The Unchosen #2 Review

 

Writer & Artist: David Marquez

Colorist: Marissa Louise

Letterer & Designer: DC Hopkins

Editor: Lauren Sankovitch

Cover Artists: David Marquez & Nick Derington

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 13, 2025

 

When Aida awakened in a pit, Alex and Vasha found her. The girl didn't recognize them and ran away to find her mother. Soldiers tried to arrest her. Then four people appeared, wielding astonishing powers. While Vasha fought them off, Alex summoned a glowing portal. As she fell through it, Aida glimpsed memories of her mother. What happened to Aida’s mother? And what do Alex and Vasha want with her? Let’s leap into The Unchosen #2 and see!

 

Story

In David Marquez’s story, Alex and Vasha brought Aida to their school. Alex agrees to help her find her mother. But first, Aida must learn to protect herself. Otherwise, people like the soldiers, and the dark-garbed warriors Vasha fought would capture her. Aida doesn't understand the dangers surrounding her. She yearns to return to the hillside cabin she shares with her mom.

 

As she attends to her studies, Aida feels like she doesn't fit in. She cannot use The Word like the other students. Her friend, Daniel, may be a slow learner. But even he admits that she seems to be taking too long to master the basics. The Novitiate needs people to fight those who use their power to inflict pain and destruction. Yet like the legendary Korra, who struggled to master air-bending, Aida feels like a failure.

 

The Unchosen #2 takes us into Aida's memories. Or at least, those she can remember. After Alex and Vasha brought her to the school, Aida awakened from a nightmare involving her mother. Daniel was the first to welcome her. Despite her fears, Daniel assured Aida that if Alex and Vasha sought her out, she belonged.

 

Aida and Daniel may not run with the cool crowd. Still, the friends realize that responsibility comes with power. The first time we saw Daniel, he cradled a bird in his hands and cried because he couldn’t revive it. Aida struggles with her anger, and her frequent use of profanity shows she doesn’t respect the damage that words can inflict. Still, we learn why Alex befriended Aida’s mother, and why he believes Aida can wield The Word responsibly in The Unchosen #2.

 

Art

Aida remembers standing on the hillside beside her mother. After gazing down into the valley and out to sea, she awakens in a darkened room. Out in the hall, Aida sees the moon rising above a river twisting between hills through towering wall windows. When she whirls at Daniel’s appearance, the boy moves to leave before a view of a distant waterfall. The two regard each other in close-ups. Then, David Marquez pulls back to reveal how their Asgardian surroundings dwarf the young students.

 

After Aida leaves the bluish-gray hall, she bursts into Alex's office. Like Vasha, he wears white and red. His brown robe links Alex with the book-filled shelves covering the walls and the desk filled with papers. Two green objects unite Alex with Aida. Golden trees grow between the towering wall windows and glow in the dark alcoves of the dining hall, imbuing the school with a regal flair. Yet Marissa Louise saves the most vibrant coloring for an evening rendezvous. Orange, red, and purple fill the skies as Alex and Vasha accompany Aida. When Aida arrives for her fateful meeting, yellow and orange rage in The Unchosen #2.

 

DC Hopkins fills white dialogue balloons with uppercase black letters that grow bold for intonation, swell for volume, and shrink for lowered voices. Off-camera dialogue appears in beige and lavender narrative boxes. The merged halves of the same person stand before two types of writing. An unseen breeze whips Aida's hair as furious white scribbles and colors banish the darkness. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

School dominates our lives and shapes our characters. Yet few students choose the schools they attend. Then, there are the people we must befriend, or at least learn to get along with. As Aida struggles to understand why she must attend this school at the end of the world, the girl wrestles with why she cannot master the basics of the curriculum in The Unchosen #2.

 

Rating 9/10

 

For how this series began see my review of The Unchosen #1. 

Escape #1 Review

 

Writer: Rick Remender

Artist & Colorist: Daniel Acuña

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Daniel Acuña, Michael WM Kaluta, Steve Epting & Tradd Moore

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 20, 2025

 

War is hell. At least, that's how Lieutenant Flynn sees it. All the narrow escapes and the people he has killed weigh on his soul. As they approach the target for his crew’s twenty-eighth mission together, the copilot wonders how much longer he can continue. But Captain Milton feels only disdain for the enemy. The Narenians started this war. He’s going to end it. Will the crew of Ol' Sockeye fulfill their mission? And what will victory or failure cost them? Let’s put on our flight jackets, leap into Escape #1, and see!

 

Story

Captain Milton has a routine. During each mission, Milton reminds himself of the enemy's cruelties and how bombing the Narenian targets avenges their victims. He paints the enemy with a thick brush, and the bristles cover everyone in their armed forces. But as the bombing crew embarks on their latest mission, Lieutenant Flynn gripes about Milton's mantra. He points out that the Narenian leadership is responsible for the deaths and atrocities. Draftees lack the luxury of selectively obeying orders.

 

In Escape #1, Flynn's boldness prompts a discussion. The crew knows that with every bomb they drop, people die. Of the soldiers, most are just patriots supporting their country’s leadership. Magoo, who occupies the greenhouse-style gun turret, reminds them that conditions are dire back home. Then, ground-to-air missiles curtail the discussion. Milton and his crew must set aside their moral musings and focus on achieving their objective.

 

While Escape #1 starts with a discussion, Rick Remender's story quickly escalates. But as the characters fight for their lives, the ethical considerations hang in the air. For Milton, the lines are clear. The Narenians’ atrocities make success imperative at any cost. Milton's crew knows they are bucking the odds by succeeding and surviving so many missions. Still, it’s important to them how they win the war.

 

Art

While Flynn pilots their craft, Milton applies a red pen to black and white photos in a glossy magazine. His markings emphasize the Narenians’ ears and eyes. Regardless of species, Milton gives them all incisors and slanted eyebrows. Flynn's dispassionate expression, long snout, upturned ears, and peaked hat link him with the Narenian bats. With the pipe clenched in his canines, Milton's ursine features are more expressive than his cigarette-smoking colleague's. But as Milton studies the photos of a cheering assembly, Daniel Acuña suggests how reverence for the flag amplifies patriotism.

 

Touches of yellow, orange, red, and blue enliven the gray military aircraft. Yellow, red, and blue nose art adorns the bomber, as does the fanciful name. Beige, gray, and orange form blotchy patterns in the blue sky like paint in a water tank. Then red splashes the sky and the bomber's interior in Escape #1. Blue and purple adorn Milton's face as he faces decisions that will define his future.

 

Rus Wooton fills ivory dialogue balloons with narrow black uppercase letters. Words in closely spaced rows grow bold for intonation, enlarge for increased volume, and rarely shrink. Larger colored letters herald gunfire, shearing metal, and explosions, while gray words written on bombs clarify the crew’s feelings about their enemies. Thanks to Image Comics and Giant Generator for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

When people attack you, it's easy to respond in kind. But in war, the choices become less clear, especially when your actions could prevent the death of millions. Escape #1 tackles the cost war takes on our souls, and how fighting for the people and causes we care about can turn us into the people we despise.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

News from the Fallout #2 Review

 

Writer: Chris Condon

Artist: Jeffrey Alan Love

Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Designer: Michael Tivey

Cover Artists: Jeffrey Alan Love & Leslie Herman

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 6, 2025

 

The personnel at Gaines Army Base have an informer in their midst. Private Otis L Fallows has sent a complaint to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He alleges that General Sheridan P McCoy has grown unstable and obsessed with a porous black rock found at the secret installation. But before the Pentagon can act on the Private's report, General McCoy accelerates Operation Petrify. Will the General kill everyone at Gaines Army Base? And will he do when he learns that Private Fallows is a whistle-blower? Let's grab our gas masks, leap into News from the Fallout #2, and see!

 

Story

General McCoy wanted to test the effects of his new bomb. He inspired such obedience in his troops that they stood and watched as ash fell around them. Private Russo made an angel in the red snow. But when the corporal ordered him to rise, energy arced from Russo to his superior.

 

Wary of the fallout, Private Otis L Fallows kept his distance from the others and wore his gas mask. He fled the army of petrified patriots in a jeep. In News from the Fallout #2, Private Fallows stands inside Old Joe’s in Sherman, Nevada. The patrons don't understand his urgency to board up the windows and barricade the door. Nor do they have any reason to trust him. Fallows shot two people outside before he entered. The Private makes demands while waving a gun. Although Gaines Army Base is only two miles away, the service members ignore the nearby town.

 

Chris Condon's story confronts our doubts and skepticism about things outside our experience. It also contrasts the environment at the Army base with small-town life. Some of the residents live there because they encountered disappointments in larger communities. Rob, once known as Mad Rob Collins, comes under the spotlight in News From The Fallout #2. He clutches onto his past, missing opportunities to enrich his present. Rob puts down anyone who threatens his independence. But amid the leisurely atmosphere of the diner, where the worst thing you can do is anger Joe, Rob will realize that he has taken for granted what he should have cherished.

 

Art

Jeffrey Alan Love fills the Nevada air with choking dust. Silhouettes interact like shadow puppets, waiving guns, smoking cigarettes, and threatening to refill a customer's coffee cup. Old Joe smokes a pipe. Charlie observes the diners through glasses. Rob's profile is all sharp angles and straight lines. Yet views from the front or back reveal the former boxer's cauliflower ears. Irene has a diminutive nose and hoop earrings. After he removes his gas mask, Private Fallows loses his distinctiveness and seemingly any authority in Old Joe’s diner.

 

Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou fills roughly drawn white balloons and clouds with bold uppercase letters. The letters darken further for intonation and enlarge for volume. Small lowercase letters accompany lowered voices, while white lines replace arrows. Boxes showcase off-panel dialogue, while a box above a toothy face slowly melts. Sound effects accompany petrifying conversions, roaring engines, howling, and gunfire as Private Fallows’ fellows converge on Old Joe’s diner.

 

Special features help flesh out the characters and setting in News from the Fallout #2. The poster, news report, town newsletter, and a personal letter illuminate Mad Rob Collins' fall from grace and spotlight another local. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

The United States military tested weapons of mass destruction without realizing how they would affect nearby service members and civilians. News from the Fallout #2 reminds us to question dangerous practices, and likens failing to appreciate the people in our lives to zombies.

 

Rating 8.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

The Lucky Devils #4 Review

 

Writer: Charles Soule

Artist & Designer: Ryan Browne

Colorists: Ryan Browne & Kevin Knipstein

Art Breakdowns: Zander Cannon

Letterer: Christopher Crank

Logo: Thomas Quinn

Production Design: Erika Schnatz

Cover Artists: Ryan Browne & Andrew MacLean

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 30, 2025

 

“Imagine there’s no Heaven,” Rake sang. (Or perhaps it was John Lennon?) Collar and Rake may not believe in Heaven. Still, they're climbing through the ranks of devil society so they can bring Hell crashing down.

 

Cameron Stane didn’t believe Collar existed. Still, he followed the little devil's advice. Cameron has ascended from an assistant professor to the head of his department. As the daughter of a Baptist preacher, Starr Winslow believes in Rake’s existence. Yet she has let the devil help her become the director of nurses at her hospital. Can Collar and Rake keep rising through the ranks? And how are Cameron and Starr enjoying success? Let's grab our Bibles and The Discourses of Epictetus, leap into The Lucky Devils #4, and find out!

 

Story

Every person influences others. As they grow in influence, Hell assigns a devil to them. The leaders of Hell, who belong to the Nine-Zed, want to protect their realm. They need Humans to spread evil for Hell's continued health. But that relationship carries dangers. If Human influencers flip the script and do good, that anti-evil provokes "natural" disasters in Hell.

 

In The Lucky Devils #4, Wrench Fortune summons the other Nine-Zed. He wants to investigate recent disasters. Instead of working through governmental channels, Wrench drafts in an outsider. But Sandpaper Pinch may not share his sense of urgency.

 

In Charles Soule's densely written story, the higher Rake and Collar advance, the more their supervisors trust them. Three years have passed since Rake and Collar started helping Starr and Cameron. The Humans cannot believe their success. Yet Starr and Cameron aren't sure they like who they are becoming.

 

When the influencers meet in The Lucky Devils #4, Starr and Cameron discover their common bond. By advancing their careers, they help Rake and Collar achieve greater wealth and importance. What seems a philosophical dilemma to the Humans confirms Wrench Fortune's worst fears.

 

Art

Lightning arcs from clouds to charge the high-rises of Hell City. Wrench Fortune pounds the conference table while his contemporaries regard him with doubt and disinterest. Sandpaper Pinch exudes confidence while sitting in a conference chair upholstered with faces. But when she returns home, Sandpaper Pinch summons her nesting eyeball and initiates a three-way on her faded sectional.

 

While colorful fires burn from each devil’s horned head, Sandpaper Pinch’s left arm glows with light blue fire. The sky above Struggle Beach matches Collar’s orange and Rake’s pink skin. Compared with the vibrant colors of Hell, Ryan Browne and Kevin Knipstein apply muted tones to an evening in Chicago. Cameron signs a white and red book for customers in a gray store. Starr sits in a grayish-purple cushioned booth and dines surrounded by brown. But Cameron and Starr’s faces glow pink when their devils join them for dinner in The Lucky Devils #4.

 

White uppercase letters in red banners announce the time and locations as Rake and Collar contemplate joining the Five-Zed ranks. Uppercase letters inhabit white and colored dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for inflection, enlarge for volume, and rarely shrink. Hammer Wrench writes yellow and white letters in the red air to assert why he believes Hell may come crashing down. Thanks to Image Comics and Silent E Productions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Charles Soule, Ryan Browne, Kevin Knipstein, and Christopher Crank's beautifully told comic asks if evil and power are mutually exclusive. In an era when many confuse material success with virtue, the Lucky Devils #4 reminds us that what we do in the world can hurt our loved ones.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Fishflies HC Review

 

Writer, Artist & Colorist: Jeff Lemire

Flashback Pages: Shawn Kuruneru

Letterer & Designer: Steve Wands

Editor: Greg Lockard

Background Art Assistant: Beatrix Green

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $44.99

Release Date: March 5, 2025

 

Every summer, the fishflies descend on Belle River, Ontario. They don't stay long, but they blanket the cars, pavements, and buildings. One night, Paul Dupuis and his cousins walk to the Mini-Mart. But when they reach it, they find the parking lot carpeted with fishflies. The boys want their snacks. But getting them means walking across thousands of winged insects. How will this dilemma shape the boys’ future? And how will it influence other residents of this Canadian town? Let’s grab a snack, leap into Fishflies HC, and see!

 

Story

Helen Dupuis sits by her son's hospital bed. Her husband left years ago. She doesn't get along with her sister and family. Other residents think she is weird. Yet Helen sees strange things in the hospital. She believes the fishflies and her son's fate are interwined. But how can the police investigate fishflies when a man shot her son? And should Helen abandon her son’s hospital room to tell the cops, when at any moment, Paul’s heart may stop beating?

 

When Officer Danny Laraque investigates the Mini-Mart shooting, he discovers who robbed the store and shot Paul. But while Danny searches for the drug addict, people disrupt his search. Helen Dupuis wants to be involved in the investigation. And then there are Betty and Butch Bracken. The twins urge him to study the cycles of violence that have rocked Belle River for decades. Along with Helen, the seniors argue that the shooting is related to fishflies.

 

While Helen and Danny follow separate but related lines of inquiry, a local girl goes missing in Fishflies HC. Sergeant Murphy uses the situation to force the black officer out of his department. Helen needs answers to the supernatural aspects of her son’s condition. Danny must choose between protecting his career and finding the daughter of a man who drove his wife to abandon their daughter and flee for her life.

 

Art

Jeff Lemire sketches a convincing portrait of small-town life. All the residents show the struggles that accompany living in this remote community. Perhaps most broken is Lee David Simard. Although a stranger to their world, his life spirals ever downward. He looks frightened and haunted as the fishflies swarm to him. A blotch of red appears on his side as Lee remembers shooting the boy in the Mini-Mart. Lee’s fright increases as the fishflies do the impossible in Fishflies HC.

 

Jeff Lemire uses watercolors sparingly to suggest the timeworn nature of Belle River. Light touches of yellow, blue, and gray give the town a faded look. Scenes from their history are green, while Franny Fox, the star of Fishflies HC, shines in her vibrant red jacket. The colorless snot dripping from her nose makes Franny a pariah among her less colorful peers. And then there are the red symbols that Lee and Helen see.

 

Steve Wands fills white dialogue balloons with large uppercase text that grows bold for emphasis. Words occasionally enlarge and deform balloons as Franny discovers the belonging she craves. The immense crunch between chapters reminds readers of the annual swarm that links Canadian residents with ancient Egyptians. Perhaps the most poignant sounds in Jeff Lemire’s story are the inhuman chittering that expresses friendship, fright, and remorse. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Life in a small town can be crushing when individual differences lead to ostracism. Fishflies HC paints a portrait of peer pressure, alcoholism, and our need for existential answers. Yet Jeff Lemire's story also reminds us that while life follows cycles, love and determination can help free us from the bonds of the past.

 

Rating 9/10

 

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

The Voice Said Kill #1 Review

 

Writer: Si Spurrier

Artist: Vanesa Del Rey

Colorist: John Starr

Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Graphic Designer: Emma Price

Editor: Eric Harburn

Cover Artists: Vanesa Del Rey, Christian Ward & Tula Lotay

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 23, 2025

 

A man wanders through the swamp. Plants and trees close in from all sides. Covered in blood, he crouches in the muddy water to drink from an ornate flask. His bloody knife rests in a mushroom-covered tree root. Yet as he walks through the trees, the clouds part, heralding a new day. Who is this wounded man? And why is he bathed in blood? Let’s leap into The Voice Said Kill #1 and see!

 

Story

Sergeant Marie Burgau is holding down the fort. It’s not that the other agents at the Corbeaumort Wildlife Management Area office don’t want to help. But every time they try to leave their homes, they can’t reach their vehicles without growing violently ill. It all started at an office barbecue. While everyone was living it up, Marie was being cautious, being with child and all. When things got out of hand, Marie sent the rest of the team home. But some of them landed in the hospital with food poisoning. It's just as well, Marie took it easy and didn’t eat or drink anything that might upset her stomach.

 

In The Voice Said Kill #1, Marie hopes for a quiet week. It starts like a sad routine, with Mr Norris bailing out the Watters boys. Then Mrs Watters summons her. The uncrowned swampland queen plays the Wildlife agency game. She pays the fines when agents catch her sons and employees poaching. In return, Mrs Watters wants Marie to find one of her sons.

 

Si Spurrier delves into dark waters in The Voice Said Kill #1. Marie is alone and suffering. She struggles with morning sickness, worries about carrying her child safely to term, and quickly grows fatigued. But Marie can't just sit in the office all day. She must respond to requests from her state dispatcher. Marie also has an ex-convict to find. Buck has a violent history, and he is off his meds. And while most of Mrs Watters' workers may spend a night or two in the Corbeaumort Wildlife office’s holding cells, Buck blames the “trash with badges” for sending him to jail.

 

Art

Vanesa Del Rey presents the immensity of the wilderness that Marie and her crew must oversee. The tall, dense foliage offers ample opportunities to hide. The art suggests the toll the rustic setting and the humid air take on its inhabitants. Mrs Watters rules her commercial empire from her RV. Smoke from her cigarette wafts across pages, framing panels, and portraying her majesty and Marie from different angles. But Vanesa Del Rey keeps the camera moving in loosely drawn pages that immerse us in Marie’s daily dilemmas.

 

John Starr weaves a captivating spell over this wonderland of wildlife, where people skate the rules defining legal activity. Textured surfaces show the dirt and grime that invades vehicles and buildings. Bold streaks of sunlight enliven Mrs Watter’s blonde hair, linking her with Buck’s gold, catlike eyes, and the mushrooms adorning the thick aerial roots. The blood covering Buck appears more magenta than crimson. Teal, purple, blue, and pink bring the jungle to life as a mentally ill man seeks revenge on his enemies in The Voice Said Kill #1.

 

Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou places lowercase letters in roughly shaped boxes and spherical balloons. Words grow bold and uppercase for emphasis and shrink for lowered or distant voices. Strong reactions deform dialogue balloons, while the sounds of sickness fill splotches. Sound effects help us hear Mrs Watters punishing her personnel and a barbaric barrage in the bayou. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Forced into an impossible situation, a Wildlife Management agent faces an additional dilemma while struggling to perform routine tasks. The Voice Said Kill #1 portrays how the demands of motherhood change women and the thankless task of enforcing rules that most people don't care about.

 

Rating 9/10

 

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

The Patchwork Girl of Oz HC Vol 1 Review

 

Writer, Artist, Letterer & Cover Artist: Otis Frampton

Colorists: Otis Frampton, Tracy Bailey & Kate Frampton

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $12.99

Release Date: July 23, 2025

 

Ojo loves his uncle, even if Unc Nunkie doesn’t talk much. But the boy also enjoys eating, and his uncle’s cupboards are bare. Only half a loaf remains on the dining table. And as Drax the Destroyer and Gamora might confirm, the bread growing outside isn’t ripe yet. No one needs to starve in Oz. But if Ojo and Unc Nunkie want food, they must go out and find it. Can Ojo convince his uncle to embark on a journey? Let’s leap into The Patchwork Girl of Oz HC Vol 1 and see!

 

Story

Ojo has lived with his uncle for as long as he can remember. Dense woods surround their home, and a mountain rises in the distance. But there's no one nearby to interact with, and his uncle rarely responds with more than one word. Ojo wonders what the world is like beyond their home in Munchkin County. His uncle has mentioned a family that lives on the mountain. Perhaps Doctor Pipt and his wife Margolotte could give them some food.

 

In Otis Frampton’s adaptation of L Frank Baum’s novel, Nunkie’s life is complete. But while he loves his uncle, Ojo feels confined by their seclusion. The boy yearns to explore the world, and their bare cupboards confirm his need to leave. In The Patchwork Girl of Oz HC Vol 1, Ojo's world becomes a brighter place when he meets Doctor Pipt and Margolotte. The boy also meets their cat. Bungle is a glass cat that Dr Pipt brought to life. When Ojo and his uncle arrive, Doctor Pipt is on the verge of creating another marvel. The crooked magician hopes to give his wife a break from cooking and cleaning by bringing a patchwork girl to life.

 

Margolotte excels as a housewife. Yet in The Patchwork Girl of Oz HC Vol 1, she disdains her duties and culinary creations. Because of his love for her, Doctor Pipt spends six years stirring four pots of ingredients to save Margolotte from doing what she does best. Like Unc Nunkie, Doctor Pipt sacrifices what he wants to make the person he loves happy.

 

Art

Unc Nunkie insists that they are rich because they have a cozy round cottage. Like his nephew, Nunkie doesn’t smile as he stares at the trees outside, the half-finished loaf on the table, or the fire Ojo makes in the fireplace. Yet as they start along a brick road wearing their tall hats, their mood lightens. Ojo and his uncle navigate steep mountain paths, stone bridges over rivers and waterfalls, and crossroads cutting through the woods. By the time they reach the cluster of round buildings that make up Doctor Pipt and Margolotte’s home, Nunkie and Ojo are smiling.

 

While much of Munchkin County is blue, Otis Frampton, Tracy Bailey, and Kate Frampton imbue The Patchwork Girl of Oz HC Vol 1 with all the colors of life. After taking them to a purple room where Pipt stirs four pots of yellow liquid with his hands and feet, Margolotte leads the travelers past a window revealing the serene beauty outside. Wood tones imbue the room with warmth, linking Nunkie’s cane with his friend through Pipt’s furniture. Yet the top shelf of a case filled with stoppered blue glass jars with gold labels has Brain Furniture carved into the brown wood.

 

Otis Frampton fills white dialogue balloons with uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation and occasionally shrink for lowered voices or distance. Words enlarge for emotion and elevated voices, such as when a bird heralds the travelers, or Bungle seeks attention. Unc Nunkie speaks one larger, typed lowercase word into each balloon. Sound effects are rare until the Patchwork Girl speaks crowded uppercase words that swell and change color. Then objects fall and crash, music notes flow through the air, and the vividly colored girl discovers how she differs from Munchkins like Ojo. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

The Munchins inhabit a magical land. When Ojo meets a cat made of glass, the boy doesn’t blink. Nor is Ojo surprised when a magician brings a fabric doll to life. Unlike her new friends, the fabric doll proves fearless. The girl sewn from a crazy quilt shares her enthusiasm and wonder with Ojo and everyone she meets in The Patchwork Girl of Oz HC Vol 1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For cover art from individual issues see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale TP Vol 1 Review

  

Writer, Illustrator & Letterer: Luana Vecchio

Translator & Editor: Edward Caio

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $17.99

Release Date: July 16, 2025

 

Madeleine’s mother named her after Mary Magdalene. But Madeleine doesn’t feel like a saint. Nor does she want to grow up. At twelve, she may be on the cusp of becoming a teenager. But in her heart, Madeleine believes she will always be a child. Partly, this is because the other girls are mean to her. But she also fears growing up because her mother is cold and distant. How will Madeleine’s outlook change as she grows? Let’s grab our diaries, leap into Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale TP Vol 1, and see!

 

Story

Madeleine's mother sees corruption everywhere. No one can match Gloria's high standards. Perhaps her husband is good enough for her. But then, Johann stands staunchly by her side. He listens as she criticizes others, and comforts Gloria when the world and her daughter let her down. She expects Madeleine to be self-reliant. Although Gloria attends to Madeleine’s physical needs, she does nothing to make her daughter feel cherished.

 

All this changes when the authorities find a body in a trash bag. Madeleine had walked past the spot where, hidden inside the black plastic, the girl had bled out from numerous wounds. Madeleine had sensed something was wrong. But she had also been scared by a stranger who asked for directions. And it had been cold and snowing, so she hurried on to ballet practice.

 

Madeleine blames herself for the girl’s death in Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale TP Vol 1. The local girl had been alive when dumped like illegally discarded refuse. But Madeleine had been so intent on pleasing her mother, and so insulated from the evils of the world, that she had rushed on to practice an art and sport she dislikes. Madeleine also realizes she could have died. The stranger who asked for directions could have raped, wounded, and hidden her. In Luana Vecchio’s story, Madeleine determines that she will no longer be a ready-made victim. She will determine the course of her life.

 

In Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale TP Vol 1, Madeleine investigates the evil that people do. She peers into dark corners of the internet, where people post photos and videos of violence and brutality. Her friend, Adam, aids Madeleine's growing fascination with gore and snuff films. By holding her at arm's length, her parents also deserve some of the blame. Whatever the cause, Madeleine strips away the cotton wool in which her parents wrapped her to arm herself against whatever the future brings.

 

Art

While the other girls in ballet smile, Madeleine frowns. Her dark bangs frame her face while everyone else’s hair betrays styling and the uncontrollable nature of life. Madeleine's mother shops in her coat and scarf, while Daisy's mother smiles in a long-sleeved blouse exposing her cleavage. As they ride home, Johann drives wearing a shirt and sweater, while Gloria criticizes and fingers her rosary.

 

Adam glances back at Madeleine in class. He smiles as the teacher returns Madeleine’s assignment. But instead of glowing from the top marks and the teacher’s encouragement, Madeleine works on her drawing. Her colored pencils and eraser surround a drawing of her mother with orange slits for eyes. Fires rage behind Gloria’s pointed teeth. Later, Madeleine draws Adam with a long-pointed nose in Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale TP Vol 1. She labels her friend as a character from a 19^th-century children's novel and a 1940 Disney film.

 

As Luana Vecchio adorns Madeleine’s childhood with soft colors, she places uppercase black words in white and colored dialogue balloons. While Madeleine finds a bloom of red on a pink undergarment and spies a rosy shape clutched with a gloved hand on a man's lap, the words grow bold and swell with heightened emotions. Yet like the clothes she often wears, Madeleine shares her waning feeling of self-worth in scraps of white paper intercut with a pink grid. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Madeleine is an only child. Her parents take little interest in her. She has few friends. So, she clutches fiercely onto the things that have always made her happy. While her peers begin adapting to meet their teenage years, Madeleine retains her charm bracelets, writes in her diary, and creates art.

 

Friends like Daisy believe Madeleine could pursue her gifts and make something of herself. But Madeleine's parents make her feel worthless. So while others delve into what life has to offer, Madeleine seeks out punishment. In Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale TP Vol 1, Madeleine embraces the shame she believes she deserves. Haunted by the memory of a porcine mask, Madeleine does her best to make nothing of her life whatsoever.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For cover art from the series see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Madi TP Vol 1 Review

 

Writers: Duncan Jones & Alex de Campi

Artists: Dylan Teague; Glenn Fabry; Duncan Fegredo; LRNZ; Eduardo Ocaña; André Lima Araújo; Simon Bisley; Rosemary Valero-O’Connell; Pia Guerra; James Stokoe; RM Guéra; Chris Weston; Rufus Dayglo; Annie Wu; David Lopez; Christian Ward; Tonči Zonjić & Skylar Patridge

Colorists: Adam Brown, Jacob Phillips, Raúl Arnaíz, Chris O’Halloran, Kelly Fitzpatrick; Matt Wilson, Giulia Brusco, Sergey Nazarov, Nayoung Kim, Sofie Dodgson & Marissa Louise

Cover Artist: Paolo Rivera

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: July 9, 2025

Release Date: $19.99

 

When Madi’s squad takes the Underground, other passengers keep their distance. As they storm the market of Camden Town, shoppers make way. The Liberty Inc. strike team claims they're acting on behalf of an EU mandate. But when they break inside, and Madi's teammate Patrick accesses a computer terminal, the Volkea Group guards fight back. Can Madi and her squad hold them off until Patrick gets the evidence he needs? And why are Madi and her ex-military buddies working for Liberty Inc.? Let's strap on our weapons, grab some shiny Liberty Inc. stickers for the children, leap into Madi TP Vol 1, and see!

 

Story

Like the rest of her team, Madi joined the military to serve her country. She wanted to excel in her duties. So, when her superiors offered elective surgeries, Madi volunteered. She wasn’t a broken test pilot like Steve Austin. Still, researchers augment her with high-tech equipment. When Madi leaves the military, she needs a new source of income. She also needs people to repair and replace her augmentations as they break and become obsolete.

 

In Madi TP Vol 1, Madi is tired of endangering her life and seeing her teammates die. She fears injuries requiring expensive surgeries that will leave her bankrupt. But before she can negotiate an exit clause, the bionic woman must repay her debts to Liberty, Inc. Steven Woods from the Red Sun corporation offers her a way out. Madi doesn't know him. But with one job, she can clear her debts and explore what life has to offer besides constant corporate raids and watching her friends die.

 

Duncan Jones and Alex de Campi draw readers into a future world where global corporations rule the neighborhoods. Corporate hackers use the augmented soldiers like puppets to acquire company research and information on upcoming products. Madi's handler, Barrett Gavin, gives Madi enough money to keep fighting for him while owing Liberty Inc. for her repairs, upgrades, and replacement parts.

 

Art

Dylan Teague kicks off the action, with Madi putting a young train passenger at ease in Madi TP Vol 1. Hovering drones clear tables and deliver dishes as Duncan Fegredo shows Madi meeting with Steven. Glen Faery reveals an immersive sports bar where Barrett Gavin orders Madi's strike team to find her. Simon Bisley creates a collage of shocking action when Madi seeks leverage in a payment negotiation.

 

Along with a cohort of artists, a strike team of colorists storms into this world of competing international corporations. A hacker with purple hair and lips takes longer than expected. Red splatters an anguished silhouette. Yellow, orange, and pink brighten an evening filled with flying drones, while purple towers rise in the distance. Faded colors suggest harsh sunlight as Madi drives through the desert. Orange, yellow, and white surge across a blue and green storm as a boy visualizes a data flow. Pink, yellow, blue, and purple heighten the fraught action in James Stokoe's intensely penciled casino scene. A tear trickles down Madi's burnished cheek as the boy she protects leans against her shoulder beneath solar collectors.

 

Lettering size and style changes along with the artists and colorists in Madi TP Vol 1. Characters usually fill balloons with uppercase black letters. Sound effects burst across panels and frame pages, helping readers hear characters fighting, jackpots, explosions, and applause. A gallery includes character sketches, alternative covers, and uniform designs. Thumbnails, roughs, and uncolored art include insights into the artists' processes. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

When a corporate soldier moonlights for a rival multinational, she trades a bad situation for a nightmare. Along the way, she finds new people to care for and becomes public enemy number one in the cyberpunk thriller Madi TP Vol 1.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Youngblood Vol 3 #1 Cover Preview

 

Cover by Daniel Warren Johnson

Rob Liefeld took the world by storm when he launched his signature Image series Youngblood. Now, he's inviting readers back to the world he created thirty years ago. Here's all the info on his new Youngblood series:

 

ROB LIEFELD’S NEW YOUNGBLOOD UNLEASHES STAR-STUDDED COVER GALLERY THIS NOVEMBER

 

 

Rob Liefeld's self-published Youngblood #1 sold over $500,000 worth of copies. Now, comics titan Rob Liefeld (Deadpool) is back in the driver’s seat writing and drawing an all-new Youngblood—and he's bringing an all-star arsenal of comics’ top talents along for the ride. The upcoming Youngblood Vol. 3 #1 will feature eye-popping covers by Skottie Young (I Hate Fairyland), Daniel Warren Johnson (Transformers, Do A Powerbomb), Ryan Stegman (X-Men, Venom) Ryan Ottley (Invincible, Battle Beast) Kael Ngu (Venom), Erik Gist (UnDeadpool, Spawn), and Mark Spears (Monsters) and will launch this November from Image Comics. 

 

“These are the most in-demand, most popular, most celebrated names in the comics business and Old Man Liefeld could not be more grateful, more humbled that they delivered these spectacular Youngblood covers!” said Liefeld.

Liefeld ignited a collector firestorm earlier this year with the release of the highly sought-after, self published Youngblood Single Issues selling over $500,000 worth of copies—now The Blood is back and cranking the excitement into overdrive! In Youngblood Volume 3 #1, the team is summoned to a crisis in the Pacific as a mysterious vessel appears and a deadly nemesis is revealed. Readers won’t want to miss this bulletproof return to one of the most exciting series to ever hit the spinner-rack.

Liefeld will be at San Diego Comic-Con this week in full power mode. On Thursday he will headline the “Rob Liefeld: Youngblood 33rd Anniversary” panel at 5 p.m. in room 7AB. Fans can also find a very special SDCC Exclusive Youngblood #1 variant at the Image booth (#1915) next week and Liefeld will be signing at the Image booth on Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m. 

 

 

Here are more cover options:

 

Cover by Erik M Gist

 

 

Cover by Kael Ngu

 

 

Cover by Mark Spears

  

 

Cover by Ryan Stegman

Cover A by Rob Liefeld

Youngblood Volume 3 #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, November 5. Youngblood Volume 3 #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

 

 

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS

Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States, and is the #2 graphic novel publisher in America. It is the publisher of such award winning titles as, Spawn, The Walking Dead, Invincible, Saga, Monstress, Deadly Class, Chew, The Old Guard, I Kill Giants, Criminal, The Department of Truth, W0rldtr33, Geiger, Descender, Gideon Falls, It’s Lonely At The Centre of The Earth, Do A Power Bomb, and more. The company currently has six individuals on the Board of Directors: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, and Eric Stephenson. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor, and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit: www.imagecomics.com.

 

 

Thanks to PAL Public Relations and Image Comics for sharing this cover reveal with us.