Tag Archives: Tom Napolitano

The Case of the Bleeding Wall #1 gets a new printing and new cover from Dustin Nguyen

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On September 20th, Dead Sky Publishing‘s The Case of the Bleeding Wall #1 hit comic shops on September 20 and quickly sold out. The publisher has announced a second printing, arriving in shops on January 24th with a new cover by Dustin Nguyen.

The second printing covers and variant cover pre-orders are available for pre-order which end on Monday, December 18. Readers are encouraged to visit their preferred comics shop to preorder.

The Case of the Bleeding Wall is the hit new comics series from Bram Stoker Award and Edgar Award-winning author Joe R. Lansdale and his daughter, author/country singer Kasey Lansdale, adapted by Kasey from their novel of the same title. They join forces with award-winning artist Daniele Serra and colorist Tom Napolitano to bring you Dana and Jana—the new dynamic duo of supernatural-er, supernormal sleuthing.

Outsiders #1 opens up a whole new world

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Outsiders #1

When I think of “Outsiders,” I think of a team put together by Batman to deal with threats outside of Gotham. But, that role is now taken by Batman, Inc., and beyond that generally having a “Bat” theme in the characters, the mission feels a bit similar. But, what about what’s unknown? The weird? That’s where this new Outsiders comes in, with Outsiders #1 planting a big flag and opening up worlds of possibilities.

Luke Fox is on a mission. His goal is to build a new organization to deal with the weird and dark corners of what’s out there. For that, he needs to build a team and the first recruit is Kate Kane… Batwoman. But, there’s actually another member already and their first mission is to deal with something buried under Antarctica. What’s buried there is a corner of DC… really Wildstorm’s… history.

Written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, Outsiders #1 is a lot of fun and an intriguing start. The trio of the team each bring a very solid aspect that makes this one to watch out for in the future and delivers a dynamic that feels a bit different than what else is out there. Overall, it kind of feels a bit X-Files but with superheroes, and that’s not a bad thing at all.

But, the biggest aspect is what’s teased throughout the issue and revealed at the end. The comic may be an re-introduction to some classic Wildstorm properties that have lingered in the DC vault. With the recent WildC.A.T.S. and Zealot’s inclusion in Birds of Prey, it’s clear DC is dusting off these characters and properties and figuring out how to integrate them properly in the DCU. But, that’s also a negative because if you don’t know what’s teased the impact isn’t quite as exciting. Still, it takes a fun debut issue and boosts it to the next level.

The art by Robert Carey is solid with color by Valentina Taddeo and lettering by Tom Napolitano. What’s key about Outsiders #1, beyond the action, is the scope of size of what’s discovered. The team really nails that down well giving us a feeling of just how tiny the characters are compared to where they are and in many ways it feels like a message that these characters are infinitesimal compared to the missions they’re about to undertake and world they’re about to dive in to. I’ll question why Kate’s snow gear has a cape, but beyond that, the designs and visuals are great taking us from varied locations and with varied characters, into a world that feels cohesive. The comic starts in a warzone but ends in an alien ship and it all feels like the same world.

Outsiders #1 is a fun start that delivers a dose of sci-fi superhero action. It teases a lot to come that may be a huge addition or shakeup to the DC Universe, but we’ll see how it all plays out. Until then, it’s a debut comic that’s a lot of fun and delivers a beginning that feels grand in its scope and ideas.

Story: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly Art: Robert Carey
Color: Valentina Taddeo Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

James Tynion IV and Michael Avon Oeming’s Blue Book returns with Blue Book: 1947

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Long before Betty and Barney Hill excited the public with their alien encounter story, there were years and years of suspected sightings and abductions. James Tynion IV, Michael Avon Oeming, Tom Napolitano, and Dark Horse Comics return with another deeply weird non-fiction tale exploring alien sightings in the upcoming comic, Blue Book: 1947.

In 1947, Kenneth Arnold flew his Call-Air A-2 over the skies of the Pacific Northwest when all of a sudden, he saw a blinding flash of silver light. What followed was a bizarre and difficult to explain encounter with several flying objects that would change the course of his life forever.

Blue Book: 1947 #1 is written by Tynion, illustrated by Oeming, and lettered by Napolitano. The first issue will also include six variant covers by artists Michael Avon Oeming, Fábio Moon, Michael Allred, Cully Hammer, Joe Quinones (1:10 virgin retailer incentive variant), and Christian Ward (1:10 virgin retailer incentive variant). One additional variant cover will be revealed at a later date.

Blue Book: 1947 #1 also includes a True Weird backup story by Zac Thompson, Gavin Fullerton, and Aditya Bidikar.

Blue Book: 1947 #1 (of 5) flies into comic shops on February 7, 2024. It is now available to pre-order for $4.99 at your local comic shop.

Knight Terrors: The Joker #2 continues the twisted laughs

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Knight Terrors: The Joker #2

In the summer event Knight Terrors, the world has been put to sleep. Heroes and villains have been fighting their nightmares, and readers have gotten to know the characters a little more. Knight Terrors: The Joker #2 has had the Joker living a life that’s pretty domestic. A job at Wayne Enterprises, he now has a wife and kid. The Joker’s nightmares have been terrifying and horrific…but what does the Clown Prince of Crime have locked away that might be the most disturbing reveal of the year?!

Written by Matthew Rosenberg, Knight Terrors: The Joker #2 has been twistedly fun and funny. Batman may or may not be dead but it’s the Joker fighting against his nature that delivers the most entertaining moments of the comic. Him dealing with HR, bosses, meetings, it all creates a comic that skewers the workplace and Batman and the Joker in general. An amazing sequence has the Joker going back and forth with Mr. Freeze about his name. A discussion about the Joker not being as much fun in the office. The Joker moonlighting. It all comes together for a comic that delivers laughs but also goes a bit deeper about the corporate grind.

The art by Stefano Raffaele with color by Romulo Fajardo Jr., and lettering by Tom Napolitano is fantastic. It creates a slight horrific vibe throughout the comic without being distracting. There’s a slight twisted take and look to it all that reminds you it’s a dream and fits that concept so well. Mix it together that this is the Joker’s mind we’re in and the end result is a comic that nails its concept like no other. It fits so well in every way.

Knight Terrors: The Joker #2 is an excellent comic that works so well on its own, separate from the event. There’s a twisted humor about it all. It’s a comic where you’ll laugh but not want to because it’s so out there… in a good way. There’s also a fantastic underlying gutting of the corporate drone world. All together, this is an event tie-in that stands out from the pack.

Story: Matthew Rosenberg Art: Stefano Raffaele
Color: Romulo Fajardo Jr. Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

Jessica Harrow goes to Hell in BOOM!’s hit Grim #11

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BOOM! Studios has revealed a first look at Grim #11, the first issue of a new story arc in the hit bestselling comic book series from acclaimed writer Stephanie Phillips, fan favorite artist Flaviano, colorist Rico Renzi, and letterer Tom Napolitano, as Jessica Harrow and her fellow Reapers face new gods, beasts, and dangers in the underworld and beyond.

While Jess, Lilah, and Eddie feel the touch of hellfire for the first time ever, Jess begins to build an army as fears of an all out war arise, and knows it will be up to her to take back the Afterlife! But sometimes Hell is all it’s cracked up to be, as Marcel finds himself torturously reunited with his lover.

Grim #11 features main cover art by series artist Flaviano, and variant cover art by acclaimed illustrators Zu Orzu, Baldemar Rivas, DANI, and Tonči Zonjić. Coming to shops July 5th!

Grim #11

Grim #11 Gets a Variant Cover by Tonči Zonjić

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BOOM! Studios has revealed Tonči Zonjić‘s variant cover of Grim #11. The issue kicks off a new story arc in the hit bestselling comic book series from acclaimed writer Stephanie Phillips, fan favorite artist Flaviano, colorist Rico Renzi, and letterer Tom Napolitano, as Jessica Harrow and her fellow Reapers face new gods, beasts, and dangers in the underworld and beyond.

While Jess, Lilah, and Eddie feel the touch of hellfire for the first time ever, Jess begins to build an army as fears of an all out war arise, and knows it will be up to her to take back the Afterlife! But sometimes Hell is all it’s cracked up to be, as Marcel finds himself torturously reunited with his lover.

Grim #11 features main cover art by series artist Flaviano, and variant cover art by acclaimed illustrators Zu Orzu, Baldemar Rivas, and DANI with Tamra Bonvillain. Coming to shops on July 5th.

Tonči Zonjić's Grim #11 variant cover

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 is a solid start

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Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1

When you see the title “The Brave and the Bold,” there’s a certain panache that comes with it. It’s a classic style that has a lot of positive memories around it. Thankfully, this latest iteration has a solid start delivering four stories, not all of them having to do with Batman. Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 might have “Batman” in the title, but there’s far more than that inside.

Kicking off with “Batman: The Winning Card,” the anthology really sets the tone for what’s to come. Written by Tom King with art by Mitch Gerads, and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the story involves the early days of the Joker as Gordon and the GCPD have to protect and individual and his diamond who have been threatened that it’ll be stolen and he’ll die by midnight. But, King gives so much more with peaks into the Joker as he talks to a young girl in a park. Since it’s early, she doesn’t know the evil she’s interacting with creating a back and forth that’s tense. You expect the worst at any moment. It’s a hell of a start for Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 that sets a high bar for the rest. Thankfully, the rest is pretty solid. The art is fantastic with a style that fits the tension of it all perfectly.

Writer Ed Brisson is joined by Jeff Spokes on art and Saida Temofonte on lettering for “Stormwatch: Down with the Kings.” Stormwatch is reintroduced in the DC Universe as they need to complete a mission involving an incarcerated villain. It’s a new team with a new attitude and while the basics are there as far as Stormwatch, a lof the details are changed up, especially the team. With the reintroduction of WildC.A.T.s this team’s integration with the DCU feels perfectly timed and done in a similar way that works really well.

Superman gets an intriguing story, “Superman: Order of the Black Lamp.” Written by Christopher Cantwell with art by Javier Rodriguez, and lettering by Simon Bowland, the story has a bit of a throwback quality to it. Superman discovers a ring and travels to a mysterious place while also needing to turn in a hell of a story to lift paper sales for The Daily Planet. There’s something rather nice about it all, with no hint of malice or dark aspects to it. It takes on the cheery nature of Superman including the art which has a nice style about it that feels both familiar and new.

Wrapping things up is “Heroes of Tomorrow” by Dan Mora with lettering by Tom Napolitano. We get a Batman of the future battling it out to protect two kids. The art is amazing with this one and there’s just something fun and cute about how it ends, leaving readers to see what’s next.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 is a solid start to the series featuring a nice mix of stories that are fun and feature some great art. Why “Batman” is in the title is a bit of a headscratcher, especially if it features far more than just Batman and his family. Overall though, it’s a great read and one that’s a definite buy. It’s a rate anthology where every story is top notch and something to get even if they were on their own.

Story: Tom King, Ed Brisson, Christopher Cantwell, Dan Mora
Art: Mitch Gerads, Jeff Spokes, Javier Rodriguez, Dan Mora
Color: Mitch Gerads, Jeff Spokes, Javier Rodriguez
Letterer: Clayton Cowles, Saida Temofonte, Simon Bowland, Tom Napolitano
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

Check out Dave Johnson’s Grim Reaper Pack Connecting Covers

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BOOM! Studios has revealed new variant connecting cover art by highly acclaimed artist Dave Johnson for the Grim Reaper Pack #1, a limited edition collection of the first five issues of the original comic book series Grim from acclaimed writer Stephanie Phillips, fan favorite artist Flaviano, colorist Rico Renzi, and letterer Tom Napolitano, with a story about a young woman with a macabre job and a mysterious death to solve . . . her own! Available May 2023.

Whether you missed out on the widely sold out early issues of Grim or are just an avid collector, this limited edition Grim Reaper Pack of issues #1-5 will never be resurrected with a reprint, so don’t let it slip away into the afterlife! Featuring 5 brand new, exclusive covers by highly acclaimed artist Dave Johnson, Jessica Harrow’s introduction has never looked so alive!

The GRIM REAPER PACK #1 will be available for sale on May 31, 2023.

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