MY WEEK IN COMICS - - - for the week ending July 20 . . . . .
#441 = SISTERHOOD (A HYDE STREET STORY) #1 by Maytal Zchut and Leila Leiz (Image Comics/Ghost Machine, July 2025)
The revenge theme is a familiar one in story-telling, whether in print or visual or audio. I’ve read and viewed and heard enough of them that I don’t feel it necessary for more. Yet, I’m going to stay with this one a little longer because I’ve really enjoyed the HYDE STREET stories, and I also admire the simple yet evocative art style of Leila Leiz.
From the credits page: “Sometimes, a friend is the one who helps you hide the body. But on Hyde Street, that kind of loyalty can dig a grave too deep to climb out of. This is a tale of secrets kept, lines crossed, and the things we do in the name of . . . . Sisterhood.”
Sophie and Violet were middle-school friends when a tragic accident brought them even closer together, establishing a bond that would be hard to break. Until, they both enrolled in the same college and became room-mates. Violet (of the undeclared major) became involved in a sorority while Sophie (double major) became dedicated to her studies.
When Violet dies mysteriously during pledge night, Sophie suspects a cover-up. She visits a psychic (on Hyde Street, where else?) and unwittingly enters into a covenant with the Sister-Hood sooth-sayer. THREE AND THREE-QUARTER STARS.
#442 = CRITICAL ROLE: THE MIGHTY NEIN / BLACK HAMMER FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2025 (Dark Horse Comics, May 2025) Two popular long-running Dark Horse series get a spotlight here, with a mini-summary of sorts on both titles. Those unfamiliar and interested in checking out either series should seek this out. In addition to the original short stories here, there are full-page checklists of the essential trade paperbacks and reading order.
CRITICIAL ROLE began as a streaming web series with American voice actors playing a Dungeons and Dragon campaign. That first campaign, which lasted two years, spun off into an Amazon Prime animated series, The Legend of Vox Machina (of which I am familiar, and enjoy it). Dark Horse started publishing Critical Role comics in 2017, with the first series based on a Vox Machina prequel. The Mighty Nein was the second campaign of the web series, and has also spawned a comics series (and an animated version in the works).
In “The Mighty Nein: Acquired Taste” by Sam Maggs and Leonardo Cinco, two unidentified members of the Nein attend a dinner theater presentation in order to get vital map directions from a member of the cast. The stage presentation is a singing version of “The Tale of Vox Machinight!” (sic). Amusing.
BLACK HAMMER was a Jeff Lemire-created series launched in 2017 with seven super-heroes trapped in a Twilight Zone-like town trying to recover their memories. It has gone on through multiple iterations, spawning a super-hero universe that rivals Marvel and DC.
In “Black Hammer: To Tomorrow!” by Jeff Lemire and Letizia Cadonici - Colonel Weird is tasked with cataloging the past of Black Hammer and (perhaps for the first time) putting events in chronological order, beginning with the Pulp Age to The Lost Age (where the 2017 title began). It all leads up to more stories and a new era, hinting at another series to come. For the curious, you only need to pick up 19 trade paperbacks or 4 omnibus to catch up to all this.Admittedly, that’s a lot less than trying to cover the entire Marvel or DC universes. THREE STARS total.
#445-#448 = CALAVERA, P.I. #1-#4 of 4 written, illustrated and colored by Marco Finnegan (Oni Press, November 2024-February 2025)
Calavera is a resurrected former private investigator in 1930 Los Angeles, a skeleton in a trench coat and wearing a hat.
The debut issue details the former life of Juan Calavera - - a handsome, confident p.i., athletic and clever with a sharp tongue. The story opens with Calavera exposing and assisting local police in arresting a wealthy American criminal involved with a Mexican crook in human trafficking, specifically supplying ladies for extravagant parties.
He befriends a female crime reporter for the local newspaper, who witnesses his eventual demise while trying to break up a suicide attempt. She is blackmailed into performing the ritual that allows him to rise from the grave.
This is atmospheric, evoking memories of Raymond Chandler’s 1920’s-1930’s Hollywood as observed by his detective Phillip Marlowe. Colors, shading, and images all work together to create the mood. It’s a one person show - - written, illustrated and colored by Marco Finnegan.
The overall feel of the story and art is classic noir, with pulpy aspects. Finnegan manages to insert some Los Angeles history into the proceedings, specifically the 1930's treatment of immigrants and abusive deportation efforts - - a bit reflective of current events.
The story takes a definite supernatural turn as it develops, and that helps keep this from being a typical pulp detective pastiche. A noble effort, with the door left open for more. THREE AND ONE-QUARTER STARS.
#449-#453 = PHANTOM ROAD #1-#5 by Jeff Lemire and Gabriel H. Walta (Image Comics, March-July 2023) Check out this wild elevator pitch/synopsis:
Mad Max: Fury Road meets The Sandman in this high-octane adventure wrapped in a dark fantasy aesthetic.
Dom is a long-haul truck driver attempting to stay ahead of his tragic past. When he stops one night to assist Birdie, who has been in a massive car crash, they pull an artifact from the wreckage that throws their lives into fifth gear. Suddenly, a typical midnight run has become a frantic journey through a surreal world where Dom and Birdie find themselves the quarry of strange and impossible monsters.
It's grindhouse horror meets high-concept supernatural fantasy . . .
PHANTOM ROAD might have been just another spooky book, but Lemire’s story and Walta’s expressive art elevate it to another level. Lemire builds on the foundation of the first issue and layers on additional quirky and strange elements to keep readers guessing. This is the kind of weirdness that gets my attention and engages me. I have to know more. I get the feeling this first story arc is just the tip of the iceberg.
This is just as much about the loneliness and isolation of long haul truck drivers and the effect on their personalities and family relationships as it is about some weird alien beings messing with any travelers who find themselves on a strange weather-beaten and ravaged desert highway. Symbolic? Perhaps. The truck driver’s resolution at the end of the debut issue is a bit disturbing.
Before the first book concludes we've seen roadside diners that serve as gateways to other desolate worlds (highways and desert mostly), a weird artifact that looks like driftwood but conceals something vitally important and sought after, those weird alien beings (just begging to get their faces smashed in), an FBI agent in over her head, a government conspiracy, a strange man in a Hawaiian shirt playing both sides against each other, and a diner mascot suddenly coming to life.
There's a lot to hold your attention here. Plus the art is revealing and makes maximum use of panel size and point-of-view.
I have to know what comes next. It won't be long before I crack open Volume Two. FOUR STARS.
#454-#459 = THE MAGIC ORDER 3, #1-#6 of 6 by Mark Millar and Gigi Cavenago (Image Comics, July-December 2022)
The back cover advertisement on Issue #1 of MAGIC ORDER, VOLUME 3 states: "There's a reason you've never seen a ghost . . . . . it's called THE MAGIC ORDER.
Five families of wizards from all around the world, living among us as teachers and paramedics, cab drivers and checkout assistants. By day they hold down regular jobs. By night they secretly protect us from what's lurking under our beds."
That, in a nutshell, is the premise behind this series - - and what attracted me to the first volume: a secret order of select families that protect Earth from various threats through the utilization of magical abilities and spells. Their lifelong mission is to keep a dangerous spell book from getting into the wrong hands and ending the world.
Volume One was about the internal battles between several family members to gain possession of the book. The fascinating characters and compelling story were enhanced by the amazing art of Olivier Copiel, whose ability to convey various emotions through facial expressions and body language is brilliant, as well as his high-powered action scenes.
Stuart Immonen took over on art for Volume Two, and did an equally great job. Volume Two introduced new characters and new settings, with the main conflict being an Eastern European family of magicians/warlocks/wizards intent on stealing artifacts from The Magic Order and using them to resurrect a Lovecraftian behemoth. Cordelia (my favorite character) and the London chapter were successful in beating down the threat.
Volume Three has not received as many favorable reviews as the other chapters, perhaps because of its' differences. Gigi Cavenago is the new artist, and the work is not equal to Copiel and Immonen. It's a different style that has its merits and moments, but seems more suited to science-fiction fare. The color choices and shading are also odd for some of the scenes.
There's also not a central plot or conflict in Volume Three and no world-wide threats that the family has to suppress. It's much more episodic with side stories, all focused on internal conflicts within the family, discovery, and then discipline. In many places, it feels like a set-up for Volume Four.
Talk about a dysfunctional family! The storylines involve deception, theft, back-stabbing, misuse of magic for personal gain, politics, manipulation, betrayal, and a budding internal threat that promises to reach bloom in the next volume. Cordelia is still my favorite, although we see how cruelly impartial and decisive she can be when it involves family members breaking the rules.
I actually enjoyed all the conflicts. I had put off reading Volume Three, wondering if it would just be a rehash of Volumes One and Two, with similar threats/conflicts - just in new dressings. Now, I'll need to grab my issues of Volume Four and get to this much sooner. I've decided to see this one through. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
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