Cult of the Lamb: Schism Special #1 Cover Preview

 

 

COVER A BY PEACH MOMOKO

Are you ready for a new story? Then gather round as Clauneck, the chronicler of events past and yet to come, lays his cards upon the table. Just don't expect him to regale you with a comedy or cozy mystery this time!

Like the witches in the play that shall not be named, three bishops plot and scheme. As they stir the red liquid in their cauldron, a face emerges. What trouble are Kallamar, the bishop of Pestilence, Shamura, the bishop of knowledge and war, and Heket, the bishop of famine cooking up?

Here's all the info from Oni Press: 

 

CULT OF THE LAMB: SCHISM SPECIAL #1 (ONE-SHOT)

WRITTEN BY ALEX PAKNADEL ART BY TROY LITTLE COVER A BY PEACH MOMOKO COVER B BY TROY LITTLE RED SKETCH VARIANT COVER FOIL FULL ART VARIANT ($9.99) BY PEACH MOMOKO In partnership with Massive Monster and Devolver Digital, the record-setting comic book expansion of CULT OF THE LAMB is BACK in an ALL-NEW, 48-PAGE SPECIAL from writer Alex Paknadel (Astonishing X-Men) and artist Troy Little (Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons)! In the aftermath of their first and closest follower’s sacrifice, Lamb continues the bloody quest to defeat the Bishops of the Old Faith, but they lack the conviction to tend their flock back at the cult. More potential followers are rescued by the day, but with no one to indoctrinate them, Lamb’s power grows stagnant and the One Who Waits becomes weary of his earthly vessel’s resistance to the full power and responsibility of the Red Crown. When famine strikes the cult, a challenger to Lamb’s mantle emerges, and a new struggle begins . .  ON SALE OCTOBER 29th, 2025 | $7.99 | 48 PGS. | FC

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

COVER B BY TROY LITTLE

 

RED SKETCH VARIANT COVER

FOIL FULL ART VARIANT ($9.99) BY PEACH MOMOKO

Thanks to Oni Press for sharing this cover preview with us.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #37 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Luigi Zagaria

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Federico Vicentini & Neeraj Menon; Peach Momoko; Taurin Clarke; Gerardo Sandoval & Erick Arciniega

Designer: Jay Bowen

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

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 27, 2025

 

Villains keep turning Miles’ life upside down and inside out. He has battled Rabble to protect his family, Agent Gao to avoid jail, Vulture to keep his girlfriend, and Varnae to retain his humanity. After helping his spider-god, Kwaku Anansi, settle an ancient dispute with angry Ares, Miles looks forward to chilling with his homies. Will life give Miles a breather? Or will it thrust Brooklyn's Spider-Man into his most demanding battle yet? Let's slip on our Wakandan spider suits, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #37, and find out!

 

Story

After bidding goodbye to his brother, gamma-powered therapist, allies, Ares' teammates, and his delighted deity, Miles and Ganke walked home past Velour Vick’s Custom Jewelry & Haberdashery. Cody Ziglar begins his next chapter in Miles’ life that evening, as a security guard spots white animals scampering between the illuminated cases. The animals show a fondness for bling, and their barks ring like laughter in the guard’s ears.

 

When Miles snuck off to Wakanda with the Black Panther, Shift used his shapeshifting ability to impersonate Miles at Brooklyn Visions Academy. His clone-brother found holding Miles' shape stressful. The unfamiliar surroundings and being among so many people didn't help. Ganke noticed Miles stressin' in the boys' room. But when Shift explained why he was being Miles' body double, Ganke helped him through the experience (and introduced him to the wonders of the cafeteria). 

 

Even though they didn't realize what was going on, Miles' other friends eased Shift's distress. Miles has a lot to thank them for, as they helped Shift forge a new life as Jaime Morales in a school of his own. So, he’s overjoyed to share the afternoon with them in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #37. 

 

But Misty Knight has plans for Miles’ evening. Once again, she reminds him of his position in their relationship and quotes her rules as readily as a Ferengi. But Miles doesn’t mind. He looks forward to assisting her. Unlike his battles with the Hobgoblin, vampires, Deadpool & Daughter LLC, and gods, Misty gives Miles a chance to do something fun while protecting his borough. Yet his action-packed detecting will introduce new combatants who challenge him in unexpected ways.

 

Art

Miles and his friends may not wear bespoke haberdashery. But through their similar attire and shared activity, Luigi Zagaria strengthens Miles’ bond with his friends. As he hangs out on the court, jogs while transforming into Spider-Man, and thwips into Misty's rebuilt garage, Miles looks more at ease than at any time since he started seeking therapy. A consultation over a map keeps the investigation low-key, in contrast to earlier planning sessions involving higher stakes and holographic displays. A dramatic upshot of Misty evokes her prior team-up with Manhattan’s Spider-Man. But this time, the Lizard doesn’t join the team, and Miles takes point as they pursue their mission plan.

 

While Luigi Zagaria delivers the action with panel-packed pages, splash pages, and cross-page horizontal layouts, Bryan Valenza paints day scenes with the hum and vitality of everyday life in New York. Miles shines in his Wakandan red, black, and purple suit, while Misty's red outfit illustrates the bond between them. As darkness falls, and the yellow/orange interior lights make the building windows shine, Miles transforms into transparent white and blues. The suit’s color change links with what his enhanced spider-sense helps him see. But nothing glows quite like their adversaries’ animals in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #37.

 

Cory Petit portrays Human speech and animal utterances with black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons. He shares Miles’ thoughts with white letters in red narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for intonation, enlarge for raised voices, and never shrink. Black letters in yellow boxes provide translations and footnotes. As changing situations prompt a request for assistance, sound effects help us sense music, hear gunfire, feel a brutal impact, and witness greatness in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #37. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy. 

 

Final Thoughts

Miles is feeling tight after surviving Ares' Agon. The way Kwaku Anansi repaired his beloved Brooklyn was da bomb. But while a savage Spider-Man stalks the night in Manhattan, sending Shocker's Aftershocks to the ICU, more aftereffects from the Gang War threaten Brooklyn in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #37. 

 

Rating 9.8/10

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Black Cat #1 Review

 

Writer: G Willow Wilson

Artist: Gleb Melnikov

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Adam Hughes; Peach Momoko; Simone Di Meo; J Scott Campbell; Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson; Derrick Chew; Jeehyung

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 20, 2025

 

A master thief’s life is filled with peril. Usually, they prove more injurious emotionally than physically. So why is Black Cat sitting in the night nurse’s waiting room? And how might her battle with Hellgate change her? Let’s put on our catsuits, leap into Black Cat #1, and see!

 

Story

Curt Connors gained superpowers by becoming the Lizard. Since then, the two have gone their separate ways. The Lizard identifies with those society discards, such as Miles Morales’ clone brother Shift, the Vermin, and the unhoused who inhabit New York’s underground. But when the Lizard meets Black Cat in G Willow Wilson’s story, he’s on a mission to understand himself better. Unfortunately, neither he nor Black Cat enjoys others getting in their way.

 

But that’s the problem in Black Cat #1. Suddenly, Felicia Hardy isn’t having things her own way. She pushed away Peter Parker to pursue a relationship with Amelia Morrow. Felicia enjoyed a sometime partnership with Mary Jane. Now, Mary Jane has become a member of another family. Recently, Felicia began to wonder what she had left behind when she broke off things with Peter. But as his life begins to settle down following his battles with Cyttorak’s scions, Hellgate takes Peter away from her again.

 

 

In G Willow Wilson’s story, a fraught chase and fight leave Felicia exhausted. As she looks back on her life, she wonders if being the Black Cat is worth it. Has all her hard work yielded the lasting satisfaction we all seek? While her tangle with the lizard prompts a visit to the nurse’s room, it helps her put things in perspective. With Tombstone making a bid to rule the streets, and Spider-Man keeping his distance and taking a tougher stance on crime, New York is becoming a more dangerous place.

 

Felicia Hardy misses Peter Parker. Their different views on life prevented them from bonding as a couple. But she’s not happy being on her own. So, in Black Cat #1, Felicia wonders: what if I tried to be like him? Or at least, the way Peter used to be?

 

 

 

Art

Gleb Melnikov populates the night nurse’s waiting room with costumed characters in need of her services. Some you may recognize. Others, perhaps not. Whether battling Felicia or sitting in the waiting room, the Lizard exudes power in Black Cat #1. Amid his primal fury, he clutches two cages with due care and concern. After their fight, all the barriers fall. As she sinks into a tub of foamy water, Felicia trades glamor in Gleb Melnikov’s 90s Image superhero art for supermodel vulnerability. 

 

 

 

Brian Reber lavishes a loaded palette on Felicia’s flight from the authorities. The setting sun fills the air with gentle pink and orange. As she runs, the brick buildings glow, while the windows of a corner shop burn like a cluster of tiny suns. Hints of streetlights appear in the dark windows of an office where two associates await her call. By the time Black Cat glimpses Spider-Man, the vibrant colors have fled. So, she watches him thwip out of her life beneath a blue and purple sky. 

 

 

 

As Joe Caramagna fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase text, he shares Felicia’s thoughts with white uppercase letters in black narrative boxes. White letters in green boxes translate the Lizard’s hisses, while red letters flit through a panel, reminding Felicia of those pursuing her. Joe Caramagna stokes the engine powering Black Cat #1 with an ample supply of crash, bang, and big bada boom. Yet whether adorning a symbol of her profession, accompanying an homage, or enhancing the night nurse’s invitation, Joe Caramagna fills Felicia’s moment of truth with all the sounds of reality. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Luck can be an elusive target. Some people work all their lives to achieve it. Others seem blessed with an abundance. Felicia Hardy has always radiated luck. But look beneath the surface, and you’ll see all the hard work she does to make her luck in Black Cat #1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Cult of the Lamb: Schism Special #1 Announcement

 

CULT OF THE LAMB SCHISM SPECIAL #1 COVER A BY PEACH MOMOKO

This was another upcoming book publisher Hunter Gorinson and Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn announced at the Oni Press panel at San Diego Comic-Con. The special issue expands on their earlier series, and reminds us of the importance of taking responsibility for our actions. Here's all the info:

 

Praise The Lamb Because Cult of the Lamb is Back at Oni!

Oni, In partnership with Massive Monster and Devolver Digital, are thrilled to announce the return of one of the global video game phenomenon that inspired one of the year’s biggest comics hits in the CULT OF THE LAMB: SCHISM SPECIAL #1 – coming to comic shops everywhere in October! In the cataclysmic fallout of CULT OF THE LAMB: THE FIRST VERSE… At long last… The record-setting comic book expansion of CULT OF THE LAMB returns in a powerful new, 48-page special – perfect for longtime acolytes and new readers alike –  from acclaimed writer Alex Paknadel (Astonishing X-Men) and Eisner Award-nominated artist Troy Little (Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons)! 

In the aftermath of their first and closest follower’s sacrifice, Lamb continues the bloody quest to defeat the Bishops of the Old Faith, but they lack the conviction to tend their growing flock back at the cult. More potential followers are rescued by the day, but with no one to indoctrinate them, Lamb’s power stagnates and The One Who Waits becomes weary of his earthly vessel’s resistance to the full power and responsibility of the Red Crown. When famine strikes the cult, a challenger to Lamb’s mantle emerges, and a new struggle begins . . .

Read more at IGN.

 

Thanks to Oni Press for sharing this announcement with us. 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing Spider-Man #70 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Penciler: Ed McGuinness

Inkers: Mark Farmer & Cliff Rathburn

Artist: Cafu

Colorists: Alex Sinclair, Marcio Menyz & Frank D’Armata

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Ed McGuinness, Cliff Rathburn & Marcio Menyz; Skottie Young; Peach Momoko; Frank Miller & Alex Sinclair; Iban Coello & Jesus Aburtov; Björn Barends; Brent Schoonover & Rachelle Rosenberg; Netease (Marvel Rivals)

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

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $5.99

Release Date: March 26, 2025

 

Callix slew his siblings and Spider-Man. After threatening to murder his surviving sister unless she joined him, Callix left Cyra with the corpses to attack their father. Cyra never craved power like Callix. Instead, Cyttorak’s games made her feel like nothing mattered. Spider-Man's reverence for life taught Cyra to care about others.

 

So Cyra makes a pact with the Avatar Of Death. The scion offers Phil Coulson her immortality and magical power to revive Peter. Will Cyra’s sacrifice be worth it? And how will Peter Parker’s life change when he becomes the Unstoppable Spidernaut? Let's slip on our hazmat suits, leap into Amazing Spider-Man #70, and find out!

 

 

 

Story

The Blight is a force of nature. While Cyttorak sensed its hunger to devour life, he also felt the vitality of the universe. Cyttorak’s sensitivity to life and how the Blight yearned to destroy it tore at his heart. The god walled away this unendurable pain and fear by distancing himself from life, playing games with his family, and telling himself he didn’t care about anything or anyone.

 

When Dr Strange wanted the power of the Crimson Casket, he discovered the danger of the Blight. He made an offer Cyttorak could not refuse. Why not make a game of protecting life? All this worked fine until Dr Doom became Sorcerer Supreme. The Ruler of Latervia (and perhaps the world) didn't want to protect Earth's Borders and pretend the cosmic danger didn't exist. Strange's approach managed the menace and saved lives. But it also kicked the can down the road for future generations to take care of. In Joe Kelly's story, Doom appoints someone who reveres life and would never make a game out of protecting it. So what if a few million people die because Spider-Man won't play by Dr Strange's rules? Doom is building a better future.

 

In Amazing Spider-Man #70, the Blight festers in anyone who wonders if life is worth fighting for. It feeds off negative energy, empowering people to kill those who hurt them. And who can hurt you more than the people you love? Peter has tried Cyra and Cyttorak’s way of dealing with the Blight. Now, as the Spidernaut, Peter discovers a more direct way of combatting it. When his approach works against the symptoms of infection, Peter channels all his power to tackle the source of the disease.

 

 

 

Art

Spidernaut travels through realms of reality to strike stratospheric Callix. Peter’s punch hurtles Callix back to Earth as a crimson streak. The displaced air and explosion shocks Dr Doom more than the former Sorcerer Supreme. Humming with power, Peter Parker returns to Earth. His first act is to clasp Juggernaut’s shoulder. Callix, beaten but defiant, rises from the impact crater to radiate the Blight like a star in Amazing Spider-Man #70.

 

While the Blight’s infection spreads across him as red eyes and black appendages, Callix thwips barbed webs reminiscent of how Spider-Girl emulates Spider-Boy's powers. As the Blight distorts Callix’s appearance, its massive brown body hangs over New York like a MUTO, turning the sky yellow, orange, and brown. Infused by Cyra’s crimson magic, Spidernaut no longer wears Doom’s arcane armor. Instead, Peter wears a Juggy-shaped version of his familiar red-and-blue. 

 

 

 

When Spidernaut conjures a circle of blue and leaves a blue streak behind, Dr Strange questions his colleague in Amazing Spider-Man #70. Rather than answer, Doom turns away from the blue Dr Strange. Doom’s gray mask lightens, along with the yellow and brown sky.

 

While Alex Sinclair and Marcio Menyz lavish a loaded palette on Ed McGuinness, Mark Farmer, and Cliff Rathburn’s art, Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black and blue lettering into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The dialogue grows bold for inflection, swells and changes color for volume, and shrinks for lowered voices. A giant shout emphasizes the power coursing through Spider-Man, while letters in pink balloons convey agony. Stylized lowercase letters in yellow boxes infuse a historical perspective on these apocalyptic events. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Cash Grab: Story

As Spider-Man pursues thieves, one opens a bag and hurls money from the hoverdisk. When the windfall causes pedestrians' attention to wander, Spider-Man abandons his pursuit to protect them. Joe Kelly's optimistic five-page story in Amazing Spider-Man #70 ponders how institutions weather tragedies that crush individuals.

 

Cash Grab: Art

Laser beams streak past Spidey as he thwips through a flock of greenbacks. Soldiers in black wearing Mandalorian helmets stand atop a hovering metal disk. Spider-Man asks a police officer to grab fluttering currency as he makes an impression on the patrol car roof. Cafu's art and Frank D’Armata’s coloring lend a dreamlike quality to Peter's struggle to live a double life as a superhero with a secret identity and foster friendships, a family, and a successful upfront career. 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Adopting a different suit helps Peter Parker identify with one of his greatest enemies in Amazing Spider-Man #70. Drawing on Dr Strange’s tutelage, Cyra’s endurance test, and Cyttorak’s crimson magic, Peter's courage and selflessness inspire others.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Space Usagi: White Star Rising #1 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Letterer: Stan Sakai & Julie Sakai

Colorist: Emi Fujii

Cover Artists: Stan Sakai & Tom Luth; Peach Momoko

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 23, 2024

 

Admiral Niiro of the Kajitori Empire holds Shirohoshi Castle. Prince Kiyoshi lives as a refugee in the Mino Clan. Kiyoshi knows where his father hid the treasury and has access codes to strategic information in the white star castle's computers. Can Usagi sneak back into the enemy-held stronghold and use Prince Kiyoshi's codes to secure the vital intel before Niiro’s savvy techs hack the system? Let's grab our arcane katanas, leap into Space Usagi: White Star Rising #1, and find out!

 

Story: White Star Rising

Stan Sakai begins by reminding us of Lord Matabe’s failure. The servant of Lord Hideaki was fortunate to find a rare carcass of a Kameyama. Yet despite being entrusted with the Shirohoshi clan’s first castle and commanding a fleet of warships from the bridge of a retrofitted space turtle-dreadnaught, Lord Matabe’s jealousy led him to betray Lord Hideaki to the Kajitory Empire. And when Matabe had Prince Kiyoshi in his clutches, he opted for a duel with Usagi over returning the prince to Admiral Niiro.

 

Lady Ryoko, Admiral Niiro’s Psitech, recognized Matabe’s weakness. After mesmerizing Kiyoshi and probing his mind, Lady Ryoko returned to Matabe’s Kameyama dreadnaught. But Lady Ryoko had also probed Admiral Niiro’s mind and knew where she stood with her lord. So when the Mino Clan fighters ambushed KAME-1, and she realized death was imminent, Lady Ryoko sent a psychic message to her daughter instead of relaying the access codes and the treasure vaults’ location to Admiral Niiro. Lady Ch’Yoko relives her mother's last moments of life when she sleeps. She tells Admiral Niiro she felt her mother's psychic touch but couldn't interpret the message. But Niiro’s plans for her life worry the promising young Psitech.

 

Space Usagi: White Star Rising #1 begins a race against time. The young Lord Kiyoshi knows he is a target. The Mino Clan needs the Shirohoshi clan's financial and strategic resources to repel the Kajitori invaders. Usagi fell in love with the woman he thought was Princess Masayo. But like him, Tomoe was Princess Masayo’s tutor and bodyguard. Now, Tomoe and Usagi partner on a desperate mission. Can they sneak into a fortified White Star Castle, get the information they want, then escape and return safely to the Mino system? The mission seems impossible. Then, Usagi gets an idea.

 

Art: White Star Rising

A giant turtle swims between the stars like Great A’Tuin. Yet people see no elephants on its shell as it descends through a planet's atmosphere. It leaves behind a furrow after scooping food into its beak. Slender bipedal dinosaurs like Coelophysis feed on the newly hatched turtles. When the adults return to rest in peace, the dinosaurs and their pterosaur cousins return to feed in Space Usagi: White Star Rising #1.

 

Lady Ryoko’s lofty manner fades when glimpsing a fiery starfighter. Then she closes her eyes and touches her forehead like Spock. So it is her daughter, Lady Ch'Yoko, and her attendants at Shirohoshi Castle, whose eyes bulge and jaws drop when she “remembers.” On Gifu, a cyborg ninja sneaks into the Mino Imperial Palace. A yellow glow surrounds him, and red colors the air when he attacks. Lord Kiyoshi wears purple and sleeps beneath a purple blanket. Usagi rides a beige biped dinosaur through the yellow-brown desert. He passes green reptiles, brown rodents, humanoids, and aliens as he heads toward a green and orange dome.

 

 

 

Story: Akemi and the Secret Invasion

In Space Usagi: Yokai Hunter #1, Usagi promised Akemi she would go on missions someday. But like her advanced quantum Trigonometry lessons, Akemi gets bored mapping uncharted planets on the outskirts of the Shirohoshi system. So when she finds an uncharted planet, Akemi decides a little exploration is in order. Seeing all the strange plants and animals is fun. But could there be a reason this planet is uncharted? In Akemi and the Secret Invasion, Julie and Stan Sakai begin a children’s story akin to their graphic novel Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis. Like young Princess Leia in the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series, Akemi reminds us of the things that delight us, such as reading favorite stories and discovering new aspects of nature.

 

Art: Akemi and the Secret Invasion

Emi Fujii lavishes a loaded palette on Akemi and the Secret Invasion. Yet the colors owe more to the pastel family than in White Star Rising. As Akemi pilots her one-person scout ship, her red and yellow clothes match the yellow fire spurting from the ship's nacelles and the planets and five-pointed stars she passes. As Akemi passes fanciful flora and fauna, sunlight reveals a streak of horizontal lightness through her burnt sienna hair. Her features constrict when facing a sudden gust of wind. Yet Akemi’s irrepressible smile soon returns as she explores this uncharted world in Space Usagi: White Star Rising #1.

 

Lettering

Stan Sakai places generous-size uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. Thoughts hover in puffy clouds, letters swell for volume, and sound effects capture every slamming barrier, conflagration, bloody death, and explosion. Thanks to Dark Horse Comics and Dogu Publishing for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

As Stan Sakai enhances the history and mythology of this future universe, Usagi enlists a criminal's help in a lightning raid on enemy soil, and his daughter begins her space-faring career in Space Usagi: White Star Rising #1.

 

Rating 9.7/10

 

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

Deadpool #7 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar & Alexis Quasarano

Artist: Andrea Di Vito

Colorist: Guru-eFX

Letterer: Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke; Mark Bagley & Edgar Delgado; Amanda Conner & Edgar Delgado; Scott Koblish & Jesus Aburtov; Peach Momoko

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Drew Baumgartner & MR Daniel; Mark Basso & Ellie Pyle; CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 2, 2024

 

Deadpool is dead. His body lies in the conference room. At least, all the bits that Death Grip lopped off are there. Deadpool always wanted to be the guy in the chair, but Deadpool & Daughters, LLC, needs someone to call the shots while their leader rests in pieces. Can Ellie and Princess assume all the field duties while Taskmaster ensures sufficient cash flow to keep the office rats in fresh water and throw the weekly pizza party? Let's leap into Deadpool #7 and find out!

 

Story

Ellie is acting out. She’s ignoring orders and violating Daddy's No Killing rule. But then, Daddy's not around anymore, and Task-Daddy’s laissez-faire management style during the Arseni Angeloff affair failed to impress her. Taskmaster understands Ellie's anger. But for him to stick around as the Interim CEO and CFO, Deadpool & Daughters, LLC needs income to purchase weapons and give them another shot at Death Grip. 

 

 

 

The entire concept of death comes under review in Deadpool #7. Wade Wilson may no longer breathe, but neither does his body decay. Ellie’s healing factor helps her recover from wounds that would kill others. Her recuperative abilities enhance her brain functions, making her a super student. Ellie learned how to teleport by watching internet videos. So now she's watching Agatha Harkness (or another purple-clad witch) on New Toobe in the hopes of resurrecting her father. Taskmaster warns Ellie against the dangers of obsessing over bringing the dead back to life. Ellie is young, so perhaps that explains her ignoring Mary Shelley's warnings. Besides, it's not as if Ellie can resurrect the dead responsibly like the Scarlet Witch. 

 

 

 

While people may compare Spider-Man with Deadpool, Cody Ziglar & Alexis Quasarano’s story highlights the difference between heroes and antiheroes. Taskmaster isn’t sending Ellie and her symbiote canine sister to steal a briefcase from a villain. Instead, he proposes they steal money from a biotech research firm. Taskmaster implies that stealing from a shell company is okay, as people often create them to launder money, avoid taxes, or shield their activities from public scrutiny. Ellie and Princess embrace the idea enthusiastically. But then, teenagers are scary, right?

 

 

Art

Ellie charges fearlessly into the fray on a rooftop, taking down gun-toting baddies before hurtling down a fire escape. Andrea Di Vito captures the action with time-lapse photography until Ellie reaches the street in Deadpool #7. Ellie braves pistols, rifles, and a rocket launcher while confronting baddies who should clean up their language. But questioning a foul-mouthed villain proves unnecessary thanks to a grenade down the tank top and a tail-fling into the sky. It's not purple rain, but the red shower refreshes, nonetheless.

 

 

 

Princesses' pink tongue also renews Ellie's spirits as she texts her dead dad on a blue cellphone screen. Watching a purple-clad witch on her red phone also makes Ellie smile. But trouble brews when they teleport to a forest-green building illuminated by fern-green windows. Guru-eFX’s white lightning and rain streak the blue evening sky as red, black, and brown Ellie and magenta Princess prepare to ascend the steep grassy rise and enter Chemocorp.

 

 

 

Joe Sabino pulls out all the stops in Deadpool #7. Commentary appears in pink narrative boxes and white ones bordered with pink or blue-and-yellow. White balloons feature uppercase black text, while red ones feature Princesses’ distinctive white font. The dialogue rarely shrinks or grows bold, while yellow arrows highlight Deadpool’s daughters practicing restraint. Pink music notes suggest Ellie is taking her cues from Starlord and Baby Groot, and red letters remind us of Princess' canine nature. Colorful sound effects enhance workplace destruction and people firing laser beams with their eyes. But then, how else can one diffuse contentious office encounters? Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

After Daddy’s dismemberment and death, Ellie is killing time and people, Taskmaster sends juveniles to commit Grand Larceny, and Princess catches a scent that makes her happy in Deadpool #7.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

Jim Zub Interview Part 4: Conan The Barbarian #13 & The Frost Giant's Daughter

 

After concentrating on his contributions to Titan Comics' series The Savage Sword Of Conan, I shifted topics to the latest issue of writer Jim Zub's Conan The Barbarian series. Still, I made a slight detour into Savage Sword along the way! Here's more of my interview with Cimmerian scribe Jim Zub!

 

David: With Conan The Barbarian #13, it seems like you've gone through cycles where Conan was with Brisa and then his world kind of breaks. He tries to go back to Cimmeria but he couldn't. So, he's goes to Shadizar to start over, and then that situation gets messed up. So now he’s going out into the wilderness on his own.

 

 

Conan The Barbarian #1 Cover B (Roberto de la Torre)

 

Jim: Well, we've jumped to an earlier part of the timeline. Like with the weird tale stories, we can move around. We don't have to go linear. So if you look in Conan The Barbarian #1, there's a flashback. It talks about him fighting at the battle of Venarium, and he's got this bear on his back, and it talks about him testing his might. Now we're going back and showing that story.

 

Conan The Barbarian #13 Cover A by Dan Panosian

 

We're showing Conan in his youth, questioning his faith, and wondering what it's all about. Chronologically, Conan The Barbarian #13 to 16 take place between zero [The 2023 Free Comic Book Day issue] and #1.  

 

David: The shape of his sword made me wonder. 

 

Jim: It is the Pict blade that he got at the end of the Free Comic Book Day special.

 

David: But in Conan The Barbarian #12, he discards it, right?

 

Jim: Yeah.

 

David: Okay, because it [the panel] was very small.

 

Jim: Yeah. No, he does discard it, yeah.

 

David: I'm going to revise my review then.

 

Jim: [Laughs] No worries. It's all good. 

 

 

The Savage Sword Of Conan #4 Cover A by David Palumbo

 

 

David: So, [in Savage Sword] you've done a prose story. You've done comics. You've done a poem. Are we going to see a pinup next?

 

Jim: [Laughs] You know, I am an artist. I was an artist before I became a writer. I'm not sure. I do sketches of Conan and stuff for people, but man! You know Doug [Braithwaite] and Rob [de la Torre] are so phenomenal! I would be extra intimidated to step into the ring. It's not impossible but it's not the current plan, no, but thank you for the compliment. It would be cool, for sure.

 

David: Yeah, something different.

 

Jim: Yeah, you’re like, “Are you doing a rock opera next?”

 

David: [Laughs] So, with your Conan The Barbarian series, you pass over some stories and you kind of blend on others.

 

Jim: Yeah.

 

David: Why retell “The Frost Giant’s Daughter’? 

 

 

Conan The Barbarian #13 Cover B by Amanda Conner

 

 

Jim: Good question! So, early on I made it very clear we weren't going to do straight adaptations because they've been done many times in comics. If you're a Conan fan you know “The Frost Giant’s Daughter”. You know the “God in the Bowl”. You know “The Tower Of The Elephant” and “The Queen Of The Black Coast”. So, we can build off those pillars and hopefully surprise you with the ways that we echo the themes or ideas or visuals from those stories, but not just retell them.

 

Doug [Braithwaite] specifically asked me to do a story set in the frozen north. He loves those [Frank] Frazetta paintings of Conan fighting in the snow, and he's like, “I want something that feels like that!” 

 

 

Conan Legacy Frazetta Cover #1 (Dark Horse Comics)

 

 

There’s only canon story that takes place in the north like that and that's “The Frost Giant’s Daughter”. I said, “I’ve got to think about it,” and I came across this idea of faith and Conan in his youth with wanderlust. Originally, I was going to finish it with him heading into “The Frost Giant's Daughter.” Then I realized thematically we could do something even more expansive.

 

I don't want to spoil it, but “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” is sort of central to the story now. So, we see before and after [Robert E Howard’s story] and there are some surprises. Even though you've read “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” before, there’s context for why they happen and where. We can give you a different story that is not just the one you've read before. There's more under the hood and I'm really excited for people to see it.

 

And it’s the 90th anniversary of the original story’s publication so it just seemed like kismet that we could do it and we'd be able to celebrate at the same time. 

 

 

The Cimmerian: The Frost Giant's Daughter #1 Cover A by Peach Momoko

 

David: I'm sure it'll be a lot different than Ablaze Comics’ version of “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” [in their series The Cimmerian].

 

Jim: [Laughs] Yes, I can say that with absolute confidence!

 

Thanks again to Jim Zub for speaking with me, Titan Comics for arranging the interview, and the press office at Comic-Con International for granting me the opportunity to speak with the author bringing Conan back to comic readers! I'll share more of this interview soon!