KittyNone's Profile

Ugh, that ending is so perfect! Between this and the new issue of Sweet Paprika, this has really been a banner week for romance in comics

I'm torn on how to review this, because as the end of the first arc it's magnificent, but as the end of the series (which it appears to be?) it's abrupt and seems to abandon a fair amount of story in favor of bringing the main romance to a conclusion. I'll give it a 10 on its merits, because it was beautiful and made me cry, but as part of the larger story it has an abruptness that I usually attribute to comics which were cancelled rather than the intended ending to a 5-issue mini. Hopefully this sells well and the abandoned plot threads will be picked up in a sequel, because I am absolutely ready for 2 Thing 2 Truth

I am 100% here for femboy Starfox who can make atom bombs out of love and struggles in the classic Marvel manner against his great weakness (that he's a bit mid). As someone who is also queer and a bit mid, I really appreciate the representation

I could go on all day about how incredible Gillen is, but Schiti is the real star this issue, providing iconic panel after iconic panel, from the opening page (which was apparently vastly more ambitious than what Gillen wrote in the script) to "welcome to the Uni-mind" to "it's all in your hand" to that last page. Schiti's up there with McKelvie and Mora on the list of artists who really make Gillen's huge moments pop

As a noted crossover-hater, I've never said these words in this order before in 35 years of reading comics, but: this crossover was incredible

After seven issues that never quite rose above the level of "fine", at long last we get an issue firing on all cylinders, right from that slap-in-the-face first panel. Even Lindsay, whose art hasn't quite been up to the high standards set by the other Absolute titles, finds things to sink his teeth into here

This is a time when it feels like practically everyone feels helpless and hopeless beneath the wealthy elites whose boot is forever on our necks, and ever-increasing numbers of desperate people are looking at this as broken world as one that can only be cleansed with blood. The idea of a newly-arrived Superman (who can fairly be assumed to be as non-lethal as any other version) being seen as the savior of oppressed people whose only dream left is "I pray he will kill you all" introduces fascinating moral questions. Aaron & Sandoval are thus far wisely declining to take the traditional easy way out by simply having their protagonist give a big speech clarifying his position and offering easy answers to impossible questions, and I could not be happier. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this book, but four issues in it's really winning me over.

Wasn't sure how I'd feel about a darker Wonder Woman (the phrase puts me in mind of the retconned and forgotten dreck of the New 52) but Kelly Thompson & Hayden Sherman were too good a team for me to pass by and let me tell you, they did not disappoint. Full of beauty and tenderness and defiant wisdom, this issue is a wonderful story about love making Hell into a home and I cannot wait for the next issue.

I have read a gratuitous number of Wonder Woman comics and this was easily one of the greatest single issues I've ever read, thrilling and unpredictable and formally ambitious. Thompson & Sherman are both doing just unbelievable work here

I unironically want nothing more from a superhero comic than a creative team with the fearless self-assurance to write something formally and emotionally breathtaking like the Circe flashback and then follow it with over-the-top surreal superhero bullshit like the giant sword, and to make it truly work. This is everything I love about superhero comics

All of the Absolute books fall somewhere between good and fantastic, but of the six of them this is the one that's really poised to take its place among the greatest portrayals of its protagonist. I haven't read a Wonder Woman run this good since Rucka, and frankly even Rucka wasn't this good every single month.

Absolutely one of the greatest Superman stories of all time

Hey, I loved this! I honestly was lukewarm on the idea of a PK Johnson Superman, but so far I'm pretty into this. It's nice to see some ambition and heart in this book after the disappointing Bendis years Treating Superman as being the age at which one's son is 16 is a perfectly good and interesting direction to go with the awkward leftover of aged-up Jon, and it plays to PKJ's strengths. Also, I was actually was pretty into Hester's art here - that cyborg-homunculus thing in the later pages wouldn't be out of place in a Mignola comic. (Rating is for the main story, though the Midnighter backup was the best of the Infinite Frontier backups that I've read so far, although I'm still not convinced that those are worth the extra dollar)

(rating for LoSH story only)

(rating for LoSH story only)

(rating for LoSH story only)

Another crossover issue, but this one plays to both Wells's and Dragotta's strengths the result is a beautiful and deeply-felt porrait of Peter, full of tenderness, humor and insight. Jonah's reaction to judgment was fun and Peter's response to it is lovely in its grace, and both Aunt May's experience of judgment and the ending made me tear up. And I really appreciate how Wells gets into ordinary people trying to juice their numbers at the last moment, a realistic detail that we haven't seen much of this crossover. This one's a gem.

Wells's ASM has mostly been disappointing, but every once in a while he does a banger like this, and the hope that there'll be another one has brought me back to this comic time and again when I've sworn I'm done with it. Sure, this issue centers on a lesson Peter has had to learn a hundred times already, but that's a baked-in problem with characters whose stories run for decades without ever being allowed to progress beyond a specific "iconic" status; if superheroes in the 21st Century are doomed to learn the same lessons endlessly because anything else would tread on our sacred childhood memories, at least Wells & Laiso tell the latest iteration of that story exceptionally well.

Intimate, funny and sweet with a magnificently clear vision of who each character is. A perfect one-off showcase for DeConnick's generally excellent run on this book, and the addition of Vita Ayala as a co-writer only sharpens the book's virtues. Highly recommended.

Beautiful meat & potatoes superheroics from a top-notch team. I almost skipped this one, writing it off as another forgettable, marginal miniseries pumped out for quick cash, but I'm so glad I didn't. If you like PKJ's Action Comics, give this little gem of a book a go. It won't let you down.

So meticulously wrought and allusively powerful that it's practically a poem

Oh I loved this one! A completely inessential crossover tie-in in which Hawkeye struggles with the question of how he, and humans as a whole, should be judged. Great jokes (TILF made me laugh out loud), wonderful character work, and perfect humble himbo characterization for Clint. I have intentionally not read a comic drawn by Greg Land in about a decade, so imagine my surprise when his work here wasn't actually bad. Not incredible, but competent - no panel felt like it was lazily traced from porn, and the faces had a little definition. A very pleasant surprise all around

Silent issues are notoriously hard to pull off, and even harder to find a good reason for (remember when Marvel mandated a whole month of them and no one could make it worth the bother except Morrison/Quitely?) so massive credit to all involved for pulling it off so well. Particular credit goes to Jonathan Case, who turned in some truly incredible work on the art and colors this issue. I've enjoyed Batgirls in general, but this is just on another level; this comic was like ordering fast food and finding out they sent you filet mignon

Robbi Rodriguez turning in some really fantastic work here

Clever and charming. I'm really going to miss this book

Everything I'd hoped for and then some! Just a big, juicy slab of old-school superheroic joy. Tamra Bonvillain delivers her usual gorgeous colors, Mark Waid is on top of his game (has there ever been a more quintessentially Mark Waid moment in comics than the Weaponeers of Qward being invoked for an "It tickles!" reference?), but the real star is Dan Mora who manages to surpass even his own usual high standards. Just a joy from cover to cover

Tom King has done so many stories that stay too long and get lost in themselves that it's easy to forget that he can do some really excellent work if his worst tendencies are curbed. Dropping the Riddler into Dead Poets Society is a really inspired take on his backstory, and while many attempts to make the traditionally goofy Riddler a terrifying sociopath are joyless and edgy, King & Gerads really hit the bullseye here. Maybe King should stick to one shots for a bit; the format clearly brings out the best in him.

Ugh Jed McKay's Black Cat is SO GOOD. My only complaint about this issue is that there isn't enough of it. I want a full-length MJ/Black Cat series by this creative team; to judge from this issue it would be a masterpiece.

Hilarious and charming! The first issue was only OK, but this one is really what I wanted from a GWW Black Cat comic.

Black Widow comics have always been maddening to me. Natasha is one of the best characters in the Marvel universe, and her comics always have incredible artists working on them, but for whatever reason the writing is almost always below par. But now that we're done with the first arc I can confirm: this is the Black Widow comic I've been waiting for. This issue was the best comic I've read all year, and I can't wait for issue 6.

Mmm I was tempted to give this a miss because vampires are not my thing and neither are line-wide crossovers, but on the strength of the creative team I decided to try it and MacKay & Larraz hit it out of the park with this one. I can't remember the last time a superhero comic's closing twist made me gasp

Simultaneously a quiet downtime between arcs issue and an emotional rollercoaster, this issue really drives home how Kelly Thompson is one of the best in the business, and Julius Ohta's art is splendid

A fine capstone to the best Carol Danvers run of all time, and Pina and Lopez bring their a-game. I'm incredibly excited to see Kelly Thompson do Birds of Prey, but I'm really going to miss this one. This being the ultra-rare modern comic that makes it to issue #50, I take it I'm not alone there!

I was expecting good things out of this, and the first issue surpasses them majestically. In particular, the art is amazing. Nico Leon really outdoes himself with the art and his Selena is breathtakingly beautiful (as she should be), and Jordie Bellaire remains one of the best colorists in the business. The setup is classic without feeling stale, and the return of Eiko from Genevieve Valentine's underappreciated run is very welcome. I'm really excited about this one!

UGH THIS COMIC IS SO GOOD. I've only read a couple of this week's comics and I already know Selina prancing around in the mask is the best thing I'm going to read this week - Nico Leon has absolutely infectious fun with it

Woof, that one (one??) critic review of this comic has to be one of the worst misses I've ever seen on this site. This is a tenderly observed story of brutality, slice-of-life by way of Scorsese, and it's one of the highlights of Criminal

God, what an incredible cover

So we've established that Matt has a sweatshirt that says "I'M NOT DAREDEVIL" and that Kirsten has a bra that says "YOU ARE DAREDEVIL"

This issue is Samnee's best work on this series yet - that panel of the elevator doors closing over the sinister guy's grin is magnificent. And Waid understands that Daredevil is always at its best when Matt is absolutely overwhelmed and terrified, when his situation is truly hopeless and he is a man with nothing *but* fear

I want to complaint that Waid & Samnee over-rely on the thing where the twist is just that Matt is friends with the Avengers, but it works so well every time!

Paolo Rivera, Marcos Martin, Chris Samnee, Mike Allred and now Javier Rodriguez. Waid certainly did some of the best work of his career on this series, but what really made it great was that practically every penciller on this run was a modern master, and all in vaguely similar styles that kept the book's vibe consistent even in periods where it jumped from artist to artist (But credit also to Waid for writing a childhood bully who grew up to join a racist hate group with a deft enough touch that the fact that he's not the villain doesn't feel like a cheap, insulting plea for unearned sympathy)

Just pure fun, especially when DD talks the Silver Surfer into letting him drive. Waid, ever clever, does a fine job of drawing connections between the two characters, giving Silver Surfer a blindness of his own to add sense to a crossover that could easily feel arbitrary and ill-chosen. And then how Waid & Samnee bring the hammer down on the last page!

I haven't read Waid's DD in a decade, but when I think back fondly on it, I think of this issue specifically. A stone cold classic

This run has been so incredible that it's almost a cliche at this point to say how good it is, but this issue really drives home what makes it so good. Daredevil is often paired and contrasted with Spider-Man and the Punisher as his good and evil twins. Obviously the way his engagement with both moral and judicial laws makes him different from the Punisher has been done time and again, but it's really the contrast with Spider-Man that's revealing: whereas Spider-Man is cursed by "the ol Parker luck", a confluence of bad outcomes from unambiguously good actions, Matt Murdock is a man who makes his own luck - which makes it damning that all his luck is so bad. He's a tragic hero in the classical sense, a good man who will inevitably fail as a result of his own flaws. As Elektra so perfectly puts it in this issue, "A pious narcissist". Perhaps nobody, not even Miller/Mazzucchelli or Bendis/Maleev, has understood this so well or communicated it so perfectly as Zdarsky/Checchetto have in this run. Matt is, and will always be, a man who can imagine and even achieve Elektra's salvation, but deep in his heart he'll never be able to believe in his own. And so he'll always be damned, not because he deserves it, but because he can't imagine himself going anywhere but Hell. I could go on all day about how beautiful and tragic the romance is, about how exquisite Checchetto makes every single panel, but the heart of why I love this comic (even when it misses a bit, as with the Goldy arc) is that Zdarsky & Checchetto just *get* this character, and why his inevitably half-futile actions can be so gripping in the right hands. I don't envy whoever is going to have to follow this.

I'm not a Catholic or even a Christian, but the portrayal of Matt's faith in his God and his friends and how that faith carries him through a terrible final betrayal was so powerful it moved me to tears. I think I'll save what else I have to say about this incredible run for the finale.

Definitely the best issue of this stretch of Zdarksy's run. It would be easy to have DD simply become an anti-carceral folk hero and make a whole comic preaching to you about the way the world should be, but Zdarsky grounds it wonderfully in Matt's self-doubt and anxiety, the lies he tells for the greater good, and thoughtful challenges from Bullet. De Latorre continues to turn in top-flight work.

"He lets you breathe His air every day." Shivers.

Damn. I've been pretty down on Duggan's X-Men here, but Dark Web really brings out his rarely-fulfilled potential. This story is full of heart and meaning (and several of Duggan's best jokes) and rendered by an incredible duo - Reis turns in an extraordinary large panel of Sinister looming over a house that Jean & Illyana are walking in, and the hilarious joke about how Maddie keeps Scott's powers in check wouldn't work as well with anyone less than Noto. I'm surprised to say it, but DW:X is actually the best comic of the crossover so far

The puppies are the real stars of this mini

Decided to give this a 10 before I start reading it because if the Outrage Brigade is going to give it a 1 sight unseen just because it's got boys kissing boys, why should I take my rating any more seriously? After all, I like to see boys kissing boys just as much as they do not. Rating the individual stories as I read along: Hello Spaceboy: 8/10 The Rivers & The Lakes That You're Used To: 6.5/10 Marasmius: 10/10 Steeling Time: 8.5/10 Bros Down in A-Town: 6/10 Lessons in Astral Projection: 8/10 Phantom Rodeo: 7.5/10 Spaces: 10/10

This was so much fun! And Rodriguez's art is unbelievable; I had to double-check and confirm that I'd never read his work before because it seemed impossible that an established artist who can draw pages like that is someone I'm not already a fan of. Also, while Jack Kirby pastiches can be a bit cliche, Ewing nails Kirby's voice so flawlessly that it's hard not to love. (Did the King himself ever write a more Kirbyan line of dialogue than "We DON'T 'play possum' when ACTION is the WATCHWORD!!"?) Great start.

In the hands of a lesser artist this could be tediously self-indulgent, but like Promethea (an obvious influence on this comic) this series can get away with just about anything because it's drawn by a master of the craft

I was dragged kicking and screaming all the way through this series - I don't like Tolkien and really didn't need a story with maximum despair in the 2020's - but what an incredible ride! And they do use the despair of 2020 to extraordinary effect.

You could accuse this book of being just a showcase for some incredible art, but the real joy of Doctor Strange is not so much the stories people tell with him as the license he gives really creative writers and artists just go wild with some really crazy shit - and in that, Moore stands shoulder-to-shoulder with legends like Ditko and P. Craig Russell (whose influence looms large over Moore's approach). This psychedelic cascade might not be everyone's taste, but if you like great artists pushing the limits of the medium as hard as they can, don't miss this one

I don't think I've ever read a story that so brutally illustrated the full horror of Thanos. Absolutely the most devastating issue of a comic I've read in a long while.

Oh I adored this. Having been fan of the Braddock siblings since the 80's I'm excited to see someone who really gets the family writing them, and Tini Howard finds a surprisingly interesting and coherent place for magic in the sci-fi Dawn of X. I've often though of her as a promising writer whose promise wasn't met yet, but this might well be where she finds her feet.

This is practically the platonic ideal of a Fantastic Four story, just perfect

I haven't been this astonished by a FF run since Hickman, and frankly North is better. My only complaint is that every issue is gone too soon; I read them twice in short succession because I'm never ready to step away.

"No other skull can make this claim." I sometimes take weeks to read an issue of this comic because I want to read it in the perfect moment. I don't just want to flip through and enjoy the story, I want to *marinate* in it. No other modern FF run can make this claim.

Ryan North is too smart a writer to dwell on the irony of Ben being unhappy to NOT be a monster and instead goes so hard on Ben's sense of helplessness and violation that the issue brought me to tears - something this series does to me on the regular. A wonderfully tender and heartfelt little character piece.

This was easily my favorite issue of this series so far! Casually tossing out metafictional meditations on comics and the experience of art, big wild ideas about the underexplored potential of the FF's powers, wonderful art from Fiorelli (that two-page splash is perfect!) and this continues to be the best Alicia run ever. Daring so many things at once could come off as garbled and overstuffed, but North & Fiorelli make it look simple. Just a perfect comic.

The list of my favorite things about Ryan North's FF is long, but how well he writes Alicia is certainly in the top 5. Ever since the 60's she's been one of the best characters in this series, but North really delves into her potential as a Lois Lane-style ordinary person who is clever and insightful enough to not be out of place in a room full of superheroes Also, I know Ramos's art isn't to everyone's taste, but I adore that cover

Jemisin's worldbuilding and characters are as perfect here as in her novels, and she makes it feel like a proper Green Lantern story while raising a number of interesting questions about the way that it isn't. But the real star here is Jamal Campbell, who seems to have been set free by Jemisin's big sci-fi imagination in ways that he wasn't on Naomi, all the rigidity from his work there is gone in favor of stunning flights of imagination. Just a fantastic start on every level!

Even if this wasn't a top-notch story from Broome with an incredible cover, what more can you ask from a comic than Wally Wood inking Gil Kane?

Just an incredible start. There's a "what did _____ do" mystery at the heart of it, but unlike ASM & FF, it doesn't overestimate the reader's interest in that question and instead foregrounds thrilling and atmospheric space western noir action that moves like a rocketship. Even better than the script, though, is Kev Walker's gorgeous art, which feels like Art Adams figures against Moebius backgrounds without being overly indebted to either artist. I picked this one up on a whim, but I'm completely sold and can't wait for #2

Man, this was great. Tom King gets so hung up on maudlin stories about PTSD, it's easy to forget that he can actually be hilarious when he tries. His Booster is properly hilarious, his Guy appropriately brash and imbecilic... I am shocked to say this, but I think I'd actually be down for a King JLI comic. While I'm still braced for the other shoe to drop, I have to admit this is so far the best thing he's done in years.

A fantastic issue after a stretch where my interest was waning a bit, descending back down from the pure monster horror of the last several issues back into real world questions, having Bruce make a compelling argument for humanity's destruction while Amadeus Cho points out the problems of middle class white guys mistaking their frustration for revolution. I'm really fascinated to see where this is going.

"'I love you.'" Holy crap, ouch.

"Heroes encounter representations of each other's worst selves and the bonds of trust between them are horribly broken" is by no means a new story, but Gillen & Werneck's take on it is so vibrant and effective that it *feels* new. And although resurrection was the most brilliant and elegant innovation of the Hickman era, this feels like exactly the right time in the broader story of Krakoa to end the honeymoon and swathe the mutants' immortality in discomfort and paranoia. Werneck does wonderfully communicative work, especially in the scene where Storm confronts Destiny. I really do adore this series.

God, this comic is just so incredible. Leave it to Gillen & Werneck to take a drab X-Force plot and make it into a Mooresque story where Pyotr has a digetic writer, and that writer is a metaphor for both Gillen himself AND Dostoyevsky

Just a masterpiece. If we were going to have to wait decades for Marvel to explicitly acknowledge Mystique and Destiny's relationship, at least Gillen & Werneck are paying it off with one of the greatest romance stories in comic history. Even if everything else about the current era was terrible, it would all be worth it just for Immortal X-Men and X-Men Red

THIS IS SO PERFECT. "Essex-Men"! The gleeful twist with Mystique's past! "I'll never be on the same side as you." The big sapphic romance! "and yes, I DO love that"! Listen, I'm down for comics about perfect people with happy lives smiling at Pride parades, but this is the kind of LGBT content I really crave. Just hook this passionate, ridiculous gay shit right up to my veins

And after three years of increasingly saggy, slow and overburdened stories, the Hickman who gave us HoX/PoX returns one last time. May he depart the way he came in.

Oh my goodness, this was so sweet and exciting and fun and also it had champagne robot. I want an entire Wiccan & Hulkling series from Tini Howard now.

Oh wow this one just wrecked me. Leave it to Ryan North to wrench such big feels out of a series whose basic premise is "Dog wanders around doing dog things (to robots)"

IDK if this is a continuation of the artistic maturity Orlando's been showing in Scarlet Witch or if it's just that his real calling in life is erotic gay romance, but this mini has been an unexpected pleasure

I. LOVE. THIS. COMIC.

Just wonderful. And so many superhero comics these days treat their supporting casts like little more than window dressing for the main character, so it's really wonderful to see MacKay & Cappuccio unfraid to sideline the protagonist a bit in favor of going into detail on the people in Marc's world

8-BALL AND THE POOL PARTY DO A HEIST! I read X-Men before this and thought to myself "This is perfectly OK, IDK why I'm so down on this comic" and then I read this and remembered what really great McKay looks like. Also, wonderful work on the art from Domenico Carbone, exciting panel layouts and a fantastic splash page of Tigra. The best issue of this volume of Moon Knight so far.

Wasn't sure how I'd feel about a comic tie-in (even an in continuity one written by Josie Campbell) because they're so often inferior to the TV series, but this issue really hits all the points that make the series so wonderful

A Superman comic with real heart! Worlds better than the in-continuity titles have done in a long time

What an exquisitely beautiful, profound and deeply felt little meditation on community and forgiveness. Ever since Claremont, X books have lived or died on their intimate downtime issues, and this is one of the best, with vivid characters, lovely art and gorgeous, vibrant colors

NGL I cried a little at "I would be proud to grow up to be you". And full marks for taking poor Madelyne's character-wrecking, editorially-mandated fall from grace and making a meaningful and insightful discussion about repentance out of it. Add Reis's typically exquisite work and this is a perfect issue.

You can tell it's a great issue when even the yutzes who hate comics and are just here to fight their little culture war can't drag the reader score down past 8.7

A wonderful, careening action story, full of formal inventiveness and the sort of fluid kinetic action that few people who aren't Warren Ellis can capture. Glad to see Taylor & Redondo's Nightwing shake off the dreck of Fear State and get back to being one of the best books on the market again!

God what a comic

Takes place in a fantasy world where the tyrant ruling America has a healthcare plan, dignity and a sense of style

I've read this story who-knows-how-many times since I was a kid, and it just wrecks me every time. JM DeMatties can work miracles when paired with a strong storyteller like Sal Buscema

Hallucination Batman is officially my favorite character in this comic

As HOXPOX draws to a close, I'm officially excited for Dawn of X. Hickman's X-Men has been the first genuinely ambitious and innovative take on these character since the end of Grant Morrison's run fifteen years ago. I've saved every issue to read last because I always know I'm going to want to spend some time with it. And for a comic book in 2019, that's a blessing - a comic with enough to digest and reread and consider that it actually feels like you're getting enough of an experience to justify the $3.99+ price of admission. Even if it all comes to nothing in the years to come, it's going to be a magnificent ride. Take me to Krakoa, I'm ready for the future

Fuck yeah, we are so back

I'm always here for a good story on the theme of "Storm is a terrifying badass" and this is a very good one indeed

Wonderful as usual, and full marks for getting homelessness more or less right - it was nice to see a major publication acknowledge that having a job doesn't inherently mean you have a reliable place to sleep

This comic never misses, but this issue is especially thrilling and the fact that it breaks from the established formula both has me nervously excited for the season finale and feels long overdue since the rigidity of the formula has always been this series' Achilles' heel

I'd wondered how much my unexpected fondness for this book was Pichelli and not Orlando, but here we are with a fill-in (though admittedly, an equivalent one) and this book is still fantastic. I'm skeptical about that last page - surely this isn't the book where they're going to do that? - but intrigued and excited for the annual

The scene with Deadshot & Catman chatting in the convenience store while they beat up Nazis has to be one of my all-time favorite pieces of comics storytelling

What really made Simone's reinvention of Catman into a hot bi sex symbol full of compelling moral quandaries memorable was her wise decision to leave him still just a little pathetic, convinced he's Batman's dark reflection rather than a B-lister who Batman rarely thinks about. A less interesting writer might have simply declared that Catman is the coolest badass in the world now and a major member of the rogues' gallery now; Simone richly humanizes him with the delusive gap between who Catman thinks he is and who he actually is

This is at least the third time on this reread that I've thought "This issue is Gail Simone's masterpiece"

Who but Grant Morrison could do a "the real treasure was inside you all along" ending and not only get away with it, but make it profound and beautiful?

Hilarious and big-hearted, just like a Spider-Man story should be. In my dream world, Rainbow Rowell writes a more intimate, small-scale secondary Spider-Man series that's reliably superior to the main one

Rumor has it that this is the next-to-last issue and that's heartbreaking because this issue was "Justice League Antarctica"-level funny

Now this is the kind of shit I read superhero comics for. Can't wait for season 2!

Ewing and Medina start off with a bang, as anyone who read X-Men Red would expect. All the pieces elegantly slide into place with plenty of surprises and doublecrosses that feel simultaneously sudden and inevitable. This crossover's off to a really fantastic start!

Skeptical about the big revelation at the end, but Taylor's done such fantastic work with this book I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt and see where he's going with it. Also, this comic has the funniest act of violence I've seen all week

An absolutely joyful comic, and of course with a creative team like that it looks amazing. It can be rough being a Supergirl fan sometimes, so a comic that leans into why she's fun is really a breath of fresh air!

A comic that's actually fun! In 2025! Will wonders never cease

Oh I loved this one. The narration actually adds to the story for a change, the art is up to Evely's usual high standards, and the retelling of Supergirl's backstory is poignant and insightful in a way that makes retelling the familiar story feel like a worthwhile exercise, and accents the present day story effectively. This series has been hit and miss as King's work always is, but this is definitely one of the hits.

What a beautiful surprise this series turned into! A dramatic, passionate and exciting investigation of Supergirl's code against killing ending that shows King understands the character better than the dodgy early chapters suggested, and in the end I even cared about Ruthye. For a while I was just reading this book for the art, but the writing caught up in the end. (Now can Kara have her own series again??)

The most interesting in-continuity Superman comic I've read in years!

This is the Superman I love. Every moment of this comic was perfect. Can Venditti please take over when Bendis leaves?

Growing up as a bi kid who loved Superman more than anything, I can't tell you how much it would have meant to know that someday there was going to be a genuinely excellent Superman comic with a tender, queer romance in it. Goodness knows at age 40 it still means the world. I love this and it gives me such hope and joy to see it be the commercial smash hit of 2021, because that means we're going to see comics that look like the real world much more often now.

Ugh, this is so good. Taylor and Redondo create a perfect summary of everything I love about these characters: Dick just chilling as he falls off the roof, Jon getting all messed up over a bad guy dying in front of him, Lois kicking in the door. All perfect, and the older brother/little brother between Dick and Jon is convincing and compelling. My favorite issue of the series so far.

I was ready to like this, but I was not prepared for how much I'd love it! I suppose you could accuse it of wearing its influences on its sleeve, but I can't knock a comic for effectively mashing up Christopher Reeve Superman with The New Frontier. And for those of you who find Russell's political messages too unsubtle (a viewpoint I don't share, but understand), you'll be delighted to know he keeps them on a relatively short leash here. I can't wait for the next installment of this little gem!

Just wonderful. I was a skeptic when this comic began and wasn't sure why everyone else was so into this comic, but here at the note-for-note perfect ending I have no choice but to acknowledge that I was wrong to doubt this series: it was perfect and beautiful and I want another one right away please.

Damn, between this and Black Cat/MJ, Jed McKay is just on fire this week. I am absolutely hyped for the ongoing

Romantic, thrilling and immaculately constructed! I wish the rest of the crossover was this good. When do we get a full series already??

The best comic I've read in years, the best modern fable since Sandman, just incredible. Wow.

Oh ouch

I really appreciate Professor X stand-in Etienne Lux's journey across the first eight issues from "problematic hot guy who I would 100% schtup if he was real" to "Thank goodness somebody FINALLY kicked that guy in the dick"

It's not often that a 36 year old comic hits with a climax that makes me say "HOLY SHIT" right out loud, and Denys Cowan's interiors never looked better than when Malcolm Jones III was inking them. While it's very much a work of its specific time, this series is wildly underrated; the peak of both O'Neil and Cowan's careers IMO

Oh that's right! Reading Spider-Man can be enjoyable. Slogging through this era I'd started to forget that

"Never."

Camp & Chris Allen make Ultimate Luke Cage into invincible Mumia Abu-Jamal and whereas any number of lesser writers might have been making a glib statement to please their social media following, Camp & Allen take the assignment seriously enough to give it heft and meaning. The best issue so far

Oh now *that's* what I was hoping for from this comic! Some really exquisite panels here from Marquez & Wilson, and Gail Simone does the old-fashioned "fight then team up" story in ways that feel fresh and compelling. My favorite single issue of the relaunch so far (As an aside it's interesting that after five years of Krakoa demonstrating that it's impossible for a hundred monkeys on a hundred typewriters to find meaningful things for every already-existing mutant to do that we're now getting multiple books introducing yet more new young mutants in the FTA relaunch)

Because I was a little lukewarm about the first issue of this series, now that the opening arc is closed I would like to acknowledge that this comic has absolutely won my heart. Simone & Marquez are both doing incredible work here and this is by far and away the best comic of the From the Ashes era. (Also, I greatly appreciate the rejection of Kurt's sudden, unexplained turn to casual homicide during the Fall of X era)

Great issue! Moore & Pugh do gorgeous work (And what a cover!!) and Cloonan & Conrad give real heart and drama to what is essentially a transitional issue. Easily the best issue of Wonder Woman in years, and a perfect jumping-on point if you weren't already reading.

This is really the latest in the long X-Men tradition of quiet self-contained issues after big stories where characters interact and subplots are set in motion, but it's hard to criticize Hickman for the unusual decision to start there since this is essentially his 13th issue. And taking a moment to breathe is a great idea for a run that's been all concept and plot with little room for individual characters, and Hickman makes Cyclops and his family feel real in the way that only the best X-Men comics can. Mind you, we're hardly shorted on big ideas: the Summer House is a sci-fi joy and the broader concepts continue to be the most dizzyingly ambitious thing anyone's ever done with the X-Men.

Ugh, every single panel, every line of dialogue, every character interaction, everything about this comic is just so perfect

THAT LAST PAGE! This comic just never disappoints

God, what a comic. There are many excellent comics that make me tear up a little at the climax, but this one had me on page 2

A lesser comic would be damning the rest of the issue to anticlimax by putting Magneto's death speech in the first few pages, but this is X-Men: Red, so the speech barely cracks the top 5 best moments. Madibek Musabekov is a name I'm not familiar with, but on the strength of the art in this issue it sure is a name I'd like to hear more of. God, this comic

God I just want Al Ewing to write Roberto forever

This was the goofiest shit and I loved it

This book is the stupidest thing I ever read. I hope it runs for a hundred issues.

The page where the girls bully the vampire dirtbag about his watersports fetish is better than Watchmen

"X-TERMINATORS WILL RETURN" YES YES YES YES I've always felt like there was something missing in my life, but until I read this wonderful comic I did not realize it was booty shorts that say "praxis"

All of the strength and power that Tom King fumblingly reaches for in the main title, but with a consistent tenderness and intimacy that gives it depth and meaning that the main book lacks. And what incredible art! Sherman's work here feels like Moebius working over panel layouts by JH Williams, and while Thompson's always rock-solid character work is easy to credit for the warmth of this book (which could easily have been icily grimdark in lesser hands), Sherman's lively and empathetic faces are what really seal the deal. This creative team is everything I'd hoped for and then some!

Fantastic. Just a really top-notch expression of who Superman is. "Not more... but not less" is the sort of line that has kept me reading Superman comics for 35 years now.

(rating for LoSH story only)

(rating for LoSH story only)

DeMatties was just so far above and beyond everyone else writing Spider-Man in the 90's. It's almost surreal to go from the crude, edgy angst in the other three titles to DeMatties & Bagley's eloquent psychodrama

Now this, this is what Spider-Man is supposed to be: pushing past extraordinary odds to wrestle with two crises in two parts of the city because maybe he can't win, but he definitely can't give up - only to find that even when he wins he loses. And the twist with Tombstone is classic Zeb Wells, no one does villains like he does. JRJR has his good moments and his bad moments, but he holds it together as well as he ever does these days. On balance, this run is everything I hoped it would be

The Tombstone story that opened this volume was the best storyline of Wells & JRJR's run, and the opening shot of their finale (unlike the Gang War crossover that made up the middle chapter of the Tombstone plot) promises a return to that original promise. Even JRJR is firing on all cylinders here. May this wildly uneven run go out as strong as it came in! (Rating is for the main story only; the extra material is "the story of how Peter got She Hulk's business card", a Paul solo story (yes really), and a cute Lee Gatlin one-pager. Plus the obligatory five pages of tiny thumbnails of ASM covers, of course)

Huh, I mostly don't see what all y'all are mad about; I thought this story was all kinds of fun! McGuinness delivers some gorgeous art, the main plot is charming and a lovely old-school-style restatement of (some of) what makes Peter special, I loved the subplot with Peter's relationship with the arms, and if there's anything this book was missing before now, it's Jonah. (Also, I always liked Anna Maria and I'm glad to see her pop her head back in.) The backups by Kibblesmith/Lopez and Slott/Martin were pleasant little hors d'ouvres. In fact, I'd have considered this issue an easy 10 if I didn't have 2 complaints about it. One, the subplot where Felicia and Bobbi meet and spend the whole issue bickering about a guy neither of them is even dating is a wildly outdated trope, sexist, and cheapens a character who's otherwise having a career high under McKay. Two, I appreciate that Marvel is nostalgic for all the money they made off the Obama issue 14 years ago (that's right, 2008 was 14 years ago - my fellow middle-aged nerds, we are old as balls) and I've no doubt there's pressure from Disney to make it happen again, but it's time to let it go. Real life guest stars' presence in comics is without exception cheap and they're always drawn in a way that makes them visibly out of place with the fictional characters around them in an uncanny valley way. Still, I really enjoyed this issue, and this run continues to be the best Spider-Man run since Zdarsky.

Gorgeous art, great characters, a plot that's coming together quite quickly now, and manages to catch the feeling of living under COVID with the debate about the dangers of bringing Andy to the hospital without feeling clumsy or heavyhanded. One of the best issues of a run that continues to be everything I could have hoped for.

Hey this issue was all kinds of fun! This series has a strong voice that it hadn't entirely succeeded at getting a handle on in previous issues, but this month everything clicks and it's a hoot

Oh now that was good. I've been a little indifferent to Tynion's run so far, and I'm still of the opinion that Punchline is empty hype, but the pieces all fall into place quite tidily here. The ending twist isn't unexpected by the time it comes, but Tynion & March sell it well enough that I'm eager to see where they're going next, and it's been an awfully long while since I could say that about an issue of Batman.

Delightful, and a handy reminder that Dan Mora's not the only thing to like about this book. Given the many comic book relationships that have little substance or cause beyond the writer pairing characters off, I'm always a fan of superheroes going on dates and realizing they're completely wrong for one another, and Waid & Lupacchino do it with charm, wit and tender insight. Probably my favorite issue of the series so far

Holy fuck that cliffhanger! Thompson & Casagrande continue to deliver what is hands down the best Black Widow book ever

This issue was a joy, and Frigeri's art and Bellaire's colors are some of the best work I've seen all year

A meticulously-constructed thrill ride with beautiful art. I wandered off from this book after Jones' disappointing run, this issue makes me really satisfied with my decision to come back.