Happy new comic book day! It’s another major week in comics, and the ComicBook staff have come together to break down and review as many of the big comics releasing this week as possible. Now obviously this isn’t every single comic on stands, but we’re breaking down new releases from Marvel, DC, Image Comics, BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse, Dynamite, Oni Press, IDW, Mad Cave Studios, DSTLRY, and more!
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We’ve also carved out some additional space for three of this week’s biggest books, including The Question: All Along the Watchtower #1, The Rocketfellers #1, and Star Wars: The Battle of Jaku – Republic Under Siege #1, so if our smaller review here piques your interest, make sure to check out the full review for a much more comprehensive analysis of all three issues. As for ratings, we keep things simple with a whole or half number out of five, and you can check out some of our previous reviews right here. With all that said, let’s get to this week’s new comics!
DC
Action Comics #1076
Still not sure about the Superboys sub story in Action Comics, but Action Comics #1076 is fantastic otherwise. Things happen fast on Krypton with some major revelations about the El family dynamic as well as Kal doing some things that may have some major impact on how things play out for the doomed world — without changing the outcome. It’s a moving story and while it moves a little fast, there’s something beautiful about Kal getting to see the truth of his history as well as being part of it. As for the Supergirl backup, it’s the art here that is a real standout (though the story is good, too). – Nicole Drum
Rating: 4 out of 5
Batman and Robin: Year One #2
Batman & Robin: Year One #2 is a bit better than #1. While there’s still a bit of goofiness to Dick in this issue, it’s much more focused on the crime in Gotham — particularly the struggle with the General and Two-Face. We also get to see Robin coming into his own a bit while there’s the more quiet threat of social services when it comes to Bruce’s adoption of Dick. The three pieces of the overall story make the bigger picture all the more interesting as Batman and Robin find themselves dealing with a problem that might be bigger than either of them expect. Samnee’s art is the real standout of this issue — it just looks good, particularly with all of the Robin-centric action. – Nicole Drum
Rating: 4 out of 5
Batman: Full Moon #2
Rodney Barnes has a fierce command on top of the many characters that populate Batman: Full Moon, making sure all of their voices feel distinct and propel the narrative forward. The real reason to pick up the series though is the threatening aura on every page that artist Stevan Subic brings to life. Not only does Subic deliver a moody atmosphere across each sequence in Batman: Full Moon, but he’s able to channel specific imagery that makes them equally horrifying, whether it be a cerebral moment or something in the real world. Plus, naturally, he makes a werewolf transformation look spectacular.
– Spencer Perry
Rating: 5 out of 5
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #33
Mark Waid might not have artist Dan Mora at his side for this latest arc, but artist Adrian Gutierrez truly finds their groove in this final issue of the Eclipso arc. This arc, perhaps more so than any others, has truly focused on the expansive roster of superheroes that make up the DCU, crossing generational divides by throwing the Justice Society into the mix. It makes for a strong conclusion of the latest World’s Finest outing, as Waid does what he does best and Gutierrez is able to inject some wild energy into the panels here, though admittedly sometimes they can get a tad confusing in terms of their layouts in said action beats. The fight against Eclipse might not be the best that World’s Finest has to offer from what we’ve seen so far but the book itself easily remains one of the best that the DC Universe has to offer. – Evan Valentine
Rating 4 out of 5
The Question: All Along The Watchtower #1
With DC’s All In, the Justice League is more expansive than ever, ready to tackle any threat that comes their way. An unlimited roster also brings its own challenges, and DC’s Trinity has now entrusted The Question to deal with those challenges and more mysterious threats from within. The premise alone is rife with opportunities for compelling storytelling, and that’s even before bringing in some of Renee Montoya’s complex past into the thick of it. Coupled with stakes that will have ramifications on the very new dynamic amongst DC heroes, you’ve got a series that still feels true to its lead character while feeling like it also matters to the bigger picture, and it’s a complete home run. – Matthew Aguilar
Rating: 5 out of 5 (Read the full review here)
Titans #17
Titans #17 is fantastic fun. The issue sees Clock King flexing his new powers post-Absolute Power to try to get in the heads of the team and use the information he finds to learn everything about them — and other heroes by extension but while the baddie is a smart guy, he doesn’t quite account for everything. The issue does a fantastic job of putting the new team dynamic into action and offers up plenty of action without being overly reliant on fight scenes. The final pages also sets up for an exciting next part of the story once Deathstroke shows up and overall, the whole issue is just well done. – Nicole Drum
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Wonder Woman #5
Wonder Woman #15 is more of the same for this run. It’s a long narration from the Sovereign blathering on about wealth and power and corruption while bemoaning how Wonder Woman undid it all all layered over absolutely stunning art, specifically of Diana with the infant Trinity and of her allies carrying out what feels less like a quest for justice but a long play at revenge. At this point, it just feels like the story has dragged along too long and we’re just stretching things thin — and this issue really makes that clear. – Nicole Drum
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Marvel
Daredevil #15
Hell’s Kitchen resident avenging devil is dealing with some issues that are directly linked to his faith. In this dichotomy, Matt Murdock gets some great one-on-one time with both Elektra and Father Javi peeling back the layers of the lawyer by day, superhero by night in some interesting respects. The mystery of this arc also deepens with a nice cliffhanger that might throw a monkey wrench into one of Matt’s longest and healthiest relationships, you know at least in terms of how any relationship can be healthy in Daredevil’s world. Ahmed and Zagaria. – Evan Valentine
Rating: 4 out of 5
Exceptional X-Men #3
Few X-Men combinations have proven to be as wonderfully chaotic as Kate Pryde and Emma Frost, and they continue to work their magic in Exceptional X-Men #3. While Kate and Emma would be worth the price of admission on their own, Eve L. Ewing has now introduced three delightful new personalities into the mix that really change the dynamic ff the book in a huge way, and their presence can’t help but draw you in. Carmen Carnero and Nolan Woodard are a dynamite team as well, bringing these new characters to life while also crafting a stellar throwdown between the two former Marauders. Exceptional X-Men is quickly becoming one of my favorite X-Men books, and it only seems to get better with each and every issue. – Matthew Aguilar
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Immortal Thor #17
Immortal Thor #17 begins with the Asgardian hero in peril. Writer Al Ewing weaves Thor’s conflict with the so-called gods of Midgard into Enchantress’ emotional manipulation of Thor. With no sign of coordination between the two sets of antagonists — these self-styled gods are revealed to be at odds with Amora — it’s a contrived coalescence. It leads to Amora seemingly returning to form as Ewing digs deep into Thor’s history to bring back a forgotten character. Encantress’ sudden and inevitable betrayal is to be expected, yet the nature of what she achieves raises interesting questions about her motives regarding Thor. Jan Bazaldua is a competent artist, possibly chosen for their soft touch with characters and faction expressions. That makes sense given that the current storyline resembles an Asgardian soap opera, with Thor and Amora plunging into the depths of barely the barely contained sexual tension that can only exist between two people inextricably bound to one another no matter how much they may occasionally loathe each other. But all of this contributes to a sense of mundanity swirling around the issue compared to the far more primal, epic storytelling that Ewing and Martin Coccolo crafted earlier in the series.
– Jamie Lovett
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #26
It’s rare to see issues like this one anymore. Maybe two-thirds of this Miles Morales adventure is nothing but a brawl with Vulture, but it’s a lengthy fight that found interesting angles and hard-hitting moments throughout. An issue largely focused on a single fight that never gets incoherent or stale, and still somehow manages to find a way to tie an emotional bow around it all. – Charlie Ridgely
Rating: 4 out of 5
Phases of The Moon Knight #4
The best compliment that I can pay Phases of the Moon Knight is that every single story or version of Moon Knight that has been featured in this series feels like it could anchor at least a limited run on its own. All of these worlds and characters feel rich and exciting. This fourth issue was maybe the weakest of the bunch, but we’re talking about a pretty high floor here. It’s all been solid. – Charlie Ridgely
Rating: 3 out of 5
Phoenix #5
Since the beginning, Phoenix scribe Stephanie Phillips has made it clear that she fully understood this character down to her bones. With the latest issue, Phillips is just showing off not only how well she knows Jean Grey, but her place in the Marvel universe. There’s a fascinating dialogue scene that takes up the bulk of the issue and not only does Phillips deliver stunning prose, but series artists Alessandro Miracolo & Marco Renna make it all visually captivating. The creative team on Phoenix is one of the best marriages happening at Marvel right now, and the series is a must read. – Spencer Perry
Rating: 5 out of 5
Sentinels #2
Sentinels #2 sees our cybernetically enhanced (or perhaps compromised?) protagonists invade Bagalia — a bad place — to capture a bad man who’s running a bad prison, and they’re doing all of this in the service of some pretty bad people. All this suggests a lot of moral gray, but it’s such an action-heavy issue that it is easy to forget most of it. The artwork is raw, if not rough, and a subplot brewing involving Onslaught feels too detached from the main throughline. The plot is busy and though the premise is interesting it feels like it’s missing a strong hook that fully draws in the reader. Perhaps it’ll find its way with more time, but Sentinels doesn’t feel like it’s living up to its full potential. – Jamie Lovett
Rating: 3 out of 5
Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #7
The Gwen Stacy from another universe continues her journey in the 616 with one of her strongest issues in her latest run so far. Phillips does a solid job of highlighting Gwen’s character here but the true star of this issue comes from Von Randal’s art. Using a more grounded, character-centric approach, the interactions between Gwen and the Black Tarantula are the highlights of this issue. This new series focusing on Ghost Spider had a shaky start but it’s beginning to find its footing and here’s to hoping that it continues to do so moving forward. The MCU might have its fair share of Spider People but Gwen has definitely, and is continuing to, earned her place within it. – Evan Valentine
Rating 3.5 out of 5
Spider-Man: Reign 2 #5
Reign 2 has been shaky at best since the start of its run, and that doesn’t change here. It often feels disjointed and lakes a visual coherence. But it does manage to deliver a strong ending that at least puts a satisfying spin on many of its lackluster story elements.
– Charlie Ridgely
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Republic Under Siege #1
There’s a lot of territory to explore in the Star Wars universe that was never covered in the original trilogy. While the Star Wars Extended Universe spent decades via novels, comic books, audiobooks, and more documenting Luke, Leia, Han, and the rest of the cast’s life past Return of The Jedi, said Universe is now defunct. Thus, Marvel Comics is taking the opportunity to further flesh out the time that transpired following the fall of the Empire and what immediately filled the void left by the deaths of Palpatine and Darth Vader. In this, The Battle of Jaku – Republic Under Siege finds its legs. – Evan Valentine
Rating: 3 out of 5 (Read the full review here)
Storm #2
The title of Storm #2’s story is “Death by Voodoo” and that title alludes to a big reveal at the issue’s end. The problem is that if you are at all familiar with what the big reveal turns out to be, you likely see it coming from early in the issue, if not page one, and then spend the entire issue waiting for it to happen. If you’re not already familiar the reveal likely means nothing to you, and it struggles to land either way. Having spent the debut of the series depicting Storm as a godlike hero on the same level as Superman, Murewa Ayodele spends much of the second issue humanizing her with a montage of menial chores and boxing her in as everyone around her treats her with animosity for varying reasons. Some fo those reasons are obvious — basic ant-mutant bigotry brought on by the most recent mutant-related tragedy — and others less so. Storm visits a doctor for treatment and is greeted with smug indifference. It’s a conversation that seemingly wants to illuminate the difference between being a mutant and being an X-Man, to make mutant culture less monolithic. Yet, the doctor’s dialog is snide and reverses suddenly, making it difficult to track his point. Lucas Werneck delivers some of his best work, enhanced greatly by Alex Guimaraes’ sleek and subtle colors — the title page, in particular, is a power splash silhouette that may stun the reader into being still for a moment — but the issue is paced languidly to reach an end that is either predictable or meaningless. – Jamie Lovett
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Ultimate Spider-Man #11
Hickman’s Ultimate Friendly Neighborhood Wallcrawler remains the best book on the market today focusing on Peter Parker, thanks in part to not only the differences incorporated in the new series but how the creative team handles the strengths of Spidey as a character. There’s some interesting new territory that is studied here (including Peter’s general lack of fighting skills) along with some hard conversations that Peter has with his loved ones. This remains my favorite Ultimate book on the market and I feel as though this series will stand toe to toe with Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley’s run that helped kick off the original Ultimate universe. There’s so much to unpack here but at the end of the day, Ultimate Spider-Man continues to earn its title as one of Marvel’s best.
– Evan Valentine
Rating: 5 out of 5
Wolverine #3
The current Wolverine issue tends to struggle with the same issues that I felt issues one and two did in that Logan’s internal monologue is out of control. For a story that wants to rely on Wolverine’s “Berserker Rage” and seeing him in the wilderness, we don’t see him cut loose in the ways that you would think. There are some interesting story bits that are highlighted here but it still feels like the series doesn’t bring enough new to the table and focuses too much on exposition rather than letting the story breath on its own. “From The Ashes” has a big legacy to live up to following the Krakoa Era of the X-Men and unfortunately, Wolverine feels as though it is floundering amidst the other titles focusing on Marvel’s Merry Mutants. – Evan Valentine
Rating 2 out of 5
Image Comics
Geiger #8
Geiger #8 sees Geiger and Nate take the children the encountered last issue to their home but while they discover a community untouched by the bombs and radiation they also discover that this paradise is its own sort of hell — one where books and knowledge of the outside world and what was are banned specifically to keep the citizens (specifically the children) ignorant in the name of safety. It’s an interesting bit of commentary, particularly with Geiger taking the stance that this isn’t his down or his kids, but the issue then takes a hard turn when the King shows up endangering everyone. It’s a good issue with really lovely art — the book burning in particular is rather chillin — so there is really only one drawback; the issue just feels too short. – Nicole Drum
Rating: 4 out of 5
Ice Cream Man #42
The latest issue of Ice Cream Man walks a thin line, but the experiment from writer W. Maxwell Prince and artist Martin Morazzo is a balancing act that they mostly make work really well. Issue #42 takes a meta approach not only with Prince himself appearing but continuously reminding readers about the form and function of horror comics, along with the real world horrors that await us when we put the book down. Morazzo’s artwork, as always, strikes the right tone for the book, with intense line work that really shows the visceral detail of some of these moments. There’s even less subtly to be found in this issue than in others, but considering the target that the creatives are aiming for, it doesn’t need any subtlety. – Spencer Perry
Rating: 4 out of 5
The Department of Truth #27
The Department of Truth #27 paints the tragic death of Marilyn Munruo — here positioned as the “fiction” that overtook the life of Norma Jean — as a turning point in the tense struggle to define the nature of our reality. Writer James Tynion IV does a fine job setting the tone with somber dialog, including musing about the difference between a real angel and what everyone believes is an angel, if one exists. However, artists Alison Sampson and colorist Jordie Bellaire steal the show as they convey the feeling of living on the threshold of what’s real and imagined. Marilyn becomes more and less solid from panel to panel as her reality shifts within her. There’s no struggle to follow the story as letterer Aditya Bidikar guides the reader’s eye, punctuating certain moments with sudden shifts in style. Heavenly light is shown with searing hues and the contrast of dark and light plays across a roiling depiction of one agent’s sleepless night. It’s a masterful, unsettling issue from creators who excel at depicting the unimaginable — or perhaps, more accurately, the line between that and the entirely imagined. – Jamie Lovett
Rating: 5 out of 5
The Moon Is Following Us #3
From its outset, The Moon Is Following Us has been about the relationship between parents and children. It’s hardly subtle given its plot involves two parents delving into a dangerous dream world to rescue their imprisoned daughter. The Moon Is Following Us #3 makes that theme more concrete and urgent in a single pane that reminds every parent that their children are always watching and of how easy it is to pass their fears and traumas onto the next generation. The moment works partly because of how it’s foreshadowed earlier in the issue, but mostly because of how poignantly Riley Rossmo draws his characters at their most vulnerable and broken. The issue reshapes everything about the story. Where it was plainly before about the fear of losing a child, it is not as much about the fear of what that child faces simply by living and whether it’s all worth it. Rossmo and Daniel Warren Johnson have built a mountain to climb to reach a satisfying conclusion to such personal and distressing themes. All evidence suggests it will be a worthwhile journey. – Jamie Lovett
Rating: 4 out of 5
The Power Fantasy #4
After ending the previous issue with a world-altering revelation, The Power Fantasy #4 is a profoundly intimate, interior affair focusing on Morishitu Masumi, a superpower responsible for some tragic event that struck Tokyo in 1982, of which readers are only allowed a glimpse. That’s a recurring theme throughout the issue. Masumi’s destructive powers are tied to her emotions, meaning her negative feelings must be kept buried at all times lest she lose control again. Just as this part of her personality is kept hidden not only by her self-control but by the glass house, glass existence, that has been built around her, so is the full nature of her power hidden from the reader, only glimpses in moments when there is the threat of the glass shattering. Another layer is added through Masumi’s artwork on display at a gallery showing. Her art is her only outlet for these dangerous feelings Caspar Wjingaard’s cleverly composed panels make the reader feel that the artwork’s presence serves the same purpose as the cutaways to the threat beneath the water. It’s a quietly desperate character piece that seems crafted in the spirit of Watchmen with its depiction of the most tragically human of superhumans and thoughtful use of visual motifs.
– Jamie Lovett
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
The Rocketfellers #1
While the story could use just a little more meat and we don’t get to know our characters perhaps as well as we might like just yet, The Rocketfellers #1 is a fun first issue that brings slightly kitschy sci-fi to life in a story that is as curious as it is centered in humanity. With solid art and plenty of questions, there is a lot to be interested in with just this first issue and it makes for an intriguing prospect going forward. – Nicole Drum
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Read the full review here)