Rogue Storm #2 Review

 

Writer: Murewa Ayodele

Artist: Roland Boschi

Colorist: Neeraj Menon

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover Artists: Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado; InHyuk Lee; Pablo Villalobos

Designer: Sarah Spadaccini & Jay Bowen

Editors: Lindsey Cohick, Annalise Bissa, Tom Brevoort & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 12, 2025

 

Storm was Earth’s protector. She was also Rogue’s friend. When the Collector split Rogue in two, Rogue Green retained her powers. Gambit decided that one Rogue was enough and sent Rogue Red away in tears. So, Storm gave Rogue Red a new home in her Storm Sanctuary. Knowing what it was like to lose her powers, Storm fashioned Enisium claws from her god armor and trained Rogue Red to fight with them. Everything was fine until Storm went to the Sahara Desert and never returned.

 

From her palace in the Sahara, Storm began changing the Earth’s weather. The cataclysmic changes threatened to make the world uninhabitable. So, Rogue Red led the Uncanny X-Force to kill her friend before Storm could destroy the world. What happened after Rogue Red’s battle with the Storm Engines? And why did Storm later attack the Fishmen of Osun? Let’s slip on our Enisium claws, leap into Rogue Storm #2, and see!

 

Story

After slaying the Fishmen at Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, Storm rests in Abeokuta. In the shelter of Olumo Rock, Eēgūn appears to her. Storm has spent years searching for him. She wonders why he has waited so long to appear. The god who healed her and later slew her assures her that their long dance has not yet finished. Then Daniel’s spirit supplants Eēgūn and urges Storm to awaken.

 

Like Daniel and Eēgūn, Storm meets someone else who has a grievance against her in Rogue Storm #2. But this person is alive, and he’s a Mutant. Storm doesn’t wait for him to arrive. Angered by continual betrayals, she attacks first. But her visitor isn’t impressed. Gambit knows Storm's capabilities. After Rogue Green's death, he has nothing else to live for. Except perhaps to set things right.

 

Murewa Ayodele weaves Storm, Rogue Red, and Gambit's tale into the tapestry of the Age of Revelation. Their story tackles the pain of losing someone you loved, even if that person wasn't the one you devoted your life to. Rogue Storm #2 also follows Rogue Red's path after slaying the Sentinel-like Storm Engines. It explains why Storm hung in chains inside her palace, instead of drinking wine and training with Rogue Red in her Sanctuary. And it suggests that perhaps sometimes, when people drift away from us, they are protecting us from who they are becoming.

 

 

 

Art

After Rogue Red stormed her ice palace, and Storm slew the Fishmen of Osun, Roland Boschi opens with Storm holding an Enisium claw in her hand. After enclosing Rogue Red's claw in a globe and swallowing it, Storm eats fish. When Eēgūn appears, the circular horn above his face echoes Storm’s circular campfire. Unlike Storm, his demeanor expresses his delight in their dance of death. Revelation may have transformed their world. The X-Men may no longer exist. Yet, Storm wears an X symbol on her shoulder guard.

 

Neeraj Menon adorns Rogue Storm #2 with a lavish palette of appealing colors. Storm painted white and colored symbols on her skin in tune with her heritage. When Gambit appears, his yellow and green attire commemorate Rogue Green's appearance after combating the Collector. Yet pink appears when Gambit uses his Mutant abilities, reminiscent of the woman he shunned. After beginning Storm's story by holding an Enisium claw, Rogue Red's story resumes by wearing a claw in her red glove. Yellow and orange destruction echo Storm’s campfire, while the light blue Sahara Snowfield recalls the globe Storm swallowed in her dream.

 

Travis Lanham fills white dialogue balloons with large black uppercase letters. A stylized white font identifies time and space. Daniel speaks dark letters into glowing balloons, while Storm occasionally speaks white letters into black balloons. Sound effects heighten battles and highlight uncanny abilities as Gambit seeks to ease his conscience after ignoring his duty of care. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Revelation killed millions to protect the Mutants from frightened and prejudiced Humans. But as Storm kills people while trying to protect the world, someone else engages in wholesale slaughter in Rogue Storm #2.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Laura Kinney: Sabretooth #1 Review

 

Writer: Erica Schultz

Artist: Valentina Pinti

Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Elena Casagrande & Edgar Delgado; Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding & Alex Sinclair; Anand Ramcheron; Nogi San; Pablo Villalobos; Rickie Yagawa & Tamra Bonvillain

Designer: Jay Bowen

Editors: Cy Pedro Beltran, Mark Basso, Tom Brevoort & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 8, 2025

 

People have maligned, segregated, attacked, and hunted Mutants. Orchis tried to wipe them out entirely. One man fights on their behalf. His name is Revelation. Laura Kinney stands with him because she believes he won't let them down. So when the government sends superpowered people to assassinate him—villains who don't care about collateral damage—she kills them instead.

 

Laura won't stop fighting for Revelation. Whatever lay in the past, he has gifted the Mutants a paradise free from persecution. Yet no place can ever be perfect. Does anything worry Laura about her life in the Revelation Territories? And who does she have to share it with? Let’s leap into Laura Kinney: Sabretooth #1 and see!

 

Story

No matter how many times she tells herself she is safe, Laura Kinney knows she isn’t. She lost the man she loved. And she knows she can lose everything again. So when Laura learns that Gabby and Akihiro are planning to leave the Revelation Territories, she requests a meetup. Before he died, Zane gave her a son. Laura couldn't protect Zane. But she can remove Alex from the danger that encircles her leader.

 

In Laura Kinney: Sabretooth #1, Laura has adopted her late husband's moniker. She serves Revelation as a Seraph. Once again, she acts as a living weapon for others. But at least she fights for a cause she believes in and protects someone who keeps all Mutants safe. Yet life in Revelation’s Inner Circle seems more dangerous than idyllic. And although she asserts that Revelation protects the Mutants who disagree with him, she believes Gabby, Akihiro, and their friends are safer outside his Territories than in. 

 

 

 

Erica Schultz’s story targets idealists with a cause. It reminds us of the costs of raising banners and shouting rallying cries. After the Gene Bomb detonated, Laura had to make a choice. When people started dying or mutating, they once again blamed the Mutants for their troubles. So, Laura swore her allegiance to Doug Ramsey over the government that had let people malign, segregate, attack, and hunt down her kind.

 

Perhaps Zane was part of that choice. But her husband is gone. While Gabby has Akihiro, Sage, and others, Laura only has Alex. So, she calls on her family one last time. Whatever the future brings, she doesn't want her son to pay for her decisions in Laura Kinney: Sabretooth #1.

 

 

 

Art

Valentina Pinti portrays the Mutants’ freedom as they relax together in an illuminated riverside patio. Silhouettes climb the distant bridge and sneak past a guard patrolling the barriers blocking every lane. Gabby and Akihiro reach the abandoned shipyard first. Then Laura strides beneath the brick and wrought iron arbor, while her son crouches behind a box outside.

 

 

 

Rachelle Rosenberg contrasts the purple sky with the green ground. Like the plants that burst through pavement and crack walls, scars line Gabby's tanned face. Orange and red fill the background as she vents her anger, matching what occurs when Akihiro loses his composure. Alex’s blonde hair links him with his mother’s yellow-and-brown outfit. But it also links him with Revelation. Laura’s white, yellow, and gold leader glows amid the verdant plant life in his yellow-and green palace. Yet, like her and Wolverine, their dialogue radiates little warmth in Laura Kinney: Sabretooth #1.

 

Cory Petit fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation, enlarge for raised voices, and rarely shrink. Laura shares her thoughts with yellow words in brown narrative boxes. Psychic communication appears in puffy clouds, while sniffs and snikts fill an evening when everything seems up in the air. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Families are difficult. Still, they’re supposed to keep you safe. Laura’s life has been an endless struggle. So, when she found someone to share it with in the safest place she could find, she took it. But Laura is paying for that now. Zane is dead. Gabby hates her. Logan is a stranger. Laura Kinney: Sabretooth #1 is all about family, and how the best decisions can return to haunt us.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

New Champions #4 Review

 

Writer: Steve Foxe

Artist: Ivan Fiorelli

Colorist: Arthur Hesli

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover Artists: Gleb Melnikov & Arthur Hesli; Pablo Villalobos; Rian Gonzales

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Sidney Stubbs, Alanna Smith & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 23, 2025

 

Like the other New Champions, Hydra brainwashed Hellrune. Liberty, Moon Squire, and Cadet Marvel returned to their families thanks to Spider-Woman. Sadly, Hellrune sank back into the foster system. So, when her magical birds located her aunt on a Norwegian island, Hellrune remained with Veleda instead of returning to San Francisco with the New Champions.

 

The remaining New Champions were saddened to lose their friend. Fantasma, Amaranth, and Gold Tiger can’t replace Hellrune, but they seem viable recruits. So, when Gold Tiger sends an SOS, Liberty answers the call. But it will take time for Liberty and her teammates to travel to Los Angeles. Can anyone reach Gold Tiger first? Let’s hitch a ride on Liberty’s “flying saucer,” leap into New Champions #4, and find out!

 

Story

Like many runaways, Gold Tiger walks the streets of Los Angeles. When the Wakandan kid enters the pawn shop, Discount Don is about to close for the night. Her offer of a gold brick for American currency intrigues him. But Gold Tiger backs away when Discount Don wants to check its authenticity. She offers to let him keep it gratis. Outside, she discovers that the Sons of the Serpent have already answered Discount Don's text. Thankfully, Gold Tiger has the Hard Light communicator Liberty gave her on the Viking zombie island.

 

In New Champions #4, Fantasma comes to Gold Tiger’s aid. But LA's roller derby hero is displeased with the impromptu rescue. Hellrune's spell accidentally drew Fantasma into a battle with Viking zombies. Monte and Magnetrix have painted targets on Liberty, Cadet Marvel, and Moon Squire's backs. Now, Gold Tiger has adversaries who hunt her. Fantasma wants to know more about who she may be risking her life alongside.

 

In Steve Foxe's story, Fantasma is more interested in interviewing her potential teammates than sharing personal details. While Liberty acts as team leader and hosts an orientation in her family's garage, Moon Squire is the glue that binds the team. He makes others comfortable by showing wisdom and compassion in New Champions #4. 

 

 

 

Art

Liberty dines with her parents beneath globe droplights, a flower vase, and a fruit bowl in her modern, two-story home. Moon Squire sits on the floor while Cadet Marvel reclines on his daybed. Amaranth travels alongside the Scarlet Witch through the surreal shapes of another dimension. Fantasma breaks away from her roller derby team to take Liberty's call. While Gold Tiger walks the streets alone, Ivan Fiorelli portrays the other New Champions in their homes and with the people supporting them.

 

Arthur Hesli paints Gold Tiger in red, turquoise, and gold, evoking her colorful homeland. The Sons of the Serpent wear green uniforms reminiscent of the organization that brainwashed Liberty, Moon Squire, and Cadet Marvel. Gold Tiger's claws rip lines of blue-white energy through the air, linking her with Fantasma's Ghost Rider power and Liberty's hard light energy, wings, and inventions. Soft greens and blues often fill the interiors of the richly colored New Champions #4. Gold shines from illuminated windows, Cadet Marvel's visor and lightning bolt, and the burnished beast emblematic of Gold Tiger's power.

 

Travis Lanham conjures uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons. The letters grow bold for inflection, swell for volume, and never shrink. White letters in red narrative boxes introduce our heroes, and white letters in blue balloons portray Fantasma’s dialogue. Larger lowercase white letters with red borders locate us in time and space, while music notes highlight Gold Tiger's love of music. Sound effects help us hear slashing claws, clunking gold bricks, and the lash of Fantasma's chain on flesh in New Champions #4. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Hydra made Moon Squire, Cadet Marvel, and Liberty household names. Moon Squire's large family provides emotional support to deal with being a public figure. In New Champions #4, the team's charter members realize that, like Hellrune, their recruits may have fewer supportive people. The teammates need to know each other sufficiently to work effectively together. But Amaranth, Gold Tiger, and Fantasma should have the option of keeping as much of their identities secret as they wish, not only from the team but also from Joe Public.

 

Still, Gold Tiger seeks connection. Her story overflows with mysteries that the Wakandan has yet to understand. Like her new teammate Amaranth, Gold Tiger wields immense power. Others hunger to harness her uniqueness. And not everyone who wants to study Gold Tiger is as ethical as the scientists in Wakanda.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Amazing Spider-Man #2 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Artist: Pepe Larraz

Colorist: Marte Gracia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia; Paolo Rivera; Chris Giarrusso; Pablo Villalobos; Tony Daniel & Marcelo Maiolo

Designer: Jay Bowen

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

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 23, 2025

 

After fifteen interviews in nine days, Peter Parker gets a break. Thanks to an internal recommendation, Peter is now the Supervising Engineer of Cooperative Disciplines at Rand Industries. But the Rhino nearly spoils Peter's party. A rampage through the street ends with a totaled truck and Rhino's heart going Big Bada Boom.

 

While enjoying drinks with Shay Marken and wine with Brie, Randy Robertson mentions that his clients in East Harlem are frightened. Peter dislikes coincidences, so he thwips over to the Rhino’s neighborhood for a superhero snoop. Instead, he finds a villain meetup that makes The Bar With No Name resemble The Electric Company. Is Spider-Man ready for a battle with the Terrible Twelve? Let's grab a packet of Jelly Belly beans, leap into Amazing Spider-Man #2, and see!

 

Story

Like fighting a tribe of Tuskin Raiders without a lightsaber, Peter's life has become a nightmare. But then, battling a supervillain dirty dozen will test even the strongest spider-hero. Worse, the civilians seem to shrink as he fights, making them rebel soldiers struggling to avoid getting squashed by a herd of rampaging AT-AT Walkers.

 

Recently, Spider-Man saved Bailey Briggs when he lost his anchor in the Web Of Life And Destiny. In Amazing Spider-Man #2, Peter Parker gets cut adrift from time. One moment, he fights for his life. The next, he awakens amid discussions at work. Like Michael Newman in Click, Peter’s universal remote has gone out of control. Peter is fast-forwarding through his life and awakening from battles to wonder what he has missed.  

 

 

 

Others consider Norman Osborn a geek celebrity, but Peter calls him a friend. Norman may be busy shutting down Oscorp, but he's still there for Peter. He wants to understand what happened to Peter in the Rhino's apartment. Given time, Norman can concoct an antidote. But whoever sent Rhino and Peter to hallucination hell is also harming people in East Harlem. Who knows how many people in New York could get hurt or killed from this strange malaise?

 

In Amazing Spider-Man #2, Peter races for a cure. Whoever infected Rhino also attacked him. Until he discovers the culprit, it could happen again. He could die. Worse, trapped in a land of illusions, he could kill others. And like Admiral Ackbar, Peter doesn’t want to wander into another trap. 

 

 

 

Art

Marte Gracia cloaks Spider-Man’s worst enemies in red and purple. As they battle amid yellow and orange, people in the full-color world behold the Arachnobatic Demolition Man. Monocolored foreground characters keep the focus on the action, while black-and-white memories weigh down Peter with guilt.

 

Pepe Larraz wraps Peter's hands like a martial artist in Amazing Spider-Man #2. Dr Maira Osmani-Milton seems an upscale version of nurse Shay Marken as she speaks of uplifting people through dignity. Brian Nehring smiles behind his glasses like Dr Ian Malcolm, linking memories of mayhem with the chaos detonating Peter's life. And in this era of deregulation, boots tramp through blood in explosive, cinemascope scenes. 

 

 

 

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black lettering into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Words grow bold for inflection, swell and change color for volume, and rarely shrink. White letters in edgy black balloons hail a villain's return, while green laughter suggests another revivification. Sound effects enliven a spectacular battle, an astonishing rescue, and a spine-tingling yell. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

As Peter Parker plays detective, the clock is ticking. Shay Marken demands his best in their relationship. His new boss, Dr Maira Osmani-Milton, demands Peter’s complete focus at work. And then there is his childhood friend. Brian Nehring claims he is looking out for Peter but also admits he breeds magic mushrooms. After frightening New Yorkers and South Korean auto workers, Peter must discover the culprit before they blow up his life in Amazing Spider-Man #2.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Amazing Spider-Man #52 Review

 

Writers: Zeb Wells

Pencilers: Ed McGuinness

Inker: Mark Farmer

Colorists: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Ed McGuinness & Marcio Menyz; Adi Granov; Davi Go; Pablo Villalobos; Skottie Young

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 19, 2024

 

The Hobgoblin's Winkler Device put Norman Osborn's sinful thoughts into Peter Parker's head. Now Norman orders his lawyer to transfer ownership of recent Oscorp acquisitions to Peter. What is Norman Osborn's grand design, and can anyone scuttle his evil plans? Let’s thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #52 and find out!

 

Story

Kraven tried to save Peter, but that didn’t work. So, Chasm decides to have a go. As Kraven flees, the experienced hunter fears they will fight to the death. A mysterious substance flows through Chasm's veins. It transformed Ben Reilly into Chasm. What might it do to Spider-Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man #52? Kamala Khan’s phone call to Norman Osborn didn’t go as planned. So, she returns to where she believes Peter’s recent troubles began. The last time she risked her life for Peter Parker, she lost it. But Peter is her friend, and she believes her former employer injured Peter when he appealed to Norman for help.

 

In Amazing Spider-Man #52, Zeb Wells recalls events thirty issues ago, although his story also harkens back to Ben’s Beyond Era and Dark Web. This time, Ben Reilly is on Peter’s side (mostly). Ms Marvel joins a team to combat the goblin menace. A hero many love to hate (or hate to love) will return. Spider-Goblin and Chasm clash across pages while a battle rages inside Peter Parker's mind. We all know how difficult it can be to control our thoughts. Could we focus on our tasks and helping others if we shared our thoughts with someone opposed to our existence? At times, Peter seems more interested in quipping than thwipping. He struggled to lead a team of heroes in the Gang War. Should his personality resurface, can Peter Parker retain control of his mind? Zeb Wells' ending will leave readers anticipating the fireworks erupting in comic shops after Independence Day.

 

 

Art

Kraven crouches, looking on as Spider-Goblin and Chasm have a stare-down and a crouch-off. The combatants spring toward each other as silhouettes, sharing a panel with Kraven's jaw falling open. Chasm and Spider-Goblin tangle across a double-page spread while Norman sits in his Green Goblin costume, surrounded by open laptop computers. He smiles as he holds the phone to his ear and props his legs on his desk, released from the morality that bound him. Then his face contorts, and he yells into the phone as Kamala Khan appears on his blue-streaked monitor. Ed McGuinness and Mark Farmer evoke the high-flying action of Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man movie as Chasm and Spider-Goblin tangle through the air, crash into brickwork and demolish architecture. Ms Marvel reaches out to punch someone’s grasping metal arm. Then she faces off against a Tin Man with a brain in Amazing Spider-Man #52.

 

 

 

Marcio Menyz lavishes a loaded palette of bold, eye-catching colors on Ed McGuinness and Mark Farmer's energetic and charismatic art. Green energy crackles around Chasm, while Norman's costume brings life and energy to Oscorp’s subdued grays and beiges. Where there is yellow smoke, there is orange fire as Spider-Goblin aims his glider at Chasm’s chest. The glider slams purple Chasm into brown brickwork, sending bricks flying amid a cloud of green. Ms Marvel's yellow, red, and blue costume shines in the evening as she steps through a hole in the wall and beholds gray machinery amid the shattered remains of brown wooden crates. The Walking Brain glows green as it casts a stream of green light. 

 

 

 

While the brainy Tin Man projects a forest of faces and documents, Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black 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. Chasm clocks Spider-Goblin’s face with a yellow-orange smash, Spider-Goblin carries Chasm into the wall with a giant red slam, and red-and-blue Spidey screams red letters diagonally across a panel in Amazing Spider-Man #52. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Kraven, Spider-Goblin, and Spider-Man all reach for a broken spear, while someone who destroyed most of its mind tries to save Peter Parker's broken brain in Amazing Spider-Man #52.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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.

 

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.