Green Lantern Corps #20 Review

 

Green Lantern Corps #20 Review

Writer: Morgan Hampton

Artists: Fernando Pasarín, Oclair Albert & Juan José Ryp

Colorists: Arif Prianto, Matt Herms & Romulo Fajardo Jr

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Cover Artists: Travis Mercer & Romulo Fajardo Jr

Variant Cover Artists: Jorge Fornés & Rian Gonzales

Editors: Jillian Grant, Kathleen Wisneski & Paul Kaminski

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99 Card Stock

Release Date: September 9, 2026

 

Guy Gardner was a screw-up all his life. Then he became the Allsight and forged a relationship with the Emotional Entities. He taught Corps Leader Jessica Cruz to recognize that the Lanterns needed to respect the Entities more, lest they fall into the same trap as the Manhunters. Now, as they work together, Guy and Jessica hope they can prepare the Lanterns for Darkseid's return.

 

Still, John Stewart and Jo Mullein have been struggling lately. After repelling the Manhunter threat, they're taking time off to confront unresolved issues. What difficulties will John and Jo confront during their sabbaticals? How will the Corps on Oa adjust to wielding power from the new Emotional Well? Let's put on our power rings, leap into Green Lantern Corps #20, and see!

 

Story

Life on Oa is changing. Before John Stewart sacrificed himself to protect Oa from the Starbreaker Corps, he helped design new housing districts so Lanterns representing all the colors in the Emotional Spectrum could live together on Oa. Now, Guy Gardner and Jessica Cruz have constructed an Emotional Well. This gives the Emotional Entities a new home on Oa, and helps all the Corps channel the new "Chrome" energy it produces. Yet since the Emotional Entities helped Aya, Guy Gardner, Jessica Cruz, and all the Lanterns repel the Manhunter invasion, one of their number has vanished.

 

While Guy Gardner investigates this worrying disappearance, Green Lantern Corps #20 also follows John Stewart and Jo Mullein as they rest and recuperate away from Oa. As John returns to Earth, Morgan Hampton shows John’s return to his life there from Katma Tui’s perspective. Neither John nor Katma wished to return to Oa. Yet, after his other self died, John returned to help his fellow Lanterns. Katma Tui also feels the tension of having other selves who died in service to Oa. While she enjoys watching John reconnect with his Human heritage, Katma yearns for a purpose when they return to Oa.

 

While the Lanterns attempt to adjust to changes on Oa, and Katma Tui yearns for a more meaningful relationship with her adoptive home, Jo Mullein struggles with leaving Oa. After his mother’s death, John Stewart no longer feels a connection to Earth. Yet Jo Mullein fears returning to the connections on Earth that threaten to imprison her. So, before she returns home, Jo stops off on Zillaboq for a few drinks. Yet, her decision proves both fortuitous and disastrous, as she discovers a new threat to Oa that imprisons her in Green Lantern Corps #20.

 

Art

As Fernando Pasarín, Oclair Albert, and Juan José Ryp show a microspecies swollen to mammoth proportions, the camera zooms inside a bar within the city of towers sprawling across the animal's back. Like the bouncer, the bartender's head suggests his species has long memories. Yet the people his society chose as protectors wear an imperial symbol on their chests. On Earth, Katma clutches onto John, only releasing him when he lays flowers on a grave. A stone angel with widespread wings watches them like another celestial protector.

 

As Arif Prianto, Matt Herms, and Romulo Fajardo Jr lavish a palette of bright, attractive colors on Green Lantern Corps #20, green and blue fill a bar filled with representatives from many worlds. The blue and green link Jo with John and Katma on Earth, and a battle between Lanterns on Oa. The red and silver Blackstars evoke the Manhunters that recently attempted to usurp control of the Emotional Spectrum. Yet Katma’s skin, somewhere between violet and red, and her cybernetic leg also link her with the Blackstars.

 

Dave Sharpe fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters. White letters in black balloons with red outlines and serrated edges signal danger. Katma Tui, Guy Gardner, and Jo Mullein’s thoughts appear in narrative boxes with varying shades of green and white. Colorful and transparent sound effects accompany confrontations, destruction, and an interstellar investigation. Yet enlarged black dialogue provides a clue to a mystery threatening the Green Lantern Corps’ home. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

While commercial interests bolster Vandal Savage’s attempt to police Gotham, corporations attempt to provide security on other worlds. Omni Omega+ Entertainment Corp bought the bounty hunting industry. Then, its executives assert sole law enforcement duties for entire planets and attempt to trademark the Green Lantern symbol. Now, a new corporation seeks to rule the cosmos with an iron hand in Green Lantern Corps #20.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see Green Lantern Corps #20 Preview.

For what happened last time, see Green Lantern Corps #19 Preview. 

For what happened before that, see my Green Lantern Corps #18 Review. 

For what happened even before that, see my preview of Green Lantern Corps #17. 

For what happened even more before that, see my review of Green Lantern Corps #16. 

For Jo Mullein's fears of returning to Earth, see Justice League: Dream Girls—A DC Pride Event #2 Preview. 

  

Justice League Knight Vision Special #1 Review

 

Justice League Knight Vision Special #1 Review

Writers: Mark Waid & Joshua Williamson

Artist: Miguel Mendonça

Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr

Letterer: Steve Wands

Editors: Ben Mears & Rob Levin

Cover Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico

Variant Cover Artists: Juan Ferreyra; Mark Spears; Javi Fernández with Marcelo Maiolo

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99 US

Release Date: July 29, 2026

 

Batman may believe in preserving life. He may admire genius. But that doesn't mean Batman wants Lex Luthor in the Justice League. And after Lex Luthor inflamed the Brainiac Queen crisis, Batman doesn't want Lex anywhere near the Watchtower control room.

 

But when Batman tried to throw Lex out, both men shared a vision. Will Batman and Lex Luthor establish an interstellar empire like Aquaman? Or will they awaken a dragon as they tinker with potentially planet-destroying forces like Cyborg in Mount Titans? Let’s leap into Justice League Knight Vision Special #1 and see!

 

Story

When gunrunners want to meet with their buyer in Gotham, they opt for Slaughter Swamp to avoid Batman's scrutiny. Thanks to their shared vision, Batman and Lex Luthor find the miscreants regardless. But before the Justice League teammates can arrest the weapons dealers, a house appears in Slaughter Swamp. And although Batman tries to warn them, the gunrunners flee inside the house.

 

In Justice League Knight Vision Special #1, Lex Luthor claims this mission is an unwelcome task. Batman argues that the visions are designed to prepare them for Darkseid’s return. Still, Lex can't wait to get inside the house. And Lex seems more interested in learning how much Batman knows about its occupant than sharing information with his partner.

 

Mark Waid and Joshua Williamson’s story contrasts Bruce Wayne’s approach to life with Lex Luthor, his socioeconomic equal. It also compares Batman's origins with those of Prometheus. As the fast-paced story follows Lex and Bruce, the men test each other. And even when they confront the house's owner, both men expect the other to let them down in Justice League Knight Vision Special #1.

 

Art

As the gunrunners arrive in their airboat, Batman and Lex Luthor descend from the Batwing. While Batman spreads his arms wide to support his cape, Lex Luthor crosses his arms over his armored chest and frowns. When Batman lands atop the propeller cage, his cape emulates wings as he crouches. But when the arms dealers raise their weapons, Lex fires an energy burst from his hand. Then a twisted tower erupts from the water, hurling the combatants and the boats into the air.

 

As Miguel Mendonça depicts Batman and Lex obeying whatever force gifted them their shared vision, Romulo Fajardo Jr. adorns Justice League Knight Vision Special #1 with a bright palette. While the weapons dealers dress to melt into the green and blue Slaughter Swamp, Lex's green armor and Batman's blue suit, cowl, and cape shine brightly. The brown door, outlined with white, adopts a 2D cartoony appearance when the gunrunners enter. As Batman realizes the twisting nature of the interior, white lines and a turquoise background fill a panel. Yet when the weapons dealers reappear, they bring the yellow, orange, and red of Gotham to Slaughter Swamp.

 

While large white letters identify locations, black uppercase letters fill white dialogue balloons. Steve Wands shrinks and grays dialogue for lowered voices, and warps words when navigating Prometheus' inner sanctum. Lex Luthor and Batman's offscreen dialogue appears as white letters in green versus black boxes. Sound effects accompany fighting, weapon fire, and the strange house doing what a strange house does. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

While Batman and Prometheus endured similar trauma, Bruce has more in common with Lex Luthor than he would care to admit. After the Omega Tournament and Lex's recent actions aboard the Watchtower, Bruce knows he can never trust his partner. But while Bruce must find a way to combine their differences to fulfill their shared vision, he and Lex confront a villain with a different type of vision in Justice League Knight Vision Special #1.

 

Rating: 10/10

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Justice League Unlimited #21. 

For how this story arc started, see my preview of Justice League Unlimited #17. 

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2026 Annual #1 Review

 

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2026 Annual #1 Review

Writers: Mark Russell; Mark Waid & Tyrone Finch

Artists: Clayton Henry & Patrick Boutin

Colorists: Pedro Estouco & Romulo Fajardo Jr

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artist: Dan Mora

Variant Cover Artists: Rahzzah; Clayton Henry & Arif Prianto

Editors: Chris Rosa & Paul Haminski

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99 US/Variant $6.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: July 29, 2026

 

When Superman, Batman, and Robin searched for a missing Air Force pilot, they ended up on another world. Batman and Robin befriended Warlord and his savage and beautiful cadre. Then Batman disappeared amid his search for Superman. But no one anticipated that Air Force pilot Randall Kreitzer, transformed into Tyrant Rex, could drain Superman of his powers and bestow them on his trusted lieutenants.

 

Now, Superman, Batman, and Robin have returned from Skartaris. Warlord can live out his Edgar Rice Burroughs dreams without interference from Robin. Where will the World's Finest team travel next? And what trouble will they find? Let's leap into Batman/Superman: World's Finest 2026 Annual #1 and see what happens!

 

The Hero Trap: Story

Bruce and Clark wanted to honor their fathers with a celebratory meal. But Bruce worries that Alfred won't like Clark's choice. When Jonathan and Alfred arrive, Jonathan feels at home in the Middle Ages-themed restaurant. Yet Alfred is ill at ease.

 

When Clark and Bruce receive alerts before Jonathan and Alfred can peruse the menu, Bruce leaves to assess the situation. But while Jonathan remains buoyant in Clark's company, Alfred withdraws further.

 

As Mark Russell splits the narrative between Batman, Superman, and the men who raised them, he also focuses on their dilemmas. Batman and Superman seek to rescue their friend. Yet Jonathan and Alfred, who taught them how to be heroes, must wait to learn their fate. Both fathers wrestle with letting their children live their lives, while worrying about the dangerous road they set their sons upon in Batman/Superman: World's Finest 2026 Annual #1.

 

The Hero Trap: Art

A knight clad in plate armor guards a fortress with his spear. Inside, Bruce and Clark sit side by side. Yet both men look away, as if alert for danger. When the men who raised them arrive, Jonathan waves to his son, while Alfred leans away from the wooden tables where a squire takes dinner orders.

 

As Clayton Henry conveys the action and drama, Pedro Estouco lavishes a richly colored palette on Batman/Superman: World's Finest 2026 Annual #1. While red and blue dominate scenes as both sets of heroes seek to solve a mystery, Alfred's gray vest links him with Bruce Wayne's suit and the Batmobile. Jonathan's red flannel links with the hero in need of rescue, the SUV Bruce climbs into, and the Batmobile’s turbine exhaust. While the heroes play Detective Comics in a blue room, muted colors adorn the memories that flow through their elders’ minds.

 

Date Night: Story

In the Fifth Dimension, Bat-Mite and Mr Mxyzptlk yearn for entertainment. But when Bat-Mite reads a comic asserting that Batman is a better match for Lois Lane, Mr Mxyzptlk attempts to rewrite the story. As Mark Waid and Tyrone Finch switch the action to Earth, Superman has left Lois Lane in danger to address a global threat. But Clark Kent never suspected how Bruce Wayne would stick close to Lois Lane.

 

Both Batman and Superman have egos. Clark may know Bruce is just having fun at his expense. Still, Clark decides to show Bruce just how much fun he can have as Lois’ date. After Jonathan worked tirelessly to lighten Alfred’s spirits in The Hero Trap, Clark and Bruce’s antics further lighten the tone in Date Night.

 

Date Night: Art

When Mr Mxyzptlk spies Bat-Mite eating a sandwich while reading a copy of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2026 Annual #1, he zooms over to grab the comic. As it floats between them, opposing waves of energy rush toward the empty pages. Then, the first page of Date Night appears. Superman rises to the forefront while Earth orbits beneath him. But when he returns to Metropolis, Superman flies past the iconic Daily Planet building toward another destination.

 

Romulo Fajardo Jr adorns Patrick Boutin’s manga-style art with a vibrant palette. As Superman hovers above them, red shadows tinge Lois and Bruce's features. When Superman interferes with their evening, Bruce exchanges his black suit for red, yellow, and blue clothes. Yet red proves Bruce's nemesis, even as Lois pulls him close and smiles at him with her red lips.

 

Lettering

Steve Wands fills white balloons and boxes with black uppercase lettering. The words shrink for lowered voices and grow bold with intonation. Large white letters in blue fields locate readers in time and space while Superman’s thoughts appear as white uppercase letters in blue boxes. Sound effects enhance vehicles, gunfire, surprise attacks, and rescue attempts. And after Batman realizes a name on a door spells death, sound effects accompany his attempt to impress the woman Superman adores. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Jonathan and Alfred defended their country. After they left the military, the men advised their sons on their future campaigns. Jonathan and Alfred may not give their sons orders when Superman and Batman leave on their missions. Yet neither man has any intention of gracefully retiring from Fatherhood in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2026 Annual #1.

 

Rating: 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2026 Annual #1.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #53. 

 

For what happened before that, see my preview of Batman/Superman: World's Finest #52. 

For how this story arc started, see my preview of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #51.

For what happened even before that, see my preview of the oversize anniversary issue Batman/Superman: World's Finest #50. 

 

Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #4 Review

 

Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #4 Review

Writer: Gabriel Hardman

Artist & Cover Artist: Gabriel Hardman

Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr

Letterer: Simon Bowland

Variant Cover Artist: Tonci Zonjic

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99 US (All Covers Card Stock)

Release Date: July 1, 2026

 

Bruce Wayne never confused Emil Rotha with the good guys. Still, he wanted to believe that the new owner of Queen Industries could help Humanity survive global warming. But when Captain Billings and his soldiers start killing his exploited workforce, Bruce fights alongside Green Arrow and the Question to help the captured migrants escape.

 

The Question came to the Arctic to find redemption. Green Arrow wanted to discover what Emil Rotha was doing at Queen Industries. Batman agreed to help Emil Rotha because he didn’t want Gotham to become a submerged city. But now, all their lives are on the line. Can the trio help the indentured servants escape from this remote part of the world? Or will Batman, Green Arrow, and the Question lose sight of what's important amid the whiteout conditions? Let’s leap into Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #4 and see!

 

Story

After the explosion at the construction site, Emil Rotha thinks his workers are out to get him. So, until his people uncover who was culpable, he tells Captain Billings to judge everyone guilty until proven innocent. The Question and Green Arrow tried to get a third of the workers off Alk. But after the Rotha’s private army shot them down, they set fire to the wrecked C-130.

 

In Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #4, the heroes manage to herd the survivors into a Cold War silo. But now they're trapped inside, and Rotha's people know the exits. Ashti, whose people endangered Emil Rotha's life, helps them determine what to do next. And Pinter, who didn’t alert Rotha when Batman searched his Records room, also wants to help. But as the Question remains mission-focused, Oliver Queen envies Bruce Wayne. Oliver fought the good fight and lost everything. But Bruce, who hides behind his mask, has the world by its toes.

 

Oliver Queen may have a chip on his shoulder. But like Emil Rotha, he and Bruce belong to the social elite. While their social and financial status sets them apart from others, Vic Sage had to borrow money for airline tickets to investigate why Queen Industries is exploiting the worsening conditions in Hub City. The reporter, who has gone by several names and covers his face with a featureless mask, dismisses Emil Rotha's intelligence. But the names Rotha gave his project, the subsidiary tasked with building it, and the terrorist group frustrating his operation illuminate Rotha’s views on the future he is trying to build, and his place in it, in Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #4.

 

Art

As Rotha's soldiers fire on the fleeing workers and set fire to the downed plane, they also unload their rifles on the canopy of Batman's Batwing. While Green Arrow lays down cover fire, the Question urges workers into the surface hatch, and Batman shields two people with his armored cape. After Gabriel Hardman devotes the biggest panel to this act of sacrifice, Batman owns a full-page spread. Batman also suffers perhaps his greatest trial amid the issue’s sole two-page horizontal layout. But while thin, wide panels provide a cinematic feel, and insets offer close-ups of the action, fraught scenes featuring Oliver Queen feature diagonal layouts.

 

As Romulo Fajardo Jr adorns Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #4 with a nuanced palette, soldiers attempt to break into the orange and yellow Batwing cockpit while setting fire to the C-130. While the fires rage on this small island off the coast of Greenland, the surface hatch glows sapphire as Batman helps Ashti inside. As the two study a yellow map, Batman and Ashti glow yellow, while the green workers clutch weapons and make Molotov cocktails. Oliver Queen gets his view on Bruce off his chest before a red spot of light in the darkness. Yet despite how he treats his workers as he has struggled to complete his project, Emil Rotha still tries to build a better future amid the blue ice and snow.

 

Bold black uppercase letters reveal the Question's thoughts, while red letters in beige boxes convey responses from the Batwing's control system. The uppercase dialogue in white balloons occasionally shrinks, grows bold with intonation, and swells for raised voices. Simon Bowland's sound effects enhance the brutal fighting, as autocannon rounds burn into Batman's armor, helicopters thunder over the snowfields, soldiers employ heavy equipment to reach harried workers, and explosions rock the former military facility. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

As Bruce Wayne told Oliver Queen, sometimes villains can accomplish good. Bruce was considering how best to safeguard Gotham and the world when he supported Emil Rotha. Yet as people fight and die while trying to build a better future, and heroes argue the merits of full disclosure, a masked reporter strives to give his readers the unscripted truth in Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #4.

 

Rating 10/10

 

 

To look inside see my preview of Batman/GreenArrow/The Question: Arcadia #4. 

 

For what happened last time see my preview of Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #3.

For what happened before that, see my preview of Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #2. 

For how this series started, see my preview of Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #1. 

 

Battleworld #1 Review

 

Writer: Christos Gage

Artist: Marcus To

Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover Artists: Leinil Francis Yu & Romulo Fajardo Jr; Nick Bradshaw & Rachelle Rosenberg; Mark Bagley & Nolan Woodard; Iban Coello & Rachelle Rosenberg; James Kerigan; Greg Land & Rachelle Rosenberg; Rod Reis

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 24, 2025

 

Some readers may think that Hank Pym lives in a Victorian house in San Francisco. But Hank resides in a subatomic house and laboratory in New York. When his insect friends get more antsy than usual, Hank returns to Human size to discover that someone has combined people, buildings, and vehicles from different places and eras in New York.

 

Then Hank Pym hears a voice proclaim, "You hail from different timelines, but soon there will only be one." Who has subverted Hank's reality? And can Ant-Man survive in a world where Martian Tripods and Tyrannosaurus Rexes menace the puny Humans? Let’s armor up, leap into Battleworld #1, and see!

 

Story

The mysterious voice doesn't just explain what's happened to Hank's world. It also tells him that he must fight to justify his survival. Hank soon meets people he recognizes, but they are all changed. Spider-Man is a rookie wallcrawler. Carol Danvers goes by another title than Captain Marvel. Luke Cage is a streetwise '70s strongman. And then there's a younger version of his wife. Only Janet van Dyne mourns him in her reality.

 

While many other heroes feature in Battleworld #1, Hank Pym is our guide to this patchwork world. He also becomes a leader, as he draws upon his relationships with his colleagues. While some don't know each other or have never faced a Battleworld, Hank can share his experiences with them. But he knows how to reach them when they must decide between standing together or dividing and conquering.

 

 

 

Christos Gage pays homage to beloved creators, stories, and eras in Battleworld #1. The Spider-Scribe also sprinkles his story with humor, particularly when a character says something that will resonate with readers of Joe Kelly’s recent Amazing Spider-Man stories. The characters Hank Pym meets give him the capability to mentor young heroes and reform villains. His greatest challenge may be the person who ostensibly brought them all together. Hank Pym failed him in a significant way. Yet as this person attempts to set the universe right, he could do something for Hank that Hank couldn’t do for him.

 

 

 

Art

While Marcus To sews together glimpses of different eras and realities, he shows characters surrounding a patchwork planet on a two-page spread. Three panels establish the epic scope of this story, showing a zeppelin cruising over skyscrapers, a Martian Tripod raining down destruction, and a city threatened by glaciers and an active volcano.

 

Hank Pym greets other characters wearing a lab coat over his uniform in Battleworld #1. Luke Cage bears his chest and uses a ship's anchor chain to hold up his pants. Carol Danvers flies in bearing a lightning bolt on her chest, while Hank rests a hand on Spider-Man’s shoulder when the young webslinger rubs his head. But Hank turns away and cups his chin with his hand, when Janet rushes forward to embrace him.

 

 

 

While Rachelle Rosenberg lavishes a loaded palette on Battleworld #1, a streak of white energy threatens to knock Carol Danvers off the gameboard. Yellow links Luke, Janet, and Carol with a woman who could say “Flame on.” Pink and lavender link immense adversaries with one of the biggest threats in the Marvel Universe. Green binds a woman who seeks to preserve our world with someone who survived a world-ending event, and a villain who destroyed Janet’s. Despite conflicting views on heroism, red and blue bind two young protagonists together. Yet as super teams surround a figure glowing pink, an orange and yellow background suggests what creates great heroes.

 

 

 

Travis Lanham fills white balloons and boxes with black uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation and rarely shrink. Swelling words threaten to burst balloons, while giant instructions appear in puffy clouds. Red borders emphasize narrative boxes and showcase emotion and revelation in balloons. Sound effects accompany Omega-level threats and one protagonist who shoots first and asks questions later. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Eventually, everything ends. People die. Civilizations rise and fall. That's life. Cyttorak’s scion Cyra forced Peter Parker to face this depressing reality. The person issuing a challenge to contestants wants to circumvent this process of death and renewal. Yet while he seeks to construct a "master race," surprises await the contestants and the reader in Battleworld #1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Marco Renna

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Federico Vicentini & Rachelle Rosenberg; Logan Lubera & Rachelle Rosenberg; Geoff Shaw & Romulo Fajardo Jr; Todd Nauck & Rachelle Rosenberg

Designer: Gabriel Mata

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

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: June 25, 2025

 

Miles was supposed to be at Brooklyn Visions Academy. Gust was easing Shift through his first day at Eastside Academy of the Arts. Dr Keisha Kwan was pouring herself a cup of coffee in her comfortable office. Then, Kwaku Anansi pulled them into his song. Along with Hercules, Ares transported them to Mount Olympus. There, Anansi's champions face off against Ares' champions: Zip Zephyr, War-Cry, Pyrrha, and Philomelus.

 

Can the spider god's champions defeat the God of War's divine Defenders? And will anyone steal the books from Gust's open school locker? Let's offer sacrifices to our lords above, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34, and find out!

 

Story

Keisha enjoyed working in the office, but Dr Sasquatch nudged her out of her comfort zone. Instead of video counseling, she has met with Miles. But when Ares transports her to Mount Olympus and forces her to fight Philomelus, Keisha reveals the trauma she’s worked to hide. Like Bruce Banner and Dr Sasquatch, gamma radiation has changed Keisha. So, the mild-mannered psychiatrist gives the ancient tiller of the soil a WWF therapy session in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34.

 

Shift's origins as a pawn in someone else's game still traumatize him. Agent Gao forced Gust to fight on her Cape Killers squad. Once again, others control Shift and Gust in Cody Ziglar's story. Both feel overwhelmed by being drafted to fight gods in an Agon. Agent Gao (or War-Cry) has told Zip Zephyr that superpowered individuals are dangerous because they often hide in plain sight. Whether they like it or not, Mount Olympus reveals that Gust and Keisha are more powerful than they realize in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34.

 

Miles may not know what Anansi wants from the contest, but Ares and his followers crave power. Ares and his champions believe they are entitled to positions of status and haven't gotten the respect they deserve. While Ares grants Agent Gao an upgrade by becoming his avatar, it's unclear what he can offer the others. But even if they help him win the Agon, it's hard to believe they'll ever win Ares' respect. 

 

 

 

Art

Keisha's muscles bulge as she tosses Philomelus his plow. Then, Keisha shows the Greek god she doesn't need weapons to win her fights. While her actions shake Zip and Pyrrha and irritate Ares, Agent Gao seems unmoved. But then, after losing the Harpe to Deadpool, perhaps "War-Cry" prefers to remain in the background. Throughout Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34, Anansi is in his element. While Hercules cheers on his team, Marco Renna shows Anansi crossing his arms over his chest, swelling like Ant-Man, or perching atop a broken pillar like Simeon Stylites. And all the while, the spider-god smiles, plays cat’s cradle with webbing, or shoots the air with finger guns.

 

The yellow and orange sky gives Mount Olympus an otherworldly feel. Keisha and Philomelus kick up the reddish dirt amid the pinkish-white stone pillars, pediments, battered temples, and empty stadium. Ares' helmet and Pyrrha's armor radiate a golden sheen, while Zip Zephyr's bluish-white cyclones complement Pyrrha's white and blue water jets. 

 

 

 

Bryan Valenza's nuanced palette grounds the otherworldly confrontations. Pyrrha's striking red hair and skirt foretell a later challenge that forces Ares to press his hands against his head. But then, Shift's body language suggests what Miles, Keisha, and Gust must feel: that The Gods Must Be Crazy!

 

Cory Petit thwips uppercase letters into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. White block letters introduce the singers of Anansi’s latest hit single. Ares, Zip, Philomelus, and Pyrrha utter diagonal letters, but Zip never gets the colored balloon borders that his high-born status deserves. The words grow bold for intonation, enlarge for volume, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects enliven challenges that sadden Keisha, enrage Ares, and perhaps hint at why Miles thinks of Ms. Marvel more often than Starling. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Ares has an axe to grind. Instead of battling Kwaku Anansi, he fights through intermediaries. While Ares belittles his followers and inflicts pain, Anansi preaches the value of togetherness. And once again, the spider-god reminds us that force and brutality are not the only way to achieve victory in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #34.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside 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.