Category Archives: Reviews

My Beloved Other: A Memoir of Love, Race, and Optimism in a Time of Denial is one of the year’s best

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A timely graphic memoir about the far-reaching impact of racism in today’s society, as seen through the lens of one couple’s interracial marriage.

Where does the concept of “the other” come from? And who truly benefits when we allow fear of the other to steer our society? Through charming banter and illuminating anecdotes from their personal lives, writer-artist Nick Abadzis and psychotherapist Angela Watson chronicle their nearly forty-year interracial relationship, their respective family histories, and their ongoing experiences with anti-Black racism in Britain and America, from the overt racial taunts of childhood bullies to the more subtle biases of the adult workplace.

In the midst of a dangerous political backlash that threatens to derail decades―if not centuries―of movement towards a more equitable and diverse world, My Beloved Other puts questions of race front and center, and turns a critical eye to the systems that seek to exploit our differences. Above all else, it challenges readers to do what can sometimes feel impossible: keep hope alive for a future where difference is embraced as a source of unity, not division.

Story: Nick Abadzis, Angela Watson
Art: Nick Abadzis

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

23rd Street 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

LYNX, Vol. 1 is a hell of a start with great world building mixed with fantastic art

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What remains after the end of the world? For the last of humanity in a world of perpetual winter, the only way to survive is to adapt—but for Lynx Takuma, the past cannot be so easily left behind.

Lynx Takuma is standing still. As a bio-enhanced detective in New Borealis, one of the last habitable cities after worldwide climate disaster, Lynx knows what she’s meant to do: break up crime syndicates, track down rogue Qual technology, and keep the peace alongside her reckless-but-trusty partner Task and her crime-fighting talking cat Skua. But ever since Simone…

Well, she’s not thinking about Simone. Or about anything beyond getting through the next day, and the next, and the next…

Story: Samuel Sattin
Art: tokitokoro
Lettering: Phil Christie

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

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

Gargoyles Vol. 2 #1 is a Nice Introduction for New Readers

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Gargoyles Vol. 2 #1

One thousand years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness. It was a world of fear. It was the age of GARGOYLES! Stone by day, warriors by night, they were betrayed by the humans they had sworn to protect…frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years. Now, here in Manhattan, the spell is broken, and they live again! They are defenders of the night! THEY ARE GARGOYLES!

It is 1997. The Manhattan Clan has remembered their calling…being heroes to the helpless on the streets of New York. At the same time, the Gargoyles desperately search for clues to the whereabouts of their missing Gargoyle egg. And they must hurry, for an ancient, all-powerful evil has awoken, with a score to settle…

Gargoyles Vol. 2 #1 continues the previous series while serving as an entry point for new readers.

Written by Greg Weisman, Gargoyles Vol. 2 #1 kicks off a new volume but does so in a way that’s heavily focused on new readers. If you’ve never read a previous comic or don’t know the animated series, the debut issue runs you through everything you need to know. It’s done so in a way that it skews almost too heavily towards new readers and might lose the long time fans.

The issue introduces us to the concept of the Gargoyles and their big picture battle, regaining an egg that was stolen from them. Their relationship with the people of New York City is explored, doing a fine job of laying out everything readers need to know. All of this is done around some tense action as the Gargoyles fly into action to save individuals who might plummet to their doom.

All of it is ok, but it’s a little odd so many important people are stuck in the same situation. Still, Weisman uses it to introduce us to key players who have, or will, play a role in the series as it progresses. It’s written clearly for those that are new and the way it’s introduced, for younger readers who might overlook the coincidence.

The art by Gerardo Gambone is good. With color by Robby Bevard and lettering by Jeff Eckleberry the comic continues the style of the animated series and brought over to the comics. The action has a nice flow to it and the characters all look solid. Overall, it’s nice art with some solid panels and pages. But, overall, it doesn’t do anything that breaks from the style the property is accustomed to.

Gargoyles Vol. 2 #1 is a fine start that is a good introduction to the characters and world. It helps build what’s to come but might focus a bit too much on catching readers up. New readers won’t have an issue but those who have been reading the previous volume might find it doesn’t have enough to excite them.

Story: Greg Weisman Art: Gerardo Gambone
Color: Robby Bevard Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

Dynamite provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Regicide #1 is Fantasy Adventure with an Unexpected World

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Regicide #1

A farmhand lives a simple life until village elders insist he set out for the capital with a dangerous stranger. Their mission? Kill the murderous viceroy of Transylvania! It’s Dracula meets Berserk in this dark fantasy series full of sexy entities and betrayal. Regicide #1 delivers a debut issue that goes in directions that are unexpected and weird.

On its surface, the concept of Regicide is rather simple, a mission to topple the murderous leader of a nation that has brought an evil to the lands. But, as Regicide #1 progresses, the series turns from an action adventure into a twisted dark fantasy.

Written by Patrick Kindlon, Regicide #1 is an intriguing start, introducing a world that’s far more dark and sinister than the surface level would have you believe. And that’s part of the point of the comic. A dark entity has corrupted the land and those within. That becomes quite clear and is emphasized over and over as the issue progresses.

Kindlon gets to the point quickly as we’re introduced to a simple farm hand and a masked individual who are paired up for their mission. The masked man is mysterious, with little revealed, but the farm hand is made out to be the reluctant warrior who has only battled animals and unsure if he can do the same against other human beings. We find out whether he can as the duo come across those who would oppose them… and it’s all very… weird an unexpected.

What easily could just be an action story with a fantasy setting, dives deep in the fantasy as individuals are revealed to be far more than human during battles. The craziness of it all is illustrated by Ludovic Lalliat who delivers an oddity to the characters, each with stories to tell on their own. A woman is revealed to be far more, a guard the same, while a farm hand shows off amazing feets of strength and ability to battle. All of which is given a slight indie style to it, a little unpolished in a way, almost like the story is being recounted by someone else.

But the comic features more from Kindlon with two more short stories tied into the main one, with art by Pramono Estu and Matt Bataglia. Each is a fine edition, fleshing out the characters and world a bit more and surely setting up something to come.

Regicide #1 is a fine start with an intriguing concept and a world where it feels like anything can happen. It leans far more into dark fantasy than the action I initially expected. And with that, it keeps me guessing as to where the series could go from here.

Story: Patrick Kindlon Art: Ludovic Lalliat, Rio Oka, Pramono Estu, Matt Bataglia
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

The Infernal Hulk #10 shifts the battle… we’re just not sure in whose favor

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The Infernal Hulk #10

The heroes have lost their last chance to stop Infernal Hulk…except for Bruce Banner himself. As Hulk closes in on New York, Banner and Doctor Voodoo risk their lives and souls against a terrifying enemy. Failure will mean eternal enslavement and torment…but success could give them the only weapon that might bring victory against Infernal Hulk. Meanwhile, another secret weapon joins the fray…Charlie Tidwell herself, the skinwalker Lycana! The Infernal Hulk #10 is another amazing entry in the current Hulk epic, one that’s packed with important moments.

I’ve never been a big Hulk person. I’ve read some story arcs here and there but it’s never been a comic I regularly read or character I cared about. Writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson has shifted that with an epic story (much like his vision for his time writing Superman) that takes the character and readers through a journey where you never know exactly what to expect. Johnson has taken the Hulk back to his horror roots, with an ancient being now controlling the Green Giant and raising an army of monsters to create a new Age of Monsters. The heroes have failed at every moment to stop this Infernal Hulk leaving the situation looking desperate with an unclear path to victory.

But through that destruction, Johnson keeps things focused not on the Infernal Hulk’s terror, but more importantly on the heroes who want to be anything but. At first it was Bruce Banner, hiding out with Betsy Ross, having lost his ability to become the Hulk and attempting to live a normal life. Johnson has now added Charlie Tidwell to the mix of heroes and weapons, a character who might really shift the battle. Together, we get a story of two individuals dragged into the situation and seeing a duty they have to do, not want to do.

But, even with two glimmer of hopes, Johnson also ramps things up giving us moments that echo the best zombie stories with overwhelming forces and those standing up against them with the odds not in their favor. It continues the feeling of desperation that has been a driver of this series, a pervasive feeling held by so many.

That feeling is helped by Adam Gorham‘s art who along with Matthew Wilson‘s colors and Cory Petit‘s lettering, creates a comic that’s steeped in emotion and horror. There’s a sense of overwhelming dread in multiple ways in the issue. Even the bright spots, Banner fighting a demon and the Lycana revelation, still are muted in same way, as if these might go away at any moment (and one might). Add in the ending, and you have an issue whose visuals add to the unknown as to who is gaining ground in the battle. The issue, and series as a whole, also continues to do an amazing job with the color, delivering a darker look but one that’s not all shadows. There’s a glow that has permeated the comic from early on, an almost fluorescent choice, that gives the comic a sickly feel. The lettering too continues to pack in the emotion and add to each moment.

The Infernal Hulk #10 is another fantastic issue of a fantastic series of a fantastic run. There’s till a whole other chapter still to come, and it’s building to be a doozy. Johnson continues to show he’s a master at long form comic storytelling, one that doesn’t feel decompressed, but one where each issue is packed with key moments. Mixed with some fantastic art, The Infernal Hulk continues to be the best comic Marvel is releasing right now.

Story: Phillip Kennedy Johnson Art: Adam Gorham
Color: Matthew Wilson Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Yumi: 00EX #1 delivers Pop Sensibility to Tired Spy Action

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Yumi: 00EX #1

Yumi is in love. Yumi is lethal. When her MI6 boyfriend disappears, Yumi storms the agency – hacking their network, dismantling their operatives, and setting everything on fire. There she finds her first ally… a fully AI Lamborghini that’s built less like a car and more like a WMD. The anti-spy thriller begins here. Yumi: 00EX #1 flips the Bond formula with a debut that’s an assault on the senses and MI6.

Written by Doug Wagner, Yumi: 00EX #1 is fun, a hell of a lot of fun. It’s the story of a young women, trained in lethality, trying to figure out what happened to the man she fell in love with. It just so happens that man works for MI6. What occurs in the first issue is over the top action that if it were a film, would shake the theater in explosions, screaming from the death, and a soundtrack blasting everyone in their seat. It’s pop sense in every way.

Wagner keeps things fun with Yumi strolling through MI6 raining down death while chatting with her father and listening to some music at the same time. There’s an air about Yumi, she’s better than her foes and she knows it. But, we the readers are left with the question as to how is she? What’s her story? All of that is teased, with hints to far more in Yumi’s past, which then opens up the question if her love of the MI6 agent Richard is more obsession by a villain? Wagner teases and hints at these things while delivering humor, action, and some solid violence.

Hoyt Silva delivers the action with colors by Kevin Lenertz and lettering by Frank Cvetkovic. The team puts together visuals that force you to pause to catch every little detail and allow you to appreciate even more jokes than the just the absurd premise. When I saw the comic is an assault on the readers, I mean that with love, as the art is packed in every panel, especially the opening battle, and you can “hear” the panels and everything they deliver visually. The comic bounces between styles with cutesy art lulling us into the belief that Yumi and Richard’s “love” is legit and not just Yumi’s exaggerated take (though the stories she tells seem very exaggerated). The overall style of the comic feels like K-Pop with an action bent in choice of design as well as color.

Yumi: 00EX #1 is a hell of a lot of fun. The comic is pure action and humor with a slightly twisted heroine in the spotlight that leaves readers guessing if she’s a narrator that can be trusted. With some fun pop references and flashy action, it delivers something new to the spy action genre and has us excited to see what’s next.

Story: Doug Wagner Art: Hoyt Silva
Color: Kevin Lenertz Letterer: Frank Cvetkovic
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1 Delivers an Entertaining but at Times Awkward Debut

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Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1

Miles Morales is back in black (and red)! Spider-Man thinks he has it allllll handled: homework, super-villains…a new school crush?? No, no–Miles’ is focused on what matters: helping the good folks of Brooklyn. Friendly. Neighborhood. Spider-Manning at his best! But a vengeful villain from Jeff Morales’ past with SHIELD threatens to destroy not only Spider-Man–but the entire Morales family! Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1 is an interesting debut that feels like a bit of a reset as it charts the next chapter for Miles, his friends, and family.

I’m by no means a Miles Morales expert. He’s a character I’ve read a lot of comics of, but he’s also one I don’t necessarily always follow. I might read an arc or a mini-series, but I’ve rarely regularly read his solo ongoing comics. Like Spider-Man in general, I drop in and out of following his adventures. But, with Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1, I get to start “fresh” with a new first issue and see what I might have missed and where things are going.

Written by Bryan Edward Hill, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1 is an entertaining start that does a good job of laying the groundwork for what’s to come while also reflecting on Miles’ recent adventures. You don’t need to know everything and Hill expertly rewards long-time readers while also making it new reader friendly. Miles quickly goes over the major changes and adventures in his life while his friend Ganke discusses measuring his powers while listing them off. In one or two panels, new readers quickly get the information they need to do. That allows the comic to really focus on Miles’ current status while introducing a new villain.

And, the new villain is interesting. With ties to Miles’ fathers’ past, this mystery helps build off of what has come before in a natural way and creates a thread that feels organic and not a random new villain. The new baddie also feels like a challenge for Miles making no clear answer to how he can be defeated.

Hill also focuses on Miles’ personal life with him back in school and a possible new love interest. The interactions between Miles and Valentina are nice and cute and there’s potential there but you also know things are going to go sideways at some point. She’ll not be who she says or she’ll become someone that can be threatened to get to Miles. There’s just too many teases things aren’t quite as innocent as they could be and there’s something more coming.

Where the comic stumbles a bit is in some of the dialogue. Miles is a teenager and there’s just some moments that don’t feel like something any current kid would say. It’s small moments but enough for me to pause. (Do kids still say “preach”?). It also could be the awkwardness that is Miles in general and I’m not familiar with. But, I’m not around teenage boys so maybe I’m completely off in that.

The art by Nico Leon is fantastic. With color by Bryan Valenza and lettering by Cory Petit, the pages pop with a bright energy about it. Even when battling a villain, the comic still has a style where it doesn’t seem dark and brooding. The only gripe is Valentina’s eyes are supposed to be really “pretty” and stand out but they don’t really pop on the page. Valentine De Landro also provides art in flashback sequences that tell the connection between Miles’ dad and the new villain that does have a more ominous feel about them. It’s a nice contrast between the two styles and really shifts the tone.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1 is an entertaining start and does a solid job of balancing everything it needs to. New readers can hop in while ongoing readers get something new as well. The villain feels natural and like a real threat. It’s a solid debut that’s well worth checking out.

Story: Bryan Edward Hill Art: Nico Leon, Valentine De Landro
Color: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 7.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

The Marshal King, Vol. 1 is a pretty good start but some lettering issues dampens the enjoyment

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This is the Age of Desperados. For millennia, outlaws, bandits, and varmints have had the run of the wild west’s vast deserts, with only the U.S. Marshals to stand against them. Ride along with Jimmu Godspeed as he searches for the legendary power of the Marshal King to bring these times of chaos to an end!

When Jimmu Godspeed shows up with his infamous father’s body in tow, the whole outlaw world is shaken to its core. But instead of keeping his father’s legacy alive, he decides to enroll in the Western U.S. Marshal Training Institute! Nobody can guess his angle as he steps foot in the halls. But when put to the test, what will he choose—the law or glory?

Story: Boichi
Art: Boichi
Translation: David Evelyn
Touch-up and Lettering: Michelle Pang

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

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

Early Review: Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen’s Crowbound #1 has the Vibe of 80s Twisted Children’s Films

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Crowbound #1

Rose isn’t special. She works in the Factory just like everyone else — a dark, sprawling monolithic structure that runs along the coast and cuts the world in two. All that’s left now are desolate settlements that exist in its shadow, made up of submerged villages, derelict woods, and deadly swamps. No one knows what’s left of the world on the other side… But when Rose’s young daughter Ava is violently taken from their shanty town home a year before she is meant to join the work force, Rose will come face-to-face with the surreal, harrowing forces outside the Factory’s walls… Crowbound #1 is another fantastic debut from Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen that’d fit right into the traumatic children’s films of the 80s.

When it comes to creative teams in comics, Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen is one where if you see they’re working on a comic together, you buy it. The combination of the two always results in entertaining stories that feature amazing art. Someone needs to back up the truck of money and just lock them in to do whatever they want. Crowbound is a new series that features the creative duo, and you better believe I read the first issue as soon as I could.

Crowbound #1 is the kind of story and debut you’d expect. It teases the grand picture, focusing on an emotional hook of a mother whose daughter has been taken away by those that rule. Interspersed, the issue has a dreamlike aspect to it as Rose and Ava dream, picturing what might be and remembering what was. There’s a haunting feel of it all and the mix between Lemire’s narrative and Nguyen’s art the comic has a feel of the 80s “children’s” movies I grew up with and delivered fantasy and a dose of trauma.

And there’s absolutely trauma here. Violence against women is present and while it’s not over the top in its depiction, it still got me to wince. But, it’s all a set up for what seems like a fantasy revenge tale, where Rose rises up against her oppressive rules to get her daughter back.

Nguyen’s art is his distinctive style and with the narrative, it takes an almost melancholy feel about it. The visuals are interesting telling us so much about the world and the characters, but there’s also a sadness to it all as well. And that feeling extends to the lettering by Steve Wands. It feels like there’s a choice in the lettering to deliver a style that matches the struggling society depicted as well as work with the dreamlike sequences.

Crowbound #1 opens up a lot of questions and the first issue doesn’t give a lot of answers. What it does give is a very focused story with an emotional core many can relate to. It’s a story of a mother who fights to get back her daughter. It’s a story of a parent protecting their child. How that plays out will be the big question and with Lemire and Nguyen at the helm, it’s one I can’t wait to find out the answer to.

Crowbound #1 comes to shops September 2, 2026.

Story: Jeff Lemire Art: Dustin Nguyen Letterer: Steve Wands
Story: 8.5 Art: 10 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Pre-Order: Third Eye Comics – Kindle

Endeavour #3 wraps things up but feels too much like Lord of the Flies and could use another issue

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The storm has passed, but the real horror has only begun. Adrift and starving, the surviving children of the Endeavour are haunted by guilt, paranoia, and the whispering ship beneath their feet.

As the line between reality and madness unravels, they’ll discover the sea isn’t the only thing that wants them.

Story: Stephanie Phillips
Art: Marc Laming, Tony Shasteen
Color: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Tom Napolitano

Get your copy in comic shops! 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

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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