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

Bytchcraft #2 (Mad Cave Studios) – New York plunges deeper into darkness and chaos, and the wytches are public enemy number one in the second installment of Aaron Reese and Lena Carrillo‘s Bytchcraft. The banter, fashions, and Bex Glendining‘s color palettes complement the danger that the main coven of characters has been experiencing. I love the bond between the three main characters and the explosion of world building as this issue continues. It’s truly a rich urban fantasy world, and WitchTok cracked me up. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy

Bring on the Bad Guys: Loki #1 (Marvel) – Anthony Oliveira and Jethro Morales elevate a middling summer Mephisto/supervillain-centric event with a touch of literary flair. They basically adapt Robert W. Chambers’ King in Yellow with an Asgardian trickster god and elements from Phantom of the Opera and all of its successors. Morales’ art is gorgeous and helps capture the story’s operatic nature, and Oliveira executes a fun, modern twist on the deal with the devil while also indulging his and Loki’s flair for the literary. The Marc Guggenheim/Michael Santa Maria backup story with the Sister of Sorrow setting up the Soul Forge after a fight scene in K’un L’un is just okay like a Big Mac after a filet mignon. Overall: 8.5 Verdict: Buy

Godzilla vs Boston (IDW Publishing) – Some of Boston’s finest comics creators shout out their city through the lens of the King of Monsters in Godzilla vs. Boston. The comics kicks off with “The Great Gorilla Whale”, an old-fashioned fish story from Steve Orlando and Matt Emmons. Set in 1888, this story describes a Godzilla attack on Boston in the late 1800s, and Orlando nails the dialect and speech patterns of old school Boston fisherman and sailors. The visuals are equally as rough and tumble: a late Victorian illustration style meets blockbuster kaiju destruction. The ending is a little abrupt, but Godzilla is a force nature no matter the era or setting. In the next story, cartoonist Jesse Lonergan uses a battle between Godzilla and a giant blue lobster during the Boston Marathon to educate readers about Boston history and culture. You can follow the story from his clear visuals, but the footnotes add a lot of humor and context. This story is beaming with civic pride, and I love the parallels between the runners striving to finish and Godzilla fending off the giant blue meanie, who was making me crave lobster rolls in landlocked Tennessee. Hanna Cha‘s “Make Way for Mothra” is an homage to the great children’s authors who have called New England home like Eric Carle and Robert McCloskey. Cha uses big, bright full page illustrations showing Godzilla and a larval Mothra wreaking havoc on the gridlocked Boston freeway and other landmarks. I love this story’s playful tone and the bright colors have me screaming out for a full length picture book. Godzilla vs Boston concludes with an eponymous love letter to the MBTA’s Green Line from writer/artist Hayden Sherman. Telling the story from the POV of transit workers frantically trying to find a way to stop Godzilla, the story blossoms into an appreciation of community, connection, and the magic of film. Also, Sherman’s take on underrated kaiju, Minilla is adorable. Although it’s filled with the usual big monster mayhem and destruction, Godzilla vs Boston successfully argues the case for how awesome the city is through its history, culture, people, and especially its comics creators. (The Celtics will always suck though.) Overall: 8.6 Verdict: Buy