Strange Tales #1 Review

 

Strange Tales #1 Review

Writer: Jeremy Whitley

Artist: Bayleigh Underwood

Colorist: Jim Campbell

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Bayleigh Underwood & Jim Campbell; Annie Wu; Gretel Lusky

Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Lauren Bisom, Farah Javed & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 8, 2025

 

Nico Minoru carries her Staff of One and casts spells behind her. Still, she cannot shake her flying, fire-breathing pursuer. Nico doesn’t know why Billy Kaplan transported her to Midtown. But if the dragon doesn’t kill her, she vows to end Wiccan’s life. Why does the former Runaway blame the one-time Young Avenger for her imminent demise? And can anyone prevent Nico from being roasted into a delectable morsel? Let’s grab our dice and character sheets, leap into Strange Tales #1, and see!

 

Story

After sheltering behind a delivery van, Nico bangs on the double doors of a nearby building. After she turns to face her imminent demise on the sidewalk, Wanda Maximoff offers Nico a helping hand inside her Emporium. But Nico is frazzled after her flight from the flying, frying death. So, the Scarlet Witch gets Nico to settle down and explain how all the trouble started.

 

In Jeremy Whitley’s story, it’s dangerous for magic users to venture out on Halloween. So, Nico and her friend, Karolina Dean, spent the evening in Billy Kaplan and Theodore Altman’s apartment. Billy was excited by finding a game he had never seen before. The four friends wrote up their character sheets, rolled the dice, and immersed themselves in the game. But as they played, creatures from their game appeared, and Billy and Nico fled for their lives.

 

While Nico gets Strange Tales #1 rolling, Wanda Maximoff proves to be the game master. The mystical investigator forces the story to follow her as she uncovers clues. Billy bought the game for a lark. Teddy, Nico, and Karolina came along for the ride. Wanda discovers that someone laid a trap for her son and his friends. Like Sherlock Holmes, Wanda isn’t afraid to embrace danger. Nico may not be a doctor, but she proves an able sidekick as the duo brave goblins, dragons, and more. And both women wield more effective weapons than a Webley revolver or a walking stick.

 

 

 

 

Art

As Bayleigh Underwood shows an explosion rocking Midtown, Jim Campbell reveals a green-clad witch fleeing the orange storm in Strange Tales #1. White ice erupts to chill the dragon's yellow and orange breath, while a glass door reflects the flames and the gray-blue street. Then, a red wooden door with a metal knocker appears before hands emerge from a white field to capture the witch.

 

The primary characters in Strange Tales #1 reveal an impish quality that shows the joy they find in being together. Wanda Maximoff radiates confidence and assurance as she welcomes her visitor and returns to the scene of the crime. Pastels dominate Billy and Teddy’s apartment when monsters appear. But while Karolina fills the room with a rainbow swirl, the other heroes cast white magic that radiates a unique color. 

 

Joe Caramagna fills white dialogue balloons with uppercase black letters. The letters shrink for lowered voices and enlarge for raised voices. The narrator speaks ivory words into black boxes, while Wanda confronts someone who speaks white words into black balloons. Sound effects fill the pages with all the crash, bang, and boom of a multiplex cinema showing Reign Of Fire. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy. 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Strange Tales #1 launches an involving mystery that reminds us of the addictive power of games, the importance of reading instruction manuals, and the dangers of entering thrift shops.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

My Little Pony: Classics Reimagined—The Unicorn Of Odd #2 Review

 

Writer: Jeremy Whitley

Penciller: Jenna Ayoub

Inker: Matt Froese

Colorist: Heather Breckel

Letterer: Johanna Nattalie

Cover Artists: Jenna Ayoub, Robin Easter & Andy Price

Publisher: IDW

Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 11, 2023

 

A tornado transported Dorothy and Toto to the kingdom of Odd. A princess told Dorothy that the Unicorn of Odd in the Emerald City could get her back home. How will Dorothy and Toto fare as they follow the Yellow Brick Road? Let’s gallop into My Little Pony: Classics Reimagined—The Unicorn Of Odd #2 and find out!

 

Story

One staple of stories where fate whisks people to a strange land is they immediately yearn to return home. In L. Frank Baum’s classic novel, he describes Dorothy’s Aunt Em and Uncle Henry as old and gray. Playing with Toto prevented life from grinding Dorothy down. In My Little Pony: Classics Reimagined—The Unicorn Of Odd #2, the Scarecrow tackles this topic. Dorothy responds that she loves her family. It's those she cares about that make a place home.

 

Oh, did I not mention the Scarecrow’s joined Dorothy? If I only had a brain! Speaking of the Scarecrow, she may talk a lot and not always look where she's going, but she comes up with a good idea by and by.

 

As they travel, Dorothy, Toto, and Scarecrow meet the Tin Woodsmare. She breaks the fourth wall and takes over the narration, making herself the center of attention. To rein her in, Dorothy and Scarecrow address the narrator and ask him to resume. Eventually, the Tin Woodsmare agrees to join her and journey with them to the Emerald City. Still, that doesn't prevent the characters from interacting further with the narrators in this tongue-in-cheek adaptation of Baum's novel.

 

Did I care enough about you to mention that the Tin Woodsmare has a tragic backstory involving the Wicked Princess of the East? If I only had a heart!

 

There’s much more fun to discover in Jeremy Whitley’s adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz. Who knows? Perhaps My Little Pony: Classics Reimagined—The Unicorn Of Odd #2 may even give you the courage to read this century-old novel! 

 

 

 

Art

Jenna Ayoub and Matt Froese’s classic layouts feature rectangular panels with equal spacing. The character’s faces may look more feline than equine, but their bodies look and move like ponies. Dorothy wears a cowboy hat, plaid shirt, and overalls. The Scarecrow may look too flouncy, but her winning smile shows that braininess and happiness don't necessarily travel side by side. The elegant Tin Woodsmare uses her mind to direct her hovering axe. While not highly detailed, the yellow brick road and backgrounds convince in this heartwarming, young adult tale.

 

Heather Breckel loads her palette with soft, appealing colors in My Little Pony: Classics Reimagined—The Unicorn Of Odd #2. While she provides shading and highlights, panels may look a little flat. Still, depth and interest make characters and scenes compelling.

 

Johanna Nattalie places uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons. She colors the narrator’s boxes yellow. When the Tin Woodsmith takes over the narration, Nattalie colors her boxes blue. Sound effects enhance Whitley’s magical tale, and the highly readable dialogue and narration are always easy to follow.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

L. Frank Baum’s “modernized fairy tale” gets an equine update in My Little Pony: Classics Reimagined—The Unicorn Of Odd #2.

 

Rating 9/10

 

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