Strange Tales #1 Review

 

Strange Tales #1 Review

Writer: Jeremy Whitley

Artist: Bayleigh Underwood

Colorist: Jim Campbell

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Bayleigh Underwood & Jim Campbell; Annie Wu; Gretel Lusky

Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Lauren Bisom, Farah Javed & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 8, 2025

 

Nico Minoru carries her Staff of One and casts spells behind her. Still, she cannot shake her flying, fire-breathing pursuer. Nico doesn’t know why Billy Kaplan transported her to Midtown. But if the dragon doesn’t kill her, she vows to end Wiccan’s life. Why does the former Runaway blame the one-time Young Avenger for her imminent demise? And can anyone prevent Nico from being roasted into a delectable morsel? Let’s grab our dice and character sheets, leap into Strange Tales #1, and see!

 

Story

After sheltering behind a delivery van, Nico bangs on the double doors of a nearby building. After she turns to face her imminent demise on the sidewalk, Wanda Maximoff offers Nico a helping hand inside her Emporium. But Nico is frazzled after her flight from the flying, frying death. So, the Scarlet Witch gets Nico to settle down and explain how all the trouble started.

 

In Jeremy Whitley’s story, it’s dangerous for magic users to venture out on Halloween. So, Nico and her friend, Karolina Dean, spent the evening in Billy Kaplan and Theodore Altman’s apartment. Billy was excited by finding a game he had never seen before. The four friends wrote up their character sheets, rolled the dice, and immersed themselves in the game. But as they played, creatures from their game appeared, and Billy and Nico fled for their lives.

 

While Nico gets Strange Tales #1 rolling, Wanda Maximoff proves to be the game master. The mystical investigator forces the story to follow her as she uncovers clues. Billy bought the game for a lark. Teddy, Nico, and Karolina came along for the ride. Wanda discovers that someone laid a trap for her son and his friends. Like Sherlock Holmes, Wanda isn’t afraid to embrace danger. Nico may not be a doctor, but she proves an able sidekick as the duo brave goblins, dragons, and more. And both women wield more effective weapons than a Webley revolver or a walking stick.

 

 

 

 

Art

As Bayleigh Underwood shows an explosion rocking Midtown, Jim Campbell reveals a green-clad witch fleeing the orange storm in Strange Tales #1. White ice erupts to chill the dragon's yellow and orange breath, while a glass door reflects the flames and the gray-blue street. Then, a red wooden door with a metal knocker appears before hands emerge from a white field to capture the witch.

 

The primary characters in Strange Tales #1 reveal an impish quality that shows the joy they find in being together. Wanda Maximoff radiates confidence and assurance as she welcomes her visitor and returns to the scene of the crime. Pastels dominate Billy and Teddy’s apartment when monsters appear. But while Karolina fills the room with a rainbow swirl, the other heroes cast white magic that radiates a unique color. 

 

Joe Caramagna fills white dialogue balloons with uppercase black letters. The letters shrink for lowered voices and enlarge for raised voices. The narrator speaks ivory words into black boxes, while Wanda confronts someone who speaks white words into black balloons. Sound effects fill the pages with all the crash, bang, and boom of a multiplex cinema showing Reign Of Fire. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy. 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Strange Tales #1 launches an involving mystery that reminds us of the addictive power of games, the importance of reading instruction manuals, and the dangers of entering thrift shops.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

The Toxic Avenger Comics #4 Preview

 

 

Timing is everything in life. Toxie wants to please his girlfriend, but he's always busy defending Tromaville. As Toxie helps Senator Greene promote her Clean Act, and the leader of a new movement targets him, can he find the time to fulfill Yvonne's desires?

Here's all the info from Ahoy Comics:

 

THE TOXIC AVENGER COMICS #4

Writer: Matt Bors 

Artists: Fred Harper, Erica Henderson

Cover A: $4.99 (Fred Harper)

Cover B: $4.99 1:3 unlock (Dan Parent)

Cover C: $6.99 open order (Fred Harper Bagged with Exclusive Trading Card - artist TK)

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Release Date: October 29, 2025

 

 

HEARTBREAKING ROMANCE ISSUE! The Toxic Avenger faces his greatest challenge yet: losing his virginity! While Toxie’s girlfriend Yvonne encourages him to get over his hang-ups around sex, a pent-up villain looks to make an example of him and start an anti-sex revolution! PLUS: Toxie clobbers a giant jellyfish!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

Here is another cover option:

 

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

Nnedi Okorafor: The Binti Trilogy Illustrated Edition Announcement

 

 

Nnedi Okorafor is a rock star of the science fiction literary genre. Now, the Folio Society is giving her stories the deluxe treatment they deserve. 

Here's all the info:

 

 

The Folio Society To Publish The First Ever Illustrated Edition of

Nnedi Okorafor’s Multi-Award-Winning THE BINTI TRILOGY,

Featuring Illustrations by Fine Artist David Palumbo

“There’s more vivid imagination in a page of Nnedi Okorafor’s work

than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics”

—Ursula K. Le Guin

Winner of both a Hugo and a Nebula award, The Binti Trilogy is a groundbreaking space opera by award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor that centres a young Himba woman on her travels in outer space as she leaves planet Earth to attend a prestigious intergalactic university. Now the Folio Society, independent publisher of beautifully illustrated hardback books, will publish the first ever illustrated edition of THE BINTI TRILOGY, created in collaboration with fine artist David Palumbo. This highly illustrated edition filled with vivid paintings of galaxies, spaceships and alien species will collect all three acclaimed novellas in the Binti series, as well as a short story by Okorafor.

The lavishly illustrated 360-page omnibus edition of THE BINTI TRILOGY includes seven full-page colour artworks in a palette of rich blues, purples and reds—featuring a cast of characters including our heroine Binti, the jellyfish-like Meduse, and the living spaceship Third Fish—as well as black and white illustrated part-title pages and dark blue metallic endpapers. The cloth-bound cover features an illustration of heroine Binti surrounded by a jellyfish-like alien species, with silver foil blocking for added dimension, while the slipcase is decorated with nebulas, planets and stars printed on a metallic paper for a shimmering finish. 

'I am Binti Ekeopara Zuzu Dambu Kaipka of Namib.' So begins this groundbreaking tale of a young Himba woman as she leaves Planet Earth to attend a prestigious intergalactic university. Despite her family's concerns, Binti's talent for mathematics and her aptitude with astrolabes make her a prime candidate to undertake this interstellar journey. But everything changes when the jellyfish-like Medusae attack Binti's spaceship, leaving her the only survivor. Now, Binti must fend for herself, alone on a ship full of the beings who murdered her crew and classmates, with five days until she reaches her destination. But there is more to the history of the Meduse—and their war with the Khoush—than first meets the eye. If Binti is to survive this voyage and save the inhabitants of the unsuspecting planet that houses Oomza Uni, it will take all of her knowledge and talents to broker the peace. A vibrant space opera slash bildungsroman, THE BINTI TRILOGY traces the pains of coming of age against the very real threats of deep-rooted interspecies tensions. But this is also a story of rich human—and alien—experience: friendship, family, first love, and the quest for identity. 

“With its fierce and imaginative blend of space opera and Africanfuturism—a term coined by Nnedi Okorafor herself, which aims to centre African culture and perspectives—the multi-award-winning BINTI TRILOGY is unique from any of the science fiction books that Folio Society has published in the past,” said Folio Society Editor Sophia Schoepfer. “Coupled with the mesmerising art by David Palumbo and vibrant design throughout, this Folio edition will be a stunning celebration of identity, exploration and connection across the stars. It’s a must-have for fans of Nnedi Okorafor and lovers of intergalactic science fiction.”

The Folio Society edition of THE BINTI TRILOGY will be available for £85.00 / US $120 from 4pm UK time (11am EST, 8am PT) on October 21, 2025 exclusively from https://www.foliosociety.com/uk/autumn-reveal. For more information, follow the Folio Society on social media:

Instagram: @foliosociety 

Twitter: @foliosociety 

Facebook: @thefoliosociety 

TikTok: @foliosociety 

YouTube: @TheFolioSociety 

LinkedIn: The Folio Society Ltd 

Hashtag: #foliosociety 

 

ABOUT NNEDI OKORAFOR

Nnedi Okorafor was born in the United States to two Igbo (Nigerian) immigrant parents. She holds a PhD in English and was a professor of creative writing at Chicago State University. She has been the winner of many awards for her short stories and young adult books, and won a World Fantasy Award for Who Fears Death. Nnedi's books are inspired by her Nigerian heritage and her many trips to Africa.

ABOUT ARTIST

David Palumbo is an American illustrator renowned for his dynamic, atmospheric artwork across science fiction and fantasy. With a background in fine art and a flair for dramatic composition, his work appears in everything from Magic: The Gathering to Marvel Comics. For Folio’s edition of The Binti Trilogy, Palumbo brings Nnedi Okorafor’s interstellar landscapes and vivid character transformations to life with striking, otherworldly detail. His painterly style and deep understanding of light and form make him a perfect match for this genre-blending, boundary-breaking story. Palumbo lives and works in Philadelphia.

 

ABOUT THE FOLIO SOCIETY

The Folio Society, based in London, publishes beautifully produced, illustrated hardback books. From a single purchase to a lifetime of collecting, book lovers around the world can buy these exquisite editions exclusively from their website, foliosociety.com. Proudly independent for its 75-year history, in 2021 under the leadership of its CEO, Joanna Reynolds, The Folio Society became an Employee Ownership Trust. The Folio Society is committed to a progressive sharing of power and profit in publishing, and this is reflected in their new status. 

The Folio Society publishes some of the best names in publishing past and present, across the globe in high specification, collector editions. Notable publications include Frank Herbert’s Dune, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Andrew Chaikin’s A Man on the Moon and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple among many other contemporary and classic titles including a publishing partnership with Marvel delivering the world-recognized, iconic brand’s luxury editions. 

 

Thanks to Superfan Promotions and the Folio Society for sharing this announcement with us. 

 

Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox #1 Preview

 

COVER A: JAY ANACLETO

Even when the Earth couldn't support them anymore, some Humans refused to leave their home planet. A shopping mall provided refuge until a malignant entity arrived to prey on them. After battling the Scream Sommelier and Cybermen, what foes will the Fifteenth Doctor face next? 

Here's all the info from Titan Comics: 

DOCTOR WHO: THE PRISON PARADOX #1 (OF 4)

Format: Comic book

(W) Dan Watters  

(A) Sami Kivelä

Publisher: Titan Comics

FC • 32pp • $4.99 • On Sale November 5, 2025

 

Experience a Doctor Who adventure like no other as the Doctor, Belinda, and an unlikely team of allies infiltrate a prison holding monsters and villains from across the cosmos.

 

With new friends and old foes, and some old foes who might just be new friends, it’s an adventure that will take you across the Whoniverse...and beyond! 

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are more cover options:

 

 

COVER B: PHOTO

 

 

COVER C: SAMI KIVELÄ HOMAGE COVER

 

COVER D: NIPUNI

 

 

COVER E: FLOPS

COVER G: FLOPS COLOR YOUR OWN COVER ($5.99)

COVER H: JAY ANACLETO VIRGIN VARIANT

Not Pictured:

COVER F: JAY ANACLETO VIRGIN FOIL ($14.99)

 

Issue #1 is available to pre-order from your local comic shop. For UK/Europe fans, visit Forbidden Planet. 

 

 

Thanks to Titan Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

To revisit the previous volume, see my review for Doctor Who: Everyone Must Go TP. 

Marvel Zombies: Red Band #1 Review

 

Writers: Ethan S Parker & Griffin Sheridan

Artist: Jan Bazaldua

Colorist: Erick Arciniega

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover Artists: Greg Land & Rachelle Rosenberg; Scott Koblish & Val Staples; Clayton Crain; Ryan Brown; Juan Shavrin; Ryan Meinerding, Amelia Vidal & Sung Choi

Design: Sarah Spadaccini

Editors: Emerald Bensadoun, Jordan D White & EB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 17, 2025

 

Aunt May worries about her nephew. He's an impressionable young man, and the TV shows such dreadful things these days. Uncle Ben also frets about how TV will hurt his young nephew. But Peter Parker can't help it. He wants to see the return of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Jonathan Storm, and Benjamin Grimm. And there's another TV show he's not sure he wants his aunt and uncle to see. How will pop culture's penchant for sensationalism transform Peter? Let's thwip into Marvel Zombies: Red Band #1 and see.

 

Story

While Uncle Ben and Aunt May want to shelter their nephew from the world, Peter yearns to be a part of it. He's already taken steps to become someone noteworthy. But while he has garnered notoriety, someone else has grabbed the spotlight. Four people have stolen a NASA spaceship and launched it into space. Mission Control communicated with the rocket for a while. But as it returns to Earth, the astronauts’ status is a mystery in Marvel Zombies: Red Band #1.

 

Ethan S Parker & Griffin Sheridan’s story returns readers to the origins of the modern Marvel universe. It honors the evolving relationships between heroes like the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Daredevil, and their friends and families. But while Peter Parker dreams of attaining popularity and wealth, the Fantastic Four are thieves.

 

 

 

 

 

Marvel Zombies: Red Band #1 reminds us that it's vital to do things for the right reasons. Reed Richards may be brilliant. But his interests outweigh those of others. The Fantastic Four recognize they have changed. Still, they have attained power by breaking the rules and defying the system. And that will cause a lot of people a lot of pain, as the Fantastic Four raise a zombie army to overtake the world.

 

 

 

 

Art

Glowing windows defy the darkness descending on the Parker home as Peter, May, and Ben gather to watch TV together. After the Spider-Mask covers half his face, Peter rises to obscure the TV set and a framed print of Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night.” But Peter makes way when a broadcaster appears before the NASA logo. The Parker family watches as technicians in blue overalls work on equipment, while armed men in black uniforms and armor await the VTOL rocket’s return. 

 

 

 

 

As Jan Bazaldua fills Marvel Zombies: Red Band #1 with art that harkens back to an earlier era, Erick Arciniega imbues it with all the vibrance, nuance, and texture of modern coloring. Iron Man gleams in his golden armor, while Hulk radiates green. Joined by black, silver, and gold Thor in his red cape, the trio shines amid the glowing yellow buildings. Daredevil shows he belongs with the heroes when he arrives in black, red, and gold. But they must face off against the Frightful Four. Reed and Sue’s blue suits link them together, while Johnny’s flaming skin and Ben’s orange hide likewise bind the friends. All four demonstrate the decay afflicting them, as red fills areas formerly covered by skin.

 

 

 

 

 

Travis Lanham fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation. Yells enlarge words until they threaten to burst balloons, while zombies’ utterances fill cloudy balloons. The narrator speaks into yellow narrative boxes and often enlarges and colors the first letter of a sentence. Iron Man’s words fill yellow hexagons with red borders. Sound effects help readers feel the urgency of the rampaging horde. They also enhance the electrifying action as heroes and villains chart a course that will profoundly affect their world. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

It's not just life-changing events that empower us. It's also what we do each day that determines if we are heroes or villains. Fueled by humorous dialogue and an insatiable hunger for Human flesh, Marvel Zombies #1 revisits the origins of the Marvel Universe and asks, "What if the Fantastic Four were villains?"

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Cemetery Kids Run Rabid #3 Cover Preview

 

COVER A BY DANIEL IRIZARRI

 

There's never enough time during the day to do everything you want to do. So what if you could play games while you slept? Their first experience didn't work out so well for Wilson. Still, their scarred friend watches Maddy, Birdie, and Pik as they play. But Pik acts strangely when he awakens. What if, like Wilson, he has not emerged whole from their game?

Here's all the info from Oni Press:

 

CEMETERY KIDS RUN RABID #3 (OF 4)

WRITTEN BY ZAC THOMPSON ART BY DANIEL IRIZARRI COVER A BY DANIEL IRIZARRI COVER B BY TREVOR HENDERSON FULL ART VARIANT BY TREVOR HENDERSON Enter: The Blighted Sprawl! The acclaimed cyberpunk horror hit from creators Zac Thompson (Into the Unbeing—Parts 1 & 2) and Daniel Irizarri (Judge Dredd) is about to reach fever pitch! Under the influence of Blud, the Cemetery Kids set off to discover the truth about the connection between Pik and the King of Sleep. It has become increasingly clear that something came back with Pik, and that revelation will forever alter their reality. As they descend through the dark highways of the Arterial Knot, the Exhumed Vein awaits . . . ON SALE OCTOBER 22nd, 2025 | $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FC

 

Here are more cover options:

 

COVER B BY TREVOR HENDERSON

 

FULL ART VARIANT BY TREVOR HENDERSON

 

Thanks to Oni Press for sharing this cover preview with us. 

 

For how this series started, see my review of Cemetery Kids Run Rabid #1. 

Detective Comics #1102 Review

 

Writer: Tom Taylor

Artist & Colorist: Mikel Janín

Letterer: Wes Abbott

Cover Artists: Mikel Janín, Greg Smallwood, Davide Paratore & Stephanie Hans

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99

Release Date: October 22, 2025

 

After Batman rescued survivors from a damaged party boat, he visited the fishing vessel that caused the collision. Corpses littered the deck or floated nearby. As he studied the wounds, blisters, and swollen tissues, Batman noticed cameras recording his movements. He realizes someone watched these people die and did nothing to help them. Will Batman fall victim to the virus that filled these people with madness and apathy? And can he apprehend The Lion who wants to steal his victims' fear? Let’s grab our gasmasks, leap into Detective Comics #1102, and see!

 

Story

When Batman suspected a virus, he warned the authorities. But he wasn't in time to prevent the virus from infecting him. With so many of the dead showing signs of violence and madness, Batman knew he needed answers quickly. Mr Terrific analyzed his condition and confirmed Batman's suspicions. The villain who engineered the virus wants to kill a lot of people. And that fishing vessel was headed toward Gotham.

 

In Detective Comics #1102, Batman has thirty-four hours until he needs to move into isolation. That gives him a small window of time to investigate. Oracle helps him track a logo he found on the fishing vessel. Batman follows the trail to the country of Kasnia. Like James Bond in The World Is Not Enough, Bruce Wayne visits a casino. When a beautiful princess helps Bruce secure a private table, the proprietor is all too happy to join them.

 

As Batman faces a ticking clock in Tom Taylor’s story, he doesn’t have time to mess around. So while Bruce exhibits an air of ease and comfort, he seeks common ground with Louis King. Bruce suspects there's more to Louis' rags-to-riches story than he's letting on. What he doesn't expect is the comradeship that Louis King feels for him in Detective Comics #1102.  

 

Art

As Batman stands in Mr Terrific’s lab, orange and black dominate the room. Beneath the surgical light panels, Batman's color gives way to that of his host's. The strength of these two colors casts a subtle shade of green on everything else. But when Batman pulls on his cape, his blue eyes shine until he puts on his blue mask. Oracle sits in a room cast in green as a face wearing a gas mask appears on a monitor. As Batman confers with her in the Batwing, the cockpit's red interior links him with Princess Caroline.

 

Mikel Janín transfers the orange, black, and green coloring to Louis King's private gambling room. The ornate interior design and crystal lighting fixtures lend the room an air of exclusivity. Yet green dominates the room. Unlike in Mr Terrific’s lab, there's nothing subtle about the color. After showcasing Batman's blue eyes, Mikel Janín closes in on Louis King's eyes. While Bruce’s black attire evokes mourning, Louis King’s white suit suggests rebirth in Detective Comics #1102.

 

Batman’s thoughts appear as white uppercase letters in gray narrative boxes. Wes Abbott fills white balloons with black uppercase dialogue, while Oracle’s off-camera dialogue appears as dark green words in green balloons. The cards appear in the air as the game commences, speaking a language of their own to the players. Large, white letters introduce settings and remind us that the clock is ticking on Bruce Wayne’s life. Sound effects emphasize the ruthlessness of a villain intent on ripping Gotham apart. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Whoever planted the fear virus on the fishing vessel intended it to reach Gotham. While he urges Mr Terrific to concoct a vaccine or a cure, Batman knows those take time. And even if they work, people will still contract the disease. So, in Detective Comics #1102, Batman searches for the source of the virus before the villain can disperse more of it. Batman knows he’s under the gun. He doesn’t want to die. But more importantly, Batman won't let what happened on the fishing vessel happen to Gotham.

 

Rating 9.8/10