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.

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Thanksgiving #1 (Ahoy) – The cast of Mark Russell and Mauricet‘s satirical horror one-shot Thanksgiving #1 might take the pumpkin pie for the most dysfunctional holiday family dinner ever. The story starts with the usual jabs, microaggressions, racist comments, and sad backstory before escalating and making a larger point about how smiling, rich white men get away with everything in the United States. Mauricet’s visuals are delightfully grotesque and pair well with Russell’s snarky captions. Thanksgiving also features the most incompetent officers of the law since the national guard aimlessly milling around “war torn” Portland. It’s an engaging story with a couple twists and big time banality of evil energy. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy

War Wolf #1 (Mad Cave) – A no-life loser ends up becoming the savior of mankind in the sci-fi comic War Wolf #1 from Steve Orlando, Marco Perugini, and Pascal Tora. Orlando and Perugini go to great lengths to make protagonist Tom Bruin as nebbish and unlikable as possible, and then the tables turn when he starts doing the extraterrestrial ass kicking. Bruin is the definition of accidentally became important at his job. All in all, War Wolf puts a a fun, provocative new spin on the well-worn alien invasion genre, and a big part of that is Marco Perugini and Tora treating the fight scenes like a no holds barred street fight instead of a choreographed raygun blaster-fest. Overall: 7.8 Verdict: Buy

Ultimates #17 (Marvel) – Ultimates #17 is a sequel to Ultimates #4 where Deniz Camp and Phil Noto told the story of Earth-6160 Dr. Doom (Aka Reed Richards) attempting to recreate the Fantastic Four. This comic is a surgical character study and unearths the pain that Doom suffered at the hands of the Maker and his fight to find redemption at all costs even if that hurts him and the young people he’s working with/experimenting on. Just like Ultimates #4, Ultimates #17 can be read in five different ways revealing new themes each time while adhering to Doom’s overall arc. This comic is imposter syndrome on a cosmic level and study in self-forgiveness in coping with trauma. I love the bond that Camp and Noto create between Doom and Ant-Man, and it’s nice to see these human moments as the Ultimate line almost reaches its crescendo. Overall: 8.7 Verdict: Buy

Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #5 (Marvel) – Deniz Camp, Cody Ziglar, and Jonas Scharf‘s Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion has been an uneven miniseries, but it ends on a strong note with ramifications for both Miles Morales and Earth-6160. There’s the requisite superhero fight between an Origin boxed-up Emanuel Da Costa, Miles, Magik, and the Ultimates, but where the comic really resonates is the threads Camp and Ziglar connect between Earth-6160 and Earth-1610. I love Scharf’s rendition of key moments from Miles’ history coupled with insightful caption. It smooths out about 14 years of continuity wrinkles while also setting the stage for the big Maker showdown. A certain panel featuring Doom glitching out is a masterclass in how to do reaction shots. Although most of the miniseries is just varying-levels-of-fun superhero team-ups, Ultimate Spider-Man Incursion #5 lands the plane and ensures that this crossover had an actual impact on Miles Morales’ heroic journey and on the sadly concluding Ultimate Universal. Overall: 9.1 Verdict: Buy

Ultimate Spider-Man #22 (Marvel) – After the literal explosiveness of last issue, Jonathan Hickman, Marco Checchetto, and Matthew Wilson give us (relatively) a bit of a breather. It’s wild seeing Otto Octavius and Mole Man as allies, but Earth-6160 is full of strange bedfellows like that. Throughout this issue, there’s a feeling that the other shoe is going to drop, and something tragic is about to happen so there’s a bitter undertone to the sweet moments in this issue like an extended sequence with a happy Peter and MJ as well as a “family dinner”. Ultimate Spider-Man continues to have some of Hickman’s most human writing, and Chechetto’s skill with character acting enhancing that. Plus a black cat on a page turn has never been more foreboding. Overall: 8.2 Verdict: Buy

Powers 25 #2 (Dark Horse) – Powers 25 #2 continues to feel like vintage Powers from Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming with its tension between doing things by the book and following your gut. Kutter is a great POV character as she has a personal connection to the Powers, but is still learning the ropes. I can relate to her freaking out about a dead person with potentially a black hole in their face, but her tenacity is charming and makes her a compelling lead character. The Bendis patter works in this kind of police procedural story, and at least, he gives Oeming and colorist Filardi a chance to draw some interdimensional weirdness and not just talking heads. Overall: 7.6 Verdict: Read