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

Jay & Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past #1 (Marvel) – Stoners and superheroes collide in the cheesy, yet charming Jay & Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past #1 from Kevin Smith, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith, Roberto Poggi, Erick Arciniega, and Marco Menyz. Not all the jokes land, but you can really tell that Smith is like a kid with all the toys in the box having his creations interact with all the Marvel hitters and ending up in one hell of a battle against Dr. Doom and a host of other baddies. The ending is especially sweet building off the honest emotions of Clerks 3 with a Marvel/New Jersey twist. There are so many iconic moments for Marvel/View Askewniverse fans (That’s a big Venn Diagram), and Camuncoli brings a blockbuster sheen to the art without being afraid to get funny. Kevin Smith has truly been killing it with these intercompany crossovers recently. Overall: 8.2 Verdict: Buy

Skate Ali #1 (Dark Horse) – Sam Humphries and Natacha Bustos tell a timely tale of finding community in an age of isolation and authoritarianism in Skate Ali #1. In post-apocalyptic L.A., skating is illegal, but it’s the only thing that keeps protagonist Ali happy and sane. Bustos’ art and colors capture the joy Ali has from riding her board as well as the pitfalls and more surreal elements when she runs into the Warriors-like skate clans. Skate Ali #1 is all about the feeling of giving a shit about something while the world crumbles and is a heightened version of finding joy in subculture while not neglecting the cliqueishness of these space. Also, Ali’s dad made my cry and her nurse’s advice to her after her big skating accident cracked me up. Overall: 8 Verdict: Buy

Justice League: Dream Girls #2 (DC) – JL Dream Girls #2 is another exciting and vulnerable chapter of this Pride Month event penned by Dreamer and Galaxy creators Nicole Maines and Jadzia Axelrod with art from Brandt and Stein, Vincent Cecil, Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund, Stephen Sadowski, and Joe Quinones. Dreamer and Galaxy continue their tour through alternate realities while their friends try to support them, and the Justice League and GL Corps passes judgment on them. Brandt & Stein’s skill with facial expressions work well for the interpersonal conflict of the frame story, and the guest artists shine on homages to the Hard Travelin’ Heroes eras of Green Lantern and Green Arrow, an Old West riff, and Dreamer and Galaxy playing the roles of John Constantine and Zatanna. But underneath these flourishes, JL: Dream Girls #2 boils down to Dreamer fighting a hard fight against herself and having issues even letting her friends in. Maines and Axelrod explore both her identity as a trans woman and a superhero and refreshingly don’t give any easy answers while creating some new conflict for Galaxy in the “real world”. Also, JL: Dream Girls #2 features a kind of holodeck story starring Jo Mullein where Steven Underwood, Morgan Hampton, and comics legend Alitha Martinez use ballroom culture and Spike Lee-influenced ring constructs to show her struggling with memories of “the one who got away”. This internal conflict is compounded by all the different Lantern Corps members staying on Oa, but you don’t need to be current on the GL books to get something out of this memorable character study. Overall: 9.1 Verdict: Buy

Godzilla’s Odyssey #1 (IDW) – In Godzilla’s Odyssey #1, Frank Tieri and Ilias Kyriazis re-cast the titular monster as an agent of Zeus helping Odysseus return home from Ithaca. The comic is a speed-adaptation of the epic poem with Kaiju standing in for various monsters from the myths. There’s a lot of emphasis on the gods making an Odysseus his plaything, and Kyriazis’ designs for them are excellent from muscular Zeus to sensible Athena and angry Poseidon, who ends up being the butt of many jokes. I would honestly read a whole book of Greek myths drawn by Ilias Kyriazis. The comic hits most of the highlights of the poem, but it feels truncated in places. But, hey, there’s no place like home. Godzilla is a more malevolent figure in the Tom Scioli backup in which Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham join forces to fight him. The art is creative, but the story runs out of steam in the end. However, the lead story is a wonderful primer for the upcoming Odyssey film although I’m sure the Greek gods and Godzilla himself will have much less screen time. Overall: 8.4 Verdict: Buy