Category Archives: Reviews

Mini Reviews: Absolute Wonder Woman #2, Justice League Unlimited #1, Black Canary: Best of the Best #1

Absolute Wonder Woman #2

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 Wonder Woman #2 (DC) – After the conclusion of the opening battle that began in a previous issue, Absolute Wonder Woman #2 feels more like a traditional comic, especially since Steve Trevor is a key figure in the story. Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, and Jordie Bellaire still deal in hellish imagery, but there’s a gentle humor to Thompson’s script especially when Diana and Steve interact. His reaction to Pegasus being *that* Pegasus is priceless. Sherman’s layouts continue to be exquisite, and I love how they draw Diana’s interactions with American military members as she expressly refuses to be a part of the war machine. Bellaire’s flat reds and blacks tie everything together as Wonder Woman is a damn good hero, but one born from hellfire. Overall: 8.5 Verdict: Buy

Justice League Unlimited #1 (DC) – With Dan Mora drawing big crowd shots and action sequences, Mark Waid getting to the emotional heart of heroes you already love or maybe haven’t met yet, and Tamra Bonvillain giving each hero or ambiguous bad guy their own hue and palette, Justice League Unlimited #1 lives up to its name. In the plotting department, Waid is definitely a traditionalist, but I love how he gets creative with certain characters’ abilities like Star Sapphire. Plus the split a mega team into small groups to solve problems approach to superhero storytelling always works for me. This felt like a Saturday morning cartoon in the best way and even managed to slide in a little social commentary between the fisticuffs. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy

Black Canary: Best of the Best #1 (DC) – America loves an underdog, and Black Canary is a big one in the new series Black Canary: Best of the Best from Tom King, Ryan Sook, and Dave Stewart. For some reason, Black Canary and Lady Shiva are in a one-on-one, no superpowers, no holds barred PPV brawl to crown the best fighter in the DC Universe. Best of the Best #1 feels like a good sports/combat film with its balance between gloriously choreographed fisticuffs and a look into Dinah Lance’s reason for taking the fight. The emotional center is the relationship between Black Canary and her mother, the original Black Canary, and the scenes with them in small-town Washington State are touching and bittersweet. There’s also a running, verbose commentary on the upcoming boxing match that satirizes 24/7, gambling-centric sports coverage, and I love the contrast between King’s intentionally overblown narration with the tender visuals of Sook and Stewart. Black Canary: Best of the Best is sneaky good launch to a series I’ll definitely be glued to in 2025. Overall: 8.7 Verdict: Buy

Mini Reviews: Gladiator II

Gladiator II

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy see more movies than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the movies, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Gladiator II – Although obviously not an instant classic like its predecessor, Gladiator II is a solid piece of spectacle that remixes elements of the original while adding fantasy/escapism elements. It’s like restarting a video game after loosing to the final boss and winning in the end.

Playing the arms dealer/gladiator owner Macrinus, Denzel Washington steals every scene he’s in as a man of opportunity in a decadent time. (The sequence where he plays peek a boo with a monkey/consul is priceless.) Gladiator II doesn’t have has a tight narrative arc as its predecessor, and its fight scenes don’t build Hanno’s arc like it does with Maximus.

At times, it just feels like Ridley Scott is crossing items off his action sequence bucket list, but he and Paul Mescal’s weary facial expressions capture the vibe of a world that has been exploited by wealthy, powerful warmongers far too long.

Overall Verdict 7.1

Void Rivals #13 kicks off the next arc…. let the G.I. JOE tie-in begin!

Pythona of Cobra-La ventures deep into space. Will her mission spell certain doom for the Void Rivals?

Story: Robert Kirkman
Art: Lorenzo De Felici
Color: Patricio Delpeche
Letterer: Rus Wooton

Get your copy now! 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.

Zeus Comics
Kindle


Skybound provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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

The Teen Exorcist Vol. 1 is an interesting concept and has potential but doesn’t excite

Japan’s Heian Period. Masahiro serves as a royal diviner just like his grandfather, the legendary Abe no Seimei. His dream isn’t to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps, though–it’s to surpass him! During some intense training with his spirit companion, Mokkun, Masahiro notices an ominous presence targeting the princess…Can he protect the royal capital and escape from his grandfather’s shadow?!

Story: Mitsuru Yuki
Art: Shikiji Sorakura
Translator: Minna Lin
Letterer: Bianca Pistillo

Get your copy now! 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.

Bookshop
Amazon
Kindle


Yen Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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

Void Rivals Vol. 2 is full of surprises as its connection to Transformers gets deeper

Darak and Solila traverse the northern wasteland – and there’s no shortage of enemies in their way.

But there’s hope in the form of everyone’s favorite Autobot Triple-Changer, Springer!

Collects Void Rivals #7-12 and Energon Universe Special.

Story: Robert Kirkman
Art: Lorenzo De Felici
Color: Matheus Lopes, Patricio Delpeche
Letterer: Rus Wooton

Get your copy now! 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.

Bookshop
Amazon
Kindle


Skybound provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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

Investigators: Class Action continues the great graphic novel series perfect for kids and adults

The InvestiGators are back…to school?! Mango and Brash have always been a class act but can these alligator detectives convincingly go undercover as average middle-school students? Why has the super-spy organization S.U.I.T. been assigned protection detail for a small-town team mascot? Is it a coincidence that the school happens to be the same one that Agent Mango (just barely) graduated from? Is Mango’s family in danger? Will Brash pass home economics? Is Friday still pizza day?

Story: John Patrick Green
Art: John Patrick Green

Get your copy now! 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.

Bookshop
Amazon
Kindle


First Second provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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

The Walking Dead Deluxe #101 focuses on the fallout from the shocking previous issue

The Walking Dead returns in full color with extras! The Walking Dead Deluxe takes us back to the beginning with each issue now featuring full color. There are also extras of what might have been with notes as part of “The Cutting Room Floor.”

With one of their community dead, The Walking Dead Deluxe #101 has everyone in shock as they continue to Hilltop and figure out what’s next.

What’s it like to revisit this modern classic? How does it change all these years later… and in color? Find out!

Story: Robert Kirkman
Art: Charlie Adlard
Color: Dave McCaig
Letterer: Rus Wooton

Get your copy now! 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.

Kindle


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

Ultimate Black Panther #9 features some surprises and some tense moments as the series builds

Magic, mysticism and metal clash! But the source of this magic is not what it appears to be, due to the Maker’s reshaping of the world… Black Panther wrestles with this new anti-vibranium – and deals with the devastating consequences! What is the price of such life-bringing power? And what is the price of trying to master it?

Story: Bryan Edward Hill
Art: Stefano Caselli
Color: David Curiel
Letterer: Cory Petit

Get your copy now! 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.

Zeus Comics
Kindle


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

Void Rivals Vol. 1 launches a whole new world while also relaunching a classic one

The Energon Universe starts here! War rages around the Sacred Ring, where the last remnants of two worlds have collapsed around a black hole in a never-ending war.

However, when pilot Darak and his rival Solila both crash on a desolate planet, these two enemies must find a way to escape together. But are they alone on this strange planet? And what dark forces await that threaten the entire universe?

Collects Void Rivals #1-6.

Story: Robert Kirkman
Art: Lorenzo De Felici
Color: Matheus Lopes, Patricio Delpeche
Letterer: Rus Wooton

Get your copy now! 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.

Bookshop
Amazon
Kindle


Skybound provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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

Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! is an interesting comic sequel to the classic film

Years after the events of the original film, Journalist Kate Marsden hunts for a notorious serial killer in the heart of the Amazon. Hot on the trail of this madman, she soon encounters an unexpected new threat — but is he friend or foe? Or is he simply…THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON?

Collects Universal Monsters: Creature From the Black Lagoon Lives! #1-4

Story: Dan Watters, Ram V
Art: Matthew Roberts
Color: Dave Stewart
Letterer: DC Hopkins

Get your copy now! 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.

Bookshop
Zeus Comics
Amazon
Kindle


Skybound provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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

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