The Loose End #4 Preview

 

COVER A: CHRIS BURNHAM

 

Apologies, Titan Comics and Hard Case Crime fans! I'm a little behind on my reviews this month, but I'm trying to catch up! Here's all the info on the final issue of this explosive new series. In stores now!

 

THE LOOSE END #4 (of 4)

(W): Dave Dwonch

(A): Travis Hymel

Publisher: Hard Case Crime (imprint of Titan Comics)

FC, 32pp, $3.99, On sale: June 11, 2025

 

The Hollywood crew make their final stand in the climactic issue of The Loose End!

 

With the cartel closing in on their safehouse, Steven, Diedrich, Ryan and Benny rely on some VERY outside the box thinking to survive the oncoming brawl. Have they played their last hand or is there another card up their collective sleeve?

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

Here are two more cover options:

COVER B: ROBERT HACK HOME ALONE HOMAGE

COVER C: TRAVIS HYMEL

Thanks to Titan Comics and Hard Case Crime for sharing this preview with us.

 

 

Indigo Children TP Vol 1 Review

 

Writers: Curt Pires & Rockwell White

Artist: Alex Diotto

Colorist: Dee Cunniffe

Letterer & Production Design: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Logo: Fenando Rosales

Production: Erika Schnatz

Cover Artists: Alex Diotto & Dee Cunniffe

Publisher: Image

Price: $16.99

Release Date: November 22, 2023

 

Alexei thinks like an MIT professor. He perceives things others don't. And the boy dreams of his previous life on Mars. As Alexei boards a plane with his mother, he glances into a fellow passenger's mind. His whispered warning prompts his mother to warn an air marshal. But amid the confrontation, the terrorist activates his explosives. How will this tragedy change our world? And how will it signal the rise of talented young people like Alexei? Let’s leap into Indigo Children TP Vol 1 and see!

 

Story

Alexei didn't die in the explosion. Years later, a British reporter tries to find him. A tip from a mysterious source directs Donovan Price to Russia. But after leaving the airport, people follow him. And when they decide Donovan is getting too close, an assassin strikes. But Donovan knows the dangerous path he treads. He has cultivated friendships in other countries to protect him. In Russia, that man is Nikki. With his help, perhaps Donovan can find Alexei.

 

Curt Pires and Rockwell White take readers on a hunt to find Alexei and other gifted individuals. In Indigo Children TP Vol 1, these young adults share Alexei's dream. When they unite, they remember their time together. But reuniting is not without risk.

 

An organization observes each of these talented young adults. It has invested significant resources in helping them forget their time together on Earth and their previous lives on Mars. As Donovan and Nikki help Alexei reunite with his friends, another young man with otherworldly powers serves this organization. Like Alexei, he awaits the opportunity to find the Indigo Children.

 

Art

The Gherkin rises in the starry sky as Donovan Price works in his apartment. Cyrillic letters accompany a familiar symbol adorning a restaurant. A military truck trundles toward the security gate to a cluster of buildings that is not a town. From Chicago's skyscrapers to a crowded palace and Kabul's chaotic streets, Alex Diotto sends readers on a world tour in Indigo Children TP Vol 1.

 

Orange and pink fight for dominance as vehicles fly through the Martian sky. As people funnel along curved elevated walkways, several red-robed figures gather on a rooftop. After an eventful discussion, one levitates into the red sky. Orange and yellow fire destroy the blue domes. Such visions remind the Indigo Children of their distant past, while one of levitating toward the Sphinx feels more recent.

 

While Alex Diotto lavishes two planets' worth of information on panel-packed pages, Dee Cunniffe's colors imbue the relatable characters with depth and reality in Indigo Children TP Vol 1. The limited palette dazzles as the characters display their abilities. Yet skin tones and backgrounds ground you amid such otherworldly events.

 

Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou fills white and colored dialogue balloons with uppercase letters. Shrunen lowercase letters reveal lowered voices, while bold letters indicate intonation. As raised voices enlarge words, emotions change the font and balloon shapes. The characters’ eyes glow as they think purple words in lavender clouds or project telepathic white letters into transparent purple shapes. Sound effects enhance characters defying their captors and daring rescues. And then there's Nikki, cracking his knuckles before giving bullies a taste of their own medicine. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Some Indigo Children enjoy a life of ease and comfort. Others live as exiles and fear for their lives. One young man can ignite their latent memories and talents. Indigo Children TP Vol 1 is a fast-paced story that reminds readers we are capable of more than we imagine.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

For covers from the original series run, see my review on Comic Book Dispatch. 

The Breathtaker Collection Preview

 

Strap yourselves in, and prepare for a wild ride. This preview will get you hot under the collar! Fueled by quirky indie goodness, this refreshed and updated collection is exciting and new! (No, it's not the Love Boat, but it looks fun!). Here's all the info from Titan Comics:

THE BREATHTAKER COLLECTION

Author: Mark Wheatley

Artist: Marc Hempel

Publisher: Titan Comics

HC, 256 pages, FC, $29.99

ISBN: 9781785867354

On sale September 2, 2025

 

The long-awaited remastered edition of the acclaimed graphic novel - including an introduction by award-winning comics artist Walt Simonson (Thor, Star Wars, Elric).

 

In Breathtaker, all love withers and dies... but for Chase Darrow, it is literally the kiss of death!

 

Chase Darrow is a beautiful weapon. The US government gave her a sexual power that makes her utterly alluring - the perfect weapon for espionage. Yet to kiss a man leaves his lifeforce drained and means that no one can love her without paying the ultimate price. But Chase is now on the run from The Man - another government creation and the first superhero. All machismo, he is sent to bring Chase back, but which weapon will prove the most powerful - love or death?

 

The Breathtaker Collection features the original four-part cult classic remastered and reprinted, so readers can experience the original Breathtaker story in an all-new light. Also includes a new 16-page section of BREATHTAKER art previously showcased in an exhibition.

 

PLUS, the special collection also includes an all-new full-length origin comic featuring The Man, by Marc Hempel (The Sandman, Heavy Metal, Hellraiser, Lucifer) and Mark Wheatley (Johnny Quest, EZ Street, Frankenstein Mobster).

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-order now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and Forbidden Planet for the UK.

 

ABOUT CREATORS

 

Mark Wheatley holds the Eisner, Inkpot, Golden Lion, Mucker, Gem and Speakeasy awards and nominations for the Harvey award and the Ignatz award. He is also an inductee to the Overstreet Hall of Fame. His work has often been included in the annual Spectrum selection of fantastic art and has appeared in private gallery shows, The Norman Rockwell Museum, and the Library of Congress where several of his originals are in the permanent collection. He has designed for Lady Gaga, created set pieces for The Black Eyed Peas, Beauty and the Beast, The Millers and 2 Broke Girls on CBS. Several of his original graphic novels have been optioned for motion pictures and television. He has written for TV, illustrated books, designed cutting-edge role-playing games, hosted a weekly radio program, and was an early innovator of the on-line daily comic strip form.

 

Marc Hempel began drawing early, inspired by animated cartoons and Peanuts, which helped shape his strong sense of comic timing and visual storytelling. After earning top art honors in high school, he studied at Northern Illinois University, where he expanded his artistic influences to include abstract painting, conceptual art, and early comic strip masters. Hempel began publishing professionally in the late 1970s and collaborated with Mark Wheatley at Insight Studios in the 1980s, leading to their acclaimed graphic novel Breathtaker. Seeking creative freedom, he launched his own humor series Gregory in 1989 and in 1995, driven by a desire to return to satire, he self-published Tug & Buster.

 

ABOUT TITAN COMICS

 

Titan Comics, a Titan Publishing Group company (which includes Titan Books, Titan Magazines, and Titan Merchandise), is the comic book arm of the Titan Entertainment Group, and its sister company is the pop culture retail chain, Forbidden Planet. Titan Comics offers comics and graphic novels from the world's most renowned properties, alongside creator-owned comic books from new and established talent, as well as classic graphic novels remastered for a brand-new audience.

 

Titan Comics publishes a variety of genres through its imprints: Hard Case Crime (world-renowned pulp-crime publishing), Statix Press (critically acclaimed translated comics and graphic novels), the new Titan Manga (exciting manga and anime-based titles), and Titan Nova (new young readers imprint).

 

For more information, visit https://www.titan-comics.com.

 

For further information, follow Titan Comics on Facebook, X, Instagram, and BlueSky.

 

Thanks to Titan Comics for sharing this preview with us. 

 

Lost Fantasy #2 Review

 

Writers: Curt Pires & Rockwell White

Artists: Luca Casalanguida & Alex Diotto

Colorists: Mark Dale & Dee Cunniffe

Letterer: Micah Myers

Logo & Cover Design: Fernando Rosales

Additional Design: Wesley Griffith

Cover Artists: Luca Casalanguida, Alex Diotto & Tyler Boss

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 11, 2025

 

Henry Blackheart is an FBI Special Consultant. He hails from House Blackheart, an institution that trains gifted people to preserve the balance between our world and Terra. Despite the efforts of all five houses, creatures escape the world below and wreak havoc on the surface. What will Henry Blackheart uncover when he investigates a mass murder in Montana? And whatever happened to the Indigo Children? Let’s cast our runes, select a magical weapon, leap into Lost Fantasy #2, and find out!

 

A World Beneath: Story

The Sheriff dislikes outsiders interfering with his investigations. But after Henry glimpses the killing in a comatose witness’ mind, the Sheriff assigns his deputy to babysitting duties. Henry follows a trail of blood into the woods near the slaying. But as he studies a shred of fur, monsters attack.

 

In Lost Fantasy #2, Henry awakens in the hospital wing of the Black Pillar. He remembers slaying monsters before getting shot. Cyrus Blackheart tells him the shooter used an enchanted bullet. His adoptive father urges Henry to rest and let another agent continue the investigation. But a secret stands between the two men. As it eats away at Henry, he finds consolation in alcohol and drugs. Cyrus may have already sent another agent to Montana. Still, Henry refuses to sit on the sidelines until he discovers what his father hides.

 

A World Beneath, the first story in Lost Fantasy #2, is also the name of the organization that protects our world. Like Men In Black, Cyrus’ organization protects our world from creatures often relegated to myth and legend. Curt Pires’ urban fantasy follows Agent Nihlas’ investigation of the murder site. While the deputy attributes scratches in the blood-splattered wall to a bear, Nihlas suspects another type of creature made them.

 

A World Beneath: Art

As a cloaked woman visits a club filled with Humans and horned drinkers, she remembers slaying a tall, spiky monster. Luca Casalanguida paints her tiny silhouette in the forest as Henry confronts a golem with glowing eyes. While evoking the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Black Pillar resembles the head of Discovery One. Like a miniature Death Star, the globe towers above pedestrians. It absorbs the surrounding light while filling the city with an eerie glow.

 

The gray and blue hospital wing reflects Henry’s white hair and black and gray attire. Nihlas’ orange shirt helps him stand out among the muted colors of the Sheriff’s and Deputy’s world. Mark Dale fills the green forest with red light, reminding us of the slain teens, Henry’s injury, and the dangers facing Nihlas. At least Nihlas has brought a friend along in Lost Fantasy #2. Like the runes Henry and Nihlas cast in the air, Ursa radiates colored light as he watches TV in a cheap motel and yearns for pay-per-view.

 

Indigo Children: Exodus Part 2: Story

While Rand interrogates Alexei as a child, Curt Pires and Rockwell White transport us to Mars. Indigo Prime and his friends foresee the end of their world. Indigo Five disagrees. The World Council also believes that Indigo Prime's predictions are farfetched. When eruptions rock their world, Indigo Prime hopes their memories, values, and spirits can live on.

 

Curt Pires and Rockwell White’s Kryptonian Dilemma is a sociological science fiction story. As occurs during crises on Earth, finger-pointing and backstabbing ensue on Mars. A touch of humor leavens this high-stakes, fast-paced, seven-page heist story in Lost Fantasy #2, leaving readers wanting more.

 

Indigo Children: Exodus Part 2: Art

Yellow and orange fires erupt from the rounded blue buildings and domes. The Indigo Children's scarlet robes contrast with the blue officials and guards. As people scramble for their flying vehicles, Dee Cunniffe casts robots carrying containers through a warehouse in blue. Alex Diotto shows the tiny red-robed figures confronting the blue vessel that could preserve the seeds of their civilization. Their features remind us that, despite superficial similarities, Alexei and the other Indigo Children on Earth are not these people. Yet some portion of them lingers in their human hosts.

 

Lettering

Micah Myers fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters that convey the tangled emotions surrounding Henry. Yellow stars contain radio transmissions and remind us of the conspiracy surrounding the slayings. Sound effects amplify a fight to the death as Nihlas confronts another opponent with glowing eyes. Three-dimensional sound effects accompany chaos on Mars. The Indigos speak their dire words in white balloons and share their desperate thoughts in colored narrative boxes. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Robert E Howard saw civilization as artificial and barbarism as the natural state of Humanity. In A World Beneath and Indigo Children: Exodus, Curt Pires and Rockwell White study the threats facing two worlds. These stories in Lost Fantasy #2 remind us that our differences can keep us at each other's throats. Or they can prompt us to extraordinary measures to fight for the people, values, and ideas we cherish.

 

Rating 9.7/10

 

For more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Atelier Ryza 3: Official Visual Collection Preview

 

 

Whether you're an avid gamer, an anime watcher, a manga reader, or just an art lover, you should check out this beautiful book from UDON. It looks terrific! Here's all the info:

 

Atelier Ryza 3: Official Visual Collection
By Toridamono, Koei Tecmo Games

Mysterious islands have appeared threaten the hometown of Ryza and her friends! In hopes of finding a way to save their home, Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key sends Ryza and her friends on a grand adventure that revolves delving into the roots of alchemy.

Atelier Ryza 3: Official Visual Collection gathers the fantastic artwork behind this final entry in the Atelier Ryza trilogy. Included are key illustrations, character concepts, storyboards, and weapon & monster designs. Also, no JRPG fan will want to miss exclusive interviews with the game’s developers!

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

This gorgeous book is on sale now!

$49.99, 192 pages, Full Color, Softcover, 8.25" x 11.75"
ISBN: 978-1772943665
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | UDON Store 

Thanks to UDON for sharing this preview with us. 

 

Amazing Spider-Man #5 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Artist: Pepe Larraz

Colorist: Marte Gracia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia; Joëlle Jones & Rachelle Rosenberg; John Romita Sr, John Romita Jr & Morry Hollowell; Mark Bagley & Edgar Delgado; Peach Momoko; Luciano Vecchio

Designer: Jay Bowen

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 4, 2025

 

Peter’s school chum Brian Nehring got him a job at Rand Industries. But before Peter can impress his new boss, Dr Maira Osmani-Milton, Rhino has a heart attack. Then someone roofies Peter, twisting his past and fears into a bad trip. When Peter’s investigation into hallucinatory drugs takes him to the Queen’s Cola facility, he finds Hobgoblin guarding the factory.

 

Before Peter can apprehend the villain, Hobgoblin flies away while Itsy Bitsy puts him in a tizzy. Will Brian and Maira be the latest casualties of the Cola Wars? Can Peter prevent Roderick Kingsley from making his office look even more like Easter Island? Let's grab a can of Queen’s Cola, leap into Amazing Spider-Man #5, and see!

 

Story

Before Hobgoblin left, Itsy Bitsy told him that someone from Rand informed the Justice Department about his exciting new range of anxiety drinks. Hobgoblin’s drugs have made Peter fear losing the people he loves. As he leaves the Queen’s Cola plant like Bruce Banner left a bottling factory in Rio de Janeiro, Peter gives Brian a call. But Peter’s too late. Hobgoblin’s already yucking his murder yum at Rand Industries.

 

Joe Kelly's story alternates between Peter, Dr. Maira Osmani-Milton, and Brian Nehring as Hobgoblin attempts to protect his industrial secrets with extreme prejudice. Maira shines as a mother, an easy-going boss, and a caring employer. 

 

 

 

After all the people he failed at Ravencroft, Spider-Man gives his all to ensure no additional deaths weigh on his conscience. While Brian may not impress immediately, he earns his place at Rand (and reader’s hearts) in Amazing Spider-Man #5.

 

Hobgoblin’s spectacular entrance suggests an Ultron-level tragedy, but the characters work together more effectively than the Avengers on the SHIELD helicarrier. Peter demonstrates his ability to think while thwipping and quipping. Amid all the fighting, this fast-paced action thriller is about the importance of protecting the people we care about and never pushing them away. 

 

 

 

Art

Pepe Larraz begins Amazing Spider-Man #5 with Rand Enterprises in flames. Hobgoblin descends into the plant-and-tree-filled atrium, driving away workers like the angel sent to guard Eden. Brian clutches his notebook to his chest, cognizant of the secrets he guards. Although wide-eyed, Dr Maira Osmani-Milton never loses her cool, facing down Hobgoblin even as he strangles her.

 

Marte Gracia surrounds Spider-Man with yellow, orange, and red as he crashes through the skylights. After sheathing his yellow flaming sword, bluish-white energy crackles from Hobgoblin’s hands and red eyes in Amazing Spider-Man #5. Past merges with present as gray characters frame colorful scenes and yellow fire washes across Peter's Black and White memories. 

 

 

 

Amid frantic panels, splash pages, double-page spreads, and a raging contest between Black and White, limited color schemes, and loaded palettes, Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black lettering into dialogue balloons. Words grow bold for inflection, swell, change color, and rarely shrink. Texting with emojis turns narrative boxes blue amid glaring red lights. Sound effects include web-thwipping, glass shattering, and Brian bonking Hobgoblin. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Amazing Spider-Man #5 pulses with MCU-level action and drama as Peter draws a line in the sand and Hobgoblin tries to capitalize on people’s inclination to destroy their lives. Hey, if they’re going to worry about things they can’t control, why not make money off their lack of mindfulness?

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

LOVE - Arco Wada FATE Art Works Preview

 

Fans of UDON, rejoice! Despite the switch of distributors from Diamond to Lunar, new books are arriving soon. Here's all the details on Love: 

 

LOVE - Arco Wada FATE Art Works

By Arco Wada, Type Moon

Collecting the artwork of Arco Wada, the lead artist for the Fate/EX series! LOVE: ARCO WADA FATE ART WORKS gathers works from the Fate/EXTRA and Fate/EXTELLA subseries. Featuring game box art, character art, rare promo illustrations and bonus materials, and illustrator commentary on every single piece in the book, this beautiful tome belongs on the shelf of every fan of the Fate franchise.

 

Here are two preview pages to enjoy:

 

 

 

$59.99, 308 Pages, Hardcover, Full Color, 8.25"x11.75"

ISBN: 978-1772943825

Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

 

Thanks to UDON for sharing this preview with us.

 

 

Ill Vacation Review

 

Writer: Steve Thompson

Artist & Colorist: Gonzalo Ruggieri

Letterers: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou & Gonzalo Ruggieri

Design & Layout: Gonzalo Ruggieri

Flatter: Eliana Bustamante

Editor: Rebecca Stone

Publisher: Comixology

Price: $6.99

Release Date: June 17, 2025

 

Bob Backus and Mary Krisztik serve at a US base on Easter Island. When strange lights appear in the night sky, the rest of the soldiers can’t leave quickly enough. Why have their superiors left them behind? And are Bob and Mary alone on Easter Island? Let’s leap into Ill Vacation and find out! 

 

Story

An eyeball hovers in the sky in 1942. Creatures rise from the ocean to stride across the earth. Two British agents escape the cell on the base and observe all this taking place. When strange creatures invade the base, their superiors order Bob and Mary not to attack. Amid the invasion, a giant creature detonates a nuclear blast. A tsunami sweeps across the base, trapping Bob and Mary within.

 

While all this occurs, two people travel to Easter Island by rowboat. One believes she can stop the situation from escalating. But nothing is what it seems in Ill Vacation.

 

Art

As Steve Thompson’s story unfolds, Gonzalo Ruggieri reveals Bob and Mary undergoing tests at the Pacific Fleet Headquarters in Hawaii. His relaxed penciling shows the medical staff injecting Bob and Mary. As with the Allies’ prisoners Per and Elvira, duplicity and misdirection occur during the procedure. Bob and Mary are guinea pigs. Instead of building atomic bombs, the doctors are making the warrant officer and airplane mechanic into living weapons.

 

Colored light streams from Bob and Mary’s heads amid trauma. A giant narwhal flies over the island in Ill Vacation. A duck-man helps the two abandoned soldiers at times. And a plane sprouts legs and chases after a kill squad clad in biohazard suits. Gonzalo Ruggieri’s coloring is as wild, fluorescent, and electrifying as his nightmarish visions.

 

As the chaos raging on Easter Island threatens to spread across the world, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and Gonzalo Ruggieri place uppercase black letters in white weather balloons anchored by long strings. Sound effects soar through panels, heightening this atmospheric story about underhanded plots, otherworldly transformations, and the power of love. Thanks to Superfan Promotions and Comixology for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Your greatest weapon is not a gun or bomb. You have the power to create new futures or destroy everyone and everything around you. Ill Vacation ponders the potential effects of experimenting with the unlimited potential of the human mind.

 

Rating 8/10

 

P.S. Despite the immersive, imaginative, and thought-provoking story, the low resolution of the review copy strained my eyes. The blurry artwork and lettering made it hard to recognize characters. My review copy was 18.8 MB, while Amazon lists the sale copy as 461.9 MB. Ill Vacation may merit a higher rating.