Next Level: One Shot #1 Review

 

Next Level: One Shot #1 Review

Writer: Gerry Duggan

Artist & Cover Artist: Fernando Blanco

Colorist: Jordie Bellaire

Letterer: Buddy Beaudoin

Variant Cover Artists: Mark Spears; Jorge Corona & Sarah Stern; Carmine Di Giandomenico; Mario Foccillo & Pressy

Editors: Kathleen Wisneski & Paul Kaminski

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99 US/Variant $6.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: August 26, 2026

 

As mercenaries pursue Deadshot across the rooftops, he blames Rick Flag for putting him in this situation. Worse, Deadshot suspects his old colleague won’t pay him for tonight's op. Then Deadshot sees something he cannot explain. Either it confirms Rick's suspicions, or he's getting as paranoid as Rick Flag.

 

Has serving on Task Force X helped Deadshot and Rick Flag notice things everyone else has overlooked? And in a world where everything is changing, is someone plotting to build a new world order? Let’s leap into Next Level: One Shot #1 and see!

 

Story

Darkseid tried to take over reality. As the Earth slowly transformed into Apokolips, the Justice League organized a mass exodus. Then, after the Omega Tournament, everything seemed to return to normal. What was destroyed was rebuilt. And Earth's heroes brought its inhabitants back to their planet.

 

Still, things have not reverted to how they were before. Villains accompany heroes on missions of mercy and call the Justice League Watchtower home. Other hero teams endure similar shakeups. And Rick Flag and Deadshot's former boss, Amanda Waller, has disappeared. Amid so much change, Rick Flag notes worrying differences between the world he knew and his new reality. Then, he makes a list of people who are potentially victims or villains in disguise.

 

In Next Level: One Shot #1, Deadshot is on a mission to discover what's happening. Like Rick Flag, he's seen things he cannot explain. Deadshot is a hardened mercenary. Yet the aberrations sicken him. Someone has built a chamber of horrors. Then, they've released their creations upon the world.

 

Gerry Duggan tells his story solely from Deadshot's perspective. In this fast-paced story, Deadshot investigates Rick Flag's suspicions. Despite his expertise in fighting and killing, Deadshot avoids some places because he knows he'll face a battle. He's died and returned to life. He wouldn't mind making the situation permanent. But if that happens, he'll do it on his terms. So, Deadshot must get to the bottom of this silent invasion before it makes the world crazier than it already is. And despite his motto, this problem won't be resolved with a single bullet in Next Level: One Shot #1.

 

Art

Instead of studying his victims and ending their lives from a distance, groups of villains pursue him tonight. And no matter how many Deadshot kills, they keep coming. As he runs across rooftops, Fernando Blanco intersperses time-lapse images of Deadshot amid snapshots from his bionic eye. But whether fleeing pursuers or meeting an associate on the beach, Deadshot wears his white mask, gloves, and uniform. Unlike Deadshot, Rick Flag openly wears shoulder holsters over a t-shirt. But when soldiers appear, one look is enough to realize they aren’t Human.

 

Jordie Bellaire adorns Deadshot’s battles and investigations with a limited palette in Next Level: One Shot #1. Deadshot races along, filling the gray rooftops with bodies and staining them scarlet, while black buildings invade the red night sky. His yellow, red, and white uniform brightens the night, as a white spotlight pairs with a glowing vehicle. The red sky gradually turns to blue amid Deadshot's hunt for answers. Yet, green invades a yellow sky as Rick Flag says the world is going crazy.

 

Buddy Beaudoin places black uppercase letters in white balloons. Deadshot's white uppercase thoughts fill black narrative boxes. Yellow boxes locate us in time and host off-camera dialogue. Sound effects heighten the fighting, gunshots, surging electricity, and impacts, while showing that Deadshot is not alone. This upside-down world is making other people sick too. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Deadshot kills people for money. Or if pressed, he kills to gain his freedom from people like Amanda Waller. But like the villains who have joined the Justice League, Deadshot has reasons to keep the world spinning. So, he's risking his life for free to safeguard Humanity in Next Level: One Shot #1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see Next Level: One Shot #1 Preview. 

 

For another series featuring Deadshot, see Deathstroke: The Terminator #1 Preview.  

Next Level: One Shot #1 Preview

 

As mercenaries pursue Deadshot across the rooftops of Chicago, he blames Rick Flag for putting him in this situation. His old colleague isn't likely to pay him for tonight's op. In fact, Rick Flag may be going crazy. Then Deadshot sees something he cannot explain. Either it confirms Rick's suspicions, or he's becoming as paranoid as Rick Flag.

Is the world going crazy, or is it just the two veterans of Task Force X? And in a world where villains are joining the Justice League, does the mysterious group hope to capitalize on Superman's absence?

Here's all the info from DC Connect: 

Next Level: One Shot #1 Preview

Writer: Gerry Duggan

Artist & Cover Artist: Fernando Blanco

Variant Cover Artists: Mark Spears, Jorge Corona & Carmine Di Giandomenico

1:25 Variant Cover Artist: Mario Foccillo

Foil Variant Artist: Mark Spears

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 48 Pages

Price: $5.99 US/Variant $6.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: August 19, 2026

 

 

To Come Out On Top, 

Deadshot Only Needs One Shot.

 

 

The deadliest assassin in DCU history goes to the Next Level in Next Level: One Shot—and uncovers a conspiracy that will change everything. Writer Gerry Duggan tells the tale of a job gone sideways, a father and his daughter, and a web of super-powered lies that stretches throughout the entire DC Next Level cast of characters…and points the direction to war on the horizon. This epic issue tells you everything you need to know about what’s next for Next Level…if you survive the experience.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For another series featuring Deadshot, see Deathstroke: The Terminator #1 Preview. 

Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1 Review

 

Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1 Review

Writer: Gerry Duggan

Artists: Matteo Lolli, Laura Braga & Vasco Georgiev

Colorist: John Kalisz

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Cover Artist: Edwin Galmon

Variant Cover Artists: David Aja, Ariel Olivette & Ethan Young

Editors: Jillian Grant & Paul Kaminski

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99/$6.99 Card Stock

Release Date: May 6, 2026

 

People may distrust his judgment. They may dislike his style. But like him or hate him, Guy Gardner gets things done. If he's not saving Lois Lane on a spaceship powered by Kryptonite, he's fighting in the Omega Tournament to preserve reality. But what do his fellow Lanterns think of Guy Gardner? And when Internal Affairs on Oa wants to investigate his activities, who do they call on for help? Let’s slip on our rings, leap into Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1, and see!

 

Story

After Starbreaker led a devastating attack on Oa, Enquar tore through space in his quest for revenge against the Green Lanterns' crimes against his planet. As worlds and suns die, refugees flood Oa. While the Green Lantern Corps tries to find everyone new homes, Guy Gardner learns about a sun that went supernova. When he investigates a planet in the doomed solar system, the population has vanished. Which may be good, except that one of its inhabitants owed Guy money.

 

Zardum, who polices the Green Lantern Corps, narrates this tale of one of his best operatives. But while shining the spotlight on Guy, the Internal Affairs officer also enlists another Green Lantern from Earth. While Zardum delivers his imperative, John Stewart makes one thing clear to the Green Lantern cop. Like his flamboyant friend, John Stewart will conduct the investigation his way in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1.

 

As Gerry Duggan keeps the story moving with action and humor in equal doses, the Lanterns’ concern for each other shines through. Still, after Starbreaker’s intergalactic reign of terror and Darkseid’s attempted Reality coup, Guy Gardner and John Stewart are both marked by death. So Zardum observes the Lanterns from Earth to determine if their brightest days lie behind them. And as he watches and waits, Zardum tasks a leader who embodies the Corps' future to investigate Guy Gardner's seemingly wild claims in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1.

 

Art

With his bowl cut and collared gilet, Guy Gardner makes a striking presence as he points to his perp, and then at the faces emerging from the Source Wall. Then Guy reclines on a beanbag, taking notes while surrounding his suspect with a stone block cell. After mounting a platform with his prisoner bound in a yoke, Guy raises a fist in triumph to the Drekonites surrounding them in the desert. As his fans extend their arms out the passenger cars' windows, Guy plays his electric guitar atop the engine of a celestial steam locomotive. When he pulls the train into the impromptu Malaqyte Station, a giant green thumb points back toward him as Guy leaves Jessica Cruz and her people to feed, house, and resettle the latest refugees on Oa.

 

As Matteo Lolli, Laura Braga, and Vasco Georgiev propel Guy Gardner across worlds and moons, John Kalisz lavishes bright colors on the cavalcade of characters and settings. John Stewart forms a demurer appearance. As he saves travelers wearing a black-and-green bodysuit, the yellow and orange surrounding the troubled vessel recalls the world where Guy liberated the Drekonites. Zardum’s clothes, cane, and prosthetic leg link him with Guy and John. Yet the Internal Affairs officer's red Tootsie Roll Pop links him with the object of Guy's concern in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1.

 

Dave Sharpe fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters and white narrative boxes with green letters. John's ring speaks green words into white balloons. Raised voices enlarge letters, change text color, and deform balloons, while lowered voices shrink words. Music notes adorn a splash page that science-fiction writer Michael Coney would love. Sound effects enhance battles, earthshaking developments, and the latest advancements in home security. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Everyone needs to make a good impression to get ahead. Yet, when a hunch doesn't pay off, Guy Gardner's methodology threatens to cut short his career. As his penchant for theatricality fills the Internal Affairs office with complaints, Zardum wonders if he can still trust his officer’s instincts in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1.

 

Rating 9.7/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1.

Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1 Preview

 

 

People may distrust his judgment. They may dislike his style. But like him or hate him, Guy Gardner gets things done. If he's not saving Lois Lane on a spaceship powered by Kryptonite, he's fighting in the Omega Tournament to preserve reality. But what does Internal Affairs on Oa think about Guy Gardner? And when they want to investigate his activities, who do they call on for help?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1 Preview

Writer: Gerry Duggan

Artist: Matteo Lolli

Cover Artist: Edwin Galmon

Variant Cover Artists: David Aja, Ariel Olivetti & Ethan Young

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 48 Pages

Price: $5.99/$6.99 Card Stock

Release Date: May 6, 2026

 

Gerry Duggan and Matteo Lolli take on Guy Gardner!

 

In this corner, we have intergalactic heavyweight Guy Gardner fighting in the @%$&# division, and his challenges are…Manhunter androids, space apes, the Guardians, and fellow Lantern John Stewart?! The Deadpool team of Matteo Lolli and Gerry Duggan presents “Light Club”: a tale of the best and worse Lantern in the corps.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us. 

Invincible Iron Man #10 Review

 

Writer: Gerry Duggan

Artist: Juan Frigeri

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Lucas Werneck; Chris Allen & David Curiel; Cafu; Meghan Hetrick; Bob Layton & Paul Mounts; George Pérez & Edgar Delgado

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 27, 2023

 

Industrialist Kelvin Heng, a.k.a. Feilong, bought Stark Unlimited via a hostile takeover. He used Tony Stark's proprietary technology to aid Orchis' attacks on mutants by building thirty-foot-tall Stark Sentinels. Tony's bid to destroy the Sentinels ended with Rhodey, a.k.a. War Machine, in prison.

 

Forced to comply with a court order, Tony deleted his B.O.S.S. operating system and gave Feilong his Mark 70 armor. Can Tony Stark free Rhodey, turn the tables on Feilong, and save mutants everywhere from the evil Orchis organization? Let's blast into Invincible Iron Man #10 and find out!

 

 

Story

Feilong is all about the show. He gets a guard to hand Rhodey a cell phone, then uses a masked servant at the Hellfire Club to bring Tony Stark one. Feilong arrives in time to watch Tony listen while inmates beat Rhodey to death. Thankfully, Tony's made a deal with Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin, the new White King of the Hellfire Club. The big man's got friends in places high and low. That includes the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas, one of the harshest prisons in the United States.

 

Feilong doesn't realize that Tony could kill him at any time. Disguised as his assistant Hazel Kendal, Emma Frost would like nothing better than to use her psychic powers to fry his brain. But that wouldn't stop Orchis from hurting mutants or inciting hatred across the globe. Feilong holds all the cards, and Tony's only got one viable play. As readers of X-Men #26 know, opportunity strikes when you least expect it.

 

 

 

Feilong doesn't miss an opportunity to disadvantage Tony Stark in Invincible Iron Man #10. When he sees Tony hustle Hazel into a side room, he intrudes on Tony's privacy. Feilong misinterprets the inhibitor ring Tony wants Emma to wear for a wedding band. To see the former billionaire bachelor settling down with his secretary must smell like victory. How else can you explain Feilong following Tony and Emma to Las Vegas? Now that he's broken Tony, Feilong can help Tony rebuild his life. So long as Tony knows who's the boss.

 

Feilong doesn't realize Las Vegas is all a show for him. Or perhaps not all. Tony Stark's got practical reasons for slipping into Sin City apart from a shotgun wedding. Still, after Wilson Fisk lost his wife at the Hellfire Gala, Tony Stark gets a wife in Invincible Iron Man #10. Wilson Fisk wants Typhoid Mary back. Emma wants out of the relationship ASAP. As for what Tony wants, time will tell.

 

 

Art

Juan Frigeri portrays Tony Stark's reversal of fortune with imagery that celebrates Iron Man's rich history in Invincible Iron Man #10. Scenes inside the Hellfire Club marry well with those in X-Men #26. Colorist Bryan Valenza helps prison scenes hum with drama and surprise with explosive action. Some favorite moments include seeing images of Howard Stark, Tony clad in his first Iron Man suit, and the rented red Ferrari parked outside the aptly-named Gamble Of Love wedding chapel.

 

 

 

Joe Caramagna's dialogue occasionally shrinks in Invincible Iron Man #10, but most are easier to read than in X-Men #26. I especially like the typewritten narrative in light-blue boxes. Ostensibly extracts from Tony's memoir, they don't impress Emma Frost. Still, Tony Stark's autobiography could prove a best seller and fund his next financial empire.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Desperate situations call for unlikely partnerships and desecrating sacred institutions in Invincible Iron Man #10.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

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

X-Men #25 Review

 

Writer: Gerry Duggan

Artist: Stefano Caselli

Colorist: Marte Gracia

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Joshua Cassara & Marte Gracia; C. F. Villa & Federico Blee; Mark Brooks; Alex Ross; Bryan Hitch & Alex Sinclair; Peach Momoko; Russell Dauterman & Matt Wilson; Sergio Davila, Sean Parsons & Romulo Fajardo Jr.

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $5.99

Release Date: August 2, 2023 

 

 

 

Kamala Khan died earlier this year in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man. But her latent mutant gene prompted her rebirth in X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1, proving that you can't keep a good Inhuman down. Perhaps this gets Kitty Pryde down, as she believes she can't be reborn if she dies. But if I understand Kitty's history rightly, she died and was reborn. Will X-Men #25 perplex or delight you? Let's leap into this special forty-plus-page issue and find out!

 

 

 

Story

The powerful Orchis organization has transformed Tony Stark's Iron Man suits into machines that do its bidding. They've blamed the mutants for a massacre and portrayed them as terrorists. Additionally, they've tampered with medicine mutants intended to benefit Humanity. 

 

 

 

With mutant hatred skyrocketing, governments allow Orchis to arrest mutants. Surgeons experiment on them. Authorities hunt down, imprison, and deport mutants to Mars. Sadly, the Martians don't exactly welcome them with open arms.

 

 

 

I rarely read an X-Men book, but I was captivated by X-Men #25. This issue mirrors contemporary problems, making it compelling reading. I can empathize with Kamala Khan's struggles. As for Kitty Pryde, she complains that she can't travel through Krakoa’s gates, yet she travels through the gate system several times. Years ago, I enjoyed following her romance with Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy and Legendary Star-Lord. Now she's known as Shadowkat: a highly trained ninja. 

 

 

 

Old School fans who insist superheroes don't kill won't like X-Men #25. If you enjoy martial arts movies, you'll love her scenes. Still, I wouldn't have minded seeing Lockheed. But then, I share Rubeus Hagrid’s love of dragons. Perhaps some of you do as well?

 

 

 

Art

Characters are appealing, expressive, and lifelike. Most people can't phase through walls, but Stefano Caselli makes me believe Kitty could. Energy and movement come across, and you’ll notice plenty of fine detail, such as the woven appearance of Kitty’s sword hilts. The Stark Sentinels inspire awe, as do the space sequences. I also like the Orchis soldiers’ red suits. Marte Gracia’s rich colors provide contrast and enhance atmosphere and drama. Panels scream with life from within black pages.

 

 

 

If I could change one thing, it would be to make the lettering larger. Clayton Cowles’ tiny, lowercase black words require a mutant gene to read. Still, Gerry Duggan delivers plenty of narrative and dialogue, and the good folks at Marvel give you a free digital copy. You can scale that up to whatever size you want and immerse yourself in this fascinating issue. If you’re interested in following the cataclysmic chaos unfolding amid the Fall Of X series, buy the cover of X-Men #25 that most appeals, and prepare for an epic ride!

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

False flag attacks, illegal imprisonment, and racial hatred turn Humanity's gifted benefactors into America's Most Wanted in X-Men #25.

 

Rating 9/10

 

Preview interior art & get another reviewer's perspective at Comic Book Dispatch.