MAJOR PUBLISHERS
MARVEL COMICS
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #262 FACSIMILE EDITION ($4.99): This one was a rare (for the time) photo cover.
EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN #3 ($3.99): Evidently Kate and Emma have an argument over how to train the three new kids (Axo, Bronze and Melee), which becomes physical. (Because of course it does.) Marvel thought this worthy of a press release, so I include it this week.
FANTASTIC FOUR OMNIBUS VOL 5 HC ($125.00): Collects Fantastic Four #126-163, Giant-Size Super-Stars/Giant-Size Fantastic Four #1-5 and Avengers #127. Jeff P. says this lines up perfectly with the first 15 volumes of Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four, so if you have the first five FF omnibuses, you can proceed directly to Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 16. Since I missed a couple of those Masterworks, that's what I plan to do. Even though I've read those issues a jillion times, and have them in multiple formats and they're not very good. What's wrong with me?
MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF...? MINNIE BECAME CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 ($4.99): "What is the secret of Minnie Mouse?" is the lede of the press release. In old-school journalism, before we wrote click-bait headlines, we were told never to use a question in a headline or a lede. Why? Because if you reduce the story to a binary decision — do I care about the answer to this question, yes or no — they might decide "no," and they won't read the story.
I don't care about the answer to their question.
“Steve, Luca and Giada perfectly capture the spirit of Carol Danvers’ origin, a real nostalgic treat with a Disney twist. Guaranteed to be the most fun comic of the month!” Editor Mark Paniccia said.
I assume there are several homage covers below, besides the obvious one to Ms. Marvel #1.
MILES MORALES SPIDER-MAN #26 $3.99): Miles is still a vampire, but Black Panther has provided him with a vibranium suit that will somehow restrain the infection. I think it actually debuted last issue, according to the press release. Looks like they're really going to play this vampire string out, despite there not being a snowball's chance in Muspelheim that it will be permanent.
MMW: WEREWOLF BY NIGHT VOL 3 HC $75.00) collects the last issues of Giant-Size Werewolf by Night and the regular title through issue #30 (of 43).
SCARLET WITCH #6 ($4.99): Amaranth, a character created on a New Champions variant cover, makes her first in-story appearance and becomes a student of Wanda Maximoff. (Amaranth is a type of grain, but they probably chose the word because it sounds cool.) She's introduced as a former protégé of Agatha Harkness, which is probably not a good thing, if the Agatha in the comics is anything like the Agatha on TV. She started out as a good witch in Fantastic Four, and she was old, and then she was dead. But I don't think she's any of those things any more.
“Ever since she debuted in Jen Bartel's gorgeous variant cover, I've been intrigued by Amaranth,” writer Steve Orlando said. “Who was she? What was her story — no, her mystery? So, when the chance came to bring her into SCARLET WITCH and explore those questions with the rest of the creative team, I leapt. Bringing Amaranth through the Last Door gives us a chance to upend Wanda's dynamic with a scenario where Wanda's faced with a powerful, mysterious being she struggles to figure out — an inverse of her own dynamic earlier in her life. Amaranth's unique gifts hint towards an auspicious parentage and impressive power, but her life has been tinged with tragedy. There might be no one in the Marvel Universe that can help her, but if there was one — it would be the Scarlet Witch.”
STAR WARS: BATTLE OF JAKKU — REPUBLIC UNDER SIEGE #1 (OF 4, $4.99): This is the second four-part miniseries that tells the story of the Battle of Jakku, which is apparently important in Star Wars lore.
"It's an unbelievable honor to be able to tell this lost story of Star Wars history, alongside so many amazing artists, in the pages of the three BATTLE OF JAKKU limited series,” write Alex Segura (Star Wars: Poe Dameron — Free Fall, Edge of Spider-Verse) said. “Our story will be epic in scope — involving all the major characters you love, plus some new, exciting additions to the mythos. We'll not only give readers a front-row seat to the final battle of the Galactic Civil War — we'll reframe the aftermath of the Battle of Endor and introduce a new, menacing threat that will keep our heroes guessing. The goal for all of us is to turn up the volume and make sure this adventure stands shoulder to shoulder with the other stories of the era. As the Empire collapses, a new darkness arises!"
STORM #2 ($3.99): I somehow missed the launch trailer for Storm #1, so here it is.
DC COMICS
ABSOLUTE BATMAN NOIR EDITION #1 (ONE-SHOT, CVR B BLACK BLANK CARD STOCK VARIANT, $5.99): This is a black cover, blank with the logo, with no difference to the interior, for $6.00. Glad I'm not a speculator.
ABSOLUTE JUSTICE HC (2024 EDITION, $125.00) collects the 12-issue Justice series, written by Jim Kreuger and Alex Ross, and painted by the latter. The JLA takes on a group of supervillains that resemble the Legion of Doom or the Injustice League, but I don't recall if they're called either of those things. In fact, I don't remember this is at all, although I doubtless read it. It would be a nice companion piece to the Alex Ross-painted individual League-member issues (Superman: Peace on Earth, et al), which have recently been reprinted, but I just don't remember anything about it (which is not encouraging). Any comments, Legionnaires?
CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #8 FACSIMILE EDITION ($3.99): The Flash dies. (Spoiler!) You know, at the time I was vaguely disappointed, but at the same time they'd already ruined the character for me, by A) killing off Iris West, B) changing Barry's name, face and hair color, C) eliminating Barry's job, D) Carmine Infantino "Marvelizing" his art and E) the interminable, plodding, implausible, years-long, boring "Trial of The Flash."
I know there are some Legionnaires who have or are trying with some enthusiasm to get a "Trial of The Flash" collection, and more power to you. But living it in real time was, for me, a painful slog. Not only is a long trial difficult to make exciting in print (and they didn't), but it also punctured my suspension of disbelief with an audible pop. Police officers enjoy "partial immunity," in which they are given the benefit of the doubt in altercations in which they shoot someone, and are generally protected from any consequences. Superheroes don't have that legal shield in practice, but I imagine in a world of superheroes they would in effect. Plus, even civilians have the protection of reasonable self-defense. Add to that the tremendous number of fans (and grateful rescuees) that superheroes have that police officers don't, and I find that dragging Flash into court for accidentally killing a mass murderer who had attacked him, which doesn't appear remotely like murder, on charges about a super-speed battle that nobody can see, much less imagine, and I think a judge would (accurately) rule "self-defense" and toss the case. And what DA could bring the case against a popular superhero who has saved the entire planet multiple times without losing his job? Further, even if convicted, all those years of service — and Flash being a first-time defendent — would result in some sort of probation or, at worst, a short house arrest (like Paul Rudd in Ant-Man and Wasp). Which means the whole thing is pointless even if he is convicted. Sure, sure, they tried to explain all this away in the story, but I didn't buy a word of it.
SO they failed to entertain me. But what they succeeded at (and may have been the purpose of the exercise) was to erase the Silver Age Flash. They succeeded in that. To my chagrin.
I enjoyed that Barry had a steady girlfriend, a somewhat humdrum civilian life and staid, conservative Infantino art. I could see myself growing up into that life. It was a lot easier for me to imagine growing up to have Barry's job rather than Hal Jordan's! Plus, it made his Flash activities really pop. But every part of that Flash was wiped out by "Trial," with no new status quo emerging. It was just a story about some brown-haired guy that I did not know in (a preposterous) trial.
My Flash was the thinking-man's Flash, who was always coming up with complex ways to apply the simple idea of running really fast. When he needed to stop a car full of thugs, he'd eschew the obvious ways and intead remove all the lug nuts from the wheels. That was clever to 12-year-old me, plus a car doing 60 suddenly losing all its wheels simultaneopusly was a wacky thing you could see only in comics. LIke John Broome over in Green Lantern, Gardner Fox in Flash seemed to be operating on the principle that the hero should never use the same gimmick twice. I think it had some unintended consequences in Green Lantern (it made Hal look a little dim) but it was worked like a charm in Flash. To this day I still regard Barry Allen as one of the smartest DC heroes in the Silver Age, who talked like a professor and would explain to the readers Kid Flash just what the heck Mr. Element is doing by mixing Na and H20.
When Flash became grim and gritty, they threw away everything that made the title fun for me. So Barry Allen was already dead when Crisis killed him, IMHO. They were just acknowledging it.
DC FINEST: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA — THE BRIDGE BETWEEN EARTHS TP ($39.99) collects Justice League of America #45-72 which, if you've never read them, have a number of developments that Silver Age fans well remember. For one thing, there are three JLA/JSA crossovers, probably among the best of the era. (It was after they had mastered the idea but before they started goosing it up with gimmicks like the Legion of Super-Heroes, Earth-X and the 7 Soldiers of Victory.) The Earth-Two Dick Grayson is introduced, Red Tornado II is introduced and Martian Manhunter is basically kicked out of the DCU (and doesn't return to the Justice League for more than 100 issues). This book also includes the transition from the creative team of Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky, who handled the JLA from Brave and Bold #28 to Justice League of America #66, to their successors. I assume that at some later date we'll get a DC Finest collecting Brave and Bold #28 to Justice League of America #44.
MILESTONE UNIVERSE: THE SHADOW CABINET #1 (OF 4, $4.99): The idea of Milestone without Dwayne McDuffie makes me ineffably sad. But unlike Rocketeer, this story can continue without its heart and soul by virtue of McDuffie's many talented colleagues and protégés. And outside of Static, the Shadow Cabinet is the Dakotaverse concept I liked most. In this one, the Cabinet tries to recruit Rocket to stop Dr. Alva's sister. (Dr. Alva is missing, and Icon is on a — heh — space mission.)
THE QUESTION: ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER #1 (OF 6) $3.99: Alex Segura seems to have returned to work-for-hire in force, with this book and Star Wars above. Maybe the note on his yacht has come due. Anyway, Renee Montoya is the new sheriff on the JLA Watchtower, after the "abrupt end to her time in Gotham." Whoa, what was that? Where did it happen? Anyway, there's a mystery to be solved on the station by The Question and "her ad hoc support team." Isn't that the Challengers now? And why not just say so? Maybe there are some redshirts, too, or maybe she recruits some minor Leaguers.
SCALPED OMNIBUS VOL 1 HC (MR, $75.00) collects Scalped #1-29 (of 60). I read the first few issues of this back in the day and thought "meh." Did I make a mistake giving up on it, Legionnaires?
WONDER WOMAN #15 I don't know why DC offered this preview, but here it is. The story continues from last issue's big-name death, with the Wonder Girls doing all the heavy lifting in this issue. God knows there are enough of them.
IMAGE COMICS
G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #311 ($3.99): Series artist Chris Mooneyham (Nightwing, Sgt. Rock and the Unknown Soldier) returns.
“We’re thrilled to welcome back the indomitable Chris Mooneyham, and just in time, as the epic mutant battle in Springfield reaches its shocking conclusion,” said Alex Antone, Editorial Director at Skybound. “When Larry Hama sent me the script, he had just one thing to say: ‘This story is going to slay.’ ”
HORIZON EXPERIMENT: MOON DOGS (ONE-SHOT, $3.99) is a werewolf story written by the "Octavia Butler of horror" Tananarive Due (The Reformatory, The Keeper), who has earned an American Book Award, NAACP Award, Shirley Jackson Award and Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and illustrated by Kelsey Ramsay (Dark Spaces: Good Deeds). It's the third in Image's series of one-shots "centering on original protagonists from marginalized backgrounds set in a popular genre."
The point of Horizon Experiment, according to co-editor Pornsak Pichetshote, is this: "It started with a conversation between friends. This one was the old Idris Elba as James Bond debate, and while we didn’t add anything new to it, we all realized if there ever was a black James Bond, we’d never see what we really wanted: Some huge blockbuster to focus on the unique perspective a black man would have as a British superspy. Because while we believe in 'color-blind casting,' there’s also something cool about embracing what a larger-than-life genre looks like from a different perspective."
Well, that is pretty interesting. I've never been Black, or Asian, or gay, or whatever else Pichetshote considers "marginalized." I might learn a thing or two.
But I have to say, if that's the intent here, I don't see it. This is a standard story that could appear anywhere in comics or on TV. It's about a family of Black werewolves, with mom being a were-coyote of East African descent. but don't worry, they're good werewolves! They're only interested in using their powers to help people, just like the white, straight, male square-jawed superheroes of the Silver Age. It has a strong female lead, which has almost become a cliche. Her little brother -- gasp! -- falls in with a bad crowd, and she has to help him, just like a million After-School Specials.
Frankly, this story could have run in a '70s issue of Werewolf by Night, except that at least in that book, the werewolves were actually dangerous.
Which is not to say I didn't enjoy it. I did! I enjoyed Werewolf by Night, too, which is nobody's idea of an A-list book. But, you know, there's some werewolf lore to be learned, there's some good transformations, there's a little almost-shocking gore. The difficulties Black people have in a largely white society are waved at here and there, but it's nothing I couldn't have written myself after years of reading Green Arrow dialogue.
The upshot is this: Moon Dogs is an above-average werewolf story that I mildly enjoyed. But if you're expecting it to break new ground, or be transgressive in some fashion, or reveal some shocking bigotry at America's core ... well, you have the last election for that.
Here are the creators:
“As a writer who is known for novels and short stories — and who has written screenplays — delving into comics has been the best of both worlds: granting me the immediacy and freedom to tell stories my way, and the benefit of working with talented collaborators to bring the images to life on the page,” said Due. “Moon Dogs is an homage to my roots in Miami, where I grew up and worked as a newspaper reporter. Anyone who has been to Miami knows that its eclectic population is the perfect home for undercover werewolves — like, OF COURSE.”
Continued Due: “With great guidance from my editors, Pornsak and Will, I wanted to tell a story of what it feels like to feel doubly marginalized — and also how we can learn to exercise power without being corrupted by it. The great thing about comics, as in Hollywood, is that the script is only the starting point for the story, so seeing the thrilling illustrations by Kelsey Ramsay and the great artistic team is like getting a movie adaptation in record time. I'm so excited to share it!
“It wasn't difficult deciding whether I wanted to be a part of The Horizon Experiment. An innovative and inspiring group of creators that are undertaking something original and exciting, you say? It was a fast yes for me. Tananarive’s vivid and character-rich Moon Dogs script solidified that decision too—it made me feel like I was right there in Miami hunched between the rival werewolf clans,” said Ramsay. “It was so much fun and such a pleasure to work on. I'm so happy this fresh take on lycanthrope horror was created by Tananarive and supported by powerhouse editors Pornsak and Will. It came together with incredible collaborators José doing colours and Jeff doing letters. It's an honour to be a part of this project.”
"I'm jealous of readers discovering Tananarive and Kelsey's work for the first time. Tananarive’s latest novel was praised by no less than Stephen King and now she's bringing her uniquely intimate mythology building skills and lyrical prose to comics,” said Pichetshote. “Meanwhile, in a very short time, Kelsey has rocketed up every comics editor's radar to the degree you'll be seeing her in non-stop high-profile projects soon. So, watching these two combine their awesome talents to create something distinctly unique has been an utter delight. I can't wait for readers to discover the world of Moon Dogs."
THE ROCKETFELLERS #1 ($3.99) is by writer Peter J. Tomasi (Batman and Robin, Super Sons) and artist Francis Manapul (The Flash, Clear), set in Ghost Machine’s Family Odyssey universe. Wait, how many universes do they have? NM, I know the answer: four. The "Unnamed Universe" — it literally says "Unnamed" on the covers — includes Geiger, Redcoat and Junkyard Joe. Rook: Exodus takes place in its own universe, which is so far unnamed. (But not Unnamed.) There's another anonymous universe for Hyde Street. Then there's the "Famiy Odysseys" universe, which includes Rocketfellers and the upcoming Halo and Hornsby. I think that one's supposesd to be light-hearted.
This book feels like it should be written by Kurt Busiek, for some reason.
It's OK. It tries hard to be a family book, albeit a family that's displaced from the future, on the run from as-yet unexplained bad guys. (The Cronex.) It has a lot of Fantastic Four and Astro City's Furst family in its DNA, maybe even a little Lost in Space. But is bickering siblings really what attracted us to those books? I like the Imaginauts aspect of FF more than I do the family dynamics, so I'd like a little more adventure in Rocketfellers and a little less family time. I'll give the book a little time to surprise me, but so far it's a picture-perfect and relatively ho-hum Disney book.
"We're excited for you to meet this ensemble cast of characters from the future! The Rocketfellers' time-travelling adventure reflects the timeless struggle and triumph every family encounters,” said Manapul. “Telling this type of story comes at a poignant intersection in my career and personal experience, and I couldn't have found a more perfect collaborator in Pete. The team at Ghost Machine is dedicated to giving the readers a fun and thrilling experience, and, most importantly, characters you'll look forward to growing with. Come and join the Rocketfellers' family this November!"
Tomasi added: “I love exploring and diving deep into family dynamics with this series because that's something every reader can relate and empathize with and bringing The Rocketfellers to life with Francis Manapul has been fun, heart-wrenching, action-packed, dramatic and an all-out blast as we let these wonderful characters tumble, stumble and run headfirst into adventures and discoveries of epic and every day proportions. But to simply boil it down, The Rocketfellers is a rollercoaster of emotion and restless dreams as a family runs from their present to save their future. All of us here at Ghost Machine have a singular purpose and that is to make great comic books with engaging characters and enthralling stories.”
DARK HORSE COMICS
BARSTOW #1 (OF 4, $4.99) is a horror-comedy series from writers and filmmakers David Ian McKendry and Rebekah McKendry (Glorious, All the Creatures Were Stirring) and artist Tyler Jenkins (Hairball, Apache Delivery Service). I'm not sure how funny it is, but the residents sure are quirky, and there sure are some Deeply Rooted Evil things happening in Barstow. Our protagonist is FBI Special Agent Miranda Diaz, who is investigating the disappearance of a colleague at a Barstow Motel. That gets complicated, as there seems to be all kinds of Lovecraftian activities going on, and Lovecraftian critters hiding in various things (and people). Diaz hasn't twigged to this yet, but all the townspeople are probably in the know. Did I mention they were quirky?
TBH, I didn't follow Barstow very well. Perhaps it was late, but it felt like, oh, a first episode of a season of Fargo more than a first issue of a comic book. Mystery! Murder! More mystery! But not enough exposition. When various people die horribly whose names and relationships to other characters I don't know, it doesn't mean anything. There were too many scenes like that, where I didn't have enough information to file it away for later. Maybe more will become clear in ensuing issues. I'll give it a chance to grab me.
“As avid horror comic book readers, we are elated to be working on our first comic book series with the legendary Dark Horse Comics,” said the McKendrys. “This whole experience has been a dream come true!
“We first had the idea for Barstow while traveling very late on Sunday evening from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. We fell in love with the wild stretch of road between the two cities, especially the area surrounding the Mojave Desert and all the towns in between. Though we used the name Barstow, our town in the series is an amalgam of all the quirky desert ‘burgs we have encountered in that area.”
IMBOKODO #1 (OF 4, $3.99) is written by Thabo Rametsi and Thabiso Mabanna of Nguniverse Studios, illustrated and colored by Katlego Motaung, with logo art by Gil Lazcano. It's an Afrofuturist story, a new-ish genre I have yet to get tiredof, and the art is absolutely gorgeous.
If you jump in, though, you're going to have commit to learning a new vocabulary. The world is Ndawo (or maybe that's just Africa), the gods are Badimu (or just Dimu sometimes), people are Muntu, and so on. Anyway, the story seems to focus on one of four kingdoms, Mwenemutapa, which is beset by multiple crises. Not only is the country and its allies at war, but there's another mysterious enemy that is kidnapping all the young girls of various villages, while leaving all the other inhabitants horribly butchered. In the latter crisis, Queen Nyameka sends our titular Imbokodo — the greatest warrirors of the kingdom, at least one of which seems to have Poison Ivy powers — to investigate.
I'll be back next issue, but will I remember any of this new vocabulary? Probably not. I do like the art, though.
"I think some of my illustrative tastes for an African dark fantasy setting may have found a home," says artist Katlego Motaung.
And, in the words of writers Thabo Rametsi and Thabiso Mabana, "Imbokodo is a love letter to African history, at its heart, it is a detective story about the love of family and the brutality of war. But the story and the world created represent so much more as it shows Africa as it truly is -- bold, thriving, innovative and at the forefront of the world's greatest stories. With the help of fellow South Africans and exciting South African comic book illustrator Katlego Motaung, aka DeadKatBarks, we look to honour the great warrior women of Africa — the likes of Nandi, Nzinga, Modjadji, Llinga, Amina, Nehanda and many other great warrior queens like the women who raised us. These books and films will pay homage to our majestic ancestry and immortalize African mythology and history as it should be."
YOU NEVER HEARD OF ME #1 (OF 5, $3.99) is by Iolanda Zanfardino and Elisa Romboli, the duo behind A Thing Called Truth, Alice in Leatherland and The Least We Can Do. This book features a teenager who inherits the family gift of foresight upon the death of his seer grandmother. The way it works is that when he touches someone, he sees the worst day of their life and the best. So does he try to prevent them from experiencing that worst day, as his grandmother did to their family's detriment? Or does he keep it to himself?
That's the question presented in the first issue, but it's not a head-scratcher, because we know the answer. It wouldn't be much of a story if he didn't use the gift, so I assume he will. And I also assume he will Come Of Age, and Learn Valuable Life Lessons, and Discover Himself. And it will come out all right, because Americans Are Good People at Heart. Which, after this election, I no longer believe. So good luck to this kid and his family, because they're not rich, white and Republican. They'll need it.
Once again, though, I recognize that my opinions are my own. Here's a preview to decide for yourself:
IDW PUBLISHING
BEST OF DC WAR ARTIST'S EDITION HC ($150.00): I was never really a big fan of DC's war books. The art was often nice (Joe Kubert, Russ Heath), but the stories had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. And repetitive? Hoo-boy! It's like Robert Kanigher was so impressed with one Harvey Kurtzman war story in the 1950s that he copied it endlessly for the rest of his life. But this is an art book, which was the best part, so it may be worth a place on your shelf.
GODZILLA RIVALS KING GHIDORAH VS. SPACEGODZILLA #1 ($7.99): This preview doesn't do anything for me, but may be it does for you.
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
THUNDERCATS #10 ($4.99)
TITAN COMICS
ALPI THE SOUL SENDER VOL 5
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CONAN THE BARBARIAN VOL. 3: AN AGE UNCONQUERED TP (112 pages, $17.99) collects issues #9-12 of the ongoing. John Buscema homage master Roberto de la Torre is back (following a stint by Doug Braithwaite) and man, it just looks right. "Grim" Jim Zub gets the dialogue and characterization mostly right -- I say "mostly" because some of Conan's insults just don't sound right after Roy Thomas established the range -- but he synthesizes the feel of Howard's '30s sensibility and Thomas' Bronze Age thumbprint really well, while adding his own flavor to the stew.
Anyway, this is — believe it or not — a Conan/Kull team-up.
DOCTOR WHO: THE FIFTEENTH DOCTOR #4 (OF 4)
DISENCHANTMENT: UNTOLD TALES VOL. 3
GUN HONEY: COLLISION COURSE (112 pages, $17.99): Topless lesbian crime noir.
MS. TREE: FALLEN TREE GN (244 pages, $34.99): I never got into this character, primarily because of Terry Beaty's art, which I find stiff and enervating. I like crime noir, though, so if a different artist ever interprets these tales I might get into 'em.
PEANUTS FOR EVERYBODY GN ($7.99): Remember when we were kids, and you could pick up a random Peanuts paperback? This is like that.
PEANUTS: YOU'RE THE BEST, CHARLIE BROWN (128 pages, $7.99)
MY NAME IS ZERO VOL 2
THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN VOL 1 TP (Titan, 208 pages, $24.99) collects the first three issues (of 6) of Titan's first Savage Sword miniseries. I liked it, but it is decidely not like the monthly.
The artist is different for each of the Conan stories that lead the magazine. Which means most readers are going to like some work better than others, and such was the case with me. The first artist, Max von Fafner, has a most excellent name, but he has a dense and overwrought rendering style that takes some getting used to. The second, Richard Pace, employs a scratchy, sketchy style that looks as if he started with white pages covered in charcoal and scratched off what he wants you to see. The third is our old friend Cary Nord from when Dark Horse had the Conan franchise, who is obviously my favorite of the three.
The stories are pretty off-model, as Conan stories go. In one, Conan is turned into a werewolf. In another, he fights dinosaurs. In a third he fights plant/insect people. Like 'em or not, they have one thing in common: They are looooong! Somewhere between 35 and 40 pages, which I find rather refereshing after decades of 20- to 22-page comic book stories. They have room to breathe, and I enjoyed the breathing. Even when it was a werewolf story.
Solomon Kane has a three-part story taking up residence in the back of each issue, and it's ... Solomon Kane. He's a pretty one-note character, with the eccentricities that define him also limiting what a writer can do with him. Romance? Nope. Sense of humor? Nope. Clothes other than black? Nope. You get the idea. Kane runs through the same pattern in story after story with very little variation, because if he does anything else he isn't Solomon Kane. But if you like that pattern, which I do in limited doses, then it can be satisfying.
But maybe the best part are the extras. Poems, a short story, text pieces and a walk down Memory Lane with Roy Thomas enhance the package for me. I mean, I had never thought about the biblical origins of the name "Solomon Kane" before, or of the later characters his existence inspired, but somebody did, and ejjimicated me about it in a text piece. That might not be your flagon of ale, but it is mine.
MORE COMICS
ARCHIE IS MR. JUSTICE #1 (OF 4, $4.99): The original Golden Age Mr. Justice, published by MLJ before it was Archie Comics, was "Prince James of England," who was murdered and whose spirit was trapped in a castle. But then the castle was being shipped to the U.S. in 1940, only to be sunk by a Nazi submarine, which released the spirit to fight crime (and Satan). (This was back when we used to fight fascists, instead of elect them.) Anyway, this is not that guy. Instead, it's Archie.
I am writing this early on a Saturday afternoon, and the review copy arrived a short while ago. My wife is already bugging me to leave on some planned adventure, so I have no time to read it. I'll catch up with the story, and the reviews, in issue #2. Here are the creators:
“This isn’t just another superhero story," said Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante. "This is a story about hope in a world that feels increasingly hopeless. And in this timeline, Archie is our beacon of hope.”
"MR. JUSTICE plays with the absolute sincerity of the Archie cast of characters, through the filter of a much more cynical superhero world," writer Tim Seeley said. "I think, understandably, we've spent years being jaded by the idea that someone with power would be good, but that's totally who Archie Andrews is. However, his world is full of people who care a lot more about money and power than he does."
Artist Mike Norton said, “This is a much more modern take on the ‘Archie as a superhero’ idea. It’s an examination of an incorruptible soul in a corrupt world. Archie is the perfect character to put in that environment because he’s the original ‘good guy.’ It’s been fun to read and even more fun to draw!”
ARCHIE SHOWCASE JUMBO DIGEST #21 ARCHIE'S CHRISTMAS STOCKING (Archie, $9.99)
Here's a complete story:
ATLAS COMICS LIBRARY VOL 4: WAR COMICS HC ($34.99): The solicitations don't say what comics are collected here, only that there are eight of them, and they're drawn by Gene Colan, Russ Heath, Joe Maneely, Dave Berg, Jay Scott Pike, Mike Sekowsky, Vern Henkel, Allen Bellman, Pete Morisi and Norman Steinberg. Here's a PREVIEW.
BLACK, WHITE & BLOODSHOT #3 (OF 4, MR, $4.99): Not part of "Resurgence," but probably a good companion series.
EC EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #5 (Oni Press, OF 12, $4.99): This month's tales brought to you by writers Matt Kindt, Matthew Rosenberg and Joanne Starer, with artists Kano, Alex Tefenkgi and others. Here's a twist on a classic EC cover:
FEAR CITY: THUMPER #1 (Scout Comics, $4.99): This was supposed to come out almost a year ago, in January. I eventually threw away the preview. But I found one online at MAJOR SPOILERS.
FLASH GORDON #4 (Mad Cave, $4.99): Comic strip collectors alert!
FLASH GORDON CLASSIC COLLECTION VOL 2 HC (Mad Cave, $49.99): Comic strip collectors alert!
MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN: THE COMPLETE DAILIES VOL 2 HC 1936-1938 (Hermes, $60.00): Comic strip collectors alert!
MARK SPEARS' MONSTERS #2 (Keenspot, $5.99): I'm posting these covers because I think people here will like them. Note the homage to Tales from the Crypt #46.
MONTE CRISTO HC (Magnetic Press, MR, $29.99): A modern re-imagining of The Count of Monte Cristo. Here's a PREVIEW.
POPEYE VOL 4: SWEE' PEA & EUGENE THE JEEP TP (Fantagraphics, $24.99): Comic strip collectors alert! Here's a PREVIEW.
TELL ME A STORY WHERE THE BAD GIRL WINS HC (Fantagraphics. $45.00) is a retrospective/biography about the life and works of Barbara Shermund, who was a magazine illustrator and cartoonist from the 1920s to the 1960s. Here's a PREVIEW.
TOMORROW GIRL #9 (Antarctic Press, $4.99): You just never know where you're going to see an homage. Or Herbie.
UNCLE SCROOGE INFINITY DIME #1 (Mercury Comics, ROSS SGN VAR CGC GRADED, $300.00): Three. Hundred. Dollars.
VALIANT UNIVERSE HERO ORIGINS ARCHER & ARMSTRONG TP ($24.99): Another companion to "Resurgence."
Replies
FANTASTIC FOUR OMNIBUS VOL 5: Jeff P. says this lines up perfectly with the first 15 volumes of Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four
Not only that, but v6 (collecting #164-203 et al, solicited for June 2025) synchs up exactly with MMW FF v16-18.
MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF...?: I don't care about the answer to their question.
You and me both, brother.
I assume there are several homage covers below, besides the obvious one to Ms. Marvel #1.
Yeah, but I'm not going to bother to ID them, either.
[Agatha Harkness] started out as a good witch in Fantastic Four, and she was old, and then she was dead.
...and then she got better.
ABSOLUTE JUSTICE HC: Any comments, Legionnaires?
I don't remember much about it either, but I do recall that it was purty but lightweight, an obvious labor of love, but someone else's, not mine.
CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #8 FACSIMILE EDITION ($3.99): The Flash dies. (Spoiler!)
Eh, he gets better, too. I'm one of those guys pulling for a "Trial of The Flash" collection, but I really can't disagree with anything you said.
THE ROCKETFELLERS #1: This book feels like it should be written by Kurt Busiek, for some reason.
Perhaps you are thinking of Shock Rockets.
FLASH GORDON #4 (Mad Cave): Comic strip collectors alert!
This isn't a comic strip. It's the series of that FCBD comic book.
FLASH GORDON CLASSIC COLLECTION VOL 2 HC: Comic strip collectors alert!
This is a comic strip collection.
MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN: THE COMPLETE DAILIES VOL 2 HC 1936-1938: Comic strip collectors alert!
I'll likely have more to say about this one next week when it's in my hot little hands.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #262 FACSIMILE EDITION - I could be wrong, but you can probably find the original in a back issue bin cheaper than $4.99. I certainly did.
ABSOLUTE JUSTICE HC - I remember thinking it was fine, but forgetable. For me it was also hurt by coming out every other month, so it was hard to keep up with the story,
SCALPED OMNIBUS VOL 1 HC (MR, $75.00) collects Scalped #1-29 (of 60). I read the first few issues of this back in the day and thought "meh." Did I make a mistake giving up on it, Legionnaires? - I read this entirely through trades, and I thought it was great. This is the series that made be a fan of Jason Aaron. A great crime series set on a reservation. So yeah, you effed up. hahaha!
GUN HONEY: COLLISION COURSE (112 pages, $17.99): Topless lesbian crime noir. - These are good comics though, and I usually don't get into this kind of titialtion.
ABSOLUTE JUSTICE HC: Any comments, Legionnaires?
I don't remember much about it either, but I do recall that it was purty but lightweight, an obvious labor of love, but someone else's, not mine.
ABSOLUTE JUSTICE HC - I remember thinking it was fine, but forgetable. For me it was also hurt by coming out every other month, so it was hard to keep up with the story.
That's two "mehs," so I'm disinclined to get the collection. Thanks!
THE ROCKETFELLERS #1: This book feels like it should be written by Kurt Busiek, for some reason.
Perhaps you are thinking of Shock Rockets.
I'm not sure I was thinking about anything in particular. It just read like a Busiek team story, and I was feeling a little deja vu, and predicting story beats and dialogue in my head. Which is not necessarily a good thing, much as I like Busiek's work.
MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN: THE COMPLETE DAILIES VOL 2 HC 1936-1938: Comic strip collectors alert!
I'll likely have more to say about this one next week when it's in my hot little hands.
I got about halfway through Vol. 1 before I was pulled away by something with higher priority. (My reading speed since the cataract surgery is badly diminshed, especially print. Before 2019 I would have zipped though Mandrake Vol. 1 in a couple of nights.) It wasn't as bad as I feared, but wasn't as good as I hoped.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #262 FACSIMILE EDITION - I could be wrong, but you can probably find the original in a back issue bin cheaper than $4.99. I certainly did.
A rarely mentioned flaw in today's Golden Age of Facsimiles.
SCALPED OMNIBUS VOL 1 HC (MR, $75.00) collects Scalped #1-29 (of 60). I read the first few issues of this back in the day and thought "meh." Did I make a mistake giving up on it, Legionnaires? - I read this entirely through trades, and I thought it was great. This is the series that made be a fan of Jason Aaron. A great crime series set on a reservation. So yeah, you effed up. hahaha!
Not for the first or last time, sadly. I have most, of not all, of the original series (from back when DC would send out physical review copies). Once I clear a path to that corner of the Cave, maybe I can find the time to read them. I'll put it on the bucket list.
GUN HONEY: COLLISION COURSE (112 pages, $17.99): Topless lesbian crime noir. - These are good comics though, and I usually don't get into this kind of titialtion.
The thing is, the stories are good enough that the nekkidness is unnecessary, IMHO. I just find it distracting and implausible. (I'm thinking of one scene where the protagonist is doing cartwheels and standing forward flips in a gunfight and I wasn't thinking "whoa, that's hot," I was thinking "no way someone with boobs that big can jump around like that without a bra on. She'll give herself a black eye."
Also, the unnaturally huge sweater kittens is another pet peeve of mine. I don't think it's sexy; it looks like a strange mutation. I hold a prejudice against Jim Balent's Catwoman run to this day for that reason.
Having said all that, every once in a while I'll catch up on a random "Gun Honey" title because I'm in the mood for good espionage/crime noir. I just try to ignore the fan service.
I wish they had used Mickey or even Donald instead of Scrooge in the "What if Minie became Captain Marvel" cover homage (cover B) to Ms.Marvel #1. In the original Peter Parker is there. There was another homage to the same cover in #10 of the 2014 "Captain Marvel" series.
Cover A is a homage to #2 of the same 1970s series.
Cover D may be a homage to #29 of the 1968 series (starring Mar-Vell). But it also somewhat resembles #9 and #14 of the 2012 series.
Thanks for the research, Luis. Looking at those covers, I saw the Kirby Krackle on Cover E and realized how much less I see that now than I used to. At one point, just about every working artist used it. It was the just the standard way energy was depicted.