Tag Archives: clayton cowles

Absolute Batman #15 tells the tale of the origin of the Joker… maybe…

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Alfred reveals to Bruce the story of the man he’s been chasing for years. Enter: Joker! Scott Snyder and Jock reunite for an epic tale in the Absolute Universe!

Story: Scott Snyder
Art: Jock
Colors: Frank Martin
Letters: Clayton Cowles

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

Absolute Batman #14 wraps up the battle with Bane with over the top action and eye popping visuals

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Batman and Catwoman face down Bane in a final battle! But once the dust settles, what will it all mean for the future of Batman?

Story: Scott Snyder
Art: Nick Dragotta
Colors: Frank Martin
Letters: Clayton Cowles

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

Star Trek: The Last Starship #2 is a Mix of Hope, Fear, Action, and Facing the Past

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Star Trek: The Last Starship #2

Star Trek: The Last Starship #2 is a packed issue that gets the ship running then dials it up to Warp 10. In the wake of the cataclysm known as the Burn, the dream of a united Federation stands on the brink of extinction. The only thing holding the Galaxy back from chaos is Captain Sato and the crew of the Borg-enhanced Omega—a ship fueled by transwarp technology and fraught with distrust.

No one on board trusts the Borg…and Captain Sato trusts their mysterious new passenger, bearing the face and name of James T. Kirk, even less. This so-called Kirk speaks of a dark future, but Sato refuses to be guided by fear or prophecy.

When a distress call from the Klingon Empire pierces the silence—urgent, cryptic, and unexpected—Sato doesn’t hesitate. Whatever the risk, he will answer. Because if Starfleet’s legacy is to survive, it won’t be through retreat. It’ll be through action.

I’ve always enjoyed Star Trek. It’s never been a property where I needed to see every episode but I’ve seen all of the films multiple times, and dabbled in the various series that have been released, so know enough. Star Trek: The Last Starship is the first Star Trek property where I need to see what’s going to happen next. Star Trek: The Last Starship #2 is a hell of an issue that gets things going and then takes it to unexpected places.

Written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, the Federation is hanging on by a thread. With warp drives destroyed and billions dead, one ship remains and a deal with the devil has been cut to attempt to hold things together. Star Trek: The Last Starship #2 picks up from that debut issue and the return of Captain James T. Kirk through the technology of the Borg. But, that’s just one aspect of a comic that introduces new characters and quickly shows how much things have already gone to shit.

Lanzing and Kelly present an interesting situation the Federation is in now that The Burn has destroyed so much of its abilities and killed so many of its members. Star Trek: The Last Starship #2, and really Captain Sato, confront the reality of things but also confront the reality of the past. Kirk has returned and while he himself questions that, Sato questions Kirk and the mythology surrounding him. It’s a comic that lays it out that we are the products of our experiences, or how we perceive those experiences. Kirk sees himself in a certain way, but Sato confronts him with the cold reality of his past actions. He wasn’t a man of peace or exploration, he brought death to a lot of individuals, not just his crew. But, even Kirk realizes that reality, though not the extent of it, and clearly struggles.

That struggle is both internal and external as Captain Sato and the crew of the Omega must face reality in the now and we see how quickly the peace falls apart. Much like Kirk was contend with, it’s clear the Federation’s true power wasn’t that of diplomacy but that of sheer firepower and technology. Without that, it is wounded and losing its grip on the order it has instilled. Star Trek: The Last Starship #2 delivers the reality that while the Federation overall is a positive good, there’s also a lot of underlying bad.

The art by Adrian Bonilla is fantastic. With color by Heather Moore and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the comic is a visual treat. The characters all have personality and stand out, it helps that the cast is small and focused and so varied. But, what’s really intriguing is comparing all of that to how Captain Kirk is drawn. Kirk has a bit of a throwback, “classic” look to him, something you might expect from the old animated series compared to Bonilla’s art style. It’s a great visual idea that really emphasizes how out of place he is. The use of Borg technology on the ship too evokes a little bit of horror as well as slapped together, for a ship that also should feel so advanced to what we’ve seen before.

Star Trek: The Last Starship #2 is a solid issue that really gets things going while packing so much in. This issue took the series from intriguing to one of the first I’ll be reading during the week it’s released. A solid issue and series that stands out in 2025.

Story: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly Art: Adrian Bonilla
Color: Heather Moore Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Die Loaded #1 is both a blessed and cursed (In an in-universe kind of way) return to this world

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Die Loaded #1

Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans return to the hellish TTRPG world of Die in their new series Die Loaded #1. It’s definitely helpful to be familiar with the previous series, but in gaming parlance, this first issue is “new player friendly” and slowly unravels the lore and relationships from Die. Die Loaded is a dark fantasy/horror series, but it’s also grounded in authentic, real world relationships. The main focus for this launch issue is Ash, who is a female Dictator in the game world, but is a nonbinary person in the real world and dealing with becoming a father and good partner to their wife Sophie, who had a child while they were trapped in the game. Gillen writes the majority of the issue from their POV as they adapt to a “normal life” after a great crisis although that normal life happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. He and Hans use parenting as the initial throughline for the series, but things definitely get fantastical later on.

From page 1, Die Loaded felt like being reunited with an old friend who I thought I’d never see again: Dominic Ash. In previous articles, I’ve mentioned my connection to the character and their complex relationship with their gender identity and nostalgia in the fantasy genre. So, it’s cool to see them take on the unexpected role of “Daddy” and navigate an even more complicated relationship with their partner Sophie because they definitely don’t reveal 100% of what happened in Die to them. Kieron Gillen’s narrative captions for Ash are downright confessional and add an extra dimension to a seemingly mundane of a couple getting ready for a night out, which is Chuck’s (The Fool from Die and a wealthy fantasy author.) wake. I felt so seen when Ash mentioned putting their “gender bullshit” on hold to deal with other things in their life.

The social maze that Ash and Sophie must traverse is just as frightening as any fantasy quest, and Stephanie Hans’ use of shadow and color gives the function a sinister vibe as she and Gillen check in with various characters and their families/partners from the previous series. She makes the real world feel like a dissociative episode using more straightforward shots and layouts for friendly encounters and more askew one for conflicted ones. Hans’ palette in Die Loaded is muted compared to the majestic fantasy or Gothic horror of some sequences in Die. Her choice of color and lighting almost screams for normalcy. She and Kieron Gillen pace the wake scene like any massive social gathering where you have close relationships with some folks, dislike others, and are intrigued/overwhelmed by others.

Kicking off Die Loaded with a wake is an ingenious piece of storytelling from Gillen and Hans as the various old/new characters reacquainting themselves with each other mirrors readers coming back to a series that made an impact on them, but it’s been a few years. The focus on Ash and Sophie’s dynamic as partners and parents is a wonderfully mature hook for the series before it goes into Goth Jumanji chaos, and it gives a freshness to the sequel instead of going the Die Harder route. I feel both blessed and cursed (In an in-universe kind of way.) to return to this world.

Story: Kieron Gillen Art: Stephanie Hans Letters: Clayton Cowles
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.4 Overall: 9.2 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Magic: The Gathering: Untold Stories – Elspeth gets collected in June 2026

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Dark Horse Comics and Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast division present Magic: The Gathering: Untold Stories – Elspeth, showcasing a previously unpublished story from Theros Beyond Death. All four comic issues written by renowned author Dan Watters, illustrated by Owen Gieni, colored by Hilary Jenkins, and lettered by Clayton Cowles will be collected into a paperback volume for the first time, arriving in June 2026. The paperback will also include a sketchbook section and cover art gallery.

Elspeth is dead. But her story is not yet over.

The sun god Heliod, having grown envious of his champion, struck her down to the underworld. There, she is forced to relive the worst moments of her life for all eternity. But Elspeth does not submit to despair—she emerges from each conflict a greater hero than before. And for a great hero like Elspeth, what is death but another challenge to overcome?

Magic: The Gathering: Untold Stories – Elspeth (112 pages, 6.625” x 10.1875”, paperback) releases in bookstore on June 16 and in comic shops on June 17, 2026. It is now available to pre-order from Bookshop, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local comic shop and bookstore for $19.99.

Magic: The Gathering: Untold Stories - Elspeth

Dark Horse presents the Supercrooks Library Edition

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Mark Millar and Leinil Yu’s supervillain heist comic series will be collected in the Supercrooks Library Edition, arriving in July 2026 from Dark Horse. Written by Millar, penciled by Leinil Yu, inked by Gerry Alanguilan, colored by Sunny Gho, and lettered by Clayton Cowles, this hardcover edition will collect all four issues of the supervillain comic series and will feature a cover by Yu.

Why do supervillains always pull jobs in the cities with all the superheroes? The last place you’d want to rob a bank is Metropolis or Gotham, because you’re only going to get caught and tossed in prison. But Europe doesn’t have any superheroes at all. If you’re an American supervillain looking to make a few bucks, there’s worse places than Spain to hang out for a few weeks and get a suntan while you pull a legendary job against one of the greatest criminal minds of all time–who’s retired to the Costa Del Sol and has his loot stored away in a secret location.

Supercrooks Library Edition (112 pages, hardcover, 8” x 12.1875”) will be available in bookstores and comic shops on July 7 and 8, 2026. It is now available for pre-order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local comic shop or bookstore for $49.99.

Supercrooks Library Edition

Mini Reviews: Absolute Batman 2025 Annual

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Absolute Batman 2025 Annual

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 Batman 2025 Annual (DC) – Absolute Batman 2025 Annual is a victory lap for one of DC’s best current titles giving three talented cartoonists a chance to play in this universe’s gritty sandbox and flesh out its protagonist even more. Up first, Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer have a story about Batman waging a violent war against a white supremacist gang that is inflicting harm on Latino immigrants in Gotham. The sheer cowardice of DC editorial publishing this story by a white cisgender heterosexual man, but cancelling a book with subject material by a transgender woman isn’t lost on me. However, this lead off story is a tour de force in ass kicking from DWJ that’s enhanced by an aggressive color palette from Spicer and memorable sound effects lettering from Clayton Cowles. One of Absolute Batman’s strengths are its brutal fight scenes, and Johnson outdoes himself with each poses, hold, and choreography set. But this story isn’t just a beat ’em up and has a real soul to it, especially in the contrast between Batman and a pacifist priest, who was an activist with Thomas Wayne when he was a young man. DWJ explores the paradoxical nature of seeking peace, but also punch your local Nazi. (Or crash a giant tractor into their HQ.) James Harren continues the recurring theme of fathers and sons in his story about Batman raiding a Party Animals hideout in an old church. There’s a brutal Gothic elegance to Harren’s approach to Batman and his enemies fusing Kelley Jones and Mike Mignola with an old-fashioned can of whoop ass as Batman dodges truly insane weapons and traps that would make Kevin McCallister smile. This second story also has a strong sense of location that enhances the action. Absolute Batman 2025 Annual wraps things up with a two page story from Meredith McClaren that is both edutainment about bats as well as a glimpse at how Batman affects ordinary citizens in the Absolute DC Universe’s Gotham. Her soft, manga-influenced style is also a nice palate cleanser after the aggression of the two main stories. Absolute Batman 2025 Annual is a master class in action cartooning as well as continuing to flesh out this blue collar, socially informed take on the Dark Knight. Overall: 9.2 Verdict: Buy

Absolute Batman Annual 2025 is awesome. Batman kicking ass and beating up all the right people

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Some of the biggest names in comics take a turn in the Absolute Universe! Daniel Warren Johnson and James Harren tell tales from Absolute Batman’s early days! How did Bruce acquire his batmobile? And what was it like for Black Mask’s party animals when Batman first hit the scene?

Story: Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, Meredith McClaren
Art: Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, Meredith McClaren
Color: Mike Spicer, Dave Stewart
Letterer: Clayton Cowles

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

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