Bhang applies his operating system and even adds a little flair he got from young Tony twenty-five years ago. “And the day is saved. Thanks to…” This is some very saccharine exposition and a cliche ‘last-minute save' brought to you by an uninspiring view of a beloved and complex character. The last few panels riff off the press conference of the Jon Favreau's MCU-creating Iron Man movie, leaving off with the idea that everyone at Stark Unlimited has a hand in Iron Man's destiny. This is an awkward and sanitized comedic take on a very nuanced and layered title.

Turns out the 'winner per issue' dynamic is strange given that Deadpool has a high-level healing factor.

Gasolina is shaping up to be a gem in its genre if you can pin it to just one genre. The grimy atmosphere, clean artwork, and keen writing keep me coming back for more despite some muddled storytelling this go-round.

Crossing horror, crime, local and international politics with action elements has given Gasolina as a whole something to work with that set it apart from most titles. On that same token, the muddled development of all that left a sour taste in my mind. God bless the letters page, where we learn that there is a cultural gap at play and get to see the narrative work in process happen in response to the letters from readers.

Gasolina started off with a lot of promise and has all the ingredients of a dope book. Issue #6 returns to the original format, combining horror and crime-drama. The supernatural element falls away in this issue and without it, it falls flat as an end to an arc.

All of the elements of this world are heightened in Issue #3, the pace is quicker than its ever been, the writing sparse, and the atmosphere growing darker still. Gasolina is looking like a Robert Rodriguez film put to panels. This book gives me hope that there is still room for great stories in a culture suffering from overused clichs.

If you're into seeing how the pieces fit together to unlock the first Gasolina TPB, you're in for a treat.

Surprisingly enough, Tony Stark: Iron Man is still engaging to read and taking us to places we have never been with the Iron Man mythos. Hats off to the art team, nothing groundbreaking but at least a few chilling panels in there toward the end that really give you an idea where Arno's head is these days.

The art is solid and has the depth to explore the harder parts of the narrative and somehow allow fun to come through. Valerio Schiti's art style is versatile as hell and fits with the shifting perspective of each issue.

Slott and Zub have drawn us along a narrative path that opened Tony Stark up, as a character, to his core. After that, they had Tony question his identity, which made readers question their understanding of who Iron Man was or even could be. Here in this 15th issue of Tony Stark: Iron Man, we are taken to one of the absolute limits of Tony's understanding of his own world. Now that he's reached this plateau, they drop Ultron (with a suspiciously Hank Pym looking half face) on Tony to challenge his newly acquired self-awareness. Edgar Delgado is on the visuals for issue #15 and really adds dimension to the panels. The art team dug deep into a shaded visual style that lent depth and realism to the court scenes and dramatic urgency to the fight panels. Given Tony Stark's death in the MCU, this run on Tony Stark: Iron Man proves that the character has a lot of life left in the comics.

Man and MachineRemembering the old school continuity connections that made this an interesting issue, Tony and Aaron start a psychological attack that changes the game and stalls Ultron like a 404 error. In the ensuing lull, they free Jocasta and Wasp only to trigger an explosion that literally fuses Tony with his armor. It's actually pretty gross. Dan Slott and Jim Zub spent quite a bit of time paring Tony Stark down to his core ‘self'. This conflict hasn't forced him to be the best ‘version' of himself yet, but it looks like it's on the way there.

It's always been difficult to challenge the Trinity, especially when they got the Justice League in their top 5 contacts. This comic reads like The Expendables, you spend most of your time guessing which retired top-tier villain is about to show up and wreck shop. In all honesty, it is a fun read.

This run on Black Panther has been a trip into a refined and realized vision of Afrofuturism. Ta-Nehesi Coates and Kev Walker are a seriously dope comic team. The aesthetics on display in Black Panther #8 alone have elevated this run above any of Marvel's previous attempts to normalize Blackness, in general, much less in the far-flung reaches of time. Great art, great writing " what more can you really ask for? The narrative of this Black Panther run makes me wonder what the throwback Star Wars would have felt like with more genuine diversity. Check this arc out, if you haven't already.

The trap is set, the hero has the weapon, the armies are primed, the core mysteries are unraveled and the climactic battle is at hand. It's on and popping for the next issue! Hands will be thrown!

Black Panther #13 continues the arc firing on all cylinders, may Bast forever shine a light on this character and the world of Wakanda.

While the Intergalactic Empire arc itself is quite brilliant, issue #14 plays the role of interlude, shifting the playing field for the characters and setting up the next large-scale conflict. It's. About. To. Go. Down.

Two Thousand Seasons…of Good Ass StorytellingIn spite of the milieu of corporate inertia, in the wake of the massive economic success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, sustained, high-level storytelling and world-building with a triple-A character persists under Coates' disciplined pen. I'm about to run out of superlatives talking about this book. There are plot arcs on multiple levels playing out and designing a tapestry that can be both a world unto itself and a place to weave in the entire Marvel Comics landscape. There are art choices in panel layout and character design that continue to innovate — Daniel Acua can draw Okoye doing nothing and make her look badass AF. Facial expressions mean a lot in a comic and are hard to execute; the ‘come hither' look in Storm's eyes (scroll back up and see it again) cannot be mistaken. The homie Daniel Acua is on fire.

Days Of Hate continues in its time-honored tradition of showing America's very possible future. Days Of Hate #2 further examines the crux of how we got to our 45th president and the aftermath of that choice.

It ends with a winner announced per round (issue), and like a good arcade fighter it's a best-of-five showdown. Pick it up to see who gets the award for shooting stuff real good like.

For a one-shot, Deadpool vs. Punisher is making some big waves. I hope nobody sleeps on this series, it's proving that more than just large-scale crossover events deserve your respect.

Highly entertaining, reference-heavy stuff here. PvD is reading like Tango and Cash with a dash of Into The Badlands. The weaving of Taskmaster into the story is kind of amazing. The combat sequences are a thing of beauty, deftly handled with great comic timing and well thought out layouts across panels. Long story short, PvD is funny and exciting. Deadpool trying to cozy up to Frank is borderline cute really, "Punpool! Deadisher!" Needless to say, the Internet is 'shipping' these two to no end. Between the laughs and the really cool combat sequences, I give Punisher vs. Deadpool #4"

Aesthetics are on full blast, the variant cover by Yasmine Putri is a thing of beauty, mind you there's a bloody crowbar in it and it's still gorgeous! Pete Woods keeps the gritty, crime novel feel Red Hood deserves throughout the issue. While it doesn't grasp some of the more emotional tones, there are a few panels that bring the depth to surface. The potential for a great run is brewing with Red Hood: Outlaw #27.

Aesthetics are on full blast, the variant cover by Yasmine Putri is a thing of beauty, mind you there's a bloody crowbar in it and it's still gorgeous! Pete Woods keeps the gritty, crime novel feel Red Hood deserves throughout the issue. While it doesn't grasp some of the more emotional tones, there are a few panels that bring the depth to surface. The potential for a great run is brewing with Red Hood: Outlaw #27.

All of these visual and narrative storytelling devices make Scales and Scoundrels a standout comic for Image, and for comics in general. The last time I felt this excited about a book, I was flitting through the first few pages of Saga. Scales and Scoundrels is a rare gem with great bones (writing) and sturdy wings (art), it'll fly far.

Issue #2 ends, leaving the reader with real deep insight into the complex fabric of the Stark Unlimited family. It also shows us the many loose threads in that tapestry and tugs a little at each one. Slott sets the pieces up slowly and with great care, and Valerio Schiti delivers visuals with a golden age feel matched with clear and expressive dynamism. There's a simplicity to this story that I think is the prelude to some intense events for the rest of the arc.

TS:IM #4 is humanizing and modernizing Iron Man and Team Stark in one fell swoop. The book is really fun and surprisingly light-hearted, despite presenting a formulaic approach (comedic plot device -> disastrous consequence -> science is the key -> cool, new, quirky Iron Man suit -> roll credits). This ain't the 'Demon In A Bottle' Tony Stark, not by a long shot, and that's the strength of this series. It has very smoothly taken Tony, and everyone he is connected to, into the 21st century. There is no impending, galactic level doom because that's not where Tony shines brightest. Give him a daily problem and let him science the s"t out of it. It's his whole schtick! Slott is letting the character breathe and do his thing, to great result.

Tony Stark: Iron Man #7 begins a blending of all these aspects of Tony's identity. Reforming his exploits into more of an act of responsibility to the people in his life. Not without struggle, the cavalier party boy futurist is growing up. Dan Slott has evenly divided Tony into compartments and then starts to put those pieces together in a way that breathes new life into a character well-traversed and explored over the last 56 years. If there is ever going to be a way to separate the comic Tony Stark from the MCU Tony Stark, Slott has written a way out. Valerio Schiti's artwork lays the foundation and does a great job differentiating the flesh and blood world with the digital one.

Slott and Zub are still carrying this redefinition of Tony into the next chapter by reminding readers of what is left behind. The very thoughtful use of Captain Marvel as a cosmic powered Jiminy Cricket centers Tony on what defines him at present, his death (at Carol's hands) and resurrection. Everything else is just icing on a very substantial cake. This run is changing the game on monolithic icons in the comics landscape. Jason Aaron did it with Thor: God of Thunder,Kelly Sue DeConnick did it withCaptain Marvel,and Jonathan Hickman is about to do it with House of X. We are witnessing another changing of the guard and Tony Stark:Iron Man is right in step with the changes.

All in all, Black Panther gets exponentially cooler with each issue. Pick this one up or cop the trades as soon as humanly possible.

On the real, so much culture is woven into this story and this world that the homework done alone needs to applauded. Do you know how much research this takes? From the macro of naming areas of this fictional galaxy after fictional Wakandan legends to the micro of naming a minor character after a real-life Nigerian author to the meta of Coates naming this arc after his December 2009 Atlantic article"about finding his name. Some folks might not dig it, but I'm here for it.

The creative team on this book is turning out a clever piece of narrative work. In a digital age where Twitter will come for anyone not doing their due diligence, it means so much that at no point in this series is the violence simply for violence's sake. Every moment is full of intention and symbolism. All props to those who came before but this is, without a doubt, the greatest Black Panther run ever executed.

As per usual, there is an overarching message etched purposely in each of the interactions these characters have with each other and their world-at-large. Days of Hate #4 opens with a quote from Kathryn Bigelow regarding the insidious nature of fascism. The issue responds in kind, reminding readers that fascism succeeds not when citizens are policed, but when citizens police themselves on fascism's behalf.

Another haunting and brilliant entry into this limited series, Days of Hate #5 keeps its forward momentum with the 'less is more' approach, and it couldn't be a more refreshing take on the world we're living in.

All in all, there is a hell of an ending coming through and I have no idea where it's going. I only know I want more.

FJ: Gasolina mixes the local politics of Scalped with the simmering horror of Evil Dead. Image presents a very well thought out, grounded, supernatural crime action drama that takes heavy subject matter and makes it palatable, without watering it down. At all.

There is no shortage of wit, emotion, and nightmare-inducing imagery in the pages of Infidel, and issue 4 brings all of that to the fore. Some books just have all the gears in place; the artwork and writing in Infidel is strong, and the contemporary setting always feels like events took place the day you read it. And this one ends in a cliffhanger!

Tony Stark: Iron Man #8 builds on the complexity of Tony Stark and the many people invested in his life with great care. It is no small feat to attempt to redefine a trans-media superstar like Tony Stark, but Dan Slott and the team on TS:IM get the job done well.

I can't imagine what happens next with his cliffhanger ending and the fact that there isn't much left of Tony we haven't seen at this point. I'm hooked. If you're not on this yet, catch up.

Valerio Schiti and the art team have kept up a frenetic visual aesthetic from jump. They've managed to give each of Tony's worlds an individualized look while maintaining a cohesive visual narrative. You know where you are before the story tells you and it makes the whole thing move quickly. The look of TS:IM is something to behold for its' consistency alone. The 60s comic art theme in the eScape is a dope example of the attention to detail. I found a few panels that are mirrored across pages! Them panels is popping y'all. The arrangement of the panels sits right in line with all of the other intentional pieces of the visual narrative. Splash pages never looked so good while fitting in so well.

I was skeptical when I first picked up this book, I even gave the first issue a low score. I have never been more pleased to have been wrong about an assessment.

Never a second thought, Daniel Acua gives visual life to the Black Panther universe with a grounded flair that adds richness through Blackness. Deep care for the Black aesthetic has been a benchmark throughout the series, highlighted by the different hair textures and the many (many) shades of Black and Brown skin tones. These details show through on T'Challa's rough-hewn, battle-worn and noble face; in the visible, regal concern on Shuri's brow.

Ales Kot and Danijel eelj have heard the cries of this country's denizens. Days of Hate answers the call, envisioning one of the very likely and possible futures of these fractured United States.

If what one believes defines one's reality, then Days of Hate has some deep insight on what reallylies ahead if our country continues on its current political trajectory.

Days of Hate has been working with mercury from page one of the first issue. Issue #7 is a cohesive blend of paranoia, PTSD, and manipulation that uses great fiction to play on the very real fears of its readers. Every college classroom in the U.S. should have a copy.

As we are one step away from the end of this whirlwind of a political thriller, I have to say: Days Of Hate is easily one of the best comics I've read in 2018. Bringing to bear the urgency of the where we are politically, and even more so, what we plan to do after this madness passes. Ales Kot is leading the way for a new generation of comic writers to grapple with what is happening now and to create brilliant worlds that parallel our own.

He centers that experience as a part of why Infidel explores what it does. Pichetshote also makes sure to shout out his whole squad, a collection of talented outliers, without whom Infidel wouldn't be possible.

Lastly, can we talk about how Girner has developed a composite Saxon language to give cultural depth to this world? A language that isn't contrived or too similar to another fictional lexicon. S&S somehow samples RPG video game exposition while balancing god tier literary world creation with a pared-down, highly expressive art style. Overall, Scales and Scoundrels is proving that less can be more when building a world.

Tip of the hat to Girner, for finding new ground in the 'Dwarven folks lived in an underground treasure trove had a battle and don't live here anymore, what happened?' trope. A tip of the fitted cap for that one supernatural thread that peeks through each issue. Whenever someone puts hands on Luvander's gold something goes little" sideways.

Scales & Scoundrels adds layer after layer of narrative element with each entry. Issue #4 dangles yet more Urden (which I have to speculate is a half-dragon, half-person) and dragon lore in front of readers like a carrot on a stick. There's a nuance to the method Girner and Galaad use to slowly disseminate this aspect of the narrative. It's damn near glacial. It literally drives me to read each issue twice, once to get the story in and again just to scan for dragon lore. I am pleasantly surprised each issue. Scales & Scoundrels has the quick pace of Adventure Time and the ever-expansive lore of Steven Universe with the stability of a Tolkien novel. S&S just cannot disappoint.

Lore on lore on loreWe are treated to some good ol' storytelling in Scales and Scoundrels #6, Girner folds different cultures' lore into the tapestry of his own narrative. Galaad has developed a visual cohesion INSIDE of his artwork that allows these disparate sources to find harmony on the page. What can I tell you? This book is fire.

There's a certain mystery about this world that gives it virtually unlimited potential for story development and I'm loving it.

As per usual, Scales and Scoundrels deliveranother quality story (another one) with the deliberate pacing of a decathlete. Scales #10 gets the job done, and elevates all parts of the craft while doing it. Scales and Scoundrels is a very satisfying read, I wholeheartedly suggest it!

Apparently, this series will end after the next issue (it says "for now") and may or may not return! I can say with all honesty that it has been an honor to read and review this set of stories, and I look forward to seeing Scales & Scoundrels return in the future. All I'm saying is issue #12 might need to be trade-sized, because I'm really going to miss their work. Thank you, Sebastien, Galaad, and Jeff. See you on the next one. Whatever it might be.

Paolo Villanelli inherits artistic duty with the visuals and does not disappoint. Villanelli's dark lines and flashy poses pop panes off the page and provide an amazing landscape for Gail Simone's witty dark humor. Simone and Villanelli is a tag team I can rock with.

With what must be a growing bias for this book and its creative team, I gotta give Girner and Galaad credit for returning a jaded Blerd to being amazed and astonished by the fantastic. This kind of book brings the wonder back into the comics genre.

Batman Who Laughs serves up a salient story supported by great visuals! Ivan Plascencia's colors jump off the page, and the panels are so cleverly placed that Rossmo deserves an award off the bat. The use of dialogue to move this plot forward hinged heavily on the lettering and Tom Napolitano handled that masterfully.

In a fashion all its' own, Days of Hate makes it do what it do. At ten issues deep, it still presents relevant media to consume alongside it from across the spectrum of media.

In Scales & Scoundrels #5, we get the answers we've been waiting for. In typical Sebastian Girner fashion you don't get ALL the answers, but enough of them to keep you going. This book has been masterful in the way it tantalizes readers with only bits of information and lore. Scales & Scoundrels #5 gives you that work. Family ties revealed? Got 'em! True colors shown? Seen 'em! Legends discovered? Found 'em!

Please, read this book. If you are wealthy, please, gift this book. If you are an educator, please, teach this book. *Shakes fist at the reader* READ THIS BOOK!!!

The last few pages are a synergistic master class, where Kot's writing and Zezelj's art arrive at the same point and deliver a harsh but spot on reflection of what it feels like to exist in the world knowing things like science and history. Or just having common sense. When this is released as a trade paperback, this issue will stand out. When the MAGA folks start burning comics, this will stand out near the top of the pile. Days of Hate is the stuff of college curricula. Read it and pass it on.

Scales and Scoundrels #7 ties off the arc as cleanly as possible. Luvander's true nature is still a mystery to the reader, and to the rest of the raiding party. Aki keeps the trigger jewel and Lu continues on her own to find her true self. Dorna gets closure with her brothers' death and Koro learns about what she really protects. Girner leaves room for everyone and everything to grow out into this wonderful and intriguing world. A world with a Black kingdom in it, just saying.