Street Sharks #2 Review

 

Writer: Stephanie Williams

Artist: Ariel Medel

Colorist: Valentina Pinto

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Cover Artists: Phil Murphy, Mateus Santolouco & Elizabeth Beals

Designer: Sandy Tanaka

Editor: Nicolas Niño

Publisher: IDW

Price: $4.99

Release Date: November 12, 2025

 

Big Slammu, Ripster, Streex, and Jab want to keep Fission City safe. Amid their skirmishes with the Seaviates, the scientist who turned the athletes into sharks works toward his goal of transforming everyone into sea creatures. Will Dr Paradigm realize his vision of helping his entire city evolve? Or will the Street Sharks shut down his gene-slamming operation? Let’s grab a burger with extra metal shavings, dive into Street Sharks #2, and see!

 

Story

Reporter Danielle Lafond weighs the Street Sharks’ crimefighting exploits against the property damage that endangers Fission City’s inhabitants. Today, she broadcasts from Seashell Park, where the Magnificent Marvels Circus promises to deliver the show of the century. Despite appearing overnight, the city says it's legit. Danielle hopes it will lift people's spirits after all the destruction the Street Sharks have caused.

 

Street Sharks #2 follows the team’s investigation into the mysterious circus. Jab, Streex, Ripster, and Slammu discover the circus's origins and assess the dangers of opening night. Back at their headquarters beneath the university ice rink, Lena Mack, their person in a chair, formulates a plan. Tech wiz Bends builds gear to assist them. With their Human university students advising them from HQ, the sharks attend the show, hoping to foil the nefarious plan endangering the attendees.

 

Stephanie Williams fills her story with engaging characters and high-flying action. All this takes place within Dr Luthor Paradigm's ongoing plan to upgrade Humanity. In his zeal to improve the species, he preys on desperate people. The scientist promises to make everyone better. Even though they frustrate his plans, Dr Paradigm calls Jab, Streex, Ripster, and Slammu rejects. But then, they don't follow his orders like Slobster, Slash, and Killamari.

 

Art

Ariel Medel imbues Street Sharks #2 with a cartoony vibe. Big Slammu is a brown-and-beige bodybuilder. Ripster is smaller and dark blue. Pink stripes help Streex’s light blue skin shine. Jab is a beige-and-brown Hammerhead. Their underground lair includes a motorcycle and a pool table. They watch Danielle's reports on a tube TV, while the university students work at computers from a similar era. Danielle’s concerns are well-founded as she reports in her maroon suit outside the beige-and-maroon big top. But despite a father’s concern at a poster filled with fish people, the mother smiles at her son’s delight.

 

Valentina Pinto paints Street Sharks #2 with a loaded palette. Backgrounds shine, and highlights and shadows are beautifully colored. The street sharks swim beneath the street, their fins cracking and tearing the brown-and-gray asphalt until they stand and resume walking. An orange clownfish performs acrobatics while red lobsters juggle torches. As Marina flies overhead in her green suit before the glowing gold background, a walrus addresses the crowd in his maroon coat, white slacks, and black top hat.

 

Jeff Eckleberry fills white dialogue balloons with large, black uppercase letters. Yellow narrative boxes denote time and space and introduce characters. The letters grow bold for intonation as the sharks investigate and attend the opening evening in disguise. Sound effects enhance a little brotherly competition, and the sharks trying to avert a tragedy. Thanks to IDW for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Big Slammu, Ripster, Streex, and Jab may have to live beneath the city. Yet they do themselves credit when they emerge from the ground to protect people's right to choose how they live. When you thought it was safe to go back to the circus, Street Sharks #2 reminds you that whatever your situation, use it to help others be Finomenally Fintastic.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

The Last Boy #3 Review

 

Writer: Dan Panosian

Artist: Alessio Avallone

Colorists: Valentina Pinto, Agnese Pozza & Rik Mack

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Cover Artists: Dan Panosian, Abigail Jill Harding & A L Kaplan

Logo Design: Dan Panosian

Designer: Grace Park

Editors: Caroline Butler & David Mariotte

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 28, 2025

 

Peter Pan wants to play, but his friends have all grown up. When Prince Rogers tells him that the Phantom King has attacked the Neverbird Nest, the Lost Boys mumble excuses instead of leaping for joy. Prince Rogers offers to send soldiers to prevent the Phantom King from burning Fairyhome, but Peter flies off in a huff. Can Peter Pan singlehandedly defeat this new menace? And can Wendy Darling finish her book before she marries Clifford? Let’s grab some fairy dust, leap into The Last Boy #3, and see!

 

Story

The Phantom King proves more dangerous than the late Captain Hook. His scythe slices through Peter's chest, frightening him more than he cares to admit. So when Queen Mab, Tinker Bell, and the fairies whisk him away, Peter fumes that they didn’t allow him to finish off the Phantom King.

 

Like Peter, Wendy's father denies that he needs his medicine. He only accepts it from Wendy because she tells him stories. But after his heart attack, her mother grows more determined to secure Wendy’s future. As much as her father enjoys Wendy's stories, seeing his daughter walk down the aisle will make him feel like he accomplished something with his life.

 

Dan Panosian's story weighs the necessity of growing up against forgetting the joys of childhood. Wendy's mother knows the importance of being accepted by society. But Wendy's father prizes her stories. They bring him a joy that acceptance in society never did.

 

Just as Wendy defies her mother to inspire the young, Peter stands ready to protect those in danger. But while Peter wants Neverland to remain the same, its inhabitants and lands are changing. Peter's imagination and zest for life seem insufficient to prevent Neverland from falling into decline in The Last Boy #3.

 

Art

Alessio Avallone transports us to a small neighborhood park. Instead of reading her manuscript to the local children, she roleplays her stories with boats in a pond. While Wendy’s mother adorns herself in an elegant dress, Wendy’s modest attire reflects her mother’s fears that Wendy will become a spinster. But Florence notices her inspiration is in peril. The girl comes to Wendy’s aid in The Last Boy #3.

 

Valentina Pinto, Agnese Pozza & Rik Mack imbue Wendy’s world with brown, beige, and blue waves for the pond. Wendy enhances the family's sepia home with a bouquet of red flowers and green leaves. The red flowers link Wendy with Queen Mab and Tiger Lily, who adorn their heads with pink or red flowers. A white feather with a touch of pink adorns Peter's green hat. But his fern-green clothes cannot compete with the bright colors of Tiger Lily's tribe or Queen Mab's fairies.

 

Jeff Eckleberry conjures uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons in The Last Boy #3. The words swell, enlarge, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects help us hear Tinker Bell's desperate cry for assistance, Florence's decision to save the woman who inspired her to pursue her dreams, and how Wendy surprises the man who could define her future. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When Wendy and her brothers flew off to Neverland to have adventures, she ended up playing mother to Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. As Wendy and her mother lock horns over the best way to care for others, other ladies attempt to care for Peter and Neverland in The Last Boy #3.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

The Last Boy #2 Review

 

Writer: Dan Panosian

Artist: Alessio Avallone

Colorists: Valentina Pinto, Agnese Pozza & Rik Mack

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Cover Artists: Dan Panosian, Elizabeth Torque & Gabriel Rodríguez

Designer: Grace Park

Editors: Caroline Butler, David Mariotte & Matt Gagnon

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 23, 2025

 

Wendy Darling is engaged. But she wants to complete her manuscript before she marries. Her mother read bedtime stories to her when Wendy was young. Now, she reads the stories she has written to her father.

 

Peter Pan yearns for excitement. When Tinker Bell suggests that Captain Hook is stealing pelts from the natives, Peter happily investigates. Chief Tiger Lily insists that Captain Hook has given up piracy. Is the Captain a legitimate merchant eyeing retirement? Are Wendy and Peter clinging to their youth instead of embracing change? Let’s grab some fairy dust, leap into The Last Boy #2, and see!

 

Story

In Dan Panosian’s story, Peter refuses to believe Captain Hook’s story. When he forces the old pirate to walk the plank, Tick-Tock swallows Captain Hook. Peter cannot accept that Captain Hook is dead. He must have arranged this ruse to trick him. Still, the Lost Boys can help him track down the crocodile and discover if Captain Cook still lives.

 

In England, Wendy’s father is dying. The only thing that brings light to his eyes is Wendy’s stories. But Mary Darling insists Wendy mustn’t read him any more of her fairy tales. Wendy’s brother John has become a doctor. He advises that any undue excitement could kill their father. Instead of delighting him with stories, Wendy must stop being selfish and let her father see his daughter happily married.

 

In The Last Boy #2, Peter and Wendy's lives are under assault. Their worlds seek to strip away everything that brings them joy. Peter and Wendy must yield to convention or refuse to relinquish their passion.

 

Art

Alessio Avallone portrays Wendy’s grim reality in The Last Boy #2. While her bedridden father smiles at her, her mother and brothers offer frowns. Michael wears a military uniform, while John braves the rain with his overcoat, top hat, and umbrella. Their world is one of beige, brown, gray, and black. Only faint hints of green emerge from the walls, while planters offer pale greenery and muted red flowers.

 

Captain Hook’s pale hand is all that emerges from Tick-Tock’s toothy maw. As the crocodile swims away, his green hide links with Peter's eyes and clothes, while the tip of the white feather in Peter’s cap matches the late Captain's clothes and Mr Smee’s cap. Valentina Pinto, Agnese Pozza & Rik Mack lavish greens on Hangman’s Tree and the surrounding forest. Purple and blue fill the skies of Neverland, while a loaded palette enhances one character’s vibrant home.

 

Jeff Eckleberry conjures uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons and scraps of beige parchment in The Last Boy #2. The words swell, enlarge, and never shrink. Sound effects reveal that the clock inside Tick-Tock takes a licking but keeps on ticking. As they help us hear a thrum of power and clanging metal, a stranger speaks green words into black cloudy balloons, signaling an oncoming storm that may change Neverland forever. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Fairy Tales free a dying man from his grim reality. Tales whispered by a fairy shackle a boy to his preconceptions. While Wendy realizes she no longer belongs in her family home, a new menace threatens to destroy everything Peter holds dear in The Last Boy #2.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

My Little Pony Maretime Mysteries #2 Review

 

Writer: Abby Bulmer

Artist: Dax Gordine

Colorist: Valentina Pinto

Letterer: Neil Uyetake

Cover Artists: Abigail Starling & Shauna Grant

Publisher: IDW

Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 10, 2024

Guest Reviewer: Dragoncache's Gal

 

 

Misty Brightdawn has moved to Maretime Bay, where she found a game called Maretime Mysteries in a curio shop. Playing the game with her friends Sunny, Hitch, and Sparky unleashes a curse on the town of Maretime Bay. Can the curse be broken? Let’s gallop into My Little Pony Maretime Mysteries #2 and find out!

 

Story

An evil genie hiding in the game has cursed the town of Maretime Bay. Misty and her friends must find clues to break the curse and return the Maretime Bay to normal.   Misty blames herself, but Sunny and Hitch are true friends who keep her spirit up and do not blame her for what has happened. 

 

Throughout My Little Pony Maretime Mysteries #2, Abby Bulmer gives us a tour of Maretime Bay using cleverly written clues that Misty and the others must decipher.   With each deciphered clue, the town gets a little topsy-turvier, and the ponies must work together to find an enchantment to break the curse.

 

Art

In My Little Pony Maretime Mysteries #2, Dax Gordine builds the Maretime Bay town with plenty of fun details, but more impressive is the way Dax Gordine shows the wide range of emotions that the ponies go through, from self-doubt, surprise, fear, thoughtfulness, to name a few.   Valentina Pinto fills the pages with vibrant colors that bring life to the story.

 

Neil Uyetake’s uppercased lettering is well-spaced and easy to read in white bubbles, which helps readers flow through My Little Pony Maretime Mysteries #2.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

By working with Sunny and Hitch, Misty learns more about her new home and what friendship means in My Little Pony Maretime Mysteries #2. When someone is new to a place or job, working with other experienced people can get the job done.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

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

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120 Review

 

Writer: Melissa Flores

Artist: Valeria Favoccia

Colorist: Valentina Pinto

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Cover Artist: Taurin Clarke; Björn Barends; Goñi Montes; Anand Ramcheron; Mateus Manhanini; John Giang; Sketch Ellis

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 22, 2024

 

Kiya wanted to protect Earth by using a Power Egg to destroy the Morphin Grid. The Power Rangers have another plan, but they need assistance. Can the Solar Rangers help them combat Dark Specter's infection? Let’s leap into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120 and find out!

 

Story

The universe can be a scary place. Fear threatens to paralyze us. Yet fear can also mobilize us if we remember what matters most.

 

In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120, Melissa Flores transports us to the Void. Once, the Void was severed from the Morphin Grid and started to die. Reattachment returned health to the Void. But it also allowed dangers to intrude. Now, the clear and present danger is Dark Specter’s infection.

 

Ellarien leads the Solar Rangers. They protect the Void from harm. Yet the infection is spreading, and they don’t know its source or how to combat it. Ellarien and her team defend a group of orphans in the Agate Asteroids. While the others fight the invading thralls, Ellarien’s lover, Remi, guards the orphans. But the Solar Rangers can't protect the Agate Asteroids indefinitely. They must fall back and cede territory to this unknown infection.

 

The Masters of the Cistern Belt have promised to care for the orphans. So, like the children sent away from English cities during World War II, Ellarien and Remi bring the orphans to them. Yet Ellarien and Remi struggle to say goodbye to one of the endearing critters. Ellarien, or Ari for short, promised Shara that she and Remi would never abandon her. Ellarien and Remi assured Shara that she was a member of their family.

 

Yet war demands sacrifice. In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120, Ellarien and Remi battle an unknown foe. While they battle thralls and  Solar Rangers infected by Dark Specter, Ellarien and Remi wonder who they are fighting. History suggests a way to halt the infection. Ellarien could use her powers to sever the Void from the Morphin Grid again. Like cutting off a gangrenous limb, it seems the only viable strategy.  

 

But then, they would be isolated. The Void would slowly begin to die. Again.

 

Art

When Shara wanders away, Remi clasps the critter by the shoulder, clutches Shara’s hand, and leads her back to the others. Like the candle in Shara's hand, the other muskies' eyes glow as Remi addresses them. A Morphin Master glares while a space station spins in the Void. Energy envelops Ellarian as she morphs. Yet, as Remi binds her lover's arm, the expressions Remi and Ari share seem more powerful.

 

Later, Maxie and Remi lead the orphans outside in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120. They watch as Ellarien, Salum, and Tigan battle thralls in the Agate Asteroids. Broken columns arise from boulders, now memorials to a fallen civilization. Shara's eyes bulge. Her jaw drops. Thralls guard stairs winding up a hill toward a spaceship. Ellarian and Remi leap into battle.

 

Valentina Pinto lavishes a loaded palette of appealing colors on Valeria Favoccia’s art. A yellow laser slices through two charcoal and red thralls, turning nearby space pink, orange, and purple. Turquoise hair frames Remi's face as she smiles and raises her fist. Her power coin glows yellow, matching her ears and the stripe running down her forehead, nose, and chin. A lavender and blue city awaits the refugees in the Cistern Belt. The children spill color across the woven streets while Remi and Ellarian walk amid weblike supports. Then, a purple and pink spaceship lands. Gray smoke rises to obscure the yellow-white glow of its thrusters.

 

Black uppercase lettering inhabits white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. Ed Dukeshire’s letter size, line spacing, and contrast between print and backgrounds make Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120 easy to read. Colorful dialogue and sound effects enliven the Solar Rangers' defense of the Agate Asteroids. Yet two booms, seemingly unaccompanied by violence, hint at an approaching storm.

 

Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

As Dark Specter’s infection reaches the Void, Ellarian’s dwindling hope drives her toward action that could derail Billy's plan to heal the universe in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #120.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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