August 17, 2022
Caroline's Picks:
Dark Spaces Wildfire #2 - Scott Synder always knows how to have me hooked back into a story in just a few panels. It's Ignition time and the ladies of the 513 have planned and thought and planned some more and thought some more and they're finally ready to steal some cryptocurrency. But you know what they say about the best laid plans right? It seems that Ma does, and despite everything going right she can't help the nagging feeling inside her that there's a flare up just waiting for them on the other side. There's a few tiny bumps in their climb but overall it's going well, nobody got eaten by a lion so that's good. It's nice to see the ladies succeed and relax, even if they aren't society's best of the bunch they work so hard and gritty work. Sometimes even they need a few minutes to just be humans again. Time for some fancy rich man's champagne to celebrate their success then, after all there's always champagne in a rich man's house!
Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight #1 - More Ms. Marvel content please, I. Very much here for the hype that has been growing behind her character lately, and a little Moon Knight… well I was gonna say never hurt anybody but we know that's not true, but he sure is fun to spend some time with if you aren't a bad guy. This next issue in the Ms. Marvel team up mini series is just as good as the first in my opinion. They’ve done an excellent job tying the plot from the first issue into this one, making the one-shots a nice story to be told if you’re interested in grabbing them all. My one complaint about this issue is the lack of time our two titular characters actually spend together, it makes sense given how different their morals and work hours are but I was hoping to see more sass between the two like we did in the first Moon Knight Black, White & Blood story with Spider-Man. But it's not enough to turn me off the whole mini series and with the introduction of our new villain it's definitely not one to skip if you intende of getting the Venom team up issue either.
Barbaric Axe to Grind #1 - I have been not so patiently waiting for this series to come back, 3 issues for the first volume and a one shot between was not nearly enough of our blood guzzling drunken Axe for me. But now our Owen is back, his trusty (and mouthy) Axe at his side, Steel the newest to join their crew, and of course their favorite tatted up necromancer Soren is still in the mix as well. The first scene of this new volume is as violent and graphic as any fan of the first could hope for. Giant Vampires vs the gang: magic, blood, and quips abound for the next few pages and we are right back into the swing of things as if we'd never taken a break in the series. It doesn't seem like Vampire blood is the best for Axe but that's just fine because those tattoo weapons their necromancer is covered in: 10/10 sneak usage. The D&D player in me is dying to find a way to create a character like her. Once they get past the undead giants their real problems begin, a ghost of their past is back and Owen and Steel are going to have to face, again, him if the world is to be remain as it is now. And Owen is pouting about it. Can I have the next chapter already please? One issue into the new arc and Barbaric is still one of my favorite series to date.
Heart Eyes #1 - I'm always down to try out an interesting post apocalypse series and I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this one. Instead of nukes or war that ends the world its monster. They attack everyone, everywhere with no discrimination. The world tries to ban together to stop them but it's futile, in the end it's not enough and the few survivors that remain are just trying to stay alive. Enter Lupe, seemingly the ditsiest and most unaware person this world has ever seen and somehow she's lasted this long out in the open simply wandering around. Luckily she's gets picked up by the oh so gentlemanly Rico and invited into his groups underground system. The rest don't seem to take so kindly to her arrival, and they can't seem to make any sense of the fact the she's been able to survive for so long alone. Much like Hulk showing Cap his secrets secrets staying calm, Lupe is about to show them her secret for being avoided. But will they really believe her?
Diarra's Picks:
Batman One Bad Day: The Riddler - If this issue is a sign of what’s to come, I’m definitely sticking with the One Bad Day series. I say series but in reality One Bad Day will be 8 one-shots, each highlighting one of Batman’s biggest foes! This issue Tom King and Mitch Gerads get together again to deliver us a Riddler tale. I think I’ve sung enough of Tom King’s praises in these reviews, but it’s Gerads' color work that transports us to the dark violent city that is Gotham. The One Bad Day covers give a nod to The Killing Joke, and it’s confirmed in this issue, this is the same universe! Besides the similar panel designs, Riddler references Joker’s brutal attack of Barbara in attempts to rattle Gordon during an interrogation. Riddler is in the hot seat after killing a man in broad daylight, but what really makes this unusual was the lack of a riddle. Which means, Riddler is no longer playing by the same rules…so Batman can’t either! Next month, a new creative team will bring us a Two-Faced tale, and I can’t wait!
Trve Kvlt #1 - I’ve been looking forward to this book since the preview dropped, and they did not disappoint! As far as a realistic look into fast food/dead end jobs, and the frustrations of being stuck in a rut, they nail it. Marty Tarantula has been working for the Burger Lord franchise for 15 years, and knows something has got to change. After finding a gun in the parking lot of the restaurant (as a former fast-food worker, this is totally plausible) Marty knows now he has the means to change his situation…well it takes a couple years to decide, and to plan the perfect heist! In order to keep a solid alibi, Marty decides to execute his plan during his break, and after 15 years at Burger Lord, he knows what surrounding businesses to hit. Everything goes relatively smoothly, and he even gets bonus loot when he steals a package from a mail truck! But that unplanned package, could be Marty’s downfall. Turns out, that package was meant for Satan (the one and the same), and Marty can kiss the boring life he had before goodbye!
Dark Spaces: Wildfire #2 - The first issue got me hooked, and now we rejoin this team of badass firefighting lady convicts! Last issue, we met the 4 inmates and their chaperone as they fought wildfires for a prison work release program. One of the inmates realizes they are near a former employer’s safe house…a safe house that is about to get burnt to a crisp. So they devise a plan to hit the safe house during their next trip out to the woods, and that’s where this issue begins. The first issue eludes to a not so happy ending, but so far so good! They are able to bypass the alarms, begin their crypto currency download, and even have some extra time to play dress up. While they snoop around they come across a bit of a complication in the for of a dead woman in the wine cellar. The prison officer was able to compartmentalize her morals when it came to stealing what was going to be destroyed in a fire anyway, but can she really turn a blind eye to murder? Things are heating up in Dark Spaces, and you have to pick up a copy!
K'S Picks:
Do A Powerbomb #3 - From off the top rope we're back with probably the coolest series to hit the shelves! It's hard to find a series that hits that itch for the Wrestlemania bug, but like always, Do A Powerbomb delivers with a lariat to the chin. I was waiting with anticipation for this release after the last issue's cliffhanger, and I was far from disappointed. What other series has our main characters fighting orangutans in a wrestler's tag match to resurrect their loved one? Also ,the finishing moves... my goodness are they drawn masterfully here with creativity and style to boot. I was jumping out of my desk seeing these ring- shaking tag moves. Hopefully the fights stay hot blooded and let's not miss a single chance to bust out a killer powerbomb!
Flavor Girls #2 - This comic has taken a backseat on the action angle and has taken the time to show us e that you gotta work hard AND be strong to be a Flavor Girl! What I enjoy the most about this comic is that there's a lot at stake here with Sara being the last member of the team. With everyone around her pushing her to be better, only time will tell when she can really step up next issue. What's more, we've been introduced to a lot of themes and layers to the Agartha and their reasons for targeting earth. I still have a lot of questions about the Flavor Girls in question but I'm more than positive that the answers will come up soon enough. I really love that there's people who are far from being Flavor Girls who still hang around the temple and lend a hand in different ways, it really fleshes out the small details on how things get done.
Edge of Spider-Verse #2 - Time for the Spider-Girls to hit the spotlight, or in this case, would it be the weblight? Anyway, there's something I need to get off my chest here - best design goes to Spider-UK hands down! Don't get it wrong, Gwen is and always will be the new age Spider-girl but nothing compares to that awesome bio electricity angle they pull off with the newer webheads. What's going on with this fate business Madam Web keeps talking about? At this point I'm willing to accept anything after seeing a webslinging T-rex. To get a little deeper on what's going on, the primal thread branching from Loomworld has been spun by the first spider. This brings us to Anna-May Parker, the daughter of Peter and MJ, who tsuprisingly has been caught by Shathra! Maybe this is the threat Web was talking about or maybe things will escalate further!