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
Wiccan: Witches’ Road #2 (Marvel) – With Hulkling immobilized or a puppet, Wyatt Kennedy and Andy Pereira don’t have his chemistry with Wiccan to draw on so this second chapter suffers in comparision with the first one. We get Wiccan finally setting off the Witches’ Road on a fetch quest for Baba Yaga with a sarcastic talking fox named Nameless for a companion. I love their interactions, but at this point, Billy Kaplan’s journey isn’t super compelling. His first stop is connected to Roxxon, but the corporate satire elements don’t really mesh with the magical ones. By the final page, Kennedy has bet big time on the Demiurge to be the story engine for this comic so your enjoyment of Wiccan : Witches’ Road depends on how cool you are with that concept. Gotta love a stakes-raising cliffhanger though. Overall: 6.9 Verdict: Read
Touched by a Demon #1 (Dark Horse) – Touched by a Demon #1 is a delightful mixture of pitch black comedy and pure emotion all wrapped in a cute visual package courtesy of cartoonist Kristen Gudsnuk. An earl of Hell named Bifrons and his assistant Zuzu set up a life coaching program so Bifrons can find redemption after he’s spurned by Lucifer and other demons like Mammon. They have exactly 1 customer and give some advice that might work in a theoretical/vent-type of way, but not in practice. Gudsnuk peppers Touched by a Demon with all kinds of funny background gags like hellish athleisure brands as well as witty one-liners, but she uses a lot of the page space in this first issue to get to the core of Cifron’s feelings along with his first client, Wendy. They’re both in bad, no-win situations that escalate as the comic progresses and really sinks its claws (Or pitchforks.) in you. Overall: 7.9 Verdict: Buy
The Power Fantasy #15 (Image) – Shit truly and utterly hits the fan in The Power Fantasy #15. Eliza is slowly starting to realize that her visions maybe aren’t from God so the other Superpowers have to band together to figure out a way to neutralize her. Kieron Gillen deftly walks the plot tight rope and even leaves room for something interesting world building like the Vatican’s new location being in Ethiopia as well as some emotional moments between the newly broken-up Isabella and Masumi. (Caspar Wijingaard‘s art is a vision for Masumi’s paintings.) And speaking of Wijingaard, his linework and especially color palette is pure apocalyptic fury. He crafts red skies that make Crisis on Infinite Earths look like child’s play just like the events of this issue. Overall: 8.5 Verdict: Buy
Exquisite Corpses #9 (Image) – Tyler Boss, James Tynion, Valentine De Landro, and Michael Walsh give the folks of Oak Valley a fighting chance in Exquisite Corpses #9. A queer black nail polish-sporting baddie and a crazy conspiracy theorist teaming up to save the day is a foreshadowing of the US in the future, and I love Xavi’s growth as an unlikely hero especially their fight with the bunny-masked hero. However, victory is still far away. Like almost every issue of Exquisite Corpses, the story is sprawling and split between a massive cast, but it’s nice to see the good guys get a bit of a W for once. Also, Jordie Bellaire‘s flat black and reds continue to accentuate the violence and menace through her color palette. Overall: 7.6 Verdict: Read
Wonder Woman #29 (DC) – In Stephanie Williams and Jeff Spokes‘ inaugural issue of Wonder Woman, they show that the titular character is more than just Diana Prince. In fact, this is more of an ensemble book with different iterations of Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl babysitting Diana’s daughter Lizzie Prince. Before setting up the conflict, Williams gives us a flavor of Donna Troy, Yara Flor, Cassie Sandsmark, and Queen Nubia and their different personalities that especially shines in the way they fight and spar. There’s a real “it takes a village” family dynamic in this book, which makes its initial baddie that much more compelling. Also, Spokes’ fight choreography is gorgeous just like the powerful women he draws. (There are no men in this comic.) Overall: 8.3 Verdict: Buy