Kenneth Laster Comic Reviews

"Action Comics" #1015 is weighed down by uncanny artwork but manages to handle the mainline debut of Naomi well, if you disregard how many plotlines this book already has.

"Age of X-Man: Omega" #1 is a great send-off for The Age of X-Man and for this era of X-Men.

"Batman: Last Knight on Earth" #2 gives the creative team some room to stretch their legs and explore the wonders and horrors of this post-apocalyptic wasteland ripped straight from DC's history.

"Bitter Root" #9 is a part of a whole and keeps the story moving. Not the best jumping on point but gives returning readers a reason to keep going.

"Cable" #3 is another fun issue in this series, but the hyped meeting of Teen Cable and Deadpool feels a little lackluster.

"Champions" #2 continues a dynamic and relevant take on the "superhero legislation trope".

The creative team for "Daredevil" #9 is paying off the status quo shift of this arc by putting Matt Murdock through his usual paces in a new and satisfying way.

"Daredevil" #13 is a great turn in this volume of "Daredevil" for all of the major players in the series and leaves readers wanting more.

"Daredevil" #21 is yet another shift in this run of "Daredevil", wrapping up several storylines and setting the stage for more.

"Deadpool"#1's lack of clarity makes it a sluggish start to a new series.

"Doom Patrol Weight of the Worlds" #1 is a colorful and bizarre return and an excellent reintroduction to Way's take on the Doom Patrol.

"Doomsday Clock" #11 ticks ever closer to the conclusion with strong plotting, momentum, and art but gets lost in its own importance within the context of a universe that's long moved past this story.

The creative team delivers a strong installment in this ongoing mystery that is visually creative and draws readers deeper in and waiting for the next issue of "Event Leviathan".

As a whole, the first issue does an excellent job in setting up the world of Faithless both visually and through defining what Faith wants and how she wants to get it. While Azzarello does excellent work building the story, I cannot claim how invested I would be in it without the art being as gripping as it is. I am drawn into this mini-series and invested in seeing how it will develop its themes of the occult, the erotic, and Faith.

"Fantastic Four: Negative Zone" #1 is the trail mix of comics: mostly bland but with a sweet part that you'll want to skip directly to.

"Far Sector" #1 is a strong introduction to a new, fascinating corner of the DC Universe.

"Fire Power" is the "I started a family but oh no my past is here" story without any huge reinvention but excellent art.

"Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" #8 is a well-made chapter in an ongoing story with great character interactions and dialogue and proves that Taylor and team get the heart of Spider-Man.

A relatively fine conclusion with a decent voice for storm and astounding artwork.

"Giga" #1 is a strong debut brimming with unique story potential and lore.

GLOW #2 is a very solid comic entry that continues a fun and interesting story that captures the voices of the characters of the show while adding an energy that can only be done in comics.

"Gwenpool Strikes Back" #1 is a different, more "online" take on Gwenpool that threatens to cover familiar territory but the humor is still chaotic and the fourth wall destruction is still very satisfying and inventive.

"History of the Marvel Universe" #6 is a gorgeous book that makes up for lacking narration of the last few years of Marvel.

"Home Sick Pilots" #1 has horror and style coming out the wazoo.

A great issue of the X-Men in action that twists where our sympathies lie as readers to create a new twist on a classic mutant scenario.

Immortal Hulk is a great series but Immortal Hulk #22 lets everyone breathe. Not bad. Not great. But needed.

"Immortal Hulk" #38 is a very satisfying turning point in this current arc.

A decent Hulk story with incredible and creatively fresh artwork

The major element that separates the book from the rest is Willows use of the real world growth of e-commerce and tying it to materialism versus truth and what happens when the line between religion and greed gets removed and when an organization instilled in truth is a part of a grand lie. All of those elements feel incredibly salient to the current world we live in and the series stands out based on the anticipation of seeing how these themes will be explored in future installments.

"James Bond" #1 is a subversive start to a new Bond series that starts strong, does some slow-paced heavy work and promises to pick it back up

"Joker: Killer Smile" #1 utilizes incredibly suspenseful storytelling techniques to create a captivating and grounded horror book centered around Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime

Alex Ross and Kurt Busiek struck gold with "Marvels" 25 years ago and with "Marvels Epilogue" they put a worthy cap on Phil Sheldon's story and the Marvel Universe through his eyes.

"Captain America: Marvels Snapshots" #1 comes at a time when a story about a poor Black kid feeling left behind by people who are called heroes is incredibly relevant and prompts important questions.

"Money Shot"#1 suffers from wanting to be a compelling sci-fi story that it doesn't go so far enough into its central premise to be funny or sexy.

"New Mutants" #5 returns us back to the Hickman/Reis space adventure which is starting to wear out its welcome with being more of the same from the first few issues.

An excellent refocusing on what a "New Mutants" book can be in the Krokoan era of X-Books.

"Ruins of Ravencroft: Sabretooth #1" has a solid art team and fun ideas littered around an empty story.

S.W.O.R.D" #2 is an excellent balancing act between King In Black tie-in and second issue to an ambitious opening.

"Spider-Verse" #1 is a pretty fun story that doesn't really stress itself out over story but thrives with a varied art team with fresh stories.

"Suicide Squad" #1 is a strong first issue that creates a fun new direction for the series with a number of endearing characters.

"Superman" #18 had the huge task of changing the status quo of an 81-year-old character and managed to pull it off.

"Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen" continues to be a hilarious and smartly crafted series from script to letters.

"Miles Morales: The End" #1 is a decent comic that feels like it could have been more.

The Wicked and The Divine #44 is far from a happy ending but it is a satisfying one.

An incredibly well crafted, thoughtful, and poignant ending to a beloved series.

War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #5 guarantees to please McElroy fans, Marvel fans should be drawn in to see this art team tackle these fan-favorite characters.

A slow burn introduction that has you coming back for more.

"X-Men" #1 puts the major status quo shifts of "House of X" and "Powers of X" into perspective by focusing on character moments and what life is like in this brand new world.

Year of the Villain: Black Mask is a very average issue that starts something with no immediate promise of finishing but made stronger by an impressive art team.