When Stephen Strange encounters a mysterious patient at his hospital who won’t stop raving about how life is “nothing but the dream of a sleeping god,” the rest of the world is suddenly struck with insomnia.
In order to prevent chaos from unfolding as the people around him become more and more desperate for sleep, Doctor Strange must embark into the mind of the madman who seems to have heralded this disaster, taking a psychedelic trip into the Nightmare Realm.
Story: Kevin J. Anderson Art: Raúl Allén, Patricia Martín
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Drawing from classic Chinese adventure Journey to the West, Alina Chau’s bright new adaptation centers on the Monkey King’s wild beginnings and brings one of mythology’s most unforgettable troublemakers to life in a whole new way.
Sun Wukong wasn’t born in the usual way―he hatched from an egg atop Hua Guo Mountain, full of big dreams and an even bigger attitude. With a shape-shifting staff, a cloud he can ride like lightning, and an unstoppable belief in himself, Wukong isn’t just another monkey . . . he’s the Monkey King.
When word of his wild powers reaches the Heavenly Realm, the gods try to keep him close to prevent any chaos. But Wukong didn’t come all this way to play by someone else’s rules. And when he decides to shake things up, the skies themselves might not be ready for the storm he’s about to unleash. Can one monkey’s mischief really cause an uproar in heaven?
Combining Alina’s sumptuous, dreamy art with a faithful, respectful adaptation of a favorite mythical tale, Uproar in Heaven still manages to be as much fun as a barrel full of monkeys.
Story: Alina Chau Art: Alina Chau
Get your copy now at your local comic shop or digitally and online with the links below.
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
Half journal and half journalism, To Life is an honest, thought-provoking, and intimate look at the future of Jewish people around the world. Through candid interviews with Jewish and Arab Israelis, comics luminary Joann Sfar explores the aftermath of October 7, 2023 with an urgent but non-ideological eye.
Artfully balancing humor and heartbreak, Sfar leans into contradiction to deliver a one-of-a-kind work that is charismatic, brilliant, and, above all, full of compassion. Bracing himself against the rising passions and deepening divides that threaten to overwhelm us, he instead embraces nuance, a belief in our common humanity, and the basic premise that both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to life.
Story: Joann Sfar Art: Joann Sfar
Get your copy now at your local comic shop or digitally and online with the links below.
23rd Street Books 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 hopes of humanity rest on the shoulders of one chess player in this true graphic novel about the epic chess match between a human and a super computer, by bestselling author Steve Sheinkin, Chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, and award-winning comics artist Thien Pham.
It’s May 1997 in Manhattan, New York. World champion Garry Kasparov is about to begin a six-game match against Deep Blue, the cutting-edge super computer developed by a team of visionaries at IBM. No machine has ever defeated a chess champion in a multi-game match.
If it happens, it will be a major turning point in human history. It will be, as Newsweek declares on its cover, “the Brain’s Last Stand.”
Will the human mind prevail? Or is this checkmate for humankind?
Story: Steve Sheinkin, Maurice Ashley Art: Thien Pham
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Roaring Brook 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
These cute, cartoony characters hate their lives and just want to escape! An official adaptation of The Amazing Digital Circus animated series.
Are you ready to witness the most jaw-dropping, heart-stopping, mind-bending paraphernalia you’ve ever laid your eyes upon? Then allow your ringmaster, Caine, to welcome you to the Amazing Digital Circus!
After putting on a strange headset she discovered in an abandoned building, a young woman finds herself inside the Amazing Digital Circus! Transformed into a cartoon jester named Pomni, she discovers she’s trapped in this glitchy digital world alongside a whole host of crazy and colorful characters. Will she be able to find the exit door and escape, or will she be stuck there until she loses her mind?
Story: Glitch Productions, Gooseworx Art: Sakura Translation: Nova Skipper Touch-up Art and Lettering: Ayoub Bensidi
VIZ Media 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
Daniel Durante thought that he was above the laws of Heaven and Hell. That he could come to this awful place and, as he’d done all his life, take from it what he wanted. Daniel Durante was wrong. Event Horizon: Inferno #5 wraps up the sequel of the tale of a greedy man getting exactly what he wised for!
Event Horizon: Inferno has been an interesting sequel. IDW Publishing has previously given us a prequel to the horror movie Event Horizon with Dark Descent. That prequel comic series shared a lot with the original film in tone and giving us events and answers tied to it. Event Horizon: Inferno as a sequel isn’t as connected, instead focusing on Daniel Durante and his want to getting to the ship and access to hell. In my review of earlier issues, I described the sequel as Aliens to the movie and prequel’s Alien. That sequel was much more action focused as opposed to the original’s more horror leanings. This is similar with Inferno much more of an action oriented story, just set with horrors all around.
Written by Christian Ward, Event Horizon: Inferno #5 keeps that focus as the remaining survivors attempt to make it back to their ship to escape, Durante attempts to get all he desires, and the ship wants to trap everyone to feed itself. The comic really breaks down into two different paths, Durante trying to get what he wants while others scramble and battle their way to safety. It’s a fine ending and works with the previous four issues. On it’s own, it feels a little anticlimactic in some ways with some dialogue falling into the cheese category.
The art by Rob Carey with color by Xenon Honchar and lettering by Alex Ray looks good. Like the story itself, it falls more on the action spectrum of what’s depicted than the horror with the comic mostly featuring red tentacles and a hoard of demons that are a bit hard to really see beyond the blob. This isn’t an issue with the disturbing visuals the property is known for but it’s good overall, doing what it needs to do.
Event Horizon: Inferno #5 feels like a bit of a whimper of an ending but overall it’s good and wraps things up well while leaving things open for more horror to come. There’s a lot of interesting concepts in the series and the finale does a good job of giving its definitive thoughts on some of them. For those into the horror series, it’s one to check out.
Story: Christian Ward Art: Rob Carey Color: Xenon Honchar Letters: Alex Ray Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read
IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
The things that go bump in the night fear only one thing, survivors. They grow in strength and conviction and now use their expertise to vanquish those very creatures with whips, magic, knives, and garlic?!
When the Belpaese siblings are tasked with clearing out monsters, Imelda Belpaese stumbles upon The Trickster. An ancient evil so horrific it leaves only destruction in its wake, and now it looks to destroy one thing, Imelda’s mind. The Trickster follows Imelda, wreaking havoc all around her but is invisible to everyone else. And with the rivalrous Ladonna family applying pressure and the Belpaese siblings’ constant quarrels, the Trickster may just be able to destroy everything precious to Imelda.
Vampire Survivors #1 brings the video game to the comic page for a debut that has some interesting aspects but overall doesn’t deliver much new or exciting. I’ve never played the video game and know nothing about it, but I wanted to see what the comic was about and see what it might do that could be new or different. Beyond the relationship between characters, this is any off the rails fantasy adventure. It’s DnD focused on the action and not much of the story.
Written by David Hazan, the comic follows three monster hunter siblings who are focused on getting rid of vampires. One seems to be stalked by some evil only she can see but most of the issue is the trio, as well as another pair of monster hunters, battling strange forces while yelling at each other. Vampire Survivors #1 stumbles as it gives readers little to connect to. It’s an off the rails adventure without character we can cheer for or care about. The end result is a debut issue whose draw is the action and not the story… like so many video games.
The art by Jimmy Kucaj with color by Jão Canola is good. There’s a certain energy about it and it has a style that feels like other recent comic adaptations, it’s bright and very exaggerated. But it also feels like it plays things rather safe. Like the story itself, it doesn’t embrace its video game routes and the visuals are rather a run of the mill fantasy adventure with little unique personality to stand out.
Vampire Survivors #1 isn’t a bad debut but it also isn’t exciting. It doesn’t give us anything particular new or interesting. It’s best quality is the bickering between its characters as siblings. But, that too feels rather generic after a while. This is one for the diehards of the property, there’s fare too many similar stories that are far better to check out.
Story: David Hazan Art: Jimmy Kucaj Color: Jão Canola Story: 6.5 Art: 7.0 Overall: 6.5 Recommendation: Pass
Titan Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
With the city of New Chicago besieged by demonic yokai and trapped within a magical dome, Riri Williams has rigged a mana-powered mech suit to dole out justice and keep the streets safe as Iron Heart! But when the opportunity arises to avenge the death of a friend, Riri finds herself entangled on a dangerous quest for vengeance alongside legendary sorcerer, Moon Knight. Marvel Mangaverse: Iron Knight #1 continues the Marvel Manga saga but moves almost too quickly through its sliver of the story.
The reintroduced world of Marvel Manga has been interesting so far. Demons called yokai wander the Earth with technology on the fritz, the yokai’s mana is needed to power things. Mages have stepped up to fight the demons and yokai and those mages have their own conflict about the right direction of things. It works really well creating multiple conflicts and delivering some intriguing possibilities of where things can go. Marvel Mangaverse: Iron Knight #1 introduces this world’s Riri Williams who is on a quest of revenge for killing her friend. She meets Moon Knight who is on a quest to kill the same demon as Riri so the two team up.
Cody Ziglar delivers an interesting story with Marvel Mangaverse: Iron Knight #1 but overall it feels like it’s limited by the one issue and page count. Emotional moments never quite get a chance to really play out or hit right, instead last only a panel or two and things move on. The comic delivers a lot of conflict that could make for an intriguing story but again, the limits of the comic make them all compressed. It’s one that has to get you from point A to Z in one issue and can’t dwell too long on everything in-between. It makes for a comic that’s full of cool ideas that don’t feel fleshed out or don’t hit with much of an impact.
The art by Kei Zama is good but lacks the real manga punch we saw with the debut issue of this mini-event. While that issue mined the visual quirks of manga, this issue is pretty standard for a Marvel comic, feeling more like your average monthly floppy visually than action oriented manga. Zama is joined by Wayne Faucher on ink, Arif Prianto on color, and Ariana Maher on lettering and all together, the comic has some cool designs but not cool moments.
Marvel Mangaverse: Iron Knight #1 isn’t a bad issue, it’s a fine next chapter in what’s playing out among all of the Marvel Manga releases. But, it lacks the excitement of the first issue and it doesn’t hit the emotional punches its narrative goes for. It’s a comic held back by its format.
A young man on the outskirts of a dying world is chosen by a blade forged of stars to slay the despotic deity, Kalu, and free the water he hoards in his Kingdom. Yet before the boy can begin his journey, he must first face the demons in his own life, and answer the Karman Blade’s call—“Are thou he, who taketh me in hand? Are thou he…who shall slay a God?” The Karman Blade #1 is interesting with a classic fantasy like narrative but feels like a story we’ve seen many times before.
A down individual receiving a sword to take on a tyrant, it’s a concept that has been done (though weapons may vary). The Karman Blade #1 is the latest entry into that space with interesting artwork and a way of telling that feels more like a daydream fantasy tale.
Created by Ian Bertram and Darcy Van Poelgeest, The Karman Blade #1 is written by Poelgeest and introduces a young boy who is haunted by his situation and the loss of his family, making him an orphan facing a daunting existence. It’s an interesting start that introduces readers to a rather morose life and world. It’s sad and depressing, leaving readers to wonder why the main character Anatta would want to continue. But, Poelgeest delivers a fate that could possibly lead to freedom for all and depose of the tyrant who’s responsible for everyone’s miserable existence.
Ian Bertram‘s art creates a dreamlike aspect to it all. With color by Matt Hollingsworth and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, the visuals add to the worn down world and characters. It’s an interesting style that’s not always clear in what’s going on but is interesting to explore and examine.
The Karman Blade #1 is an interesting start and for those who really enjoy fantasy tales, they may enjoy this. But, the first issue feels all too familiar. A person teased with a greater destiny and sword to defeat of despot has been done over and over. Dreams and crows telling of this destiny feels like it’s been done too. Overall, The Karman Blade #1 feels like an old familiar story with a new coat of paint.
Created by: Ian Bertram, Darcy Van Poelgeest Story: Darcy Van Poelgeest Art: Ian Bertram Color: Matt Hollingsworth Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Rea
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
When superfan Taylor Van Owens wins a contest to stay in the legendary Mallard house—the most iconic filming location for the hit vampire book turned movie Blood Mountain—she and her best friend Karrah arrive in Vail expecting to sink their fangs into a weekend straight from a fangirl’s dream. The cast has reunited for a tenth-anniversary celebration, devotees have descended on the small town, and nostalgia hangs thick in the air. But shortly before their arrival, a young woman is found dead inside the Mallard house. The death is quickly brushed off as an unstable fan taking her fantasies too far, but rumors swirl as the police quietly open a murder investigation. With cameras rolling and ravenous Blood Mountain buffs to appease, production works overtime to keep the story from leaking, insisting the fandom is “one big family,” but unease spreads through the town. Resentful locals, jealous superfans, sensitive actors, and desperate producers overwhelm Taylor as she moves in a haze through meet-and-greets, vigils, and book signings. Every interaction feels loaded. Every corner holds a potential threat. Every vampire has a taste for blood. And the killer isn’t finished. They’ll stain the town red to ensure they go down in Blood Mountain history. This isn’t just a random act of violence—it’s a crime of passion a decade in the making. Fixation #1 kicks off an interesting concept that feels like it’s a bit of Scream mixed with Twilight and a focus on toxic fandoms.
Written by Amy Chase, Fixation #1 is a pretty solid start introducing the key characters and teasing the killer threatening a fan celebration for a popular book and movie franchise. The comic, and story, feels like it has a few influences and things it’s playing off of, but it all comes together for a nice horror franchise of its own. A superfan wins a contest to stay at the home of the popular film, but a murderer is stalking the town and has some connection, or beef, with the film and its stars.
Fixation #1 could easily just come off as the start of a horror story but Chase delivers interesting moments and plot points that make the debut a nice commentary on entertainment. A cover up by the studio would be enough but the lack of care about how the fandom is treating each other, as well as a shift in attitude when a star is threatened, feels like there’s more that’s being said. It’s a comic that can be enjoyed on multiple levels, from the slasher enthusiast to those looking for something a little more elevated and meta in their horror.
The art by Savanna Mayer is good. The style fits the genre well but there’s a roughness to it that doesn’t quite click for me. When it comes to the art, there’s nothing necessarily negative but overall it doesn’t play with its concept enough. We see the killer far too often, instead of teasing it out. The “scares” don’t really deliver as much as they should or could. It’s a lot more forward with cards on the table as far as what it reveals instead of teasing things and letting the tension build. Mayer is joined by James Fenner on color and Sandy Tanaka on letters and the trio deliver a comic that’s visually good but doesn’t really stand out from the pack.
Fixation #1 is a solid debut that shows off a lot of potential and interesting aspects. It has a little more to say than being a simple slasher and I want to find out more as to what’s going on. Overall, it’s a good start and fans of horror definitely should check it out.
Story: Amy Chase Art: Savanna Mayer Color: James Fenner Letters: Sandy Tanaka Story: 7.75 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.6 Recommendation: Red
IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
