New Comics Reviews 9/11 – 9/18: Wolverine, The Manchurian, The Moon Is Following Us, The Tin Can Society & MORE!
New Comics Reviews for Wednesdays 9/11 – 9/18
Thanks for downloading the show to listen to us discuss (AKA argue about) these comics! But we wanted to give you Listenerds a quick way to keep track of our ratings too. Here are our new comics reviews, ratings, and our choice(s) for the THN Permanent Collection (AKA the best thing[s] we read for this episode) from THN #754! Featuring Wolverine, The Manchurian, The Moon Is Following Us & MORE! You still gotta download the show if you want to hear our full discussion though, so….
CHECK OUT THE FULL EPISODE HERE!
Joe’s Reviews:
9/11
Cover by Terry & Rachel Dodson
The Horizon Experiment: The Manchurian One-Shot
Image Comics
Written by Pornsak Pichetshote
Pencils and Colors by Terry Dodson
Inks by Rachel Dodson
Letters and design by Jeff Powell
Color flats by John Ercek
40 pages for $3.99
Solicit: Series Premiere. A Muslim exorcist, a reverse Indiana Jones, and more. The Horizon Experiment are one-shots created by comics, film, and TV superstars, providing new POVs on popular genres and acting as pilots for new series. It starts with The Manchurian, a Chinese James Bond running covert missions in America for the enemy…
Review: The Horizon Experiment sounds like a really interesting project. I’m very excited for The Sacred Damned, the Muslim Hellblazer concept previewed in this issue. As far as this issue goes, Pichetshote is a very smart writer approaching a beloved genre from a unique angle. I really enjoyed The Manchurian one-shot and I hope we get more of it.
Rating: BUY IT.
Cover by Leinil Yu
Avengers Assemble #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Steve Orlando
Pencils by Cory Smith
Inks by Oren Junior with Elisabetta D’Amico
Colors by Sonia Oback
Letters by VC’s Cory Petit
32 pages for $4.99
Solicit: RETURN TO AVENGERS MANSION! When vampires attacked, a ragtag group of volunteer Avengers changed the tide of battle. And in the aftermath, Captain America has formed the Avengers Emergency Response Squad! Steve’s handpicked team of veterans and newcomers live and train in Avengers Mansion, and when Captain America sounds the mission horn, whoever’s on base has seconds to pack up and deploy. When the Red Skull’s daughter discovers a dangerous artifact, Cap, Wasp, Photon and Shang-Chi set out to stop her – while Hawkeye hosts a poker game for the late arrivals. Will the AVENG.E.R.S. pass their first real test? And did someone say…jackets? Spinning out of Jed MacKay’s AVENGERS, comics powerhouses Steve Orlando (SCARLET WITCH, SPIDER-MAN 2099) and Cory Smith (WOLVERINE, GHOST RIDER) join forces to expand the world of the Avengers!
Review: There are little things here and there that could be better, but I loved everything about Avengers Assemble #1 otherwise. Orlando and Smith capture that classic Avengers feeling that I’ve been missing for so long. My biggest complaint is that it’s only a five issue miniseries.
Rating: BUY IT
9/18
Cover by Riley Rossmo & Mike Spicer
*JOE & MATT’S PERMANENT COLLECTION PICK!*
The Moon Is Following Us #1
Image Comics
Written by Daniel Warren Johnson
Art by Johnson and Riley Rossmo
Colors by Mike Spicer
Letters by Shawn Lee
32 pages for $3.99
Solicit: Series Premiere. Sam and Duncan LaMarr love their six-year-old daughter, Penny, more than anything in the whole world. But half a year ago, she was taken by the Cascade, an evil force they barely understand. Now, Sam and Duncan must fight side by side with the magical beings Penny cherished to try and get her back… before she’s gone forever.
Review: The Moon Is Following Us #1 looks like another winner from the mind of Daniel Warren Johnson, and he’s found the perfect collaborator in Riley Rossmo. The creators deliver a deeply personal story wrapped in profoundly weird sci-fi/fantasy ideas and I’m definitely on board for the full series.
Rating: BUY IT
Cover by Kendrick “Kunkka” Lim
Spirits of Vengeance #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Sabir Pirzada
Pencils by Sean Damien Hill
Inks by Craig Yeung and Jay Leisten
Colors by Andrew Dalhouse
Letters by VC’s Travis Lanham
32 pages for $4.99
Solicit: JOHNNY BLAZE! DANNY KETCH! ROBBIE REYES! THE HOOD! KUSHALA! Many have borne the title SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE and as its most recent claimant has embarked on its final ride to explosive results, others still stir in the darker corners of the Marvel Universe! And one, in particular, has a stronger connection to two Ghost Riders than the rest, and after years, it’s ready to show its fangs again at last…
Review: Spirits of Vengeance #1 suffers from an overreliance on obscure continuity that’s barely explained and amateurish, sloppy art that detracts from the overall experience. The story read better the second time around, but the new era of Ghost Rider is off to a rocky start.
Rating: LEAVE IT
Matt’s Reviews:
9/11
Cover by Martín Cóccolo
Wolverine #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Saladin Ahmed
Art by Martín Cóccolo
Colors by Bryan Valenza
Letters by VC’s Cory Petit
40 pages for $4.99
Solict: THE LEGEND BEGINS ANEW IN THE ADAMANTIUM-TOUGH NEW ONGOING SERIES! There’s a killer in the woods — and as WOLVERINE’s attempt at peace is shattered, an OLD ENEMY will re-emerge as a NEW VILLAIN rises who will bring LOGAN to the brink of his berserker rage. But NIGHTCRAWLER knows his old friend is capable of doing what’s right, and before long, Logan will have to unleash his claws, push his healing factor to the limit and demonstrate he’s the best there is at what he does once and for all — nice be damned! The legendary WOLVERINE ongoing series kicks off anew with the superstar creative team of Saladin Ahmed (DAREDEVIL, MAGNIFICENT MS. MARVEL) and Martín Cóccolo (DEADPOOL, IMMORTAL THOR) beginning their epic journey with Logan! Collector’s Note: A key FIRST APPEARANCE and a major addition to the lore of Wolverine in this issue!
Review: I may have expected more from Saldin Ahmend’s Wolverine #1 than this fairly generic setup, Logan is back in the Yukon running with Wolves and Cyber shows up to kill him. Replace Cyber with any Wolvie villain and you get it. It just feels like a setup we’ve seen too many times but there’s a twist here and when we do learn the reason Ahmed chose Cyber the twist comes off more forced than clever. Cocolo makes the issue look very good but it’s hard to get too flashy in the frozen north when all the backgrounds are snow and trees. The creative team is continuing Ben Percy’s ultra-violent Wolvie which sells but it also doesn’t work so well at times (Wolvie stabbing Cyber’s eyes out and then promptly leaving to help an injured Nightcrawler who didn’t even get hurt that bad). This is a strange first issue that feels like it’s forcing a new villain on readers but thank you for the collectible warning.
Rating: SKIM IT
Cover by Marcus To
Time Waits #1
DSTLRY
Written by Chip Zdarsky and David Brothers
Art by Marcus To and Marvin Sianipar
Colors by Matt Wilson
Letters by Ariana Maher
48 pages for $8.99
Solict: NEW SERIES DEBUT FROM DSTLRY! Join Chip Zdarsky, David Brothers, and Marcus To for a sci-fi adventure that defies expectation and time itself! Meet Blue, a man trapped in the past, which is our present. Sent back in time for a mission he could not bring himself to complete, the former soldier Blue builds a life with Grace, the Sheriff of a small rural town. The pair build a foundation of happiness on a history of bloodshed, as far away from the trigger-happy corporate overlords that used Blue as a human gun. After ten years together, Blue and Grace are on the cusp of taking the next step in their relationship: adoption. Before Grace can fully convince Blue to expand their family, the future comes calling. The overlords want their first deserter and to complete the mission Blue could not. They have one simple rule: kill anyone who stands in their way. The first of four miniseries by Chip Zdarsky from DSTLRY! Every issue from DSTLRY is presented in our perfect bound Prestige format, featuring wraparound covers with spot gloss on robust cover stock, complemented by 48 pages of exquisite interior stock. It’s the DSTLRY difference.
Review: Time Waits is a nice departure from Zdarsky’s recent DC and Marvel input that recaptures some of the charm and humor of his previous work on books like Sex Criminals. That said, this may not be superhero comics but it’s action-sci-fi with excellent art in a perfectly packaged and designed magazine-size package that we’ve come to expect from DSTLTY. This is another great start for a series that seems just grounded enough to lend itself perfectly to a series on any streaming platform. I’d watch the hell out of the show and plant to Read More Time Waits. Did you know his real name is Steve Murray?
Rating: BUY IT
9/18
Cover by Terry & Rachel Dodson
Dazzler #1
Marvel
Written by Jason Loo
Art by Rafael Loureiro
Colors by Javier Tartaglia
Letters by Ariana Maher
32 pages for $4.99
Solict: SO BRIGHT THIS STAR! DAZZLER, Marvel’s glittering mutant songstress, has been in and out of the limelight over the years – but now the time has finally come for her to take center stage! Dazzler embarks on a new world tour, the culmination and celebration of her entire musical career! And along for the ride is her new road crew: Domino, Strong Guy and Multiple Man! But while Dazzler may be ready to focus on her music, her celebrity-mutant status and a violent attack may sideline the entire endeavor before it’s even begun… Each issue features original song lyrics from Ali’s notebook! Don’t miss the concert – and comic – event of the year!
Review: I’m sure there are plenty of trolls out there trashing this book for all kinds of dumb troll reasons but I do think Dazzler #1 did some things well and some could have been better. I like the status quo (even if it does seem a little sudden post-Krakoa but same goes for almost all the X-books) and Loo’s homage to Taylor Swift couldn’t have come at a better time with her throwing her support behind Kamala and getting an even larger amount of troll attacks than usual. But there is some characterization here that didn’t work for me, namely Domino and Maddrox. Even Dazzler may have been better served as a slightly edgier pop star after what down in Krakoa and I get it, she’s a pop star but the dance battle on stage was a little much. This book isn’t for aging X-fans like me, I get that too and it does a nice job presenting itself to younger fans, something we complain comics don’t do enough of on a regular basis. So I applaud the creative team for good timing and a good enough Dazzler story but maybe making Dazz a little more Gaga and subversive would have made a little more sense?
Rating: SKIM IT
Cover by Francesco Mobili
The Tin Can Society #1
Image Comics
Written by Peter Warren
Art by Francesco Mobili
Colors by Chris Chuckry
32 pages for $4.99
Solict: MINISERIES PREMIERE! The first stunning issue of a brand-new miniseries from Giant Generator showcasing the first comics work by screenwriter and incredible talent PETER WARREN (_The Incal _feature film, Kill Me) with jaw-dropping art by FRANCESCO MOBILI (X-Men, SCUMBAG) and beautifully colored by CHRIS CHUCKRY (New X-Men, Gen 13). Johnny Moore is a world-famous tech mogul known as much for his work pioneering mobility aids for people with disabilities (like himself) as he is for moonlighting as the metal-suited vigilante, CALIBURN. But when Johnny is found murdered and his suit stolen, his estranged childhood best friends reunite to solve the mystery of his murder. THE TIN CAN SOCIETY is a heartfelt and human look at the evolution of friendships across a lifetime, at disability and ableism, and the destructive power of fame.
Review: Tin Can Society is a murder mystery at it’s core but it uses flashbacks to examine how close friendships can fall apart with time, money, and fame. The creative team does an excellent job following a classic murder mystery formula but introduces the characters as old friends before shifting the plot on the last page. Excellent art and very solid representation make the story feel grounded and emotional while pushing a well-thought-out mystery. Add issue two to my pull file.
Rating: BUY IT
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