Redcoat #8 Review

 

Creators: Geoff Johns & Bryan Hitch

Inkers: Andrew Currie & Bryan Hitch

Colorist: Brad Anderson

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Cover Artists: Bryan Hitch & Brad Anderson; Brad Walker & Brad Anderson; Yanick Paquette & Brad Anderson

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: December 25, 2024

 

As Simon Pure travels through Kansas, returning to his familiar New England, the former Redcoat knocks on the front door of a family home. Kate Bender welcomes him inside and offers him a room for the night. Her family is setting the table for dinner, and they invite Simon to join them. But is the Benders’ hospitality as pure as it seems? Or is it anything but? Let’s grab our enchanted hatchets, leap into Redcoat #8, and find out!

 

Story

To 19^th-century immigrants, America glowed like a beacon of opportunity. As settlers pushed back the frontier, labor shortages let opportunists turn their hands to new skills. Daniel Heavyside has worked as a Cattle Inspector and Homestead Surveyor. Kate seems impressed by Daniel’s accomplishments when he visits her home. But is she the prize Daniel imagines?

 

Like Daniel, Simon Pure has many talents. While it looks forward to 1909, Redcoat #8 occurs in 1873 and predates Simon’s meeting with Albert Einstein. Nearly a century has passed since George Washington shrugged off Simon's killing blow, and the fleeing Redcoat gained immortality at a Founding Fathers’ ceremony. After assisting a friend, Simon returns to more familiar stomping grounds. Edward O'Reilly first chronicled the adventures of Simon's friend in 1917, although Pecos Bill, the Texan who created the Gulf Of Mexico, was born three-quarters of a century earlier. Kate seems as impressed with Simon as with Daniel. But is her admiration for her guests genuine?

 

This horrific story harkens to when less regulation and oversight allowed crimes to pass unnoticed. Like the Kent family chronicles of John Jakes, Redcoat #8 reveals the less-than-rosy history of American expansion and settlement. Yet, even in an age when communications and governmental oversight should protect people like Daniel and Simon from predators masquerading as angels of mercy, evil still finds ways to attack the innocent.

 

After witnessing Simon Pure’s final reunion with Albert Einstein in 1955, it's hard to see the adventuring antihero as anything worse than a misguided innocent. Simon has lived more than a century by this point. But, as Geoff Johns and Bryan Hitch make clear, Simon's childhood still haunts him and prevents him from becoming a renaissance man like Phil Connors in Groundhog Day.

 

Art

A silhouette of a cowboy rides into a rain-streaked gray evening. Blues and grays dominate the foul weather outside. Oil lanterns and a roaring hearth reveal subdued colors and shadows in the Bender home. Blood quickly blackens when the Benders violate their guests' trust. Brad Anderson fills the living quarters with muted yellows, pinks, greens, and browns. Still, Simon's red-and-blue coat dominates the interior of this last, unhomely house.

 

Andrew Currie and Bryan Hitch show the rain streaming off Daniel’s hat and bouncing off his shoulders. A detailed beard frames Daniel's smile as he assures his horse there is nothing to fear. Mrs Bender and her daughter return Daniel’s smile. But when the family reveals their intentions to their guests, their joy shows on their faces. Axes serve as reminders of Simon's adventures with Albert Einstein and Benedict Arnold and provide a link with George Washington's treacherous life. Pocket watches suggest that, unlike Simon, the Benders' illicit exploits cannot last forever.

 

Rob Leigh fills white dialogue balloons with uppercase black letters and scraps of parchment with their italicized cousins in Redcoat #8. Words embolden and swell for inflection and raised voices and shrink for lowered or distant voices. Red and yellow laughter spills across panels, while Mrs. Bender's German accent hints at another reason for Simon's reticence to team with Albert Einstein when they meet nineteen years later. Thanks to Image Comics and Ghost Machine for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Past meets present in 1873 when Simon's discovery at the Benders' house reminds him of his troubled youth. Redcoat #8 is a violent and horrific reminder of what can happen when parents don’t take their responsibilities to their children and society seriously.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

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

 

Heat Seeker: Combustion Collectible Cosplay Covers Solicit

Heat Seeker Combusion #1

 

The action may take place in the snowy mountains of Italy, but this is one hot series! Check out this quality quintet of captivating (and combustible) cosplay covers your can order!

 

HEAT SEEKER: COMBUSTION A GUN HONEY SERIES #1-4 COSPLAY PACK

(W) Charles Ardai

(A) Ace Continuado

Publisher: Hard Case Crime, imprint of Titan Comics

FC, 5*32pp, $19.99, On Sale April 2, 2025

 

FEATURES A BONUS #1 PHOTO variant - exclusive to this pack! Collects Heat Seeker: Combustion #1-4 photo covers starring cosplayer MARISA ROPER! Limited to only 600 copies!

 

Order code: JAN250400     

 

 

Here's the rest of the covers in this special 5-pack:

 

Heat Seeker Combustion #2

 

Heat Seeker Combustion #3

Heat Seeker Combustion #4

 Finally, here's the bonus cover available only in this 5-star collection:

Heat Seeker Combustion Bonus Cover

Spider-Boy #14 Review

 

Writers: Dan Slott

Artists: Paco Medina & Humberto Ramos

Colorist: Erick Arciniega

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Paco Medina & Edgar Delgado; Rose Besch; Doaly; Natacha Bustos

Designer: Adam Del Re

Editors: MR Daniel, Kaeden McGahey, Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Ellie Pyle, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: December 25, 2024

 

Tabitha Briggs grudgingly let her son continue his superhero ways. Then, Daredevil abducted Spider-Boy to nab Bailey’s Hellfire Club trophy from his secret stash atop his news-making nemesis. When Daredevil subsequently lost the Golden Fang to Bullseye and Spider-Girl, the Man Without Fear forced Bailey to break international law by stowing away on Madripoor Air flight 359. The red-and-blue pillars of virtue furthered their crime spree by stealing an airport taxi, ambushing Enormo and Hulkette, and using their newly stolen Golden Fang to enter a contest against experienced fighters.

 

Can Spider-Boy help Daredevil win The Dragon’s Challenge? And with a mentor like Daredevil, will Tabitha Briggs ever let Bailey don his costume again? Let's buy front-row tickets, thwip into Spider-Boy #14, and find out!

 

Story

Mist, the Demon's Breath of the Gaping Maw, knows that Daredevil and Spider-Boy followed Bullseye and Spider-Girl's example and entered the contest with a stolen Golden Fang. But the Gaping Maw is an amoral assassin order founded on brutally and efficiently dispatching their targets. So, when Enormo and Hulkette bust into their headquarters and demand fairness, Mist sends Enormo packing.

 

The clan leader promises Hulkette her revenge if she waits until Daredevil and Spider-Boy lose. That may not prove difficult, as Spider-Boy shrinks from hurting his opponent in the first round. But that’s not a weakness Spider-Girl shows in Spider-Boy #14. Instead, the Hawaiian cliff diving champion, Maka Akana, happily disfigures her opponent for life.

 

 

 

Daredevil hasn’t told Spider-Boy what they are fighting for. But while he insists that Bullseye must not win the prize, Spider-Girl's mentor claims that victory will give him power over the entire world. Spider-Boy isn’t happy with Daredevil for stringing him along and getting him into hot water with his mom. But while both apprentices fight for their masters in Dan Slott’s story, Spider-Girl likes her mentor because he enables her to destroy her opponents.

 

As the Web Of Life And Destiny stretches across the multiverse, memories help people adhere to their proper place and time. Spider-Man sacrificed his memories of an alternate life with Uncle Ben to help Bailey stick in people’s minds. Spider-Girl’s mutant gene helps her copy other people's memories. When Maka stares into her opponent's eyes, she "remembers" how they mastered their abilities. Win or lose, Spider-Girl will leave Madripoor with more skills in Spider-Boy #14. But because she steals their memories instead of creating her own, Maka quickly tires of her accomplishments and seeks another easy victory. 

 

 

 

Art

While Gaping Maw soldiers wear Pandemic masks bearing a dragon design, the Mist’s mask reveals her mouth but obscures her face. Horns rise above her head, symbolizing her power. Paco Medina and Humberto Ramos show Bailey sitting in readiness while Daredevil hunches forward in need of rejuvenation. But that doesn't happen as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen and the Spider of PS 19 in the East Village draw the first fight with a luchador and a monkey. The wrestler wears gold to signal his respect for the Gaping Max. The monkey fighting Spider-Boy may be as ill-tempered as Captain Barbossa's pal. Still, Spider-Girl and Hulkette demonstrate the same horror of Bailey's monstering out that prompted The Daily Bugle to label Spider-Boy “The Monster Among Us.”

 

Characters shine as they fight for ultimate power against muted colors in Spider-Boy #14. Erick Arciniega adorns the Gaping Maw headquarters in green, gold, brown, and beige. Bailey leaps above brown and gold rooftops as a ship anchors in Madripoor’s green and gray harbor. Pink and red enliven an outdoor munchfest when Bailey dines beneath yellow paper lanterns. He remembers fighting an opponent clothed in black, white, and yellow. Then, green-skinned Hulkette, adorned in her pink vest and purple shoes, returns him to the contest, where red X’s and color photographs signal that the second-round battles have begun.

 

As Erick Arciniega lavishes an appealing palette on Paco Medina and Humberto Ramos' likable characters, Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black lettering into white dialogue balloons. Words shrink for lowered voices, embolden for intonation, and swell for volume. Sound effects help us hear Enormo get his comeuppance, La Mota screech, Spider-Girl making Bullseye smile, and Daredevil mentally scarring his apprentice. Mahalo to Marvel Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While stealing distorted memories of her opponents, absorbing their thoughts and emotions unbalances Spider-Girl. The Hawaiian mutant has only met one person she couldn’t look in the eye and inhabit their mind. So, she finds another way to destroy Bailey in Spider-Boy #14.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

 

 

Lenore: The Time War #3 Solicit

COVER A: ROMAN DIRGE (JAN250405)

 

After reviewing Roman Dirge's wild non-children's book I Can Count To Ten, I'm looking forward to this timey-wimey series! Here's all the ordering info for issue #3 from Titan Comics:

 

LENORE: THE TIME WAR #3 (OF 3)

(W/A) Roman Dirge

Publisher: Titan Comics

FC, 32pp, $4.99, On Sale March 26, 2025

 

THE TIME WAR REACHES ITS EPIC, SENSES SHATTERING CONCLUSION!

 

Reunited after being separated and lost across the entirety of all history, after eating Time Goats who’d come to save them from a demented demonic pickle hat,

 

Lenore and co must make one last stand and do battle with a futuristic army of enraged Time Goats from the far-flung future who’ve come to Earth for revenge!

 

 

COVER B: KIT WALLIS (JAN250406)

 

 

For More:

 

Check out my preview of Lenore: The Time War #1. 

Check out my preview of I Can Count To Ten.

Check out my review of I Can Count To Ten.

Creepshow Vol 3 #4 Review

 

Writers: Mike Carey & Acky Bright

Artists & Colorists: Mark Torres & Acky Bright

Letterer: Pat Brosseau

Cover Artists: Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran; Mark Torres; Steve Beach

Editor: Ben Abernathy

Designer: Jillian Crab

Production: Richard Mercado

Masters Of Horror: Greg Nicotero & Brian Witten

Additional Creep Art: Michael Broom

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: December 25, 2024

 

Sergeant Thomas Campion is a British Redcoat. Abigail loses her boyfriend to a prettier woman. What can these two people, separated by over a century, have in common? And how do they relate to us today? Let’s leap into Creepshow Vol 3 #4 and find out!

 

Story: Flesh Wounds

As Mike Carey's story opens, Sergeant Campion has enjoyed an impressive career beneath the Union Jack. Like Emil Blonsky in Louis Leterrier's film The Incredible Hulk, Campion doesn't care about advancing in rank. Each venture into the fray is a chance to prove himself the ultimate fighter. Yet after a dozen or more years on battlefields around the world, a Bedouin nearly kills him. This assault on his invincibility rattles him more than he wants to admit.

 

While tending Campion's wounds, the medic mentions hearing of a devil in the desert. British-born Campion has fought against Catholics often enough that any remark approaching religion from a Papist infuriates him. Notions like fiendish genies who grant wishes to supplicants sound too much like the mysticism the reformers worked hard to expunge from the Church Of England. But O’Riordan insists another soldier has profited from bargaining with this evil creature. So, Sergeant Thomas Campion rides into the desert to make a deal that sounds too good to be true in Creepshow Vol 3 #4.

 

Art: Flesh Wounds

Sergeant Campion cuts a striking figure adorned in red, white, and black. Mark Torres' muted colors lessen the battlefield carnage. Yet bright and florescent colors lend a heightened reality to Campion's lust for conquest. Campion and his fellow Redcoats evoke the toy soldiers beloved by generations of British children and treasured by modern wargaming enthusiasts. Yet Torres often paints the soldiers' skin gray, suggesting the British Empire thrived by sucking the lifeblood from its subjects.

 

Campion’s deal with the devil occurs beneath a light blue and pink sky, while green coats the ground and an ancient temple. After receiving what he most desired, Thomas' skin looks hale as he charges into battle renewed. Yet orange, pink, purple, and green dominate panels when the devil pays Thomas a return visit in Creepshow Vol 3 #4. Hyper-real colors invade Flesh Wounds thereafter.

 

Story: Face

Abigail has a problem. Her boyfriend left her for another woman. The scorned lover vacillates between revulsion and admiration as she stares at a photo of her boyfriend with his new paramour. Yet his choice is irrefutable. So, in Acky Bright’s story, Abigail visits a clinic promising to give her a new face.

 

At first, this second story in Creepshow Vol 3 #4 seems innocuous compared with the first. Yet Abigail wields her new beauty like a weapon. Like the Roman god the clinic is known for, Abigail becomes two-faced. Her cosmetic surgery was supposed to unleash the person inside her. Instead, Abigail's actions suggest that her boyfriend dropped her because of her "inner beauty."

 

Art: Face

Acky Bright portrays Abigail as a schoolgirl who prefers comfort to elegance. As Abigail stares at her phone, the brightly colored ad for Janus contrasts with the gray dominating the first page. The surgeon's proposed makeover evokes Lady Cassandra from Doctor Who. Abigail smiles when agreeing to the surgery. Yet, as she waits for the anesthesia to take effect, beads of sweat form on Abigail's nose and chin.

 

Pink and lavender welcome Abigail to the Barbie Era. Acky Bright adorns flashbacks of Abigail's breakup in peach and brown. The nurse at Janus holds something that links Face with Flesh Wounds and evokes scenes in a classic Universal Monsters movie in Creepshow Vol 3 #4.

 

Lettering & Additional Creep Art

Pat Brosseau orders black, uppercase words into ivory dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. White letters haunt black cloudy balloons. The words grow bold for intonation and swell for volume. Gunfire fuels the rapid-fire conclusion of Flesh Wounds, while a banging door heralds the end of Abigail’s existence in Face.

 

Michael Broom frames the introductory scene in Flesh Wounds with our narrator's welcoming embrace. Then, the Creep invites us into his home as Sergeant Thomas Campion’s story about the price of war comes to its haunting conclusion. Our narrator climbs into the beginning of Abigail's story. But be warned: the Creep amplifies the disturbing conclusion of this story about our definitions of beauty and fears of the surgeon's knife. Thanks to Image Comics and Skybound for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Two people separated by time, place, sex, interests, and any other criteria you can think of embrace shortcuts to omnipotence in Creepshow Vol 3 #4, only to discover no one can remain invincible forever.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

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

Runescape - Untold Tales Of The God Wars Vol 1 Solicit

If you're a fantasy fan and you haven't been picking up the issues of this exciting series, you can capture the entire saga in this trade paperback. I suspect it will hold you as captivated as the patrons who gather to hear the Storyteller in the Flying Horse Inn. Better yet, you don't have to carry that heavy Godsword into battle!

Here's all the info from Titan Comics: 

 

RUNESCAPE - UNTOLD TALES OF THE GOD WARS VOL.1

(W) Ryan O'Sullivan

(A) Daniel Bayliss

Publisher: Titan Comics

FC, SC, 128pp, $17.99, On Sale July 23, 2025

 

The debut graphic novel set in seminal medieval fantasy MMORPG RuneScape expands on the fan-favorite God Wars Dungeon questline in a never-before-seen epic.

 

Delve into the Temple of Lost Ancients during the catastrophic and iconic God Wars, as four warring armies fight for control of the Godsword: the only weapon capable of killing a deity.

 

Trapped in the center of the conflict is the undead Maro, who dreams of breaking free of his master's clutches. But escaping from the necromancer’s clutches leads to a twisting, thrilling journey for Maro when he finds allies – and enemies – across the front lines.

 

Collects issues 0-4 of the comic series, plus behind the scenes content on how the series was made.

 

Order code: JAN250404     

 

For a look inside see my preview of the first issue.

 

For a more indepth look see my review of the first issue.

 

 

Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult TP Review

 

Writer: Joe Rechtman

Artists: Reilly Brown & Tony Kordos

Colorist: Jim Charalampidis

Letterer: Taylor Esposito

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $17.99

Release Date: December 18, 2024

 

After a technological singularity sends the continents crashing together, factories pollute the air, and Humans live in medieval villages or Old West towns. People seek aid from alchemists instead of doctors. How do the wizards get along with their unmagical neighbors? How do they spend their days on this dramatically altered Earth? And what of those who seek the knowledge of ages past? Let’s grab our spell books, leap into Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult TP, and find out!

 

Stories

In “Heist on the High Seas,” a down-on-his-luck wizard gets an offer he can’t refuse. After getting tossed out of the pub, a wizard cloaked in shadow wants Archmagus Crowley to steal a cursed chest. He will pay its weight in gold if Crowley steals it from the wizards aboard a storm-tossed ship.

 

“A Burning in the Bramble,” the second story in Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult TP, introduces Mystic Willow. While factories fill the air with smoke, Willow enjoys the solitude of her cabin in the woods. She incites her fellow wizards’ ire when she heals a traveler's broken ankle. The wizards discourage people from traveling through their enchanted forest. But their anger pales compared to the villagers when they suspect Willow of abducting a young girl.

 

In “The Wolf and the Egg,” Magus Alizam guards a giant egg. One evening, Magus Wazir arrives. Magus Wazir's superpower is helping the lost. He wonders why his magic led him to Alizam. As the guardian explains why he protects the egg, Magus Wazir realizes people can get lost while knowing where they are.

 

“The Alchemist’s Apprentice” transports a wizard from a snowstorm to a shop. Magus Devon offers to sell the wizard whatever she needs. The woman spots a pair of snowshoes but lacks money. Magus Devon offers to give the woman the snowshoes in return for a story. So, her customer tells about a young alchemist whose foul-tempered master starts being nice to everyone.

 

In “The Wagon Of Woe," students fight while walking to school. Enchanter Orbis appears and orders them to stop. Enchanter Artis arrives to protect the children when Orbis uses magic to force them inside his wagon. In his fifth and final story, Joe Rechtman explains the mystery underlying his tale about Mystic Willow. He also hints at the significance of Archmagus Crowley’s maritime mission to bring Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult TP to a satisfying and enjoyable conclusion.

 

Art

Reilly Brown handles the art for "Heist on the High Seas." Then, Reilly tackles the pencils while Tony Kordos assumes inking duties for the next four adventures. The artists conjure a verdant world filled with medieval villages, while nearby factories suggest an encroaching Industrial Age. The exception is the desert-bound “The Wolf and the Egg.” Decaying metal buildings cluster around an abandoned oil rig near an Old West town. Magus Alizam battles a giant serpent amid towering wind turbines.

 

Wizards come in all shapes and sizes in Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult TP. “A Burning in the Bramble” shows the most diversity, as the purple-haired Human woman plays a magical roleplaying game with a purple fox, a bear, and a man with a red and gray mushroom head. Jim Charalampidis lavishes a loaded palette of bright and varied colors on wizards as they wield crookneck staffs, flaming swords, crystal balls, and fireworks.

 

Perhaps the most endearing wizard is Magus Wazir, who wears a brown hood, green cape and shoes, a mauve coat, and gray slacks. The diminutive wizard evokes He-Man's friend Orko or a medieval Jawa. His magic bell glows yellow-green when casting visions and transports him through green portals.

 

Taylor Esposito casts the narrator’s small lowercase italicized words onto creased yellow parchment scraps. Magicians' familiars speak minute lowercase dialogue. Humans speak uppercase words into dialogue balloons. The words grow bold for intonation and giant size for volume. Colorful sound effects enhance spells, destruction, and battles between bespelled game pieces, while a triangle in a dialogue balloon often symbolizes a wizard’s spell. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Magicians prove as varied as their powers in Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult TP. Perhaps the most unique is Enchanter Orbis. He drives his colorful, snail-powered wagon through the forests, towns, and fields. While danger threatens the water supply flowing through the grand aqueduct of Rabbit Falls, smoking power plants choke Earth’s atmosphere. Yet a wizard's quest for power and public distrust of magicians hint at an oncoming storm threatening the Runíc Supercontínent in this whimsical and lighthearted collection.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Forgotten Runes Wizard's Cult TP.

Welcome To Ghost Mansion Vol 2 Solicit

 

Say you plow your savings into an apartment complex. Now, all you need is renters to pay your 35 year mortgage and you're set for life. But what do you do when real estate agents show the apartments, and prospective renters run from the building in terror, claiming they've seen ghosts? Check out this fun new series from Titan Manga! 

 

WELCOME TO GHOST MANSION VOL. 2

(W/A) Nebukuro

Publisher: Titan Manga

B&W, SC, 192pp, $12.99, On Sale April 23, 2025

 

FOR FANS OF HORROR COMEDY, THIS IS THE SECOND VOLUME OF THE FEEL-GOOD SPOOK-FEST!

 

Kaoru can’t catch a break — just as she’s finally got the spirit tenants of Ghost Mansion settled in, an exorcist moves into the building! Tsuzumi comes from an ancient family of exorcists and occultists but can she put aside her training and live in harmony with Kaoru and her laid back attitude to the legion of ghosts?

 

Order code: JAN250411    

The Ambassadors Library Edition HC Review

 

Writer: Mark Millar

Artists: Frank Quitely, Karl Kerschl, Travis Charest, Olivier Coipel, Matteo Buffagni & Matteo Scalera

Colorists: Frank Quietly, Vincent MG Deighan, Michele Assarasakorn, Dave Stewart, Giovanna Niro & Lee Loughridge

Letterer: Clem Robins

Cover Artist: Frank Quitely

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $49.99

Release Date: December 25, 2024

 

While countries like China and Russia carve up Antarctica, someone builds a technological marvel on Earth’s southernmost continent. Those who stumble across it awaken far away, unable to recall their discovery. What is happening in this city of the future on the continent dedicated to scientific research? And how will advancements made there benefit our world? Let’s pull on our Lycra suits, leap into The Ambassadors Library Edition HC, and find out!

 

Story

Dr Choon-He Chung is serving a life sentence in the Cheongju Women's Correctional Institution. She wants to change that. Aided by Oksana Petrov, the South Korean scientist unlocks the Human condition. While building her Antarctic city, she develops a range of superpowers she can draw on. Now, all she lacks is freedom. That's where her knowledge of artificial intelligence comes in handy.

 

In The Ambassadors Library Edition HC, Choon-He Chung downloads her consciousness into a lookalike android. Then she announces a competition. Choon-He wants to share her discoveries with people around the world. She doesn't insist that they be bastions of morality. What matters most is a desire to help others and a willingness to represent their respective countries. Some work in lowly positions in society. Others profit from hurting others but vow to turn over a new leaf. Each of Dr Chung’s superheroes will enjoy health and long life. While doing good, they can borrow up to three superpowers at a time, relayed from Dr Chung's Antarctic stronghold.

 

Dr Chung’s actions threaten the countries that dominate our world. Her handful of superheroes can take on the armies of the superpowers, end wars, and protect countries from natural disasters. In Mark Millar's story, Choon-He's greatest threat is her ex-husband. Jin-Sung never loved her. Instead, he waited for the opportunity to capitalize on her discoveries by falsifying the evidence that imprisoned her.

 

While Dr Chung builds her superpowered version of Jeff Tracy’s International Rescue Corps, her ex-husband builds a team of billionaires. Jin-Sung’s recipients control the internet and the world media. After amassing fortunes, ruling the workforce, and influencing the masses, Jin-Sung’s billionaires want to further their legacies by living forever in The Ambassadors Library Edition HC.

 

Art

Mark Millar teamed with artists Frank Quitely, Karl Kerschl, Travis Charest, Olivier Coipel, Matteo Buffagni, and Matteo Scalera to capture panoramic shots like a plane flying over a domed city and a ship entering a Junk-filled Chinese harbor. Choon-He hovers above a stage while her assistant hobbles using a cane. Superheroes climb onto pogo stick-like supports to descend into a secret lair before roaring onto the streets in an exotic sportscar. Choon-He marvels as she watches orange and yellow-green fire streak through the evening sky, knowing the man flying like a bird (or a plane) used to need an oxygen tank to breathe.

 

Frank Quietly, Vincent MG Deighan, Michele Assarasakorn, Dave Stewart, Giovanna Niro & Lee Loughridge wield loaded palettes to convey gang wars in Rio De Janeiro, a rescue on a snow-covered mountain, and a man flying above a burning Australian village. They contrast these with scenes painted with limited colors in The Ambassadors Library Edition HC. People watch a red, blue, and yellow superhero on a screen in a grayscale viewing room. An organic gray spiral elevates glowing red letters circling a globe. Gray, beige, and tan fill the Oval Office as the President worries about the threats to the United States multiplying.

 

Clem Robins fills dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with uppercase black lettering that grows bold for inflection and enlarges for volume. Sound effects help us hear soldiers mowing down the opposition, villains making their bones, and an aggrieved ex-husband shattering furniture with a single blow. As superheroes bond over capturing a gang of thieves, we glimpse their takedowns through giant, colored sound effects. Biff! Pow! Smash! Thanks to Dark Horse Comics, Millarworld, and Netflix for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Should people who accomplish much win the most substantial prizes? Or are those who selflessly help others most worthy of power? One of history's prominent influencers claimed that those who doubled their investments (or talents) were most worthy of being entrusted with more. Then, he granted his followers eternal life regardless of their social status, wealth, or business acumen. The Ambassadors Library Edition HC ponders people's worthiness of receiving superpowers, the responsibility to represent their countries, and freedom from the limitations of age and disease.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

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

Conan The Barbarian: The Original Comics Omnibus Vol 6 Solicit

 

REG: JOHN BUSCEMA (JAN250390)

This collection covers the early years when I started collecting Marvel's Conan The Barbarian series (along with King Conan and Savage Sword of Conan). The omnibus begins with Conan The Barbarian #150, which you could pluck off the spinner racks in 1983! Here's all the info from Titan Comics:

 

CONAN THE BARBARIAN: THE ORIGINAL COMICS OMNIBUS VOL. 6

(W) Michael Fleisher, Larry Yakata

(A) John Buscema

Publisher: Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics

HC, 7.25" x 10.875", 627pp, $125.00, On Sale July 2, 2025

 

THIS EPIC OMNIBUS INCLUDES OVER 625 PAGES FEATURING DIGITALLY REMASTERED ARTWORK AND A BONUS SECTION OF RARELY SEEN ARTWORK.

 

In an Omnibus extravaganza that covers the entire run of writer Michael Fleisher's two years on Conan the Barbarian, artist John Buscema turns in page after page of iconic artwork featuring Conan opposite some of his most mysterious foes: The scheming Jergal Zadh, the magic-wielding Alhambra, the conniving Baron Vjerzak and Conan's old comrade Fafnir!

 

Includes two mighty Annuals and a classic issue of What If? that asks the question: What if Conan was stranded in the 20th century?

 

This volume Reprints: CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1970) #150-171, CONAN THE BARBARIAN ANNUAL (1973) #8-9, WHAT IF? (1977) #43.

 

DM: MIKE KALUTA (JAN250391)