Written by Ian Flynn, Gale Galligan, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy Art by Mauro Fonseca, Reggie Graham, Aaron Hammerstrom, Thomas Rothlisberger
Celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog’s way-past-cool 30th birthday! The classic character comes to life in all-new stories from high-octane creators, some in their Sonic debuts! Fan-favorite writer Ian Flynn returns to the blue blur, joined by Adventure Zone creators and New York Times bestselling authors Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy, as well as USA Today bestselling author Gale Galligan! Try to keep up with Sonic and his friends on adventures inspired by the original 2D games! Miles “Tails” Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Mighty the Armadillo, Ray the Flying Squirrel, and even more special guests travel with him through zones inspired by the seasons in search of Chaos Emeralds! It’s a hilarious and hectic race against the clock in “Seasons of Chaos” by Ian Flynn! Plus stories by some of Sonic the Hedgehog’s biggest fans and tons of bonus content celebrating the fastest thing alive! This special anniversary collection is the perfect piece of pop culture memorabilia for all Sonic fans!
Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Celebration: The Deluxe Edition
Written by Ian Flynn, Gale Galligan, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy Art by Mauro Fonseca, Reggie Graham, Aaron Hammerstrom, Thomas Rothlisberger
Celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog’s way-past-cool 30th birthday! The classic character comes to life in all-new stories from high-octane creators, some in their Sonic debuts! Fan-favorite writer Ian Flynn returns to the blue blur, joined by Adventure Zone creators and New York Times bestselling authors Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy, as well as USA Today bestselling author Gale Galligan! Try to keep up with Sonic and his friends on adventures inspired by the original 2D games! Miles “Tails” Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Mighty the Armadillo, Ray the Flying Squirrel, and even more special guests travel with him through zones inspired by the seasons in search of Chaos Emeralds! It’s a hilarious and hectic race against the clock in “Seasons of Chaos” by Ian Flynn! Plus stories by some of Sonic the Hedgehog’s biggest fans and tons of bonus content celebrating the fastest thing alive! This special anniversary collection is the perfect piece of pop culture memorabilia for all Sonic fans!
(W) Ian Flynn, Gale Galligan, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy (A) Aaron Hammerstrom, Reggie Graham, Mauro FoNSEca, Thomas Rothlisberger In Shops: Jun 23, 2021 SRP: $8.99
After 30 years of going fast, it’s time for fans to celebrate the speediest hedgehog of all time! It’s an unbelievable birthday celebration for Sonic the Hedgehog with his first Classic Sonic special!
First, in “Seasons of Chaos” by longtime Sonic scribe Ian Flynn and artists Aaron Hammerstrom & Reggie Graham, Sonic goes on an adventure from pleasant spring valleys to wintry wonderlands in search of the Chaos Emeralds. But Sonic’s not alone, with a little help from his friends Miles “Tails” Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Mighty the Armadillo, and Ray the Flying Squirrel, they’ll race, fight, and fly their way to victory against the baddest of baddies!
Then, in “Dr. Eggman’s Birthday”, the vile, villainous Dr. Eggman takes center stage in a story written by New York Times bestseller Gale Galligan (The Babysitters Club)! And how does the bad doctor celebrate the occasion? Only his Badniks know for sure…
Finally, in “TITLE TBD”, XXXXXXXX! Written by the hosts of My Brother, My Brother, and Me, The Adventure Zone, and New York Times bestsellers, the McElroy Brothers!
Grab a slice of chili dog cake and don’t get left in the dust on the most way past cool book of the year!
IDW Publishing and SEGA of America have announced a special comic book collaboration celebrating 30 years of the video game sensation-turned-pop culture icon, Sonic the Hedgehog. Timed to the speedster’s 30th trip around the sun this June, IDW will release the Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special, a super-sized 80-page comic book featuring three tales of colorful heroes and dastardly villains, sure to tug at the heartstrings of fans of all ages! With the franchise entering a new decade, the anniversary issue will feature the writings of New York Times best-selling authors Gale Galligan and the McElroy Brothers to bring a fresh spin to the Blue Blur’s next chapter.
For this spectacular tribute comic, IDW has tapped Gale Galligan, known for her illustration work on The Babysitters Club, along with Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy, podcasters recognizable from The Adventure Zone and the wildly popular My Brother, My Brother, and Me. This group of newcomers will be contributing their first-ever Sonic adventures alongside fan-favorite and longtime scribe Ian Flynn and artists Mauro Fonseca, Reggie Graham, Aaron Hammerstrom, and Thomas Rothlisberger.
The vile Dr. Eggman takes center stage in the second story, with the surprisingly poignant “Dr. Eggman’s Birthday” by Galligan and Rothlisberger… because this momentous occasion belongs to the bad doctor, Sonic’s 30-year long nemesis, as much as it does to the Blue Blur.
Finally, in the action-packed and laugh-inducing third story “Sonic Learns to Drive” by the McElroy Brothers and Fonseca, Sonic’s up against a tough challenge: when the fastest thing alive can outrun any car, will Sonic have the patience to learn what to do behind the wheel… or will he finally get left in the dust?
The Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special will be available with multiple cover variants for retailers and fans to enjoy, including Cover A by Sonic Team, Cover B by Christina-Antoinette Neofotistou, and two retailer incentive editions featuring art by Patrick Spaziante and Tyson Hesse, respectively.
For ardent Sonic enthusiasts, IDW will also be producing theSonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Celebration: The Deluxe Edition, a hardcover version with special bonus content and a level of added prestige for $19.99 USD. Hitting stores on October 5, 2021, the Deluxe Edition features an additional story by Gale Galligan, a cover gallery, a “From Script to Comic” feature, and much more.
As another way to commemorate 30 years of Sonic, IDW will release Sonic the Hedgehog: The IDW Collection, Vol. 1 for $59.99 USD on June 22, 2021, debuting a new line of oversized Sonic hardcover editions that will encompass the ongoing series, annuals, and mini-series in the recommended reading order. Featuring everything a beginner could need and everything a diehard could want, the first volume collects issues #1-12 of IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog comics, comprising the complete “Fallout,” “The Fate of Dr. Eggman” and “Battle for Angel Island” story arcs.
(W) Clint McElroy, Justin McElroy, More (A) Andre Araujo (CA) Valerio Schiti Rated T+ In Shops: Jun 19, 2019 SRP: $3.99
THE GOD OF WAR FINALLY GETS HIS HANDS ON THE HOTTEST BABE IN TOWN!
Baby Laussa, that is! Thor’s little sister has been kidnapped – and she’s bound for fiery Muspelheim! But Balder pledged his life to ensure Laussa’s safety, and he’s not about to break his vow. Even Kate Bishop, Miles Morales, Death Locket, Sebastian Druid and Wonder Man are no match for Ares, though – not when the entire Earth is at war. To save Laussa and stop Ares’ rampage, they’ll need some divine intervention. Superstar podcasters the McElroys bring baby Laussa and her babysitter’s club to new heights in this exhilarating conclusion!
The “War of the Realms” takes a break this week from the main heroes and blockbuster trappings to tell smaller, quirky stories that are varying degrees of fun. The McElroys bring the road trip banter in War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #2, and Andre Araujo gets to take a break from advanced technology and gory fight scenes to be a humor cartoonist. War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1 is one of the first tie-ins to remember that this event has a global scope, and Greg Pak and Gang Hyuk-Lim introduce Marvel’s first Filipina hero, Wave, although the story comes apart at the seams sometimes. I tip my hat to Pak and Lim for introducing more Asian heroes to the main Marvel Universe, and hopefully we get to hear for them after three issues. And Unbeatable Squirrel Girlcontinues to be a sweet cinnamon roll of a comic that I hope Marvel never cancels. (Thank you Scholastic book club marketing!)
War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #2
With the boring team assembling part out of the way, the McElroys, Andre Araujo, and colorist Chris O’Halloran are free to write and draw road trip hijinks after a quick prelude showing why Ares is working for Sindr and after Thor’s baby sister, Laussa. The McElroys settle into writing this truly odd assortment of characters in Journey into Mystery #2, and honestly, I could read a whole ongoing series of them traipsing through the Marvel Universe and arguing about personal space, the fact that no one on the team can drive except Kate Bishop (Kudos to Miles Morales for doing driver’s ed next semester though.), and Thori being fierce.
The McElroys and Araujo don’t force a fight with Ares just yet and have the team stop at “Bide-A-Wee” trailer park because, again, no one except Kate Bishop can drive. Araujo draws the denizens of the trailer park in a stiff manner like they’re pretending to be human. This makes sense because they are actually Skrulls. (Of course, the McElroys use this fact to get in some licks at Secret Invasion.) And, then, there’s the requisite action scene that Araujo and O’Halloran make fun with some creative shapeshifting and pink arrows for Kate. However, the sequence is resolved in a very un-War of the Realms way. But what do you expect from a creative team that made changing a dirty diaper both hilarious and suspenseful.
If we had to fight a War of the Realms to get this fun buddy road trip story from the McElroys and Andre Araujo, it will have been worth it. This comic definitely feels like it was written by a bunch of guys who have probably been in enclosed spaces with each other for a long time whether that’s childhood road trips or doing live podcast shows for rabid fans. Throw in a sense of wonder, humor, and love for cute babies interacting with Helhounds, and Journey into Mystery #2 an overall verdict of Buy.
War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1
Through his elevation of Amadeus Cho to the Hulk and especially a four issue arc of Totally Awesome Hulk where Cho teams up with other Asian-American superheroes, Greg Pak has used his clout as a writer to push for more Asian and Asian-American superheroes in Marvel Comics. He and artist Gang Hyuk Lim turn that up to eleven in War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1, which features appearances from Marvel’s first Filipina hero Wave, the Chinese hero Aero, and Korean heroes Crescent and Io and Luna Snow, who were popular in the Marvel Future Fight mobile game and make their first comic appearance here. It’s cool to see these characters and their unique abilities get the spotlight, but Pak struggles to juggle such a large ensemble cast in one issue. Lim’s art is also fairly pedestrian even though there are pops of color from Federico Blee like when Crescent sics his magic bear Io on some Fire Goblins.
In New Agents of Atlas #1’s back matter, Pak says that he wanted to use the book to explore the “diversity within diversity” having Asian and Asian-American from different countries and backgrounds interact while defending the continent from Sindr and Fire Goblins. And he pulls this off in one fantastic scene where Jimmy Woo, the leader of Agents of Atlas, asks Amadeus Cho, Kamala Khan, Silk, and Shang Chi what kind of pear he’s holding. Depending on their background, they say it’s a Korean, Chinese, or Japanese pear because Kamala has only seen that kind of pear at the Japanese grocery.
However, the lesson is that the kind of pear doesn’t matter, and Woo says that the important thing is that they work together as a team. They proceed to not do this with Kamala and Amadeus constantly bickering about some Champions business, which leads to their plane crashing outside Seoul and a fight against the Korean superheroes, not Sindr’s forces. Pak and Lim nail Amadeus Cho’s egotism as he flexes his muscles and showboats throughout the comic and impetuously launches himself into battle without regard for his teammates. However, the scene where the newly minted Agents of Atlas fight the Korean superheroes is very rushed as White Fox immediately assumes that Amadeus Cho is bad because he had a Hulk incident a while back. It’s a good illustration of the pointless drama that gets in the way of teamwork, but with an emphasis on the “pointless” part.
Luna Snow, who Silk fangirls over because she’s a hero and a K-Pop star, Crescent and Io, and a cool surprise character have visually distinct abilities, but Gang Hyuk Lim is too married to the Marvel house style to really let them shine. This is a book that could have used the stylized touch of a Takeshi Miyazawa, who collaborate with Greg Pak on his creator owned comic Mech Cadet Yu, or David Lafuente. With its introduction of new heroes and soapy team dynamic, New Agents of Atlas has tantalizing potential even if this first issue doesn’t completely deliver so it earns the Overall Verdict of Read.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #44
Arguably,
the best “War of the Realms” tie-in continues as writer Ryan North, artist Derek
Charm, and colorist Rico Renzi
have Squirrel Girl team up with Ratatoskr, the Norse squirrel god of chaos
against Frost Giants and then frighten the citizens of rural Alberta. North and
Charm do a good job laying out Ratatoskr’s motivation as she sees that Malekith
ruling all ten realms would lead to conformity and boredom, which is the
opposite of chaos. So, she’s fighting Frost Giants although in a flashback, she
did give a thumbs up to Mangog, the destroyer of Asgard. Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #44 is really an exercise in ethics as
Ratatoskr tries to cross lines, but Squirrel Girl holds her back and tries to
keep everything even kneeled. However, this backfires.
Like
every issue in this series, Unbeatable
Squirrel Girl #44 is a dense comic filled with jokes, extended riffs, footnote
jokes, and kick-ass fight scenes. What could have been just a simple fight
between Squirrel Girl and two Frost Giants ends up with Ratatoskr giving an
update on what she has been up to over the past 30 issues or so while
imprisoned in Asgard as well as some jokes about how Frost Giants see humans as
action figures and superhumans as rare ones. They’re still looking for the rare
action figures with kung fu grips though.
Once
the Giants go down, North and Charm go into full fish out of water mode with
Ratatoskr, who is trying to blend in with the locals, but ends up as a femme
fatale in rural Canada and does not pass for human. She has great fashion
sense, and North and Charm get to sneak in jokes about video game palette
swaps, Sailor Moon, and draw a
squirrel ear wearing Spider-Man costume while she picks her look. Also, in her
interactions with the regular folks of Alberta, she chooses the chaotic option
over the safe one and ends up getting in random guys’ faces. This scene also
illustrates the classic principles that humans hate and fear what they don’t
understand as the Albertans turn on Squirrel Girl and Ratatoskr, once they
realize that “they’re not from around here”.
Ryan North, Derek Charm, and Rico Renzi seem to be having a hell of time combining Squirrel Girl’s morality and empathy with Ratatoskr’s penchant for chaos and manipulation. It’s an instant source of drama and mischief and gives Charm the chance to draw “resting evil face”. Also, for its dedication to fun, good comedy, complex baddies, adorable art, and expressive, flat colors, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #44 gets an overall verdict of Buy.
Although the quality of this week’s three comics does fluctuate, Journey into Mystery, New Agents of Atlas, and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl use the backdrop of “War of the Realms” not as a crutch, but as a freedom to tell road trip, Asian superhero team-up, and odd couple stories. Frost Giants are coming through portals so why not bring back the entertaining villain Ratatoskr from a few years back to mess with Squirrel Girl and use her divine abilities to troll mere mortals. A book like New Agents of Atlas could use its own series to build up the new characters, but Journey into Mystery and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl uses the events of “War of the Realms” as jumping on points for comedic misadventures. This week is a breath of fresh air after all the melodrama, gore, and Frank Castleness of previous “War of the Realms” tie-ins.
Panel of the Week
I don’t know what beef Malekith has with Shakespearean English. (Art by Derek Charm and Rico Renzi from Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #44.)
(W) Clint McElroy, Justin McElroy, More (A) Andre Araujo (CA) Valerio Schiti, David Curiel Rated T+ In Shops: May 08, 2019 SRP: $3.99
THE McELROYS TAKE MILES MORALES AND COMPANY CAMPING!
Looks like Balder and his babysitting team have more than fire goblins and foul diapers to worry about! A marshmallow-roasting campout in the Midwest goes up in flames when deadly shape-shifting aliens make a campfire appearance! But the real danger is barreling down the highway behind them. Ares, the Greek God of War, is hot on baby Laussa’s trail. If Balder the Brave, Wonder Man, Sebastian Druid, Kate Bishop, Miles Morales and Deathlocket are going to stay ahead of him…Kate’s gonna have to teach one of them to drive.
Earth is at war, besieged by an army of Frost Giants, Trolls and Fire Goblins – and the mighty Thor is nowhere to be found! But could it be that the key to turning the tide is…Thor’s baby sister? Journey into Mystery with Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Wonder Man, and Balder the Brave as they go on an epic quest to save Earth’s only hope! (And, yes, deal with diaper duty.)
Marvel‘s War of the Realms is an event that Marvel hasn’t done in some time. It’s an almost line-wide event with numerous spin-offs. With just the first issue of the main series out, it’s hard to know how important those spin-offs will be and how much they’ll add to the enjoyment of the experience.
Written by The McElroys, War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery #1 is the first miniseries to launch focused on a team whose job is to protect Thor’s baby sister.
With Balder acting as the center of the adventuring team the first issue feels like an off the rails Dungeons & Dragons adventure as he and his party must get the baby and dodge the bad guys. The issue is the gathering of heroes, with little explanation of how they’ve been found and a long pursuit by a death truck.
The interaction of the characters are key as there’s some solid humor to it all but the issue overall just feels neither good nor bad. It just is. It’s a modern setting for a roleplaying game adventure with fantasy settings and there’s some potential, especially the reveal at the end. Overall, the story is just rather average. A lot is packed in with not a whole lot explained.
The art is decent. Andre Lima Araujo, with color by Chris O’Halloran and lettering by Clayton Cowles delivers the action with some decent designs. The fantasy in a modern world look works and works well, especially the “death truck” pursuing the heroes. The characters all look good. But, like the story itself, there’s some tonal issues with the images. At times going for a more humorous style and at other points a more serious fantasy tone. Some page layouts stand out but overall, like the story, the art is also so-so.
The issue is an ok one. It tells one slice of the bigger story and time will tell how important that slice is. In the end, that may be the judge of the worth of the series. But, so far, this is a spin-off you might want to save your money.
Story: Clint McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy Art: Andre Lima Araujo Color: Chris O’Halloran Letterer: Clayton Cowles Story: 7.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
The “War of the Realms” settles into its second week with a trio of tie-ins that seem utterly unrelated: War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #1, Asgardians of the Galaxy #8, and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #43. However, the first two comics are a shining example of how difficult doing ensemble casts are, and the third is a proof that Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is a beautiful gift even when it’s an event tie-in. It even moves “War of the Realms'” narrative forward by showing how Malekith and his allies divvied up the different continents of the Earth. Stereotypically, the Frost Giants got Canada.
War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #1
The McElroys (Father Clint and sons Justin, Travis, and Griffin, but those names aren’t in the comic.) are big time podcasters known for their work on the advice show My Brother, My Brother and Me and the Dungeon and Dragons show The Adventure Zone, which I’ve listened to a couple episodes of and was a best-selling graphic novel for First Second. At first, I thought they were comic neophytes, but apparently, Clint McElroy worked on licensed comics like Universal Soldier and Green Hornet in the early 1990s. They team up with artist Andre Araujo and colorist Chris O’Halloran to tell the buddy road trip story of Balder teaming up with Miles Morales, Kate Bishop, Thori, Becca aka Deathlok 2.0, Sebastian Druid, and Wonder Man to protect Thor’s baby sister, Laussa.
Journey into Mystery #1 has a fun premise that is only a little bit related to the main “War of the Realms” narrative and pokes fun at continuity changes as well as certain character being “off limits” because of events. See, Balder wanted Peter Parker, Clint Barton, Dr. Strange, and the original Deathlok, but he ended up with the legacy versions. The McElroys and Araujo introduce the cast in a typical flash forward, flash back, flash forward, and big cliffhanger fashion. Each road trip member gets a humorous origin and is then thrown into the fray by the Norn, Skuld. The level of funny varies from Matt Fraction/Kieron Gillen cover band while writing Kate Bishop and Thori respectively to the genuinely clever situation of having Miles rescue Times Square cosplayers and a teen Deathlok making a fake graduation party with Life Model Decoys to feel less alone and more human.
The story should have hit its stride in its third part when the team is assembled and being chased in a truck by Sindr, the daughter of Surtr, and her fire troll/demon/generic being army. Araujo cuts to the right moments in the chase to build tension and gets to do real storytelling instead of just the funny faces of the flashback. However, The McElroys kind of lose track of their team in the chaos with Miles and Dr. Druid especially suffering. They do manage to write around Wonder Man’s superhero story sapping pacifism to give him a great moment. Journey into Mystery has its clever moments, but in chemistry terms, it’s more of a heterogenous mixture than an a homogenous one so, for now, it gets an Overall Verdict of Read.
Asgardians of the Galaxy #8
Even though 75% of its run has either been a tie-in to “Infinity Wars” or “War of the Realms”, Cullen Bunn, Matteo Lolli, and Federico Blee’s space faring, Asgard-connected team book has been one of Marvel’s hidden gems. It’s the spiritual successor of Bunn’s Fearless Defenders or even Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s run on Guardians of the Galaxy. The current team lineup is Angela, Valkyrie who sometimes swaps places with archaeologist Annabelle Riggs, Skurge the Executioner, Thunderstrike (The son of the one from the late 80s and 90s), Throg aka Frog Thor, and the dwarf Urzuul. They’re protecting a beacon that summons an army of undead gods, but Heimdall divests them of this and sends them to fight for Earth in the War of the Realms.
While Journey into Mystery gets to have its own plot, Asgardians of the Galaxy #8 takes place during the big battle for New York in War of the Realms #1. So, there’s not much plot once the book gets earthbound, and Lolli and Blee end up riffing off Russell Dauterman’s double page spreads, and well, they’re not Dauterman with a long lead time. But, even though, he’s stuck in the constraints of the event’s plot, Cullen Bunn has a one great trick up his sleeve: characterization.
Unlike Journey into Mystery where many characters are lost in the shuffle or are catchphrase shouters, Bunn gives each member of the Asgardians of the Galaxy at least one small showcase moment. Executioner and Punisher get to compare guns, and Black Panther compliments Urzuul’s weapon craftsmanship. (Wow, that came out wrong.) Cap tells Thunderstrike that his dad was a great hero, and Angela gets to be very angry at the Angels of Heven for siding with Malekith. However, the characters who come across the best are Throg and Annabelle Riggs/Valkyrie.
Throg made his first appearance way back in Walter Simonson’s run on Thor and was an ordinary Central Park frog named Puddlegulp, who was worthy to lift a sliver of Mjolnir and become the Frog of Thunder. Bunn and Lolli give him a moment of great tragedy when he returns to Central Park and sees all his old frog friends being burned up. He feels a lot of guilt for adventuring in space instead of protecting his people and gets a great action sequence that also riffs on Jason Aaron’s concept of Thor Odinson being unworthy.
But Annabelle is the center of Bunn and Lolli’s narrative in Asgardians of the Galaxy #8 as she continues to struggle with her Nova powers and the magic that Kid Loki gave her in the last arc. They keep shorting out, and she subs out with Valkyrie. Or does she. In a big moment, Annabelle rides Valkyrie’s flying horse to look for her girlfriend Ren in the middle of the carnage. They share a beautiful reunion before being literally ripped apart by the plot of War of the Realms. Bunn does a great job writing the only non-powered character and gives her a strong romantic and heroic arc despite this issue being an event tie-in. The emotional moments with her and Throg plus great individual action moments with the rest of the team makes Asgardians of the Galaxy #8 worth an overall verdict of Read.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl#43
The final “War of the Realms” tie-in and the unlikeliest even though Squirrel Girl has connections with Thor, Loki, and the Norse squirrel god Ratatoskr is Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #43 from Ryan North, Derek Charm, and Rico Renzi. This used to be one of my favorite Marvel titles, but then I fell behind. However, North’s ability to couch exposition in jokes and Tony Stark/Squirrel Girl Twitter thread recaps caught me, the lapsed reader, up to speed as well as anyone who didn’t pick up War of the Realms #1. Basically, the event is an excuse for Loki to send Squirrel Girl on a mission to take out a secret Frost Giant base in Canada, and there’s lots of mysteries to be unbundled from this, including Loki’s alignment, which North hides in ambiguous and purposefully misleading dialogue.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #43 is cute, funny, and the only one of these three comics to have a complete plot while having joke, riffs, clever action sequences, and some sweet interactions between Doreen and her parents, who live in Canada and sadly got rid of her Arctic variant costume. Derek Charm is one of my favorite current artists and is really the full package, including animated facial expressions, gesture cartooning, clever layouts, and above all, humor that is helped by North’s great footnote jokes. (His inspiration for the fight between Squirrel Girl and the Frost Giant made me cackle.) He even nails the mandatory superhero group shot splash page that should instantly get him a slot drawing the X-Men, Avengers, or Justice League. Renzi’s colors, especially for the Frost Giants, really pop and have an attitude to them. And his shadowy work with the Ratatoskr gives him the right level of menace.
North, Charm, and Renzi are a clever bunch of creators, and a linewide crossover offers them more opportunities to roast mainstream heroes, like Iron Man and Captain America while giving Doreen a new adventure and new bad guys plus family time. It’s not every day you get a comic that makes a running gag of the Asgardian spelling of “Hek”, but today is this day. For this, a physics defying Frost Giant battle, a joke about Jim Davis’ Silver Surfer/Galactus short story in Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #26, and Loki’s unlikely friendship with Nancy Whitehead, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #43 gets an Overall Verdict of Buy.
The real heroes of this week’s “War of the Realms” tie-in were a hero that eats nuts, kicks butts, and tries to reason with her enemies before punching them and a heroic frog that despite his unworthiness still fights to avenge the people he loves. Also, writing a cast of ensemble characters in the middle of a summer crossover is like trying to walk and chew bubblegum. Jokes and emotional character arcs help smooth things over though.
Panel of the Week
The end result of messing with Throg from Asgardians of the Galaxy #8. (Art by Matteo Lolli and Federico Blee)
I want to make this column more interactive. Email me questions at ldalton626@gmail.com or tweet me at MidnighterBae, and I will answer them in an upcoming installment of Messages from Midgard.
(W) Clint McElroy, Justin McElroy, More (A) Andre Araujo (CA) Valerio Schiti, David Curiel Rated T+ In Shops: Apr 10, 2019 SRP: $3.99
The creators of the blockbuster podcast The Adventure Zone bring their talents to Marvel for a wild romp through THE WAR OF THE REALMS!
Earth is at war, besieged by an army of Frost Giants, Trolls and Fire Goblins – and the mighty Thor is nowhere to be found! But could it be that the key to turning the tide is…Thor’s baby sister? Journey into Mystery with Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Wonder Man, and Balder the Brave as they go on an epic quest to save Earth’s only hope! (And, yes, deal with diaper duty.)
