#Brittani Renato

[darkchastity]

[pokemon-legends-and-legacies]

((redo bc im dumb pls ignore the first one)) 01 for any kid of your choice! or 30 for Tanith!

01. What does your character’s name mean? Did you pick it for the symbolism, or did you just like the way it sounded?

I had trouble choosing for this number, so I asked my discord friends for suggestions and got the SoulSilver and Achromic kids!

Renato's name information can be found in his profile, so I'll just do Celeste here. I chose her name since it's a type of musical instrument, matching Lyra's name! The instrument is more commonly known as a celesta or a bell-piano and is sort of like a small piano. One of the most well-known pieces of music played on a celesta is "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from The Nutcracker! When going through musical names, Celeste stood out to me as being cute and suiting what I had in mind for her character, plus it has the added bonus of being a sky-themed name as well (like celestial), which suits Lyra's Flying-type specialization as a gym leader during the next gen.

As for her family's surname, I picked Campanella to match Lyra's maiden name, Suzuki! Suzuki is written as "bell tree" and Campanella means, literally, "little bell", but is also a type of flower, so both names relate to the two towers in Ecruteak as well as plants.

Now for Hilda and Aubin's twins. These two have gone through quite a few variations, but their current names reflect something I think each parent would pick. Bertie's full name, Bertram, means "bright raven", which in a roundabout way fits the region's "black & white" theme. It's also close to Hilbert's name (both "bert"s meaning "bright") so I like the idea of Hilda naming her son after her brother, especially due to some stuff that happens to Hilbert after BW that I'll get into more in a later post (at some point). Maela is the feminine form of Mael, a traditional Breton name that means "prince, lord". My version of Unova has some Breton influence, so while for the modern era that usually only manifests in surnames (Morvan, Marec, Herve, etc) rather than given names (same as regions like Kanto having a lot of English given names and Japanese surnames, for example), Aubin is originally from medieval times so a more traditional name made more sense as something he'd pick. Mael(a) might even have been the name of a relative he admired.

Speaking of surnames, the protag family's has also gone through a few changes, but the current one, Morvan, derives from the historical figure (also spelled Morman or Morwan) who was a king of Brittany, alluding to how this family is descended from the Harmonia royal line. I've found a few different etymologies listed for the name, though the most agreed upon one seems to be "great power/might" (other possibilities relate the "Mor-" part to mean "sea" and the "-man/van" part to mean "to think" or "mind, reasoning", so the name could also mean "sea power" or "great mind".)

30. When it comes to the arts (music, film, theater, etc), what does your character like?

Tanith really likes upbeat pop and rock music! Especially 80s/90s stuff - think workout music. Anything that gets her energized. As for film, she enjoys a fairly wide range of genres, though her favorites are cheesy mindless romcoms and cheesy over-the-top slasher (or other horror) films. Basically, stuff that you can enjoy with a big tub of popcorn at a sleepover. She doesn't really like watching movies by herself and enjoys having friends to react with. She also loves musicals! Otherwise, as a coordinator, she often watches recordings of famous past coordinators to get an idea of what made them stand out.

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 16 September 2019

Quick Bits:

Absolute Carnage #3 has more glorious artwork from Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, and Frank Martin. Even if it weren’t part of a fun story serving as the focal point of all of the various different tie-ins and the horrors of Carnage’s current push, this is a sheer visual treat.

| Published by Marvel

Aquaman #52 is a big fight with a weird tentacle monster. Great action here from Robson Rocha, Daniel Henriques, and Sunny Gho. Plus some more on Black Manta and a surprise appearance as a cliffhanger. There’s something more going on.

| Published by DC Comics

Archie ‘55 #1 is the start of another wonderful reinterpretation of Archie in a different time period, from Brian Augustyn, Mark Waid, Tom Grummett, Glenn Whitmore, and Jack Morelli. This one goes into the burgeoning rock music scene, playing up Archie’s love for music, more akin to what we’ve seen before in many Archie comics than Archie ‘41 did. It’s great to see even more art from Grummett.

| Published by Archie Comics

Batman #79 continues Bruce’s rehabilitation and recovery from his beating. Tom King, Clay Mann, Seth Mann, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles have done a wonderful job during this kind of interlude within the “City of Bane” arc, really grounding the Bruce & Selina relationship, rebuilding it even as Bruce rebuilds himself.

| Published by DC Comics

Black Hammer: Age of Doom #12 concludes this volume of the main Black Hammer narrative from Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, Dave Stewart, and Todd Klein. There’s an interesting bit here about family and sacrifice as the team comes to terms with what they have to do in order to stop the Anti-God this time around. Also, it’s interesting to see Lex Luthor and Clark Kent as a couple.

| Published by Dark Horse

Black Panther & The Agents of Wakanda #1 is a great debut from Jim Zub, Lan Medina, Marcio Menyz, and Joe Sabino. This is an outgrowth from the recent Avengers volume and it’s neat to see them acting as an actual team. Interesting mix of personalities, gorgeous artwork, and a very surprising return.

| Published by Marvel

Blade Runner 2019 #3 takes an few interesting turns as Ash is fired from her job with the police and we get some revelations about Selwyn’s wife and daughter. The action from Andres Guinaldo and Marco Lesko is really well done here.

| Published by Titan

Bloodborne #15 pushes further the sanity of our protagonist here, showing time and reality seemingly breaking as he’s immersed further into the insanity of the world and comes to the realization of the horrors that he’s committed. This continues to be a very surreal experience from Aleš Kot, Piotr Kowalski, Brad Simpson, and Aditya Bidikar with some interconnectivity to the hunters we’ve seen previously.

| Published by Titan

Critical Role: Vox Machina - Origins Series II #3 revels in more wonderful humour as the party tries to figure out the nature of the curse afflicting Grog. Matthew Mercer, Jody House, Olivia Samson, Msassyk, and Ariana Maher manage to give this a bit of the feel of the Conan story “The Tower of the Elephant” as they infiltrate a wizard’s tower. But with more gnome tossing.

| Published by Dark Horse

Death’s Head #3 might just be setting up some of the seeds for Incoming in amongst the action with Death’s Head, Wiccan, Hulkling, and Hawkeye. Either way, this is another fun issue from Tini Howard, Kei Zama, Felipe Sobreiro, and Travis Lanham.

| Published by Marvel

Excellence #5 introduces us to Monique, as she’s allowed use of magic by Spencer’s father in contravention of the rules lain out. It’s interesting to see this breech and how it’s handled, with Brandon Thomas, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, and Deron Bennett adding a new complication to the mix.

| Published by Image / Skybound

GI Joe #1 is a great new take on the property from Paul Allor, Chris Evenhuis, Brittany Peer, and Neil Uyetake. It casts the Joes as an underground government movement within an America that is under siege, and possibly about to lose, to Cobra. How different this is becomes apparent in the first half of the book. I love the art from Evenhuis and Peer. 

| Published by IDW

Guardians of the Galaxy #9 has some rather shocking revelations about who the remaining free Guardians are searching out for help and of who is ultimately the saviour of the Universal Church of Truth. All while seeing another potential future with the universe decimated. Donny Cates, Cory Smith, Victor Olazaba, David Curiel, and Cory Petit are firing on all cylinders here.

| Published by Marvel

Hellboy and the BPRD: Saturn Returns #2 continues this wonderful tale that helps reinvent the format of the broader Hellboy and the BPRD series, crossing through different time periods on this case, and incorporating some very nice character development for Liz. Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson, Christopher Mitten, Brennan Wagner, and Clem Robins are making this a must read.

| Published by Dark Horse

Inferior Five #1 is a rather strange debut from Jeff Lemire, Keith Giffen, Michelle Delecki, Hi-Fi, and Rob Leigh. For one, it’s set in the past (not weird in itself, but setting it in ‘88 takes it outside the current sliding timescale). Two, it spins out of DC’s Invasion event from that time period. And three, the reinterpretation of the Inferior Five so far is very understated. They’re not the familiar reject heroes, but rather nondescript kids in a town where something screwy seems to be going on. There’s also a Peacemaker back-up from Lemire, José Villarrubia, and Leigh that further adds to the mystery of what’s going on here.

| Published by DC Comics

Justice League #32 turns the “Justice/Doom War” up another notch as the League fights on multiple fronts, including a past where they’ve found the Justice Society and the future where the Justice Legion A have become pawns of Brainiac. Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Howard Porter, Hi-Fi, and Tom Napolitano are nicely weaving in though-forgotten and erased by Flashpoint character of DCU history here.

| Published by DC Comics

Killers #3 pushes even more intense and thrilling action at us from B. Clay Moore, Fernando Dagnino, José Villarrubia, and Jeff Powell. How varied and in many cases disturbing the various agents within the Ninja Programme is interesting. Each of them seemingly making Colin King look downright sane and “normal”.

| Published by Valiant

Lex Luthor: Year of the Villain #1 is a curious tour of the multiverse, visiting various Luthors across time and space, from Jason Latour, Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Tomeu Morey, and Tom Napolitano. While it’s interesting to see the various permutations, the point of the story only becomes apparent at the end.

| Published by DC Comics

Middlewest #11 sees Abel throw a temper tantrum after his disastrous meeting with his grandfather, taking it out of Fox and causing a division of their friendship. Naturally, this results in bad things. Skottie Young, Jorge Corona, Jean-Francois Beaulieu, and Nate Piekos continue to work magic with this story, fleshing out the world even further with a child labour kidnapping ring.

| Published by Image

Once & Future #2 carries on with this reinterpretation of the King Arthur myth, mixing in horror and extreme little England ideologies, for an incredible second issue from Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, and Ed Dukeshire. The dynamic between Duncan and his grandmother is also wonderful, great bits of humour as she tries “delicately” to get him to navigate this world.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Outpost Zero #13 is something else. Sean Kelley McKeever, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Jean-Francois Beaulieu, and Ariana Maher deliver an impressive and surprising penultimate issue that helps turn the world upside down. Gorgeous art from Tefenkgi and Beaulieu.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Psi-Lords #4 is kind of the big one as we find out who the four are and what their full purpose was. It’s very well told. Fred Van Lente, Renato Guedes, and Dave Sharpe are crafting an intriguing story here.

| Published by Valiant

Rick & Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons II: Painscape #1 kicks off a sequel to what was one of the most fun Rick & Morty and D&D stories I’ve read in some time, perfectly mixing the two properties in an inventive way, from the returning team of Jim Zub, Troy Little, and Leonardo Ito, this time joined by Crank! for the letters and down one Patrick Rothfuss as a co-writer. It’s still excellent. There’s an interesting premise here of how the world has been infected with a D&D addiction and how it all ultimately ties back to Rick.

| Published by Oni Press & IDW

Rumble #16 gives us three stories from John Arcudi and Joe Sabino, illustrated each by Alex Horley, Matej Stic & Dave Stewart, and Gerardo Zaffino & Stewart. It’s glorious. Really nice exploration of Rathraq’s own time in the stories from Horley and Zaffino, delivering some beautiful and detailed adventure art.

| Published by Image

Savage Sword of Conan #9 concludes “Conan the Gambler” from Jim Zub, Patch Zircher, Java Tartaglia, and Travis Lanham. It’s pretty damn good. With a pit fight and a surprise revelation about what this really was. Beautiful, bloody art from Zircher and Tartaglia that really emphasizes the brutality in the action.

| Published by Marvel

Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Rose Tico #1 gives us a look at the fate of Hays Minor through the lives of Rose and Paige Tico, again from the team of Tom Taylor, Ramon Rosanas, Guru-eFX, and Travis Lanham. Some nice character development here as well as a parallel with Leia.

| Published by Marvel

Steeple #1 kicks off a bit of a weird one from John Allison, Sarah Stern, and Jim Campbell. It’s wonderful to see Allison doing more art again here as we’re introduced to a seaside town being threatened to be dragged into the sea by the minions of Satan, protected only by a surly parish priest, his dour assistant, and a plucky curate sent to help.

| Published by Dark Horse

Strayed #2 is a bit heartbreaking as humanity continues to exploit Lou’s astral travel to reach out and destroy new civilizations. It’s rather horrifying as to how truly awful human expansion is here, Carlos Giffoni, Juan Doe, and Matt Krotzer go to some lengths as to exploring their cruelty and depravity, committing countless genocides. And for poor Lou too.

| Published by Dark Horse

Supergirl #34 jumps head first into the ongoing narratives of “Year of the Villain” and Event Leviathan now that Kara is back on Earth. It’s interesting as to how quickly and seamlessly the story picks up the various threads of Luthor’s offer and the disappearance of Kara’s adoptive parents without skipping a beat. Great art from Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, and FCO Plascencia.

| Published by DC Comics

Superman #15 continues the conclusion to the “Unity Saga” with more from the Legion of Super-Heroes and a decision for the fate of Jor-El. Given that we’re now at part 15 of this arc and really 21 of the entire story, it feels a little rushed as to what occurs for Jor-El. 

| Published by DC Comics

Teen Titans #34 pushes everybody’s buttons and Damian is basically a jerk to everyone while trying to find out who stole Djinn’s ring. It’s interesting how Adam Glass, Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo, and Rob Leigh are guiding this team to a place where it’s anyone’s guess as to why they’re still together.

| Published by DC Comics

Valkyrie #3 reveals that Jane has a talking horse. Yeah, he talks. Not just flies, talks. And he likes to be called Mr. Horse because he’s fancy. A talking horse. This series has me for life. Oh, also, there’s an interesting trip through many of the less used Marvel afterlives, mostly told in double-page spreads from a bevy of phenomenal artists in CAFU, Ramón Pérez, Cian Tormey, Roberto Poggi, Frazer Irving, and Jesus Aburtov. Did I mention there’s a talking horse?

| Published by Marvel

Vampirella #3 deals with Vampirella’s mommy issues. Priest, Ergün Gündüz, and Willie Schubert give us more family problems, while giving new context to Vampirella’s arrival on Earth and the genesis of vampires here.

| Published by Dynamite

The Weatherman vol. 2 #4 sees things get even more complicated as more impediments get thrown in the way and Nathan does a stupid thing. Again. And again. It really is a wonder that he’s stayed alive as long as he has. Jody LeHeup, Nathan Fox, Moreno Dinisio, and Steve Wands continue to work wonders with this series.

| Published by Image

You Are Obsolete #1 is a fascinating debut from Mathew Klickstein, Evgeniy Bornyakov, Lauren Affe, and Simon Bowland. It has hints of The Midwich Cuckoos and Logan’s Run, but we’re still unsure as to what’s really going on. There’s a nice mystery here, but a lot of this is introducing us to the point of view character, Lyla Wilton. Really nice to see more art from Bornyakov.

| Published by AfterShock

Other Highlights: Absolute Carnage: Lethal Protectors #2, Aero #3, Archie vs. Predator 2 #2, Cult Classic: Return to Whisper #4 & 5, Dead Man Logan #11, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark #9, Firefly #9, Five Years #4, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #12, Grumble #10, Guts, High Level #6, History of the Marvel Universe #3, House of X #5, Infinity 8 #15, James Bond 007 #11, KISS: The End #5, Lucifer #12, Magnificent Ms. Marvel #7, Marvel Action: Captain Marvel #2, Red Sonja: Birth of the She-Devil #4, Second Coming #3, Star Trek: Year Five #6, Star Wars: Age of Resistance - Rey #1, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #36, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #3, Test #4, Titans: Burning Rage #2, Tony Stark: Iron Man #16, Wonder Woman: Come Back to Me #3, Xena: Warrior Princess #6

Recommended Collections: Age of Conan: Bêlit, Assassin Nation - Volume 1, Beasts of Burden - Volume 2: Neighborhood Watch, Doctor Strange - Volume 3: Herald, Fairlady - Volume 1, Fantastic Four - Volume 3: Herald of Doom, Farmhand - Volume 2, The Flash - Volume 10: Force Quest, Head Lopper - Volume 3: Knights of Venora, Infinity Wars: Complete Collection, Lazarus - Volume 3, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Volume 9, Port of Earth - Volume 3, Umbrella Academy - Volume 3: Hotel Oblivion, Welcome to Wanderland, Young Justice - Volume 1: Gemworld

d. emerson eddy thinks Grodd carrying Turtle around in a little kid carrier is hilarious.

[comicweek]

GLAAD Outstanding Comic Book Nominees

America, by Gabby Rivera, Joe Quinones, Ming Doyle, Stacey Lee, Ramon Villalobos, Walden Wong, Jen Bartel, Annie Wu, Aud Koch, Flaviano, Joe Rivera, Paolo Rivera, José Villarrubia, Jordan Gibson, Tamra Bonvillain, Brittany Peer, Rachelle Rosenberg, Travis Lanham  (Marvel Comics)

The Backstagers, by James Tynion IV, Rian Sygh, Walter Baiamonte, Jim Campbell (BOOM! Studios)

Batwoman, by Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion IV, Steve Epting, Jeromy N. Cox, Stephanie Hans, Renato Arlem, Adriano Honorato Lucas, Fernando Blanco, John Rauch, Deron Bennett(DC Comics)

Black Panther: World of Wakanda, by Roxane Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Yona Harvey, Rembert Browne, Alitha E. Martinez, Manny Mederos, Joe Bennett, Afua Richardson, Roberto Poggi, Tamra Bonvillain, Rachelle Rosenberg, Virtual Calligraphy, Joe Sabino(Marvel Comics)

Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love, by Sarah Vaughn, Lan Medina, Phillip Hester, José Villarrubia, Janice Chiang (DC Comics)

Goldie Vance, by Hope Larson, Jackie Ball, Brittney Williams, Noah Hayes, Sarah Stern, Jim Campbell(BOOM! Studios)

Iceman, by Sina Grace, Alessandro Vitti, Ibraim Roberson, Edgar Salazar, Edgar E. Tadeo, Robert Gill, Rachelle Rosenberg, Joe Sabino (Marvel Comics)

Lumberjanes, by Kat Leyh, Shannon Watters, Carolyn Nowak, Ayme Sotuyo, Maarta Laiho, Aubrey Aiese (BOOM! Studios)

Quantum Teens are Go, by Magdalene Visaggio, Eryk Donovan, Claudia Aguirre, Zakk Saam (Black Mask Comics)

The Woods, by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas, Ed Dukeshire (BOOM! Studios)

[rabbittstewcomics]

Episode 133

Top 300 Feb, Shade the Changing Woman, Infinity Countdown, Gideon Falls, Oblivion Song, Prism Stalker, Doctor Star and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows, Highest House, Spider King, Green Hornet, Sonitus, The XII, Dodge City, Ballad of Sang, Dreamless, News (Deadpool by Skottie Young and Nic Klein, Sentry by Lemire and Jacinto, Plastic Man by Gail Simone, Mike Perkins to DC, DC Black Label, Wiig = Cheetah, Vin Diesel = Bloodshot), Reviews (Three Billboards, Shape of Water, I, Tonya, Batman and Robin Omnibus), Trailers!

  Comics Credits:

Shade the Changing Woman 1 by Cecil Castellucci, Marley Zarcone, Kelly Fitzpatrick, Jamie Coe

Infinity Countdown 1 by Gerry Duggan, Mike Deodato Jr., Aaron Kuder, Jordie Bellaire, Frank Martin

Gideon Falls 1 by  Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, Dave Stewart

Oblivion Song 1 by Robert Kirkham, Lorenzo De Felici, Annalisa Leoni

Prism Stalker 1 by Sloane Leong

Doctor Star and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows 1 by Jeff Lemire, Max Fiumara, Dave Stewart

Highest House by Mike Carey, Peter Gross, Fabien Alquier

Spider King 1 by Josh Vann, Simone D’Armini, Adrian Boch

Green Hornet 1 by Amy Chu, German Erramouspe, Brittany Pezzillo

Sonitus 1 by Dan Sheppard, Cody Andrew Sousa, Cecilia Lo Valvo, Dee Cunniffe

The XII 1 by Patrick Trahey, Luis Suarez

Dodge City 1 by Josh Trujillo, Cara McGee, Brittany Peer

Ballad of Sang 1 by Ed Brisson, Shari Chankhamma

Dreamless 1 by Bobby Crosby, Sarah Ellerton

  Comics Countdown 07 March 2018:

Highest House 1 by Mike Carey, Peter Gross, Fabien Alquier

Jetsons 5 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Pier Brito, Alex Sinclair

Gideon Falls 1 by Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, Dave Stewart

I Hate Fairyland 17 by Skottie Young

Extremity 12 by Daniel Warren Johnston

Deathstroke 29 by Christopher Priest, Diogenes Neves, Trevor Scott, Jeromy Cox

Doctor Star and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows by Jeff Lemire, Max Fiumara, Dave Stewart

Oblivion Song 1 by Robert Kirkham, Lorenzo De Felici, Annalisa Leoni

Mech Cadet Yu 7 by Greg Pak, Takeshi Miyazawa

Bloodshot Salvation 7 by Jeff Lemire, Renato Guedes

Check out this episode!

[darkchastity]

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 20 August 2018

Quick Bits:

Aphrodite V #2 is pretty damn great. Jeff Spokes’ artwork is instantly compelling, drawing in the reader with darkness and interesting angles into this increasingly enthralling story of a machine cult from the future by him and Bryan Hill.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Avengers #6 concludes the first arc in widescreen fashion. Lots of action and big ideas from Jason Aaron with gorgeous art from Ed McGuinness, Paco Medina, Mark Morales, Juan Velasco, and David Curiel. Again I’m reminded of those early issue of JLA from Grant Morrison and Howard Porter. This has been fun so far and I’m intrigued by what else they have in store.

| Published by Marvel

Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs & Eldritch Men #1 is a very welcome return, even without Jill Thompson for this go around. The artwork from Benjamin Dewey is beautiful as he reminds us that he’s one of the best nature artists in comics, and possible beyond. His animals are just stunning. The story from him and Evan Dorkin is also interesting, suggesting some arcane traps luring in the paranormal. Great stuff for all ages.

| Published by Dark Horse

Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #12 concludes the series with an epic battle between the forces of heaven and hell as it teaches us the true meaning of friendship. It’s funnier when you actually read it. This has been an entertaining series from John Carpenter, Anthony Burch, Jorge Corona, Gabriel Cassata, and Ed Dukeshire, with this final chapter also delivering a nice farewell to the movie as well.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Black Hammer: Age of Doom #4 has some very interesting revelations that ultimately only lead to more questions than answers. What’s going on isn’t nearly as cut and dried as we were led to believe last issue and the mystery has just deepened. Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, Dave Stewart, and Todd Klein have managed to elevate this story higher again.

| Published by Dark Horse

Black Panther #3 finally parcels out a tidbit of what might actually be going on with the series and the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, just in time for a surprise attack and more action. Thankfully, the art from Daniel Acuña is still overwhelmingly gorgeous.

| Published by Marvel

Britannia: Lost Eagles of Rome #2 is even better than the first issue. The mystery deepens as Antonius and Achillia reach Egypt and find incongruities they don’t expect within this province of the Roman Empire. The artwork from Robert Gill (with colours from José Villarrubia) is probably among the best I’ve seen from him, really bringing some very strong work here with backgrounds, vehicles, and character designs that are particularly impressive.

| Published by Valiant

Cold Spots #1 is the start to another horror series from Cullen Bunn, this time accompanied by Mark Torres with the artwork, and as per many of Bunn’s previous tales, this is a great start. There’s a genuinely creepy atmosphere from Torres’ art and the plot of a missing daughter and her child, amidst the spooky maybe-ghosts, is a good one.

| Published by Image

Daredevil #607 gets into how there can possibly be a Mike Murdock running around New York and it’s an interesting and possibly hazardous diversion. Gorgeous art from Phil Noto.

| Published by Marvel

Die!Die!Die! #2 is more entertaining over-the-top humorous action that feels like it’s channelling Garth Ennis. Great art from Chris Burnham and Nathan Fairbairn.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Hunt for Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor #4 is probably the most succinct in sticking to its plot without real deviation of all of these minis. Basically sticking to the thread of these X-women tackling the Femme Fatales. It’s been a relatively decent story from Jim Zub, Thony Silas, and Felipe Sobreiro, even if the art’s been a little uneven. There’s a really nice sequence of Psylocke finding herself again in this issue, though, from Leonard Kirk and Andrew Crossley that has interesting implications going forward.

| Published by Marvel

Jughead: The Hunger #8 is a great jumping-on point for new readers, offering a bit of a history lesson and summary reinterpretation of the events of the overarching plot of the series to date. Great work from Frank Tieri, Pat & Tim Kennedy, Joe Eisma, Bob Smith, Ryan Jampole, Matt Herms, Andre Szymanowicz, and Jack Morelli.

| Published by Archie Comics / Archie’s Madhouse Presents

The Life of Captain Marvel #2 continues what is shaping up to be possibly one of the defining and quintessential Carol Danvers stories. I love what Margaret Stohl is doing in bringing out the backstory and interpersonal dynamics of Carol’s family. The art from Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Fonteriz, and Marcio Menyz in the present day and Marguerite Sauvage’s flashbacks is wonderful.

| Published by Marvel

Mr. & Mrs. X #2 continues this fun ride, tossing in Deadpool and more of the lesser used intergalactic X-characters. The dialogue from Kelly Thompson is hilarious and the art from Oscar Bazaldua and Frank D’Armata is great.

| Published by Marvel

Old Man Logan #46 begins another arc tying up loose ends before the endgame of Dead Man Logan kicks off. Wrapping reconnecting with Alpha Flight around a horror story evoking shades of The Thing and Slither results in a wonderful story perfectly fitting Damian Couciero’s artwork.

| Published by Marvel

The Punisher #1 is both a continuation of Matthew Rosenberg’s stories and ideas from the last volume of the series and a kind of back-to-basics approach to Frank Castle. Basically, he’s lost the War Machine suit, but he’s still taking on the world-spanning super-villains. It’s pretty epic and this is great jumping-on point. The dark humour is perfect, reminding me of Garth Ennis’ work with Castle, and seriously this is probably the best art that Szymon Kudranski has ever done. Along with Antonio Fabela’s colours, it’s like he was born to draw The Punisher.

| Published by Marvel

Royal City #14 is an introspective end of saying farewell to the past and accepting change to move forward. This has been an interesting series from Jeff Lemire, focusing on his most often used theme of family, and it’s been a good exploration of their different dynamics.

| Published by Image

The Sentry #3 is pretty dark, telling the flipside of the first two issues from Billy Turner’s perspective as he goes about stealing Sentry’s identity. This is almost at Kid Miracleman levels of demented. Jeff Lemire is playing with some interesting ideas here, beautifully brought to life by Kim Jacinto, Joshua Cassara, and Rain Beredo.

| Published by Marvel

Shadowman #6 has some truly beautiful artwork from Renato Guedes, as this arc of Jack falling through time visiting the different holders of the shadow loa takes an interesting turn in ancient history.

| Published by Valiant

Shanghai Red #3 is probably the best issue to date, as Molly reunites with Katie, recriminations are hashed out, and we get a bit of a tour of Portland. Christopher Sebela, Joshua Hixson, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou have tapped into something unique here, and this tale of revenge and some of the lesser told side of American history is incredibly compelling.

| Published by Image

TMNT #85 brings Leatherhead back into the fold, with very interesting and potentially dangerous ramifications following the war between the Utroms and Triceratons. Brahm Revel’s clothes-peg take on the Turtles is an interesting visual choice.

| Published by IDW

The Thrilling Adventure Hour #2 I find better than the first issue. The humour hits home a bit more for me and the leads of Sadie and Frank don’t seem nearly as insufferable as the first issue. The art, though, from MJ Erickson and Brittany Peer is just as good as the first. Entertaining stuff.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Venom #5 is another great issue. The mythology-building in this series is just incredible, growing Venom and his world into so much more. Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Frank Martin, and Clayton Cowles are creating magic.

| Published by Marvel

West Coast Avengers #1 is a great debut, filled with action and humour, as this highly dysfunctional team comes together. It’s nice to see Kelly Thompson doing more Hawkeye and Hawkguy, and the collection of characters coming together to make up the team are bizarre and fitting, carrying on a few of the themes and plot developments of the previous Hawkeye and America series. Though you needn’t have read any of that before you pick this up. Making it nigh unmissable is the gorgeous art from Stefano Caselli and Triona Farrell. This is fun.

| Published by Marvel

Witchblade #7 returns for its second arc, continuing the extremely high level of quality that Caitlin Kittredge, Roberta Ingranata, Bryan Valenza, and Troy Peteri set for themselves.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

X-Men Red #7 advances us a bit further as the X-Men attempt to uncover evidence of Cassandra Nova’s influence on the world and thwart her attack on Atlantis. Tom Taylor has definitely been taking a slow approach to unfurling this story, but it has allowed for the beautiful art from originally Mahmud Asrar and now Carmen Carnero & Rain Beredo time to breathe.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Amazing Spider-Man #4, Avengers: Wakanda Forever #1, Barbarella #9, Bedtime Games #3, Betty & Veronica: Vixens #9, Curse Words Summer Swimsuit Special #1, Days of Hate #7, DuckTales #11, Gasolina #11, Hack/Slash: Resurrection #10, Hit-Girl #7, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation #6, Lumberjanes #53, Mammon, Mickey Spillane’s Mike #3, Night’s Dominion - Season Three #2, Old Man Hawkeye #8, Quantum & Woody! #9, Red Sonja/Tarzan #4, Redneck #14, Stairway - Volume 1, Star Wars: Darth Vader #20, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #23, Sullivan’s Sluggers, TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Hit the Road #4, Wasted Space #4

Recommended Collections: Avengers: Back to Basics, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Cloak & Dagger: Predator & Pray, Deadly Class - Volume 7: Love Like Blood, Giant Days - Volume 8, Jimmy’s Bastards - Volume 2, Li’l Donnie - Volume 1: Executive Privilege, Lockjaw: Who’s a Good Boy, Postal - Volume 7, Sex Criminals - Volume 5: Five-fingered Discount

d. emerson eddy too wonders where all the cowboys have gone. Is it a nefarious plot from some shadowy organization? Or are they all just at the Calgary Stampede?