The Amazing Spider-Man #68 Deaths Review

 

Writer: Christos Gage

Artist: Mark Buckingham

Colorist: Mattia Iacono

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Mark Buckingham & Richard Isanove; Federico Vicentini & Richard Isanove

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

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: February 26, 2025

 

In their Alaskan base, Juggernaut senses the world is in danger. Shocked that he would initiate a mission, his teammates accompany him to New York. When Peter Parker changes the nature of the championship by refusing to fight Cradios, Juggernaut takes up the cosmic challenge. Juggernaut's substitution for Spider-Man may not nullify Doctor Strange’s covenant with Cyttorak. But what is unquestionable is that Cradios yields to Juggernaut.

 

Sadly, Callix uses the Blight to kill Cradios. The corrupted scion also infects the X-Men before detonating his rot dogs and boogieing back to the Crimson Cosmos. Now, the Blight incinerates Cyclops, Psylocke, Magik, Kid Omega, and Temper’s inhibitions. Can Juggernaut repel the X-Men's attack without killing his teammates? Let's strap on our Crimson Bands Of Cyttorak, charge into Amazing Spider-Man #68 Deaths, and find out!

 

Story

Cyclops realizes Juggernaut is immune to the Blight. So, the X-Men team leader orders Juggernaut to join them or die. Perhaps once Juggernaut would have accepted the offer. But now he fights to protect others. Christos Gage’s story pits Juggernaut against his friends. It ties one hand behind Juggernaut’s back because he doesn’t want to kill them.

 

Callix believes his father fears losing his power. He states the Blight empowers him. Instead of supporting his family, Callix kills his siblings. There is power in burning your bridges behind you, and Callix embraces it. But Juggernaut knows what it means to be alone. Callix might have swatted him like a fly. Still, Juggernaut is not about to kill his friends to increase his power. He has learned the secret of life in Amazing Spider-Man #68 Deaths. People can accomplish more together than apart.

 

Cyttorak empowered Juggernaut to invoke fear. Yet Juggernaut has found exceptional rewards in inducing love. Like Callix, his colleagues embrace the Blight. Temper even blames the Blight for her actions. Yet, Juggernaut knows that people are not slaves to their instincts. To paraphrase a wise man, the Blight partially controls their actions. Yet, it also obeys their commands. In Amazing Spider-Man #68 Deaths, Juggernaut risks the assault of his formidable friends because he doesn’t seek power. Instead, Juggernaut fights for something infinitely more valuable.

 

Art

Temper surrounds Juggernaut with yellow-orange fire while Cyclops attacks with a beam of red energy. Yet purple proves the most potent as Kid Omega and Psylocke attack. An X rises to the forefront, first red and then blue, symbolizing his journey and identity. Yet purple, blue, and red also represent Juggernaut's insistence that unity equals strength.

 

Mark Buckingham reveals Juggernaut's iron spirit as Mattia Iacono bathes Amazing Spider-Man #68 Deaths in bold, eye-pleasing colors. Flashbacks form backdrops as Juggernaut appeals to his god. Whether he sits alone or with his family, Cyttorak rarely moves or changes his expression. Yet the god smiled when he watched Juggernaut battle Cradios. After his avatar’s aggressive address, the god responds in not-so-mysterious ways.

 

Joe Caramagna pounds uppercase black lettering into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The dialogue grows bold for inflection and never shrinks. Juggernaut's thoughts appear in pink boxes bordered with red as he battles his friends. Sound effects enhance clobbering, clapping, crashing, stomping, and psychic blasting. Lowercase black letters in yellow boxes link The 8 Deaths Of Spider-Man with Blood Hunt, while the enlarged and colored dialogue reminds us that our bravest choices can be the most painful. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Cradios claimed that Juggernaut didn’t possess as much power as a scion of Cyttorak. Yet the X-Men helped Juggernaut defeat the scion. Perhaps Cyttorak also aided him. Whether on Earth or in the Crimson Cosmos, Juggernaut stands in Cyttorak’s presence. Unlike Cyttorak’s children, Juggernaut talks with his god as he battles his friends in Amazing Spider-Man #68 Deaths. Theirs is an unshakable bond forged by mutual needs and a reminder of why dedication to our careers often threatens and injures our family.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

The Spectacular Spider-Men #12 Review

 

Writer: Greg Weisman

Artist: Emilio Laiso

Colorist: Edgar Delgado

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Production: Gabriel Mata

Editors: Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Cover Artists: David Baldeón & Edgar Delgado; Alessandro Cappuccio & Mattia Iacono

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: February 5, 2025

 

Juliet Marcos decides to do more with her powers when the Electros attack. The superpowered community rallies around to train their latest hero. But will Juliet, aka Elementary, follow Peter and Miles’ example? And how will she fare in a rematch with Max Dillon and Francine Frye? Let's grab a "Parker" from Max Vinck, thwip into The Spectacular Spider-Men #12, and find out!

 

Story

Peter and Miles enjoy Wednesdays at the ESU Coffee Bean. While sheltering his superhero career behind a veil of anonymity, Peter Parker exceeds his dream of becoming a regular. His coffee preference becomes a phenomenon. Flavor Fav Peter still isn’t sure how to define his relationship with Shay Marken. But showing her off makes the ladies in the Coffee Bean view the "Parker" creator as a catch.

 

Shay's relationship with Peter in The Spectacular Spider-Men #12 makes an interesting comparison with recent developments in Amazing Spider-Man. Miles and Kamala also tread the same ground differently than in Miles Morales: Spider-Man. While Brooklyn’s Spider-Man struggles post-Arcadium, Juliet Marcos transcends the trauma of losing an illusory lover.

 

Greg Weisman interweaves past and present and tackles drama with humor. While Miles treads emotional water, most who played Mentallo and Arcade's game have swum the shore. Juliet's lover in Arcadium didn’t know her in real life. But like Peter, Juliet’s joy attracts admirers.

 

As Coffee Bean regulars strive for improvement, Turk Barrett continues his decline. We didn’t glimpse his life before Turk called the number on the Coffee Bean's bulletin board. But Turk got so hooked on easy victories that he seeks any opportunity to get something for nothing in The Spectacular Spider-Men #12.

 

Art

Curtis and Martha Connors look as different as night and day. But despite his light flesh and her green skin, they share similar interests. Ben Grimm’s yellow hide aligns with the yellow Coffee Bean logo, suggesting his belonging with the regulars. When Ben teaches Juliet, her muddy skin turns bluish as if echoing her instructor's apparel. He claims Elementary may be one of the most formidable people he ever trained. Johnny Storm's tutelage echoes Ben's assertion when Juliet's eruption evokes a yellow-orange phoenix.

 

Emilio Laiso parcels three story threads into a nine-panel page that tracks individuals vertically. While customers fill the Coffee Bean, this page follows the primary heroes' emotional journey in The Spectacular Spider-Men #12. Edgar Delgado drains Juliet of her color as she winds through the streets with Peter and Miles, suggesting that a Friendly Neighborhood Elementary may not be in Juliet’s future.

 

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase letters into white and colored balloons and narrative boxes while Juliet trains. While dialogue emboldens and italicizes for intonation, balloon shapes change with Juliet’s mentors. Letters swell and change color when Juliet channels her gifts. Words threaten to burst balloons when Electros sizzle. Juliet pops once but doesn’t dissolve when she clutches Anna’s hands. After Elementary scrunches and shatters, an animal’s chittering fills the ESU Coffee Bean. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While the Coffee Bean crowd works on their relationships, villains enter the dating game. Max Dillon and Francine Frye find bonding more appealing than battling over branding. Their strategy to sizzle the spiders and complicate Elementary's life could detune their electrifying infatuation in The Spectacular Spider-Men #12.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

Amazing Spider-Man #65 Deaths Review

 

Writer: Derek Landy

Penciler: Kev Walker

Inkers: Kev Walker & Wade Von Grawbadger

Colorist: Mattia Iacono

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove; Carlo Pagulayan & Romulo Fajardo Jr

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

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: January 15, 2025

 

What does it matter how much you accomplish? Everyone forgets you after you die, and your impact on the world fades. The fifth scion of Cyttorak claims her test is the Inevitability Of Truth. Spider-Man dubs it the Inevitability Of Death. He knows Cyra's visions speak emotional rather than literal truth. Yet Spider-Man grasps defeat from the jaws of victory. He refuses to uphold Doctor Strange's Covenant and fight Cyttorak's three remaining scions.

 

Will Peter Parker let Earth fall? Or can Doctor Strange convince him to preserve the Covenant? Let's take a long look in the mirror, thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #65 Deaths, and find out!

 

Story

Doctor Strange imagined the worst. No matter how much he learned or how hard he practiced, Doctor Strange could never protect Earth from every possible danger. So, the Sorcerer Supreme bargained with Cyttorak. In exchange for more power, Doctor Strange agreed to battle the scions of Cyttorak every January of the Crimson Calendar year. The bargain worked until Doctor Strange died. Now, the responsibility of protecting Earth from Cyttorak's wrath falls to someone else.

 

Doctor Doom doesn't care about non-Latverians enough to protect them. The new Sorcerer Supreme looks for someone willing to put the needs of others above himself. Doctor Doom gives Spider-Man arcane armor to protect him while battling demigods. Doom also gifts Peter the eight Get Out Of Death Free Reeds Of Raggadorr. Yet in Amazing Spider-Man #65 Deaths, Peter Parker says, “I’m done.” Doctor Strange doesn’t understand Peter’s decision. To the former Sorcerer Supreme, life is a game, and Peter has a role to play.

 

In his story, Derek Landy contemplates the tapestry that connects every person in the multiverse. Like all spider heroes, Peter feels that interconnectedness thanks to the Web Of Life And Destiny. Yet Cyra revealed everyone's insignificance. Saving individual lives means nothing in that context.

 

The deaths of beloved individuals like Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy helped Peter Parker feel a responsibility to protect those he didn’t know. But in Amazing Spider-Man #65 Deaths, Peter no longer knows who he is. Peter cannot suddenly view the world through Doctor Doom or Doctor Strange’s eyes. All Peter can see is that he built his life on a lie.

 

 

 

Art

Kev Walker and Wade Von Grawbadger show Peter shuffling through life. Like a zombie, he moves without purpose and sees without observing. Peter leaves his apartment to purchase a hot dog. Then he stares into space as the ketchup and mustard ooze onto the kitchen table. Peter takes no pleasure in eating. Even the flavor of the food he chose cannot reach the pleasure centers of his brain. Devoid of purpose, Peter hugs a pillow and retracts into a near-fetal position.

 

Mattia Iacono juxtaposes Phil Coulson's cool purplish-black suit with warm browns, tans, and golds in Peter's apartment. Like Vision, Coulson floats through his surroundings. Unlike Peter, he observes. Still, he drifts. Coulson struggles to sit with Peter as an equal, preferring to stand to attention. When Coulson peers into Peter's memories, bright colors explode around him. Like the fireworks on the Fourth Of July, the formative clashes and catastrophes that transformed Peter Parker into Spider-Man surround these lost souls on a battered red couch.  

 

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black and blue lettering into white dialogue balloons. The dialogue grows bold for inflection and never shrinks. Peter signals his disinterest in life by slamming a door on Doctor Strange, then hurling the door closed before Phil Coulson. Yet the spectral font that fills cloudy dialogue balloons inevitably accompanies Coulson’s Test Of Truth. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Phil Coulson never chose to embrace the dead. Like Peter Parker, he feels lost, drifting through an endless existence. Doctor Strange urges Coulson to convince Peter to uphold the Covenant in Amazing Spider-Man #65 Deaths. As Phil Coulson peers into Peter’s mind, Coulson remembers the events that shaped him and discovers why he has become more than a government agent who collects superhero trading cards.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

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

Dead Lucky #10 Review

 

Writer: Melissa Flores

Artist: French Carlomagno

Colorist: Mattia Iacono

Letterer: Becca Carey

Cover Artists: French Carlomagno; Stefano Simeone

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 8, 2023

 

When Morrow personnel tried to apprehend Pyre, he turned Fisherman’s Wharf into a warzone. Bibi brought her Ghost Squad to stop the fighting, but someone activated an Artificial Intelligence Destruction protocol. This command authorizes lethal force. Bibi and Pyre stand back-to-back as the Morrowbots close in. Can they withstand the robots’ attack? Let’s charge into Dead Lucky #10 and find out!

 

Story

Jimmi Morrow promised to make the streets of San Francisco safe. But after six months, the curfew remains in place. With the Morrowbots deploying deadly force, the Mayor wants to cancel Morrow’s contract. Jimmi’s assistant has run the company since he contracted a fatal illness. Korin tries to get his advice, but he's withdrawn into himself. Until his laboratory can replicate the mysterious substance that empowered Bibi and Pyre, Jimmi can't be bothered.

 

As for Bibi and Pyre, they’re taking the fight to the Morrowbots. After Pyre’s buddy Stoker fell amid the fight, Bibi pulled him out of harm’s way. But Pyre doesn’t care how much chaos he unleashes. He would raze San Francisco to watch Morrow burn. Unfortunately, Bibi’s problems grow when someone activates a second A. I. D.

 

In Dead Lucky #10, Melissa Flores weaves a large cast in an intricate dance. Some characters—like Bibi, Maria, and Valentine—are so complex it's hard to know what they want at any given moment. Others—like Stoker and Bibi's Salvation Gang team—seem superfluous. Like its predecessor, the tightly packed installment delivers a mix of drama and excitement. If the series must end with issue 12, it seems likely to go out with a bang!

 

Art

French Carlomagno fills panels with attractive characters in realistic settings. Some panels could speak more clearly, such as when Bibi cares for Stoker. As one panel features a member of the Salvation Gang, it seems the team survived its mission in Jordan. Hooray! Some changes between panels seem abrupt, such as when Pyre stands alone on a roof looking in one direction. In the next panel, Stoker stands by his side, the men face a different direction, and another character has appeared nearby. The biggest plus in Dead Lucky #10 is the robots. In addition to the elegant, feminine civilian robots, this issue introduces a muscular, masculine model that oozes meanness.

 

Mattia Iacono’s vibrant colors energize action scenes and celebrate San Francisco’s thriving artistic community. The fluorescent coloring salutes a city as striking and unique as the uniform Georgia designed for Bibi.

 

Dead Lucky #10 features uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons with adequate spacing between lines. Red-letter robot utterances are small but rare. Big blue block letters announce location changes. Becca Carey’s sound effects enhance battles while never drawing attention away from those who struggle to keep the peace or merely stay alive.

 

Final Thoughts

When a billionaire loses interest in his technological empire, someone transforms his creations into soulless killers in Dead Lucky #10.

 

8.8/10

 

For another awesome cover see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Dead Lucky #9 Review

 

Writer: Melissa Flores

Artist: French Carlomagno

Colorist: Mattia Iacono

Letterer: Becca Carey

Cover Artists: Rod Reis

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 27, 2023

 

Georgia has fielded reporters' questions since news leaked of Team Dead Lucky's demise. She can't even enjoy her morning workout or coffee without interruption. Have reports of Bibiana’s death been greatly exaggerated? Let’s charge into Dead Lucky #9 and find out!

 

Story

Her former friend Ghost spent the last issue convincing Bibiana that he hadn’t died. Instead, he survived the helicopter crash that ended her military career. In Dead Lucky #9, he spends more time convincing her that he survived. Only he doesn’t go by Ghost anymore. “Call me Pyre,” he insists.

 

At Morrow Corporation headquarters, Bibi braves Valentine’s ire. The company executive threatens to throw her in prison for not reporting in. But that doesn’t stop Georgia—the woman who designed Bibi’s suit--from welcoming her back home.

 

Does Bibi realize Pyre followed her home? Her reactions in San Francisco suggest surprise. Yet the final scene in Jordan suggests accord. At Fisherman's Wharf, Pyre and the masked mercenary Stoker are up to no good. Unlike Bibiana, they make no bones about taking down Morrow. The company’s peacekeeping robots seem as good a place as any to start.

 

After extending a conversation that should have finished in the last issue, Dead Lucky #9 still fails to explain what happened to Bibi’s team in Jordan. We haven’t seen them since issue #7. Did Pyre capture or kill them? Bibi suffered from PTSD after losing her special forces team. Yet she hasn't mentioned her former Salvation Gang soldiers for two issues.

 

Aside from her current teammates, Dead Lucky #9 fails to address a significant plot point involving her failed mission and Jimmi Morrow. The issue also mentions an ongoing character without reminding readers of her significance. Still, Melissa Flores excels when delving into Bibi's relationships and ends her story with a spectacular battle.

 

Art

Aside from the first few pages, French Carlomagno’s art provides compelling portraits of characters in realistic settings. Varied camera angles add interest and the streets of San Francisco beckon. Clad in their superhero suits, Bibi and Pyre have tremendous appeal. Perhaps some character movements look wooden, and a snapped cellphone image needed better resolution. Still, the climactic battle involving humans and robots crackles with power.

 

Mattia Iacono makes a strong case for why readers should pick up Dead Lucky #9. Vibrant colors energize action scenes and draw readers into drama. The nuanced coloring adds interest even to the occasional scene lacking backgrounds.

 

Becca Carey carries readers through Dead Lucky #9 with uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons. Exchanges between the robots appear as white letters in a red field or red letters in white ones. Sound effects are employed sparingly but rarely missed.

 

Final Thoughts

After a friend’s return from the dead rocks Bibiana’s world, he threatens to destroy everything she’s worked for in Dead Lucky #9.

 

Rating 8.6/10

 

To show Dispatch how much you enjoy my writing see my review at Comic Book Dispatch!

Marvel Age #1000 Review: Machine Learning

Marvel Age #1000 Review

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $9.99

Release Date: August 30, 2023

 

“Machine Learning”

Story

 

Oxygen ignites Dr. Phineas Horton’s android. Yet flames don’t consume it. Dr. Horton hungers for money and fame, but the android seeks a higher purpose. Discovering that he can fly, he takes inspiration from a public hero. But what happens when he learns that his hero doesn’t exist? Mark Waid’s compelling story in Marvel Age #1000 draws on 1930s pop culture and an enduring children’s story that honors Marvel Comics’ Timely origins.

 

 

Human Torch Action Figure available at Amazon.com

 

 

Art

Artist Alessandro Cappuccio’s shifting viewpoints and period interior furnishings evoke film noir and the pre-television age. Android Jim Hammond gets frustrated by things he doesn’t understand and angered by injustice. Colorist Mattia Iacono makes everything clear and easy to see in this tale that only lightens when understanding dawns.

 

To see the first page of "Machine Learning" and other stories, see Marvel Age #1000 Previews at Comic Book Dispatch.

Dead Lucky #8 Review

 

Writer: Melissa Flores

Artist: French Carlomagno

Colorist: Mattia Iacono

Letterer: Becca Carey

Cover Artists: French Carlomagno; Matthew Johnson

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 23, 2023

 

The Morrow Corporation sent Bibiana and her team to rescue a scientist. Instead, the masked mercenary Pyre captured her makeshift team of former gang members. When the fire-wielding soldier-for-hire removed his mask, she saw the face of a fallen member of her Special Forces team. But how can he be alive when Bibiana communes with his spirit? Let's charge into Dead Lucky #8 and find out!

 

Story

Last year, while guarding classified cargo in Jordan, Bibiana’s teammates died. Diagnosed with P.T.S.D. and honorably discharged, she returned to San Francisco. Instead of resuming life in the city she remembered, Bibiana used her strange, new superpowers to prevent Morrow from ruling her hometown. After that battle ended in disaster, Bibiana agreed to work for the technology giant in return for amnesty and positions within the company for her and her allies.

 

Bibiana’s ability to channel electricity seems linked to the spirits of her fallen team. Foremost among those is Ghost, who she named her first robot after. She often spoke with him while fighting Morrow. Now Ghost stands before her, seemingly resurrected, and hurls rivulets of fire at her. So with whose empowering spirit does she speak if Ghost still lives? Were the psychologists right: is she merely suffering from P.T.S.D.? If so, where do Bibiana's superpowers come from?

 

Meanwhile, former S.F.P.D. officer Maria updates Ms. Valentine on security operations. Her plea to lift Morrow's curfew gets interrupted when Ms. Korin arrives. Once again, Jimmi Morrow's secretary is rescheduling Valentine's appointment with the company C.E.O. Then Korin tells them that Bibi’s gone missing, and Morrow’s best technology can’t find her.

 

Art

After the highly detailed art in earlier issues, French Carlomagno’s work looks less polished in Dead Lucky #8. Fuzzy soldiers, sparse interiors, and tents and buildings in the Jordanian desert can't compare with lively districts, stately structures, and San Francisco's cultural and ethnic diversity. The story features fewer characters and no robots—humanoid or canine—or flying drones. Still, Bibi's scenes crackle with power: her confrontation with Ghost—and memories of their final mission—electrify.

 

Mattia Iacono delivers her usual mix of energetic colors to Dead Lucky #8. The Jordanian desert, interiors, and memories benefit from a loaded palette of intense colors. The sophisticated blend of florescent hues mixes with colorful shading to sustain this series' eye-catching appeal.

 

Writer Melissa Flores dishes out the dialogue in Dead Lucky #8, and letterer Becca Carey delivers. Uppercase black letters file into white balloons, and their orderly arrangement is easy to follow. Big white words locate us in time and space, and sound effects heighten confrontations with concussive force.

 

Final Thoughts

A revelation rocks Bibiana’s understanding of her superpowers when her last mission returns to haunt her in Dead Lucky #8.

 

Rating 8.6/10

 

For another cover see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.