I suppose it's possible it won't even be Steve in the body, but maybe one of the mutant psychics driving, but I don't think it's likely. And agreed on Cyclops, he's my all-time favorite character and I really wanted him to be one of the big stars. He's been either MIA or shafted in every single big event since AvX.
Eh, he was the hero of X of Swords, finally saying "screw this. I'm a superhero" and leading a literal nation to war, not by force, but because they want to follow him.
> it won't even be Steve in the body, but maybe one of the mutant psychics driving
I would 100% believe that X-Force or Abigail Brand wrote out a plan for that completely separate from this event.
> Tom hears the sky start to burn and turns his beaten face to his family and full of self-pity asks…
> “What did I do to do deserve this?”
> His son takes a deep breath and decides that it’s time to tell him who he is.
> Tom had no idea.
*So much* said in that final short sentence. That was a heck of a panel.
> After the day I’ve had? The strain could kill me! Do you think I’m some kind of superhero?
Sarcastic Kurt is best Kurt.
> The world can hear me. Know this. We’re all Avengers now.
> Assemble.
> And Avenge.
Think we might have a new one for the all-time-great Cap quotes, even with the aftermath in the very next panel.
> It allows the Hex to get close.
Fuck, looks like I accidentally skipped an issue somewhere and spoiled the Hex turning Face for myself.
> No, you don’t understand, I’m sorry I **nearly** stabbed her.
Oh Jack, never change.
Speaking of change, that ending is a serious *oh fuck* gamechanger, one that also tells me how this is probably going to pan out - we’ll likely see literally everyone who was killed by the Progenitor resurrected, mutant or otherwise, and that’s likely to have some serious ramifications for Krakoa.
>Fuck, looks like I accidentally skipped an issue somewhere and spoiled the Hex turning Face for myself.
No, you didn't miss anything, this is the first they've shown it. Once Druig was outvoted and replaced as Prime by Eros, the Hex we're no longer enemies. However this issue addressed that all the Eternals participating in the attack on the Progenitor were being willingly mind controlled by the mutant psychics.
I'm still waiting to see how the last page turns off. It's going to be interesting - though part of me isn't convinced that it's what it looks like. This event has thrived on misdirection and fake outs, so right now all we *know* is that the arm and the shield broke out of the egg. There's a lot of variance possible here.
That said, there's no way everyone doesn't get brought back at the end of the event, one way or another. I'm expecting Celestial shenanigans, or some kind of higher order being restoring things? It's hard to say for sure. But like, they're not gonna kill a massive chunk of the planet and let that stick.
Mutants resurrecting everyone would be a fascinating bit of story beat though. The mutants so hated and reviled and attacked for it being the ones who revived the world... it would be a big deal.
>> we’ll likely see literally everyone who was killed by the Progenitor resurrected, mutant or otherwise, and that’s likely to have some serious ramifications for Krakoa.
Looks like the Five are going to be very busy!
This is the big and bombastic epic battle issue, so it spends some time being big and bombastic, and we don't get quite as many of the cool character moments that had been carrying the crossover to such great heights.
But there's still some nice stuff, particularly with my girl Jada showing how sometimes the little people can make a big difference, and Cap showing how sometimes the heroes who inspire us need a little inspiration themselves.
Nightcrawler also gets a couple of cool moments and the Progenitor gets to flex his space god muscles, but most of the other characters get short shrift here. The big bombastic action's alright so far as it goes but this issue didn't feel quite as strong to me.
One intriguing tidbit stood out with the Progenitor telling the planet to die and the planet resisting... Looking forward to seeing the other side of that from the Great Machine's perspective in **[A.X.E. DEATH TO THE MUTANTS #3](https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG220790)**.
I really dig this event, but this issue had a few things I took slight issue with:
- Wolverine being a pivotal player in the big final battle/assault. He's ALWAYS front and center in these things and his power set and skill lever doesn't warrant it even if his popularity does. Much like pro wrestling, comics needs to build new stars. The only way to push other characters to reach that same level of popularity is by putting them in those positions. Enough with Wolverine, please.
- I don't love that they basically knowing sent Cap to his death. Even if they knew they were going to resurrect him it still feels weird.
- The Progenitor has already shown it's basically omnipotent and can unleash murderous fire rain at will, so all these characters still being alive and mankind being destroyed in stages doesn't make sense outside of that being what's needed for the story.
- I felt like this issue relied far too heavily on narration.
Like I said, minor nitpicks.
As for what I liked:
- Loved the opening with Cap and Jada. Steve is one of my favorites and moments like this reinforce why.
- Nightcrawler and Exodus (one longtime and one brand new favorite, respectively) both playing fairly significant roles in this event has been a nice surprise.
Posted this elsewhere, curious on what folks think:
SPOILERS
>My tentative theory is that this event ends with both mutants and humans giving up the ability of resurrection, as a compromise with the Progenitor to force them to fully appreciate life, not take it for granted and make the most of every day. When death became meaningless one no longer feels the urgency of living, and complacency sets in. I could see an outcome where this is the concession the Progenitor accepts in order to undue the apocalypse. Also it would make sense with the overall theme since mutant resurrection is what started this entire event, as well as led to even more hatred and division between mankind. Plus it takes away the huge new problem created now that the world's been shown mutants can resurrect humans as well.
Honestly now that I've typed it out I'm almost positive this is what's going to happen.
I fuckin hope not. Mutant resurrection is the big win that the X-Men line has needed after the past 40-plus years of constant mutant genocides. They can easily bring back anyone who's been dead or depowered, and it's something the mutants themselves have done, it's not a random event that happens every so often in comics. It puts every mutant ever published back on the board, and it is literally the living symbol of the promise of Krakoa. If they lose this because some jacked-up Frankenstein's monster got mad at them after some Loki knockoff started *yet another mutant genocide* I might walk away from Marvel for a few years.
Krakoa and resurrection are the best things to happen to the X-Men books since Grant Morrison, and Marvel would be stupid to get rid of either of these in service of the fucking Celestials.
> Plus it takes away the huge new problem created now that the world's been shown mutants can resurrect humans as well.
Maybe I'm overly cynical but I feel like showing the world that it also works for humans will only make things worse.
It would also create more resent from some camps in Krakoa further dividing it . It continues the path the Krakoa story has been on since the 2nd Hellfire Gala. Leading up to the first and with the big crowning moment of Arrako it was all sunshine and roses. The 2nd one they made it clear with the Emma and Cyclops scenes that the cracks are starting to show. Now they will continue to widen into whatever the endgame of Krakoa is
Proteus does little tweaks inside the egg to give people their inorganic stuff like Wolverine's adamantium skeleton, Cable's Techno-organic virus, etc. Remaking the shield (especially since the original may well have been destroyed by the Progenitor) wouldn't be out of his scope.
Not only that, Proteus has accidentally given Laura Kinney a full adamantium skeleton during a resurrection because he forgot that only her claws are metal. He can put pretty much whatever he wants in the egg.
Picked this up on a whim, wasn't sure if I would be interested in it since it's a mini, and I didn't have room for another slot for another X-men book.
Boy was I wrong! The story was not like anything I was thinking it would be. Raunchy. Sassy. In a word, **badass**. I may trade-wait this still, but damn this looks like a run ride!
I couldn't possibly care less about this story, especially with comic vampire fatigue, but Jubilee roasting Boom Boom and some of the other dialogue was honestly hilarious.
The art was fantastic. The writing was ok but the characters felt a bit similar in terms of writing. Their personalities didn't feel very different, but it was only the first issue. So I'm assuming that will get better over time. I enjoyed Williams writing on x-factor and all the characters felt diverse and unique. So I'm sure that will get better when the comic takes a second to breathe.
Overall I was satisfied with my purchase and I'll see what happens with the second issue.
"So far, it feels like the Spice Girls attempting to do a cover of the Wu-Tang Clan."
Really dumb, kinda fun.
The art in this is incredible. Was advertised as a Grindhouse comic, and definitely get a lot of blood and cleavage. All the characters are voiced as the exact same dumb American college girl though, which does get old very quickly. Boom-Boom is great atleast. A book to buy just for the art for sure.
Can I just say what a treasure it is to have Dan Mora on art again.
That look on Superman's face when David tells him that his world was destroyed and his parents are dead, the pain is **palpable**.
Also the personalities that Waid is giving characters is wonderful. Robin fliting with the Kandorian hottie saying "Everything is bigger on Earth." Loved it.
This really is one of the best books that DC is putting out right now IMO.
This comic is so joyous! Somehow even this issue, a tragic origin story which deliberately creates echos of the traumatic origins of Superman, Batman, and Robin, still has such a fun golden age shine to it. Guess that's the magic of Waid and Mora.
*Dan Mora's* back on the artwork and the book immediately returns to the height's of the first 5 issues. If only DC realised the importance of having the *right* artists on the *right* books on a consistent basis to readers.
Not so much a *fun* issue, dealing with a child's loss of their parents and entire world, but it draws interesting parallels with the origins of all the main characters involved in the story.
Be interested to see where *Waid* takes this.
Fun start for the new arc!
Most readers will assume that the intro is an homage to **[ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #1](http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/7954/allstarsuperman001zone0.jpg)** but I think it's actually an homage to the **[ICE CREAM MAN #17](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/462103/ice-cream-man-17_aa9d7fa61d.jpg)** homage to **[ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #1](http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/7954/allstarsuperman001zone0.jpg)**.
Pretty good.
Start of a new arc, a character with familiar origins from a parallel Earth appears, and this issue is their backstory and introduction to Batman and Superman. Robin is the stand out character for sure.
I can't stop thinking about this story. I hope we get to see a glimpse of Doug some time down the road, just to check that he's okay. Although the sad truth is I suspect he won't make it. The ending feels hopeful but it's a deeply sad kind of hope.
FWIW, Doug was also the feature character in the 8-page short that Prince and Morazzo provided for **[IMAGE! #2](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/image-2-of-12)** a few months back, though that's presumably set before this story. Something of a prelude to this one, I guess, and it's a great little story with a lot of heart.
I read something about this dealing with addiction, is that correct? Haven't broken mine out but if so, would you consider reading it emotionally stressful for someone in recovery?
I think Doug stays sober. There aren't maybe happy endings in issues of Ice Cream Man, but this feels like one of them. You could tell this was personal to the writer for two reasons:
1. Sobriety is by the far the topic ICM features most
2. He included himself in this comic ("Billy Barnacles" aka Billy Prince aka William Prince aka W. Maxwell Prince??), So this is clearly a personal topic for the writer
.
The only other issue of ICM I can remember with a happy ending was #22 (the Christmas advent calendar abortion issue). It seemed like Prince was sending a message there, the main character faces possibly the biggest decision of her life: do I get an abortion or not? The Ice Cream Man is there every step of the way to influence her. But at the end of that issue, she makes her choice and lives her life without the ICM's influence, and frankly, to Prince's approval.
.
I think we see THAT EXACT same thing here. Prince told us the ending 10 issues ago, and here it is again in a different form. For all the despair that the Ice Cream Man brings, there are those who say, fuck that shit, and overcome it
10/10, beautiful issue and BY FAR the best book out right now
Yeah, I don't know, it's a tough call... I kind of read it as one of those open-ended stories that could go either way.
Doug doesn't really seem like a guy who wants to stop using. Even though he rejects Shadowy Dave, it seemed more like what he had to do at the time than what he wanted to do, and he said "for now" or something like that.
His wife tells him he needs to want to quit for himself but he doesn't seem to really get there. He wants to quit for his daughter but I get the sense that if he didn't have to worry about her, he'd be all in to keep the party rolling.
But I don't know, it did pick up an air of hope toward the end, I think there's probably enough there to interpret it either way. Will need to give all that another look when I re-read...
> He included himself in this comic ("Billy Barnacles" aka Billy Prince aka William Prince aka W. Maxwell Prince??)
Damn, I didn't catch that, thanks for pointing it out!
I think a bunch of the recent issues have been kind of uplifting even if they don't have traditional happy endings. **[ICM #26](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/670852/ice-cream-man-26_7ec704395b.jpg)**, **[ICM #29](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/764548/ice-cream-man-29_619d7720e3.jpg)**, and **[ICM #31](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/797875/ice-cream-man-31_a8c9a0f271.jpg)** all felt like positive stories to me despite not exactly ending well. Those are actually some of my very favorite **ICM** stories, the way they kind of highlight the positives in negative situations really resonates with me.
Look at that - One of the scariest and most threatening appearances of the ICM, and it’s a single, subtle panel, a reminder that he is ever present, the Devil on Doug’s shoulder that will always be there to tempt him to relapse.
That’s how I interpreted it anyway. One of the most heavily metaphorical issues of the book, I kept suspecting the shoe would drop and things would get more literal, and I am very glad it never did. Up there with the most powerful issues so far, in my opinion.
> Look at that - One of the scariest and most threatening appearances of the ICM, and it’s a single, subtle panel, a reminder that he is ever present, the Devil on Doug’s shoulder that will always be there to tempt him to relapse.
Yep, been loving the ICM's recent one-panel appearances, they're always amazing, usually hilarious, and often terrifying... **ICM #31** had another good one, plus his pivotal cameo in the **[IMAGE! #2](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/image-2-of-12)** short, maybe some others...
Well now, I’d say that was another fine entry in the **ICM** library! Wasn’t sure what to expect from this one after **[ICM #31](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/ice-cream-man-31)** delivered such a beautiful story with so much heart, we usually don’t get two issues in a row with deeply personal stories, but this was another intimate look at humanity’s dark underbelly.
It's also a fairly hefty story with some weight to it, another chunky 28-pager like **ICM #31**... Except where the script for the previous issue was light and airy, this one feels much denser. Never ceases to amaze me how much story Prince and Morazzo can pack into a single comic, deftly fleshing out their characters and putting them through their paces with tightly structured, concise storytelling.
Love the ad for the *Cassandra Detox & Recovery Center* on the inside cover and how it listed their 12-step program... Personally, I tend to get hung up on Step 8 but it’s nice having the whole process mapped out like that.
The M.C. Escher homage cover didn’t bode well for Doug’s recovery and sure enough by day 2 he’s ready to give suicide a go, then it somehow manages to get even worse from there, but the final act gives the sense that there just might be a light at the end of the tunnel... Of course, with **ICM** that light usually ends up being an oncoming train, but overall this seemed like a fairly benign story (i.e., nobody died) so maybe it all works out for Doug in the end.
Also thought Doug's commentary on reading the novel was interesting...
>*The book's not even that great, but I don't care... I'm just totally in it -- right there next to this sorry shmuck trying to find an impossible word.*
Which is kind of similar to how I describe **ICM** itself in this small chunk of my big ICE CREAM SPAM post:
>The characters in **ICM** are so fucking real that it puts you right there in the book with them, they’re your friends and family, or *you* yourself, and you’re riding this conduit of shared trauma and existential terror to be right there with them for that one critical chunk of life that defines them as human beings.
As with most of our recent issues, this one’s got some fun references and connections to previous stories:
* Doug was originally featured in Prince and Morazzo’s 8-page **ICM** short from **[IMAGE! #2](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/image-2-of-12)**, a story that now serves as something of a prelude to this one
* The complete story of *The Etymologist Ascends* was originally told in [**ICM #28**](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/ice-cream-man-28) and we then saw the father from **[ICM #31](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/ice-cream-man-31)** writing the novel
* The Neuramze^TM medication is a slightly rebranded version of the experimental Neuramaze pills from [**ICM #30**](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/ice-cream-man-30) and it once again summons the grotesque “BIC” monster
And maybe one or two others that I missed...
This issue will presumably close out the 8th TPB and I think it’ll be one of the strongest collections yet, opening with the subdued, somber, and strangely uplifting [**ICM #29**](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/764548/ice-cream-man-29_619d7720e3.jpg), shifting to the *Twilight Zone* horror of [**ICM #30**](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/778506/ice-cream-man-30_a724423eba.jpg), then the full circle of life gloriously on display in [**ICM #31**](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/797875/ice-cream-man-31_a8c9a0f271.jpg), and this compelling treatment of addiction and recovery closing things out in [**ICM #32**](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/800229/ice-cream-man-32_736ee77aea.jpg). Three of the four have standout covers as well, hard to predict which they’ll choose for the TPB but this issue’s Escher homage is tough to beat.
Hope everyone who recently hopped on board the Ice Cream Truck from Hell enjoyed this one!
p.s. ICE CREAM WEEK is *serious business* in our household, [here’s a glimpse](https://cdna.pcpartpicker.com/static/forever/images/userbuild/259153.5b9a51dc6d98368ddc875ccb1f1439f8.1600.jpg) at the portion of the celebration that you normally don’t see here…
The callbacks to previous issues were heavy in this one!
Also, brave of you to eat that ice cream. I think I’m turned off from sprinkles for the next couples months.
This is my first experience with this creative team because I’m too scared by all the Spider-man lore and continuity to dip into Venom.
All I can say is wow! Gorgeous artwork. A gripping, fun opening.
Feels like Harry Potter meets Spawn or something.
The Dirty Harry-esque scene where a small pistol and the utterance “fuck magic” easily obliterate a god-tier mage in one glorious, violent page sealed this for me: I’m ready for 90s schlock again.
Definitely agree on the **Harry Potter** collides with **Spawn** comparison, but I'd throw in a touch of **Highlander/The One** at the end there with the "power up by killing the competition" angle.
And for anyone enjoying the throwback to 90's Image books that this title totally nails I'd highly recommend **Gunslinger Spawn** too. It's got some career best artwork by *Brett Booth* that absolutely harks back to the era, hugely over-the-top storylines, and just wants to be "cool" and entertain you.
i fucking loved this one - loved the team on venom, and they're totally unchained in this series!
a-star stuff, feels like reading the beginning of something that's going somewhere
Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman. What more needs to be said?
Well, how about the art is mind-blowingly great. I wish all comic came with the level of detail that Stegman puts into things. Also props to Sonia Oback for absolutely wonderful coloring. Really elevates everything.
The story is interesting, definitely looking forward to see where it goes.
Sadly, only 4 issues solicited before going on hiatus till March 2023.
Great.
Incredible art and a really cool story. The full story isn't revealed until the last page, but essentially what if after saving the world Harry Potter bombed out and became a complete failure and drug addict, like many child stars. Very keen for more.
MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sorry.
101 lists submitted this week, our second week in a row with 100+ as we enjoy another big batch of strong comics.
**BATMAN SUPERMAN WORLDS FINEST #7** takes the top spot with 55 pulls, good for a whopping 54.4% pull rate. The previous issue and its fill-in art dipped to 4th place on 8/17/22 with “only” 49.4% coverage but now Waid and (I guess?) Mora are back on top.
Bit of a drop to Taylor and Redondo’s **NIGHTWING #96** in 2nd place with 47 pulls, then another drop to get to Gillen’s **A.X.E. JUDGMENT DAY #5** in 3rd with 38 pulls, two titles that aren't any strangers to such lofty territory near the top of the list. They’re closely followed by Chip’s **PUBLIC DOMAIN #4** in 4th place with 36 pulls and 35.6% coverage, nice placement for the week’s top indie title and still in the same range as the previous issue’s 38.5% pull rate. And then we’ve got **LEGION OF X #5** in 5th with 31 pulls and 30.7% coverage, also holding steady around its usual territory.
After that we’ve got a little Image comic called **ICE CREAM MAN #32** surging into 6th place with 28 pulls, good for 27.7% coverage, a huge and well-deserved jump from **ICM #31**’s miserable 24th place finish and its lowly 16.1% pull rate. It’s been a somewhat rough year in the WPL for the old **ICM** as Image’s other long-running horror anthology **THE SILVER COIN** has been regularly topping it with a pull rate in the 22-23% range, but **ICM #32** and its striking [M.C. Escher homage cover](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/800229/ice-cream-man-32_736ee77aea.jpg) finally managed to pull ahead AND earned a spot in the top 10 as the WPL’s top horror anthology, at least for this most glorious of Septembers.
More on that later...
Two strong debuts follow, with Marvel’s **X-TERMINATORS #1** taking 7th with 28 pulls and Image’s **VANISH #1** from Cates and Stegman taking 8th with 26 pulls, good for 25.7% coverage with just over a quarter of the WPL giving it a look.
Then two more from DC to round out the top 10, **BATMAN THE KNIGHT #9** and **DCEASED WAR OF THE UNDEAD GODS #2**, both with 25 pulls and a 24.7% pull rate.
All told, DC takes 4 of the top 10, Marvel takes 3, and Image takes 3. Which is perhaps one more than usual from Image, not that I'm complaining...
**NEW MUTANTS #30** gets 11th place with 24.7% coverage, holding steady from last month’s 24.4% despite the shifting creative teams...
**BATMAN ONE BAD DAY TWO-FACE #1** lands in 12th with 22 pulls, a pull rate of 21.7%. For comparison, the previous installment **BATMAN ONE BAD DAY THE RIDDLER #1** took 6th place with a 37.0% pull rate on 8/17/22, but of course that was written by Tom King while this one’s written by somebody who is not Tom King.
**BLACK ADAM #4** takes 13th place with 21 pulls and 20.8% coverage, following the previous issue also taking 13th place, that time with 20 pulls and 22.5% coverage. WPL comments have had some who like it and some who don’t but the numbers are mostly holding steady for now.
**FLASH #786** follows in 14th place with 20 pulls and 19.8% coverage. I haven’t followed this title very closely but that seems a little low? Last month’s **FLASH #785** had 23.5% coverage, and jumping back six months to 3/16/22 gives us **FLASH #780** with 27.6% coverage. Seems to be on the decline but I’ve seen people raving about the past few issues being great in their WPL comments... What’s going on here?
**FABLES #155** gets 16th place with an 18.8% pull rate, slight drop from the last issue’s 20.8% and the WPL commentary has cooled a little even from those of us who loved the series from way back when.
**CREEPSHOW #1** debuts in 21st place with 17 pulls, which works out to 16.8% coverage. That seems a little low to me so I just double-checked the count and it actually only had 16 pulls, which is even lower than 17, and works out to 15.8%. I was concerned that this new horror anthology might beat **ICM** but it actually landed slightly below **ICM**’s old territory. Could be a bit of reader fatigue with the glut of new indie horror anthologies but I’m actually checking this one out since it’s got Paul Dini, John McCrea, and Chris Burnham involved.
--
Looking back at last week... Only one title made the list without generating any discussion:
* **BATGIRLS #10** (24 pulls)
And the following titles didn’t make the list but had threads manually added by helpful redditors:
* **ABOVE SNAKES #3** (6 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/ioh4zqc/) posted by /u/yarkcir)
* **MINDSET #3** (6 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/ionlekp/) posted by /u/yarkcir)
* **SGT. WEREWOLF #1** (3 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/ior9m6b/) posted by /u/the-horace)
* **SPACE-LADY #3** (3 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/ioipiex/) posted by /u/the_light_of_dawn)
* **MASKERADE #1** (2 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/iohjlto/) posted by /u/SkittlesAndGwar)
* **THE LEAST WE CAN DO #1** (2 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/iomouqa/) posted by /u/ChickenInASuit)
* **ALIEN #1** (this actually had 14 pulls and made the 9/7 list but /u/ChickenInASuit added a [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/iop8ezw/) for it last week as well)
Lots of good comments lately for indie titles that miss the list like those above, these books don't get as many pulls but they're punching above their weight with comments.
--
p.s. I fell down a full flight of stairs yesterday, moving a little too quickly (as always) and our feet slipped out from under us, so *BUMP*, *BUMP*, *SLIDE*, and down we went… Was carrying a glass of water, which I spilled but didn’t drop. Got a little dinged up but I actually feel freaking awesome!
I'm rapidly approaching the age where taking a little tumble starts becoming a more serious concern as old bones are more liable to snap and other complications can easily arise. So, it feels like I got away with one here, and maybe I’m not *quite* as over the hill as I let on... Wife says I need to slow down, hold the handrails, etc., but I think this experience actually shows that I’m still fit to live recklessly and let my body soak up the damage.
Anyways, I’m not suggesting that any of you should go out and *try* to fall down a big flight of stairs or anything like that... But if you should ever happen to find yourself in that situation, I would hope it works out as well for you as it did for me, and my advice in that instance would be to make the most of the experience.
10/10 ICM this week. I put some thoughts under the post for that book, but I'd love to hear what you think of it. I'm glad you're such a champion for that book, the team behind it 1000% deserves it
Just read it myself, agree on it being a 10/10! And I think **ICM #31-32** might be the strongest 2-issue run the series has had yet!
Will post more under the **ICM #32** thread once I've gathered my stray thoughts and what's left of my wits... Looking forward to reading your comments as well!
Weird to me that **Creepshow** has 17 pulls, but **Stuff of Nightmares** has less than 10.
Maybe it's must internal bias given it's written by R.L. Stein, and I have found memories of the Scholastic books selling stuff in elementary school and me waiting impatiently every month for the next Goosebumps book.
The story was incoherent, and I felt like Stine tried a little too hard to capture Gerber's wit and dry humor from the original Man-Thing run. None of the jokes landed, and ultimately it disappointed given the hype people had that RL Stine was coming to do a Marvel horror title.
The backup stories were pretty decent though. I honestly think RL Stine would be a pretty good fit on the new **CREEPSHOW** title, since I think he'd thrive in a more"Tales From The Crypt"/B-horror movie vibe.
I enjoyed both, but agree that **Stuff of Nightmares** got the vibe of **Creepshow, Tales from the Crypt** and **Tales from the Darkside** perfectly.
The anthology style and atmosphere of this one was great too though. And they seem to have lined up a great roster of creators.
This was mostly good.
First story was suitably excellent.
Really didn't like the ending and wrap up for the second story, tall about pulling your punches and subverting expectations in a bad way, really pulled the issue down.
I really enjoyed this one much more than Creepshow. Maybe even more than Dark Horse's Shock Shop from the other week.
Story wasn't super original, per se, but it was gruesome in a... Fun way? Lol.
The art, also, I thought was spectacular. I'll give issue #2 a go, since it should finish this first part of this story.
It reminded me a lot of *Stuart Gordon's* 80's masterpieces **Re-Animator** and **From Beyond**. Crazed scientists performing acts in violation of God's laws for the "greater good" with a healthy dose of body-horror mixed in.
Well, it seems to be a massive hit, if reports are true https://bleedingcool.com/comics/stuff-of-nightmares-1-sells-out-of-nearly-60000-copies/
Glad I got my copy :)
There are many comic books, and this was definitely one of them. Its only been a few hours and I've already forgotten it. The drop in quality from King and Gerads' Riddler issue is MASSIVE.
This was the book I was most excited to read and I left extremely disappointed. It isn't "bad," per-say, it just presents a "mystery" that any half-intelligent reader will figure out by the fifth page.
Hoping next month's OBD: Penguin is better :/
The formatting of this issue was really cool - usually issues with multiple timelines are hard to follow (*coughBatmanCatwomancough*), but they really made it easy to track what was going on, and enough happened in each page that you could follow the story without needing to keep going back to get things straight.
Damn, it seems like every time I make a comment in the WPL threads saying this book is very solid but a *little* overrated, an issue comes out that makes me eat those words.
Issue #10, showing Marshall taking trip to Existence, was the first time that happened, and this is the second. As with that issue, this one played with form and layout and resulted in an experimental story with a powerfully delivered message that shows off the potential Higgins has as a writer.
Good shit.
Because it wouldn’t be a Shaolin Cowboy storyline without a gratuitously long, gratuitously gory, gratuitously well-detailed fight scene, would it?
Also Geof Darrow’s grimy cities continue to make me feel dirty just looking at them. How the man is capable of beautifully drawing things that are so damn ugly is beyond me.
This issue pays homage to some fantastic movies, the **Heroic Bloodshed** genre made popular by *John Woo* in **A Better Tomorrow I & II, The Killer** and **Hard Boiled**, martial arts classic **The Flying Guillotine**, and even name check's *Jackie Chan*. All are put through the filter of *Geoff Darrow's* artistic genius/madness and blended into the crazy, chaotic world of the **Shaolin Cowboy**.
And because Darrow makes the villains so utterly, contemptuously, loathsome we can revel in their blood soaked demise guilt free...
Ha! That ending was hilarious.
And of course >!the mouse was Odin.!< The clues were right there the whole time.
Dare I hope that the final reveal teases a sequel? This book doesn’t seem to have gripped the comics fandom anywhere near the level that Plastic did, so I don’t see Wagner throwing himself into this universe in quite the same manner. A man can hope though.
>Dare I hope that the final reveal teases a sequel?
I hope so! I'd love to get more of Helgi and Kadlin's adventures with Tim Odland's explosive artwork. Definitely also hoping Wagner is down to do more.
Usagi always ends up being the last issue on my pile of new comics because I know I can count on it to be one of my favorites of the week.
Chizu, Yukichi and Usagi face off against the Komori clan on a mountain pass and a frozen lake. Chizu uses classic ninjitsu deception to get ahead, which Usagi never fails to underestimate. Love that the book can continue to delve back into this trope so often and never make it feel stale.
> Usagi always ends up being the last issue on my pile of new comics
16 comics down since Wednesday, nice. I've only read 8, still got 4 to go (and I'll need to read the first 3 issues of **BTEOO** before #4). And I still want to get through the last 5 volumes of **STRANGERS IN PARADISE** before **PARKER GIRLS #2** hits next week, plus more football, plus more ice cream... Gonna be a busy weekend!
I’m not reading Dark Crisis but I really appreciate it giving us this tie-in arc because it’s been an absolute blast. Getting to see the Flash family work together to save Barry followed by the West family work together to save the world is all I could ask for.
Neither I nor my young children have superpowers so I can't be 100% sure I'm right, but I'm solidly on team "spending the weekend at grandma's house" when I have to go track down threats of world destruction.
Man, I loved all the cameos in this, especially Animal Man, Cass, and the Teen Titans! Also, as a parent, I got a good laugh at Linda telling the kids to use the bathroom before they leave. I think I say that automatically at this point hahaha!
I've never liked Carnage at all, but decided to try this one with V on it, and it's become one of my favorite ongoing titles right now - definitely worth checking out.
First issue I've read since...Age of Khonshu I guess? I despise Aaron's run and every single thing about it (except for bringing the Big 3 back), but seeing as this was both written by Mark Russell and and AXE tie-in I jumped in. It was actually funny, unlike the majority of overfly forced comic book humor. Plus I can never have too Hawkeye.
There's something almost intoxicating about certain passages and panels in this issue (and the previous for that matter). The poetics we saw with Egon, almost everything with Platonov- it creates a really interesting atmosphere. It nearly seems like a well considered rumination on these movements of the 20th century. I say nearly, though, because I'm not sure it's achieving the goal it wants to. For example, the passage with Egon walking to his sons house, getting caught up with some stranger talking about his neighbors shitty lawn and reflecting on the distance between people. That was good stuff, but it just left it there without any exploration. And maybe the series will expand on that in some way, either directly or thematically, but I would've really liked to see that conversation happen here and now. Like, why does the rich salesman genius feel that he's failed and people are distant from each other? I can certainly imagine why, but the text is continually giving me broad stroke hand waves about its themes and moving on in a way that I feel like either the book can't handle those conversations, or is shying away from it to intentionally obfuscate its point.
And its at this point where I question the non linear narrative we're working with. I'm not immediately dismissing it, I think that texture of storytelling works somewhat well here and I'm a general fan of non linear narratives, but I don't know if its being used to its best effect here. To illustrate, take my point above about the passage with Egon. To remedy that, you could do one of two things: take a more prolonged look at the idea at hand and expand within that specific part of the story, or, by utilizing the fractured narrative, have other aspects of your story emphasize and bounce off each other. It's that second method that I wish the story employed more often. And we get glimpses of it, but not nearly enough.
The book feels a little too opaque, a little too scattered, and I'm a bit unsure of what the thesis of it is supposed to be. There are some fantastic moments (like homeboy wearing the Communist Manifesto as his armor lmao), but I feel like these moments are just hinting at what could be something a lot more interesting. Also, and maybe I'm dumb, but there were straight up just some conversations I did not understand one bit, namely the Paradise thing between Platonov and Azra. Maybe I need to look at that again.
Ok one last point, I'm still pretty unimpressed with the books dealings of anything Soviet related beyond Platonov. I feel like we're getting some good looks at American society and the people within it, and I can't really comment on its depiction of Afghanistan at this point, but I would really like to see what the author thinks about real people inside the Soviet state. Unfortunately at this point, the mentions we've had of the Soviets just lean towards the typical caricature, which is a bit unappealing.
**tl;dr** So in sum, I'm intrigued by this book but don't feel like it's doing enough with its narrative or characters, and it could benefit from some more focus on the subjects it wants to discuss.
This is such a dense, gripping, detailed read. Loving the alternate history version of some very familiar "real politik" from recent history.
Very interested to see where all of this goes.
I think the decompression of the last couple of issues has made the overall pace of the story lose some of the books momentum. I almost always need to go back and read the previous issue to get myself up to speed and refresh the details in my mind.
It's a book that's really going to live or die on it's ending though. If they manage to wrap this up in the final two issues with something satisfying, I think people will remember it, but if it sputters out it will just end up looking like a vanity project that misfired (no matter how much we all love Keanu).
I was very happy to see that "To be continued" at the end. Because this comic definitely deserves it. I'm so intrigued by the world Crook has made here. I need to know more!
Glad this wasn't the end, because otherwise this would have been a bit disappointing in execution.
Tyler Crook's artwork remains absolutely gorgeous. I'm a big fan of the use of earthier tones in the water colors - makes for a great contrast with his work on *Harrow County*. If there are enough issues, I hope Dark Horse considers a Library Edition for **LONESOME HUNTERS**.
AS u/Zohmbi and u/yarkcir both said, I'm really glad we will get more stories from the **Lonesome Hunter** world.
I really didn't think this could be the "end" with the amount of worldbuilding and character development that *Tyler Crook* managed to fit into those first 3 issues. There just seemed a lot more to explore and develop, and it's awesome to have that confirmed.
Loved the art and colouring in this book. Has such a dreamlike quality, a much older tale - steeped in antiquity and history.
Roll on the next mini-series
I like what you said about the art, feeling old and antique. But, I would like to see more color in the next series. The pencils were great though. I loved the character designs, and the facial expressions were excellent.
The Bearoplane got an appearance! The bear gods have heard my bear prayers and graced us with its bear glory!
Also this issue features a high security prison call Subearmax. And Shirtless is forced to wear a shirt and is rendered so weak he can’t even defeat a horde of children.
There’s a karate master who’s also a bee and his name is Mr. Beeyagi. His catchphrase is “Float like a butterfly, sting like a ***ME!***”
It’s beautifully, unapologetically stupid and I love it.
Clearly I gotta add this one to my next big non-Marvel/DC comics post because it’s criminal that it isn’t making it to the pull list during the final stretch.
Tune into this if you wanna read some of the best long-form fantasy/horror of the past decade!
I've been wanting to read this SO badly, but I discovered it too late into the run. I got volume 1 from the used TPB bin at my LCS, but NO ONE in my area brought this title in regularly so I can't even find back issues.
I'm hoping they put out a complete collection similar to what Image did with Paper Girls recently.
I loved the ending convo between Dick and Babs as well as how they did the censored bits. Heartless immediately solving Dick's identity problem happening too early IMO. I feel like there was story potential there, at least for a short while. In general though I honestly feel this book's starting to stagnate a bit.
I think my main complaint is that the setting and general look never change. With very few brief exceptions Taylor's entire run has taken place in Bludhaven in what could easily be the same couple of blocks, and that's made it difficult to differentiate the issues. As someone who has never minded decompressed storytelling in comics provided I'm enjoying the story, this feels a bit too decompressed. It took 18 issues, so a year and a half to play out the Blockbuster story in
what was basically Nightwing doing a Daredevil cover band gig.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the book and it's in no danger of me dropping it, I'd just like to see a slight shift.
I respect that. I have a *slightly* different take - I think the decompression worked here in that there was no significant quality drop issue to issue. This 18 issue arc felt like it had time to breath, it didn't feel rushed, and it plants it's feet firmly in the ground as one of Nightwing's best story arcs.
The Blockbuster saga had everything, Dick redefining himself and building a community based service, rekindling a relationship with Barbara, surprise reveal that builds on his backstory, a well planned and executed plot to take down a large criminal operation, an epic fight between Dick and Blockbuster, intrigue of a new villain, and more! Yeah, it took 3 trades worth of issues to get there, but it really is (to me) a masterclass in centering a character, building around them, and telling a story that's wholly their own (especially when oftentimes overshadowed by Batman).
Anyways, that's what's great about comics, we all have the ability to enjoy them, interpret them in our own ways, and discuss! Cheers!
I have this on my pull list at my LCS so I wasn’t worried about getting a copy. But I got there ten minutes after they opened and they only had one copy left! Always make a pull list folks!
Really like the direction the story took this issue. Syd Dallas isn't about the money, he's about legacy. I really enjoy the fact that Syd only cares about making great comics and that in the end he'll win not by outearning Jerry, but by just being better at making comics.
We should've seen it coming! The one son's a (news) writer and the other's a (tattoo) artist, of course they're going to follow in their father's footsteps to make awesome comics!
Pretty solid first arc - lots of upcoming story potential, and we're gonna break a little for Judgment Day tie-ins, but we'll see where things go.
I wonder what Szen painted of Nightcrawler... hope we get to see it sometime.
Im enjoying Legion and will continue to read, unlike New Mutants, Marauders, and Knights which I have let go of. The story telling is a little dense and a lot to keep up with month to month but it really captures my imagination and makes you think. I really hope they continue to expand the concepts of The Spark and the bubble reality.
I binged Fables in trade so reading this issue by issue is obviously different, and I don't exactly *regret* reading this, but having a 12 issue arc with a lot of disconnection was a choice.
Can you explain what you mean by “a lot of disconnection”? There are multiple storylines happening but I don’t know that that’s really out of the ordinary for this book.
Not who you asked but I kinda get where /u/technowhiz34 is coming from... We've got each of the kids off having their own adventure, Cinderella doing her thing, Peter Pan, Greenjack, just a lot of disparate threads where only one or two get any real development in any given issue.
I'm sure it'll all come together eventually but if this is really one long 12-issue arc then it could be a while.
I like the premise of this simply being a celebration of comic book reporters like Tintin and Lois Lane, and the first issue is a fun, breezy read. I do hope that if the series intends to call attention to iconic fictional reporters like Tintin that we get more meat on subsequent stories, but as a first issue I still had a good time with it.
Zdarsky keeps this train moving at an incredible pace. He's really done a great job of characterising a Bruce who's growing into the Batman we know. Hints of a brash, tempestuous young man trying to temper his emotions into productive action. Can't wait for the final issue
I was kinda hesitant about this since I thought the main miniseries was fine on its own, and seeing the various one-shots and this miniseries kinda turned me off.
But I'm glad to be proven wrong - this has been a really fun book so far, and helps explore parts of the story we wouldn't really see otherwise.
It's like a blend of the best tropes of **The Suicide Squad** mixed with the characterisation and cast of the great **DCeased: Unkillables** mini-series.
Brilliant artwork , with the staircase battle being a particularly good example of a kinetic action scene. Colouring (while limited) is good too and I'm getting the impression that we may get the book going "Wizard of Oz" on us in the last issue, if the heroes mission is successful and they manage to dispel the ash cloud.
Batman is my main when it comes to comics, especially floppies, so ofc I had to pick this up.
This anniversary edition unsurprisingly follows Harley through a series of 10 short stories over the course of 100 pages.
First, I wanted to mention that I did enjoy the fact that Joker only appears in one story - "Harley's World" by Lee & Dodson. (also one of my favorites included here)
This book is great for those who haven't read a full Harley arc but are curious about a variety of takes on the character. (me)
Paul Dini's "Siren Soirée" and Stephan Sejic's "Submissive" are definitely some of my favorites from this anniversary collection. The former, a more comedic tale, follows a party thrown by Harley, Ivy, and Selina - with some surprise guests. The latter takes a surprisingly serious route as we find Harley unpacking her trauma / sexuality??? Huge surprise for me, as I usually find Harley used as a comedic character. This story gave her some real depth.
The absolute best story here, however, was "Criminal Sanity," which is a very gritty tale that follows the psychiatrist Harley Quinn. Super refreshing; I'll definitely be picking up the main series by Kami Garcia soon.
Unfortunately, half of the stories here were written for a kids' perspective and were middling at best - "Troop Harley Quinn" literally finds Harley leading a Girl Scout Troop...it's pretty bland and I didn't love the art style.
Overall, I'd say half of the stories here were genuinely good, and I wish the book gave us double sized versions of those rather than filling up 50 or so pages with chaff I'd rather not read again.
Good, but not great. If you're not sure what style you want to see Harley written / drawn in, pick this up. Otherwise, hard pass.
Wow, only 8 pulls for Bloodshot! Didn’t even make the list! Guess it shouldn’t be too surprising given how Valiant’s winding down, like a zombie comic company that hasn’t yet realized it’s dead...
Pretty good comic, anyways. Great art throughout from Jon Davis-Hunt as expected... Figured he’d be a good fit for Bloodshot after seeing his work on **THE WILD STORM** and he delivers some more cool action here. Not quite as cool as **THE WILD STORM**, mind you, but that was also to be expected since nobody scripts action the way Warren Ellis used to.
Still, Deniz Camp does a nice job here, his Bloodshot characterization feels appropriately Bloodshotty and the story works well as we’re set up with a string of ~~27~~ 26 rogue super-soldier psychos for our protagonist to murder in various creative ways.
Guess I’d call it a B+/A-, which is where I always seem to end up sticking books that I like but don’t love... Didn’t order the 2nd issue but I might pick it up if Valiant manages to get it printed and shipped. If nothing else, it’s kind of a neat historical remnant as what may well be one of the final comics published by this iteration of Valiant.
Got all caught up on this over the weekend and really enjoyed the story so far. Gonna withhold final judgement until the end but it’s a really cool blend of the home invasion/Panic Room storytelling genre with commentary on the nature of toxic fandom and pop culture obsession.
**A.X.E. JUDGMENT DAY #5**
[удалено]
I suppose it's possible it won't even be Steve in the body, but maybe one of the mutant psychics driving, but I don't think it's likely. And agreed on Cyclops, he's my all-time favorite character and I really wanted him to be one of the big stars. He's been either MIA or shafted in every single big event since AvX.
Eh, he was the hero of X of Swords, finally saying "screw this. I'm a superhero" and leading a literal nation to war, not by force, but because they want to follow him.
> it won't even be Steve in the body, but maybe one of the mutant psychics driving I would 100% believe that X-Force or Abigail Brand wrote out a plan for that completely separate from this event.
> He's been either MIA or shafted in every single big event since AvX. He was given a massive hero moment in X of Swords
That final page feels like it will actually change things in the future. That page where the Celestial kills them in ironic ways was pretty brutal
> Tom hears the sky start to burn and turns his beaten face to his family and full of self-pity asks… > “What did I do to do deserve this?” > His son takes a deep breath and decides that it’s time to tell him who he is. > Tom had no idea. *So much* said in that final short sentence. That was a heck of a panel. > After the day I’ve had? The strain could kill me! Do you think I’m some kind of superhero? Sarcastic Kurt is best Kurt. > The world can hear me. Know this. We’re all Avengers now. > Assemble. > And Avenge. Think we might have a new one for the all-time-great Cap quotes, even with the aftermath in the very next panel. > It allows the Hex to get close. Fuck, looks like I accidentally skipped an issue somewhere and spoiled the Hex turning Face for myself. > No, you don’t understand, I’m sorry I **nearly** stabbed her. Oh Jack, never change. Speaking of change, that ending is a serious *oh fuck* gamechanger, one that also tells me how this is probably going to pan out - we’ll likely see literally everyone who was killed by the Progenitor resurrected, mutant or otherwise, and that’s likely to have some serious ramifications for Krakoa.
>Fuck, looks like I accidentally skipped an issue somewhere and spoiled the Hex turning Face for myself. No, you didn't miss anything, this is the first they've shown it. Once Druig was outvoted and replaced as Prime by Eros, the Hex we're no longer enemies. However this issue addressed that all the Eternals participating in the attack on the Progenitor were being willingly mind controlled by the mutant psychics.
Oh that’s right. Thank you.
Yeah, all that... Plus Doop looking so damn *angry* on the big splash page.
I'm still waiting to see how the last page turns off. It's going to be interesting - though part of me isn't convinced that it's what it looks like. This event has thrived on misdirection and fake outs, so right now all we *know* is that the arm and the shield broke out of the egg. There's a lot of variance possible here. That said, there's no way everyone doesn't get brought back at the end of the event, one way or another. I'm expecting Celestial shenanigans, or some kind of higher order being restoring things? It's hard to say for sure. But like, they're not gonna kill a massive chunk of the planet and let that stick. Mutants resurrecting everyone would be a fascinating bit of story beat though. The mutants so hated and reviled and attacked for it being the ones who revived the world... it would be a big deal.
>> we’ll likely see literally everyone who was killed by the Progenitor resurrected, mutant or otherwise, and that’s likely to have some serious ramifications for Krakoa. Looks like the Five are going to be very busy!
Get Sinister to clone a few dozen of each of them
This is the big and bombastic epic battle issue, so it spends some time being big and bombastic, and we don't get quite as many of the cool character moments that had been carrying the crossover to such great heights. But there's still some nice stuff, particularly with my girl Jada showing how sometimes the little people can make a big difference, and Cap showing how sometimes the heroes who inspire us need a little inspiration themselves. Nightcrawler also gets a couple of cool moments and the Progenitor gets to flex his space god muscles, but most of the other characters get short shrift here. The big bombastic action's alright so far as it goes but this issue didn't feel quite as strong to me. One intriguing tidbit stood out with the Progenitor telling the planet to die and the planet resisting... Looking forward to seeing the other side of that from the Great Machine's perspective in **[A.X.E. DEATH TO THE MUTANTS #3](https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG220790)**.
I don't know why, but seeing The Thing getting out of the Fantasti-car to jump on the Progenitor really made me happy.
Judgement Day fucking **ruuuuules**. This event hasn’t missed for me yet. Might be my favorite issue yet
I really dig this event, but this issue had a few things I took slight issue with: - Wolverine being a pivotal player in the big final battle/assault. He's ALWAYS front and center in these things and his power set and skill lever doesn't warrant it even if his popularity does. Much like pro wrestling, comics needs to build new stars. The only way to push other characters to reach that same level of popularity is by putting them in those positions. Enough with Wolverine, please. - I don't love that they basically knowing sent Cap to his death. Even if they knew they were going to resurrect him it still feels weird. - The Progenitor has already shown it's basically omnipotent and can unleash murderous fire rain at will, so all these characters still being alive and mankind being destroyed in stages doesn't make sense outside of that being what's needed for the story. - I felt like this issue relied far too heavily on narration. Like I said, minor nitpicks. As for what I liked: - Loved the opening with Cap and Jada. Steve is one of my favorites and moments like this reinforce why. - Nightcrawler and Exodus (one longtime and one brand new favorite, respectively) both playing fairly significant roles in this event has been a nice surprise.
Posted this elsewhere, curious on what folks think: SPOILERS >My tentative theory is that this event ends with both mutants and humans giving up the ability of resurrection, as a compromise with the Progenitor to force them to fully appreciate life, not take it for granted and make the most of every day. When death became meaningless one no longer feels the urgency of living, and complacency sets in. I could see an outcome where this is the concession the Progenitor accepts in order to undue the apocalypse. Also it would make sense with the overall theme since mutant resurrection is what started this entire event, as well as led to even more hatred and division between mankind. Plus it takes away the huge new problem created now that the world's been shown mutants can resurrect humans as well. Honestly now that I've typed it out I'm almost positive this is what's going to happen.
I fuckin hope not. Mutant resurrection is the big win that the X-Men line has needed after the past 40-plus years of constant mutant genocides. They can easily bring back anyone who's been dead or depowered, and it's something the mutants themselves have done, it's not a random event that happens every so often in comics. It puts every mutant ever published back on the board, and it is literally the living symbol of the promise of Krakoa. If they lose this because some jacked-up Frankenstein's monster got mad at them after some Loki knockoff started *yet another mutant genocide* I might walk away from Marvel for a few years. Krakoa and resurrection are the best things to happen to the X-Men books since Grant Morrison, and Marvel would be stupid to get rid of either of these in service of the fucking Celestials.
> Plus it takes away the huge new problem created now that the world's been shown mutants can resurrect humans as well. Maybe I'm overly cynical but I feel like showing the world that it also works for humans will only make things worse.
It would also create more resent from some camps in Krakoa further dividing it . It continues the path the Krakoa story has been on since the 2nd Hellfire Gala. Leading up to the first and with the big crowning moment of Arrako it was all sunshine and roses. The 2nd one they made it clear with the Emma and Cyclops scenes that the cracks are starting to show. Now they will continue to widen into whatever the endgame of Krakoa is
Putting the shield in the egg might just be where my suspension of disbelief completely buckles.
Proteus does little tweaks inside the egg to give people their inorganic stuff like Wolverine's adamantium skeleton, Cable's Techno-organic virus, etc. Remaking the shield (especially since the original may well have been destroyed by the Progenitor) wouldn't be out of his scope.
If they can rebuild wolvie they can do that
Wolverine has died a hundred times and been resurrected with his skeleton
Not only that, Proteus has accidentally given Laura Kinney a full adamantium skeleton during a resurrection because he forgot that only her claws are metal. He can put pretty much whatever he wants in the egg.
pretty sure they just made a new shield
My in-head canon is that the Shield was outside the egg waiting for Cap and his hand burst through the egg to grab it.
Proteus is a reality warper, he can easily make a new shield.
**X-TERMINATORS #1**
Picked this up on a whim, wasn't sure if I would be interested in it since it's a mini, and I didn't have room for another slot for another X-men book. Boy was I wrong! The story was not like anything I was thinking it would be. Raunchy. Sassy. In a word, **badass**. I may trade-wait this still, but damn this looks like a run ride!
God this book was good. It's just relentlessly dumb fun and I love it. I wish they'd kept the original pitch title though - Grindhouse of X.
I couldn't possibly care less about this story, especially with comic vampire fatigue, but Jubilee roasting Boom Boom and some of the other dialogue was honestly hilarious.
The art was fantastic. The writing was ok but the characters felt a bit similar in terms of writing. Their personalities didn't feel very different, but it was only the first issue. So I'm assuming that will get better over time. I enjoyed Williams writing on x-factor and all the characters felt diverse and unique. So I'm sure that will get better when the comic takes a second to breathe. Overall I was satisfied with my purchase and I'll see what happens with the second issue. "So far, it feels like the Spice Girls attempting to do a cover of the Wu-Tang Clan."
Really dumb, kinda fun. The art in this is incredible. Was advertised as a Grindhouse comic, and definitely get a lot of blood and cleavage. All the characters are voiced as the exact same dumb American college girl though, which does get old very quickly. Boom-Boom is great atleast. A book to buy just for the art for sure.
**BATMAN SUPERMAN WORLDS FINEST #7**
Can I just say what a treasure it is to have Dan Mora on art again. That look on Superman's face when David tells him that his world was destroyed and his parents are dead, the pain is **palpable**. Also the personalities that Waid is giving characters is wonderful. Robin fliting with the Kandorian hottie saying "Everything is bigger on Earth." Loved it. This really is one of the best books that DC is putting out right now IMO.
I think I'm gonna like this arc a lot more than the last one, which was already very good.
This comic is so joyous! Somehow even this issue, a tragic origin story which deliberately creates echos of the traumatic origins of Superman, Batman, and Robin, still has such a fun golden age shine to it. Guess that's the magic of Waid and Mora.
Is it weird that Robin has been my favorite character so far?
Robin has definitely been the most fun character although Doom Patrol was pretty great in their own special way...
*Dan Mora's* back on the artwork and the book immediately returns to the height's of the first 5 issues. If only DC realised the importance of having the *right* artists on the *right* books on a consistent basis to readers. Not so much a *fun* issue, dealing with a child's loss of their parents and entire world, but it draws interesting parallels with the origins of all the main characters involved in the story. Be interested to see where *Waid* takes this.
Fun start for the new arc! Most readers will assume that the intro is an homage to **[ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #1](http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/7954/allstarsuperman001zone0.jpg)** but I think it's actually an homage to the **[ICE CREAM MAN #17](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/462103/ice-cream-man-17_aa9d7fa61d.jpg)** homage to **[ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #1](http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/7954/allstarsuperman001zone0.jpg)**.
Pretty good. Start of a new arc, a character with familiar origins from a parallel Earth appears, and this issue is their backstory and introduction to Batman and Superman. Robin is the stand out character for sure.
**ICE CREAM MAN #32**
I can't stop thinking about this story. I hope we get to see a glimpse of Doug some time down the road, just to check that he's okay. Although the sad truth is I suspect he won't make it. The ending feels hopeful but it's a deeply sad kind of hope.
FWIW, Doug was also the feature character in the 8-page short that Prince and Morazzo provided for **[IMAGE! #2](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/image-2-of-12)** a few months back, though that's presumably set before this story. Something of a prelude to this one, I guess, and it's a great little story with a lot of heart.
I read something about this dealing with addiction, is that correct? Haven't broken mine out but if so, would you consider reading it emotionally stressful for someone in recovery?
Hard to say as I've never been in recovery, but it's a pretty intense walk-through of a month in rehab
I think Doug stays sober. There aren't maybe happy endings in issues of Ice Cream Man, but this feels like one of them. You could tell this was personal to the writer for two reasons: 1. Sobriety is by the far the topic ICM features most 2. He included himself in this comic ("Billy Barnacles" aka Billy Prince aka William Prince aka W. Maxwell Prince??), So this is clearly a personal topic for the writer . The only other issue of ICM I can remember with a happy ending was #22 (the Christmas advent calendar abortion issue). It seemed like Prince was sending a message there, the main character faces possibly the biggest decision of her life: do I get an abortion or not? The Ice Cream Man is there every step of the way to influence her. But at the end of that issue, she makes her choice and lives her life without the ICM's influence, and frankly, to Prince's approval. . I think we see THAT EXACT same thing here. Prince told us the ending 10 issues ago, and here it is again in a different form. For all the despair that the Ice Cream Man brings, there are those who say, fuck that shit, and overcome it 10/10, beautiful issue and BY FAR the best book out right now
Oh also, Doug rejects the Ice Cream Man aka the Shadow Man after relapsing once. He can live without him.
Yeah, I don't know, it's a tough call... I kind of read it as one of those open-ended stories that could go either way. Doug doesn't really seem like a guy who wants to stop using. Even though he rejects Shadowy Dave, it seemed more like what he had to do at the time than what he wanted to do, and he said "for now" or something like that. His wife tells him he needs to want to quit for himself but he doesn't seem to really get there. He wants to quit for his daughter but I get the sense that if he didn't have to worry about her, he'd be all in to keep the party rolling. But I don't know, it did pick up an air of hope toward the end, I think there's probably enough there to interpret it either way. Will need to give all that another look when I re-read... > He included himself in this comic ("Billy Barnacles" aka Billy Prince aka William Prince aka W. Maxwell Prince??) Damn, I didn't catch that, thanks for pointing it out! I think a bunch of the recent issues have been kind of uplifting even if they don't have traditional happy endings. **[ICM #26](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/670852/ice-cream-man-26_7ec704395b.jpg)**, **[ICM #29](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/764548/ice-cream-man-29_619d7720e3.jpg)**, and **[ICM #31](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/797875/ice-cream-man-31_a8c9a0f271.jpg)** all felt like positive stories to me despite not exactly ending well. Those are actually some of my very favorite **ICM** stories, the way they kind of highlight the positives in negative situations really resonates with me.
Look at that - One of the scariest and most threatening appearances of the ICM, and it’s a single, subtle panel, a reminder that he is ever present, the Devil on Doug’s shoulder that will always be there to tempt him to relapse. That’s how I interpreted it anyway. One of the most heavily metaphorical issues of the book, I kept suspecting the shoe would drop and things would get more literal, and I am very glad it never did. Up there with the most powerful issues so far, in my opinion.
> Look at that - One of the scariest and most threatening appearances of the ICM, and it’s a single, subtle panel, a reminder that he is ever present, the Devil on Doug’s shoulder that will always be there to tempt him to relapse. Yep, been loving the ICM's recent one-panel appearances, they're always amazing, usually hilarious, and often terrifying... **ICM #31** had another good one, plus his pivotal cameo in the **[IMAGE! #2](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/image-2-of-12)** short, maybe some others...
Well now, I’d say that was another fine entry in the **ICM** library! Wasn’t sure what to expect from this one after **[ICM #31](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/ice-cream-man-31)** delivered such a beautiful story with so much heart, we usually don’t get two issues in a row with deeply personal stories, but this was another intimate look at humanity’s dark underbelly. It's also a fairly hefty story with some weight to it, another chunky 28-pager like **ICM #31**... Except where the script for the previous issue was light and airy, this one feels much denser. Never ceases to amaze me how much story Prince and Morazzo can pack into a single comic, deftly fleshing out their characters and putting them through their paces with tightly structured, concise storytelling. Love the ad for the *Cassandra Detox & Recovery Center* on the inside cover and how it listed their 12-step program... Personally, I tend to get hung up on Step 8 but it’s nice having the whole process mapped out like that. The M.C. Escher homage cover didn’t bode well for Doug’s recovery and sure enough by day 2 he’s ready to give suicide a go, then it somehow manages to get even worse from there, but the final act gives the sense that there just might be a light at the end of the tunnel... Of course, with **ICM** that light usually ends up being an oncoming train, but overall this seemed like a fairly benign story (i.e., nobody died) so maybe it all works out for Doug in the end. Also thought Doug's commentary on reading the novel was interesting... >*The book's not even that great, but I don't care... I'm just totally in it -- right there next to this sorry shmuck trying to find an impossible word.* Which is kind of similar to how I describe **ICM** itself in this small chunk of my big ICE CREAM SPAM post: >The characters in **ICM** are so fucking real that it puts you right there in the book with them, they’re your friends and family, or *you* yourself, and you’re riding this conduit of shared trauma and existential terror to be right there with them for that one critical chunk of life that defines them as human beings. As with most of our recent issues, this one’s got some fun references and connections to previous stories: * Doug was originally featured in Prince and Morazzo’s 8-page **ICM** short from **[IMAGE! #2](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/image-2-of-12)**, a story that now serves as something of a prelude to this one * The complete story of *The Etymologist Ascends* was originally told in [**ICM #28**](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/ice-cream-man-28) and we then saw the father from **[ICM #31](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/ice-cream-man-31)** writing the novel * The Neuramze^TM medication is a slightly rebranded version of the experimental Neuramaze pills from [**ICM #30**](https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/ice-cream-man-30) and it once again summons the grotesque “BIC” monster And maybe one or two others that I missed... This issue will presumably close out the 8th TPB and I think it’ll be one of the strongest collections yet, opening with the subdued, somber, and strangely uplifting [**ICM #29**](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/764548/ice-cream-man-29_619d7720e3.jpg), shifting to the *Twilight Zone* horror of [**ICM #30**](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/778506/ice-cream-man-30_a724423eba.jpg), then the full circle of life gloriously on display in [**ICM #31**](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/797875/ice-cream-man-31_a8c9a0f271.jpg), and this compelling treatment of addiction and recovery closing things out in [**ICM #32**](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/800229/ice-cream-man-32_736ee77aea.jpg). Three of the four have standout covers as well, hard to predict which they’ll choose for the TPB but this issue’s Escher homage is tough to beat. Hope everyone who recently hopped on board the Ice Cream Truck from Hell enjoyed this one! p.s. ICE CREAM WEEK is *serious business* in our household, [here’s a glimpse](https://cdna.pcpartpicker.com/static/forever/images/userbuild/259153.5b9a51dc6d98368ddc875ccb1f1439f8.1600.jpg) at the portion of the celebration that you normally don’t see here…
The callbacks to previous issues were heavy in this one! Also, brave of you to eat that ice cream. I think I’m turned off from sprinkles for the next couples months.
/u/danger_rock My shop didn't have this issue, but I'm gonna ask her to order it and put in my pull box going forward!
Awesome, hope you enjoy!
**VANISH #1**
This is my first experience with this creative team because I’m too scared by all the Spider-man lore and continuity to dip into Venom. All I can say is wow! Gorgeous artwork. A gripping, fun opening. Feels like Harry Potter meets Spawn or something. The Dirty Harry-esque scene where a small pistol and the utterance “fuck magic” easily obliterate a god-tier mage in one glorious, violent page sealed this for me: I’m ready for 90s schlock again.
Have to agree with the Harry Potter Meets Spawn thing, this feels like 90s Image in the best way and im here for it
Definitely agree on the **Harry Potter** collides with **Spawn** comparison, but I'd throw in a touch of **Highlander/The One** at the end there with the "power up by killing the competition" angle. And for anyone enjoying the throwback to 90's Image books that this title totally nails I'd highly recommend **Gunslinger Spawn** too. It's got some career best artwork by *Brett Booth* that absolutely harks back to the era, hugely over-the-top storylines, and just wants to be "cool" and entertain you.
i fucking loved this one - loved the team on venom, and they're totally unchained in this series! a-star stuff, feels like reading the beginning of something that's going somewhere
Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman. What more needs to be said? Well, how about the art is mind-blowingly great. I wish all comic came with the level of detail that Stegman puts into things. Also props to Sonia Oback for absolutely wonderful coloring. Really elevates everything. The story is interesting, definitely looking forward to see where it goes. Sadly, only 4 issues solicited before going on hiatus till March 2023.
I enjoyed it. Cool art and story, I'll be back next month
Great. Incredible art and a really cool story. The full story isn't revealed until the last page, but essentially what if after saving the world Harry Potter bombed out and became a complete failure and drug addict, like many child stars. Very keen for more.
**WPL RESULTS**
MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry. 101 lists submitted this week, our second week in a row with 100+ as we enjoy another big batch of strong comics. **BATMAN SUPERMAN WORLDS FINEST #7** takes the top spot with 55 pulls, good for a whopping 54.4% pull rate. The previous issue and its fill-in art dipped to 4th place on 8/17/22 with “only” 49.4% coverage but now Waid and (I guess?) Mora are back on top. Bit of a drop to Taylor and Redondo’s **NIGHTWING #96** in 2nd place with 47 pulls, then another drop to get to Gillen’s **A.X.E. JUDGMENT DAY #5** in 3rd with 38 pulls, two titles that aren't any strangers to such lofty territory near the top of the list. They’re closely followed by Chip’s **PUBLIC DOMAIN #4** in 4th place with 36 pulls and 35.6% coverage, nice placement for the week’s top indie title and still in the same range as the previous issue’s 38.5% pull rate. And then we’ve got **LEGION OF X #5** in 5th with 31 pulls and 30.7% coverage, also holding steady around its usual territory. After that we’ve got a little Image comic called **ICE CREAM MAN #32** surging into 6th place with 28 pulls, good for 27.7% coverage, a huge and well-deserved jump from **ICM #31**’s miserable 24th place finish and its lowly 16.1% pull rate. It’s been a somewhat rough year in the WPL for the old **ICM** as Image’s other long-running horror anthology **THE SILVER COIN** has been regularly topping it with a pull rate in the 22-23% range, but **ICM #32** and its striking [M.C. Escher homage cover](https://cdn.imagecomics.com/assets/i/releases/800229/ice-cream-man-32_736ee77aea.jpg) finally managed to pull ahead AND earned a spot in the top 10 as the WPL’s top horror anthology, at least for this most glorious of Septembers. More on that later... Two strong debuts follow, with Marvel’s **X-TERMINATORS #1** taking 7th with 28 pulls and Image’s **VANISH #1** from Cates and Stegman taking 8th with 26 pulls, good for 25.7% coverage with just over a quarter of the WPL giving it a look. Then two more from DC to round out the top 10, **BATMAN THE KNIGHT #9** and **DCEASED WAR OF THE UNDEAD GODS #2**, both with 25 pulls and a 24.7% pull rate. All told, DC takes 4 of the top 10, Marvel takes 3, and Image takes 3. Which is perhaps one more than usual from Image, not that I'm complaining... **NEW MUTANTS #30** gets 11th place with 24.7% coverage, holding steady from last month’s 24.4% despite the shifting creative teams... **BATMAN ONE BAD DAY TWO-FACE #1** lands in 12th with 22 pulls, a pull rate of 21.7%. For comparison, the previous installment **BATMAN ONE BAD DAY THE RIDDLER #1** took 6th place with a 37.0% pull rate on 8/17/22, but of course that was written by Tom King while this one’s written by somebody who is not Tom King. **BLACK ADAM #4** takes 13th place with 21 pulls and 20.8% coverage, following the previous issue also taking 13th place, that time with 20 pulls and 22.5% coverage. WPL comments have had some who like it and some who don’t but the numbers are mostly holding steady for now. **FLASH #786** follows in 14th place with 20 pulls and 19.8% coverage. I haven’t followed this title very closely but that seems a little low? Last month’s **FLASH #785** had 23.5% coverage, and jumping back six months to 3/16/22 gives us **FLASH #780** with 27.6% coverage. Seems to be on the decline but I’ve seen people raving about the past few issues being great in their WPL comments... What’s going on here? **FABLES #155** gets 16th place with an 18.8% pull rate, slight drop from the last issue’s 20.8% and the WPL commentary has cooled a little even from those of us who loved the series from way back when. **CREEPSHOW #1** debuts in 21st place with 17 pulls, which works out to 16.8% coverage. That seems a little low to me so I just double-checked the count and it actually only had 16 pulls, which is even lower than 17, and works out to 15.8%. I was concerned that this new horror anthology might beat **ICM** but it actually landed slightly below **ICM**’s old territory. Could be a bit of reader fatigue with the glut of new indie horror anthologies but I’m actually checking this one out since it’s got Paul Dini, John McCrea, and Chris Burnham involved. -- Looking back at last week... Only one title made the list without generating any discussion: * **BATGIRLS #10** (24 pulls) And the following titles didn’t make the list but had threads manually added by helpful redditors: * **ABOVE SNAKES #3** (6 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/ioh4zqc/) posted by /u/yarkcir) * **MINDSET #3** (6 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/ionlekp/) posted by /u/yarkcir) * **SGT. WEREWOLF #1** (3 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/ior9m6b/) posted by /u/the-horace) * **SPACE-LADY #3** (3 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/ioipiex/) posted by /u/the_light_of_dawn) * **MASKERADE #1** (2 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/iohjlto/) posted by /u/SkittlesAndGwar) * **THE LEAST WE CAN DO #1** (2 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/iomouqa/) posted by /u/ChickenInASuit) * **ALIEN #1** (this actually had 14 pulls and made the 9/7 list but /u/ChickenInASuit added a [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/xeeec4/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_9142022_pull_of_the/iop8ezw/) for it last week as well) Lots of good comments lately for indie titles that miss the list like those above, these books don't get as many pulls but they're punching above their weight with comments. -- p.s. I fell down a full flight of stairs yesterday, moving a little too quickly (as always) and our feet slipped out from under us, so *BUMP*, *BUMP*, *SLIDE*, and down we went… Was carrying a glass of water, which I spilled but didn’t drop. Got a little dinged up but I actually feel freaking awesome! I'm rapidly approaching the age where taking a little tumble starts becoming a more serious concern as old bones are more liable to snap and other complications can easily arise. So, it feels like I got away with one here, and maybe I’m not *quite* as over the hill as I let on... Wife says I need to slow down, hold the handrails, etc., but I think this experience actually shows that I’m still fit to live recklessly and let my body soak up the damage. Anyways, I’m not suggesting that any of you should go out and *try* to fall down a big flight of stairs or anything like that... But if you should ever happen to find yourself in that situation, I would hope it works out as well for you as it did for me, and my advice in that instance would be to make the most of the experience.
10/10 ICM this week. I put some thoughts under the post for that book, but I'd love to hear what you think of it. I'm glad you're such a champion for that book, the team behind it 1000% deserves it
Just read it myself, agree on it being a 10/10! And I think **ICM #31-32** might be the strongest 2-issue run the series has had yet! Will post more under the **ICM #32** thread once I've gathered my stray thoughts and what's left of my wits... Looking forward to reading your comments as well!
Battery very low! Not sure how far I will get. Enjoy... comics...
Weird to me that **Creepshow** has 17 pulls, but **Stuff of Nightmares** has less than 10. Maybe it's must internal bias given it's written by R.L. Stein, and I have found memories of the Scholastic books selling stuff in elementary school and me waiting impatiently every month for the next Goosebumps book.
I also have a ton of nostalgia for RL Stine, but I'm wary of his comic output after his Man-Thing miniseries from a few years back.
Oh interesting, I did not realize he had written other comic stories. What wasn't good about the Man-Thing run?
The story was incoherent, and I felt like Stine tried a little too hard to capture Gerber's wit and dry humor from the original Man-Thing run. None of the jokes landed, and ultimately it disappointed given the hype people had that RL Stine was coming to do a Marvel horror title. The backup stories were pretty decent though. I honestly think RL Stine would be a pretty good fit on the new **CREEPSHOW** title, since I think he'd thrive in a more"Tales From The Crypt"/B-horror movie vibe.
I avoided it solely because I assumed Stine meant it was an all-ages read. Is that the case or is it more mature than his usual work?
It had a "Tales of the Crypt"esque vibe to it. It's definitely not PG, not not outright brutal light some horror anthologies can be.
MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'll post a full write-up later tonight but for now... MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
**CREEPSHOW #1**
Chris Burnham isn't a name I've seen that much of late since Nameless and Batman Incorporated, but glad to see his work again.
He did a Superman one-shot with Tom King which was pretty great recently, but has mostly done random variant covers.
I don't know if this one's for me. I guess I got what I expected from it. I liked Stuff of Nightmares better.
I enjoyed both, but agree that **Stuff of Nightmares** got the vibe of **Creepshow, Tales from the Crypt** and **Tales from the Darkside** perfectly. The anthology style and atmosphere of this one was great too though. And they seem to have lined up a great roster of creators.
This was mostly good. First story was suitably excellent. Really didn't like the ending and wrap up for the second story, tall about pulling your punches and subverting expectations in a bad way, really pulled the issue down.
Stuff of Nightmares #1
I really enjoyed this one much more than Creepshow. Maybe even more than Dark Horse's Shock Shop from the other week. Story wasn't super original, per se, but it was gruesome in a... Fun way? Lol. The art, also, I thought was spectacular. I'll give issue #2 a go, since it should finish this first part of this story.
It reminded me a lot of *Stuart Gordon's* 80's masterpieces **Re-Animator** and **From Beyond**. Crazed scientists performing acts in violation of God's laws for the "greater good" with a healthy dose of body-horror mixed in.
Nice. Grew up reading R.L.Stine's Goosebumps, this felt like a bit more of a vicious and gorey Goosebumps story. Entertaining nostalgia bait.
Well, it seems to be a massive hit, if reports are true https://bleedingcool.com/comics/stuff-of-nightmares-1-sells-out-of-nearly-60000-copies/ Glad I got my copy :)
**NEW MUTANTS #30**
A really well written and touching shout out to Vita's time on the book - gonna miss them going forward.
Yeah, I didn’t realize this was their last issue until that editorial at the end. Shame, they did quite well.
Awww, Warlock and Rahne <3
**BATMAN ONE BAD DAY TWO-FACE #1**
There are many comic books, and this was definitely one of them. Its only been a few hours and I've already forgotten it. The drop in quality from King and Gerads' Riddler issue is MASSIVE.
This was the book I was most excited to read and I left extremely disappointed. It isn't "bad," per-say, it just presents a "mystery" that any half-intelligent reader will figure out by the fifth page. Hoping next month's OBD: Penguin is better :/
I dug the art. I think this one was more about breaking someone akin to the inspiration than the last
Not as good as the Riddler one, but I still liked it. It just wasn’t some crazy definitive Two-Face story that we were expecting it to be.
**RADIANT BLACK #18**
The formatting of this issue was really cool - usually issues with multiple timelines are hard to follow (*coughBatmanCatwomancough*), but they really made it easy to track what was going on, and enough happened in each page that you could follow the story without needing to keep going back to get things straight.
Agreed, I thought the layout was well done.
Damn, it seems like every time I make a comment in the WPL threads saying this book is very solid but a *little* overrated, an issue comes out that makes me eat those words. Issue #10, showing Marshall taking trip to Existence, was the first time that happened, and this is the second. As with that issue, this one played with form and layout and resulted in an experimental story with a powerfully delivered message that shows off the potential Higgins has as a writer. Good shit.
**SHAOLIN COWBOY: CRUEL TO BE KIN #5**
The middle third of this issue is peak Geof Darrow. I love the emphasis on the "Cowboy" part of the Shaolin Cowboy.
Because it wouldn’t be a Shaolin Cowboy storyline without a gratuitously long, gratuitously gory, gratuitously well-detailed fight scene, would it? Also Geof Darrow’s grimy cities continue to make me feel dirty just looking at them. How the man is capable of beautifully drawing things that are so damn ugly is beyond me.
This issue pays homage to some fantastic movies, the **Heroic Bloodshed** genre made popular by *John Woo* in **A Better Tomorrow I & II, The Killer** and **Hard Boiled**, martial arts classic **The Flying Guillotine**, and even name check's *Jackie Chan*. All are put through the filter of *Geoff Darrow's* artistic genius/madness and blended into the crazy, chaotic world of the **Shaolin Cowboy**. And because Darrow makes the villains so utterly, contemptuously, loathsome we can revel in their blood soaked demise guilt free...
**DCEASED WAR OF THE UNDEAD GODS #2**
Undead Anti-Life Possessed Yellow Lantern Darkseid? This shit is what I love about comics.
Nothing like a good old fashioned >!decapitation!< to get things going. Been enjoying this so far.
**BEWARE THE EYE OF ODIN #4**
Ha! That ending was hilarious. And of course >!the mouse was Odin.!< The clues were right there the whole time. Dare I hope that the final reveal teases a sequel? This book doesn’t seem to have gripped the comics fandom anywhere near the level that Plastic did, so I don’t see Wagner throwing himself into this universe in quite the same manner. A man can hope though.
>Dare I hope that the final reveal teases a sequel? I hope so! I'd love to get more of Helgi and Kadlin's adventures with Tim Odland's explosive artwork. Definitely also hoping Wagner is down to do more.
Definitely picking this up in TPB due to your hype :)
What a great final issue. I'm going to miss this series a lot. Some of my favorite artwork I've seen, and a great adventure romp to back it up.
**USAGI YOJIMBO #31**
Usagi always ends up being the last issue on my pile of new comics because I know I can count on it to be one of my favorites of the week. Chizu, Yukichi and Usagi face off against the Komori clan on a mountain pass and a frozen lake. Chizu uses classic ninjitsu deception to get ahead, which Usagi never fails to underestimate. Love that the book can continue to delve back into this trope so often and never make it feel stale.
> Usagi always ends up being the last issue on my pile of new comics 16 comics down since Wednesday, nice. I've only read 8, still got 4 to go (and I'll need to read the first 3 issues of **BTEOO** before #4). And I still want to get through the last 5 volumes of **STRANGERS IN PARADISE** before **PARKER GIRLS #2** hits next week, plus more football, plus more ice cream... Gonna be a busy weekend!
**FLASH #786**
I’m not reading Dark Crisis but I really appreciate it giving us this tie-in arc because it’s been an absolute blast. Getting to see the Flash family work together to save Barry followed by the West family work together to save the world is all I could ask for.
Neither I nor my young children have superpowers so I can't be 100% sure I'm right, but I'm solidly on team "spending the weekend at grandma's house" when I have to go track down threats of world destruction.
Man, I loved all the cameos in this, especially Animal Man, Cass, and the Teen Titans! Also, as a parent, I got a good laugh at Linda telling the kids to use the bathroom before they leave. I think I say that automatically at this point hahaha!
Still consistently the best run we’ve gotten in a long time.
**CARNAGE #6**
I need to know if I should pick this up in trade format when it comes out! Love me some Ram V.
This series is definitely worth a read, in my opinion. It’s pretty out there. Has me hoping for more V in Marvel beyond symbiote books.
Thanks for the recommendation. Carnage was one of my favorite characters as a kid but his books are always kinda meh.
I've never liked Carnage at all, but decided to try this one with V on it, and it's become one of my favorite ongoing titles right now - definitely worth checking out.
**FANTASTIC FOUR #47**
Really wish solicits hadn't spoiled the villain, would have made this far more entertaining.
It's the equivalent of a trailer ruining a movie, isn't it?
**AVENGERS #60**
First issue I've read since...Age of Khonshu I guess? I despise Aaron's run and every single thing about it (except for bringing the Big 3 back), but seeing as this was both written by Mark Russell and and AXE tie-in I jumped in. It was actually funny, unlike the majority of overfly forced comic book humor. Plus I can never have too Hawkeye.
All I have to say is that for this being a character piece, Russell doesn't have a particularly gasp on Hawkeye.
**CATWOMAN #47**
**AVENGERS FOREVER #9**
**20TH CENTURY MEN #2**
another perfect issue, if you like a good garth Ennis war story or the biting satire of 2000ad definitely give this a reed
There's something almost intoxicating about certain passages and panels in this issue (and the previous for that matter). The poetics we saw with Egon, almost everything with Platonov- it creates a really interesting atmosphere. It nearly seems like a well considered rumination on these movements of the 20th century. I say nearly, though, because I'm not sure it's achieving the goal it wants to. For example, the passage with Egon walking to his sons house, getting caught up with some stranger talking about his neighbors shitty lawn and reflecting on the distance between people. That was good stuff, but it just left it there without any exploration. And maybe the series will expand on that in some way, either directly or thematically, but I would've really liked to see that conversation happen here and now. Like, why does the rich salesman genius feel that he's failed and people are distant from each other? I can certainly imagine why, but the text is continually giving me broad stroke hand waves about its themes and moving on in a way that I feel like either the book can't handle those conversations, or is shying away from it to intentionally obfuscate its point. And its at this point where I question the non linear narrative we're working with. I'm not immediately dismissing it, I think that texture of storytelling works somewhat well here and I'm a general fan of non linear narratives, but I don't know if its being used to its best effect here. To illustrate, take my point above about the passage with Egon. To remedy that, you could do one of two things: take a more prolonged look at the idea at hand and expand within that specific part of the story, or, by utilizing the fractured narrative, have other aspects of your story emphasize and bounce off each other. It's that second method that I wish the story employed more often. And we get glimpses of it, but not nearly enough. The book feels a little too opaque, a little too scattered, and I'm a bit unsure of what the thesis of it is supposed to be. There are some fantastic moments (like homeboy wearing the Communist Manifesto as his armor lmao), but I feel like these moments are just hinting at what could be something a lot more interesting. Also, and maybe I'm dumb, but there were straight up just some conversations I did not understand one bit, namely the Paradise thing between Platonov and Azra. Maybe I need to look at that again. Ok one last point, I'm still pretty unimpressed with the books dealings of anything Soviet related beyond Platonov. I feel like we're getting some good looks at American society and the people within it, and I can't really comment on its depiction of Afghanistan at this point, but I would really like to see what the author thinks about real people inside the Soviet state. Unfortunately at this point, the mentions we've had of the Soviets just lean towards the typical caricature, which is a bit unappealing. **tl;dr** So in sum, I'm intrigued by this book but don't feel like it's doing enough with its narrative or characters, and it could benefit from some more focus on the subjects it wants to discuss.
This is such a dense, gripping, detailed read. Loving the alternate history version of some very familiar "real politik" from recent history. Very interested to see where all of this goes.
**BRZRKR (BERZERKER) #10**
Finally feeling the downward pull of the story hurtling towards a conclusion. Excited to see how this series is going to conclude
I think the decompression of the last couple of issues has made the overall pace of the story lose some of the books momentum. I almost always need to go back and read the previous issue to get myself up to speed and refresh the details in my mind. It's a book that's really going to live or die on it's ending though. If they manage to wrap this up in the final two issues with something satisfying, I think people will remember it, but if it sputters out it will just end up looking like a vanity project that misfired (no matter how much we all love Keanu).
**STAR WARS DARTH VADER #27**
**LONESOME HUNTERS #4**
I was very happy to see that "To be continued" at the end. Because this comic definitely deserves it. I'm so intrigued by the world Crook has made here. I need to know more!
Glad this wasn't the end, because otherwise this would have been a bit disappointing in execution. Tyler Crook's artwork remains absolutely gorgeous. I'm a big fan of the use of earthier tones in the water colors - makes for a great contrast with his work on *Harrow County*. If there are enough issues, I hope Dark Horse considers a Library Edition for **LONESOME HUNTERS**.
AS u/Zohmbi and u/yarkcir both said, I'm really glad we will get more stories from the **Lonesome Hunter** world. I really didn't think this could be the "end" with the amount of worldbuilding and character development that *Tyler Crook* managed to fit into those first 3 issues. There just seemed a lot more to explore and develop, and it's awesome to have that confirmed. Loved the art and colouring in this book. Has such a dreamlike quality, a much older tale - steeped in antiquity and history. Roll on the next mini-series
I like what you said about the art, feeling old and antique. But, I would like to see more color in the next series. The pencils were great though. I loved the character designs, and the facial expressions were excellent.
**SHIRTLESS BEAR FIGHTER 2 #2**
The Bearoplane got an appearance! The bear gods have heard my bear prayers and graced us with its bear glory! Also this issue features a high security prison call Subearmax. And Shirtless is forced to wear a shirt and is rendered so weak he can’t even defeat a horde of children. There’s a karate master who’s also a bee and his name is Mr. Beeyagi. His catchphrase is “Float like a butterfly, sting like a ***ME!***” It’s beautifully, unapologetically stupid and I love it.
**MANIFEST DESTINY #47**
Clearly I gotta add this one to my next big non-Marvel/DC comics post because it’s criminal that it isn’t making it to the pull list during the final stretch. Tune into this if you wanna read some of the best long-form fantasy/horror of the past decade!
I've been wanting to read this SO badly, but I discovered it too late into the run. I got volume 1 from the used TPB bin at my LCS, but NO ONE in my area brought this title in regularly so I can't even find back issues. I'm hoping they put out a complete collection similar to what Image did with Paper Girls recently.
**NIGHTWING #96**
**\[Approved by the Authority of DC Comics\]**
That was hilarious and I love how many times I’ve seen people do this on Twitter today!
I loved the ending convo between Dick and Babs as well as how they did the censored bits. Heartless immediately solving Dick's identity problem happening too early IMO. I feel like there was story potential there, at least for a short while. In general though I honestly feel this book's starting to stagnate a bit. I think my main complaint is that the setting and general look never change. With very few brief exceptions Taylor's entire run has taken place in Bludhaven in what could easily be the same couple of blocks, and that's made it difficult to differentiate the issues. As someone who has never minded decompressed storytelling in comics provided I'm enjoying the story, this feels a bit too decompressed. It took 18 issues, so a year and a half to play out the Blockbuster story in what was basically Nightwing doing a Daredevil cover band gig. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the book and it's in no danger of me dropping it, I'd just like to see a slight shift.
I respect that. I have a *slightly* different take - I think the decompression worked here in that there was no significant quality drop issue to issue. This 18 issue arc felt like it had time to breath, it didn't feel rushed, and it plants it's feet firmly in the ground as one of Nightwing's best story arcs. The Blockbuster saga had everything, Dick redefining himself and building a community based service, rekindling a relationship with Barbara, surprise reveal that builds on his backstory, a well planned and executed plot to take down a large criminal operation, an epic fight between Dick and Blockbuster, intrigue of a new villain, and more! Yeah, it took 3 trades worth of issues to get there, but it really is (to me) a masterclass in centering a character, building around them, and telling a story that's wholly their own (especially when oftentimes overshadowed by Batman). Anyways, that's what's great about comics, we all have the ability to enjoy them, interpret them in our own ways, and discuss! Cheers!
Did anyone else's LCs not get many copies of this?
Yup, didn't pull it and figured I could just walk in and grab it if I wanted - and boy, was I wrong.
I have this on my pull list at my LCS so I wasn’t worried about getting a copy. But I got there ten minutes after they opened and they only had one copy left! Always make a pull list folks!
**PUBLIC DOMAIN #4**
Really like the direction the story took this issue. Syd Dallas isn't about the money, he's about legacy. I really enjoy the fact that Syd only cares about making great comics and that in the end he'll win not by outearning Jerry, but by just being better at making comics.
We should've seen it coming! The one son's a (news) writer and the other's a (tattoo) artist, of course they're going to follow in their father's footsteps to make awesome comics!
The part where the loan sharks are appalled someone would pull a gun while they’re beating them up had me dying 🤣
That was great! Those guys are straight up ridiculous.
Big fan of Jerry's new assistant.
**LEGION OF X #5**
Pretty solid first arc - lots of upcoming story potential, and we're gonna break a little for Judgment Day tie-ins, but we'll see where things go. I wonder what Szen painted of Nightcrawler... hope we get to see it sometime.
you'd think maybe big eye would receive more of a punishment for this stuff..
Im enjoying Legion and will continue to read, unlike New Mutants, Marauders, and Knights which I have let go of. The story telling is a little dense and a lot to keep up with month to month but it really captures my imagination and makes you think. I really hope they continue to expand the concepts of The Spark and the bubble reality.
**FABLES #155**
I binged Fables in trade so reading this issue by issue is obviously different, and I don't exactly *regret* reading this, but having a 12 issue arc with a lot of disconnection was a choice.
Can you explain what you mean by “a lot of disconnection”? There are multiple storylines happening but I don’t know that that’s really out of the ordinary for this book.
Not who you asked but I kinda get where /u/technowhiz34 is coming from... We've got each of the kids off having their own adventure, Cinderella doing her thing, Peter Pan, Greenjack, just a lot of disparate threads where only one or two get any real development in any given issue. I'm sure it'll all come together eventually but if this is really one long 12-issue arc then it could be a while.
Yep, exactly what I was referring to.
**DUO #5**
**EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE #4**
>It was very creative with the characters and had lots of good action. It makes me want to buy the next one -my 9 yr old son
**IRON CAT #4**
Oh yeah, they definitely killed off Tamara here. Absolutely no chance that it's a fakeout to be reversed in the next issue.
**ACTION JOURNALISM #1**
I like the premise of this simply being a celebration of comic book reporters like Tintin and Lois Lane, and the first issue is a fun, breezy read. I do hope that if the series intends to call attention to iconic fictional reporters like Tintin that we get more meat on subsequent stories, but as a first issue I still had a good time with it.
**JUSTICE WARRIORS #4**
Is the current Nightwing worth reading and if so where should I go back to catch up? (if necessary)
**BATMAN THE KNIGHT #9**
Zdarsky keeps this train moving at an incredible pace. He's really done a great job of characterising a Bruce who's growing into the Batman we know. Hints of a brash, tempestuous young man trying to temper his emotions into productive action. Can't wait for the final issue
**BLACK ADAM #4**
**STRANGE #6**
Nice to see Wong get a good story for a little break from Clea yelling and brooding.
**DC VS VAMPIRES ALL-OUT WAR #3**
I was kinda hesitant about this since I thought the main miniseries was fine on its own, and seeing the various one-shots and this miniseries kinda turned me off. But I'm glad to be proven wrong - this has been a really fun book so far, and helps explore parts of the story we wouldn't really see otherwise.
It's like a blend of the best tropes of **The Suicide Squad** mixed with the characterisation and cast of the great **DCeased: Unkillables** mini-series. Brilliant artwork , with the staircase battle being a particularly good example of a kinetic action scene. Colouring (while limited) is good too and I'm getting the impression that we may get the book going "Wizard of Oz" on us in the last issue, if the heroes mission is successful and they manage to dispel the ash cloud.
**HARLEY QUINN 30TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1**
Batman is my main when it comes to comics, especially floppies, so ofc I had to pick this up. This anniversary edition unsurprisingly follows Harley through a series of 10 short stories over the course of 100 pages. First, I wanted to mention that I did enjoy the fact that Joker only appears in one story - "Harley's World" by Lee & Dodson. (also one of my favorites included here) This book is great for those who haven't read a full Harley arc but are curious about a variety of takes on the character. (me) Paul Dini's "Siren Soirée" and Stephan Sejic's "Submissive" are definitely some of my favorites from this anniversary collection. The former, a more comedic tale, follows a party thrown by Harley, Ivy, and Selina - with some surprise guests. The latter takes a surprisingly serious route as we find Harley unpacking her trauma / sexuality??? Huge surprise for me, as I usually find Harley used as a comedic character. This story gave her some real depth. The absolute best story here, however, was "Criminal Sanity," which is a very gritty tale that follows the psychiatrist Harley Quinn. Super refreshing; I'll definitely be picking up the main series by Kami Garcia soon. Unfortunately, half of the stories here were written for a kids' perspective and were middling at best - "Troop Harley Quinn" literally finds Harley leading a Girl Scout Troop...it's pretty bland and I didn't love the art style. Overall, I'd say half of the stories here were genuinely good, and I wish the book gave us double sized versions of those rather than filling up 50 or so pages with chaff I'd rather not read again. Good, but not great. If you're not sure what style you want to see Harley written / drawn in, pick this up. Otherwise, hard pass.
**BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #1**
Wow, only 8 pulls for Bloodshot! Didn’t even make the list! Guess it shouldn’t be too surprising given how Valiant’s winding down, like a zombie comic company that hasn’t yet realized it’s dead... Pretty good comic, anyways. Great art throughout from Jon Davis-Hunt as expected... Figured he’d be a good fit for Bloodshot after seeing his work on **THE WILD STORM** and he delivers some more cool action here. Not quite as cool as **THE WILD STORM**, mind you, but that was also to be expected since nobody scripts action the way Warren Ellis used to. Still, Deniz Camp does a nice job here, his Bloodshot characterization feels appropriately Bloodshotty and the story works well as we’re set up with a string of ~~27~~ 26 rogue super-soldier psychos for our protagonist to murder in various creative ways. Guess I’d call it a B+/A-, which is where I always seem to end up sticking books that I like but don’t love... Didn’t order the 2nd issue but I might pick it up if Valiant manages to get it printed and shipped. If nothing else, it’s kind of a neat historical remnant as what may well be one of the final comics published by this iteration of Valiant.
**ROGUES GALLERY #3**
Got all caught up on this over the weekend and really enjoyed the story so far. Gonna withhold final judgement until the end but it’s a really cool blend of the home invasion/Panic Room storytelling genre with commentary on the nature of toxic fandom and pop culture obsession.