Hallow’s Eve #3
(W) Erica Schultz (A) Michael Dowling
(C) Brian Reber (L) Joe Caramagna
(CA) Michael Dowling (VCA) Joshua Swaby “Sway”, Skottie Young
Rated T+
In Shops: May 24, 2023
SRP: $3.99
EVE VERSUS SPIDER-MAN! ‘Nuff said?!
This year’s Free Comic Book Day will be packed with new beginnings including a prelude to the X-Men’s next era, Fall ofF X; an introduction to Jonathan Hickman’s bold upcoming projects, G.O.D.S. with Valerio Schiti and Ultimate Invasion with Bryan Hitch; the debut of a new Venom villain, and so much more. In addition to these exciting lead-in stories for fans and newcomers alike, Marvel Comics will also spotlight creators and characters from different cultures and communities in a special installment of the Marvel’s Voices program, Free Comic Book Day: Marvel’s Voices, and deliver all-ages Spider-Man adventures in Free Comic Book Day 2023: Spidey & His Amazing Friends #1 so that even the youngest readers won’t go home empty handed!
It’s one of the biggest days for the comic book industry, and this year promises to be the greatest one yet! Here’s what fans can looking forward to:
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2023: AVENGERS/X-MEN #1
Be the first to arrive at this year’s game-changing Hellfire Gala in a story by the current X-Men creative team: writer Gerry Duggan and artist Joshua Cassara. This year’s HELLFIRE GALA will be more dramatic than ever, and the tragic events of the night will lead mutantkind directly into FALL OF X.
Then join Duggan and superstar artist Javier Garrón as they reassemble the Avengers Unity Squad to navigate the dangers of FALL OF X and solve the mystery of the new Captain Krakoa in a prelude story to their upcoming run of UNCANNY AVENGERS. This action-packed story will also feature the debut of the STARK SENTINELS, a new line of mutant hunters who cause major havoc on the night of the Gala and in the pages of Duggan’s INVINCIBLE IRON MAN.
And score a sneak peek at one of the most talked about launches of the year, Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti’s G.O.D.S., an extraordinary epic at the crossroads of magic and science where Marvel’s cosmic pantheon will be boldly reimagined.
Written by GERRY DUGGAN & JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art by JOSHUA CASSARA, JAVIER GARRÓN & VALERIO SCHITI
Colors by MARTE GRACIA & MORRY HOLLOWELL
Cover by JAVIER GARRÓN & MORRY HOLLOWELL
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2023: SPIDER-MAN/VENOM #1
Dive into the next story arc of Zeb Wells’ run of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN with a story that sees the return of two classic Spidey villains! Featuring incredible art by Patrick Gleason, this thrilling story also unleashes the full potential Spider-Man’s new suit!
Then, web-swing over to the symbiote side of things with current VENOM masterminds, Al Ewing and Cafu! The pair will pull back the curtain on a secret chapter in symbiote history where an experiment went horribly wrong…. Say hello to new Venom villain, FLEXO!
And get a glimpse into Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch’s ULTIMATE INVASION, a saga that begins with a daring mission to revive the Ultimate Universe but ends with the promise of something all-new and vastly different than anything that’s come before…
Written by ZEB WELLS, AL EWING & JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art by PATRICK GLEASON, CAFU, BRYAN HITCH & ANDREW CURRIE
Colors by MARCIO MENYZ, FRANK D’ARMATA & ALEX SINCLAIR
Cover by PATRICK GLEASON & BRYAN VALENZA
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2023: MARVEL’S VOICES #1
Spotlighting creators and characters across Marvel’s diverse and ever-evolving universe, this book will include a range of stories from previous Marvel’s Voices issues that star Ms. Marvel, Luke Cage, Wave, and more! Plus a brand-new Ironheart adventure by writer John Jennings and Paris Alleyne that debuts her deadly new nemesis, KHEM!
Written by JOHN JENNINGS, NYLA INNUKSUK, SABIR PIRZADA, ALYSSA WONG & CODY ZIGLAR
Art by PARIS ALLEYNE, NATASHA DONOVAN, ERIC KODA, STEPHEN BYRNE, DIÓGENES NEVES & EDER MESSIAS
Colors by ERICK ARCINIEGA, RACHELLE ROSENBERG, BRIAN REBER, FRANK WILLIAM & DIJJO LIMA
Cover by CHRIS ALLEN & PARIS ALLEYNE
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2023: SPIDEY & HIS AMAZING FRIENDS #1
Swing into adventure with Spidey, Ghost-Spider, and Miles as they face off against Green Goblin, Doc Ock and more in this spectacular special. Filled with easy-to-read comic stories based on the hit Disney Junior show, this book is perfect for the youngest readers aged 5-7. Young fans will even be able to test their wall-crawling skills with thrilling interactive activity pages! Kids will love this not-to-be-missed comic: the perfect primer for the newest generation of Spider-Fans!
Hallows’ Eve #2
(W) Erica Schultz (A) Michael Dowling
(C) Brian Reber (L) Joe Caramagna
(CA) Michael Dowling (VCA) Ryan Brown
Rated T+
In Shops: Apr 19, 2023
SRP: $3.99
Like most of her life, every step forward for Hallows’ Eve leads to five steps back.
Her mystical masks give her abilities like you’ve never seen, but power on this level attracts all kinds of people hunting it down.
Don’t miss the coolest new character in comics and the book that will shock you and keep you guessing!
Hallows’ Eve #2
(W) Erica Schultz (A) Michael Dowling
(C) Brian Reber (L) Joe Caramagna
(CA) Michael Dowling (VCA) Ryan Brown
Rated T+
In Shops: Apr 19, 2023
SRP: $3.99
Like most of her life, every step forward for Hallows’ Eve leads to five steps back.
Her mystical masks give her abilities like you’ve never seen, but power on this level attracts all kinds of people hunting it down.
Don’t miss the coolest new character in comics and the book that will shock you and keep you guessing!
Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1 is an engaging fusion of meat and potato superheroics and off the wall antics. There is a robot gorilla in this comic. Set in Gotham City, it has one foot firmly in the DC Universe and another in heart on your sleeve surrealism. For example, Crazy Jane is the Chief now. (Don’t ask, just read!) With his experience doing fucked up body horror (Nameless) and globe-trotting superhero team-up’s (Batman Inc.), Chris Burnham definitely was the perfect artistic fit for this new iteration of the Doom Patrol, and he and writer Dennis Culver and colorist Brian Reber lay down a first issue that functions as a done in one adventure, a mission statement for the new miniseries, and sets up some fun plot lines down the road rooted in both the original Silver Age Doom Patrol and Paul Kupperberg’s late 1980s Doom Patrol run (If it had more action and fun and less monologuing.) that paved the way for the classic Grant Morrison run.
Until a passionate Cliff Steele monologue towards the end of the issue, Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1 goes for big and bold in its layouts and approach to storytelling. The first page is Monsieur Mallah and the Brain fighting General Immortus’ incredibly crumbly zombies (Burnham’s art has great and occasionally unsettling textures to it.) in a full splash before a double pager that’s a cool title page and gives you everything you need to know about the current Doom Patrol lineup. Unlike the recap pages at the house Mickey owns, Burnham and Culver dish out this information visually and verbally with a classic team shot of the current lineup and three panels setting up the trip to Gotham that Robotman isn’t looking forward to.
And speaking of classic, Dennis Culver and Chris Burnham have gone with a Doom Patrol cast that is both traditional and breaks new ground. Of course, there’s Cliff Steele, Larry Trainor, Rita Farr, and the Chief (With a twist.) But there’s also Beast Girl, who is a hyperactive riff on Beast Boy’s appearances in the pages of Doom Patrol before finding fame as a Teen Titan, both New and Go. Culver and Burnham use her abilities in a clever way in the big climactic fight sequence, and she’s pure id with some added splashes of color from Reber. Her and Robotman also have a pleasant father/daughter dynamic that I hope gets expanded on in future issues.
However, the most intriguing part of Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1 is one of Jane’s alters becoming a new version of the Chief complete with cloth mask, a keen strategic vibe, and the ability to deconstruct DC Comics’ cash cow at will. Like in previous incarnations of Doom Patrol, the Chief sets the tone for the team and series, but Dennis Culver and Chris Burnham do away with the toxicity and manipulation of Niles Caulder in past comics and replace it with radical honesty and compassion. The Doom Patrol isn’t here to fight monsters, but to save them, and there are factions and folks in the DC Universe that aren’t into this setting up future intrigue in the miniseries. But, for now, it’s cool to see this team kick ass and give heartfelt monologues while simultaneously deconstructing and rebuilding the superhero genre.
Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1 has loads of nods to past Doom Patrol stories, but Culver and Burnham find new wrinkles especially in their take on Jane/The Chief and how the team interacts with more mainline superheroes although I was totally substituting Lazarus Planet with Invasion! in the page where that’s mentioned. All in all, the book features a quirky cast of characters rescuing societal outcasts and saving the day, but in an offbeat way with Burnham flexing his horror muscles in a PG-13 way and still providing a lot of big action and bright colors courtesy of Brian Reber and shows it’s okay to get weird sometimes and express big emotions.
Story: Dennis Culver Art: Chris Burnham
Colors: Brian Reber Letters: Pat Brosseau
Story: 8.6 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.8 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle
E-Ratic: Recharged TPB
Writer: Kaare Andrews
Artist: Kaare Andrews
Colorist: Brian Reber
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Cover: Kaare Andrews
Recharge complete! The teenage hero with superpowers that only work for ten minutes a day is back to save the world again as he navigates even more pressing perils: young love, bullies, a broken family, and the gauntlet that is high school. This time, young Oliver Leif is teamed with a barbarian princess who claims to be from another dimension. Spinning from the pages of The Resistance, E-Ratic combines electric action, teen drama, and pure comics fun.
Janine Godby’s world has been blown up several times in her life, but this time. she has a bag of super-powered masks and a chip on her shoulder. She’s on the run from the police, but there’s someone else after her too. Hallows’ Eve #1 kicks off the solo adventure of Janine in a fun and entertaining debut.
Hallows’ Eve #1 is an interesting comic in that it does a lot. While it’s a first issue, Janine’s story feels like a continuation of the recent “Beyond” storyline in Spider-Man and especially “Dark Web”. Though you don’t have to have read either, there’s absolutely moments where I wasn’t quite sure of motivations. But, writer Erica Schultz keeps the story focused and simple. Janine is trying to get money so she can disappear with her love Ben Reilly who currently is in jail in limbo. This isn’t some complicated motivation, it’s one we’ve seen many times before. Get a certain amount of money to set up a life and then get out.
Schultz does a good job with all of that focus, the bit of spiraling of Janine’s robbery, and just generally giving us a sense of her situation. The comic folds in the Beyond Corporation which feels a bit unnecessary and that’s the bit of the story where I didn’t know enough and some motivations were a bit weak. It adds in a factor of conflict but what’s presented more left me asking “why” and settling with “they’re evil” as the answer.
The art by Michael Dowling is solid. With color by Brian Reber and lettering by Joe Caramagna, the look of the comic just feels like it fits the character. Despite the weather warming up, the comic’s colors especially give it a cool Halloween vibe. It’s a bit darker and not as cheery as the Spider-Man titles but it still fits in with them quite well. There’s some solid dynamic panels as Janine uses her abilities in an attempt to rob a bank and other moments have an almost cinematic quality about them.
Overall, Hallows’ Eve #1 is a fun debut. I’ll admit I don’t know a ton about the character and what little I’ve read she was an interesting one but not necessarily a leading lady. However, this debut is proving me wrong in that. It swerves in interesting directions while at the same time staying focused. While it’s a continuation of what’s come before, it’s also focused on charting its own path. While it’s doing that, it also captures a lot of what makes Spider-Man great, “good” intentions that often spiral out of control. We get a twist on that here which should make for a very interesting direction for the character and series.
Story: Erica Schultz Art: Michael Dowling
Color: Brian Reber Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.15 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle
E-Ratic: Recharged Vol. 2 #4
by Kaare Andrews (W/A/CA), Brian Reber (C) & Sal Cipriano (L)
In Stores: Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Diamond Code: OCT221471
Recharge complete! The teenage hero with superpowers that only work for ten minutes a day is back to save the world again as he navigates even more pressing perils: young love, bullies, a broken family and the gauntlet that is high school. This time, young Oliver Leif is teamed with a barbarian princess who claims to be from another dimension. Spinning from the pages of The Resistance, E-Ratic combines electric action, teen drama, and pure comics fun.
E-Ratic: Recharged Vol. 2 #4
by Kaare Andrews (W/A/CA), Brian Reber (C) & Sal Cipriano (L)
In Stores: Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Diamond Code: OCT221471
Recharge complete! The teenage hero with superpowers that only work for ten minutes a day is back to save the world again as he navigates even more pressing perils: young love, bullies, a broken family and the gauntlet that is high school. This time, young Oliver Leif is teamed with a barbarian princess who claims to be from another dimension. Spinning from the pages of The Resistance, E-Ratic combines electric action, teen drama, and pure comics fun.
The Resistance Universe: The Origins
by J. Michael Straczynski (W), Gregg Hurwitz (W), Michael Moreci (W), Kaare Andrews (W/A), Mike Deodato, Jr. (A), C.P. Smith (A), Mike Choi (A), Mark Texeira (A), Alessandro Vitti (A), Lee Loughridge (C), Snakebite Cortez (C), Brian Reber (C), Ive Svorcina (C), Sal Cipriano (L), AndWorld Design (L), Rahzzah (CA)
In Shops: Dec 14, 2022
SRP: $19.99
In March 2020, amid Covid-19 lockdowns, AWA launched a bold new universe for the 21st Century with J. Michael Straczynski & Mike Deodato Jr.’s The Resistance, in which “Reborns” gain incredible powers in the wake of a global pandemic. Other creators followed with series such as E-Ratic, Knighted, and The Joneses. Now, for the first time, we are collecting each of the initial chapters in this super-sized 368-page collection.
Contains: The Resistance Vol. 1 (#1-6), The Resistance: Reborns (One Shot), The Resistance: Uprising Vol. 2 #1, Moths #1, E-Ratic Vol. 1 #1, Knighted #1, The Joneses #1, E-Ratic: Recharged Vol. 2 #1
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