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