New Comics Reviews 4/23/25: Superman, Predator Versus Spider-Man, Moonshine Bigfoot & Arcana Royale!
New Comics Reviews for Wednesday 4/23!
Hello! Here are our new comics reviews for the week of 4/23/25, featuring Superman, Predator Vs. Spider-Man, Moonshine Bigfoot & Arcana Royale!
Be sure to check out the review show if you want to hear our full discussions!
Joe’s Reviews:
Cover by Dan Mora
Superman #25
DC Comics
Written by Joshua Williamson
Art by Dan Mora, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, and Jamal Campbell
Colors by Alejandro Sanchez and Jamal Campbell
Letters by Dave Sharpe
40 pages for $5.99
Solicit: REMATCH OF THE CENTURY: SUPERMAN VERSUS LEX LUTHOR! Superman and Superwoman are still reeling from their epic battles against Doomsday and Time Trapper, but a bigger problem just appeared…Lex is back! Lex’s memory was erased during the House of Brainiac arc, but now Superman’s greatest enemy has returned with a twist, and he’s ready for a fight to control Supercorp and Metropolis. Is this the end of Supercorp?! Prepare for a shocking oversize issue that celebrates the last two years of Superman, connects to the Summer of Superman, and sets up a brand-new storyline!
Review: The Summer of Superman is in full swing and Lex Luthor is back to his evil ways! Or IS he…? Kudos to Joshua Williamson for delivering a story that’s not quite as simple as “Evil Lex Returns” and that sets up a really compelling conflict for future issues. The writing has been on the wall for Supercorp for a while, but now Williamson reveals the rest of the pieces in the puzzle of Lex’s master plan. Almost the entire Superman Family is here, alongside recent additions to the supporting cast like Jimmy Olsen’s girlfriend the Silver Banshee and the vengeance-seeking science ghost cowgirl Marilyn Moonlight. The main event is brutally stunning, brought to life by the incredible talents of Dan Mora, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Jamal Campbell, and Alejandro Sanchez. Once again, Barrows’s black and white flashback scenes are breathtaking. Good guy superhero artist Dan Mora’s pages are shockingly intense. I’ll stop short of spoiling what happens other than to say it isn’t quite what you think. Superman #25 is the culmination of the past two years Williamson’s outstanding run. If you haven’t been reading the Man of Steel’s solo adventures, take a chance on this series.
Rating: BUY IT
Cover by Ellis, Howard & Daniel
Moonshine Bigfoot #1
Image Comics
Written by Mike Marlow and Zach Howard
Pencils by Steve Ellis
Inks by Zach Howard
Colors by Nelson Daniel
Letters and design by Thompson Knox
32 pages for $4.99
Solicit: Buzzard County, 1981-Moonshine Bigfoot spends his days making a living while outwitting clueless cops, reckless rivals, and buffoonish Bigfoot Hunters. All is hunky-dory until he draws the attention of an Illuminati-esque cabal. With his partner in life and crime, Amethyst, our hairy hero is about to learn that some problems can’t be handled just by jumping them in a souped-up Mach 1.
Review: Moonshine Bigfoot is like a fever dream fueled by honky-tonkiest, hard drivin’ TV and movies from the 70s and 80s. If the solicit gives you a Dukes of Hazzard vibe, you’re on the right track. The issue even comes with a Waylon Jennings-esque omniscient narrator. There’s a story here, and I suspect there might be a pretty big twist percolating. But it all takes a backseat to the increasingly ridiculous series of outrageous action scenes. If that sounds like a complaint, you couldn’t be more wrong. Moonshine Bigfoot gets a Superman-style origin story that sets him up as the premier bootlegger of Buzzard County, Georgia. I wish I could recap the story at least a little bit, but it’s got so many silly moving parts that we’d be here all day. Instead, what I’ll say is that this comic is pure, distilled FUN. I’m not that familiar with the work of Steve Ellis. However, I am a big fan of the combo of Zach Howard and Nelson Daniel. Together with Ellis’s excellent line art, the trio deliver a gorgeous-looking issue that takes the idea that car chases are too hard to pull off in comics and laughs in its stupid face. I don’t know where the story is going yet, but If you grew up loving stuff like the Dukes, BJ and the Bear, Every Which Way But Loose, and Smokey and the Bandit, you should absolutely pick up Moonshine Bigfoot #1.
Rating: BUY IT
Matt’s Reviews:
Cover by Paulo Siqueira & Yen Nitro
Predator Versus Spider-Man #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Ben Percy
Pencils by Marcelo Ferreira
Inks by Jay Leisten
Colors by Frank D’Armata
Letters by VC’s Clayton Cowles
40 pages for $5.99
Solicit: TARGET: SPIDER-MAN IN PREDATOR’S GRITTIEST SERIES YET! In Predator vs. Wolverine, we saw a single Predator stalk Earth’s greatest prey, the killing machine Wolverine. In Predator vs. Black Panther, Yautja invaded Wakanda and nearly dethroned its king. Now Ben Percy turns his twisted brain to Marvel’s most beloved property: Spider-Man! A heat wave sends NYC into a blackout and Spider-Man on patrol as tempers boil across the city. But beneath its grimy sewers and subways lurks a threat unlike anything Peter Parker has faced before. Introducing “Skinner,” a Predator of no honor and no clan — only a thirst for blood. Exquisitely rendered by superstar artist Marcelo Ferreira!
Review: The Predator is back, along with two-time “Predator vs.” (Wolverine and Black Panther) writer Ben Percy—but this time, even though Peter is the target, don’t come looking for light-hearted Spidey-fun. When Marvel wants gritty and violent, Percy is their go-to guy and once again, he delivers.
Marcelo Ferreira is excellent with his Spidey action, McFarlane-inspired web work, and some genuinely disturbing gore (for you sickos, like me). There’s one splash page featuring hung, dismembered bodies that made the death-metal-fan in me giggle.
The plot is classic Predator: it’s the hottest summer on record and New York is boiling—but that’s where the similarities end. Percy’s story has this ugly motherf-er acting more like a psycho from a classic slasher film. No spoilers, but let’s just say he’s definitely not just collecting skulls. The character pop on the last page wasn’t hard to see coming, but it makes the plot more interesting.
My only advice to Spidey fans? Make sure you’re here for the rated-R Predator experience.
Rating: BUY IT
Cover by A.C. Zamudio
Arcana Royale #1 of 4
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Cullen Bunn
Art by A. C. Zamudio
Colors by Bill Crabtree
Letters by Joshua Reed
40 pages for $3.99
Solicit: From the co-creator of The Sixth Gun and Harrow County comes a new supernatural thriller that The Sandman meets Rounders! Hudson Tremaine is a streetwise gambler who has siphoned money from every high-stakes game in Vegas. She’s made a name for herself, but she’s also made more than a few enemies in the gambling underworld. When she is invited to play in the most underground card tournaments of all — the Arcanos Mysterinos — she realizes the stakes are higher than she ever imagined possible. Imagine a clandestine poker tournament where magicians, demons, and demigods gamble using a set of mysterious tarot-like cards. These games shape the fate of the world… of many worlds… for good or ill. This game has always been played in secret, hidden from the prying eyes of mortals. Until now. Hudson has always been willing to bet on herself — but playing for the fate of all humanity is something she never anticipated!
Review: Proclamation time: (I yell at Joe for giving it away at the beginning of his reviews all the time, but…) Cullen Bunn’s horror work at Dark Horse delivers every time! Bunn is back with yet another catchy-creepy story hook that would make for an excellent streaming mini-series. Take Millar’s deal and give it to Bunn, Netflix. Trust me on this one!
Once again, Bunn has found an artist perfect for his supernatural, high-stakes poker story—Zamudio even makes a giant sock monkey look scary. The layouts are smart and make a card game look slick and interesting (which has got to be as hard as drawing a car chase, right?). The players’ character designs feel like an evil Alice in Wonderland tea party, and the settings—an abandoned church, an old graveyard, etc.—feed the dark, mysterious theme while mimicking the style of televised professional poker games on late-night ESPN.
If you’re a slow-burn horror fan, Arcane Royale is hard to resist and puts a great spin on the classic “lucky card player gets in over their head” genre.
Rating: BUY IT
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