Absolute Evil #1 Preview

 

Does our government work for us? Or does it function best by protecting the interests of the rich and powerful who rule our economies, build weapons to protect us, and drive technological progress? If you haven't tried any of DC Comics' Absolute titles, this could be the perfect entry point. It may also be one of the most disturbing comics you will read in 2025.

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Absolute Evil #1

Writer: Al Ewing

Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli with Stefano Nesi

Cover Artists: Giuseppe Camuncoli with Stefano Nesi, Fabrizio De Tommaso, Gerald Parel, Dustin Nguyen & Riley Rossmo

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99

Issue Length: 48 Pages

Release Date: October 1, 2025

 

It’s the one-year anniversary of the Absolute Universe—and its villains stand united! Without heroes…without protection…without restraint…there is only Absolute Evil.

 

The emergence of superheroes has caught the attention of the world…and it’s certainly caught the attention of the people who run it. Ra’s al Ghul, Veronica Cale, Elenore Thawne, Hector Hammond, and the mysterious “Joker” have worked at cross-purposes until now, but this growing threat requires new ways of thinking…and new partnerships. An insidious betrayal from within their ranks is imminent, and if they don’t take action, they’ll lose control of a planet that was built to be their playground!

 

Superstars Al Ewing and Giuseppe Camuncoli join forces to kickstart the next era of Absolute Universe stories…with several shocking new character reveals, and one big unmissable twist!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

Gwenpool #5 Review

 

Writer: Cavan Scott

Artist: Stefano Nesi

Colorist: Matt Milla

Letterer: Ariana Maher

Cover Artists: Chad Hardin & Edgar Delgado

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Kaeden McGahey, Jordan D White & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 3, 2025

 

Gwendolyn Poole was a Marvel superfan who relocated to Earth-616. But after decluttering her homeworld of alien space-dragons, Dark Gwenpool killed her. As possession is nine-tenths of survival, Gwenpool starts possessing our heroes to pursue the mystery behind Gwen Stacy’s apparent rebirth.

 

The Great Architect claimed Dark Gwenpool was the better, stronger, and faster Gwen Stacy. But when Dark Gwenpool exhumed Gwen Stacy’s coffin, she found a skeleton inside. If Dark Gwenpool isn’t Gwen Stacy, then who is she?

 

Gwenpool thinks she has the answer. All this grievous Gwenness centers around Peter's love for Gwen Stacy. Will Dark Gwenpool help Dead Gwenpool carry out her plan? Or will the Great Architect hit Gwenpool with a proton blaster and imprison her in a ghost trap? Let's grab a bowl of split pea soup, leap into Gwenpool #5, and see!

 

Story

Dark Gwenpool is coming home, and she's got souvenirs from her trip to the big city. She claims she's killed Spider-Man, Kate Bishop, and Jeff the Land Shark. But the Great Architect isn't putting his presents on display. Nor does he give her a new set of clothes and order his servants to prepare a feast. Instead, he claims that Dark Gwenpool is a party-pooper. So Gwenpool does another possession-intercession to see if she can't turn the Great Architect's frown upside-down.

 

In Gwenpool #5, Gwendolyn Poole seeks to understand what drives the Great Architect. What she discovers is a man in pain. After years of struggle, he got a shot at greatness. But instead of working with others and encouraging them to give their best, he sought to control and manipulate them. When they decide not to be his tools and start playing by their own rules, the “Great” Architect claims they’ve ruined his grand plan. 

 

Gwenpool thought this was all about Peter Parker. Instead, she realizes that it's about each of them. Dark Gwenpool can remain what the Great Architect created her to be. Or she can become something more. Even the Ghostess With The Mostest discovers that she’s got options in Gwenpool #5. Her future isn’t limited to fading away or eking out the centuries in an Ecto-Containment System.

 

Art

Stefano Nesi shows that Dark Gwenpool is only one of the Great Architect's experiments in Weapon X Facility: Beta. As Dark Gwenpool plunks a bow and a mask on a table, workers hurry down corridors, gather to confer, and study a viewscreen. Chemists study boiling yellow liquid in test tubes and round-bottom flasks. Green smoke frames a pink, vaporous apparition. Yet Dark Gwenpool collapses when the Great Architect presses a control on his glove.

 

While Stefano Nesi compares the Great Architect’s emotional pain with Dark Gwenpool’s physical suffering, Matt Milla fills Gwenpool #5 with vibrant colors. Purple shadows echo Dark Gwenpool’s suit, while Jeff’s gray-white tooth foretells X-31’s blades. While the gray-white emphasizes death, it also points toward Gwenpool’s future. The Great Architect's red gloves and boots link him with Dark Gwenpool's ravaged features. But amid Gwenpool’s search for the Great Architect’s purpose, the red X on his shoulders and face echo an unpopular answer in this found-family feud.

 

Ariana Maher casts uppercase black letters into white and pink balloons and portrays Gwenpool’s off-camera dialogue in pink narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for inflection, enlarge for volume, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects multiply as Dark Gwenpool follows her programming, the Great Architect dispassionately inflicts pain, and Kate Bishop trades RVs for arrows. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

As Gwenpool drives this action-packed finale, Cavan Scott addresses how we define ourselves. People often assess their worth in terms of their bodies. Or they treasure memories instead of making new ones. Gwenpool #5 is a rallying cry to forget what we've been, shrug off who others want us to be, and pursue the endless possibilities each day brings.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Gwenpool #4 Review

 

Writer: Cavan Scott

Artist: Stefano Nesi

Colorist: Matt Milla

Letterer: Ariana Maher

Cover Artists: Chad Hardin & Edgar Delgado; Rickie Yagawa & Nolan Woodard

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Kaeden McGahey, Jordan D White & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 6, 2025

 

When Spider-Man collapsed in the street, Gwen Stacy tried to help him. Instead, Gwenpool got in the way. Gwen Stacy's training kicked in, and she killed Gwenpool. That should have been the end of it. But like Gwen Stacy, Gwenpool's spirit refuses to go gently into the night.

 

Throughout her life, Gwenpool has circumvented the rules other Marvel characters must follow. After sliding between panels and emerging giant-sized to tackle Fin Fang Foom, Gwenpool possesses Kate Bishop. When Spider-Man thwips Hawkeye’s body to Gwen Stacy’s grave, Gwenpool manifests as a Class 4 ghost. Then, the pink apparition possesses Spider-Man's body. Why didn’t Gwenpool die? And what will her spirit do with Spider-Man’s body? Let's grab a bowl of split pea soup, leap into Gwenpool #4, and see!

 

Story

Gwen Stacy is confused. The Great Architect dubbed her Gwenpool. She preferred the designation X-31. But much has happened since she left the Weapon X facility to hunt down three Deathloks. Gwen begins to question the Great Architect's programming. She remembers her former life. Her love for Peter Parker reconnects her with humanity. As Gwen stands in the city, surrounded by angry and afraid people, she yearns to help them. But Gwen Stacy was reborn to be a killer. That's her new role in life.

 

In Gwenpool #4, Gwendolyn Poole may be a ghost. But she’s stolen Peter Parker’s body. Despite their mutual love for Jeff, Hawkeye won’t let that stand. Long ago, Peter tried to save Gwen. But in arresting her fall, Spider-Man inadvertently killed the woman he loved. Now, Gwenpool inhabits the body of Gwen Stacy’s former boyfriend. And Gwendolyn wants to punish Gwen for turning her into a ghost.

 

Cavan Scott's story is about manipulation. It speaks to the damage people inflict when they try to use people instead of developing the skills and abilities to empower themselves. The Great Architect covers his face because he's just someone who found a way to order others about. He corrupted Gwen Stacy, turning this loving and caring woman into a living weapon.

 

Whether it's the Bloodhunt, the Gang War, or Fin Fang Foom, the rioters have seen their world blow up too many times. In Gwenpool #4, the people retaking the streets symbolize those in our web of relationships. They observe this manipulation, but feel powerless to stop it.  

 

 

 

Art

Stefano Nesi reveals Gwen Stacy's painful rebirth in the Weapon X laboratory. Like Victor Frankenstein, one doctor runs away, horrified by his creation. Gwen gazes up, as if crying out to the divine for letting the scientists turn her into an abomination. When the Great Architect enters, the X on his face symbolizes that his decision, if not the direction of his life, is wrong. The rioters bear his mark on their apparel. Only the X covers images of those who promised to protect them, and failed.

 

Matt Milla paints Stefano Nesi's action-packed, dramatic art with bright and fluorescent colors in Gwenpool #4. Yellow accompanies Gwen's painful rebirth and the mind palace in which she imprisons Peter Parker. Orange links Gwen's destructiveness with the rioters. Purple binds Gwen Stacy and Kate Bishop, two women who have lost a parent they loved. Pink represents the two sides of Gwenpool: the angry side that channels her unique abilities to control others, and the positive side, when she commits to helping those in need.

 

Ariana Maher casts uppercase black letters into white and pink balloons, and white letters into purple narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for inflection, enlarge for volume, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects enhance the fighting, Kate Bishop’s reckless driving, and Gwen Stacy’s desperate search for truth. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Gwen Stacy was Peter Parker’s first love interest. Then the Green Goblin threw her off a bridge. While her body may have died, her spirit lives on. Gwenpool #4 celebrates the rich history of Gwen Stacy, and how generations of fans refuse to let her rest in peace.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Gwenpool #3 Review

 

Writer: Cavan Scott

Artist: Stefano Nesi

Colorist: Matt Milla

Letterer: Ariana Maher

Cover Artists: Chad Hardin & Edgar Delgado; Karen S Darboe & Ruth Redmond

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Kaeden McGahey, Jordan D White & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: June 23, 2025

 

When Gwen Stacy died, it should have been forever. The problem with resurrection is that no matter how glad you are to be alive, you remember who put you in the grave. Resentment threw Gwen into the clutches of the Great Architect. And instead of designing the next Battleworld, the Great Architect transformed Gwen Stacy into Dark Gwenpool. Gwen dislikes the name. She finds her past so distasteful that she prefers to be called X-31. Yet when she meets up with Spider-Man, Gwen’s concern for Peter Parker outweighs her urge to kill him.

 

Gwen and Peter shared a close bond. So, when Gwenpool tries to get between them, Gwen Stacy reacts like the Great Architect trained her. Even if the woman’s name was Gwendolyne Poole, how will Gwen Stacy face killing another version of herself? And can Peter Parker forgive the woman he never stopped loving? Let's grab our swords, leap into Gwenpool #3, and see!

 

Story

The Avengers couldn't defeat Fin Fang Foom. Spider-Man, Hawkeye, and Jeff the Land Shark also failed. So Gwenpool took out the giant dragon that wanted to crack open Earth's shell and feast on its molten core. But instead of celebrating over Shawarma, Gwendolyne Poole rests in peace. None of the Avengers attended her funeral. So, Kate Bishop and Jeff the Land Shark stand vigil as a priest sends Gwendolyne on her final adventure.

 

Still, another person watches in Gwenpool #3. He stands atop a headstone-dotted rise in Mount Olivet Cemetery. Unlike Spider-Man, Kate’s not anxious to know the man dressed in a dark suit standing in the driving rain. And when she climbs the slope, he runs away. But Kate doesn’t need webshooters to unmask him like Spider-Man revealed Dark Gwenpool’s secret identity. As a private investigator, it’s Kate Bishop’s job to uncover hidden clues. Kate knows that, once she confirms her suspicions, she cannot unlearn her colleague's secrets.

 

Cavan Scott’s supernatural mystery hums with fourth-wall-breaking dialogue that made Gwenpool a fan favorite character. But while acknowledging that the Ghostbusters are just a phone call away, Cavan ponders where our spirits go when we die. Cavan Scott also contemplates how death changes us. Some people lock memories away and rarely revisit them. Others barricade themselves against new relationships by holding onto the past, or feed on the resentment of losing their loved one. Unlike a visit to Las Vegas, Kate Bishop, Jeff the Land Shark, and Peter Parker will leave the graveyard changed in Gwenpool #3.

 

Art

Purple hangs in the moist air, tinging the New York skyline. Like the falling raindrops, it bathes Hawkeye's face and shines from her costume. But Dark Gwenpool (or Gwen Stacy, or X-31) also wears purple, hinting at who she could become. While Jeff shines as blue as the sea, Peter wears black and white as he wades into a moral gray area. Yet yellow also radiates the life-giving energy of the sun, reinforcing the allure of holding onto memories.

 

While Matt Milla enhances the energy and moodiness of Gwenpool #3, Stefano Nesi captures the action and drama of this confrontation in the cemetery. His art reveals Hawkeye's sadness, Jeff’s anger, Dark Gwenpool’s frustration, and Peter’s struggle to cope with what has occurred. A glimpse inside Peter's mind pays homage to Steve Ditko, who helped bring Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy to life. Yet in the same panels, Stefano Nesi reveals how comic art has progressed since Ditko’s time.

 

Ariana Maher casts uppercase black letters into white and pink balloons and narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for inflection, enlarge for volume, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects help us hear arrows impacting, smoke grenades detonating, blades appearing, and an aggrieved land shark. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Gwenpool was Jeff the Land Shark’s best friend. But she was also an interloper, and another version of Peter Parker’s girlfriend. Her superior knowledge of Earth-616 and her ability to exploit hidden aspects of their world kept other heroes away. Gwenpool #3 flips the script in this story about identity, mourning, and the indomitable spirits of the characters we love. 

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Hack/Slash: Body Bags TP Vol 1 Review

 

Writer: Tim Seeley

Artist: Stefano Caselli with Steve Kurth

Colorist: Kurt Michael Russell

Letterer: Crank

Cover Artists: Stefano Caselli, Sarah Mitrache & Stefano Nesi

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $12.99

Release Date: June 18, 2025

 

Cassandra and Vlad are hunting a Slasher named Edgelord. They’ve tracked the reanimated corpse to Terminus. Cassandra and Vlad, or Hack and Slash, aren't wild about hunting the killer corpse in this Old West-style town near the OJ Simpson Valley crater. But they don't want him carving up more teens and petty criminals.

 

Mack Delgado, aka Clownface, is a Body Bagger. When his daughter found him, the assassin and bounty hunter became a single parent overnight. Now Mack is responsible for a headstrong teen who enjoys killing. When Panda shoots a skip, she deprives his gang of the ransom. Incensed, Mack takes his unrepentant daughter to an overnight course for Baby Baggers. How will Cassandra and Vlad meet Mack and Panda? Is Terminus, Georgia, big enough for Hack, Slash, and the Body Baggers? Let’s grab our weapons, leap into Hack/Slash: Body Bags TP Vol 1, and find out!

 

Story

After consulting the town registry, Cassandra questions Black Angus. He and Edgelord worked together. But their boss is dead, and Black Angus doesn’t know Edgelord’s whereabouts. When Black Angus points her toward Mack, Vlad seeks out the Body Bagger while Cassandra visits the night school. But none of them realize that Edgelord returned home to find his lover dead. Rather than live without her, the corpse bridegroom ripped out his heart and dropped it on Cisco Valentine’s grave.

 

In Hack/Slash: Body Bags TP Vol 1, Cassandra slips into the night school just before lockdown. But she's not the only unexpected visitor. Cisco Valentine has a new lease on life thanks to Edgelord's heart. And she’s hunting Panda, the spunky Body Bagger who killed her. When Mack and Vlad realize what's at stake, the men must work together to protect Panda and Cassandra.

 

By forcing the protagonists of these two teams to swap partners, Tim Seeley forces each character to adapt to new situations. While Vlad and Mack could be effective partners, Vlad cares for Cassandra, whereas Mack fears becoming too soft by caring for his daughter. Likewise, Cassandra understands the value of teamwork, while Panda fiercely denies she needs anyone else. Still, Cassandra must convince Panda to work with her. With the school on lockdown, no one can get out. And Cisco Valentine wants to rip the smile off Panda's face before exacting her revenge.

 

Art

Cassandra is a goth teen with a purple miniskirt. Vlad hides his Frankenstein’s Monster appearance behind a mask in Hack/Slash: Body Bags TP Vol 1. Mack is densely muscled and carries a machete-sized knife. His teenage daughter is big on bust, hair, and attitude. Of all the other students, the girl dressed like a cheerleader has eyes only for a young man with piercings.

 

Lying on his bed beneath a Minotaurminator poster, Black Angus clutches a TV remote in his remaining hand. The wounded Body Bagger waits for his grandpa to hobble over with a bag of pills on his walker. But these larger-than-life characters cannot hold a candle to Cisco Valentine. She sports a white face, an immense smile, and a lock of blonde hair near the open wound on her scalp. Cisco's colorful costume rivals the Sixth Doctor's sartorial splendor.

 

Kurt Michael Russell looks Stefano Caselli and Steve Kurth’s big ‘ole storm of murder and mayhem straight in the eyes. Then, he lavishes a loaded palette of bright colors on these extraordinary characters. Less nuanced colors adorn the stained and torn Polaroids that provide Mack's link to the past. Mack slips on his yellow Clownface mask as he takes on bikini-clad cyborgs with guns built into their silver forearms. Perhaps purple forms the dominant theme in Hack/Slash: Body Bags TP Vol 1. The color adorns Mack’s car, the cyborgs’ hair, Cassandra’s skirt, the schoolteacher’s dress, and an arms dealer who sets Hack and Slash in his sights.

 

White letters in red time stamps keep tabs on this fraught Weekend At Body Bags. Uppercase black letters in white and colored dialogue balloons grow bold and shrink. Black Angus speaks into blue double-edged scroll saw blades. Dialogue enlarges when sound effects enhance gunfire, slashing weapons, and explosions. Yet Vlad makes the biggest impression as he speaks words of truth and concern with unsteady handprinted letters. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

While Body Baggers Mack and Panda have Daddy Issues, Vlad worries that Cassandra is distracted. As they enter a town where anything goes, Vlad knows Cassandra must be alert to fend off assassins, bounty hunters, and cyborgs. Hack/Slash: Body Bags TP Vol 1 is an over-the-top comic farce: part Friday The 13^th, part Robocop, and all bloody good fun.

 

Rating 9/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Gwenpool #1 Review

 

Writer: Cavan Scott

Artist: Stefano Nesi

Colorist: Matt Milla

Letterer: Ariana Maher

Cover Artists: Chad Hardin & Edgar Delgado; Godtail; Gurihiru; Greg Land & Edgar Delgado; Jeehyung Lee; Paco Medina & Morry Hollowell; Todd Nauck & Rachelle Rosenberg

Graphic Designer: Kat Walkington

Editors: Kaeden McGahey, Jordan D White & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 14, 2025

 

Fin Fang Foom has rained destruction on Earth. After defeating the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four, only Spider-Man, Kate Bishop, and Jeff remain. But neither Spider-Man’s thwipping, Hawkeye’s Bada Boom arrows, nor the land shark’s super cuteness can pierce the dragon's hide like one of Bard's arrows. Can anyone prevent the space dragon from cracking open the Earth and sucking its molten transmuted Tiamat core? Let's grab our swords, leap into Gwenpool #1, and see!

 

Story

Gwendolyn Pool was a Marvel superfan transported from our world to Earth-616. When no one else can help, Gwenpool appears. Like her pool-mate Wade Wilson, Gwen enjoys breaking the fourth wall and addressing the reader. She also understands how people create comics. Like all the great heroes in Saturday Morning Cartoons, Gwen knows how to interact with the artist and flip the script. Such omnipotent power frightens Jeff, who scurries away on his super cute fins.

 

While Gwenpool arrives to save the day and form a new fantastic foursome, the mystery in Gwenpool #1 concerns another person. Once, she also went by the name Gwenpool. But she has disowned her former life and now bows before a shadowy controller. Whatever went wrong in her life, she no longer sees herself as a person. Instead, the woman only recognizes her assigned number. She is X-31, the latest in a long line of experimental living weapons.

 

 

 

The apocalypse in Cavan Scott's story pays homage to Gwen Stacy of Earth-65, the Ghost-Spider who struggles to wield world-ending power without destroying her intended beneficiaries. While sprinkling his story with nods to The Avengers and Terminator, Cavan Scott contrasts two similar but different people. Like Wolverine, one struggles to find any joy in life. The second, like Deadpool, seeks fun and diversion to endure the death and destruction she wields to make the world a better place. Although Cavan Scott’s story features Kate Bishop, Gwenpool #1 recalls Clint Barton's journey from world-saving Hawkeye into the sword-wielding Ronin. 

 

 

 

Art

Stefano Nesi transports readers to a shadowy murder room, where agents wearing night vision goggles pursue a lethal target. After completing her mission, X-31 glows, projecting a larger light image as she watches more targets appear on viewscreens. Smaller panels nestle around a two-page panorama of Spider-Man crawling from a crater while Fin Fang Foom bellows fire. The space dragon dominates another two-page spread that showcases the hopelessness of the situation. The tiny forms of Kate Bishop comforting a cowed Spider-Man form tiny figures of light before the giant silhouette of Fin Fang Foom burning like the sun.

 

Pinks and purples dominate the early scenes, while night vision goggles turn scenes green with agony. Purples, pinks, oranges, and yellows surround the giant green dragon bellowing yellow fire. After Gwenpool brings a lighter shade of pink to the party, the purple sky lightens. Grays, yellows, and even blue fills the air as Gwenpool interacts with her colleagues. But that doesn’t mean the danger is past, as Matt Milla lavishes attractive colors on an eye-opening meetup in Gwenpool #1.

 

 

 

Ariana Maher casts uppercase black letters into white and pink balloons and narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for inflection, enlarge for volume, and shrink for lowered voices like a tiny Gwenpool leaping from a panel into white space. Fin Fang Foom speaks into cloudy balloons, while sound effects help us hear gunshots, dragon fire, thunder, and a wailing land shark in Gwenpool #1. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

As Gwenpool #1 ponders how people and circumstances shape our characters, it reminds us how we can wake up one day and, like the Talking Heads, ask, “How did I get here?”

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.