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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Stakes Her Way Into New Ongoing Comic This Summer from Kelly Thompson and Stephen Byrne

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Initially announced and teased at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Dynamite Entertainment has revealed further details and a launch date for their Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic book. This new era of tales with writer Kelly Thompson and artist Stephen Byrne at the helm starts July 22nd everywhere comics are sold! Into every generation, a slayer is born. Headstrong, empathetic, and creative, Buffy Summers was a uniquely potent slayer. And in the seemingly idyllic California town of Sunnydale, she found friends and allies that made her particularly effective and beloved. She saved the world. A lot.

Though Thompson has kept the mysterious plot closely guarded — the oversized first issue kicks off an event story that draws in the cast of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Fans can expect to see all their favorite characters from both shows racing to deal with this wild new development in Sunnydale. Emotions are running high, and of course there’s a mythic new villain on the scene. It just wouldn’t be Sunnydale without some big bad trying to destroy the world in the midst of a personal crisis.

Picking up at a pivotal point in the character’s chronology, this is a must-read for any die-hard fan of the show, but also a cool moment to join the fandom for the first time with an epic event that brings all the characters together for one big story that points to the heart of everything Buffy The Vampire Slayer has always been about. The series includes the comics debut of a beloved Buffy character, and a massive twist that will shake the faithful fandom to the core. This is a vision of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that has to be read to be believed!

Eisner Award-winning writer Kelly Thompson continues a scorching hot run of Absolute Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, Captain Marvel, Black Widow and more by taking on a franchise she has cherished for years. She will not only be writing the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, but a companion Angel title, with further details on the latter to come.

Artist Stephen Byrne has delighted readers with his inimitable style on titles including Justice League / Power Rangers, Wonder Twins, Green Arrow, and Mera: Tidebreaker. Another longtime fan of Buffy, fans can check out his character designs and an early sneak peek at the book.

The powerhouse duo are joined on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series by Eisner-nominated colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Jeff Eckleberry. Steering the ship is editor and packager Nate Cosby, one of the primary guides behind other chart-toppers like Gargoyles, Darkwing Duck, ThunderCats, and more.

To mark this momentous occasion for Scoobies all over, Nate Cosby has assembled a gang of top tier cover artists to present gorgeous visions of everyone’s favorite slayers. David Nakayama, Amanda Conner, Joshua “Sway” Swaby, and Juliet Nneka are among the first wave. Additionally, Dynamite is remastering the first ever Buffy comic cover from 1998 by the legendary Arthur Adams.

Buffy collectors can also opt for a mystery blind bag, featuring three premium variant covers for the book selected randomly from a range of logo-less editions, line art presentations of art, and wholly original artwork exclusive to this offering including covers by Byrne, Declan Shalvey, and more icon covers by the likes of J. Scott Campbell.

Preview: Flash Gordon Quarterly #6

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Flash Gordon Quarterly #6

(W) Frank Tieri, Keith Davidsen, Amy Chase (A) Michael Sta Maria, Youngwavy, Tango
(C) Jao Canola, Paris Alleyne (L) Jeff Eckleberry, Rob Jones, Becca Carey

An all-new Quarterly special featuring super star creators and a multiverse of stories!

Frank Tieri and Michael Sta Maria team up for an untold story of Flash Gordon’s adventures featuring the iconic villain King Kala!

Then, Keith Davidsen and Richard West deliver a mech twist in an action-packed ”flash fiction.” Introducing FLASH ULTIMA!

Plus, Amy Chase and Tango hit all the high notes in another ”flash fiction.” ”Music is Merciless” presents a Flash, Dale, and Aura like you’ve never seen–but maybe dreamed of!

Flash Gordon Quarterly #6

Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town #1 is cute but a little disjointed

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Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town returns to the enchanted lands of Halloween Town and Christmas Town for an all-new tale of adventure that will have readers in stitches!It all begins with the unveiling of Dr. Finkelstein’s newest creation, specially designed to be the scariest creature ever to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve. But something has gone awry in the process, and the final result is more cute and cuddly than fearsome and menacing. The disappointed scientist hands the newcomer over to Sally for safekeeping, who dubs it Shiver for its freezing breath. Meanwhile, the Mayor has tasked Lock, Shock, and Barrel with teaching the residents of Christmas Town how to trick-or-treat, as the two realms have embarked on a new campaign to share their holiday traditions. With Christmas Town celebrating Halloween for the first time ever, the trio are taking their assignment seriously — perhaps a bit too seriously! In an effort to make their pranks extra lifelike and terrifying, they decide to “borrow” some ingredients from Dr. Finkelstein’s lab — and end up with much more than they bargained for in the form of the deceptively adorable Shiver!

Written by Torunn Gornbekk, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town #1 is cute and fun return to the world of The Nightmare Before Christmas but lacks the magic that was the stop motion animated musical movie. While not bad, the comic feels a little disjointed at times with its storytelling, attempting to recreate the flow of the dialogue and the music which is difficult to capture on the comic page.

The story is cute enough with a new creature created by Dr. Finklestein and Lock, Shock, and Barrel tasked to teach everyone about trick-or-treating. While Shiver, the new creature is clear as far as story and what the debut adds, the trio trouble maker’s task is a bit more muddied as to the why of their actions or why they’re event asked with what they’re to do… Instead it feels more like a drive to get them involved in some mischievous behavior and re-introduce Oogie Boogie who has mysteriously returned.

And that return is an example of the issue with Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town #1. While it’s set in the world of the animated film, it feels like it relies on far more than the movie to really enjoy. Beyond Shiver, more individuals are introduced with little explanation as to who they are and why we should care. It feels like there’s been previous series that should have been read, so it’s not quite clear if that’s true or not.

The art by Edu Menna is nice with lettering by Jeff Eckleberry. The characters look great and in some ways the visuals capture the stop motion nature of the film. The world has its creepy but also cute and inviting aspect. The comic looks good capturing the film and world well though the art doesn’t quite excite. It’s a solid adaptation of what has already come.

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town isn’t bad at all and there’s potential in the fun but it feels like it attempts to capture the flow of the dialogue from the film which was driven by the musical nature of the movie and that doesn’t quite translate to the comic page. It comes off a little stilted in some ways. The lack of some details too hurts the comic making readers wonder about them and distracting in some ways. But, overall, there’s some potential here to bring back the film as a series of monthly comics much like other Disney launches at Dynamite. As a fan of the film, I’ve got my hopes, but this might be one to wait until it’s collected.

Story: Torunn Gronbekk Art: Edu Menna Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Comix Experience – Zeus Comics – Kindle

The Terminator: Santa Claus is Coming to Town pits the Resistance against an Evil Santa

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The Terminator: Santa Claus is Coming to Town

HUMANITY IS ON THE NAUGHTY LIST! It’s Christmas Eve in Skynet’s apocalyptic future, and the atmosphere is pretty far from festive. But even in the blasted rubble of civilization, the surviving elders of the Resistance have fond memories of the holiday — and in between drone attacks, the younger members are eager to hear about them. The story of the jolly old man in a red suit who infiltrated people’s perimeters is especially intriguing. How did he avoid the sentries and guard dogs? What kind of exfiltration technique was he using? And most important, did he have glowing red eyes that matched his fur-trimmed hat — like the hulking figure that’s now advancing on their position? The Terminator: Santa Claus is Coming to Town is a holiday tale featuring killer robots.

Written by Paulina Ganucheau, The Terminator: Santa Claus is Coming to Town is an entertaining one-shot that delivers a little festive cheer into the 41 year old franchise. Did we say cheer? We meant a life and death battle with a Terminator. The story has a tentative connection to the holidays with the resistance members chatting about Christmas that was and the Terminator donning a Santa Claus outfit.

For those who are Terminator fans, this might irk you as the mall they’re in is set up for the holidays, but in the films Judgement Day is July or August, so it’s a little odd that there’d be any Christmas stuff out on display for the Terminator to don. There could be explanations it was left there by others, and maybe I missed that explanation, but it’s a small detail that stood out to me.

The art by Kendall Goode is decent. With lettering by Jeff Eckleberry, the overall vibe feels bit more kids cartoon than Terminator franchise. It’d be like the Terminator adapted for the 90s Fox afternoon cartoon block. The action is decent and Terminator looks interesting and somewhat deranged dressed as a killer Santa but the style delivers a lighter tone than other recent Terminator comics.

Though The Terminator: Santa Claus is Coming to Town isn’t the Terminator vs. Santa silliness I wanted, it’s still an entertaining comic and a bit different to get you in the holiday mood.

Story: Paulina Ganucheau Art: Kendall Goode
Color: Kendall Goode Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics

Supernatural #2 is a solid second issue delivering a one and done story

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Supernatural #2

Hunting monsters is a rewarding calling, but it doesn’t exactly pay well (or, really, at all). Sam and Dean are just about broke when Dean hits on the idea of raising funds the old-fashioned way — by gambling what little cash they have at a casino. After settling in to see if his brother can manage to lose gracefully, Sam makes a new friend at the bar. Strangely enough, this sympathetic siren seems to have an uncanny ability to change the brothers’ fortunes for the better — or possibly for the very worst! Supernatural #2 is an excellent second issue that again you can pick up and just enjoy on its own.

I’ve never really been into Supernatural. I haven’t watched an episode and can’t think of any comics I had previously read before this series. My only real interaction is just seeing the massive fandom online. So, I went into the first issue of the series knowing very little but came out enjoying it. And now with Supernatural #2, I’m starting to become a fan. Written by Greg Pak, the second issue does what the first does so well, allows you to just pick it up and enjoy it. The comics, so far, have given just enough to understand the story, creating one and done reading experiences that seem so few in comics today. You can pick up the first issue and just enjoy it. You can pick up the second and just enjoy it. You don’t need to know about the tv show, previous issues, or left with a cliffhanger as to what comes next. They’re self-contained issues and that alone makes it stand out.

But, Pak makes sure the comics are fun. The two brothers in Vegas come across some otherworldly shenanigans and get somewhat involved. It all is easy to follow, deals with no mythology, and has the charm of the debut issue. It’s the type of comic you can just enjoy on its own.

The art consists of a team and that isn’t noticeable. Pasquale Qualano, Alessandro Ranaldi, Vincenzo Federici, and Eder Messias all provide art with Ellie Wright on color and Jeff Eckleberry on lettering. It wasn’t until after I read it looking at the credits did I find out four different artists handled the issue. The art is good. The characters look like the actors and the casino they’re in comes off as one without being overcrowded and overdone. It keeps things simple visually.

Supernatural #2 is a fun comic. It keeps things focused and simple, sticking to a straightforward story and not getting distracted by some great mythology. It continues an excellent introduction to these characters and world and slowly making me a fan of it all.

Story: Greg Pak Art: Pasquale Qualano, Alessandro Ranaldi, Vincenzo Federici, Eder Messias
Color: Ellie Wright Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 8.5 Art: 7.95 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Captain Planet #6 wraps up the arc with a nice finale as the team comes together

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A FINAL BATTLE FOR THE FUTURE!

In this issue: As the Planeteers take decisive action on the ground, Captain Planet engages the evil and twisted Captain Pollution in an epic duel high above the Earth — and the fate of the world hangs in the balance!

Story: David Pepose
Art: Eman Casallos
Color: Jorge Sutil
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

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

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Supernatural #1 is a solid start to the Winchester Brothers’ new comic adventures

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Supernatural #1

Get ready to hit the road again with Dean and Sam as they prowl the highways and byways of small-town America in search of demonic wrongdoing to put right! Set between the foundational first and second seasons of the television series, brings readers back to where the dark magic first began — and reveals a disturbing new threat that the bickering brothers will have to face before they can return to hunting down the demon who killed their mother. Supernatural #1 is an easy, and fun, debut that new readers can dive fight in to.

The monster hunters must uncover the entity responsible for a series of mysterious fires in a decaying rust belt town — attacks that begin with a Windler Industries factory burning down, and then escalate to several Windler employees themselves going up in flames. But finding the malevolent force behind the otherworldly arsons may not be as straightforward as it might seem — especially once the suspiciously well-prepared CEO Steff Windler gets personally involved! Supernatural #1 is an issue that feels like a one-shot that lays out the ground for new readers as to who these characters are and what they can expect. Longtime fans, I couldn’t tell you what they’d think, I’ve never watched the show and know little about about.

I’ve never watched Supernatural, I just know it has die-hard fans but I really enjoyed Supernatural #1. It’s an easy comic to get into and understand what’s going on, mixed with an easy understanding of who these characters are and what you can expect. Writer Greg Pak does an excellent job of not only delivering an entertaining story, but more than enough information to get a sense of the background of the characters and the world. Pak weaves the knowledge you need to understand what’s going on and does so in a way that feels natural.

The story itself is fun and has a decent amount of action, feeling like an intro one-shot adventure to get readers hooked and caught up as to what’s happening. While I’m sure elements of the story will play out in the future, the comic doesn’t feel like it’s the start of some epic multi-issue story, and is instead self-contained and perfect to just pick up and enjoy.

Eber Messias‘ art is solid. From what I know of the actors, they look similar enough to know who is who but isn’t intended to be a perfect likeness. Thyago Brandao‘s color keeps things bright and nice to look at instead of some dour, dark, style for horror comics. Jeff Eckleberry‘s lettering delivers the easy to read charming dialogue along with some cool spells. Overall, the comic’s art style matches for the tone Pak is going for in the comic.

Supernatural #1 is a fun debut with a certain charm about it. While it doesn’t get me to want to go back and watch the television series it does make me want to continue to read the comics. It also makes it clear why it has such a solid fandom. The comic is fun and entertaining, perfect comic reading to distract and just lay back and enjoy.

Story: Greg Pak Art: Eber Messias
Color: Thyago Brandao Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

The Terminator: Metal #1 is a solid issue you can enjoy on its own

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The Terminator: Metal #1

In the post-apocalyptic future that follows Judgment Day, the shattered remnants of humanity must make use of every tool they can in their existential battle against the machines — and that includes the deadliest weapons that Skynet sends to annihilate them. For one member of the Resistance, this means trusting his life to a reprogrammed Terminator. Trapped behind enemy lines, the soldier and his repurposed engine of destruction must find a way to both survive and complete their mission — an undertaking with such a low probability of success that it could reboot the Terminator back to its default settings! The Terminator: Metal #1 kicks off a new series and it’s a hell of a debut.

There’s a thing with 40 year old franchises, a point is crossed where the history, the continuity, all of the details, get overwhelming and smother it. It gets convoluted and daunting to dive into or overwhelming to tackle. Reboots, restarts, requels, are all attempts to tackle the problem, creating easy entry points. That’s why The Terminator: Metal #1 is rather impressive. Written by Declan Shalvey and Rory McConville, the issue drops you right into the war against the machines. There’s little explanation as to the history or what’s going on, just a mission. It just so happens that mission involves a reprogrammed Terminator and some of the human resistance.

Shalbey and McConville deliver an issue oozing the Terminator but new readers can dive in and enjoy it. That success comes from the fact the issue doesn’t focus on small details and continuity. Instead, it’s all about the mission. You don’t need to know about the war or who these characters are. The basics of these characters and what they’re trying to do is given to the readers and nothing else. And the issue is fantastic because of that. The mission and the comic is straightforward and focused.

The art by Lorenzo Re is solid. With color by Colin Craker and lettering by Jeff Eckleberry, the comic has a “gritty” and “dirty” feel to it that fits the setting. It’s a war comic set in the future and the characters and the setting all feel worn and broken down. There’s small details like those added to the Terminator nicknamed “Tex,” such as a splash of red and a poncho. The resistance too have small details that add to the overall story and help new readers to get a better idea of the world.

The Terminator: Metal #1 is a great start to the new series. It keeps things focused and easy for readers to dive into and just enjoy without worrying and being distracted by the greater story. It’s a great debut that has us looking forward to what comes next and gets us excited to see what’s to come for the franchise.

Story: Declan Shalvey, Rory McConville Art: Lorenzo Re
Color: Colin Craker Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Street Sharks #1 is pure joy and entertainment, escape from the outside world comic

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Street Sharks #1

Stephanie Williams, Ariel Medel, and Valentina Pinto bring back the 1990s cartoon Street Sharks for a new generation and medium in a power-packed launch issue. This comic is a love letter to cheesy catchphrases, wrestling holds, wanton destruction, and sibling love. It definitely mines some of the same things as the more, let’s just say, respected X-Men and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchises, but Street Sharks takes these ideas of kicking mutant criminal butt and helping a world that hates and fears you to 11. I think a lot of that is that walking, talking sharks are genuinely more terrifying than sexy humans (Or blue furries) and turtles.

Williams and Medel pace out Street Sharks #1 like an episode of a Saturday morning: a killer and no filler. There’s minimal backstory and talking sequences and plenty of Fission City-spanning mayhem. However, Ripster, Slammu, Streex, and Jab aren’t one-dimensional, and their fights against the villainous Seaviates brings out their personalities, interests, and relationships to the forefront. For example, Streex and Jab use an old trick they used to get out of their dad’s bear hug holds to get out of a tight situation. This establishes rapport and chemistry better than a long monologue about their origins.

As mentioned earlier, Street Sharks is mostly fighting, but it succeeds thanks to an onslaught of color from Pinto and creative layout choices from Ariel Medel beginning with a whirling dervish of a double page spread of the Street Sharks fighting the Seaviates before telling the comic’s story. Medel is great a simulating motion in this first salvo and understands the assignment with plenty of exaggerated character designs, expressions, and gestures. There’s more biting, punching, spearing, and creative uses of predatory fish abilities than a UFC fight in the Georgia Aquarium, and the variety in the enemies’ look and abilities keeps the battles fresh and not frozen. (Fish puns are so fun, guys!)

I love that Stephanie Williams and Ariel Medel show the Street Sharks straddling a line between traditional heroes and anti-heroes as they save a kid, but also obliterate Fission City in the process. They really need a Master Splinter for marine life in their lives, but science grad students Bends and Lena will do for now. In fact, these 2 brainiacs are the tenacious intellectualism to the over-the-top violence of the Sharks, and it’s cool to see a Black female scientist play such a pivotal role in the story without the plot making a big deal about it. Not every scientist has to be a nerdy white dude.

Street Sharks #1 is all about fun, action, and family and doesn’t get steeped in trying to deconstruct or be overly clever with the original property. The title evokes violent anthropomorphic marine animals wreaking havoc in an urban landscape, and Wiliams and Medel deliver this while having a relatable family dynamic and building to a bigger throwdown between the Sharks and Seaviates led by the eugenicist Dr. Paradigm. I never saw an episode of Street Sharks, but this is definitely how I expected an episode to play out from the clips and memes from the Internet. (Apparently, the show is available on the world’s greatest streaming service, Tubi.) This is my pure joy and entertainment, escape from the outside world comic, and I can’t wait to see more cool fighting moves and one-liners in upcoming issues.

Story: Stephanie Williams Art: Ariel Medel
Color: Valentina Pinto Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.4 Overall: 8.2 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Gargoyles/Fantastic Four Celebrates Family This November

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Dynamite Entertainment has announced that one of its biggest releases of the year, with Gargoyles/Fantastic Four is coming to fans this November from the minds of Greg Weisman and George Kambadais. The crossover was teased in May 2025, join two iconic comic book and animation families as they pair up in this unforgettable story of action and adventure.

The Manhattan Clan have been invited on a tour of the world-famous Baxter Building — the high-tech home of the Fantastic Four — but things quickly turn deadly! Two android antagonists, Coldsteel and the Dragon Man, join forces and ally to unleash the terrifying might of Annihilus. In the process, Franklin, Valeria, and Gnash find themselves trapped in the Negative Zone!

Extended family members from each mythos will unite their heroic efforts in an all-out mission to save their children, their shared city, and the world from utter destruction. Fans will get to see thousand-year-old stone guardians and cosmic rays-stricken heroes alike fight in the first-ever major crossover for the Gargoyles franchise.

This historic team-up is crafted by a talented team of franchise veterans. Writer Greg Weisman is the principal creator of the Gargoyles franchise, having continued crafting their stories through the years and bringing new tales through comics with Dynamite since 2022. His artistic collaborator on that initial blockbuster series is George Kambadais, who has established a timeless modern vision for the characters that fits perfectly with their cartoon roots and also naturally works for the world of the Fantastic Four. Jeff Eckleberry rounds out the party as letterer.

Gargoyles/Fantastic Four features a whopping 30 story pages to flesh out Weisman’s adventure. To accompany the story, a range of stunning covers are available from top artists. Amanda Conner contributes, representing her career breakout work years ago on the initial Gargoyles comic series. Superstar Mark Bagley illustrates a cover, following his previous comics work on Fantastic Four for Marvel in the past. Other great cover artists include Lucio Parrillo, Declan Shalvey, and Nicoletta Baldari.

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