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The first volume of Nocterra is an excellent mix of fast paced action, incredible world building and a great story complemented by equally great art. For ten years, darkness has enveloped the Earth and anyone caught within it for a prolonged period gradually turns into monsters known as shades. Protagonist Valentina Riggs works as a ferryman who escorts people to brightly lit safe zones for a price. Val is concerned about her brother Emory showing signs of shade transformation and after outside circumstances cut her off from a remedy for her ailing brother's condition, she is forced to accept an offer from Bailey, a young girl, and Augustus, her grandfather, who promise to take the Riggs siblings to a sanctuary with a light source that can potentially reverse Emory's transformation. Things get dicey when a mercenary named Blacktop Bill begins to pursue them, with his targets being the passengers that Val is escorting. This story is well paced and fluctuates between action sequences and character interactions very well, with revelations and plot developments regarding some of the characters bringing up various questions that make me excited to read the answers for them. Each chapter begins with Val recounting what she was doing when the darkness came and that memory tying into whatever situation the present day version of her is currently in. It helps develop backstory for her and Emory while simultaneously showing how everything when wrong in their lives and building the world's history and lore through her dialogue. Val is depicted as a hardened veteran of her trade, capable in the areas of driving, combat, hunting and setting traps. She's intelligent and uses whatever tools she has to get out of sticky situations and being the older sibling, looks out for her little brother and has a soft spot for him and eventually, for Bailey as well. She's usually a serious character due to having been only a child when the darkness came, forcing her to step up and protect Emory from various threats, leaving her with horrific memories as an adult that haunt her. She also has no use for concepts like faith, but over the course of the story, she becomes more accepting of said concept through her journey with Bailey and Emory at her side. Emory is the inventor who supplies Val with gadgets used to ward off shades. He's the more hopeful one of the two and wants to do more to solve the darkness crisis besides fixing up equipment used to protect his sister. He doesn't get much time to shine during the middle part of the story due to his sickness putting him out of commission, but he does make himself useful before and after he's forced to rest. Bailey is also hopeful, having initially been promised by her grandfather that they would bring back light back to the world. Even after that promise becomes impossible to fulfill, she still has hope that whatever plan her grandfather has will work and believes in light somehow returning. Having lost both her parents, she hates being alone and her positive attitude allows her to form a bond with Val, who lets her join their convoy. Blacktop Bill comes off as a cruel and sadistic murderer who enjoys the thrill of hunting his targets and killing them in the ways he deems the most brutal. Seeing him burn someone alive by simply touching them, attempting to kill Hailey via impalement with a harpoon gun and tying a victim to his car to force them to become a shade cemented him as a man you would not want to come face-to-face with in a dark alley. The way he casually talked to Val as he recalled how he shot his prey in order to see them struggle to live as a form of perverse amusement, asking a severely wounded person where an object before killing them and making a joke about his victim's screaming as they transformed into a shade help to highlight the insanity that this character is afflicted with and that he doesn't care about anyone's life, only on achieving whatever objective he currently has in mind. It was enjoyable to see how twisted and malevolent Bill could be and with the final page teasing that he's getting a major upgrade for the next story arc, his next appearance will be beyond entertaining to see. The artwork paints a very bleak and hellish world. Nearly everyone wears some equipment that emits light to both ward of shades and to prevent them from transforming. Multiple colors are used to varying degrees, with darker shades being more prominently featured over lighter ones to match the setting of the story. Bright colors are mostly used to depict areas or objects that are lit on order to ward off shades. Val's outfit looks practical and appropriate for surviving encounters with hostile shades out on the road, with gun holsters, equipment pouches and an LED mask all signaling that she's not going down easy when she's attacked. Her truck is also appropriately outfitted with powerful headlights at the front and smaller lights along its container that passengers sit in. Everything that characters use in this world is very utilitarian and crucial to surviving out in the dark. Various species of shade animals seen in this first arc all look like grotesque abominations ready to tear the flesh off of their prey at any given moment. Humanoid bats, mutated dogs and shadefish and headless human bodies with their faces pressing against their skin from the inside à la Freddy Kreuger comprise of the local wildlife out to kill people in this world and their designs all reflect that. Blacktop Bill is a special case as he doesn't have much to speak of design wise. His body is completely covered in black, save for his mouth, which is usually seen in the form of a demonic grin similar to The Joker. It helps to add mystique to his character and not being able to see anything human about him except for that demented smile adds to Bill's inhumanity and it works well for him. He also drives what looks like a Batmobile with LED lights on the wheels and it has a harpoon gun used to impale and kill targets. Given that he looks a bit like The Batman Who Laughs, it's very fitting for him. Nocterra Volume One is great start to this series as the first arc hits the ground running and doesn't let up on the gas. With a sadistic animal for a villain, compelling characters, superb art, amazing action sequences and many interesting questions that have yet to be answered, this book definitely deserves to be on your pull list.

Radiant Black is equal parts relatable and action packed in this first volume that introduces the characters and sets up an impending large-scale conflict in its future issues. The book’s main character, Nathan, is an aspiring writer who is forced to move back to his parent’s home and while conversing with his friend Marshall, reveals that he is in severe debt due to unknown reasons. After an evening hitting the sauce, they come across what appears to be a miniature black hole near a train station. Nathan touches it and is enveloped in a slick black and blue suit which bestows upon him enhanced strength, the power to control gravity and flight. After an altercation with the local police results in Nathan using his powers for the first time, the cops discover his identity and encourage him to use his new gifts for the greater good i.e., stopping criminals. Elsewhere, a Red Radiant is using their powers to rob banks and after discovering this, Nathan wishes to meet with them to learn about his powers, thus setting up the conflicts between the protagonist and antagonist in this first arc. Later on, Nathan begins to communicate with a large robotic being that is linked to his powers, who warns him that an impending disaster is headed towards Earth and that Nathan must be prepared to do what is necessary for survival. The final issue focuses on the origin of the Red Radiant and what motivated them to rob banks in the first place. Certain parts of this story can be relatable to readers in today’s time. Paying off debt and living with your parents is much more commonplace than decades prior and the fact that Nathan struggles with his writing career and has to work as a taxi driver can garner him some sympathy from readers going through the same thing as many people face a similar struggle in their own jobs and doing whatever it takes to keep the lights on. Nathan is a character that doubts himself and struggles to write his own novel. We don’t get much of his story prior to the first issue, but we can gather that he has made many mistakes and squandered multiple opportunities, both in his professional and personal life, which adds to his relatability. He initially doesn’t want to drive people around as he assumes that he won’t make much money from doing so, but after discovering the existence of the Red Radiant, he takes some advice his father gave him to heart and does just that, which eventually leads him to his quarry and simultaneously earns him a good bit of cash for putting some effort into his job. He’s also got a good moral compass when tempted by the ill-gotten gains that the Red Radiant leaves behind, choosing to go with the morally right option after their first scuffle. Overall, Nathan is a good character with no outstanding downsides to him. Marshall is, for the most part, helpful towards Nathan when it comes to dealing with superheroic matters, like coming up with the name Radiant Black or aiding the latter in discovering what kinds of powers he has. He genuinely cares for his friend and Marshall’s behavior after the second conflict between the two Radiants illustrates just how much Nathan means to him as a friend and shows what lengths he’d go in order to protect him. He also has the occasional moment of comic relief, either because of not using various words properly, making a joke or due to being drunk. Marshall also uses his head to come up with various ideas, like creating a Twitter account to help control Radiant Black’s story or angering Nathan to help him unleash powerful energy blasts and encourages him to do more with his powers. Marshall is useful for giving Nathan direction and his humor helps to make him likeable. The Red Radiant is the villain of this first volume and initially comes off as cold, brutal and aggressive, though their backstory depicts them in a different light as we see how they received their powers and the big issue that they are forced to deal with in their civilian life. The character gains some sympathy just like the protagonist due to dealing with said problem, similar to Nathan. The Red Radiant shows off the above traits during the encounters they have with Radiant Black, immediately attacking him after the latter mentions the police potentially finding them and threatening Nathan during their second bout. They depict themselves as someone not to be trifled with and their actions prove that fact. Other characters have small roles within this story. The policemen at the beginning encourage Nathan to catch crooks, his father advises him that working hard at any job will yield rewards and the giant robot that Nathan communicates with warns him of impending doom and helps another character in finding the location of Radiant Red. The roles they play all contribute to moving the story forward and giving Nathan a motive and an idea to use later on, while the robot foreshadows the next story arc. Most of the book is your standard beginner hero plot as Nathan experiences his origin story, has his first encounters with a villain, learns what he can do with his powers and helps out however he can while dealing with his own problems. The book takes an unexpected turn at the end of the fourth issue, shakes thing up in a way I didn’t see coming by introducing new characters at the end, giving Marshall an important and emotional motivation and leaving things on a cliffhanger. The origin story part also applies to the last issue for Red Radiant. There are plenty of questions that are left unanswered by the time you flip past the final page and seeking the answers for those queries helps to convince you into buying the upcoming second volume. The artwork is expressive and colorful. Characters easily convey what emotion that they feel on every panel, whether that be fear, anger, worry or happiness. Every page has colors that fit with the scene that is currently going on, with bright colors being heavily used over more dull colors resulting in the art popping off of the page and your eyes being treated to a visual feast. The best instances of the art is seen during the battles between the two Radiant characters as their powers are colored in red, blue, black and white, all of which combine with the slick character designs to create incredible visuals that showcase just how powerful they are as they unleash various energy blasts and punches on each other, with the standout instance of their fighting occurring as Radiant Black lands blow after blow on Red Radiant as they fly over a highway at nighttime. Another phenomenal page is when Nathan first meets the giant robot that is linked to his powers. The meeting occurs in Nathan’s mind, with destroyed planets in the background. The colors help to make this part seem as surreal as possible and the design of the robot conveys that it is a powerful and mysterious cosmic entity as it towers over Nathan. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous and deserves any and all praise it gets. Something to take note of is the language that Nathan’s new powers come with as this alien tongue is gradually embedded into his head and he begins to understand what each word means thanks to the aforementioned robot. This language sometimes pops up in regular speech balloons, when the robot communicates with Nathan and whenever Nathan transforms into Radiant Black. It’s sometimes used to censor swear words and most other instances use it to keep things mysterious. There’s a letter chart at the back of the book that allows you to decipher what characters are saying once you’ve finished reading. It’s interesting to see what characters were saying during certain scenes, but it isn’t used too often and many of the words repeat. Radiant Black Volume One is a wonderful beginning of a new comic series. Its story is bolstered by the relatability of the main character and the sublime artwork. This is a complete joy to read and I can’t wait for Volume Two.

The Silver Coin is a wonderfully dark book that tells one-shots stories well while also enhancing the experience when noticing how each story is connected. The plot for the series is a cursed silver coin that brings about terrible fates for any that are in possession of it routinely does so for every issue of this first volume. Each story is, for the most part, self contained, but gradually reveals a larger narrative as you read through each chapter, with connections being made to previous issues when you take notice of certain characters and locations. This serves to highlight that the titular medallion of misfortune has a long history and you gradually begin to understand how and why certain things related to the coin happen after reading the final issue. The first issue sees Ryan, the leader of his rock band Running Red, finding the coin among his mother's possessions and using it to help his group try to hit the big time, only for his focus on succeeding through any means to cost him in the end. The second issues sees a young girl, Fiona, being repeatedly harassed by her bunkmates at camp, culminating in her finding the cursed coin and her tormentors paying a steep price for their harassment of her. The middle chapter sees Lisa and her two friends acquiring the coin in a robbery gone wrong, only for an unseen force to begin communicating with her and commanding her to return the coin to her. After a chase with local police ends poorly for the protagonist and friends and a bit of bloodshed later, the coin is returned and Lisa gets her due "compensation". The penultimate issue sees a street gang being hunted by a police officer and one of the gang members, Bragie, finding the coin and turning the tables against her pursuer. The final chapter serves as an origin story for the coin, where Rebekah, a witch who can cast demonic magic, is betrayed by her friend Martha to a religious witch hunter, Cotton Dudley, after the sorceress helps her friend's ailing goat. After seeing the betrayal her supposed "friend" has committed, Rebekah casts a hex on the coin Dudley gave Martha, which he said could absolve Martha of her sins. The end result is both Martha and Dudley getting their comeuppance for their respective crimes: Martha for her betrayal and Dudley for being a religious zealot and abusing his status to punish innocents. Each individual story has three aspects that are related to the coin: a crow is never far behind the coin and acts as a sort of guardian/keeper over it, women can be taken control of and men cannot be controlled and bloodshed is inevitable whenever someone comes across the cursed item. These aspects initially don't seem to make much sense (with exception to the bloodshed bit since it makes sense that a curse would warrant it), but after reading through the book, you start to see how everything is connected through the hex cast upon the coin and the caster herself. The origin for all of this misfortune is a great blend of both horror and vengeance and realizing how everything ties together and how each story has some connection to other issues in this series feels great to gradually learn about through reading. Seeing the artifact travel from the possession of one person to next is also interesting to read through. Each individual story also holds up on its own. Characters exclusive to their respective issues don't have much characterization, but that can be easily overlooked when focusing on how their singular story fits into the larger narrative that the artifact weaves throughout time and what the coin will bring them in their near futures. The artwork also enhances the horror on display. Most of the colors consist of dark blues and purples being used for almost every part of the pages, with red being relegated to blood being shed and fires being spread. Black is also used heavily to convey the dark tone of the stories here, with it mainly being used to show the silhouettes of characters cloaked in the shadows, alongside hiding parts of their faces, which adds to the creepiness of the book. The book isn't afraid to show off the violence that the characters are subject to, with the mutilation being accompanied by appropriate amount of blood, with injuries on characters looking gory and painful to be on the receiving end of. The way characters are drawn works well and makes each issue memorable and stand out in their own way. The demented happiness that is displayed on Fiona's face, the wiring seen in the police officer's eyes after he suffers a fatal injury, the terror displayed by Ryan and how the goat changed after Rebekah curses Martha are all standout moments in the book. Overall, the artwork is appropriate for the series, is very well done and helps to make each issue distinguishable thanks to one standout panel or page that comes along whenever things go to hell thanks to the coin. The Silver Coin may initially come off as a series of one-shots that feature the titular item and the trouble that follows in its wake, but underneath that notion is a smartly written story that has a much bigger picture which the single issues are only a small part of and that can only be revealed by reading more of it. Seeing just what terrible fate the coin brings down on any poor souls that come upon it will be fun to witness. Come for the horror and stay for it, the inevitable violence and how each new issue ties into the previous entries.

Tony Stark: Iron Man #1 is fun and exciting new direction for Iron Man going forward, with a new character in the supporting cast, along with an unknown threat that is targeting Tony Stark. The story kicks off with Tony recruiting new character Andy Bhang into his company, Stark Unlimited, due to the latter's creation of letting robots work together to create solutions to problems they are faced with. After showing a stunned Bhang around the company building, things go from zero to sixty as a colossal and unexpected foe begins attacking the Big Apple, forcing the Golden Avenger to suit up. Right off the bat, the characterization of Stark here is not unsimilar to that of the version portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in the Marvel movies, as the Iron Man here says a few lines that can elicit a chuckle or two out of the reader, along with other characters aiding the humor through their own lines of dialogue. This characterization is reinforced when Stark sends out robots to deal with the aforementioned antagonist and uses them for another purpose, similar to the Age of Ultron movie. During the fight sequence with the villain, the fun factor rises to eleven with the reveal of not one, but two new suits for the hero, though we don't see much of the first suit. The fight plays out in a grandiose manner at first and then goes the opposite direction near the end, due to the new suits. After the main story ends, we get a teaser for what's to come with an appearance from an obscure villain and his partner in crime. The artwork here is incredible, from the Iron Man suits to the towering villain to the backgrounds and other characters, it's all very easy on the eyes. The action sequences during the middle of the book especially stand out, along with the new suits and the double page spreads that are featured. The faces on characters can look a bit cartoonish, but that does nothing to impact the book. Overall, this is a great start to the new Iron Man series. Though there are references to the previous run of Iron Man, you don't need to know that much to dive in here. The book works decently enough for new readers and I had no trouble following along with the story. If you want to read the most recent Iron Man comic and are unsure of this, pick this up. You will have fun reading it.

Prior to Venom becoming an anti-hero, he was a villain who fought against many heroes in the Marvel universe. Venom Annual 2018 gives us three stories about the parasitic character, all told in flashbacks by other characters drinking in a seedy dive bar. The first story is about the Black Cat going after Venom to ensure Spider-Man doesn't get hurt by the latter, while the second is about the title character getting into a bar fight against an anti-hero who really just wants to drink in peace. The third and final story involves the symbiote taking on an opponent who may be above the former's weight class. These three stories all show off different aspects of Venom: the first story shows us his sense of justice, though twisted it may be, the second tells of his rage and brutality and the third shows off his unexpected strength and how he can easily take down seemingly unbeatable enemies. The reveal after the final story was unexpected and the ending of the Annual was akin to horror movie, though it may be seen a mile away by some readers. The artwork here is varied from story to story, with the first being of good quality, but looks rather generic, with nothing in particular standing out. The second story looks better than the first, with the colors used by the artist conveying a memory being recalled, while Venom looks like a large sadistic beast that can't be tamed and seems to have a permanent smile on his face (which is completely fine). The third story has Venom as the best looking as the character looks beautifully ugly, as Venom has multiple, smaller head and arms sticking out of his body, with a long, disgusting tongue to match. Venom looks hideous in the best way possible here, while the backgrounds are very detailed and well colored and are a joy to look at. Overall, Venom's first ever Annual can give new readers a good look at the character as a villain. If you also miss Venom being a bad guy, this is the book for you. This is certainly worth a read.

Dan Slott ends his initial run on Amazing Spider-Man through the 'Dying Wish' story arc where Doctor Octopus swaps bodies with Peter Parker, with the former enjoying the benefits of the webslingers life while the latter tries to reverse the scheme the bad doctor has pulled off. The ending sets up Slott's next few story arcs in the 'Superior Spider-Man' series. Slott makes good use of the given pages by showing us how Otto Octavius behaves as he parades around in Peter's body, showing his unwillingness to forfeit his new lease on life as he takes measures to ensure the true Spider-Man demise as Peter is stuck in Otto's body as it decays and begins to fail its bodily functions, all while Peter uses every asset within his power to take back what's rightfully his. Towards the end, Peter even takes extreme measures to eliminate Octavius with what little time he has. The artwork holds up well in all three issues, especially in #700, which showcases kinetic action through its pages. The trade paperback also comes with two additional stories, the first showing an alternate future starring a man and his great grandson as the elderly one regales his ward with his story of Spider-Man, while the second stars the Black Cat as she leads the police on a wild goose chase away from the webbed one. Both stories are not very long and are somewhat entertaining with good artwork in both cases. This is a good conclusion to Slott's first run on Amazing Spider-Man and is a teaser of what's to come.

Flashpoint is the series that ushered in the New 52 reboot line of comics and much later, played a part in DC Universe Rebirth and its line of comics. This is the book where Barry Allen, The Flash, awakens to find that everything has changed and nothing is as it was. Barry's dead mother is alive, Superman is nowhere to be seen, Batman is willing to take lives, Atlantis is at war with the Amazons, etc. Barry also realizes he no longer possesses his super speed and must team up with Batman in order to set things straight and return the world to what it once was. The story is enjoyable as it shows us alternate versions of familiar heroes such as a more ruthless Aquaman, a Cyborg that works for the government, the powers of Shazam being split between six children, and so on. Sadly, we don't see much of these versions of the heroes that we're familiar with, as the focus always returns to Batman and Barry trying to make the world right again. These versions also play somewhat important roles in the final battle, as they aid the main characters in fighting two armies. Even here, the focus is back to The Flash fighting the one he believes to have caused this new timeline in the first place. Excluding the final battle, the alternate heroes don't play much of a role in helping the main duo, with the exceptions being Cyborg, Superman and Element Woman. Barry also has to deal with his memories slowly being replaced by the new timeline, giving us glimpses at his life if he never became a vigilante. These moments don't do much in the grand scheme of the story, thus they aren't that important. Even though I knew the ending to the story, I still enjoyed the book due to the action, the explanation as to what caused these events, the alternate heroes and the time travel shenanigans involved at the end. The artwork holds up well, easily showcasing a world that is bleak and devoid of hope and joy. This applies to the alternate versions of heroes too, such as a thin and haggard Superman, a Shazam with a scowl and scars, etc. Everything shown is grim and it works in the story's favor. If you want to see how the DC universe became how it is now, read this. This is an enjoyable Flash story with ramifications that are still being felt today.

Home Sick Pilots is a good mash-up of the horror genre with Power Rangers, though it does favor the plot over some of the characters. The book begins in medias res, where a battle takes place between two unknown entities, before flashing back to a few weeks prior to introduce to us the main characters: Ami, Buzz and Rip, who make up the titular band of the Home Sick Pilots. After escaping the police for attending a concert on private property, Ami suggests that they should have their own concert in the Old James House, a building that has some dark history and involves a few corpses. After sneaking inside and being confronted by rival band The Nuclear Bastards, the house decides to make its sentience known to the intruders by killing the leader of the Bastards and trapping Ami and another member of The Nuclear Bastards, Meg, inside itself. Buzz and Rip manage to escape and while the former believes that the duo should go back to rescue their fellow bandmate, the latter decides to believe that they can't do anything for her and just throws in the towel after failing to get a policeman to help. Meanwhile, the house decides to start using Ami for its own purposes as it sends her out to retrieve various objects that have ghosts tied to them as said ghosts had died in the house prior to the story and the house wants them back, with Ami being given some powers by the haunted house to make her new task easier. These objects also have special powers because of their ghostly possession, which is used to good effect in two instances of the book. The narrative doesn't focus too much on Ami collecting the ghosts since by the third issue, she's nearly gotten all of them. We only see her retrieve two of the six ghosts in issues two and four, with the remaining four being acquired off-panel. What could've been interesting confrontations is now left to our imagination and it feels like wasted potential. There's also a faction that seeks out the Old James House for their own reasons and they have a paranormal ally that can, for the most part, hold its own against whatever Ami throws at it, leading to the equivalent of a Megazord battle during the fifth issue. The faction also has plans for Meg, with the final page teasing a confrontation with a new, powerful weapon that made me intrigued enough to consider buying the next volume. The music aspect of the book isn't particularly vital, as the Pilots aren't seen performing save for one flashback sequence. The Nuclear Bastards are seen performing in the beginning and one panel shows an unknown band playing at a party but besides that, the music part of this books isn't vital to the story besides the fact that the main characters are in a band. The story can be a little slow in parts of the book, seeing as more attention is given to the other Pilots and not when Ami is off ghost hunting in issue two and and part of issue three. Thankfully, the latter half of the third issue escalates the action and nothing feels boring in the last two issues as it sets up and pulls off a good conclusion to this first story arc. Character wise, Ami is given the most focus, seeing as she's the narrator of the story. Ami has an unfortunate backstory, with her being a foster child after some unknown, tragic event happened to kill her mother when she was little. This event also caused her to be seen as a psychopath in the eyes of many people. She's portrayed as being rather naive, as she believes that the house has good intentions for the ghosts that she retrieves for it. Because of her backstory, she sees the Old James House in a misunderstood, but good light, as an entity that just wants its ghosts back inside of itself and sees the spirits inside as lonely and afraid. The way she behaves towards her friends in the fifth issue causes Rip to call her insane, with lines now drawn in the sand between them. Her actions support Rip's claim, due to Ami causing destruction to their hometown in order to save her friends. Not only that, she seems to immediately go along with what the Old James House want her to do, initially not showing it much resistance despite seeing it murder someone. That question of whether or not she's in her right mind is an interesting one and it intrigues me. There's enough characterization for her to not come off as bland, though I do wish we got some more, like how she's dealing with her mother's death after all these years. Her friends, however, aren't fleshed out as much. Buzz and Rip aren't given enough characterization since Ami and the fight scenes are given more focus. All we know about Rip is that he does drugs, gives up on finding Ami, hangs out with some street punks that enjoy shouting "Oi! Oi!" and thinks Ami's gone crazy near the end of the book. I can understand not wanting to go back into a sentient murder house, but I'm not convinced these two are through and through buddies. Buzz is the opposite, never giving up on saving her and sticking with her towards the end of this first story arc. He does play a crucial role when the house sends him off to rescue her when things go sideways in issue four, wherein his transformation and subsequent usage of his power is rather entertaining. Besides that, there's nothing else to be said. Meg is, for the most part, forgotten up until issue four's last page. She meets up with the other characters in the last chapter and helps them get to the Old James House and the ending teases that she'll have an important role to play in the next volume, with a time skip of three months hinting that she's gotten some control over the powers she's gained. It'll be interesting to see what she does in the next volume, but in this first arc, her role in the story is rather miniscule up until the end. The Old James House is depicted as a malevolent entity to the reader with a hidden agenda that has yet to be revealed. It doesn't seem too keen on letting anyone it has in its grip go and will manipulate itself and its new tenant to ensure that the latter never leaves. Ami compares it to an unfaithful lover when she discovers just what the house has been hiding from her and this is a good way of looking at it since many people manipulate the people in their life for their own gain and to ensure that their partner never leaves them. The house is a fascinating aspect of the book and discovering what its goals are is something to look forward to in future installments. The way it kills unwanted guests is gory and appropriate for a haunted house, using piping and parts of its walls in order to take someone's life. Its paranormal inhabitants also make the home much more eerie for readers and it certainly feels like an oppressive and malignant entity thanks to the colors used for the artwork. The book showcases two brief flashbacks: the first showing us the day Ami first became acquainted with Buzz and Rip after she tries and fails to balance on a power line, resulting in Buzz swooping in to break her fall. She's invited to join a band the boys are forming after they insult the choice of band she listens to. The second flashback shows us their first concert together wherein they perform abysmally in front of a crowd. These looks into their past are supposed to show us that the Home Sick Pilots care for each other and have each others backs, being friends and all, but the actions of Rip giving up so soon when it comes to rescuing Ami fails to convince me that these two are friends. In Buzz's case, the friendship he has with Ami is believable since he immediately tries to rescue her from the Old James House. The artwork sells the tone of the story well. Hues of red, purple, black, pink and blue are used to enhance the horror vibe of the book. Very rarely are lighter colors used, with their usage being relegated to panels that are set at daytime. Character designs for most of the humans is decent, making most of them look like ordinary folks you'd see in everyday life. In Ami's case, her powers cause her hair to turn white in color and she glows when using them. The ghost designs are somewhat better, with one being completely covered in black and having a noose around its neck and another being composed of the tape from a VHS. Besides those two, the other spectres seen aren't noteworthy, with one of them wearing a literal lampshade over its head, another simply being a young child wearing a mask and another having a horseshoe FOR a head. The ghosts aren't really interesting design wise, though they play a crucial role in the end. The "Power Rangers" part of the story sees Ami, Buzz and one human enemy transforming in this volume and it feels underutilized here since that enemy doesn't last long in the proceeding fight, so here's hoping we see more people transforming into crazy monster forms in the future. Buzz's transformation when he goes to retrieve Ami is a definite highlight of the book as he manages to easily distinguish himself. He definitely looks like a rock monster that can take some damage and dish it out while in a battle. The Megazord for the book is also appropriate for what the book is doing and its design makes sense in the context of the story. Overall, the designs for the characters don't stand out, with some exceptions in parts of the story. Home Sick Pilots is a good start to a horror version of Power Rangers. The story can get slow up until the third issue and two of the characters aren't very compelling, but it's still an enjoyable read with plenty of its aspects hooking into you to ensure that you'll want to pick up volume two.

IDW brings us a new iteration of the Heroes in a Half-Shell, with Tom Waltz in the writers seat. The story begins with mutant turtles Leo, Mike, Don and their mutant rat dad Splinter fighting against a human gang, with the ruffians being led by a mutant cat named Old Hob. Meanwhile, Raphael is separated from the group and comes upon a domestic violence situation with a familiar character from the TMNT franchise as the victim. The story also gives a glimpse at the origins of this version of the reptilians and gives us a cameo of another soon-to-be friend of the protagonists, along with a villain possibly tying in to their beginnings. Dan Duncan is the artist for the issue and his artwork is grim and solid in the present day parts, with the art standing out while showing the Turtles beating down on their opponents. The flashback segment has a brighter green hues, selling the tone of simple beginnings for the team. Overall, this is worth a buy if you want to start reading the great Turtles comic that began back in 2011.

Punisher Noir #1 is a decent enough comic that has me at the very least interested in seeing what happens in the next issue. The story starts in 1935, with the titular anti-hero gearing up for patrol, but we don't see what happens next as the comic shifts time periods to 1918 and then 1928 for the rest of the issue. The Punisher here is not unsimilar to his mainstream counterpart, as this one once fought in the army in World War 1. However, the protagonist is also a bit different from the main version in some small ways, such as his last name being Castelione, being of italian descent and having a winged skull tattooed on his chest, along with losing his wife to cancer and raising his son by himself while running a grocery shop to pay his bills. The writer shows us what kind of man Castelione is, showing that he cares for his boy, wanting him to get on the morally correct path, and that he misses his wife and also shows his moral beliefs after a violent confrontation near the end of the issue, when asked by some seedy individuals to comply with their demands. In two brief action sequences, we are also shown the he is capable of taking out opponents who wish him dead. The artwork is mostly blacks, grays, greens and a bit of red, which gives the artwork a very grimy feeling, enhancing the noir aspect of the narrative, though for the facial expressions of the characters involved, it's doesn't hold up and looks a bit unpleasant. In one panel, I couldn't tell if the protagonist was cut by a bayonet or if he wasn't. Aside from those gripes, the artwork works well with the world and tone of the book. In the end, the first issue does decently enough in setting up the events to unfold when you read the final page. Though I may not care much for the title character as I wasn't engaged that much in the story, I care enough to see where things end up in the next issue.

Note: This review is about the collected edition called Smallville Attacks, which collects all 11 issues of Superboy. This book about Superboy dealing with secrets from Smallville's past, a hero from an dystopian future and his own personal problems isn't what you would call "riveting". It starts off with Conner Kent being met by the Phantom Stranger, who warns him of things to come in his usual cryptic manner. Soon after, Conner's friend genius Simon Valentine (who doesn't show off his intellect all that much, unfortunately) reveals that he knows about the protagonist's other life. Superboy is forced to take on Parasite after being ambused by him. After defeating him, he is forced to work with Poison Ivy for a short while. This quickly leads him to discovering a silo wherein a man is attached to machine with foreign symbols etched into it and begin an adventure which doesn't mesh with the Boy of Steel very well. Alongside all of this, the aforementioned time-travelling hero named Psionic Lad comes into the present day. His future is ruled by a man named the Prime Hunter and he "thought" his way through time (this isn't explained in the story) in order to ask Superboy to train him so that he can go back to the future and take down the Prime Hunter. The true reason he is here isn't to be trained, however, with the actual reason being a cliché that anyone can see coming from a mile away. Parts of the narrative don't fit all that well. In the sixth issue (part of the Reign of Doomsday crossover), Connor is forced to take on Doomsday in Detroit while Simon goes to speak with Ray Palmer (the Atom), who is looking to recruit him for meta-science studies at his college. The inclusion of this issue fails to add anything of relevance to the story and mostly consists of Superboy getting beaten up by the monster that murdered Superman. The story would have flowed better had it been excluded from this collection. Conner also has to deal with his feelings for his cousin Lori Luthor, Lex Luthor's niece. This part isn't resolved either and they end up as just being friends and not considering each other family. There's also his emotions regarding his recent break up with girlfriend, Wondergirl (who is only mentioned and not seen here). This part also does not receive any sort of closure to it as well. The antagonist of the story wishes to rule the world by way of an army he commands. I won't go into anymore details regarding this as it will spoil the story, but it does end on a happy note. The villain himself is not well known and is a magic user and because of that, just seemed too bizarre to fit with the main character of the story. It felt forced and his motivation wasn't interesting because this has been done before. The artwork featured isn't anything noteworthy, save for a dream sequence in issue seven. The sequence features a Superboy in a Smallville ravaged by him as he is hunted by his friends for killing their friends and loved ones. The artwork and colors fit well with the nightmare that Superboy was experiencing and was the standout sequence among the rest of the unremarkable artwork on display. In conclusion, this book featuring the Boy of Steel isn't going to be recorded as one of his standout stories. The villain doesn't mesh with the protagonist, a plot twist regarding two characters is incredibly obvious, some characters are underutilized, part of the book doesn't fit with the rest of the narrative and Superboy feelings about his aforementioned relationships don't evolve or receive any closure. This isn't worth picking up.

Age of Ultron was an event comic where Ultron takes over the world, leaving New York in ruins. The Superior Spider-Man tie-in to this event has Otto Octavius try to take down Ultron by himself, but things go south for the ex-super villain. Taking place in an alternate reality after the first story arc, Otto blames himself for not seeing and stopping the threat when Iron Man finds him and requests his assistance in a plan to be rid of the robotic villain. Otto agrees, but instead initiates his own plan to beat Ultron and save the world. From the get-go we see that Otto is still the arrogant lone wolf who believes allies are of little use to him and that only he can get things back to normal. Though he is sad about the deaths of those he was close to, his cockiness is what we usually see when reading through the book, though he does learn a lesson and is a bit more enlightened at the end. His plan to defeat the enemy seems to go well at first, but takes an unexpected turn that results in failure and Otto lying to Iron Man. Nothing of value occurs in this issue, besides Otto learning the aforementioned lesson on the very last page. The art is stellar, easily showing off a devastated NYC and a haggard webhead. The landscapes, along with the brief cameo of the title antagonist that we get, look incredible, though the drone robots we see look fine, with them only looking interesting midway through the story. The colors make everything seem cold, hopeless and desolate in a world ruled by a tyrant robot. This side story between Age of Ultron #2 and #3 is nothing important to go through if you plan to read the event yourself. Superior Spider-Man manages to accomplish nothing of importance and isn't worth reading. The story is decent at best and the art holds up well, but there's nothing else besides that.

Venom #154 tells a lackluster story from the perspective of the parasitic character. The issue begins at night, with Venom watching TV shows, and nothing much happens here. The symbiote continues to watch TV, looks into what his host Eddie is dreaming of and has some internal monologue that doesn't seem to matter that much, though he does wonder if he truly is a monster or hero during the story. In the morning, both host and parasite leave home to get some medicine to help them and from there, Venom influences Eddie to stop some crooks. Eddie tries to sell their TV to make money and Venom goes to a priest, using his sleeping partner to get there, to apologise for attacking the holy man in an earlier issue. The alien learns from the priest to earn love and swings away in the end. Throughout the issue, we have three flashbacks showing us the previous hosts of Venom and his thoughts towards each of them, such as being hurt when Lee Price tried to use him for personal gain or when he felt like a hero when bonded to Flash Thompson, as he trusted the alien and called Venom his partner. These pages give us some insight as to what the symbiote thinks about it's previous hosts and how it felt to be bonded to them, whether it be as a tool used for power or as a friend treated as an equal. The rest of the story isn't great. After getting their medicine, the two main characters don't really do anything of interest or of relevance. We learn that Venom really likes the TV and learns to earn love from the one he cares about (Eddie), but it's not enough. The artwork here shows off the muscular Venom we all know well, though we do see how he looked when bonded to other hosts in flashbacks. The flashback imagery really stands out, since other pages don't really look that interesting. There isn't anything of note in the panels to be seen here, besides the Paste Pot Pete goons who try to rob a store. Sadly, they only show up for a few pages before Venom takes them out. Nothing really notable about their designs. Just regular guys wearing metal backpacks with tubes meant to be attached to their arms to fire glue. They don't even get to use their weapons here. Overall, this just feels boring. The flashbacks are the only saving grace here. Venom doesn't do anything of interest and basically thinks about his relationship with Eddie and if he's good or bad. This story from the symbiote's perspective is just average.

What If? Demon in an Armor is a decent story that shows what would happen if Tony Stark and Victor Von Doom switched minds and became the other. The story is initially set in the college days of both characters, who are roommates and don't get along at first. After their bond grows, Tony decides to help Doom with the latter's project as Doom will be rejected from college if the project fails, but discovers too late that Doom plans to switch their minds through said project. The switch is successful, with Stark becoming Doom and having his memories erased during the mind swap, and Doom becoming Stark, who retains all his memories. Doom pins the blame on the now amnesiac Stark, who is deported back to his "home" country of Latveria. Over the next few pages, we see how they both live their lives as the years go by, with Stark working hard to earn his college degree and becoming an inventor/scientist who uses his talents for good, while Doom becomes more power hungry as the clock ticks by, taking control of Stark Industries from his "father" by getting his hands dirty, and starts selling weapons and developing more advanced weaponry for all to buy. Eventually, both characters clash in Latveria as Doom comes to steal technology critical for his weapons to function and Tony decides to stop the theft. Both wear their respective armors and duke it out, before Doom yields and explains the mind swap, bargaining for his freedom by offering Stark his old life back. Stark rejects, saying that Doom will pay for his crimes. The story doesn't show that much chemistry between both lead characters, only that they were brief friends at first, but are adversaries at the end of the book. The book also explains how both fare as time moves on in a very rushed manner and while dong so, quickly moves on to the final battle between both. We only know the basic characteristics of both these characters for the whole story and not much else. The artwork is done well, although nothing stands out, with the exception of the armors both characters use to duel the other. They are color swapped versions of the other's armor. Doom's armor is green and silver and looks like regular Iron Man, while Stark's is red and gold and looks like the normal Doctor Doom suit. They both highlight the obvious mind swap and how both lead characters are now different. Besides the suits, everything else looks generic, with nothing of note. Demon is an Armor is an alright Freaky Friday-style Iron Man story that fails to make the most of it's premise. The story doesn't do much besides pushing both lead characters to their extremes on the morality scale and having them fight at the end, while the art fares fine, but could be better. There is nothing worthy of being remembered in this comic.

Avengers: Halloween Special is a collection of horror stories that fails to deliver on the chills that readers crave. There are five stories in the book. The first story is about Daredevil regaining his sight, only to find out that being able to see may not be a good thing. The second story has Dr. Doom taking on the Fantastic Four, as the former believes that the family is not who they say they are. The third follows Iron Man as he looks for Captain America and discovering that Steve Rogers was left in the ice for good reason. The fourth sees the Punisher punishing people who killed his family in the 19th century. The final story is about two kids exploring the Xavier School for Gifted Children and encountering some unpleasant folks in the school's basement. The main problem with the book is that all the stories are too short. None of them are great and they all end quickly and don't frighten the reader that much. Because they're short, it's difficult for me not to spoil parts of the book, so beware. Daredevil's story starts looking like a supernatural tale, but it turn out to be an attack by one of his enemies. The reveal of who plotted the attack isn't that great if know a bit about who Daredevil fights. The art here works well when things get scary as we are shown a couple of Matt's dead lovers talking to him and the change in the background works fine. Sadly, this sequence is ended when Matt decides to do something gory to himself to end this assault of terror. Said gory action isn't even that gory, since the artwork doesn't have that much blood here. The final panel shows the mastermind behind this plot ready to take vengeance on the Devil of Hell's Kitchen and it's just okay. Overall, this story is decent and the artwork is good in certain panels. The Dr. Doom story is average, as Doom infiltrates the Baxter Building to see who the F4 really are and it ends up being an "aliens replaced the humans" story. The artwork here is average and nothing really stands out, save for the alien's true form in the end. This story is below average and the art does nothing to stand out from the other stories. The Iron Man story has a decent surprise midway through the book when it reveals what Captain America really is. However, the ending makes no sense when both characters stop fighting and decide to just wait and "see what happens". The artwork is good here, especially when it reveals what kind of monster Steve really is. This story is bad and the art is good. The Punisher story sees the main character taking out the ones who killed his family. It's just his origin story set in the 19th century and it takes place in an opera house. The artwork stands out as it successfully conveys the dark tone of both the Punisher and the time period the story is set in. The Punisher's costume can be fully seen in only one panel and it looks good, being a mix of this time period and his normal costume. The story is fine and the artwork is good. The X-Men story sees a popular team member make an appearance, but what that member does in the story doesn't make much sense in the context of the story, due to said member's current form. The X-Man saves the kids and leaves them a familiar object as a gift before disappearing. This is the weakest of the stories and will leave you confused. The artwork is good in making the school dark and spooky and the aforementioned team member looks good, in the few panels they're in. This story bombs and the artwork is good. In the end, this is not a book worth reading on Halloween. The only thing scary about is how bad the stories are. The artwork can make up for the narratives in some cases, but it doesn't help the book that much. There are better horror comics out there. This isn't worth reading.

The New 52 series for Deathstroke begins with the Legacy story arc, where Slade Wilson is hunted by an assassin hired by the family of someone he recently killed. The story felt uninteresting as writer Kyle Higgins seems to focus more on action and spectacle. Even after I through read the reveal of the story, I was still bored of the book. The artwork showcases two or three scenes that are very action heavy and the art itself is a little harsh but also easy enough on the eyes. The book was a slog to get through and was not worth the time nor money. If you want to read Deathstroke, read something else. This is not a good purchase.

This issue of What If? featuring the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom does nothing impressive as it simply retells the origin of the F4 with a twist that doesn't work in its favour. It's a well known fact that Ben Grimm became The Thing after getting exposed to cosmic rays while piloting a rocket ship carrying himself and his friends Reed Richards, Sue Storm and Sue's brother, Johnny. After being exposed and crash landing back to Earth, the four realised they had super powers and became the Fantastic Four. However, what would've happened if Victor Von Doom had traveled with them instead of Ben on that fateful day? That's the question this issue poses as it tells us this story, beginning with Ben and Reed's college days where, after going into Doom's dorm room, glancing at his notes and being evicted by the room's tenant, they are soon met by Doom, who begins to act a bit too friendly to Reed, which soon severs the friendship between Ben and Reed. The story then jumps forward five years, showing the rocket ship launch that births the F4. Ben and Reed haven't seen each other this whole time. After the ship launches into space, Doom reveals his true intentions while the cosmic rays bombard the ship's passengers. Obviously, things go south, the ship crashes back to Earth and everyone is given powers from said rays. After Doom sees what's become of him, he is enraged and begins attacking Reed and the fight soon spills over to where Ben is outposted with his army unit, as they are guarding an important experiment. The problem with the story is that it doesn't untilize this scenario at all. Doom becomes The Thing, blames Reed, is defeated and flies away. Ben gets powers as well, becoming a familiar hero in the process and takes Doom down, while retreading the origin story of said familiar hero. Sue and Johnny don't do much, besides forming a barrier to protect Reed and throwing a fireball, respectively. Reed is able to calm an out-of-control Ben down and fails in trying to persuade Doom to stop attacking and let the former cure the latter. The F4 is formed in the end, only Ben is another hero and Doom remains as The Thing. That's it. The artwork is average and does nothing to stand out from other F4 stories. The only memorable panels are Doom becoming The Thing, Ben going hero and the final panel, showcasing this version of the Four, alongside characters they had adventures with in the original comics series in the sixties. Aside from that, artwork is easy on the eyes, but not very interesting or distinctive. Excluding the panels mentioned above, the art is bland and is nothing to be impressed about. This What If? story is nothing great as it just gives us the F4 but with Ben Grimm turning into another superhero and not The Thing. This book is not worth reading as it only makes some small deviations from established events and nothing of note happens. There are better What If? and F4 stories out there. Don't bother reading this one.

This look at an alternate reality version of Captain America who fights in the American Civil War proves to be a lackluster story that doesn't feature Captain America for most of it and doesn't impress the reader that much. The plot opens with The Watcher, here a computer hacker named Hector Espejo, telling us that he's able to access and read websites from an alternate reality. He explains that the national hero of this other reality is General America, the great-grandson of this world's Captain America, our lead character. Hector is able to access the story of this version of Steve Rogers' origin through the aforementioned website. Beginning in 1863, Corporal Stephen Rogers falls in with a regiment of soldiers tasked with going into Jackson County and destroying the towns there. Stephen is unable to comply with his orders when he witnesses the destruction and slaughter his allies bring down on the townsfolk. After getting some local children to safety, Stephen is shown the true colors of his leader and is attacked by him. Barely alive, he is able to flee and after a very short dream sequence, is rescued and taken into a camp where he is nursed back to health. It's here where he becomes Captain America. We are given a slapdash explanation of Stephen being the one to unite everyone and stop the war because of his morals and views (also because he's white and no one of any other race would be trusted if they were Captain America). Following this, our protagonist is being given his powers through a Native American Spirit imbuing them in his body. While Stephen's transformation occurs, the villain is also exposed to said transformation and becomes the White Skull. This enrages the Skull and leads to him killing multiple people in camp, before quickly being stopped by the newly minted super soldier. The narrative ends with Stephen earning the rank of Captain by the war's end, alongside telling us other differences in this world, such as the suppression of the KKK before it could expand itself and Abraham Lincoln surviving his assassination attempt. We are also told that the White Skull survived, escaped jail and formed a hate group to take over America, which still exists to this day and is still fought by Stephen's descendants. The inclusion of this version of the Watcher seems pointless since he only shows up in the beginning and ending of the issue. We are simply told that he can hack into the websites of other realities. No other explanation besides that. It would have been better to just use the normal version of Uatu the Watcher and have him narrate the issue to us. There's almost no difference between Captain America here and the one in the main continuity. The only exception is how this version gets his powers. He's still the same old Steve Rogers we're all familiar with. The only major difference here is the identity of the White Skull and it serves as an unexpected reveal towards the story's conclusion, though we don't see much of him as the Skull before Cap takes him down. The artwork here is shoddy and grimy. With the exception of the dream sequence and the Native American spirit, all of the art just looks terrible when reading. Characters look ugly and for the most part, with every expression on their face looking very unpleasant. The colors used are mostly dark with very few lighter shades being used. All of it makes the artwork feeling off and will make you want to stop reading because of the sheer hideousness on display. With poor illustrations and an uninteresting story, this What If issue doesn't deserve to be read by anyone. You can easily ignore this one and read other, better stories where things take a different turn of events.