Grim: Pen & Ink #1 Review

 

Writer: Stephanie Phillips

Illustrator: Flaviano

Letterer: Tom Napolitano

Cover Artists: Flaviano, Andrew K. Currey, Johnoy Lindsay, Jenny Frison & Derrick Chew

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $6.99

Release Date: February 28, 2024

 

Bryan awakens in darkness. He rises from the ground and sees his car crumpled against a tree. Music from his car radio pours through the hole in the shattered windscreen, filling the woods with the haunting rhythms of Blue Oyster Cult. When he climbs the rise toward the broken metal guardrail, a young woman with a scythe awaits. Will Bryan go quietly into the great beyond? Or will he fight for another shot at life? Let's grab our Get Out Of Hell Free passes, leap into Grim: Pen & Ink #1, and find out!

 

Story

Bryan didn't intend to get drunk. He only went to the bar because he heard his ex was there. He realized he was wrong and wanted to repair his relationship with Abigail. Jessica may sympathize, but she's not Bryan's counselor. She will transport Bryan—or his soul—to the next phase of existence and nothing more. 

 

In Grim: Pen & Ink #1, Bryan boards a small, wooden rowboat moored to a jetty. Jessica propels it through the icy water with her scythe. Bryan is confused by what he sees and hears. He’s desperate to understand his surroundings and learn about his destination. Before abandoning the accident scene, Bryan glimpsed his corpse near his crumpled car. Severed from the familiar, he seeks common ground with Jessica.

 

Jessica shrugs off cultural and religious explanations for the afterlife. Death has many names. What seems fantastic to Bryan is her reality. If her realm ever fascinated her, it no longer does. She takes pity on him by clearing up one cultural misunderstanding, however. Jessica is not like Death in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. She doesn’t need to train an apprentice to replace her before taking a holiday. Jessica is one of many reapers tasked with delivering souls to judgment. She will not determine how Bryan spends eternity.

 

While helping us empathize with Bryan in Grim: Pen & Ink #1, Stephanie Phillips also lets us peek behind Jessica's indifference. While used to her role, Jessica feels incomplete. She shares Bryan's confusion and responds to his pleas. Sadly, the soft-hearted grim reaper learns that desperate people will grasp any weakness to regain what they lost.

 

Art

Flaviano’s detailed panels portray the steering wheel and dash with photorealistic detail. The shattered remains of the windscreen look more like intricate cobwebs than glass. Tread marks in the dirt appear where Bryan's car pierced the metal band, leaving the ends of the severed guardrail twisted and curled.

 

Bryan looks slim and stylish as he climbs the rise. Jessica's twisted scythe crackles with energy. The fashionable reaper reclines against the guardrail. White lines fracture the lake’s surface, reminiscent of the shattered windshield. As Jessica pulls the blade through the frozen surface, Bryan glimpses tormented souls reaching toward the surface.

 

Without Rico Renzi’s coloring, Flaviano’s black borders and detailed inking in Grim: Pen & Ink #1 exude luminosity. Trees, people, and even the ground seem to glow. Perhaps it's the full moon, which in this realm defies its Roche Limit and orbits closer to Earth. Or maybe it’s how Flaviano represents the supernatural ether with lines and dots. But even when Jessica escorts Bryan to the waiting area, which evokes Heaven in Bill And Ted Go To Hell restyled as an airport terminal, the uncolored interior suggests a realm of light.

 

Tom Napolitano's uppercase black letters inhabit white dialogue balloons. The font appears easy to read in the shrunken panels. While the same size as the dialogue, Flaviano’s commentary at the bottom of each page is white, lowercase print on black. Perhaps the most mesmerizing aspects of Napolitano's craft in Grim: Pen & Ink #1 are the abrasive font that helps us hear Jessica break the ice and the white lyrics of Blue Oyster Cult that slither across the opening panels. "Come on, baby. Don't fear the reaper."

 

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

 

Final Thoughts

When a desperate man grasps for another chance at life, Death’s servant shares the secret that haunts her afterlife in Grim: Pen & Ink #1. The artist’s commentary enhances this debut issue as Flaviano discusses the author/artist relationship, sources of inspiration, and the differences between working in animation and comics.

 

Rating 10/10

 

This review first appeared on Comic Book Dispatch.

Amazing Spider-Man #44 Review

 

Writer: Zeb Wells

Penciler: John Romita Jr.

Inker: Scott Hanna

Colorist: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz; Carlos Gómez & Rachelle Rosenberg; Tadam Gyadu & Romulo Fajardo Jr.; Marcos Martin

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: February 28, 2024

 

Peter Parker teamed with Tombstone to fight the Gang War. Madame Masque and the Beetle staged a battle in Central Park to determine who would control the New York underworld. Team Spidey and Tombstone wanted to protect the Beetle and defeat Madame Masque. Instead, Tombstone retook control of his criminal empire. Can Tombstone’s forces and Team Spidey defeat Madame Masque’s militia? Let’s thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #44 and find out!

 

Story

Gang War has taken its toll. One brutal battle after another has left New York City in flames. Citizens feared for their families as villains fought for dominance. But now, with the Allied Spidey Tombstone forces presenting a united front, it's all over but the shouting. At least, that's what Spider-Man hopes.

 

Yet team dynamics are problematic among heroes. In Amazing Spider-Man #44, Tombstone knows Team Spidey will defeat Madame Masque. The crime lord remembers how he came out the loser when he helped Spidey take down the Rose. After reclaiming his organization, Tombstone has little reason to stick around.

 

Zeb Wells' story gives lesser characters a chance to shine. The expert chemist Trapstr uses her glue cannons to trap She-Hulk in a sticky situation. Shotgun, the undercover government operative, exerts revenge on Madame Masque. Elektra and Spider-Woman discover common ground, and Spider-Boy enjoys working with Ms. Jackpot. (Sorry, Bailey. Mary Jane says it's just Jackpot). 

 

 

 

Amazing Spider-Man #44 also leaves us wondering what we haven’t seen. Chang Shi and Danny Rand mention one battle. Luke Cage also mentions something nonpowered New Yorkers have accomplished. It implies changes in his mayoral leadership post-Gang War.

 

Peter Parker’s not interested in those stories, though. Right now, he’s upset that his city is in flames and his best friend is lying at death's door. Madame Masque makes a convenient target for Spidey's rage. Yet she only manipulated the gang lords after she learned that her father had ordered her death. Madame Masque never wanted Hammerhead to hurt Randy. She bludgeoned the gang lord's head immediately afterward. Tombstone wanted his daughter to live happily ever after with Randy. Yet after Shotgun shot up her father, Janice fought with her betrothed and usurped her father's criminal empire. Tombstone let Janice wield his organization while he and Team Spidey took on Madame Masque. But when Shotgun admitted that the government had ordered a hit on Janice, Tombstone ripped off the Beetle’s wings and sent his little girl packing.

 

Amazing Spider-Man #44 leaves us wondering if the federal government wanted New York City in chaos. Janice Lincoln played a pivotal role in the Gang War. Yet, like Wilson Fisk's son, the Beetle played no part in its conclusion. Zeb Wells’ story also makes us wonder how the dynamics between Tombstone, Mayor Cage, and Spider-Man will change. Despite Spidey and Madame Masque’s separate claims, Gang War wasn't about Spidey obsessing over morality or Madame Masque's selfishness. Sure, there were opportunists. Perhaps Janice even fell into that category. Yet Gang War was about people trying to preserve themselves and those they value. The story's ending satisfies, with two friends reuniting as a new kingpin arises. 

 

 

 

Art

Spider-Man punches out Madame Masque. Miles Morales takes on Rabble. Count Nefaria blasts Elektra and Spider-Woman with the power of the sun. Electro shoots She-Hulk. And all that’s on the first page! As Team Spidey takes on Madame Masque’s forces across two pages, smaller panels show Tombstone ordering the Rabbit to fall back. He may be a hardened crime lord, but emotions play over Tombstone’s face, creating an opening scene as dramatic as when his longtime rival Robbie Robertson grasped his son's arm and cupped his head in his hand in the previous issue.

 

John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna pack pages with action and drama. Both aspects build off each other, creating a high-octane mix that fuels every scene. Particularly noteworthy are smaller panels, such as when Miles and Spider-Boy take on Rabble in the background while Madame Masque battles Spider-Man in the foreground. The artists pair Spidey's assertion--that she’s responsible for the violence, and it’s not down to chance--with a closeup of three matching diamond symbols on Jackpot's armbands. Affiliated heroes stand side by side: Miles and Spider-Boy, Elektra and Spider-Woman, Luke Cage and She-Hulk. Yet Amazing Spider-Man #44 ends with sunlight warming the city and emotions flooding Peter's expressionless face.

 

 

 

Marcio Menyz brings multi-hued majesty to the Central Park rivalry. Rabble's gauntlets fill the air with pink and lavender. Electro's suit matches She-Hulk's skin as they battle. Count Nefaria’s eyes and sigil glow as he unleashes yellow energy beams. Below Miles' venom sword, yellow dominates Madame Masque's militia as her A.I.M. army takes on the predominantly red Team Spidey.

 

Joe Caramagna wades into the vibrantly colored, highly populated panels with uppercase black lettering in white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Spider-Boy and Jackpot's conversation dances in syncopation as each learns to work with the other. Amid the noisy battle, a satisfying thwak and ka-boom follow a relatively quiet thwip. Spider-Man may still use his fists. But his web shooters pack the knockout punch in Amazing Spider-Man #44.

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing this essential chapter of the Gang War saga for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Amazing Spider-Man #44 crackles with energy and drama, leaving much to ponder as Spider-Man achieves a moral victory, empowers a villain, and helps inspire the citizens of New York City to achieve the impossible.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

The Lost Carnival TP Review

 

Writer: Michael Moreci

Artist: Sas Milledge with Phil Hester

Colorist: David Calderon

Letterer: Steve Wands

Publisher: DC

Price: $16.99

Release Date: May 20, 2020

 

Have you heard? Haly’s circus set up their tents outside Cheyenne, Wyoming! The clowns are selling balloons! I can’t wait to see the lions! We can watch Lotz and his niece Willow perform magic. Wait! First, let’s see the starring attraction: The Flying Graysons! I wonder what it’s like to grow up in a traveling circus. Do you think Dick Grayson enjoys his life as an acrobat? Let's leap and somersault into The Lost Carnival TP and find out!

 

Story

High up in the big top, Dick and his parents swing through the air. Far below, the audience cheers as they watch the family defy gravity. Yet after the show, Haly chews Dick out. How dare he change their established routine with some impromptu moves? The crowd wants to be awed, not horror-struck by an unnecessary death!

 

Like any teen, Dick looks to the future. He wonders what possibilities life might offer him. Despite his abilities, circus life doesn't satisfy him. He doesn't know what he wants, but he needs something more.

 

When Dick talks his friend Willow into attending a party, a chance encounter provides the excitement he hungers for. The townies make fun of a burned Carnie. Luciana, the girl who accompanied him, pulls Quinn away, but the bullies won’t let them leave. When the guys push down Luciana, Dick helps Quinn fight off their attackers. Then Luciana gestures and the bullies start talking funny and fight each other instead of Dick and Quinn.

 

In The Lost Carnival TP, Haly’s Circus faces stiff competition. The performers depend on ticket sales for their livelihood. Yet, soon after they arrive outside Cheyenne, Wyoming, a carnival sets up camp a short walk away. After performing to a sparse crowd, Dick investigates. He discovers exciting new acts and amusement park rides. Dick watches their star attraction, the magician Caliban, performs strange, otherworldly magic. Yet Caliban is not invincible. One of the creatures he summons escapes his spell. Caliban calls on his niece Luciana to help him. Dick uses his acrobatic skills to help Luciana capture them. And so begins the most exciting summer of Dick Grayson’s life.

 

The Lost Carnival TP follows Dick's growing attraction to Luciana. The girl returns his affection. While Dick yearns to leave his old life behind, Luciana remains loyal to her friends. Dick's friendship with Luciana pits him against the crew who support the circus. As he spends more time with Luciana, his friend Willow falls under a strange spell. In Michael Moreci’s story, competition and magic endanger Dick’s heritage and friends. Despite the odds against them, Dick refuses to give up on Luciana. He wants her in his future. Can she ever leave The Lost Carnival?

 

Art

Sas Milledge and Phil Hester imbue The Lost Carnival TP with old-world appeal. Their imagery evokes the illustrations in children's series from half a century ago. Milledge and Hester transport us back to an era when trapeze artists performed without a safety net, and elephants were circus staples. Yet the carnival performers’ attire harkens back decades earlier.

 

Milledge and Hester capture the energy that fuels Dick's incredible abilities. He climbs and leaps about a Ferris wheel like a child at home on the monkey bars of his local park. Dick and Luciana’s mutual attraction is evident. The sky imparts majesty to this enchanting tale, as clouds stream across the sky during the day, and the stars glow at night. Yet, as the dangers to Dick’s friend and heritage mount, he’ll journey to an otherworldly realm, where people walk on ribbons, and the burn that covers half of Quinn’s face seems a minor blemish.

 

David Calderon tones the first chapter of The Lost Carnival TP in blues. Luciana’s magic grows evident when yellow and orange surround her hand. The latter enliven carnival life, and the night Dick and Luciana sneak off for some time alone. Blue occasionally intrudes into yellow and orange scenes, or vice versa. Calderon enhances Dick's otherworldly adventure with green and purple. His limited coloring approach enhances this classic-era adventure's energy, emotions, and storybook appeal.

 

Steve Wands conjures small, lowercase black lettering in white dialogue balloons. Words grow bold for inflection and enlarge as voices rise. Large, colored type provides locations in time and space. Sound effects help us hear Dick drive Willow off to the local's party, an erupting fire, and a bullet blasting through a spinning metal target. Despite their rarity, the sound effects are colorful, vibrant, and energetic.

 

Thanks to DC Comics for providing a copy of The Lost Carnival TP for review.

 

Final Thoughts

As young circus acrobat Dick Grayson looks toward the future, a mysterious girl and a magical carnival endanger his family and friends in The Lost Carnival TP.

 

Rating 8.8/10

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #16 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artists: Federico Vicentini & Federica Mancin

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Federico Vicentini & Richard Isanove; David Baldeón & Jesus Aburtov; Taurin Clarke; Nic Klien

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: February 14, 2023

 

Brooklyn’s Team Spidey crashed Rabble and Hobgoblin’s party in the old Beyond building. While Scorpion, Shift, and Starling tackled Hob’s hired hands outside, the Pumpkin-Meister and Techno-master gave Miles Morales, Kamala Khan, and Gust an explosive welcome. Can Miles' clone Shift, his girlfriend Tiana, and reluctant Team Spidey member Mac Gargan take on Ricadonna, Mr. Fish, Man-Bull, Goldbug, and Shocker? Can Brooklyn's Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, and Agent Gao's young wind machine take on Hobgoblin and the Tech Whisperer? Let's ignite our venom-sabers, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #16, and find out!

 

Story

Miles had a mini meltdown when he realized Rabble had teamed with Hobgoblin. But Kamala and Tiana helped him reclaim his mojo. Rabble still blames Miles for not getting into Brooklyn Visions Academy. In Miles Morales: Spider-Man #16, he uses Rabble’s grudge to bait her, hoping to distract her battle-focus. After all, Rabble's also prone to meltdowns, but hers are more maxi than mini.

 

Kamala Khan bolsters Miles by reminding him that she died. Now, she has returned to life and fights by his side. Despite his wavering spider sense, this bolsters Miles' mojo too. After all, she gave her life fighting beside the other Spider-Man. He doesn't want to make it two for two with the latest X-Men recruit.

 

Spider-Man weakened Rabble’s ability to talk to technology. Hobgoblin helped Rabble recapture some of what she lost. In return, she helped Hobgoblin track Queen Goblin's movements. She wants a rematch with the young punk who stole her future. Hobgoblin tried to use Aaron Davis to rub out Spider-Man. Miles’ uncle may have flaked out on him, but Rabble helped upgrade Hobgoblin’s tech. Hobgoblin's ultimate prize may be Queen Goblin. Still, he's ready for another battle with Brooklyn's Spider-Man. 

 

 

 

Cody Ziglar’s story features a no-holds-barred battle between Miles, Ms. Marvel, and Gust versus Hobgoblin and Rabble. Outside the abandoned Beyond building, Starling, Scorpion, and Miles' clone Shift take on Ricadonna, Mr. Fish, Man-Bull, Goldbug, and Shocker. Scorpion denigrated Hobgoblin’s security staff by claiming they were Z-Listers. Yet Team Spidey Outdoors struggles to put down these Killer Zs.

 

Like his outdoor squad, Miles' indoor team faces stiff competition. Something's needed to break the stalemate. That's bad for the other Spider-Man, as Peter Parker is counting on Miles’ help at the Battle Of Central Park in Amazing Spider-Man #43. Even if Peter lets Miles down, Miles doesn't want to repay the favor. More importantly, he can't let Hobgoblin and Rabble use what they've built here to aid Madame Masque. Someone needs to think outside the box in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #16. Who do you think it'll be?

 

 

 

Art

As the smoke clears, Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, and Gust behold Hobgoblin and Rabble hovering on their gliders. Close-ups of Rabble and Spider-Man reveal their hunger for a rematch. Gust’s swirling air currents knock Rabble off her perch while Ms. Marvel's arm stretches and her hand enlarges to grasp the Tech Whisperer. Miles emulates the Cape Killer's latest recruit by thwipping a swirling web at Hobgoblin. Rabble shows she prepped for Miles' venom saber by summoning an energy blade in each hand.

 

Federico Vicentini & Federica Mancin keep everything in constant movement outside. Scorpion lashes his tail, Shocker's vibro-smashers arc and stream, and Lady Stilt-Man crashes the party to flail her long limbs in a panel or two. Ricadonna’s foot blurs as she kicks away Shift. But then, Ricadonna’s got an axe to grind in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #16. Who dares call her a Z-Lister?

 

Bryan Valenza lavishes a loaded palette on Vicentini and Mancin’s dynamic art. Colors vary from subdued to bold, while costume color fades with movement and distance. Background colors often change panel by panel and portray energy and lighting sources. Highlights and shadows ground the characters, while translucent smoke keeps characters visible.

 

 

 

Cory Petit thwips uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #16. The large, thin font grows bold for inflection and shrinks for lowered voices. Rabble's dialogue fades to lavender when she does one of her Tech Talks, and Hobgoblin's dialogue occasionally turns the same color, indicating he's learned from her example. Miles' thoughts stand out as white letters in red narrative boxes. Sound effects enhance the fighting inside and out. Occasionally, they release so much energy that they shove all art from a panel, at least the art not showcased within the giant letters.

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy of this Gang War chapter for review.

 

Final Thoughts

While Rabble and Hobgoblin use the Beyond Corporation’s tech to upgrade their powers, Brooklyn’s Team Spidey fights to prevent them from enhancing Madame Masque’s forces with a fleet of killer drones. Yet hovering over Miles Morales: Spider-Man #16 on an invisible glider is the fate of Miles’ uncle Aaron Davis. What happened to the Prowler? Was the Hornet’s faith in him misplaced?

 

Rating 9/10

 

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

Spider-Boy #4 Review

 

Writers: Dan Slott

Artists: Paco Medina; Ty Templeton

Colorist: Erick Arciniega; Dee Cunniffe

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado; Nicoletta Baldari; Philip Tan & Rachelle Rosenberg; Martín Cóccolo & Jesus Aburtov; Ethan Young & John Kalisz

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: February 21, 2023

 

Bailey Briggs risked his reputation to aid Thor. Yet winning the Asgardian's approval meant revealing his monstrous side. Can people trust Bailey, or is he more of a monster than a boy?

 Let's thwip into Spider-Boy #4 and find out!

 

“Nightmare Scenario”

Story

Aunt Mae hosts a movie night at the F.E.A.S.T. center. Tonight's viewing is her nephew Peter's favorite movie, Fast Car Family Five. But Fast Car Family X is playing at the theater down the street. If only Bailey had money, he could watch the latest movie instead of an installment from Ancientville.

 

His friend Christina reminds Bailey that he's got a lifetime pass at Lucky Lane's Bowling Alley. Yeah, he's someone there! Christina cheers him on, even if he doesn't throw all strikes. If only he had accuracy as a superpower, maybe Spider-Man would trust him with web shooters.

 

 

 

In his Spider-Boy #4 story “Nightmare Scenario,” Dan Slott reveals Bailey's frustration. Like us, he yearns to be recognized and at the forefront of everything current. Bailey doesn't try to gain insights into his mentor by watching Peter's favorite movie. Nor does he appreciate how Christina’s family cares for him. He may get free bowling, but when Lucky Lane’s generosity doesn’t extend to free nachos, Bailey abandons Christina to find fun by patrolling the neighborhood

.

 

Blessed with power beyond his years, Bailey grows frustrated when older spidey folks like Peter and Miles don't accept him. Worse, no one remembers him, which isolates him from friends and family. Yet Bailey excels in "Nightmare Scenario" because he finds non-combative solutions to problems. He relies on reason instead of super strength in Spider-Boy #4. Bailey risks losing his friends by using his unpopular abilities to protect someone who feels similarly isolated and disdained. 

 

 

 

 

Art

Aunt May shows no hesitation in greeting the homeless residents at the F.E.A.S.T. center. Bailey’s fellow residents look like ordinary people. Christina cheers Spider-Boy as he hurls a ball down the lane, but the worker pumping cheese onto a serving of nachos lacks enthusiasm. Bailey bounds over water towers and buildings with eye-catching architectural features. He perches atop a pinnacle as the Spider-Men tackling the winged Vulturians steal the foreground.

 

Erick Arciniega lavishes brilliant foreground color on Paco Medina's art in Spider-Boy #4. Background colors are soft, varied, and luminous, making night in the city that never sleeps appealing. Yet the color drains away when a sinister-looking intruder breaks into the bowling alley after it closes. A limited palette enhances thrilling car chases on the big screen. Despite how much money they paid, patrons flee a viewing of Fast Car Family X.

 

 

 

“Missing Pieces”

Story

Dan Slott’s second story in Spider-Boy #4 takes you inside Madame Monstrosity’s lab. After learning that she turned Bailey into Spider-Boy, she searched her records for how she created him. Using the results of her earlier experiment, she births a new entry to the Spider-Verse.

 

“Missing Pieces” is a prequel to "Nightmare Scenario" and enhances our understanding of Bailey's actions in the first story. Madame Monstrosity's actions sow doubt in Spider-Men and Christina's minds, severing Bailey's link with his friends. Whether Bailey can rebuild those relationships and regain their trust remains to be seen.

 

 

 

Art

Ty Templeton’s fanciful art reveals a grand villain, seemingly “forgotten” since the earliest era of Spider-Man. Templeton welcomes us into a lab filled with giant monitors, steam rising from vats, and bubble-filled birthing pods. Humanimal servants carry out their duties and monitor experiments. Madame Monstrosity's eyes widen, and she throws out her arms as her latest creation crawls from a nutrient tank in Spider-Boy #4.

 

Dee Cunniffe steeps the lab in green. Purple, pink, orange, and brown fill backgrounds when Madame Monstrosity takes her Humanimals on tour. Yellow lightning divides panels into scenes from Bailey's life as Madame Monstrosity's latest creation gazes upon the city in wonder. Behind him, a black and white billboard reveals the city's ambiguity with their latest hero.

 

Joe Caramagna thwips black uppercase dialogue into white balloons in “Nightmare Scenario” and “Missing Pieces." Word size shrinks for lowered voices, grows bold for intonation, and enlarges and changes color for shouts. Bailey's monster speech makes another appearance, while an attractive title-style font proclaims the name of Madame Monstrosity's latest creation in Spider-Boy #4.

 

Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Bailey stops trying to gain Spider-Man's respect and embraces his inner monster, while Madame Monstrosity reveals the identity of his mother in Spider-Boy #4.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

Umbrate Review

 

Writer: A. D. Jones

Price: $10.99 paperback, $3.80 Kindle, Free with Kindle Unlimited

Release Date: October 13, 2023

 

Vanic Bradley didn't have an early childhood. His mother died in a bus accident when he was six. Five years later, desegregation policies forced him to attend a new school. A dome covered the school buildings to shield the Umbral children from daylight. But who would protect Vanic from the larger and stronger Umbral bullies?

 

Despite his difficult upbringing—or perhaps because of it—Vanic chose a life of public service. His dedication to protecting the citizens of his community cost him his marriage to Sarah. But he gets to spend time with his son Noah on his days off and evenings with his new girlfriend, Roma. Vanic relies on his longtime friend Josh for support. But while Roma fears for his safety, Josh worries about Vanic’s distrust of other species.

 

Vanic finds dwarves without beards unsettling. Cylanorr, the upbeat Elven forensic pathologist, gets on his nerves. As for Visp, the naturally superior Umbral officer wears hazmat gear with a mirror face mask anytime he goes outside. Visp may take on risky assignments like bomb disposal, but he’s no hero! Whenever danger threatens, Visp can take off his mask. Then the sunlight will touch his obsidian skin, and like any Umbral, Visp will disappear and reappear unharmed after sunset. But then, Vanic tends to freeze up around Umbral, and those he apprehends arrive at the precinct worse for wear.

 

 

 

 

In Umbrate, A.D. Jones introduces readers to a contemporary world shared by Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Umbral. While Dragons no longer haunt the skies, the panther-like Vilgore amazes zoo attendees with its batwings and insectile features. Prejudice and intolerance still trouble Vanic Bradley's society, but the police officer tries to accord everyone respect, regardless of species. Still, Vanic must reevaluate his feelings and opinions when circumstances force him to protect his son--and nearly two hundred civilians--from homicidal Umbral that don't care how many people they kill, provided they hurt Vanic Bradley.

 

Thanks to A. D. Jones, Black Phoenix Book Tours, and Henry Roi PR for providing a copy for review.

 

Umbrate is available at Amazon.com

 

About the Author

A.D Jones lives in the North of England; where he spends his time favouring books over people and can be found writing or devouring said books to review online. He loves Cola, Twin Peaks, cult movies and all things horror. He dislikes the movie ‘The Karate Kid’ with a passion that burns brighter than the sun.

You can find him on Instagram - the_evergrowing_library

https://www.instagram.com/the_evergrowing_library

 

 

 

James Bond 007 #2 Review

 

Writer: Garth Ennis

Artist: Rapha Lobosco

Colorist: Jorge Sutil

Letterer: Rob Steen

Cover Artist: Dave Johnson

Publisher: Dynamite

Price: $4.99

Release Date: February 21, 2024

 

James Bond dispatched the Costanza cartel before they could kill him. He blew up the kill team in Bournemouth before they got off a shot. But Stalvoda—the weapons project stolen from the Ministry Of Defense laboratory in Porton Downs—is still missing. Can Bond recover it before the thieves deploy a weapon so secret that not even the last three Prime Ministers knew about it? Let’s grab our Walther PPKs (not your Berettas, please), leap into James Bond 007 #2, and find out!

 

Story

Thanks to a rail strike, James Bond has become a man of the people. He takes a bus back to London with noisy, uncouth fellow passengers. Moneypenny laughs at his irritation. Yet he’s all business. Bond tells her that former 00 agent Archibald Tryon resigned because of Stalvoda. He stole the weaponized water project from Russian scientists. Tryon’s triumph redeemed M.I.6 after years of government officials spilling secrets and defecting to Russia. Still, Tryon hated that Britain pursued a project begun in Hitler's concentration camps.

 

After sorting through the bodies on the beach and the long bus ride home, Bond wants a bath. He tells Moneypenny he’ll freshen up and return to the office. As Bond walks home from the bus depot, Felix Leiter calls. As with Tryon, the Americans are glad that M.I.6 assigned a capable agent to capture Stalvoda. Yet Bond’s not as unaware of his surroundings as he appears. Bond tells his C.I.A. friend he’s putting him on speaker. Let those tracking him follow Felix’s voice. Forced to blow up his car and take a bus home, Bond's ready for a rematch.

 

In James Bond 007 #2, our favorite M.I.6 agent dances with death. Moneypenny and Q view him as immature. M believes Bond causes as many problems as he solves. Had Bond dispatched Sebastian Constanza more carefully, the family wouldn't have targeted him for death. Now Bond's riding public transportation instead of renting a car. Why not just paint a target on your back and be done with it?

 

James Bond doesn’t know who attacked him in Bournemouth. Their bodies and weapons—or at least what remained—told no tales. Garth Ennis' story suggests that the Russian S.V.R. ordered the beach hit. But Tryon couldn’t tell Bond who stole Stalvoda from M.I.6 labs. And if the thieves wanted to scrub Tryon, shouldn't M.I.6 put the retired 00 agent in protective custody instead of letting him return home to live with his sister? Did Pablo Constanza, the head of the Constanza drug empire, hire an organization to assassinate Bond should he and his family fail? Or am I  flaunting logic like Bond flaunts danger in James Bond 007 #2?

 

Art

Rapha Lobosco interposes Bond on the bus with Moneypenny in her office. The rain dissipates, and he walks alongside the columned porticos fronting London's historic homes. Lobosco shows a Christmas tree air freshener dangling in silhouette from a rear-view mirror as someone watches Bond walk.

 

Scaffolding rises inside the lobby of an abandoned hotel. Tilted camera angles show masked soldiers fanning out and taking defensive positions. Bond grabs an assassin and uses his opponent’s body as a shield. A dance with death plays out across the floors of this multistory building. James Bond 007 #2 becomes as choreographed as a Hollywood musical and as violent as Douglas Quaid's efforts to reclaim his memory in Paul Verhoeven's movie Total Recall.

 

Jorge Sutil shades Bond's face with purple in the bus, while textured blue suggests rain outside the darkened interior. Moneypenny's milk chocolate skin glows as she stares at her monitor. Bond remembers searching the broken bodies on the beach through a beige haze tinged with green. The same color pervades the hotel interior. As soldiers pursue Bond in their armor and green fatigues, yellow and orange erupt from guns, red plumes from injuries, and orange pervades panels. Yet the threat of Stalvoda, also called steel water or ice napalm, reveals victims frozen in cold, cold blue.

 

Rob Steen’s large, uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons are easy to read. Balloons sprout spikes as sharp as flash-frozen water to signal Moneypenny, M, and Felix’s voices. Words grow bold, enlarge, and threaten to escape their balloons as the action heightens in James Bond 007 #2. In this issue devoid of sound effects, the cries of soldiers riddled by gunfire inform Bond that they're still alive.

 

Don't worry. James Bond will rectify that.

 

Thanks to Dynamite Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Bond lures assassins into a trap, learns the history of Steel Water, and goes where few have gone before in James Bond 007 #2.

 

Rating 9/10

 

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