01. Secret Warps: Arach-Knight Annual #1 (Marvel) ★★★★★
Writer: Al Ewing & Jim Zub / Art: Carlos Gomez, Carlo Barberi & Juan Vlasco / Colors: Carlos Lopez & Ruth Redmond
Best book in the new Warp series by a mile. Beautifully illustrated with writing so fun I laughed out loud. Both stories are practically perfect, in every way.
02. Fearless #1 (Marvel) ★★★★★
Writer: Seanan McGuire, Leah Williams & Kelly Thompson / Art: Claire Roe, Nina Vakueva & Carmen Carnero / Colors: Rachelle Rosenberg & Tamra Bonvillain
An absolutely delightful read. Three stories, each filled with charm, spot on art and sparkling dialog. The Mille the Model story steals the show. But Campfire promises to be a banger.
03. Amazing Spider-Man #26 (Marvel) ★★★★★
Writer: Nick Spencer / Art: Kev Walker / Colors: Laura Martin
Surprisingly entertaining comic. I admit it took me a while to get used to Walker’s take on Pete, but overall I really liked the art. The story was a lot of fun, and really clicked. Great job.
04. History of the Marvel Universe #1 (Marvel) ★★★★★
Writer: Mark Waid / Art: Javier Rodriguez & Alvaro Lopez
Enjoyable chronological review of Marvel’s myths and history. Nice use of Galactus narration to Franklin Richards to frame the story. Pleasant art, and a whole lot of information (including exhaustive annotations from a small army or researchers) make for a surprisingly solid read. Looking forward to more.
05. House of X (Marvel) ★★★★★
Writer: Jonathan Hickman / Art: Pepe Larraz / Colors: Marte Gracia
Really interesting read. I am a bit confused why Jean is ‘Marvel Girl’ again, and why she & Cyclops require the masks. Other than that, the mix of text & comic was quite impressive. Very interested to see where this goes.
06. Doctor Strange #16 (Marvel) ★★★★
Writer: Barry Kitson & Mark Waid / Art: Mark Waid / Colors: Brian Reber
Galactus fights… everybody. Cameos abound in this big cosmic battle for reality. It doesn’t end how one might expect, which is a good thing. Lots of tension and suspense. Nice.
07. Flash #75 (DC) ★★★★
Writer: Joshua Williamson / Art: Howard Porter, Scott Kolins & Christian Duce / Colors: Hi-Fi & Luis Guerrero
Solid finish to the Year One story, along with two smaller stories. Nice job bringing it back around to the present day. The Today story was a pleasant coda. The Offer felt like a tag on. I get it , but didn’t need it.
08. Guardians of the Galaxy #7 (Marvel) ★★★★
Writer: Donny Cates / Art: Cory Smith / Colors: David Curiel
The new GotG chapter kicks of with an intense story filled with mystery and high stakes. Looks like its gonna be a cool ride.
09. Valkyrie: Jane Foster (Marvel) ★★★
Writer: Jason Aaron & Al Ewing / Art: Cafu / Colors: Jesus Aburtov
This was good. There was a lot of action packed into one book, which I normally like, but I admit I got a bit confused at times. My fault for not reading the Jane Foster Thor series.
10. Batman: Curse of the White Knight #1 (DC Black Label) ★★★
Writer: Sean Murphy /Art: Sean Murphy / Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Dark, if predictable mystery. Interesting visuals. Loved the look of Joker.
11. Sword Master #1 (Marvel) ★★
Writer: Shuizhu & Greg Pak / Art: Gunji & Ario Anindito / Colors: Rachelle Rosenberg
Not sure how I feel about this book. Gunji’s art in Part One was a bit hit and miss for me. Anindito’s work in Part Two was better, but not without its own issues. The mystery is solid, even if the dialog gets a bit clunky at times.