ANTIOCH #1, written by Patrick Kindlon with art by Marco Ferrari, hits your local comic book store on September 7.
ANTIOCH #1 is a solid issue with a good setup by Kindlon and action-packed artwork by Ferrari. The colors pop in this issue as they heighten the action and mood of each panel. The comic gave me all the feels I had reading the Ultimates back in the day, lots of tension and uncertainty. I can’t wait to read the next issue.
About ANTIOCH #1: FRONTIERSMAN creators KINDLON & FERRARI pick up where that series left off with an all-new ONGOING SERIES! A king from a lost continent enters the world of man with a purpose: to stop us from killing the planet. But when he finds himself in a superhuman prison, his title is useless, and his powers only matter if they help him survive!
Here are my quick thoughts on the issue. Let me know if you want to see more content like this.
BATMAN: ONE BAD DAY – THE RIDDLER hit your local comic book shop on August 17. The 64-page comic is written by Tom King, with art by Mitch Gerads, and you will read Clayton Cowles’ letter work.
About the issue: The Dark Knight’s greatest villains get their greatest stories yet! The Riddler, Two-Face, the Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Catwoman, Bane, Clayface, and Ra’s al Ghul-Batman’s most iconic villains are all given 64-page Prestige format specials that show why they are the greatest villains in all of comics, spearheaded by today’s top talent. We begin with Batman – One Bad Day: The Riddler! Tom King and Mitch Gerads, the Eisner Award-winning duo behind Mister Miracle, The Sheriff of Babylon, and Strange Adventures reunite to dive deep into the mind of Batman’s most intellectual foe…the Riddler. The Riddler has killed a man in broad daylight for seemingly no reason, but…there’s always a reason. The Riddler is always playing a game, there are always rules. Batman will reach his wits’ end trying to figure out the Riddler’s true motivation in this epic psychological thriller; this is not to be missed!
Here are my quick thoughts on the issue. Let me know if you want to see more content like this.
What did you think of BATMAN: ONE BAD DAY – THE RIDDLER?
After a bombastic introduction to a supernatural world of alien-fighting magical girls, Sara’s reached a hitch in her new superhero career; she’s not a great athlete. So she can expect lots of sweat and tears as she struggles to live up to the example her teammates have set for her. Flavor Girls #2 by Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky and colorist Eros de Santiago is a book about the trials and tribulations of young Sara, adrift in an unfamiliar world, faced with the all-too-familiar pains of gym class.
In the first issue of the series, young activist Sara was chosen to join the “Flavor Girls,” a superpowered team of young women who fight against mysterious alien invaders. But Sara’s going to need a lot of training to get the most out of her new powers. So Matilda, a non-powered human who owes her life to a Flavor Girls rescue, decides to become Sara’s personal trainer. Another part of Sara’s initiation is team leader Naoko asking her to try and extract a report from Camille, the most laid-back and occasionally forgetful member. Camille proposes discussing the report over lunch, which turns into a conversation about the source of the Flavor Girls’ power. The conversation’s cut short by the sudden appearance of a general from the alien armada. Also included in the issue is a short side-story about the girls investigating a spooky, possibly haunted house.
Now that the basic foundation’s been laid, Locatelli-Kournwsky slows Flavor Girls down to spend its second issue on the everyday lives of its heroines. The breathing room does a lot to help develop their personalities. Camille especially, as she manages to steal the show during her few appearances. From her messy room full of toys and records, to casually befriending a Kappa in a haunted house, her casual attitude is a great contrast to the more uptight V and Naoko. Matilda also gets quite a bit of focus. Her extended flashback helps give perspective to how every day civilians were affected by the sudden, violent invasion of the alien “Argarthians.” The entire sequence takes place in stark silence, the colors fading to monochromatic blue as Matilda runs across a war zone the aliens have torn to pieces.
The additional side story eschews the ongoing narrative for a more straightforward “monster of the week” approach. However, it’s a story inspired by the 1977 cult movie House. By nature of taking place in an established universe, there’s nothing here quite as surreal or avant-garde as that film. Though the story double-dips in its homages by putting the story through a Ben-Day dot filter and coloring certain panels in bright, primary reds and yellows, emulating the look of classic horror comics. It’s a fun aside that provides monsters and action to compliment the main story’s slower, more contemplative approach.
With most of the comic set at the Flavor Girls’ interdimensional temple, Locatelli-Kournwsky gets to draw many different sides of the supernatural structure – from sweeping, regal arches to the mundane bedrooms of the main cast and the mysterious, overgrown, and dimly lit underground. In contrast to the detailed backgrounds, his characters are rendered in a much more simple style. This especially shines during the cartoony moments, like when Sara’s expression almost melts off her face from sheer exhaustion.
Eros de Santiago and Locatelli-Kournwsky collaborate on colors, sticking mainly to the pastel palette established in the first issue. Though the temple is dominated almost purely by deep blues, only spilling into greens during scenes set in the overgrown underground. The side-story gets to experiment more with color, ranging from the reds mentioned above and yellows to dull tans, olives, or a searing pink.
The lettering has a slightly uneven, handwritten quality without sacrificing clarity. The sound effects are often put in speech bubbles, but written in more frantic, loose handwriting. Small pictures are also scrawled into bubbles from time to time, like a small drawing of a flower accompanying Sara’s sigh of relaxation.
VERDICT
Flavor Girls #2 seeks to deepen the world of the book alongside its characters. It takes advantage of the oversized format to strike a more leisurely pace, with a wackier side-story thrown in as a chaser. However, it should be said that with the series billed as a three-issue miniseries, this issue feels less like the second chapter of a trilogy and more like it’s laying the groundwork for something bigger. Hopefully, the future has more in store for the Flavor Girls. It’s out today from Boom! Studios, so check it out if you get the chance.
It’s always challenging to write a series during a big crossover. Most of the crucial moments happen in the big event book, and the regular series serves as a way to expand on the battle. X-Men #13 sheds some light on the things we don’t see. Gerry Duggan shows us what the newly elected team is up to while Krakoa is being attacked. Joined by C.F. Villa on pencils, Matt Milla takes on the colors, and Clayton Cowles does the letters. X-Men #13 offers readers an in-depth look at our heroes as they try to save the island.
WRITING
There is a little bit more of a challenge for Gerry Duggan since he is writing a new cast. Firestar, Iceman, Magik, Forge, and Havok all joined the team at the Hellfire Gala. Duggan makes his best attempts to fit everyone in and give them a distinct voice, but with such a large cast, some characters don’t get enough panel time. What is clear is that Duggan has a grasp on Forge and Magik. As new team members, they stand out, and Duggan likes writing them. Cyclops and Jean remain the leaders of the team. Duggan uses them effectively in this issue but also gives them less time in the spotlight so he can flesh out all of his new toys. X-Men #13 gives us more of an idea of what the X-Men were doing during the big attack on Krakoa. This issue also builds off of Death To The Mutants #1, so the events in this book tie directly to it. Duggan uses this team creatively, and he also brings a breath of fresh air to some of these characters. Iceman feels like himself again. Duggan has him joking and paling around with Synch. Forge seems interested in the cause as he creates new machines to take down Eternals. Duggan took another random group of mutants and made them feel like a team.
ART
C.F. Villa handles the pencils. Villa makes his money on this issue with big action pages. As the X-Men try to take down a giant Eternal, the characters’ scale is nicely done. Action sequences are handled well here too. As the mutants descend into the Eternals Hex area, Villa draws the battle wonderfully. All characters are clear to see, and the lines are clean. If there is one minor gripe about the pencils, it’s that a character resembles an anime character on a couple of panels. The eyes are slightly bigger than they should be, and there is a lot of shading underneath them. This is a small nitpick. That aside, Villa does a great job of combining exciting action sequences and steady line work.
Matt Milla is on colors for this issue. Milla has a vibrant color palette for the story. In panels where Iceman takes on a giant eternal, Milla uses a combination of bright yellows and darker oranges for the background. This works because Iceman is colored so brightly. He dominates the page, and the background adds good depth. Another great panel by Milla is as Ikaris looks at Earth from space. Milla shades Ikaris’ back perfectly as he stares at a planet from afar.
Clayton Cowles does the letters for this issue. And for most of the comic characters communicate telepathically. Cowles uses the classic distorted thought bubbles to signify this. One of the most memorable moments for lettering comes when Forge unleashes his new weapon. As he fires it off, it lets out a big transparent “BADOOM” that covers the whole panel. Cowles always uses the most exciting sound effects too. As Iceman punches an Eternal, Cowles uses a “SKRABOOM” instead of a simple boom. These little tweaks to words make a difference while you read the book.
CONCLUSION
X-Men #13 gives readers some more depth and backstory to fill in what the main title leaves out. X-Men #13 is an essential issue because it focuses more on smaller moments and gives readers more insight into several characters. Duggan is finding his footing with this series, and it’s paying off for X-Men fans. X-Men #13 is out now at a comic shop near you!
MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #41 hits your local comic book store on August 24th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you!
About the issue: SELIM’S EMPIRE STRIKES BACK! The full might of the EMPIRE OF THE SPIDER bears down on Miles Morales’ small band of resistance fighters. For Miles, their one chance for victory will only come at a great cost – but is SPIDER-MAN prepared to pay it? And what does the future hold for BILLIE MORALES?!
The issue is by writer Saladin Ahmed and artist Christopher Allen, with colors by David Curiel, and letters by Cory Petit. The main cover is by Taurin Clarke.
Check out the MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #41 preview below:
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LAST LINE #1 hits your local comic book store September 7th, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you.
About the issue: Sally Hazzard just had the worst day of her life: While on a usual shift as a driver for the tube, the unthinkable happened when a man is pushed in front of her train and killed.
But…there’s something strange here. Sally swears the man was pushed but her supervisors, witnesses and the cc tv footage all show the man falling on his own. Sally cannot let this go, and her investigation into the murder introduces her to an MI-6 agent named Edward Tarn also curious about the so-called accident.
Together, Sally and Ed discover an off-world explanation for the assassination, plus an alien invasion and the craziest plot twist of all: an interplanetary travel system buried deep beneath the London Underground!
The series is by writer Richard Dinnick and artist Jose Holder, with colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick, and letters by Dave Sharpe. The main cover is by Andy Clarke and Jose Villarrubia, and the incentive variant is by Das Pastoras.
Check out LAST LINE #1 preview below:
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Ultraman: The Mystery of Ultraseven #1 continues Marvel’s adaptation of the classic Tokusatsu series. After the events of the previous mini-series, Shin no longer has the ability to turn into Ultraman and Ultraseven seems to have his own mission to complete. This new installment in Ultraman’s journey comes courtesy of writers Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom, David Tinto and David Lopez, Espen Grundetjean and KJ Kiaz on coloring, and lettering by VC’s Ariana Maher.
Giant kaiju roam. A sinister conspiracy consolidates power. And there’s nobody left to stop it – because Ultraman is GONE! How did the situation go so wrong…? And how can the United Science Patrol claw their way back from the brink? The answers lie in the appearance of an enigmatic new Ultra, and a secret that has remained hidden for decades. From distant stars to lost dimensions, untangling this twisted web will require Shin Hayata to go farther and fight harder than ever before!
Writing
The issue addresses how the Ultra exist with the other races of the universe. They come off as a mixture of the Green Lantern Corps but employ a version of the Prime Directive from Star Trek. The Ultras are only allowed to save civilizations from Kaiju attacks but not get involved in their society. The internal struggle of Ultraseven as he wrestles with the duties he has to the Inter Galactic Defense Force and the citizens of the planet he guards.
Writers Kyle Higgins and Matthew Groom show an excellent grasp of the characters with this third installment. Additionally, the second story in the issue harkens back to the sidestory in the first mini-series and showcases there are more forces at play than what Shin and the United Science Patrol are dealing with presently. Just as the title promises, there is a deep air of mystery present in the issue and many questions remain to be answered. What is Ultraseven’s plan? What really happened with Dan Moroboshi? Questions like these will keep the readers sticking around to see the mini-series through to the end.
Artwork
The art work by David Tinto and David Lopez offers both striking and memorable visuals. With Tinto’s work, there is a great sense of scale, the impressive two page splash between Ultraseven and fan favorite monster Eleking. Meanwhile Lopez delivers a deep sense of foreboding, especially with the character of Executive Director Morheim. The intense facial features in both works express powerful emotions the readers will easily pick up on.
The coloring between Espen Grundetjean and KJ Kiaz offers different aspects to the issue. With the first story Grundetjean’s coloring adds to the world building. This is accomplished by making sure to have the Ultras be presented with distinct coloring to distinguish how they are truly beings of light before they fuse with another a human and become more corporeal. With Kiaz’s work, the coloring adds to the intensity and mystery as a jaw dropping scene unfolds in the end of the second story. It’s far too intense to spoil here but let’s just say it justifies the cost of the issue.
With the lettering by VC’s Ariana Maher makes sure to add to the flow of the story without being distracting. This is accomplished by having many effects blend in with the action taking place on the page. This intensifies the visual, audio, and narrative nature of the Tokusatsu based source material.
Conclusion
Ultraman: The Mystery of Ultraseven #1 is another phenomenal installment in Marvel’s Ultraman saga. Higgins and Groom create an immersive insight into familiar characters aided by phenomenal artwork. If you haven’t taken the time to check out this series, you owe it to yourself to explore the ever expanding universe of Ultraman.
AVENGERS #60 is out September 21st, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has the exclusive first look at the issue!
About the issue: A.X.E.: JUDGMENT DAY TIE-IN! The Avengers’ ace archer is back! As Judgment Day looms, Hawkeye is called upon to justify his existence. As a benchmark, Hawkeye must prove that he brings at least as much joy and usefulness to the world as a randomly chosen mailbox, which, admittedly, is a pretty high bar.
The standalone story is by writer Mark Russell and artist Greg Land, with inks by Jay Leisten, and colors by David Curiel. The main cover is by Javier Garron.
Get your first look at AVENGERS #60 here:
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Rick and Morty is a pop culture icon. It has a devoted fanbase, for good and for ill (who can forget the Szechuan Sauce Incident). The impact has been so great that many adult animated shows have tried to copy Rick and Morty’s visual style and humor and writers like Mike McMahan and Michael Waldron have gone to work as showrunners on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Loki respectively.
However, Season 5 has been the most divisive in Rick and Morty’s run, so far. It was a season that produced some of the best Rick and Morty has had to offer, and some of the worst episodes in the show’s history. This wide range in quality means that the episodes of Season 5 can be ranked.
10. Rickdependence Spray
Three words: ‘Giant Incest Baby.’ That sums up “Rickdependence Spray,” an episode that has gathered the reputation as one of the worst episodes Rick and Morty has produced.
“Rickdependence Spray” was just a long gross-out gag that involved giant sperm monsters, sex jokes, and an underground race of cannibal horse people. It was like the writers shouted out random words and tried to fit them into an episode. This episode took the worst aspects of Family Guy and South Park’s styles. The claim that someone needs a high IQ to understand Rick and Morty will be debunked with this episode.
To show how bad “Rickdependence Spray” was just view the behind-the-scenes video. The production staff seemed like they were shocked and embarrassed by what they made.
9. Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion
“Rickdependence Spray” was a terrible episode and yet the showrunners thought it was a good idea to double down on it. “Gotron Jerryis Rickvangelion” saw the return of the giant incest baby who played a prominent role in the second half of the episode.
Besides the giant incest baby, “Gotron Jerryis Rickvangelion” was a parody of mecha anime, like Voltron, and had a narrative like a Martin Scorsese gangster film. It chronicles the rise and fall of the Smiths becoming mecha pilots and battling monsters from other dimensions. It was an episode that was more focused on parodying genre tropes and relied too much on it. It was not like previous episodes that could parody pop culture and still be funny in their own right.
8. Amortycan Grickitti
“Amortycan Grickitti” was the episode that followed “Rickdependence Spray” and it was a massive improvement on its predecessor. But as a standalone episode “Amortycan Grickitti” was a weak offering from the series.
“Amortycan Grickitti” was split into two stories. The A-Story involved Rick and Jerry hanging out with some Hellraiser-style demons, leading to Jerry getting taken to Hell. The B-Story was about Morty and Summer taking Rick’s car on a joyride around the galaxy.
The A-Story was the stronger story since it was a lot funnier, but it suffered from a major issue. When the episode went to Hell it felt like a repeat of the rescue mission in “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Morty.”
The B-Story was much more reliant on pop culture references, particularly American Graffiti, Transformers, and Marvel Comics.
7. Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular
“Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular” was the sixth episode of Season 5 and it was the first episode in the season where Rick and Morty went on an adventure together. This episode saw Morty accidentally releasing the hidden robot in the Statue of Liberty, leading to Rick and Morty going on an elaborate mission to get their yearly Presidential Pardon.
Rick and Morty must disguise themselves as turkeys so they can get the Presidential Pardon. However, the President was prepared for them and sent out a team of special forces soldiers to stop them. A mishap involving a turkey getting infused with the President’s DNA leads to an unholy alliance between the scientist, the boy, and the politician.
“Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular” was a funny episode with the idea that Rick and the President played this game every year. The jokes involving Congress enabling a Presidential doppelganger, and Rick and the President verbal sparring were particularly funny. The comedic high point was the parody country song ‘Turnin’ Turkey.’
The episode fell apart in the third act because it pulled out a solution from its ass. It involved a group of alien pilgrims and Native Americans being found hidden under Washington D.C. and teaming up with Rick, Morty, and the President to defeat mutant turkeys who have taken over the American capital.
6. A Rickconvenient Mort
“A Rickconvenient Mort” was an episode of two halves, one being a great A-plot and a weak B-plot. This episode sees Morty fall in love with Planetina, an environmental superhero, and sees the teen enter into a serious relationship with the green-haired woman. In the B-Plot Rick and Summer go on an apocalypse party tour by going to three planets that are about to be destroyed.
“A Rickconvenient Mort” was a more emotional episode because Morty falls in love and had the emotional highs and lows and heartbreak a teenager would experience. Alison Brie was an excellent guest star as the Captain Planet-esque character who was wholesome at the start of the episode before exploring her dark side as the episode progressed. The breakup scene was sadly tragic, and Brie excelled with her delivery.
The scene when the song ‘Flowers’ played was a high point of the episode. It showed the highs of Morty and Planetina’s budding relationship before Planetina shows her dark side by taking more extreme action to save the environment.
The B-Plot was a one-note joke where Rick and Summer’s hedonistic partying gets derailed when Rick brings along an alien shagging buddy. The third apocalypse party gave us a warning of things to come because it had an incest joke.
5. Forgetting Sarick Mortshall
“Forgetting Sarick Mortshall” was the penultimate episode of Season 5 and it was a more balanced and consistent episode. In this episode Rick replaces Morty with two crows after Morty’s unauthorized use of the portal gun. Rick attempted to show how dispensable Morty was, but he ended up getting too close with his aviation companions who dared to have compassion. Morty teams up with Nick, a man who has a portal on his thigh and was locked in a psychiatric faculty.
“Forgetting Sarick Mortshall” was an exploration of Rick and Morty’s relationship and this focus made the episode more potent than other episodes. The episode had a theme, and it was a character-driven episode, especially for Morty who finds out Nick had been used by Rick. However, there was a reason why Rick cut Nick loose.
“Forgetting Sarick Mortshall” did have a strong end where Morty was able to stand up to Nick, and Rick and Morty were willing to part ways. However, the ending was undercut when they reteamed again in the following episode.
4. Mort Dinner Rick Andre
“Mort Dinner Rick Andre” was the opening episode of Season Five and it was a strong start. In this episode Rick must negotiate with his nemesis, Mr. Nimbus, king of the ocean after Rick and Morty crash into the ocean. The night of negotiations just happened to coincide with Morty’s date night with Jessica. Even worse for Morty, he gets into a conflict with a race of dog people from a pocket dimension.
“Mort Dinner Rick Andre” was classic Rick and Morty action because Morty’s libido and acts of kindness from characters (i.e. Hoovy) results in an escalating situation. Morty ends up in a war with an increasingly advancing people. It was an episode that had a cynical viewpoint that Rick and Morty has become known for.
The issue with “Mort Dinner Rick Andre” was it felt similar to the Season 4 opener, “Edge of Tomorty: Live. Die. Rickpeat:” because that episode also saw Morty go on a rampage so he can ensure a future relationship with Jessica.
3. Mortyplicity
“Mortyplicity” was the mindfuck episode of Season 5. In this episode it was revealed that Rick had made robot duplicates of the Smith family and placed them around the United States. The aim was to use the robots as decoys to protect the Smiths. However, the robots come to the realization that they may be duplicates and go out to hunt each other.
“Mortyplicity” was a battle royale of an episode. It was carnage as the duplicates kill each other in hilarious and violent ways. It was an episode that showed the duplicates react in extraordinary ways to their situation, from disguising themselves as squid aliens to one version of Smiths capturing duplicates so they can harvest their skin.
The episode openly stated it was a parody of Highlander because the duplicates conclude that there can only be one. The use of the song ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ was a great topper for the episode.
It was the most insane and chaotic episode of the season and was full of surprises.
2. Rickmurai Jack
“Rickmurai Jack” was the final episode of Season 5 and was an all-important lore episode. This episode saw Rick and Morty having to go to the Citadel for the first time since the events of “The Rickshank Rickdemption.” Rick takes Morty to the Citadel so he could be de-aged back to his real age. However, they get captured by Evil Morty and the character reveals his big plans.
“Rickmurai Jack” was a game-changing episode. It was an episode that solved a lot of mysteries the show has set up. Evil Morty revealed the dark secret of the Citadel where the Ricks had closed themselves from the rest of the multiverse and engineered an endless supply of Mortys. Evil Morty aimed to break this system and destroy the Citadel. It had the biggest cliffhanger the series has had, so far.
The episode had strong jokes in the beginning, like a spot-on parody of anime shows, and everything involving 40-year-old Morty and his de-aging was funny. There was a terrific montage that showed what Rick did when he was trying to hunt for a rogue Rick and became more dejected as time went on.
1. Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort
Topping the list was the eighth episode of the season, “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort.” When the Smith family goes away for a short break Rick uses his alone time to try and resurrect his friend Birdperson. But to do this Rick has to go into Birdperson’s mind so his friend can face his trauma, and forces Rick to face some of his own.
As the title suggests “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort” was a reference to the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Like that film, the episode was an exploration of the mindscape, and the relationship between two characters. It was one of the most dramatic and character-driven episodes in the series. It also showed more of Rick’s backstory and gave audiences a shocking reveal, a reveal that was followed up on in the season finale.
“Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort” was a more serious and dramatic episode from the series and showed when Rick and Morty do character-driven episodes it does them brilliantly.
HULK #8 hits your local comic book store on August 17th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you!
About the issue: “BANNER OF WAR” FINALE
The time for victory has come! In the final installment of the epic crossover between the HULK and THOR series, Marvel’s two heaviest hitters expend their rage on one final, brutal brawl that will answer once and for all which of these heroes is the strongest. But in a fight between gods, monsters and men, what becomes of the victor? The loser? And who really has the authority to decide? Revelations about Hulk’s past and choices Thor makes about the future will shake the Marvel Universe to its very core!
The issue is by writers Donny Cates & Daniel Warren Johnson, and artist Martin Coccolo, with colors by Matt Wilson, and letters by Cory Petit. The main cover is by Gary Frank and Brad Anderson.
