Blow Away #1 Review

 

Writer: Zac Thompson

Artist: Nicola Izzo

Colorist: Francesco Segala & Gloria Martinelli

Letterer: D. C. Hopkins

Cover Artists: Annie Wu, Tyler Boss, and Tula Lotay with Dee Cunniffe

Publisher: Boom!

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 17, 2024

 

Brynne Brautigan traveled to Baffin Island in Canada. Her mission: to capture footage of nesting Red Knots. Alone in the arctic wilderness, her focus wanders. Will Brynne complete her documentary before the helicopter arrives to return her to civilization? Let's bundle up, leap into Blow Away #1, and see what happens!

 

Story

Brynne ventures onto the snow to reposition cameras and change memory cards. Then, she returns to examine the previous day's shots. GEM+ commissioned her to get coverage of the environment. She hunts for a scoop that will make her a star.

 

After forty-plus days alone, Brynne tires of studying her monitors. Yet the clock is ticking in Blow Away #1. Soon, the ice will thaw, and the endangered birds will abandon the area. Brynne dreads calling her producer. So when she checks in late, Matt Reznor gives her a drop-dead date. Then he’s sending the helicopter whether she’s ready or not.

 

With little time remaining, she’s hungry for a great story. So when two hikers appear, Brynne decides to multitask. But isolation and long hours make her careless. Or perhaps she’s just brave. Others have paid the price for her hunger for headlines. This time, Brynne could pay the price for her careless disregard for safety.

 

In Blow Away #1, Zac Thompson transports us to the edge of the world. Brynne spends her days gazing at Mount Asgard. After an encounter with a polar bear, an animal believed by native peoples to serve as an intermediary between Humans and the gods, Brynne spots two climbers. Like brothers, they help each other. Yet, like brothers, they also fight.

 

Brynne senses a mystery. But does she have the time to solve it?

 

Art

Snow assails Brynne, clad in her thick parka. She gazes through sunglasses as she checks her camera equipment. Nicola Izzo captures Mount Asgard's vast size in Blow Away #1. Izzo imbues the snowfields with a sorrowful feeling as Brynne races past crevasses on her snowmobile.

 

Is Brynne wrong about the Red Knots nesting on Mount Asgard? Sixteen images stretch longitudinally across two pages like a photography contact sheet. Two images capture the elusive birds. The remainder only shows the mountain and sled dogs pulling a hunter across the snow. Might the endangered birds be nesting on Mount Odin instead?

 

Inside her squat cabin on stilts, Brynne studies two monitors. Disposable cups of coffee proliferate as she perches on the edge of her chair. Instead of searching for the birds, Brynne studies the climbers. She denotes their personalities from their actions and appearances. The one with long, black hair seems nervous as he climbs. His blond companion, sporting a beard, seems more at home on the steep mountainside.

 

Francesco Segala & Gloria Martinelli color Baffin Island in white, blue, and green. White dominates, as you would expect, amid the constant snowstorms. Yellow, orange, brown, and purple claim cabin interiors, while the colors on her monitors serve as windows to the outside world. Yet red marks its territory in Blow Away #1. One climber wears a red jacket. But we notice it most when blood sprays and covers bodies. Then there’s the trail of red that Brynne follows when she risks her life to help someone in need.

 

D. C. Hopkins slots frail black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Inflection makes words bold or introduces color changes. Enormous white letters help us hear sounds and the howling wind, while their red cousins accompany a soul in pain.

 

Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Reality and mythology merge as a photographer seeks a killer scoop amid whiteout conditions on the mountain James Bond once skied off in Blow Away #1.

 

Rating 8.6/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #19 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Federico Vicentini

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Federico Vicentini & Richard Isanove; Derrick Chew; Luciano Vecchio

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 17, 2024

 

Miles' clone Shift isn't breathing. The Cape Killers are killing Miles' friends. He wanted to help the talented weapons designer, but she didn't share his interest in a talking cure. She'll take away everyone he loves unless he kills her. Can his friends deflect attacks from Rabble's super-powered Cape Killers until Miles incapacitates or kills her? Can he even do that? Let's ignite our venom-sabers, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #19, and find out!

 

Story

Agent Gao made the Cape Killers a deal they couldn't refuse. They use Rabble's powers to take down Spider-Man, and she erases their criminal records. With the sun setting on Gao’s Cape Killer program, it was their last chance to snag a Get Out Of Jail Free card. High-Tail and Taskmaster agreed readily enough, but Scorpion and Gust took more convincing. Still, who could resist the thrill of wielding more strength and speed?

 

Rabble proves more ruthless than Miles expects. She has one goal in life: to kill Spider-Man. She doesn't care how much collateral damage she causes and who lives or dies, provided she ends his life. But she also views death more fondly than life. Her mother is dead. Her father doesn't recognize her. Only her machines feel like family. So in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #19, Rabble evokes Robert Oppenheimer's famous paraphrase of Bhagavad Gita 11:32.

 

While Rabble yearns for death, it's harder to discern Agent Gao's motives. She's made excuses for her obsession, but neither Spider-Man deserves her hatred. Like Rabble, suffering has twisted her into someone she no longer recognizes. Someone who enslaved her team before Rabble usurped her control.

 

In Miles Morales: Spider-Man #19, Miles faces the prospect he's long dreaded. The clock is ticking until Agent Gao and the Cape Killers die. Until they die, Miles' friends are in danger. Rabble can turn his superpowers against him. So Miles must push past his pain to put Rabble down, even if it means killing her. To paraphrase Scorpion: it's time for this Spider-Freak to stop pulling his punches.

 

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #19 reminds us of Miles' essential goodness. As his uncle Aaron says, Miles sees the best in everyone. Ziglar's story challenges us to be more like Miles. Perhaps we won't gain the respect of villains. But who knows? We may find that people we initially regarded as enemies become allies or friends!

 

 

Art

While Spider-Man faces off against Rabble, Starling tries to resuscitate Shift, Gao pummels Prowler, and Rhino rises above the smoke caused by the furious fighting. Yet Federico Vicentini primarily focuses on Miles and Rabble, matching eyes for eyes, blow for blow, and her energy sword versus his thwip. Her drones seek an opening as Rabble's strike leaves a streak of white and provokes a splatter of red. Miles' venom blast is a trail of yellow that leaves drones sparking and smoking and Rabble reeling.

 

As Spider-Man and Rabble bang against walls, floors, and ceilings, Bryan Valenza’s brilliant coloring can’t escape the chaos, as intense light limits Miles’ vision to Black And White. Yet colors return to Miles Morales: Spider-Man #19 as the camera turns to Team Spidey and the Cape Killers. Sadly, we don't see Ms. Marvel until the end. Misty's there with Mayor Cage. Somehow, I suspect that Agent Gao won't be joining the NYC Vice Squad after all.

 

Cory Petit’s sound effects intensify the electric shocks, venom blasts, blows, whirlwinds, and crashes. Whether in color or Black And White, they remind us that even people with superpowers and enhanced healing abilities can feel pain. Miles shares his thoughts in red narrative boxes while large and small uppercase dialogue fills white balloons. But it's Rabble's lavender dialogue and her bone-shattering blows that readers will remember long after the dust settles in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #19.

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

As Rabble and Agent Gao make their final moves, Gust gets windy and weepy, Scorpion blasts his boss, and Miles' family gets a new face in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #19.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

The Spectacular Spider-Men #2 Review

 

Writer: Greg Weisman

Penciler: Humberto Ramos

Inker: Victor Olazaba

Colorist: Edgar Delgado

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado; Carmen Carnero & Nolan Woodard; Mike McKone & Alex Sinclair; Will Sliney & Rachelle Rosenberg [Homage]

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 17, 2024

 

When Dr. Seymour Krepps switched the power on in Miles Warren’s laboratory at Empire State University, he awakened the Jackal Hulk. The ferocious clone broke out of its containment chamber and rampaged across E.S.U. After capturing the creature, Peter and Miles Morales joined Dr. Krepps and Professor Raymond Aaron Warren in Jackal's laboratory, where they found a smoking Human corpse. How might Jackal's experiments and a new computer game interrupt Peter and Miles’ caffeinated chats at The Coffee Bean? Let’s grab our lattes, thwip into The Spectacular Spider-Men #2, and find out!

 

Story

NYPD Detective Shari Sebbins studies the burned skeleton in the morgue after Dr. Jane Foster's forensic examination. Jane Foster concludes that the man didn’t burn to death. Instead, each cell of the man’s body exploded. Did the Jackal Hulk do this? Or has Losira found a more spectacular way of killing people like Captain Kirk and U.S.S. Enterprise geologist D’Amato? “I am for you [Insert Name Here].”

 

Whatever the case, this prompts Jackal's brother, Professor Raymond Warren, to spend more time with Dr. Krepps instead of teaching at Midtown High. As the colleagues investigate Jackal's laboratory, Professor Warren grows intrigued when his friend’s taste in beverage changes.

 

 

 

Miles’ friend Cedrick has long adored Shelly. He’s plighted his troth to no avail. In The Spectacular Spider-Men #2, Shelly meets Cedric one night, tells him her feelings have changed, and promises to leave her beau Kenny. But when he meets her later at The Coffee Bean, Shelly affirms her love for Kenny and pretends their night together didn’t happen.

 

Miles grew up with Cedrick. He worries about his friend in The Spectacular Spider-Men #2. Peter accompanies Miles as they tail the distraught lover. But they lose Cedric, and when their trail leads into the sewers, they discover that Number Five is alive. Unfortunately, Number Five isn't a robot and has no plans to move to Montana. 

 

 

 

Art

Humberto Ramos and Victor Olazaba celebrate Miles's late arrival at The Coffee Bean with a double-page scene broken into panels. The staggered shots portray Miles' interactions with Shelly, Kenny, Professor Warren, and Sha Shan as he walks through the crowded coffee shop to Peter's table. Professor Warren glances up from his copy of The Daily Bugle bearing the headline Too Many Spider-Men and smiles at Miles. A woman seated with her back to Miles reads a He-Hulk comic. Peter and Miles clink together cups with their names written on them.

 

Edgar Delgado lavishes a loaded palette on The Spectacular Spider-Men #2. Scenes during the day, such as Miles' coffee shop entrance, shine brilliantly. Yet Delgado makes night scenes involving another Marvel hero and two lovers in Italy equally eye-catching. When the Spider-Men descent into the greenish sewers, light reflects off the costumes and illuminates their angry adversaries. Delgado's lighting and color choices help us understand how much Peter values their Wednesday meetups (when he should be visiting his local comic shop) and feel the danger he and Miles face as they battle more of Jackal’s creations.  

 

 

 

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase letters into white balloons and colored narrative boxes. The appealing font rarely shrinks. Dialogue often grows bold, changes color, or enlarges. Amid the bodies hurled against the brick-lined tunnels and those splashing in the festering fluids, a spine-tingling hissing fills the darkness in The Spectacular Spider-Men #2.

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

In The Spectacular Spider-Men #2, Jackal's cloning experiments continue to threaten society. Some students prove more adept than others at discerning fantasy from reality. Greg Weisman's Spider-ode to Cheers spins a healthy web of Thwippage and Quippage while reminding us that nurturing relationships is as important as accomplishing personal and career goals.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Helen Of Wyndhorn #2 Review

 

Writer: Tom King

Artist: Bilquis Evely

Colorist: Matheus Lopes

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes; Greg Smallwood

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 17, 2024

 

After years of research, journalist Thomas Rogers has published his book on early 20^th Century author Christopher Krieger Cole. Yet a guest at a book signing for Fighting Monsters: The Life And Tragic Death Of Fantasy Master C.K. Cole awakens forgotten memories. Lilith Appleton's nephew is enthused about C.K. Cole's Sword And Sorcery hero Othan and wishes his aunt had told him stories about the celebrated author. Why does learning of Lilith’s death make Thomas search his office for his cassette tapes? Let’s grab our pens and notepads, leap into Helen Of Wyndhorn #2, and see what we can learn!

 

Story

Thomas conducted several interviews with Lilith Appleton. But Barnabas Cole hired Lilith to be Helen’s governess after C.K. Cole’s death. So Lilith never met the author, only his daughter. Lilith never even read C.K. Cole’s stories. Thomas eventually stuck recordings of those interviews in a box and never listened to them again. Yet Thomas cares about getting things right. Even though he’s published his book, Thomas wonders if he missed any essential background on the author by not listening to those interviews.

 

After a thorough search, Thomas finds his recorded interviews with Lilith in Helen Of Wyndhorn #2. He listens to them late into the night. Lilith’s interviews enhance a tragic tale that propelled Cole to an early death. But Lilith is gone now. No one else will likely write about Helen's experiences at her grandfather's estate. Should he?

 

Lilith was rooted in convention. Given Helen’s itinerant life with her father, Lilith is pleased that the girl betrays an understanding of classic languages and literature. Yet Helen's attention flits to and fro, seemingly driven by fear. Lilith worries the girl’s fondness for alcohol could be a culprit. Like her father, it could drive her to an early death.   

 

In Helen Of Wyndhorn #2, Tom King crafts a gothic tale about haunted souls. Helen didn’t want to come to Wyndhorn. Often, Helen sleeps with Lilith rather than spend nights alone in her grand bedroom. Barnabas Cole blames himself for his son’s death. Yet he sees nothing wrong in Helen’s fondness for alcohol. Unlike Lilith, Barnabas is a man of two worlds. He has wealth and a lavish estate, yet Barnabas seems out of place. As Lilith reminds him, his son couldn’t reconcile what he knew with the world he inhabited. Barnabas seems to hope that Lilith can educate Helen out of her infatuation. But when Helen shows signs that she cannot live as she has, Barnabas realizes he must act. Perhaps Helen can follow in his footsteps rather than in her father's.

 

 

 

 

Art

In Helen Of Wyndhorn #2, Thomas Rogers has put on weight. He dresses more conservatively, and his hair is no longer curly and untamed. Bookcases line his office. A radio with a metal handle and a tape cassette player rests on a fine wooden desk. An EGA monitor sits atop a computer with 3 ½" floppy disk drives. His blond, mustached partner clad in pajama pants stops brushing his teeth to shrug at Thomas’ temporary insanity.

 

Barnabas Cole's face is a roadmap of lines. He hunkers down at the head of the dinner table and grasps the meat with his hands. When Lilith rebukes Helen for scattering plates and bowls, Barnabas dashes the candelabra, glasses of wine, and all the plates, bowls, and platters filled with food into the air.

 

Matheus Lopes enhances Bilquis Evely’s exuberant penciling with a selection of color palettes. While Barnabas and Lilith wear gray and brown clothing, Helen often opts for pink. Lopes colors mansion interiors in brown, beige, and blue-gray, while night subdues these colors and adds black walls with white details. Helen often looks out the window during the day, where the sun shines on verdant greenery. A purple cast fills the bedroom as Thomas lies beside his partner and listens to Lilith's interviews. The purple lighting, the tank top Thomas wears to bed, and the shirt he wears at the book signing suggest a link with Helen's fondness for pink.

 

Large uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons relate dialogue and Lilith’s recorded voice. Clayton Cowles’ small, ornate lowercase black letters on pink scraps of paper provide a transcript of Lilith’s recollections. Helen might find satisfaction in the large BANG her outburst at dinner produces. But Barnabas' immense and transparent CKKRAKKK makes clear who rules the mansion in Helen Of Wyndhorn #2.

 

Thanks to Dark Horse Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Even before they were written and collected, fairy tales tantalized readers with glimpses of realms beyond our own. Any Human who ventured into those realms saw great wonders but paid a price. Helen Of Wyndhorn #2 reminds us that early 20^th-century fantasy authors like Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft suffered mental afflictions and died young. Yet their tales of magic and wonder, populated by heroes, monsters, and gods, left an indelible mark on our collective consciousness.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3 Review

 

Writer: Amy Jo Johnson & Matt Hotson

Artist: Nico Leon

Colorist: Dono Sanchez-Almara

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Cover Artists: Goñi Montes, Ejikure, Rahzzah, Frany, Ivan Tao, The Escorza Brothers & Nico Leon

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 10, 2024

 

Trini Kwan's niece Selena tracked Kimberly to her remote mountain cabin. When Kimberly refused to train her, Selena assumed Rita Repulsa's appearance and attacked her. Why would Selena want to hurt Kimberly? Or did Rita return to life to kill Kimberly? Let's grab our power coins, leap into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3, and find out!

 

Story

After Green Ranger Tommy Oliver failed to return from the moon, Kimberly extracted a promise from the surviving Rangers. They would never draw on the Morphin Grid again. Trini kept the agreement, but Jason disappeared while fighting crime as the Red Ranger. Former Blue Ranger Billy Cranston and Black Ranger Zach Taylor told Kimberly Hart they also utilized the Morphin Grid.

 

Way to let down the ladies, guys!

 

Kimberly awakens where her old life ended in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3. Jason, Billy, and Zach are also in Bandora Palace. Selena reveals that she wasn’t Trini’s niece but Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa's daughter. Her father may have died when Billy’s Benevolator detonated, but Rita survived. Or at least her spirit did.

 

Once again, Kimberly’s fears over the power of the Morphin Grid prove correct. Billy’s invention drew power from the Morphin Grid. Rita used that conduit to send her spirit there. Now a ghost in the machine, Rita spoke with her daughter through the Morphin Grid.

 

Jason, Billy, and Zach used the Morphin Grid to help others. Kimberly avoided it to shield Earth from malignant forces. Rita Repulsa inhabited it! Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3 tantalizes us with a glimpse of Selena's childhood. We don't know how Selena grew up, but we know her mother influenced her. In Amy Jo Johnson and Matt Hotson’s story, Selena says she wants power, but her immediate plans involve emotional fulfillment. While seeking revenge, Selena lets her parents' killers live. If Selena achieves her objective, will it bring the satisfaction she craves?

 

Art

Billy’s Benevolator created a crater the size of Angel Grove. The debris orbits the moon, captured by the planetoid's gravity. Outside the damaged Bandora Palace, the Putties that once battled Rangers now clean up the debris. Inside, Jason—the first Ranger captured—hovers over Kimberly. Zach and Billy linger back, doubtless still smarting from their tongue-lashing in the diner. When Selena speaks to them from her mother's throne, the former Blue and Black Rangers assume fighting stances on the flagstone floor. Energy encircles them as they face the reincarnation of their old nemesis.

 

Dynamic layouts showcase Selena’s confrontation with her parents’ enemies, while inset panels reveal how she tracked them. Thoughtful camera placement keeps the action fresh in a now familiar setting. One of Rita's former servitors survived in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3. Although ravaged by age, he hobbles with a cane as he attempts to carry out Selena's plan. Nico Leon reveals Tommy Oliver’s final moments. His final act may explain Selena’s reluctance to kill.

 

Dono Sanchez-Almara colors Jason, Zach, Bill, and Kimberly's clothing to remind us of their uniforms. White energy pulsing through the blue dome evokes sunlight reflected in the sea. After a stream of pink energy signals Kimberly's departure, Tommy spies a child sitting on the worn wooden floor. As Selena reaches toward her mother's still form, her white hair and gray dress contrast with her mother’s colorful regalia and the crystal adorning the Magic Wand’s headpiece.

 

Large, black uppercase letters inhabit white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3. Words grow bold for inflection and rarely shrink. Colorful sound effects help us hear Kimberly’s attempt to break free from the energy dome and Tommy's struggle to reach the Benevolator as it counts down to detonation. Ed Dukeshire’s immense letters compare the power humming through Billy’s device with the one constructed to resurrect Selena’s mother.

 

Thanks to Boom! Studios and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

While providing insight into Tommy Oliver’s final moments, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3 portrays the perils of social media, the allure of power, and how clinging to the past warps one’s character.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

The Siren’s Red Tide Diary Review

 

Writer: Thaddeus Arjuna

Price: $3.99 (free with Kindle Unlimited)

Release Date: January 25, 2024

 

Darrell Taylor thought he had everything. He had a home. Darrell had a wife. He taught at the University of Florida. But Darrell didn’t share his wife’s interest in religion, and she didn’t share his love of fishing. One day, Darrell returned home and found his wife in bed with her pastor.

 

Darrell wasn't a saint. He'd had a short affair with Karen, his wife's niece. But his wife’s act—and her choice of companion—made Darrell realize the gulf between him. And when he was hurting, his friends at the university didn’t stand by him. So, Darrell filed for divorce, resigned his professorship, and started anew as a commercial fisherman.

 

Amid Darrell’s heartache, his wife’s nephew asked for a job. Nick wasn’t the most reliable worker, but he’d had a difficult childhood, so Darrell felt sorry for him. And an extra pair of hands came in handy on the boat. Hiring Nick as a deckhand also lets Karen remain in his life. Even though he’d kept his distance from the younger woman, Darrell liked her. Then he met Kyna, and everything changed.

 

Once, she had tormented seamen with her ruthless clan of sirens. But dealing out misery left Kyna empty inside. So, she abandoned her sisters and retired to the gulf near the Dry Tortugas. While beginning a new chapter in her life, Kyna noticed Darrell. She began to speak with him when he was alone on the boat. Darrell’s psychologist, Dr. Hammond, wonders if the trauma of his divorce created these hallucinations. But Darrell’s friendship with Kyna will prove a boon when Darrell discovers Nick’s plans for his boat. And Karen will defy her brother and rally to Darrell's side.

 

Abandoned in an inflatable raft with insufficient fuel, food, and water to reach shore, Darrell and Karen drift through red tides and barracuda-infested waters. They struggle to capture fish while fending off shark attacks. As Darrell and Karen lean on each other, Kyna speaks with them and helps them through their ordeal.

 

Author Thaddeus Arjuna invites readers to share Darrell and Karen's adventures through diary entries and dialogue-driven scenes. Atmospheric, transcendent, joyful, and enthralling, The Siren’s Red Tide Diary will find a home in your heart and remind you that the world contains more wonders than we can ever discover.

 

Warning: contains sex and mature themes.

 

The Siren’s Red Tide Diary is available on Amazon.com

ThunderCats #3 Review

 

Writer: Declan Shalvey

Artist: Drew Moss

Colorists: Martina Pignedoli

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Lucio Parrillo; Declan Shalvey; Jae Lee & June Chung; Ivan Tao; Drew Moss

Publisher: Dynamite

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 10, 2024

 

Newcomer Calica enchants Lion-O. The ThunderCats’ young ruler wishes to accompany her outside. But when Lion-O draws the broken Sword Of Omens to check if it is safe, the embedded Eye Of Thundera doesn’t grant him Sight Beyond Sight. Instead, a door of glowing light appears inside the crashed flagship. What will Lion-O discover when he steps through this magical doorway? Let's extend our claws, leap into ThunderCats #3, and see!

 

Story

Lion-O peers through the glowing doorway. But before he can enter, something leaps out at him. Cheetara doesn’t hear Lion-O’s cry, but she hears Calica call for help. She races through the Thundarian flagship to find Lion-O beaming. Her leader embraces a long-lost friend.

 

When they enter the chamber, the ThunderCats discover a cache of weapons. Lion-O learns that his father appointed his friend to guard the room two months ago. They find no stasis pod to explain his friend’s lack of aging. Yet Jaga piloted the ship for years. Even though Lion-O’s malfunctioning pod slowed his aging, he still grew to manhood during their trip.

 

Jaga gave his life to pilot the Thundarian flagship to Third Earth. Yet his spirit haunts Mumm-Ra in ThunderCats #3. Seated upon his throne in the black pyramid, Mumm-Ra questions the glowing figure. He alludes to their shared past. But the Thundarian spirit does not answer.

 

 

 

In Declan Shalvey’s story, Panthro should be Lion-O's rock. Yet his Security Chief grows impatient with Lion-O. When Panthro countermands one of Lion-O's decisions, the situation escalates. Cheetara intercedes but realizes she must restore order quickly to protect her people's heritage and cohesion on this alien planet.

 

Panthro’s distrust of Calica is understandable. Why would the Mu'Tants abduct the girl before they destroyed Thundera? The previous issue also hinted at a psychic link between Calica and Mumm-Ra. As Jaga once wielded the Sword Of Omens, this suggests that Mumm-Ra gained access to the sword’s Eye Of Thundera and used it to communicate with Jaga and Calica. With Declan Shalvey cramming ThunderCats #3 with hints, mysteries, and drama, Tygra’s suffering almost goes unnoticed. While Cheetara strives to return order, the contest for leadership between his friends shakes Tygra to the core.

 

 

 

Art

Drew Moss reveals the grandeur of the ThunderCats’ flagship. Calica wanders through long corridors, Lion-O meets her in an immense conference room, and Panthro studies screens projected from computers in the hangar, surrounded by vehicles and Tygra’s repair equipment. Even broken, the ship hums with a technology indistinguishable from magic. When Lion-O first peers inside, the chamber mirrors the conference room in size and shape, with a central aisle lined by empty displays leading to an elevated throne. Yet when he and the ThunderCats enter, the walls seem to hug the shelves and cases filled with weapons in this Room Of Requirement.

 

Moss portrays earnestness, determination, despair, and overwhelming joy in the ThunderCats’ expressions. He propels the Thundarians into action amid rising tensions regarding Lion-O’s leadership. Yet the most fraught scenes belong to Slythe, the Mu’Tant leader. He entered the jungle to be alone. In leaving his people behind, he may have lost them forever. His desperate fight for survival in ThunderCats #3 reveals that he was wrong to claim victory over “this pathetic world.” 

 

 

 

Cheetara cuts an electrifying swathe of yellow through the red, blue, and green that enrich this story. Whether the action occurs during the day or night, Martina Pignedoli surrounds the characters in bright, rich colors. The atmosphere of Third Earth fills the air with appealing colors that contrast with the characters. When tensions rise in the Thundarian flagship--or something unexpected occurs--a cloud of beautiful color appears.

 

Lowercase black letters in colored narrative boxes relate character thoughts and off-camera dialogue. Black uppercase words in white dialogue balloons grow bold for inflection and swell for shouts. A heartfelt cry wafts through a disembodied pink oval. Mumm-Ra’s handprinted letters dominate cloudy balloons. Jeff Eckleberry helps us hear the Eye Of Thundera open, Slythe’s failure, and a bulkhead shatter in ThunderCats #3.

 

Thanks to Dynamite Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Repressed anger prompts a challenge to Lion-O’s leadership, a beloved friend returns, a mysterious room showcases a Mu’Tant weapon, and a villain discovers new adversaries in ThunderCats #3.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

For more covers and preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Napalm Lullaby #2 Review

 

Writer: Rick Remender

Artist: Bengal

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Bengal & Dave Guertin

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 10, 2024

 

A baby operating alien armor appears in a burst of light. Three soldiers also materialize and pursue him. After he kills his enemies, a Human couple finds the child and takes it home. Fifty years later, the Church Of Glokar rules our world. Sam and Sarah want to free Humanity from Glokar’s dominance. But can the teens accomplish such a monumental task? Let’s leap into Napalm Lullaby #2 and find out!

 

Story

Norfolk, Nebraska, is home to a brilliant Crystal Temple. An energy shield protects the skyscrapers surrounding the gleaming architectural beacon, while most of the population inhabits a multistory shantytown of old residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. People conform to Glokor’s religious rule in the hopes of bettering their social and economic status, while the poor feast on fried cricket stew for dinner.

 

Sam and Sarah's father once served in the temple. He escaped, but their mother remained behind. For a short time, the Crystal Temple will allow pilgrims to enter. Entrants hope to spend the rest of their lives inside. Their father doesn’t want to return, but Sam and Sarah wish to see their mother. They're also tired of the world they inhabit.

 

Napalm Lullaby #2 tackles the generation gap. Or should I say the generation chasm? Their father sends them out on missions to procure relics. He safeguards the treasures they find for future generations. Sam and Sarah see their home as a mausoleum, full of dead things that cannot make today better for anyone.

 

In Napalm Lullaby #2, Rick Remender asks: What if Kal-El used his superhuman abilities to transform Earth into his ideal society? We saw suggestions of this in Zach Snyder's Man Of Steel, where young Clark Kent read Plato’s Republic. But Glokor wasn't raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who urged young Clark to let Human society choose its path. Instead, Glokor came to Brenda and Paul, two protestors against anti-liberal causes.

 

Sam and Sarah’s childhood inside the temple granted them superhuman abilities. They’ve secured halos from murdered priests. They want to sneak into the Crystal Temple, find their mother, kill Glokor, and free the world from his religious oppression. Assuming they survive, what will Sarah and Sam do with their superhuman abilities then? Let their fellow Humans choose how they live? Or will they, as agents of change, forge a new and better society for everyone to inhabit?

 

 

Art

Bengal imbues Sam and Sarah with anime appeal in Napalm Lullaby #2. Sam and Sarah ride through narrow streets on an old motorcycle and sidecar. Children play in the dirt while workers stride past beggars and vendors manning stalls sheltered by awnings. An eyeball named Rufus greets Sam and Sarah from a panel beside their front door. After scanning their identities, the eyeball lets the brother and sister inside.

 

Art and relics clutter rooms and hallways. Space hardly seems at a premium in this makeshift future, or at least in Sam and Sarah’s home. Paintings and relics like the front of a classic car and a McDonald’s symbol adorn walls, while old TV sets, action figures, toys, and CDs fill shelves. A carved Greek statue shares a room with a bust of Marilyn Monroe and the upper half of C3PO, while books fill shelves and arise like Ghostbuster-arranged stacks from the floor. Their father awaits their return in an easy chair near a defunct arcade game stuffed with potted plants. Clad in a helmet adorned with aviator goggles and a shirt of chain mail festooned with medals, he reads an Ernest Hemingway novel by candlelight, surrounded by—yes, you guessed it—more books.

 

Reds, yellows, and browns dominate Napalm Lullaby #2, yet Bengal lavishes touches of others to suggest a spectrum of color. Bengal lavishes special care upon lighting, which streams into rooms dramatically. Sam’s powers also manifest as light. They hint at the clown mask he sometimes wears. The angrier Sam gets, the hotter the light grows. Note: don’t make this guy angry!

 

Rus Wooton fills white dialogue balloons with small uppercase black lettering. Inflection and raised voices enlarge and embolden the words. His sound effects help us hear Sam plunk his bag of stolen halos on the table and his anger erupting amid his father's lifework.

 

Thanks to Image Comics and Giant Generator for providing an issue for review.

 

Final Thoughts

In a future where most of humanity lives in slums, dreams can become reality, and thought crimes can get you killed in Napalm Lullaby #2.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.