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

Ultimate Wolverine #12 (Marvel) – Ultimate Wolverine #12 is pure revenge. Chris Condon, Alessandro Cappuccio, and Bryan Valenza make it burn like a slug of whiskey to the back of your throat. With the whole supporting cast of the book killed off, Wolverine stands alone against Directorate X, its scientists, goons, and mutants and makes his presence known slash and swearing through this book’s runtime. After all the trauma and false hope he’s undergone, Ultimate Wolverine #12 hits with a powerful wave of catharsis with the Phoenix specimen playing a key role in the comic. (And probably in the future of the Ultimate Universe because talk about a big gun.) It feels good to watch Wolverine decapitate Sentinels and stab Colossus in the face while Moscow burns around him, and this comics ends up being one of the best in the series because of its focus on simple, effective brutality. Overall: 8.2 Verdict: Buy

Ultimate Spider-Man #23 (Marvel) – All the plot threads that Jonathan Hickman has been building in two years of this title collide in Ultimate Spider-Man #23, but Spidey’s tenacious heart still beats beneath the noise. Facial expressions have been Marco Chechetto and David Messina‘s calling card throughout the comic, and they do a lot of the heavy lifting as Peter Parker goes into action to save his son from the Kingpin’s tower while he’s trying to take down the Kingpin per Otto Octavius’ instructions. I live for the side eye that Peter’s daughter May gives Doc Ock. There are about 4-5 plotlines going in this series, but Hickman uses the classic throughline of the hero’s choice contrasting Harry Osborn and Peter Parker. This mirroring of Spider and Goblin is a great callback to the Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley Ultimate Spider-Man as well as the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, but Ultimate Spider-Man #23 makes an original recipe out of some tasty ingredients. Overall: 9.2 Verdict: Buy

Street Sharks #3 (IDW Publishing) – Stephanie Williams, Ariel Medel, and Valenatina Pinto show that the Street Sharks are more brain than brawn (But they have good hearts!) in the third episode of this series. Fitting for this time of the year, the plot is college football related as the Street Sharks blending in with the shark costume-sporting fans of Fission University. It’s so wholesome to watch the Sharks interact and be complimented by their fellow students, and Jab even gets to help a young girl be reunited with her mother in a sequence that establishes him a truly selfless hero. Of course, there’s the over the top fight scenes, and Williams escalates the series’ overarching plot big time. Street Sharks continues to be an updated Saturday morning cartoon delight. Overall: 8.4 Verdict: Buy

Circus Maximus #2 (Mad Cave) – Mark Sable, Giorgio Pontrelli, and Emilio Lecce‘s Circus Maximus #2 has a really cool concept, but far too many fragmented sub plots to be a hit as an ancient Roman crime thriller. The main premise of a class warfare-driven heist right under the nose of Emperor Nero and his Praetorian Guard because everyone is watching a chariot race (Featuring the getaway driver as a participant.) at Hippodrome is very compelling, especially as Sable connects the caper to the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE. However, there are a lot of moving parts, and some storytelling issues in transitions between scenes like when the aforementioned getaway driver becomes a gladiator. Also, a lot of the time, it feels like Mark Sable and Pontrelli glommed on a few concepts from Roman every day life and zeroed in on those at the expense of the big picture. Hopefully, the story improves, but the foundation of the thriller is definitely wobbly. Overall: 6.0 Verdict: Pass

Absolute Batman #15 (DC) – Scott Snyder, Jock, and Frank Martin do the nigh-impossible and put a fresh, frightening spin on the Clown Prince of Crime in Absolute Batman #15. The story is framed by Alfred telling a fish story about a family called the Grimms, but each version gets darker and more nefarious until the big double page reveal of a baddie that could easily be the Absolute Batman’s arch-nemesis. I love how Snyder and Jock root the Absolute Joker in history, capitalism, and even the history of the entertainment industry as a primal, immortal source of pure evil. Also, in the deepest knife twist of all, he’s very similar to the main DC Universe’s Bruce Wayne. Because billionaires are the real supervillains. Overall: 10 Verdict: Buy