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

Hawkgirl #1 (DC Comics) – Apart from guest appearances here and there and of course her amazing role in Justice League Unlimited, I didn’t know much about Hawkgirl. But after reading Jadzia Axelrod, Amancay Nahuelpan, and Adriano Lucas’ Hawkgirl #1, consider me a Kendra Stan. Hawkgirl starts strangely with fairy tale narration and mysterious figures before turning into a superhero punch ‘em up. Kendra starting over and issues opening up and finding an outlet outside of hitting aliens with her mace make her relatable and endearing before Axelrod and Nahuelpan throw her into the main plot of the series. And speaking of Nahuelpan, his art is high energy and does Hawkgirl and the other superhumans’ abilities Justice. However, my personal favorite part of Hawkgirl #1 was also the queer representation, including Galaxy and Kendra’s college friend Abilene who is going through a similar life crisis. Galaxy’s enthusiasm (and talking corgi) make her a nice foil to Kendra’s world-weariness, and I’m definitely reading Prettiest Star while waiting for Hawkgirl #2 to drop. Overall: 8.9 Verdict: Buy (I purchased copy.)

Blade #1 (Marvel) – Even though it ends up being your standard team up and save the world from a supernatural threat with a tinge of East and Southeast Asian culture, Blade #1 is a stylish-looking action book from Bryan Hill, Elena Casagrande, and Jordie Bellaire, who especially pours on the red in an opening club sequence reminiscent of the 1998 film. Hill also has a solid handle on Blade’s stoic voice and nature introducing vulnerabilities and cracks in his personality towards the end of the first issue. There’s definitely an emphasis on stoic with Hill being content to let Casagrande’s visuals sing with horrifying imagery and clever fight choreography. This isn’t a particularly deep comic, but it’s a fun ride and filled with the brand of badass action that Blade is known for in other mediums. Overall: 7.7 Verdict: Read (I purchased a copy)

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Well, there you have it, folks. The reviews we didn’t quite get a chance to write. See you next week!

Please note that with some of the above comics, Graphic Policy was provided FREE copies for review. Where we purchased the comics, you’ll see an asterisk (*). If you don’t see that, you can infer the comic was a review copy. In cases where we were provided a review copy and we also purchased the comic you’ll see two asterisks (**).