MAD About DC #1 Review

 

MAD About DC #1 Review

Writers: Sergio Aragonés, Scott Aukerman, Vita Ayala, Colleen Coover, Kelly Sue Deconnick, Colleen Doran, Gerry Duggin, Ben Errett, Al Ewing, Matt Fraction, Lee Gatlin, Casey Gilly, Isaac Goodhart, Erica Henderson, Tini Howard, Dave Johnson, Joe Kelly, Daniel Kibblesmith, Kagan McLeod, Seth Meyers, Ryan North, Jeff Parker, Graham Roumieu, Rainbow Rowell, Mark Russell, Gail Simone, Scott Snyder, Charles Soule, Joanne Starer, Joseph Starkey, Kyle Starks, Mariko Tamaki, Tom Taylor, Mark Waid, Andrew Wheeler, Shannon Wheeler, Leah Williams, Joshua Williamson, Skottie Young, Chip Zdarsky, Cody Ziglar & Jim Zub

 

Artists: Sergio Aragonés, J Bone, Ted Brandt, Ryan Browne, Stephen Byrne, Colleen Coover, Colleen Doran, Javi Fernandez, Lee Gatlin, Mitch Gerads, Isaac Goodhart, James Harren, Erica Henderson, PJ Holden, Dave Johnson, Lukas Ketner, Valentine De Landro, Steve Leiber, Mattie Lubchansky, Kagan McLeod, Tony Moore, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Ramon Perez, Joe Quinones, Bruno Redondo, Riley Rossmo, Graham Roumieu, Maria Laura Sanapo, Joseph Starkey, Kyle Starks, Ro Stein, Ty Templeton, Shannon Wheeler, Skottie Young & Chip Zdarsky

 

Colorist: John Kalisz, Chip Zdarsky, Frank Martin, Inaki Azpiazu, Marcial Todelano Vargas & Steve Buccellato

Letterer: Dave Sharpe, Pat Brosseau, Lucas Gattoni, Tom Mapolitano

Cover Artists: Dan Panosian, Simon Bisley & Chip Zdarsky

Editors: Chip Zdarsky, Marie Javins & Dacy Lim

Production: Tiffany Huang

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $7.99/$8.99 Card Stock/$10.99 Foil

Release Date: April 1, 2026

 

Everyone is mad these days. They fume that Batman didn't become King Omega. They rage at how Vandal Savage is running the Gotham City Police Department. Althea Klang’s upscaling of Harley Quinn's beloved Throatcutter Hill into Northwest Gotham Southeast infuriates them. But how do comic creators feel about MAD Magazine? And what makes them absolutely, Red Kyptonite-Mad enough to contribute their spectacular stories to this cornerstone of the comics community? Let’s leap into MAD About DC #1 and see!

 

Story

The types of stories that speak to us change over time. In The Many Eras of Batman, Matt Fraction charts how the world’s greatest detective has navigated wars, the space race, and shifts in popular media to remain relevant. Gail Simone’s Teen Titans PSA reminds us how social mores evolve, while Joanne Starer's Wonder Woman muses on the rise of a female hero in a male-dominated profession. While Joseph Starkey’s DC Mail-Order Merch evokes the era of toy ads in comics, Scott Aukerman muses on Batman’s origins in What If Bruce Wayne Was a Big Ol’ Scaredy Cat?

 

Still, as the stories evolve, some work better than others. In MAD About DC #1, Mark Waid muses on why some team-ups don’t work, Kyle Starks imagines why many characters never make it past the concept stage, and Joshua Williamson makes a compelling argument for why we need crossover events. Jeff Parker contemplates why fans respond better to some events than others in DCU Plans for Next Year, Andrew Wheeler reminds us why our favorite characters die, and Skottie Young explores the importance of capitalizing on surges in popularity.

 

The stories in Mad About DC #1 celebrate our eternal love for Gotham’s caped crusader. While Dave Johnson ponders how Batman maintains his Batcave, Scott Snyder muses on his need for sidekicks. In Happy Birthday, Mr Wayne, Mariko Tamaki reminds us how difficult it can be to buy gifts for the single-minded crimefighter who has everything.

 

Writers often compare Batman’s seeming invincibility with his traumatic past. Yet Gerry Duggin ponders the toll of singlehandedly protecting an entire world. Graham Roumieu’s Superman Dies a Bit on the Inside points out that Superman has weaknesses. Despite Superman's strength, Chip Zdarsky expands on those weaknesses in Know Your Kryptonite. After Lee Gatlin highlights the dangers of coexisting with a god, Colleen Coover's story about Lana Lang and Ben Errett's Daily Planet reminds us how a god on Earth would transform society.

 

Art

Along with many of their fellow artists, Mattie Lubchansky and Kagan McLeod use traditional page layouts in The Five People You Meet at Comic Cons and A MAD Look at Fan Casting. Sergio Aragonés reminds us that there’s no one quite like Sergio Aragonés as he spins six stories about differing views on comics across two pages in Mad About DC #1. Valentine De Landro utilizes comic protectors to portray the diversity of the comic community in SLAB. Isaac Goodhart's Power Girl Action Figure Ad reminds us how much we love action figures, while Chip Zdarsky's uses a diagram to remind us of the trials of the convention season.

 

Chip Zdarsky also harnesses the power of diagrams to remind us how comic stories move us in The Official MAD Look At Comic Book (Brain) Anatomy! In The Sensational Splash-Man, Daniele Di Nicuolo targets the role of splash pages in comics. Maria Laura Sanapo uses an ad format to remind us of the toll creating comics takes on creators in Neuman Owns Auctions. Erica Henderson uses a split-face design to compare supervillains with their alias. In Lasso of Truth, Wonder Woman's signature weapon reveals that she shares similar concerns with her Justice League colleagues. Yet Steve Leiber utilizes white space to remind us of the importance of snappy dialogue in crafting entertaining tales.

 

While John Kalisz, Chip Zdarsky, Frank Martin, Inaki Azpiazu, Marcial Todelano Vargas, and Steve Buccellato enhance the artists’ efforts with their coloring skills, Dave Sharpe, Pat Brosseau, Lucas Gattoni, and Tom Napolitano utilize a diverse mix of fonts, balloons, and sound effects to show how the comics medium changes through the ages. As a sign of those changing times, Chip Zdarsky shows how social media can lead to condemnation in Solomon Grundy: Influencer. Then, J Bone uses cellphone images to remind us of the importance of crowdfunding in Like & Schlubscribe. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

MAD About DC #1 satisfies with traditional MAD fare like The Petty Vengeance of the Spectre, a MAD Fold-In, and Guy vs Spy. Then there is a knock-out game that could provoke an interesting discussion between Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Diana of Themyscira. But wait: that's not all! While celebrating iconic heroes, characters like Condiment King make their presence felt. Sketches, cartoons, and diagrams reveal how we craft stories, why interest in characters rises and falls, and how the comic community gets along. And just in case Superman never gets around to cleaning up the environment, the creators gently remind us to take responsibility for our planet's future health.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Mad About DC #1. 

 

Batman #127 Review

 

Writer: Chip Zdarsky

Artists: Jorge Jiménez & Belén Ortega

Colorists: Tomeu Morey & Luis Guerrero

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Jorge Jimenez & Tomeu Morey; Guillem March & Arif Prianto; Alex Garner; Inhyuk Lee; Ryan Sook; Jock

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 6, 2022

 

Batman feels blessed to have fostered so many capable sidekicks. They are more than fellow crimefighters. Bruce Wayne regards them as his sons and daughters. When he needs them, they drop everything and leap to his aid. But Bruce and his proteges cannot stop Failsafe. With the robot intent on killing him, Batman seeks his former Batcave.

 

Failsafe feels familiar to him. Bruce believes he knows why he does not remember the lethal Bat-robot. Who created Failsafe? And who is the hero who emerges from Batman's old Batcave? Let's leap into Batman #127 and see!

 

Story: Failsafe Part Three

When Tim Drake next sees Batman, his mentor wears a different costume, and his voice has changed. Tim wonders if he can trust this man. But as Batman reveals a secret control room, he explains that Bruce Wayne created him as a backup personality. Zur-En-Arrh is in charge, and his first job is to take down Failsafe.

 

Chip Zdarsky steps outside the chaos in the old Batcave to revisit the scene of Failsafe's clash with Batman and his proteges. GCPD Commissioner Renee Montoya confers with Nightwing as medical attendants treat Duke, Cassandra, and Stephanie. But she cannot protect Batman and his team from censure if Failsafe continues its reign of terror. Unfortunately, that is what is occurring in Wayne Manor, as the robot pursues Zur-En-Arrh and Tim Drake through Bruce Wayne's beloved home.

 

While Batman #127 is a fast-paced thriller, Zdarsky ponders how people who work outside the law must self-check their actions. Like in Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1, Batman prepares for every contingency. But as Failsafe tries to shut down Bruce Wayne, Batman realizes all this is his fault. Superman challenged Bruce to ensure that he could prevent himself from hurting others should he become someone he does not want to be.

 

Art: Failsafe Part Three

In a glimpse of the past, Jorge Jimenez shows Batman in his Batcave. We see Batman from a distance, and from above, but mostly he keeps his back to us. When Superman appears, he faces the camera and demands that Bruce remove his mask. Bruce faces his friend. But he closes his eyes.

 

In his gold, red, and purple suit, Zur-En-Arrh shows solidarity with Robin's gold, red, and green. And instead of gray, Zur-En-Arrh's secret ops room shines with pink lighting. As the black Terminator-like robot hunts them, Failsafe's head glows red and projects beams of red into the darkness. Tomeu Morey adorns their battle with radiant colors, enhancing the big-screen spectacle of Batman #127. But while Batman and Robin fight for their lives, police tape and emergency vehicles surround the crater in a Gotham intersection where Failsafe leapt into the air before crashing down and flinging vehicles away.

 

Clayton Cowles places black uppercase dialogue in white balloons. Zur-En-Arrh speaks white uppercase letters into bluish-purple balloons. Failsafe's white utterances change size and case within their red boxes, while Batman's white lowercase thoughts fill black paper scraps. Sound effects accompany Failsafe as it demonstrates that it can be a more ruthless Batman than Bruce Wayne or Zur-En-Arrh.

 

 

 

Story: Two Birds, One Throne Finale

While Chip Zdarsky began this series with a nightmare of Jokers, the Penguin fuels the engine. In this short story, Catwoman discovers the truth behind the Penguin's ruse. She has gone from being a spectator to a reluctant participant. In the final issue, Catwoman goes beyond her brief to learn why Oswald Cobblepot had to die.

 

This second story in Batman #127 ponders how our environment and adversaries shape us. While seeking to be a force for good, the way we go about solving problems can create conflicts. The short tale also addresses the possibility of starting afresh. Yet it leaves the reader wondering if someone can turn their life around, once they have blackened their soul.

 

Art: Two Birds, One Throne Finale

Belén Ortega transports readers to Metropolis, where a man purchases a muffin from a bakery. When he returns to Blossoms and looks into his bag, a bat-like shadow appears on his counter. Catwoman enters the brightly lit shop in a black cat suit and blazer. His reaction, colored entirely in blue, evokes his previous place of business.

 

Luis Guerrero fills the shop with yellow light as Catwoman confronts the man surrounded by brown wood, green plants, and colorful blossoms. While his face glows pink as he makes a point, the man later plucks a pink rose as he justifies his decision. Clayton Cowles fills this quiet interlude with black uppercase letters in white balloons and shares Catwoman's thoughts with white lowercase letters in black boxes. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

As someone who inhabits the night and attacks from the shadows, Batman prepares for the day when others will lash out at him. Batman #127 ponders how circumstances can force people into roles, making them wonder if life will ever allow them to fulfill their dreams.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

 

Batman Vol 1: Failsafe is available in hardcover, paperback, and digital formats.

Batman #126 Reread

 

Writer: Chip Zdarsky

Artist: Jorge Jimenez

Colorist: Tomeu Morey

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Jorge Jimenez; Jock; Inhyuk Lee; Alex Garner; Guillem March & Arif Prianto

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 2, 2022

 

Chip Zdarsky kicks off Failsafe: Part Two with a nightmare that reminds Bruce Wayne of the price he paid to remain Batman. He hopes his former sidekicks will not also have to forego happiness and fulfillment to continue protecting their community. But when a robot attacks Bruce, his sidekicks leap to his aid.

 

Jorge Jimenez delivers explosive action worthy of a big-budget action film, while Tomeu Morey helps the characters glow amid the nighttime battle. Fans will want to see all the great characters working together to defend their mentor amid the high-flying action. Despite his metal body and glowing face, their assailant resembles Gotham's greatest guardian. Amid the fighting, Bruce cannot help but think that, somehow, this is all his fault. But then, the past often has a way of catching up with us, even if we acted from the best motives.

 

 

 

In Two Birds, One Throne, Selena Kyle spends two weeks working for the Executor. As she tracks down her leads, Selena discovers others have arrived before her. Tonight, she endures a brutal scramble in tight confines with a killer. Once again, she fails to capture the object of her search. Selena is frustrated as she reports to the robot. But fate is about to hurl her another curveball.

 

Belén Ortega gives Catwoman an iconic look as she swings through the night sky before a full moon. Selena exhibits poise and beauty as she navigates dangerous confrontations and dramatic encounters. Luis Guerrero enhances interiors and the night with ambiance and energy, while making the metal marvel shine with a Human approachability. Clayton Cowles uses his lettering to communicate exhaustion, determination, a robot emulating his creators, and a tragic moment that frustrates and angers Selena. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

 

Batman #126 is available in compilation Batman Vol 1: Failsafe.

Batman #125 Reread

 

Writer: Chip Zdarsky

Artist: Jorge Jimenez

Colorist: Tomeu Morey

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Jorge Jimenez; Jim Lee; Scott Williams & Alex Sinclair; Franchesco Mattina; Inhyuk Lee; Gabriele Dell'otto; Simone Di Meo; Jock; Alex Garner; Chip Zdarsky

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 5, 2022

 

As this new era of Batman begins, Bruce awakens from a nightmare. His thoughts fly to Selena Kyle. But when he calls her, she's busy. So, he continues with the task that's foremost on his mind: stopping the Penguin from killing more rich socialites.

 

In this first story in Batman #125, Failsafe: Part One, Tim Drake worries about his mentor. Since Bruce lost his fortune, he spends all his time as Batman. When an opportunity arises to protect the city and foil Penguin's plans by resuming his dashing bachelor, Bruce takes it. But events don't go the way Bruce expects.

 

 

 

Batman #125 also includes the backup story "Two Birds, One Throne." When villains battle for control of the Iceberg Lounge, Catwoman aids the Underbroker and the Executor to stop the fighting. As in Batman and Robin: Year One, a gang war is going on. The Executor has a plan to ensure that the Iceberg Lounge doesn't become part of their turf war, and it centers around Selena Kyle.

 

Belén Ortega contributes art to Chip Zdarsky's second story in Batman #125. Luis Guerrero provides coloring while Clayton Cowles handles the lettering. Selena wishes her life would settle down so she could relax in the evening and watch HBO. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this look back at this debut issue.

 

 

Batman #125 is available in compilation Batman Vol 1: Failsafe in hardcover, paperback, and digital formats.

Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1 Review

 

Writer: Kevin Smith, Al Ewing, Chip Zdarsky & Mitsuyasu Sakai

Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Daniele Orlandini, Mark Buckingham, Cafu & Gerardo Sandoval

Colorist: Erick Arciniega, Rachelle Rosenberg, David Curiel & Israel Silva

Letterer: Joe Caramagna & Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Greg Capullo & Alex Sinclair; Lee Bermejo; Mark Bagley & Edgar Delgado; Scott Hepburn & Rachelle Rosenberg

Designer: Gabriel Mata

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $7.99

Release Date: June 11, 2025

 

Peter Parker has a long and distinguished career as the Amazing Spider-Man. But who does he turn to when he pulls a Janet Jackson? How does Spider-Man nurture new heroes as they arise? And with new spider-heroes constantly occurring in the multiverse, what makes our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man unique? To learn these answers (and more), let’s thwip into Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1 and find out!

 

Unstable: Story

Kevin Smith begins with Spider-Man taking on the Sinister Six. When he thwips away Mysterio's gauntlet, Spider-Man discovers the special effects wizard is alone. But as the cops drag Mysterio away, the illusionist gets the last laugh. So, Spider-Man seeks help to hide his "Peter Tingle."

 

"Unstable" boasts playful dialogue and suggests Spider-Man enjoys his celebrity status. The story also illustrates a temptation that police, military, self-appointed vigilantes, and anyone entrusted with a position of power should resist.

 

Unstable: Art

Erick Arciniega adorns Giuseppe Camuncoli and Daniele Orlandini’s detailed art with a loaded palette of colors. Inventive layouts enhance the story’s rockstar quality. After combating the Sinister Six, Spider-Man beholds a page packed with foes in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1. The characters and setting of these introductory pages evoke recent Spider-Man movies. The crowd's reactions and Mr Fantastic’s factory remind us that perceptions often matter as much as our abilities. 

 

 

 

616 Day: Story

After Kevin Smith’s lighthearted story, Al Ewing peers into the heart of the Marvel Universe. As Spider-Man learns what makes his world tick, he also realizes how it relates to other realities in the multiverse. Wyn introduces Spider-Man to the numerology and concepts underlying the 616 Universe. Characters who have supported Marvel's popularity in comics, TV, and movies join Spider-Man on his journey into the past to save the future. Thankfully, no one sucks the joy out of everything or forces anyone to beat up grass. 616 Day celebrates the marvelous possibilities that await us as we take an active role in shaping our realities.

 

616 Day: Art

Rachelle Rosenberg paints Mark Buckingham's art with a loaded palette. The coloring grows more constrained as Wyn takes Spider-Man to the epicenter of the Marvel Universe. Buckingham’s Old School art and Rosenberg’s four-coloring mastery energize Spider-Man’s fight to save the 616 universe. A preponderance of globes, worlds, and colored circles surrounding a battle form an intriguing link with Mysterio's villainy in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1.

 

Rapid Advancements: Story

Chip Zdarsky introduces a new character who could race into readers' hearts. Roger doesn't view himself as a hero. Like Valerie Bertinelli, he takes life one day at a time. Roger works hard and cares for his family while struggling to meet his financial obligations. The chink in Roger’s armor is his father. His name is Earl.

 

Earl's focus on work evokes the lyrics to “Cat’s In The Cradle.” Roger's no "I hate everything about you" Ugly Kid Joe. Still, he can't count on his dad to be there for him, so he pushes Earl away. But when Roger discovers his father in peril, he drops everything to protect him.

 

Chip Zdarsky's story reveals the past while bringing readers up to speed with Roger and his father. After Spider-Man communicates with Roger, he conceives a plan to assist him. Roger may not regard himself as a hero. But his attempts to save his father evoke Spider-Man's race to help Mary Jane escape an alternate dimension, while Roger’s reactive nature mirrors Spider-Man’s approach to life.

 

Rapid Advancements: Art

Roger’s hair and attire evoke Tom Cruise in “All The Right Moves,” while a scene in his kitchen echoes his admonition to his father. An erupting time bubble continues the theme of worlds or globes from the previous stories. The police watch Spider-Man thwip away to investigate. His most poignant action highlights one of Spider-Man’s defining traits while echoing a similar incident in Joe Kelly's ASM #1.

 

Pink plays a significant role in Rapid Advancements, defining both Roger's costume and his father's research. A villain in green forges another link with the first story in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1. As David Curiel lavishes a loaded palette on Cafu's sophisticated art, Roger's blue pants and red truck enhance this spectacular origin story. 

 

 

 

Prelude To The New Dimension: Story

Mitsuyasu Sakai provides a teaser for the upcoming Kid Venom Team-Up series. Kid Venom has traveled to the 21^st Century. Kid Venom worries about the threats facing his friends and his country, but Spider-Society doesn't know how to send him home. While grounding this prelude story with staples like Peter Parker and Miles Morales, Sakai includes popular characters from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

 

Prelude To The New Dimension: Art

Israel Silva's dark tones imbue Gerardo Sandoval's art with a haunting aspect. Kid Venom's spiky hair and blue and white coloring make him stand out from the spider-heroes. One panel reveals the threat dominating his homeland, while the characters Kid Venom meets in the final scene echo another story in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1.

 

Lettering

Joe Caramagna and Joe Sabino thwip uppercase black and colored letters into white and yellow balloons. They employ a variety of fonts, balloon shapes, and arrow designs. White words fill narrative boxes that would make Spider-Gwen jealous. Black balloons threaten a deluge. Musical notes adorn red banners. Enlarged colorful dialogue and sound effects heighten the action, humor, and explosive storytelling in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Humor becomes a weapon. Heroes succumb to “righteous” anger. New heroes arise to defend the multiverse in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1. And when they're most needed, Spidey and his iconic friends remind us why Earth-616 remains the brightest star in Marvel's sky.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Creepshow Vol 3 #1 Review

 

Writers: Chip Zdarsky & James Stokoe

Artists: Kagan McLeod & James Stokoe

Letterers: Pat Brosseau & James Stokoe

Cover Artists: Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran; James Stokoe; 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: September 25, 2024

 

Stories remind us of our communal past and teach us how to function within society. But what happens when we embrace stories that break the strictures we live by? Let’s grab our paint sets and carving tools, leap into Creepshow Vol 3 #1, and see!

 

Story: Let ‘Er Trip

Jane Miller craves order and calm. She suppresses her imagination and discourages creativity. So when Jane's daughter Mary grows up and leaves home, Jane gets angry. Naturally, the police refuse to help. They're just like her coworkers in the office, who only obey the rules when it suits them and don't understand how society should function. Chip Zdarsky’s story in Creepshow Vol 3 #1 ponders what happens when we violate another person’s right to view the world in the way they choose. It’s easy to belittle those who refuse to see things our way. But those who bind themselves in the heaviest chains may do so for a reason.

 

Art: Let ‘Er Trip

When Jane studies her daughter's art, Jane's lips form a line, and she presses her fingers against her head. Then, the first page fast-forwards as Jane slips on her coat to visit the police station. The color of her sweater may have changed, and grey streaks her square-cut brown hair, but she still wears a buttoned-up long-sleeve dress shirt, jeans, and boots. While Jane inhabits a world of textured color, white dots glow in the pink and blue sky above the Higher Heart's old farm buildings and the broken-down school bus. The cult leader may resemble Ben Franklin but doesn't practice the American founder's famous thrift in his red-lit home. Intriguingly, and despite her taste in art, Mary dresses less colorfully than her strait-laced mother.

 

 

Story: Scrimshaw

When a reporter hunts for a story about a remote island, the locals point him toward a lobster potter. In this second tale in Creepshow Vol 3 #1, the reporter finds the man at the Cutty Sark and asks him to share his story. The man seems reluctant but obliges when the reporter insults his town and helps himself to the man's beer. One night, while checking his pots, the lobsterman found a severed arm. Someone had carved a story onto the exposed radius and ulna. The lobsterman’s mind filled with visions of a Navigator fighting a storm to return home.

 

The lobsterman lived alone in his beach shack. He identified with the Navigator’s struggle and couldn’t banish the vision from his head. So, fate rewarded him with another chapter etched into a severed leg. Yet, like Herman Melville's novel Mardi, the Navigator’s seemingly unending tale stoked the fisherman's hunger for more. So, like any captivated reader, the fisherman sought out more chapters about his hero. James Stokoe’s story speaks to our insatiable hunger for a good story and reminds us how stories can usurp reality.

 

Art: Scrimshaw

The Creep hovers over the forested island guarded by a lighthouse. Inside the pub, the reporter extends a hand to the bedraggled lobsterman. In his tale, the lobsterman reaches into his pots and studies a severed arm before a full moon. Waves roil behind him. Tendrils of water fill the air as if the storm-tossed saltwater were transforming into a leviathan. James Stokoe’s red and blue ocean scene evokes blown glass and contrasts with the red-haired lobsterman's nights in the orange pub. In this richly drawn and colored tale, as the lobsterman again searches his pots beneath a green sky, red and blue letters slash diagonally across a panel. When the lobsterman sees a green figure with pink eyes crouching amid purple waves, red and blue briefly obscure the background. An aurora brightens the already colorful sky as the creature tosses the lobsterman a severed leg.

 

Lettering

Pat Brosseau lavishes black, uppercase words in white and colored dialogue balloons and narrative boxes on Let 'Er Trip. Music notes accompany a voice lifted in song in Creepshow Vol 3 #1’s first twisty tale, and the swirls of color filling the air infect the splat-like balloons. James Stokoe’s expressive uppercase letters in Scrimshaw offer a handwritten appeal. The dialogue and narrative range in size, while abundant sound effects heighten the lobsterman’s infectious story. Thanks to Image Comics and Skybound for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

People who hunger for more than they need pay for their greed, while those who seek the benefits of conventional society discover a world beyond anything they imagined in Creepshow Vol 3 #1.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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