Spider-Girl #5 Review

 

Writer: Torunn Grønbekk

Artists: André Risso & Diógenes Neves

Colorist: Java Tartaglia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Meghan Hetrick; Javier Garrón & Jesus Aburtov; Corin Howell & Rachelle Rosenberg

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 22, 2025

 

Dr Tramma has been grooming Hijack to be her tool. But instead of helping her control vehicles, the mutant smashes and breaks things. She needs Hijack to infiltrate Rand Enterprises and abduct a war machine. Or maybe she doesn't. If Hijack refuses to play along, Maka Akana’s ability to replicate other people’s abilities makes the young Hawaiian a potential substitute.

 

When Dr Tramma mentions her alternative strategy, Hijack fears it will break Maka’s mind. Rather than subject his fellow mutant to Dr Tramma’s torture, Hijack submits to her dominance. The Technopath helps her steal an advanced drone that the US government entrusted to Dr Maira Osmani-Milton's care. Can Maka protect New Yorkers and recover the stolen drone? Or will Dr Tramma follow Tombstone’s advice and use the war machine to crush Maka? Let’s thwick into Spider-Girl #5 and see, Brah!

 

Story

Meeting Spider-Man proves a heady experience. But Maka doesn’t have time to enjoy it, with the remote-control flying tank careening over New York City. And while Dr Tramma learns how to pilot it, the war machine smashes into buildings after Maka and Spider-Man webbed its cameras. Spider-Man wants to take the lead in their impromptu partnership, but Maka has a connection with Hijack.

 

In Spider-Girl #5, Maka is far from one hundred percent. She feels like a sponge that someone wrung out, stepped on, and set on fire. Maka woke up with the room spinning. She had to bow out of practice at Red Snow Dojo. Still, she’s giving it her best. Maka may be a similar age to Spider-Boy. Still, she survived her encounter with Paper Doll. So, Spider-Man doesn’t argue when Spider-Girl leaves him to help civilians.

 

Torunn Grønbekk’s story reveals how Tombstone is gearing up to ensure mastery of New York. It also shows Dr Tramma's mercilessness. But at its heart, Spider-Girl #5 is about Maka's growth as a superhero. She is young and still learning about her capabilities. Maka may not have made the best start. Still, Maka realizes that being a hero means helping. And that means putting your life on the line, even against overwhelming odds, to rescue the endangered and protect bystanders from harm.

 

 

 

Art

André Risso and Diógenes Neves show birds winging through the sky as Spider-Man and Spider-Girl thwip and thwick the swooping drone. While it crashes onto a rooftop and fires its cannons, Hijack pleads for help via the sketchpad of Maka's mind. Spider-Man may liken the drone to a flying tank. Still, the drone proves far more maneuverable as Maka leaps aboard it like the Lone Ranger and uses her webbing for reins. The previous night, Maka couldn’t sleep unless her mother held her. Now, the drone proves as unruly as stampeding horses as it races toward a girl clutching a teddy bear. 

 

 

 

Java Tartaglia lavishes a loaded palette on Spider-Girl #5. Yellow, orange, and gold show the drone’s firepower and its crazed flight above the city. The colors surround those in the most desperate need of rescue. Like the energy surrounding Hijack, the girl clutching the teddy bear wears gold attire. A narrow strand of white barely separates two sketch pages of Hijack and Dr Tramma that Maka’s spider-sense thwicks together. This time, when Spider-Girl sees things through Hijack's mind, she glimpses a world tinged with Dr Tramma's green instead of Hijack's yellow and orange.

 

 

 

As Maka workshops spider-team names, Joe Caramagna shares her thoughts with red uppercase letters in white narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. While Tombstone speaks small font into cloudy balloons, giant red letters link victims with their prospective rescuers. As yellow sound effects enhance explosions, cries for help appear as yellow words. Yet when Maka’s brown pigtails overlay her spider-sense, the pain-filled pleas also turn brown. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Spider-Girl started as Bullseye's sidekick. When she decided to switch sides, Lady Bullseye warned her that the hero's life was a hard one. In Spider-Girl #5, Maka Akana learns that there are people who can help her become the person she wants to be if she is certain that's the life she wants.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Spider-Girl #3 Review

 

Writer: Torunn Grønbekk

Artist: André Risso

Colorist: Java Tartaglia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Javier Garrón & Jesus Aburtov; Annie Wu; Jan Bazaldua & Federico Blee

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 20, 2025

 

When Bullseye recruited her, he turned Makawalu Akana’s life upside down. Maka left Hawaii to travel the world in Bullseye’s private jet. While helping her hone her abilities and grooming her for a career, her mentor helped her compete in contests, rack up victories, and collect trophies. Then Maka realized she was a means to an end. After Bullseye secured what he wanted, her kumu aʻo planned to kill her. 

 

So Maka is starting over. She’s trying to make friends, help others, and do the right thing. But someone sent a plague of Vermin and rats to kill her. Then Lady Bullseye attacked her before leaving her with stolen money. Will Maka fail Superhero Ethics 101? And who else will threaten her life? Let’s leap into Spider-Girl #3, and see, Brah!

 

Story

When she looked inside Bullseye's mind, Maka saw only love. His betrayal makes her question everything. Rebuilding her life around her family helps Maka realize how much her mother has sacrificed for her. Maka's aunt and tūtū may do fine, but her mother spends most of her time working. They can’t afford an apartment in New York City. So as Maka sits in their room above the florist shop, she debates keeping the money from Starchy & Cloth. Doesn't her mom need it more than a money launderer with the morals of a potato? 

 

Investing in her family means reconnecting with her Hawaiian heritage. Maka is also forging a friendship with the girl she found hiding in the locker room at Red Snow Dojo. Caroline and Sensei Barker's other students made Beba feel small. As Maka helps Beba feel wanted and empowered, her new friend shares her heritage with Maka in Spider-Girl #3. The camaraderie helps Maka relax with someone her age. Plus, she doesn't have to worry about Beba stabbing her in the back, imbuing her with more life-changing powers, or punching her to the moon. 

 

A string of robberies provides another topic for levity on their outing. But as Maka makes the most of her mom's evenings at work to foil crime, a burglar steals luxury goods and leaves an origami figure at the scene of her crimes. Like Maka, Piper Dali is doing what she thinks is right. The Flipstergram fashionista teaches store owners to respect others. As Torunn Grønbekk places Maka in another dangerous situation, she compares Maka's new approach with her former worldview. But the Paper Doll's attacks could prove more deadly than Lady Bullseye's sword in Spider-Girl #3.

 

 

Art

André Risso reveals the energy humming inside Maka. The Hawaiian cliff diving champion tosses a ball while awaiting crimes at night. She hurries down the stairs when she overhears Beba, grabs her by the hand, and yanks her out of the florist shop. Maka thwips above the running laundry store thieves to avoid the gangsters protecting Starchy & Cloth. Then, she webs "Dim and Dumb" and hauls them to a roof. Despite all the girl’s energy, Maka sits on her bed to contemplate her options, then leaves her section of the room to sink into her mother’s arms.

 

Amid the thieves’ attire, the rooftop she drops them on, the shop windows the next day, and Lady Bullseye’s appearance, gray forms a theme in Spider-Girl #3. Even Dr Tramma’s bright green suit shows gray accents, and Detective Shari Sebbins wears a gray suit. This mixture of white and black amid the brightly colored world of New York City underlines Maka’s moral quandary. 

By comparison, Dr Tramma floods Hijack's cell with light. As Hijack rests between punishing trials, or his eyes crackle with white energy, the yellow light evokes the sun's life-giving radiance as his captor increases his mutant powers. 

 

Joe Caramagna fills Maka’s latest adventure with uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons and shows the Hawaiian’s thoughts with red letters in white narrative boxes. The words grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and rarely shrink. Yellow narrative boxes relay the narrator’s voice, while purple words in lavender balloons reveal Piper’s inner self. Lowercase black letters in white rounded boxes highlight the fleeting joys of fame. Sound effects accompany gunfire, alarms, arcing electricity, and the deadliest cut of all. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

When the Yakuza captured her, Bullseye inspired Maki Matsumoto to escape her captors. But Lady Bullseye knows that her lifestyle is not for everyone. After escaping a life of servitude and abuse, Lady Bullseye doesn’t want anyone to make Maka their pawn. But Maka’s unique ability to mimic others' abilities makes her an irresistible tool for villains in Spider-Girl #3.

 

Rating 9.6/10

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Spider-Girl #2 Review

 

Writer: Torunn Grønbekk

Artist: André Risso

Colorist: Java Tartaglia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Javier Garrón & Jesus Aburtov; Nogi San; Chad Hardin & Alex Sinclair

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 16, 2025

 

Makawalu Akana, or Maka for short, is making a new start. After traveling around the world to compete in contests with Bullseye, the young Hawaiian is settling down. Maka is joining the Red Snow Dojo in New York City. She wants to demonstrate her indomitability. But her next challenge is to win friends, not trophies.

 

Even as Maka starts her first practice session with Sensei Barker, Dr Tramma paints a bullseye on Spider-Girl. After assaulting her with Vermin and the Squeak Squad, what will Dr Tramma hit the Hawaiian mutant with next? Let’s leap into Spider-Girl #2, and see, Brah!

 

Story

Like Druig, Dr Tramma wants powerful actors she can manipulate. Spider-Girl wasn’t her first choice. But after Hijack resists her chemical control, Dr Tramma fills Vermin with murderous rage and points him at Spider-Girl. Despite how Maka repels her attackers and saves the dojo, another person in the organization thinks Dr Tramma is wrong. So, while Dr Tramma continues to work on Hijack, a mysterious woman investigates Spider-Girl.

 

The world knows her as Ms Matsumoto. But when she dons her costume, the woman goes by another name. As a knife flies past her to stick in her bedroom wall, Maka gazes out the window. Spider-Girl sees the woman clutching more knives on a nearby fire escape. Maka wanted to spend the night on patrol in Spider-Girl #2, so this engraved invitation is too good to miss. But when Maka thwicks out to follow her, Lady Bullseye cuts Spider-Girl’s barbed web with a sword.

 

While Torunn Grønbekk introduces readers to Maka’s family, Spider-Girl meets Lady Bullseye. Lady Bullseye knows the difficulties that accompany enhanced fighting abilities. She may have expressed disdain for Dr Tramma’s judgment, but Lady Bullseye’s interaction with Spider-Girl seems motivated by compassion. She sees her troubled origins in Maka. The young Hawaiian had already failed to realize Bullseye was a villain who meant her harm. Lady Bullseye makes it clear that life as a vigilante will force Maka to choose her friends and allies carefully in Spider-Girl #2. 

 

 

 

Art

Orange cones and yellow police tape warn pedestrians and motorists of the metal barriers circling the broken asphalt destroyed by Vermin and the Squeak Squad. Windows glow gold and peach beneath a purple sky. Java Tartaglia makes the night glow in the city that never sleeps. As Maka enters her family’s shop, green and purple plants occupy a worktable. Then her aunt bustles into a brick room filled with shelves of boxes, trays, and vases.

 

André Risso gives Maka’s mother and aunt the same dark, edgy hair. Maka’s grandmother restrains her gray hair in a tight bun. Tropical leis hang on her bedroom door, while a Hawaiian flag adorns a pillow and a ukulele perches on a dresser. When a knife with a braided leather handle flashes past, Maka ignores the Spider-Man plushie on her bed. As Maka unzips her backpack, the metal teeth emulate Devil Dinosaur as she withdraws her costume in Spider-Girl #2.

 

 

 

While André Risso introduces us to Maka’s homelife, and Java Tartaglia helps the black-and-white villain shine, Joe Caramagna introduces Lady Bullseye with black uppercase letters in yellow narrative boxes. Maka's assessment of Lady Bullseye appears as red uppercase letters in boxes. Uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons grow bold for intonation and occasionally shrink, such as when Maka whispers to her new friend Beba. Sound effects accompany web-thwicking and sword-swishing, while Lady Bullseye's throwing knives hiss like the shuriken Maka once threw at Spider-Boy and Daredevil. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Maka Akana's mentor has let her down. Lady Bullseye knows the feeling. She doesn't want the young Hawaiian to make the same mistakes she did. Spider-Man ordered Bailey Briggs to relinquish his costume because the ten-year-old had robbed a bank. In Spider-Girl #2, Lady Bullseye delivers a warning. Drop the hero act now before life tempts or forces you to become a villain.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #29 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Daniele Di Nicuolo

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Sara Pichelli & Federico Blee; Javier Garrón & Jesus Aburtov

Design: Jay Bowen

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

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: January 15, 2025

 

T’Challa gave Miles a key. Shuri gave him a heart-shaped herb. The divine panther at the soul tree gave Miles an invitation. But Miles’ vampirism brings Varnae’s spirit into Bast's domain. Worse, his connection to his god allows Kwaku Anansi to crash the party. While Bast seethes at these unwelcome guests, Anansi promises to heal Miles.

 

Bast calls Anansi a Trickster and trusts him like Thor trusts Loki. Can Anansi heal Miles? Or will Miles get trounced in a divine fight club, leaving Shift to assume Miles’ identity and become Brooklyn’s Spider-Man? Let's inscribe seals in a stone circle, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #29, and find out!

 

Story

Humans love stories about the gods. The gods delight in tales of legendary heroes. Anansi controls the Web Of Life And Destiny. He watches his spider-heroes wage villains across the multiverse. So, Anansi offers to heal Miles in return for a great story.

 

Anansi may claim he is the Storyteller God. But in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #29, he severs Varnae’s spirit from Miles and puts it back into T’Challa. The Black Panther attacks Miles with knives and claws. In this realm of the Vodū, all Miles has is his fists. But Miles cannot damage T’Challa’s Vibranium suit.

 

Before they entered Bast’s realm, T’Challa urged Miles to be calm. Shuri warned Miles not to believe what he saw. Both prove easier said than done when Anansi ups the stakes. Forget a vampiric Black Panther. Miles has faced far worse. Those conflicts left Miles stressed and beset with panic attacks. Tiana Toomes convinced Miles to try journaling. Dr Kwan tried the talking cure. But those remedies tackled Miles’ fear of others attacking him or his family. When Varnae bit him, the first vampire inverted Miles' battle. Instead of fearing what others will do to him, Miles fears what he will do to them.

 

While Cody Ziglar pits Miles against villains from his past, Miles must face his most oppressive foe. It isn't vampires or supervillains. It is the one thing that can hold Miles back from becoming all he can be. In Miles Morales: Spider-Man #29, Miles must decide if he will accept Franklin D Roosevelt’s challenge to Americans (including Brooklynites) or remain in his Great Depression.

 

 

 

Art

While Daniele Di Nicuolo shows his eyes bulge, Miles leaps and avoids Black Panther’s claws. But Anansi displays no fright in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #29. Bast regards the fight with displeasure, but a smile dances across Anansi's face. The Storyteller is in his element, even hanging upside down like Spider-Man. But don't expect him to give Bast an affectionate kiss.

 

Amid the purple and pink air and the bluish-gray clouds, Bryan Valenza thwips green webs into Bast’s realm in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #29. The thick webs rise like the chords supporting Riley’s Sense Of Self in Inside Out 2. But they also twist and attack Miles. They hurl him through a realm filled with yellow-green wheels, twisted turquoise and purple-striped buildings, and orange worlds. While Miles fights for his future, Shift arrives "home" in his red hoodie. He enters the kitchen with the red dining table and chairs. Like Bast, Rio shines with purple. Unlike Bast, she may dole out an affectionate kiss.

 

Humans speak black uppercase letters into white balloons. Gods speak colored words into similarly bordered divine dialogue balloons. Other characters talk into gray or black balloons. Miles' thoughts appear as white letters in red narrative boxes. The delicate font grows bold for intonation, enlarges for volume, and rarely shrinks or sways. Cory Petit employs sound effects to spice up a fight in the spiritual realm and make Shift more endearing (if that’s even possible). Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a copy for review. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Bast warned T’Challa that he would pay for letting Varnae slip into her realm. In Miles Morales: Spider-Man #29, the great spider-god Anansi offers Miles healing. The challenge the Trickster offers isn't what Miles thinks it is. And like the Black Panther, if Miles escapes Varnae’s influence, he must pay a price for such divine benevolence.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Amazing Spider-Man #54 Review

 

Writers: Zeb Wells

Pencilers: Ed McGuinness

Inker: Mark Farmer, Mark Morales, Wade Von Grawbadger & Ed McGuinness

Colorists: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Ed McGuinness, Mark Farmer & Marcio Menyz; Gabriele Dell’Otto; Javier Garrón & Jesus Aburtov; Federica Mancin & Edgar Delgado; Yasmine Putri

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 31, 2024

 

Evil never dies, and no one eats sins for breakfast. Instead, the Green Goblin hid. It stepped out now and then to dance a fiendish flamenco with Spider-Man. Then, it slithered back to the darkness to plan its triumphant return. This time, it wanted a bigger prize. So it tempted Norman Osborn to infect Peter Parker with its malice. When Ms Marvel organized a rescue, the Walking Brain exploded, and Peter, Norman, and the Walking Brain’s head fell into a pit. Kraven sealed them inside and guarded the entry hatch, refusing to let the malice escape. Are Nancy and Ann Wilson right? Must Peter or Norman keep on sinning? And after a goblin glider struck his chest, is Rek-Rap heartless? Let's thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #54 and find out!

 

Story

Would you give up your life for your friends? Ms. Marvel died defending Peter Parker and Mary Jane. The Mutants gave her another life, but Ms Marvel didn’t forget the plans she made in her former one. Ms Marvel awaited the Green Goblin's return. She organized a team to protect Norman and Peter from the malicious spirit and led a raid into Norman’s domain to battle the Green Goblin. Ms Marvel stared Death in the face and punched its crazed smile. She would have battled on, but Kraven stopped her. The Hunter doesn’t want anyone else to lose their lives to the Green Goblin. The heroes underground must defeat him before Kraven releases them from the pit.

 

How much of your life will you devote to others? The Living Brain planned for the Goblin’s eventual return. When that happened, it sacrificed most of its knowledge and thinking capacity to inhabit a robot. Yet, like Ms Marvel, it never wavered in its dedication to the plan. Let’s hope the Walking Brain's forethought and sacrifice pay off, so when it emerges from the pit and reunites with its metal body, it can grab a cigar and proclaim, “I love it when a plan comes together!”

 

When riches, power, and responsibilities weakened Norman Osborn, he fell prey to the Green Goblin’s domination. But now, just like any abuser, the possessing spirit wants to discard Norman for a younger, more vigorous host. Thankfully, no one vomits a stream of split pea soup in the pit beneath Oscorp. Still, Zeb Wells’ story reminds us not to let others dictate our thoughts and actions. Help others in need, but choose your path and live your dreams. Don’t let anyone or anything subjugate, dominate, or derail you because you're thwipping awesome! That’s the message of Amazing Spider-Man #54.

 

Art

Ms Marvel pulls on a metal hatch with her stretchy arms and Dr Octavius' old metal appendages. A one-armed man asks a Hulk-sized hero if he needs help pulling a smoking metal glider from his chest. Kraven presses Doug to his abdomen with his forearm and wraps the fingers of his other hand around J. Jonah Jameson’s neck. Go on, Jameson! Blame Spidey for the Green Goblin’s return!

 

Mark Farmer, Mark Morales, and Wade Von Grawbadger enhance Ed McGuinness’ portrayal of a mournful Norman and an exultant Peter. Energy crackles from the Winkler Device helmet at the bottom of the spear while the bejeweled head evokes a Minbari White Star. Pipes and equipment line the excavated tunnel walls as Peter and Norman vie to wield the weapon and avoid the raging spirit that hungers to control both men. 

 

 

 

Lights shine on Ms Marvel’s dark hair and reflect off her colorful suit and metal gauntlet as she strains to pry apart blue-gray metal. Purple and green threaten to outshine red and blue amid brown earthen walls. The sinful spear trails a red ribbon in its wake before the spirit manifests as a disembodied jubilant face, its yellow eyes and white fangs whirling through the air like a Poltergeist and spooking yellow sparks from Spidey’s red mask in Amazing Spider-Man #54. Yet Marcio Menyz shows the tide of battle turn when Spider-Man crouches before a green metal head amid the battle for three people's lives.

 

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase lettering into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The fonts grow bold for inflection, swell for increased volume, get italicized for machine-speak, and shrink for lowered voices. Colored laughter and anguished cries fill the air. Enlarged letters burst from dialogue balloons, and vibrant sound effects enhance the thunder below ground in Amazing Spider-Man #54. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

As Peter Parker’s friends strive to help him cast out a possessing spirit, three people test the limits of their bravery, ingenuity, and willingness to sacrifice to answer a question that will determine their destiny in Amazing Spider-Man #54.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

Jackpot & Black Cat #3 Review

 

Writer: Celeste Bronfman

Artists: Emilio Laiso & Giada Belviso

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Ariana Maher

Cover Artists: Pablo Villalobos; Javier Garrón & Jesus Aburtov; Elizabeth Torque & Tríona Ferrell

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 29, 2024

 

Mary Jane Watson disapproves of Felicia Hardy's criminal endeavors as Black Cat. Still, Mary Jane values her friendship with Felicia. Felicia has supported MJ’s burgeoning career as the superhero Jackpot. But Felicia’s new friend, Amelia Morrow, encourages Black Cat’s criminal activities. Will Amelia Morrow tear Mary Jane and Felicia Hardy apart? Let’s spin our fruit machine reels, extend our claws, leap into Jackpot & Black Cat #3, and find out!

 

Story

Last year, Amelia Morrow developed a popular phone app. When her employer refused her the credit and compensation she wanted, Amelia stole the source code and developed Obscura. Amelia adopted the supervillain name Bandwidth and used her new app to blackmail users into doing her bidding.

 

Amelia has little in common with Mary Jane or Peter Parker. Yet Amelia has spun Felicia into her web of criminal intrigue. Mary Jane wants Felicia to accept the truth. But Felicia adores Amelia and clings to the fading hope that Amelia cares for her. In Jackpot & Black Cat #3, Felicia excuses Amelia's behavior and insists she wouldn’t scare citizens into employing deadly force. Even as Felicia asserts that Mary Jane is wrong about Amelia, Felicia knows her friend is right. So why is Felicia denying the facts and the instincts that have allowed her to pursue her career without ending up in prison?

 

So far, Amelia has conned Felicia into fleecing Chance’s Flying Casino. She ordered app users to kill Mary Jane. Amelia threatened to harm Paul unless Mary Jane robbed White Rabbit’s money laundering operation. Mary Jane and Paul force Felicia and Amelia into an impromptu breakfast double date in Celeste Bronfman's story. Mary Jane wants to take down Amelia while protecting Felicia. But despite Felicia’s pleas, Amelia has no intention of playing nicely.

 

Felicia Hardy has made some strange friendships with Peter Parker and Mary Jane. While Peter cooled on Felicia, Mary Jane strives to reform her. Amelia accepts Felicia for who she is, and Black Cat enjoys playing Bandwidth’s games. But in Jackpot & Black Cat #3, the stakes get higher. People could die amid Bandwidth’s fun. Even if Mary Jane and Felicia survive, the consequences of Amelia’s actions could leave their lives in ruins.

 

 

Art

Felicia and Amelia look relaxed together in their apartment. But tensions rise as Mary Jane saunters in. Mary Jane sits across from Amelia while Paul faces Felicia. If looks could kill, they'd be lying on the floor. Felicia's hostility vanishes in the bathroom as MJ slips into teacher mode. Felicia sits on the bathtub and stares down at her knees before regarding MJ while supporting her head with her hand. But MJ doesn't soften before Felicia's Baby Don’t Hurt Me No More look. Instead, Mary Jane adopts a fighting stance and gestures while she argues her case.

 

Emilio Laiso and Giada Belviso turn on the heat when Paul and MJ leave the apartment. Paul hunches as he follows his lady love. But Paul stands beside MJ when enemies surround them in Jackpot & Black Cat #3. And Paul charges into danger at Mary Jane's side when supervillains appear.

 

Brian Reber paints Black Cat's apartment in gray, tan, pink, and purple. Mary Jane's purple top blends with Felicia's interior better than Amelia’s bright blue pajamas. Amid all the colorful passengers, Reber paints the subway train interior in gray and orange, flattens foregrounds, and adds a haze to lighten backgrounds. Little outshines Jackpot's red, gold, pink, and white suit, but a green-and-yellow multilimbed villain tries.

 

Ariana Maher spins black uppercase dialogue into white balloons and orange narrative boxes in Jackpot & Black Cat #3. Sound effects enliven the subway scenes as Jackpot's reels spin, MJ's powers manifest, and bodies slam into walls. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Amelia and Black Cat’s antics ruffle the Owl’s feathers and could incite another gang war. Events also force Felicia to confront her fears and doubts about Amelia. She's straddled the fence for too long. In Jackpot & Black Cat #3, Felicia Hardy must choose between friendship and love.

 

Rating 8/10

 

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

 

Blood Hunters #1 Review

 

Writers: Mark Russell, Christos Gage & Erica Schultz

Artists: Bob Quinn, Javier Garrón & Bernard Chang

Colorists: Matt Milla, Morry Hollowell & Marcelo Maiolo

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Greg Land & Frank D’Armata; Declan Shalvey

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 8, 2024

 

Day becomes night as Darkforce energy invites vampires to dine on our world. How can three superheroes prevent New York City from becoming their bloody smorgasbord? Let's grab our garlic, stakes, and symbols of our beliefs, leap into Blood Hunters #1, and find out!

 

The City That Never Weeps

Story

Mayor Cage may have nixed Fisk's Powers Act, but Hawkeye is on the lam in Blood Hunters #1. For some reason, people think he assassinated a UN ambassador. But when two police officers see through his disguise and try to arrest him for such trifles, the skies turn dark, and they find more important things to do. Mostly, they do a lot of yelling and screaming as vampires crash the diner. Hawkeye goes all Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but after defending his fellow patrons, he realizes his job isn't over. This neighborhood needs protection, and not from Tombstone's heavies.

 

In The City That Never Weeps, Hawkeye enlists a puppet therapist, a Spanish-speaking priest, and a burly Union worker to stamp out the Darkforce invasion. Writer Mark Russell's story reminds us how much like-minded people can accomplish when working together toward a goal. Russell uses the same low-key, playful dialogue and storytelling that made his recent Traveling To Mars series a joy to read. As the story nears its completion, and Hawkeye heads off for Shawarma, Russell also reminds us how important it is to heed government advisories during a vampire invasion and pack plenty of "light-to-medium-strength wooden stakes.”

 

Art

Bob Quinn ups the fun factor with Hawkeye marveling that the police recognize him with a mustache. While the police disappear amid the chaos, the young therapist wears a Save The Bees T-shirt and screams at his undead pursuer. But he joins Hawkeye on the roof of a restaurant to view the body-strewn street and vampires chasing citizens on the sidewalks. Later, he fights alongside Hawkeye in Blood Hunters #1, impaling vampires with his wooden puppet. Matt Milla sets the action under turquoise-streaked darkness, with streets and buildings muted, allowing people and vehicles to stand out. Interiors are more vibrant and help golden-haired Hawkeye glow with his purple outfit, bow, and arrows.

 

Joe Caramagna fires large uppercase lettering in white dialogue balloons and lavender narrative boxes while filling the air with loud hisses, screams, and crashes, the sounds of arrows leaving bows and plunging into bodies, and an intriguing but almost anticlimactic Ploof.

 

 

 

Blood Relations

Story

John waits for his father, J Jonah Jameson, to take him to lunch. But JJJ hurries past him to the balcony. John realizes the day is dark as the driver or assistant shouts a warning. A vampire bat crashes through a concrete wall. JJJ sees John transforming and begs him to let Spider-Man handle this, but John turns into Man-Wolf and takes the vampire for a ride off their roof.

 

Christos Gage peppers this action-packed story about a father and son protecting their city with MCU dialogue and complex character dynamics. Gage pokes fun at authority figures such as news and talk show personalities with JJJ's bluster, while John, even in werewolf form, proves the voice of reason. Yet JJJ is surprisingly proactive. He is the first to notice the darkening sky. JJJ quickly calls Spider-Man for assistance. He formulates plans to protect New York City. He quickly reduces a wood and cloth patio chair into stakes and a carrier bag to become J Jonah Jameson the Vampire Hunter! Take that, Abraham Lincoln!

 

Gage’s contribution to Blood Hunters #1 reminds us how families can weaken and empower their members, how we often yearn for authoritarian leadership, and

how beliefs can give us superpowers.

 

Art

His son may transform into Man-Wolf, but JJJ burns with frenetic energy in Blood Relations. John conserves his strength and remains calm and composed even in werewolf form. JJJ’s expression constantly changes as each new thought and feeling rocks his world. And despite all the money he's accumulated and the power he wields, he can only enjoy the view of his city from his high-rise apartment patio through cage-like iron bars.

 

Javier Garrón’s vampire-bat evokes Barry Windsor-Smith’s portrayal of Conan The Barbarian’s flying foes. Garrón also conveys John's amazement as he watches the Avengers battle a horde of vampire bats while he's just tackled one. In addition to the vampire-bat, other vampires menace father and son. Vampirism transformed them, yet their supernatural power accentuates their individuality.

 

Morry Hollowell brightens the darkened day with purple, maroon, orange, and yellow in Blood Hunters #1, pairs a silhouette with red to capture a violent moment, and pokes fun at JJJ’s fashion sense with flood-ready slacks and by making him carry a pink bag with white spots. Joe Caramagna hurls large-size uppercase black words into dialogue balloons, scares up crashes and impacts, and emphasizes that the humane way to kill vampires is a wooden stake.

 

 

 

Once More Into The Darkness: Part 1

Story

Darkforce energy consumed her partner. Without Cloak by her side, Dagger defends her adoptive home in New York City. Vampirism alters but doesn’t overpower villains in Erica Schultz's story, as drug dealers find a new way to prey on the citizens of NY’s Theater District.

 

Dagger's thoughts guide us through her battle against bloodthirsty drug dealers. Once More Into The Darkness: Part 1 is aptly named, as Dagger sympathizes with those she fights. Like a vampire, she has known insatiable craving. As more friends get drawn into dangerous situations, Dagger struggles to protect them from themselves.

 

Art

Bernard Chang brings big-screen appeal to Once Into The Darkness: Part 1. Dagger moves swiftly and athletically as she bounds, whirls, and flings psionic light daggers at her fanged opponents. Whether thin or muscular, the vampires show exceptional poise and definition, and their demonic features are haunting. Marcelo Maiolo brings a moody atmosphere to Blood Hunters #1 by contrasting cool browns and blues with bright yellows, oranges, pinks, and reds, giving this final story a film noir quality. Joe Caramagna breathes big uppercase letters into more narrative boxes than dialogue balloons, while the Shunk of psionic daggers gives Dagger hope before dispelling it with an immense heartrending scream.

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Hawkeye soothes New Yorkers’ fright through spirituality, Man-Wolf forces J Jonah Jameson to confront his Spider-Man fixation, and Dagger battles the overwhelming power of addiction in Blood Hunters #1.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To preview art for all three stories in Blood Hunters #1 see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.