New Comics Reviews 1/8/25 – 1/15/25: Ultimate Wolverine, Aquaman, You Won’t Feel a Thing & MORE!
New Comics Reviews for Wednesdays 1/8 – 1/15 – our first reviews of 2025!!!
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 for the THN Permanent Collection (best of the pile) from Episode 766, featuring Ultimate Wolverine, Aquaman, You Won’t Feel a Thing, The Lucky Devils, and 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:
1/8
Cover by Jon Timms
Aquaman #1
DC Comics
Written by Jeremy Adams
Art by John Timms
Colors by Rex Locus
Letters by Dave Sharpe
32 pages for $3.99
Solicit: NEW POWERS, NEW MISSION…THE KING IS BACK, BABY! In the wake of Absolute Power, Arthur Curry’s powers have evolved to powerful new heights, and this is one king ready to use them to kick some serious butt. Mammoth water-construct Kaijus have emerged from each of the seven seas, and only Aquaman’s water-warping abilities can stop them–but not if they kill the good king in the process! Enter Dagon, Arthur’s guide on the quest to unlock the secrets of the “blue.” But what deadly secret awaits Arthur on his journey? It’s an all-new era for Aquaman by acclaimed creators Jeremy Adams (The Flash, Green Lantern) and John Timms (Action Comics) that will leave you cheering!
Review: Jeremy Adams has been killing it at DC on books like The Flash and Green Lantern, and artist Jon Timms is a rising star. They’re a great team to tackle a back-to-basics, yet still original, take on DC’s King of Atlantis. Aquaman #1 is an awesome first issue that sets up a really interesting new status quo for Arthur. I’m definitely on board for more.
Rating: BUY IT.
Cover by J. Scott Campbell
Magik #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Ashley Allen
Art by German Peralta
Colors by Arthur Hesli
Letters by VC’s Ariana Maher
32 pages for $4.99
Solicit: THE MYSTIC MUTANT GOES DEMON HUNTING IN HER OWN NEW, ONGOING SERIES! The X-Man Ilyanna Rasputina strikes out on her own with new allies and dark powers arrayed against her. Something ancient has awakened beneath the Alaskan ice. Unfortunately for it, that’s Magik’s territory now! Written by rising star Ashley Allen (X-MEN: BLOOD HUNT – MAGIK, MARVEL ZOMBIES: BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD) and illustrated by the incomparable Germán Peralta (LOKI, BLACK PANTHER), this is a stylish, high-octane demon-hunting adventure starring the fiercest X-Man of them all!
Review: We’ve spent a lot of time debating which X-characters can sustain a solo ongoing title. I think Allen, Peralta, and company make a pretty strong case for Ilyanna Rasputin. Some elements are a little too familiar, and the dialogue can be a little too wooden, so I’m not ready to give it an enthusiastic endorsement just yet, but strong art, great action scenes, and a compelling lead make Magik #1 worth a look at the very least.
Rating: STRONG SKIM IT.
1/15
Cover by Jock
*JOE & MATT’S PERMANENT COLLECTION PICK!*
You Won’t Feel a Thing #1
DSTLRY
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Jock
Pencil assists by Dom Reardon
Colors by Lee Loughridge and Jock
Letters by Andworld Design
48 pages for $8.99
Solicit: Modern comic writing legend Scott Snyder (Batman, White Boat) reunites with iconic horror artist Jock (Wytches, Gone) to tell the story of an ailing detective’s past come back to haunt him… Years ago, John Reader was an accomplished homicide detective. So accomplished that it cost him everything else in his life. Now John finds himself alone, trapped in a retirement home with a brain tumor that’s slowly sapping his once-keen mind of all memories. But when an ice-cold serial killer case from out of his past rears its head, John must call on all his remaining memories in order to stop a killer that only he still believes really exists! YOU WON’T FEEL A THING is a sobering murder mystery exploring the anguish of a man whose own body and mind has turned against him, and the desire to find meaning in one’s own life before it unravels. For fans of ZODIAC, MEMENTO, & TRUE DETECTIVE.
Review: You Won’t Feel a Thing #1 is the start of another gripping horror tale from a pair of creators with a history of creeping out readers with their collaborations. The hook of the story – John’s brain tumor – is really compelling and the Chatter Man is scary as hell. I’ll definitely be sticking with this one.
Rating: BUY IT.
Cover by Alessandro Cappuccio
Ultimate Wolverine #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Chris Condon
Art by Alessandro Cappuccio
Colors by Bryan Valenza
Letters by VC’s Cory Petit
32 pages for $5.99 (WTF?!)
Solicit: THE MAKER’S ULTIMATE WEAPON! From rising star Chris Condon (That Texas Blood) and MOON KNIGHT powerhouse artist Alessandro Cappuccio comes the story of the ULTIMATE WOLVERINE! In order to maintain control of their corner of the Maker’s world, three members of his council-Magik, Colossus and Omega Red-deploy their most lethal asset: The Winter Soldier! But WHO is the weapon behind the mask?
Review: Ultimate Wolverine #1 twists the man we know into an even more tragic figure, as if that were even possible. I don’t know where the story is going for the remainder of the run, but I expect bloody retribution down the line, with piles of bodies in its wake. Cappuccio’s art delivers on the promises made by Condon’s brutal script. This is going to be great.
Rating: BUY IT.
Matt’s Reviews:
1/8
Cover by Glen Fabry
Those Not Afraid #1
Dark Horse
Written by Kyle Starks
Art by Patrick Piazzalunga
Colors by Marko Brakko
Letters by Jim Campbell
32 pages for $3.99
Solicit: A new crime series from three-time Eisner nominee Kyle Starks (Peacemaker Tries Hard, Where Monsters Lie) for fans of true crime and murder fiction. Two serial killers discover they are within reach of the state record for kills and enter a terrible competition to see who gets there first. Featuring amazing and stylish noir art from Patrick Piazzalunga (Monsters Are My Business) and incredible covers from the legendary Glenn Fabry (Preacher, Hellblazer).
Review: Kyle Starks is a writer usually known for his humor comics but Those Not Afraid is a complete departure into the cruel and inhuman world of serial killing. Starks uses a podcaster to set the stage and gives Piazzalunga’s art room to tell this deeply disturbing story from the first panel of page 1. The story is fictional but Starks packs the script with enough serial killer facts to rope in any true crime fan. I can’t say enough about Piazzalunga’s style and deeply creeps panels featuring the two serial killer stars of the story. Those Not Afraid is an excellent first issue of what looks to be a very dark, crime story from an incredible creative team showing off their range.
Rating: BUY IT
Cover by Ryan Browne
The Lucky Devils #1
Image Comics
Written by Charles Soule
Art by Ryan Browne
Colors by Kevin Knipstein
Letters by Crank
32 pages for $3.99
Solicit: Good Omens meets CURSE WORDS in this new series from the duo behind smash-hit EIGHT BILLION GENIES! THE LUCKY DEVILS is a tale of two rebellious demons who decide to start a revolution in Hell — and the two ordinary, 20-something humans they’re going to manipulate to do it. A cheeky, satirical look at Good and Evil, THE LUCKY DEVILS explores Faustian bargains and temptation in a rip-roaring, hilarious new way.
Review: If you thought Eight Billion Genies was clever be prepared to smile and giggle again as Soule and Browne unleash their new fiendishly clever idea. Lucky Devils recreates hell as a corporate ladder where devils are just doing their job pushing people toward making evil choices and some devils are tired of the rat race. Ryan Brown’s art is excellent as always and his design on the two main devils just screams “merchandise”. These two creators absolutely excel at high-concept stories with a heart and Lucky Devils looks to be another winner. Don’t make the same mistake most did on Eight Billion Genies and pick up this first issue before it disappears.
Rating: BUY IT
1/15
Cover by Skyler Patridge
The Horizon Experiment: Finder’s/Keepers #1
Image Comics
Written by Vita Ayala
Art by Skylar Patridge
Colors by Jason Wordie
Letters by Becca Carey
32 pages for $3.99
Solicit: Comics powerhouse VITA AYALA (New Mutants, Static: Season One) and superstar artist SKYLAR PATRIDGE (Absolute Power: Ground Zero, Supergirl) reunite for a new type of action-adventure tale, following a Puerto Rican reverse Indiana Jones — a thief stealing from museums to return artifacts back to their native cultures.
Review: The latest Horizon Project book like the others swaps a person of color for a classically white main character, this time it’s a Puerto Rican woman as a reverse Indiana Jones. Instead of collecting artifacts she’s liberating them and returning them to the rightful owners. It’s a good concept with a lot of commentary on Museum curation (they can’t all be completely evil, right?) that borders on racist mustache twiddling at times. The story moves a little too quickly and has to tell the reader what happened later at times. I liked Patridge’s psychedelic Swamp Thing-inspired splash pages and Wordie’s colors selling the story’s supernatural aspects. The story was good but it’s not clear how the main character’s powers work, but I like the concept here. Maybe they should have called her a Robin Hood meets Indiana Jones? I don’t know, maybe Indy was guilty of everything the main character is fighting against too…
Rating: SKIM IT
Cover by Michael Avon Oeming
Shadow of the Golden Crane #1
Dark Horse
Written by Chris Roberson
Art by Michael Avon Oeming
Colors by Chris O’Halloran
Letters by Clem Robbins
32 pages for $3.99
Solicit: A mysterious B.P.R.D. case in the 1960s forces Agent Sue Xiang to dive into the history of the secretive Golden Crane Society, and into the questions in her own family past as well. Hellboy creator Mike Mignola is joined by writer Chris Roberson (Hellboy and the B.P.R.D., Panya: The Mummy’s Curse) and artist Michael Avon Oeming (Abe Sapien, Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1956) in this paranormal puzzle that unfolds across time.
Review: As a huge fan of Mignola’s Hellboy and BPRD mythos I can’t resist another series set in any timeline. I suppose they’ll all have to be flashback stories seeing as the Earth was destroyed in the pages of the BPRD series but trust me, it was awesome and I’m onboard for the 60’s adventures of a Chinese woman working for the BPRD discovering she is part of a long line of Chinese monster hunters with a cool name too. Omeing’s blocky, cartoon art is perfect for the tone of Mignola’s supernatural stories and his demon-fighting action is excellent. Shadow of the Golden Crane sets up some new and exciting BPRD members and of course, features your favorite red-skinned stone-handed demon Hellboy too. Long-time fans will love this but new fans should feel just as welcome.
Rating: BUY IT.
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