(W) Steve Orlando (A) Ivan Shavrin (CA) Ivan Sharvin In Shops: May 4, 2022 SRP: $3.99
Stephanie Cohen’s life is all going according to plan. The only problem is…the plan isn’t hers! She’s crushing it at college, but her fast track to a medical degree is something her parents decided for her, seemingly at birth. Stephanie was never consulted on her own life. So, now she’s drowning in pre-med when she’d rather be studying classics, folklore, and mythology. But on the eve of her twentieth birthday, as Stephanie prepares to stare into her own personal summer abyss for yet another day…she gets a gift unlike any she could possibly expect. Check out Steve Orlando’s new fantasy series now!
(W) Steve Orlando (A) Ivan Shavrin (CA) Ivan Sharvin In Shops: May 4, 2022 SRP: $3.99
Stephanie Cohen’s life is all going according to plan. The only problem is…the plan isn’t hers! She’s crushing it at college, but her fast track to a medical degree is something her parents decided for her, seemingly at birth. Stephanie was never consulted on her own life. So, now she’s drowning in pre-med when she’d rather be studying classics, folklore, and mythology. But on the eve of her twentieth birthday, as Stephanie prepares to stare into her own personal summer abyss for yet another day…she gets a gift unlike any she could possibly expect. Check out Steve Orlando’s new fantasy series now!
A mysterious cloud has caused a zombie apocalypse. A group of soldiers decides to break their former leader out of prison.
Life Zero #3 delivers some shocking and unexpected moments.
Story: Stefano Vietti Art: Marco Checchetto Color: Andres Mossa Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Get your copy in comic shops! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site
A mysterious cloud has caused a zombie apocalypse. A group of soldiers decides to break their former leader out of prison. The action continues in the second issue as we find out why.
Story: Stefano Vietti Art: Marco Checchetto Color: Andres Mossa Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Get your copy in comic shops! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site
A mysterious cloud has caused a zombie apocalypse. A group of soldiers decides to break their former leader out of prison.
Story: Stefano Vietti Art: Marco Checchetto Color: Andres Mossa Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Get your copy in comic shops! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site
Night of the Living Dead is an influential film that sparked a genre. It saw imitators and innovators come after but that film remains a classic. The Rise #1 kicks off a prequel to the “Living Dead universe” focused on the “death, destruction, and tragedy that led to the birth of the modern zombie”. It’s an interesting start that feels more 28 Days Later than Living Dead.
Set upon the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Rise #1 introduces us to Dr. Cartwright, a man working on a way to block out fear. As shown early on, that lack of fear creates rage and also the lack of fear of death. It feels like the early steps of “Rage”, the disease that fueled the zombie outbreak in the 28 Days Later franchise.
Writer George C. Romero infuses the story with politics by using the backdrop. It gives a solid reason for such work to be done as the world was gripped by the fear of nuclear disaster. Romero takes things further by hinting at the weaponization of this research, yet another military-fueled idea that ends in disaster for the world. It’s the type of underlying message Romero’s father embraced in his films. How much the series will lean into it is unknown but there’s clear finger-pointing and blame for the destruction of mankind.
Diego Yapur‘s art is fantastic. Along with limited colors by DC Alonso, and lettering by Saida Temofonte, the visuals are top-notch. The comic keeps it simple with the use of black, white, and reds for colors. It’s an interesting color palette that adds some aspects to be debated on. The red could represent the fear that the world is gripped by, the Communist threat, or the pouring of blood to come. It’s a solid artistic choice that adds an exclamation point to generally beautiful art that captures the time period well.
The Rise #1 is a solid comic. It does well to establish why this dangerous work is happening and hints as to the tragedy to come. It feels like a prequel to so many zombie stories though and not sure it really nails down Romero’s father’s work. But, it’s still really good with a build-up of the tragedy we know will come.
Story: George C. Romero Art: Diego Yapur Color: DC Alonso Letterer: Saida Temofonte Story: 8.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.15 Recommendation: Buy
Heavy Metal provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Cold Dead War #1 is an intriguing debut that goes in a direction I should have seen coming. Opening in 1950 Kentucky the story focuses on a World War II veteran haunted by his experiences and has a secret. It’s a small town story about a man trying to run from his past and struggling to move on with a normal life. Lance Howard was a pilot during World War II in the Pacific and experienced something while on a mission.
George C. Romero kicks Cold Dead War #1 off with an issue that eventually feels like something we’ve seen so many times. It’s the grizzled veteran being asked to complete one more mission for their country. It takes a while for the issue to get there, then it does. Then you find out more of what’s going on. That twist is something that’s not going to be spoiled. It’s part of the fun and charm of the debut and has me wanting to come back for more.
It’s a story and delivery that’s not surprising in the end but it’s done really well. There’s a quality in the writing and especially the slow build that sucks you in. And it feels like it has a pay off. Romero builds thing to the reveal so when that happens, and it’s unexpected, it feels like a big deal. There’s not really any hints or teases beyond something is troubling his main character.
German Ponce‘s art helps keep the secret. There’s something idyllic and peaceful about the Captain Howard and his small town life. It gets juxtaposed with his war experience and everything gets much more interesting as the war experience feels that much more shocking when we reflect on his now peaceful life. Ponce also handles ink along with Gabriel Rearte with Photobunker on color and lettering by Saida Temofonte. There’s three segments to the comic and the look of each really works as peace and horror are depicted.
Cold Dead War #1 comes together nicely. It’s a solid war debut with a setup that’s familiar but whose twists are unexpected. It has just enough that feels new and different to really pay off and keep things interesting. Overall, it sets up what feels like a entertaining B-movie action story.
Story: George C. Romero Art: German Ponce Ink: German Ponce, Gabriel Rearte Color: Photobunker Letterer: Saida Temofonte Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy
Heavy Metal provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
As seen in TheLego Batman Movie, the Arkham video games, and the Batman comics of the 1990s and early 2000s, Batman’s strength is in the world and characters that he creates access to. Whether that’s his allies, villains, nooks and crannies of Gotham, or even police officers that he either works with or against, these personalities and settings are why I continue to return to the Batman side of the DC Universe. The creators of Batman: Urban Legends #1 understand this and flesh out different Batman-adjacent characters and even sometimes explore their relationship to the Dark Knight while also telling action, romance, and crime stories.
First up in this Gotham-themed anthology is the beginning of a six part Batman and Red Hood serial where Batman and his former protege-turned-killer vigilante (He’s switched to rubber bullets for the moment.) investigate a source of a hallucinatory street drug tackily called Cheerdrops. Writer Chip Zdarsky has a firm grasp on Jason Todd’s voice, including the darkness inside his soul and his hunger for justice, especially for Gotham’s beleaguered working class. Artists Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira and colorist Adriano Lucas nail the grit of the city with explosive linework and jagged layouts to go with a color palette that has had all the light sucked out of it. However, Excalibur’s MarcusTo does the art in the flashbacks, which features brighter colors as well as simpler, cleaner lines with a more traditional superhero feel even though one of the scenes is set during “Under the Red Hood” when Jason Todd came back from the dead and started killing criminals.
“Batman and Red Hood” is also a study in contrasts in how two very different crime fighters deal with the same crisis. Batman is the World’s Greatest Detective and is super methodical with Barrows and Ferreria drawing him looking at the chemical makeup of Cheerdrops CSI-style, and his All-Star Superman-esque moment with a jumper is less feel-good and more evidence collection. On the other hand, Jason fights crime with his guts and heart and even admits in a wry line from Zdarsky that he’s not a great detective as he struggles to find a Cheerdrop stash house. However, he does find a boy named Tyler, and of course, Jason is great with kids and even lets him wear part of his mask while he looks for his dad in a dodgy part of Gotham. Zdarsky, Barrows, and Ferreira create something truly heartwarming between Jason Todd and Tyler.
There’s a throughline between this and the flashbacks where Batman (Portrayed as more of an action figure than man by To) struggles being a father figure to Jason, and Alfred does the job perfectly because he sees him as a human being and not an obstacle in his war on crime. Chip Zdarsky writes Alfred Pennyworth as the perfect parent to the Bat-family, who isn’t afraid to tell Batman that he’s full of shit and chooses compassion over a closed fist. And speaking of Batman, I love how Zdarsky doesn’t give him an inner monologue and depicts him more as a force of nature than a gun toting, broken man like Jason Todd, who agonizes over every decision and whose interaction with Tyler bring back memories of his mom who died of a drug overdose. Also, he’s not afraid to go a little dark, and Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira jagged layouts and emotional poses are along for the ride.
The second story in Batman: Urban Legends #1 is an eight page Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy one-off from writer Stephanie Phillips, artist Laura Braga, and colorist Ivan Plascencia. Plascencia is this story’s secret weapon that shows the happy, hilarious times of Harley and Ivy’s first dates and the bleak current times for Harley as she has moved back to Gotham in her solo title and as a recurring character in Batman. Braga’s art is expressive and high energy for both the good times (Harley and Ivy smooching and snapping selfies) and bad times (A sudden bolt of lightning shattering their pictures), and she is a good fit for a story that isn’t centered around a heist or fight against a superhero, but a relationship. She and Phillips tap into the depth of feelings that Harley has for Ivy, and through some handy plant symbolism, they create hope for the relationship that has become very popular for fans in the past decade. “Harley and Ivy” is a nice, nearly slice of life oasis in the midst of the three other stories, which have more moving parts.
The third story in this comic is a 10 page “Outsiders” feature by Brandon Thomas, Max Dunbar, and Luis Guerrero starring Black Lightning, Katana, and an interesting take on Metamorpho. Thomas turns in kind of a mystery plot with the story starting with Black Lightning and an unseen Metamorpho in a Japanese prison before cutting to a bonkers, two page spread of a speedboat chase. Unlike the previous two stories in Batman: Urban Legends #1, Thomas and Dunbar go for a action over character focus, and honestly, I’m here for it. Dunbar uses arrows from their pursuers to act as eye-lines to follow the high speed chase, and he and Thomas have a clever moment or two up their sleeve, especially in regards to Metamorpho’s first appearance. The story isn’t particularly deep, but it has the vibe of a James Bond cold open with superpowers as Guerrero really makes Black Lightning’s abilities sizzle. Finally, Brandon Thomas’ plotting really kept me engaged with thinking about why characters were acting a certain way, and the the mini mystery box structure has me intrigued for the upcoming issue.
Grifter is a character I didn’t really know a lot about except for some random comics like the New 52 Team 7 and JLA/WildCATs, but Matthew Rosenberg, Ryan Benjamin, and Antonio Fabela have made this anti-hero/rapscallion and his various pratfalls quite lovable and hilarious Batman: Urban Legends #1’s final story. Grifter is like that guy who bluffs at poker, but never has a good hand. And until maybe the penultimate page of the comic, he’s either screwing up or making a joke about it beginning with his mad rush towards supervillain fire during his Team 6 days with a lot of characters with familiar names from Wildstorm comics. (I’m not an expert on these characters, and you don’t have to be to enjoy the story.) Grifter uses his sense of humor to detract from his mediocre performance as Lucius Fox’s bodyguard or to avoid getting his ass kicked by Batman, but he also has a mystery side that is revealed when he has a “date” at one of Penguin’s bars. The mystery starts to really unfold towards the end of the comic, but Rosenberg hints at every time, he talks on a headset with what I assume is his older brother.
The comedy in “Grifter” isn’t just limited to Matthew Rosenberg’s delightfully smartass dialogue. It shows up a lot in Ryan Benjamin’s visuals, which range from G.I. Joe or Authority homages (When the superheroes clean up Team 6’s mess.) in the flashback to pure slapstick. For example, Grifter spills a drink at a party Lucius Fox is meeting a client at and spills a drink on a woman. In this situation, Benjamin doesn’t just show a simple facial expression, but throws in some growlixes and makes you know that she’s furious that the soaking wet guy in Converse and blue jeans is even in the same room with her. This playfulness extends to the fight between Batman and Grifter, which starts as a serious throwdown and ends up in a total cat and mouse situation with Grifter finally getting enough self-awareness to call it quits. However, their paths will cross, and you can tell that Batman understands he’s a wildcard with his connections to Lucius Fox, the criminal underworld, and probably those Wildstorm guys. All in all, Matthew Rosenberg, Ryan Benjamin, and Antonio Fabela turn in a hilarious action-comedy set in DC’s weirdest and (sometimes) dourest city and also slowly unveil what seems to be a master plan to merge the worlds of Wildstorm and Gotham.
Batman: Urban Legends #1 is an absolute win for the anthology format that DC Comics has been trying out with all of the four stories in the comic being entertaining and shedding light on a unique cast of characters. The longer stories that bookend the comic are especially noteworthy thanks to Chip Zdarsky’s pitch-perfect handle on the fascinating character of Jason Todd in “Batman and Red Hood” and Matthew Rosenberg and Ryan Benjamin’s skill with verbal and visual humor in “Grifter”.
Story: Chip Zdarsky, Stephanie Phillips, Brandon Thomas, Matthew Rosenberg Art: Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Marcus To, Laura Braga, Max Dunbar, Ryan Benjamin Colors: Adriano Lucas, Ivan Plascencia, Luis Guerrero, Antonio Fabela Letters: Becca Carey, Deron Bennett, Steve Wands, Saida Temofonte Story: 8.0 Art: 8.6 Overall: 8.3 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Let Them Live! Unpublished Tales From the DC Vault #1 kicks off a new DC digital series, this one a current exclusive to the new DC Universe Infinite digital app. The series is pretty straightforward and something many have wanted for a long time. It’s a digital series that will release comics that have been on the shelf for a long time.
Let Them Live! Unpublished Tales From the DC Vault #1 kicks off with a story from writer Jim Zub and artist Tradd Moore featuring the Suicide Squad. The story, “Twenty-Minute Marathon” was Zub’s first script for the big two and done in 2011.
Zub and Moore deliver a simple Suicide Squad as they go on a mission to take out a target on behalf of Amanda Waller. There’s nothing complicated at all in the story. It’s a bit of the ole over the top violence with a nice dose of humor.
I love one and done comics and Let Them Live! Unpublished Tales From the DC Vault #1 is exactly that. Zub and Moore deliver a story that could be continued if he chose to or you can just enjoy it on its own as well. What’s really solid is Zub’s use of the unknown in the comic. By the end, you’ll debate what you’d do yourself if you were in Deadshot’s position. Was it the right choice? Was Waller playing and lying to him? I don’t know the right answer to the situation. Walking away from the comic like that actually feels kind of cool and refreshing.
Moore’s art is top-notch. Felipe Sobreiro provides the colors with lettering by Nate Piekos. The art is full of comedic moments and the team captures the energetic glee and craziness of it all. Even the over the top violence brings laughs as to how Moore handles the brains splattering and blood flying.
Let Them Live! Unpublished Tales From the DC Vault #1 is bookended with segments featuring Ambush Bug who introduces the concept of the comic. It’s a fun “Crypt Keeper”-like role for the character and it’d be fun to see him being used more to explain more of the history of the comic. We don’t get that here but writer Elliott Kalan, artist Mike Norton, colorist Marissa Louise, and letterer Saida Temofonte deliver some solid moments and more laughs in the issue.
As an unexpected and “free” comic on the DC Universe Infinite app, Let Them Live! Unpublished Tales From the DC Vault #1 is a solid read and start. Even when it eventually makes its way to other digital platforms and possibly print, it’s still well worth getting. We’re seeing DC realizing that digital platforms are taking the shackles off of them and opening up their ability to do releases like this. The fact they’re diving into standalone one-and-done comics is even better. It’s exactly what this platform is great at, quickly digestible content you can pick up and enjoy and escape for a little bit.
Story: Jim Zub, Elliott Kalan Art: Tradd Moore, Mike Norton Color: Felipe Sobreiro, Marissa Louise Letterer: Nate Piekos, Saida Temofonte Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation Buy
DCeased: Dead Planet #7 wraps up the latest volume of DC‘s now “zombie” epic with an issue that packs a lot into one issue. Not only is the Amazo army attacking but Trigon also rampages threatening to destroy everything.
Writer Tom Taylor has packed in a lot into the issue that wraps up this series and it wraps things up quite nicely. The battle against the Amazo army and the battle against Trigon could easily have been an issue by themselves but the two plotlines are wrapped up and neither feels like they’re given short shrift.
Taylor also delivers something you rarely see in this type of story, a bit of hope.
The heroes feel like heroes in this comic. They stand against evil on both sides. They must stop the Amazo army and at the same time save the infected who have done unknown horrors. There’s something heroic and very symbolic of the issue and their actions.
And that heroism extends to John Constantine. Trigon also is laying waste to the world and someone must stop him. Constantine has stood up gathering the tools he has seen as needed to accomplish his goals. What occurs feels very much in line with the character as he stands up and does what must be done, both good and bad. With this, so many pieces of the puzzle are brought together in a fantastic way. It’s also such a key moment for Constantine that feels very in character.
Trevor Hairsine provides the art along with ink from Gigi Baldassini and Stefano Gaudiano, color by Rain Beredo, and lettering by Saida Temofonte. There’s so much packed into the issue and the team uses every panel and every page. This isn’t a comic of splash pages, there’s something muted in a way about that. The comic could easily have been lots of two page spreads but that would have taken away from what Taylor has laid out in some ways. There’s something a bit more intimate this way and it puts the emphasis on the individual characters working so hard to save the day. And there’s some eye-popping moments at the same time.
DCeased: Dead Planet #7 delivers a fitting conclusion to this chapter but also leaves so many questions out there and directions things could go from here. It does a great job of wrapping up its two major plotlines and does so without feeling like either is cut short. Those reading this series should be happy with the issue, it delivers just the right amount of heroism, which is something we need.
