Weekly New Comic Reviews: October 11, 2023
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!, IDW, and more. I hope you enjoy and let me know what comics you read and which ones were your favorite!
MARVEL COMICS
X-MEN RED #16
Catch up on my review of the previous issue here.
Everything about this issue clicked for me. The Four Horsemen were menacing. Storm was a badass. The Brotherhood had moments to shine. Al Ewing made every page matter and used each one to add weight to the story. Yildiray Çinar’s art keeps getting better with each issue and the wide-panel view of Port Prometheus’ destruction by War was absolutely stunning. The Genesis War has been a fantastic run and reminds readers of the potential a cast of relatively new characters offers. X-Men Red continues to be the best X-title in Fall of X.
Rating: 9/10
WOLVERINE #38
Logan’s holding patter continues with another solo mission, this time featuring a team-up with Captain America. These are fun one-offs, but I’m ready for Wolverine to get back with his X-Force team members though how/if that ends up happening long-term remains to be seen with the upcoming Wolverine vs. Sabretooth minievent. We get nice homages to different points of the Krakoan era, but this has the feeling of a feel-good mashup of Marvel legends than anything relevant to the Fall of X endgame.
Rating: 7/10
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #35
I’ve loved the darker tone of Zeb Wells and Patrick Gleason’s current arc and ASM #35 sees Peter’s possession by Norman’s demons come to an end. Compared to the other issues in this arc, the tension here fell flat with major plot points being rushed. The story could have used another issue or two to give character decisions, and especially the major cliffhanger, more room to breathe on their own. Even with these smaller issues, this has been a successful soft reset of a title which had been floundering for the past few months and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next for Peter Park for the first time in awhile.
Rating: 8/10
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN RETURNS #1
I can’t believe its already been 10 years, but Dan Slott & Christos Gage are back with a Superior Spider-Man tale in this special one-shot ahead of a new ongoing series next month. It took a few pages to find its footing but this felt like a reunion with an old friend after years apart. Slott, Gage, and the art team consisting of Ryan Stegman, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Humberto Ramos, and Mark Bagley turn this one-shot into a wonderful dose of nostalgia. Not sure I buy the new villain just yet, but we’ll see how the new series develops that character further. One thing continues to be clear — Slott and Gage are two of the best Spider-Man scribes around.
Rating: 8.5/10
CAPTAIN MARVEL: ASSAULT ON EDEN #1
This was a fun, if unnecessary, story involving Captain Marvel swooping in to save the day when Hulkling and Wiccan’s celebration of Unification Day is broken up by the Supreme Intelligence. Anthony Oliveira’s script is quick and witty, with fun dialogue between the three heroes. I wish Hulkling and Wiccan got a chance to show their strengths. Eleonora Carlini’s art had a cute, whimsical feel to it that you wouldn’t associate with Captain Marvel yet I thought it was a nice approach for this one-off story. My only complaint was how prominent and pointed characters’ noses were throughout the book to the point where they look like Whos from The Grinch.
Not to take anything away from this story, but I’m really scratching my head over Marvel’s decision to overload the release calendar with multiple Captain Marvel stories in between runs of her ongoing series. I get that they’re trying to keep her top of mind ahead of November’s The Marvels, but this and the practically unreadable Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest feel like underwhelming amuse-bouches between main courses.
Rating: 7/10
DC COMICS
BATMAN AND ROBIN #2
Catch up on my review for the previous issue here.
I could understand this story happening during the same time as the Gotham War storyline if I looked at it sideways and squinted after the first issue went out of its way to connect the two together. Gotham War has pushed Bruce so far to the extreme under the influence of Batman of Zur-En-Arrh that it’s nearly impossible to watch Bruce/Batman in this series and believe they’re both happening in the same universe.
Elements that made the first issue interesting, namely the deeper look at the father/son dynamic between Bruce and Damian, take a back seat so Joshua Williamson can introduce Shush, the new villain who has a vendetta against Bruce. Its implied that she isn’t working alone, could it be so obvious that she’s work for Thomas Elliot, a.k.a. Hush? I’m not buying this….yet. Simone Di Meo’s art continues to be the bright spot for the book, though are a few panels that look like replicas from the first issue with a few slight modifications. I’m hoping this book picks up soon or the juice isn’t going to be worth the squeeze.
Rating: 6.5/10
BATMAN: CITY OF MADNESS #1
Catch my in-depth review here.
Batman: City of Madness Book One is a tour de force of imaginative storytelling from start to finish. Ward uses every aspect of the book to invent a new, nightmarish take on Gotham that immediately captivates the reader and immerses them in this twisted tale.
Rating: 10/10
GREEN LANTERN #4
Catch up on my review for the previous issue here.
We’re finally getting into the thick of things with Sinestro’s intentions starting to come into focus with this issue. Do I buy that he’s only out to get home? Not a chance. Do I think he’s found a way to appear sympathetic to confuse Hal? Absolutely. Speaking of Hal, I wasn’t a fan of the way Jeremy Adams wrote him at first, but Adams is brilliantly evolving the character with each issue. His post-team up conversation with The Flash showed so much character growth over just the first four issues. As long as Xermánico is on art and Romulo Fajardo Jr is on colors, the visuals in this book will make every issue a must read. Even without any specific page that stood out, from gorgeous backgrounds to expressive character designs, the entire book is so well done.
The backup story “Wayward Son” from Peter Tomasi and David LaFuente is an interesting introduction to a character who claims to be Sinestro’s son. The kid is stuck in a bad spot, having to steal to make ends meet in a collective run by a crime boss. He’s looking to get some of Sinestro’s DNA to prove his heritage and it’ll be interesting to see if this ends up playing into the main storyline.
Rating: 8/10
WESLEY DODDS: THE SANDMAN #1
Robert Venditti’s pulpy interpretation of Sandman’s Golden Age origins would make the likes of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler proud. While the tone was spot on, we’ll see if the actual plot holds up under further scrutiny in future issues, but Venditti has shown a knack for taking previously niche characters and creating backstories that make them feel more timely and of great importance. Riley Rossmo’s art can be polarizing, but his brand of eerie, unnatural designs fit perfectly with Venditti’s script. Overall, a decent first issue that offered a unique take without much setup for what we should expect in terms of the series' plot, other than that it's an origin story.
Rating: 7/10
WORLD’S FINEST: TEEN TITANS #4
Catch up on my review for the previous issue here:
It may not have been the best of series to date, but Mark Waid’s story is still a great read even on a bad day. The issue eschews heavy action sequences (until the final few pages) for a deeper look at the interpersonal dynamic between different subsets of the group, including a very astutue reflection on what makes Speedy act the way he does around others by Aqualad. The Karen/Mal story was also a joy to read and it’s great to see Karen getting more focus. The cliffhanger implies we’re about to get into some serious plot as we approach the end of this run and I can’t wait to see what this creative team has in store for us.
Rating: 7/10
DARK HORSE COMICS
SPACE USAGI: YOKAI HUNTER #1
I had my first taste of Stan Sakai’s seminal rabbit ronin character with last month’s Usagi Yojimbo: Ice and Snow #1 and it was practically a religious experience. I feel spoiled to get another issue so soon, and this time with a better understanding and feel for the world of Usagi. This was such a fun read and the yokai angle was perfect for it being so close to Halloween. Sakai’s effortless ability to craft compelling stories along with endearing visual is unmatched in today’s comic book world and we should soak in his brilliance for as long as we can.
Rating: 9/10
OPERATION SUNSHINE #1
What a fun story for the Halloween season! It wasn’t perfect by any means, there were transitions between scenes that weren’t always clear or evident and the reader is bombarded with plot elements without much explanation —but once you get past the structure issues, the story itself is pure horror fun at its roots. The cartoonish art is a great complement to the tone of the story — never making anything too dark or scary that would turn non-horror fans off, but still scratching the itch for anyone wanting a twisted visual to go with their vampire story. Overall it’s a great read for this time of year, warts and all.
Rating: 7/10
IDW PUBLISHING
THE HUNGER AND THE DUSK #3
Catch up on my review for the previous issue here.
It isn’t fair how good G. Willow Wilson’s THE HUNGER AND THE DUSK has been. There is so much drama and tension, so many complex characters, and such a rich world building being done it’s practically incompatible that this is a brand new series. Wilson’s story is matched only by the immaculate designs on the page from artist Chris Wildgood and colorist Msassyk. It will be a crime if this doesn’t get turned into a hit TV show. This continues to be one of my top new series of 2023 and if you’re not reading this series, you’re missing out on an epic adventure.
Rating: 10/10
IMAGE COMICS
THE CULL #3
Catch up on my review for the previous issue here.
This issue finally starts to deliver on what’s happening within this fantastical universe our main characters stumbled up and how it all ties to the first couple of pages that were teased in the debut issue. The characters are still making some of the worst horror-trope decisions possible to move the plot along, but their individual moments of gaining new powers is a sight to see. Nothing feels new or unique about the story still, but the art by Mattia De Iulis is what really separates this book from anything with a similar plot that it may be compared to.
Rating: 6/10
