Michael D Comic Reviews

Writer: Joe CaseyArtist: Nathan Fox, Jim Rugg and Luke Parker, & Sonia HarrisPublisher: ImageAnnual is one of the more interesting releases this week. It’s a brand new anthology series written and curated by comic creator, Joe Casey. It comes in the form of a trade with a page count of 123 pages and a price tag of $9.99. As the title suggest, it is meant to come out once a year. This is a new-format and quite a gamble for Casey but after reading through it, it’s safe to say that the gamble has paid off.Casey is an industry veteran, having been in the business for 20 years with works in many genres. He is perhaps best known for his titles such as Sex & Godland. When approaching Annual, he included a very eclectic collection of pieces ranging from new stuff to old stuff to strictly text pieces. He describes this as a “personal mixtape” and draw on different genres to provide a unique experience. The wide range of stories might provide a sort of genre whipl

Donny Cates and Ian Bederman bring their A game with issue #0 of Atomahawk. It's a beautiful book inspired by Sci-Fi heavy metal album covers. The art will leave your jaw on the floor while the story will leave you wanting more.

Batman: Creature of the Night is a breathtaking book. The story will pull you in and make you feel for Bruce in a way that you haven’t before in a Batman book. This book has the potential to be the best book of the year. This needs to be on everyone’s pulllist.

Batman: Creature of the Night #2 is every bit as good as the debut issue. Bruce has been fully realized with hints of something darker going on inside him. The story has taken an interesting turn that few would have seen coming. Finally, John Paul Leon’s Batman is a treat to look at. This book continues to be something special.

Batman: Creature of the Night is an incredible story. A simple concept has been handled so thoughtfully and with a surprising amount of depth. The creative team is on fire, creating an Elseworld tale that can stand proudly alongside other greats. I have no doubt they will stick the landing.

Overall, this is a beautiful issue with a ton of potential to reach the heights of other well regarded Elseworlds.

Sean Murphy’s Elseworld tale of a Joker turned hero continues to be a book that deserves to be on the top of your pull-list. On top of the amazing art, Murphy manages to write a compelling story with interesting takes on classic heroes and villains.

Murphy delivers another fantastic issue in this Elseworld tale. We get a better sense of the world that he has created. The dichotomy between the Joker and Batman was explored to great effect. Some might be put off by this Batman. He’s damaged and hotheaded and the story might seem a bit too cynical. It’s handled well and I believe that Murphy has plenty more surprises up his sleeve. Also, I almost forgot, the art is fantastic this issue. Murphy has set the bar very high these past issues and he continues to meet and even surpass them. There’s no reason to be skipping this book.

This was another great issue with some fantastic moments. The overall plot might not be getting me too excited right now but as long as he continues this character work, I’m along for the ride.

Some final bits worth mentioning is that Murphy knows how to make Poison Ivy scary. The sight of a pink robe wearing Bruce screaming “hooligans!” is worth the price of admission alone. Murphy can draw the best car chases. I want a book where it’s just one giant car chase illustrated by Murphy. Lots to enjoy, pick up this book.

The ending is chilling, but it’s something I won’t spoil here. This book continues to be a treat and I’m excited to see how Murphy will stick the landing

Again most of the issue is dedicated to setting up the finale but it was still entertaining. Sean Murphy’s art is still killer and even at issue 7, we’ve yet to see any diminishing returns, and in fact it might be getting even better. We’ll see if Murphy can stick the landing with next month’s issue.

I loved this issue and it hit all the right beats. It's great to see the Captain America that we all know and love back in the pages of Marvel. This run has the potential to reach the heights of other well regarded Captain America runs. I will definitely be back next month to see what this creative team has in store.

The simple story telling accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. It’s just plain fun. I dare you to not crack a smile reading this book. This team continues to bring old school sensibilities to the title and in today’s comic landscape; it feels completely unique and fresh.

Samnee absolutely delivered on the art side of this issue. The way he portrays Captain America is what works to really sell the story and set the lighthearted tone. Without him, this series would not have been able to accomplish what it’s done so far. The ending has me really excited. While I had a lot of fun reading these standalone issues, I can’t wait to see this creative team tackle a more long form arc.

Soule continues his great run on Daredevil with another solid arc coming to a close. Return of Blindspot, Hand ninjas, and Garney on art is not to be missed. The tease at the end for the next arc sounds even more exciting.

If you haven’t been reading Soule’s Daredevil, now is the time to jump on. The story is off to a strong start, delivering exactly what legacy promised, a return to classic stories and classic villains.

The issue is capped with a short back-up story giving us a history lesson of Daredevil from Foggy’s point of view. It’s nice enough and it’s great to see Perkins tackle some Daredevil. It’s your typical milestone back-up story.

That’s all the stories included in this one-shot. There were some genuinely interesting stories but about half of them were forgettable. At least the art was consistently good throughout. I have no problem recommending this book to fans of the horror genre but otherwise, with the big price tag, your money is better spent somewhere else.

The past portion of the issue is a great throw back to old school Doctor Strange and has a lot to offer to fans that are looking for that. Unfortunately, the story feels a bit like filler and asking fans to pay $5 seems a bit much.

While this issue was nothing more than a filler issue, it was fun and great to look at. You can't ask for more than that. It's worth a pick up, especially for those who are excited about the future of the title with Legacy.

Doctor Strange is in incredible hands with this new team. After meandering for a bit, the book finally feels like it has a direction and sense of purpose. Cate’s has knocked it out of the park, writing a compelling Loki and Doctor Strange. Walta and Bellaire make the book a treat to look at. Don’t sleep on this book. Even if you have never read a Doctor Strange book before, you’ll find that this is going to be a book that everyone is going to be talking about and you don’t want to miss out.

This creative team has a clear road map with, what seems to be, plenty of crazy stops. This issue proves that Cates can hit those character beats. The surprise at the end will surely lead to a crazy action packed issue next month where Walta and Bellaire can flex their creative muscles. This team has turned Doctor Strange into a title that every Marvel fan should be reading.

The rest of the issue involves Stephen taking a big risk and gaining some serious power. There will definitely be a showdown between Stephen and Loki very soon and it will definitely be exciting. Also worth mentioning is the fact that Bats gets to be a good boy one more time. Overall, the creative team keeps this a high quality title. It’s a lot of fun with plenty of both heart and kick ass moments.

The book is off to a solid start. It doesn’t spend too much time setting up the plot and seems to be taking a fun direction. Unfortunately the book is a little predicable and Strange’s motivates questionable. Still, there is plenty of time to surprise us and flesh out those motivations. It seems that this creative team has some really cool ideas in store for us with the next issue.

This book continues to feel a bit like a wasted potential. Change in artist and a shift in the flow of the plot hold the book back. Although, if you’re a fan of the Midnight Sons or just unconventional, weird teams in general, there’s a lot of fun to be had.

The art this issue marked a definite step down from the previous issues. It looked rushed; completely flat and void of any life in a number of pages. There are a number of awkward figures in the book and the colors don’t help with the book at all. The colors look to wash everything out and look particularly strange in the panels with talking heads. The art lacks any weight during the fight sequence which would really hurt the book.

Overall, it’s an intriguing story with a ton of potential. I will definitely stick around till the end. That said, the story seems to take priority over characters and a high price tag is hard to swallow.

I had a lot of fun with this issue but I can see some being put off by the different tone the book has taken on. There's still the recognition that Jennifer is going through some things, but the tone is still a lot more lighthearted. There was no conflict over what this new Hulk means and how it's different, besides being grey. With the Legacy relaunch, going back to the title She-Hulk, it seems like this might be the new tone going forward.

Maestros #1is the most fun you'll have this week. The art is top notch and the story is insane. It should be in everyones pulllist.

Skroce builds off of an impressive start by delivering another fantastic issue. While the issue may be a tad slower, the pace rally helps to flesh the main character out and make him more likable. The characters are interesting, the art is great to look at, and the jokes land well.

The art continues to be great, not much to say that hasn't been said. There is one particularly brutal scene that showcased just how detailed and talented Skroce is. The series is an absolute treat that everyone should be reading.

Skroce ends the issue with a hell of a cliffhanger but with the magic we’ve seen Will capable of, it doesn’t seem like that high of stakes. This book has been a ton of fun and constantly keeps me on my toes. I can’t wait to see what crazy ending Skroce pulls off next month with the arc finale.

Port of Earth #1 is a promising start to a new sci-fi Image series. If you are a fan of grounded science fiction then I highly recommend adding this series to your pullist.

Kaplan and the rest of the creative team offer up another solid issue in a series with a completely fresh concept. They have created a world that I want to explore even if the characters are a bit thin.

Mutti again provides some great art that really helps to sell the tone of the book. Unfortunately, he wasn’t given much to work with as most of the issue was relegated to a boring, industrial factory. This was probably my least favorite issue so far but the story potential is still very promising. It’s worth staying to hopefully see the creative team find their legs and continue to build an interesting world.

I found the plot to be a little thin and the characters a little shallow but I did have a lot of fun. If crude humor and over the top action sound like fun to you then pick this up. If not, then steer clear.

In the end, Jennifer makes some real character progression, finally coming to a realization about needing help to overcome what she is currently dealing with. The realization is handled well and feels earned. I was disappointed to hear that Tamaki’s run was coming to a close but I feel as though she has a nice conclusion in store for us.

Tamaki’s Jen finally finds come closure with a feel good ending. The reveal of the classic green She-Hulk feels great. Lindsay channeling some Byrne Shulkie with big, luscious, green hair helps too. It might have felt rushed, finding closure for all three issues at once. In the end, it still felt like Jen deserved this closure. I can’t wait to see how Tamaki ends her run with next month’s issue.

The issue reached a satisfying conclusion that felt entirely earned. Crisp art from Olortegui and some great character work make for a solid send off to the series. It might have been a drastic tonal shift to what we’ve come to expect in a She-Hulk series but I’m confident that it will be looked upon positively for its worthy attempt at something new with the character. She-Hulk has already been spotted in Marvel’s “Fresh Start” so it’s only a matter of time till we see Shulkie headline her own title again and this end has me excited for a new beginning.

The story is over quick but it ends with an exciting development, immediately going to interesting inter-dimensional adventures. His powers lend themselves to some visually interesting work and Rocafort takes full advantage of that whenever Derek puts the suit on. His panel work is fluid and tells the story effortlessly. Although, the costume design really is uninteresting but at least the colors make it pop. A brand new character is really hard to pull off but the creative team has managed to make a book with a lot of potential.

This series is off to a great start. The book has it all, a great concept, fun character and a compelling story. It’s a very solid first issue, filled with potential. Don’t let this series float past you.

The plot slows down a bit here and we're still left with too many questions but overall, Bendis and Pichelli are still doing some fun work. Pichelli's art is top notch and Bendis provides some very entertaining dialogue.

The Beautiful Death offers an intriguing, slower-paced story in a genre where that's not too common. Paired with the story is incredible art that everyone should see. Mathieu Bablet's English debut book might have a steep price tag of $5.99, but it is still worth a pick up on a crowded Wednesday.

Constant and Walker manage a strong debut issue with an ending that leaves you wanting more. This is a book that fans of Etrigan have been waiting for.

The book might not have the most original premise but it provided plenty of fun and some great art from JRJR. Silencer makes for a fine addition to the DC Universe.

The art mostly works too. The action scenes in particular are tight and well executed. The colors really help to make them pop. While the action might be nice to look at Romita Jr produces some awkward faces for the slower scenes. While this book is fun, it has potential to be much more. Hopefully the creative is able to find a better footing with this new character.

The book was a blast this month, the art was bombastic and a ton of fun. Dean White’s colors continue to bring the art to life. The plot didn’t move too far here but as John Romita Jr’s last issue, the focus needed to be on action and he got to go out in style. Finally, that ending has me real excited for the next arc where The Silencer makes her presence in the DC Universe known.