Knull #3
(W) Al Ewing, Tom Waltz (A) Juanan Ramírez
Darkness Spreads! Knull has finally found the treasure he’s been seeking — the All-Light spear — but there’s one titan-sized problem standing in his way: Thanos has the spear, and he’s not about to give it up without a fight! Meanwhile, Hela of Asgard has claimed the title Queen in Black and has begun her dark conquest of the cosmos! Witness a titanic fight for the light as darkness spreads across the galaxy!
Last year, Marvel Comics entered the world of Magic: The Gathering with Magic: The Gathering – Marvel’s Spider-Man! The all-new crossover set featured original artwork of Spider-Man, iconic Spider-Verse heroes, and legendary Spider-Man supervillains drawn by both superstar comic book artists and renowned Magic: The Gathering artists. To celebrate this exciting collaboration, Marvel will feature the art of Magic: The Gathering – Marvel’s Spider-Man on a new series of variant covers and virgin variant covers this May.
Fans can look forward to more Magic: The Gathering Variant Covers in the near future that spotlight additional Marvel-themed sets, including the highly anticipated Magic: The Gathering – Marvel Super Heroes set launching later this year.
Check out five of the Magic: The Gathering Variant Covers and preorder them at your local comic shop today.
Knull #2
(W) Al Ewing, Tom Waltz (A) Juanan Ramírez
COLLISION COURSE! Free from his cage and on the run, Knull seeks out a mysterious golden prize from his own past to assist him in his quest to reclaim his crown as King in Black. Meanwhile, Hela continues to watch from magical shadows, secretly manipulating all the players on the board to play a wicked game of her choosing. Past and present collide on a cosmic scale on multiple fronts… with deadly ramifications for the future!
No supervillain has impacted the Marvel mythos more than Doctor DOom! Now, in the wake of his global takeover in One World Under Doom, top Marvel artists will pay tribute to his epic publication history this March in new Doom Homage Variant Covers.
Across twenty one covers, see new takes on classic Doom covers from the original Secret Wars to unforgettable showdowns with the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and the X-Men to more recent standouts. Each cover captures Victor von Doom’s incredible aura by putting bold and modern twists on the original artwork and reimagining various heroes inside his iconic armor. The classic cover being homaged will be presented on the back cover.
Doom’s reign may be over, but his legacy looms large over the Marvel Universe. The new Dungeons of Doom limited series, launched earlier this month, exposes the maniacal genius’ darkest secrets as forces race to control the power and technology he left behind. His fall is also key to the latest arc of Chip Zdarsky’s Captain America run which finds Doom’s kingdom of Latveria on the brink of civil war, and Cap, accompanied by the all-new S.H.I.E.L.D., deployed on a mission to maintain peace.
Check out all twenty one Doom Homage Variant Covers and preorder them at your local comic shop today!
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
Babs: The Black Road South #1 (Ahoy! Comics) – Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrow continue to take the piss out of the fantasy/barbarian/metal bikini genre in Babs: The Black Road South #1. The banter between the titular character, her companion Izzy, and her talking sword are this book’s comedic foundation on which so many shenanigans can be built. Seriously, there’s a five page sequence where Izzy and Babs rap about Red Sonja’s virginity. It’s fun to see high fantasy and wild karaoke meet, but Babs: The Black Road South isn’t all sunshine and rainbows using the protagonist’s financial insecurity and incompetency to fuel the plot. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy
Ultimates #20 (Marvel) – Deniz Camp and Phil Noto unravel the backstory of Earth-6160 Vision and Nick Fury and let the good guys get some licks in in another rip-roaring issue of Ultimates. Most of the narration is done from Vision’s POV, and I love that it is in keyword format like the world’s most powerful search engine. Ultimates #20 is pure payoff showing that the seeds of resistance against the Maker’s fascism have been on the board for decades. On a nerdy level, there are a lot of fun cameos and guest stars as the fight between HAND and the Ultimates in Detroit turns into an all hands on deck situation. Ultimate Endgame is an epic war crossover arc so it’s nice to have titles like Ultimates take some of the storytelling load off and flesh out the players, both old and new. Overall: 8.4 Verdict: Buy
Die Loaded #3 (Image) – Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans continue to make side characters protagonists in Die Loaded #3 with the appearance of Sol’s mom, Margaret, who becomes the party’s Dictator. Her life has been so tragic with her son going missing and acting distant, and of course, all her rage is directed towards the world of Die in a powerful series of panel. But she’s also a teacher, and Gillen and Hans turn what could be a one-note nag into yet another mother figure for Molly and an ally in their journey. Also, it cool, yet sad to see Sophie start to learn the world of Die as there are costs for her abilities. Overall: 8.2 Verdict: Buy
Brett
Avengers #34 (Marvel) – A big anniversary issue that continues the story that began with this series’ relaunch. Jed MacKay and Farid Karami deliver an epic showdown with Kang that’s interesting but not exciting. Having not read most of this series, the details of the story are lost and what’s shown doesn’t intrigue me enough to go back. A back-up story featuring Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley is a bit easier to dive in to and features Bendis’ signature humor. Overall, for such a momentous issue, it fails to deliver a real celebration. Overall: 7.0 Verdict: Read
Knull #1 (Marvel) – Something is building with Knull at the center again, so it’s interesting to dive in and catch up with what’s going on. Al Ewing and Tom Waltz deliver an issue that catches readers up but kicks off the next chapter in an interesting way. Juanan Ramirez‘s art is interesting and entertaining. The issue does a solid balance of introducing new readers to the character but also delivers something new for long time fans of the character. Overall Rating: 7.75 Verdict: Read
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #14 (IDW Publishing) – The new creative team of Gene Luen Yang and Freddie E. Williams II have been delivering a feel that mixes the recent relaunch but a bit more of the classic Turtles too. A new villain has been an intriguing addition but the brothers back together feels right, down to their sniping at each other. The comic has a good mystery to it along with action and so far has been a nice continuation from the previous run that was phenomenal. Overall Rating: 8.0 Verdict: Buy
Tomb Raider: Sacred Artifacts #1 (Dark Horse) – It’s been a long time since I’ve read a Tomb Raider comic but it felt like one to check out. Written by Casey Gilly with art by Antonio Di Caprio, the issue is interesting in setting up where Lara Croft is in life and frames the re-introduction in an interesting way, using a television interview. Overall, it has its moments but like recent live action attempts, doesn’t really excite. Overall Rating: 7.5 Verdict: Read
Uncanny X-Men #22 (Marvel) – The X-Men are currently in their “Shadows of Tomorrow” phase and it’s an interesting one as only a few characters know what was going on. So, this series dives right back into things, so not so much a jumping on point but a continuation. Writer Gail Simone does give us an entertaining one-shot in some ways and you can enjoy it without knowing all of the backstory. The art by David Marquez is great as always. The issue is good, though caters to current readers not new ones hoping to hop on, but that’s more an issue with the previous event “Age of Revelation” and how it tied into various series more than anything else. Still, it’s an issue you can enjoy even if you’ve haven’t been reading this series or really have never read an X-Men comic. Overall Rating: 8.0 Verdict: Buy
This March, never-before-seen monsters are let loose in the Marvel Universe, each brought to life by the extraordinary talents of Marvel’s Stormbreakers!
The latest Stormbreaker Variant Cover collection, Marvel Monster Variant Covers reimagine a Marvel hero—or in one case, a supervillain—as classic monsters. From vampires and witches to mummies and ghosts, these dramatic pieces spotlight the Strombreakers’ individual flair for the horror and macabre! The covers coincide with the recent launch of Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein’s Infernal Hulk, a new run where the Eldest, the spawn of the Mother of Horrors, has taken over the Hulk’s body and is using it to usher in a new AGE OF MONSTERS!
The current class of Marvel’s Stormbreakers include Alessandro Cappuccio, Netho Diaz, Simone Di Meo, Juan Frigeri, Gurihiru, Jonas Scharf, Geoff Shaw, and Luciano Vecchio. Chosen for their remarkable art, notable achievements, and boundless imagination when bringing the Marvel mythos to the page, these creators represent the future of comic book artistry and embody the raw talent to shatter the limits of visual storytelling!
Knull #1
(W) Al Ewing, Tom Waltz (A) Juanan Ramírez
(C) Erick Arciniega (L) Clayton Cowles
(CA) Ryan Stegman, Frank Martin (VCA) Iban Coello and Jesus Aburtov, Michael Walsh, Clayton Crain, Rafael Albuquerque and Yen Nitro, Kyle Hotz and Dan Brown
RETURN OF THE KING! Weakened from his last death, trapped by the enemy he never expected, the God of the Void waits in a cage once again. His captors think Knull has nothing to fight back with — but in Knull’s hands, nothing is a weapon. And there’s a greater weapon out there, waiting for the King in Black to take it… and take his revenge.
The Punisher’s brutal brand of justice makes heroes across the Marvel Universe uneasy, but what if they followed in his footsteps? This February, acclaimed artist Ario Anindito imagines a world where Spider-Man, the Avengers, the X-Men, and more embraced Frank Castle’s methods in Hell’s Kitchen Variant Covers. The new variant cover collection arrives just in time for the launch of the new Punisher ongoing series by Benjamin Percy and Jose Luis Soares where the character ignites his latest war against organized crime while searching for answers about his missing memories.
The art pieces gave Anindito a chance to design new costumes inspired by Punisher’s classic costume, replacing the iconic skull with emblems reflecting the individual heroes.
Check out the first six covers and preorder all ten Hell’s Kitchen Variant Covers along with Punisher #1 at your local comic shop today!
From the blazing trails of Ghost Rider to symbiote savagery and X-Force’s murderous mutants, Clayton Crain’s iconic art style has brought drama and gravitas to every corner of the Marvel Universe! To celebrate his impactful decades-spanning career, Marvel proudly spotlights his artwork this January with Clayton Crain Variant Covers! Throughout the month, Clayton Crain will deliver stunning depictions of various Marvel heroes on over 20 covers on select titles, featuring many characters he had a significant hand in shaping like Venom and Archangel. The covers will also be available as virgin variant covers.
Check out all 20 Clayton Crain Variant Covers and preorder them at your local comic shop today!
Knull made a not-so-triumphant return in Venom #250, the milestone issue by writers Al Ewing and Charles Soule and artists Terry Dodson, Carlos Gomez, and Todd Nauck, resurfacing as a helpless prisoner of Hela, now calling herself the QUEEN IN BLACK! But fear not, the KING IN BLACK will escape to reclaim his throne this January in Knull, a five-issue limited series written by Al Ewing and Tom Waltz and drawn by Juanan Ramirez. The dark conflict brewing between two of Marvel’s most powerful supervillains sets the stage for a major Marvel storyline erupting next year. Readers who missed this pivotal issue can pick it up next month when it returns to shops with a much-demanded second printing, featuring new versions of Carlos Gomez and Greg Capullo’s variant covers. Fans can also look forward to learning more about the new Knull series and how the QUEEN IN BLACK will impact Venom and the wider Marvel Universe next week at the Marvel Comics: Spider-Man and his Venomous Friends Panel at New York Comic Con.
RETURN OF THE KING!
Weakened from his last death, trapped by the enemy he never expected, the God of the Void waits in a cage once again. His captor thinks Knull has nothing to fight back with — but in Knull’s hands, nothing is a weapon. And there’s a greater weapon out there, waiting for the King in Black to take it… and take his revenge.
Check out the Venom #250 Second Printing covers along with a new variant cover for Knull #1 by Rafael Albuquerque and preorder both at your local comic shop today!
