#532 = EVENT HORIZON: DARK DESCENT #1 by Christian Ward and Tristan Jones (IDW Publishing, August 2025) This is a prequel inspired by the EVENT HORIZON movie of 1997, which was a box office flop but in VHS and DVD releases gained a cult status. It’s a science-fiction/horror story of a spaceship that seems to have entered Hell - - at least that was my interpretation of the movie - which was a bit confusing and vague in too many places. Maybe Ward and Jones will help make more sense of it, and so far it seems to be going in that direction.
In the words of troubled character William Weir, the scientist who invented the gravity drive that allowed the ship to fold space and travel vast distances in a shorter amount of time by opening a hole/void: “I’ve never spent much time thinking of Heaven . . . I was always a man of science . . . and now . . . I find myself consumed by Hell . . . Hell isn’t below us. It’s not some fiery pit . . . It’s in the void . . . In the cold, empty spaces of our lives.”
Weir suffers from guilt for neglecting his wife, who committed suicide (bathtub bleed-out), and is having strange dreams where she visits him, covered in blood, and invites him to “come find me” in what appears to be a blood orgy inside the spaceship.
In the original movie, the Event Horizon ship never returns from its 2040 mission to test the gravity drive and monitor the effects on ship and crew. However, the Event Horizon suddenly appears in orbit around Neptune in 2047. The movie follows a new crew of astronauts sent out on a rescue mission, only to discover an empty ship. The crew then begins to hallucinate and suspect a sinister force has come back with the ship. In the movie, Weir led the expedition to recover the ship and passengers since he was the inventor of the gravity drive that propelled it.
In the prequel EVENT HORIZON: DARK DESCENT we are reacquainted with Weir, and meet the crew members, all of whom seem to be harboring some secret or memory. Just minutes before the ship will engage the gravity drive and fold space, the chief communications officer gets a message from Earth that a crew member is wanted by Australian authorities. When she confronts him, he gets violent and she suffers a nasty head-banging fall (which may have killed her) as Issue One ends.
The debut issue does a good job of foreshadowing, including some disturbing images/visions, and concisely includes enough character reveals to begin worrying for some of these space travelers. Better than average, this reminds me of several of the science fiction/horror mini-series that Storm King used to publish. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#533-#534 = ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #1 by Mark Millar and Jae Lee (Marvel Comics, October 2005) A complete-in-one-issue story of the Ultimate FF’s first meeting with the Inhumans that should have been more exciting but felt flat. At least the always intriguing art of Jae Lee held my attention.
Johnny Storm is leaving a nightclub and sees an attractive woman being chased by two demons, so he flames on and flies off to save her, only to get beat up by the demons and eventually rescued by Lockjaw and the woman - who turns out to be Crystal of the Inhumans. She was bored with the secretive Inhuman compound and wanted some excitement in NYC.
She brings the battered Human Torch to the FF at the Baxter Building, which is then busted into by the demons who escort Crystal back to Attilan in the Himalayas. The FF use Lockjaw to transport them to hidden Attilan because Johnny thinks he’s in love with Crystal (just under two hours after meeting).
The Inhumans of this Ultimate Universe are very close to the regular Marvel U version, with a couple exceptions. Gorgon is female. Also, because Crystal is Royal Blood she is expected to accept the pre-arranged marriage to keep the bloodline pure. Even though he’s a mad man in this universe as well, Maximus is betrothed to Crystal - with no objections from Black Bolt.
The FF (invisible to the Inhumans, and snooping on these proceedings) are discovered. Fights ensue, buildings crumble. Black Bolt decides he can’t abide with their refuge being discovered, so he finishes the job and uses his powers to smash Attilan. The story ends as the Inhumans depart in search of a new refuge, as a flabbergasted FF watch them fly away. THREE STARS.
#535-#542 = HELLO DARKNESS, VOLUME TWO by various creators (Boom! Studios, July 15, 2025)
Overall, Volume Two of HELLO DARKNESS was not equal to the quality of Volume One, but the last half of this collection makes up for that. This is still one of the titles that I read monthly and is recommended for all fans of horror comics anthologies. I read these in the individual monthly issues and offer some highlights below:
An uneven issue, at least for me, as I did not enjoy these stories as much as previous issues. There does seem to be a central theme here - - - be careful if you stray off the known path.
My favorite this issue, and the most colorful and visually pleasing is “The Butterfly Field” by Jeremy Bastian and Ivan Qiu, a story told entirely without words.
P.S. I'm featuring some favorites of the variant covers here, since I already showcased the standard covers during my single reviews of each issue.
Issue #6
Issue #6 offers up three new stories, another cartoon page by Robert Hack, an art showcase, and Part 6 of “The War”. While I’m still enjoying this anthology and will continue to have it on my pull list, this issue was inconsistent in quality and theme.
“A Christmas Log” by Steve Orlando and Adam Gotham starts out in the festive spirit with main character Manuel returning ten years later to his childhood home in Massachusetts to spend Christmas with his mother. During a chat over old times with his mom, Manuel confesses that “high school wasn’t exactly my Peak Era.” Quite the understatement.
Manuel uses the opportunity to get revenge on the high school bully who tormented him regarding his Latino heritage, etc. The story changes course quickly and gets very brutal. Not for the squeamish.
Issue #7
All the original stories this issue were top quality, so it was harder for me to pick a favorite.
But, the one that stuck with me longer was “Evermore” by David Hazan and Stefano Nesi. A recently widowed man tries to find a new companion via social media and text messaging, and then can’t unfollow or stop the messages when the relationship doesn’t work out.
Issue #8
This seems to be the most grim, darkest, and disturbing issue so far. So, I’m elevating my rating on this issue. Even the variant covers (included in full-page spreads inside) by Jenny Frison, Dan Mora and John McCrea are disturbing and delicious images. An almost perfect issue.
Things kick off with “Stealth” by Marguerite Bennett and Luana Vecchio - an erotic one-night stand that turns deadly, recalling the greeting between chauvinistic male chums: “Get any strange, lately?”
RATING FOR VOLUME TWO: THREE-AND-ONE-HALF STARS.
#543-#550 = NEWBURN, VOLUME ONE by Chip Zdarsky and Jacob Phillips (Image Comics, ) While this is not perfect, it definitely satisfies the urge to read a good, compelling crime comic with interesting characters. NEWBURN straddles the line between classic noir detective fiction and contemporary crime. Volume One collects the first eight issues, which I read in the monthly singles.
Easton Newburn is a calculating, psychoanalytic, persuasive, fit-for-his-age, hard-ass character. Zdarsky doesn’t explore his background and history much at all, but lets the reveals come through Newburn’s actions and dialogue. Newburn is a retired NYC cop who’s now a private detective working for all the various crime families, solving murders and smoothing the fever burn before gang wars erupt. In that way, he’s kind of a peacemaker and serves the gangs (creating alliances), the public, and NYC police department.
The initial two-thirds of Volume One are very episodic, wrap up in one issue, and are a bit twisty. Sometimes it seems impossible the way that Newburn evaluates the situation and obtains leads amidst a lack of clear evidence, as if this is done instinctively. But, unlike Sherlock Holmes who usually explains his deductions, Newburn just moves forward without comment.
Also, because Newburn works for every single one of the crime families without favoritism, he is protected and “untouchable”. That allows him to take some liberties with that gang relationship that in other circumstances would get him killed.
In the debut story, “Carmine’s Apartment”, Carmine Albano (son of the head of the Albano crime family) is killed in his apartment for ten kilos of coke which allegedly Carmine stole from his own family. Newton doesn’t completely buy into the story of neighbor Emily who describes a man she saw running away from the scene. But, instead of turning her into the cops, he offers her a job as his assistant.
In “Everything I Told You Was True” (Issue #2), Newburn gets to the bottom of a warehouse fire that the Albano family is suspected of starting.
Murders of various crime family members almost sets off a war between Italians, Japanese, and Russians before Newburn figures it out in “We’ve All Lost Men.”
Newburn is coerced into working for the police department to solve the murder of a cop in “Bring Some Heat”, the one story that really details how clever Newburn is and how he works both sides to his advantage.
Newburn spends some time in prison in “Luck Ran Out” to expose a snitch. The remaining three issues of Volume One tell a continuing story of how Newburn reveals his heart and principles when he helps Emily avoid a nasty situation from her past (when she had a connection to both the police department and the Albano family) when some new information is uncovered about what happened.
Every issue includes a serialized back-up crime story spotlighting new creators. “Brooklyn Zirconia” by Nadia Shammas and Ziyed Yusef Ayoub is featured in Issues #1 through #4 and details a jewelry store heist that turns out to be rigged to obtain insurance money and includes family conflicts between brothers. “Spook-A-Rama” runs through Issues #5-#8. Casey Gilly and Soo Lee create a story of murder at the Coney Island amusement park and the rebellious female goth worker who solves it for the sluggish police department. FOUR STARS.
#551-#556 = KILL A MAN graphic novel by Steve Orlando and Phillip Kennedy Johnson with art by Al Morgan (AfterShock Comics, December 2020)
A compelling story of a gay fighter trying to recover from the backlash and near ostracism from a macho, homophobic mixed martial arts industry and its' fans.
This will remind readers of the Rocky and Creed movies. The difference is the main character is not just fighting to regain respect and a title shot but also fighting for the truth as well as acceptance from family and friends.
Some memorable scenes and discussions throughout, with interesting art and unusual color choices. FOUR STARS.
Synopsis from the Goodreads website . . . . .
In the early days of Mixed Martial Arts, kickboxer icon DJ Bellyi slurs a queer opponent in the ring, and is beaten to death while his young son James watches in horror from the stands.
Sixteen years later, young James Bellyi has become an MMA star in his own right, with top-tier endorsements and an imminent title shot. But when James is outed as gay by an opponent in a press conference, he loses everything: his title shot, his fans, his team, even his family. To fight his way back, he turns to the only one left in the world willing to train him: Xavier Mayne, the man who killed his father.
#557-#562 = PARTY AND PREY graphic novel by Steve Foxe and Steve Orlando with art by Alex Sanchez (AfterShock Comics, October 2021) Synopsis:
Alan is used to being ignored by younger guys, so he hardly believes his luck when lithe, handsome Scott makes a move on him in the crowded gay club. But there’s a wolf on the dance floor tonight, and he’s hungry for fresh prey… A taboo-breaking queer thriller from co-writers Steve Orlando (KILL A MAN) and Steve Foxe (Razorblades) and artist Alex Sanchez (The Evil Within), packed with twists sharp enough to draw blood.
To tell more than the synopsis reveals would spoil some of the thrill and suspense of reading this, so I won't. You should discover this on your own. The story takes a twist after the opening scenes that was not anticipated.
As thrillers go, this one checks all the boxes. It is brutal, violent, and disturbing. The authors have things to say about elites, entitlement, police priorities, and discrimination/bigotry without putting them front and center. They allow the story to proceed, as the events and outcomes make their points for them. This is a page-turner. Vivid art. FOUR STARS.
Trigger Warning: Sexual themes, for those who are sensitive and want to avoid.
#563-#568 = RAINBOW BRIDGE young adult graphic novel by Steve Foxe and Steve Orlando with art by Valentina Vianconi (AfterShock /Seismic, August 2021)
A heart-warming adventure tale for younger readers that isn't intended to evoke sadness, but probably will for anyone who's ever mourned for a lost pet. The attachments are as strong as family attachments, as dogs and cats become part of our families. It's hard not to get through this graphic novel without tears or sadness, especially in the beginning scenes.
Young Andrew, ready to enter the ninth grade, is grief stricken and depressed over the loss of his favorite companion, Rocket the Corgi. He gets an opportunity to cross over the Rainbow Bridge where animals go after death to the Forever Forest (a kind of Heaven, but not without peril), and has one last fun adventure with Rocket. It's one of the best graphic novels written for young adults that I have read (admittedly, not that many).
Trigger warning: there is the presence of some frightening creatures, the wraiths, who are animals converted to scary energy beings because of unfinished business, that may be too upsetting for very young readers. I would recommend this to ages 8 and up.
Colorful art that totally suits the story. Very engaging. A quick read, and memorable. Some life lessons within the story that are there to be discovered. A neat, coming-of-age story with good family relationships. Recommended. FIVE STARS
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