X-Men of Apocalypse #2
(W) Jeph Loeb (A) Simone Di Meo (L) Richard Starkings
(CA) Simone Di Meo (VCA) Arthur Adams and Meghan Hetrick, Joe Madureira, Joshua “Sway” Swaby, Mark Brooks, Russell Dauterman, Stephen Platt and Marte Gracia
BACK TO WHERE IT BEGAN! The X-Men of Apocalypse have gone back to where it all began in their quest to restore their history! But before they can, it means mixing it up with the original X-Men!
Imperial #4
(W) Jonathan Hickman (A) Iban Coello, Federico Vicentini
(C) Federico Blee (L) Cory Petit
(CA) Marcho Checchetto, Marte Gracia (VCA) Javier Garrón and Jesus Aburtov, Jeeyung Lee, Logan Lubera and Israel Silva, NetEase Games, Simone Di Meo, Skottie Young
WAR!
Peter is, shockingly, without a job and looking for gainful employment, but his job search is interrupted by a RAMPAGING RHINO who is but the tip of a sinister iceberg. What major Spider-Villain is working behind the scenes weaponizing other Spider-Villains including one we haven’t seen in OVER SEVEN YEARS?! Also, what is that Goblin-free Norman Osborn up to anyway? Amazing Spider-Man #1 is a whole new starting point that doesn’t feel as much groundbreaking as it is a back to basics beginning.
Written by Joe Kelly, Amazing Spider-Man #1 is an interesting comic. It continues what has come before but also serves as a pretty solid entry point for new readers. It’s a comic where you don’t need to know what’s been going on but also features far more if you do. It nails it’s dual purpose. But, more interestingly, Amazing Spider-Man #1 feels like it dials back things for Peter Parker, reminding readers what’s at the core of this character.
Kelly presents a Parker that’s down on his luck. He’s unemployed, looking for work, and his time being a superhero clashes with his ability to have a life. It’s basic Spider-Man that makes him the nebbishy hero that’s easy to relate to. And Kelly makes sure to emphasize it all, focusing in on what matters. We’re taken through a series of job interviews, and really awkward date, and a battle with Rhino, all with the humor we’d expect. It’s a debut and comic that’ll get you to chuckle and just sit back and enjoy the chaos.
Kelly is helped by Pepe Larraz‘s great art. With Marte Gracia on color and lettering by Joe Caramagna, Amazing Spider-Man #1 nails it on the visuals. The comic has a fun look to it, playing off the details to deliver laughs and fill in some gaps when it comes to the injuries Peter endures in his dual identity. Like the story itself, there’s a kinetic and frenetic aspect to it that’s fun and delivers an almost cheery feel to the chaos that is Peter’s life.
Amazing Spider-Man #1 doesn’t break any ground. Instead, it focuses on the Peter we know and the basics that make Spider-Man and himself such a loveable character. He’s the screwup you want to see get ahead but know his doing the right thing will always make it an uphill climb. He’s the superhero underdog you want to root for and see succeed. Kelly and Larraz seem to know that and celebrate it with this debut issue.
Story: Joe Kelly Art: Pepe Larraz
Color: Marte Gracia Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
It’s time to swing into an all-new era of Amazing Spider-Man!
This April, acclaimed Spider-Man scribe Joe Kelly, superstar talent Pepe Larraz, and legendary Spider-Man artist John Romita Jr. launch a new run of Amazing Spider-Man, packed with exciting developments in the life of Peter Parker, including new career aspects, a promising romance, AND the introduction of an all-new supervillain! Today, fans can check out a preview of the debut issue, giving you a first look at Larraz’s incredible take on Spidey storytelling and wall crawler action!
Featuring colors by Marte Gracia and lettered by longtime Amazing Spider-Man letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna, the pulse-pounding preview depicts a fight between Spider-Man and one of his most iconic foes–the Rhino! But something is off with Rhino’s latest rampage, and after it reaches a tragic end, Spidey will dive headfirst into a dangerous conspiracy. Someone has been amping up his villains—making them meaner, more aggressive and increasingly dangerous to everyone around them—and Spidey is next!
Check out the new preview along with the issue #2 cover and preorder Amazing Spider-Man #1 at your local comic shop today!
Marvel Comics history is made this April with the launch of a new volume of its most iconic title—Amazing Spider-Man! The next era of the beloved series will be brought to you by celebrated Amazing-Spider-Man and Deadpool scribe Joe Kelly, legendary Amazing Spider-Man artist John Romita Jr. and one of the industry’s most acclaimed contemporary artists, Pepe Larraz, fresh off his exemplary work on Blood Hunt and X-Men along with Marte Gracia on colors. The new Amazing Spider-Man will deliver classic Spidey storytelling with bold new horizons for Spider-Man; his supporting cast (including the recently redeemed Norman Osborn and Peter’s new girlfriend Shay), and the greatest supervillains in all of pop culture.
The new run finds Peter without a job and looking for gainful employment, but his job search is interrupted by a rampaging Rhino who is but the tip of a sinister iceberg. What major Spider-Villain is working behind the scenes weaponizing other Spider-Villains including one we haven’t seen in OVER SEVEN YEARS?! Also, what is that Goblin-free Norman Osborn up to these days?
Check out Larraz’s wraparound cover for issue one and stay tuned for news about Amazing Spider-Man in the months ahead. The new volume comes out swinging on April 9, 2025.
X-Men #3
(W) Jed MacKay (A) Ryan Stegman
(I) JP Mayer, Livesay (C) Marte Gracia (L) Clayton Cowles
(CA) Ryan Stegman (VCA) J. Scott Campbell, Joelle Jones, Mahmud Asrar
Rated T+
In Shops: Aug 28, 2024
SRP: $4.99
SCOTT SUMMERS VS. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!
How did the X-Men come to possess their HQ, the Factory, and how difficult a position does that put them in? As Cyclops meets the implacable Agent Lundqvist, the X-Men come to find that their new home may not be as secure as they had thought…
Doctor Strange is presented with a dread bargain to gain a chance to save the world. The Avengers ride into a battle they cannot win. The dead battle the undead across the globe. Will it be enough? Will the world be saved, and how will it be changed if it is? The teaser text for Blood Hunt #5 promised a dramatic shift for the future of the Marvel Universe and it delivers!
When it comes to events, Blood Hunt has delivered with every issue. The main series has been focused, each issue delivered surprises, and the art has been fantastic. Blood Hunt #5 is no exception to any of that. The event series ends on a high note wrapping up to most satisfying Marvel event in quite some time.
Written by Jed MacKay, Blood Hunt #5 has the Avengers fighting the possessed Blade and his Blood Coven while Doctor Strange wrestles with making a deal with the devil that is Doctor Doom. Both storylines deliver a titanic experience with memorable moments and shocking surprises.
When it comes to the Avengers’ battle, the fight is rough and feels like a losing proposition. The Blood Coven feel like they can actually stand up to the Avengers and the fight shows that off with brutal results and moments where readers aren’t sure which way things are going. MacKay also delivers rousing moments that root into the inspiration that the Avengers are supposed to be. It’s a battle that feels like a monumental task and one the Avengers can’t win on their own.
Across the world, Strange is struggling himself, he has to decide how much to trust Doctor Doom who has said he needs to be made the Sorcerer Supreme to cast his spell and end the vampire threat. This actually delivers some quandaries as to how much Doom can be trusted and how far everyone needs to go. With the Avengers team, a debate rages as well as to what should be done and if their actions will hurt innocent individuals who will be hurt.
Of course the Avengers win… but at what cost? The comic ends with not one, but two status quo changing aspects, both having been spoiled by Marvel and teased. Doctor Doom at the end is now the Sorcerer Supreme and wants to further use his new powers to help fix the world. The remaining vampires themselves are changed too, no longer needing to be creatures of the night. Both are interesting and a nice ending and change from the never ending teases we’d get in comic events of the past.
The art by Pepe Larraz continues to be amazing. With color by Marte Gracia and Fer Sifuentes-Sujo and lettering by Cory Petit, the action is fierce. The visuals feel like a big budget film with multiple memorable moments and panels. There’s a lot of big, over the top action, but Larraz and the team are also able to focus in on some emotional moments that give the event some heart as well. The story is focused but grand as well and the art matches that.
Blood Hunt #5 is a fantastic finale to an event that has stood out. It has kept things interesting and surprising with every issue, keeping readers on their toes. The fallout from it should be intriguing and hopefully going forward, we get more events like this.
Story: Jed MacKay Art: Pepe Larraz
Color: Marte Gracia, Fer Sifuentes-Sujo Letterer: Cory Petit
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle
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
The Domain #1 (Image) – So this is the actual in-universe comic being put out by Syd Dallas in Chip Zdarsky’s Public Domain, and it’s a pretty good one. More sci-fi than superhero, Zdarsky and artist Rachel Stott chronicle the story of three space nerd friends who find alien tech and gain great abilities. Most of the issue focuses on them as people and their life’s struggles before the spaceship crashes, the action starts, and powerful forces are arrayed against them. I love that Stott goes away from the superhero ideal and gives the leads a diverse range of body types. This is a fun pickup for any fan of extraterrestrials. Overall: 8.2 Verdict: Buy
X-Men #1 (Marvel) – I literally just read the 2023 Hellfire Gala last weekend so maybe I’m not the best qualified to judge issue, or maybe I am because I haven’t been in the loop. Jed MacKay, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, and Marte Gracia relaunch the X-Books with Cyclops leading a team holed up in a decommissioned Sentinel factory in Alaska. The Scott Summers-led strikeforce fights an Orchis/AI/U-Men hybrids while trying to rescue Wolverine and six new mutants who aren’t what they seemed while a very non-war criminal Beast tries to smooth things over with the police chief. I think the U-Men is a great metaphor for this issue ; it’s a launch comic grafted from the parts of better eras in X-Men history, including Grant Morrison’s New X-Men (The Xorn/Glob Herman/U-Men of it all), Jason Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men (Quentin Quire and Idie’s relationship), and even the most recent Krakoa era with references to Orchis and a heroic Juggernaut. MacKay writes fun banter between unlikely pairings like Juggernaut and Magik, but the first enemy is boring. Also, when they’re introduced, it’s hard to follow Stegman and Mayer’s visuals although they excel at the big action splashes, or the issue’s few quieter moments like the police chief interacting with Beast, Xorn, and Glob Herman. X-Men #1 is a perfectly serviceable mutant comic and feels like a beat ’em up cartoon instead of exploring any deeper themes. Like a punning Magneto, seriously? Overall: 7.5 Verdict: Read
Kid Cudi Presents: Moon Man #3 (Image) – Scott Mescudi, Kyle Higgins, and Marco Locati slow down the pace for an issue to show protagonist Ramon’s feelings about the loss of his friend Glenn and also come to terms with basically everyone knowing about his abilities. In the age of social media and surveillance states/corporations, the secret ID is dead, and Mescudi and Higgins use this to raise the stake as Janus Corporation wants to harness Ramon’s abilities and are already working with his colleagues. My favorite part of Moon Man #3 is Ramon and an old NASA colleague Janelle (Maybe their relationship was deeper than that.) reminiscing about old times and the vastness of the universe like a philosophical Kid Cudi lyric. Igor Monti’s colors continue to be the best thing this comic has going for it from complex, rich night skies to a flat, loud palette for uses of superpowers. Overall: 8.0 Verdict: Buy (I purchased a copy.)
This is it. Krakoa is gone, Orchis has fallen… but the X-Men continue on. Now, split into multiple teams, Cyclops leads a team featuring Beast, Magneto, Psylocke, Kid Omega, Temper, Magik, and Juggernaut out of their new headquarters and home in Alaska. X-Men #1 kicks off the next era for the X-Men and the result is… ok.
Written by Jed MacKay, X-Men #1 is an interesting debut and start for the new mutant era. It’s a bit mixed in the results from the writing to the art, creating a rocky and disappointing start. The issue is packed with action but splits its time between a mission and an introduction to the new status-quo and headquarters. Cyclops leads his team against a break-off group from Orchis who sees the future as a merging of artificial intelligence, humanity, and mutants into something else. MacKay teases some intriguing concepts as these adults have been able to turn on their X-Gene and register as mutants while two individuals lurk in the shadows. It’s decent action with some bad dialogue and moments but also mixed with really great moments too. It’s a swing in quality that changes from page to page and panel to panel. It packs in a lot though. There’s references to past storylines for characters as well as teasing past romances. It’s not quite as new reader friendly as you’d expect with those diving in possibly feeling like they’re missing something. It does a lot of that with clunky dialogue that doesn’t feel natural for the moment and instead feels like its only goal is to drop a factoid.
Where that also comes is a tour of the new headquarters as Beast gives a tour to the local sheriff. We get a better idea of what has happened post-Krakoa literally building off of what has come before. There’s also an interesting mix of characters with Beast playing good cop to Magneto’s bad cop. Again, it teases some potential for what’s to come.
The art by Ryan Stegman is… just not good. I usually love Stegman’s work but this just doesn’t feel like his. With ink by JP Mayer and color by Marte Gracia, the art feels like a fill-in artist you’d get in-between story arcs. The characters look odd at times with Cyclops switching between stick thin and normal look and Juggernaut being inconsistent in looks. There’s a kinetic quality to the action sequences but this isn’t what I expected visually going into this and just doesn’t feel like Stegman’s usual high quality art. It’s like Stegman mixed with Romita.
X-Men #1 is a bump of a start. There’s aspects that are good and aspects that are bad but overall it feels like a lot of potential. It sets things out well and presents something that feels new to deal with. But overall, it feels like it attempts to balance the past, present, and future, and does so at the detriment of the experience. There’s a bit too much dwelling on the past and dancing around past plotlines instead of charting a new path for what’s to come instead of saving all of that for future issues. It’s a new era that feels like it has a foot in the past.
Story: Jed MacKay Art: Ryan Stegman
Ink: JP Mayer Color: Marte Gracia
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle
Right now, readers are experiencing one of the most brutal events in Marvel Comics history in Jed MacKay and Pepe Larraz’s Blood Hunt!
The saga kicked off last month as Earth was enveloped in darkness and overrun by hordes of vampires united for the first time in millennia by a new master—Blade! The opening issues saw the Avengers defeated by a band of super vampires known as the Blood Haven, heroes like Doctor Strange and Black Panther turned into blood suckers, and Bloodline, the daughter of Blade, tasked with taking her father down! Things have never been more dire, and the cost to reverse the world’s fate will have dramatic ramifications for the foreseeable future of Marvel storytelling. Today, fans can get a sneak peek at the startling finale, Blood Hunt #5, as well as check out all the covers, including Gabriele Dell’Otto’s full connecting piece that ran across all five issues.
Don’t miss the issue that will shape the next era of Marvel Comics! Preorder Blood Hunt #5 at your local comic shop today! It features covers by Larraz, Dell’Otto, Mahmud Asrar, Peach Momoko, and David Baldeon, and the colors by Marte Gracia.
