Minor Arcana #1 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Colorist: Jeff Lemire

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artists: Jeff Lemire; Tula Lotay & Dee Cunniffe; Dustin Nguyen; David Mack; Jenny Frison; Fernando Rosales; Michael Dialynas; Kevin Wada; Soo Lee

Designers: Tom Muller & Grace Park

Editors: Maya Bollinger, Eric Harburn & Matt Gagnon

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 4, 2024

 

After years in the big city, Theresa returns to her hometown. She dreads the move, but her mother needs her. Can Theresa make this situation work? Or is it a dumpster fire that will incinerate her life? Let’s grab our Tarot decks, leap into Minor Arcana #1, and find out!

 

Story

The bus driver shouts at her. Theresa awakens from a dream. She has arrived! Theresa lumbers out and glares at Limberlost. She drags her roller bag to the local Psychic shop. But Theresa can't face her mom yet and heads to Stella’s Café for a cup of joe. The waitress invites her to sit anywhere she likes. Theresa takes a table and stares out the window at her mom’s shop. Suddenly, the waitress is getting all personal, reminding her of their High School days. Theresa can’t take this. Not now. So, there’s nothing for it. It’s time to reenter her mom’s world.

 

Nothing has changed. Theresa's mom welcomes her warmly. Then Vickie mentions that she expected Theresa yesterday. Vickie also wonders why Theresa doesn't take more pride in her appearance. Vickie dresses to impress her clients and create the supernatural aura they love. But all Theresa sees is a sham. Her mother puts on a show. Vickie preys on people's sadness in this no-hope town that most dream of escaping but never do. Theresa can't respect her mom. Suddenly, all the old frustrations and anger arise. Theresa hurries to the local tavern. But drinking will only bring a momentary escape. Besides, she is on the wagon. So, Theresa tracks down what used to satisfy her. There's nothing there for her now. Still, there is comfort in memories.

 

In Minor Arcana #1, Jeff Lemire tackles the difficulties of escaping our past. Theresa moved away, but new friends and work didn’t fill the aching void inside her. Now, her mother is sick. Vickie needs her. And according to Vickie, Limberlost needs Theresa. No preppy influencers or commercial interests are revitalizing Limberlost. In this small community, people seek connection. Theresa observed her mother with clients while growing up. So what if it is all a show? The future is a scary place. Theresa can offer them guidance. Theresa can assure mourners that their loved ones still care about them. The clients want to believe what Theresa will tell them. After all, doesn’t everyone need something to believe in?

 

Minor Arcana #1 is subtitled The Fool: Part One. But is the Fool card up or reversed? If it falls upright, the Tarot card offers the possibility of new beginnings. But if reversed, it portends folly, lack of direction, and poor judgment. Theresa’s life up ‘til now seems rooted in the reversed card. Perhaps there is still time to turn her life around.

 

Art

Theresa's cheekbones jut out, and lines surround her eyes when she frowns. The wind blows her straggly hair out of her drawn face as the slim woman drags her roller bag past barren trees and old stone and brick buildings. A church steeple rises above the thrift shop and the coin laundry. While most people Theresa passes return her frown, Kelly’s eyes glow, and a smile stretches across her face when Theresa says something Kelly wants to hear.

 

Jeff Lemire lavishes watercolors on his hand-drawn art in Minor Arcana #1. The green and blue skies press down on this town of yellow, brown, and gray buildings. Kelly's red jacket outshines Teresa's gray pants and the green stripes on her sweater. The warm brown and yellow psychic shop suggests vitality. Red neon signs glow in the windows. The drawn drapes hint at purple. But Theresa dreads entering the shop, with its red walls, purple drapes and tablecloth, and a purple lamp that shines down on a smoky yellow and brown globe.

 

Steve Wands conjures black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Frequent intonation emboldens and enlarges words. The wonky wheel’s clacking draws a passerby’s attention as Theresa heads for the house she used to call home. Yet the knocking that fills her mother’s shop could transform Theresa’s life in Minor Arcana #1. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

A dream plagues Theresa while she sleeps. She returns to it again and again. She ran away from her hometown for as long as she could. Now, she is back in Limberlost. Theresa must face whatever her subconscious and the universe want to tell her in Minor Arcana #1. After all, life is but a dream.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

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

Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #1 Review

 

Writer: Stephanie Phillips

Artist: Federica Mancin

Colorist: Matt Milla

Letterer: Ariana Maher

Cover Artists: Nolan Woodard, Mark Brooks, Jenny Frison, David Lopen, Ernanda Souza & Pablo Villalobos

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 22, 2024

 

Gwen Stacy calls Earth-65 home. She plays drums in a band, gets along with her father, and moonlights as Spider-Woman or Ghost-Spider. So why is she on Earth-616, forbidden to use her powers, and pretending to be Lisa Rogers? Let's thwip into Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #1 and find out!

 

Story

Gwen faced an apocalyptic future. She raced past destroyed buildings, pursued by a flock of angry birds. Then OB opened a time-space portal and pulled her inside.

 

Ouroborus, or OB for short, works for the Time Variance Authority. He couldn’t convince Mobius of her importance, so he ignored his supervisor’s decision and saved Gwen anyway. OB wants her to lay low in Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #1. But Gwen can't help it. Her symbiote spider-suit craves action. So, like an itch she shouldn’t scratch, Gwen gives in to temptation.

 

First, it's when she sees people threatened. Next, she goes looking for opportunities to help others. But getting seen has its consequences. Soon, people come looking for her. And they're not inviting her to play drums in their band.

 

 

 

Mysteries pervade Stephanie Phillips’ story in Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #1. What caused the devastation on Earth-65? Why is OB risking his job to place Gwen on Earth-616? Most of all, why does the death of her counterpart on Earth-616 haunt Gwen?

 

OB plucked Gwen Stacy from where she belonged and asked her to hide in plain sight. Untethered from her home, she yearns to fit in and belong. But OB warns Gwen that people will die if she continues to use the suit to help others. Like a pebble dropped in a pond, the ripples will travel through space-time. Could her good intentions bring about his worst fears?

 

With great power comes great responsibility. But is fear of potential consequences sufficient reason not to help people? 

 

 

 

Art

A banker stares at her application. Gwen sits across from him, dressed in a white jacket. A blue cap shelters her face. Then, people scatter papers, freeze, and collapse as masked gunmen enter. At least they're not wearing the faces of former presidents!

 

Hiding behind the banker’s desk, electricity crackles along Gwen’s left arm. Her white hoodie gives way to reddish pink with blue webbing. Masked thieves and Ghost Spider blur amid a flurry of movement. Gunmen crash into each other, and dust rises from the floor as Gwen perches atop a desk. Then Gwen thwips over street traffic and away from the bank as pedestrians cheer, gaze up, and send photos of the webbed wonder across the world wide web.

 

 

 

Matt Milla applies a loaded palette of soft and appealing colors to Federica Mancin’s dynamic art in Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #1. OB's green shirt reflects the turquoise walls of Gwen's apartment. A poster of a fiercely blue sky and a tropical beach taped to a wall allures. Gwen sits on a pink blanket atop the white mattress on the hardwood floor. Her blonde hair glows while sunlight casts a green shadow across her sparsely furnished apartment. Then, black seeps across OB's shirt, and lavender falls upon Gwen as the TVA agent realizes the difficulty of her situation.

 

Ariana Maher thwips uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons with long white arrows and reddish pink words into white narrative boxes outlined with turquoise. A Ka-Chak sounds from a rifle pointed at a bank clerk. A pink Thwip spills across a gunman clad in black. A siren floats on the breeze caused by blurring automobiles and flies past Gwen's fluttering hair. A red Fwwp signals encroaching weakness as Gwen heeds her symbiote suit's desires and ignores OB's in Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #1.

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Despite the TVA's orders to lie low, Gwen makes headlines and becomes the target of a savage killer in Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #1.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1 Review

 

Writer: Amy Jo Johnson & Matt Hotson

Artist: Nico Leon

Colorist: Francesco Segala & Gloria Martinelli

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Cover Artists: Goñi Montes, Dan Mora, Justine Florentino, Jenny Frison, Mico Suayan, Matthew Waite, John Giang, Inhyuk Lee, and Jae Lee with June Chung

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: February 7, 2024

 

The Power Rangers saved Earth. They defeated Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. But their victory cost them dearly. The surviving Rangers agreed not to use their power again. Twenty-two years later, the survivors reunite to honor another fallen comrade. Yet danger threatens one of their number, perhaps all. Will they become Power Rangers once again to combat this new menace? Let's leap into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1 and find out!

 

Story

In a damaged control room, the Red Ranger fights for his life. After a brutal firefight, a cloaked and hooded figure vanquishes him. Jason Scott doesn't recognize who he fights, but his opponent knows him. The victor takes Jason's Power Coin and holds it up in triumph.

 

In Angel Grove, Billy Cranston and Zach Taylor host a ceremony celebrating the opening of the Trini Kwan Memorial Park and Youth Center. Despite Billy’s stirring homage, Zach’s appearance overshadows the presentation. Kimberly Hart turns away. The former Pink Ranger’s thoughts turn to Trini. The female Power Rangers shared a special bond. But Trini isn't the only Ranger Kimberly mourns this day.

 

In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1, Pink Ranger actress Amy Jo Johnson and co-writer Matt Hotson beckon readers into an alternate universe. In their story, Kimberly Hart feared the power the Rangers wielded. The Pink Ranger extracted a promise from her surviving friends and left to live under an assumed name. After twenty-two years, she returns to discover her friends broke their promise to her. Worse, Jason's growing addiction to the Morphin Grid had tragic consequences. Johnson and Hotson pepper this heartfelt tale with intriguing clues, season it liberally with mystery and leave readers salivating for what comes next in this four-course miniseries. 

 

 

 

Art

Red, black, yellow, blue, and pink streak through space. The five colors fly past the moon. Inside a damaged fortress, a silhouette falls. Then Jason Scott appears as the Red Power Ranger, shooting at an unseen opponent. Defiant to the end, Jason appears in shard-like panels, suggesting he shattered the framework governing his life.

 

A crowd gathers before the modern athletic facility in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1. Trini's face and upper body on the big screen dwarf those on the stage. Billy looks respectable in his suit and tie, while Zach’s open shirt and mannerisms evoke a pop star. Kimberly leaves the crowd to tour the facility. Memories of training with Trini emerge like Polaroids. Zach finds her later in the graveyard. Nico Leon shows the distance between the former Rangers as Kimberly refuses to orient her body toward Zach, leaves flowers by an upright gravestone, and walks away.

 

Black, blue, and gray dominate the Red Power Ranger's battle. Blues, greens, yellows, and oranges suffuse the ceremony. Soft pastels suggest the faded grandeur of Kimberly's memories. Gray, beige, and green color Zach and Kimberly's confrontation beneath a stormy sky. Francesco Segala & Gloria Martinelli employ shifting sets of limited palettes in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1 to emphasize the darkness of Johnson and Hotson’s bleak future. Yet it’s hard to deny the explosive energy of the red and orange portrayal of Jason's heroism or the beckoning call of Kimberly’s log cabin as the sun rises the following morning.

 

Black uppercase letters inhabit white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. Power coins further identify some of the latter. Light yellow clapping rises from the crowd, while dark yellow letters reveal their shouts. Yet Ed Dukeshire’s most vibrant lettering helps us hear the firestorm in the opening pages and the heartbreaking sound of Jason losing his power coin.

 

Thanks to Boom! Studios and Hasbro for providing a copy for review

 

Final Thoughts

While Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1 tackles the irresistible nature of power and the toll it takes on heroes, it illustrates how power invites enemies and divides friends.

 

Rating 8.8/10

 

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

Red Sonja #5 Review

 

Writer: Torunn Gronbekk

Artist: Walter Geovani

Colorist: Omi Remalante Jr.

Letterer: Simon Bowland

Cover Artists: Lucio Parrillo, Bjorn Barends, Joseph Michael Linsner, Bryan Hitch, Jenny Frison, Frank Thorne & Cosplay

Publisher: Dynamite

Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 15, 2023

 

 

Kulan Gath remembers his mortal life. As he gazes down from the astral plane, he watches Red Sonja ride through a snowstorm. What does the dead wizard plan for this warrior maiden who carries the late Lady Alaberta's black diamond? Let’s leap into Red Sonja #5 and find out!

 

Story

Kulan Gath shares his disdain for civilization with Conan and Red Sonja’s creator. Yet Robert E. Howard never sanctioned poisoning someone, let alone a trusted friend and mentor. Kulan Gath once pursued his quest for power without regard for loyalty or mercy. Now, as his spirit watches people fight and die on the mortal plane, he remembers what it felt like to be alive and kill those around him.

 

In Red Sonja #5, Thord Varg conquered Velanger to capture her black diamond. By bringing it to the High Priest's city of Vestfold, perhaps Red Sonja can stop his reign of terror. Yet she halts her flight to free refugees. Like an uncaring disease, slavers capture the frightened and homeless. But in Red Sonja, they find more than they bargained for.

 

Torunn Gronbekk meditates on loyalty versus reason, power versus compassion, and achievement versus satisfaction in Red Sonja #5. As priests use sex, violence, and human sacrifice to worship their gods, Torunn reveals a clue to Thord Varg’s power. The High Priest believes he slaughtered innocents to safeguard Vestfold's future. Yet is he wiser than the She-Devil, who doesn't overthink things and grasps whatever opportunities she finds? Unlike Thord Varg, she knows power comes with a price. She paid it to avenge her family's deaths. Now, she uses any power she possesses to help others.

 

Oh, and Red Sonja likes her horse. She talks to it as she would a person. That says a lot about her, too.

 

 

 

Art

Kulan Gath walks through a garden surrounded by planets and stars. Via a reflecting pool, he watches Red Sonja ride through a snowstorm. As she passes burning homes and buildings, she spies a caravan. Red Sonja rides toward the refugees shackled to a horse-drawn wagon. Pairs of red eyes glow in the darkness beneath the wagon’s fabric-strewn wooden hoops.

 

Walter Geovani imbues Sonja’s horse Erder with personality. Walter’s storybook art packs panels with more power than many double-page spreads. Little touches enhance his visual feast. Consider the similarity between the coils of Sonja's hair and the many-headed hydra. Observe how he mirrors a severed hydra neck with a slaver’s bloody stump. A circular staircase evokes the coils of a serpent, reminding us of the power that tempts priests and wizards in Red Sonja #5.

 

Omi Remalante Jr. imbues Kulan Gath’s remembrance with a faded quality, illuminated by torchlight. He surrounds the dead wizard with lustrous colors, comparing the ethereal beauty of his new life with the gray, burning lands Sonja rides through. Yet richness creeps into Hyborean lands as the morning light invades the storm. While bold and vibrant colors fill panels, Omi backlights scenes to suggest Red Sonja's indomitable nature. Amid all the bloodletting, blood dances in darkness, reminding readers of the source of Thord Varg’s power. 

 

 

 

Simon Bowland writes Torunn Gronbekk’s compelling narrative using uppercase black letters on parchment. Simon grants white dialogue balloons to human characters, while those inhabited by a possessing spirit speak with white letters in black balloons. No sound effects invade the pages of Red Sonja #5. Yet Simon ends Torunn’s tale on a chilling note, as bloodthirsty believers demand the death of any who impedes their cause.   

 

Thanks to Dynamite Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

While Red Sonja rescues the powerless and bestows mercy on monsters, a fallen foe influences events from beyond the grave, raining destruction upon the Hyborian world in Red Sonja #5.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To preview interior art and view other covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

 

W0rldtr33 #1 Review

 

Writer: James Tynion IV

Artist: Fernando Blanco

Colorist: Jordie Bellaire

Letterer: Aditya Bidikar

Cover Artists: Fernando Blanco; David Aja; Jenny Frison; Bill Sienkiewicz; Zu Orzu; Alvaro Martinez Bueno

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 26, 2023

 

A naked, tattooed blonde reaches into a computer case. Ignoring a dead man on the floor, she sits on the bed and opens a laptop. She watches a video of a young man using his cell phone to distract an older couple as he kills them. What new world is the young man speaking of, and why does the naked woman smile as she watches him? Let's jump into W0rldtr33 #1 and find out!

 

Story

Ellison and his girlfriend Fausta drive along a narrow mountain road. She urges him to keep his mind on the twisting asphalt ribbon and not look at him so much as they talk. He's worried about his brother Gibson’s internet use. Both have watched videos designed to shock and provoke, but Ellison believes his brother is immersing himself in something that could ruin his life. Fausta teases Ellison, calling him and his brother Edgelords. But then she looks at what Gibson has posted on social media and realizes Ellison was right to worry.

 

Meanwhile, Gabriel watches TV in his sleek, modern apartment. A report on Gibson’s actions prompts Gabriel to contact people he hasn’t seen in years. Once they worked together as software developers. They created something called W0rldtr33. While it gave the team members nightmares, Gabriel believes it might now be humanity’s only hope.

 

 

 

 

Art

W0rldtr33 #1 begins with an audacious first page. It's divided into twelve panels. Each conveys essential information about this silent scene. They introduce the dead man, the woman who killed him, and show her setting down her gun as she digs through his computer bag. She seems emotionless, yet she closes the man's eyes before she accesses his computer. A subtle hint of the story yet to come is that one row of three panels shows a glaring layout irregularity. More pages with tiny panels follow. She watches an online video of someone approaching a house, killing an old gentleman on the front porch, then walking inside and killing his wife. Fernando Blanco packs each of these scenes with photographic realism.

 

Jordie Bellaire casts the first scene in a pink glow, suggesting a motel room. The laptop casts a green tint on the naked woman's features. The killer shows the couple his cell phone, which shoots red and blue across their faces. Although the woman's coloring makes her look like a cartoon character imposed on a faded photograph, the scarlet blood spilling from her—and her husband--is shocking. Ellison and Fausta’s conversations begin with a gorgeous shot of his Prius navigating a wooded mountain pass. The car’s orange paint glows almost too much. Inside, Ellison’s face looks washed out. Unlike him, Fausta’s face shows more color and realism. Sadly, most of these panels in this scene only show green windows, reminiscent of a film set, and the special effects crew forgot to draw in the background scenery. The topics discussed--and the lack of backgrounds--made me wonder if I wanted to read further.

 

Gray dominates Gabriel's apartment. His long white hair falls onto his dark striped shirt and dark pants. Outside his modern apartment, nearby buildings blend with the overcast sky. The only color in his world comes from his TV, computer monitors, and memory. After you finish reading W0rldtr33 #1, return the opening quote by Harlan Ellison. It may address some of Jordie's coloring choices, particularly the final scene's lighting.

 

 

 

 

As W0rldtr33 #1's story pursues disturbing themes, I appreciated Aditya Bidikar’s easy-to-read-and-follow lettering. Bold words suggested inflection. Uppercase letters inhabited spherical dialogue balloons. (The only exception is Gabriel's memory when dialogue balloons are yellow). Big white letters introduce each character's scenes. Bidikar’s sound effects help us hear the computer accessing the internet and the (somewhat) naked woman's rumbling motorcycle. Gunfire seems more stylized than intended to help us feel the sound of the gun reports and the bullets striking their victims.

 

Final Thoughts

W0rldtr33 #1 tackles the increasing intrusion of Artificial Intelligence and our desensitizing addiction to violent entertainment in a mature manner. Visually arresting and thought-provoking, fans of Blade Runner and Terminator movies, and readers who still revere Isaac Asimov and Harlan Ellison, should not miss this powerful debut.

 

Rating 9.7/10

 

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

Indigo Children #1 Review

 

Indigo Children #1 Review

Writers: Curt Pires & Rockwell White

Artist: Alex Diotto

Colorist: Dee Cunniffe

Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Cover Artists: Alex Diotto; Tyler Boss; Tula Lotay; Jenny Frison

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: March 29, 2023

 

In the beginning, there was darkness. Then lights appeared. The lights took form and became the glowing eyes of youths across the Egyptian desert. The youths’ feet left the ground, and they floated through the air toward the head of the ancient Sphinx. What happens next? Let’s tune into Indigo Children #1 and find out!

 

Story

Five years earlier, young Alexei boards an airplane. He glimpses a passenger’s past: the pain he suffered during the Chechen War in 1994. His mother notices his reaction and asks what he sensed. He whispers to her. She leaves to speak with a flight attendant. Suddenly a guard points his gun at the man, and the plane explodes. Boom! 

 

 

 

 

Donovan Price is tracking a story. The journalist corresponds online with his source. He travels to Russia. He meets with an aging professor who once knew Alexei. The professor piques his interest without giving him anything concrete to go on. Donovan calls in a favor. He wants to find Alexei: presumably one of the Indigo Children.

 

This double-length debut issue takes readers on a journey from Egypt to an unnamed airport and then to England before finally transporting us to Russia. Curt Pires & Rockwell White clutch the facts against their chests, making it difficult to parse what's happening. The journalist plays a videotape of young Alexei on a VCR. Yet he later claims his source sent him the video via email. The journalist uses a satnav instead of his phone. His cell phone—or his mobile phone, as he's in Europe—looks more like it belongs to the past than the present. Or is it a satellite phone? Initially, I thought the action took place in 1999. Later, I guessed the early 2000s. It wasn't until I Googled something a character mentioned that I realized that "Now," as stated in Indigo Children #1, must mean “Now.” 

 

 

 

Art

Alex Diotto’s simple, direct style gets the job done. While his characters aren't all that expressive, they're not supposed to be. The journalist asks questions. Those he asks--Russians, in this case--refuse to answer him directly. People always sweat when they're nervous. At first, I thought young Alexei was a girl. But then, I didn’t realize he was Russian.

 

Alex’s automobiles and buildings are good-to-impressive. Roads are lines with ink blotches. Bushes are inked-in forms or shapes with dots. Yet every scene provides scale. He portrays faces and bodies consistently. A laptop looks like a laptop. Old Polaroids, a well-used cup and saucer, an unlatched window that swings inward: every detail—including Russian lettering on signs and buildings--sucks us into Donovan’s journey.

 

 

 

 

Dee Cunniffe’s limited color palette enhances Diotto’s rough line art. Color combinations change with the scenes. Yet each combination fits the time, place, characters, and mood seems spot on. Light touches of shading and highlights suggest light sources. The coloring underlines the journalist’s dark journey through a land that does not know freedom.

 

Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s lettering conveys mood and intonation in Indigo Children #1. Sometimes symbols suggest a gasp or grunt. Dialogue balloons and attached arrows change shape. Lowered voices shift from uppercase to lowercase letters. I particularly like how he portrays psychic communication and suggests white noise pouring from a radio.  

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Government conspiracies, a hint of Heinlein’s novel Stranger In A Strange Land, and an overt reference to The Truman Show make this an intriguing debut. After two readings, I don’t understand everything in Indigo Children #1, but I welcome learning more.

 

Rating 7.3/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch