Betty & Veronica issue 1 is the perfect blend of old-school teenage drama setup and modern-day self-aware storytelling. Its cast of characters is likeable from the get-go, and their back-and-forths are just the right amount of comically unreal while still a joy to read. With how meta writer Hughes is willing to take the story at times, I look forward to how he approaches the following issues.

True to form, D4VEOCRACY 1 is silly in how comically true-to-life it can be, but that's what makes it so good. Ferrier and Ramon's mix of unique writing and art continue to breathe life into the robot world, as we're greeted with familiar themes from earlier arcs that better prime us for what's to come.

Gamma is like staring at a wall of Funko Pops where you know maybe one or two of the shows, but are otherwise stupendously overwhelmed. There's little rhyme or reason to what's going on as its narrative bounces back and forth between indeterminate time periods under the assumption you know exactly what's going on. In a lot of ways, it's like tuning into an anime in the middle of the series: there's a lot of spectacle, pretentious one-liners, and the power of friendship, and yet you ultimately feel like you're missing out on something.

Glint has a lot of interesting ideas packed too densely into its first volume for me to follow or care. Between the world-building, off-beat dialogue, and multiple plot threads, it's the kind of series that would have definitely benefit from a couple more issues to breathe. Regardless, it looks to be going in a decent direction and if you're into the fantasy/adventure genre, I'm sure you'll find something of interest among the tightly-packed story.

Rocko's Modern Life's first issue feels like a standard re-introduction to a series. The jokes feel unimpressive, the scenarios were repeated in past episodes, and the pacing is too quick to really give you a chance to regain your footing in the series. And yet I remain hopeful that later issues will improve. The concept of a wallaby immigrating to the US only to be constantly screwed over by life's realities is far too entertaining not to give it a second chance.

I was hesitant at first, but Stranger Things: Six is a solid start to a prequel series about Hawkins Lab. It doesn't rely too heavily on what made the original series a pop culture hit and instead wishes to take certain elements from the Netflix show and paint them in a different light. It's in this tweaked perspective that the issue's charm really shows, and the pacing itself is steady enough that you actually feel invested without feeling wholly manipulated or rushed– something very few comic issues are able to pull off.

Test #1 is filled with just enough intrigue to have me curious about where the series is going from here. There's a good balance of hand-holding and mystery for you to know just enough about what the series is while simultaneously nothing at all. In less capable hands, it would come off as frustrating and idiotic, but it's pulled off well enough.

The problem with all issue #1s of comics is that so little time is spent trying to not only grab the reader's attention, but also establish enough of the world and create likeable characters that you're willing to keep following throughout their journey. While Steam Man offers an interesting enough twist with the initial threat immediately dying off to make way for the true villain, everything else about the issue felt very by-the-book, with the crew of the Steam Man being composed of nothing but manly, snarky men and led by a captain that's out for revenge for a wife we barely spend any time getting to know. I'm sure later issues will resolve the problems I have, but I just have no desire to continue any further given this lukewarm first issue.

Now starting their third arc in the series, it's clear that Way and Ba are less concerned with making a big splash just a few pages in, and are more concerned with pacing things out and (hopefully) saving the more insane material for a later issue. Basic premises of what the gang's been up to, and a vague idea of where the story might go with the titular Hotel Oblivion are established this time around at the expense of not much else going on"a very basic first issue that relies more on the fidelity of its fanbase willing to read another entry in the series than anything else.

Where the first issue spent more time building up intrigue, Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion issue 2 feels like a more proper re-introduction of the cast. While names are rarely mentioned, you are treated to some superhero antics turned on their head, as we're given glimpses into the life of these superhero has-beens. The gang is still as broken up as they ever were, but at least it feels like the last of the introductions have happened and the time for story is just around the corner.

Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion continues to be a disjointed, albeit visually appealing arc whose main appeal is in its intentional lack of information. So much about the story relies on you as the reader trusting that the payoff to these multiple arcs we only have a vague idea about will either tie together smoothly in the end or at least make more sense as further context is provided. It's the type of story where not much can be said about its quality until its 7-issue run is completed.

The more that's explained in Umbrella Academy, the less I get. While we finally have a villain to drive the story, he's immediately de-throned as a second driving factor also comes out from the shadows to influence him. It's the kind of reveal that immediately undermines itself but not in a way that comes off as clever. But I guess only time will tell if this was a decision made for the better or worse.

Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion continues to be more style than substance. With Ba's art being the sole icing to the cake, there's not much else to get attached to as Way's writing presents more moments that are interesting in concept than in execution. And with only two more issues left, I feel it's too late to redeem this story.

Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion issue 6 delivers at least in terms of its fight. Seeing Scientific Man absolutely wreck the newly transformed Perseus and then continue to put up a decent fight against the Umbrella Academy is the closest this arc has gotten to having any sense of focus, and for that, I must give it praise. But when you get down to the particulars especially surrounding Perseus, the writing begins to feel flimsy and unearned.

Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion issue 7 was ultimately a hasty means to an end. Its heroes, villains, and even secondary characters act less as a way to weave a single cohesive story, and more as a way to expand its own world. It's not the worst story out there, but the fact that it clearly prioritizes series longevity over quality of life is a large problem I have with Western comics in general.