Rebel Moon: Nemesis #1 Review

 

Story: Zach Snyder

Writer: Gail Simone

Artist: Federico Bertoni

Colorist: Fares Maese

Letterer: Andworld Design

Cover Artists: Kael Ngu, Danny Earls, Reza Afshar, Alice Meichi Li & Chris Christodoulou

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 16, 2025

 

Nemesis may be an assassin. But everyone comes from somewhere, and we all change as we grow. Long ago, Nemesis lived a different life. She gazed upon the world in wonder, questioned what she saw and thought, and told her parents she loved them. What tragedy befell the little girl with a heart of gold? Let’s grab our swords, leap into Rebel Moon: Nemesis #1, and see!

 

Story

Nemesis grew up in a fishing village. Her parents named her Tatan and called her sister Gahbi. As much as Tatan enjoyed life with her parents, fate drew her away from them. Her new masters instructed the little girl in their ways. Every day was a punishment and a trial of endurance. Her new masters beat the exuberance for life out of young Tatan. Surrounded by others, she was alone.

 

In Rebel Moon: Nemesis #1, Tatan feared she held the power to destroy. The little girl misunderstood her father, who was tired of Tatan's constant chatter. But, without knowing it, her father also spoke the truth. Tatan and her sister received a special honor. They had the chance to become more than a fisherman's daughter or wife. Despite the pitfalls of her new community, Tatan survived her teaching and training. The resilience she learned in her adolescence would help her survive the tragedy to come.

 

Zach Snyder and Gail Simone's story is about how our youth shapes us. But it also reminds us how one society influences another. Society on Byeol, the planet of Tatan's birth, was founded by a repentant warrior. Tatan's teachers instructed her in their ways. But they also repressed her individuality. In so doing, they prepared her for later life. Not as someone who would repent for dispatching her opponents. But as an unstoppable killing machine, utterly dedicated to her cause.

 

Art

Federico Bertoni’s artwork has a fractal appearance, portraying characters as edgy, sharp, and unforgiving as the worlds they fight over. Locals in ethnic attire huddle in an alley. Soldiers intrude wearing armor, uniforms, and the accolades of conquest. A glimpse into the distant past reveals a battle in a fishing village. Swords and axes clash beneath a stormy sky in Rebel Moon: Nemesis #1. Energy crackles in the air, while a warrior’s glowing sword illuminates the tattoos carved into his subdued opponent’s chest and shoulder.

 

While golden candlelight and glowing red blades light Nemesis' dark path, Fares Maese fills Tatan's youth with blues and greens. The girl rides in a brown boat with a basket of gray fish near her parents' brown and gray house on the water. When her father brings her to her new home, he presses a brown book, a black pen, and a bottle of ink into her hands. Then Tatan trades her pink kimono for a beige, black, and white uniform in Rebel Moon: Nemesis #1. Tatan’s hair, skin, and attire blend with everyone else in her new world.

 

Andworld Design fills white dialogue balloons with uppercase black letters and brown boxes with white uppercase narration. Larger white letters on transparent brown-gray banners located us in time and space, while looming white numbers follow Nemesis' countdown to solace. Sound effects accompany Nemesis' attacks and Imperial cruelty. Hand-printed white letters hover over black symbols above a skull in a brown book. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy. 

 

Final Thoughts

A mission fueled by lofty ideals can become a machine that crushes those it intends to help. Nemesis has seen everything she valued destroyed by the emissaries of civilization. So in Rebel Moon: Nemesis #1, she’s making things right by exterminating wrongs.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Rebel Moon: Nemesis #1. 

Creepshow Vol 3 #5 Review

 

Writers: Ed Brisson & Kami Garcia

Artists: Kael Ngu & Isaac Goodhart

Colorists: Kael Ngu & Miquel Muerto

Letterer: Pat Brosseau

Cover Artists: Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran; Kael Ngu; Steve Beach

Editor: Ben Abernathy

Designer: Jillian Crab

Production: Richard Mercado

Masters Of Horror: Greg Nicotero & Brian Witten

Additional Creep Art: Michael Broom

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: January 22, 2025

 

Online dating can deliver a dream or a disaster. A new home can usher in tranquility or tragedy. What will Kristin and Agnes discover when they open new chapters of their lives? Let’s leap into Creepshow Vol 3 #5 and find out!

 

Story: Tent Revival

Jeff likes hunting and camping. But Kristin is surprised when he takes her on a backpacking trip. So many men have lied in their online profiles that she has considered closing her account. But Jeff is the outdoorsman he professed to be. When they reach a clearing facing the lake, Kristin revels in the sunset. But as night falls, and they sit by the fire sharing their tattered dreams of finding love, a woman walks through the trees and asks if she can join them by the fire.

 

For this first story in Creepshow Vol 3 #5, Ed Brisson delivers a classic Teens In The Woods horror tale. Kristin suspects that Angie isn't on the level. But who can she call on for help? Tent Revival reminds us that there is a natural order and that violence knocks that system out of balance.

 

Art: Tent Revival

While Jeff strides ahead, Kristin holds back, leaving ample space between them on the narrow path. But once they reach the clearing, she pushes past him to stand near the rocky edge. Instead of looking away from him like on the path, Kristin watches Jeff build the fire. She wraps her arms around him as they sit on the log. Jeff and Kristine shoot to their feet when a shadowy figure creeps up. But illuminated by the fire, they resume their seat, clutching each other, as Angie makes her request.

 

Kael Ngu’s panels resemble oil paintings in Creepshow Vol 3 #5. While Kristin sports pink and yellow, Jeff embodies the bulk of Ngu's palette in his ivory, gray, black, and red. The yellow fire forms a link to Kristine's boots and the jacket tied around her waist. After the first page of daylight, red seeps into the surrounding darkness. It makes Kristine's lips and hair glow. Crimson also colors Jeff's shirt collar. Disturbingly, red lurks everywhere in Tent Revival. It lingers on the edge of Jeff’s axe, adorns wood, suffuses leaves, and speckles characters and backgrounds.

 

Story: Prize Possession

Despite warnings of a mysterious death, a couple buys a house along the cliffs. Amid the grandeur of the three-story Victorian house, trouble sets in. When Mom and Dad celebrate their daughters' birthdays, Agnes likes her present, but Katherine disdains hers. Her parents don't know how to ease Katherine's growing unhappiness. Katherine seems determined to terrorize Agnes.

 

Kami Garcia tackles sibling rivalries and bullying in this second story in Creepshow Vol 3 #5. Prize Possession is a reminder that everything has a spirit, and we should notice how places and objects affect us. The story also pits rationalism against spiritualism. Like Star Wars, Prize Possession reveals the power (and costs) of embracing the Dark Side.

 

Art: Prize Possession

Isaac Goodhart begins by taking a leaf out of Wes Anderson's book. Panels reveal interior scenes within an exterior shot of the house while a raven watches the empty porch. Mom runs the household with her opening declaration, photographing the birthday party, and intuiting Katherine's emotions from her body language. When Dad tries to reason with Katherine, Mom lays down the law, just as she dismissed a local's reservations during their viewing. Agnes only gets a few moments of guarded happiness and clings to her doll.

 

Miquel Muerto brings a bright, cheery palette to Goodhart’s traditional comic art in this second story in Creepshow Vol 3 #5. Anges wears blue overalls and a white shirt, a pink nightshirt, and a white dress, while Katherine wears a black dress in the first half of Prize Possession. Later, she relaxes in black and gray. Her red sneakers link with the words in Agnes' diary.

 

Lettering & Additional Creep Art

Pat Brosseau lavishes black, uppercase words in ivory dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for inflection, swell for volume, and rarely shrink. Sound effects help us hear a hardworking axe and a character getting her just desserts.

 

Michael Broom introduces Tent Revival with the Creep backpacking through the woods toward a skeleton. After forging this link with Jeff, the Creep ends the story by toasting marshmallows like Angie. He hovers over the Victorian house in Prize Possession, anxious to show his prized doll house. But the Creep closes this tale of domestic disharmony by revealing that appearances can be deceiving. Thanks to Image Comics and Skybound for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Kristin and Agnes discover that they are cherished and wanted. Kristine and Angie feel wronged. As in Friday The 13^th and Dark Shadows, vengeful spirits haunt picturesque settings in Creepshow Vol 3 #5.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

The Scorched #22 Review

 

Writers: Sean Lewis & Todd McFarlane

Artist: Stephen Segovia

Colorist: Ulises Arreola

Letterer: Andworld Design

Cover Artists: Mike Deodato, Jr.; Kael Ngu

Publisher: Image

Price: 2.99

Release Date: October 11, 2023

 

Spawn, She-Spawn, and the team confront Terminus. The Senator wields the Spear Of Longinus, stolen from the military base. His kin are on the way. Can the Scorched defend Earth against the Planet Eaters? Let's burn into The Scorched #22 and find out!

 

Story

Death refined Jessica Priest. It galvanized her in the pit. Redeemer, Monolith, and Medieval left her as she fought the virus. What gave her the will to survive was her daughter.

 

Motherhood—protecting a child she hadn’t raised--fueled her fight against Urizen in The Scorched #17. Seeing that Jessica’s daughter might become an orphan, Gaia spared She-Spawn. She also gave She-Spawn a new team. But then, Gaia is the mother of all. Who better to defend her planet than another mother?

 

Terminus was an emissary of the Planet Eaters. But power corrupted him. Nor can Gaia trust Spawn after he teamed up with Urizen in the last issue.

 

Sean Lewis and Todd McFarlane tantalize us with prophecies and potential futures in The Scorched #22. Did Gaia send the Planet Eaters to destroy Earth? Or was finding a champion to turn back the Planet Eaters always the plan? Perhaps Gaia changed her mind? If a woman can do that, why not a god?

 

Art

After a one-issue break to recharge his spawn batteries, Stephen Segovia returns to The Scorched. He delivers the ultimate battle between She-Spawn and Senator Terminus. The others fight, but only Spawn diverts the action from the contenders. The arrival of a space fleet signals a lull in the battle. But this window closes quickly. Terminus wields his sacred spear, yet his arm doesn’t transform like in earlier issues. Something Spawn sees startles him. Incredibly, one member of Jessica’s new team dwarfs even Monolith.

 

Combatants fight against a purple sky. Yet a yellow glow surrounds She-Spawn. Blood—both red and green—flies. Spaceships and weapons cut through the air, leaving a trail of colored light. Redeemer's sword shoots a yellow energy beam at Terminus’ blood beasts. Yet the most intense light—yellow and green—sparks from She-Spawn’s eyes. Her hair and suit match Spawn’s cape and another woman’s dress. These are a sample of the bold and rich colors Ulises Arreola wows readers within The Scorched #22.

 

Yellow words in brown narrative boxes guide readers through this titanic title fight, courtesy of Andworld Design. Black and red uppercase words dominate white narrative boxes with stylized arrows. Jessica and Terminus's dialogue balloons resemble those of ordinary humans--even though both are far more. Minimal sound effects accentuate the intense action. Their absence goes unnoticed amid this issue’s thundering action.

 

Final Thoughts

Still suffering from the virus that nearly killed her, She-Spawn battles the Planet Eaters and combats greed and blindness in The Scorched #22.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

King Spawn #26 Review

 

Writer: Todd McFarlane

Artist: Javi Fernandez

Colorist: Ivan Nunes

Letterer: Andworld Design

Cover Artists: Mike Deodato, Jr.; Kael Ngu

Publisher: Image

Price: $2.99

Release Date: October 4, 2023

 

While he argued they joined forces to take down Cogliostro, Clown killed Spawn’s friend Yoko. Now Spawn’s fed up. So, he’s gearing up. Spawn won't be a pawn in Heaven and Hell's game. Who is he going after? Let's leap into King Spawn #26 and find out!

 

Story

Knives. Guns. Modern assault armor. Spawn straps it all on, then flies through the night. He searches for a woman. One who can aid him: the Visage.

 

Al Simmons will never join forces with his wife’s murderer. But Clown was right about one thing. Whoever sits on Hell’s throne can harm Earth. Spawn reigns harm upon his enemies to prevent this. He flies through the shadows of our world like a bat out of Hell. All the while, he seeks a kindly old lady.

 

News personalities muse upon the relationship between caped crusaders and global warming. Do costumed superheroes proliferate alongside extreme weather events? Spawn may not be responsible for the latest heatwave in King Spawn #26. Still, is he willing to expose his secrets and risk all to prevent villains like Cogliostro and Clown from controlling Hell?

 

Clown action figure available at Amazon.com

 

 

Art

Gloved fingers grab grenades, load guns, and wreath Spawn’s chest with bands of bullets. Moonlight casts his shadow upon buildings, thanks to artist Javi Fernandez. Lights gleam in the night from New York City skyscrapers as Spawn perches upon a denuded tree in King Spawn #26. His cape carries him like batwings as the symbiote soldier Al Simmons swoops down upon his enemies.

 

Spawn’s crimson cape gives way before the red neon nightclub sign as Al Simmons enters. Red ceiling lights threaten to turn the splattered blood brown. Al's teeth gleam and his eyes glow green as Ivan Nunes imbues King Spawn #26 with colored film noir appeal.

 

Yellow uppercase letters glow within brown narrative boxes as Todd McFarlane relates Spawn's actions. Giant red sound effects punctuate Spawn's Breaking And Entering. Uppercase black letters inhabit white dialogue balloons as Spawn questions his victims and begs his favor. Andworld Design delivers a fast-paced horror adventure that’s Heaven on the eyes in King Spawn #26

 

Final Thoughts

Do the ends ever justify the means? To prevent a greater evil, Al Simmons lays aside his principles and engages in aggressive negotiations with the blood-soaked King Spawn #26.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

For another cover see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Gunslinger Spawn #24 Review

 

Writer: Todd McFarlane

Artist: Brett Booth

Inker: Adelso Corona

Colorist: Ivan Nunes

Letterer: Tom Orzechowski

Cover Artists: Mike Deodato Jr.; Kael Ngu

Publisher: Image

Price: 2.99

Release Date: September 20, 2023

 

Taylor’s haunted by nightmare visions. Gunslinger wakes him, then tells him they’re Splitsville. Wait? Is the scarred hellspawn breaking up the team? Let’s fall into Gunslinger Spawn #24 and find out!

 

Story

Taylor suffered while growing up due to his less-than-human heritage. He struggled to fit in because his father never explained he didn’t belong. This reminder of his past makes Taylor notice Javier's scars. Taylor's pity reminds his hellspawn friend of unfinished business.

 

Javier abandons Taylor to visit his shaman. Waya reminds Gunslinger of his obligations to the boy. But Javier hasn't had time to train the boy or help Taylor fight the infection poisoning him. After dealing with the angels that pursued him and battling Clown and Violator on Omega Island, Gunslinger wants revenge on the people who hurt him and his sister. He’s waited long enough: it’s time to settle the score.

 

Gunslinger Spawn #24 reminds us of Taylor’s parentage and ups the stakes for his survival. Javier suffers from a similar sickness, but we haven’t seen how his angelic affliction affects him since Waya aided him in issue #18. The friends should go to school with each other. But Javier's tired of running. Make Do and Mend must do until he's balanced the scales. Watch out, villains! If Gunslinger's serving up revenge, it'll be a dish best served scorching hot!

 

Gunslinger Spawn figure available at Amazon.com

 

 

Art

Brett Booth and Adelso Corona open with a double-page spread of Taylor’s hellish suffering. While it doesn’t explain Taylor’s confusion, Dakota’s mention of giving Javier a steed makes more sense when Gunslinger pulls the tiny dinosaur from his pocket. The shape it assumes suggests its owner influences its transformation. Javier’s new ride--and the modern weapons Spawn supplied in issue #19--contrast with the ancient weapons and modern transportation Gunslinger used in this series debut. Two minor quibbles with Booth's otherwise excellent contributions would be the tiny panels that limit the expressiveness of Sharon's boyfriend and don’t show what Javier did to his adversary’s car.

 

Ivan Nunes loads his palette with vibrant colors that provide contrast and a touch of gray in Gunslinger Spawn #24. The fire surrounding Javier’s new steed burns red hot in the verdant forest. Smoky candles provide ambiance to Gunslinger’s sepia-toned scenes with Waya. Forelorn Sharon’s blue-green eyes dazzle, and Gunslinger’s red scarf and green eyes enhance the ferocity of his attack. Yet what lingers is the blood that pervades Taylor's torture.

 

Tom Orzechowski delivers dialogue in stylized balloons in Gunslinger Spawn #24. While the yellow words in brown narrative boxes are usually easy to read, longer sentences reduce the letter size in this issue. Sparse sound effects accentuate the action as Javier charts a new path.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Gunslinger Spawn #24 ponders the hunger for revenge, the universal nature of human suffering, and our responsibility to care for those in need.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

For more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.