MY WEEKS IN COMICS - - - for the week ending Sunday, SEPTEMBER 13, 2026
#336 = THE FOLK OF DOONEY HOLLOW #1 by Jeremy Haun and Alex Lins (Ignition Press, September 2026)
The capable Jeremy Haun ventures into folk-horror territory with this creepy, tension-building debut issue. The art is perfectly suited to the story, creating the proper atmosphere and maintaining eerie, expressive visuals throughout.
The isolated village of Dooney Hollow is nestled within the Ozark Mountains. There appears to be a strange presence/monster that seems to lurk around a weird ceremonial ground with a phallic statue that seems to be made from stone and vegetation. The opening pages flash back to a young villager threatened by the presence that results in a nasty leap of faith.
Main character Kerri is a young graduate student apparently on a field study in the Ozarks and camping out in the weird woods, where she encounters some strange goings-on and meets a very young girl just before they both run into the monster.
Good secondary characters as well, good detail, and good build-up. This marks the 25th title released following the first full year of publication from Ignition Press. Quite a lot of output (and quality) from a smaller independent publisher. Kudos! FOUR STARS.
#337 = BATMAN: BAD SEEDS - GOTHAM CENTRAL #1 by Christopher Cantwell and Jacob Phillips
(DC Comics, November 2026)
The promotional synopsis:
A killer is on the loose, someone is stalking Arkham Towers' Dr. Zeller, the subways are out of control, and Anarky's just pulled a big-time heist! With Vandal Savage diverting the GCPD's resources to his single-minded war against the Bats and the Bat-Family trying to stop Poison Ivy while evading the GCPD, there's almost no one left to do actual police work! Looks like officers Gordon and Espinoza have their work cut out for them.
The Bad Seeds plant invasion of Gotham is just the backdrop for this issue, as Cantwell explores two fascinating side-stories while Phillips gives it all that murky, street-level, gritty look. One of the better issues in the Bad Seeds cross-over so far - and able to be enjoyed without having to read the others.
Along with the pursuit of Anarky there's the murder investigation which seems to point to slasher Victor Zsasz, recently escaped from Arkham Towers. There's a cliffhanger ending as the plants suffocate the electrical grid and shut down a subway car containing all the major players in this drama. To be continued in Bad Seeds- Gotham Central #2 on October 14. FOUR STARS.
#338 - #342 = ATTACK ON TITAN, VOLUME ONE graphic novel/manga by Hajime Isayama (Kodansha Comics, English translation 2012)
I approach manga cautiously, in small doses. After several years of sampling, I can better sift through the mountain of available titles in a multitude of genres and pick out what might appeal to me - - - horror, science fiction, some fantasy, and sometimes slice-of-life. ATTACK ON TITAN appeals to me, pushes my buttons - - - but it's not for everyone. This is simply brutal.
Not much occurs in Volume One beyond the major premise - - humans trapped inside a walled city fending off giant titans that want to eat them, apparently just for fun. There's a fresh crop of cadets that assume various roles in defense of the city. Don't get too attached to any of them as they may not all survive Volume One. I focused on one in particular, much to my regret.
The art has some very eye-appealing panels, but suffers from clutter like much of manga. In the action scenes it can be difficult to discern exactly what is happening.
I don't know if I'm interested enough to continue with all the various volumes, but I feel like I at least need to read Volume Two to be certain. Recommended if you're not squeamish about people getting devoured by giants. FOUR STARS.
#343 - #347 = JOKER: ONE OPERATION JOKER, VOLUME ONE graphic novel/manga by Satoshi Miyagawa and Keisure Gotou (Kodansha Comics/DC Comics, 2021)
While this is done manga-style, the art is more distinctive and uncluttered - - - and a relief to me. (Cluttered, confusing art is one of the things I like least about most manga).
During a fight between Batman and The Joker, Batman falls into a chemical vat (similar to Joker's origin) and is drowning until Joker decides he can't live without Batman - - and pulls him out. The chemical bath has transformed Batman into a baby. The Joker decides he needs to raise the baby and develop it properly so that he can continue his rivalry with Batman once he grows up.
A silly premise, and this is meant to be funny. While I did not find it laugh out loud funny, this was amusing and entertaining. The usually mean-spirited Joker shows he has at least a little heart and feelings for the baby, and the first volume centers around his difficulty in being a single parent - - changing diapers, shopping for food, trying to keep the baby from crying too much, investigating day care, etc.
I wanted to see a manga treatment of Batman but not sure I would have bought this had I known the actual story. This is just the first of three volumes, and ends on a punchline. THREE STARS.
#348 - #352 = CHAINSAW MAN, VOLUME ONE: DOG AND CHAINSAW graphic novel/manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto (Viz Media/Shonen Jump, 14th printing, November 2022)
Continuing my exploration of manga . . . . . .
Here's another thing I've learned about manga from reading it (at least the genres I'm exploring): Expect a ludicrous premise. Just accept it, go with the flow, and perhaps be entertained. If you stop to think about it too much - you just won't enjoy the reading experience. Despite how juvenile in places this seemed, I did enjoy it and smile at the absurdity of it all.
Seems like the perfect read for a young boy in junior high school. Although the disclaimer seems to discourage that: Rated T+. PARENTAL ADVISORY: CHAINSAW MAN is rated T+ for Older Teens and is recommended for ages 16 and up. This volume contains violence and gore. Sure, it's gory - but I have to think not any more so than some of the video games that junior high-schoolers play.
Main character Denji is a poor young man who is drowning under a mountain of debt, and takes work killing demons from the mob - who eventually decide he is a disposable asset. Denji has a pet demon in the form of a small dog with a chainsaw for a nose. In his miraculous recovery from a mob strike and a swarm of zombies, he is resurrected with the dog inside his heart -and the ability to produce chainsaws from his chest, arms and head. The better to dispatch demons with.
He soon partners up with the female head of a major devil-chasing organization and gets work with them. Falls in love with her. She has no interest. Denji's infatuation makes the male devil-chaser he's teamed up with jealous, and he tries to get rid of him by getting him transferred to work with another female devil-chaser who is actually a demon. Denji falls for her. A big obsession of his, after food, is being allowed to touch 'boobs'. She (named Power) is completely unreliable and devious, and Volume One ends on an absolute cliff-hanger. (That was mean).
The art is much more accessible compared to Attack On Titan's battle scenes, and there are some very fine detailed backgrounds with a good use of shading in many of the panels. I may have to get Volume Two to see how Denji gets out of the trouble that Volume One ends with. FOUR STARS.
