March 15th, 2023
Caroline's Picks:
Multiversity: Harley Screws Up the DCU #1 - It is officially Harley’s turn to hop on the doppelganger/ alternate universe version of herself meet-up. Harley is finally back in Coney Island after living it up with the bat-family for a hot minute, and her Gang of Harley’s has missed her dearly. They’ve also caused a ton of chaos while she was away, but they managed to clean most of it up so really no harm no foul, except that one time… But Harley is finally back to take her place as leader of the pack, and to chow down on some Coney dogs too while she’s at it. One quick pass through her bills and incoming restraining orders lets Harley know she’s got a big inheritance waiting for her. Just down the street in an old warehouse is lots and lots of junk that an old stage magician used to own. Once Harley’s dear fan is now hoping she can find some use of their old tricks. And Harley being Harley she absolutely has to try out the Way Back Machine, and Harley being Harley absolutely nothing goes the way she expects. When she steps out she's still in the warehouse but things are different… much more Starro and much less humanity living on its own. Lucky for Harley she’s got herself looking out for her, ready to fix everything she broke by traveling in time.
Hellcat #1 - Patsy Walker has been through hell and back lately. Literally. She’s undergone some intense transformations and been a wielder of power well beyond any human, super or not. Now she’s trying to take a break, play it safe and spend time with loved ones. So imagine her surprise when she suddenly realizes where she is, in the back of a cop car. Handcuffed and on the way to the station for murdering her kinda boyfriend. Patsy has a lot to make up for and plenty in her history to explain but the brutal death of Spalding Graham is not something she can even begin to explain. She’s been powerless for weeks and feeling lost in the world without them. Now she doesn’t know who she can trust, if she can even trust herself, and her coping mechanisms have her uninterested in reaching out to her old hero pals for help. With a little luck, but who are we kidding, the clue she’s found will start her journey towards redemption in everyone's eyes.
Monarch #2 - This series is getting more and more intense with each page and the twists the creative team keeps dropping are more than welcome. This second issue focuses on the greater worldbuilding of this series universe as well as helping the reader get to know the family that Travon grew up in, and where he’s really from. His friends and family have noted a few times that Travon is different, he just got something that everyone else doesn’t and that something is going to keep him safe and on his path forward no matter what. But boy oh boy do they not realize how right they are. Travon is not of our world at all, he’s a member of an alien species whose planet died leading them to search for a new world to call home. Enter Earth: a planet with a compatible atmosphere and plenty of species already living on it. Some quick recon lets them realize that the people of Earth aren’t likely to be the most welcoming to a foreign species from space coming to live with them. So they do the rational thing and disguise one of their own to learn absolutely everything they can about us. That’s definitely going to end well for humanity.
Harrower #2 - What type of teenage horror story exists without at least one party ruined by the big evil guy scene? Not this one for sure. While half of the friend group went to the party to try and get some help, Reed and Alex stayed behind to wait for a truck to tow them home. Reed, of course, had other ideas. And after helping the Harrower ‘save’ Alex hes headed to the party, to his friends and to join the fun. He’s got some nice lies lined up about the phones being out and Alex not being with him. And everyone is good and inebriated and not really bothering to worry anymore. And that's when the lights go dark. It’s interesting to see just how few people actually take the Harrower myth to be real, often used to make fun of people's normal fears like the dark. What a surprise everyone is in for when Isaac comes back from turning on the lights. Reed has led his friends into a giant sacrifice of sorts, and no one is safe. Except maybe his girlfriend. But that doesn’t mean she wants any part of this.
K's Picks:
Red Goblin #2 - The Goblin Nation strikes again, but this time, they're more vicious than ever! Can the Red Assassin finish the job and rescue a familiar face? I don't know if it's just me, but the art is a lot more dynamic this time around. There's lots of insane panel work and a nice flow of energy with each page turn. Obviously, there's only so much you can do with the medium but I'd be lying if I said I didn't appreciate the skill and art. Norman Osborne got kidnapped by a goblin cult and his grandson, Normie, is a kid clad in a suit of pure red Carnage symbiote. Everything happening so far has been nothing but pure insanity and one really dope idea after another. The concept of the suit changing form to "goblin mode" is a really cool idea and we see that Normie is really gearing to let loose next issue! This issue let's us in on how the Goblin King (aka Phil Urich) made his mysterious return last issue. Apparently, the goblin formula can just reverse cell death "partially" and as a result, the grand return of the Goblin Nation is underway. This issue's encounter and what's to come got me more than just a little hyped!
Hellcat #1 - Best issue this week hands down and I'm so pumped to get more! Hellcat (aka Patsy Walker) has a very interesting history. She went from model to Avenger, to marrying the son of Satan. It goes without saying that she's seen it all. The character was never someone I felt was acknowledged in the current stream of Marvel comics but her character is terrific. Iron man and Hellcat explored a side to Patsy we weren't so familiar with, and I'm happy to say it's on full display this issue. If you enjoy a dark/tragic perspective on the harsh life of a broken hero then look no further! We start off six years into the past. A young Patsy chasing after her father who for some reason or another leaves the child traumatized and alone with her mother. It's evident that this was the first crucial moment in her life. From there we fast forward to Patsy bloody and arrested, presumably for murder! It's a really heavy issue - Patsy is battling her demons, and drowning said demons in booze. There's a short reflection on Stark's relationship with alcohol, which I love seeing explored with such a smooth and dark art style. We also see an old face and more of Patsy's past. It's really all I could have asked for from a comic.
Darkwing Duck #3 - The epic adventures of everyone's favorite caped duck continue! Last time left off with Darkwing, now formally known Drake Mallard, giving up on the hero life and living a mundane existence. This was the big conclusion last issue, and it stemmed from Drake's fear of his only daughter's safety. There's a lot going on - farmers are disappearing, Launchpad is the sidekick to a super villain, and Drake & Morgana are living together! There's a lot of crazy things happening, and at the center of it all we see this life of Mallard's is missing something, and that's Darkwing! There's no dangerous adventures and his life is normal! I love when a story commits to an idea and just restrains the urge to go back on things. DW is gone and we see what kind of impact it has on the world. With the growing danger of Bushroot in the background I wonder how this story will continue from here?