WHO STALKS THE OSBORNS?!
The biggest mistake of NORMAN OSBORN's life is back to haunt him...and it ain't who you think! Is PETER PARKER ready for a rematch with Proto-Goblin? Ready or not: IT'S ROUND TWO!
Rated T
NORMAN OSBORN WAS NOT THE FIRST GOBLIN! Norman Osborn is the GREEN GOBLIN you know. But he is NOT the ORIGINAL GOBLIN! Learn the shocking secrets of the PROTO-GOBLIN, and its dramatic connection to the Osborn family! What role does a young Peter Parker, who has not yet understood his great power and responsibility, play in this unfolding of events?...
I'm still baffled by how a series that started so strong ends up here. It reads like a checklist of parody things; multiple (like, 3 at least??) deus ex machinas, clunky, situation-inappropriate dialogue, generic, disingenuous death scene--I get that it's comics, but I can't believe that an editor even glanced at this. Is it happening? Are we doing ChatGPT scripts for real?
The world is eating itself alive as the zombified victims of Poison Ivy, led by the reborn Dr. Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man, descend upon Slaughter Swamp's foremost botanical supervillain. With time running out, Ivy will have to use every ounce of herself in order to defend her life. But will it be enough...and is her life even worth saving?
Nothing too gripping, but harmless.
BLOOD HUNT TIE-IN: THE ENDLESS NIGHT!
Endless hordes of bloodsucking vampires ravage the Earth beneath pitch-black skies of Earth's last night! But vampire-slayer BLADE has a plan, and his only hope for victory rests with MILES MORALES! But Blade's mission comes with a cost - one SPIDER-MAN may be unwilling to pay!
Rated T
Harmless, but nothing interesting going on and it certainly didn't have any bite.
Running from the past is one race you'll never win - and as darkness suffuses the world, JUBILEE's past as a vampire is back to take a big bite out of her! It's gonna take more than a couple plasma bursts to get out of this one, Jubilation...
Rated T+
This was good overall. I think the pacing was arguably stacked a little slow early on and then rushed in the final act of the series, and this took away from the emotional stakes/payoff and maybe also a little from the coherence of certain story beats--but it still worked pretty well, and I think the upbeat vibes are in keeping with the Captain America character as he should be. A part of me wondemore
The end has come! A horrific bomb has been dropped and its fallout can't be contained! AVENGERS and DEFENDERS rise up to save the world, but death stalks them all! The senses-shattering series concludes here in an epic you have to see to believe!
Rated T+
THE ULTIMATES RETURN TO GREATNESS! Spinning out of Jonathan Hickman and Stefano Caselli's ULTIMATE UNIVERSE #1, rising stars Deniz Camp (CHILDREN OF THE VAULT, 20th Century Men) and Juan Frigeri (INVINCIBLE IRON MAN) assemble an all-new team of ULTIMATES in a series that kicks off the next chapter of the new Ultimate line. Six months ago, Tony Star...
This seemed solid all around. It has a lot of potential, especially if they can do a good job characterizing the villains.
THE ULTIMATES RETURN TO GREATNESS! Spinning out of Jonathan Hickman and Stefano Caselli's ULTIMATE UNIVERSE #1, rising stars Deniz Camp (CHILDREN OF THE VAULT, 20th Century Men) and Juan Frigeri (INVINCIBLE IRON MAN) assemble an all-new team of ULTIMATES in a series that kicks off the next chapter of the new Ultimate line. Six months ago, Tony Star...
This issue more or less worked. The character isn't going anywhere new or interesting and the jokes don't have much bite, but it was breezy and easy to read as one wants HQ to be and avoided the tonal problems that some recent issues have had. The backup story was fine.
Driving laws, etiquette, common sense? WHO NEEDS 'EM. Dat's right, you finks! I'm continuing my greatest higher education-motivated research assignment to date--being bad! And if that wasn't enough GETTING SCHOOLED for ya in one issue, my collegiate best friends for life forever and always, Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer, have joined forces to tell...
This has the bones of a good story, but the sheer number of little problems and annoyances in all areas keep it from coming together.
BLACK COSTUME VARIANT COVER BY PACO MEDINA
The mysterious and deadly blackmail ring of NYC comes to a head, with our heavy-hitting heroines' heads on the block! Black Cat will need all her luck and Jackpot is going to have to hit it big if they have a chance of saving the city!
Rated T
A mostly satisfying end to a flawed but interesting run.
THE END OF AN ERA - UNCANNY X-MEN #700!
All good things must come to an end, and as good of a thing as the Krakoan era has been for mutantkind...its time has come at last. The tragedy and triumph of FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X, the madness and mystery of RISE OF THE POWERS OF X...they have all come to their end and led to this moment that will chan...
This was okay. I'm glad it's over. Not Krakoa; Krakoa was interesting--but Fall of X has been an unholy mess.
THE BATTLE FOR ALL TIME!
The X-epic concludes in a battle between those who are outside time and that which is now and forever...and the result is being decided by whether someone can ultimately make the right choice. The end of the Krakoan Age barrels our way as the two series that are one conclude!
Rated T+
Something about the tone isn't quite clicking and we really did just do evil peter a few months ago, but this is very readable and I like how the storytelling feels.
THE SINISTER SIX IS BACK!
As if the Green Goblin weren't enough, the Sinister Six has returned too!!!
When it rains, it pours - and this rain is going to put Spider-Man into a world of hurt!
Rated T
I'm surprised by how many threads are being pulled on for this arc. Some obvious, some not so much. The art is great and the writing is a step above what Wells usually puts out. I really hope they use this arc to redeem some of the less good elements of the run, like they seem to be doing with Ben and Kamala.
THE SINISTER SIX IS BACK!
As if the Green Goblin weren't enough, the Sinister Six has returned too!!!
When it rains, it pours - and this rain is going to put Spider-Man into a world of hurt!
Rated T
The story's probably okay. It's the dialogue and voice that I can't deal with. Saying that this script takes itself way too seriously just doesn't even begin to describe what's going on here.
GOTHAM NOCTURNE: ACT III CONTINUES! The Batman has returned, but his city is no longer the home it once was. A sinister order now governs the shadows of Gotham. An order so precise, so methodical, that there is only one thing that could combat it. What is this one force--this singular thing that could undo order? Even if you were told, you would no...
The dialogue could be better, but this book has succeeded in doing what virtually no other Alien comic that I've read ever has: telling a story about characters that we actually care about.
WHAT IF...CARTER BURKE HAD LIVED?
Or more importantly, what if Carter Burke was about to die a different, even more horrible death?! Xenomorphs are loose on the mining asteroid where Burke's made his small sad life and even-more-insignificant career. Panic is about to break out, slaughter to follow - and once again, it's all Burke's fault. Is ...
This is a good story with good art, but its release schedule holds it back; 2 months is too long to keep track of a story like this that has a lot going on and doesn't hold your hand. If it was coming out monthly or I was reading it in a trade, it would probably be a 9.
Series finale! A vampire-flipped Dracula in which mortality means life... and life means death. Vampires Jonathan Harker, Lucy Westenra, and Mina Murray live in underground London, trying to keep the undead city safe from the rumored mortals above who seek to give them life, only to kill them. A risky trip to London above forces the vampires back u...
Strong start.
Series Premiere. Gerry Duggan and Garry Brown present a massive Double-Length First Issue of their groundbreaking new series! The sun set on samurai and gunslingers at roughly the same time, but our two leads didn't die off quietly. In the East, Asami, an Onna-musha warrior and female samurai, would rather die with her weapons than surrender...
Series Premiere. Gerry Duggan and Garry Brown present a massive Double-Length First Issue of their groundbreaking new series! The sun set on samurai and gunslingers at roughly the same time, but our two leads didn't die off quietly. In the East, Asami, an Onna-musha warrior and female samurai, would rather die with her weapons than surrender...
Marvel's slickest vampire hunter returns in a brand new ongoing by Bryan Hill (KILLMONGER) and Elena Casagrande (BLACK WIDOW)! True evil is patient. And a dark, ancient power has been simmering quietly for centuries...and when Blade himself is the one to unknowingly unleash it, Marvel's entire supernatural underworld will come out of hiding to dema...
Don't. Murder. The locals. This is small-town serial killer, upstanding citizen, and adorable brown bear Samantha Strong's cardinal rule. After all, there's a sea of perfectly ripe potential victims in the big city just beyond the forest, and when you've worked as hard as Sam to build a cozy life and a thriving business in a community surrounded by...
THE ALIEN UNIVERSE AS ONLY MARVEL COULD IMAGINE IT!
Black, white, red - and GREEN! Marvel Comics and 20th Century Studios present a kill-fest of an anthology in chest-rending artistic detail! Superstars Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Captain America: Cold War, Guardians of the Galaxy) and brilliant artist Michael Dowling (Black Cat, Amazing S...
KRAKOA HAS JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT!
Mutantkind has never had a greater fall. From the highs of Krakoa - their own glorious nation, a place where they were safe and happy - to the lowest of lows. Outlawed, hunted, killed, most of their kind missing or dead, and now, one their greatest leaders, Cyclops, is on trial facing a death penalty. Ready or n...
HEROES AND MONSTERS COLLIDE IN THE CROSSOVER EVENT OF THE YEAR! The cataclysmic crossover event of the year is here as the DC Universe clashes with Legendary's Monsterverse in Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong. Clark Kent is enjoying a night off with a very important dinner planned with his girlfriend, Lois Lane, when the entire city shudders un...
From the co-creator of the Eisner Award-winning, bestselling Powers comes this brand-new anthropomorphic supernatural series that's Hellboy meets Redwall. Loosely based on real events in 12th century England during what was known as "The Anarchy." A time where the country was beset with plague, civil war, and demons. William of...
There's a lot to like here, but this issue didn't show me enough for me to know if this is for me or not. I'll give it another issue or two to find out. I don't love the art.
From the co-creator of the Eisner Award-winning, bestselling Powers comes this brand-new anthropomorphic supernatural series that's Hellboy meets Redwall. Loosely based on real events in 12th century England during what was known as "The Anarchy." A time where the country was beset with plague, civil war, and demons. William of...
Strong in all aspects except storytelling economy; it's only a 4-part mini, so it probably needed to move forward a little more than it did here. Stories need setup, but we're 5 dollars and 25% in with a plot only being hinted at. The next issue will need to go somewhere. That said, this looks pretty cool.
War correspondent Hetta Sawyer is looking into the disproportional loss of black soldiers in the Vietnam War. Leads say losses are especially high at Firebase Tartarus, with most of them simply gone missing, their fate unknown. Something sinister is happening at Tartarus, and Hetta intends to uncover the truth. A new eldritch horror from writer Chr...
War correspondent Hetta Sawyer is looking into the disproportional loss of black soldiers in the Vietnam War. Leads say losses are especially high at Firebase Tartarus, with most of them simply gone missing, their fate unknown. Something sinister is happening at Tartarus, and Hetta intends to uncover the truth. A new eldritch horror from writer Chr...
The Eisner Award-winning duo of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo reunite to tell Nightwing's greatest story yet. The culmination of Heartless's sabotage on Nightwing reaches its dramatic climax when Nightwing loses his ability to leap, impeding his duties to be the superhero we know and love.
No surprises here; the promised kaiju-punching was delivered, but did we need 7 issues for this? I think we could've done it in four.
(W) Brian Buccellato (A) Christian Duce, Tom Derenick (CA) Christian Duce
THE BEST-SELLING SERIES REACHES ITS TITANIC CONCLUSION! Two worlds face annihilation in an all-out war between the DCU and Legendary's MonsterVerse! With the help of Godzilla and Kong, can the Justice League win a battle against a reformed Mechagodzilla and a new, ev...