Welcome to this week’s new comic book reviews! I’m not able to review everything that comes out each week, but I try to write a quick blurb about some of the biggest titles from Marvel, DC, Image, BOOM!, 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

SPIDER-BOY #1

I can only imagine what toxic Spider-Man social media is going to say about this issue, but for me it hit every note I was hoping for in Bailey Briggs’ debut solo series. Dan Slott’s script perfectly executes Bailey’s introduction by providing initial answers as to why nobody remembers him and how he got his powers. The script is chock full of campy humor that is so much fun. I don’t know how much of a shelf-life this character or the current story have to sustain over the long-haul, but if anyone has it in them to produce consistently entertaining Spiderverse stories, it’s Slott.

Rating: 8/10

ULTIMATE INVASION #1

I probably loved Hickman’s Ultimate Invasion more than most and this exactly the type of follow-up I was hoping for. There was less space to tell expand the story in this one-off, but Hickman used every last bit of this issue to keep the momentum going for the new universe that is set to further expand in the coming months. This issue oozed with elements of grandeur — everything felt important. Hickman loves laying breadcrumbs to revert back to months down the line and I found myself trying to figure out where those might be hidden in this issue.

Rating: 10/10

WHITE WIDOW #1

This was a rough start for Yelena Belova in her first time stepping out as a solo hero. Sarah Gailey’s script felt like it had the heavy hand of MCU powers-that-be establishing Yelena’s tone and personality to match the character we saw in the Black Widow film and will see again in Thunderbolts. Gailey’s attempt at humor came off forced and heavy-handed and the identify of the issue’s eventual villain was telegraphed a mile away.

Alessandro Miracolo’s designs were serviceable, but they weren’t done any favors by the color palette. I’ll be interested to see if it translates on physical copies, but the advanced PDF I received for review did nothing for Matt Milla’s colors. Yelena had such a harsh red shading that she looked sunburnt the majority of the issue.

My biggest problem with this issue is that you could have swapped Yelena out for Kate Bishop and I wouldn’t have noticed due to the similarity in tone. There was a point where I thought to myself “they’re trying to recreate Kelly Thompson’s Hawkeye series and failing miserably” and then two pages later there was literally an ad for the Kate Bishop episode of Marvel’s Women of Marvel podcast. Yelena deserves better, but I’m not sure she is going to get it here.

Rating: 5/10

X-MEN #28

At times it’s felt like the Orchis’ downfall is coming into a clearer picture in other titles, so it was great to see the main X-Men title get back to the basics of foiling the evil organization’s plans. It was nice to see Firestar get a chance to make an impact since her role as a double agent hasn’t been utilized to the fullest since she first took on the job. The interactions between Shadowkat, Ms. Marvel, and a surprise guest-star mutant. The book closes with some great plot development and it definitely feels like the stakes are at an all-time high.

Rating: 7/10

DC COMICS

BATMAN/CATWOMAN: THE GOTHAM WAR — SCORCHED EARTH #1

How did DC follow-up the poorly executed “Knight Terrors” summer event? With a Gotham-wide event that was equally poorly planned! None of the cross-over issues across the “Gotham War” ever really landed due to a multitude of issues and it was all laid bare in this punchless attempt to conclude this wildly contrived story of tension amongst the Bat-Family. The parts of the sum haven’t all bad though, Chip Zdarsky’s standalone Batman issues have given the character an interesting psychological undertone which was brought up in this issue in the most surface-level way possible. Tini Howard’s Catwoman sections are some of the lowest points of the issue and it really felt like Selina’s additions were an afterthought this entire event. The visual look of the issue matched the mundane plot, with generic looking character designs overwhelming panels to the point where a maskless male character could have been Bruce, Jason, Dick, or Tim. Given how the story wraps up, much of what happened throughout this event is undone and we’re brought back to the status quo from several months ago.

Rating: 4/10

DETECTIVE COMICS #1076

The first entry into the five-issue “Batman: Outlaw” arc starts off with a bang from Ram V and Jason Shawn Alexander. I can’t imagine DC planned it this way, but it was quite a jarring experience reading this issue juxtaposed to Gotham War — Scorched Earth. Where that story failed in plot and character development, this issue succeeded in spades with Ram V’s script being exceptionally written with each character involved getting various levels of complex development. Catwoman shines in this story (unlike Howard’s version) and starts to assemble a team to break Batman out of his imprisonment. The artwork is also delightfully dark and twisted that provides for the perfect complement. For those who have questioned the pacing of the larger Orgham story, but you’d be hard to deny the operatic feel this arc has started with.

The typical backup stories you’d expect in Detective Comics help to round this issue as a whole and includes a deeper look at some of the characters who were featured in the main storyline.

Rating: 9/10

RETURN OF SUPERMAN 30TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1

A collection of A-List creative talent returns (pun intended) for five short stories featuring characters they wrote for during the “Return of Superman” era. This is a wonderful tribute to early 90s comics that is the perfect taste of nostalgia for those looking for a trip back to a simpler time. It’s an easy and exciting read that reminds readers how great this era looked on the page, but does little else to justify the $9.99 cover price.

Rating: 7/10

SUPERGIRL SPECIAL #1

Mariko Tamaki’s return to writing for Supergirl is an excellent character analysis that makes you wish DC would give Kara Zor-El the same type of push as any of Superman or Batman’s male sidekicks. Tamaki’s story is deeply personal and touches on many of the internal struggles Kara has dealt with over the past few years, mostly due to her being used as plot device to move other characters’ stories forward, on top of the struggles she’s dealt with as one of the few survivors of Krypton on an alien world. Skylar Patridge’s art and Marissa Louise’s colors are a perfect match for the moody tone of the book, with muted pastels helping to create a visually compelling look into the world of Kara’s psyche. Hopefully this can be a springboard for a character who deserves more (and better).

Rating: 8/10

DARK HORSE COMICS

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER — AZULA IN SPIRIT TEMPLE TPB

Read my spoiler-free advance review here.

Avatar: The Last Airbender — Azula in the Spirit Temple is sure to be an enjoyable read for any fan of the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise. It’s a well-written story exploring a complex and fascinating character in depth, with some killer visuals that are the highlight of the book.

Rating: 7/10

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: FORGE OF DESTINY #3

This may have been my least favorite of this issues so far, as it was the first to be mainly focused on exposition meant to set up next issue’s miniseries finale. And if the final page is any indication, we’re in store for a pretty epic showdown to bring this to a conclusion. I wish we were getting more time with this though as Tim Seeley’s prequel story has shown it’s got so much to offer for new and old fans alike. The art has also been top-notch throughout the series and Eddie Nunez’s skills were on full display in the aforementioned final page.

Rating: 7/10

THE MIDNITE SHOW #2

The first issue covered a lot of ground and faced some pacing issues setting up all of characters, but MIDNITE SHOW #2 kicks things into high gear as a Mount Rushmore of classic horror villains descends upon Cedar Bluffs. This has all the ingredients of a popcorn horror story with mild spooks and scares, but plenty of excitement to keep you drawn in. The mix of characters is full of your standard horror movie ensemble tropes, though that’s half the fun here. Halloween may be over, but I can’t wait to see how this plays out.

Rating: 7.5/10

USAGI YOJIMBO: ICE & SNOW #2

Read my spoiler-free advance review here.

Overall, Usagi Yojimbo: Ice & Snow #2 is a wonderful follow-up issue after a successful debut for this next arc in Stan Sakai’s seminal rabbit ronin series. We get great plot development, as well as exciting action and humor that balance the issue wonderfully. For those who have yet to jump into the world of Usagi Yojimbo, these first two issues serve as the perfect starting point.

Rating: 9/10

IMAGE COMICS

THE SACRIFICERS #4

This issue fell a tad flat after Rick Remender had done such an amazing job building tension towards the big payoff revealed in the previous issue. The title of the series was foreboding enough to indicate the excited revelry on display was a subterfuge, yet Remender’s story made you want to be wrong. Now that we know what’s happening, this issue took a pivot and mostly focused on those at the top of the food chain. That led to a big drop in the emotional weight that permeated the first three issues. The book’s ending implies we’re going to stay focused on the those in power and how their hubris may be their downfall. The opening panels featuring the pigeon family didn’t suffice either as the father’s breakdown felt unearned after he previously didn’t show any sense of grief or unease for his actions or what was expected of his family. I’m hoping we can get back to the emotion and tension of Issues #1-3, because this was a pretty standard read.

Rating: 6/10

BOOM! STUDIOS

RANGER ACADEMY #2

These first two issues have me hooked on what might be uncovered and where things may go. The entire creative team delivered a home-run start to Ranger Academy that immediately draws readers in, no matter how familiar or unfamiliar with the franchise they may be. This has the makings of a Star Wars: The Clone Wars or Star Wars: Rebels level of world-building that adds to decades of established lore and becomes an integral part in expanding a franchise’s fanbase to new audiences, while appeasing diehard fans with respect and acknowledgement of everything that’s come before it.

Rating: 9/10

THE SPACE BETWEEN #1

It took a good bit of the debut issue to get things going, but once Corinna Bechko’s script gets going it reads like an episode of The Expanse (not a shock as Bechko has written stories in that universe!) mixed with Silo. I love both of those shows so this type of story is right up my alley. There are some interesting time jumps that occur in the latter half of the book and I’m interested to see if the rest of the series will fill in the gaps or if this issue was squarely meant to get us further along in the story. Danny Luckert’s designs are visually pleasing but I thought the color palette was too muted for this futuristic story set in space. I would have loved a bit more vibrancy to keep things interesting during some of the slower moments. Either way, I’m excited to see what comes next!

Rating: 8/10

VAULT COMICS

SAINTED LOVE #2

Innuendos from the first issue take a backseat for full-on NSFW sexual fantasies in this second issue from Steve Orlando and Giopota. Underneath all the gratuitousness, there’s a fascinating story shouting to get more attention. Orlando’s plot appears to be playing second-fiddle similar to how he’s handling Astonishing Iceman with his work on Marvel. The awkward time-jump happens in the blink of an eye and we completely blow past how John and Malcom helped established a new Oasis in a new timeline. I’ll never stop appreciating how unabashedly queer Orlando’s stories are, but characters often come across as one-dimensional vehicles for “shock” moments that do a disservice to any long-term growth. As a gay man, I wish there was a better balance here to keep readers coming back for something other than it’s a sex-positive queer comic.

Rating: 6/10