Zdarsky and Checchetto are killing it.

A brief but satisfying end to an entertaining dark fantasy story. It wasn't always as neat and tidy as I wanted it to be, and I did struggle a bit to care much about the characters (something I very much hope is fixed in future Fellspyre installments), but for what it was, I enjoyed it. The art was outstanding from start to finish and definitely stole the show most of the time. I'm looking forward to reading more into this world, so hopefully it's not too long before book 2 begins. more

Peak writing, peak art. Perfection.

Incredible art from Checchetto, and Zdarsky's writing is outstanding. Just about everything you could want in a first Daredevil issue. Does a great job getting you up to speed on recent events while not spending too much time rehashing them. Great action, some good use of flashbacks, and a powerful cliffhanger ending. Also, I have to say, it was super refreshing to read a Daredevil comic where the priest giving Matt counsel actually seems to have a pretty good perspective, biblically speaking. It's not the biggest thing, but as a Christian (Protestant, not Catholic), it always bugs me when the priest doesn't seem to know his Bible at all and gives Matt just the most incorrect advice possible. So well done Zdarsky, well done. more

This wasn't great. Art was good, writing was pretty bad. A fairly soulless retelling of the FF's origins that failed to justify its existence. Unlike the X-Men: Season One story, which felt fresh and modern while also reading like a tribute to those earliest comics, this felt bland and uninspired, failing at both revitalizing AND honoring the FF's origins.

The penultimate issue sets us up for a big showdown. The writing is good, the art is fantastic. The story hasn't gripped me in the way that I'd hoped, mainly because I'm having a hard time connecting with these characters, but it's still a thoroughly enjoyable dark fantasy read.

This was really great. Norrin is such a compellingly tragic character, and Sacks really nailed the tone with this annual. The art by Araujo was incredible, and the story was just about perfect. Only taking .5 marks off cause the writing wasn't quite perfect in some spots, but overall this was an amazing read that does justice to one of my favourite Marvel characters.

"Just Some Guy" - 8.5
"Sinister 60" - 8.5
"Spider-Man vs. Conspiratron" - 6
"The Kid's Got a Good Eye" - 4.5
"In the Flesh" - 6
"Slaves of the Witch-Queen" - 6
"You Get It" - 9.5
"With Great Power" - 8

A lot of really great art on display here, but some real rough writing. Some of these stories just didn't go anywhere or have any meaning behind them. Or maybe they did and I just missed it, which is entirely possible, but I particularly disliked Iannucci's story, Rowell's story, and Anderson's story. Just found them boring and pointless. Favourite was easily Hickman's, and Falcone's and Slott's were enjoyable as well. Perhaps worth a read if you're a big Spidey fan, but in my opinion the character deserved better from this anthology tribute. more

Fantastic issue. I had guessed that piece of the story about Haakon, but it was cool to see it confirmed. Man, the original fellowship had some real bastards in it. Lookin' at you Skol and Tyr.

Ok, here's my ratings and brief thoughts on each of these one-shots.

Human Torch (Waid/Cappuccio): Loved it. Started this collection off with a well-written, gorgeously illustrated, and emotionally powerful issue. Just about everything you'd want in a short one-shot like this. 9.5/10

Spider-Man (Stegman): Boy can Ryan Stegman ever draw the hell out of a Spider-Man comic...but I knew he was a good artist, so what impressed me even more was his writing chops! He wrote Peter perfectly here, and the story was such a neat way to showcase everything there is to love about Spider-Man while also cramming in a number of characters in a way that didn't make it feel too stuffed. A perfectly executed one-shot that deserves nothing less than a 10/10.

X-Men (Rowell/Sauvage): This started out seeming like a cool concept, focusing on how lonely it must've been for teenage Jean Grey to be the only girl on a team of young X-Men, some of whom viewed her as little more than a pretty face. Unfortunately, this was not very well written, and the art wasn't really my taste. The story also had a kind of nothingburger of an ending and didn't hit anywhere near the same emotional notes as the first two stories. 6.5/10

Captain Marvel (Slott/Allred): Fun to see the creative team behind the delightful Silver Surfer run back together again! Allred's art is always great to look at, although Slott's script wasn't all that compelling. I also don't particularly care too much about the Walter Lawson Capt. Marvel, so it was hard to connect with on any meaningful level. The ending was also a little hokey, with Lawson just listening to the Beatles and Elvis and others and all of a sudden he realizes how beautiful Earth is? A little too corny for me. 7/10

Daredevil (Iannucci/Kubert): Daredevil is my favourite Marvel hero, so I was excited that he got a one-shot in this collection, but I'm sad they didn't get a more accomplished writer to handle it. Kubert's art is fantastic, but the writing is simply not good. Dialogue feels soulless, and the story isn't all that interesting and doesn't really make sense in some parts. I also don't really see how this issue captures the spirit of Marvel comics. 6/10 for me, sadly.

Silver Surfer (McNiven): I really enjoyed this one. I'm a huge fan of the Surfer, and McNiven's art here is absolutely STUNNING. The writing wasn't anything particularly special, but it certainly wasn't bad either by any stretch. A conversation between Mephisto and the Silver Surfer is just a really cool scene, and this one was very enjoyable to read. 8.5/10

Girl-who-hates-heroes/Thor (Aaron/Larraz): First of all, I truly think Pepe Larraz is slowly becoming my favourite artist of all time. Every time I see something new of his, I'm more and more convinced that his art is just the most incredible stuff I could ever see on a page. Truly an otherworldly talent. Jason Aaron is a great writer too, so I was really looking forward to this one, and it did not disappoint. Really, really good little story with a powerful message. 9.5/10

Stan, Jack, and Steve (Straczynski/Andrews): I started reading this and thought it was kind 'meh' initially, but once it was revealed who these three boys were, I started over from the beginning and read it again with that in mind, and boy did it change my outlook. Really cool concept well-executed. A heartfelt love letter to comic creators and the timeless power of the comic medium. Really enjoyed it. 9/10

Overall rating: 8.5

A few duds (as there are in collections like this), but also a few absolute gems that make it well worth the read. more

A 10 for those that cannot get their brains around the fact this is a different Batman. If you want normal Batman and get upset at the notion of a variant, please - spare us your redundant commentary and just don't read it.

This is the perfect comic for 2025. A working class Batman, he fights for the people and stands up to the rich. A mirror pointed at today's society. The rich getting richer, the poor poorer. A gross over simplification but you know the deal. He is defined, not by his wealth and social status, but by his will to help others

"Oh but that's too heavy handed and political! My conservative mind can't handle social commentary because said commentary doesn't align with my beliefs! I can't enjoy anything that deviates from my core values!"

And what next?

"Oh, they changed Matches Mallone!" Like that character is so utterly sacred and can't be different. They did Matches dirty!" Give me strength.

'Edgelord Batman'. Bloody hell, is this a Fox News message board? "Oh everything he says is so extreme and on the nose!" Conservative speak for "I get upset when politics I don't agree with are espoused." Despite the cold hard fact that superheroes are an inherently liberal ideal.

"Ohhh,too much dialogue! Not enough action!" If it was the other way about, they'd say there wasn't enough dialogue - and point out that it's needed as it's a new universe.

This is a new Batman universe and it is still being defined. As such, exposition is required. Is this not obvious? I'd understand the criticism if it was Tom King levels of exposition, this is literally nowhere near that.

Scott Snyders supposed 'shortcomings' have netted him the no 1 comic book in the industry. This series has people excited about comics again. But no - forget that and let's just go back to the same formula we've seen a million times. Let's not try to evolve or innovate.



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I never thought I would have an emotional response to a Taskmaster comic, but here we are. This was heartbreaking and deeply moving. What an absolutely incredible 4-issue mini, holy smokes. I already know this is one of those books I'm going to be thinking about long after I've finished. There was so much to like about this series that I don't even know where to begin, so all I will say is that this was one of the biggest surprise hidden gem comics I have ever read and I will be recommending it to everyone I know. A near perfect book all in all. more

What a revelation! This comic has completely changed how I think about Taskmaster. I've always thought he was a cool character, but this book has made me love him. I can't sing this series' praises enough. Will be so sad when it's over.

"The Don of the Dead" is hilariously brilliant. This book is so much fun, man... What a hidden gem this comic turned out to be! Never thought I'd enjoy a Taskmaster story this much, but here we are. And what a twist at the end! I did not see that coming. Well played, Freddy, well played.

Another solid entry. We meet the final member of the original fellowship and our current band of heroes runs into some trouble. Writing is still great, art is still gorgeous. What's not to like?

Not sure why this has a lower rating, this was great. Less action, but a couple powerful character moments. Also, Tyr is a grade A douchebag.

I don't know what I was expecting from this comic, but it sure as heck wasn't THAT! What a ride. This was about as fun and engaging a first issue as you could hope for. Action, intrigue, great dialogue, and some legitimately hilarious moments ("Not you. Too weird." had me laughing out loud). What a refreshing palate cleanser this turned out to be. I can't wait to read more and I'm already sad that it's only 4 issues long. more

Some truly shocking moments in this issue, and yes, Ricardo Federici's art is still phenomenal.

Man...two polar opposite ends of the spectrum here. Phenomenally gorgeous art, and outrageously terrible writing. What a boring slog of a read... Shadowland wasn't that good of an event, but it was way more interesting than the lead up to it. Poor Marco Checchetto did his best to elevate this comic, and he produced some absolutely stunning artwork. Unfortunately, it couldn't save what was otherwise a painfully dull conclusion to a boring arc. more

Cool history lesson. This was a longer read, but added some welcome context.

Only real upside here is the art, which is spectacular. Story sucks, writing is super mediocre.

The art continues to amaze me. And the story is getting really interesting. I like how we're meeting each member of the original fellowship along the way, easing into it instead of getting everything all at once. It helps to remember who everybody is, especially since we're dealing with multiple timelines.

Writing? Meh. Story? Even meh-er. Art? Absolutely fantastic. Marco Checchetto is wasted on this story. Fortunately for him and us, he will eventually get to draw for Zdarsky's run, which I very much look forward to reading.

Everything about what Matt is doing and saying is so completely out of character for him it's almost funny. This whole arc of him leading the hand is ridiculous. That said, I somehow still managed to enjoy this issue. It was written decently well (minus Matt's dialogue, especially when he's giving pre-battle speeches), and the art was really great.

Interesting twist...looking forward to seeing what exactly is going on. I'm enjoying the jumps between time periods, it's cool that have these parallel stories both telling different stages of this story.

Marco Checchetto is so good, man.

A little harder to follow than issue 1, but still very well written and the art is just incredible.