TOP O' THE WEEK
GODZILLA VS X-MEN #1 (MARVEL, $4.99) is by Fabian Nicieza and Emilio Laiso.
This is nonsense, of course. The X-Men would be bugs to Godzilla. Bugs that can sting, so ... he'd step on them. And it occurs to me that I'd consider this series of one-shots a phenomenal success if I could see Gambit squashed into toe-jam. I'd buy extra copies.
But my guess is that Godzilla will fight Sentinels, and the X-Men will come in on his side. Since the X-mythos already has giant robots, it would be surprising if they didn't show up. Let's see if I'm right.
"If you'd asked 10-year-old Fabian what he'd do for the chance to write Godzilla, he would have breathed fire and burned anyone up for the job to an uncomfortable crisp,” said Nicieza. “Combine Godzilla with a 'vs.' and an 'X-Men,' well, let's just say I love the smell of burning writer in the morning. It smells like victory!"
SUPERGIRL #1 (DC COMICS, $3.99) is by Sophie Campbell (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wet Moon).
DC has never made a Supergirl (or Power Girl) series that I really loved. I thought Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow was really well done (especially Bilquis Evely's art), yet it didn't send me over the moon, as it did many critics.
But I'm always game when they try again. Kara Zor-El has been around almost as long as I have, so she deserves my loyalty! This series, whose launch is part of the "Summer of Superman," will give us (yet another) costume, this one by Stanley "Artgerm" Lau. I'm Super-glad he got rid of the pointless, gravity-defying cut-outs in her boots, but I still don't see why those boots have to be hip waders. It's not like she needs the protection.
Meanwhile, in this series Kara returns to her "home town" of Midvale, and discovers an imposter Supergirl. Sounds Super-Silver Age, and I'm down for it.
“I came up in the comics industry doing mostly graphic novels that I wrote and drew myself, so doing the same with Supergirl feels like I’m returning to my storytelling roots,” Campbell said. “My main touchstones to Kara Zor-El were the stories and the wild costumes from the '70s, the 1984 Supergirl movie, and the CW show, which I was a huge fan of. In creating this version of Supergirl, I’ll be drawing on some of those influences as the series unfolds.”
“Having done artwork for video games, I’m pretty familiar with creating character designs and costumes,” said Artgerm. “In designing a new costume for Supergirl, I wanted to create something fresh while keeping the key elements intact. I adopted the theme of ‘sporty and fun, but packs a punch,’ and incorporated those elements in the costume; I also made changes to the chest symbol to give it a more dynamic spin. Sophie captured the look perfectly, and I can’t wait for readers to see it.”
CROSSOVERS
"ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM" (MARVEL)
DOCTOR STRANGE OF ASGARD #3 (OF 5, $3.99) is by Derek Landy and Carlos Magno.
Strange needs the skull of a dark troll, which makes me giggle, because I'm hearing that with Peter Lorre's voice, and thinking of Daffy Duck's "Birth of a Notion." The needed item there was a the wishbone of a duck, and if you haven't seen it, you need to.
ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM #4 (OF 9, $4.99) is by Ryan North and R.B. Silva.
Doctor Doom vs. Dormammu. That's an A-ticket ride.
RED HULK #4 ($3.99) is by Benjamin Percy and Geoff Shaw.
Having escaped Latveria, Thunderbolt Ross, Machine Man and Deathlok discover Doctor Doom has taken over the world. So they've escaped a small prison to find themselves inside a larger one.
THUNDERBOLTS: DOOMSTRIKE #4 (OF 5, $3.99) is by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Tommaso Bianchi.
Doom has captured Bucky, which naturally calls for a formal dinner. Doom loves his formal dinners! I just hope the entertainment isn't "Salome," with Bucky in the role of John the Baptist.
MORE ITEMS OF INTEREST
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #8 (DC COMICS, $4.99) is by Scott Snyder and Marcos Martin.
Absolute Batman (whose head, I still insist, is too tiny for his body) battles the Absolute Mister Freeze.
THE COLD WITCH: A TALE OF THE SHROUDED COLLEGE #1 (OF 5, IMAGE, $3.99) is by Charles Soule (Eight Billion Genies, The Lucky Devils, Star Wars, Daredevil) and Will Sliney (The Rise of Kylo Ren, Spider-Man).
Set in Siberia, Cold Witch is a revenge story Image describes as "John Wick — with zombies." The five-issue miniseries is part of the Shrouded College shared universe of titles, "an interconnected set of seven adventure/horror stories. ... of various characters enlisted to become secret agents fighting a supernatural cold war on the side of the Shrouded College, a down-and-out organization on the edge of destruction."
The PR says it's in development as a TV series at Peacock, which means I may have to familiarize myself with the Shrouded College.
"Seeing the Shrouded College universe grow with each new story has been one of the great joys of my writing career. Building this horror-adventure saga from scratch alongside Will Sliney, finding ways for each new chapter to be amazing on its own but part of the larger whole ... and seeing fans start to understand what we're doing and come on board ... it's the best," Soule said. "The Cold Witch is our third chapter after Hell to Pay and The Bloody Dozen, and this is where the pieces really start to come together for the larger story. It's a revenge piece set on the frozen steppes with cool folklore horror elements, and I think it's our best yet. Lean, mean, and paced like lightning, it's both a great starting point if this is your first Shrouded College story and a fantastic return to the universe if you're already a fan."
Sliney added: "Charles is really pushing me on this one with his scripts. While this book still delivers the high-stakes action and supernatural spy escapades we’ve come to expect from the Shrouded College, this time, our collaboration plunges even deeper into the shadows. The Cold Witch doesn’t just flirt with horror — it embraces it fully, dragging us into something far more chilling and unrelenting. Violet’s journey is one of pure, ice-cold revenge, and every step she takes is more ruthless than the last. There’s no turning back for her, and as I bring her story to life on the page, I find myself drawing things that send shivers down my spine. What she’s doing … and what I have to illustrate to capture it … is some of the most unsettling, eerie, and downright terrifying work I’ve ever tackled. This book isn’t just dark — it’s pitch black, and I can’t wait for readers to step into the cold with us."
DARK REGARDS #1 (OF 4, ONI PRESS, $4.99) is bywriter-comedian-actor-musician Dave Hill (Tasteful Nudes) and Artyom Topilin (Cruel Universe, I Hate This Place).
This is ... weird. And apparently true (ish). This comedian created a fake band, Witch Taint, which evidently spiraled out of control. I'll just let them tell it:
“Back in 2018, Dave Hill sat down with noted intellectual Malcolm Gladwell to finally come clean about his double life. A brilliant comedian, writer, satirist and musician, Dave has done everything from play sold-out shows with Bill Murray and Tenacious D to write the theme song for John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight on HBO,” said Hunter Gorinson, president and publisher of Oni Press. “But he’d never before revealed the details of how he’d orchestrated a years-long internet hoax by posing as the frontman of a fictional band, only to accidentally touch off an international trail of mayhem that included kidnappings, attempted human sacrifice and the vandalizing of the last freestanding Bob’s Big Boy restaurant in the Midwest. Call it a guilty conscience ... but, to this day, Dave still has only told half the story. Now, at last, the raw fury of the DARK REGARDS can finally be told — and, as visually reconstructed through the brilliant artwork of illustrator Artyom Topilin — rest assured: only the comic book medium can totally capture the depraved intensity of what Dave hath wrought on us all.”
"Like all the best black metal bands, Witch Taint existed entirely in my mind at first, mostly because I didn't think anyone could handle it,” said Dave Hill. “But it could not be contained. And now the mighty Witch Taint has no choice but to destroy the universe. Or at least the suburbs."
EXQUISITE CORPSES #1 (OF 13, IMAGE, 60 PAGES, $4.99) is by James Tynion IV (Something is Killing the Children, The Department of Truth) and Michael Walsh (The Silver Coin, Universal Monsters: Frankenstein), Adam Gorham (Hellhunters), Becca Carey (Absolute Wonder Woman), Che Grayson (Dark Spaces: Good Deeds), Claire Roe (Dark Spaces: The Hollywood Special), Gavin Fullerton (The Closet), Jordie Bellaire (Redlands), Marianna Ignazzi (Catwoman), Pornsak Pichetshote (The Good Asian), Tyler Boss (You’ll Do Bad Things), and Valentine De Landro (Bitch Planet).
Image sent me no less than three big press releases.
The first describes the premise of the series: The wealthiest families in America choose a dozen of the worst killers, put them in a small town, and set them against each other in a lethal contest. The last survivor is the winner. The first 13 issues, each drawn by a different art team, comprise a first "season," set in the small town of Oak Valley, Maine. And yes, there will be a playoff bracket.
“Sometimes you have an idea, and you know it’s crackling with energy and potential but you have to wait for the right moment to unleash it,” said Tynion IV. “When the final pieces were falling into place for the formation of Tiny Onion, the first call I made was to pitch Michael Walsh the story of Exquisite Corpses. Later that week, Michael had sketches of the first dangerous killers, and the ideas have been flowing rapid fire for almost a year and a half since. We’re trying to bring the kind of energy and excitement that’s usually reserved in the comics space for a superhero comic or licensed property. That’s why we’re calling this a horror comics event. We feel like this has the potential to be something really special and lasting.”
Walsh added: “James and I have been friends since very early in our respective careers, but we didn't collaborate until we were both firmly established and shaped by years of working in comics. Our first collaboration was on an issue of The Silver Coin — the issue was an instant critic and fan favorite, and I felt our pacing and storytelling sensibilities were entirely in line. I was already itching to work with James again, but when he approached me with the kernel of the idea that would become Exquisite Corpses, I knew it would be something special. We brought in some of the brightest voices in comics to flesh out the series, which felt thematically and conceptually perfect. From there, things just kept growing until we had a colossal horror event comic on our hands.”
There's a signing tour, too, called Copse Tour '25.
“During the Exquisite Corpses writers summit in Buffalo last year, I was struck by how charming the creators were with one another, and how much knowledge they had to share,” said Jazzlyn Stone, Director of Communications for Tiny Onion. “Constructing this series has felt like a celebration at every step — we would like to invite more people to this Exquisite Party. Corpse Tour ‘25 is designed to share some of that writers room magic with the fans and retailers, to bring the party to their door.”
The second press release gave descriptions and illustrations of some of the killers:
RASCAL RANDY
NEW JERSEY selects RASCAL RANDY to wield THE HANDS. Kill Count: 19. Height: 5' 11". There is a man inside the RASCAL RANDY costume, but that man doesn't matter. That man has never mattered. He was no one until he put the mascot head on for the first time, until he felt the life leave someone's body through the thickly furred gloves of the suit. The man inside the suit will wear any disguise if necessary, but his true skin is RASCAL RANDY, and god help anyone who sees him coming toward them on a dark night.
Tynion IV said the following about the terrifying mascot-like killer: “Rascal Randy embodies the spirit of Exquisite Corpses maybe more than any other killer. He’s got this big, bombastic, eye-catching costume, but it’s only when you look into the mouth of the beast that you’re met with the true horror of the character.”
LEOPOLD STRONG
NORTH CAROLINA selects LEOPOLD STRONG to wield THE HAMMER. Kill Count: 23. Height: 6' 5". Some killers might be afraid that an opponent could steal their signature weapon, but not LEOPOLD STRONG. He alone is strong enough to heft the massive mallet that he wields to pound flesh and bone into so much bloodied paste. It's unknown if he truly comes from the circus or merely likes the theatricality of the look, but what is clear is that LEOPOLD STRONG is easily the most physically imposing murderer in this year's games. Heave ho!
RECLUSE
RHODE ISLAND selects RECLUSE to wield THE ROPE. Kill Count: 64. Height: 5' 10". An artist with wires and ropes, RECLUSE sets her own field of battle, drawing opponents into traps from which few leave intact. Though she's deadly on the move with a garrote in hand, RECLUSE prefers a patient approach, lying in wait until her razor-wires snare her opponents. Some say her love of ropes borders on fetishism, but few get close enough to find out the truth.
FOX MASK KILLER
NEW YORK selects FOX MASK KILLER to wield THE SWORD. Kill Count: 87. Height: 5' l". Among killers-for-hire, there are a select few feared even by other assassins. The enigmatic swordswoman known as FOX MASK KILLER is at the top of that list, having achieved a reputation for completing her jobs with ruthless efficiency — and for chasing increasingly challenging targets. Whether she sees the tournament as just another paycheck, or a chance to push herself past her limits, remains to be seen.
PRETTY BOY
GEORGIA selects PRETTY BOY to wield THE AXE. Kill Count: 36. Height: 6' 2". Despite what Hollywood tries to sell the masses, most serial killers are charmless, asocial monsters. Most, anyway. PRETTY BOY, on the other hand, could kill with a wink and a flash of his pearly whites. He prefers an axe, though. Like many a heartthrob, PRETTY BOY takes out his pent-up rage through wanton violence, splattering his six-pack abs with gore with every swing of the axe. He has the honor of wielding the weapon that won the very first game ever conducted, but the significance is lost on him — he's just here to look good and get bloody.
LADY CAROLINA
SOUTH CAROLINA selects LADY CAROLINA to wield THE ARROW. Kill Count: 7 Height: 5' 8". No one from the patron families enters the games themselves. It is simply unheard of. So when LADY CAROLINA stepped foot inside the arena, the other families were aghast. She comes from noble stock and received the best training their money could buy, but it still feels like a transgression. Is she simply seeking a death-defying thrill? Or does she have a more personal reason for aiming her crossbow at this year's set of killers …
THE CONGREGATION
NEW HAMPSHIRE selects THE CONGREGATION to wield THE KNIFE. Kill Count: 39. Height: 6' 0". The only killer in the game to turn down a fee from his patron family, THE CONGREGATION feels that taking a life is a higher calling — a monk-like tribute to whatever dark gods whisper in his ears. And while he's almost certainly a raving lunatic (you'd have to be, to cover yourself in the sliced-off faces of your victims), THE CONGREGATION'S knife has brought many offerings to his altar, and will no doubt bring many more still before his prayers are finished.
The third press release described a trading-card game using the characters from Exquisite Corpses. The game will launch after the "first season" ends. But readers can get some of the cards early with issues with variant Cover C, which are polybagged with cards.
"Michael showed up at that first story summit, six months before the rest of the team was there. He was like, 'I think I have a game mechanic,' and started drawing on all of these little dry-erase cards, actually creating the stats for each of the characters in front of us,” said co-creator Tynion IV. “And then we played a version of the game right there at the summit, and it was incredibly fun. And we knew immediately that this could be something really, really cool.”
“Whether this is their very first card game or they attend weeklies at their local game shop, fans will be able to pick up and play Exquisite Corpses: The Game and have a blast,” added Tiny Onion Director of Editorial Eric Harburn. “This is a widely accessible game with deceptive complexity; fans will be able to play as their favorite killer from the series, with each killer possessing unique skills that can harmonize or clash with the other killers in play. No two games are alike, and trust us: you’ll want to play more than one.”
“My goal is to make this a game that fans can throw in their bag and take to a party, or throw in their luggage and play after a day at a convention,” said Walsh. “We wanted to create a game that is easy to pick up, but hard to put down.”
“We’re so excited for people to play the game, we couldn’t wait to get the cards in their hands,” said Tynion. “If readers are picking up the Cover C variants, they will be able to start playing a streamlined version of the game as the series releases.”
I'm not sure I'm really interested in reading a series as sick as this, since I'm not 12 any more. But I can't say I wasn't provided with enough information to make a decision.
INVINCIBLE UNIVERSE: BATTLE BEAST #1 (IMAGE, $4.99) is by Robert Kirkman (Void Rivals, The Walking Dead) and Ryan Ottley (The Amazing Spider-Man)
Enthusiastic Invincible fans should be thrilled that the first new Invincible story in seven years is nigh. It's the story of Battle Beast, who is searching the universe for a warrior mightier than himself, so he can be killed before he hurts anyone. Not exactly inspiring, but Image says he's popular.
“What can I say? I just can’t get enough of the Invincible Universe!” said Robert Kirkman. “Moving from the comic series directly to the animated series, I haven’t really had a break. That said, while adapting the series to animation, I’ve been itching to do something new! Longtime fans will know there’s a massive gap in Battle Beast’s appearances in the series between Invincible issue 19 and issue 55. There’s a lot of story to tell and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Battle Beast co-creator Ryan Ottley on board to tell it with me!”
"When Robert and I first created Battle Beast way back in Invincible issue #19 as a way to increase Invincible's rogues gallery, I wasn't sure if he'd be a big character who'd come back throughout the series, or a character who'd die a terrible gory death right away,” said Ryan Ottley. “Robert always kept me and the readers on our toes, he could command a death at any moment, and you know I'd always jump at the chance to carry out the visual execution! Luckily, Battle Beast became a fan favorite and lived to tell a larger tale! It's amazing to be working with Robert again in the Invincible Universe. A while ago I was telling him I wasn't sure what project to do next, and when he mentioned us doing a Battle Beast series together, I jumped at the idea of being back on a creator-owned book, enlarging the Invincible Universe even more! I'm really happy to be back at Image Comics and Skybound, and can't wait for you to see the story we are fleshing out in this series! I haven't had this much fun since Invincible!”
"Fans have been literally begging for this series for years,” noted Ben Abernathy, executive editor at Skybound. “This book is going to blow minds as Robert and Ryan are putting an insane amount of effort into making the most badass comic possible!”
Here are connecting covers for the four issues:
Here's first issue material:
ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER #16 (MARVEL, $4.99) is by Bryan Hill and Stefano Caselli. Black Panther and Storm team up.
ULTIMATE X-MEN #15 (MARVEL, TEEN+, $4.99) is by Peach Momoko.
GOLDEN AGE OF REPRINTS
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE: THE SERPENT SCENARIO TP (MARVEL, $17.99) collects Avengers Assemble #1-5, a miniseries that spun out of “Blood Hunt.” Captain America decides to create the Avengers Emergency Response Squad (AvengE.R.S.), ad hoc teams to address sudden crises. That results in odd groups of Avengers who apparently have nothing better to do than sit by the phone at Avengers Mansion, including Hawkeye, Hercules, Lightning, Lightspeed, Night Thrasher, Photon, Shang-Chi, She-Hulk, The Wasp and Wonder Man. If odd team-ups are your thing, here you go.
BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT HALLOWEEN SPECIAL FACSIMILE EDITION #1 (DC COMICS, $6.99): I saw this and thought, "This isn't that old and there must a lot of them and it can't be that expensive on the secondary market. What's the big deal?" Well, shows what I know. It's older than I thought: more than 30 years old (1993). And MyComicShop has only one for sale, at $142.00. I guess it didn't sell gangbusters.
DC FINEST: SUPERBOY — THE SUPER-DOG FROM KRYPTON TP (DC COMICS, $39.99): This book has excited a lot of fans, myself included. Superboy reprints have been rare, which I have assumed to be the result of the agreement between DC Comics and the heirs of Siegel and Shuster, the details of which have never been made public. If it's just as simple as "the heirs get 1% of the profits from any Superboy reprints," that would probably be enough to discourage DC, which can make 100% of the profits off something else. And it could be worse than that, from DC's point of view. But that's all speculation on my part. What we know for sure is that here comes a book collecting the Boy of Steel stories from Adventure Comics #199-216 and Superboy #33-43 (1954-55), which I've never read before. I'm sure going to now!
KNIGHT TERRORS OMNIBUS HC (DC COMICS, $150.00): The reviews on this crossover weren’t great, but someone’s done all the work of finding all these various book and putting them in one place, in order. This is a series that would be hard to read in any other form — heck, it was probably hard to read in its original form — so I’ll probably get it. Collects Batman: The Brave and the Bold #4, Dawn of DC: Knight Terrors 2023 FCBD Special Edition #1, Knight Terrors #1-4, Knight Terrors: Action Comics #1-2, Knight Terrors: Angel Breaker #1-2, Knight Terrors: Batman #1-2, Knight Terrors: Black Adam #1-2, Knight Terrors: Catwoman #1-2, Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #1-2, Knight Terrors: First Blood #1, Knight Terrors: Green Lantern #1-2, Knight Terrors: Harley Quinn #1-2, Knight Terrors: Night's End #1, Knight Terrors: Nightwing #1-2, Knight Terrors: Robin #1-2, Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy #1-2, Knight Terrors: Punchline #1-2, Knight Terrors: Ravager #1-2, Knight Terrors: Shazam! #1-2, Knight Terrors: Superman #1-2, Knight Terrors: The Flash #1-2, Knight Terrors: The Joker #1-2, Knight Terrors: Titans #1-2, Knight Terrors: Wonder Woman #1-2, and Knight Terrors: Zatanna #1-2.
MARVEL FANFARE OMNIBUS VOL 1 HC (MARVEL, $100.00): We've been talking about the 1982 Marvel Fanfare quite a bit lately, and coincidentally, Marvel has decided it's a good time to start reprinting that series. Collecting Marvel Fanfare (first series) #1-19.
SUPERMAN: UP IN THE SKY THE DELUXE EDITION HC (DC COMICS, $34.99) collects the maxiseries by Tom King and Andy Kubert. I never read it, but I usually enjoy King (especially when he operates out of continuity). Can anybody recommend this?
PS ARTBOOKS: It's a dump week. I think I've ordered ACG COLLECTED WORKS: ADVENTURES INTO UNKNOWN WORLDS VOL 24 TP, GOLDEN AGE CLASSICS: BLACK CONDOR & RAY VOL 2 HC, GOLDEN AGE CLASSICS: PRIZE COMICS — BLACK OWL VOL 1 HC, PS ARTBOOKS: BLACKHAWK VOL 15 TP, PS ARTBOOKS: BLACKHAWK VOL 16 TP, PS ARTBOOKS: AIRBOY VOL 2 TP, PS ARTBOOKS: KID ETERNITY VOL 1 TP and SILVER AGE CLASSICS SPACE ADVENTURES VOL 9 HC. It's weeks like this that explain why I have stacks of PS Artbooks in my bedroom, unread and untouched. If PS shipped like a normal publisher — a couple of books a month,say — I could keep up. But when you get a monster dump like this, it just becomes another stack on the floor. I'll get a couple read in the next few weeks, and the rest will go into the "someday" category.
PRESTIGE PUBLISHERS
PAGEANT TP (MR, FANTAGRAPHICS, $29.99) is by Justin Gradin. A guy who works at a cloning company surreptitiously clones what he considers the perfect girlfriend. Who will have nothing to do with him and leaves. So he does it again, with similar results. The town gets pretty well populated with this particular girl.
PREPARING TO BITE TP (MR, DRAWN & QUARTERLY, $21.95): One-panel cartoons by Keiler Roberts. Here's a PREVIEW.
WALT DISNEY’S MICKEY MOUSE AND THE AMAZING LOST OCEAN HC (FANTAGRAPHICS, $24.99) is by Denis-Pierre Filippi and Silvio Camboni. Mickey and friends in a steampunk adventure.
MORE COMICS
ARCHIE MILESTONES JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #29 JUGHEAD’S SUPERHERO SPECIAL (ARCHIE, 192 PAGES, $9.99) is by (writers) Craig Boldman, Angelo DeCesare, Frank Doyle, (artists) Rex Lindsey, Dan Parent, Pat and Tim Kennedy and Samm Schwartz.
An all-superhero special.
Here's a complete classic story by Frank Doyle and Dan DeCarlo. I remember this one fondly from my childhood, and may even have the original issue somewhere in the Comics Cave.
BETTY & VERONICA: FRIENDS FOREVER — SPY GIRLS (ONE-SHOT, 30 PAGES, ARCHIE, $4.99) is by Tania Del Rio and Holly G! This book introduces Medusa Doom, Mad Dr. Doom's teenage daughter. (Mad Dr. Doom was a supervillain in Silver Age stories starring Pureheart and the gang.)
DOWNLANDS TP (TITAN, 292 PAGES, $29.99) is by Norm Konyu. Titan said May 9 that Downlands is coming out this week, but Diamond doesn't have any Titan books listed this week. Shrug. It'll come out sometime.
GOZILLA: HERE THERE BE ALIENS #1 (IDW, $4.99) is by Frank Tieri and Angel Hernandez. This is the third miniseries in the "Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons" trilogy, but IDW says it can stand alone. The Big G faces kaiju from outer space during the mid-century UFO craze. That sounds kinda cool, but I was enjoying seeing Godzilla in various historical periods. I've seen him in the 20th century before. A lot.
GWENPOOL #1 (OF 5, MARVEL, $4.99) is by Cavan Scott and Stefano Nesi.
I remember reading some Gwenpool stories somewhere, and not really caring about her very much. I don't remember why.
“What an absolute honor!" said about resurrecting Gwen Stacy. "To tear both Gwenpool AND Spider-Man's worlds apart? Yes please! Gwen Stacy is back from the grave and deadlier than ever. Weapon-X style abilities? Check. A line in killer put-downs? You've got it. This is NOT the Gwen you remember. But just who is behind her miraculous resurrection? And what has happened to the original Gwenpool's usually careful existence? Add Kate Bishop and Jeff the Land Shark to the mix and you have the Marvel series of my dreams!
“I couldn't ask for a better partner than Stefano Nesi on art!” Scott continued. “Mega-violence has never been so much fun, each frenzied attack brought to dark, brooding life by Matt Milla's blistering colors. Monsters, mayhem and murder await as Spider-Man and Kate learn that nothing — or no one — is sacred!”
Oh, right, now I remember.
HELVERINE #6 (MARVEL, $3.99) is by Benjamin Percy and Raffaele Ienco. Introducing Hell Hulk, who is apparently an actual demon.
“Project Hellfire is a shadow program dedicated to studying and developing the science and technology of Hell," Percy said. "Their labs — located deep beneath the Pentagon, in a facility known as the Pentangle — have discovered something worrisome. All around the globe, in isolated pockets, people are being driven to murderous rage, a threat to themselves and others. An investigation reveals a common factor unites these cases: the presence of the HELL HULK, a monster who gives off infectious waves of infernal power. A larger pattern is being uncovered, and only Hellverine can unpuzzle its meaning and put a stop to a demonic conspiracy that threatens the world.”
“It's been so much fun to build up new mythologies for the Marvel Universe in HELLVERINE,” Percy said. “There's a world beneath this one, with laboratories and monuments and missions and personalities of its own, and readers are learning about all of this alongside Akihiro. We gave you the fiery mashup of Ghost Rider and Wolverine that is Hellverine. Now we're bringing some more toys to play with in this hot sandbox, including the Hell Hulk, who has (no surprise) a BIG story to accompany his smashing debut.
HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #1 (MR, DARK HORSE, $4.99) is by by Mark Millar and Rafael Albuquerque.
This is a sequel to a miniseries I didn't know existed, about autistic gas station clerk with super-powers and the ethos of "one good deed a day." In this series, Huck finds out he and his mother aren't the only super-powered people hiding in anonymity.
“Stoked to team up again with Mark on the sequel of our very first collaboration,” exclaimed Albuquerque. “I missed these characters so much, and about 10 years later, returning to them still feels fresh and exciting.”
IMMORTAL THOR #23 (MARVEL, $4.99) is by Al Ewing and Jan Bazaldua.
Marvel sent me two press releases, very excited because Thor's going to die in Immortal Thor #25. I don't know why that merits so much attention, as it's hardly the first time. But it'll mean a new Thor #1 in a few months, which is probably what they're realy excited about. Anyway, here's a connecting cover for Immortal Thor #23-25:
MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #33 (MARVEL, $3.99) is by Cody Ziglar and Marco Renna.
The current storyline is called "God War," wherein Miles is the avatar of Anansi, and is battling Ares. (I don't have to tell you who those guys are, do I? Didn't think so.) I don't normally read or report on this title, but Mavel sent a press release and a bunch of art announcing a new character, the gamma-powered Powerlift. Who is also Miles' psychiatrist, Dr. Keisha Kwan, because why not?
“Dr. Keisha Kwan has been a slow burn in our book for almost two whole years, and I'm SO excited for folks to finally see her Powerlift form in action!” Ziglar said. “Federico did an amazing job designing her -- we love gamma/Hulk characters almost as much as we love the work of Akira Toriyama; Powerlift is our homage to both! Marco has drawn some incredible scenes with her that I think folks are gonna love.”
MONEY SHOT: BIG BANG #1 (OF 5, MR, VAULT, $4.99): As I've said before, the premise of this book (alien interspecies sex) turns me off. That's just a personal preference, not meant to be judgmental. I mean, tentacle porn is very popular in some quarters, and this is similar. It's just not for me.
PHOENIX #11 (MARVEL, $3.99) is by Stephanie Phillips and Roi Mercado.
Marvel sent me two press releases on this issue, one to announce a Joe Quesada variant cover, and the other to announce a new storyline. (Jean's sister mysteriously returns from the dead. Must run in the family.) Quesada is Cover C.
"Working on this book has been an incredible experience and I can't wait for you all to read the next chapter in Jean's journey,” Phillips said. “We're going bigger and more ambitious, continuing to ramp up the action and maybe have an unexpected reunion or two among the stars. This new arc will be cosmic and intense — pushing Jean in ways that surprise everyone ... including her."
THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE (Abrams ComicArts, $19.99) is an American classic, and is adapted here by Steve Cuzor (Black Jack)
“By illustrating Crane’s classic story, Cuzor pulls readers into the midst of the action, making Henry Fleming’s experience feel all the more visceral,” said Abrams Comic Arts Publisher Joseph Montagne. “Literary aficionados and students alike will find another layer of this classic story to appreciate in this new adaptation of Crane’s magnum opus.”
SPIDER-VERSE VS VENOMVERSE #1 (MARVEL, $4.99): To quote Tom King's Wonder Woman, "No, thank you."
Marvel sent a press release, which I'm mostly ignoring. But they did announce a new costume for Japan’s Spider-Man — Takuya Yamashiro, designed by Luciano Vecchio. I suppose I need to post that.
"In the story, a new costume for Takuya is introduced, and it helps setting him visually apart from Peter," Vecchio told CBR. "I rewatched episodes and clips of the Japanese Spider-Man show to tap into that universe’s sensitivity and dramatic body language, and also referred to other early ‘80s shows in the Tokusatsu genre for aesthetic cues like the scarf and black lenses. I bounced ideas and references with writer Mat Groom before landing on this visual that can be shortened to Spider-Man meets Super Sentai."
TOXIC AVENGER PINUP SPECIAL #1 (ONE-SHOT, MR, AHOY, $3.99): Not my thing, but maybe it's yours.
TRANSFORMERS #20 (IMAGE, $3.99)
X-FACTOR #10 (MARVEL, $3.99): Last issue.
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DC FINEST: SUPERBOY — THE SUPER-DOG FROM KRYPTON TP: This book has excited a lot of fans, myself included.
I've been eagerly awaiting this one since it was first solicited.
SUPERMAN: UP IN THE SKY THE DELUXE EDITION HC collects the maxiseries by Tom King and Andy Kubert. I never read it, but I usually enjoy King (especially when he operates out of continuity).
I've never even heard of this (and I always enjoy Tom King). I guess my "blind spot" toward Batman also extends to Superman now.
PS ARTBOOKS: It's a dump week.
I think I'm down for BLACK CONDOR & RAY v2, BLACK OWL v1 and SPACE ADVENTURES v9.
I've never even heard of this (and I always enjoy Tom King). I guess my "blind spot" toward Batman also extends to Superman now.
Well, I'm not familiar with it, either, and I do the Guide every week. I guess it just didn't get a lot of attention. It was a six-issue miniseries in 2019. Here's the description:
"The all-star creative team of writer Tom King and artist Andy Kubert answer the question: How far across the galaxy will Superman go to bring a single child home? Aliens have kidnapped a young girl from Metropolis. With each stop along the path, the Man of Steel faces new mysteries and new challenges. Is he getting closer to rescuing the girl, or further away? And who is protecting Metropolis in his absence?"
I think that it would be funny if Cerebro decides that Godzilla is a mutant, and the X-Men try to recruit him.
If I was bothering to learn AI, I'd ask it for a picture of Big G in the X-Men school uniform.
Like this?
Yes, like that. Especially the one on the left.
"Fighting for the world that hates and fears them" indeed.
Good grief! I just found a FOURTH Exquisite Corpses press release, with a complete guide to the killers! Here's that info, and sorry for the repetition:
THE LONE GUNMAN:
The Lone Gunman is a tall, dark, and mysterious player who never misses his mark. Here’s his official description from the confidential game dossier files:
MASSACHUSETTS selects LONE GUNMAN to wield THE GUN. Kill Count: REDACTED, Height: 6' 3”. Highly trained and highly dangerous, LONE GUNMAN puts years of combat training to use as he efficiently dispatches his opponents—or any collateral damage who get in the way. Dishonorably discharged for battlefield atrocities now sealed in government records, LONE GUNMAN'S penchant for excessive violence has become a benefit, not a hindrance, to his performance in this tournament…
"Lone Gunman is the embodiment of the Exquisite Corpses competition, in many ways," said Tynion. "This smirking, ornate mask being handed down generation to generation, turning tributes into faceless killing machines at the whims of the oligarchs...Tough to get much scarier than that."
Lone Gunman joins the ranks of these already revealed killers:
LEOPOLD STRONG:
NORTH CAROLINA selects LEOPOLD STRONG to wield THE HAMMER. Kill Count: 23. Height: 6' 5". Some killers might be afraid that an opponent could steal their signature weapon, but not LEOPOLD STRONG. He alone is strong enough to heft the massive mallet that he wields to pound flesh and bone into so much bloodied paste. It's unknown if he truly comes from the circus or merely likes the theatricality of the look, but what is clear is that LEOPOLD STRONG is easily the most physically imposing murderer in this year's games. Heave ho!
RECLUSE:
RHODE ISLAND selects RECLUSE to wield THE ROPE. Kill Count: 64. Height: 5' 10". An artist with wires and ropes, RECLUSE sets her own field of battle, drawing opponents into traps from which few leave intact. Though she's deadly on the move with a garrote in hand, RECLUSE prefers a patient approach, lying in wait until her razor-wires snare her opponents. Some say her love of ropes borders on fetishism, but few get close enough to find out the truth.
FOX MASK KILLER:
NEW YORK selects FOX MASK KILLER to wield THE SWORD. Kill Count: 87. Height: 5' l". Among killers-for-hire, there are a select few feared even by other assassins. The enigmatic swordswoman known as FOX MASK KILLER is at the top of that list, having achieved a reputation for completing her jobs with ruthless efficiency--and for chasing increasingly challenging targets. Whether she sees the tournament as just another paycheck, or a chance to push herself past her limits, remains to be seen.
PRETTY BOY:
GEORGIA selects PRETTY BOY to wield THE AXE. Kill Count: 36. Height: 6' 2". Despite what Hollywood tries to sell the masses, most serial killers are charmless, asocial monsters. Most, anyway. PRETTY BOY, on the other hand, could kill with a wink and a flash of his pearly whites. He prefers an axe, though. Like many a heartthrob, PRETTY BOY takes out his pent-up rage through wanton violence, splattering his six-pack abs with gore with every swing of the axe. He has the honor of wielding the weapon that won the very first game ever conducted, but the significance is lost on him--he's just here to look good and get bloody.
LADY CAROLINA:
SOUTH CAROLINA selects LADY CAROLINA to wield THE ARROW. Kill Count: 7 Height: 5' 8". No one from the patron families enters the games themselves. It is simply unheard of. So when LADY CAROLINA stepped foot inside the arena, the other families were aghast. She comes from noble stock and received the best training their money could buy, but it still feels like a transgression. Is she simply seeking a death-defying thrill? Or does she have a more personal reason for aiming her crossbow at this year's set of killers…
THE CONGREGATION:
NEW HAMPSHIRE selects THE CONGREGATION to wield THE KNIFE. Kill Count: 39. Height: 6' 0". The only killer in the game to turn down a fee from his patron family, THE CONGREGATION feels that taking a life is a higher calling--a monk-like tribute to whatever dark gods whisper in his ears. And while he's almost certainly a raving lunatic (you'd have to be, to cover yourself in the sliced-off faces of your victims), THE CONGREGATION'S knife has brought many offerings to his altar, and will no doubt bring many more still before his prayers are finished.
RASCAL RANDY:
NEW JERSEY selects RASCAL RANDY to wield THE HANDS. Kill Count: 19. Height: 5' 11". There is a man inside the RASCAL RANDY costume, but that man doesn't matter. That man has never mattered. He was no one until he put the mascot head on for the first time, until he felt the life leave someone's body through the thickly furred gloves of the suit. The man inside the suit will wear any disguise if necessary, but his true skin is RASCAL RANDY, and god help anyone who sees him coming toward them on a dark night.
LAYLA BLAZE:
DELAWARE selects LAYLA BLAZE to wield FIRE. Kill Count: 335. Height: 5' 3". They say some people just want to see the world burn, but LAYLA BLAZE will settle for seeing anything go up in flames. It's unclear if the burn marks that criss-cross her body are the results of fires that got out of control...or LAYLA BLAZE running out of any other kindling. All that can be said for sure is that she burns hot in life, love, and the act of killing, and leaves only ashes in her wake.
SLATER:
MARYLAND selects SLATER to wield EXPLOSIVES. Kill Count: 124. Height: 5' 10". Tick...tick...BOOM! The hot young thing known as SLATER has never had a problem attracting attention, but his entourages have a habit of blowing up—as does anything else in his vicinity. Under the right circumstances, SLATER might have channeled his fascinations with pyrotechnics into something productive—instead, he's just a walking powderkeg.
NURSE PETE:
VIRGINIA selects NURSE PETE to wield POISON. Kill Count: ???. Height: 5' 6". No one would guess that the unassuming, schlubby NURSE PETE had a body count approaching three figures, and that's just how he likes it. A compulsive killer who endlessly tweaks his deadly cocktails of paralyzing narcotics and tests them on patients around the country, NURSE PETE is usually content to slip from hospital to nursing home to pediatric ward, changing identities just in time to avoid being noticed. But the sum offered to him for joining this game would pay for oh so many tantalizing new chemical components...
G4M3R_KlD & CALVIN:
CONNECTICUT selects G4M3R_KlD to wield ELECTRICITY. Kill Count: 9. Height: 4' 0". Aww, c'mon—you wouldn't hurt a little kid, would you? A product of the iPad generation, weaned on slur-filled gaming lobbies, G4M3R_KlD has no business being anywhere near an event like this, but he's so desensitized to violence that he has no qualms piloting CALVIN, his heavily armed drone, and aiming it at any target in sight. Kill counts are just high scores to this tyke, and he wants to see his name on the leaderboard.
Here are the covers and teasers attached to the fourth press release. Again, sorry for any repetition:
This never ends! Going through my mail, I found some Toxic Avenger Pinup Special art:
We were lucky enough to see Wesley Stace's Cabinet of Wonders caberet last month, and one of the performers was Dave Hill, the writer (and protagonist, I guess) of Dark Regards. And... he was HILARIOUS. He did a monologue of alternate names for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, punctuated by electric guitar riffs, and it kept us laughing the whole way through. I just checked to see if his performance was up on YouTube (there was a guy sitting next to us that was taping the whole show, and who's uploaded various songs from the night), but no dice.
Anyway, a few days later, I was reading the preview of Dark Regards in the back of Out Of Alcatraz #2, and the pages shown were terrific. More than anything, they reminded me of the heavy metal horror movie comedy Deathgasm from about 10 years ago. I'm not a metalhead by any means, but it was a terrific movie about a garage band that inadvertently sells their soul to the devil; this looks like it's in the same vein. And then I looked at who the writer was, and I realized it was the guy who cracked us up a couple nights before!
So absolutely I'll be getting this. Take a look at the preview pages, and google Dave Hill on YouTube, and that'll probably give you a good idea if it might be for you, too.
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