New Comics Reviews 8/20! Justice League Red, Black Cat, Marvel All-On-One & Escape!

New Comics Reviews for Wednesday 8/20!

Hello! Here are THN’s new comics reviews for the week of 8/20/25! Featuring Justice League Red, Black Cat, Marvel All-On-One & Escape!

Be sure to check back every week for New Comic Book reviews and check out the New Comics Review Show if you want to hear our full discussions!

Joe’s Reviews:

Justice League Red #1
DC Comics
Written by Saladin Ahmed
Art by Clayton Henry
Colors by Arif Prianto
Letters by Lucas Gattoni
32 pages for $3.99

Solicit: ALL-STARS SALADIN AHMED AND CLAYTON HENRY SOUND THE ALARM! The Justice League has a new spec-ops team so covert, the founders can’t know it exists. And its leader is the only hero who could keep JLR off its radar… because he is the radar. Red Tornado is the heart and mind of the Watchtower — watching, projecting into the future, and his projections point to apocalypse as a direct result of the concentrated power of the JLU. When your Justice League ID card lights up red, Reddy needs you. For the fate of humanity, and for yourself, because you don’t want to find out what Red can do with what he knows about you. Join a best-in-the-biz creative team — Saladin Ahmed (Wolverine, Daredevil) and Clayton Henry (Action Comics, We Are Yesterday) — and an all-star team of heroes, and find out how far they’ll go to keep the peace and Red Tornado’s secrets.

Review: The solicit invokes memories of past titles like Secret Avengers and Justice League Task Force, where the membership roster changed based on the current threat. Those books weren’t always very well-regarded (looking at you, Secret Defenders), but it’s a great hook on paper. Sladin Ahmed and Clayton Henry are the latest creators to tackle the concept, and I’m pretty intrigued so far.

Ahmed’s script does a great job setting the stage for the series, specifically Red Tornado’s startling revelation that the very formation of the Justice League Unlimited is statistically likely to be the first in a series of events that lead to different cataclysms. Ahmed offers solid characterization throughout, but this issue is in full setup mode, and we only see three of the characters shown on the cover. And that’s what highlights a lack of clarity regarding the concept. Is the assortment of characters on the cover a team roster, or is it just that: an assortment of characters meant to illustrate that anyone could get the call? How is Reddy going to keep a squad operating on an intergalactic scale a secret from the likes of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman? But there’s also an intriguing hint that maybe Red Tornado isn’t giving his operatives the whole story, so I’m willing to give the story a chance to build for a bit.

Clayton Henry draws in a very classic superhero style and he does it very well. This issue, while not especially flashy, looks very slick. There are also a few standout panels and pages that show off his exceptional talent, most notably the full page splash of Red Tornado at the beginning of the issue.

Justice League Red #1 introduces a solid concept that could have used a little more fleshing out, but there’s enough meat on the bone here that I’m willing to let Ahmed and Henry cook for a bit. I’m definitely interested enough to be back for more. I just hope that my questions aren’t left unanswered.

Rating: BUY IT

 

Marvel All-On-One #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Ryan North
Pencils by Ed McGuinness
Inks by Mark Farmer
Colors by Marcio Menyz
Letters by VC’s Joe Caramanga
64 pages for $7.99

Solicit: A 50-Page epic told entirely in splash pages! Ben Grimm, A.K.A. The Thing: He’s the ever-lovin’ idol of millions and powerhouse of the Fantastic Four. He’s strong, he’s kind, and he never gives up. He’s also tired, and he’s sore, and he’s grumpy. There’s always a new threat facing the world or the galaxy or the universe — and somehow, he and the rest of the Fantastic Four are always the only ones who can stop it. Ben Grimm is sick and tired of it. He just wants a break! But when he returns to Earth after a solo mission in space to discover the Fantastic Four have turned against him – along with the rest of New York City, and, apparently, the entire world — he’s got a mystery to solve… and a whole wide world to clobber. Ben Grimm takes on the entire planet in this special Marvel Anniversary issue — across 50 pages of incredible nonstop action so bold, so colossal, that the only pages that aren’t splash pages are double-page spreads! It’s Marvel as you’ve always wanted to see it, at our biggest — our baddest — our most clobberingest! It’s the wildest story we’ve ever published! It’s Marvel All-on-One!

Review: For the benefit of the people hearing this review instead of reading it (twoheadednerd.com: visit today!), Marvel All-On-One is an “anniversary issue” featuring a story told entirely splash pages and double-page spreads. I have no idea what we’re supposed to be celebrating, but here we are. With the exception of the final pages, the solicit says it all, but the plot isn’t really the point here. The big draw is watching Ed McGuinness put on a masterclass of action comics storytelling for 50 straight pages. I will come as no shock that all is not what it seems, and the other “heroes” are revealed to robots almost immediately. But don’t bother trying to solve the mystery of where the robots came from. First, you’ll never guess. Second, there isn’t one. Like I said, the plot is practically irrelevant. North is clearly having a blast with the script here, as he’s able to write one giant fight scene with a sort of “Greatest Hits” version of the Marvel Universe. But NO ONE is having as much fun here as the art team.

As you might imagine, the art by McGuinness, Farmer, and Menyz is SUBLIME. Every single page is a feast for the eyes, full of details both large and small. McGuinness sneaks in homages to fan-favorites like John Byrne’s X-Men, and, of all things, the Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction video game from 20 years ago. There is a scene involving Spider-Man that is so joyously silly that I won’t spoil it here.

As if the previous 40-something pages weren’t ridiculous enough, North and McGuinness up the stakes by getting the fucking SOLAR SYSTEM involved in the fight, which leads to a very the very satisfying revelation of the plot’s big mastermind. It’s so out of left field and completely obvious all at once. It’s the perfect ending to the comic book equivalent of a wonderful palette cleanser. After a rough week of health scares, family drama, and the usual cruelty of the world and the people that run it, Marvel All-On-One was like a breath of fresh air. It’s not going to cure what ails you, but it’ll definitely make you feel a little better for a while.

Rating: BUY IT

 

Matt’s Reviews:

Black Cat #1
Marvel Comics
Written by G. Willow Willson
Art by Gleb Melnikov
Colors by Brian Reber
Letters by Joe Caramagna
32 pages for $4.99

Solicit: Super-thief, super… Hero?! Felicia Hardy is the Black Cat, the world’s slyest and most skilled super-thief! She loves a good score. The longer the odds — the better! But her entire world turned upside down after the Amazing Spider-Man’s battle with Hellgate, so Felicia is turning over a new leaf as New York City’s newest… super hero?! The first super villain on her list — the Lizard! But will the Black Cat risk it all after her do-gooding moral high ground attracts dangerous attention from the lowest of the city’s underworld? Easy, Kingpin of Crime, she’s still skimming off the top — honest! Superstar G. Willow Wilson joins rising star Gleb Melnikov to chart the winding road of twists and turns, laughs and mind-bending action of Black Cat’s next exciting chapter!

Review: I love the Black Cat—and no, not just because of the low-cut top (though it doesn’t hurt). Felicia is a great character, and her “will they/won’t they” chemistry with Spider-Man has always been fun. If Peter can’t be with Mary Jane, I’d love to see him with Felicia. Unfortunately, something happened in Amazing Spider-Man #8 (I’m behind, but apparently a character named Hellgate beat the hell out of him), leaving Spidey acting strangely. That means romance is off the table here, and instead we get an awkward, mostly silent Spider-Man cameo.

Wilson’s story instead leans on some fourth-wall breaking, with Felicia complaining her way into ultimately deciding she’s going to fight crime since Spidey is… different? I guess? The story isn’t bad, but it spends too much time on a battle with the Lizard (and how exactly does she understand his hisses and grunts?) instead of digging into Felicia’s life. When it does, it only scratches the surface of her character.

Melnikov’s art is strong, channeling flashy ’90s-inspired energy that keeps the story moving. Felicia looks sexy as hell—yes, there’s a bubble bath scene for the cheesecake fans—and the Lizard is massive and fast-moving. The book looks great overall, aside from a few odd facial choices—Felicia’s lips in that bath scene look like they got a Mar-a-Lago botox job. I’ll forgive him if he got to pick the d-list characters in the Night Nurse’s waiting room.

Maybe this creative team is just warming up and has more planned for Felicia’s face-turn. I like the idea of Black Cat stepping into a hero role for a bit, maybe even saving Spidey from his current status quo. Wilson’s work on Ms. Marvel and the current Poison Ivy series has been excellent, delivering personal, character-driven stories, and maybe her Black Cat will get there. But this first issue doesn’t dig deeper than cute, standard superhero comic material.

Rating: SKIM IT

 

Escape #1
Image Comics
Written by Rick Remender
Art and by Daniel Acuña
Letters by Rus Wooton
40 pages for $4.99

Solicit: SHOT DOWN. HUNTED. OUT OF TIME. THE NEW ONGOING TWO-FISTED WAR EPIC FROM REMENDER & ACUÑA STARTS HERE. From the creative team of New York Times bestselling author RICK REMENDER (DEADLY CLASS, Uncanny X-Force) and powerhouse DANIEL ACUÑA (Captain America, Black Panther) — the duo behind Marvel’s Uncanny Avengers — comes a savage, full-throttle wartime thriller where survival isn’t given… it’s taken. Milton Shaw is a battle-hardened bomber pilot, flying missions over a war-torn world ruled by a ruthless empire. But when his plane is shot out of the sky, Milton wakes up behind enemy lines — in the smoldering ruins of a city he helped burn. And in less than 24 hours, his own side is dropping the big one to finish the job. Now, injured, unarmed, and being hunted through enemy streets, Milton’s only shot at escape comes from the unlikeliest place: a grieving father and his son — civilians shattered by the same fascist regime that rules this land with an iron claw. Enemies by blood. Allies by circumstance. Together, they’ll have to fight their way out before the bomb drops and erases everything… and everyone. Set in a brutal, fully painted world of anthropomorphic animals — think Inglourious Basterds meets Blacksad — ESCAPE is a gritty, bullet-riddled journey through war’s scorched aftermath. It’s about the violence we inflict, the souls we try to save, and the courage it takes to crawl out of fire.

Review: Rick Remender is a top-five comic writer for me, and up until now I don’t recall him writing a war comic—or an anthropomorphic story, for that matter. That said, his writing has always been intense, with a penchant for putting characters in the most dire circumstances—see his Black Science series for a perfect example. It only makes sense that he’d be perfect for a World War II comic following a group of airmen on a desperate bombing raid from which only one might return. Also, the airmen are talking animals—which might sound silly, but it creates a different reading experience that at times feels even more human. Much like Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg’s Masters of the Air, Escape plays on all the tropes of a bomber that’s outlived its luck and has to make one more run. But when the “hometown boys” are replaced with talking dogs, bears, and raccoons, it hits differently—especially when you see one of them torn apart by machine-gun fire.

To pull off a great anthropomorphic story, you need an artist who can give the talking animals the gravitas they need, and I can’t think of anyone better than Daniel Acuña. He hasn’t tackled much in the way of talking animal stories beyond a few Rocket Raccoon appearances, but here he proves he’s still at the top of his game. His sky scenes with sunset backdrops are gorgeous—nobody else should be allowed to color his work—and his aerial combat sequences completely steal the show.

Together, these two creators operate like a perfect tag team, ratcheting up the tension for the main character, who hasn’t even started escaping by the end of issue #1. I won’t be surprised at all to see Escape on a lot of “Best of the Year” lists come December.

Rating: BUY IT

 

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