Murder Drones #1 Cover Preview

 

COVER A BY ALESSIO ZONNO

After Human civilization falls, its robot creations survive. But whether biological or cybernetic, people will always vie for power. Some opt to keep their heads down and play cards. Others develop new guns to challenge the world order. Who will live and die? And what is a more effective strategy for survival: following orders or doing your own thing?

Here's all the info from Oni Press:

 

MURDER DRONES #1 (of 6)

WRITTEN BY WYATT KENNEDY ART BY JO MI-GYEONG COVER A BY ALESSIO ZONNO COVER B BY JO MI-GYEONG COVER C BY KROOKED GLASSES COVER D SKETCH COVER FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JO MI-GYEONG FULL ART VARIANT (1:20) BY KROOKED GLASSES VARIANT (1:50) BY PATRICIA MARTÍN VARIANT (1:100) BY LYSANDRA VUONG Based on Glitch Productions' global animation phenomenon created by Liam Vickers and now streaming on Prime Video, it's three cheers for 'destroy all humans' as all-star creators Wyatt Kennedy (Nights, Marvel Voices) and Jo Mi-Gyeong (Eve, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) unleash the record-setting comics adaptation of the series that you have watched 330 million times: MURDER DRONES! In the far future on the desolate exoplanet designated Copper 9, the humans are long gone but the robotic worker drones they created to mine the planet’s resources are still hard at work. Together, they have managed to forge their own makeshift society . . . or so they thought until a previously unknown kind of robot - the dreaded “Disassembly Drones” - are activated by the mega-corporation JC Jenson to disassemble any worker that deviates from its original programming. But when a rebellious young worker drone named Uzi forms an unlikely alliance with two disassembly drones - Serial Designations N and V-can they, together, uncover the secrets of their origins . . . and stop the spread of the unsettling mechanical virus known as the Absolute Solver? Robots, violence, teen angst, mad science, love, loss, doors, hormones, and chaos! What more could you ask for? A pen, perhaps? It's a clicky pen! (Ask your kids. They'll get it!) $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FULL COLOR | ON SALE FEBRUARY 25, 2026

 

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COVER B BY JO MI-GYEONG

 

COVER C BY KROOKED GLASSES

 

FULL ART VARIANT (1:20) BY KROOKED GLASSES

 

FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JO MI-GYEONG

 

COVER D SKETCH COVER

 

VARIANT (1:50) BY PATRICIA MARTÍN

 

VARIANT (1:100) BY LYSANDRA VUONG

 

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

 

To look inside see my earlier preview of Murder Drones #1. 

Murder Drones #1 Preview

 

COVER A BY ALESSIO ZONNO

 

I enjoyed attending the Oni Press panel at last year's San Diego Comic-Con. This was one of the books they announced. Jo Mi-Gyeong's art brought Maria Ingrande Mora's series Ranger Academy to life, and helped us empathize with Sage's struggles. Jo also helped Melissa Flores show us how Mark grew up on the water world of Aquitar before coming to Earth in Power Rangers Prime #6. Given Jo's impressive work for Boom! Studios, I've been looking forward to seeing more of Jo's art in this forthcoming series. Now, it's finally here: a first look inside Murder Drones #1!

Here's all the info on Murder Drones:

 

MURDER DRONES #1 (of 6)

WRITTEN BY WYATT KENNEDY

ART BY JO MI-GYEONG

COVER A BY ALESSIO ZONNO

COVER B BY JO MI-GYEONG

COVER C BY KROOKED GLASSES

FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY KROOKED GLASSES

FULL ART VARIANT (1:20) BY JO MI-GUEONG

VARIANT COVER (1:50) BY PATRICIA MARTÍN

VARIANT COVER (1:100) BY LYSANDRA VUONG

BLANK SKETCH COVER AVAILABLE

ON SALE FEBRUARY 25th, 2026 | $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FC

IOC: 12/27/2025

FOC: 2/2/2026

 

AFTER 350 MILLION VIEWS AND $1.8 MILLION ON KICKSTARTER, GLITCH PRODUCTIONS’ WORLDWIDE SMASH-HIT MURDER DRONES HAS A BRAND-NEW TARGET: A COMIC SHOP NEAR YOU! Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997, and independent animation powerhouse Glitch Productions are thrilled to unveil an extended preview of MURDER DRONES #1, the hugely anticipated first issue of the official, six-part adaptation of creator Liam Vickers’ fan-favorite animated series from writer Wyatt Kennedy (Nights, Wiccan: Witches’ Road) and artist Jo Mi-Gyeong (Eve, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance)!

Step into a world where a natural disaster in the far future has flash-frozen humanity’s remote mining exoplanet, Copper 9, and their robot workers carry on. Meet Uzi, an unruly malcontent worker drone, as she struggles with the usual teenage challenges: homework, hormones, and homicidal killer robots trying to slaughter everyone she knows! No big deal, right?

In the far future on the desolate exoplanet designated Copper 9, the humans are long gone but the robotic worker drones they created to mine the planet’s resources are still hard at work. Together, they have managed to forge their own makeshift society . . . or so they thought until a previously unknown kind of robot - the dreaded “Murder Drones” - are activated by a long-forgotten possibly-eldritch protocol to disassemble any worker that deviates from its original programming. But when a rebellious young worker drone named Uzi forms an unlikely alliance with two disassembly drones—Serial Designations N and V—can they, together, uncover the secrets of their origins . . . and survive the deep twisted horrors awaiting them?

The long-awaited, record-setting comic book debut of Glitch Productions’ favorite anti-social robots begins in MURDER DRONES #1 (of 6) – featuring metal-shredding covers by Alessio Zonno (I Heart Skullcrusher), Jo Mi-Gyeong (Eve: Children of the Moon), Krooked Glasses (Invader Zim), Patricia Martín (EC’s Catacomb of Torment), and LySandra Vuong (Covenant) and on sale February 25th, 2026!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are more cover options:

 

COVER B BY JO MI-GYEONG

 

COVER C BY KROOKED GLASSES

VARIANT COVER (1:50) BY PATRICIA MARTÍN

VARIANT COVER (1:100) BY LYSANDRA VUONG

 

Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us.

 

For more updates on Oni Press, visit them on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

Murder Drones #2 Cover Preview

 

COVER A BY ALESSIO ZONNO

 

This Australian sci-fi web series has proven highly popular for its producers. The eight episodes on their Youtube channel have garnered 300 hundred million views! After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Oni Press is bringing the fun to comic shops. What's this sci-fi adventure all about? And could it be your next favorite dystopian nightmare?

Here's all the info from Oni Press:

 

MURDER DRONES #2 (OF 6)

WRITTEN BY WYATT KENNEDY ART BY JO MI-GYEONG COVER A BY ALESSIO ZONNO COVER B BY JO MI-GYEONG FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JO MI-GYEONG FULL ART VARIANT (1:20) BY PATRICIA MARTÍN ROBOTS! REBELLION! AND THIS SICK-AS-HELL RAILGUN! From Glitch Productions and Oni Press, the record-shattering adaptation of the groundbreaking animated series from writer Wyatt Kennedy (Nights, Wiccan: Witches’ Road) and Jo Mi-Gyeong (Eve) continues! Following the annihilation of the human colonists once tasked with gutting its resources in order to maximize shareholder value, the remote exoplanet of Copper 9 stands in ruin. But, beneath the surface, the colonists’ robotic worker drones have built a new kind of life for themselves with purpose, schools, doors, and card games! Now, teenage drone Uzi has made an unlikely bestie in Disassembly Drone N, whose primary purpose, until very recently, was to destroy the worker drones (for reasons). But it’s not just prom dates and awkward silences for these two wacky kids. A mysterious force continues to stalk the drone population from within, leaving a bloody trail of bodies in its wake. It’s a real drag! $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FULL COLOR | ON SALE MARCH 25, 2026 IOC:  1/31/2026 FOC: 3/2/2026

 Here are more cover options:

 

COVER B BY JO MI-GYEONG

 

FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JO MI-GYEONG

 

FULL ART VARIANT (1:20) BY PATRICIA MARTÍN

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

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #1 Review

 

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #1 Review

Writer: Ryan Parrott

Artist: Vincenzo Federici

Colorist: Raúl Angulo

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Cover Artists: Alessio Zonno; Dan Mora; James Stokoe; Declan Shalvey; Paulina Ganucheau; Mateus Santolouco; Kevin Easterman; Freddie E Williams II & Francesco Segala; Tula Lotay; Francesco Tomaselli; cMv; DefShogun; Freddie E Williams II & Andrew Dalhouse; Ivan Tao; Björn Barends; Frank Uzan; Jimbo Salgado; Leno Hernandez

Designer: Madison Goyette

Editors: Caroline Butler, David Mariotte & Andy Schmidt

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 13, 2025

 

The Turtles and the Power Rangers have teamed up to confront their enemies. But Shredder and Lord Zedd have also joined forces, and they’re making life difficult for our heroes. Can Splinter and Zordon keep the teams focused on defeating their enemies? Or will Shredder and Lord Zedd's constant attacks shatter the Turtles and Power Rangers' faith in each other? Let’s grab our weapons, leap into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #1, and see!

 

Story

The heroes are frustrated and no mistake. But they’ve got cause. Lord Zedd has put his Putties at Shredder's disposal. And Shredder has powered them up. Now, the Putties require more than a blow to the center of the chest to take them out. Tommy and Raphael argue that their combined teams are barely hanging on. And while Lord Zedd and Shredder's agents pop up across the world, the Turtles and Power Rangers are treating symptoms when they should be seeking out a cure.

 

Despite Zordon and Splinter's urging to remain patient, Tommy, Raphael, and their compatriots have a right to worry. Up on the moon, Shredder is starting to think that he's running the operation. Frustrated, Lord Zedd threatens to destroy his world if Shredder elbows him aside.

 

Before Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #1 transports us back in time, Ryan Parrott begins his story at the end. Leonardo and Tommy combat the super-powered Putties after they’ve destroyed Billy’s Radbug. There’s some irony here, as Billy and the Power Rangers used the Radbug to reach the Command Center when Tommy prevented them from teleporting.

 

Tommy is no longer under Rita Repulsa's spell. While fighting alongside Leonardo, he hopes to return to the Command Center he attacked as the evil Green Ranger. But Leonardo holds little hope that they can defeat their foes and reunite with their friends and brothers.

 

Art

Vincenzo Federici shows Billy’s modified Volkswagen Beetle falling from a tornado. But instead of flying off in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #1, the Radbug crashes. Dust rises, obscuring the rock formations that evoke the locale surrounding the Command Center. As Putties climb over the damaged car, Tommy and Leonardo emerge in a splash page. But they don't offer the Putties a pizza.

 

As Vincenzo Federici moves his camera to Paris, he brings Trini and Donatello into focus. The heroes battle a larger opponent before the Arc de Triomphe. Like Billy's Radbug, smoke rises from an overturned vehicle as the Eiffel Tower rises in the distance. Trini and Donatello leap into the air, delivering kicks, hits, and stabs while avoiding their opponent's mighty hammer.

 

Raúl Angulo enhances a fight atop a speeding locomotive. While snow falls through the blue sky, their purple and gray opponents summon red fireballs with their hands and wield red and yellow flaming weapons. Zordon gazes down upon the combined teams from his blue pillar in the purple command center. As the sun’s light reflects off Earth, green combats purple in Lord Zedd’s Moon Palace. While his red suit and head form a link with Karai, the Putties wear purple like their new leader.

 

Ed Dukeshire opens with black uppercase narration in white/orange narrative boxes. Alpha 5 speaks with a less relaxed font than his Human, Turtle, Rat, and Eltarian companions. Amid the white and blue balloons, giant colored dialogue accompanies the flurries of sound effects. Raphael's off-camera dialogue appears as white letters in red boxes. But while Tommy's responses appear in white-gold boxes, Thomas Covenant doesn't join the fight against Shredder and Lord Zedd in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #1. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

The Turtles and the Power Rangers share a camaraderie that lets them work, fight, and share rarely spoken insights. Still, not everyone trusts Zordon and Splinter’s leadership. And that can get both teams into trouble when they take on the Foot Clan and Lord Zedd in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #1.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

I Heart Skull-Crusher #8 Review

 

Writer: Josie Campbell

Artist: Alessio Zonno

Colorist: Angel De Santiago

Letterer: Jim Campbell

Cover Artists: Alessio Zonno & Fell Hound

Designer: Grace Park

Editors: Kenzie Rzonca, Elizabeth Brei & Matt Gagnon

Special Thanks: Dafna Pleban

Publisher: Boom!

Price: $4.99

Release Date: March 26, 2025

 

When no teams would accept Trini, she founded Podunk Lil' Team and convinced Coach Blood-Bone to train them. Her team of wastelanders disgraced the professionals in Queen Mob's contest. While this delighted Queen Mob, it angered the Bubble City tyrants. Queen Mob isn't looking for sycophants. Nor does she want someone who kowtows to others. Even Trini’s idol caved to the system. So Queen Mob disowned her son Marcus and made things harder on Trini by splitting up the Podunk Lil' Team.

 

Trini plays on Team Skull Crusher. Marcus Mob is her captain. Queen Mob will use her new Bubble Cities Tournament to find her successor. Everything is in play, and everyone hates Trini. While Queen Mob holds Team Skull-Crusher to Trini’s No Killing vow, the other teams chomp at the bit to take advantage of triple murder points. Will her new teammates kill Trini for making their lives difficult? Can Team Skull-Crusher survive the Bubble Cities Tournament amid the fierce power struggle? Let's get our heads in the game, leap into I Heart Skull-Crusher #8, and find out!

 

Story

When Team Skull-Crusher arrives in Alaska, they get a cold reception. They don't get lavish digs. Trini's captain, Marcus Mob, blames her for losing their sponsors. She may be their star rookie and the apple of Queen Mob's eye, but the former heir wants to kill her. But then, Trini shamed him when they played on opposing teams.

 

In the wasteland once called Phoenix, Skull-Crusher threatened to kill Trini. But Trini's idol seems to warm to her in their cold barracks at Iceberg Dome. Their former sponsors liked Skull-Crusher’s teammates because they stayed out of her way and let Skull-Crusher win by murdering the opposition. This approach made her a champion but soured Skull Crusher on Screaming Pain Ball. So, in I Heart Skull-Crusher #8, Trini's idol conceives a bold new strategy. Instead of exploiting the rules, why not play the game?

 

Screaming Pain Ball may have always been a blood sport. But in Josie Campbell’s story, it has devolved into little more than deadly gladiator contests. Trini couldn't see that growing up because she adored the sport and idolized Skull-Crusher. But with the other teams studying Trini's playbook and anxious to reap the rewards for killing her, Trini and Skull-Crusher realize they must embrace the game's spirit and reject the exploitation of death and destruction it has become.

 

Art

Outside Iceberg Dome, a billboard promises spectators that the Iceberg Dome Fighters will kill Trini Wastelander. Faced with little more than barren mattresses and toilets, Marcus and her teammates surround Trini in the empty hall. Skull-Crusher breaks through the thin wall to pull Trini onto the practice court. Then, she demolishes another wall to reveal Coach Blood-Bone drinking away his problems in I Hate Skull-Crusher #8.

 

Angel De Santiago applies a series of limited palettes to Alessio Zonno’s fanciful characters, fraught action scenes, over-the-top caricatures, and silhouettes. Intensity and emotion heighten the colors while treating Trini and Skull-Crusher's cold welcome as little more than a charcoal drawing. The green and magenta bandit twins seem at home amid the purple-shaded dome, while a white seat amid purple spectators reveals Cutter Dan's absence. Attended by her penguin servants, Tyrant Tasha looks resplendent in her white parka while seated on her ice block throne. As Team Skull-Crusher enters the arena, Trini's memories of training for this bout receive mauve, orange, and brown.

 

Jim Campbell fills white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes with small uppercase lettering that grows bold for inflection and enlarges for volume. Tyrant Tasha speaks shaky lines of lowercase letters with increased spacing into dialogue balloons. Giant letters and music notes accompany storybook depictions of Dave The (Mutant) Bear-Man's latest exploits in I Hate Skull-Crusher #8. Sound effects enhance a training session and tournament match as deceptive holograms crackle, and the spectators shout their desire for broken bones and dead wastelanders. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When Queen Mob announced her second Bubble Cities Tournament, the other tyrants objected to her bringing new blood into the sport. They could accept Skull-Crusher because the crowds adored her, and she won. However, allowing other wastelanders to join their ranks will dilute the purity of their society. As Queen Mob threatens to break the culture that uplifted her, Trini wonders who she can trust with her life in I Heart Skull Crusher #8: her former teammates or idol.

 

Rating 9/10

 

For more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

I Heart Skull-Crusher #6 Review

 

Writer: Josie Campbell

Artist: Alessio Zonno

Colorist: Angel De Santiago

Letterer: Jim Campbell

Cover Artists: Alessio Zonno; Brittney Williams; Alessio Zonno & Angel De Santiago

Designer: Grace Park

Editors: Kenzie Rzonca, Elizabeth Brei, Bryce Carlson & Matt Gagnon

Special Thanks: Dafna Pleban

Publisher: Boom!

Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 9, 2024

 

Trini Wastelander has achieved her lifelong ambition. Her amateur Podunk Lil Team defeated the professionals and won the championship. But now, Trini joins her idol's team as Queen Mob sells Cutter Dan, the Bandit Twins, and Dave The Mutant Bear-Man to other teams. As the Screaming Pain Ball teams return to the Bubble Cites, how will Queen Mob spice up her next tournament? Let's get our heads in the game, leap into I Heart Skull-Crusher #6, and find out!

 

Story

In Josie Campbell's story, Queen Mob poisoned one of her empire’s few remaining lakes. As the teams battled in an immense arena, she dropped sections of the grandstands into the poisoned lake and drowned Crater Town. But as she slays her subjects, Queen Mob looks toward the future. She pits the tyrants of the bubble cities against each other while seeking a worthy successor.

 

Trini reminds herself that, with Coach Blood-Bone's help, she welded her teammates into a well-oiled machine. As she joins the Goalie Deckard, Second Striker Huxley, and First Defender Trish for the ride back to Queen Mob’s Capital Dome, she vows to forge friendships with her new teammates. But her new captain, Marcus Mob, squashes that idea quickly. Trini made him look bad when Podunk Lil Team defeated the Bubble City Bullets. Queen Mob disowned Marcus when he tried to overrule her decision to let Podunk Lil Team win the championship. As they compete against the other bubble cities in Queen Mob’s new tournament, Marcus has one rule: no one befriends Trini. But he and Trini discover that everything revolves around Skull-Crusher. And just as Queen Mob likes surprises, the team will get another surprise player in I Heart Skull-Crusher #6.

 

While Trini loved the bandit twins and Dave The Mutant Bear-Man, she misses Cutter Dan most. As she grew up alone, with only the skulls she dubbed Mother and Father, Screaming Pain Ball became her world. But the life of a sports professional clashes with everything she envisioned. Her teammates will never be her friends, and the rules encourage players to kill each other. While never lowering her guard, Trini must find a way to preserve her love for the game and avoid becoming a cynic like her hero.

 

Art

Alessio Zonno blends postmodern imagery and historic grandeur with comic characters and fanciful caricatures in I Heart Skull-Crusher #6. It's a world of the Haves vs the Have Nots, as Queen Mob’s soldiers pull Trini away from former teammates who stare at a cheering crowd through hologrammatic banners. Trini's soulful eyes peer through the shutters of the four-axle vehicle as the convoy races through the American Waste to Queen Mob's Capitol Dome. Only Skull-Crusher rides solo, wearing a scowl and crossing her arms over her chest, as her motorcycle steers a straight path between the armored trucks.

 

Angel De Santiago fills Trini’s world with bold colors in I Heart Skull-Crusher #6. The green trucks contrast with the glaring yellow American Waste. Inside Trini's transport, swashbuckling Marcus stands before a green and beige trading card listing his statistics and accomplishments. Air rushes through the window shutters, making his black cape trimmed with gold braid flutter and revealing a Londo Calrissian-like blue lining. The light filling each giant Victorian-style dome colors the classic architecture pink and blue while red and pink crowds cheer amid tropical greenery.

 

As Trini and Cutter Dan embrace, Jim Campbell fills white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes with small uppercase lettering that grows bold for inflection and enlarges for shouts. Giant letters identify the bubble cities on a map showing the extent of Queen Mob's domain. Sound effects arise as Trini and Cutter Dan fall through the floor, giant dialogue helps us hear the cheering crowd, and music notes adorn a touching song as Dave The Mutant Bear-Man roars amid cherubs and flowers. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When Queen Mob breaks up Podunk Lil Team, Trini must convince her new team not to kill her friends in I Heart Skull-Crusher #6. Unfortunately, her new teammates include a team captain with an axe to grind and Trini's lifelong idol who wins by any means necessary.  

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

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

I Heart Skull-Crusher #5 Review

 

Writer: Josie Campbell

Artist: Alessio Zonno

Colorist: Angel De Santiago

Letterer: Jim Campbell

Cover Artists: Alessio Zonno, Toni Infante; Alessio Zonno; Alessio Zonno and Angel De Santiago

Publisher: Boom!

Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 17, 2024

 

Trini Wastelander defied the naysayers. Her Podunk Lil’ Team trounced the Tyrant-funded teams. Can Trini’s team defeat their opponents in the final round of Queen Mob’s championship and join Skull-Crusher’s team? Let's get our heads in the game, leap into I Heart Skull-Crusher #5, and find out!

 

Story

Forget one team competing against another. Forget the rules. In this final game of Queen Mob’s Screaming Pain Ball tournament, spectators cheer as five teams compete on an obstacle course akin to Canyonlands National Park.

 

Queen Mob built Earth’s largest stadium. She transported it to Crater Town via airship. Then she poisoned a lake that survived the Bad Week and the Murder Winds. The final game in I Heart Skull-Crusher #5 shows Queen Mob’s disdain for all others and the rules. People live and die to please her whims. Tyrants—the leaders of bubble cities--are disposable. Skull-Crusher has been her favorite champion. But the times, they are A-Changin’.

 

Skull-Crusher lit up Trini’s world. Growing up with little to call her own, Skull-Crusher became her idol and Screaming Pain Ball her obsession. Skull-Crusher also came from the American Wastes. Coach Blood-Bone trained Skull-Crusher. He saw her rise through the competition to become Queen Mob's favorite. Then, the coach abandoned the sport that defined him and drowned himself in alcohol while Skull-Crusher grew disillusioned and cynical.

 

Trini gave the twins a new purpose in life. She gave Coach Blood-Bone a reason to hope. She gave Cutter Dan a new family after his older brother’s death. In I Heart Skull-Crusher #5, Josie Campbell strips away Skull-Crusher’s veneer of heroism, and Trini sees her idol as she is. Trini must choose between the reality that made Skull-Crusher an inspiration and the dream that forged her into the leader of the best amateur team of the American Wastes.

 

Art

Lights illuminate packed grandstands and an obstacle course that dwarfs the competitors. Panels radiate like banners as silhouettes cheer before a big-screen closeup of Trini and Alessio Zonno compares the spectators to a young girl worshipping her idol. As Skull-Crusher breaks down barriers with a Sakaaran hammer, the dripping love skulls vanish from Trini's eyes. The girl picks up a twin and becomes The Running Woman amid her idol’s warpath.

 

A white blade slices into a twin's green-and-pink arm, and yellow energy crackles like lightning. Spectrums of green, pink, and yellow light radiate from Queen Mob's court, evoking the cover of Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon. A green flashback reveals the decision that changed Skull-Crusher forever. Trini’s hero yanks a chain that scatters silhouettes at the heart of a yellow-and-orange explosion.

 

Amid Angel De Santiago’s vibrant colors in this action-packed finale, Jim Campbell fills white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes with small uppercase lettering that emboldens for inflection, shrinks for lowered voices, and enlarges for shouts. Sound effects emphasize The Most Dangerous Game, the destruction of an arena, and the death of a town in I Heart Skull-Crusher #5. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Screaming Pain Ball was Trini's ticket out of the American Wastes. Queen Mob promised the winner a career alongside her champion. But Queen Mob changes the rules and redefines the reward in I Heart Skull-Crusher #5, while Trini discovers an essential truth about herself. On the brink of achieving her life dream, Trini discovers that winning won't bring the success she envisioned.

 

Rating 9/10

 

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