Hickman's plot has steadily been tightening, bringing all of the disparate characters he's built up over 39 issues together in surprising conflicts. And Dragotta works well with the scripts, as always, framing the attempt to manipulate Beast's future with visuals of his father fighting to keep the child alive.

Lando: Double or Nothing has hit its stride in issue #3, and I'm excited to see how deep Lando goes before he comes out on top.

With vast and confusing continuities being rendered consumable by Wikipedia entries, superhero comic books are easy to familiarize oneself with. But even then, the convoluted journey of the X-Men is one of the most daunting and impenetrable franchises for casual fans. That's why Ed Piskor's historic reimagining is one of the most enjoyable reads coming out from Marvel Comics today.

Dry County finally ended with a big reveal , explaining who exactly kidnapped Janet, why, and what all of those eccentric side characters were up to. Of course, there is a slight twist, something that was hinted at in earlier issues. But it does not feel satisfying.

It's a strong story, yet another intriguing entry in what's arguably the best ongoing comic book series today. East of West is hurtling toward the apocalypse, and it doesn't seem to be letting for a moment.

One doesn't have to be familiar with the old Bloodstrike series, though it does fill in some gaps and answer some lingering questions. Instead, Bloodstrike Brutalists serves as a great intro to some timeless superhero concepts and archetypes that any Marvel or DC purist would love to read.

I hope the resolution smacks me in the face, because at this point I'm wondering why I continue to pick up the issues.

Prism Stalker has been careful not to reveal its cards, keeping us in the dark as to what is the true purpose of Vep's journey, though the picture is starting to come into focus. I can't wait to see where this journey leads, as Leong continues to prove herself as one of the best cartoonists working today.

It's no where near as bad as the photocopied style of other Star Wars comics, but I'd like to see this story done by people who would take a chance on telling the story in a different way.

Rodney Barnes' plot so far has the potential to gain steam, but sometimes the dialogue can be a little clunky. I feel like L3 in particular loses some of her charm on the page. That said, it's a decent read, and I'm interested to see where it leads.

Gary Whitta's writing is also crisp, fleshing out some moments with dialogue or narration that helps add momentum to the events of the film. But sometimes the comic dwells on certain scenes that we don't need to see, as if it's checking of boxes.

It's kind of a let down from the strong arc of the first year on the title and that story's epilogue, but I'm still curious to see where it leads.

After Crude's strong first issue, I was excited to see how it would build on the foundation and play out the mystery. Unfortunately, it kind of just spins it's wheels to set the stage for Blackstone, the setting where it seems to be playing out.

I hope it improves, but I'm mostly waiting for this to end so we can get another awesome round of Spy Seal or She-Wolf.

How Leong balances a character study amid a high concept fantasy plot is practically flawless.

The comic adaptation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi does a lot of good things, but it's not perfect.

I am genuinely excited to see how the first arc wraps up, and how it pushes the series going forward.

The Spider King continues to be a beautiful comic without anything interesting to say.

While I'm not the biggest fan of the plot of Come Into Me, which kind of reads like a '90s slapstick comedy film at its heart, I am a fan of how the story is conveyed in the artwork.

I am actually enjoying this book more than the main series, but that could be entirely unique to my situation.

It should go without saying that East of West is one of the best comics being produced today. The sprawling epic about the dystopian slip into the apocalypse weaves intricate, layered plots with deft characterization, showing ideology and factions warring against autonomy and selfishness.

I don't know why they needed Kirby and Simon's classic character to tell this bland story.

It's a good looking comic with an interesting premise, and I just might go back and get caught after this intriguing issue.

And while the bizarre character designs and characterization does well to set up the different factions and the budding conflicts, it's not particularly interesting.

And while the comic's plot seems more grandiose in its execution than it is entertaining, it might be worth it just to see what trouble this cow-based superhero gets into next.

X-O Manowar continues to be a solid superhero story, even as it appears to dive headfirst into an event I'm not particularly interested in.

Dean Ormston and Dave Stewart are an amazing pair, evocative of Jeff Lemire's weird sensibilities, but this comic is not something I'm excited to read, demon Ramones not withstanding.

After kicking off with an intriguing premise and great artwork, Infinity 8 takes a huge step back in its second issue.

It's effective in what's trying to accomplish, providing a different take on superheroes, even if it's not particularly exciting.

Highest House has become a must-read title every month, and that seems likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Vinegar Teeth is a fever dream of noir sensibilities wrapped in a pulpy, sci-fi struggle.

Crude feels like Orlando is tapping into a different portion of his writing sensibilities. And the art team is firing on all cylinders to take the story where it needs to go.

This might not be his strongest work out of the gate, but previous projects prove he's more than capable of delivering a great story.

Prism Stalker is probably the best new series coming from Image Comics at the moment, and in just two issues, it's staked a claim of being surprising and arresting, while appealing to basic human needs.

As beautiful as VS is, I'm not sure it's the comic for me.

All in all, fans of the art will find a lot to enjoy here.

It only took two issues, but I am all in on Highest House.

0COMMENTSX-O Manowar #13 serves as a satisfying conclusion to Matt Kindt's year-long arc, while also setting up an epic homecoming that will have a major impact on the Valiant Universe moving forward.

Similar to the journey of the undead this comic documents, 30 Days of Night is simply going through the motions.

I was thoroughly entertained by this book, despite the flaws, and will gladly continue reading the series.

The Spider King picks up in its second issue, which is no fault of the creators considering this is already a completed work being serialized for floppies.

The series continues to be absolutely bonkers, and it should be a fun conclusion to a fun series next month.

Tomasso immediately nails the aesthetics of sun-soaked Miami in the '80s. Everything is vibrant with pastels, the layouts are fun and inventive without ever being too busy, and he nails his lead character's voice with ease.

Secret Weapons was a fun and unique romp through the Valiant universe, and these zero issues are another opportunity to go back and explore the weird through the eyes of the awesome characters.

The story is starting to pick up as we learn more about the world and the main players, intriguing enough to come back for another round next month.

Being this is my first foray into the Black Hammer universe, I was somewhat apprehensive that a lot of the plot or mythology would be lost to me. But as a first issue goes, Doctor Star and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows functions pretty well.

What continues to set this series apart from other comics is the increasingly breathtaking talent of Nick Dragotta, further improved by Frank Martin's colors.

It's a serviceable superhero comics, but in a medium dominated by that specific genre it does little to stand out on its own.

Prism Stalker feels like a hallucination, a journey through the colors of the sunset, a landscape dominated by both the surreal and familiar.

It remains to be seen if it will match the quality of their previous collaborations, but it's an intriguing read with only a few dragging moments in the first issue.

The dialogue gets a little stale, and the characters feel lifeless, but it's a decent first issue mostly thanks to the art.

The action is picking up, but aside from the art, it's hard to get invested in the story.

The final battle is teed off exceptionally well, setting the stage for an epic climax in Matt Kindt's first big storyline.