Tag Archives: jp mayer

Review: Amazing Spider-Man #14

Posted on by
Amazing Spider-Man #14

It’s been a bit since I’ve read Amazing Spider-Man, but with “Dark Web” approaching, I thought it might be a good time to swing on board. “Dark Web” is the upcoming crossover event between the X-Men and Spider-Man (and a few others) that has them taking on the Goblin Queen and Chasm. Amazing Spider-Man #14 begins to get things rolling in an issue that focuses on Chasm and his motivation behind what’s to come.

Written by Zeb Wells, Amazing Spider-Man #14 is a series of short stories by different teams of artists telling the story of Ben Reilly, aka Chasm. When we last saw him, Ben was vowing revenge against the Beyond Corporation and Peter Parker wanting his memories and life back. In his plot, Ben has found a perfect partner in Madelyne Pryor who is also a clone and having some issues with that. Granted dominion over Limbo she was looking to forgive and forget, but Ben has other plans. The two together making an interesting duo, as both have gone through similar situations a connection I hadn’t really made until this issue. Wells does a good job of giving us motivation and the anger that Chasm feels. But, while the issue does a decent job of catching up readers, there’s still a little bit of backstory missing for those coming into this new. There’s a lot to pack in though and the issue does an admirable job of fitting in so much. You get the basic overview, not the small details, enough to catch up and know what’s going on.

Where I think the issue falls a little short is the use of so many artists to tell the story. While the arc of it all works and makes sense, the art styles themselves vary so much. None of the art is bad at all, it’s good, but the styles are so different it’s jarring. Why this route was taken isn’t clear but it’s something that stands out to me in a negative way. There’s also some styles that work better than others as well, making the difference stand out a bit more.

Amazing Spider-Man #14 is an interesting issue. It feels like something that might normally be a “zero” issue or one-shot leading into an event. “Dark Web” kicking off in a regular issue that doesn’t feature Spider-Man or anyone else other than the villains is interesting in a lot of ways. Overall, it’s a nice issue that delivers motivation but doesn’t quite have that punch that really excites. Still, it’s more than enough to keep me interested in the event to come.

Story: Zeb Wells Art: Michael Dowling, Kyle Hotz, Terry Dodson, Ryan Stegman
Color: Richard Isanove, Dan Brown, Rachel Dodson, Matt Hollingsworth
Ink: Tim Townsend, JP Mayer Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.35 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Preview: Amazing Fantasy #1000

Posted on by

Amazing Fantasy #1000

(W) Kurt Busiek, Various (A) Jim Cheung, Various (CA) John Romita Jr.
RATED T
In Shops: Aug 31, 2022
SRP: $7.99

The comic that brought you SPIDER-MAN hits issue #1000! We’re going big to celebrate in this, our thousandth issue of AMAZING FANTASY! An ALL-STAR roster of creators – Anthony Falcone, Dan Slott, Ho Che Anderson, Jonathan Hickman, Kurt Busiek, Michael Cho, Neil Gaiman, Rainbow Rowell, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Jim Cheung, Marco Checchetto, Olivier Coipel, Ryan Stegman, Steve McNiven, Terry Dodson, Todd Nauck, and more – are coming together to celebrate Peter Parker and Spider-Man’s birthdays!

Amazing Fantasy #1000

Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman’s Vanish gets a trailer

Posted on by

From Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Sonia Oback, and John J. Hill, the all-star creative team that brought you Venom, comes an all-new take on the classic hero’s quest!

Oliver Harrison was a mythical hero who slayed the greatest threat to his realm before even hitting puberty. But that was then.

As an adult, Oliver leads an average cookie-cutter suburban life—aside from the fact that he’s mentally unstable, massively paranoid, smokes like a chimney, and gets blackout drunk every night to hide from his horrific nightmares. Will the arrival of a superhero team called the Prestige prove the madness isn’t all in Oliver’s head? And what about all the epic fantasy crap from his childhood?

Vanish is a brutal as hell tale of magical worlds, gifted youth, evil sorcerers, superheroes, war, blood, guts, and death that punches you right in the face!

Vanish #1 is in stores on September 21st.

Preview: Amazing Fantasy #1000

Posted on by

Amazing Fantasy #1000

(W) Kurt Busiek, Various (A) Jim Cheung, Various (CA) John Romita Jr.
RATED T
In Shops: Aug 31, 2022
SRP: $7.99

The comic that brought you SPIDER-MAN hits issue #1000! We’re going big to celebrate in this, our thousandth issue of AMAZING FANTASY! An ALL-STAR roster of creators – Anthony Falcone, Dan Slott, Ho Che Anderson, Jonathan Hickman, Kurt Busiek, Michael Cho, Neil Gaiman, Rainbow Rowell, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Jim Cheung, Marco Checchetto, Olivier Coipel, Ryan Stegman, Steve McNiven, Terry Dodson, Todd Nauck, and more – are coming together to celebrate Peter Parker and Spider-Man’s birthdays!

Amazing Fantasy #1000

The X-Men 2099 discover new hope for mutantkind with Spider-Man 2099

Posted on by

Marvel is celebrating the 30-year anniversary of its 2099 imprint with Spider-Man 2099: Exodus, a thrilling limited series that revolutionizes the far-future setting for a new age! Written by Steve Orlando, the saga kicks off when a Celestial falls to Earth, providing a glimmer of hope to the grim dystopian world that fan-favorite hero Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O’Hara, must protect at all costs. Following Spider-Man’s mission, each issue of the series switches focus to a different team or character resulting in a thrilling journey that catches readers up to speed with the core elements of the 2099 mythos and introduces new heroes along the way such as 2099 versions of Black Widow, Loki, and Winter Soldier. And in August’s Spider-Man 2099: Exodus #5, Orlando will team up with acclaimed artist Kim Jacinto, colorist Jay David Ramos, and letterer Clayton Cowles to debut the new X-Men 2099! Joining classic X-Men 2099 characters such as Cerebra, Krystalin, and Bloodhawk will be new X-Men, some of who have adopted the names of their legendary predecessors. Check out action-packed new interior artwork and Jacinto’s design sheets that feature these new 2099 X-Men including Cyclops, Northstar, Phoenix, and more!

Spider-Man: Exodus #5 reveals that at the epicenter of the Celestial’s Garden is a mutant, somehow fallen from the stars. The nomadic X-Men fight to claim the Garden as their new home but will Spider-Man respect their claim? Or will he try to take the Garden for humans? And even if they can co-exist, what’ll Spider-Man and the X-Men do about the Cabal Sentinels breathing down their necks?

Be there on August 3 when mutantkind joins the 2099 revolution in Spider-Man: Exodus #5! It features covers by Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Arif Prianto, Ken Lashley and Juan Fernandez, and Ron Lim and Israel Silva.

Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman Reteam for Vanish, coming to Image in September

Posted on by

From the all-star creative team—Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Sonia Oback, and John J. Hill—comes an all-new series, Vanish. This brutal-as-hell tale of magical worlds, gifted youth, evil sorcerers, superheroes, war, blood, guts, and death is set to launch in print from Image Comics this September.

In Vanish, Oliver Harrison was a mythical hero who slayed the greatest threat to his realm before even hitting puberty. But that was then.

As an adult, Oliver leads an average cookie-cutter suburban life—aside from the fact that he’s mentally unstable, massively paranoid, smokes like a chimney, and gets blackout drunk every night to hide from his horrific nightmares. Will the arrival of a superhero team called the Prestige prove the madness isn’t all in Oliver’s head? And what about all the epic fantasy crap from his childhood?

Vanish #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, September 7:

  • Vanish #1 Cover A by Stegman – Diamond Code JUL220030
  • Vanish #1 Cover B by Daniel Warren Johnson – Diamond Code JUL220031
  • Vanish #1 Cover C Blank Sketch Cover – Diamond Code JUL220032
  • Vanish #1 Cover D 1:10 copy incentive Ed McGuinness – Diamond Code JUL220033
  • Vanish #1 Cover E 1:25 copy incentive Greg Capullo – Diamond Code JUL220034
  • Vanish #1 Cover F 1:50 copy incentive Stegman – Diamond Code JUL220035
  • Vanish #1 Cover G 1:75 copy incentive Johnson Raw – Diamond Code JUL220036
  • Vanish #1 Cover H 1:100 copy incentive McGuinness Raw – Diamond Code JUL220037
  • Vanish #1 Cover I 1:200 copy incentive Capullo Raw – Diamond Code JUL220038
  • Vanish #1 Cover J 1:500 copy incentive Stegman Raw – Diamond Code JUL220039

Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman announce Kids Love Chains Press and the series Vanish

Posted on by

During their recent live stream, the popular creative duo of Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman announced a new creator-owned project and imprint. Kids Love Chains Press (KLC Press) will be released in some unknown way hinting at an “unprecedented way to interact with the” upcoming project. Revealed was some artwork and the first series Vanish. Vanish is an ongoing series.

Cates and Stegman are coming off their popular run on Venom moving into creator-owned work together.

More information will be coming in July or August but for now check out some of Stegman’s artwork below with inks by JP Mayer, and colors by Jason Keith.

Check out the video below with the reveal at the 51 minute mark and features more artwork.

Review: King in Black #5

Posted on by
King in Black #5

King in Black #5 is the big finale to Marvel’s latest event as Venom finally faces off with Knull. In what felt like a bit of a one-sided affair, Venom mops the town up with Knull. Possessing the Enigma Force makes Eddie Brock Knull’s equal. Even more so, he’s equipped with a weapon made of the Silver Surfer’s board and Mjolnir. It all ends with everything being hunky-dory for everyone, save Eddie, who now appears to be the new King In Black.

You know…I wanted to dislike this so much. There’s something about Donny Cates’ writing that is so enjoyable and yet, some of his work seriously feels like a child who gets to do whatever with his action figures…and I mean that in a positive way. King in Black did really feel like all the power was with Venom, leaving Knull pretty weak, but it all just works. It’s not perfect. I’m not sure how I feel about Venom more-or-less wielding Mjolnir but for what it’s worth, this was a really fun read, spotlighting a character I normally care very little for and leaving me with a newfound appreciation for Venom. I thought the dialogue is great. Knull is one of those pompous characters that has never known defeat so seeing someone like that get taken down is pretty much a guaranteed enjoyable moment.

On the artistic side, Ryan Stegman really put a lot into every page. I felt the layouts stood out to me in a really unique way and the colors really pop. And if I can bring attention to one thing that I like about his art, I feel that he does a good job of conveying emotion on a character’s face. Knull looked really fierce and sinister. Venom just looked awesome.

King in Black #5 was a total package of fun and excitement, coupled with some really cool art. I’m not huge on Marvel or DC events but my overall feeling is that this one ended up being fun while also bringing a lot of stuff that Cates has worked on at Marvel to a head. As far as Venom goes, King in Black serves as a good exclamation point on a really great run for the character. Not sure if it’s worth the cost of admission but I think you’d like what you would read.

Story: Donny Cates Art: Ryan Stegman
Ink: JP Mayer, Ryan Stegman Color: Frank Martin, Jason Keith Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Review: King in Black #5

Posted on by
King in Black #5

I’ve generally enjoyed the King in Black series and event. It’s big popcorn blockbuster ideas in five issues with a bunch of tie-ins. I was gung-ho about the tie-ins but as the months went on I slowly stopped reading them. And, my gut says, that might have been a bad idea. Going into King in Black #5, I feel like I missed something. The opening and much of the comic feels like I had to walk out of a movie to go to the concession stand and returned having missed key moments. Still, it’s a comic to sit back and just enjoy the over-the-top nature of it all.

Donny Cates delivers a finale that has been built up for years. Eddie Brock, back with Venom and now the Enigma Force, square off against Knull for the fate of everything. The issue is one giant drag out fight between the two that’s not really a contest. Much like their first meeting, this is a one-sided fight that echoes that opening battle. Cates doesn’t even make this close. It’s Eddie beating the living daylights into Knull and the darkness. And seriously, that’s about it.

Cates focuses on these two’s battle so much that the rest of the heroes are generally and afterthought. They stand around and get one moment to look cool. But, beyond that, they don’t really do much and are a non-factor. For as much as various characters have been key in the main event, let alone the various tie-ins, they’re pretty much window dressing for this final issue. It’s an odd choice that takes some of the epic out of the nature of the battle.

Ryan Stegman does deliver solid art. Along with JP Mayer on ink and Frank Martin and Jason Keith on color, the visuals feel like fantasy heavy metal as Venom delivers a beat down with his giant axe. The battle itself looks good and there’s a cathartic aspect to seeing Eddie deliver punch after punch. But, there’s also something missing as well. There’s that truly awe-inspiring epic moment that’s just not there. Beyond one page of “Avengers Assemble” the comic never really goes for the metal aspect it teases. It looks good but isn’t memorable.

Clayton Cowles’ lettering continues to deserve mention for the series. The lettering really helps deliver and nail down Knull. With “normal” lettering, the character wouldn’t work as well. It’s a small detail and nice touch that really emphasizes the character and how “evil” he is.

King in Black #5 is a fine finale. It wraps up the event well and there’s some cathartic aspects to it. But, for an event that was so good, it’s a bit of a letdown. The comic lacks that memorable moment and the one it delivers feels like we’ve seen before. It’s the end sequence for a summer popcorn film that attempts to be full of ideas and visuals but lacks depth.

Story: Donny Cates Art: Ryan Stegman
Ink: JP Mayer, Ryan Stegman Color: Frank Martin, Jason Keith Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Review: King in Black #4

Posted on by
King in Black #4

There are moments in film, comics, television, and books where the hero discovers their inner power and the tide begins to turn against evil. In Transformers: The Movie it was Hot Rod opening the Matrix and turning into Rodimus Prime. Those moments can bring tingles and excitement as good begins to triumph over evil. King in Black #4 delivers that moment multiple times in the penultimate issue of the event.

Written by Donny Cates, things look dire as the issue begins. Knull has dominated the world, killed Eddie Brock, and subjugated most of the world’s heroes. But Cates has been hinting at another who might defeat Knull. If Knull represents darkness, someone, or something, must be the light. It’s been pretty obvious for a while that we’d eventually find out who the who or what is in this event and this is the issue where that all becomes clearer.

King in Black #4 features a showdown between Dylan and Knull with Dylan being the clearest current threat to the wannabe god. It’s a solid showdown as Dylan takes his stand showing all it takes is a single individual to make a change. It being a kid feels all the more symbolic as it is so many kids over recent years that are leading the way. But Dylan is just a catalyst. The comic is full of “fuck yeah” moments as heroes begin to free themselves and make their attacks against Knull. We don’t get one “Rodimus” moment, we get multiple resulting in a crescendo of excitement of “hells yes” beats. All building to the issue’s finale with the big reveal Cates has been hinted at.

Cates is helped by Ryan Stegman who nails every beat. Along with JP Mayer on ink, Frank Martin on color, and Clayton Cowles on lettering, the crescendo is clear in the art. The battle goes from what feels like a “psychic landscape” to the physical world and it just ups the awe with every opportunity. There’s so many moments that are memorable, the art brings home Cates’ concepts with a blast. Cowles lettering is key as he depicts Knull giving him his own font. It emphasizes the character’s evil stance and without it, the character wouldn’t work as well. It’s a perfect combination and team.

The issue also features our first look and Peach Momoko‘s Demon Days. The short backup comic features an English Adaptation by Zack Davisson, and lettering by Ariana Maher. Momoko takes the X-Men into a fantasy world rooted in Japan and its mythology. The result is a story that’s beautiful to look at but the story itself doesn’t feel quite unique enough. Taking characters and just making them samurai and animals isn’t new or different. So, this is one to wait and see. As a teaser for the first issue and series, it doesn’t excite and quite land.

King in Black #4 is a hell of a comic that’ll get you pumped and excited. There’s just one more issue left and this could leave us with a hell of a change to the Marvel landscape. Marvel has stumbled with events in recent years but King in Black #4 has delivered with every issue and is their best in a long time. It brings popcorn excitement and this issue helps lights our darkest hour.

Story: Donny Cates, Peach Momoko Art: Ryan Stegman, Peach Momoko
Ink: JP Mayer Color: Frank Martin Letterer: Clayton Cowles, Ariana Maher
English Adaptation: Zack Davisson
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

« Older Entries