Weekly New Comic Reviews: December 20, 2023
Welcome to this week’s new comic book reviews! I’m not able to review everything that comes out each week (and this week I’m extra behind due to some real-life work), but I try to write a quick blurb about some of the biggest titles from Marvel, DC, Image, and more.
As always, I hope you enjoy any book you picked up this week! Let me know what you read and which ones were your favorites!
MARVEL COMICS
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #40
Zeb Wells delivers another fun and chaotic ride that delivers plenty of action and twists. While it suffers from some characters being underdeveloped (e.g. Beetle’s continued path toward the dark side), there is a large enough cast of strong supporting characters to keep readers engaged in the story and on the seat of the pants. Madame Masque and Tombstone get some great story, with Spider-Man taking a backseat for the issue. Some may argue that’s a detraction from the comic but I don’t mind since he’s ben showing up across the various Gang War stories in different capacities. The final cliffhanger seals the deal and makes this another strong entry into the Webslinger’s surprisingly enjoyable crossover event.
Rating: 9/10
ASTONISHING ICEMAN #5
We wrap up Bobby Drake’s mini-series with a whimper, not an icy blast. The issue suffers from predictable resolutions, uninspired action, and plot holes that could melt even the chilliest reader's enthusiasm. Bobby deserves better than the what he got in this series. His internal struggles are barely explored, his character development feels stagnant, and the allusion to his new resurrection power raises more questions than it answers. This was a forgettable finale to a series that started with promise but quickly failed to deliver. One of the book’s saving grace is the great artwork by Vincenzo Carratù, who consistently made Bobby’s powers look fantastic and this issue might have been the best visuals of the miniseries.
Rating: 5/10
INCREDIBLE HULK #7
This was an immensely fun and action-packed read that continues to showcase Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s exciting new take on the Hulk. At this point the lingering Bruce vs. Hulk drama feels like overkill as it hasn’t yet been dealt with in any meaningful way but the sheer awesomeness that is delivered throughout every single action panel makes up for that in spades. Nic Klein deserves an Eisner for his work on this series and it will be a darn shame if he isn’t even nominated. His approach fits the darker, horror tones of Johnson’s story perfectly and he has made the Hulk look as intimidating and scary as anyone in recent memory. I can’t forget to also note Matthew Wilson’s amazing color work here as well as the artistic duo make this a must read series for the visuals alone. I love everything about this series and am both excited and terrified to find out what comes next after this issue’s final few pages!
Rating: 10/10
G.O.D.S. #3
This new series from Jonathan Hickman continues to blend an amazing balance between character development, intriguing plot threads, and expanding the overall Marvel lore in such intriguing and dynamic ways. I’ve been completely surprised in how much I’ve enjoyed all of the new characters introduced in these three issues so far, which has been a far cry from their initial teases in backup stories earlier this year. This issue specifically moves the story deeper into the complex relationships between gods, humans, and the very fabric of reality, offering both mind-bending ideas and visually stunning visual sequences from a masterful Valerio Schiti. Schiti's art complements Hickman's writing perfectly, with detailed and dynamic panels bringing the vastness and beauty of the cosmic realm to life.
This isn’t a fast-paced action comic. It's a slow burn that takes its time to build its world and introduce its characters. However, those who appreciate Hickman's ambitious storytelling and Schiti's stunning artwork will find plenty to enjoy. Everything piece of this book feels momentous in the best way possible. The seeds for future conflicts and character development are planted here, leaving me eager to see where the story will go next.
Rating: 10/10
ORIGINAL X-MEN #1
The issue tries to lean heavily on nostalgia as a hook (this caps Marvel’s 60th anniversary celebrations for the X-Men throughout 2023), without offering anything resembling a coherent or captivating story. You have to look no further back than the recent Jean Grey miniseries to see how something involving original characters being thrown into new situations can work but Marvel seems to have missed the point. The convoluted Phoenix-led plot makes zero sense and the artwork makes the multiversal characters appear indistinguishable from one another. Perhaps the worst part of this book is that it will be spinning off a Wolverine-inspired multiversal story next year.
Rating: 4/10
SPIDER-BOY #2
This issue delivers a lighthearted adventure that further establishes Spider-Boy's place in the Marvel Universe while throwing in a classic team-up and villain cameos for good measure. The pairing of Bailey and Captain America offers a fun dynamic, with the former’s youthful enthusiasm contrasting nicely with the latter’s seasoned leadership. Dan Slott writes their banter with wit and charm, making their interactions a highlight of the issue. What really sets this issue apart is the campy holiday-themed backup story featuring the conclusion to Bailey and Squirrel Girl’s battle against giant balloons. None other than Santa Claus comes in to help save the day with one of the funniest pages I can remember. I was literally lol-ing at the exchange of Christmas dad-jokes coming out of Santa’s mouth. Slott continues to infuse Bailey with a ton of heart and it makes this series feel so fresh and innocent.
Rating: 9/10
UNCANNY AVENGERS #5
These Fall of X miniseries really failed to deliver, huh? Another series with what felt like unlimited potential closes with a giant “meh” as it fails to add any major momentum to Krakoa’s final days. Captain America loves being part of a team? Cool. We knew that with the Avengers. Outside of Deadpool (who eats up A LOT of scenes), it never felt like Duggan was interested in writing for any of the mutant characters as more than supporting pieces. And that’s a damn shame because this had one of the more intriguing casts of this era. I also could never get used to Javier Garrón’s art on this series. There were some scenes were it played will, particularly this issue’s major battle, but more often than note it just never felt right for this story.
Rating: 5/10
UNCANNY SPIDER-MAN #5
Si Spurrier has had a particular fondness for Nightcrawler throughout latter half of the Krakoan age and navigates the finale to his years-long narrative with finesse, balancing action-packed sequences with introspective moments for Kurt. I haven’t always been the biggest fan of Spurrier’s work with the character but I can appreciate the dedication and long-term storybuilding he’s done with the character and how much of what Kurt deals with from an internal perspective was introduced much earlier on. The issue wraps up plot threads which have lingered throughout Uncanny Spider-Man, offers intriguing developments for future stories, and leaves readers with a newfound appreciation for Kurt Wagner's resilience and moral compass. It also acts as a fine follow-up to the events of X-Men Blue: Origins and provides a sense of redemption for Mystique after seemingly minimizing her character in the previous issues.
Rating: 8/10
WOLVERINE #40
Logan’s run of team-ups comes to a close with his final partner being none other than Spider-Man. It’s an odd inclusion since Spidey’s been keeping busy saving Manhattan from the chaos of the Gang War event (there’s even a mention of it in the issue), so how he had time to take a space-ride with Logan is a giant question mark. Wolverine also spends a good chunk of the issue incapacitated after losing consciousness in space. Benjamin Percy writes a lot of Spider-Man dialogue, which is a mix of genuinely funny moments mixed with been-there-done-that one-liners at Logan’s expense. It’s all just a pointless issue that reminds readers that Wolverine has basically been MIA from the rest of his mutant family throughout Fall of X. The ending makes it seem like he’ll be back with X-Force in short order, but he’s also about to get preoccupied with the Sabretooth War event coming up as well.
Rating: 6/10
DC COMICS
BATMAN: OFF-WORLD #2
Jason Aaron’s Batman-in-space story didn’t look back after sending the Dark Knight straight into a galactic prison cell in the first issue. This story isn’t taking itself too seriously and isn’t really setting any rules for what happens in this. We’re just getting Batman beating the crap out of aliens. Does it make sense? Not really. Is it pure fun once you embrace the absurdity? Absolutely. Pencil work by Doug Mahnke, inks by Jaime Mendoza, and colors by David Baron bring it all to life with a vibrancy befitting the out-of-this-world story. The alien races look create and there are several pages worthy of pausing for a few minutes to appreciate, including the final page setting us up for the next chapter.
Rating: 8/10
JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. GODZILLA VS. KONG #3
Michael Bay would be so proud of this issue. It’s set piece, after set piece, after set piece. And somehow Supergirl is in every scene spread out across multiple locations? She must travel the same way everyone in Westeros did during Game of Throne’s final two seasons. At it's core, this event is really just an excuse to see Justice League vs. Legendary’s Monster-Verse battle it out. The title (nearly) says it all. There’s still no real plot movement happening (unless you count the very last page), which this type of story doesn’t really need to do if the rest of the issues are as action-packed as this one. Though it would be nice to tie up some of the lingering plot threads introduced in the first issue.
Rating: 8/10
WONDER WOMAN #4
I’m not sure what it was, but something felt very off with Diana here and it made this issue one of the first clunkers in what’s been an amazing first few issues from Tom King. Diana’s interactions w/ the parents of a dying child felt out of character, including her asking them to call her Wonder Woman when it felt like she’d allow them to call her Diana. How she even ended up involved in this weird Make-A-Wish style situation was never explained and felt like a really strange way to set up the conversation towards the end about her being a mother given Trinity/Lizzie’s involvement in the series (her introduction via backup stories with Damian and Jon continues to be utterly endearing). The political subplot was still well written, if not redundant to what we’ve seen so far.
Daniel Sampere’s art was limited given the lack of meat to work with in a rather uneventful issue, though it’s still one of the better drawn comics on the market. I love his little newscast pages where we get to see his interpretation of our 24-hour newscycle.
Rating: 7/10
DARK HORSE COMICS
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: FORGE OF DESTINY #4
Tim Seeley’s prequel story wraps up in a rushed and unevenly paced fashion. The limited series started off strongly but has seemingly fallen to the pressure of telling a complex story within a four-issue span. It felt like we only ever got to scratch the surface with Prince Adam’s earliest day of being He-Man and the series’ climactic battle went by in the blink of an eye. It’s hard not to think that Seeley could have had much more work with if he was given a few more issues. Overall, this series was a fun introduction, but failed to introduce any major nuance or revelation to the MOTU franchise.
Rating: 6.5/10
GHOST MACHINE
GEIGER: GROUND ZERO #2
The conclusion to the two-part story feels like it could have two separate books itself: 1) the conclusion to Geiger/Molotov’s partnership; and 2) a collection of short stories helping to launch future Ghost Machine titles. That doesn’t make this a bad issue, but it does make each part come off a bit rushed and crammed together. Gary Frank’s artwork stole the show over these two issues, reminding readers just how haunting a world this is. At the end of the day, this was a successful reintroduction to the world of Geiger and the pieces seem to be set up nicely for the comic creators collective’s big launch in 2024.
Rating: 8/10
IMAGE COMICS
THE DEVIANT #2
After a wildly captivating debut issue, James Tynion IV’s and Joshua Hixson’s The Deviant #2 puts the brakes on the horror and dives deep into exploring the series’ two main characters. Without the eerie backdrop of the haunting murderer looming, the issue’s overall ability to capture my attention was lacking comparatively. Some of Tynion’s dialogue came off heavy-handed and pedantic, especially during Michael and Randall’s jailyard 5-page long conversation. There’s something very-off about Michael, keeping him from being a main character we root for, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him somehow involved with the current timeline’s murders.
What didn’t disappoint this issue was Hixson’s art, which continued to be a visual delight. I love how quickly Hixson can shift from a bright, cheerful palette to dark and gritty without ever giving the read whiplash. His crime scene pages are some of the best things about this book so far.
Rating: 7/10
SKYBOUND
G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #302
Much like my feelings with the current Transformers series, Larry Hama’s newest G.I. Joe run holds no punches when it comes to thrusting readers into deep, deep established lore with little hand-holding for those unfamiliar with the franchises. If you fall into that category, like I do, you’re going to want to keep a Google search tab open on your device of choice to connect dots related to how all the characters, organizations, and other entities mentioned throughout the issue. If you’re fine with that, or you’re well-versed in all things G.I. Joe, you’re going to be treated to a really complex and thrilling story chock full of interesting characters and really, really awesome visuals. This feels like a classic comic for today’s times and I’m glad I (finally) got on board.
Rating: 8/10
