#chris looks like some character from bloodborne actually

[deeepnest]

Guys they were performing at my birthday party

[legionofpotatoes]

we decided to watch all story cutscenes from the new resident evil village videogame on a whim, since it’s not really our cup of tea gameplay-wise but seems to be this massive zeitgeist moment that made us morbidly curious. And I know how much everyone cares about my thoughts on things I know very little about, so. let’s get into it huh gamers. and yeah spoilers?

for context, I’ve only played resident evil 4 and a small portion of 5. I also read the wikipedia entry for 7’s plot recently. all this to say I was only vaguely aware of how tonally wacky the series was going in

I also completely gave up following the plot of the mutagens’ soap opera, so that paid off in spades here as you might imagine

anyway so that baby in the intro. that baby’s head is just massive. humongous toddlerdome. when ethan finds the baby’s head in a jar later on. there is no way that head would fit into that jar. bad game design. no not even game design. basic stuff. one hundred years in prison for jar modeler

if I see a single functional hetero marriage in video games I will cry tears of joy. I understand their misery is kind of The Point irt them badly working through the hillbilly romp trauma but like. sheesh. at least set that up as an emotional story goal the plot will help resolve. but nope they start off miserable and it goes nowhere

I know I know the mia thing has a huge wrinkle in it but like. not really in terms of dramatic function?? set up a happy end to the re7 nightmare (miranda can keep up appearances for all she cares) and then take that all away from angry griffin mcelroy for manpain. it will still absolutely work to set up the dramatic forward momentum. why throw in this cliche Hollywood Tension in their marriage if you’re not going to address it oh maybe because it’s normalized as automatically interesting because nuclear families are a self-propagating pit of a very narrow chance at emotional happiness relying on social stigma to preserve their empty function oops my baggage slipped in yikes abort mission

I called him griffin mcelroy because I saw his face on twitter and. yeah. I will continue to do this occasionally. my house my rules

... fuck the reason I’m hung up on this is specifically because the rest of the game is so tonally dexterous (which is a shining point to me! more on that later!), and yet they felt weirdly compelled to create the aesthetic trapping of a family-at-odds trope without following it through too well. a sign of both the good and the bad stuff to come

but listen the real reason why I wanted to talk about any of this is to nitpick the fascinating backwards-engineered nucleus of the entire thing; in that this game essentially creates a melting pot of just SO many disparate horror tropes and then makes a no-holds-barred unhinged effort at weaving thick lore to piece them all together. it is truly a sight to behold. like straight up you got your backwoods fright night situation, your gothic castle vampires, your rural-industrial werewolves, and don’t forget your bloated swamp monsters over there, with then a hard left turn into robotic body horror, and the entire ass subgenre of Creepy Doll writ large, and the bloodborne tentacle monsters, and a hellboy angel bossfight, which rides on the coattails of a mech-on-mech pacific rim bonanza, and just jesus henry christ slow down

almost all of these are textural hijack jobs that don’t really get into the metaphor plain of any of those settings but the game sort-of makes an argument that the texture IS the point and revels in it. It is kind of admirable almost. The same reason why the intro felt boxed in and unmotivated is also why the rest of the game just blasts off of its hinges to the point of complete and self-indulgent tonal abandon. I kinda loved that about it. lady dimitrescu made sure to hold her hat down as she bent forward in mahogany doorways and then suddenly she’s a giant gore dragon and you settle in your temp role as dark souls man with Gun to take her ass down. Excellent??

this rhino rampage impulse to gobble up every horror aesthetic known to man comes to head when the game wrestles with its FPS trappings in what is the most hilarious solution in creating visceral player damage moments. Since most cinematics and the entire game is in first person, that leaves precious little real estate for the devs to work with if they really want to sell griffin’s physical crucible. To wit. This dude’s forearms. Specifically just the forearms. They are MASSACRED throughout the story. The poor man lives out the silent hill dimension of a hand model. by the end cutscene he looks like a neatly dressed desk clerk who had decided to stick both his grabbers into garbage disposal grinders just a few hours prior. like in addition to everything else it manages to rope in that tinge of slapstick violence into its general grievous genre collection except this time it IS for a lack of trying! truly incredible

but wait his miracle clawbacks from everything his poor paws go through are retroactively explained away, yes, but far too vaguely and far too late to console me as I sat and watched everyone’s favorite baby brother reattach an entirely severed hand to his wrist stump by just. placing it on there. and giving it a lil twist ‘n pop terminator-style. and then willing his fingers back into motion right in front of my bulging eyes. this game just does not care. it does not give a shit. and boy howdy will it work to make that into one of its strongest suits

cause generally speaking resident evil was THE premiere vanilla zombie content destinaysh for like a decade, right? and as the rest of the world and mainstream media started encroaching and bloodying its blue ocean it went and just exploded in every single conceivable horror trope direction like a smilodon on catnip. truly, genuinely fascinating franchise moves

yeah the big vampire milf is hot. other news; grass... green. although I do love the implication that her closet is just identical white dresses on a rack. cartoon network-level queen shit

apropos of nothing I’ve said there’s also this hobo dante-devimaycry-magneto man, and I can’t believe this sentence makes sense. anyway he made that “boulder-punching asshole” joke referring to chris redfield and it was probably the only easter egg that really landed for me and boy did it land hard. I have not seen him punch the boulder in re5, mind. I had only heard about how funny it is from friends. and here this dude was, probably in the same exact mindset as me, trying to grapple with that insane mental image. with you on that ian mckellen, loud and clear

I advocate vehemently against the shallow pursuit of hyper photorealism in art direction but I gotta admit it works really in favor of immersive horror like this. the european village shacks especially gave me super unchill flashbacks to my rural countryside retreat in western georgia. I could smell the linoleum dude. not cool

faces are weird in this game. can’t place it. nice textures, good animation, but the modeling template is... uuh strange? and the hair. it has that clustered-flat-clumpy look that harkens to something very specific and unpleasant but I just don’t know what. sue me

griffin’s mental aptitude to take all this shit in stride and end every seemingly traumatizing bossfight involving some fucking eldritch being yet unseen through mortal eyes by essentially throwing out an MCU quip is just. What the fuck dude? I mean that was funny how you casually yelled the f-word at a god damn werewolf that you considered a fairy tale an hour ago but are you like, all right?? it was swinging a sledgehammer the size of a bus at you, ethan

oh oh the vampires are afraid of cold and your last name is winters. I get it haha

Pro Gamer Nitpick: boss fights seemed a bit unnecessarily long?? idk why the youtuber we picked decided the ENTIRE propeller man fight counted towards the vital story scenes he was stitching together, but man mr big daddy lite there really had some get up and go huh??

why are they saying dimitrescu.. like that. is it really how you say that word or is the english language relapsing into its fetish for ending every single word with a consonant at all costs

I’m not saying it’s a dramatic miss of a twist in context of all that’s going on, but the “you died in the last game actually and have been DC’s clayface ever since” revelation is low-key. it’s. it’s just funny to me, I dont know what to say. century-old god-witch fails her evil plan after she mistakenly removes heart from what was definitely NOT just some white guy with eight fingers after all

chris realizing he’s about to become the player character and immediately swapping out his tsundere trenchcoat for the muscletight sex haver sweater

the little bluetooth speaker-sized pipe bomb he taped to his knife was nuclear?? really??? I must have missed something because that is just too good. I buy it though I totally buy it. chris just got them fun-sized nukes in his car trunk for, you guessed it, Situations

anyway this is all for now just wanted to briefly touch on how unexpectedly funny and tonally irreverent this seemingly serious game turned out to be. did not articulate any cathartic story beats whatsoever but my god it had fun connecting those plot points. he just fucking put his severed hand back on his stump and it Just Worked todd howard get in here

[spacefuneral]

@gruvfru tagged me with 10 questions and make up 10 of my own!! Very cute and very fun, thank you, thank you!!! <3

- What kind of music do you listen to? Do you play an instrument? If not, if you could play any instrument, what would you choose?

I listen to all kinds of music!! I’ve been getting this question at work a lot and I straight up don’t have an answer. Lately, I’ve been pretty into sappy boi bullshit like Conan Gray and Joji, I don’t know why! Sufjan Stevens used to be my favorite but the more I’ve distanced myself from LA & from my dad’s passing, I barely listen to him anymore. Love that guy, though.

Also, I play alto sax! I picked it up one day while quarantined and was able to just suddenly remember how to read music, it was wonderful!! I need to put together a practice booklet for myself and practice again. I used to be pretty good at it and have a couple of awards, but that was from the ye olde days.

- Have you ever travelled outside of your home country? If so, where did you go? Would you go back?

Nope! Maybe someday. I actually don’t have a whole lot of wanderlust, but I do like roadtrips.

- What type of stories do you like to read/watch/listen to (movies, tv, books, comics, podcasts, etc.)? Are you currently writing anything? Is it similar or different than what kind of media you like to consume?

I like horror and always have. I’m drawn to mysteries/spookies/macabre shit. I have a narrative I’ve been slowly working on and it’s basically just everything I consume but probably a lil’ more modern than most of it. Like, Bloodborne is a huge influence for me, but my IP is set in the 90′s. It’s absolutely meant to be a spooky mystery / apocalypse scenario. I want to say it’s horror but I don’t know if it’ll actually be scary as much as it’s just gonna have creepy elements.

- What kind of weather is your favorite? Least favorite?

Rain!! I love rain. I hate the sun and I want it to leave me alone.

- If you could learn any new skill, what would you learn?

Gardening! Normally, when I’m interested in a new skill, I pick it up, but I haven’t been able to garden at all. I know vague things because of my mom’s farm and because I often just sit around and research plants, but someday I’ll actually plant stuff.

Also, driving.

- What would your ideal home look like? (interior and/or exterior)

Queen Anne architecture, painted purple in some way, with natural foliage and a big tree. Interior would have antiques and would be painted however I feel and a lot of space for my knick-knacks and tea sets. There’d be an enclosed porch where my cat can sit with me while I paint. There would be a garbage disposal and a dishwasher because I’m a simple man with simple needs.

- What is your favorite plant? Why?

GOOD QUESTION. Tacca Chantrieri, maybe. Or lilacs. Or fly amanita. Tacca Chantrieri is pretty obvious if you just look at it. Lilacs, because I had a huge lilac tree as a kid and I’d hide in the bush, surrounded by them, smelling that good good lilac smell. Fly amanita because cute.

- Do you prefer movies or television? Why? What are your favorites? Least favorites?

Movies, I think. I’ve always been the type that just eats up movies if I let myself and I think I got that from my dad. TV is for when my brain doesn’t wanna fully focus on something and do other shit at the same time. My favorite movies would be Anna Karenina, Girl on the Train, The Witch, uhhh... other things. I have a letterboxd here! Off the top of my head, I hate Wonder Woman because it’s only cool for 10 minutes and then Chris Pine shows up.

- Do you believe in extraterrestrial life? Ghosts? The Hidden Folk?

I don’t know! I think my answer for these kinds of questions tends to confuse/irritate people because I don’t have a straight answer. I don’t think I know enough to say whether or not anything like this is real or fake. Sometimes, I feel like my dad is still around--my mom absolutely does. I just don’t know. I don’t feel him there like she does. But, I want to believe.

- Do you like collecting? If so, what do you collect?

I do!!! I collect so much shit. Cat figurines, for one, and tea sets. I also collect bottles these days, don’t know when that started. I also collect paper and stuff for scrapbooking, so I have a book that’s full of random shit I’ve kept, esp at work. It’s fun!!

Next are my questions! Feel free to answer them if you’d like! I’m going to tag @i-say-spooky-you-say-scary @webkitten and @wubby-desu though.

- What’s your favorite song at the moment? What song did you last listen to? - What book have you been wanting to read? - If you were a DND character, what would your sheet look like? - How do you like your coffee/tea? Would you put a lil’ cream in that bad boy? - Tell me about your pet... please. - What would your last meal be, if you could pick it? - What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream? What are your thoughts on flower flavored ice cream? Asking for a friend. - What’s the weirdest shit you did as a kid--repeatedly or even just once? - If you could ask one person in the world, alive or dead, for a piece of advice, who would you ask and what would it be? - What’s your favorite thing about your favorite person?

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 18 February 2019

Quick Bits:

Aquaman #45 gives us a new creation story with Father Sea and Mother Salt. It’s interesting world-building for what’s going on on this island. Robson Rocha, Daniel Henriques, and Sunny Gho seem to level up on their art again. This book is gorgeous.

| Published by DC Comics

Avengers #15 continues the vampire civil war, with the Shadow Colonel basically kidnapping Ghost Rider. Jason Aaron is definitely taking this series in weird places, but it remains highly entertaining. Especially with collaborators like David Marquez and Erick Arciniega who deliver some incredible artwork.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers: No Road Home #2 reveals how Nyx and her family took Olympus. There’s also a neat parallel narration for Hawkeye explaining how the guy with just a bow and arrows can take on gods and monsters. The art from Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco, and Jesus Aburtov is gorgeous, they really seem to pushing themselves with their storytelling. It’s just a shame that none of the artists are credited on the cover.

| Published by Marvel

Barbarella/Dejah Thoris #2 is ridiculously impressive. Leah Williams, Germán García, Addison Duke, and Crank! are delivering an intelligent, humorous, and compelling adventure tale here that reminds me a lot of some of what Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse did in Tom Strong. It’s incredibly inventive and the artwork is amazing. Highly recommended.

| Published by Dynamite

Batman #65 gives us the penultimate chapter of “The Price”, featuring an all out battle between Flash, Gotham Girl, and Gotham. The artwork from Guillem March and Tomeu Morey is stunning, with some incredible layouts as the action continues.

| Published by DC Comics

Black Widow #2 is fairly bloody and violent as Natasha racks up a body count tracking down the people running “No Restraints Play”, a site that specializes in depravity. Flaviano’s line art seems scratchier than the first issue, but it works for the violent tone of story.

| Published by Marvel

Bloodborne #9 begins the third arc, “A Song of Crows”, as Aleš Kot, Piotr Kowalski, Brad Simpson, Aditya Bidikar, and Jim Campbell spotlight Eileen the Crow. This is a bit of return to the kind of abstract storytelling and embrace of oblique existentialism of the first arc as Eileen investigates the ritual murder of a hunter, but is confounded by time and holes in the narrative.

| Published by Titan

Catwoman #8 is ostensibly the “conclusion” to “Something Smells Fishy”, but it doesn’t actually end the story in any way and leaves the reader at a cliffhanger of continuing elements. That being said, it’s still an entertaining issue from Joëlle Jones, Elena Casagrande, Fernando Blanco, John Kalisz, and Josh Reed. Wonderful action sequences, and more questions as to the nature of a reliquary that seems to contain resurrective powers.

| Published by DC Comics

Delver #1 begins a new Comixology Original series from MK Reed, C. Spike Trotman, Clive Hawken, Maarta Laiho, and Ed Dukeshire. It’s a very intriguing and unique take on the fantasy gaming theme of a dungeon full of treasure and monsters with delvers working to plumb the depths. But it’s from the perspective of the townsfolk whose land the door to the dungeon appears in and how it changes and impacts their lives. 

| Published by Iron Circus Comics

Doctor Strange #11 concludes the battle with Dormammu and the Faltine, for now at least, from Mark Waid, Jesús Saiz, Javier Pina, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Cory Petit. Some very nice art as usual from Saiz, Pina, and Rosenberg.

| Published by Marvel

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #3 continues “Mother of Exiles” from Tom Taylor, Juann Cabal, Nolan Woodard, and Travis Lanham as Peter finds out a bit about the rumours regarding his neighbour and Under York, another duplicate New York City under New York City, that oddly isn’t the Monster Metropolis. Great humour from Taylor in the dialogue.

| Published by Marvel

Guardians of the Galaxy #2 takes a somewhat different approach as Peter Quill drunk dials Kitty as he tries to make sense of what’s going on with Thanos, Gamora, everyone who’s dead, and the current state of the Guardians. Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, Marte Gracia, and Cory Petit are really taking this series into interesting offbeat territory, while still delivering some excellent humour and an ominous feel to Starfox’s new band of “guardians”.

| Published by Marvel

Incursion #1 begins a new mini picking up on where the Eternal Warrior and Geomancer are since Harbinger Wars 2 and Ninja-K, and pit them against Imperatrix Virago, a cosmic villain that is devouring worlds (kind of like if Galactus were pestilence), from Andy Diggle, Alex Paknadel, Doug Braithwaite, José Villarrubia, Diego Rodriguez, and Marshall Dillon. The art is incredible, the stakes seem pretty high, and the outlook after this first issue look pretty grim for Earth.

| Published by Valiant

James Bond 007 #4 sees Stephen Mooney join Greg Pak, Tríona Farrell, and Ariana Maher for the art chores for three issues, continuing the tale of Bond and “Oddjob”’s team-up. Like Marc Laming, Mooney seems to be born to draw Bond and espionage themed stories.

| Published by Dynamite

Judge Dredd: Toxic #4 concludes what has been an excellent series dealing with xenophobia and hateful rhetoric from Paul Jenkins, Marco Castiello, Vincenzo Acunzo, Jason Millet, Shawn Lee, and Robbie Robbins. I’ve always found non 2000 AD Judge Dredd stories to be a bit of crapshoot, but IDW have been delivering well with the past two mini-series, this and Under Siege.

| Published by IDW

Justice League #18 is the latest excursion into the Legion of Doom territory from James Tynion IV, Pasqual Ferry, Hi-Fi, and Tom Napolitano. It works with some of the revelations from last issue regarding Martian Manhunter and builds a new narrative for Lionel Luthor’s past and his work with Vandal Savage. It’s interesting to see Tynion working with variations on discarded continuities in this way, building a new past that synthesizes pre-Flashpoint ideas with the current batch of backstories.

| Published by DC Comics

Middlewest #4 only seems to be getting better and better as more of this world and how it seems to work get fleshed out by Skottie Young, Jorge Corona, Jean-Francois Beaulieu, and Nate Piekos. There’s something incredibly magical and special about this series that taps into the feeling of some of the best coming-of-age fantasies as it blends Ray Bradbury, JM Barrie, and Carlo Collodi into this magical realist adventure.

| Published by Image

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #3 concludes the opening arc from Saladin Ahmed, Javier Garrón, David Curiel, and Cory Petit by adding Captain America to Miles & Rhino’s team-up. This has been a very entertaining start to the series, with a nice mix of Miles’ personal life and superheroics.

| Published by Marvel

Naomi #2 reasserts that Jamal Campbell is a powerhouse of an artist and one of the best kept secrets of the past few years who really should have a higher profile. His art is amazing. It also helps that the story he, Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, and Carlos M. Mangual are telling is as compelling as this, as Naomi confronts Dee as she tries to learn about the day of her adoption. It’s very widescreen and epic as it hints at the broader DC Universe, but at the same time this is very deeply personal.

| Published by DC Comics

Old Man Quill #2 gives the Guardians a taste of the depravity and despair that Earth has fallen to in this post-superhero world. Ethan Sacks shows there’s still a bit of humour left, though, in that Piledriver’s descendent thinks that Piledriver was one of the all-time greats. Also the art from Robert Gill and Andres Mossa gives a wonderful amount of detail to the wastelands.

| Published by Marvel

Relay #4 returns after a delay with new artist Dalibor Talajić (I believe Andy Clarke had to bow out due to illness, but I’m not 100% sure on that). Talajić’s art style is not as bright and clean as Clarke’s, giving a darker, shadowy approach that results in the bleak, horror elements of the story coming further into focus.

| Published by AfterShock

Seven to Eternity #13 returns from its own lengthy delay to conclude the arc in Skod, with the revelation of part of Adam’s choice to save the Mud King. It reiterates the theme since the beginning that there seem to be no good choices in this world, that everything tainted, despite Adam’s father believing the world black and white. While we are going into another trade break, Rick Remender, Jerome Opeña, Matt Hollingsworth, and Rus Wooton consistently make this worth the wait.

| Published by Image / Giant Generator

Sharkey: The Bounty Hunter #1 is the latest of Mark Millar’s Netflix feeder series, after The Magic Order and Prodigy, with Simone Bianchi and Peter Doherty rounding out the team. This one feels a bit like if Warren Ellis were writing Strontium Dog, and it works. The artwork from Bianchi is worth it on its own. Gorgeous character designs.

| Published by Image

Venom #11 is another holy crap issue from Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, Joshua Cassara, JP Mayer, Frank Martin, and Clayton Cowles. There are some really big revelations about Eddie and his family that really need to be read firsthand. Amazing work.

| Published by Marvel

X-O Manowar #24 reminds us again just how good of an artist and storyteller Tomás Giorello is. The action sequences and battle between Aric and Hesnid is incredible, with fairly inventive layouts that just elevate the overall impact of the pages. Giorello and Diego Rodriguez really make this something joyous to behold.

| Published by Valiant

Other Highlights: American Carnage #4, Bitter Root #4, Black Badge #7, The Black Order #4, Breakneck #3, Coda #9, Death Orb #5, DuckTales #18, East of West #41, Evolution #14, Exorsisters #5, Go Bots #4, Grumble #4, High Level #1, Hot Lunch Special #5, Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter #2, Jim Henson’s Beneath the Dark Crystal #5, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Discovery Adventure, Jughead: The Hunger #12, Lightstep #4, The Lone Ranger #5, Lucifer #5, Lumberjanes #59, Mars Attacks #5, Monstress #20, Outpost Zero #7, Rainbow Brite #4, Shuri #5, Solo: A Star Wars Story #5, Star Wars Adventures #18, Starcraft: Soldiers #2, Stronghold #1, Sukeban Turbo #4, Superb #17, TMNT: Urban Legends #10, Teen Titans #27, Turok #2, The Unstoppable Wasp #5, The Witcher: Of Flesh and Flame #3

Recommended Collections: Amazing Spider-Man - Volume 2: Friends & Foes, Bedtime Games, The Beauty - Volume 5, Black Lightning: Brick City Blues, Captain America - Volume 1: Winter in America, Days of Hate - Volume 2, High Crimes, Infinity 8 - Volume 3: The Gospel According to Emma, Old Man Hawkeye - Volume 2: The Whole World Blind, The Punisher - Volume 1: World War Frank, West Coast Avengers - Volume 1: Best Coast

d. emerson eddy would do anything for a Klondike bar, but he won’t do that.

[theultimateegghead-blog]

Minigun enthusiast, the heavy weapon masters!

The minigun, also known as a Gatling gun or a chain gun is a very powerful weapon. Known for its destructive force, large size and large weight, the Gatling gun is not a weapon most can wield. Users of this weapon are often very strong. They can take a ton of damage before falling and can mow down just about anything. These guys are not the type to charge head on against. They have a weakness though, they tend to be slow, the weight of the weapon slows them down, leaving them vulnerable to flanking and ambushes. Despite these weaknesses, they can serve as powerful allies or deadly foes.

Vulcan Raven (Metal Gear Solid) An Alaskan Shaman and member of Foxhound. Allegedly strong enough to carry six men at once. This spiritually sensitive college graduate swore allegiance to the Russia despite being a national born American. Eventually he became a mercenary and a member of Foxhound. Vulcan attacks Snake while riding a tank. Snake, thinking on his feet, managed to destroy the tank. Vulcan survived the tank’s destruction and would later confront Snake in a freezer. In this one on one battle, Raven uses his signature minigun and can easily blow snake away. After a difficult battle, Snake defeats Raven, and Raven spent his last moments being eaten alive by his pet crows… A truly gruesome end. Raven makes a cameo in MGS2 as a small action figure.

Bastion (Overwatch) The last of the Bastions, one of the destructive forces of the Omnic Crisis. Bastion has lost its programming and is now a more peaceful, albeit dangerous, machine. It speaks in whistles and chimes that are often incomprehensible. It has a fondness for birds and nature. It has a good relationship with Torbjörn and will fight if needed. In combat it can use an arm mounted machine gun or take on its siege mode. In siege mode, its main gun is a Gatling gun that can obliterate entire enemy teams, making Bastion a good pick for defensive strategies such as payload guarding. Overall a powerful member of the overwatch roster.

Spider Mastermind (DOOM) The spider mastermind is the leader behind hell’s invasion. In both the original doom and the 2016  reboot they serve as the final boss. The Spider mastermind is a large brain like demon that rides upon a four legged battle tank. This tank is armed with a chain gun which can mow the doom guy down in seconds. The spider mastermind has smaller versions that act as underlings. When confronted it will attempt to shoot down the doom guy. The doom guy will have to pump a ton of bullets, energy cells and rockets into this beasts ugly mug until it goes down in a satisfying explosion.

Jorge (Halo Reach) Jorge is a member of the spartan Noble team. A native of planet Reach, Jorge is among one of the oldest Spartans. He is known for his gentle nature, and proficiency with his Minigun. Jorge accompanies Noble six on multiple occasions, being one of the first to act openly friendly to the newcomer. Sadly, Jorge would sacrifice himself relatively early in the story to destroy a covenant spaceship. He dies thinking he saved planet Reach. This sacrifice is ultimately in vain, as a whole armada shows up shortly after.

"Serious" Sam Stone (Serious Sam) Sam Stone is a one man army. He stands between humanity and the alien armies of the demented Mental. While the minigun is not his only weapon, it is one that he is rather fond of. When armed with the minigun, Sam can tear through the hundreds if not thousands of foes that will charge him down. This gun can be Sam’s best friend in the most serious of situations. Be careful, while you don’t need to reload, you can burn through ammo fast.

Rico Velasquez (Killzone) A heavy weapon lover with a bad attitude and a tendency to make bad decisions. He is often criticized for being annoying, a bad shot and often doing more bad than good in the situation. Rico is armed with a powerful chain gun that can mow down almost anything that confronts him. He can be a powerful ally in a firefight. Despite all this he is considered to be one of the, if not them most disliked character in Killzone… They cant all be winners.

Hans Grosse (Wolfenstein) Hans is a recurring villain from the Wolfenstein series. This high ranking Nazi is a brutal man with a love for chain guns. In fact, his whole family has a love for chain guns! While not the brightest member of the Nazi regime, Hans makes up for it with brute strength. He is the most recurring boss in the series and is in some ways the rival to the main hero Bj Blazkowicz. He is known for giving a cheerful mocking “Guten Tag” greeting in his native language before opening fire. A cocky and cruel member of this list, and one that has tasted defeat many times.

Old hunter Djura (Bloodborne) Some hunters pester you in the land of Yharnam, Djura does this in spades. Sitting high on top of a clock tower, Djura protects the beast he swore to destroy. In this twisted sense of justice he will open fire upon you when he sees you. This makes the trek through old Yharnam dangerous and harrowing. Eventually you can ascend his tower, perhaps you can forge a alliance. This alliance will be shaky however, and he might open fire on you again if you choose to attack the rabid beast. Alternatively you can fight him, beware, for he is a skilled hunter. Upon his defeat, you can reap his equipment as a reward.

Fawkes (Fallout 3) The wasteland is a dangerous, hostile place. Nothing embodies the sheer brutality of the waste more than the super mutants. These mutants are almost always hostile, though this one is a exception. Fawkes is a well mannered super mutant with a strong sense of right and wrong. He is polite and well-mannered but does have the primal rage of his brethren. In combat, Fawkes wields a Gatling laser gun that makes mine meat of almost anything in the game. He has one condition for following you, your karma must be good. He despises evil people. Fawkes enjoys reading about history, and will make his home in the museum of history if he is not following you. Be weary if you decide to fight him, as he has the second highest hp amount in the game, the first being liberty prime.

JJ (Resident Evil) JJ is a violent Plagas variant that appears in resident evil 4. It should be noted that a very similar version appears in RE5 as well. JJ sports a minigun that can decimate his foes health and even blow away any allies stupid enough to get in front of him. JJ can be surprisingly fast despite the minigun and is thus a very dangerous foe. When JJ is fought, it is best to avoid him, stay out of his line of fire and take out as many other enemies as you can before engaging. Try to flank or get above him if possible, and try not to get cornered. JJ can melee you if you get to close. After taking a ton of punishment, JJ will eventually fall. In RE5 gold edition, Chris can use a minigun and give JJ a taste of his own medicine.

Misha "The Heavy Weapons guy" (Team Fortress 2) Ah the Heavy, this list would not be complete without him. The heavy weapons guy is one of the nine playable classes in the online shooter Team Fortress 2. The Heavy is a dangerous foe in combat, with a love for giant guns, sandwiches, and a medic behind him at all times. The heavy is slow in combat yet has the most health of all 9 classes. The heavy should not be attacked head on unless survivability is ensured, such as being ubered. The Heavy hails from Russia and fights in the gravel wars to send funds back to his family, which consist of his mother and three sisters. He has a true fondness for his guns, which he affectionally names, such as Sahsa or Natascha. While he may seem dim witted, Misha is actually quite intelligent, and by no means should be challenged to a boxing match…

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These guys must keep their ammo reserves ridiculously high to maintain a steady flow of combat. While often slow, they are obscenely powerful and can win most one on one fights. Whether friend or foe it is best to stay out of their way. Thanks for reading, and join next time as we look at some more levels, this time we go back underground, and be warned, its gonna be a spooky time.

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 15 April 2019

Quick Bits:

Amazing Spider-Man #19.HU is worth it for the amazing artwork from Chris Bachalo, Wayne Faucher, Livesay, Jaime Mendoza, Victor Olazaba, Tim Townsend, Al Vey, and Erick Arciniega alone. Bachalo’s Lizard is one of my favourite takes on the character and the art in this issue is fantastic.

| Published by Marvel

Aquaman #47 concludes “Unspoken Water” from Kelly Sue DeConnick, Robson Rocha, Daniel Henriques, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles. There are some interesting beats regarding sacrifice as “Andy” and the old gods confront Namma. There are still questions remaining, but it looks like we’re going to get answers next issue.

| Published by DC Comics

Assassin Nation #2 is as exciting and action packed as the first issue, with more balls out action and violence from Kyle Starks, Erica Henderson, and Deron Bennett, even as it takes a bit of a breather as the assassins share tales of their first kills. Henderson’s art here is spectacular.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Avengers: No Road Home #10 gets very meta for the conclusion from Mark Waid, Jim Zub, Al Ewing, Sean Izaakse, Marcio Menyz, Erick Arciniega, and Joe Sabino as the Vision confronts Nyx in “The House of Ideas”. Seems like this was a stealth 80th anniversary of Marvel celebration after all, even with a nod to Vision’s roots as being constructed out of the original Human Torch. Phenomenal artwork from Izaakse, Menyz, and Arciniega. This issue is packed with characters, unique designs, and layouts, and it’s just gorgeous. Also, some interesting set ups for things to come and possibly a last drink with Rocket Raccoon. This comic is just pure joy.

| Published by Marvel

Batman #69 brings “Knightmares” to an end as Bats figures out what’s been going on in this tale from Tom King, Yanick Paquette, Nathan Fairbairn, and Clayton Cowles. It’s interesting, but you’ve kind of got to wonder about a Batman that potentially can’t love. Also, Thomas Wayne has a fight with a naked Bane. So, that’s a thing that happened.

| Published by DC Comics

Black Badge #9 starts out with a daring rescue attempt out of East Germany from an old Black Badge team, then picks up in the present with the current scouts being held at some kind of day camp by way of The Prisoner. Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins, Hilary Jenkins, and Jim Campbell are doing some very interesting things here.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Bloodborne #11 is an almost completely silent issue, as Eileen the Crow experiences...something. It’s trippy with astounding artwork from Piotr Kowalski and Brad Simpson.

| Published by Titan

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #4 continues to develop Xander’s fears and issues as the Scooby gang takes a night off from patrolling. Jordie Bellaire, Dan Mora, Raúl Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire are continuing to produce one hell of a compelling story.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Calamity Kate #2 brings the rivalry between Kate and Javelin to the fore, as the latter monster hunter looks to be stealing Kate’s limelight and monster kills. Interesting character development from Magdalene Visaggio and the art from Corin Howell and Valentina Pinto is wonderful, great action and monster designs.

| Published by Dark Horse

Daredevil #4 pits Matt against Frank in a war of philosophy as the Punisher debates the mathematics of murder. Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles continue to deliver on what is shaping up to be one of the best Daredevil stories ever.

| Published by Marvel

Electric Warriors #6 is the end to what has been an excellent series bridging the time between the current age of heroes with the Legion of Super-Heroes from Steve Orlando, Travel Foreman, Hi-Fi, and Travis Lanham. Interesting bits regarding camaraderie and sacrifice.

| Published by DC Comics

Gideon Falls #12 begins a new arc in “The Laughing Man” as we find out that the alternate realities are much broader than we thought. There isn’t just two and “Norton” appears to be cutting a swath across them. Gorgeous artwork from Andrea Sorrentino and Dave Stewart, especially as it goes across the old American West and a steampunk Gideon Falls.

| Published by Image

Guardians of the Galaxy #4 hints at something pretty big going on with Rocket Raccoon, but the major part of this issue is getting Gamora back into the fold as they’re confronted by the Dark Guardians. Geoff Shaw and David Curiel deliver some incredible action sequences.

| Published by Marvel

Incursion #3 gives us the origin of Scyntilla and Imperatrix Virago as things are looking particularly bleak for Gilad and the Geomancer. Great character work from Alex Paknadel here, especially as the set up for the finale is looking pretty grim.

| Published by Valiant

Justice League #22 rewrites the history of the multiverse, as James Tynion IV, Francis Manapul, and Tom Napolitano reveal the origins of Perpetua and her children, the creation of the multiverse, and the conflict that created the Source Wall. Very interesting stuff with gorgeous artwork from Manapul.

| Published by DC Comics

Little Bird #2 delivers on the promise of the first issue, as Darcy Van Poelgeest, Ian Bertram, Matt Hollingsworth, and Aditya Bidikar tell one hell of a captivating story of loss, rebirth, and resistance against crushing oppression. The artwork from Bertram and Hollingsworth is incredible.

| Published by Image

Magnificent Ms. Marvel #2 investigates Kamala’s parents melting into the ground. Saladin Ahmed, Minkyu Jung, Juan Vlasco, Ian Herring, and Joe Caramagna are continuing to do a wonderful job here, making their own take different from what came before, but not drastically so, capturing the heart and interpersonal relationships that were a hallmark of the previous series.

| Published by Marvel

Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter #1 begins with an interesting twist on the known tale of the genesis of Frankenstein as a secret memoir is discovered in Mary Shelley’s home detailing what “actually” happened. It’s a good start from Adam Glass, Olivia Cuartero-Briggs, Hayden Sherman, and Sal Cipriano. The art from Sherman also transcends his own usual great work with some very interesting approaches, particularly the grey washes of the opening scene.

| Published by AfterShock

Middlewest #6 gives us a look inside Abel’s memories, seeing a bit of his parents and the brief period of time that he was able to calm his father’s rages. Gorgeous artwork from Jorge Corona and Jean-Francois Beaulieu continue to make this unmissable.

| Published by Image

Naomi #4 is another amazing issue from Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, Jamal Campbell, and Wes Abbott. The artwork from Campbell is incredible, densely packed with information and beauty on every page. 

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Outpost Zero #9 sees Sam and Alea uncover a secret during their exploration of an anomaly under the dome. The story from Sean McKeever, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Jean-Francois Beaulieu, and Ariana Maher is still being carefully and deliberately parcelled out in a very compelling manner.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt #4 takes off in a different direction as “our” Peter Cannon is knocked into a reality that looks like Eddie Campbell’s Alec. Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard, Mary Safro, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou are doing something very interesting with this series as they continue to play with form and structure.

| Published by Dynamite

Rumble #11 returns from the trade break with “First Knight” that looks like a single issue story that will be seeding what’s coming through this next arc. Phenomenal artwork as always from David Rubín and Dave Stewart.

| Published by Image

Spider-Man: Life Story #2 moves on to the 70s and it becomes apparent that this series isn’t just looking at Peter’s history through the lens of natural progression from the 60s, but crafting a tale that reinterprets events and how they played out in new and interesting ways. It’s really quite good. Chip Zdarsky, Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, Frank D’Armata, and Travis Lanham are all at the top of their game. Especially delivering a Clone Saga that cuts a lot deeper than original.

| Published by Marvel

Stronghold #3 again turns everything on its ear as we’re left wondering further whether or not there actually is any “good guy” in this series. Phil Hester, Ryan Kelly, Dee Cunniffe, and Simon Bowland are telling one hell of a great story here, with some interesting twists and a few “holy crap” moments, with some incredible artwork. Damn good stuff.

| Published by AfterShock

Transformers #3 has this series growing on me. I’m still not seeing anything radically different from previous incarnations to warrant “Bold New Era”, but this is entertaining as the mystery deepens and we get a hint of how Cybertron has been operating. Also, a nice bit of humour. Great art from Angel Hernandez, Cachét Whitman, and Joana Lafuente.

| Published by IDW

West Coast Avengers #10 concludes what has been one of the most fun series from Marvel in years with a story from Kelly Thompson, Moy R., Tríona Farrell, and Joe Caramagna. Upbeat and full of action and humour, this series has been a breath of fresh air in a world populated by so much darkness. It’s a shame to see it end, but it has been wonderful to have it while it’s been here.

| Published by Marvel

Witchblade #13 begins a new arc as Alex, Majil, and Johnny are tossed into a rather nasty future where demons have burst through and everything has pretty much gone to hell. Caitlin Kittredge, Roberta Ingranata, Bryan Valenza, Beyond Colorlab, and Troy Peteri continue to tell a compelling, entertaining story here with this excellent jumping on point.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Xena: Warrior Princess #1 kicks off this new volume from Vita Ayala, Olympia Sweetman, Rebecca Nalty, and Ariana Maher nicely with the set-up of a village forced to give up their kids to their patron Discord. Gabrielle telling other myths to the kids is a great bit of storytelling.

| Published by Dynamite

X-O Manowar #26 concludes the series, with a bit of housekeeping for a couple of hanging threads, but otherwise a great bit of character reflection from Matt Kindt, Tomás Giorello, Isaac Goodheart, Diego Rodriguez, Andrew Dalhouse, and Dave Sharpe. This has been a great series, building greatly on Aric’s character and delivering some amazing stories.

| Published by Valiant

Other Highlights: American Carnage #6, Animosity #20, Auntie Agatha’s Home for Wayward Rabbits #6, Blossoms 666 #3, BPRD: The Devil You Know #15, East of West #42, Evolution #16, Farmhand #7, Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary Special: Answer the Call #1, GI Joe: A Real American Hero #261, High Level #3, Infinity 8 #11, James Bond 007 #6, Kick-Ass #13, Lucifer #7, Lumberjanes #61, Meet the Skrulls #3, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #5, Morning in America #2, Old Man Quill #4, Oliver #3, Pearl #8, Port of Earth #9, Relay #5, Shuri #7, Star Trek: The Q Conflict #3, Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Special #1, Star Wars: Tie Fighter #1, Star Wars Adventures #20, Teen Titans #29, Thor #12, Tony Stark: Iron Man #10, War of the Realms #2, War of the Realms: Punisher #1, War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1

Recommended Collections: Gideon Falls - Volume 2: Original Sins, Go Go Power Rangers - Volume 3, Invader Zim - Volume 7, Mage - Volume 6: The Hero Denied Book Three - Part Two, The Magic Order - Volume 1, Moth & Whisper - Volume 1, SHIELD: Human Machine, Spawn: Dark Horror, Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader’s Castle

d. emerson eddy does not have hoppy little legs or a twitchy little nose.

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 23 April 2018

Quick Bits:

Abbott #4 gives us the penultimate issue to the series, dropping all the pieces together to put Abbott on the path to discovery what is going on with all the death and paranormal stuff. The layouts from Sami Kavelä just elevates the storytelling to the next level.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Aliens: Dust to Dust #1 is a fairly visceral beginning to this new min-series written and illustrated by Gabriel Hardman (with colours from Rain Beredo). It starts in terror as Maxon begins seeing violence outside his window and finds a facehugger attached to his mother, and just explodes from there with the colony world of LV-871 overrun by xenomorphs. 

| Published by Dark Horse

Avengers #690 brings both “No Surrender” and this volume of Avengers to an end, serving as a coda to the series, tying up some loose ends, saying some goodbyes--especially as many of the X-Men characters seem to be going back home--and setting up some of the things to come. This has been a great story, with some wonderful art along the way, that well-encapsulated this era of the Avengers while presenting a fairly widescreen epic. 

| Published by Marvel

Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #8 is the big confrontation with Ching Dai and it’s...not what you’d expect. Great art as usual from Jorge Corona.

| Published by BOOM! Studio

Bloodborne #3 is filled will existential dread. Particularly with the idea of that unknown, unseen terror hanging above your head, waiting to pounce. And of monsters being everywhere.

| Published by Titan

Cyber Force #2 continues the slow burn rebuilding and reintroduction of the team and their antagonists, with this issue mainly focusing on Velocity discovering the extent of her powers and revealing the updated version of Killjoy. Like the first issue, much of the story is similar, but the details get fleshed out a bit more and the look of the characters tends to be a bit different. It does highlight the differences in comics storytelling between today and twenty-five years ago. What used to be told in a handful of panels or a throwaway line now takes half an issue.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Deep Roots #1 is another stellar debut from Vault, with absolutely gorgeous artwork from Val Rodrigues and Triona Farrell. The story...is a bit Swamp Thing-y, but not. It’s strange. Dan Watters excels at strange.

| Published by Vault

Doctor Strange #389 continues this necessary chunk of the “Damnation” event, revealing how Strange exited the depths of hell in order to get back to Las Vegas. Its structure is a bit odd, given that it’s actually told as a flashback, breaking with how the arc has been presented up until now, and it skips over what actually happens in Damnation #4, but it’s still entertaining. Donny Cates adds quite a few bits of reactive humour and the art from Niko Henrichon continues to be astounding.

| Published by Marvel

Doctor Strange: Damnation #4 concludes the event. I’ve enjoyed it overall, with some great moments spread across the constituent parts, but the main series itself has been told in a fairly oblique manner, leaving important details up to the tie-ins of Doctor Strange and Johnny Blaze. I don’t mind, personally, but if you’re only reading Damnation, it would feel a bit choppy. I am hoping that the tease of more Midnight Sons bears fruit. Some great art again from both Rod Reis and Szymon Kudranski. 

| Published by Marvel

Dungeons & Dragons: Evil at Baldur’s Gate #1 returns the adventuring party home and has them scatter almost immediately, leaving Minsc and Boo to find their own misadventure about the city. Being Minsc and Boo-centric, Jim Zub opts for a story that’s a little sillier than usual, but it’s very welcome.

| Published by IDW

Exiles #2 is a rather fun comic, finishing up the gathering of the team, as they hop from realities under threat from the desiccated corpse version of Galactus that is the Time Eater. The differing realities that Saladin Ahmed is playing with here transcends earlier versions with the inclusion of Wolvie, allowing for a radically different interpretation and style of comics not often included in these kinds of reality hopping stories. It gives a nice bit of comic relief and allows Javier Rodríguez to further flex his artistic muscle. Between stylistic changes, layouts, and panel transitions, this is a damn good looking comic. Rodríguez, Álvaro López, and Chris O’Halloran are making the art as adventurous as the story.

| Published by Marvel

Gasolina #7 returns with Amalia and Randy hiding out and playing house with Amalia’s nephew, who is still somehow alive with one of those alien bug things in him. It’s still kind of weird how Sean Mackiewicz is presenting this mix of oddities with a more standard crime narrative, where the aliens/whatever-they-are are just about the least important thing. It’s a nice approach, drawing out the more “normal” aspects comparatively.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Grass Kings #14 drops one hell of a bombshell in this penultimate issue. Matt Kindt, Tyler & Hilary Jenkins are ensuring that this series goes out on a high note.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Hunt for Wolverine #1 is a pretty good start to this event, even if ultimately the premise of Wolverine missing--when he’s been hopping around the Marvel Universe just missing anyone--is a little ridiculous. I mean, if he still has an Infinity Stone, despite the recent flowchart in Infinity Countdown #2, it makes a bit of sense, but otherwise... Anyway, Charles Soule, David Marquez, and Rachelle Rosenberg put together a great lead story, setting up the mystery of Logan’s missing body, and it remains to be seen how and why he actually came back. The second story, from Soule, Paulo Siquiera, Walden Wong, and Ruth Redmond then essentially sets up the spin-off series with the different teams looking for Wolverine.

| Published by Marvel

Ice Cream Man #4 serves up another cone of seriously strange horror. Like if you made beer-flavoured ice cream and topped it with bits of chocolate-covered grasshopper. This one features an outing between an estranged friend and the friend’s deadbeat dad after his funeral and it just gets more bizarre from there.

| Published by Image

Jeepers Creepers #1 is not something I ever expected to see. Although the first two movies were relatively successful, at the very least as cult horror flicks, I would have thought the surprisingly released third film and Victor Salva’s reputation killed the chance of this as a viable property that anyone would want to associate with. But here we are. In any event, Marc Andreyko pens an interesting story. Aside from the nods to the films like the Creeper’s truck, we mainly follow a grad student as he searches for connections between the Creeper and Aztec mythology. Not a bad premise, even if it feels like it’s coming from left field. The art from Kewber Baal, with colours by Jorge Sutil, is also pretty nice.

| Published by Dynamite

Kill or Be Killed #18 takes a bit of a sidestep as we head toward the series’ conclusion. I love when Ed Brubaker starts laying out the steps in a crime, or in a case as it were, and this issue follows the task force assigned to solving Dylan’s murders, especially in the wake of the death of the copycat they closed the case with. It’s interesting how the clues are presented and followed and as usual Sean Phillips and Elizabeth Breitweiser make it look gorgeous.

| Published by Image

KINO #5 begins the second arc, changing tone a bit as the series takes a darker turn with ChrisCross taking over the art duties here. Gone are the throwback styles of old comics and now we’ve got some stranger things as Alistair Meath has realized that he’s in some sort of simulation or...something. It’s an interesting shift, even with the introduction of Meath’s family in the real world, as the series seems to take on a more realistic, and slightly darker, tone, even though the real world sequences aren’t much different from what Joe Casey wrote in the previous issues.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

The Mighty Thor #706 is a beautiful farewell to the Lady Thor, with some drop dead gorgeous artwork from Russell Dauterman and Matthew Wilson. This is a wonderful capstone to Jason Aaron and Dauterman’s run with Jane Foster and it will be interesting to see where Aaron goes next with the continuing war of the realms and the return of Thor Thor.

| Published by Marvel

Moon Knight #194 features some really nice guest art from Ty Templeton as Max Bemis pens a tale about a particularly dark period of Marc’s childhood. It’s a good single issue story dealing with some very heavy subject matter.

| Published by Marvel

Pathfinder: Spiral of Bones #2 features some really nice art from Tom Garcia and Morgan Hickman, as the story shifts to Valeros’ predicament of being dead and being mistaken for a particularly nasty individual. I enjoy how Crystal Frasier is expanding upon the Pathfinder concepts for the afterlife and Valeros’ situation is fairly funny, even if dire.

| Published by Dynamite

Sacred Creatures #6 was worth the wait. I know this series doesn’t get a lot of press, and often slips its schedule, but what Pablo Raimondi and Klaus Janson are crafting here is some pretty heady stuff, with reinterpretations of biblical epics and an entirely different take on the Nephilim and the Seven Deadly Sins (of which we learn there was an eighth this issue, Vanity, although vanity is usually just an example of pride). It’s good, it’s dense, and it’s beautifully illustrated.

| Published by Image

Strangers in Paradise XXV #3 keeps Katchoo on the path to find Stephanie Kelly. I love Terry Moore’s humour and this issue has it in spades.

| Published by Abstract Studio

Thanos Annual #1 is a collection of mostly dark humour stories of Thanos as told by a motley crew of creators, including the recently departed Thanos creative team of Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw, and a number of other luminaries like Al Ewing, Chris Hastings, Frazer Irving, Katie Cook, Kieron Gillen, and more. It’s a fun set of stories, also serving as a bit of bridge to the forthcoming Cosmic Ghost Rider mini-series.

| Published by Marvel

Witchblade #5 goes deeper in the darkness that has rooted itself deep within New York City’s underworld as Alex investigates a dirty cop, unveiling a web of corruption. We also get a really nice reveal at the end of the issue.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

X-Men Blue #26 unleashes more of Miss Sinister’s Mothervine plan across the world with secondary and tertiary mutations occurring, along with old depowered X-Men regaining powers. This feels bigger than something that’s just confined to one X-book, which is a testament to the level of storytelling Cullen Bunn is bringing here. While there are timeline quibbles, especially with Venomized going on currently that has already brought the original five back to Earth, it is entertaining to see Polaris’ new team in action.

| Published by Marvel

X-O Manowar #14 is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking things you can read this week. Matt Kindt, Ariel Olivetti, and Dave Sharpe return Aric to Earth, but not to home.

| Published by Valiant

Other Highlights: All-New Wolverine #34, Archie #30, Babyteeth #10, The Beef #3, Black AF: Widows & Orphans #1, Crossroad Blues, Cult Classic: Return to Whisper #2, Days of Hate #4, The Despicable Deadpool #299, Factory #2, Giles #3, Harrow County #30, Hillbilly #9, Hit-Girl #3, Incidentals #8, Invincible Iron Man #599, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation #3, Legion #4, Lockjaw #3, Lumberjanes #49, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Annual 2018, Now #3, Old Man Hawkeye #4, The Pervert, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #303, The Prisoner #1, Reactor #3, Redneck #12, Regression #9, Rick & Morty #37, Saga #51, Shadowman #2, Sheena: Queen of the Jungle #8, Songs for the Dead #2, Spider-Gwen #31, Star Wars: Darth Vader #15, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #19, Throwaways #13, Venom #165, Venomized #4, The Wilds #2

Recommended Collections: The Damned - Volume 2: Ill Gotten, Dead of Winter: Good Good Dog, Fear Agent: Final Edition - Volume 1, Goldie Vance - Volume 4, Hack/Slash: Resurrection - Volume 1, Heavy Vinyl, Jessica Jones - Volume 3: Return of the Purple Man, KINO - Volume 1: Escape from the Abyss, Lazarus Sourcebook Collection - Volume 1, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Volume 5, Spirits of Vengeance: War at the Gates of Hell, Star Wars: Darth Vader - Volume 2: Legacy’s End, Stumptown - Volume 2: The Case of the Baby in the Velvet Case

d. emerson eddy wonders.