The Toxic Avenger Comics #1 Preview

 

Cover A: Fred Harper & Cover D (with trading card)

Hey, Toxie fans! Have you checked out Ahoy's recent Toxic Avengers comics? With a new game and movie on the way, they're hot and getting hotter! They're so incendiary that Supergirl writer and artist powerhouse Sophie Campbell wants Kara to team up with Toxie! (See Sophie's new Supergirl #1 from DC Comics for more). 

Here's all the info from Ahoy Comics:

 

THE TOXIC AVENGER COMICS #1

Writer: Matt Bors 

Artist: Fred Harper

Publisher: Ahoy Comics 

Covers A, B & C $4.99 

Cover D $5.99 (Cover A with trading card)

Release Date: July 9, 2025

 

You demanded it, so here it is: a new ONGOING series featuring the movies’ grossest hero, masterminded by the hit creative team from 2024’s TOXIC AVENGER miniseries! In this issue’s self-contained horror story, kids are disappearing from Toxie’s hometown of Tromaville, NJ. Did they simply run away from the chemically polluted town? Or is the real explanation even more frightening? Find out before the new TOXIE film hits theaters, THIS SUMMER!

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 Here are more cover options: 

 

Cover B: Matt Bors

 

Cover C: Sketch Variant - no cover artist

Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us.

The Sandman: Season of Mists Review

 

Episode Number: Season 2, Episode 1

Writer: Allan Heinberg

Director: Jamie Childs

Streaming Platform: Netflix

Release Date: July 3, 2025

 

A cloaked man walks through a room filled with portraits. Unlike in Hogwarts, the subjects do not move or speak. Yet when he summons them, they climb from their frames. Each comes from a different place. Nor are all pleased to see him. And the man never lifts the cloth covering one of the paintings. What does the cloaked man want, and why has he gathered these people together? Let’s grab a pouch of sand, leap into The Sandman: Season of Mists, and find out!

 

Story

This summons comes at a crucial time for Dream, or Lord Morpheus. He has escaped captivity and reclaimed his power. Now, as Dream rebuilds his realm, Destiny calls. Destiny invites him to sit at his table and dine with his family. But Dream betrays little interest in conversation, and none in the food heaped upon the table, in The Sandman: Season of Mists.

 

The other members of Dream's family are the Endless. They rule aspects of Human existence. Death finds joy in helping Humans treasure life. Despair enjoys gathering with her family, seeking happiness for all. Delirium seems fragile but savors beauty. Sadly, Desire seems the most jaded. Imbued with the power to unite others in love, they use their power to manipulate emotions and inflict pain.

 

Destiny feels that his family has been apart for too long. Perhaps the Endless would work more effectively together and find more meaning in their pursuits if they were closer. He also believes that they must stand together to confront whatever lies ahead. But Dream cannot stay. Recapturing his life means reassessing it. And when he looks back on what he has done, Dream wishes to make amends in The Sandman: Season of Mists.

 

Art

Watchers stand in awe as swirling energy rebuilds Dream's castle. Yet Dream holds it in his hand like a snow globe. Dream gazes down on his realm, doubtless remembering his recent captivity. His uneasy reunion with his family evokes Corwin's return to Amber in Roger Zelazny’s novel Nine Princes of Amber.

 

Arches and carved columns surround the Endless as they walk through Destiny’s stately home. The family sits on chairs fashioned with as much care as the Rivendell-like architecture. Although invited to dinner, the food rests in the center of the round table, seemingly cloaked in shadow. After abandoning the unwanted meal, Death counsels Dream in an atrium glowing with light.

 

The camera keeps roving, never lingering in one position too long, amid Dream’s new journey in The Sandman: Season of Mists. Light flares and softens wherever Dream travels. Like the moon, Dream may eclipse the light. Or Dream projects a star of darkness amid the twilight. Light seems an uneasy companion as he visits the touchstones of his life. Yet it fills Dream's memories with a soft, loving glow.

 

CGI blends with location shooting as a young queen strides down a busy street in The Sandman: Season of Mists. A tree in an otherworldly landscape evokes Hellboy’s adventures. The atmosphere of Dream’s world invites beings of all sizes and species, whether their heads resemble pumpkins, or they flutter through the air on tiny golden wings. Although many aspects differ from their original conception, little Irving (or if you insist, Goldie) remains the same in this TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s immortal comic tales. Thanks to Netflix, Warner Bros., DC Comics, and Den of Geek for providing this episode for review.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Despite the wishes of his family and friends, Dream prepares to undertake a new journey. The Sandman: Season of Mists reminds us that we may never undo the harm we inflict on others. Still, it's never too late to try.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

For a look inside the production see my preview of The Sandman Season 2. 

South Park's 27th Season Debut

 

 

Can you believe it's been nearly 28 years since South Park first appeared on TV screens? The series is older if you count the animated films that preceded it! It's almost as if the irreverent comedy has been divinely blessed! 

Here's all the latest on the upcoming season:

 

Comedy Central has announced that South Park’s 27th season will premiere on Wednesday, July 23rd at 10:00pm ET/PT. 

The hit animated franchise, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022, debuted on Comedy Central on August 13, 1997. Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny were first seen in the animated short “The Spirit of Christmas,” and from there were launched into television history. Co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are executive producers, along with Anne Garefino and Frank C. Agnone II. Eric Stough, Adrien Beard, Bruce Howell and Vernon Chatman are producers. Christopher Brion is the Creative Director of South Park Digital Studios. South Park’s website is SouthPark.cc.com.

 

Thanks to Comedy Central and Paramount for letting us know when to tune in! 

 

The Savage Sword of Conan #9 Preview

COVER A: NEAL ADAMS

After introducing us to many Robert E Howard characters, the latest Savage Sword brings us two more. Fans of John Milius' immortal film get to reunite with beautiful Valeria, before traveling back in time to Valusia. Will Conan join King Kull on another adventure? Here's all the info from Titan Comics:

 

THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #9 (ONGOING)

Format: Comic book / magazine

(W) Patrick Zircher, Fabian Nicieza

(A) Patrick Zircher, Sean Chen

Publisher: Titan Comics & Heroic Signatures

B&W, 64pp, $6.99, On Sale: Jul 9, 2025

 

Patrick Zircher slashes into the Hyborian Age with a tale of high adventure starring Conan and Valeria, whilst Fabian Nicieza and artist Sean Chen craft a high-stakes assassination story starring KULL. Also featuring instant-classic covers from Alex Horley and the late Neal Adams, incredible art pin-ups, and more.

  

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

Here's another cover option:

COVER B: ALEX HORLEY

Thanks to Titan Comics for sharing this preview with us.

New Champions #6 Review

 

Writer: Steve Foxe

Artist: Ruairí Coleman

Colorist: Arthur Hesli

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover Artists: Gleb Melnikov & Arthur Hesli; Edwin Galmon & Andrew Dalhouse; Meghan Hetrick

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Sidney Stubbs, Alanna Smith & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: June 11, 2025

 

While Hellrune tries to reclaim her family’s magical heritage, Amaranth wields magic on behalf of the team. The Scarlet Witch’s former apprentice suggests they would be more effective if everyone had a basic understanding of magic. While showing them how to view potential threats, the team sees Monte fighting a Human-sized frog. Fantasma transports them to Monte’s aid, and Amaranth bespells the amphibian aggressor.

 

After Cadet Marvel demonstrates that magic is only one solution to any problem, the kids notice Liberty and Monte have vanished. Can the team find their team leader and the street magician? Let's hitch a ride with Fantasma through a Hell Portal, leap into New Champions #6, and find out!

 

Story

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is recognize you need help. In Liberty's absence, Cadet Marvel emails the Avengers. Still, he's surprised when Captain Marvel appears. Carol Danvers knew his mother from when they served together in Alpha Flight. She agrees to help the young man who pays her homage by protecting San Francisco.

 

But in New Champions #6, it's the Avengers who honor Liberty by convening in her parents' house. As they learn about this young lady who builds Hard Light devices and vehicles, the Avengers comfort her worried parents. Without Monte and Magnetrix manipulating their emotions, the New Champions get on better with the Avengers than with Nova, Ms Marvel, and the more established Champions team. But they realize they need to be prepared for a battle, as Monte has used magic to shield Liberty's distinctive energy signature.

 

When the Scarlet Witch and Amaranth transport the Avengers and New Champions to New York, they discover Magnetrix draining Liberty of her energy. With Monte questioning her actions, Magnetrix secures help to prevent the heroes from disrupting her plans. As with Jeph Loeb's Nova series, Steve Foxe's story lets the New Champions work with and measure themselves against their heroes. Most of the Avengers are happy to pay it forward and help fight Monte and Magnetrix. But, like Spider-Man mentoring Spider-Boy, one adult hero worries about how power can transform our character in New Champions #6.

 

 

 

Art

Cadet Marvel evokes a young Steve Rogers dressed in a red T-shirt, blue pants, and a brown leather jacket. Like him, Captain Marvel brings flowers to his mother's grave. But she wears her uniform. Her scowl suggests her displeasure at adopting her name without permission. Inside a graffiti-adorned building, Liberty strains at the magic binding her to Magnetrix’s adjustable office chair. The silhouette behind Monte, suggestive of his shadow, hints at his concerns over authenticity in New Champions #6.

 

Ruairí Coleman shows the heroes and villains preparing for their battle with separate double-page horizontal layouts. Arthur Hesli also suggests similarities by coloring Scarlet Witch and Amaranth's magic the same pink and purple as Magnetrix’s uniform. When Monte's master summons a purplish-white orb, the yellow, pink, and white lights fade from the skyline. Thankfully, white stars still shine in the blue sky, and no vampires fill the streets of New York. 

 

Travis Lanham conjures uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons. The letters grow bold for inflection, swell for volume, and rarely shrink. Iron Man and Vision both utilize yellow balloons, while white letters in blue balloons deliver Fantasma’s dialogue. Larger lowercase white letters with red borders locate us in time and space. Sound effects accompany Storm’s displeasure and Magnetrix emulating Palpatine. The draftee to the “Brotherhood of Disgruntled Hydra Agents” delivers a series of noisy attacks, while a low buzzing signals a cry for help in New Champions #6. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

When you realize people have taken advantage of you, it changes you. Like Moon Squire, Liberty uses the power Hydra gave her to help and support others. Other team members with less supportive families have struggled with their commitment to protect and serve their communities. In New Champions #6, Liberty gains insight into why Magnetrix chose to walk a different path.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

The Sandman Season 2 Preview

 

DC Comics began publishing The Sandman series in 1989. Hollywood came knocking during Neil Gaiman’s original series run, but never made a movie. Then Netflix came to the rescue. The Sandman Season 1 delighted fans in 2022. Nearly three years have passed since those initial episodes appeared on viewers’ TV screens. How has the show evolved? And how do the creators feel about their second season? Let’s grab a pouch of sand, leap into The Sandman Season 2, and see!

 

The Sandman Season 2 Preview

Aaron Sagers, the host of the Talking Strange podcast and a Den of Geek contributor, sat down with Tom Sturridge (Dream), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Death), and showrunner Allan Heinberg. While their conversation was wide-ranging, their enthusiasm for the show was evident. They loved that fans had connected with the first season and that everyone working on the TV show enjoyed making it. But the road to The Sandman Season 2 took a sharp detour when Netflix ordered the writers to scrap their plans for an anthology series and focus more on Dream’s journey. 

 

Aaron Sagers

 

 

With the new series about to be unveiled, the cast looked longingly back on filming The Sandman Season 2. Tom Sturridge liked how the costumes communicate the scope of Dream’s history with Humanity. Kirby Howell-Baptiste praised the production design. The settings prompted actors to raise their game and enhanced the onscreen chemistry. Allan Heinberg loved filming scenes in ancient homes and castles that lent the production a sense of grandeur. Yet Allan most enjoyed the camaraderie among the cast and crew. The writer and showrunner hoped to start work soon on a third season, because he loved how everyone enjoyed each other’s company and gave their best. 

 

Allan Heinberg & Kirby Howell-Baptiste

 

 

After spending so much time reclaiming what he lost in Season 1, Tom Sturridge enjoyed how Dream looks back on his past. Dream has done things he's not proud of. In The Sandman Season 2, Dream tries to make amends. Kirby Howell-Baptiste echoed this theme. She has often seen Death as a morbid, horrifying figure. Kirby enjoyed how Death embraced life in the series. Death proves a positive, even jubilant character, and prompts people to embrace life more fully.

 

Tom Sturridge

 

 

Final Thoughts

We all make mistakes. When you live for millennia, you’re likely to have many regrets. The Sandman Season 2 follows Dream's quest to make amends. Through taking responsibility for his actions, Dream attempts to build bridges with the people he has wronged. Dream also learns more about what love means in all its forms. Romantic love features prominently. But Dream also learns how to be a better parent, friend, and to grieve over losing people he loves.

 

The Sandman Season 2 will air in two parts. The story begins on July 3, returns on July 24, and finishes with a bonus episode on July 31. Thanks to Netflix, Warner Bros., DC Comics, and Den of Geek for sharing this preview with us.

Cosmic Censorship Vol 1 Review

 

Writer & Artist: Ryu-Ichi Sadamatsu

Translator: Molly Rabbitt

Letterer: Tom Williams

Editor: Louis Yamani

Designer: David Colderley

Publisher: Titan Manga

Price: $12.99

Release Date: July 1, 2025

 

Maki Makino died ten years ago. Or at least she was supposed to. But when an overpass collapsed on her, a man freed her from the wreckage. The surgeons repaired her broken leg. Maki worked hard to rebuild her injured muscles.

 

Maki no longer participates in track and field. Still, she enjoys running. But Maki never forgets that she almost died. Nor can she forget the man who saved her. He said he came from another world. But was he an alien like he claimed? Let’s slip on our running shoes, leap into Cosmic Censorship Vol 1, and find out!

 

Story

Maki’s life is in disarray. But she’s hardly alone. The world is in a crisis. Her younger sister stays home as elementary and middle schools switch to remote learning. Maki's high school still expects her to attend. So, Maki leaves home and braves the damaged bridges and roads littered with impact craters.

 

The falling meteorites defy scientific analysis in Cosmic Censorship Vol 1. As the skies bring apocalyptic death and destruction, attacks on single women and children rise. While running to school, a man surprises Maki by equaling her speed. As they pause for breath, Maki tells him her story. Roger Penrose remembers hearing about her accident. When another meteorite shower strikes the Earth, Maki and Roger cling to each other until the danger passes. Then Maki continues on her way.

 

As events unfold, Maki realizes that Roger is her guardian. He comes from the future, when kaiju rule the Earth. Roger wields powers that help him defeat the giant monsters. But Roger's actions raise eyebrows among his fellow guardians. Each time he protects Maki, Roger alters the timelines in Cosmic Censorship Vol 1. The other monster hunters worry that, in changing their past, Roger could destroy their future.

 

Art

Ryu-Ichi Sadamatsu fills panels with detailed art. While taking the form of a manga, the characters and backgrounds feel like a comic. Faces and expressions are not overly cute. Nor do breakaways show caricatures of faces suffering nervous breakdowns from hyperactive thinking and straining to rein in their anxieties.

 

As Maki runs to school, she passes blocked-off areas, construction vehicles, and unsafe bridges. Cranes top nearby tower blocks. Another meteor shower raises plumes in the nearby river, forcing Roger and Maki to cling together as floodwaters threaten to wash them away. Another meteorite hits an electrical tower. As an explosion fills the air, Maki freezes as a jeep hurtles toward her. Then Roger embraces her as the jeep crashes farther along the embankment. Later, an official inspects the damaged vehicle. He notices the imprint of a giant hand denting the jeep roof in Cosmic Censorship Vol 1.

 

Tom Williams fills dialogue balloons with generously sized uppercase letters. He lets Molly Rabbitt’s English sound effects dance with their Japanese versions. Giant letters accompany the occasional one-page cartoon of Maki amid chapters filled with intense action, swordplay, monsters, and giant robots. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Maki Makino doesn't know why she's different. She only knows she doesn't fit in. But when Maki meets Roger Penrose, she enters a world of monsters and giant robots. Amid a confrontation with Roger's coworkers, Maki discovers why she is different. Like the extraordinary people who hunt her, there is more to Maki than meets the eye in Cosmic Censorship Vol 1.

 

Rating 10/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Cosmic Censorship Vol 1. 

Grab your copy of Cosmic Censorship Vol 1 on Amazon. 

Working For God in a Godless World Vol 3 Preview

 

 

I enjoyed reviewing the first volume in this series. Here's a preview of what's in store in the third volume:

 

 

WORKING FOR GOD IN A GODLESS WORLD VOL. 3

Author: Aoi Akashiro

Artist: Sonsho Hangetsuban

Publisher: Titan Manga (Titan Comics imprint)

SC, 176 pages, B&W, $12.99

ISBN: 9781787745711

On sale July 9, 2025

 

Working for God in a Godless World Volume 3 continues the adventures from the hit anime on Crunchyroll. Yukito faces powerful opposition in his quest to protect his new world and home, alongside the God Mitama, whom he despises.

 

In the third instalment, as Yukito and Mitama continue to build their following, they receive word of a possible new god Dakini, taking the other villages by storm, which can only mean one thing: less worshipping for Yukito’s cult.

 

Our heroes take to the classroom to learn new, old ways to dismantle a rival group and secure the following for themselves! They decide to covertly infiltrate Dakini’s cult and usurp the power she holds, but the looming threat of being found out as well as Dakini’s mystical powers to charm and seduce stand in their way.

 

Aoi Akashiro’s incredible storytelling, as shown in renowned anime Classroom of the Elite and Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, delves deep into existential themes while delivering heart-wrenching moments and thrilling action. Fans of the hit 12-part anime adaptation will be able to see the raw and uncut origins of their favorite characters.

 

Readers are catapulted into barren worlds and enthralled by godly powers, as Sonsho Hangetsuban’s intriguing art and Akashiro’s intricate narrative provides the audience with the chance to join Yukito and Mitama on their quest for truth and survival in a world where gods and mortals collide.

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working for God in a Godless World Vol. 3 is on sale July 9, 2025 at bookstores, comic shops and digital. Pre-order now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million and Forbidden Planet for UK. 

 

Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a copy for review.

Amazing Spider-Man #6 Review

 

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Penciler: John Romita Jr

Inker: Scott Hanna

Colorist: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hana & Marcio Menyz; Gleb Melnikov & Edgar Delgado; John Romita Jr; Peach Momoko; Damion Scott; Paulo Siqueira & Yen Nitro; Stefano Caselli & Federico Blee; Mark Bagley & Edgar Delgado

Designer: Jay Bowen

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

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 18, 2025

 

Peter Parker had an Itsy Bitsy drug habit. So, the Hobgoblin took Peter on a bad trip that made him a serial no-show at his new job. But since he kicked his Queen’s Cola addiction, Peter is raising Aunt May, Shay, and Dr Osmani-Milton’s expectations. Can Peter be a dependable nephew, boyfriend, and employee? Let's play a game of Pickleball on the Rand Enterprises court, leap into Amazing Spider-Man #6, and see!

 

Story

Aunt May sees Peter’s potential. Yet, he still struggles to be dependable. It’s been a long road as a single parent since her husband died. May knows she won’t be around forever. Still, she carries on, encouraging and nurturing, in the hopes of seeing her nephew settle down. But what if she didn’t have to carry that burden alone?

 

 

 

After his failure with Mary Jane, Anna Watson nudged Shay into Peter's orbit. As a nurse at the Ravencroft Institute, Shay spends her days caring for villains in need. She's also seen coworkers die, as when Itsy Bitsy wrecked Rhino's rest day at Ravencroft. So, while she's well-versed in the roadmap of grief, Shay understands what causes it. Like May, she wants to be there for Peter. Just not too close.

 

 

 

After emerging as the head crime boss, Tombstone returns in Amazing Spider-Man #6. Brian Nehring may think it's cool that Peter is Goodfellas with the mob. But Peter knows that Tombstone only uses him to remain the new Kingpin of New York. Peter doesn’t want to prop up a gang lord. But neither does he want rival gangs fighting each other to expand their territories in another Gang War.

 

 

 

Art

Red combats purple when Spider-Man blows up a hoodie convention in a hijacked limousine. Blue dominates the engineering labs of Rand Enterprises Applied Science Division. A folded yellow note from a man wearing a purple shirt in another black limousine portends a nightlife of crime. The bluish-purple hangout promises to enliven Peter’s prospects while awaiting action in Amazing Spider-Man #6.

 

 

 

While Marcio Menyz wields his nuanced palette of colors, John Romita Jr and Scott Hanna focus on Peter's preparations to keep New York safe. They balance his technical know-how with the physical necessities of a stakeout. The artists also show Peter using his webs to create an ad hoc HQ while he monitors crime scenes via remote cameras in Amazing Spider-Man #6.

 

 

 

While crashing through glass like Tombstone, chatting with mushroom-man Brian, walking with Shay at sunset, or hanging out with Black Cat, Peter shares his thoughts in red-edged narrative boxes. Joe Caramagna's black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and rarely shrink. Block letters indicate time shifts in Joe Kelly’s nonlinear story, while enlarged colored dialogue and sound effects heighten the action. Yet nothing seems as essentially Peter Parker as when we hear him struggle with a big gulp. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Success in life necessitates multitasking. Succeeding in business requires keeping secrets. Earning the boss’s trust threatens Freaktastic friendships with coworkers. While combating his fears of losing the people he loves, goblins and nurses show Peter Parker the way. Old foes and feline friends enmesh Peter in a web of duplicity in Amazing Spider-Man #6.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.