Nemesis Forever #3
Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Matteo Scalera
Colorist: Giovanna Niro
Letterer: Clem Robins
Cover Artist: Matteo Scalera
Nemesis has launched his biggest plan yet and has an elite team of henchmen making it happen, unaware that one of them is a mole and working for the FBI. Is she really prepared to do all the terrible things he asks or will she blow her cover?
Huck: Big Bad World #6
Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Rafael Albuquerque
Colorist: Dave McCaig
Letterer: Clem Robins
Cover Artist: Rafael Albuquerque
Huck and his pregnant girlfriend are hiding in the woods after all the other people with remarkable abilities have been murdered. We also discover the secret of the old lady in the forest who has given super-powers to random people around the world.
Archie vs Minor Threats #3
Writer: Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, Timmy Heague
Artist: Scott Koblish
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Nate Piekos
Cover Artist: Scott Koblish
The villains of Minor Threats and iconic teenagers of Archie Comics have switched places!
Prepare to experience these characters like you’ve NEVER seen them before! Frankie Follis aka Playtime has gone from being Twilight City’s Queenpin of Crime to becoming Riverdale’s Queenbee teenager. The Five Fingers of Merlin has granted her the childhood she never had, void of crime, where the only score to be had is winning the Riverdale High Talent Show! The prize? Ultimate cosmic power! New villains from Twilight City have their eye on taking home the prize, a group of super crooks led by none other than Archie Andrews aka Gingersnap! Riverdale’s most pure hearted teenager breaks bad!
Space Scouts #1
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: David Rubín
Cover Artist: David Rubín
A brand-new science-fiction, action-adventure odyssey by Ether’s Matt Kindt and David Rubin.
A young girl heads to the center of the universe to compete in a reality show to become the next “Space Scout.” What starts as a teenage drama turns into deadly war at the edge of the universe as the “winning” recruits are sent into a clandestine interminable battle that they most likely won’t survive.
Space Scouts is the latest release from Flux House Books, a new boutique imprint that will feature the writing (and sometimes) art of acclaimed comics creator Matt Kindt, with crime, science fiction, horror, and humor stories, all told and presented in startling and untraditional ways.
Synthetics Volume One #1
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artist: Tony Parker
Colorist: Carrie Strachan
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Cover Artist: Tony Parker
A new apocalyptic sci-fi epic from Joseph Michael Straczynski!
On a dying Earth filled with expanding dead zones, humans form rage gangs to vent their anger at futures lost or escape into the cyber-void to avoid thinking about what’s coming. Our only hope of survival rests with a new kind of human. Will their appearance in a desperate world be met with acceptance—or destruction? Are they angels, devils, or the latest iteration of a Frankenstein’s monster?
On a dying Earth filled with expanding dead zones, humans form rage gangs to vent their anger at futures lost or escape into the cyber-void to avoid thinking about what’s coming. Our only hope of survival rests with a new kind of human. Will their appearance in a desperate world be met with acceptance—or destruction? Are they angels, devils, or the latest iteration of a Frankenstein’s monster? Synthetics Volume One #1 is an intriguing sci-fi series that feels like it’s a reflection on issues technology has today.
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Synthetics Volume One #1 is a bleak debut. Set far in the future, the world only has a decade left before humanity is gone. The comic teases the calamity but doesn’t dwell on the reality, as the “how” of it all doesn’t really impact the story. Instead, Straczynski focuses on what individuals do, especially the rich and powerful tech oligarchy, when faced with the situation.
Where Synthetics Volume One #1 really shines is the debate it has about the use of technology, especially new technology. The comic’s true center is on the ability to regrow human body parts. Arms, legs, organs, this is an ability that exists in this world. And, with the ability to grow so much, it isn’t a stretch to grow full human bodies. What are the ethical boundaries of that? Where do humans become and synthetic beings begin? How much of your body needs to be replaced? Add in the dealing of memories like it was a drug, and it’s an interesting combination of moral lines and how far those with power will cross it. If you invent it, they will abuse it seems to be the mantra Straczynski is going for.
Tony Parker provides the art with Carrie Strachan on color and Steve Dutro lettering. The art is interesting as it has a sense of being both futuristic but also a little worn down in a way as well. It’s an interesting design choice. What’s nice is it all feels lived in and while futuristic, still realistic and doesn’t distract with the wonders of the future. The look of Synthetics Volume One #1 teases a world with technology far beyond our own but at the same time it hasn’t really improved things. There’s this sadness about the world design, a drab, ominous tone about it all. It works and works really well to set the feel of the comic and the world.
Synthetics Volume One #1 is a solid debut that throws out some ethical debate while also pondering the end of it all. It’s a different apocalyptic disaster with humanity either resigned to what will happen or scrambling in an attempt to survive what’s to come. But, through it’s entertaining premise and concepts, it feels like it has something to say about our state of the world, the present and what we’re denying is our future.
Story: J. Michael Straczynski Art: Tony Parker
Color: Carrie Strachan Letterer: Steve Dutro
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy
Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
RoboWolf #2
Writer: Jake Smith
Artist: Jake Smith
Cover Artist: Jake Smith
RoboWolf and his crew have come face to face with a double chainsaw wielding foe from their past! If they have any hope of making it to General Masakov in time to pay the ransom for RoboWolf’s daughter, they’ll have to combine their radical skills and defeat this bloodthirsty monstrosity! Bullets will be fired, roundhouse kicks will be delivered, and a father’s love will be tested! To its limits!
Synthetics Volume One #1
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artist: Tony Parker
Colorist: Carrie Strachan
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Cover Artist: Tony Parker
A new apocalyptic sci-fi epic from Joseph Michael Straczynski!
On a dying Earth filled with expanding dead zones, humans form rage gangs to vent their anger at futures lost or escape into the cyber-void to avoid thinking about what’s coming. Our only hope of survival rests with a new kind of human. Will their appearance in a desperate world be met with acceptance—or destruction? Are they angels, devils, or the latest iteration of a Frankenstein’s monster?
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
Thanksgiving #1 (Ahoy) – The cast of Mark Russell and Mauricet‘s satirical horror one-shot Thanksgiving #1 might take the pumpkin pie for the most dysfunctional holiday family dinner ever. The story starts with the usual jabs, microaggressions, racist comments, and sad backstory before escalating and making a larger point about how smiling, rich white men get away with everything in the United States. Mauricet’s visuals are delightfully grotesque and pair well with Russell’s snarky captions. Thanksgiving also features the most incompetent officers of the law since the national guard aimlessly milling around “war torn” Portland. It’s an engaging story with a couple twists and big time banality of evil energy. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy
War Wolf #1 (Mad Cave) – A no-life loser ends up becoming the savior of mankind in the sci-fi comic War Wolf #1 from Steve Orlando, Marco Perugini, and Pascal Tora. Orlando and Perugini go to great lengths to make protagonist Tom Bruin as nebbish and unlikable as possible, and then the tables turn when he starts doing the extraterrestrial ass kicking. Bruin is the definition of accidentally became important at his job. All in all, War Wolf puts a a fun, provocative new spin on the well-worn alien invasion genre, and a big part of that is Marco Perugini and Tora treating the fight scenes like a no holds barred street fight instead of a choreographed raygun blaster-fest. Overall: 7.8 Verdict: Buy
Ultimates #17 (Marvel) – Ultimates #17 is a sequel to Ultimates #4 where Deniz Camp and Phil Noto told the story of Earth-6160 Dr. Doom (Aka Reed Richards) attempting to recreate the Fantastic Four. This comic is a surgical character study and unearths the pain that Doom suffered at the hands of the Maker and his fight to find redemption at all costs even if that hurts him and the young people he’s working with/experimenting on. Just like Ultimates #4, Ultimates #17 can be read in five different ways revealing new themes each time while adhering to Doom’s overall arc. This comic is imposter syndrome on a cosmic level and study in self-forgiveness in coping with trauma. I love the bond that Camp and Noto create between Doom and Ant-Man, and it’s nice to see these human moments as the Ultimate line almost reaches its crescendo. Overall: 8.7 Verdict: Buy
Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #5 (Marvel) – Deniz Camp, Cody Ziglar, and Jonas Scharf‘s Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion has been an uneven miniseries, but it ends on a strong note with ramifications for both Miles Morales and Earth-6160. There’s the requisite superhero fight between an Origin boxed-up Emanuel Da Costa, Miles, Magik, and the Ultimates, but where the comic really resonates is the threads Camp and Ziglar connect between Earth-6160 and Earth-1610. I love Scharf’s rendition of key moments from Miles’ history coupled with insightful caption. It smooths out about 14 years of continuity wrinkles while also setting the stage for the big Maker showdown. A certain panel featuring Doom glitching out is a masterclass in how to do reaction shots. Although most of the miniseries is just varying-levels-of-fun superhero team-ups, Ultimate Spider-Man Incursion #5 lands the plane and ensures that this crossover had an actual impact on Miles Morales’ heroic journey and on the sadly concluding Ultimate Universal. Overall: 9.1 Verdict: Buy
Ultimate Spider-Man #22 (Marvel) – After the literal explosiveness of last issue, Jonathan Hickman, Marco Checchetto, and Matthew Wilson give us (relatively) a bit of a breather. It’s wild seeing Otto Octavius and Mole Man as allies, but Earth-6160 is full of strange bedfellows like that. Throughout this issue, there’s a feeling that the other shoe is going to drop, and something tragic is about to happen so there’s a bitter undertone to the sweet moments in this issue like an extended sequence with a happy Peter and MJ as well as a “family dinner”. Ultimate Spider-Man continues to have some of Hickman’s most human writing, and Chechetto’s skill with character acting enhancing that. Plus a black cat on a page turn has never been more foreboding. Overall: 8.2 Verdict: Buy
Powers 25 #2 (Dark Horse) – Powers 25 #2 continues to feel like vintage Powers from Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming with its tension between doing things by the book and following your gut. Kutter is a great POV character as she has a personal connection to the Powers, but is still learning the ropes. I can relate to her freaking out about a dead person with potentially a black hole in their face, but her tenacity is charming and makes her a compelling lead character. The Bendis patter works in this kind of police procedural story, and at least, he gives Oeming and colorist Filardi a chance to draw some interdimensional weirdness and not just talking heads. Overall: 7.6 Verdict: Read
Dark Horse Comics presents Knight City, a new action-adventure comic series from creators Matt Kindt and David Lapham. This three-issue series, written and colored by Kindt, illustrated by Lapham, and lettered by Joshua Reed, will begin with issue #1 arriving in stores in February 2026.
A legendary hero is caught between two worlds. By day, he soars as a symbol of hope, but the moment he falls asleep, he enters a universe devoid of heroes where he leads a mundane life. As the pressure of his dual universes mounts, his heroic self begins to crack, pushing him toward a mental breakdown.
In a world that measures the loss of human life that occurs when he takes one night off, the weight of his responsibilities becomes too much. Ultimately, he’s left with a choice: embrace his extraordinary abilities or seek solace in the ordinary.
Will he stand tall in a world that needs him, or find peace in a simpler existence?
Knight City #1 (of 3) will be available in comic shops on February 4, 2026 and is now available for pre-order at your local comic shop for $4.99.
