The 1,000 COMICS CHALLENGE, Part Five

SWEET HEART #1 (Action Lab/Danger Zone) Very weird and disturbing, which means I really liked it! A six-year old in nearby Ellicott City, MD has contact with a swampy humanoid creature, which stalks him throughout his life. Things get complicated when more family members get targeted. FOUR STARS

BILLIONAIRE ISLAND (Ahoy Comics, March 2020) Brilliant satire. One of my favorite comics of 2020. A smug super-rich villain worthy of our scorn. Five Stars.

OUTER DARKNESS / CHEW (Image Comics, March 2020) John Layman's two wild creations cross paths. And, you don't really need to be familiar with either to enjoy this. Weird space antics with food detectives. Four Stars.

STRANGE ADVENTURES #1 (DC, 2020) Tom King brings Adam Strange front and center with the help of the artistic tag team of Gerads and Shaner. I like this set-up issue. Too soon to tell, but I have high expectations for anything King does. I love that Adam's gun goes "pew, pew" when used. 4 Stars.

RISING SUN #3 of 3 (IDW) Ron Marz adapts the feudal Japan warfare and political intrigue game to comics with great results. Love the 6 clans and characterization, especially the in-fighting and distrust. 3.5 Stars

2020 FORCE WORKS #2 (Marvel) I really liked Rosenberg's Punisher vs Zemo storyline. I'm enjoying his humorous take on Hawkeye:Freefall. But I do not like his Force Works. Dull, standard Marvel action, seen it too many times. 1 Star.

4 books from AWA:

ARCHANGEL 8 #1: It would be easy to dismiss this as a Frank Castle/Punisher wannabe, but this is different. Main character is a hitman for hire. The wings on the cover appear to be symbolic, although there are religious references throughout as well as a ritual killing. Worth watching for more. 3 Stars.

HOTELL #1: The creepiest of the bunch. Pregnant mother on the run stops at a small motel on Highway 61. The motel is the nexus for each issues' grisly standalone story, a la Tales From The Crypt and others. 4 Stars.

RED BORDER #1: A couple flee the cartel and head for the Mexican border. Is their rescue friend really their friend? 3.5 Stars.

RESISTANCE #1: The best of the bunch and spot on for these times. There's no lack of theories as to what's behind a pandemic. Just as it's about to eliminate humankind, it goes away. Among the surviving five-percent are those whose abilities have been altered by the virus. 5 Stars.