Life Story is a thorough examination of Spider-Man, appraised with a delicacy and reverence that left me an emotional wreck by the end. Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley are a perfect pairing to deliver one of the most moving Spidey stories in years.

An excellent single issue. Dan Mora gets a chance to portray horror, action, and his beautiful human characters as Tamaki adds another chapter to her twisting, exciting story for Bruce Wayne. Evokes the feeling of the old Grant/Breyfogle Batman run with classic characters and fun team-ups that make this my primary Batman series.

New Mutants is excellent. Ed Brisson and Jonathan Hickman work seamlessly together as the original New Mutants head into space to bring Cannonball home. It's a clean, space-faring story. The pitch is deceptively simple, the background references to the larger X-Men family of comics is in full force, and the characters each have a unique voice that honors the spirit of the ones you know and love. I did find myself forgetting about certain characters after a bit, but by the end of the debut issue everyone does something useful or interesting. That's really all you can ask for at this point, honestly. And while I'm not sure if New Mutants feels like it justifies its existence as part of the greater X-Narrative Hickman is telling, the earnestness and fun of the book overtakes those apprehensions. Rod Reis is a genius and everything looks fantastic. Everyone has their best face forward-- even Chamber! I hope word of mouth allows people to give this the shot it deserves. more

DCeased was a total surprise by the end of the first issue. By the end of its sixth and final issue, there is no doubt about DCeased’s excellence. Tom Taylor was the perfect person for this kind of job, delivering on the horror, the action and most important, the character. Everyone behaves how one would expect each character portrayed herein, but placed in a situation we hope to never see in regular continuity. This entire series has been a perfect marriage of epic action, dark horror, and tragic characters.

Not just another dark zombie story, DCeased will be counted among a prestigious number of celebrated DC epics. more

Silver Surfer: Black is a title I haven’t heard much about, and that’s a damn shame. Donny Cates can write whatever he wants for Marvel at this point, and he chose to do a little five-part Silver Surfer story that takes Radd through the deepest, darkest depths of space and time and back again. This series was such a sheer delight. Tradd Moore’s art is in perfect symmetry with Cates, ebbing and flowing between the surreal, the dark, and the awe-inspiring.

This final issue cements it as one of the top Silver Surfer stories in recent memory, citing at least two other seminal Surfer stories in the process. The last page homage to Stan Lee’s written word gives the title a gravitas it already earned, securing a thoughtful, heartbreaking tribute to The Man and one of his favorite characters. more

A lavishly gruesome opening to what will undoubtedly become one of the most memorable runs on the character. Jon Davis-Hunt's art stirs, while Cullen Bunn continues to reap his horror cred. A gold standard for Valiant Comics.

A solid Boba Fett tale set during a very familiar period in Star Wars history. This first issue was easy to follow with a fun, simple premise with enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. McNiven's art is outstanding.

For some reason this story finally shifted into gear for me. The world-building finally clicked as the characters continued to burn rubber. Read this book in the dark!

An easy event to jump into! Jason Aaron offers a mystery with little intrigue, while Ed McGuinness brings classic superheroics to the forefront in bombastic detail. A casual combination of silly and serious that makes this a welcome start.

Any of my complaints about the previous Dark Multiverse story are completely cast aside with the debut of Tales from the Dark Multiverse: The Death of Superman. Jeff Loveness continues the trend of alternate histories for seminal DC Comics events, this is a fun, bleak look at Lois Lane when absolute power corrupts. Taking tentpole characters from across the Death/Resurrection of Superman and literally blowing their faces off, this issue is a love letter to the whole damn story, including the hand-wavy way in which the resurrected Superman ultimately regains his powers. The design of Lois Lane as a twisted Superwoman/Eradicator is fantastic and perfectly in keeping with the silly tone of a 90’s event scrutinized twenty odd years later. The bloody “S,” the tattered cape, and Lois’s penetrating eyes are all this book needs to send a chill down your spine.

Brad Walker’s art is a fantastic blend of the visuals you remember with a modern sensibility in terms of pacing and character design. It’s pure popcorn action with a dark spin. This is worth a pick-up. more

Detective Comics sees the beginning of a bold new era for Mr. Freeze and I couldn’t be more excited about it. Mr. Freeze is an easy character to overdo or get entirely wrong, and I’ll admit a bit of skepticism when they announced his role in this story-arc. However, my fears were abated as we saw the return of the old, familiar trope of Mr. Freeze and his beloved wife Nora, while kicking the trope over and making something new in its place. The haunting image at the ballet was just one of several awesome moments thanks to Doug Mahnke. Tomasi continues to prove he’s a powerhouse.

The cold fact is: the man gets character and tells a chilling story with cliffhangers that put me on the edge of my seat, and I can’t wait to fall off. more

Marco Checchetto's art is so perfectly suited for this title, and Zdarsky's infusion of character, grief and guilt are downright necessary for Murdock and company. This series is a must-have for any Daredevil fan.

Absolute Carnage charges in like a rhino; it's big, it's bulky, and it's FAST. You get your money's worth with this event from Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man offers splendid insight into why Mary Jane Watson is such a great character. We also get a small glimpse into her newly rekindled relationship with Peter Parker, which is rare lately. It's a fun diversion, but little new ground is broken.

Batman: Curse of the White Knight continues the good favor its previous series earned with a sprawling Batman Elseworlds epic. Sean Murphy is the only person for this kind of job.

Batman/Superman from Joshua Williamson and David Marquez begins as a pretty standard Batman/Superman intro. Marquez's pencils are, as usual, strong and clear but the inks and colors were a little too muddy to make this title shine the way you expect a comic by Marquez. Williamson understands the characters very well and I have no doubt this will end up as a truly satisfying chapter in the ongoing saga of Batman and Superman’s adventures. more

Batman/TMNT 3 may be the final Batman/TMNT crossover. Freddie Williams II's art is dynamic and action packed, though an event like this does cause panels to get a bit crowded. Both Williams and James Tynion IV have brought these characters together so much, it's like an old familiar friend coming home. Character work is, as usual, excellent. The story may be a bit by the numbers, but you'll get no complaint from the likes of me. Pick up the entire series and be amazed by how far this story goes! more

Doomsday Clock makes me sad. If you ignore the delays the way every reader will once the series is complete, this was the most rushed issue to-date. The plan was always for 12 issues, but the writing made this feel like the title was canceled prematurely. When moments are allowed to breathe, this issue takes flight. But it felt rushed. The quality is undeniable, with some fantastic panel work from artist Gary Frank. The other reason I'm saddened by this otherwise excellent comic is because the implied status quo from this issue/story sounds perspicacious and exhilarating. Grievously, there is no doubt in my mind this is no longer the plan. more

I never knew it was exactly what I wanted from a Batman title. Derington's art is such an unexpected pleasure, in which he depicts even the most mundane moments with skill and originality. But just like Batman, we're here for the fun, which is depicted with skill and ease. When I imagined Bendis writing Batman, I never dreamed it could be this good.