Local Man #10 Review

 

Writer: Tony Fleecs & Tim Seeley

Artist: Tony Fleecs & Tim Seeley

Colorist: Brad Simpson & Felipe Sobreiro

Cover Artists: Tim Seeley, Tony Fleecs, Whilce Portacio & Brian Reber

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 22, 2024

 

Jack’s 3^rd Gen boss, Camo Crusader, imprisoned his 4^th Gen recruits. Jack’s girlfriend, Inga, helped Camo harvest and sell their superpowers. Yet even as the teens’ bodies died, some of their spirits remained. Driven mad by Camo Crusader and Inga’s betrayal, former 4^th Gen recruit Seascape summoned a tidal wave. Jack rallied the locals and saved Farmington. But how do the townspeople feel about Jack killing Camo Crusader? Let’s leap into Local Man #10 and find out!

 

Story

Police Chief Brian Bucholz warned Jack that people would like him less when they learned he killed Camo Crusader. It doesn't matter that Jack prevented his former boss from killing the Police Chief. Brian had called in the death. He promised to write a report that justified Jack's actions. But someone leaked a video of Camo's death to the TV news channels, while Brian's report got mired in bureaucracy.

 

All this comes to a head in Local Man #10 when Farmington comes together to commemorate Jack's dad. After Father Leo praises Benjamin's public service, the parishioners assure the grieving widow that God will comfort her. Then, as they face the son Benjamin left behind, they disparage Jack.

 

Father Leo mentions that he needs Local Man’s help. His mother looks to Jack for support. But Deputy Alan Kopecki waits outside with two FBI officers. Instead of accompanying them to the station, Jack takes his dog Pepper and runs away.

 

Jack has made a habit of running away from Farmington. The first time, it was because he pulled a stunt that impressed Camo Crusader and the 3^rd Gen Public Relations agent. Now, Jack runs away to his former teammate. He shares Neon's vacation house in Joshua Tree, California, where the sunlight charges her superpowered body, allowing her to perpetuate the mist that keeps the authorities away. But Jack and Neon are getting on each other's nerves. Worse, she blames him for Camo Crusader's death. Neon loves her husband despite his faults and understands why Jack killed him. Still, living with his killer isn't easy. So when Father Leo requests Local Man’s aid, Neon packs Jack a duffle bag.

 

In Local Man #10, Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley remind us how the media controls our perceptions. They also demonstrate how people can come together to accomplish something worthwhile. But most of all, they suggest the importance of having a goal in life. Jack accomplishes good things wherever he goes. But his lack of focus allows others to manipulate him. How much more might Jack accomplish if he had a plan?

 

Art

Father Leo conducts the open casket service. Flowers fill the church and surround a portrait of Jack's father. Yet outside, hazy sunlight reveals the town in ruins and construction workers hauling away the wreckage. Lila rests her head on Jack's shoulders. Ben's death and the town's destruction have drained Father Leo. Once again, anger contorts Lila’s features as she thrusts Pepper into Jack’s hands, and he runs away.

 

TV images portray journalists, Gen Corp’s owner, and 3^rd Gen members Neon and Soft Kore. They also replay Jack’s singular instance of archery effectiveness. Jack is appalled by the 3^rd Gen's flashy replacements. He reclines on Neon's couch while she stretches on a yoga mat. A mist obscures the few plants that sprout outside the one-story desert home.

 

Brad Simpson’s appealing colors bring depth to Tony Fleecs’ art in Local Man #10. Jack's green shirt and Neon's blue-green workout clothes remind us of their complicated relationship. Yet her body and clothes glow pink when she grows angry and remind us of the mist outside. The subdued coloring of Jack’s wandering life contrasts with the poster art of Gen Corp’s new superhero team. Green and pink feature heavily, and the vivid tones make the image glow. Felipe Sobreiro lavishes similarly bold, bright colors on Tim Seeley's art when Crossjack and Soft Kore visit a Hollywood nightclub.

 

Uppercase black letters fill dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Even in panels packed with dialogue, the arrangement is easy to follow in Local Man #10. Colorful sound effects help us hear Father Leo’s attempts to contact Jack, Neon hastily packing Jack’s clothes, and gunshots ring out in a crowded nightclub. Black and green badges with white print identify potential weapons should Local Man need to fend off a vengeful opponent.

 

Thanks to Image Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Jack abandons his home, family, and neighbors again, only to return and find Farmington radically changed in Local Man #10. But has his hometown changed for better or worse?

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

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

Amazing Spider-Man #50 Review

 

Writers: Zeb Wells, Marv Wolfman, Nikesh Shukla

Pencilers: Ed McGuinness, Terry Dodson

Inker: Mark Farmer

Artists: Crisscross, Juan Ferreyra, and Todd Nauck

Colorists: Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega; Terry Dodson; Andrew Dalhouse; Juan Ferreyra; Rachelle Rosenberg

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Ed McGuinness & Marcio Menyz; Nick Bradshaw & Rachelle Rosenberg; Greg Capullo & FCO Plascencia; Iban Coello & Jesus Aburtov; John Romita Sr & Edgar Delgado; John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Dean White; John Tyler Christopher

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $9.99

Release Date: May 22, 2024

 

Spider-Man battled gangs to protect people like Peter Parker's friend, Randy Robertson. Spider-Man also helped Peter's friend, Betty Brant, recapture the Winkler Device from Hobgoblin and Queen Goblin. Spidey even saved the Living Brain from the Sinister Six and stored it in Peter Parker's workplace. But is Peter Parker Spider-Man? Let’s grab some brain food to confront this brainteaser, thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #50, and find out!

 

Main Story

Peter Parker’s life has not gone smoothly. He confessed to Shay that he doesn’t do well in personal relationships. Yet he’s tried to make more time for friends like Miles Morales, Randy Robertson, and Betty Brant. But then, there was that evening that Michele claimed he stood her up for a date.

 

In Amazing Spider-Man #50, another strange incident occurs. Instead of saving people from dangerous situations or capturing criminals, Spider-Man is hassling a Real Estate agent named Keyan when Norman Osborn calls. It seems like a strange use of Peter Parker’s precious time. But Peter has bigger fish to fry. The Living Brain is in a chatty mood.

 

Recently, the giant cerebrum penetrated the digital clean room to travel the worldwide web. Now, it endangers its existence to communicate. The message it sends Peter, which he relays to Norman, could change both men’s lives forever.

 

After conferring with Dr Curt Connors, Peter heads to Norman's office. Peter is Norman's employee and friend. In Kamala Khan's absence, Peter is Norman's moral compass. Like any multimillionaire, power and influence insulate Norman from the consequences of his actions. Norman can injure or destroy people's lives more effectively than Tombstone's flunkies Kareem or White Rabbit, let alone Tombstone's lawyer Michele or an underhand Real Estate agent named Keyan. The question is, does Norman want to?  

 

Amazing Spider-Man #50 spins a web of story strands over more than half the oversized issue. Zeb Wells unearths Easter Eggs hidden beneath more eye-catching events. Yet Wells also asks if we can be happy when denying our most powerful urges. Can someone who derives pleasure from hurting others ever reform and be satisfied with helping people? Or, like the Living Brain, are we damaging ourselves by ignoring our primary drives and trying to reshape our identities?

 

 

 

Art

A light show surrounds the giant brain. Sparks erupt from monitors in the control room. As lab-coated technicians scramble to understand what's happening, a ticker tape issues from a workstation.

 

Keyan tries to pull webbing off his dark suit while Spider-Man squats atop a mailbox. More webbing stretches from a window washer's platform to nearby objects. A trio of circular panels nestles beside successive rectangular panels of Spider-Man and Keyan. Norman resides in these circular panels, clad in his dark suit. As he converses with Spidey, he clutches a chess piece. Is it a bishop or a pawn?

 

Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega lavish a loaded palette on Ed McGuinness and Mark Farmer’s stylish art. Old School panels give way to more modern layouts, interposed with splash pages and double-page spreads. Brown, gray, and orange control room scenes give way to vivid colors as a door opens, and a frown becomes a wicked smile. Brightly colored opening scenes transition to electrifying green, purple, and orange. The sunlight illuminating Spider-Man and Kayan shout that this issue takes place after events in Amazing Spider-Man Blood Hunt. But by the end of this story, another darkness has overcome our world.

 

Welcome to the jungle, baby.

 

 

 

 

Cat-Nipped!

Story

Spider-Man pursues Black Cat after her latest robbery, but she eludes him. Later, he stops by her Litter Box. Black Cat left him a message in her apartment. Like Freddie Mercury, she says, Don't stop me now. But Spider-Man wants to halt her fun and games. So, he seeks a pattern behind her intriguing crime spree.

 

In Amazing Spider-Man #50, Marv Wolfman touches on the intriguing link between competition, forgery, and homage. Like Randy Robertson's former relationship with Tombstone's daughter, the story also reveals how closeness to those who don’t share our moral standards can blind us to the harm they cause.

 

Art

Black Cat swings above the street and somersaults onto a semi-truck trailer. As she races toward the cab, Spider-Man swings past and snatches the poster tube from her shoulder. Sorry, Black Cat! You won’t be bringing that art to your next convention!

 

Terry and Rachel Dodson populate pages with one or two panels and build around those with thin strips or tiny boxes. Terry Dodson employs a limited palette dominated by blues, making skin tones and the red on Spidey’s costume stand out. The final pages bloom with more colors as Spider-Man thwips into the sunrise.

 

 

 

Time To Make The Donuts

Story

Spider-Man loves Lionel King's donuts. Missing out on them makes Spidey unhappy. Spider-Man has dedicated his life to thwipping and fighting crime. Yet he's amazed by Lionel's dedication to such a mundane task.

 

Nikesh Shukla’s story in Amazing Spider-Man #50 reminds us to respect how food influences us and unites us with others. It also highlights how a stray comment can transform a person's life.

 

Art

Introductory scenes focus on the cooking donuts, then pull back to show Spider-Man standing beside Lionel’s food truck. Crisscross devotes a page to Spidey thwipping above the city before he meets with Mrs. King. Andrew Dalhouse employs subdued colors while sparing bright green and pink to highlight Lionel and his mother. A memory bathes in yellow, orange, and copper. After the engaging dialogue and intense kitchen action, the final panel darkens. Will the brightness return when Spidey reunites with Lionel and his mother? 

 

 

 

Don’t Thing Thrice, It’s All Right

Story

Lee Gatlin brings a dose of cartoony fun to Amazing Spider-Man #50. Spidey spots the Rhino’s silhouette in a darkened apartment. So he swoops in, only to realize that he’s crashing a surprise birthday party. While packing his story about Spider-Man and the Thing with hijinks and humor, Lee muses on how bringing someone to mind may provoke a seemingly random meetup.

 

Art

Gangly Spider-Man thwips around a brownstone before swinging through a window and webbing everyone inside. Like the other guests, the ever-loving Thing is wearing a party hat. The next day, a practical joke makes the Thing resemble Rhino. Lee Gatlin complements his fun cartoony art with textured color that imbues this short tale about friends and enemies with depth and atmosphere. 

 

 

 

Secrets

Story

While Zeb Wells scattered the seeds for his story in Amazing Spider-Man #50 in preceding issues, Joe Kelly shares another previously unrevealed event. Peter can’t shake some pesky Niffleheim Imps, so he heads to the Sanctum Sanctorum. As Doctor Strange struggles with his health and focus, Peter seems oblivious to the sorcerer’s pain and his need to concentrate. Steven's final words and the stick he clamps in his jaws hint at upcoming developments that may rock Spider-Man's world. That is, assuming he survives the current storyline involving the Living Brain, Norman Osborn, and the Green Goblin.

 

Kelly’s story reminds us how pestering others to resolve our urgent business can derail others from fulfilling necessary tasks.

 

Art

In contrast to Lee Gatlin’s black and red Spider-Man, Juan Ferreyra shows tiny green goblins chomping on Spidey’s bright red and blue suit. Spidey trails a cloud of lavender as he tumbles inside the Sanctum Sanctorum. Light shines from the bat's mouths as Spider-Man sits on a hammock. Spindly, articulated limbs pluck the Cornish Pixies away. Yet Spider-Man ignores a nightmarish apparition and regards Doctor Strange on his upholstered, armored throne. Ferreyra’s atmospheric art suggests the power an upcoming Spine-Tingling Doctor Strange series could wield.

 

 

Epilogue And Lettering

Like a post-credit scene in an MCU movie, Zeb Wells, Todd Nauck, and Rachelle Rosenberg provide an epilogue in the jungle where Dr Connors plays to close out the main story in Amazing Spider-Man #50.

 

Aside from Lee Gatlin's hand lettering, Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black lettering into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes in Amazing Spider-Man #50. The font grows bold for inflection, swells for increased volume, and rarely shrinks. Immense letters help us hear a semi-truck crash, a giant brain scream, and overwhelmingly evil laughter.

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

When the Living Brain starts talking, its words upend Peter Parker and Norman Osborn’s lives in Amazing Spider-Man #50. Perhaps it's just as well that Peter's heightened strength, agility, and spider-sense prevent him from ever relaxing. He'll need all his wits to confront the enemies that surround him and the demons that lurk within.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To preview interior art for the main story see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Army Of Darkness Forever #8 Review

 

Writer: Tony Fleecs

Artist: Pop Mhan

Colorist: Brad Simpson

Letterer: Troy Peteri

Cover Artists: Bjorn Barends, Arthur Suydam, Tony Fleecs & Chris Burnham

Publisher: Dynamite Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 22, 2024

 

Ash traveled from England to America. He found the scattered pages of the Necronomicon Ex Mortis. (Also, he may have gotten VD from an amorous Morlock). Ash even said the magic words correctly. Then, a demon baby appeared. Lord Arthur's wizard vanished. The robots detected two more copies of the evil book in other places. Can Ash ever return home? Let's grab our shotguns and chainsaws, leap into Army Of Darkness Forever #8, and see what happens!

 

Story

Ash no longer has Lord Arthur’s Wiseman to guide him. But he remembers the three copies of the Necronomicon Ex Mortis he found in the forest. He remembers the magic words, "Klaatu Barada Nikto." Now he's got a demon baby that eats rats for breakfast and chants the word Nikto. Could the other words be the names of the other two books?

 

Ash isn’t like his evil twin in 1993. He never learned computers. He doesn’t understand what the robots tell him about the hologram of the Wiseman. One robot summons a facsimile of the Wiseman. But the spirit in the machine has vanished.

 

Or has it? At the very least, the Wiseman has changed his tune in Army Of Darkness Forever #8. The reconstituted wiseman evokes Siri or Alexa. But he makes one suggestion that offers Ash hope.  

 

 

 

So, Ash retraces his steps. His journey will take him back across the pond. As he returns to where he awakened from his Rumpelstiltskin rest, Ash realizes that a copy of the Necronomicon Ex Mortis resides in London. Why did the Wiseman tell him to travel across the globe, gathering scattered pages of one copy, when another was here all along?

 

In Army Of Darkness Forever #8, Tony Fleecs returns us to the series’ beginning. Is Ash any wiser? Ash left a woman who loved him back in the Dark Ages. He cut off his infected hand but made an articulated metal replacement. Ash could have lived in a castle and bathed in the awe of the locals. Yet, even as he flies in a shuttle with robot companions, Ash bemoans losing his hand, car, home, and every woman he ever loved. Was his life in 1993 and his job at S-Mart better than the one Ash has now? And will Ash ever learn to appreciate what he has?

 

The reconstituted wizard suggests that reuniting the three copies will cure all this madness. Might the triad of evil books transport him to 1993 or Lady Shiela's time? Neither seems an appealing option right now. But Lord Arthur's Wiseman gave into the Necronomicon's influence, which suggests the books are running the show. Whatever they intend for his future, let’s hope Ash enjoys the ride.  

 

 

 

Art

In Army Of Darkness Forever #8, Pop Mhan portrays Ash’s increasing frustration with Future Shock. He gestures at the robot holding the demon baby. As the baby crawls over the robot’s head, leaps to the ground, and plays with an insect droid, the robot projects a headshot of the wizard. The hologram resembles a computer image from the early days of computing, likely earlier than 1993. Ash hides his face in his flesh and metal hands.

 

Brad Simpson paints Ash's meltdown against a red and purple sky. Red dirt and a few green trees surround Ash as he rages at the robot. A dark blue sky hangs over a blue-tinged White House. Deadites surround the barbed wire and wrought-iron fencing. In Salem, Massachusetts, magic sparkles bright green under a lavender sky. Orange and browns dominate the former capital of England. Ash gazes at Big Ben, leaning toward him like a famous Italian landmark under a tomato-red sky.

 

Troy Peteri projects large black uppercase letters into white and colored dialogue balloons and narrative boxes in Army Of Darkness Forever #8. Words grow bold for inflection and enlarge or shrink to convey volume. Stylish banners introduce eras. Sound effects help us hear an insurrection, a Massachusetts Chain Saw Massacre, and the mayhem of a medieval melee. But the giant words that overlay the opening page, when Ash realizes what the incantation stands for, remain Peteri’s deadliest achievement.

 

Thanks to Dynamite Comics & MGM for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Ash begins a grand new adventure. The evil wizard makes Lady Shiela an offer she can't refuse. But can Betty Currie save Bill Clinton's presidency in Army Of Darkness Forever #8?

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

 

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120 Review

 

Writer: Melissa Flores

Artist: Valeria Favoccia

Colorist: Valentina Pinto

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Cover Artist: Taurin Clarke; Björn Barends; Goñi Montes; Anand Ramcheron; Mateus Manhanini; John Giang; Sketch Ellis

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 22, 2024

 

Kiya wanted to protect Earth by using a Power Egg to destroy the Morphin Grid. The Power Rangers have another plan, but they need assistance. Can the Solar Rangers help them combat Dark Specter's infection? Let’s leap into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120 and find out!

 

Story

The universe can be a scary place. Fear threatens to paralyze us. Yet fear can also mobilize us if we remember what matters most.

 

In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120, Melissa Flores transports us to the Void. Once, the Void was severed from the Morphin Grid and started to die. Reattachment returned health to the Void. But it also allowed dangers to intrude. Now, the clear and present danger is Dark Specter’s infection.

 

Ellarien leads the Solar Rangers. They protect the Void from harm. Yet the infection is spreading, and they don’t know its source or how to combat it. Ellarien and her team defend a group of orphans in the Agate Asteroids. While the others fight the invading thralls, Ellarien’s lover, Remi, guards the orphans. But the Solar Rangers can't protect the Agate Asteroids indefinitely. They must fall back and cede territory to this unknown infection.

 

The Masters of the Cistern Belt have promised to care for the orphans. So, like the children sent away from English cities during World War II, Ellarien and Remi bring the orphans to them. Yet Ellarien and Remi struggle to say goodbye to one of the endearing critters. Ellarien, or Ari for short, promised Shara that she and Remi would never abandon her. Ellarien and Remi assured Shara that she was a member of their family.

 

Yet war demands sacrifice. In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120, Ellarien and Remi battle an unknown foe. While they battle thralls and  Solar Rangers infected by Dark Specter, Ellarien and Remi wonder who they are fighting. History suggests a way to halt the infection. Ellarien could use her powers to sever the Void from the Morphin Grid again. Like cutting off a gangrenous limb, it seems the only viable strategy.  

 

But then, they would be isolated. The Void would slowly begin to die. Again.

 

Art

When Shara wanders away, Remi clasps the critter by the shoulder, clutches Shara’s hand, and leads her back to the others. Like the candle in Shara's hand, the other muskies' eyes glow as Remi addresses them. A Morphin Master glares while a space station spins in the Void. Energy envelops Ellarian as she morphs. Yet, as Remi binds her lover's arm, the expressions Remi and Ari share seem more powerful.

 

Later, Maxie and Remi lead the orphans outside in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120. They watch as Ellarien, Salum, and Tigan battle thralls in the Agate Asteroids. Broken columns arise from boulders, now memorials to a fallen civilization. Shara's eyes bulge. Her jaw drops. Thralls guard stairs winding up a hill toward a spaceship. Ellarian and Remi leap into battle.

 

Valentina Pinto lavishes a loaded palette of appealing colors on Valeria Favoccia’s art. A yellow laser slices through two charcoal and red thralls, turning nearby space pink, orange, and purple. Turquoise hair frames Remi's face as she smiles and raises her fist. Her power coin glows yellow, matching her ears and the stripe running down her forehead, nose, and chin. A lavender and blue city awaits the refugees in the Cistern Belt. The children spill color across the woven streets while Remi and Ellarian walk amid weblike supports. Then, a purple and pink spaceship lands. Gray smoke rises to obscure the yellow-white glow of its thrusters.

 

Black uppercase lettering inhabits white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. Ed Dukeshire’s letter size, line spacing, and contrast between print and backgrounds make Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120 easy to read. Colorful dialogue and sound effects enliven the Solar Rangers' defense of the Agate Asteroids. Yet two booms, seemingly unaccompanied by violence, hint at an approaching storm.

 

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

 

Final Thoughts

As Dark Specter’s infection reaches the Void, Ellarian’s dwindling hope drives her toward action that could derail Billy's plan to heal the universe in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13 Review

 

Writer: Erik Burnham

Artist: Sarah Myer

Colorist: Luis Antonio Delgado

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Cover Artists: Sarah Myer, Ramon Rosanas & Gigi Dutreix

Publisher: IDW

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 22, 2024

 

Ogg The Magnificent challenged the Turtles to a Best Of Three Contest. If the Turtles win, Ogg loses his powers. If Ogg wins, the Turtles lose their lives. Michelangelo’s genius brought his brothers their first win. But are the Turtles capable of defeating The Enemy Within? Let's order a pizza, tune into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13, and find out!

 

Story

Mister Ogg is tired of people not living up to their potential. He craves originality, not sequels and variations on a theme. So, he’s getting to the heart of who the Turtles are by forcing them to fight their evil selves. Perhaps the Turtles will achieve greatness by beating versions of themselves that value victory over principles and achievements over a good time. If not, Ogg will wipe them out of existence. No pressure.

 

As Raphael points out, Ogg's stacked the deck in his favor. He's forcing the Turtles to fight five evil Turtles in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13. Too bad, Raph! Ogg’s throwing the party. Or rather, he’s hosting the Ogglympics. Versions of the magnificent Ogg sell drinks, snacks, pennants, and foam fingers to the cheering crowd. To make things interesting, Mister Ogg throws out an additional incentive. If the Turtles don't give their best, he will wipe their evil twins from existence.

 

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13, Erik Burnham forces the brothers to go against their instincts. Ogg tricked them into this contest by appealing to their vanity. He nearly won Round One because most of the Turtles were overthinking. Round Two will test their compassion and what unites them as brothers. But most of all, it will push each Turtle before a mirror and force him to confront his greatest weakness.

 

While their unprincipled evil selves go for the win by any means necessary, Ogg makes our Turtles' task harder. He splits them up so they cannot function as a team. Should just one of them lose his battle, all four lose Round Two. Man, Burnham, that Ogg is evil! Like Michelangelo, I think I liked Ogg better when he was just a weird little guy who ate porcelain!

 

Art

Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo confront their evil sides in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13. The rascally Raphael resembles a pirate. The dastardly Donatello packs bulging muscles. Lawbreaking Leonardo looks ferocious in Black And White. Bizarrely, menacing Michelangelo resembles a wide-eyed innocent. Still, the sinister Shredder Turtle looks more dangerous than any two of the other reptile reprobates!

 

Sarah Myer does All-Mighty Ogg’s bidding by tossing Leo into a Hoth-like snowfield. She spirits Donatello to a ramp evoking the elevated bridge of Darth Vader's Star Destroyer. She hurls Raphael to a savage land with an active volcano. As for Michelangelo, he lands beside a small spaceship outside a futuristic pizza palace. Who knew there was a thriving Italian community on Coruscant?

 

Purple and blue dominate a packed stadium. Lights glare before a planet- and star-filled purple sky. When Leonardo’s sword transforms into an Oggish snake, white dots and a starburst appear. Green foliage and vines surround a Black-And-White Turtle. Leonardo battles in blue-white knee-high snow before purple and pink mountains. Luis Antonio Delgado lavishes a loaded palette of attractive and vibrant colors on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13.

 

Ed Dukeshire's uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons will please pizza lovers of any age. Words rarely shrink and embolden for inflection, while every word lawbreaking Leo utters is bold. Energetic and colorful sound effects help us hear Ogg banish the turtles to their separate trials, blades clash, and the Oggling crowd boo. While some sound effects coordinate with turtle colors, the red letters that announce a table-turning development have nothing to do with Raphael.

 

Thanks to my compadres at IDW for providing a copy of this cowabunga issue for review.

 

Final Thoughts

From a jungle to a futuristic city, the All-Powerful Mister Ogg tests the Turtles' mettle using a divide-and-conquer strategy in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13. The pressure is on Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo. If anyone stumbles, they all could die!

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

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

 

 

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #20 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Federico Vicentini

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Federico Vicentini & Matt Milla; Goran Parlov

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 15, 2024

 

Miles’ family is growing. He introduced Shift to his parents, and they embraced his shape-shifting clone. Will Joe Public accept Miles' Swole brother? Let's swap our black-and-red costumes for street clothes, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #20, and find out!

 

Story

So much has happened recently that his journal seems like a foreign land. Still, Miles takes up his pen and reflects on how his life has changed. Rabble destroyed his home, but his family moved into another. Less enlightened parents might find a shape-shifting clone of their son weird, but Miles’ father and mother have welcomed Shift. Baby Billie adores her new older brother. After all the trauma, Miles’ family is still around, and he’s there for them.

 

Miles’ family isn’t limited to blood relations. A day at the park gives Miles a chance to hang out with his friends. While surveying the artists’ stalls, Shift and Kamala bolster their burgeoning friendship, and Miles reconnects with his pal Ganke outside school.

 

While family provides benefits, it also comes with responsibilities. It’s been ten issues since Miles’ parents asked him to take out the trash. At the time, it seemed like an innocuous request. Yet performing a household chore ended in a fight with vampires and a team-up with Blade and Bloodline. In Miles Morales: Spider-Man #20, his parents ask Miles and Shift to babysit little Billie. So, the brothers take an infant along on their art walk. What could go wrong?

 

Recently, Miles helped Misty Knight prevent Black Obsidian from selling weapons to street gangs. While Black Obsidian and his gang employ the Hard-Light constructs differently than in Giant-Size Spider-Man #1, Miles recognizes Rabble's inventions. The weapons are an unwanted reminder of the disturbed woman who tried to kill Miles and everyone he loved. Still, Miles and Kamala suit up to apprehend the gangsters while Shift protects Billie and the folks in the park.

 

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #20 gives Miles a glimpse of normality before the skies go dark and Blood Hunt begins. Ziglar also hints at Shift's creative side and how Tombstone's rise to power has altered patterns of criminal behavior in New York City. But whether the story focuses on Miles or reveals High-Tail’s new life, Ziglar’s story focuses on our love for family and how hard we’ll work to protect it.

 

 

Art

Federico Vicentini shows the joy suffusing Miles' family. As the morning sun brightens Miles' neighborhood, his parents clear the table. Miles' smile is as wide as Billie's as Shift holds her while sprouting another set of arms from his neck.

 

In Miles Morales: Spider-Man #20, Shift straps his young sister into a  Baby Carrier, slips on a backpack, and thwips through the neighborhood. Miles follows in close pursuit. After the Morales Spider-Men change in an alley, Miles can't escape Ganke’s friendly headlock while Kamala approaches Shift. The Inhuman and Mutant shapeshifter’s eyes bulge, and Kamala presses her hands to her face when gazing down at Billie.

 

Bryan Valenza contrasts the soft morning light by casting the ground, stall interiors, and other shoppers in cool blues. Shift shines in his red hat and yellow jacket amid the cheery red-and-white canopies. Valenza bathes a sculptor shaping clay and an artist using markers in blues while the morning sun lightens a young spray painter’s mural in yellow. Although Rabble designed Black Obsidian’s Hard-Light Constructs, the weapons produce yellow rather than pink or lavender energy. Backgrounds show through as Miles pulls on his costume, suggesting he opted for invisibility as a quick-change artist.

 

Cory Petit welcomes us into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #20 with black uppercase letters on tan journal paper. He thwips the same black letters into white dialogue balloons and white letters into red narrative boxes. A bang announces that trouble is brewing, while a giant transparent crash shows what happens when someone makes Ms Marvel mad. Don't disturb Kamala's free time, folks. You wouldn't want to see her when she's angry!

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

A former gunrunner develops an interest in art, Shift takes responsibility for Miles’ young sister Billie, and High-Tail's past returns to haunt her in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #20.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

Aliens: What If #3 Review

 

Concept: Paul & Leon Reiser; Adam F. Goldberg; Hans Rodionoff; Brian Volk-Weiss

Writer: Hans Rodionoff

Artist: Guiu Vilanova

Colorist: Yen Nitro

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Phil Noto; Mahmud Asrar & Matthew Wilson; Stephen Mooney & Frank Martin

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 15, 2024

 

Hiro Yu, the Senior Director of Human Capital for Weyland-Yutani, traveled to Asteroid D350-L8 to fire Carter Burke. Instead, Burke knocked him on the noggin with Ripley's rifle. Hiro wakes strapped to an operating table. Beside him, an Xenomorph egg is opening, and a Facehugger is climbing out. Can Hiro convince Carter to release him? What if Hiro gave him a promotion and threw in a vision plan? Let’s grab our flamethrowers, leap into Aliens: What If #3, and find out!

 

Story

The Aliens didn't kill Carter Burke on Hadley's Hope. He escaped from a cocoon and slipped aboard Ripley's shuttle. After Ripley shoots the Queen into space and goes into Hypersleep, Carter makes a deal with Shin Yutani. He got a job for life, and Weyland-Yutani didn’t get hit with 158 wrongful death lawsuits.

 

Sadly, employment for life didn't prevent Carter from becoming a scapegoat for the Hadley's Hope disaster. So, he conceived a backup plan. He rebuilt Cygnus, a banned combat synthetic, and sent him to find another Xenomorph egg. Now, Cygnus is back, and he's 98% certain he can accomplish Carter’s aims without causing more wrongful deaths. Okay, maybe he’s only 90% certain Hiro will survive. Still, 90 is a good percentage, right?

 

In Aliens: What If #3, Carter wants to cure cancer, starting with his wife’s. It’s a noble goal. Unfortunately, it involves impregnating some poor schmuck with an alien. But everyone who works for Weyland-Yutani gets paid sick leave, right?

 

Hans Rodionoff’s story tackles family dysfunction and why children often pull away from their parents. It also shows how two hurting people can bond. No matter how much Carter loves his daughter and tries to please her, Brie refuses to give him the time of day. Yet, Hiro sees Carter as a better father than his own. Why else would Hiro work with Carter once he convinces the visionary to save him from the Facehugger?

 

Rodionoff’s investment in the characters pays dividends in Aliens: What If #3. Drama arises as Carter saves Hiro, then gets irked when Brie shows interest in this visitor to their little world. Cygnus keeps recalculating the possibility of accomplishing Carter’s plan, and as people hunt for the Facehugger, history repeats itself and allows the creepy crawly to escape. If only everyone would stop distrusting Carter and help him achieve his mostly noble plan!

 

 

 

Art

Strapped to the lab table, Hiro’s muscles strain as he rants and raves. The slim young executive may look like a slick company man, but he’s nothing like the uncaring executives who claimed Ripley destroyed the Nostromo without sufficient reason. Carter Burke enters with his palms clasped before his transparent face shield. The overweight, gray-haired manager may look as if walking takes effort, but he rides his bike to work, swings a mean bat, and can run through the tunnels when given sufficient reason. That reason is his daughter, who operates a mechanized drilling machine. Brie’s Komatsu Kaiju rig resembles that of an armored deep-sea diver (or a Mondoshawan from The Fifth Element). If she survives her father’s grand experiment, perhaps she can find an undersea mining gig on a nearby asteroid once her team taps out the Trimonite deposits on D350-L8.

 

Guiu Vilanova introduces readers to another synthetic model in Aliens: What If #3. Scientists made Cygnus a soldier, but he’s not a stone-cold killer like Maximilian in The Black Hole. (Nor, for that matter, does he resemble VINCENT or old BOB). With his beard, detached demeanor, and ear stretchers, the android better resembles Dr Reinhardt than the scientist’s robotic servants or the remaining personnel aboard the USS Cygnus. The Replicant (Or Replican) is a straight man to Carter's overweening reasonableness.

 

Yen Nitro shows light play over people and surfaces, whether it's the harsh overhead lighting in Carter's lab or the spotlights embedded in Brie's mechanized exoskeleton. Light gleams against face shields and gives metal and fabrics depth and texture. Carter glows as if charged by the enormity of his humanitarian dream in Aliens: What If #3. It's good that Nitro is a master of light, or we'd never see the Facehugger when it lingers in shadow.

 

Clayton Cowles attacks white dialogue balloons with black uppercase lettering that should please readers who saw Aliens during its original cinema run. The Facehugger screams white letters into black dialogue balloons. Sounds burst into panels to enhance movement, gunfire, and attacks. But just as letters explode across the opening scene, they accompany a cliffhanger ending.

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While Carter Burke makes friends with yet another test subject, and the key to his humanitarian plan escapes his control, Aliens: What If #3 builds off the set pieces of the popular franchise movie to create an exciting, humorous, and touching story.

 

Rating 8.8/10

 

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