Spirit World #6 (of 6)
(W) Alyssa Wong (A) Haining
In Shops: Oct 31, 2023
SRP: $3.99
Xanthe, Constantine, and Batgirl realize that only one other person has defeated the monster who’s been collecting spirits by taking their memories…and it’s the person who’s responsible for creating the joss-paper money, the original currency of the Spirit World!
Spirit World #6 (of 6)
(W) Alyssa Wong (A) Haining
In Shops: Oct 31, 2023
SRP: $3.99
Xanthe, Constantine, and Batgirl realize that only one other person has defeated the monster who’s been collecting spirits by taking their memories…and it’s the person who’s responsible for creating the joss-paper money, the original currency of the Spirit World!
Spirit World #5 (of 6)
(W) Alyssa Wong (A) Haining
In Shops: Sep 26, 2023
SRP: $3.99
The Collective is hungry to collect more spirits and bodies to absorb, making it an even scarier and more powerful being, but it is not enough…so it begins to chase after the most delicious of memories. Bowen and Po Po get taken by the Collective, and it’s up to Xanthe and BatgirI to pull them out of its conjoined body parts before they get melded on as well–permanently! As Po Po fights to hold on to her memories as much as possible, we discover her secret origin and why she has such a soft spot for orphans…
Spirit World #4 (of 6)
(W) Alyssa Wong (A) Haining
In Shops: Aug 08, 2023
SRP: $3.99
FEATURING CONSTANTINE! Cass Cain, Batgirl, has died before, and it seems the spirits of the Spirit World met her when she passed through before being revived by the Lazarus Pit…but then how come she doesn’t remember being there? Then, as Constantine’s memories start to fade after being in the Spirit World for too long, he begins to turn on Xanthe, who needs to find a way back to the land of living or Constantine will be a permanent resident of the land of the dead…either way, time’s running out!
Spirit World #3 (of 6)
(W) Alyssa Wong (A) Haining
In Shops: Jul 11, 2023
SRP: $3.99
Xanthe and Constantine find a one-way ticket to the Spirit World and must interrogate spirits to find Batgirl…but how do you do that without alerting the spirits that there’s a human walking among them? Then, Cass and Popo go to a friend of Bowen’s in hopes of finding a way back into the living—a fox spirit who has a secret of his own…
It was new comic book day yesterday! What did you all get? Like? Dislike? Sound off in the comments. While you think about that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web to start the day.
Boing Boing – Check out this awesome video of John Romita Sr and Jr drawing together featuring Stan Lee – This is some cool history.
ICv2 – How Webtoons Are Changing the Comics Economy – How many of you read Webtoons?
Smash Pages – Nominees announced for the 2023 Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award – Congrats and good luck to all.
Reviews
Comicbook – Black Panther #1
Collected Editions – Harley Quinn Vol. 2: Keepsake
Atomic Junk Shop – Karman Line
Comicbook – Klik Klik Boom #1
Comicbook – Spirit World #2
CBR – Void Rivals #1
Spirit World #2 (of 6)
(W) Alyssa Wong (A) Haining
In Shops: Jun 13, 2023
SRP: $3.99
With Cassandra Cain still stuck in the Spirit World, Xanthe and Constantine are hoping the one portal they’ve found (which is quickly closing) is their one-way ticket to the land of the dead to help rescue Batgirl! Cass has made two spirit friends along the way who have given her a special cloak that helps mask her living-flesh stench to keep the other spirits from eating her…but can they be trusted? And hey, what’s in this tea that they just gave her…?!
It was new comic book day yesterday! What’d everyone get? What’d you like? Sound off in the comments below. While you think about that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web.
ICv2 – Kodansha Digital Manga App Launches in U.S. with 400 Titles – A nice amount of titles.
Reviews
Comicbook – Amazing Spider-Man #25
CBR – Amazing Spider-Man #25
Collected Editions – Batman & Robin Adventures Vol. 3
Comicbook – Ghostlore #1
CBR – Green Lantern #1
Comicbook – Green Lantern #1
CBR – Silk #1
CBR – Spirit World #1
I am not typically a DC Comics reader, but when I heard that Alyssia Wong, writer of Doctor Aphra and Deadpool was going to write a new book over at DC starring an entirely new character well, my interest was piqued. So here we are! Spirit World #1 is by Alyssa Wong, artist Haining, colorist Sebastian Cheng, and letterer Janice Chiang. Spinning out of Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1 the book stars the new nonbinary hero Xanthe Zhou, who has the uncanny ability to turn paper origami into tangible objects with the snap of their fingers!
As mentioned above Spirit World #1 is picking up the story from Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1. The issue gives the necessary context but ends up a little disjointed if you haven’t read the preceding issue. Ideally, Number #1’s are supposed to be a jumping-on point. It’s disappointing to see this issue assume you’ve read an entirely different comic that sets up this one. One of my favorite aspects of Wong’s work on Doctor Aphra was how queer the main cast is. So it’s exciting to see this book starring a non-binary hero. The issue features Cassandra Kane aka Batgirl and John Constantine alongside Xanthe. Batgirl is trapped in the Spirit World while Xanthe and Constantine work to rescue her.
In my eyes, the real draw of the issue comes with the art. Wong and Haining craft the wonderfully vibrant spirit world. It’s simply breathtaking, it feels vibrant and alive. Alive is the best word for the art of Spirit World #1. Every background is so detailed and gives off a lived-in sense. The action sequencing is dynamic and well presented as Batgirl runs around the Spirit World.
Spirit World #1 is an exciting first issue with amazing art and a somewhat rocky narrative. Luckily the issue ends on an interesting hook which I’m excited to see play out as this series unfolds.
Story: Alyssa Wong Art: Haining
Color: Sebastian Cheng Letterer: Janice Chiang
Story: 8.5 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle
Spirit World #1 (of 6)
(W) Alyssa Wong (A/CA) Haining
In Shops: May 09, 2023
SRP: $3.99
From the pages of Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate, a new Chinese hero emerges who’s able to travel to and from the Spirit World, the realm of the dead, and that of the living. Their name is Xanthe, and their superpower is being able to burn items folded from joss paper and immediately turn them into real objects, based on the East Asian practice of burning joss paper at graveyards in order to send resources to ancestors in the Spirit World…except Xanthe can retrieve those items in the world of the living! Their weapon of choice is a large broadsword (because who doesn’t love a big sword when you can choose to use a big sword?!). Xanthe is a master of the dark arts who’s here to give Constantine a run for his money…literally. When Constantine shows up saying Xanthe scammed him into buying something, he finds them and Batgirl Cass Cain fighting an abnormal influx of jiangshi (Chinese hopping vampires) and joins in to help. But when a portal opens up that drags Batgirl into the Spirit World, it’s up to Xanthe and Constantine to travel to the land of the spirits to rescue her! Who knows what other spirits we’ll find in the Spirit World-like that skateboarding boy wearing hanfu with some headphones and a gaping hole in his chest?!
