March 30th, 2021

Caroline's Picks:

Silk #3 - I think we can all relate to the frustration and exhaustion after a long day, though the ancient witch on the loose maybe not so much. Back at work J Jonah Jameson is all riled up over Silk’s latest appearance, he needs MORE SILK CONTENT! I’m beginning to wonder when Cindy will go all Spider-Man and start giving him content she shoots herself for him. She’s got more time to think it over while helping her friend pack and a quick chat about ‘minions’ and followers (lets not forget Cindy still doesn’t quite understand social media) gives Cindy that lightbulb moment she needs to connect the dots on the witch, turns out she’s actually been looking for Silk herself. Insert one tragic backstory and we see just why she is determined to draw the energy from every powerful person in the world, only this time starting with a few social media stars. Her next target is Silk and the power she gets for those that support her.
  
Step by Bloody Step #2 - I am so ready to be brought back into this wonderful and weird world of Step by Bloody Step. Once again the stunning interior art is front and center, letting us dive in deep to the landscapes and really feel the world our main character has been growing up in. It looks like some time has passed, our girl is a little bit older, still under the protection of her guard robot. Of course she's still being searched all over, no stone left unturned (or unexploded) by our big bads. After one extra dicey attack and a literal cliffhanger moment we see the most amazing thing happen. Turns out our girl is a little magical, just one drop of her blood is able to spring life into some vines and create a massive plant where once hardly anything stood. Of course this brings new danger to her life once the big bads find out. Now it's time for her to be on the move again, hopefully far far away from the next planned attack but nothing seems to be going her way does it? Maybe the next place will be safer.
  
Iron Fist #2 - The follow up issue to the new Iron Fist series wastes absolutely no time getting right back into the action! Lin Lie and Mei Min are working together to battle demons sent by Chiyou the Dark Destroyer to gather the last remaining shard of Lin Lie's broken sword. And while he's still surging with his new found powers and managing his Chi you'd be a fool to think he's gonna let that last piece get away from him. Back with some of the Defenders Danny is still trying to figure out who this new kid with his powers is, how he's getting between worlds and just what his mission is. And it sounds like Danny might finally have a plan of action for how to get a conversation with him. But Lin has much bigger fish to fry waiting for him back on the other side.
  
Aquamen #2 - Jackson seems less than enthused to be working with his dear old dad to solve whatever is wrong with Atlantis. He genuinely does not trust him and the moment he opens his mouth things go from bad to worse and Jackson decides he’ll do what needs to be done alone, without having ‘that man’ by his side. It’s time for him to do his own digging, and he’s starting with Arthur and his newfound truth of his enemy. Jackson is calling a family meeting, minus Arthur, to check out the body Manta was working on and to get to the bottom of just why Manta and Arthur would ever work together. Turns out Arthur has been acting weird lately, couple that with these weird Atlantean markings reading ‘Atlantis Remembers’ followed by a specific date found at a crime scene just that morning and things are looking like they’re going to go from bad to worse.
  

Diarra's Picks:

X-Men Unlimited: Latitude #1 - Jonathan Hickman and Declan Shalvey now present…Wolverine in space! Some how A.I.M. has managed to infiltrate S.W.O.R.D.‘s orbiting headquarters and have abducted three mutants. Wolverine was given the task of rescuing them. Logan knows what it’s like to be experimented on, and will stop at nothing to get them back to Krakoa. First mutant to get saved turns out to be Night Crawler, not a bad ally to have on a stealth mission. Things don’t go as smoothly as expected, but now they’re two down and one mutant to go. Word travels fast about Wolverine’s mission and A.I.M. moves the last mutant to a secret location, but I already frickin’ told you guys nothing will stop him! If you want more Latitude, they’ll be turning more of these digital runs into single issues soon.
  
Ghost Rider #2 - Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider have managed to escape the mental prison they have been locked in, but neither have their memories back. Before, Johnny could turn on and off when he became Ghost Rider, now it’s like they are two separate people. After waking up in a field, Johnny tries to rest up at a motel in attempts to piece together his past and decide his future. No luck on the rest though, turns out the motel owner is not only a total creep, but has a demon cave under the motel. I mean, what are the chances! Since his imprisonment, word spread around the underworld, the streets were no longer protected by the Spirit of Vengeance. Looks like Big G.R. is going to catch a lot of hellspawns slippin’, but he is the one who is being followed!
  
Something Is Killing The Children #21 - After the House of Slaughter prequel series, it’s nice to return to the main story and back by Erica’s side. She has moved on, but don’t worry she has found a new town riddled with monsters. Hopefully she has better luck with cracking the only witness than the local police did. After a noise complaint, an unlucky officer arrives to find a family slaughtered in the spa they own. The officer can’t understand why Gabi, a grade school aged girl and only witness, won’t tell him what she saw. Even when he explained they have her on video arriving after the crime, she still fears they will pin the whole thing on her. The police rationalize her behavior as a trauma response. I mean, she is traumatized fo-sho, but the truth is, she doesn’t know how to explain what she saw or worries if she did no one would believe her. That’s where Erica comes in!
  

Stone's Picks:

Batman: One Dark Knight #2 - Batman has only 3.8 miles left to go until he reaches Blackgate with an E.M.P., but with rival gangs of all sorts hunting them down the journey proves more trouble than expected. Jock is delivering on both fronts with a great story that reminds me of movies like The Warriors and even greater art that has the Dark Knight looking better than ever. This issue felt like it was a little rushed to me. With only one issue left for Batman to restore power to the city and prevent irreparable harm to Gotham, I hope it doesn’t miss the mark.
   
Ghost Rider #2 - Anytime Ghost Rider is on the shelf you can expect a review. What I really like with this new series is that it’s focusing on evil that’s set in the real world. Instead of a big intergalactic threat it’s a creep who owns a motel filled with one way mirrors. Sure he’s sacrificing people to an actual demon lurking beneath the establishment, but who's to say that’s not happening right now on a stretch of highway leading West? The build up for the truth behind Johnny's motorcycle accident is also solid. Don’t let this series fail. Give it a shot people!
  
Shadow War Alpha #1 - There is plenty to talk about in this issue. We could talk about what Ra’s plan was. We could talk about Talia's new outfit. We could speculate on who the fake Deathstroke is. What we need to talk about, right now, is how much of a dick Bruce is to Damian. I mean, really Bruce? That’s the response you give your child after he’s grief stricken over losing his 2nd grandfather. You just throw some salt in the wound because you had to deal with what every parent has to. Their kid saying something they don’t mean in an emotionally charged moment. Pathetic. I will look forward to seeing how this plays out, and hopefully Bruce can redeem himself as a father.