For the last three years I have embarked on a Comics Odyssey, reading and writing reviews of comics towards an ambitious goal which I only attained on one of three attempts. This year, I still want to read more comics and write reviews, but I’m not setting a specific goal. I’ll just document them and number them. We’ll see how far I can go . . . . . . .
#693 - #698 DEVIL’S REIGN #4 - #6 by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto (Marvel Comics, April-June 2022)
Finally, I come across a crossover/mini-series that rewards me for my investment of time and comics money.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been satisfied after reading in the same way that SECRET WARS (the first one), CIVIL WAR (the first one) and AVENGERS FOREVER (the first one, by Kurt Busiek) did for me. In fact, DEVIL’S REIGN reminded me of CIVIL WAR but on a smaller scale and with lesser stakes, since it’s confined solely to New York City. At the root of this story is the theme of one powerful man (Kingpin) who generally luxuriates in his lofty position and feels entitled; who suddenly one day feels slighted and becomes obsessed with revenge/retribution to an extreme degree. Because Kingpin believes that Daredevil mind-wiped Kingpin’s knowledge of DD’s secret identity (as Matt Murdock) that everyone associated with him (fellow superheroes) have to be imprisoned. DEVIL’S REIGN shows to what degree he will take things (murder). And, like many of the rich and powerful, he doesn’t have to pay a steep price for his misdeeds. This ends with the Kingpin feeling enough closure to take off with his wife for a new life far from NYC where its unlikely prosecution will follow him.
Zdarsky dives deep into the psyche of Wilson Fisk (Kingpin), and as much as we may dislike him, this is a fascinating journey. I was going to recap what happens in this final issues, but I don’t want to spoil it. Suffice to say, there are enough side plots and scenes with plenty of Marvel characters to enhance the main story. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS OVERALL.
#699 - #700 DEVIL’S REIGN: OMEGA one-shot by various creators (Marvel Comics, July 2022) This is an over-sized issue with three stories that tie up the loose ends of the DEVIL’S REIGN mini-series and provide a preview of what happens next in the aftermath.
In “Fall And Rise” by Chip Zdarsky and Rafael De LaTorre events center around the funeral service for the deceased Matt Murdock (his look-alike brother Mike in the casket) and Daredevil and Elektra moving on to team-up against The Hand. It’s the best story of the trio and contains several heart-felt moments.
“Cleaning House” by Jim Zub and Luciano Vecchio details how new NYC mayor Luke Cage plans to right the ship and repurpose The Thunderbolts. His first choice as team leader (Photon) turns him down, so he considers pitching the position to Hawkeye.
In “Mayor For Hire” by Rodney Barnes and Guillermo Sanna the new NYC mayor Luke Cage gets introspective on how he got here just before he makes his first State Of The City speech, which goes over well. THREE STARS OVERALL.
#701 - #705 100 BULLETS, VOLUME ONE by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso. (DC/Vertigo Comics, February 2000) A review of this trade paperback was posted to the blog on Tuesday, October 29. FOUR AND ONE HALF-STARS.
#706 - #708 COME FIND ME: AN AUTUMNAL OFFERING one-shot by various creators (DSTLRY, October 30, 2024) In addition to the new horror titles currently available, every year October and Halloween bring out a variety of horror anthology one-shots from various publishers.
If you find yourself overwhelmed by the choices, are tired of the traditional format, and crave something a bit different - - COME FIND ME arrives just in time. This special one-shot curated by creator Becky Cloonan promises to be an annual offering from DSTLRY.
What’s different about it? For one, it has a consistent theme even though there are different creators and nothing to link the stories other than the ghostly atmospheric effect created by the method of presentation and formatting. Also, this is a challenging collection as not all the stories are told in traditional methods and require a second, slower reading or interpretation to achieve full clarity. There are no monsters or slashers present. None of the stories take place in current times, either occurring in ancient eras or made-up villages. The best way to summarize this is to label it folk horror. This is the kind of title that past masters like Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne would fit in comfortably.
Of the six stories, my favorite is “Portorium” with story and art by Becky Cloonan. if you enjoyed her tale of witchcraft and eroticism in SOMNA - the art style and coloring by Lee Loughridge will remind you of that. A grave robber instructs his female apprentice how to find the riches buried with the dead. She makes the mistake of removing the coin from the mouth of the deceased, the fee for ferrying passage to the underworld. They are discovered, and she escapes while her mentor is beheaded for his misdeeds. She revisits the gravesite to place the stolen coin in his mouth and learns a deadly lesson.
In “Devil’s Trill” HamletMachine (wild name) and Joe Pavelka spin a quick tale of a violinist who makes a strange musical deal with the devil. “Down By The Water” by Molly Mendoza and Lucas Gattoni is a ghostly story of a man who obsesses over the loss of his drowned lover.
“Coal And Clover” by Vanesa Del Rey and Andrew Betsch is about revenge in a small 1917 coal mining town where a miner trying to unionize is brutally murdered. His mourning wife and young daughter are chased out of town, where she makes a dangerous pact with forest creatures.
“Cheta” by Celine Loup is the most challenging story in the collection but also the most intricately rendered with immersive scenes and coloring that make for compelling page-turning. It takes place in a mountain village where a young man apparently crosses over into a haunting alternative landscape. I’ve read it twice, and that’s the most I can figure out. My least favorite story in the collection, but the art makes it worthwhile.
“The Warmth Of The Hunt” by E.M. Carroll reads like an illustrated poem with a few dialogue balloons. A newly deceased female meets her husband in the afterlife but the reunion turns grotesque. A memorable and chilling line: “When I died, it felt like sinking into warm butter . . . . . Was that why the knife slid through me so easily?”
Overall, a FOUR STAR collection.
#709 - #710 DWELLINGS: ALL HALLOWS EVE SPECIAL story and art by Jay Stephens (Oni Press, October 2024) The synopsis for this special one-shot edition:
This Halloween, return to the terrifyingly tranquil streets that Dwellings calls home—as seen through the eyes of visitor Wolfgang LeGant! But Wolfgang is no ordinary tourist. He’s convinced he’s actually a seasoned vampire hunter, and this delusion has drawn him to Elwich to drive a stake through the once-unassuming town’s thriving “Sanguinarian” goth subculture. But when Wolfgang meets Emmaline Momenta, a young woman similarly possessed by the idea that she’s a real vampire, irrational faith may be the only thing capable of stopping a mass murder in the making . . .
I’d heard so much about this horror series (Volume Two releases in 2025) that this seemed like an easy way to check it out. Even though I’m not familiar with the characters or the setting, this was not hard to follow at all.
Cute, and creepy. Glorious, and gory. Wild, and wicked. Erotic, and eerie. Just imagine if Harvey Comics (Richie Rich,etc) put out a SOUTH PARK book. That’s what this looks like. Don’t get too attached to these characters. Bad things happen. FOUR STARS, for imagination and execution.
#711 - #712 VAMPIRO: ROCKABILLY APOCALYPSE #1 by Michael Kingston and El Terrorifico Dr. Napalm (Massive Publishing / Masked Republic, October 2024) I love horror comics and rockabilly music (check out Dave Edmunds) so I pre-ordered this based on that wild title. What a pleasant surprise! This may become my “sleeper title of 2024”. There’s horror, music, and a serious sense of humor that drives the whole storyline. Pop culture nerd Everitt Holden is a vlogger who spends a fortune getting the final ticket to a pop-up concert by the elusive guitarist Vampiro, hoping to meet him and get an interview for his podcast. His backstage opportunity gets upstaged by Maddox Mars, an entitled elite entrepreneur who horns in.
Later, back at his night time job at the morgue, Vampiro shows up wounded and drinking the blood from a corpse. Everitt helps him to his getaway car, driven by a female luchador, as the trio engage in a Mad-Max-like car chase while in pursuit by Mars, who is a demon out to destroy Vampiro.
Vampiro is an ancient vampire, and the only one who can prevent the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from jump-starting the End Times. Before it’s all over, Biker Nuns show up. Great dialogue, and crazy art. Just weird, wild and entertaining. FOUR STARS.
#713 - #714 DETECTIVE COMICS #1090 by Tom Taylor and Mikel Janin (DC Comics, December 2024) “Mercy Of The Father, Part One”. Synopsis: Long ago, the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne changed Gotham forever. But there is something you never knew about the Dark Knight's tragic origin, which has been lying in wait to strike at Batman ever since that fateful night in Crime Alley. And now, all these years later, this ghost of Gotham's past begins to reveal itself. Superstars Tom Taylor and Mikel Janin team up to bring you a Batman tale that will rattle the very foundations of the Dark Knight. Things may never be the same again. Smart move by the creative team to start their run with an untold flashback story that links directly to the new storyline, a memory that had a major impact on shaping Bruce Wayne/Batman’s philosophy. This reads like a morality play.
Dr. Thomas Wayne did some early work in the emergency room of Gotham Hospital. One night a young couple is brought in after a nasty car accident. The woman is young, seventeen, and pregnant. The accident triggers early labor. The man is twenty, and it becomes evident that he is abusive and has been beating her. He’s suffering from major internal injuries. There’s some debate about whether he deserves the life-saving operation, but Dr. Wayne insists and performs it. When the victim recovers he’s told the story that his child didn’t survive, as Martha Wayne arranges for foster care.
Later, young Bruce eavesdrops on his parents’ conversation and learns of the operation, asking his father why he would save a bad man. Thomas Wayne’s reply: “We don’t know how a life will be lived. We don’t know its’ value. . . . . And if we can save a life, and we don’t, what would that make us?” You might anticipate a major twist in that story, and you would be right: there are two.
Mikel Janin does a bang-up job on art and colors, shading the darker Batman sequences with effective single hues. Tom Taylor has great writing chops, and it shows here. An impressive debut. FOUR STARS.
#715 - #716 GREEN ARROW #17/Legacy #350 by various creators (DC Comics, December 2024) Synopsis: This oversized issue features the aftermath of Oliver Queen's role in Absolute Power, while also setting the stage for his next chapter! First, Oliver Queen did the unthinkable to protect his family, and now must deal with the ramifications of his actions. Will his family and friends forgive him? Then, get ready for the opening chapter of the Emerald Archer's next adventure.Joshua Williamson ends his dramatic creative run on Green Arrow and ties up the loose ends in the opening story, “Trial By Justice” with art by Amancay Nahuelpan. It’s revealed that Green Arrow went ‘deep undercover” during the Absolute Power saga, and it was his efforts that led to the defeat of Amanda Waller and her Amazo constructs. He submits himself to the Justice League for a verdict, and they accept him back onto the team. Next, his family forgive and welcome him back.
A Change of Scenery” by Chris Condon and Montos introduces the new creative team. It’s a much shorter story, but it becomes apparent that this may be taking a darker turn (if Montos’ gloomy art is any indication) and Oliver Queen apparently will be taking the lone vigilante route as a champion of street justice. Condon did a bang-up job with crime/noir (That Texas Blood, The Enfield Gang Massacre). Here’s hoping that style transitions well here. THREE STARS OVERALL.
