Magic: The Gathering: Untold Stories–Elspeth #3
Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: Owen Gieni
Colorist: Hilary Jenkins
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Cover artist: Owen Gieni
Defy the gods. Defy fate. Defy death.
Support for Elspeth grows in the Underworld, and the reluctant hero faces an Agent of Fate—the Nyxborn Calix.
Bruce Wayne is on a desperate hunt to help his friend Waylon, now transformed into a monstrous crocodile roaming the sewers, consumed with a deadly hunger. Batman’s last option for a cure is to turn to a god for help…but will he have to descend into the depths of hell to get it?
Story: Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta
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.
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
First Officer Wowie Carter was once called the child without fear. But with the Federation in freefall and Earth still reeling from a brutal Klingon assault, fear is all that remains—and Wowie is cracking under its weight. The U.S.S. Omega’s mission is clear: Gather the final delegates for the Babel Conference, the Federation’s last, fragile chance at unity. A future of peace still seems possible…on paper. But every time Wowie returns to Earth, the home they once loved slips further into despair. As alliances fracture and chaos spreads, Wowie faces a question no one dares ask: What’s left to save when hope is already gone? Star Trek: The Last Starship #4 does what Star Trek does best, reflect on the issues the world faces today.
Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, Star Trek: The Last Starship has been an interesting series. It’s not a Star Trek about exploration or discovery, but one of rebuilding a society that has collapsed. It’s about building a new order when the past one has collapsed. It’s a series that reflects debate that goes on today as the laws, processes, and agreements that have propped up the function of the world are torched on a daily basis.
Star Trek: The Last Starship #4 is particularly interesting as it focuses its sights in on the regressive politics that have taken over far too many countries today. The United States and more have turned xenophobic, waving the saber, and threatening claims of independence and rejecting the flawed system that has existed. After the Burn and the attack by the Klingons, Star Trek’s Earth has rejected the order of its past. It has become isolationist, fearful of what’s out there, and isolationist. It has closed off its “borders” to others including Starfleet. So, where do things go from there?
The comic explores this in an interesting way jumping through time as the U.S.S. Omega completes its mission to help rebuild the federation but suffers from the issue of time. While it moves slowly on the ship it speeds up elsewhere. A month of their travel on the Omega equals a decade for example. Using that, we see the progression of Earth as it rebuilds rejecting its allies to do so and becoming “self-reliant.” It’s hard to not read the comic and see the echoes of Donald Trump’s vision for the world or recent remarks by Canada’s Mark Carney’s recent speech at Davos about rebuilding new alliances and processes to replace what has been burnt down. It’s eerie timing that this comic was released the same day as that speech.
The art by Adrian Bonilla delivers an an unsettling sense as Wowie revisits his home and we see its progression over time. With color by Lee Loughridge and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the comic has a roughness to it that feels like it reflects that scratched nature of the Federation and its ideals. The art has a sadness to it like a dour memory that you pass through on reflection. It’s haunting in a way and matches Wowie as he takes in what has happened to his home and parents.
Star Trek: The Last Starship #4 is a hell of a comic with a timing of release that’s far too perfect. It does, the series so far has done, an excellent job of what Star Trek has been great at and sci-fi does best, reflect and examine the state of the world and politics of our time. It’s an issue that should be read, examined, and ruminated upon. It highlights what makes Star Trek so great.
Story: Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing Art: Adrian Bonilla
Color: Lee Loughridge Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 9.0 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy
IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
Bring on the bad guys! In the wake of the Age of Revelation, the gene-terrorist group 3K has been revitalized. But will their internal schemes undo them? X-Men #24 puts the spotlight on the villains after the events of the “Age of Revelation.”
While I read the first few issues of the latest X-Men run, I quickly dropped off. It wasn’t bad but it also didn’t hook me like it did when I was a regular reader. So, when it comes to groups like 3K, I’m fairly in the dark as to their history and motivations. But, X-Men #24 delivers enough you don’t need to know any of that. After the previous issue focused on Cyclops’ return to the present after being flung into the future, X-Men #24 focuses on the impact of the event for 3K.
Writer Jed MacKay delivers an interesting issue that shows a group of villains in disarray and sniping at each other as leadership vacuum is present. In just one issue, you get a sense of personalities and motivations, but most importantly the conflict within the group. This is one that will be its own undoing with attacks on each other as they each try to take control. You don’t get the full history, but the issue catches readers up and then charts a path forward.
The art by Tony Daniel is good with interesting character designs and some nice action as the situation plays out. With ink by Mark Morales, color by Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, and lettering by Clayton Cowles, this isn’t an issue of flash, full page spreads, and memorable art. It plays out more like a focused play with a few sets and mainly about characters interacting with each other.
X-Men #24 is good in that it catches up readers, reflects on the recent event, and then moves the story forward. It shows off a group of villains that are flawed and interesting in their dysfunction. They don’t come off as major threats though, overall they feel like the villains who are constantly defeated due to some minor detail they missed. Still, the issue answers some questions and sets things up for what’s to come.
Story: Jed MacKay Art: Tony Daniel
Ink: Mark Morales Color: Fer Sifuentes-Sujo Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
Fanhome has launched The Legends of Batman, an expansive series of hardcover graphic novels featuring the greatest adventures of DC’s legendary Caped Crusader.
This incredible series of stories brings Batman’s life story together in an epic full-color collection.
We check out The War of Jokes & Riddles, collecting Batman #25-#32.
Story: Tom King
Art: Mikel Janin, Clay Mann
Ink: Mikel Janin, Danny Miki, John Livesay, Clay Mann, Hugo Petrus, Seth Mann
Color: June Chung, Gabe Eltaeb, Jordie Bellaire
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.
Fanhome 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 origins of the enigmatic Ark M are explored! What terrible secrets lie within its walls, and just who is assigned to protect it from discovery?!
Story: Scott Snyder, Frank Tieri
Art: Joshua Hixson
Colors: Roman Stephens
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.
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
Knull #1
(W) Al Ewing, Tom Waltz (A) Juanan Ramírez
(C) Erick Arciniega (L) Clayton Cowles
(CA) Ryan Stegman, Frank Martin (VCA) Iban Coello and Jesus Aburtov, Michael Walsh, Clayton Crain, Rafael Albuquerque and Yen Nitro, Kyle Hotz and Dan Brown
RETURN OF THE KING! Weakened from his last death, trapped by the enemy he never expected, the God of the Void waits in a cage once again. His captors think Knull has nothing to fight back with — but in Knull’s hands, nothing is a weapon. And there’s a greater weapon out there, waiting for the King in Black to take it… and take his revenge.
Kara Zor-El has seen some epic adventures over the years, but she now finds her life without meaning or purpose. Here she is, a young woman who saw her planet destroyed and was sent to Earth to protect a baby cousin who ended up not needing her. What was it all for? Wherever she goes, people only see her through the lens of Superman’s fame.
Just when Supergirl thinks she’s had enough, everything changes. An alien girl seeks her out for a vicious mission. Her world has been destroyed, and the bad guys responsible are still out there. She wants revenge, and if Supergirl doesn’t help her, she’ll do it herself, whatever the cost. Now a Kryptonian, a dog, and an angry, heartbroken child head out into space on a journey that will shake them to their very core.
This volume collects Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1-8, the complete story, in DC’s 5.5″ x 8.5″ Compact Comics format.
Story: Tom King
Art: Bilquis Evely
Color: Matheus Lopes
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.
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
One X-Man of the present has been stranded in the Age of Revelation, fighting against impossible odds in the world of tomorrow. But while they’ve been there, what has their future counterpart been doing in their body in the present? X-Men #23 fills in a gap in the “Age of Revelation” storyline and sets up the next storyline “Shadows of Tomorrow.”
Written by Jed MacKay, X-Men #23 is an interesting comic. It is sort of an epilogue to the recent “Age of Revelation” event, but also leads into what comes next. It answers some questions readers might have had that weren’t answered during the event.
In “Age of Revelation” the consciousness of Cyclops got pulled into the future into his body while his future consciousness was put into his younger body. We know what happened to the “future self” version but this reveals what happened in the present and checks off one burning question… why didn’t they just try to kill Doug Ramsey aka Revelation?
We see how things played out and yes, future Cyclops attempts to kill Ramsey and clearly fails but that sets up strife within the group and also teases, maybe the “Age of Revelation” isn’t a guaranteed future?
Though it’s subtle, MacKay gives an out with future Cyclops remarking how things were slightly different and not how he remembered it. It could mean that he just misremembered or it means that this past is different and might not lead to his future. It’s a two page interaction and moment, but is a key one going forward that hopefully will be revisited when things revert back.
The art by Tony Daniel is solid as expected. There’s some great pages and panels and while the action is solid, it’s a simple moment between Magneto and Cyclops that stands out. With ink by Mark Morales, color by Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the comic looks great with a visual feel of tension and chaos. The characters look solid and Daniel really emphasizes the emotional aspects to MacKay’s story.
X-Men #23 is a comic that’s key for those all in on the “Age of Revelation” storyline and what comes next with “Shadows of Tomorrow.” It answers some questions but also sets up some key aspects for what’s to come. This is more for the die-hards already invested in the story but those who want to jump on might want to start here too.
Story: Jed MacKay Art: Tony Daniel
Ink: Mark Morales Color: Fer Sifuentes-Sujo Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Comix Experience – Zeus Comics – Kindle
Books like Batman #5 are why I love superhero comics. Matt Fraction, Jorge Jimenez, and Tomeu Morey create an entire issue that is centered around Bruce Wayne, not Batman, being chased by ninjas while on a kind of, sort of date with Dr. Annika Zeller, an Arkham employee who has invented something called the Crown of Storms to regulate electrical signals. So, of course, she’s on the run from rival ninja gangs, including Ojo aka Lady Death Man. There’s flirting, tension, cool gadgets, and a killer final page when an action from one of Wayne’s allies
Although, Jimenez has a much different art style from David Aja, Batman #5 reminded me a lot of another Fraction comic, Hawkeye #3 aka the freeway car chase issue where Clint Barton and Kate Bishop try out all the trick arrows. (It was adapted pretty well in the 2021 Disney Plus series too.) Batman #4 set up all kinds of labyrinthine plotting while this issue is all about a man getting a woman to safety and also dealing with his feelings about her. Of course, Dr. Zeller is a gorgeous woman, but Bruce is more attracted to lack of fear in solving mental health crises and speaking truth to power in a way that’s earned the ire of two and definitely more criminal syndicates. Even though the costume and cowl are miles away, some of his real personality comes out in this issue as he listens to her talk about innovative ways to make Gotham a better place, which is something he can assist through Bruce Wayne’s money and not just Batman’s fists. Finally, it’s so wholesome how protective Bruce is of Annika like when he immediately throws her into the safety of the dumpster when Ojo confronts him in an alley.
However, most of this issue is Jorge Jimenez and Morey turning in one of the coolest car chases (in comics) period. Seriously, there’s a double page spread that plays with time in an utterly insane way when Bruce catches a lock of Annika’s hair that was cut off by a biker gang member between her uttering “Oh God”. In this series of panels, you know what it’s like to have the reflexes of Gotham’s boy billionaire, who is also the Dark Knight. Specificity in sound effects from letterer Clayton Cowles and Jimenez are key in this and other segments of the chase sequences, and you hear the sword and the enemy’s body hit the side of the car before cutting to a small panel in silhouette that’s pure dark slapstick. In his colors, Tomeu Morey finds a happy medium between complex digital work and old school flat colors. When in doubt, pink and black look fantastic, and this scheme shows up in the issue’s movie poster-worthy title page along with the hand to hand fight between Bruce and Ojo.
Batman #5 also uses the high adrenaline action to fuel a kind of identity crisis for Bruce Wayne. He has to do Batman things to get through the issue, but has no access to his costume or gadgets beyond a sick suit of light body armor that’s also moisture wicking. Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez effectively use tics in Bruce’s vocabulary and shifts in body language to show when he’s blending or crossing over different parts of his dual identity. Of course, Ojo calls him out on this behavior, and this leads to Jimenez drawing his best, mean mugging action pose. Bruce Wayne is definitely more comfortable drifting cars and shifting gears than being a man in a business suit.
I love romantic comedies. I love action movies. So, I loved loved Batman #5. This comic is a showcase for Jorge Jimenez’s virtuosic art, Tomeu Morey’s ability to set the mood through colors, and also Fraction’s skill at quickly creating romantic chemistry and letting his artist cook. But, in a very cranked-to-eleven way, it demonstrates the best way to really know what someone is like is in a stressful situation, and I think Bruce passed with flying colors. (Until the final page.)
Story: Matt Fraction Art: Jorge Jimenez
Colors: Tomeu Morey Letters: Clayton Cowles
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Comix Experience – Zeus Comics – Kindle
