DC UNIVERSE Month 34, Part 2

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #11 by Brian Michael Bendis and Ryan Sook. Dr. Fate is disintegrated on Xanthu, causing Superboy and Saturn Girl to fly to New Krypton just as Rogol Zaar is attacking it. Rose, Blok, and Lightning Lad go to Daxam where Mordru attacks them.

NIGHTWING #76 by Dan Jurgens and Ronan Cliquet. KGBeast has returned to actually kill Nightwing this time. He has taken Bea hostage and plans to kill her first, leading to a battle between himself and Nightwing. Dick uses his baton to blow up KGBeast’s gun and subduing him. In the end, Dick tells Bea that he doesn’t remember much and they should just be friends, leading her to storm away as Dick cries.

PUNCHLINE #1 by James Tynion IV, Sam Johns and Mirka Andolfo. Alexis Kaye is on trial but still has numerous fans. Cullen Row tells his sister that she should listen to Punchline’s podcasts. Over the next few days, Cullen listens to all of her podcasts and eventually meets the boy who turned him on to them. In the end, they end up together at a rally supporting Punchine.

RED HOOD #51 by Shawn Martinbrough and Tony Akins. Jason Todd moves back to, "The Hill" and moves back into his old apartment. He also reconnects with Dana Harlowe, who has been watching a property he owns for twelve years. Meanwhile, a guy who makes designer shoes based on Gotham villains gets himself in trouble with other gangs…and with Killer Croc.

SUICIDE SQUAD #11 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo. Jog is dead, but gets a visit from the Black Racer, who brings him back to life, inferring that he is Jog’s father. Jog travels to Badhnista and, together, they keep Lola’s blast from destroying everything. Just as they are about to exact revenge on Black Mask when the Justice League arrives and stops them, but not before Black Mask gets his legs shot. The League takes Black Mask away, the team celebrates and Harley gives the sad news to Deadshot’s daughter. In the end, the Revolutionaries gather up everyone responsible for Task Force X and tell them to shut their actions down or else.

SUPERMAN #27 by Brian Michael Bendis and Ivan Reis. Superman battles the Synmar in the Phantom Zone. They team up to defeat the Phantom King of the Phantom Zone, but after the leave the Zone and head to where Synmar was, Superman is no longer affected by the yellow sun, leaving him powerless. Synmar finally speaks and says he accepts Superman’s surrender. Elsewhere, Lois and Lana have coffee.

TALES FROM THE DARK MULTIVERSE: BATMAN HUSH #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Dexter Soy and Sergio Davila. In the Dark Multiverse, the Elliot family was with the Waynes when they died. They deiced to adopt Bruce. Flash forward twenty years. Tommy Elliot is the Senator for Gotham. He is helped by Talia, the League of Assassins and the Court of Owls. Even Lincoln March is involved, as he is the President of the United States. Bruce Wayne is out of the picture as Tommy had him committed to Arkham almost ten years ago, giving Tommy control of the Wayne fortune. Bruce and several inmates break out of Arkham and he transforms into the Bloody Bat of Arkham, taking revenge on Tommy and moving into the Batcave with his fellow inmates.

TEEN TITANS #47 by Robbie Thompson and Javi Fernandez. Joystick is back and he has over the bodies of Red Arrow and Kid Flash, using them against Roundhouse and Crush. Red Arrow eventually breaks control and takes down Joystick, leading to Kid Flash being freed. And they eventually kiss. In the end, the team meets with Nightwing, who presents them with Titans Tower.

WONDER WOMAN #766 by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh. Dianaattles and defeats Count Vertigo, freeing the citizens of Vlatava. But one of them gets taken over by Maxwell Lord and delivers a message to Diana. This leads to the Amazon hunting the man who wants to kill her.

WONDER WOMAN #767 by Mariko Tamaki and Rafa Sandoval. After a flashback detailing Maxwell Lord's troubled childhood, we go to Wonder Woman continuing to look for him. Inside Vertigo’s castle, she finds Maxwell’s daughter, but this is only Maxwell using his powers to cause Diana to choke herself and then stab herself. In actuality, she just cuts herself and then beats him down. Maxwell gets taken into custody and then gets to share a cell with his daughter, who stabs him.

YOUNG JUSTICE #20 by Brian Michael Bendis, David Walker and Scott Godlewski. The team goes to Mount Justice, where they find the deactivated Red Tornado. But he detects them as trespassers and attacks them. The team defeats and destroys him and then John Stewart arrives, questioning why Teen Lantern has the gauntlet that gives her the Green Lantern powers. He eventually leaves, telling her she needs to go to the Hall of Justice for training. In the end, the team has a party in the hideout.

 

DC UNIVERSE Month 34, Part 1

ACTION COMICS #1027 by Brian Michael Bendis and John Romita Jr. Lois is grilled by Agent Chase, who tries to determine if Lois is an alien. Lois never answers but Chase figures out that Leone is the actual alien. The Superboys, Supergirl, and Brainiac-5 save Superman from Red Cloud and the all transport to the Phantom Zone, where Red Cloud has a choice and she opts for jail. She receives a letter from Leone, who tells Goode to go to hell. In the end, Brainiac-5 goes back to the 31^st Century and Perry White announces that Jimmy now owns the Daily Planet.

AQUAMAN #65 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Miguel Mendonca. Arthur calls out for help after being stabbed by Orm and he gets it from the Justice League. That leads to a one-on-one battle between Orm and Aquaman, with Aquaman winning. With that defeat, Atlantis’ populations join together and heal. In the end, Arthur proposes and he and Mera get married.

BATMAN #102 by James Tynion IV and Carlo Pagulayan. There’s a new vigilante in Gotham by the name of Ghost-Maker. As Batman continues to take out Joker Gang members known as Grinners, he discovers a Grinner’s hideout where everyone inside has been killed. In a flashback, a young Bruce Wayne follows a man out of a bar and asks the man to train him. Bruce ends up fighting with anther youth who also wants this man to train him. Back in the present, Harley moves into a new apartment, where she is being watched by Clownhunter. Ghost-Maker shows up and menaces Clownhunter, but Batman shows up and the pair battle. Ghost-Maker offers Batman a wager-the winner of the fight gets Gotham.

BATMAN #103 by James Tynion IV and Carlo Pagulayan. In a flashback, Bruce is meditating in the desert when Ghost-Maker appears and wants to fight Bruce, before planting his sword in the ground and joining him. He tells Bruce he will fail because he allows emotions to rule him, leading to the two fighting. In the present, Batman is fighting Ghost-Maker where he reveals what he has already finished in Gotham. Meanwhile, Harley is talking to a poison ivy plant when Clownhunter sneaks in and tries to kill her. She knocks him out and Batman bursts in with two swords stuck in his back. Ghost-Maker shows up and takes her out with a tranquilizer dart. As Batman tells Ghost-Maker that he had actually known about all the things that Ghost-Maker had dealt with, but didn’t act on them as they would lead to bigger things. In response, Ghost-Maker hits Batman with a tranquilizer dart.

BATMAN BEYOND #49 by Dan Jurgens and Paul Pelletier. While future Batman saves his young father, present Batman teams up with Booster Gold to take on Blanque. Batman gets taken out and Blanque uses his mind-control powers to get Booster to kill him. Terry jumps in and so does Skeets, allowing them to take down Blanque. Terry leaves, Batman comes back and Booster tries to convince him to let them be partners. Back in the future, time has been restored and Matt is still alive. In the end, this was all a plan cooked up by Bruce Wayne. Time did not to be restored-Terry needed to make this happen as this moment inspired Terry’s dad. Without it happening, future Batman would never have come to be.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN #14 by Joshua Williamson and Max Raynor. Composite Batman/Superman comes to Earth and battles Superman while Batman, Steel, and Batwoman fight the robots on the moon. Batman puts on a VR headset and enters the matrix, shutting down the program. Batman examines the AI before containing it and storing it away.

CATWOMAN #27 by Ram V and Fernando Blanco. Selina and the kids work together to steal the Khadym Mob’s drugs. She stashes them in a storage unit, with directions for Handle to find them. Pit decides to have a hitman take Catwoman out but, luckily for her, Father Valley kills the hitman, swearing that only he will be responsible for killing her.

DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL #5 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. The Trinity, along with Harley and Swamp Thing, battle Castle Bat and get much needed help from  Lex and the Legion of Doom ship. Meanwhile, Perpetua and the Darkest Knight battle each other. Later a reunited team is thrilled as Lobo, straight from DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL INFINITE HOUR EXXXTREME #1, shows up with the shards of Metal X. The plan is to use Metal to fix time. Batman reveals he is truly dead and this can’t be reversed and Superman can’t be fixed and will remain powerless. Superman gathers his team of living and dead heroes and villains to fight the evil earths while Diana and her team of Lobos head off the restart the Multiverse.

DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL INFINITE HOUR EXXXTREME #1 by Becky Cloonan, Sam Humphries, Frank Tieri, Denys Cowan, Tyler Kirkham and Rags Morales. Lobo battles The Batman Who Frags before Lex pulls him away and tasks him with finding the shards of Metal X. After fighting Black Monday, Lobo teams up with Hawkman before they end up in Gemworld. In the end, Lobo ends up with Brainiac, who has created multiple Lobo hero mash-ups. Lobo gains all of the Metal shards and The Batman Who Frags is defeated by Lobo versions of Wonder Woman, Batman and more.

DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL THE MULTIVERSE WHO LAUGHS #1 by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, Patton Oswalt, Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Saladin Ahmed, Brandon Thomas, Juan Gedeon, Sanford Greene, Chad Hardin, Scot Eaton and Thomas Mandrake. A collection of tales from many if the 52 Earths that have been created by the Darkest Knight. Four stories here featuring Zsasz, the Super-Pets, Green Arroe/Green Lantern and Steel.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1030 by Peter J. Tomasi and Bilquis Evely. Mayoral candidate Nakano is dreaming and finds himself engulfed in flames. He’s wakes with even more determination that vigilantes must be unmasked. Meanwhile, Batman has to deal with how Damian is filled with rage and has stolen Bruce's black book. Batman gathers Red Hood, Batwoman, Nightwing, Spoiler, The Signal, and Batgirl-all of whom have been attacked by The Mirror’s anti-vigilante group. They head off to help a potential victim, only to be surrounded by a group who are screaming “no more bats”. Elsewhere, Damian continues to investigate things he should leave alone.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1031 by Peter J. Tomasi and Bilquis Evely. Nakano gets a visit from The Mirror, who offers Nakano a flash drive that contains information that will help him win the election. Nakano refuses it, preferring to lose the election rather than cheat. Meanwhile, Robin has snuck into Detective Podolsky's house and has uncovered that she is actually Catherine Elliot: the half-sister of Hush. After a scuffle, he leaves her tied to a chair. Meanwhile, The Mirror is leading a rally of his followers and the teamfind themselves surrounded by the group who are screaming “no more bats”. A fight ensues and results in the team being captured by The Mirror.

THE FLASH #765 by Kevin Shinick and Sami Basri. With Barry’s powers gone and having been defeated by Dr. Alchemy, he resorts to investigating crimes scenes where Alchemy has been. After investigating Alchemy’s prison cell and discovering Latin words that describe a chemical process, he gets an idea while going through the metal detector. He deduces that Alchemy used Barry’s Flash ring to negate his Flash powers. He fixes the ring and heads off to battle Alchemy, quickly defeating him and getting the philosopher’s stone away from Alchemy. Alchemy reveals that he knows Barry’s name, leading Barry to get Iris and run her to a hidden cabin. Alchemy arrives and attacks, with the many faces of all the Philosopher’s revealed. Desmond regains control and explains cameras were placed inside of Barry’s pupils. Now the philosophers how Barry makes the metal, Lightzinium, which goes into his ring.

THE FLASH #766 by Kevin Shinick and Will Conrad. Barry continues to battle Alchemy and has his arms and legs turned to putty. Desmond regains control and tells Barry that the only way to stop them is to recreate the Philosopher’s stone. Barry heads to the Hall of Justice, where John Stewart removes the cameras in his eyes. Will Magnus instructs Barry on recreating the Philosopher’s Stone, but warms him that the Stone will have an effect on him as well. Barry believes that the addition of Lightzinium will protect him. Barry races through a radically altered Central City before meeting Alchemy, who turns Central City into a town of acid. It turns out Desmond was in control the entire time. Barry uses the stone and turns Alchemy to stone. In the end, a stone Alchemy goes to Iron Heights and Barry contemplates buying a ring for Iris.

GREEN LANTERN: SEASON TWO #9 by Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp. Hal testifies in a galactic court against Hyperman. Hal decides to re-evaluate his relationship with Carol, only to find her being proposed to by himself. This turns out to be Earth 11’s Hal who has been tricked by Earth 11’s Carol into going to our Earth. Carol Jordan shows up and takes Hal to Earth 11. That’s when the Golden Destroyer arrives.

HAWKMAN #29 by Robert Venditti and Fernando Pasarin. Hawkman is bleeding out, but musters all of his energy to save Shay from Anton. He uses the power of his mace and dagger to make a bob and blow up the train. Rather than face defeat, Hath-Set chooses suicide. While he does continue to appear over the years, the book ends with Carter and Shay living long lives and training a new generation in the 40^th Century.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #56 by Joshua Williamson and Robson Rocha. With most of his team taken out by the Omega Knight, Nightwing gets saved by Detective Chimp and his horse Comet. Meanwhile, Hawkgirl battles Mindhunter, defeating him and saving Martian Manhunter in the process. They all team up, along with Cyborg, Luthor and Starfire to head back into the fight. Chimp climbs the Throne of Perpetua, causing the Omega Knight to blast him, but also destroying the Throne on the process, freeing the Legion of Doom. And now, they want to take revenge on Nightwing.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #57 by Joshua Williamson and Xermanico. The Legion wants revenge, especially on Luthor who betrayed them to Perpetua. Detective Chimp, who was not killed last issue, arrives and tells them the Omega Knight still lives. This leads to a team-up between the Legion of Doom and the heroes. Luthor gets Sinestro to use his ring to destroy the Omega Knight. Luthor declares he will be in control again and uses a Boom Tube to bring he and his team away from the upcoming battle.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #28 by Ram V and Amancay Nahuelpan. Zatanna has allowed herself to be taken over by the Upside-Down Man. Bobo once again gets to be the protector of Myrra. John Contantine is dead but Zatara sacrifices himself with one last trick that resurrects Constantine. In the end…the Endless Winter is coming.

Another batch of first issues

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: THE SINS OF NORMAN OSBON #1 by Nick Spencer and Federico Vincentini. Norman Osborn has been causing grief in Peter Parker’s life since his first appearance in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #14. He’s been a villain, a father, an insane character and a complete megalomaniac. He has been dead or presumed dead so many times. Currently he runs Ravencroft and now he is going to have to team up with his arch enemy to save his own life. This book ties directly into the current storyline where Spidey faces one of his greatest challenges.

DIE!NAMITE #1 by Declan Shalvey, Fred Van Lente and Vincenxo Carbatu. The heroes of the Dynamite Universe come together to fight zombies. While this seems like they are just mining material that Marvel and DC has already used, it is of note that they have also brought in characters from other comic media, most specifically(spoiler!) Smiley: the psychotic button from EVIL ERNIE. All in all, this could lead to a nice reboot of that character before all is done.

AMERICAN VAMPIRE 1976 #1 by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque. This sequel to numerous series and mini-series following the historical vampire evolution.  While not a fan of the original runs, this caught my interest because of the 1970’s setting. Snyder nicely sets things up, although I would have liked a bit more back-story filling in some details for readers just jumping onboard for the first time.

AVENGERS EMPYRE: AFTERMATH #1 by Al Ewing and Valerio Schiti. EMPYRE is finally over, after long delays because of the Covid shutdowns. With the whole new version of the Kree/Skrull/Cotati War ended, with Hulking being the new ruler in space, the multiple storylines are wrapped up and new seeds placed. Carol Danvers ends up getting into things with Brand and leaves Alpha Flight. But that may lead to a future where Brand leads a much darker version of S.W.O.R.D.

BAD MOTHER #1 by Christ Faust and Mike Deodato Jr. AWA Studios is another upstart comic company trying to find its’ place in the comic shops of the country. They have brought in many high-profile creators into their titles including J. Michael Straczynski and Mike Deodato and are helmed by Axel Alonso-former Editor in Chief at Marvel. What happens when you get pushed to your limit and you need to save your family? You get this. The story is okay, but Deodato’s art is killer.

BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT PRESENTS HARLEY QUINN #1 by Sean Murphy and Katana Collins. Spinning out of both BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT mini-series, The Joker is dead, Batman is in jail and Harley is the hero of the moment. Part detective story, part superhero titles, Murphy knows his character well. You need to read the previous mini-series to get all of this as this is NOT part of DC continuity and tells a dark tale.

CHAMPIONS OUTLAWED #1 by Eve L. Ewing and Simone Di Meo. Back before the world shutdown, there was a storyline that was supposed to run through all the Marvel teen hero titles, where underaged superheroes were now illegal. Well, the shutdown put a hold on all of that and the fact that a new enforcement agency called C.R.A.D.L.E. was pretty much shifted to the rear in most Marvel titles. This one shot will lead into a new CHAMPIONS series, a (finally) continuation of THE RUNAWAYS and eventually an ending to MS. MARVEL. Basically, it’s a starting point in an effort to continue this story, which feels like a reboot of the Superhuman Registration Act.

CROSSOVER #1 by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw. Denver has been destroyed by the appearance of comic book heroes. The battle may still rage these many years later but we’ll never know as Denver has been wrapped in a super bubble. But, every now and then, one of these comic characters gets out. This is that story: a world divided and fearful of those who aren’t like us. A killer Cates romp that so echoes our world today

THE ELECTRIC BLACK PRESENTS #1 by Joseph Schmalke, Rich Wodall, Walter Ostile and Paul Pelletier. Indy comics still exist and this is a great example of it. This anthology features two great tales of old school horror with a modern twist. The stories are cool with some nice twists and the art is great. Again, it’s not from the big companies but proof that good stuff exists outside of the norm.

FANTASTIC FOUR EMPYRE: FALLOUT #1 by Dan Slott and Sean Izaakse. EMPYRE is finally over and with it, the end of the Kree/Skrull/Cotati War. The FF gain to new members, as they adopt a pair of children. But the biggest reveal here is the epilogue which features the return of Uatu the Watcher, who hasn’t been seen since Nick Fury took over the role of the Watcher.

GIANT-SIZE X-MEN: TRIBUTE TO WEIN AND COCKRUM #1 by Len Wein and a host of artist. This is a truly loving tribute to GIANT-SIZE X-MEN #1: the book that ushered in the Modern team. It is quite literally a shot by shot, page by page recreation of the book with a different artist/artist team handing each page. While it is visually a little jumbled, the concept is great and the 36 artist teams have truly done their homework. Well done, Marvel!

ICE CREAM MAN: QUARANTINE COMIX SPECIAL by W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo. ICE CREAM MAN is this strange horror anthology title which has suddenly gained all sorts of interest on the secondary market, leading to great demand and high prices on many issues. This one shot is a collection of mini-comics which were produced during the Covid lockdown and originally appearing as a weekly web series. It’s a trippy little title and will certainly appeal to fans of the genre.

THE IMMORTAL HULK #0 by Al Ewing and Mattia De Iulis, with work from Bill Mantlo, Peter David, Mike Mignola and Adam Kubert. Ewing and Iulis  provide the framing sequences which allows for the reprinting of THE INCREDIBE HULK #312 and THE INCREDIBLE HULK FLASHBACK #1. This allows those stories to tie into current continuity and brigs about the connection between Bruce Banner’s father and The Leader. While it is mostly a reprint book, it does a nice job of connecting the past to the present and drops breadcrumbs into the current story.

THE IMMORTAL HULK: THE TRESHING PLACE #1 by Jeff Lemire and Mike Del Mundo. A kidnapped girl in a country town, monsters and creepy scientists star in this one-shot. It’s pretty much a standard story with some nice little touches from Lemire. And of course, the wonderful art of Mike Del Mundo.

THE IMMORTAL SHE-HULK #1 by Al Ewing and Jon Davis-Hunt. Jen Walters deals with the multiple times she has died over the years in this psychological one-shot. Over the course of the book, she ends up going to Hell multiple times, meeting with Brian Banner and The Leader. Bottom line: The Leader controls the door and Jen had better not die ever again as it will be permanent.

IRON MAN #1 by Christopher Cantwell and Cafu. Well, Tony Stark is back in action and seemingly learning from lessons of the past. He gets into a team-up with Patsy Walker and they get into it with classic villain Unicorn. After so many years of Tony dealing with his brother, numerous technological villains and bouts of depression and even falling off the wagon once or twice, it’s nice to see Tony fighting am old villains and bringing Patsy into a story was incredibly cool. This book is off to a new start.

JUGGERNAUT #1 by Fabian Nicieza and Ron Garney. Two legendary creators team up for this unusual tale of Cain Marko. He was a villain, then a hero(sort of) and now the softer side of this troubled soul is here. Very impressed with a title I thought would be just filler in Marvel’s lineup.

KING TANK GIRL #1 by Alan Martin and Brett Parson. While it’s possible that most comic fans, specifically of this generation, only know of TANK GIRL from the disappointing but cult status film starring Lori Petty, this is the real deal. Silly, fun, cutting edge with some nice political slaps. For fans from my age group, this is like this is like a visit from an old friend.

THE LAST RONIN #1 by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Esau, Isaac Escorza and Ben Bishop. The rift has been patched and the legendary creators of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES are together again for this epic future tale of the heroes in a half shell. With some familiar characters, some new ones and some wild twists, this first issue lays some interesting groundwork for what will come. Highly recommended.

MADAM SATAN #1 by Eliot Rahal and Julius Ohta. Spinning out of THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA, we get this one shot with Madam Satan. It’s good, old school Gothic and gore like in the Pre-Code days. Surprisingly fun! I could almost do a full series of this, especially since the Archie horror line seems to have bit the dust.

MARVEL SNAPSHOTS: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 by Howard Chaykin. Legendary creator Howard Chaykin takes the reigns on this one-shot. It’s a caper book with very little Spider-Man and a lot of seedy characters planning a big heist. And, in typical Chaykin fashion, it looks great and checks all the right boxes regarding characters and dialogue. Of all the MARVEL SNAPSHOTS titles thus far, this is my favorite. That’s not saying the others have been bad, but this nails the idea of a fun read without a ton of baggage.

MARVEL SNAPSHOTS: THE AVENGERS #1 by Barbara Randall Kesel and Staz Johnson. Marvel continues these one-shots of regular folks having to deal with living in a world of superheroes. Don’t expect a lot of hero action-this is a character driven tale. Not a big fan of Johnson’s art style, but it does have an 80’s feel to it, so I guess it fits.

MARVEL SNAPSHOTS: X-MEN #1 by Jay Edidin and Tom Reilly. A coming of age story for a young, pre-Cyclops, Scott Summers. Our hero gets inspired by the Fantastic Four and eventually gets to meet his heroes. But the bottom line is about Summers having his eye powers bloom and figuring how to deal with it. A bit of a different X-Men story than we are normally used to.

NORSE MYTHOLOGY #1 by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell, Mike Mignolsa and Jerry Ordway. Gaiman cuts loose with a host of tales of the Norse gods. Don’t expect Marvel’s version of Thor or Walt Simonson’s. This is more linked to Norse Mythology and it loos great. C’mon-Gaiman, Russell, Mignola and Ordway? That’s an incredible cast of creators. If you’re looking for hammer tossing heroes, move on. However…there WILL BE a hammer, just not in this issue.

THE RISE OF ULTRAMAN #1 by Kyle Higgins, Mat Groom, Francesco Manna, Ed McGuinness, Michael Cho and Gurihiru. Marvel reboots the classic hero for the 21^st Century…and it’s a mess! It’s confusing and soulless with pseudo-Anime style art trying to hold it together. In fat the most fun was the cool Ultra Q story by Higgins, Groom, and Cho that typifies the feel of that series and does so in black and white. Yeah…this is a hard pass for a huge Ultra man fan.

RORSCHACH #1 by Tom King and Jorge Fornes. DC continues to show it’s love of Watchman by unleashing Tom King, who tore it up with MISTER MIRACLE, on this take on a new, TV inspired Rorschach. In typical King fashion, it’s a mystery that needs to be unwrapped like an onion. You won’t get many answers to your questions in issue #1…you’ll have to be here for the long haul.

SCUMBAG #1 by Rick Remender and Lewis Larosa. What happens when a spent drug addict with a taste for heavy metal gets accidentally injected with a secret formula which makes him the savior of the world? THIS! Seriously, this crazy tongue-in-cheek story is all about the worst person to be the hero. He’s crass, rude, offensive and stoned. One of my favorite new titles!

SHANG CHI #1 by Gene Luen Yang and Dike Ruan. Marvel gives the self proclaimed Master of Kung Fu his own mini-series, probably to keep interest alive in the forthcoming film. And it’s a disappointment. This is the current Shang Chi, whose story got rebooted during the Marvel NOW! Era. The only hodover from his past is on-again/off-again girlfriend Leiko Wu. No Black Jack Tarr. No Clive Restin. No Sir Denis Nayland Smith. No Dr. James Petrie. No Fah Lo Suee. No Fu Manchu. No Bruce Lee look. In a phrase-no Bueno!

SWEET TOOTH: THE RETURN #1 by Jeff Lemire and Jose Villarrubia. Over a decade ago, Lemire brought us a post-apocalyptic tale of Gus and the animal/human hybrids that now populates the world. Now Lemire revisits that tale and it’s a good time for it, as Netflix is producing an eight-episode first season. It treads some familiar post-apocalyptic ground, but is such an iconic story, it needs to be read…even if you read it the first time.

TASKMASTER #1 by Jed MacKay and Alessandro Vitti. The legendary merc and trainer is here in this beautifully illustrated mini-series. Maria Hill has been killed and it looks like the star of the book is responsible. That means he’s a hunted man with no less that Black Widow, Squadron Supreme, the Agents of Wakanda and N.I.S. Tiger Division on his tail. Fun stuff from MacKay and Vitti.

U.S. AGENT #1 by Christopher Priest and Georges Jeanty. John Walker is back and he’s on the run. This becomes a twisted road trip book with Walker, a pizza delivery man and lots of gun play. It’s pure Priest, with great dialogue, story twists and action. Priest was the main reason for me grabbing this title as “I knew the wild ride I was in for. This was so much fun that I wish this would evolve into a monthly title.

VAMPIRELLA TRIAL OF THE SOUL #1 by Bill Willingham and Giuseppe Cafaro. Dyenamite continues to mine its’ Vampirella property and delivers this one shot. It’s well written and illustrated, but the big attraction is the introduction of Prester John, who I’m sure will end up in the Vampi canon in the future. Definitely aimed at die hard Vampirella fans.

THE WALKING DEAD DELUXE #1 by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore. Now that the series has ended, Image is releasing the entire series again-two issues per month and in full color. So we’ve had 193 issues, a handful of one shots, hardcover and trade paperback collections and now this. With all those options out there, why buy this? Outside of the color work, each issue has “the cutting room floor” which features notes and such for each issue. It gives you a behind the scenes look at the thought and creation process for each issue. This is like the Criterion treatment on the series, filled with Kirkman’s original page by page plotting notes and commentary. Be aware: you’re in for the long haul. At two issues a month, you’re looking at a nine-year ride. The good/bad news of this: you might be at the point to sell your original copies unless this drops the price, which would be a plus for collectors.

WARHAMMER 40,000: MARNEUS CALGAR #1 by Kieron Gillen and Jacen Burrows. I have never played WARHAMMER 40,000, never read a book about it, have no idea the history or mythos, although I have painted a few Space Marines along the way. My only reason for buying is being a fan of Burrows’ art. The story will appeal to WARHAMMER 40,000 fans. Other that Burrows’ art, I was unimpressed.

WEB OF VENOM: EMPYRE’S END #1 by Clay McLeod Chapman and Guiu Villanova. The variant cover says it all: Knull is coming. Knull is the big baddie who will be making his presence known in almost all Marvel titles through the beginning of 2021. A spaceship of Kree and Skrull warriors have survived the war and now face a blackness that does to them what an alien did in the original ALIEN. Essential tie-in if you’re going to jump into the forthcoming KING IN BLACK.

WEB OF VENOM: WRAITH #1 by Donny Cates and Guiu Villanova. Wriath is described as a lone gunslinger-picture a supernatural Punisher. His journey ends with a face-off against Knull. This is another tie-in to the upcoming KING IN BLACK event and since it’s written by Donny Cates, it ties in directly to VENOM.

WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #1 by Taboo, B. Earl and Scot Eaton. Dear Marvel: PLEASE STOP MESSING WITH MY CHILDHOOD COMICS! My WEREWOLF BY NIGHT is Jack Russell, he interacted with Moon Knight, Tigra and the Marvel Monsters. He was a member of the Midnight Sons. He was cool and edgy. THIS WEREWOLF BY NIGHT, created by Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, is Jake Gomez-a Hopi native. The story is convoluted and lame. Marvel has said the character will eventually appear as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Please make it better than this horrible take on the character.

WOLVERINE: BLACK, WHITE & RED #1 by Gerry Duggan, Matthew Rosenberg, Declan Shalvey, Adam Kubert and Joshua Cassara. This is a new anthology mini-series which, as the title implies, is told in black, white and red. Some high-end talent are on display here and, if you’re a fan of blood and guts Wolverine, this is for you.

WIDOMAKER #1 by Devin Grayson and Michele Bandini. This title was due out to time with the BLACK WIDOW film. Well, the film got delayed and the book is finally out, presumably to time with the eventual film release. The book stars Yelena Belova and a bearded Red Guardian-obviously to tie not David Harbour’s film look. Garyson is notable for her work on GOTHAM KNIGHTS, TITANS and especially NIGHTWING and an action story like this is in her wheelhouse.

X OF SWORDS CREATION #1 by Jonathan Hickman, Tini Howard and Pepe Larraz. This is the opening salvo in the 22 chapter X OF SWORDS crossover event running through all the X titles. And that’s a long haul for a big fight, “world changing” story. The set-up is typical with Hickman laying the groundwork for an epic. The sad part is reading it and being able to tell where Hickman left off and Howard took over. The continuity in the read is jarring and a major distraction.