The Lucky Devils #3 Review

 

Writer: Charles Soule

Artist & Designer: Ryan Browne

Colorist: Ryan Browne & Kevin Knipstein

Letterer: Christopher Crank

Cover Artists: Ryan Browne & Tradd Moore

Logo: Thomas Quinn

Production Design: Erika Schnatz

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: March 26, 2025

 

As hard as they try, Collar and Rake can't tempt their assigned humans into spreading evil. So, Collar and Rake break the rules to get their humans promoted at work without performing harmful acts. Then, they push the acceptable bounds of hellish behavior by inciting Cam and Starr's rivals to bad behavior. Sure, the devils risk eternal punishment by breaking Hell’s laws. But the benefits outweigh the risks. Besides, Collar and Rake want to overturn the corrupt system that keeps so many devils repressed.

 

Cameron Stane doesn’t believe in Collar’s existence. Still, the philosophy professor argues that his subconscious must be talking to him. Starr feels like Rake is her special friend. But as the preacher’s daughter cares for her patients, she dislikes profiting from others' misery. How will Cam adjust to life as a professor on the tenure track? And how will Starr's life improve as a nurse attending the Emergency Room instead of Code Browns? Let's grab our Bibles and The Discourses of Epictetus, leap into The Lucky Devils #3, and find out!

 

Story

Rake realized her superiors rigged the system years ago. So, she sang the repression blues to everyone who listened. Meeting Rake made Collar look around and rethink his life. The two devils hooked up, and the rest is hellish history.

 

Unlike their human charges, Collar and Rake aren't trying to make anyone's life better. Any power they get, they use to hurt others in Hell. But in The Lucky Devils #3, Rake and Collar are in denial. They have bought into Hell’s credo that Heaven doesn’t exist. They wonder at the haloes that appeared over their head one day. But they only use that as a license to make their world worse for everyone.

 

As for their human charges, success has come too swiftly. Cameron Stane once decried his students' disinterest in history. But he isn't using his increased influence to get his students to learn and write thoughtful essays. Cam provokes argument and discussion but fails to help his students appreciate the philosophers who inspired him.

 

If Cam struggles with Collar's existence, Starr Winslow struggles more in Charles Soule’s story. Starr has not escaped her religious upbringing. She believes devils are evil. The preacher's daughter knows she should have nothing to do with Rake. But then, her parents have put her in a box, and Starr is desperate to escape.

 

Art

Rake perches on a stool in a nightclub with a hat on one horn. While another demon keeps time on the tom-toms, devils sip their drinks and smoke cigarettes. Collar rests his chin on his hands at the bar. The devil's eyes fix on Rake in this prelude scene of The Lucky Devils #3. When Ryan Browne fast-forwards to the present, Collar and Rake sit on their patio, playing footsie, drinking beer, and eating pizza. As a lesser demon snags a slice of pepperoni, Collar tosses his can toward the street. Then, he displays plans that are “intricate as heck.”

 

Ryan Browne and Kevin Knipstein enliven the church interior. As Starr's father preaches, she wears casual pink and white attire. Her mother and sister dress to the nines in more colorful clothes. Cam and another professor dress in gray as they walk through the snow toward an olive-green tent. As Collar scurries between panels, battling monsters to reach his human charge, Dean Vesuvius welcomes guests to his fundraiser. The red fabric-covered tables and the red, yellow, and orange food in the chef's tray link with Collar as the fiery demon surprises Cam with an embrace.

 

White uppercase letters in red banners announce the time and locations in The Lucky Devils #3. Big uppercase letters inhabit white and colored dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for inflection, enlarge for volume, and never shrink. Sound effects enhance the underworld nightlife as Starr imagines standing up to her parents, Cam does something he regrets, and Rake makes a cat purr. Thanks to Image Comics and Silent E Productions for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Collar and Rake are climbing the pyramid scheme of Hell. Cameron Stane and Starr Winslow gain influence thanks to their fiendish little helpers. The devils celebrate their success while sabotaging the pillars that uphold their infernal society. Cam and Starr begin to wonder if their promotions come at too high a price. And while the devils and the humans prosper, none appreciate what they have in The Lucky Devils #3.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

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

Amazing Spider-Man #70 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Penciler: Ed McGuinness

Inkers: Mark Farmer & Cliff Rathburn

Artist: Cafu

Colorists: Alex Sinclair, Marcio Menyz & Frank D’Armata

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Ed McGuinness, Cliff Rathburn & Marcio Menyz; Skottie Young; Peach Momoko; Frank Miller & Alex Sinclair; Iban Coello & Jesus Aburtov; Björn Barends; Brent Schoonover & Rachelle Rosenberg; Netease (Marvel Rivals)

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $5.99

Release Date: March 26, 2025

 

Callix slew his siblings and Spider-Man. After threatening to murder his surviving sister unless she joined him, Callix left Cyra with the corpses to attack their father. Cyra never craved power like Callix. Instead, Cyttorak’s games made her feel like nothing mattered. Spider-Man's reverence for life taught Cyra to care about others.

 

So Cyra makes a pact with the Avatar Of Death. The scion offers Phil Coulson her immortality and magical power to revive Peter. Will Cyra’s sacrifice be worth it? And how will Peter Parker’s life change when he becomes the Unstoppable Spidernaut? Let's slip on our hazmat suits, leap into Amazing Spider-Man #70, and find out!

 

 

 

Story

The Blight is a force of nature. While Cyttorak sensed its hunger to devour life, he also felt the vitality of the universe. Cyttorak’s sensitivity to life and how the Blight yearned to destroy it tore at his heart. The god walled away this unendurable pain and fear by distancing himself from life, playing games with his family, and telling himself he didn’t care about anything or anyone.

 

When Dr Strange wanted the power of the Crimson Casket, he discovered the danger of the Blight. He made an offer Cyttorak could not refuse. Why not make a game of protecting life? All this worked fine until Dr Doom became Sorcerer Supreme. The Ruler of Latervia (and perhaps the world) didn't want to protect Earth's Borders and pretend the cosmic danger didn't exist. Strange's approach managed the menace and saved lives. But it also kicked the can down the road for future generations to take care of. In Joe Kelly's story, Doom appoints someone who reveres life and would never make a game out of protecting it. So what if a few million people die because Spider-Man won't play by Dr Strange's rules? Doom is building a better future.

 

In Amazing Spider-Man #70, the Blight festers in anyone who wonders if life is worth fighting for. It feeds off negative energy, empowering people to kill those who hurt them. And who can hurt you more than the people you love? Peter has tried Cyra and Cyttorak’s way of dealing with the Blight. Now, as the Spidernaut, Peter discovers a more direct way of combatting it. When his approach works against the symptoms of infection, Peter channels all his power to tackle the source of the disease.

 

 

 

Art

Spidernaut travels through realms of reality to strike stratospheric Callix. Peter’s punch hurtles Callix back to Earth as a crimson streak. The displaced air and explosion shocks Dr Doom more than the former Sorcerer Supreme. Humming with power, Peter Parker returns to Earth. His first act is to clasp Juggernaut’s shoulder. Callix, beaten but defiant, rises from the impact crater to radiate the Blight like a star in Amazing Spider-Man #70.

 

While the Blight’s infection spreads across him as red eyes and black appendages, Callix thwips barbed webs reminiscent of how Spider-Girl emulates Spider-Boy's powers. As the Blight distorts Callix’s appearance, its massive brown body hangs over New York like a MUTO, turning the sky yellow, orange, and brown. Infused by Cyra’s crimson magic, Spidernaut no longer wears Doom’s arcane armor. Instead, Peter wears a Juggy-shaped version of his familiar red-and-blue. 

 

 

 

When Spidernaut conjures a circle of blue and leaves a blue streak behind, Dr Strange questions his colleague in Amazing Spider-Man #70. Rather than answer, Doom turns away from the blue Dr Strange. Doom’s gray mask lightens, along with the yellow and brown sky.

 

While Alex Sinclair and Marcio Menyz lavish a loaded palette on Ed McGuinness, Mark Farmer, and Cliff Rathburn’s art, Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black and blue lettering into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The dialogue grows bold for inflection, swells and changes color for volume, and shrinks for lowered voices. A giant shout emphasizes the power coursing through Spider-Man, while letters in pink balloons convey agony. Stylized lowercase letters in yellow boxes infuse a historical perspective on these apocalyptic events. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Cash Grab: Story

As Spider-Man pursues thieves, one opens a bag and hurls money from the hoverdisk. When the windfall causes pedestrians' attention to wander, Spider-Man abandons his pursuit to protect them. Joe Kelly's optimistic five-page story in Amazing Spider-Man #70 ponders how institutions weather tragedies that crush individuals.

 

Cash Grab: Art

Laser beams streak past Spidey as he thwips through a flock of greenbacks. Soldiers in black wearing Mandalorian helmets stand atop a hovering metal disk. Spider-Man asks a police officer to grab fluttering currency as he makes an impression on the patrol car roof. Cafu's art and Frank D’Armata’s coloring lend a dreamlike quality to Peter's struggle to live a double life as a superhero with a secret identity and foster friendships, a family, and a successful upfront career. 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Adopting a different suit helps Peter Parker identify with one of his greatest enemies in Amazing Spider-Man #70. Drawing on Dr Strange’s tutelage, Cyra’s endurance test, and Cyttorak’s crimson magic, Peter's courage and selflessness inspire others.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Kids #1 Review

 

Writer: Garth Ennis

Artist: Dalibor Talajic

Colorist: Stjepan Bartolic

Letterer: Rob Steen

Cover Artists: Dalibor Talajic

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $7.99

Release Date: March 26, 2025

 

Leo and Yoni enjoy an idyllic suburban life. They feel blessed with their son Matt and infant Ivan. Their neighbor may snooze in her beach recliner on her front lawn each evening. Still, Leo and Yoni won't let that smoking and drinking eyesore get them down. What happens when a strange event shatters their American dream? Let’s leap into The Kids #1 and find out!

 

Story

It's just another tranquil evening in Leo and Yoni's home. After putting little Leo in his crib, the happy parents tell Matt to finish his handheld game and head to bed. Everything is fine until the early morning hours when strange sounds erupt from their baby monitor. Leo and Yoni rush to Ivan's room, where they find a naked man amid the shattered remains of Ivan's crib. He yells at them, hurls Leo away, and grabs Yoni's breast. Matt hears all the shouting and crashing and comes to investigate. Yoni orders their son to call 911.

 

Knocked for a loop, Leo, Yoni, and Matt flee their home in The Kids #1. Outside, they find more chaos. Naked people stumble around shouting. Their neighbors have fled their homes or lie in the streets. Their neighbors hold a gun on a shuffling naked woman while a yowling naked man knocks another neighbor through her front window. While the streetlights glow, a helicopter dumps water on a plume of smoke from a nearby fire. As a naked man hurls Leo against their four-door hatchback, Mrs Skilling appears. The woman they never bothered to befriend plunges a knife into the attacker’s back and yells for everyone to get in their car.

 

Garth Ennis presents a world radically changed by a mysterious event. The family drives through a neighborhood devastated by an apocalypse. Naked people bring chaos wherever they go, and no one answers Matt’s 911 call. Leo and Yoni don’t want to believe their son’s assertion that he saw Ivan's birthmark on the adult in the baby's room. By sunrise, the truth dawns on the family and Mrs Skilling. Baby Ivan isn't little anymore. The Kids #1 reminds us that our world can change overnight. Unexpected tragedies can destroy the future we expect, forcing us to adapt to changing circumstances.

 

Art

Dalibor Talajic shows the family's struggle with this unexplained event. The streets and highways are empty. Few people have fled their neighborhoods. A police officer treats them like looters. Leo, Yoni, Matt, and Mrs Skilling are afraid to follow his instructions and return home. After the attack, Leo carries his arm in a sling made from his belt in this double-length, magazine-size one-shot.

 

Stjepan Bartolic paints interior scenes in limited colors as the family and neighbor flee their homes and seek aid and understanding. Despite the Walking Dead-like scenario, the nearby fire adds cloud-tank movie coloring to the family's early morning flight in The Kids #1. Daylight brings living color to their exploration of their altered hometown. Red stains the asphalt, a terrible accident fills the city with yellow and orange, and more crimson awaits the family and their neighbor amid a fight for their lives.

 

As parents realize their precious bundles of joy have become irrational and violent, Rob Steen enhances their living nightmare with uppercase black letters in dialogue balloons. Characters and infants-raised-to-adulthood-overnight struggle to understand their surroundings with words and wails that grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and rarely shrink. An absence of sound effects lends a silent film quality to this Twilight Zone story that tears away the characters’ illusion of permanence. Thanks to Image Comics and Ninth Circle for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

While parents worry they are unequal to raising their children, others feel that the demands of the next generation often outweigh the results. The Kids #1 tackles parents' fears of untrustworthy children, childless adults' frustration over being forced to excuse bad behavior because "they don't know what it's like to raise children," and societal debates over caring for those with special needs.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Power Rangers Prime #5 Review

 

Writer: Melissa Flores

Artist: Michael Yg

Colorist: Fabi Marques

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Designer: Madison Goyette

Editors: Caroline Butler, David Mariotte & Matt Gagnon

Cover Artists: Dan Mora; Stefano Simeone; Bon Bernardo; Keyla Valerio; Don Aguillo; Goñi Montes; Audrey Mok; Kang Jing; Marcelo Matere

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: March 26, 2024

 

After Lauren lost her Morpher, Mark, Orion, Valentina, and Jun brought the Power Ranger to the Angel Grove Natural History Museum. The Eltarians allow society’s elite and a few privileged students into the museum. While visitors view the public displays, researchers work in high-security laboratories, conducting experiments on technology like Lauren's Morpher. And then there is the room filled with Zeo Crystals from all the Power Rangers the Eltarians have killed.

 

Rita Repulsa holds Bulk, a young sentry, in thrall. The Space Witch helped Lauren morph into a Power Ranger. But now, Lauren has a new appearance and wields unfamiliar powers. She stands up to the Eltarian Guard, but the VR Troopers boast more firepower. When Bulk gathers more Zeo Crystals, Rita Repulsa offers Mark, Orion, Valentina, and Jun the opportunity to become Power Rangers. Will Lauren's new friends become Rita's Rangers? Let's grab our Morphers, leap into Power Rangers Prime #5, and see what happens!

 

Story

In Melissa Flores’ story, Lauren’s new friends accept Power Coins and morph into Power Rangers. But having power doesn’t mean they are ready to wield it responsibly. Mark and Orion are alien refugees. They mourn the past and fear losing whatever status they attain. Lauren values her life of wealth and privilege, her friendship with Jun, and her relationship with Ryan.

 

Of the quartet aiding Lauren, Jun is the most conflicted. His mother is an Eltarian military leader. She allows him to attend Angel Grove University and grow his hair like other students. Janessa intends for Jun to symbolize the Eltarians' friendship with humans. Yet on Earth, Jun cannot help admiring the repressed indigenous population, the oppressed refugees, and the Power Rangers who pledge their lives to protect others.

 

In Power Rangers Prime #5, Rita Repulsa has little patience for indecision or weakness. What she bestows, she can take away. Some of her new Rangers wield their power more enthusiastically than others. Accepting this new power will radically change their lives. It will also make former friends like Ryan enemies. All of them have worked hard to get where they are. As they battle Ryan's VR Troopers, Lauren's new friends must choose to remain with her, Bulk, and Rita or return to the lives they know.

 

Art

The Eltarian Consulate rises like angelic wings toward a blue globe. As visitors of many species enter a dining hall affording a magnificent view of Angel Grove’s sweeping architecture, Orion and Mark offer refreshments. Jun and his mother wear Eltarian uniforms. The social elite wear elegant suits, dresses, or the latest fashions. Mark and Orion's expressions show how out of place they feel attired in tuxedoes in Power Rangers Prime #5. 

 

White energy crackles around Rangers clad in blue, pink, yellow, and gray. Pink energy trails from the Pink Ranger’s mace. The Black Ranger sports grayish purple and gold and wields a staff with a hissing snake at both ends. Red Ranger extends a sword from her hand while the Yellow Ranger sprouts daggers. Yet Blue wields no weapons as if frightened by the power suddenly granted him. As Michael Yg shows the costumed Rangers battle the VR Troopers clad in high-tech armor, Fabi Marques surrounds the newborn heroes with a starry nebula to highlight their cosmic origins.

 

Ed Dukeshire communicates this struggle for identity by placing uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The letters swell, change color, and threaten to burst balloons as new Rangers battle old friends. Sound effects elevate this confrontation with Humans selected to protect people from mutants, while Rita Repulsa proves she can still create monsters in Power Rangers Prime #5. Thanks to Boom! Studios and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

With Lauren's lost Morpher and Bulk's assistance, Rita Repulsa is reclaiming her strength. She wants powerful fighters to rebuild her forces. While Bulk can remain her helper, Rita wants allies to fight alongside her. The Space Witch demonstrates an extraordinary willingness to trust her new team in Power Rangers Prime #5, but only if they meet her expectations.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

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

The Seasons #3 Review

 

Writer: Rick Remender

Artist: Paul Azaceta

Colorist: Matheus Lopes

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Paul Azaceta & Ben Caldwell

Editor/Designer: Harper Jaten

Designer/Production: Erika Schnatz

Assistant Editor: Gabe Dinger

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: March 26, 2025

 

Autumn Seasons sent her youngest sister a letter. The world-traveling investigative journalist claimed she knew what happened to their parents. Autumn warned Spring that the family was in danger, but Winter refused to leave town. Then someone broke into their home, rifled through Spring’s mailbag, and left an invitation to the Magical Carnival. Will Spring Seasons attend the circus that left Neocairo lifeless? Or will Winter have a change of heart? Let's leap onto our scooters, ride into The Seasons #3, and find out!

 

Story

Spring Seasons dreams of becoming a chef. Her job as a letter courier pays the mortgage in her parents and sisters' absence. While Winter toils over paintings in her studio each day, Spring rises early, cleans the house, delivers letters, attends school, delivers more letters, eats dinner alone, and (hopefully) does her homework before falling asleep. It's unfair, but the young girl does her best, even if no one else appreciates her hard work.

 

Winter upends a barrel of emotions on Spring in The Seasons #3. She claims the other sisters wanted to send Spring to boarding school, but she protected Spring's interests by keeping her at home. After reproving Spring for another interruption, Winter adopts kindness. Rick Remender portrays Winter as a woman who claims to be loving. Yet she manipulates Spring by constantly changing the rules and casts the blame for any problems in the relationship on her younger sister.

 

The residents of New Gaulia celebrate Winter’s painting, Autumn’s adventuring, and Summer’s modeling. Compared with her sisters’ glittering accomplishments, Spring seems like a disappointment. Their anger over Spring’s disregard for their safety while pursuing Winter’s letter is understandable. Yet they all treat Spring as chattel in The Seasons #3, readily disposed of when her irritations exceed the benefits she provides them.

 

Art

A hill separates the Seasons’ home from the circus tents in New Gaulia. When Spring parks her scooter outside the façade of Snail Mail, Mr Jelacker leans over his desk and points at her. Two finely dressed women surround Spring with bags of clothing when she returns to her scooter. Spring turns to regard a frowning Chimney King, clad in his cap and jetpack. He stands with hands on hips before toting up sums on his mechanical calculator. All the while, and after another member of the town turns his back on the "disrespectful ragamuffin," Gilbert gazes up at her with wide eyes from the bowl bungee-strapped onto her scooter.

 

Matheus Lopes adorns Paul Azeceta’s classic illustrations with a bright, cheery palette in The Seasons #3. When night falls, subdued yellow, green, and orange surround Spring in a darkened room. When she ventures out, the flickering candle projects a globe of yellow. Greens, blues, browns, and yellows enliven a brighter room that evokes a museum storeroom. An orange book and antics akin to Indiana Jones suggest which sister has most influenced Spring. 

 

Rus Wooton broadcasts this story from a parallel Earth in 1924 using uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons. The letters swell, grow bold, change color for emphasis, and rarely shrink. Spring's hero wages war on villains and schemers in starry balloons with lightning bolt arrows. Sound effects help us hear a slamming door, a shocking theft, a distant crash, and a magical transformation in The Seasons #3. Thanks to Image Comics and Giant Generator for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

While Winter strives for perfection, she claims that nothing matters. Her sisters Autumn and Summer travel the world, performing prestigious jobs, but send no money home. Spring's vivid imagination may have helped her stave off loneliness after her parents’ death. But the girl’s enthusiasm for life and devotion to her family proves her undoing when the Magical Carnival comes to town in The Seasons #3.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Walking Away From Midnight Review

 

Writer: Tom Kane

Publisher: Brittle Media

Release Date: May 18, 2024

Kindle ebook: $2.99 (Currently Free on Amazon)

Paperback: $16.99

 

When Jessie Fordham went to Cambridge University, she vowed not to follow in her father’s footsteps. Still, she took the courses he recommended. When she returns to her French home by the Midnight Lake, Jessie intends a short visit before returning to her home country. Will the impending war with Germany dash the British woman's dreams of attending journalism school in England? Let’s grab our kit bags, march into Walking Away From Midnight, and find out!

 

Story

Despite Jessie's plans to attend journalism school in England, the demands of home suck her in. Her father works as the Military Attaché for the British Ambassador in Paris. The woman who replaced her mother in her father's affections works for the French government. Her uncle Nev comes and goes, forcing Jessie to oversee life in the labyrinthine home. While Jessie manages the servants and looks after her younger siblings, she organizes diplomatic functions for her father and oversees his home office while he works in Paris.

 

While some foresee a German Blitzkrieg, the commencement of World War Two becomes a waiting game. Like many countries in Europe, French leaders lack the will to defy Hitler. So, when the Nazi forces march toward Paris, the French government flees to England. Her father’s diplomatic and Intelligence work prevents him from leaving Paris immediately, forcing Jessie to lead her family to safety.

 

While Tom Kane provides glimpses of Jessie’s childhood and her years at Cambridge, Walking Away From Midnight is aptly named. Jessie must wrangle her siblings into a troop that will follow her every command while fighting a battle of wills with her stepmother. She may have decried her father's strict, uncaring attitude while growing up. Yet Jessie realizes the wisdom behind his cold sternness. She vows to protect her family and make him proud. But as she and her family journey across the French countryside to a stretch of beach called Dunkirk, she will discover things about her father she never suspected.

 

Art

Tom Kane brings an epic feel to Walking Away From Midnight, showing world leaders making difficult decisions that will affect millions. He structures his novel with short chapters composed of even shorter scenes. Tom Kane introduces soldiers reluctant to kill others in the name of war, an American journalist who understands racial oppression, and a nurse from the last war who senses how much Jessie's family struggles between their loyalty to each other, their countries, and their ideals. Thanks to Tom Kane for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Amid a historical panorama evoking Ian McEwan’s Atonement, Walking Away From Midnight follows the development of the Enigma Machine, soldiers protecting a country their leaders have abandoned, and a young woman’s determination to protect her family while safeguarding the secrets that could secure her nation’s future.

 

5 Stars

 

Get your free copy of Walking Away From Midnight on Amazon.

 

 

Wondercon 2025 Day Three Highlights

 

The final day of Wondercon 2025 started off with a bang. Priscilla kindly gave me a rundown of all the interlinked titles published by Stranger Comics. They started selling their comics in shops around the same time I resumed regularly purchasing new comics. Now they produce a short series periodically, sell at conventions, and build their company through their slowly expanding library of high quality comics.

My wife always enjoys purchasing art supplies at conventions, so we were pleased to find Cottonwood Arts at Wondercon 2025. My wife picked up three packs of hot pressed and cold pressed art paper for her watercolors. It sounds like this will be their final year at the convention, but we wish them all the best with their business!

Hopefully, more arts supply companies will return to Wondercon in the future!

 

I only did one panel on Sunday, but it was a big winner (even if it was small by design). The experts at The Micro Publishing Boom discussed how they explored their passions, and even became profitable, by running their own comic businesses. Best wishes for continued success to all of them!

Afterward, I caught up with Charlie Stickney from White Ash. He told me more about his company, and his thoughts on where the industry is headed. He publishes many of his new titles through Kickstarter. Thanks for chatting with me, Charlie!

 

I also caught up with Cutter Hays in his booth. After his demonstration Saturday night, it was great to see him working on a more elaborate composition. He was even using white ink, which he said he did sparingly, to showcase extreme highlights. He followed up the white ink with a white Prismacolor pencil to give softer highlights.

 

Josh Eiserike kindly told me about his books. He's another self published author who had a great looking range of books on display. He mixes smart storytelling, superheroes, and slasher horror to create compelling fiction. Thanks for sharing your indie comics journey with us, Josh!

Check out The Very Final Last Girls and all his titles at darbypop.com or Amazon.

Not everyone you meet at Wondercon is a rock star, but this guy is determined to hit the big time. His band, Satellite Citi, is releasing an album later this year. Along with drummer and lead singer Anna Gevorkian, guitarist Shaunt Sulahien is looking forward to touring in California and wherever else the band's musical journey take them. Satellite Citi produced a graphic novel based on their first album. You can learn all about who they are, what they do, and where they'll be at SatelliteCiti.com.

 

Last but not least, I got a chance to chat with Melissa Flores at Wondercon 2025. I connected with the talented author of Dead Lucky and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers at San Diego Comic-Con last year, and enjoyed chatting with her about her new Power Rangers Prime series. Readers are enjoying this fresh reboot with all new rangers, and she shared her thoughts on Rita Repulsa's chief virtue. 

What? Rita Repulsa is virtuous? Melissa Flores writes complex characters that draw you into her fictional world, which is one reason I enjoy covering her titles so much. Thanks for chatting with me about Power Rangers Prime, Melissa!

And thanks to the press department at Wondercon 2025 for inviting me to share their great event with you!

 

Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1 Review

 

Writer, Colorist & Letterer: David Petersen

Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez

Cover Artists: David Petersen, Gabriel Rodriguez, Goñi Montes, Derek Laufman, Walter Simonson & David Petersen

Publisher: Boom!

Price: $4.99

Release Date: March 19, 2025

 

Farrer served the residents of Shorestone. He enjoyed a happy life with a loving family. Now, Farrer braves a storm, crossing All-That-Is to reach the castle at Lockhaven. As he pushes through the rain and wind, he drags a heavy burden tied and wrapped in cloth. Why has the blacksmith abandoned his town to visit the Mouse Guard keep? Let’s grab our weapons, leap into Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1, and find out!

 

Story

Farrer interrupts a meeting of the Mouse Guard with a tale of woe. He explains that a great snake and its kin have slain his wife and three daughters. The blacksmith poured his mourning into his craft, fashioning a new weapon to avenge his family. But the guards argue that his black axe is too heavy to wield effectively. Matriarch Siobhan explains that she can not spare any guard mice to champion his cause.

 

Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1 transpires in 915 AD. These are dark times for civilization, made all the darker by the snakes that enclose All-That-Is. The serpents’ continual incursions leave survivors like Farrer in mourning. Yet Matriarch Siobhan cares for her people as best she can. She assigns her captains to guard the workers when they harvest the fields. Siobhan also provides escorts for merchants transporting food and goods to towns like Shorestone.

 

In David Petersen’s story, one Guard Captain disagrees with the matriarch’s decision. But then, Bardrick already feels like he doesn’t belong in Lockhaven. The others are so focused on protecting the necessities that they have forgotten how to live. They only believe in what they can see, while Bardrick dares to believe in things he cannot prove. As they fail to understand what Farrer offers them, Bardrick accepts the gift they thoughtlessly reject. In so doing, Bardrick leaves his old life behind to embark on an adventure of discovery.

 

Art

While Ferrer braves the elements in a tunic and traveling cloak, the Guard Captains cover their chests in armor. They sit at a wooden table, illuminated by a candle and the nearby fireplace, and study a map of mouse-held territory. Gabriel Rodriguez shows tears fall from Bardrick’s eyes when Farrer kneels before them in Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1.

 

Among his fellow captains, Bardrick’s lowered hood rises higher toward his mouth. When Farrer leaves the room, Bardrick pursues the blacksmith down the dark halls supported by rings of voussoirs and roof bosses. Bardrick touches the metal ball at the end of the twisted metal handle. Then Bardrick kneels as Farrer lowers the axe onto the captain's shoulder with the inscribed blade pointing toward the ceiling.

 

David Petersen portrays the shadow that hangs over this land with muted browns, grays, and greens. Yellow and orange flames roar in fireplaces while candles burn in alcoves and make metal lanterns glow. The guards' armor and cloaks shine compared to Ferrer's gray cape and muted green and brown tunic. Matriarch Siobhan glows in her elegant purple, blue, and gold finery. When Bardrick embarks on his new mission, orange, peach, and brown threaten the dominance of the gray clouds.

 

While large white letters locate us in space, colored boxes fix events in time. Printed black text inhabits yellow and blue balloons. David Petersen opens Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1 with a frontispiece containing a symbol and colored lettering evoking illuminated manuscripts. Sound effects enhance a final battle as Bardrick struggles to wield the heavy weapon against an angry titan. Thanks to Boom! Studios and Archaia Entertainment for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Farrer forged the Black Axe through a desire for revenge. In Bardrick’s hands, it embodies the hope for a better future, one not ruled by their serpentine enemies. Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe #1 is about faith and sacrificing everything to protect the endangered and oppressed.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside and view more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Wondercon 2025 Day Two Highlights

 

Saturday at Wondercon 2025 was a lot of fun. The Invincible panel was one of the highlights.

I enjoyed seeing clips from Season Three and hearing from the creative team. They face a lot of challenges in adapting Robert Kirkman's comics into an adult animated hour-long drama. They discussed those and focused on key moments from the recent series, such as the Invincible War, Mark telling Eve how he felt about her, and Conquest's arrival on Earth.

 

Bad Idea started off only publishing in select comic shops. But now they are making their books available to everyone! They have an ambitious launch schedule, with a new series beginning every month in the second half of 2025.

 

One of those is Planet Death. If you attend the convention tomorrow, you can get your photo taken inside the space armor used in the series!

 

Jessica Fong discussed her cover work for Poison Ivy. She rarely stays on projects for more than a couple months. But she's on her third year with the series, and still loving her job!

 

She shared her influences and fascinations about the character. Jessica also showed us how she narrows her ideas down to a final image that best represents the story in each issue.

 

Writer and Artist Cutter Hays presented his annual panel The Marco Polo of Inking. My wife and I always enjoy his presentations. Some of it is his enthusiasm for art. Another is how you can see the ink move across the page as he works. The ink has a personality all its own. One day the ink will perform one way, then next another!

At least, that's Cutter's story. (And he's sticking with it!)

 

My wife suggested he try his hand at a unicorn. A couple minutes later, this magic happened. But then, art is a magical process. And Cutter Hays insists that we can all be magicians!

Thanks to the folks at Wondercon for inviting me to share some of the great things going on this weekend. Come back for Sunday! There's more to see and do at the best convention in Anaheim, California!