#Rick will make Donnie lose his humanity

[its-wabby-stuff]

“Whatever you do, don’t let Donnie watch Rick and Morty. He will try to recreate all the awesome space shit and you won’t have the heart to stop him. You’re the Morty to his Rick.”

“You’ve watched Rick and Morty!?”

“No,” he lies, “Listen if Donnie meets Rick in some alternate timeline, they will get up to no good. We might never get our brother back. Okay Mikey. Are you even listening? DONT let Donnie watch Rick and Morty.” Leo leaves, then comes back and then leaves again.

Later:

“So what do you wanna do Angelo?”

“Ummmmmm,” Mikey hums as he tries to think of anything but Rick and Morty, “wanna watch TV?”

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Re-Watches of The Same Boat

So, last week we re-watched Ghosts, and this week a couple of us re-watched The Same Boat. I know we've been talking about Carol a lot, but the only reason is because we think she'll have a big part in Beth's return. Remember that TSB came not long after Grady, and has a lot of Beth imagery in it, along with a lot of resurrection symbolism. You can check out my past posts about it HERE.

@galadrieljones:

So I just watched The Same Boat. I honestly forgot how brutal it is. In this episode, Carol crosses a line. It’s an interesting culmination of all her tricks. Pretending to be weak (a wolf in sheep’s clothing), manipulation (using Maggie’s pregnancy as a bargaining chip), gaslighting herself into thinking others are “making” her kill them (“I told you to run”). Fire.

One thing I didn’t remember is that Maggie pushes Carol. Carol just wants to leave when they get free but Maggie insists that they kill everyone. When Maggie tells her, “We have to finish it,” Carol just follows like she doesn’t have a choice, like she doesn’t have a say, like she’s just a “tool.”

But it’s not as simple as that. Once the choice is made, and it’s just Paula, Carol insists on dealing with her instead of Maggie, and she kills all the men too with her cigarette. She is shielding Maggie, like a motherly gesture, protecting her. I don’t know if this has anything to do with Beth or just because Maggie is pregnant.

Carol believes that Beth saved her life, so she may feel she owes this to Beth. In the end, she keeps the rosary beads and this feels like a callback to Beth and Coda as Beth = the Christ figure, and maybe it is also a reference to Mary, Christ’s mother. Beth saves Carol and then Carol ends up in this hostage situation, and she gets to go free but Beth doesn’t. Then it’s The Same Boat, and Carol is again in a hostage situation with Rick on the radio and a trade, and this time she’s with Maggie instead of Beth.

I feel like she sacrifices whatever she has left of her humanity to save Maggie and to prevent Maggie from having to lose herself so that Maggie can stay strong for her baby. Over the course of the episode, the whole thing is Maggie’s plan but she only kills Molls. Carol kills everybody else, including Donnie. That one just took a long time.

There’s plenty of talk about making choices and choosing sides in the episode, too, per the theme of “indifference.”

The whole deal with Gregory for the Satellite Station was Maggie’s deal, and she’s really on some sort of tear. Maggie’s arc is fairly secondary in seasons 5-6, like it’s easy to forget. But after Beth she slowly changes. She becomes ruthless, and I think it’s actually really well done because it creates this karmic pressure that builds toward Glenn’s death over time. Glenn pays the price for Maggie’s mistakes. To be honest I’m still not sure whether Maggie has owned up to this.

It also occurred to me that this episode feels like the Grady arc mainly in that it takes place in a completely other world, separate from Team family. There’s a whole new cast of characters at the forefront, and we are looking at Rick et al from the outside. Carol infiltrates yet again to another timeline, but this one is for the Saviors. Ofc she wants to just leave but she ends up burning it to bits so there’s nothing left, and only then does Rick arrive. The Red “X” gas cans are an interesting touch in this respect.

I don’t have much else for now. Going to think on it some more. A very unique episode, to be sure.

Actually, looking forward, I like the idea of Carol feeling like she owes Beth. I think she feels too like she owes Daryl. Carol is selfish so she wants to impress Daryl and win his affection and respect, but she also wants to repay those who help her. She is loyal to the people who save her life or show her compassion.

I think this is why she defends Shane to Rick ever so briefly in Indifference. If Carol could find Beth and return her to Daryl that would be, in Carol’s eyes, the crown jewel. It would absolve her of all her sins and she could then just live out her days knowing she reunited the two people in this world who have saved and defended her even when she knows she didn’t deserve it. I think looking at Carol as a maternal figure to Beth is interesting, not something I’ve thought about much before.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

I re-watched The Same Boat as well and will now give you my notes about it.

So, I’m positive some of this has been discussed before, so some of it will seem familiar. But it’s what I wrote down as I watched. My over-arching theory here is basically not any different from any of our others recently. I think this whole sequence both parallels Grady and foreshadows the CRM. The Saviors and AOW were always a foreshadow of the coming CRM war, but we knew little of the CRM when this episode first aired. I also had some of the same impressions you had, Tarah. But I’ll get to those.

The first is Primo. He’s the guy Rick and Daryl capture, and who Rick shoots at the end because he tells Rick he’s Negan. It’s been discussed before that “primo” is the upper part of a musical duet. So there’s a musical reference going on here. But what I didn’t remember or maybe just never registered is that Primo is also a medical guy of some kind.

Donnie, the guy Carol shoots in the arm at the beginning, who ends up bleeding out and dying, keeps saying they need to get Primo back because he can patch Donnie up. He can fix Donnie’s injury. We aren’t told if Primo is a doctor or surgeon or medic like Bob. But Donnie is telling us very obviously that he’s a medical guy who heals people. It’s yet another parallel to Beth and Grady, and the fact that he’s shot in the head at the end also parallels him to Denise.

After being captured, it shows Carol’s POV. She has a good over her head but is looking down at her feet. It’s very similar to how it showed Beth’s feet walking in Inmates, Rick’s in 9x05 just before Jadis takes him, and more recently, Madison’s when she was revealed to be alive. Hence, connections to the CRM and them taking people captive, as Carol was a captive here.

I could talk about other things like their “omega” talk and the coffee analogy, but I think we’ve talked through those pretty thoroughly.

This place they go is missing guns and food. They talk about how only a month ago it was stalked, but now the guns and food are gone and it’s full of walkers. This is actually very similar to TF believing Alpha sent the walkers in Ghosts.

Here, Paula’s people come to the conclusion that Rick and TF are the ones that took everything. But Rick and TF have never been to this place before. It wasn’t them. So, someone else took the Saviors’ supplies from this place, and we’re never told who. Even back then, with these little background conversations about the supplies, the writers were hinting at the CRM.

I think I mentioned the Saw movie reference before, so I won’t go through it again, unless someone needs a refresher. Let me know.

So, one thing that really struck me watching it this time, was how much talk there is of pregnant women and making babies. Of course it’s all about Maggie being pregnant, and Carol reveals that in the hopes that they’ll show Maggie mercy because of her delicate condition. But if this foreshadows the CRM, while Paula and her gang aren’t actively taking pregnant women, we still have Maggie, who happens to be pregnant, become their prisoner.

We also find out ‘Chelle lost a baby, through miscarriage, at some point. Even though the CRM is doing something totally different than Paula, I still feel like there’s a parallel there in the flippant attitude toward something that ought to be protected.

Paula is disrespectful and makes fun of the idea of creating families in the apocalypse, calling them “bite sized snacks for the dead.” While the CRM, or Padre at least, is ripping families apart by kidnapping the children, and sometimes the pregnant women. It’s different logistically, but the same in terms of the dystopian attitude and concept.

I had the same thought as you, Tarah, in that I got the sense Carol was being so protective of Maggie and determined to free her because of what happened to Beth. Since she couldn’t save Beth and bring her out, she would save Maggie.

I wrote down that the guy who got shot, Donnie, reminded me of Dawn, but I can’t remember why or what I was thinking there. Unless it was just the similarity of name: Dawn, Don.

Maggie wears the red shoelaces all through this episode. I’m pretty sure she wears them all through S6, and maybe even beyond.

Oh, the other thing about Donnie is that he bleeds out from a wound in his arm, right. The wound comes from a gun shot (a la Carol) which is like Beth, but of course it’s in his arm instead of his head. But remember that in 9x05, in Rick’s vision, we don’t see the gunshot wound in Beth’s head. We see blood on her arm. I wonder if this and that are part of the same symbolism. We just aren’t sure what it points to, yet.

Even back when this episode aired, people talked about how ‘Chelle and Maggie are foils to one another. Both were pregnant at some point. Both had very closed relationships with their fathers, and lost them. They differ in that, obviously, Maggie lives and ‘Chelle dies. Maggie gets to have her baby, while ‘Chelle lost hers.

But it struck me that the parallels run much deeper than that. The guy ‘Chelle was with was a jerk. Total douchebag by her own admission. She only looked for him on principal because he was her boyfriend. Maggie, on the other hand, married Glenn. Even more, though, are ties to Daryl, even if ‘Chelle never knew who he was or really met him. Daryl killed her boyfriend by blowing him up on the road. Daryl also, though unwittingly, had hand in Glenn’s death.

I think a lot of this also feeds into what you’ve said above, Tarah. TF losing their humanity during this period. Maggie and Carol abandoned their humanity in order to survival. (Survive first, live later.) But by the end, it wiped them both out. Neither of them were “okay.” And then Rick shooting Primo obviously traumatized them more.

Let’s talk about some interesting things about Carol. Where ‘Chelle was a foil to Maggie, Paula was an obvious foil to Carol. I thought it was interesting when Paula said, “I see exactly who you are, Carol.” Except she didn’t. Carol had put on a mask. Paula thought she saw everything, but she was willfully blind. Paula talked about how she was in DC when the turn happened. She said she killed her boss, and she stopped counting how many she’d killed when she got to double digits. That’s also when she stopped feeling badly about it.

Herein, I think, lies Carol’s redemption. We’ve talked a lot about how she very often does morally questionable things, and sometimes we’d just like to smack her upside the head for it. But the thing is, she always feels badly about it.

(Lol. It just reminded me of a line from a song in the Sound of Music, when the nuns sing about Maria. One says, “she’s always late for chapel” and the second one says, “but her penitence is real.” That line always made me laugh. It’s like, she does all these bad things, but she feels REALLY bad afterward, lol. That’s kind of Carol in nutshell, though her story is much darker than The Sound of Music ever was.)

The point is, Carol never becomes hardened to the humanity of it the way Paula has. Carol thinks she has to be hard in order to survive, and maybe sometimes she does, but she always feels it afterward. With the people she’s killed, with the kids, with Connie. Also remember that later in S7, just before leaving Tobin, she is writing down and counting the people she’s killed. I really loved the observation that that’s when we saw her smoking cigarettes a lot. It’s a visual way the writers show psychological illness. It’s like, even though she does kill and will, she’s truly worried about her soul.

I always loved J.K. Rowling’s analogy that murder rips the soul into pieces. It’s like Carol’s soul is ripped apart, and she doesn’t know how to fix it. This is why, when she killed the Saviors on the road after leaving Alexandria, she was crying to hard. It’s funny, because that REALLY confused most of Carol’s fans, who follow her so closely and like to see her as a badass. Most of them had this really confused reaction like, “why is she CRYING.” Lol. Most of them chocked it up to it being a trick to put them at ease so she could kill them. And that was part of it.

But it’s deeper than that. She genuinely doesn’t want to kill anyone else. She totally will, and in that case they truly would have killed her if she hadn’t. But those tears, as well as the ones she showed Paula in this episode, were based in something real. She ran away to the cabin in S7 because she was trying to avoid tearing it any further. But when the war broke out, she was right back in it again, defending the people she loves.

I love the line when Carol tells Paula that she’s the one who’s really afraid to die. This isn’t really anything to do with TWD, but I just think there’s truth in it. Anyone who is mean or nasty or violent to others, it’s always based in fear. Those who are calm and kind are more concerned with their own souls and being decent to people. And if they die, they die, but at least they do it with a clear conscience. So Carol is right that it’s really Paula’s people who are terrified to die. Carol is terrified of not being able to save Maggie, but I don’t think she’s afraid to die herself.

When Carol goes ham on Paula’s group at the end, Paula says, “you’re good, nervous little bird. You were her, but not now.” Just more of Carol being a chameleon, as you discussed earlier in detail. Then Paula says, “what were you so afraid of?”

And it’s interesting, because you would think Paul would just assume it was an act, but it’s like she intuitively knows Carol was not faking that. Just backs up what I said above. Carol’s tears and the trauma she show are real, but she mostly hides them, and when they don’t serve her anymore, she buries them again. The answer is that she’s afraid of losing her Maggie, and of losing her soul. She’s also afraid of exactly what happened in this episode: being responsible for the deaths of more people.

I’ve always thought it was downright creepy when Carol did Paula’s voice on the radio. She just does it so perfectly. Morphs into Paula for a second. But I think it shows a) her chameleonness (totally a word ;D) and b) that Paula is her foil or dark side. They’re the light and shadow elements of the same character. (Remember in S11, Zeke calls Carol a light.)

The only other things I wrote down is that at parts of this episode, there’s a high-pitched squealing noise in the background. It almost sounds like a tea kettle whistling. But it’s not part of the show. It’s just a sound effect, much like background music, that is put in. And it’s always around Carol. I think it’s meant to make us think of coffee brewing, or of Carol being a boiling kettle that’s about to explode.

Finally, they put down Paula on their way out. So, they don’t leave her as a walker. Probably representative of Carol trying to kill her shadow self, though it doesn’t entirely work here. So yeah.

I know not much of this is about Beth, but it just backs up everything else we’ve said about Carol’s role in finding Beth and bringing her back to Daryl. She saved Maggie here, but later lost Sam. She saved Henry as a boy, which called back to not saving Sophia, but then she lost him to Alpha. She lost Tobin, both emotionally and physically, but gained Zeke. Carol is such a fascinating character because she is always wrestling with her own demons, and often loses. I don’t think many of Carol’s biggest fans understand her at all.

Anyway, that’s what I have from The Same Boat. It was fun to re-watch.

[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.

[whateverisbeautiful]

Reveling in Richonne

#98: The Relief (7x16)

This moment. 😭 Y’all this moment was one of the most beautifully raw and emotional Richonne moments to date. It was our last bit of Richonne dialogue for season 7 and it was so special.

I knew the season 7 finale would be emotional just from the first few seconds when Sasha is listening to Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll All Be Free” and I was hit right in my African American feels. 😋

(Side note: Sonequa really did her thing this season and I’m glad her talent really got to shine before she left. 👏🏽👏🏽)

Losing Sasha was already really sad but then they gotta put this scene in with Richonne and Carl cuz again, TWD has no chill. And I’m so glad they had this scene cuz it made it crystal clear how deeply, deeply in love Rick and Michonne are. 😭

Y'all this was such a moving scene so we have to break it all the way down. 👌🏽

So first you see Michonne leaned up against the wall looking pretty beat up. This was so sad to see cuz you know she must have been hurt really bad if she had to stop and just lean against the wall and sit out this fight.

Like she probably was hoping to make her way to the others, after her own fight, and help and warning slice some Saviors cuz she's Michonne that's what she does, but she was too injured to even move that much. 😥

And it's heartbreaking cuz you know she was probably so beyond worried for her boys, even more than herself, and she had to just sit there not knowing what their fate was. And plus she's alone, like what if this was how she was about to go out? Alone and not knowing if her loved ones made it. 😥Thank God that didn't happen. 🙌🏾

Instead, we see Rick enter the frame and it's interesting cuz you can tell he first enters the room with his gun up and ready cuz he doesn't know what crazies might still be lurking.

Like just from that one half shot you can tell that he was ready to be OG Rick Grimes and take out whoever needed to be taken out. 👏🏽

And I just love that Michonne has OG Rick Grimes to come after her and protect her lol. Like this man is nothing to play with and he's putting all those nothing-to-play-with-efforts towards finding her. Here for it. 👌🏽

And then he sees her and immediately switches from savage Rick to Michonne's man Rick.

He rushes to her and again gets all up close and personal, which I love. And then he says Michonne’s name two times and you hear something different in each way that he says her name.

The first time he says it, he doesn't even know if she's alive so it's this very hesitant nervous “Michonne?" to see if he'll get a reaction. Like imagine this moment of being in front of the person you’re in love with and having to say their name, unsure if they will respond back or if you’ll get confirmation that they’re really gone. 😢

And he doesn’t get a reaction from the first time saying her name so he says it a second time with heightened concern in his voice as he fears she might not respond.

Like you can hear the desperation and just brokenness he feels when he says her name a second time. And it’s sad cuz he so clearly fears that she might be gone but he has to say her name again just to hold on to that hope that maybe this time will be different.

And this is when we cue my internal tears. Cuz Michonne does respond and then y’all the way Rick reacts just slays me every single time. 😭😭

The amount of overwhelming relief that pours out of him when he sees that she’s alive is so precious and moving. Like you can literally, I mean literally, see Rick become overcome with joy that the love of his life is still alive.

Seeing his response to her being alive really hit home to me how deeply interconnected these two are. Seeing she’s alive just made him come back to life.

Like it’s true what people say, there really is no Rick without Michonne. Cuz Michonne is Rick’s rock and guiding star and without her we saw just how lost and crushed he’d be, even just in the few seconds of him thinking she might not be alive.

Michonne told Rick in season 3 “You need me” and it’s still so true to this day and this moment really illustrated that. During this whole battle the wind had been knocked out of Rick and seeing Michonne move her head just put the air back in his lungs.

I’ve mentioned a lot in these posts about how Rick gets to be completely human with her and I think this is one of the most human moments I’ve ever seen of Rick.

Like right here he was literally just a person who was overjoyed that his best friend and love and rock was still alive.

It again made me think about how the one thing Rick has just for himself outside of his kids is Michonne. She's someone he loves intensely and someone who makes his personal life better and happier. Like she is not only someone he loves in his life, this is also someone he very much wants in his life, and someone who plays a huge part in making life worth living for him.

And you see Rick be filled with gratitude about the fact that, that special one of a kind person in his life is still alive.

Michonne slowly turns towards him and you can see Rick having to actively resist his inner magnet because he clearly wants to touch her but he’s not sure how hurt she is and he knows he has to be careful of how fragile she may be rn. Always so mindful. 😊 And he says with so much relief “You’re alive.”

And then the way Michonne works up a subtle smile and reaches for him when she hears his voice and sees it’s him. Y’all it slays me yet again.

It is seriously too precious. Like even in all this pain she still can’t help but show how happy she is that he’s now right in front of her. They in love y’all.

You can tell that knowing Rick is alive is such a relief to her as well cuz for all she knew Rick could have been killed and the odds of Rick not making it out of that battle were high so this is a blessing right now that he’s alive and that he’s found her alive.

And then, only once it’s clear that Michonne’s alive, does Carl enter the room. 😭 This always stood out to me cuz it makes me think maybe Carl wasn’t quite ready to go in the room and see Michonne in this state or maybe Rick wanted him to wait.

And it’s super sweet when Carl does enter and stoop right beside them cuz you can see how happy he is that Michonne survived. Like these boys really love this woman. 😭

I saw someone point out how Rick looks like he kisses Michonne’s hand and y’all I am here for that. When I saw the scene again it really does look like it, especially cuz you see Michonne reach for him. So to whoever pointed that out, you a real one lol. 👌🏽👏🏽

These gestures are so sweet and Rick values Michonne so much. 😭 It’s also just further proof that magnets are a powerful thing. 😋

And then Michonne sort of has this nodding movement as she starts trying to get out the words “We’re the ones who live.” And I love this nodding cuz I feel like seeing Rick and Carl by her side really confirms to her that they truly are the ones who live.

Like she’s reassured cuz she knows if they could make it through all that chaos and be back with each other at the end of it, then they seriously must be the ones who live.

It’s sweet that despite how much it hurts to talk and how beat up she is, Michonne is still going to try and uplift Rick in this moment and give him this encouraging reminder that they can make it.

You can tell it’s so hard for Rick to see Michonne struggling to speak and so he helps her out by softly repeating, “I know." and, y’all, these "Richonne tones" never fail to melt my heart cuz he’s speaking with so much love and gentleness. 

And then with conviction he tells her “We are. We will”. 😊🏽

I love that, as we’ve seen this motto said between them a couple times throughout the season, we end with them both verbalizing it and believing it.

This moment really demonstrates how Michonne can speak life into her man even when she can hardly speak. 👸🏾👏

And it’s powerful cuz it’s not like they just won this fight and everything is perfect now but they still believe they can live because they are still standing despite the fight and the curveballs that were thrown at them. And like my Homegirl said in the cell; they’re going to keep standing. 💯😌

So after Rick tells her this he looks at her and you can tell those magnets are kicking cuz you can see him thinking of how exactly he can move closer to her without hurting her. And so he leans into her and gives her a hug because those magnets can never and shall never be denied. 🙌🏾😋

I adore this hug. Like it is just so precious and says so much. 😊

(Side note: I also call this the “greedy hug” cuz Rick was going to make Carl wait his turn to hug Michonne lol. Like Michonne is Carl’s best bud and also Carl kinda sorta almost died, so he probably wants to give her a hug too. But Rick is understandably in the moment rn. 😂)

You can really see how much Rick needs this hug. Like yes he wants to hug her to let her know how happy he is that she’s alive but Homeboy also wants to be back in his girl’s arms right now cuz, added to the many things Michonne is Rick’s source of, she’s also Rick’s source of comfort.

This visual of this hug is so sweet cuz it’s like an illustration of how much Rick can lean on and find comfort and security in Michonne.

It seems like this is Rick's first time getting to just let all the craziness that’s just happened sink in and get to just let his guard down and be comforted. It’s too precious.

And I love that, injured and all, Michonne is still so ready to comfort and embrace him. And I appreciate that Rick also wants to hug her to comfort her as well. Like this hug paints such a clear picture of how much R&M want, love, and need each other and how much they really are one. 😊

Basically this hug is everything and this scene was everything cuz it very visibly illustrated how much Rick and Michonne mean everything to each other. 👌🏽😊

[snarkyoracle]

    You don’t have to die to go to hell….

BLOOD BLISTER #4

(MR) / $3.99 / 32 pages / Color

writer/artist: Phil Hester inker: Eric Layton color: Guy Major letterer: Dave Sharpe cover: Tony Harris

YOU DON’T NEED TO DIE TO GO TO HELL…

Brand Hull finally comes face-to-face with the demon claiming his soul, unaware that the evil he’s sown has already taken on a life of its own…and claimed the life of an innocent. The sophisticated, yet visceral horror story from Hester, Layton, Major & Sharpe continues! 

“BLOOD BLISTER…is bursting with greatness.” – Jason Bennett of popculthq.com

Opening a jarring window to a world of horror from the Eisner Award-nominated writer of The Coffin, Firebreather and Deathstroke. Covers by Ex Machina’s Tony Harris!

ROUGH RIDERS: RIDE OR DIE #1

$3.99 / 32 pages / Color

writer: Adam Glass artist: Patrick Olliffe color: Gabe Eltaeb letterer: Sal Cipriano cover: Patrick Olliffe w/ Gabe Eltaeb

Volume Three of the hit AfterShock Series! A great jumping-on point!

It’s 1906 and Theodore Roosevelt is the sitting president when a familiar face from his past asks him once again to call upon the Rough Riders to save the world. But this time it’s not anarchists or aliens—no, it’s something from the great beyond. Something so ancient and inherently evil that the Rough Riders will need to add to their ranks in hopes of defeating it. Who will be the newest historical figure to have the honor to call themselves a Rough Rider? 

Created and written by Adam Glass (executive producer of Supernatural and writer of Suicide Squad) with artwork by Patrick Olliffe (Untold Tales of Spider-Man).

“The story is exciting and fun, with the characters being faithful and fanciful, and the visuals are epic and thrilling. This is what comic books are all about!“ – Patrick Hayes of scifipulse.net

BACKWAYS #3

$3.99 / 32 pages / Color

writer: Justin Jordan artist: Eleonora Carlini colorist: Silvia Tidei letterer: Marshall Dillon cover: Eleonora Carlini & Silvia Tidei

As Anna and Coyote Bones continue to search for Slyvia in the Backways, they are being stalked by something dangerous—the Morning Wolf is on the hunt!

From Justin Jordan (STRAYER, Green Lantern: New Guardians) and Eleonora Carlini (Batgirl, Doctor Who) comes the BRAND NEW series of magic, mystery and mayhem that is sure to appeal to fans of Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia!

“Horror and dark fantasy comics are thriving right now thanks to series like Wytches and Harrow County, and Backways sounds like it’ll fit right in.” -Matthew Jackson of SyFy.com

MONSTRO MECHANICA #3

$3.99 / 32 pages / Color

writer: Paul Allor artist: Chris Evenhuis colorist: Sjen Weijers letterer: Paul Allor cover : Chris Evenhuis

A new series starring Leonardo da Vinci, his female apprentice and their wooden robot!

Isabel and the Machine are separated during the Siege of Volterra! As Isabel races to find him in the carnage and chaos, the violence surrounding them affects the Machine in surprising and potentially terrible ways!

From creators Paul Allor (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Chris Evenhuis (Wynonna Earp) comes this swashbuckling adventure story about war, identity and the birth of the modern world!

“MONSTRO MECHANICA” is a swashbuckling adventure story, filled with humor, pathos and giant wooden robots, that has something to say about humanity and society. It’s also incredibly fun, and filled with absolutely gorgeous art. You’re going to love it!” –Paul Allor

JIMMY’S BASTARDS #7

$3.99 / 32 pages / Color

writer: Garth Ennis artist: Russ Braun color: John Kalisz letterer: Rob Steen cover: Andy Clarke & Jose Villarrubia

Fresh out of the asylum, but on extremely shaky mental ground, Jimmy marshals his forces for the final battle with Junior and the Bastards. But Nancy is already launching her own one-woman assault on the enemy fortress—with no idea of the terrible secret that awaits her…

From the creator and writer of Preacherand The Boys comes the series that HAD to be told at AfterShock Comics.

“JIMMY’S BASTARDS…is a crazy, offensive, beautiful debut to what is sure to be another Garth Ennis winner!” – Lucas Wagner of thatsnotcurrent.com

BRILLIANT TRASH #4

$3.99 / 32 pages / Color

writer: Tim Seeley artist: Priscilla Petraites color: Marco Lesko letters: Marshall Dillon cover: Mike Norton & Addison Duke

Lifespan, Inc. has Kennedy Avis in its clutches, and with her the information to privatize superhumanity. But as Jim Heller counts the days left in his life, will he allow the woman he just rescued to be made into a disposable corporate asset?

A sci-fi superhuman epic from Tim Seeley, the writer of Revival and Grayson, and breakout art sensation Priscilla Petraites!

“It’s the story of the ‘word of tomorrow,’ torn directly from the headlines, about an America that might be waiting for us. It’s cautionary, but it’s also action packed and fun!“ -Tim Seeley

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COLD WAR #1

$3.99 / 32 pages / Color

writer: Christopher Sebela artist: Hayden Sherman colors: Hayden Sherman letters: Hayden Sherman cover A: Hayden Sherman cover B: Juan Doe

New Series!

Panacea Cryonics offered its customers life after death by keeping their heads frozen until the day technology could rebuild them, free of disease and death. However, as these everyday people from the past are revived, they’re not handed the keys to a new life, but a gun, body armor and an ultimatum. They must fight in a war against unknown opponents for unknown reasons, to secure their place in a brave new world that doesn’t want them around.

From Christopher Sebela, writer of Blue Beetle, Kiss/Vampirella and Evolution, and Hayden Sherman, artist of The Few and John Carter The End, comes the story that HAD to be told at AfterShock!

FU JITSU #5

$3.99 / 32 pages / Color

writer: Jai Nitz artist: Wesley St. Claire color: Maria Santoalalla letters: Ryane Hill cover: Wesley St. Claire

Injured to the brink of death, Fu Jitsu stands against Wadlow and his army. Can Fu cheat the unstoppable icy claw of Death and discover a new form of Kung Fu to save the day? Or will our hero sacrifice everything when he has nothing left to lose but his life? Find out in the conclusion of our first story arc!

From Jai Nitz, the award-winning writer of El Diablo, Suicide Squad Most Wanted and Dream Thief, comes this action-packed new series with art from Teen Titans Annual artist Wes St. Claire!

“FU JITSU #1 is an infectious ball of fun. Jai Nitz and Wes St. Claire’s sensibility is delightfully off-kilter.“ – Kent Falkenberg of multiversitycomics.com

BABYTEETH #8

$3.99 / 32 pages / Color

writer: Donny Cates artist: Garry Brown color: Mark Englert letterer: Taylor Esposito cover: Garry Brown

“Hey, friends, Donny Cates here. So here’s the thing about this issue: if I were to write even a single true sentence about what happens in this one, it would spoil the whole thing. So instead of attempting some kind of vague “This issue changes everything!!, I’ll just say that this issue is insane. Lots of reveals, lots of uncovered truths about the family and the cult and the assassin and the raccoon monster and the mom and the OTHER mom and…yeah, see? It’s gonna get weird. Thanks, we’ll see you on the stands!”

From Donny Cates, the writer of Buzzkill, Paybacks, Redneck and the breakout hit God Country, comes a pulse-pounding new series with art from THE REVISIONIST’s Garry Brown!

“This book is going to be the most sought after title of 2017” –Rick Shea of Famous Faces & Funnies comic shop

ALTERS #10

$3.99 / 32 pages / Color

writer: Paul Jenkins artist: Leila Leiz color: Leonardo Paciarotti letterer: Ryane Hill cover: Leila Leiz

Faced with the choice of losing her own child or losing her own life, the newest Alter on the team may find her career has ended before it ever begun. The is the climactic end to the story of No Damn Name, where the emergence of the most powerful and dangerous Alter yet may change the balance of power, or even lead to the entire destruction of Earth.

From Paul Jenkins, the writer of Wolverine: Origin, Sentry and Hellblazer, with artwork by AfterShock’s very own Leila Leiz!

“The visuals are beautiful and deserve attention, while the story looks to be addressing something avoided in American society. Overall grade: A.” – Patrick Hayes of scifipulse.net

ANIMOSITY Coloring Book

$14.99 / 64 pages / B&W

Artists: Rafael de Latorre, Juan Doe, Mike Rooth, Kelsey Shannon & more Based on story concepts created by Marguerite Bennett

Over 60 pages of gorgeous black-and-white artwork from your favorite AfterShock series, ANIMOSITY! Now you too can join the adult coloring book movement by breathing colorful life into your own pages of ANIMOSITY artwork, specially printed on heavy paper stock!

    ELEANOR & THE EGRET TPB vol1

$14.99 / 120 pages /color

writer: John Layman artist: Sam Kieth color: Ronda Pattinson letterer: John Layman cover: Sam Kieth

Collecting the entire series!

The most daring art thief in Paris has struck again, and the police have assigned their best detective to the case. His only clue? A single white feather left at the scene. Could this feather belong to the thief? To the thief’s accomplice, an oversized talking egret? Or will his investigation lead him to somewhere even stranger? (Answer: all of the above.)

Presenting a peculiar and unforgettable tale of birds and banditry, paintings and pets, larceny, love and…lamprey-wielding assassins? From the legendary creator of THE MAXX and co-creator of SANDMAN, Sam Kieth, and the considerably less-legendary creator of CHEW, John Layman!

“Gorgeous artwork by Sam Kieth and Ronda Pattison and a script by John Layman that subtly lays the groundwork for a magical world make ELEANOR & THE EGRET…a fascinating debut! 10 out of 10.” – Robert Reed of newsarama.com

JIMMY’S BASTARDS TPB vol1

$14.99 / 128 pages / color

writer: Garth Ennis artist: Russ Braun color: John Kalisz letterer: Rob Steen cover: Dave Johnson

Collecting the first five issues of this hit AfterShock series!

Jimmy Regent, Britain’s number one super-spy, has got it all: intrigue, adventure, a license to shoot whoever he likes and beautiful women falling at his feet. He also has a new partner who isn’t quite as impressed by Jimmy as all other women appear to be. Now, there’s a price to pay for Jimmy’s multiple romantic conquests — the results of which are about to come calling in the worst possible way…

From the creator and writer of Preacherand The Boys comes the brand-new series that HAD to be told at AfterShock Comics.

“Jimmy’s Bastards…is a crazy, offensive, beautiful debut to what is sure to be another Garth Ennis winner!“ – Lucas Wagner of thatsnotcurrent.com

  February 2018 Solicitations: AfterShock You don't have to die to go to hell.... BLOOD BLISTER #4 (MR) / $3.99 / 32 pages / Color…

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 28 January 2019

Quick Bits:

Amazing Spider-Man #14 begins “Family Matters” as Chris Bachalo and his army of inkers (Al Vey, Wayne Faucher, John Livesay, and Tim Townsend) join Nick Spencer and Joe Caramagna. The art is gorgeous, with some interesting layouts and beautiful washes for flashbacks, as we get a bit of an advancement on the simmering Kraven plot.

| Published by Marvel

Batgirl #31 complicates matters further in the Alejo and Moore election campaigns as Babs tries to work out who Cormorant is, who he’s working for, and what’s happening. The politicking and mystery of Mairghread Scott’s script is very compelling.

| Published by DC Comics

Captain America #7 begins the next stage of this epic, with the first part of “Captain of Nothing” from Ta-Nehisi Coates, Adam Kubert, Frank Martin, and Joe Caramagna. This one’s fairly meaty as the conspiracy to eliminate Cap from the board continues to come down around him as he deals with the consequences of being framed for the murder of General Ross. I’m very impressed with Adam Kubert’s art here, between this and his work on Soldier Supreme, he seems to have levelled up his already wonderful art again. Some very inventive layouts and panel staging, while also employing excellent use of 9-panel grids, that make this a treat.

| Published by Marvel

Crimson Lotus #3 continues to be an entertaining mix between the paranormal and a spy thriller from John Arcudi, Mindy Lee, Michelle Madsen, and Clem Robins. It’s also quite funny to see Agent Dai’s reaction to the supernatural.

| Published by Dark Horse

Cyber Force #8 hits round two against Leviathan while Dominique comes to terms with her new status quo. Matt Hawkins and Bryan Hill attempt to show us more complications of the new cyber order, beautifully brought to life by Atilio Rojo.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Detective Comics #997 pits Batman and a strangely alive Thaddeus Brown against sharks, piranhas, drowning, and that shape-shifting beast that has been dogging everyone since “Mythology” started. This is like a demented memory lane from Peter Tomasi, Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, Mark Irwin, David Baron, and Rob Leigh.

| Published by DC Comics

Doctor Strange #10 offers up the beginning to a new wrinkle in a story that has been building since the first issue from Mark Waid, Jesús Saiz, and Cory Petit in the lead to this extra-sized anniversary issue. This magic accountancy office reminds me a bit of the revelation of the Time Variance Authority. There are also three back-up stories and an art piece to round out the issue.

| Published by Marvel

Fight Club 3 #1 is visually stunning. Like with Fight Club 2, Cameron Stewart is pushing himself to create some of the most inventive, complex, and unique art of his career. Breaking planes, panel structure, and framing within the panels themselves continue to create a blurred reality mirroring the fractured nature of the story itself. It’s good, as Chuck Palahniuk, Stewart, Dave McCaig, and Nate Piekos continue to challenge readers.

| Published by Dark Horse

The Flash #63 concludes the “Force Quest” arc with a confrontation with Gemini and a revelation about the Forces. It kind of echoes the darkness and depression that’s been creeping back into the DC Universe in recent months. Great art from Minkyu Jung and Hi-Fi.

| Published by DC Comics

The Flash Annual #2 brings the tragedy of Heroes in Crisis into the Flash’s world, following on his learning of Wally’s death in Flash #63, from Joshua Williamson, Scott Kolins, Luis Guerrero, and Wes Abbott. It’s interesting to see all of the current speedsters, but this also raises some questions about Impulse, who seems to be the pre-New 52 incarnation confused about what’s happened (and feeding in to Young Justice, raising even more questions about that as well).

| Published by DC Comics

Ice Cream Man #9 begins “Hopscotch Mélange” and does something different. Since the beginning, this series has been an odd mix of different horror and surrealist pieces ostensibly tied together by the presence of the titular “Ice Cream Man”. This issue presents a “time before” beginning to explain the story of the Ice Cream Man and the cowboy who follows him in what feels like a mash-up of Grant Morrison and Stephen King. It’s good. Weird as hell, but good. W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo, Chris O’Halloran, and Good Old Neon continue to work wonders with this story. 

| Published by Image

Infinite Dark #4 brings the first arc to an end with a revelation as to what the entity is (or at least claims to be) as the crew tries to find a solution to absolute destruction from Ryan Cady, Andrea Mutti, K. Michael Russell, and Troy Peteri. This is a wonderful blend of horror and sci-fi with some great character moments.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

James Bond 007 #3 continues the action as Bond and Lee fight over who gets the Russian smuggler. Marc Laming and Roshan Kurichiyanil are doing an incredible job with the artwork.

| Published by Dynamite

Journey into Unknown Worlds #1 is another of the 80th anniversary one-shots, this one offering a pair of horror out of space stories; one from Cullen Bunn and Guillermo Sanna, the other from Clay McLeod Chapman and Francesco Manna, both anchored by Lee Loughridge and Travis Lanham. They’re good. Very classic body horror approach.

| Published by Marvel

Justice League Annual #1 is a major turning point in the series as Starman, the Justice League, and the major cosmic players attempt to fix the Source Wall in this tale from Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran, Adriano Lucas, and Tom Napolitano. It’s epic and definitely not to be missed in regards to what’s coming next for DC’s multiverse.

| Published by DC Comics

Justice League Odyssey #5 pulls back the curtain and gives us an insight into Darkseid’s plan and the purpose of the Ghost Sector. It’s nice to see some guiding force here amongst the chaos of the first four issues. Beautiful artwork from Carmine Di Giandomenico and Ivan Plascencia. Plascencia’s colours are particularly impressive with the starscapes.

| Published by DC Comics

KINO #13 drops a few more bombs on the narrative as it twists what’s going on even further into a delicious, mind-bending pretzel. Also a return to the old school superhero-inspired style within a virtual reality space. Alex Paknadel, Diego Galindo, Adam Guzowski, and Jim Campbell are turning in some incredible work here. Highly recommended.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

Man Without Fear #5 concludes this mini with Matt continuing to be haunted by his fear as Danilo S. Beyruth returns to close out the art chores. Jed MacKay’s use of narration throughout the series has been well done, but I think this one ups the ante as Matt’s fear and the memory of his father fight to shine through.

| Published by Marvel

Marvel Knights #6 gives us an end from Donny Cates, Kim Jacinto, Travel Foreman, Richard Friend, Matt Milla, and Cory Petit that delivers on action and hints at a future nightmare that the combined heroes were trying to prevent.

| Published by Marvel

Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt #1 is a sequel to Watchmen. Kind of. Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard, Mary Safro, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou pick up on the squid ending, here re-envisioned as a spidery alien invasion and run with it from there. Where Peter Cannon is restored, many of the Charlton heroes are reimagined again, and Rorschach/The Question is interestingly replaced with an analogue to another Steve Ditko creation, The Creeper. It’s both entertaining and fairly meta. Gorgeous artwork from Wijngaard and Safro, even playing with the variations on the 9-panel grid structure famously used in Watchmen itself.

| Published by Dynamite

Rick & Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons #4 brings this fun crossover adventure from Patrick Rothfuss, Jim Zub, Troy Little, Leonardo Ito, and Robbie Robbins to an end. This has been a great series, tapping into both properties extremely well and telling an entertaining story that does both Rick & Morty and D&D justice.

| Published by IDW & Oni Press

The Silencer #13 gives us the origin of Honor and her training through the League of Assassins as a child and being picked early by Talia al Ghul to be her personal assistant/bodyguard by Dan Abnett, V. Ken Marion, Sandu Florea, Mike Spicer, and Tom Napolitano. It’s interesting how it fills in the backstory, while giving a twist for what’s potentially coming in a future with this past erased.

| Published by DC Comics

Sparrowhawk #4 builds Artemisia and her motley pair of fairy compatriots up towards a conclusion in this penultimate issue from Delilah S. Dawson, Matias Basla, Rebecca Nalty, and Jim Campbell. There’s some very interesting character work as Artemisia continues to change and lose more and more of her humanity as she tries to get back home.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Star Trek: The Q Conflict #1 begins with stars unexpectedly going nova across the Beta Quadrant, leading to Picard and the Enterprise-E investigating. Scott Tipton, David Tipton, David Messina, Elisabetta D’Amico, Alexandra Alexakis, and Neil Uyetake capture the tone and appearance of The Next Generation perfectly and it gets more interesting as the conflict develops.

| Published by IDW

Star Trek - The Next Generation IDW 20/20 #1 takes us back 20 years to Picard’s first command aboard the Stargazer from Peter David, JK Woodward, and Gilberto Lazcano. Beautiful artwork from Woodward, very nicely capturing the likenesses.

| Published by IDW

West Coast Avengers #7 introduces Jeff, the land shark puppy, and he’s adorable. Kelly Thompson, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Tríona Farrell, and Joe Caramagna also pack this confrontation with Madame Masque and her new West Coast Masters of Evil with humour and action, but, seriously, you’re buying this for the shark puppy. Everybody needs a shark puppy.

| Published by Marvel

Wonder Woman #63 is a fairly humorous take on the trio of displaced mythological beasts as they try to adapt to America from G. Willow Wilson, Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Pat Brosseau. A lot of Wilson’s run so far has reminded me of Greg Rucka’s first run and that’s reinforced here with a return of one of his (and Drew Johnson’s) creations.

| Published by DC Comics

Wyrd #1 is a solid debut from Curt Pires, Antonio Fuso, Stefano Simeone, and Micah Myers playing in the Warren Ellis-end of the comics sandbox with a seemingly invulnerable, tough-as-nails investigator/operative into the weird. The art from Fuso and Simeone perfectly conveys a world where something feels like it’s seriously gone wrong.

| Published by Dark Horse

Other Highlights: Action Comics #1007, Animosity: Evolution #10, Betty & Veronica #2, Bone Parish #6, Books of Magic #4, Call of Duty: Zombie 2 #4, Daughters of the Dragon #3, Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror #4, Elvira: The Shape of Elvira #1, Hex Wives #4, Invader Zim #39, Iron: Or the War After, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation #10, The Lone Ranger #4, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #35, Ms. Marvel #37, Mysteries of Love in Space #1, Night Moves #3, Old Lady Harley #4, The Punisher #7, Quantum Age #6, Redlands #10, Rick & Morty #46, Robots vs. Princesses #4, Solo: A Star Wars Story #4, Spawn #293, Spider-Man/Deadpool #45, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #28, Star Wars Adventures #17, Teen Titans Annual #1, TMNT: Urban Legends #9, The Unstoppable Wasp #4, Vampirella: Roses for the Dead #3, Volition #4, Witchblade #11

Recommended Collections: Bad Machinery - Volume 7: The Case of the Forked Road, The Collected Toppi - Volume 1: The Enchanted World, Deep Roots - Volume 1, DuckTales - Volume 4: Fowl Play, Ghostbusters: Crossing Over, Her Infernal Descent - Volume 1, Pathfinder: Spiral of Bones, Shanghai Red, Submerged - Volume 1, Star Wars: Darth Vader - Volume 4: Fortress Vader, Sword of Ages - Book One: Avalon, Transformers: Lost Light - Volume 4

d. emerson eddy keeps on slipping into the future.