#227 = CRUEL KINGDOM #3 (Oni Press / EC Comics, March 2025) Three more fantastic stories of sorcery, magic and fantasy with the expected twist endings. Since two of the endings this issue seemed obvious to me, I’ll have to default to the final entry as my favorite this issue. Also, the other two tales have a common theme in food and banquets/special dinners.
In “Just Desserts” (Matt Bors and Valeria Burzo) an aspiring chef preparing for a special dinner of important kings and rulers comes up with just the most unusual rare and flaming item on the menu to help elevate her to head chef position. She doesn’t stay in charge long, as the little people object strongly.
“The Feast of King Arthur” (Christopher Cantwell and Kano) features a smug ruler who deems himself benevolent mixing with the lower class subjects, as he accepts an invite to a special dinner hosted by orphans. He’s mostly responsible for their loss of parents and current slovenly conditions.
I did not anticipate the ending of “Heart Of Ice” (Corinna Bechko and Andrea Mutti). That, plus the art makes this story my favorite. This takes place in an icy world full of dangerous prehistoric lizards and tigers, oh my. The fantasy setting is a neat showcase for the talents of artist Mutti. A mercenary (looking for a missing partner) teams up with a caravan in order to help protect them from various beasties. But the caravan operators are devious. THREE AND ONE-QUARTER STARS OVERALL.
#228-#229 = THE SEASONS #1 by Rick Remember and Paul Azaceta (Image Comics, January 2025) The publisher’s synopsis:
A decade after the Seasons sisters' beloved parents disappeared, a wicked carnival arrives in town. Within its big tent is a dazzling show led by an eldritch ringleader who offers comers-all a window into their heart's every desire-provided they each leave a piece of themselves behind...
The Seasons in the title refers to four sisters, each named for a season of the year. While Issue #1 previews the threat presented by the invading carnival clown show (many on huge stilts) that seems to disrupt everyday life in each small town they visit - - that is not the main focus of Issue #1, which is almost entirely taken up by an amusing chase by sister Spring. She is a mail carrier who recklessly pursues a single letter that the wind swept away from her mailbag, as she risks her life running across rooftops and through local businesses. It’s an amusing, whimsical chase - and it’s a blast to view it.
In the afterword, writer Rick Remender describes this as a “love letter to Tintin, Windsor McKay, and Miyazaki. Something both whimsical and dreadful. . . .” Both script and art deliver on that promise in this extra-sized debut issue.
When Spring recovers the letter, it’s addressed to her and a warning from sister Autumn about the danger she is in. This title provides fantasy, mystery, good characterization and . . . whimsy. This won’t be to everyone’s liking, perhaps too sweet at times. But, if you’re in search of something different this is worth checking out. FOUR STARS.
#230-#231 = LET THIS ONE BE A DEVIL #2 by James Tynion IV & Steve Foxe with art by Piotr Kowalski (Dark Horse Comics, April 2025) The dynamic detailed art of Kowalski might be worth the price of admission for some. I love his style, and Brad Simpson does a fantastic job on the colors and shadings. However, the story is one big slow burn and I’m beginning to lose interest.
I need a good story. Art alone won’t get me to keep coming back. I bought Issue #2 based on the promise of the debut issue, thinking that I’d collect the full mini-series. I think I’m going to take a pass.
The story jumps back and forth between 1735 and 1909. The scenes from 1735 are active and scarier as we follow the Leeds family who just saw a demonic monster birthed in their home. In 1909 Henry Naughton keeps researching, looking for answers about the creature he spotted on the farm - and beginning to conclude this is connected to the Leeds family.
There’s a lot of information in Naughton’s findings, and I’m wondering if any of it is based on historical research that Tynion did or just made up. The problem for me is this is so passive that there’s nothing to worry about. Although, Naughton has a slight night-time encounter while walking some backwoods roads.
I’m not going to order Issue #3, but I’ll probably do a quick scan if I spot on a comic shop shelf - - and maybe Kowalski’s illustrations will persuade me to buy it.
There’s a back-up story in this over-sized issue by Steve Orlando with black and white art by Levi Hastings about the legend of a petrified Cardiff Giant (real or hoax?) in Cooperstown, New York that seems like it could also be a re-telling from local history.
Despite my impatience, this is a THREE AND ONE-QUARTER STAR rating for this issue.
#232-#233 = ASSOCIATED CRISIS EVENTS #1 by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadzki (Image Comics, March 2025) Please remember that this is an experimental comic. If you read it and become confused or disoriented, I believe that is Camp’s intentions. This is another book where I enjoyed the art more than the story. I applaud the concept here, but need another issue to determine if it’s succeeding (in spite of the hype). After reading this once and wondering WTF, I read the back cover, which better explains what is going on, and then read it again.
So, to save you some anxiety, here’s what that said.
Description from the back cover:
Time is having a crisis. Mingling in the red-light district, you can find actual cavemen, medieval knights, and cyborg soldiers on leave from World War IV. Victorian debutantes amble their way into cell phone stores, confused and bewildered (what is a data plan?). On their way to work, bleary-eyed commuters get trapped in time-loops, assaulted by alternate-reality versions of themselves, and try to avoid post-apocalyptic wastelands. And LOOK: the 3:15 bus just took a wrong turn... into the neolithic era.
This is intended to be an anthology series, each issue by the same creators (at least Issue #2 is), and exploring a complete-in-one-issue story set in the same universe where time has gone wonky.
Main character this issue is Ashley, who’s lost family members and seems completely alone in this time-twisted world. She goes through the same routine every morning - walking to work (and sometimes it’s in a different time zone where she doesn’t work there) to help keep her grounded. The neighborhood surrounding her apartment has become a favored movie set for several post-apocalyptic or World War IV films - - and she keeps walking through the filming and causing the directors to angrily yell “Cut!”. This happens often, along with time-displaced humans and aliens walking the streets. One day she witnesses a parade of Nazis and finds a crying Nazi officer - only to realize that he’s just another actor on a film set. Constantly walking by movie sets adds to Ashley’s confusion and that is the main conflict here - which is not resolved happily.
Just so you know, none of the things described on the back cover occur in this issue, unless there’s a brief reference in the background details. This is purely Ashley’s story. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#234 = PLAGUE HOUSE #1 of 4 by Michael W. Conrad and Dave Chisholm (Oni Press, April 2025) Ever wonder what might happen if any of those reality television ghost hunters actually experienced a run-in with spirits, or were truly threatened by them? While it’s not a tv show, PLAGUE HOUSE may give us the answers.
However, there is no camera/film crew following around the trio of paranormal investigators (the believer, the skeptic, and the frightened religious person) as they explore a spooky home abandoned 13 years ago following the grisly murder of his family by a deranged father. There are plenty of restless spirits in the shadows. Will they turn violent?
That begs the question - if there’s no tv money involved, then why are the trio there? It could be the passion of their leader, Del, who seems to have a personal stake in this as his text box narration leads us through their investigation. But, there are subtle clues that he’s holding something back from the story, and may have some secrets of his own.
It’s the possibility of a mystery here and an unreliable narrator that prompts me to see what happens next in Issue #2. The character background is interesting. Chisholm’s art is evocative and grisly. Not for the squeamish. THREE AND ONE-QUARTER STARS.
#235 = SOLOMON KANE: THE SERPENT RING #1 written, illustrated and colored by Patrick Bircher (Titan Comics, April 2025) This is above-average action-adventure respectful of the pulpy style of original creator Robert E. Howard. I like this better than the Conan stories, of which I sometimes grow weary. There’s a bigger canvas to play with here, and Zircher adds enough sub-plots and fore-shadowing in the debut issue to make for a compelling mini-series. His art is just as gloriously detailed as his storyline.
Puritanical warrior/wanderer Solomon Kane is serving as a privateer on an English Galleon in the service of Queen Elizabeth. When they plunder an Argentine vessel, Kane is entrusted by a dying explorer with delivering a special artifact to a merchant in Venice, warning Kane that other agencies are in pursuit of the same item.
The storyline moves from Africa to the Barbary Coast to Venice in an intriguing opening. There’s more exposition than battle in this issue, but I suspect that will change as the story moves forward. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
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