Category Archives: Mini Reviews

Mini Reviews: Exceptional X-Men, The Power Fantasy, Godzilla Rivals: SpaceGodzilla vs. King Ghidorah, The Question: All Along the Watchtower

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The Question: All Along the Watchtower #1

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Exceptional X-Men #3 (Marvel) – Exceptional X-Men‘s lineup and focus start to snap together in its third issue. A physical/ideological fight between Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde might be the headliner, but Eve Ewing and Carmen Carnero also continue to flesh out Thao, Alex, and Trista’s characters and start to build their team dynamic even extending into costumes and codenames. (Axo, which is short for Axolotl, is my favorite.) Alex was 100% right when he asked why Emma and Kitty had tea after phasing/diamond-forming at each other, and Ewing and Carnero grasp the tension and respect between them. Emma is a more traditional, tough love educator while Kitty wants to get away from the X-Men and show a different way for young mutants live. But what really ends up being most important is what Axo, Melee, and Bronze want for themselves. With its small, tightknit cast and lack of missions/fight for the sake of fights, Exceptional X-Men is a breath of fresh air in the mutant/superhero space. Overall: 8.5 Verdict: Buy

The Power Fantasy #4 (Image) -The cast of The Power Fantasy comes together at Masumi’s art show where Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijingaard explore what would happen if an all-powerful person gets a bad review. And that’s basically create a devouring monster: Godzilla but scarier. I love how Wijingaard integrates Masumi’s actual art with the style of the comic with the abstract paintings overwhelming the frame when she almost melts down before mellowing into the usual flow and palette of The Power Fantasy. The Power Fantasy #4 provides more insight into Masumi’s personality and insights, but Etienne Lux continues to be the prime mover and gets the series’ equivalent of an action scene. The Power Fantasy #4 uses art and its critical reception to just show how fragile and tense its world is. Overall: 7.9 Verdict: Buy

Godzilla Rivals: SpaceGodzilla vs King Ghidorah (IDW) – Godzilla Rivals: SpaceGodzilla vs King Ghidorah (GR: SvK from here on out) is both an epic kaiju battle royale and emotional family drama from creators Dave Baker, Kevin Catalan, and Heather Breckel. GR: SvK is filled with poster-worthy pages of colorful battles between the titular characters plus everyone’s favorite radioactive lizard, and Baker and Catalan do a solid job blocking out the fights between these three behemoths. Along with the fights, they build an arc between a son who wants his father to meet his grandson and a father who just wants to use SpaceGodzilla’s crystals for renewable energy. It’s really exceeded my expectations for this kind of comic. Overall: 8.8 Verdict: Buy

The Question: All Along the Watchtower #1 (DC) – I feel like this DC comic was tailor made for me because it’s Renee Montoya in a cowboy hat toting a giant shotgun and solving mysteries with her ex-fiancee Batwoman, Jaime Reyes, and Ted Kord. Alex Segura and Cian Tormey use the new Justice League Unlimited/Watchtower/All-In era of the DC Universe as a backdrop for fun action/detective stories featuring various B, C, and Z-listers while keeping Montoya’s arc front and center. I love how they set up the stakes of the series by having the Trinity handpick Montoya, and the reveal of Batwoman as the field agent touches a real emotional chord. All Along the Watchtower #1 has an epic scope while staying grounded like your favorite street-level title. Overall: 9.0 Verdict: Buy

Mini Reviews: Toxic Avenger, NYX, The Domain, and Black Lightning

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NYX #5

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Toxic Avenger #2 (Ahoy) – Matt Bors and Fred Harper continue to satirize the brain rot of 2024 United States in the second installment of their Toxic Avenger reboot. Toxie has an opportunity to liaison with the company doing the cover up of the toxic waste train accident, but he picks integrity over money and, of course, it backfires. Along the way, Bors and Harper flesh out the bully characters of Pluto and Bryce who are struggling with body dysmorphia as they’ve gone from the “ideal male body” to mutants. It all culminates in a big kaiju type fight (Toxie is an Ultraman fan!) with hilarious visual background jokes from Fred Harper. If you like B-movies and are afraid of what’s going on the world right now, the Toxic Avenger comic is worth a read. Overall: 8.1 Verdict: Buy

NYX #5 (Marvel) – Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Francesco Mortarino, Elisabetta D’Amico, and Raul Angulo wrap up the first arc of NYX with a glimpse at a better world where redemption is possible and marginalized folks can win victories at the ballot box. I guess, having a powerful psychic like Sophie Cuckoo helps. But, in all seriousness, Lanzing and Kelly use Sophie’s POV to show how found families can be more supportive than blood ones. (The Stepford Cuckoos in this case.) In this issue, Sophie breaks away from the five-in-one and helps her new BFF Ms. Marvel rally for mutant rights in a literally political plotline, and I love seeing her thought process through the captions as well as the emotional journey she goes on. The first arc of NYX is a melting pot of street-level and mutant Marvel comics with a diverse cast of characters dealing with real life issues through stylized metaphors. Finally, I love the flair of Mortarino and D’Amico’s visuals, it’s 90 Generation X comics filtered through 2010s manga, especially in the little humorous moments like Wolverine sniffing Sophie to make sure she’s telling the truth. Overall: 8.7 Verdict: Buy

The Domain #5 (Image) – The Domain #5 is a big, splashy action-packed finale to this miniseries. I love the opening flashback from Chip Zdarsky and Rachel Stott that re-establishes the wielders of The Domain as friends and underdogs as they battle Domain Prime, space pirates, and the US army. Stott’s skill with facial expression comes in handy when she and Zdarsky cut away from the battle to show how freaked out Dez and Liz are in the face of creatures that have killed in cold blood. However, this is an optimistic end to The Domain that still leaves the door for future adventures as they transition from the superhero to the science fiction genre. Overall: 8.1 Verdict: Buy

Black Lightning #1 (DC) – I love the dynamic between Jefferson Pierce and his daughters Anissa and Jennifer, who are the superheroes Thunder and Lightning in Black Lightning #1 as well as him taking a teaching role and working with new metahumans. Also, Fico Ossio and Ulisses Areola bring a Bronze Age semi-realist art style with modern digital color visual that’s kind of pleasing. However, Ossio and writer Brandon Thomas don’t provide Black Lightning #1 with a threat or real hook, which is an issue for a first issue. A lot of the issue is recapping things which happened in the Absolute Power crossover albeit from the Pierces’ POV as well as Lightning struggling with her abilities. But, sadly, there’s nothing compelling me to pick up issue 2 except for the characters which I already have a positive relationship with from other comics and the Black Lightning TV show. Overall: 6.1 Verdict: Pass

Mini Reviews: Absolute Superman, Public Domain, and Aliens vs. Avengers

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Absolute Superman #1

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Absolute Superman #1 (DC) – DC goes 3 for 3 with the Absolute titles as Jason Aaron, a career best Rafa Sandoval, and Ulisses Areola turn in a working class hero, sci-fi tinged dystopian take on Superman. Aaron draws parallels between miners on Krypton and Brazil, how exploited they are by corporations. His and Sandoval’s Superman initially doesn’t fight supervillains, but helps make conditions better for workers and be more efficient to earn a good wage without breaking their bodies and minds. (So based!) Of course, this backfires for him and creates the initial conflict of the series. Areola’s color palette is a standout in Absolute Superman #1 with breathtaking, yet rusty reds on Krypton, and he adds crunch and energy to Superman’s third act fight sequence that feels more mecha-influenced that typical superhero fisticuffs. All in all, this is a book about a symbol of hope in an utterly hopeless world much like our own that has a good heart, but has a way to go as a hero and freedom fighter. Overall: 8.9 Verdict: Buy

Public Domain #10 (Image) – Public Domain #10 is the conclusion to the second arc of Chip Zdarsky‘s wonderful comic about the comics industry and the creators it exploits. However, this issue transcends sequential art to talk about how relationships get strained, pull apart, and then come back together as Candy comes clean to Syd about an affair she had in the late 80s. Queerness, work/life balance, domestic labor, and even work from home versus office jobs are all on the table in this decade-spanning slice of life conclusion to the second arc of the comic that is both family drama and inside baseball pop satire. Also, on a visual note, I love how Zdarsky creates yearning and sadness through silent panel sequences as he takes a break from his witty dialogue to let characters just be in the moment. Overall: 9.3 Verdict: Buy

Aliens vs. Avengers #2 (Marvel) – A comic, albeit one starring enhanced humans and Xenomorphs whose strings are pulled by creepy godlike figures, about the last remnants of humanity surviving a catastrophe hits hard in light of the 2024 election. Aliens vs. Avengers #2 succeeds as both a classic heroes doing heroic things and a seedy, satirical sci-fi horror with Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic a perfect verbal and visual match for the Engineers from Prometheus, who orchestrate the plague on Earth-616. Each Avenger gets a dynamic moment, including Steve Rogers who embodies heroism in three words and three panels. This is Hickman at his most crowd-pleasing, and I love that the schedule for the book is giving Ribic and Ive Svorcina time to craft lovingly detailed art that still has the energy of your favorite superhero comic and the menace of space horror. Overall: 9.2 Verdict: Buy

Mini Reviews: Horizon Experiment: The Sacred Damned, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Green Lantern Dark, Absolute Wonder Woman, Iron Man, Dazzler, and more!

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Absolute Wonder Woman #1

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Horizon Experiment: The Sacred Damned #1 (Image) – Sabir Pirzada and Michael Walsh‘s The Sacred Damned #1 reminded me a lot of 1988’s Hellblazer #1 which opens with a man eating everything in sight, but dying of starvation. Pirzada and Walsh dig into the horrors of the overconsumption of American culture, but from the POV of a badass Muslim occultist named Inayah Jibril. In The Sacred Damned, she investigates the strange case of a college football player possessed by Djinn and comes to grips with her own demons. Jibril’s no hero and even revels a little bit in the fact that Kyle is getting comeuppance for his careless, hateful, privileged life. Pirzada’s plotting and Michael Walsh’s visuals are classic Vertigo horror, but from a different perspective than white British men. Overall: 8.2 Verdict: Buy

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 (IDW) – This Leonardo-centric issue has a lot of navel-gazing with just a pinch of ninja action at the end as Jason Aaron and Cliff Chiang show us what Leo has been up to for the past nine months. The answer (Communing with turtles on the banks of the Ganges.) isn’t that exciting, but it’s fun to watch him get off his ass and return to being the leader of the Hamato Clan. As with the previous two issues of TMNT, the art is the headliner with Chiang playing with shapes, silhouettes, and shadows when Leo saves some soft shell turtles from poachers. His color palette also sets the mood for the story from the serenity of meditation to the harshness of crashing a helicopter into a building. Overall: 7.0 Verdict: Read

Green Lantern Dark #1 (DC) – Tate Brombal, Something is Killing the Children’s Werther Dell’Edera, and Giovanna Niro tell a tale of hope in utter bleakness in Green Lantern Dark #1. They construct a world without heroes except for a reluctant Green Lantern and a girl who believes in her. Dell’Edera’s horror chops come in handy as Solomon grundy’s minions overwhelm the tone and snuff out the light. Some of the panels have strange angles though, and it’s hard to follow the story, especially in an early diner sequence. However, Green Lantern Dark #1 is a stripped down tale about finding hope in the darkest places that rings true in today’s world. Pair it with a power outage for an even better reading experience. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy

Paranoid Gardens #4 (Dark Horse) – Gerard Way, Shaun Simon, and Chris Weston finally start to reveal what’s actually going on that creepy, extraterrestrial retirement home in Paranoid Gardens #4. Antagonist Dr. Zerc is in full selfish mode and doing whatever he can to live forever no matter the cost while protagonist Loo scrambles around and helps out bonding with the unnamed superhero, who basically was pulled over by a space cop on the way to save the day. Putting mundane situations in weird, new contexts is where Paranoid Gardens really sings, and Weston’s deadpan-style art matches this tone nicely like when a vampire has a group therapy session with some ghosts. Paranoid Gardens is 2/3 finished, but really shows some narrative momentum in issue four although the book continues to be scatter-brained for better or worse. Overall: 7.5 Verdict: Read

Alien Romulus #1 (Marvel) – Zac Thompson, Daniel Piccioto, and Yen Nitro turn in a solid adaptation of an Alien Romulus prequel story by the film’s writer/director Fede Alvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues. It connects Alien Romulus even more closely to the original Alien film as well as Prometheus with Rook pontificating about creating new life and immortality while xenomorphs wreck the Renaissance. There are even some dark moments when a scientist contemplates using the xenomorphs for human genocide before he dies a gruesome death. The art from Piccioto is pretty standard issue, but he turns up the gore to match Thompson’s frenetic dialogue. However, Alien Romulus #1‘s biggest strength is how seamlessly it works with Alien Romulus film. You can read this, put on Alien Romulus (On VHS, perhaps.) and have your own xenomorph double feature. Overall: 7.8 Verdict: Buy

The Power Fantasy #3 (Image) – In Power Fantasy #3, Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijingaard both narrow their focus on the angelic Superpower Santa Valentina and broaden it to show just how different the world of The Power Fantasy is from our own culminating in a “wtf” type final page. I love how unchanging Wijingaard makes Santa Valentina’s facial expressions from jumping out of the womb with atomic powers to her telepathic chats with Etienne Lux in the present day. She’s truly the never-fading representation of youth culture with a glowing color palette from Caspar Wijingaard. The Power Fantasy #3 (Especially a key data page.) adds context to this book’s world and characters, and I’m even more afraid to be a regular person in this universe. Overall: 8.3 Verdict: Buy

Dazzler #2 (Marvel) – After proclaiming that she’s a mutant with her new track “Out and Proud” and surviving a supervillain attack, Alison Blaire is off to London for the next stop of her world tour. Even though there’s a typical mind control/sabotage type plot in this issue, Dazzler’s real antagonist is a talk show host as Jason Loo and Rafael Loureiro show how the press use loaded questions and twist artists’ words. I felt more tension when Dazzler was trying to get through the interview than when she was destroying a radio show live lounge set or duking it out with a mind controlled Domino. Dazzler #2 definitely ups the stakes and fear and hated quotient. My one qualm with the book is that the art is a little too Marvel house style, but Loureiro does turn in some gorgeous fits for Alison Blaire and company, especially a secret guest star. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy

Absolute Wonder Woman #1 (DC) – Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, and Jordie Bellaire unleash a literally hellish take on Diana of Themiscyra in Absolute Wonder Woman #1. They create a world of fickle gods and frightening monsters, and Wonder Woman’s usual villain Circe is her closest friend, confidant, and mother. Although there are scenes set in the present, Absolute Wonder Woman #1 is very much in origin story mode showing how Diana became a hero and warrior while growing up in Hell. A lot of the story comes from details in Sherman’s art as they and Bellaire show Circe and Diana’s empty cave turn into a magical home where a young woman can learn to be a warrior and save the world. Hayden Sherman also uses a lot of cool layouts, especially during the fight scenes in the present, which are super metal. Absolute Wonder Woman #1 is a darker take on the iconic character that still preserves her heroic nature. Overall: 8.7 Verdict: Buy

Iron Man #1 (Marvel) – Political journalist Spencer Ackerman teams up with artist Julius Ohta and colorist Alex Sinclair to tell a story of Tony Stark at his lowest (Again.) as he must will himself to fight a takeover of Stark Unlimited by Roxxon and AIM. Ackerman and Ohta repurpose B and Z-list villains as agents of the late capitalist military-industrial-social media complex, and I’m not gonna lie, it’s kind of charming to see Tiger Shark as social media troll/streamer/online gambling fixer. However, contemporary window dressing and Julius Ohta art that makes Tony Stark look utterly burned out aside, I feel like I’ve read this story when it was written by David Michelinie, Matt Fraction, Christopher Cantwell, or hell, even Gerry Duggan when it wasn’t a sub-plot book for X-Men. (Are we running out of Iron Man stories? Should we have retired them like Robert Downey Jr. did with the role in the MCU?) This book has some fun moments like the factory workers shading Stark, the new Iron Monger design/Justine Hammer showing she’s not a nepo baby, but it’s not a hit straight out of the gates. Overall: 7.5 Verdict: Read

Mini Reviews: Batman & Robin: Year One, Godfather of Hell, Avengers Assemble, and Mystique

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Batman and Robin: Year One #1

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Mystique #1 (Marvel) – Of course, a character who can change form in every panel makes for a compelling comic. Cartoonist Declan Shalvey turns in a comic that has Raven Darkholme searching for a mysterious MacGuffin in the ashes of SHIELD and Krakoa with new CIA mutant liaison Nick Fury Jr. hot (Or not so hot) on her heels. The whole comic is an action-packed cat and mouse game with some fun layouts from Shalvey like a double page spread with different central character on each panel. Throw in a heart-breaking final page and emotional moments between Nick Fury Sr and Jr, and Mystique #1 is a fine and unique addition to the X-line. Overall: 7.8 Verdict: Buy

Avengers Assemble #2 (Marvel) – Steve Orlando, Scot Eaton, Elisabetta D’Amico, and Sonia Oback‘s Avengers Assemble #2 continues the formula of standalone mission with a side of character development for the teammates not on the mission plus the growth of a larger threat. I love how Orlando writes banter for the Avengers with Night Thrasher getting all the best lines as he verbally spars with Hawkeye while trying to figure out what to do with some ghost apes. This mission isn’t just punching, but Cap must demonstrate his leadership skills and figure out why intelligent ape ghosts are terrorizing a small Massachusetts town. Eaton and D’Amico nail the multiple crowd scenes, and Avengers Assemble keeps scratching that old school team comic itch. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy

Godfather of Hell #1 (Vault) – Godfather of Hell is a stylish supernatural crime comic from Cavan Scott, Pius Bak, and Raul Angulo. A mob enforcer named Dario has a pang of conscience at the wrong time, gets whacked, and goes to Hell where he’s haunted by the disgusting forms of his kills. However, he has a skill set that the demon Samael likes so he gets a kind of anti-redemption second chance. Bak and Angulo bring a flashing colors, kind of gonzo sensibility to the art with small panels that show how much Dario has compromised himself in his life. Scott’s script is a cross between Karen Berger’s Vertigo books and Axel Alonso’s crime ones he edited before going to Marvel so there’s a little bit of nostalgic feel to the comic while also being something new. Overall: 8.1 Verdict: Buy

Batman and Robin Year One #1 (DC) – If Absolute Batman was revisionist, then Batman and Robin Year One #1 is vintage Batman at its finest from Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, Mat Lopes, and Clayton Cowles. Skipping the death of Dick Grayson’s parents, this comic explores the early days of the partnership between Batman and Robin. Like previous “Robin Year One” type stories, the villain they face is Two-Face, but he’s just the herald to a greater evil. It’s only the first issue so I don’t want to be quick to judgment, but the “new villain in town” angle is a little overused. We’ll see if he’s the formidable threat that Two-Face proclaimed. However, Batman and Robin Year One has some pronounced strengths, including three-dimensional characterization for both leads and even Two-Face who has a different speaking and facial expression style depending on what side of his face is talking. However, the real reason to pick up this book is Samnee’s visuals. The car chases, splash pages, and high-flying action is a give-in, but Chris Samnee is truly the master of the beat panel: adding tension and/or humor to what would usually be a basic interaction like Batman ghosting Commissioner Gordon. It’s fun seeing his and Waid’s take on such an iconic character, and this is a must-read especially for fans of Batman: The Animated Series. Overall: 8.5 Verdict: Buy

Mini Reviews: Sentinels, Exceptional X-Men, Ultimates, Public Domain, and Action Comics

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Sentinels #1

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Sentinels #1 (Marvel) – In one of the more unique “From the Ashes” books, Alex Paknadel and Justin Mason make the mutant-hunting Sentinels the protagonists with a twist: they’re humans with Sentinel-tech grafted to them with side effects. There’s a little bit of John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad in this book’s DNA with hapless soldiers going on difficult missions against terrible foes (Omega Red in this case) for evil bureaucrats. The characters in Sentinels are literally cogs in a machine, but Paknadel gives the team leader Lockstep, wild card Voivod, and rookie Drumfire some shades of personality although they kind of seem like action figures for now. It’s hard to find anyone to root for this in title, but I’m going to give upcoming issues a shot because of the wild swings of the premise, its dark satirical moments, and Mason’s old school action art. Overall: 7.6 Verdict: Read

Exceptional X-Men #2 (Marvel) – Eve Ewing and Carmen Carnero‘s Exceptional X-Men continues to be a delightful slice of life title (Cubs and White Sox fans arguing at the bar Kitty Pryde works at, cute dates at soccer games), but is starting to shape up into a proper X-title with the introduction of two additional young mutants. A bullying incident goes way out of hand, and Kitty has to intervene yet again while getting psychic messages from Emma Frost. Instead of rejecting the call to be a hero, Kitty rejects the call to be a mentor, and Ewing and Carnero do a good job of showing how the grind of trying to be “normal” gets to her. One final note: it’s so creepy what Carmen Carnero does to the characters’ eyes when Emma Frost psychically controls them. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy

Ultimates #5 (Marvel) – Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri breathe life into the ol’ “heroes fight, then team up versus the villain” cliche in Ultimates #5. They introduce Charli Ramsey, an indigenous Hawkeye, who takes out pipelines and various Roxxon installations with the help of some trick arrows developed by Stark. The confrontation between Charli and Captain America is the final nail in the Western genre’s coffin and also interrogates the fact of the Ultimates actually being anti-establishment as Tony Stark sent Cap to take out Hawkeye. However, they end up being siblings in ass kicking and frustrating fossil fuel billionaires. From its opening Crazy Horse and Theodore Roosevelt epigraphs, Ultimates #5 has incisive sociopolitical commentary, but Frigeri excels at blocking out action scenes using inset panels to demonstrate each of Charli’s trick arrows. Overall: 9.0 Verdict: Buy

Public Domain #9 (Image) – Dallas Comics and Synergy Entertainment hit San Diego Comic Expo to promote their two different takes on The Domain in Chip Zdarsky‘s Public Domain #9. This issue crammed full with visual and verbal jokes about comic cons while showing the uphill battle that Dallas Comics faces against its competitors. Basically, comics are small fries compared to other media, but there’s also the accessibility of even its greatest creators with Syd Dallas having genuine interactions with fans across the issue. However, Public Domain #9 also an undercurrent of heart-breaking pain that has nothing to do with comics. Zdarsky continues to be the master of juggling of different story tones as he goes from pop culture parodies and wise assery to difficult conversations in nine panel grids. Overall: 8.4 Verdict: Buy

Action Comics #1070 (DC) – Both the lead Superman story from Mark Waid and Clayton Henry and the backup Supergirl story from Mariko Tamaki and Skylar Patridge feel like “zero issues” in Action Comics #1070. Both feature extended action (Or conversation and flying for the Supergirl backup) sequences and reveal the actual premise of the story arc in the final pages. The lead story has some funny moments with Jimmy Olsen, and you can definitely tell Waid is geeking out when different color Kryptonites are involved. However, cool twisted design from Henry aside, the story feels lightweight until it starts getting into how unethical the Phantom Zone is and making it the setting of the current arc. The backup story is just Patridge drawing different female Super-characters beautifully and Supergirl going on an unknown mission. She doesn’t get much characterization in that story or the lead one. Unless you have a Xander and Oz from Buffy the Vampire Slayer-esque fixation of different color kryptonites, this “jumping on point is worth skipping or waiting for the trade paperback. Overall: 6.1 Verdict: Pass

Mini Reviews: Skin Police, TMNT Nightcrawler, and Creeping Below

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The Creeping Below #1

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Skin Police #1 (Oni Press) – Jordan Thomas, Daniel Gete, and Jason Wordie bring the 2000 AD vibes to their new series, Skin Police about catching unauthorized human clones that freak out and do things like murder commercial pilots while hallucinating Satan and his devils. Skin Police is like Blade Runner, but with extra body horror and plenty of satire about police/surveillance states as a rookie “skin police” follows the veteran around this first issue. The plot isn’t compelling just yet, but this might be worth a read for the Judge Dredd fans. Overall: 7.4 Verdict: Read

TMNT: Nightwatcher #2 (IDW Publishing) – With the big reveal out of the way, Juni Ba, Fero Pe, and Luis Delgado go into the basically of the origin of how Jennika threw off the ninja mask and became the new Nightwatcher. Pe’s art captures the restlessness and trauma she feels with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles scattered across the four corners of the globe while still showing she has a good heart and wants to protect the mutant community. I love the parallels that Ba creates between immigrant communities in the US and the residents of Mutant Town, and how he and Pe basically make the Nightwatcher a high tech Golem. TMNT: Nightwatcher continues to be a smart, action-packed vigilante comic with visuals that evoke old Mazzucchelli or Romita Jr comics, but with progressive ideals and a contemporary approach to characterization. Overall: 8.6 Verdict: Buy

The Creeping Below #1 (BOOM!) – Brian Azzarello, Vanessa Del Rey, and Hilary Jenkins explore the world of Norwegian black metal, murder, and mayhem in The Creeping Below #1. Protagonist Val is the perfect stand-in for many readers who aren’t familiar with this subculture, but is curious about the emotions and iconography behind it. However, curious may or may not have killed the cat, and the imagery goes from gigs and song lyrics to reality as the comic works to a bloody crescendo. Also, Del Rey and Jenkins’ are downright epic and will have you throwing the horns to Thor or the Norse deity of your choice. Overall: 7.7 Verdict: Buy

Mini Reviews: The Moon is Following Us, Hello Darkness, NYX, and Horizon Experiment: The Manchurian

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Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Hello Darkness #3 (BOOM! Studios) – Hello Darkness #3 leads off with a dark twist on “mukbang” YouTube videos as Michael W. Conrad, Martin Morazzo, and Chris O’Halloran skewer the fame at whatever cost crowd with a side of cannibalism. The almost deadpan quality of Morazzo’s visuals make the story that much more disgusting. Next is a three panel mad scientist story from Robert Hack that’s of middling quality. After that is the second part of James Tynion, Werther Dell’Edera, and Miquel Muerto‘s Something is Killing the Children serial. I love the dreamlike quality of Dell’Edera’s pencils as small-town man Barry tells Erica Slaughter the story of a monster snatching up and tearing apart his young neighbor. It’s a small slice of a larger story, but has the atmosphere that has made such SIKTC such a hit. Plus I’m enjoying these small scale character studies while the main book focuses on Erica’s arc. This is followed by Andy Lanning, Trevor Hairsine, and Rain Beredo‘s “Kampfgeist” a World War I-set war/cosmic horror yarn. Breaking the stalemate on the Western Front awakens something much worse as Hairsine art progresses from realism to something out of Viking zombie film. Hello Darkness #3 concludes with the most chilling chapter of Garth Ennis and Becky Cloonan‘s “The War” yet. A couple try to leave New York on a private plane as the potential of nuclear attack looms over the Big Apple. There’s a very “It can’t happen hear” vibe to this whole chapter with Cloonan capturing the naked emotion in the characters’ faces that world may actually be ending. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy

The Moon is Following Us #1 (Image) – Daniel Warren Johnson and Riley Rossmo team up for an imaginative fantasy/sci-fi/genre mash-up epic about a husband and wife rescuing their daughter in a world of her dreams. Like a video game without a tutorial, Johnson starts in the middle of the action with the protagonists getting help from a friendly frog with machine guns and running into bad guys of all different shapes and sizes. Rossmo and colorist Mike Spicer really cut loose in the portion set in the simulation while Daniel Warren Johnson handles art in the “real world” and shows the emotional connection Duncan and Samantha have with their daughter Penny. The Moon is Following Us is truly an ass kicking, yet heart-rending read. Overall: 8.4 Verdict: Buy

Horizon Experiment: The Manchurian #1 (Image) – The Manchurian is a slick entry point into the labyrinthine world of Chinese spycraft that very different from Western espionage from Pornsak Pichetsote and Terry and Rachel Dodson. The one-shot reads like the first act of a James Bond film showing our hero, Calvin Low, in action and establishing his relationships and vulnerabilities as well as the underpinnings of this heightened, yet research-grounded world. The Dodsons kick ass at the fight choreography, but they also show the moments where Calvin loses the super spy facade and freaks out about his panic attacks with his soon-to-be-broken up with girlfriend while still keeping his cover. The Manchurian stands alone and has a fairly emotionally satisfying conclusion, but I want more of this world and to learn more about contemporary Chinese espionage. Overall: 8.1 Verdict: Buy

NYX #3 (Marvel) – Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Francesco Mortarino, and Raul Angulo get all the pieces of the puzzle right in the NYX #3. This issue focuses on Anole who just wants to live a normal life as a bartender, but is laid off by bigoted ownership and ends up caught in a struggle between young mutants like Ms. Marvel and Sophie Cuckoo, the Morlocks, and the Purifiers. There’s plenty of big, colorful action in NYX #3 like Ms. Cuckoo psychically lobotomizing Purifiers, or Laura Kinney just obliterating them. However, the issue’s main strength is Kelly and Lanzing’s introspective scripting for Anole who may have a hero’s heart, but just wants to focus on being and finding himself. He does that with the help of the Morlocks who have their own kind of paradise in the tunnels of New York. Throw in a bit of a twist at the end, and NYX is starting to find its voice as the queer-friendly, youthful street level X-Book. Overall: 8.6 Verdict: Buy

Mini Reviews: Dazzler debuts and The Power Fantasy amazes

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Dazzler #1

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

The Power Fantasy #2 (Image) – In the second installment of The Power Fantasy, Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijingaard take a step back after Etienne Lux’s assassination of the US president to deal with the ramifications of that event and also start to flesh out the book’s cast of character’s. I love Wijingaard’s distinct design and color palette for each superhuman. Also, Etienne Lux could be one of the all-time great Gillen characters with his passive aggressive approach to having the power of a nuclear arsenal. This is a book driven by conversation and philosophical debates where one false move can lead to destruction. Issue one was definitely flashier, but The Power Fantasy #2 is an important piece of world-building. Also, I love the essays in the back. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy

Dazzler #1 (Marvel) -At long last, we have an Alison Blaire goes on tour and lives the pop star life comic, and Jason Loo, Rafael Loureiro, and Java Tartaglia knock it out of the park. It all starts with Loureiro and Tartaglia’s visuals and choreography that capture everything from a shimmering light show/supervillain battle to a tense sparring session between Dazzler and her head of security, Domino. Loo also explores the marginalized folks as mutant metaphor with the added layer of Dazzler as a pop star. There are sequences with her manager, Wind Dancer, about how to use her abilities at her gig that remind me a lot of how queer artists are told to play down their sexuality to capture their sexuality. But, despite the hate and protests (Kind of feels like reading the Facebook comment section of an article about Chappell Roan.), Dazzler gets to show off her gifts in a beautiful song called “Out and Proud” with lyrics from Jason Loo. He and Rafael Loureiro have captured the almost-tears inducing power of current queer pop artists like Roan, Billie eilish, Renee Rapp, and MUNA in the trappings of superhero comics. Dazzler #1 is a must read for any superhero fan or even if you just like pop girlies. Overall: 9.4 Verdict: Buy (I purchased a copy.)

Mini Review: Rings of Power S2E4 “Eldest”

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Rings of Power S2E4 "Eldest"

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy get to more things than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the movies, tv shows, comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Rings of Power S2E4 “Eldest” – Rings of Power continues its thematic focus on the different races of Middle Earth by looking at some of its oldest (and smallest) beings namely wizards, Ents, halflings, and at long last, fan favorite Tom Bombadil. The wig work isn’t great, and Rory Kinnear initially sounds like a posh London police officer trying to be a bloke at a pub, but he nails Bombadil’s main character trait, which is his effortless immortality. He talks about the birth of the stars like most people talk about what they had for dinner and could be a great mentor to the Stranger unlike his failure with the still super generic Dark Wizard. Connected to this plotline, Nori and Poppy run into another halfling tribe called Stoors, who live underground. Initially, their leader Gund (Tanya Moodie) is wary of them, but they discover that they share similar customs. Directors Louise Hooper and Sanaa Hamri use silent sequences and montages to show the idyllic life they live compared to the epicness of above ground. Speaking of epicness, there’s no Sauron in this episode, but lots of petty bickering between Elrond and Galadriel, who are written a little one note in this episode. Thankfully there’s the live action debut of the Barrow-wights and a badass, flaming arrow slow-mo action sequence to distract us. And what about the Ents? They appear nearly out of nowhere as Isildur, Arondir, and a guilt-ridden Estrid look for Theo. Jim Broadbent and Olivia Williams voice the regal Snaggleroot and angry Winterbloom and reintroduce some of Lord of the Rings’ environmental themes to the TV show. All in all, “Eldest” is a fanservice potpourri which reminds audiences that Middle Earth is a place full of ancient beings as well as petty disputes and drama. Overall Verdict: 7.1

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