Unbreakable X-Men #2 Review

 

Writer: Gail Simone

Artists: CF Villa, Mario Santoro, Davide Tinto, David Marquez, AB Silva, Alessandro Cappuccio & Ramon Rosanas

Colorist: Espen Grundetjern

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Lucas Werneck; Ejikure; InHyuk Lee; Marco Checchetto & Edgar Delgado

Designer: Jay Bowen

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

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: November 19, 2025

 

With Wolverine's help, Rogue and Gambit mentored a group of young mutants nicknamed the Outliers. When the St Juniors invited them to share Haven House, the X-Men also trained their daughter, Dome. The house guarded a graveyard for centuries, a rare resting place for Mutants in a world that hated them. The St Juniors and X-Men also helped Lady Henrietta Benjamin and Man-Thing guard the Dark Artery, an entryway to the Penumbra. There, Shuvahrak torments people who hurt or betray the Mutant members of their families during their lives.

 

When Galactus approached their property, Rogue stopped the Planet Eater at the cost of her life. Years later, Henrietta Benjamin visits the St Juniors’ home. She tells Gambit, Ransom, Temper, Dome, and Spider-Girl that Shuvahrak no longer wishes to torment the dead. Now, she wants to attack the living. Can Gambit and his adopted family prevent the dark god from arising? And how will Shuvahrak treat the inhabitants of Revelation's Territories? Let's grab a pack of playing cards, leap into Unbreakable X-Men #2, and see!

 

Story

After Rogue's death, the St Juniors' home became a house of pain. Gambit thinks of Rogue constantly. He yearns to join her in death. When Shuvahrak raises a zombie army to wipe out the guardians, Gambit pours out his anger and despair over Rogue's loss on his undead attackers. Despite how Ransom and the others care for him, Gambit draws strength by thinking of Nightcrawler, who has prayed for and counseled him.

 

In Unbreakable X-Men #2, Lady Henrietta and the others don’t know how Shuvahrak has gained new powers. But the prospect of the god breaking free to torment the living is a danger they cannot ignore. It frightens Ransom enough to suggest a reunion of the Outliers, something he has resisted all these years. Foremost in his thoughts is Deathdream, who convinced the others to promise that they would fight Shuvahrak if she ever threatened the living.

 

With Miss Henrietta urging them to hurry, Gail Simone’s story sends Gambit and his small cadre of X-Men to gather reinforcements. Years ago, Galactus told Rogue that Dome served no purpose at Haven House, but she could fulfill her promise elsewhere. Given her fierce love of Dome, Rogue didn't let the girl consider becoming the Planet Eater’s herald. Years after one giant's attack brought their lives to a standstill, the threat of another helps Gambit and the others remember their purpose and use their gifts to protect others in Unbreakable X-Men #2.

 

 

 

Art

As Gambit battles near a statue he cannot see, he guards a memorial erected by the city of New Orleans. Afterward, clad in the clothes of his late wife, Lady Henrietta hugs and kisses Gambit outside Haven House. While the X-Men gather in the living room, Shuvahrak arises. Chains adorn a leviathan more beast than Human in appearance. As the rays of light surrounding her echo the shape of Rogue's memorial, worshippers surround her, while a town climbs a nearby hill.

 

While Espen Grundetjern adorns Unbreakable X-Men #2 with brief respites from the encroaching darkness, Ransom strides through photographic negatives. Like Shuvahrak's tail, Sadurang’s glowing orange, red, and blue body appears more serpentine than before. 

 

 

 

Spider-Girl’s red jacket links her with Calico’s red riding coat, while the copper manes of her gray horses glow. Lady Henrietta and Dome prepare to protect Haven House, clad in black and gray. The X on Dome’s shirt echoes the entryway to the realm that can no longer hold its angry god.

 

Clayton Cowles shares dialogue using uppercase black letters in white balloons and boxes or white letters in black balloons. Gambit’s thoughts appear as white letters in pink boxes as he fights off zombies with glowing pink cards. The letters grow bold for intonation and never shrink. While earthshaking sound effects herald the end of an era, enlarged and colored words make for a statement of purpose and unity. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Gambit's love of Rogue helped him build a loving, supportive community for Mutants in Haven House. After his despair made the home a tomb, the Outliers went their separate ways. While survivor's guilt made Gambit want to die, Shuvahrak’s loss drove her to make others feel her pain. Dwelling on her loss fed her anger until that was all she knew. Feeling betrayed by the Mutant community for not protecting her child, Shuvahrak arises in a land created by Revelation’s betrayal of the Mutant community’s ideals in Unbreakable X-Men #2.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Amazing Spider-Man #56 Review

 

Writers: Zeb Wells & Lee Gatlin

Penciler: John Romita Jr

Inker: Scott Hanna

Artists: Andrés Genolet, Ramon Rosanas & Lee Gatlin

Colorists: Marcio Menyz, Rachelle Rosenberg & Lee Gatlin

Letterers: Joe Caramagna & Lee Gatlin

Editors: Kaeden McGahey, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz; Rafael Albuquerque; Joëlle Jones & Rachelle Rosenberg; Paco Medina & Jesus Aburtov; Pablo Villalobos

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $7.99

Release Date: August 28, 2024

 

Lonnie Lincoln once worked for Wilson Fisk. On a hunting trip, Wilson recognized Lonnie’s potential. So, he taught the new boy what it means to take power and retain it. During the Gang War, Wilson showed that he had changed. The former Kingpin was putting family before power. Now, Lonnie controls the criminal underworld of New York. Lonnie stripped his daughter of her wings. What else will he do to stay on top, and how will his actions affect Spider-Man? Let's thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #56 and find out!

 

Main Story

Peter’s life is a mess, but he doesn’t want it to be. He lost Mary Jane and Felicia Hardy. Now he’s got a chance with Shay Marken, and he doesn’t want to blow it. But that means getting his life under control. That’s not easy, given his responsibilities as Spider-Man. Creditors may no longer hound him, but neither does he have a job. A visit to the Daily Bugle knocks that possibility off Peter’s list.

 

Often, people who struggle in personal relationships throw themselves into work. Peter is better at being Spider-Man than he is at being Peter Parker. But if he’s such a great Spider-Man, why couldn’t he prevent Randy from getting shot? Nearly losing his friend plagues Peter, so Spider-Man takes his anger and frustration out on criminals. If he’s not hassling dodgy real estate agents, he’s making Tombstone look like a crook that other crooks can’t trust. Peter has good reasons to hurt Lonnie, Kareem, and White Rabbit’s reputations. But his actions not only make them look bad. Spider-Man’s duplicity could get them killed.

 

Lonnie Lincoln recognizes this. Like any leader, he knows his position is tenuous. If Spider-Man contemplates loose threads in Zeb Wells' main story, so does Tombstone. After he won the Gang War back in ASM #44, Tombstone told White Rabbit he'd have to kill Spider-Man. But like the new-and-improved Wilson Fisk, Lonnie has been holding back. In Amazing Spider-Man #56, Spider-Man wants to take down Tombstone. Tombstone needs to take down Spidey. But unlike Peter Parker, Lonnie Lincoln gets no pleasure from it. It’s just something he has to do.

 

Art

Peter’s eyes glow, and he smiles wide as Randy walks on crutches. His smile fades, and Peter's eyes narrow when Randy asks him to leave. Spider-Man looks like he's addressing flies from atop the villains’ van. Then he yanks the back doors open, filling the air with their blood. Spider-Man thwips the crate of guns away and rides atop Kareem's car. Then he thwips away, leaving a locator beacon on the roof. Lonnie dines alone in a restaurant while bodyguards wait nearby. He wipes his mouth with a cloth napkin as he studies photos of Peter Parker. Do Tombstone's thoughts return to Fisk's object lesson in Africa?

 

Marcio Menyz tinges John Romita Jr and Scott Hanna’s Daily Bugle newsroom with yellow. While Robbie Robertson’s head glows, the overhead florescent lights cast light diagonally into Robbie’s darker office. But they’re no match for the streetlight that shines over the silhouette of Janice on the sidewalk, casting shadows across her eyes and shoulders as she sniffs red roses. Light streaks the window and the mirror as Tombstone adjusts his tie. He wants to look his best when he rolls down the green window of his black limo and tells Peter to get out of the rain.

 

 

 

Proxy: Story

Spider-Man requests that She-Hulk meet him at Pigeon Coffee And Donuts. He wants to discuss building a case against Lonnie Lincoln, but Bulldozer gets in the way. She-Hulk helps Spidey take Bulldozer down, but she’s upset. She’s on her way to Ned Leeds’ hearing, and the brawl with Bulldozer ruined her favorite blazer. With so much going on in his life, Spider-Man forgot about Ned’s hearing. He wants to be there for his friend. But while She-Hulk heads directly to the courthouse, Spider-Man arrives late.

 

Ned is unhappy with Peter in Amazing Spider-Man #56. Like Randy Robinson and many in Peter’s life, Ned feels that Peter hasn’t stood by him like a friend should. In Proxy, Spider-Man may win, but Peter Parker loses.

 

Art

Like Jaws in Moonraker, Rhino consumes his side of a booth, while his date requires little. As they glimpse the fight on the street through the streaked coffee shop window, their guarded expressions relax, and they exchange smiles. Spider-Man thwips a car. She-Hulk rips a streetlight off the curb. Sparking electric cables cast a yellow glow on the rising smoke as She-Hulk throttles Bulldozer with the streetlight. As the villain lays face down on cracked concrete, She-Hulk doesn’t look at Spider-Man. Instead, she inspects her torn shoulder seam and ripped sleeve.

 

Rachelle Rosenberg paints Andrés Genolet’s courtroom in gray, beige, and brown. While She-Hulk dominates the room in her purple blazer, Ned echoes her color with his V-neck sweater. Bettie and her child wear light blue. The red, white, and blue American flag hangs next to her in the adjacent panel. Peter’s presence offers a weak glow, but his gray clothes diminish him as he pursues Bettie, Ned, and She-Hulk past brown wood and white marble walls. The overhead lights and the sunlight streaming in through the windows behind them give She-Hulk an angelic appearance, while Peter casts a black spider and a Spider-Man standing before a spider-web on the wall. 

 

 

 

Responsibilities: Story

Peter visits Mary Jane and Paul one night. Before he thwips away for an evening of crime fighting, he thanks them for Paul's delicious Chicken Korma. The time Paul took to learn how to make the Indian curry is another reminder of how Paul cares for MJ. But Paul's concern for others isn't limited to the woman he loves. In Zeb Wells' story, Paul is a visitor from another universe. Yet Paul made a list of people injured by his profit-driven focus before he traveled here. He can't help the people who died or still suffer there, so he helps their counterparts on Earth-616. The affecting story makes you wonder. What kind of Spider-Man might Paul become?

 

Art

Paul and Mary Jane’s apartment is a showroom of straight lines and rectangles. The panel doors, kitchen cabinets, wood floor, kitchen tile, picture frames, and the sleek couch exude ordered calm. When Paul ventures outside into the sea of humanity, he gives a street vendor money, even though he doesn't buy anything. Yet when Paul ventures into the apartment building of a person in trouble, the lines go askew. The building has fallen into disrepair, and the stark lighting creates drama.

 

Rachelle Rosenberg lavishes a loaded palette of appealing colors on Ramon Rosanas’ art in Amazing Spider-Man #56. The subdued colors of Paul and Mary Jane's apartment make it a beacon of light. The next day, Paul travels past beige buildings, vibrant foliage, and passersby dressed in colorful attire. Paul's memories of his business career reinforce Paul's former indifference to his world, while the warm greens and browns of the apartment he visits suggest the occupant's connection. By the time Paul leaves, the sky has turned gray, and rain pelts down, a final reminder that Paul's form of caring means investing time in others. 

 

 

 

Stark Kraven Mad

In Lee Gatlin's delightful cartoon, Kraven sits on one of the stone statues outside the New York Public Library when Spider-Man thwips into view. The soft green foliage surrounding Kraven evokes the jungle. Is the stone lion Patience or Fortitude? Given Spidey's antics, I can make an educated guess.

 

Aside from Lee Gatlin’s one-page story, Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase lettering into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes in Amazing Spider-Man #56. The fonts grow bold for inflection, swell and change color for increased volume, and shrink for lowered voices. Colored and transparent sound effects heighten thwipping, headbanging, gavel-banging, a car crash, police sirens, and a brutal brawl. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Mary Jane has her life in order. Randy Robertson and Ned Leeds are making progress. But Peter is more lost than ever. He wants to start something good with Shay Marken but doesn't even have a job. So he’s putting Spider-Man’s house in order in Amazing Spider-Man #56. But will becoming a more controlling Spider-Man create more problems than it solves?

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13 Review

 

Writer: Erik Burnham

Artist: Sarah Myer

Colorist: Luis Antonio Delgado

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Cover Artists: Sarah Myer, Ramon Rosanas & Gigi Dutreix

Publisher: IDW

Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 22, 2024

 

Ogg The Magnificent challenged the Turtles to a Best Of Three Contest. If the Turtles win, Ogg loses his powers. If Ogg wins, the Turtles lose their lives. Michelangelo’s genius brought his brothers their first win. But are the Turtles capable of defeating The Enemy Within? Let's order a pizza, tune into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13, and find out!

 

Story

Mister Ogg is tired of people not living up to their potential. He craves originality, not sequels and variations on a theme. So, he’s getting to the heart of who the Turtles are by forcing them to fight their evil selves. Perhaps the Turtles will achieve greatness by beating versions of themselves that value victory over principles and achievements over a good time. If not, Ogg will wipe them out of existence. No pressure.

 

As Raphael points out, Ogg's stacked the deck in his favor. He's forcing the Turtles to fight five evil Turtles in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13. Too bad, Raph! Ogg’s throwing the party. Or rather, he’s hosting the Ogglympics. Versions of the magnificent Ogg sell drinks, snacks, pennants, and foam fingers to the cheering crowd. To make things interesting, Mister Ogg throws out an additional incentive. If the Turtles don't give their best, he will wipe their evil twins from existence.

 

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13, Erik Burnham forces the brothers to go against their instincts. Ogg tricked them into this contest by appealing to their vanity. He nearly won Round One because most of the Turtles were overthinking. Round Two will test their compassion and what unites them as brothers. But most of all, it will push each Turtle before a mirror and force him to confront his greatest weakness.

 

While their unprincipled evil selves go for the win by any means necessary, Ogg makes our Turtles' task harder. He splits them up so they cannot function as a team. Should just one of them lose his battle, all four lose Round Two. Man, Burnham, that Ogg is evil! Like Michelangelo, I think I liked Ogg better when he was just a weird little guy who ate porcelain!

 

Art

Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo confront their evil sides in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13. The rascally Raphael resembles a pirate. The dastardly Donatello packs bulging muscles. Lawbreaking Leonardo looks ferocious in Black And White. Bizarrely, menacing Michelangelo resembles a wide-eyed innocent. Still, the sinister Shredder Turtle looks more dangerous than any two of the other reptile reprobates!

 

Sarah Myer does All-Mighty Ogg’s bidding by tossing Leo into a Hoth-like snowfield. She spirits Donatello to a ramp evoking the elevated bridge of Darth Vader's Star Destroyer. She hurls Raphael to a savage land with an active volcano. As for Michelangelo, he lands beside a small spaceship outside a futuristic pizza palace. Who knew there was a thriving Italian community on Coruscant?

 

Purple and blue dominate a packed stadium. Lights glare before a planet- and star-filled purple sky. When Leonardo’s sword transforms into an Oggish snake, white dots and a starburst appear. Green foliage and vines surround a Black-And-White Turtle. Leonardo battles in blue-white knee-high snow before purple and pink mountains. Luis Antonio Delgado lavishes a loaded palette of attractive and vibrant colors on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13.

 

Ed Dukeshire's uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons will please pizza lovers of any age. Words rarely shrink and embolden for inflection, while every word lawbreaking Leo utters is bold. Energetic and colorful sound effects help us hear Ogg banish the turtles to their separate trials, blades clash, and the Oggling crowd boo. While some sound effects coordinate with turtle colors, the red letters that announce a table-turning development have nothing to do with Raphael.

 

Thanks to my compadres at IDW for providing a copy of this cowabunga issue for review.

 

Final Thoughts

From a jungle to a futuristic city, the All-Powerful Mister Ogg tests the Turtles' mettle using a divide-and-conquer strategy in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13. The pressure is on Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo. If anyone stumbles, they all could die!

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

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