#569 = ROMANIS MAGICAE #1 of 4 by Matthew Blair and Paul Peart-Smith (Massive Comics/Cambrian Comics, September 2025) Historical fiction/fantasy with supernatural themes, set in Rome 19CE. An interesting well-told story with intriguing detailed art and great color work. A very promising debut, which I picked up on a whim. I’m glad to see that comic shops still take chances on unknown titles once in a while - - otherwise this one was completely under my radar.
Main character Marcus was a member (and sole survivor) of a Roman legion massacred by the tribes of Germania in a bloody battle. Ten years later in Rome, and still wearing his Legionnaire clothing, he struggles to find both gainful employment, meaning and purpose to his regrettable life. He comes to the aid of a damsel in distress, allowing her to escape and then having to fend off the robed, hissing creatures who were chasing her.
He’s rescued and then interrogated by a secretive group. He learns that the girl he rescued is an oracle, a voice/vessel for the gods to speak through, and that the creatures suddenly appeared - under the power of someone using dark magic. Marcus is persuaded to join the protectors of the oracle. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#570 = NEWBURN #9 by Chip Zdarsky and Jacob Phillips (Image Comics, July 2023)
Newburn, Volume 2 begins here after a one-year pause in publication. Newburn’s partner Emily provides a welcome re-cap in her journal entry for August 2022, revealing that she’s still processing her complicated relationship with him and the beginning tension within that association.
Years ago she killed the nephew of the leader of the Albano crime family while defending a friend during the training of police recruits. Her friend, Sydney Talford, went on to become a cop and also went into debt to Russian mobsters. To shield himself, he ended up selling out Emily to the Albanos.
Newburn intervened and managed to blame the kill on a member of the New York City Yakuza gang, Shigeyuki Shiroo. He went along with Newburn’s blackmailing him, as prison was preferable to his true crime: murdering the head of the NYC Yakuza.
As Issue #9 begins, Newburn is asked by Michael Albano to locate one of their members, Dez Gammino, who faked his own death to avoid gambling debts and problems with the Albano organization.
Newburn has multiple connections within both the crime families, the police department, and other underground business operations and uses his knowledge to coerce others to go along with his ideas. But, as this and other issues have shown, that thread is getting thinner and he’s at risk of becoming expendable. Of course, he locates Dez and turns him over, much to the disappointment of Emily who believed Dez to be justified in seeking a new life.
Meanwhile, a journalist is investigating Newburn and interviewing all the right people, who remain quiet for now. A good beginning. Jacob Phillip’s expressive and effective art always seems to highlight the right body language/close-ups. THREE AND ONE-QUARTER STARS.
#571 = NEWBURN #10 by Chip Zdarsky and Jacob Phillips (Image Comics, August 2023)
Emily is interviewed by the investigative journalist, and while not giving away too much the talk puts more doubt and suspicion into her thoughts on Newburn.
Meanwhile, the Black Castle (a roundtable of various criminal organizations a.k.a. The Triad) is getting more annoyed with Newburn’s work and gives him a warning.
The Yakuza family seems to be getting arrested at a much lower rate compared to the other crime families, and Newburn is tasked with finding out if the Yakuza struck a deal with the police department. Newburn’s contact at the police department (Casey, his former partner) tells him there is no deal, that the Yakuza are just better at avoiding surveillance. Newburn doesn’t quite buy that, but after a meeting with the current Yakuza head, he’s inclined to believe it.
Newburn returns to the Black Castle with an update, but they don’t buy it: “We’ve been talking, yeah? And maybe it’s time to rethink our arrangement . .” Newburn avoids trouble for now by revealing what info he has on each of the gangs - info that is ready to go to the police and the media if he goes down.
Kind of a stand-off issue. Lots of drama, concluding with a possible heart attack as Newburn leaves the Black Castle. Or is that just an anxiety attack? THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#572 = NEWBURN #11 by Chip Zdarsky and Jacob Phillips (Image Comics, September 2023) Zdarsky and Phillips know exactly how much to show/reveal, as tensions continue to mount issue after issue. There’s a build-up occurring, with the promise of an explosive pay-off whenever it comes. This is what keeps me reading from issue to issue. Really good stuff, that sets this apart from standard crime comics.
Emily, in her journal, muses on Newburn’s info-alliance with Detective Casey: “It’s a quid pro quo relationship. She helps us, we help her. But I’m starting to suspect that she’s not willing to pay that price anymore just for some career-boosting busts that we throw her . . . .
But if Casey turns on us and we have the full NYPD on our ass, it’s just be a matter of time before we’re of little use to the crime families.” Meanwhile it’s looks like Casey is making plans to get out of town, perhaps permanently.
Newburn devises a clever way to get access to and interview the big Yakuza boss (visiting NYC for a needed operation) by playing a card with his police department connections to learn of his arrival. But Newburn only shows a card or two, not the entire hand that he is playing in order to avoid a police double-cross. The scenes in which he plays his full hand are extremely tense, and there’s more action that allows Phillips to show his flair for dramatic scenes.
A particularly good issue. FOUR STARS.
#573 = NEWBURN #12 by Chip Zdarsky and Jacob Phillips (Image Comics, October 2023)
Newburn to Henry, his long-time driver: “The wolves are closing in. It may be time for us . . . to sharpen our sticks.”
Emily gets a spotlight this issue. Her ex-partner in love and crime, Armand, shows up and needs her help. An unknown source paid him for a break-in to steal some records, and now he’s been beat up. He’s afraid they are trying to kill him because he’s a loose end. Emily displays her investigative skills and finds the source and, because she knows them from her past life, goes directly to confront the gang and warn them that Armand is off-limits.
Later, when Emily is with Newburn, a hitman from Bratva approaches to kill her, but Newburn gets in the way and is shot in the shoulder. Henry ends up killing the hitman.
During the police questioning, Newburn asks for Casey - who’s already left town.
He is confronted by her partner, who reveal that he set up Armand in order to get Newburn exposed. With the Bratva and The Council thinking that Newburn sold them out, he’s running out of cards to play with all his protections gone. Things are about to go down.
THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#574 = NEWBURN #13 by Chip Zdarsky and Jacob Phillips (Image Comics, December 2023)
Everything continues to unravel in this issue. Emily and Henry are holed up in one of Newburn’s safe houses (but not safe). Emily visits ex-partner Armand in the hospital, assuming he’s been beaten by the Bratva. She learns that he used the info she uncovered to share with the cops, and that’s why the Russians think Emily gave them up and put a marker on her. But Armand was beaten by Newburn, not the gang and Emily has a fit.
The Albano family and the Yakuza now know who really killed the former Yakuza head as well as Michael Albano, and make it known that the Albanos are coming for Emily. Henry the driver is shot in the shoulder during a gunfight with the Albanos, who trash the safe house, and now he is their hostage.
Emily and Newburn have a confrontation (but not like pictured on the cover).
Emily: “ . . . and then you put my ex in the hospital?”
Newburn: “You’re the one who fell for his trap! I hired you because you could read people. And you got suckered by a common thief! . . .. You’re the mistake here!”
Emily: “I never asked you to cover for me. I never asked for this insane job . . . Why did you hire me? . . . You’re the man with the plan, yeah? So what was the plan? . . .You’re the big, scary ex-cop who’s always ten steps ahead! . . . So what step am I, Newburn?” THREE AND THREE-QUARTER STARS.
#575 = BATMAN #1 by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez (DC Comics, November 2025) Matt Fraction gets his turn to write Batman, and with Issue #1 does a satisfactory (although not outstanding) job. Jimenez’s art is cool to look at, but doesn’t really grab me. But Batman is my all-time favorite DC character, so I wanted to pick this up.
What’s different? Some of Batman’s gadgets look a bit higher tech and upgraded. Also, the Gotham cityscape as outlined looks cleaner, brighter, and a little futuristic. Batman is accompanied by a hologram version of Alfred Pennyworth to observe, comment and advise (or is it just his imaginary friend, and Batman is talking to himself?) The Batmobile appears a little more stream-lined. On the final page, we get a look at Robin’s new costume.
I like the ambition behind that promise. It’s even harder to tell a taut, meaningful story within the confines of a single issue. It seems easier (maybe lazier) for writers to stretch a story out across many issues. Although, I certainly prefer Fraction’s aims. That means I can pick up an issue at random and not worry about what preceded or what follows it.
In this debut issue, Killer Croc has been undergoing therapy and treatment at Arkham Towers and has progressed by regressing. His appearance is even more grotesque and less humanoid and his behavior and speech patterns are more child-like. But that didn’t stop him from breaking out. Batman is called in to locate and return him. Instead of a punch-out battle, Batman becomes more benevolent and understanding and talks him into returning to his therapy. A nicer side of Batman that I also hope doesn’t show up every issue. I absolutely dislike this simpleton version of Killer Croc.
I stopped pre-ordering superhero comics this year, but picked this one up because of “hype”. It is a first issue, and my favorite character. But instead of persuading me to keep going or try to catch up on superhero fare, I was under-whelmed. I’m retuning to my sabbatical. THREE STARS.
#576-#578 = NEWBURN #14, #15, #16 of 16 by Chip Zdarsky and Jacob Phillips (Image Comics, January-March 2024) In the final issue Zdarsky states that “Newburn was a love letter to TV procedurals and detective novels. Tight mysteries where the good guy always figures it out. Except Newburn wasn’t a good guy, was he? But I still rooted for him and I hope you did as well.”
Count me in, too. I rooted for him, as I suspect many (but probably not all) readers did. Zdarsky succeeded in creating a memorable crime fiction/detective character and Phillips really brought him to life with his always appropriate choices in scene selection, illustration, and close-ups.
The final eight issues of this series were less episodic than the first volume and focused on a perilous plot thread that slowly unraveled across the stories until there was nothing there.
Issue #14 provided the desired history of Newburn’s bringing up, his time on the police force, and how he got into the business of peacemaker/problem solver for NYC’s gang relationships. As a private detective he walked the fine line between criminals and cops. In the current timeline, Emily begins to realize that Newburn is a killer and is reluctant to answer his plea for help as the gangs and police begin to close in on the both of them.
Things get even more complicated in Issue #15 when a new player attempts to replace Newburn as fixer for the crime gangs and tries to enlist Emily as her assistant. This at least buys Emily some more time as she explains to the Black Castle how Mario Albano died (not exactly as it occurred, but in a way that makes Emily appear as just a coerced accomplice).
Meanwhile, Newburn plays his last card, as he has something that boss Michael Albano wants and insists that they come to Newburn’s place to make the exchange. It gets violent and explosive. Many are presumed dead, including Newburn.
In the final issue, Emily is now working for the gangs with her new partner, doing the same job she did before with Newburn. But, how loyal is she to her associate, and is there a way to “burn” her and take over sole responsibility?
The final three issues are cleverly written and just like Newburn, Emily says it’s not about the money . . . she’s in it for “the puzzles, the truth at the end of the maze. It’s always there in the back of your head . . . The itch.”
A satisfactory ending that I won’t reveal more of. As crime comics go, this is one that I recommend. Overall, FOUR STARS.
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