#John Livesay Comic Books

[trnsocial]

The WIZARD Files, Ep. 44: John Livesay

We interview veteran comic book inker, John Livesay about his career working for Top Cow, Extreme Studios, Marvel, DC Comics and more all throughout the 90’s and beyond. Plus, we learn about his lifelong comic book collecting hobby and personal experience trying to get recognized in Wizard magazine, among many other amazing stories Want to take your WIZARDS experience to the next level? Get an…

[graphicpolicy]

G.I. JOE #1-4 gets a David Nakayama connecting cover series

G.I. JOE #1-4 gets a David Nakayama connecting cover series #comics #comicbooks #gijoe #energonuniverse

[cryptocollectibles]

Rising Stars #1/2 (2000) by Top Cow Productions and Wizard Magazine

The story of a young boy who believes he is one of the Specials. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, drawn by Christian Zanier, Ken Lashley, and John Livesay.

- Buy this comic book with Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies at the Crypto Collectibles store on OpenBazaar -

[giantsizeannualmonthly]

Comic Book Series Review-1602: Fantastick Four (2006)

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Summary: Doom returns! The Four from the Fantastik's greatest enemy has an insidious plan that takes them to the ends of the Earth! Peter David (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, X-Factor) takes the reins with superstar artist-to-be Pascal Alixe (Superman, The Legion) for the eagerly awaited spin-off from Neil Gaiman's 1602. What does Doom want? Why doesn't Invisible Woman want to fight him? And what does Shakespeare have to do with it? Collects Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four #1-5.

Writer: Peter David

Artists: Leinil Yu, Pascal Alixe, John Livesay, Rob Schwager, Todd Klein, Tom Chu, Gabriele Dell'Otto, Dean White

Number of Issues: 5 Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four details the adventures of the Elizabethan Era's greatest explorers. I thought I would enjoy this more than the original 1602 story because it isolates and focuses on a familiar set of characters as opposed to building the entire world of Earth-311, and it's a more action based narrative because it highlights the conflict between "The Four from the Fantastick", "The Most Frightful Four" & Count Otto Von Doom (which is usually what I like), but the problem is that because of what Fantastic Four comics have been all of these years, it doesn't really mesh well with the whole "integration of our natural history" concept that the 1602 series uses as it's vehicle. Fantastic Four comics are kind of an acquired taste; although those books have been pretty popular at points, The X-Men kind of dominated for years as Marvel's most popular super team and now with the emergence of the MCU that energy has been transferred to the Avengers. I think that's because Fantastic Four comics are slower paced and detail oriented. They have their major battles with their enemies but for years their books have been written more as an exploration of the sciences than a simple heroes vs. villains comic book. Their very origin in terms of interesting scientific marvels is well beyond any discovery in their 1602 appearance. 

I don't hate the idea of turning the Fantastic Four into seafaring adventurers but I just wish this series was more about maybe an important scientific discovery as opposed to a mission to rescue William Shakespeare. I feel like Shakespeare's presence is really underutilized as well. He wasn't very seamlessly blended into this narrative. We could have learned some more interesting things about the real person under the legend. There's a conspiracy theory that William Shakespeare is actually a character or a figure head but someone else actually authored his projects and maybe that could have been explored, but Peter David just doesn't play with any concepts that would really raise some intrigue. It's like he's doing just enough to for the story to fit within the "Marvel 1602" box. He's more wearing the original idea as a "hand-me-down" as opposed to offering his own unique perspective on it.

The main characters of the story pretty much behave and fit into the narrative the way they would in the primary Marvel Universe. Richard Reed is the lead, Susan is the strong female presence, Johnny is an obnoxious, immature, womanizer and Captain Grimm is the all-business, no nonsense, muscle of the collective. Overall the series has it's charm, it has it's moments, but the adaptation of the material into the 17th century environment provides a pretty forgettable experience.

THE GOOD

If you've been reading the rest of the 1602 series, you know that they aren't very action based especially the original books. It was a nice change of space to have more physical conflict in this series.

The Fantastick Four books have maybe the most beautiful covers in the 1602 collection.

THE BAD

With Doom taking to the skies and The Fantastic Four taking to the seas, they didn't really utilize all the material they had available. I mean they used Namor the Submariner and Leviathan but there is so much more to explore there and for a super team whose stories are kind of based around exploration, that's kind of a rip-off.

There's nothing really special about this particular venture, it's written like a typical Fantastic Four comic, just in a different time period. This is what I would expect from a time travel arc and not a limited series.

I give this series a, 7.5 out of 10 FINE

[onedemigoddess]

Existe um preço para o que fazemos. Sempre soubemos disso. É por isso que não dormimos. Por isso temos medo de sonhar. Por isso nossas almas são mantidas inteiras por cicatrizes e ferimentos.

Dr. Estranho (Doutor Estranho: Os Últimos Dias da Magia)

[eddycurrents]

X-Men Black: Emma Frost #1 “Hunger is Productive”

Writer: Leah Williams | Penciller: Chris Bachalo | Inkers: Bachalo, Wayne Faucher, Al Vey, John Livesay, Tim Townsend, Jamie Mendoza | Colourists: Bachalo, Antonio Fabela, Dan Brown, Carlos Lopez | Letterer: Cory Petit

Published by Marvel | 31.10.2018 | $4.99

X-Men Black: Emma Frost #1 is the final of these one-shots, giving us a story that plays out as a revenge move from Emma Frost against the Hellfire Club, with the assistance of a number of X-Men.

Leah Williams’ take on Emma Frost feels dead on. No nonsense, confident, and able to take on any and all comers through a focused, detailed, and well thought out plan of attack. I really, really like this characterization and it feels like the “real” Emma, much more so than the weirdly emotional, outright villainous, mad cackling character that we’ve seen a few times since her seeming departure from sanity in Death of X.

The artwork from Chris Bachalo and the entire art team army for this story is also very impressive. There are nice touches of humour and action throughout as Emma and her X-assistants enact her plan.

I’m still confused by the overall intent and purpose of the X-Men Black series of one-shots. It’s largely delivered an entertaining bunch of comics focusing on X-Men villains (or antagonists, as it were), but there doesn’t seem to be a wholly unified purpose to them. Some of the promotional material promised that the one-shots would lead into Uncanny X-Men, but there’s no real direct link hinted at so far. There’s been forward momentum for this Emma Frost book, as well as last week’s Juggernaut, but, by and large, most of these haven’t really been overly steeped in current continuity and don’t really muck about with the status quo too much. This is the first of the five that really set out with a clear set up for future stories and a new situation that will definitely have broader implications for the X-Men as a whole, but there are no indications as to how this might possibly be capitalized upon in the future.

It’s also still unclear whether or not Emma has definitively become a villain again, as she’s been mostly depicted as since Cyclops’ death in Death of X, or if she’s found a new purpose. Though, there’s definitely an indication that she’ll still be at odds with the X-Men for what she’s done in this story.

Overall, though, like the previous instalments, this is a highly entertaining story in its own right, worth it for both Williams’ characterization of Emma and for Bachalo & his army of inkers and colourists’ wonderful art.

“Apocalypse - Degeneration Conclusion”

Writers: Zac Thompson & Lonnie Nadler | Artist: Geraldo Borges | Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg | Letterer: Cory Petit

This is the fifth and final chapter of this Apocalypse back-up, seeing him regenerate into a new body and figuring out what exactly was going on in this strange world he found himself in.

I find it interesting that Apocalypse has learned something through this entire ordeal, but it’s not what we’d naturally think. Most people having been humbled and brought to their lowest point often develop a feeling of empathy. Not so here, as Apocalypse is possibly even more ruthless than before.

Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler, Geraldo Borges, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Cory Petit have given us a fairly entertaining serial through the back-ups and delivered a rejuvenated Apocalypse to the world of the X-Men. I wonder where it’s going to go from here.

Quick Bits:

Extermination #4 takes a moment amidst the chaos and gives the explanation for what kid Cable and Ahab have been doing. In doing so, Ed Brisson also nicely raises the stakes to make you wonder how the X-Men can possibly get themselves out of the situation. Might well be one of the reasons why the forthcoming Uncanny X-Men arc is being called “Disassembled”. Great art from Pepe Larraz, Ario Anindito, Dexter Vines, and Erick Arciniega. Anindito’s work isn’t necessarily as “clean” as Larraz’s, but the grittiness works for this chapter, and isn’t necessarily a dramatic shift in style or tone.

Multiple Man #5 does its damnedest to break your brain with multiple multiples, multiple timelines, and multiple instances of time travel shenanigans. It’s fun. Kind of insane, but fun. Matthew Rosenberg, Andy MacDonald, Tamra Bonvillain, and Travis Lanham have done a good job with this series, bringing Multiple Man back to the world of the X-Men. And then killing him again. Multiple times.

Old Man Logan #50 is one hell of a conclusion, as Logan takes one last stab at taking down the Maestro. The final battle between Logan and Maestro is brutal, this issue beautifully illustrated by Ibraim Roberson, Neil Edwards, and Carlos Lopez.

What If...Magik #1 is a pretty great story from Leah Williams, Filipe Andrade, Chris O’Halloran, and Clayton Cowles, presenting “What if Magik became Sorcerer Supreme?” It’s an interesting twist from the Darkchylde character arc, giving Illyana a chance at redemption and a healthier outlook on magic and herself with the help of Doctor Strange. Also, the art from Andrade and O’Halloran are pretty much worth it on its own. 

Collections: Weapon H - Volume 1: AWOL, Weapon X - Volume 4: Russian Revolution, X-Men Blue - Volume 5: Surviving the Experience, X-Men: Grand Design - Second Genesis

d. emerson eddy is ahead. Is a man. Is the first mammal to wear pants, yeah.

[rabbittstewcomics]

Episode 358

Comic Reviews:

DC

Batman/Catwoman 12 by Tom King, Clay Mann, Tomeu Morey

DC vs. Vampires: Killers 1 by Matthew Rosenberg, Mike Bowden, Eduardo Mello, Le Beau Underwood, Livesay, Antonio Fabela

Deathstroke Inc 10 by Ed Brisson, Dexter Soy, Veronica Gandini

Teen Titans Go! Undead?! GN by Michael Northrop, Eric Owen

Marvel

Iron Cat 1 by Jed MacKay, Pere Perez, Frank D’Armata

Iron Man/Hellcat Annual 1 by Christopher Cantwell, Ruairi Coleman, Triona Farrell

Marvel’s Voices 5: Young Avengers infinity comic by Anthony Olivera, Jethro Morales, Dijjo Lima

Mech Strike: Monster Hunters 1 by Christos Gage, Paco Diaz, Dono Sanchez-Almara

Thor: Lightning and Lament 1 by Ralph Macchio, Todd Nauck, Rachelle Rosenberg

Variants 1 by Gail Simone, Phil Noto

Image

Public Domain 1 by Chip Zdarsky

Sins of the Black Flamingo 1 by Andrew Wheeler, Travis Moore, Tamra Bonvillain

Dark Room GN by Gerry Duggan, Scott Buoncristiano, Tamra Bonvillain

Dark Horse

Hellboy and the BPRD: Old Man Whittier 1 by Mike Mignola, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Dave Stewart

Liebestrasse GN by Greg Lockard, Tim Fish, Hector Barros

Summer Fires GN by Giulia Sagramola

Boom

Buffy '97 1 by Jeremy Lambert, Marianna Ignazzi, Mattia Iacono

Power Rangers Unlimited: Countdown to Ruin 1 by Marguerite Bennett, Giuseppe Cafaro, Anna Kekovsky Chandra, Sara Antonelli, Fabi Marques, Sharon Marino

IDW

Canto: Tales of the Unnamed World 1 by David Booher, Drew Zucker

Dungeons and Dragons: Ravenloft - Orphan of Agony Isle 1 by Zoe Quinn, Bayleigh Underwood, Casey Gilly, Corin Howell, Cris Peter

Dynamite

Vampiverse Presents: The Vamp 1 by Tom Sniegoski, Jeannine Acheson, Daniel Maine

Behemoth

Redman 1 by Matt Frank, Goncalo Lopes

Vault

Mindset 1 by Zack Kaplan, John Pearson

Verse Book 2 GN by Sam Beck

Ray’s OGN Corner:  Gender Queer

Additional Reviews: Ms. Marvel ep4, Baymax, Stranger Things 4.2, Minions 2, The Bad Guys, The Black Phone, Paper Girls, Spree

News: Ghostbusters Afterlife sequel, new sci-fi movie by the Russos starring Millie Bobby Brown, Eight Billion Genies optioned by Amazon, Nexstar buys CW, new flagship Spidey title from Dan Slott and Mark Bagley, Despicable Me 4 announced, Tenet sequel, new Stephanie Phillips Comixology famous fictional detective series (Beatrix Rose), Nate Stevenson, Marvel/Ultraman crossover

Trailers: Hocus Pocus 2, Paper Girls

Comics Countdown:

Seven Secrets 18 by Tom Taylor, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Walter Baiamonte

Department of Truth 19 by James Tynion IV, Martin Simmonds

Eight Billion Genies 2 by Charles Soule, Ryan Browne, Kevin Knipstein

X-Men Red 4 by Al Ewing, Juann Cabal, Andres Genolet, Michael Sta. Maria, Federico Blee

Public Domain 1 by Chip Zdarsky

Liebestrasse by Greg Lockard, Tim Fish, Hector Barros

Swamp Thing 14 by Ram V, Mike Perkins, Mike Spicer

Canto: Tales of the Unnamed World 1 by David Booher, Drew Zucker

What’s the Furthest Place From Here 7 by Matthew Rosenberg, Tyler Boss, Josh Hixson

Sins of the Black Flamingo 1 by Andrew Wheeler, Travis Moore, Tamra Bonvillain

Check out this episode!

[aion-rsa]

DCeased: Unkillables Pits DC Villains vs. Zombies

https://ift.tt/2wvc9al

DC's zombie smash is back for another go, this time with more villains, including Deathstroke. And orphans. And Cassandra Cain Batgirl.

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The best zombie stories always provide a mix of unrepentant storytelling, over the top gore, and psychologically screwed up moral choices for the characters -- think the zombie baby in Dawn of the Dead, or pick a moment at random from The Walking Dead. 

DC Comics' zombie thriller DCeased had its fair share of those psychological moments, including the climax of the story, where Jon Kent had to fight off his zombified father just before the readers discovered there was a cure. That book's follow up, DCeased: Unkillables, is surely not going to skimp on them either.

“For the psychological aspect, I rely on my writer to guide me in the story,” Unkillables artist Karl Mostert tells us in an interview. “Tom Taylor [writer of both DCeased and Unkillables] has done that so well and it amazes me how he does it, using iconic characters that people love and know in ways that I don’t think have been used before.”

Of course, you still need the gore. “My editor Ben [Abernathy] has had to ask me to not do certain things so we could keep within the age restriction,” Mostert says. “I’ve had to rein myself in a lot...I thread that needle with A LOT of help from the other creators.”

Those other creators include inks from Neil Edwards, Trevor Scott, and John Livesay, colors from Rex Lokus, and letters from Saida Temofonte. Returning from the original series are writer Taylor and editor Abernathy, not content to have destroyed readers’ souls with the assorted horrors of their first zombie book. Here, they take the various characters left behind - Red Hood, Cheetah, Lady Shiva, and others - and drop them in an orphanage.

“I have loved drawing Slade, Red Hood, and Batgirl, but I’m most excited about drawing Wonder Woman,” teases Mostert.

Slade Wilson (aka Deathstroke) is, at least if our exclusive preview of Unkillables #1 is any indication, shaping up to be one of the most interesting characters in zombie fiction. He may be the first character we’ve seen emerge from a zombie infection from his own perspective, and the choice to show readers that act from inside Slade’s eyes is a terrific one.

"I thought it would be best to show him being sort of possessed, then the screen fades with blood darkening his sight, then coming to with his healing clearing up his vision—all from his point of view,” Mostert tells us. 

And like DCeased before it, Unkillables has a secret weapon: its sense of humor. There are parts of the first issue that are really funny. And not ridiculous, gore slapstick funny. Subtle, head tilt, and shrug funny. With a little gore mixed in.

“It’s a situational thing, when the time calls for it, giving people a sort of misdirection to lull them into a sort of safe spot only to bring them to tears with the more gory parts of the story,” says Mostert about the surprising jokes in the first issue. “I think it’s easy to do only because of a lifetime spent watching movies of the same nature.”

Here’s what DC has to say about the book:

DCEASED: UNKILLABLES #1

written by TOM TAYLOR art by KARL MOSTERT and TREVOR SCOTT cover by HOWARD PORTER card stock variant cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA Horror movie homage card stock variant cover by YASMINE PUTRI

The blockbuster DC series returns to answer this question: What did the villains do when the heroes failed and the world ended?

Spinning out of the dramatic events of 2019’s smash hit, writer Tom Taylor returns to this dark world with a street-level tale of death, heroism and redemption. Led by Red Hood and Deathstroke, DC’s hardest villains and antiheroes fight with no mercy to save the only commodity left on a dying planet of the undead—life!

Take a look!

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News Jim Dandy

Feb 18, 2020

DC Entertainment

Tom Taylor

from Books https://ift.tt/325ZQwy

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1172

Monday, July 24, 2017

 A rainy and windy morning here in Ottawa with thunder storms circling the area. I'm glad to be safe and snug here at home and not out on the lake. It's been a wet summer so far but our garden has never looked better.

 Star Wars: Darth Vader #3 - Charles Soule (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Cam Smith (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Vader sees a man about a light sabre but Master Kirak Infil'a won't be giving it up that easily.

 Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #9 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Kev Walker (pencils) Marc Deering (inks) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). So now we know what the bad Doctor is going to do with that old Jedi A.I. That rascally Triple Zero has plans of his own though. The two deadly droids are my favourite Star Wars characters now.

 Batwoman #5 - Marguerite Bennett & James Tynion IV (writers) Stephanie Hans (art & colours) Deron Bennett (letters). A flashback story about how Kate first came to Coryana. Very dramatic.

 Invincible Iron Man #9 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Marte Gracia with Israel Silva (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Big battle in Latveria with the super villain Lucia Von Bardas. It's winner take all.

 Astonishing X-Men #1 - Charles Soule (writer) Jim Cheung (pencils) Mark Morales, Guillermo Ortego & Walden Wong (inks) Richard Isanove & Rain Beredo (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The latest mutant team book to hit the racks gathers together Angel, Beast, Bishop, Fantomex, Gambit, Old Man Logan, Psylocke and Rogue to battle the Shadow King. Get ready to be astonished by the last page, although I saw that surprise twist coming 1.60934 kilometres away.

 Aquaman #26 - Dan Abnett (writer) Stjepan Sejic (art & colours) Steve Wands (letters). I would recommend this book for the art alone but the royal court intrigues would keep me reading too. I'll be drifting along until we find out who the new guy is at least.

 Lazarus X+66 #1 - Greg Rucka & Eric Trautmann (writers) Steve Lieber (art) Santi Arcas (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). This 6-issue mini will feature secondary characters from the series. This issue has a soldier going through the process of becoming a member of an elite unit. She's more than just a G. I. Jane.

 Ms. Marvel #20 - G. Willow Wilson (writer) Marco Failla (art) Ian Herring (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). This is a timely story about corrupt politicians. I hope that young readers will get the message about greed and community. The interrogation of Kamala's brother made me wonder about the present state of the world.

 Batman #27 - Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (pencils) Danny Miki, John Livesay & Clay Mann (inks) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). We take a break from the War of Jokes and Riddles to meet Kite Man, the new bad guy with a gimmick, and see if he's team Joker or team Riddler. I love the bad Bat guy names.

 Bettie Page #1 - David Avallone (writer) Colton Worley (art & colours) Taylor Esposito (letters). Colton Worley's Bettie may not be as wow worthy as Dave Stevens's but he did an adequate job in this new comic book about the raven haired beauty. I fell in love with Bettie Page when I saw that full page spread of her in the photographer's studio in the Rocketeer comic book that hit the racks in 1982. I bought the t-shirt, action figures, bust and any copies of Bettie Pages I could find. Here we have a Bettie who goes to Hollywood in 1951 to escape the F.B.I. in New York City. Why the feds raided the studio isn't explained but being in California means that Bettie can be featured scantily clad, which is what she was famous for. The story is campy and I wish the art was nicer but these guys did a pretty good job of portraying a spunky, independent woman who is full of life and ready to experience it all.

 Generation Gone #1 - Ales Kot (writer) Andre Lima Araujo (art) Chris O'Halloran (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). This new book is about three millennials who hack into the computers at DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and will get the surprise of their lives. I like Baldwin and Elena but Nick is a dick. A scientist at DARPA has written some code that can change the human body and these hackers are fed the code. This type of giving regular people super powers comic book has been done before but I like the art and the characters so far so I will see what happens next.

 Totally Awesome Hulk #21 - Greg Pak (writer) Robert Gill (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Part 4 of WMD has the bad guys going ahead with creating a Hulk-like super soldier and the good guys deciding how to deal with the bad guys. For fans of such things there's a cool fight between the Totally Awesome Hulk and Sabretooth.

 Super Sons #6 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Jorge Jimenez (art) Alejandro Sanchez (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). "Planet of the Capes" starts here when Damian and his Teen Titans run into trouble fighting a new team of super villains. Jorge Jimenez's Starfire is hot.

 Archie #22 - Mark Waid (writer) Pete Woods (art & colours) Jack Morelli (letters). I was on the verge of tears throughout this issue. I can't imagine feeling those emotions if even Dan DeCarlo drew this since his classic style, as pretty as it was, might not have conveyed the sadness inherent in this issue. Pete Woods did an excellent job here. I've loved Betty Cooper longer than I have loved Bettie Page, so seeing what happens to her affected me deeply. I don't hate Mark Waid for what he's done. I look forward to seeing what comes next.

 The Mighty Thor #21 - Jason Aaron (writer) Valerio Schiti (art) Veronica Gandini (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This issue features War Thor. Old Volstagg never looked so lean. The last caption made me scream NOOOOOO!

 Dark Days: The Casting #1 - Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV (writers) Jim Lee, Andy Kubert & John Romita Jr. (pencils) Scott Williams, Klaus Janson & Danny Miki (inks) Alex Sinclair & Jeremiah Skipper (colours) Steve Wands (letters). Holy mackerel there's a lot of blah, blah, blah in this comic book. I think I got the point in the first few pages with Carter Hall. I didn't need to see Batman's quest or Green Lantern and Duke/Robin's blah blah with the Joker to get that a Dark Crisis is a-coming and it's all sooooo mysterious and uber dangerosus. Let's get on with the story shall we?

 Royal City #5 - Jeff Lemire (writer art & colours) Steve Wands (letters). This issue shows Tommy interacting with all of his family. It's cool how each member sees him differently.

 Luke Cage #3 - David F. Walker (writer) Nelson Blake II (art) Marcio Menyz (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This issue proves once again that nobody stays dead in a comic book.

 Superman #27 - Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason (writers) Scott Godlewski (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). It's too bad this issue didn't hit the racks before the July 4th holiday. There's a lot of rah rah American patriotism but it's the family bonding Peter and Patrick put in their stories that's the reason I like this book so much.

 Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #2 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Adam Kubert (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Chip almost lost me in the first three pages with the dumb captions. Maybe he thinks they're cute but I think they're juvenile and annoying. If his Peter Parker gets any more goofier I'm outta here.

 Wild Storm #6 - Warren Ellis (writer) Jon Davis-Hunt (art) Steve Buccellato & John Kalisz (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). Six issues in and we've met many characters. It starts off with an action-packed sequence featuring Deathblow. The Force is strong in that one. Then Warren spells out what the different factions are all about. It clears things up considerably so that the rest of the series should be more fun times and less who the heck are these people?

 Defenders #3 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Marquez (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Holy fornication the last panel will wake you up. Everything leading up to that shocker was sorta casual, even the fight with Frank the Punisher Castle. Two comic books that I read this week ended the same way and both shocked me but each one shocked me differently. Each shocking thing happened to characters that I cared about for a very very long time. I don't know what's going to happen next but I can't wait to find out.

[englishmansdcc]

SLOW CITY BLUES #1 review (and interview with Haine and Livesay) - This is Your Brain on … (Haine, Moll, Livesay, Baron, Mauer, Cooper) ZOOP

Now available via ZOOP (with special offers for 48 hours) is SLOW CITY BLUES #1 (@SCBComics) from Samuel Haine, @SMacKenzieMoll, @1JohnLivesay, @MyZombies, Thomas Mauer, & @ArtishaMann. Here's @DarrenShulman's review of the title he called "Bonkers."

Writer/Creator: Samuel HainePenciler: Shawn MollArtist Coordinator/Inker/Finishes: John LivesayColorist: David BaronLetterer/Production: Thomas MauerStory Consultant: Artisha Mann Cooper Thanks to Paul Christensen with PAL Public Relations for the review copy! Variant cover by David Finch SLOW CITY BLUES is about a Detective who attempts to take his own life and ends up in a world constructed…

[graphicpolicy]

Exclusive Preview: X-Men #3

X-Men #3 preview. How did the X-Men come to possess their HQ, the Factory, and how difficult a position does that put them in? #comics #comicbooks #xmen

[comicbookcomplex]

DCeased: Unkillables #1 Review

DCeased: Unkillables #1 Review

Written by: Tom Taylor Pencilled by: Karl Mostert Inked by: Trevor Scott, Neil Edwards and John Livesay Coloured by: Rex Lokus Rating: 4.5/5

I absolutely adored DCeased. It was my favourite comic book in 2019 and I’ve read and reread the book so many times now and it never gets old. When the sequel book based on DC comics biggest villains during the events of the…

[comicsxaminer]

Image Comics is pleased to return to New York this year for New York Comic Con on Thursday, October 3 through Sunday, October 6 and will be located in booth #1444.

Please note: updates to the schedule may appear online during the show. Please refer to www.imagecomics.com for the most up-to-date information.

CONVENTION EXCLUSIVES

Undiscovered Country #1 Scott Snyder, Charles Soule & Giuseppe Camuncoli – $10 + tax

Gold foil Spawn 300 cover (ONLY AVAILABLE WITH BUM BUMZ PURCHASE) both for $50 – Limited quantity of 500 comics. (limit 2 per person)

Silver foil Spawn 300 cover $25 each (limit 2 per person)

Three exclusive Spawn prints ($20 each or 3 for $50)

Monstress HC dust jacket featuring art by Sana Takeda – Free with purchase of Monstress hardcover

Saga bookplate – Free with purchase of Saga Book One Compendium

Paper Girls bookplate – Free with purchase of any Paper Girls hardcover

Unearth #1 NYCC exclusive variant with artwork by James Harren (available during Saturday 11 AM signing)

Ice Cream Man exclusive print by Martín Morazzo (available at Artist Alley Table A-18)

SIGNINGS AT THE IMAGE COMICS BOOTH (#1444)

*TICKETED denotes signings require wristbands. Wristbands will be given out at the booth as soon as the convention floor opens on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets will be available for attendee, retailer, and professional badge-types only, unless otherwise stated. There will be a limit of 3 items per person for ticketed signings unless otherwise noted. All items presented for signing are subject to review and denial by staff. No CGC, CBCS, or other witnessing/grading.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3

11:00 – 11:45 AM

Michel Fiffe (COPRA)

12:00 – 12:45 PM

Jeff Rougvie (GUNNING FOR HITS)

Sean Mackiewicz (GASOLINA)

1:00 – 1:45 PM

Andre Frattino, Jesse Lee Pointer (SIMON SAYS)

Daniel Warren Johnson (EXTREMITY, MURDER FALCON)

2:00 – 4:00 PM

Todd McFarlane (SPAWN) [*TICKETED. Attendee and professional badge holders only; 13+ age requirement, limit TWO items per person; no CGC, CBCS, or other witnessing/grading; no sketches; no photos]

4:00 – 4:45 PM

Alexandre Tefenkgi (OUTPOST ZERO)

4:30 – 5:15 PM

Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl (ISOLA) [*TICKETED, see text below for details]

5:00 – 7:00 PM

Andrei Bressan **sketching** (BIRTHRIGHT)

5:30 – 6:15 PM

Jason Latour (SOUTHERN BASTARDS)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4

10:00 – 10:45 AM

Jacopo Camagni, Marco B. Bucci (NOMEN OMEN) & Mirka Andolfo (UNNATURAL) [*TICKETED, see text below for details]

Henry Barajas (LA VOZ DE M.A.Y.O)

11:00 – 11:45 AM

Anthony Del Col (SON OF HITLER)

Robert Kirkman (SUPER DINOSAUR, THE WALKING DEAD, INVINCIBLE, OUTCAST, DIE DIE DIE) [*TICKETED, see text below for details]

12:00 – 12:45 PM

Priscilla Petraites, Marco Lesko (RAT QUEENS)

Joshua Williamson, Andrei Bressan (BIRTHRIGHT)

1:00 – 1:45 PM

Tina Horn (SFSX)

Brandon Thomas, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, Deron Bennet (EXCELLENCE)

2:00 – 4:00 PM

Todd McFarlane (SPAWN) [*TICKETED. Attendee and professional badge holders only; 13+ age requirement, limit TWO items per person; no CGC, CBCS, or other witnessing/grading; no sketches; no photos]

4:00 – 4:45 PM

Paul Azaceta (OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA)

4:30 – 5:15 PM

Brian K. Vaughan (PAPER GIRLS, SAGA) [*TICKETED, see text below for details]

5:00 – 5:45 PM

Shawn Kittelsen, Eric Zawadzki (HEART ATTACK)

5:30 – 6:15 PM

Andrew MacLean (HEAD LOPPER)

6:00 – 6:45 PM

Jen Bartel (BLACKBIRD) [*TICKETED, see text below for details]

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5

10:00 – 10:45 AM

Todd McFarlane, Clayton Crain (SPAWN) [*TICKETED. Attendee and professional badge holders only; 13+ age requirement, limit TWO items per person; no CGC, CBCS, or other witnessing/grading; no sketches; no photos] Must purchase SPAWN poster in Scorpion Comics Booth #2355. One signature per each artist, per person on the item of there choice.

10:00 – 10:45 AM

Pia Guerra (ME THE PEOPLE)

11:00 – 11:45 AM

Kris Anka, Matt Wilson (THE WHITE TREES)

Cullen Bunn, Baldemar Rivas, Kyle Strahm (UNEARTH)

12:00 – 12:45 PM

Wes Craig (DEADLY CLASS)

Justin Jordan, Rebekah Isaacs (REAVER)

1:00 – 1:45 PM

Sanford Greene, David Walker, Chuck Brown (BITTER ROOT) [*TICKETED, see text below for details]

Chris Sebela (EVOLUTION)

2:00 – 2:45 PM

Darcy Van Poelgeest, Ian Bertram (LITTLE BIRD)

Wesley Chu (THE WALKING DEAD: TYPHOON)

3:00 – 3:45 PM

Brian K Vaughan (SAGA, PAPER GIRLS) [*TICKETED, see text below for details]

Dean Haspiel (RED HOOK)

4:00 – 5:15 PM

Todd McFarlane (SPAWN) [*TICKETED. Attendee and professional badge holders only; 13+ age requirement, limit TWO items per person; no CGC, CBCS, or other witnessing/grading; no sketches; no photos]

4:00 – 4:45 PM

Daniel Warren Johnson (EXTREMITY, MURDER FALCON)

5:00 – 5:45 PM

Brandon Thomas, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, Deron Bennet (EXCELLENCE)

6:00 – 6:45 PM

Scott Snyder, Charles Soule, Giuseppe Camuncoli (UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY) [*TICKETED, see text below for details]

Tee Franklin (BINGO LOVE)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6

11:00 – 11:45 PM

Jody LeHeup, Nathan Fox (THE WEATHERMAN)

Brian Schirmer (FAIRLADY)

12:00 – 12:45 PM

W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo (ICE CREAM MAN)

Kyle Starks, Erica Henderson (ASSASSIN NATION)

1:00 – 1:45 PM

Mirka Andolfo (UNNATURAL) [*TICKETED, see text below for details]

Donny Cates (REDNECK, GOD COUNTRY)

2:00 – 4:00 PM

Todd McFarlane (SPAWN) [*TICKETED. Attendee and professional badge holders only; 13+ age requirement, limit TWO items per person; no CGC, CBCS, or other witnessing/grading; no sketches; no photos]

4:00 – 4:45 PM

Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE) [*TICKETED, see text below for details]

IMAGE COMICS PANELS

Thursday, October 3 @ 4:00 – 5:00 PM, Room 1A02 The craft and technique behind predicting the future with bestselling Science Fiction comics creators

The biggest names in Science Fiction storytelling, Darcy Van Poelgeest (Little Bird), Ian Bertram (Little Bird), Tina Horn (SfSx), Charles Soule (Undiscovered Country), and Giuseppe Camuncoli (Undiscovered Country) share their insight on creating comics that set the trends and push the boundaries of possibility.

Moderator: Chloe Ramos-Peterson, Library Market Sales Representative at Image Comics

Friday, October 4 @ 2:45 – 3:45 PM, Room 1A02 Spine tingling comic book series perfect for Halloween

Get in the mood for All Hallow’s Eve with Chuck Brown (Bitter Root), W. Maxwell Prince (Ice Cream Man), Kieron Gillen (Die), Mirka Andolfo (Unnatural), and Cullen Bunn (Unearth) as they talk about building tension and giving fans the chills with their bestselling horror and thriller comic books.

Moderator: Chloe Ramos-Peterson, Library Market Sales Representative at Image Comics

Friday, October 4 @ 6:45 – 7:45 PM, Room 1A10 First-look screening: Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard’s SUPER DINOSAUR

From Skybound and Spin Master comes SUPER DINOSUAR, a childrens’ television series based off of the Skybound/Image comic of the same name. Join SUPER DINOSAUR creator Robert Kirkman for a first-look at the new series, coming to Amazon Prime on October 6, followed by a Q&A!

Saturday, October 5 @ 1:30 – 2:30 PM, Room 1A02 A Spotlight on the bestselling, award winning series PAPER GIRLS

Join us as we sit down for an in-depth conversation with co-creator and writer Brian K. Vaughan and co-creator and artist Cliff Chiang about the addictive, genre-bending bestselling series Paper Girls.

Moderator: Eric Stephenson, Chief Creative Officer & Publisher at Image Comics

Saturday, October 5 @ 2:45 – 3:45, Room 1B03 A Spotlight on the bestselling, award winning series THE WICKED + THE DIVINE Join us as we sit down for an in-depth conversation with co-creator and writer Kieron Gillen and co-creator and artist Jamie McKelvie about the pop music infused, goth-loving bestselling series THE WICKED + THE DIVINE.

Moderator: Katie West

Saturday, October 5 @ 5:45 – 6:45 PM, Room 1A10 McFarlane’s Road to the Historic Record-Breaking Spawn #301

Todd McFarlane, Image Comics founder, creator of Spawn, co-creator of Venom and McFarlane Toys CEO, talks about his 30+ years in the comic and entertainment industry. Todd will be raw and uncensored—talking toys and comics. He’ll also be talking about one of the biggest milestones in his career, Spawn 301 which will set the record for the longest running creator-owned superhero comic ever! Plus, special surprise guests, giveaways and more!

Saturday, October 5 @ 9:00 – 10:00 PM, Room 1B03 Cat Eye: Point of View and Comics

Who’s telling the story? Every word and every image in every comic reinforces a particular POV. From the classic editorial voice of Stan Lee to the confessional memoirs of Alison Bechdel, comics occupy a unique space, reinforcing—panel-by-panel—a particular way of seeing. Why is POV so rarely discussed in relationship to comics? Join the creative team behind the Eisner-nominated comic book series MAN-EATERS to talk turkey and about they use POV to subvert expectations and troll the patriarchy. Trigger warning: Because this is a late night panel, there will be glow sticks. Panel members include NYT best-selling author Chelsea Cain (Mockingbird, Man-eaters, internationally best selling thriller novelist), Lia Miternique (Man-eaters co-creator, cover artist), Eliza Fantastic Mohan (Man-eaters contributing writer), and Emily Powell (Man-eaters haiku writer-in-residence).

Sunday, October 6 @ 1:15 – 2:15 PM, Room 1B03 Dive into Worldbuilding with the hottest writers & artists in comics

Explore the craft and creative process behind some of the most absorbing comic books on the market from the masters of story creation, Brenden Fletcher (Isola), Andre Frattino (Simon Says), Jesse Lee (Simon Says), Wes Craig (Deadly Class), Jen Bartel (Blackbird), Sam Haines (Slow City Blues), Jim Shooter (Slow City Blues), and John Livesay (Slow City Blues).

Moderator: Marla Eizik, Executive Assistant at Image Comics

IMAGE COMICS OFFSITE EVENTS

Forbidden Planet Image Signing Date: Thursday, October 3 Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM Location: Forbidden Planet

Participants: Tee Franklin (BINGO LOVE), Andrew MacLean (HEAD LOPPER), Andre Frattino (SIMON SAYS), Jesse Lee Pointer (SIMON SAYS), W. Maxwell Prince (ICE CREAM MAN), Martin Morazzo (ICE CREAM MAN), David Walker (BITTER ROOT), Sanford Greene (BITTER ROOT), Brenden Fletcher (ISOLA), Karl Kerschl (ISOLA), Dani (COFFIN BOUND).

Forbidden Planet Image Signing Date: Saturday, October 5 Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM Location: Forbidden Planet

Participants: Brian K. Vaughan (SAGA, PAPER GIRLS), Cliff Chiang (PAPER GIRLS), Ian Bertram (LITTLE BIRD), Darcy Van Poelgeest (LITTLE BIRD), Jacopo Camagni (NOMEN OMEN), Marco B. Bucci (NOMEN OMEN), Tina Horn (SFSX).

The WicDiv Wake Date: Saturday, October 5 Time: 9 PM – 1 AM Location: 470 7th Ave (4th floor) NYC

[Tickets available for purchase HERE] This event is 21+ Please bring a valid form of ID.

For five years we’ve released comics and thrown dance parties. We’ve ran out of comics to release, but there’s still time for one final party.

The Wicked + the Divine cordially invite you to its wake. Experience the horror of Team WicDiv DJing, one last time, leavened by their array of guest DJ friends. Come hang, dance and enjoy the company of greatest comic readers in all of existence (i.e. you.)

NYCC @ NYPL EVENTS

A Monstress Conversation with Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda Date: 10/03/2019 Time: 12:30-1:15 PM ET Location: NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Bartos Forum – 476 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018 Speakers: Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda

Image Comics and the New York Public Library are proud to present a conversation with the powerhouse creative team behind the acclaimed epic fantasy series, MONSTRESS. Join author MARJORIE LIU and artist SANA TAKEDA as they chat about their multiple award-winning title, their journey as two women of color creating and excelling in a traditionally male-dominated space, and the importance of making room for every reader in genre fiction. The audience is encouraged to join the conversation by sending in their own questions via this Google Form: https://bit.ly/2P4CLHL

Image Comics Competitive Draw! Date: 10/03/2019 Time: 1:45-2:30 PM ET Location: NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Bartos Forum – 476 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018 Speakers: Cliff Chiang, Erica Henderson, Andrew MacLean, Dustin Nguyen, Brian K. Vaughan

Comics legends Cliff Chiang (PAPER GIRLS, Wonder Woman), Erica Henderson (ASSASSIN NATION, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl), Andrew MacLean (HEAD LOPPER, ApocalyptiGirl), and Dustin Nguyen (DESCENDER, ASCENDER) play a live, high stakes game of visual charades with YOU, the audience! Will you be the first to guess what these superstar artists are drawing? The clock is ticking, the pens are flying, and we’re about to get loud in the library! The winning teams receive free swag and books for their branches. Refereed by author extraordinaire, Brian K. Vaughan (PAPER GIRLS, SAGA)!

Image Comics Sponsored Lunch Date: 10/03/2019 Time: 12:00-12:30 PM ET & 1:15-1:45 PM ET Location: NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Bartos Forum – 476 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018 Speakers: N/A

Image Comics will be sponsoring a lunch break for NYCC @ NYPL attendees!

Henry Barajas Signing Date: 10/03/2019 Time: 1:15-1:45 PM ET Location: NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Bartos Forum, Image Comics Table – 476 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018 Speakers: Henry Barajas

The author of LA VOZ DE M.A.Y.O TATA RAMBO will sign & speak with librarians who visit the Image Comics booth

Jason Adam Katzenstein Signing Date: 10/03/2019 Time: 1:15-1:45 PM ET Location: NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Bartos Forum, Image Comics Table – 476 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018 Speakers: Jason Adam Katzenstein

The artist of CAMP MIDNIGHT will sign & speak with librarians who visit the Image Comics booth

IMAGE COMICS CREATORS IN ARTIST ALLEY

Andrew MacLean I-28 Andy Belanger G-4 Anthony Del Col D-6 Babs Tarr G-6 Baldemar Rivas B-25 Bengal J-22 Brenden Fletcher G-5 Brian Azzarello L-21 Brian Stelfreeze I-6 Cat Staggs I-2 Charles Soule L-35 Chelsea Cain D-2 Chris Burnham B-12 Christopher Sebela E-14 Chuck Brown G-28 Cullen Bunn B-24 Dan Panosian J-32 Daniel Warren Johnson B-15 David Walker G-29 Declan Shalvey I-31 Donny Cates L-30 Dustin Nguyen F-7 Erica Henderson I-36 Erik Larsen K-10 Giuseppe Camuncoli C-21 Greg Capullo L-38 Ian Bertram B-14 Isaac Goodhart I-13 Jacopo Camagni B-26 Jason Shawn Alexander I-16 Jeff Rougvie C-4 Jen Bartel E-9 Jerome Opeña L-8 Jim Mahfood I-17 Jim Zub A-30 Jock L-36 Jody LeHeup I-26 Joe Harris K-13 John Livesay F-28 John Romita Jr. K-1 Joshua Williamson L-34 Justin Jordan K-12 Karl Kerschl G-5 Keith Giffen J-3 Khary Randolph K-37 Klaus Janson I-40 Kris Anka E-10 Kyle Higgins K-26 Kyle Starks C-18 Kyle Strahm B-25 Leandro Fernandez J-20 Lee Garbett A-29 Lia Miternique D-2 Marc Silvestri K-38 Marco B. Bucci B-26 Marjorie Liu G-17 Martin Morazzo A-18 Matt Hawkins K-9 Matt Wagner I-9 Matteo Scalera J-30 Megan Hutchison L-29 Meredith Finch L-33 Michel Fiffe H-23 Mirka Andolfo L-27 Nathan Fox I-25 Paul Azaceta I-38 Pia Guerra H-29 Ray Fawkes H-34 Roberta Ingranata F-38 Ryan Ottley B-11 Sam Humphries L-25 Sana Takeda G-18 Sanford Greene G-27 Scott Snyder L-37 Stefano Gaudiano J-13 Stephen Green B-13 Tee Franklin D-8 Terry Dodson B-20 Tini Howard L-23 Tradd Moore B-13 Triona Farrell H-45 Vanesa R. Del Rey I-35 Wes Craig A-21 Zack Kaplan K-8

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ABOUT IMAGE COMICS Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has six individuals on the Board of Directors: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, and Eric Stephenson. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

Copyright © 2019 Image Comics, All rights reserved.

IMAGE COMICS AT NEW YORK COMIC CON 2019 Image Comics is pleased to return to New York this year for New York Comic Con on Thursday, October 3 through Sunday, October 6 and will be located in booth #1444.

[floridageekscene]

COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY LEGEND JIM SHOOTER BRINGS NEW TITLE SLOW CITY BLUES TO IMAGE COMICS

COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY LEGEND JIM SHOOTER BRINGS NEW TITLE SLOW CITY BLUES TO IMAGE COMICS

Image Comics is thrilled to announce an all-new, ongoing genre-bending series by writer Samuel Haine, penciler Shawn Moll, inker John Livesay, colorist JD Smith, and letterer Thomas Mauer, who have teamed up with comic book industry icon Jim Shooter for—Slow City Blues—set to launch February 2020.

“This is a dream come true. I would have never imagined in a million years that the fantastical…

[thecomicon]

Jim Shooter Returns To Comics With Slow City Blues From Image Comics

Jim Shooter Returns To Comics With Slow City Blues From Image Comics

Jim Shooter is back and he’s got a new comic book series, this time at Image Comics. Writer Samuel Haine, penciler Shawn Moll, inker John Livesay, colorist JD Smith, and letterer Thomas Mauer have teamed up with Shooter to produce an new ongoing genre-bending series called Slow City Blues, set to debut in February 2020.

Slow City Bluesbrings you everything you crave in a comic book: action,…

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 13 August 2018

Quick Bits:

Astonishing X-Men Annual #1 is a rather dark tale of reuniting the remaining members of the original five X-Men and the current creature claiming to be Charles Xavier running around as X. Given his attitude in Charles Soule’s run and now in this story penned by Matthew Rosenberg, there still seems to be something very wrong with the once altruistic, peaceful founder of the team. I personally don’t really like this character, but it still leads to a good story from Rosenberg, Travel Foreman, and Jim Charalampidis. 

| Published by Marvel

By Night #3 is another fun issue with a bit of a twist as we follow Heather’s father and Jane’s co-worker instead of the women. The voice John Allison gives to Heather’s father, Chip, is hilarious, the perfect mix of no-nonsense “dad” thought and aimless absurdity.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / Boom! Box

Cable & Deadpool Annual #1 is a very entertaining issue of time-travel nonsense and Deadpool being tricked into a recreation of the plot of Terminator from an obsessive stalker. David F. Walker packs this story with humour, creepy lesson teaching, and a bit of a monologue on the nature of comics storytelling. All nicely illustrated by a rogues gallery of Paco Diaz, Danilo S. Beyruth, Nick Bradshaw, Luke Ross, Marco Rudy, Edgar Salazar, Flaviano, Francesco Manna, Leonard Kirk, Chris Sotomayor, and Jason Keith.

| Published by Marvel

Coda #4 packs the issue with more stunning artwork, from character designs to page layouts and panel transitions, by Matías Bergara (with colour assists from Michael Doig). This series is just a visual treat. It also helps that the story from Bergara and Si Spurrier is equally incredible, taking many of the traditional forms and modes of fantasy literature and turning them into something new. The opening poem outlining the fall of the world and the rise of Sir Hum’s wife is particularly inspired. 

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Coyotes #5 is a welcome return for this series after the trade break, beginning a new story-arc that goes more in depth to the history between the wolves and the grandmothers, as the book’s purpose pivots to the offence. I love the ingenuity of the mythology of this story being built by Sean Lewis and Caitlin Yarsky. Also, like the first four issues, Yarsky’s art is just stunning.

| Published by Image

Crowded #1 is great. The concept of tapping into our current app-driven and crowdfunded world is brilliant, especially as extended to an assassination app in reapr. Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Triona Farrell, and Cardinal Rae seem to have captured magic in a bottle here and the execution is just phenomenal. The characters of Charlie and Vita are instantly relatable, the premise is on fire, and the art is exceptional. I really want to see what Charlie isn’t telling us.

| Published by Image

Ether: Copper Golems #4 is another stunning visual feast from David Rubín. Seriously, he has outdone himself this issue, as he handles the usual fantasy sequences, then changes art styles several times as we get our characters living out some of their fantasies. His work is just stunning. The story that he and Matt Kindt are telling just keeps getting better and better.

| Published by Dark Horse

Extermination #1 begins the next big X-Men event with a bang as past, present, future, and alternate universes collide in this explosive issue. I feel like discussing just about any piece of it is a spoiler, so I’ll just suggest that if you’re at all interested in the original five brought to our time, you need to read this. Ed Brisson, Pepe Larraz, and Marte Gracia present an impressive opening salvo.

| Published by Marvel

Flavor #4 is a bit of a piece-shuffling issue, as Xoo spends a bit of time in jail and we get a couple more hints as to the something that is being done with children. Although we still don’t know what, and a bit of a revelation of Anant’s mother. Joseph Keatinge, Wook Jin Clark, and Tamra Bonvillain continue to work wonders on this series. Highly recommended for all ages. 

| Published by Image

Gideon Falls #6 ups the level of weird in this concluding chapter of the first arc. To say that the implications of that final page are confusing, compelling, and chilling is an understatement, as Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, and Dave Stewart construct one of the oddest instalments of this series yet. A lot of this series has been in building tone and atmosphere, spooky unexplained happenings, and here the story goes full David Lynch. It’s wonderful.

| Published by Image

The Gravediggers Union #9 is the conclusion to what has been an exciting and different take on the occult and elder gods mythology from Wes Craig, Toby Cypress, and Niko Guardia. Fittingly, this end comes down to the family conflict that this arc has revolved around, and it’s a well played out finale. I highly recommend this series.

| Published by Image

Hunt for Wolverine: The Claws of a Killer #4 is probably the least satisfying “conclusion” of these minis so far, giving us a kind of hand-wavy explanation for what they were tracking, no insight into the organization who brought about these zombies while resurrecting family members, and Daken shuffled off to who knows where. Mariko Tamaki successfully captures the tone and atmosphere of many of the original Wolverine series stories laced with action and black ops, but unfortunately also carries on its tradition of obfuscation instead of an enticing mystery. Nice art from Butch Guice, Mack Chater, Cam Smith, and Jordan Boyd, though.

| Published by Marvel

Ice Cream Man #6 is highly inventive, even for a series as highly imaginative already that this one is. Instead of one story, here, W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo, and Chris O’Halloran give us three different flavours to fulfill the “Strange Neapolitan”. It’s a mostly silent issue of three different paths our protagonist can possibly take with each of them presenting their own flavour of horror. This is a really great issue.

| Published by Image

Infinity Wars #2 is pretty damn epic. I know that the pieces will be reshuffled and everything will be put back together more or less as we found it, but hot damn are Gerry Duggan, Mike Deodato Jr., and Frank Martin working overtime to tell a heavy story here. The art is some of the best I’ve ever seen from Deodato and Martin and the stakes have just ratcheted through the roof. I’m loving every moment of this book so far.

| Published by Marvel

The Lost City Explorers #3 is still doling out the tension as the kids continue to try to evade Sagan security on their way to try to find Hel and Homer Coates’ father’s discovery site under New York City. We’re still only get bits and pieces before a revelation of whatever the discovery actually is, but Zack Kaplan, Alvaro Sarraseca, and Dee Cunniffe are still presenting a compelling story.

| Published by AfterShock

Luke Cage #1 is another digital original like Cloak & Dagger and Jessica Jones, and also like the latter series offers two chapters at once, and is really rather good, from Anthony Del Col, Jahnoy Lindsay, and Ian Herring. This sets up an interesting mystery of a strange kind of serial killer, the possibility of Luke suffering from CTE, and the wonderful family dynamic between Luke and his daughter.

| Published by Marvel

The Magic Order #3 continues as a slow burn as Madame Albany and her coterie keep working their way through murdering her family members, all while those family members attempt to track down information on who her assassin is and how to stop him. Mark Millar, Olivier Coipel, and Dave Stewart are crafting a wonderful story here that reminds me a bit of Wanted, but good and about magic.

| Published by Image

Multiple Man #3 takes a particularly dark turn as Matthew Rosenberg, Andy MacDonald, and Tamra Bonvillain toss us into the dark future where an evil Madrox reigns. Of the dark futures where the X-Men stories have taken place, this is probably one of the most twisted, even as Rosenberg peppers it with some nice humour. The throw rug in particular is hilarious.

| Published by Marvel

Ninja-K #10 is a single issue story focusing on Ninja-H and the horrors that soldiers can have to deal with and how they sometimes cope with it. It has some great art from Larry Stroman, Ryan Winn, and Andrew Dalhouse.

| Published by Valiant

Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #308 is probably the best issue of this series since Chip Zdarsky and Michael Walsh’s single issue story of Peter and Jonah hashing it out in issue 6. Zdarsky shows us here that he really excels at getting into the head’s of some of the characters, giving us a good look from their perspective, and humanizing them. He does that here with Flint Marko, the Sandman, and it feels like an interesting transition to something else. It also helps that it’s wonderfully illustrated by Chris Bachalo and his usual team of inkers of Tim Townsend, Al Vey, Wayne Faucher, and John Livesay. This is a great start and I’m excited to see what comes next for this story.

| Published by Marvel

Rumble #6 begins this volume’s second arc and is the other series with glorious David Rubín artwork this week (this one with colours from Dave Stewart). I love this book, with its fun mix of humour and arcane magic and fantasy, and how John Arcudi, originally James Harren, now Rubín have built the characters, the overall story, and the absolutely beautiful artwork.

| Published by Image

Stellar #3 takes an interesting look at the existential price of war and at the notion of “you can never go home again” in this somewhat depressing, but no less entertaining, issue.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Thor #4 is the glorious conclusion to this opening arc sending Thor to Niffleheim to fight Sindr in this leg of the War of the Realms. The artwork from Mike del Mundo is incredible.

| Published by Marvel

Tony Stark: Iron Man #3 builds another largely single issue story into the larger arc, with a beta test of Tony’s new eScape platform. I like how Dan Slott and Valerio Schiti have been approaching this series and building up Stark’s supporting cast, while also progressing the recurring subplot of Bethany Cabe’s subterfuge and X-51′s newfound robot rights activism.

| Published by Marvel

Volition #1 is another interesting debut from AfterShock, this time focusing on a world featuring artificial intelligence that hasn’t sparked an apocalypse, instead adapting and continuing on as just another class within society, fighting to survive and combat prejudice like their human counterparts, as created by Ryan Parrott and Omar Francia. The art is gorgeous and a real driving factor for the story, Francia’s style reminds me a bit of JG Jones and it’s incredible.

| Published by AfterShock

Weapon H #6 continues to be that weird, offbeat comic from Marvel that used to be published in the ‘80s or ‘90s that nobody read, but was actually rather good. Greg Pak has been doing a great job of building up this rather eclectic cast of characters and the art has been wonderful. Here Ario Anindito takes on the art chores with Morry Hollowell and it’s quite nice. His style reminds me a bit of Brian Hurtt mixed with Leinil Yu and it really fits the gritty action of the story.

| Published by Marvel

Weapon X #22 is more irreverent fun with the “new” Weapon X-Force team as they follow the money instead of altruistic reasons for saving people (though their second mission out already sees a reversion to the old remit). It’s a not-so-serious take on what is almost a team entirely composed of villains with a good sense of humour and action from Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente, Yildiray Cinar, and Frank D’Armata. It’s also another good place for some obscure X-mythology insertions and follow-ups in the story. 

| Published by Marvel

The Weatherman #3 continues to keep readers a little off balance with some of the elements in the story, echoing what’s going on with out protagonist, Nathan Bright. Jody LeHeup, Nathan Fox, and Dave Stewart are crafting something here that feels a lot like some of the zanier action strips from 2000 AD and it’s pretty glorious.

| Published by Image

Other Highlights: Analog #5, Babyteeth #12, Cinema Purgatorio #15, Crude #5, Deadpool: Assassin #5, Doctor Strange #4, Edge of Spider-Geddon #1, Evolution #9, Infinity 8 #5, Jeepers Creepers #4, Jim Henson’s Beneath the Dark Crystal #2, Jughead: The Hunger #7, Mage: The Hero Denied #11, Manifest Destiny #36, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #30, Mysticons - Volume 1, Proxima Centauri #3, RuinWorld #2, Sherlock Holmes: The Vanishing Man #4, Spider: School’s Out #6, Star Trek: The Next Generation - Terra Incognita #2, Star Wars: Beckett #1, Star Wars: Poe Dameron #30, Summit #8, TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Hit the Road #3, TMNT: Urban Legends #4, Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #5, The Wicked + The Divine #38, Witchfinder: The Gates of Heaven #4

Recommended Collections: Bettie Page - Volume 2: Model Agent, East of West - Volume 8, Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories - Volume 2, Kill or Be Killed - Volume 4, Old Man Hawkeye - Volume 1: An Eye for an Eye, , Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man - Volume 3: Amazing Fantasy, Rose - Volume 2, Transformers: Lost Light - Volume 3

d. emerson eddy has now been doing this incarnation of weekly round-ups for a year. Has it really been that long?