more build to make it believable"it goes from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye and the catalyst comes from left field, which makes it feel contrived, as though they couldn't think of a better way to move the characters' psyches toward bereft (for Tawnk) and remorse (for Jace). It did redeem itself in the final panels, though, and overall there was significantly more feeling to this issue than the previous three.

While issue five did retain one of the same problems I've cited all along with this series"specifically the over-labored vernacular"the narration and overall writing in this installment, I felt, was greatly improved. It didn't seem nearly as clunky and stilted as it has been in the previous four issues, so either I've gotten used to it or they've been working on it, and I think it might be the latter. There were a few moments of convenience and some places where a scene was rushed, but overall issue five felt like a marked improvement in the previous problem areas. The art and world-building were still very strong, and the vibrancy of color also remained. The book as a whole was much more cohesive than the previous installments, and if there is another arc in the works I hope it stays this way.

Dead Kings is what I imagine would happen if the Cold War had been fought with the Jaegers from Pacific Rim and the KGB had been the victors"mass destruction followed by a totalitarian state ruled by fear. The world of the story exists in a realm of magical realism. It hits all the marks for setting up the traditional hero's journey but is compelling enough about it to draw the reader in.

Dead Kings is a dark book, literally and metaphorically, but just when you think it might tip too far into the abyss it shines a little light on something, like Maria's sudden moments of compassion.

While BOLD lettering is still being overused and marring the readability of the text"this is a hill upon which I will die"and the relationship between Sasha and Maria is a little forced and unbelievable, Dead Kings remains a compelling read. The story itself is fascinating, the art is nuanced, and the characters, though lacking a bit in the 'fully-fleshed' arena, are relatable enough to hold the reader's attention. Now that the climax of the story has been reached in a rather explosive fashion, it will be interesting to see how the fifth issue plays out.

The presentation has been lacking throughout, and I spent a lot of time waiting for Maria and Sasha to develop into characters rather than ciphers for more than a panel or two, and it's too bad that the really nifty stuff in this book like the ties to Russian and Eastern European folklore don't sparkle more as a result. Maybe with another pass from a different editor this book could have been what it was trying to be.

While I appreciate the twist Kindt and Smith have put on this trope, I personally found issue #1 to err on the side of predictability.

I have conflicting feelings about Folklords. On one hand, it is following a long-used format, and is therefore rather predictable and familiar. On the other, as a devotee of the musical Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim, I always appreciate a re-weaving of the stories we all know. Then again, this re-weaving has yet to turn anything on its head and thereby prove itself to be unique within the confines of the trope--though I may be proven wrong yet. We still have three issues in this arc.

Now we're getting somewhere. The diversion from the trope I was hoping for is beginning to unfold. Taking Hansel and Gretel and effectively making them serial killers makes a nice (albeit creepy) change. I found Matt Smith's interpretation of Greta's artistic style to be reminiscent of that of Quentin Blake, illustrator of many of Roald Dahl's books, which works beautifully, since great many of Dahl's characters were, well, whackadoodle. I also appreciated the name given to the man who took Greta and Hanz in and taught them the delicate art of torture"Tines. Like, on a fork. I mean, what else would you call a dude who lived in a house made of food?

The ending to this issue added a final layer to the story that it really needed.

Too much too fast this time around, and with a couple of textbook tropes thrown in for good measure, apparently. While it was apparent that John Ronald wasn't going to be the main villain, he was far too obviously not. His monologuing was more than a bit over-the-top as well. The swooping in from nowhere of Demure, Ansel's will-they-won't-they love interest, felt trite. Archer's disappearing-reappearing act seems to act more as a convenience than something that would further the story, though the reasoning for his inning and outing is yet to be revealed"all we know is that he's "got more to worry about than any of [the other characters] even know". It's unfortunate, and I had high hopes for Folklords, but I've been mostly underwhelmed with this series. Your mileage may vary.

Show's End is a 'what-if' adventure into the world of the circus freak show of the 1920s, but this version goes beyond conjoined twins and the bearded lady. I'm going to forecast high levels of found-family camaraderie and a fantastical exploration of the fear of the 'other'. Between our human tendency to seek excitement though anything labeled 'outlandish' while at the same time recoiling from it, there are a multitude of avenues open to Show's End to shine a light on that particular behavioral dichotomy. Just how that will be accomplished remains to be seen, but whichever way this creative team spins it, the path is shaping up to be suspenseful and enjoyable and likely very much human in its journey.

Dark humor and splattering cranial contents abound in Image Comics' new release, Assassin Nation. Both the colors and the characters are vivid, and the dialogue is just the right level of salty for a troupe of hired guns.

Well, we're down two more (though because one of them was part of a two-person team, the rankings only go up by one,) but hoo boy, are there things going on under the surface. We already know"by virtue of the fact that he admitted the only reason he accepted Rankin's invitation in the first pace was because he was certain that whoever killed his husband was in the top-twenty"that Maxwell Bishop prefers the company of men, and issue #2 opens with a scene between Bishop and Rankin that takes a rather provocative turn. It will be interesting to see if that was a one-off or if it plays out. I'm anticipating a great deal more in-fighting between the members of the team, especially since Chad Fingerman has such an inflated opinion of himself, and Dave is, well...Dave.

Bottom line, Assassin Nation is a fun book with color, blood-n-guts, and it turns out there's a heart in there, too.

There are plenty of highly comical moments and fantastic artistic details which we have come to expect from the Assassin Nation team, and I'm sure this will continue going into the arc finale next month.

I have to say I'm sorry to see Assassin Nation come to an end. It's been a thoroughly entertaining romp filled with mayhem, murder, silliness, sensitivity, language as colorful as the panels themselves (there was a character named 'Fuck', FFS), and beautifully executed gags. My favorite little extra this time around came while Rankin had Bishop pinned down and was monologuing like a champ. As he says "I just wanted to be the number one killer again" with his gun held reverently to his chest, the background is a giant banner saying "Pettiest Man On Earth" surrounded by flowers and held by a pair of rosy-cheeked cherubs. Overall I truly enjoyed this book, and if it comes back for a second arc I'll definitely be reading!

On an intensely personal note, I find SFSX to be a very tough read. It deals with a subject which is immensely triggering for me, and with the draconian, single-minded, theocratic themes upon which the plot depends, it makes for a difficult 25-ish pages to get through. I could very easily have called this one in"requested something else to review"but this story is immensely compelling and the team behind it is coming from such a vulnerably strong place (which sounds like a contradiction in terms, but just trust me on this one) that I am choosing to persevere.

I love that this book exists. It's a hard, no-frills look at the ramifications of an invasive authority"in their quest for total control they are only serving themselves, much though they proclaim otherwise. In this case, the authoritative body is attempting to harness control over what is possibly the most personal, intimate means of expression there is. In books"and in life"we've seen political groups attack such things as faith and art and force them to serve the state. We've seen them attack 'the other', any outsider or person who didn't fit their ideal mold, criminalize anything they determined to be undesirable. We still see it with minorities and the LGBTQ+ community and the community from which SFSX was born, that of the sex worker. The more of these stories we are exposed to, the more that are written and circulated, the more these subjects are shouted from the rooftops, saying, "We are here. We exist. And we are valid." the better.

This issue of SFSX was drawn and colored by guest 'pop-in' artist Alejandra Gutirrez, which meant that we were treated to a completely different style than we've seen with Michael Dowling's art in the past two issues. Gutirrez's style has softer edges and a more manga-type feel which offers a few moments of cartoon-esque character expressions. It's a fun little departure from the norm.

I appreciate the extras at the end of the issues of SFSX, because they lend an extra layer of grounding humanity to the overall experience. The "Hey, we're here, and we're gonna tell you about it" attitude of the book as a whole is highlighted by these little vignettes, and because sex (apart from the run-of-the-mill stuff they teach you about in 5th grade) is generally something society whispers rather than shouts about, I find the little bit of middleground to be a good segue into the story. Yes, I read the back pages first. I'm a grownup. I'm allowed.

I was particularly entranced by Tula Lotay's cover art for this issue. Its verisimilitude makes it look nearly photographic; you're able to imagine the characters in a more three-dimensional manner. (Not to disparage Jen Hickman's art, obviously, which is as fantastic as ever--full of motion and detail and feeling.) For me, the better able I am to imagine the characters, the more real they become to me, and that makes their stories resonate more strongly. They become people rather than characters. Though the through-line of SFSX is moderately predictable, its subject and characters are unique, and that makes it engaging.

I was a little thrown by the resurgence of the excessive bold text in this issue, especially since it seemed to have disappeared after the first issue. I know it sounds like such a little thing, but when your images tell more of the story than your words do, you need to be sure that those words are formatted in a way which doesn't mar the flow of the narrative. There were a few 'deus ex machina's in this issue"Powell falling for the 'villain monologues and allows prisoners to escape' trope, Sylvia falling for Jones' emotional 180, ***SPOILERS*** Nick effectively falling on his sword for the benefit of the group"which makes the book lose points for predictability, but the power behind the story still obtains.

SFSX #7 ends on an exceptionally bittersweet note. There's a great deal of emotion throughout the issue which is beautifully rendered throughout by Jen Hickman. This issue is as story-heavy as issue #6 was action-packed, and through that means heavier dialogue and exposition, it is still a captivating read with an ending that doubles as a perfect segue into the next arc. The crew from The Dirty Mind get out of one jam, but one of them falls immediately into another, and since The Dirty Mind is family, you know that it will only be so long until they take another poke at the establishment to try to regain what they've lost.

I am feeling distinctly cheated in the grandmother department"neither of mine could hold a candle to Bridgette. She is an EPIC character already, and we're only one issue into the story. She's fierce and spry and takes no nonsense from anyone"or anyTHING, if her and Duncan's run-in with the Questing Beast is anything to go by. Her world view is delightfully and decidedly skewed and I anticipate that her patented brand of reality will serve as the lynch pin of this whole adventure. There is a fantastic brains/brawn dichotomy visually in Bridgette's reliance on Duncan for the heavy lifting, though we know that he is a historian, so it's likely that his knowledge and access to resources will become a major plot-advancer as well as we continue this series.

Issue #2 of Once & Future continues fast on the dazzling heels of the first. Writing and art play on each other beautifully, giving the reader a complete package of storytelling.

I still wish Bridgette was MY gran. She's just so nonchalant bout the whole otherworldly activity thing. I mean, I suppose that's to be expected from someone who supposedly spent her youth chasing down beings of a mythical and/or mystical persuasion. The beauty of her character is that she gets some fantastic dialogue. There are several laugh-out-loud moments in issue #3, including one where Bridgette takes a truly divine dig at Duncan's bachelorhood. The way she jumps between "gran mode" and "no-nonsense monster hunter" is a delight to behold. In that way, she puts me I mind of Merlin from the Disney adaptation of "The Sword in the Stone" (1977). "Once & Future" as a whole is a wonderful book, yes, but Bridgette is what, to me, gives it that little extra bit of oomph.

'Tight' is probably an excellent descriptor for this whole issue, really"the art is spot on, the story flows smoothly"and the dialogue, which I noted in issue #3 was a bit clunky was significantly less so this month. There is also a whole heap of backstory in issue #4 that was, for the most part, unexpected, and that adds another layer of intrigue to the story as a whole.

If you've been following along at home, you know that I adore this book. There were a few issues again this month with dialogue that just didn't flow somehow, making it difficult to continue reading without stopping to parse out just exactly what was attempting to be conveyed, which was disappointing. This has been a difficulty off and on since issue #1, so while it's not exactly unexpected at this point, it's still kind of a bummer, because otherwise Once & Future would be nigh on perfect.

"Lancelot.""I have not heard of this warrior." "He's the Frenchie who shagged your wife, you big ninny.""A FRANK HAS LAIN WITH MY QUEEN!"Best. Exchange. Ever. I'm really looking forward to the next arc of this series!

There is a character. Who wears an octopus. For a hat. I realize that I've drawn attention to this fact twice already but I feel it bears repeating. I don't think he'll be in any future issues, but for three glorious panels, he existed, and for this I am eternally grateful. Brian Schirmer "pitched Fairlady as 'a gender-swapped Magnum P.I. in a post-War-of-the-Ring world'", and it certainly lives up to that description. The concept of a defunct war machine being left in the wilds and becoming a thriving community is beautiful, and also wonderfully whimsical in the sense that addresses in this story read like "Bungalow Road, Left Hand East". I find myself wondering if "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" is the favorite local sport. We're getting a lot in this book"a fantastically original menage of known tropes, great writing, gorgeous art"and I'm sincerely excited to see whither this story wanders!

The thing I'm finding most appealing about Fairlady is the manner in which Schirmer and Balboni really economize their use of space. No bit of page is wasted.

All in all, another successfully executed and thoroughly enjoyable issue.

That was a dirty trick. A wonderfully dirty trick, very well played. What's that? You haven't the faintest idea what I'm talking about? Well, you see, the Fairlady creative team decided to"::hands come out of the darkness and drag me away::

Issue #5 of Fairlady will be its last, at least as it stands currently, and what a way to close out a series!

This creative team has gifted us a violent, visceral world with a compelling populace and a heart-wrenching conflict. Little Bird is going to be a thoroughly wild ride.

I can't read this book anywhere near bedtime. There are two reasons for this. One, Little Bird gives me the best kind of screaming heebie-jeebies, and two, it tips my brain into overdrive and chases me down world-reflecting rabbit holes. There are so many layers to this story, and so much of it is frighteningly relevant to our time.

I've mentioned before how Little Bird always leaves me feeling as though a layer of grime has settled on me, and this issue not only left that feeling in its wake but as it was departing it delivered a severe kick in the feels. There is so much desperation in the world of this book.

Little Bird just gets grimier and grimier. You think the atrocities can't possibly get worse, and then they do. The mass crucifixion of an entire village? Conducting constant, invasive medical experiments on a child"your daughter"for months and then, when you finally get what you need, murdering her publicly as a "holy gesture" to pull the wool over the eyes of your followers and shift focus to the "miracle" you have created from her torture? She may be gone, and all those who stood with her, but your troubles are far from over. The dream has changed hands, Bishop, and it's coming for you.

This book evoked so many feelings for me: excitement, fear, anger, disgust, anguish...hope. I can't do it justice in a paragraph, and it may be that I can't do it justice at all with my words. It was an out of control freight train"all you could do was hold on and hope your grip held up. I had more physical and out-loud reactions to Little Bird than I have had with any other comic I can remember. It is more than a book"it is an experience. You feel it. It stays with you after you put it down and walk away. It haunts you. If that isn't the mark of an excellent work of fiction, I don't know what is.

Actual text from me to my best friend after I finished Vol. 3: "THE NASTY MEANIE CATS TOOK KIPPA AND I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS!!!"I am infinitely thrilled that Monstress is back! (I mean, I did just spent two months fretting about a fictional fox-child.) There are so many levels to this book that it's going to take ages to sort out all the loose ends, and I'm thrilled to find out where the creative team is going to take us next because it's never where you expect. Since the quality never ceases to be anything but immaculate, I'm sure we're going to keep seeing amazing progress"and I have no doubt that this story is going to become far more complicated before everything starts to fall into place. I'm really excited to see what this next arc of Monstress has in store for us!

Though this issue erred on the side of being a 'space filler' issue"one which worked as a stepping stone to get us to where we need to be in order for the next big thing to happen"it still threw a few curve balls. As always, the writing and art were stellar, so even though we were mostly witness to a setup for something I can only anticipate will be much, much bigger, there was no lacking in quality. So on we go to next month, when it's likely there will be a whole lot of action all at once.

So far, the Monstress universe has been fairly female-dominated, so I was honestly a little surprised to see that Maika's paternal line come into play in such a profound capacity. Only a little, however. From what we know of Moriko Halfwolf, I personally feel that it would have been unlikely for Maika's father to be anyone who was in any way particularly mild-mannered. We've got a whole new layer of plot to be working with now, and there are so many already in motion I'm starting to wonder if it might be advisable to make myself some sort of organizational chart to help keep track. While this does occasionally make things difficult on the who's-who front, it's not so much of a problem that it takes too much away from following the story line. There's usually enough of a reminder provided in the surrounding dialogue to clue you back in to how everyone fits into this fantastical world.

The Doctor clearly knows far more than he's letting on. The question is, how much, and what does he intend to do with that knowledge? With two more issues in this arc, we're either headed for a crucial event or an enormous cliffhanger. Maika, Kippa, Ren, and Corvin are likely to be reunited soon and it will be interesting to see if Maika follows through on her promise to leave the Doctor's stronghold once she has her friends back or if something happens to prevent that. Will we learn the extent of Ren's double agency? What is the importance of Kippa's gift in all of this? And possibly the biggest question of all is what exactly is Tuya's part in this web of intrigue, and how and why does the Doctor know so much about it?

There is a depth of character exploration and necessary exposition in this installment, which would have been poorly served with constant location and story line shifts, so while this large chunk of action dedicated to a single facet of the story is unusual, in this instance it was the best choice on behalf of the creative team.

I will be the first to admit that the reunion between Maika and Kippa made me tear up, and then I had to laugh a couple of panels later when Vihn and Corvin show up and Kippa is in the background, lovingly tangled in Zinn's tentacles. This book has so much going for it, and its "big picture" appeal is absolutely unimpeachable, but there are so many little things strewn throughout it that don't get the mention they deserve. For instance, the Inquisitrix Gull, a character we all associate with the "bad guys", has a tiny white puffball of a dog who follows her everywhere"even when The Doctor had Gull suspended upside-down in an experimental tank. This dog has the derpiest face imaginable, and it pulls a scene together in spite of its incongruous presence. Sometimes the strangest things make something work, and I look forward to more of this in the next arc of Monstress.

Albert Einstein: Time Mason is just my kind of whack-a-doodle. It's reminiscent of both Roger Moore's James Bond and any episode of Star Trek where the crew got stuck in a holodeck simulation - it's got gadgets and history and it weaves them together in an amusing and entertaining manner.

I am loving this book. There is enough real history to keep it grounded, but the liberties the creative team takes with them make the story immensely fun. Ol' Al's internal monologue consistently gives me the giggles.

By this point you're truly invested in the outcome of this series"you find yourself really, truly rooting for Einstein in his quest, cheering his successes, flinching with his pains, holding your breath when he's in a tight spot, and, having left him where we have in this issue, hoping he'll be okay.

In the course of this installment of the story we get cowboys and a train robbery, which you would expect to find together, but then there's a massive scuffle and then"BOOM"a T-Rex. But it all makes perfect sense! If you had told me at this time last year that someone was going to put out a comic that blended Albert Einstein, time travel, Nazis, well-known historical figures, and pop culture, with the added bonus of a T-Rex, I would have told you to go pound rocks. I would have told you it couldn't be done"at least not well. But here we are, and if you've been reading along I'm sure you'll join me in saying, "More, please!" Side note: There is a splash page in this issue which actually made me spit out my drink. I won't spoil it for you"I'll let you find it in your own time.(Maybe drink-spray-proof your copy somehow, though, yeah?)

Okay, okay, you all know I love this book with a passion bordering on the absurd, but I have a bone to pick with you, gentlemen. In issue four we left Al in the middle of a ring of Century Stones with a busted Mason pocket watch and a floating T-Rex. In issue five, we picked up in Egypt like nothing happened.So...kind of wondering what happened there?I'm going to give y'all the benefit of the doubt and just assume that all will become clear sometime in the second arc, but that was quite a jump to make without the tiniest hint of an acknowledgment to the situation in which we left our protagonist. ::raises eyebrow::

The instant I saw the cover for this book I thought 'Lotte Reiniger'. Fun fact, my MA is in puppetry, and I did a great deal of work with shadow puppets back in the day. Lotte Reiniger was a GODDESS of shadows and negative space, and while her work was in film rather than live production, her style and techniques were groundbreaking for their time and are still very easily recognizable today. I am SUPER EXCITED for the rest of the issues in this arc from a purely artistic standpoint, and the story is also delightfully layered and compelling which makes for a well-rounded and meaningful read.

This book is beautiful. It's compelling and engaging and thought-provoking, and you can rarely divine what's going to happen next. The art is an impressive homage to the prevalent aesthetic of the time"art deco"and to the animation of Lotte Reiniger, as I mentioned in my review of issue #1. The movie set where Ginny and Frank perform their interrogation of Jack Kaufman is reminiscent of the large-scale production numbers which were so popular in the '20s and '30s"too early for Esther Williams, but possibly the Ziegfeld girls would swim around in the intricately decorated pool, with a full orchestra playing off to one side. There is also a great deal of extra content in issue #2, including a discussion between DeConnick and Ros about their creative process, which gives us an inside view to how the world of Pretty Deadly comes about.

Can we just talk about chapped lips for a second? I know that sounds like a weird thing to hone in on in a comic review, but believe me when I say that the interaction with the Reaper of Thirst had me reaching for the Burt's Bees. You know when an artist excels at their craft when you can physically feel what you see represented on the page in front of you, and the Reaper of Thirst's scraggly, cracked, jagged-skinned lips were giving me an absolutely fervent case of the wibblies. The rest of her was pretty darned creeptastic, but the image of those lips is going to stay with me for a good long time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bathe myself in a vat of petroleum jelly and hydrate like there's no tomorrow.

One of the things I enjoy most about Pretty Deadly (apart from, you know, *everything*), is the extras at the end of each issue. Issue #4 has a fantastic article about Lotte Reiniger (yes, I know I always talk about here down here, but her style is such an integral part of this book that it can't be ignored,) and how she became an animator and developed her own methods for capturing her stories, and I encourage all of you to read it because it's FASCINATING!

Pretty Deadly is so much more than a comic. It is a work of art, and it deserves every bit of praise it has earned so far, and will in all likelihood continue to experience.