​A new Sony/Marvel movie collab, we finally get to see Carnage on the big screen! Even with all the excitement surrounding the film (including the biggest US opening of the pandemic), the movie is... fine? We have some qualms and some praise, but as Linkin Park so eloquently states, "in the end, nothing really matters..." (Spoiler Alert!) 

Honorable Mention Highlights: September 2021

• Telepaths #1 (w: J. Michael Straczynki, a: Steve Epting)
• Dark Ages #1 (w: Tom Taylor, a: Iban Coello)
• Search for Hu #1 (w: Jon Tsuei, Steve Orlando, a: Rubine)
• Nine Stones (w/a: Samuel Spano)
• Maw #1 (w: Jude Ellison S. Doyle, a: A.L. Kaplan)
• Corset #1 (w: Jurii Kirnev, a: Elina Klyushnikova)
• 10 Years to Death One Shot (w: Aaron Douglas, a: Cliff Richards)
• Impossible Jones #1 (w: Karl Kesel, a: David Hahn)
• Unborn #1 (w: Frank Gogol, a: Ev Cantada)
• Turbo Kid: Apple's Lost Adventure #1 (w: RKSS, a: Jeik Dion)
• Human Remains #1 (w: Peter Milligan, a: Sally Cantrino)
• Frontiersman #1 (w: Patrick Kindlon, a: Marco Ferrari)

Telepaths #1
What happens when everyone passes out and then immediately wakes up being able to read each other's thoughts? Sounds pretty awful, doesn't it? Well, Straczinsky has taken on exactly this concept. Not a ton happens in issue number one, mostly just covering the finer details of "why" and "how," but with there being nothing more personal than your own inner-most thoughts, I could definitely see this book getting into some nitty gritty of what it means to have personal space.

Dark Ages #1
Oh look, Marvel has some sort of event going on. Been a minute since they've had one of those...
That said, this event is actually kind of neat so far. It's an interesting concept: how would superheroes function in a world of no electricity. It really only works for Marvel too, seeing as how so much of the Marvel heroism is based in science and technology. In a word full of Marvel cash ins, I'm actually pretty stoked for this one.
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Search for Hu #1
Kind of like Pearl from Bendis, but set it inside a martial arts movie. There's some clichés, some "why did you never tell me" moments, some special military behind-closed-doors knowledge to be had - not a bad time, but not an exceptionally special one, either. It has potential, though, especially if you love a good "chosen-one" story.
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Nine Stones #1
I like the characters of this book. The premise isn't entirely new. The narrative plays out fairly predictably. But the writing of the characters is what really shines. They just feel cute and realistic, and I find myself wanting to see their love blossom. And in general it's nice to have an LGBTQ story that just feels natural and not forced.

Maw #1
I have high hopes for Maw, but dang did the first issue not deliver. I get the message it's trying to say, but it's handling of that message is done with heavy hands. Like, filled with lead hands. That said, I dig the creepy atmosphere built around the self-help group/ cult, and the promise of body horror will always get me hooked.

Corset #1
Man, you know I love a good steampunk story. This one has that distinct "Victorian-era but MACHINES" vibe, which can be done so well in comics. What's cool about this one is that the main focus is on fashion, which just makes so much sense in a steampunk environment. The characters are well developed, the story is very familiar and engaging (I see you, Beauty and the Beast) and the twist is just twisty-enough. I'm only sad it's a one-shot, because this title sucked me in for sure.

10 Years to Death (One Shot)
This is another of those big, beautiful one-shot titles from Aftershock that we've been talking about a lot. This one is a horror title, but less gruesome than some of the others, and reads a little more like a supernatural thriller. The tale is told from the perspective of a now-grown man, retelling an experience he had as a kid with his uncle. It's well paced, spooky, and feels just grounded in reality enough to keep you sucked in the whole way through. Definitely worth picking up.

Impossible Jones #1
She was a criminal, in it for herself and the score. Now, she finds herself with powers she didn't earn, and a nagging feeling of responsibility to be on the right side of the law. Sounds impossible? Nah, just Impossible Jones. Cute, colorful, creative use of some superhero tropes - I think this is going to be a super fun titles to follow moving forward.

Unborn #1 
I'm a sucker for a good "group of ragtag, brash yahoos out in space on some sort of dangerous mission for a corporation and/or to save the earth in a mundane way" kinda scifi story. If you feel the same, are a fan of the alien franchise, or just looking for some interesting sci-fi that is more of the "this spaceship runs on diesel" type, then this is a good choice. Unborn doesn't try too hard to break the mold, but instead chooses to tell a story about interpersonal relationships and coping with the past against a backdrop of clunky space mechanisms and regenerative alien bugs.

Turbo Kid: Apple's Lost Adventure #1
This is apparently a prequel to a movie. If the movie is anywhere as balls-out bonkers as this book, I need to watch it. Turbo Kid appears to be one part Mega Man, one part Tank Girl, and if I need to say more than that then you just don't understand joy.

Human Remains #1
So, the whole "emotions are bad" thing has been done before, but usually under the umbrella of government control. Here we have some sort of mysterious entities that teleport in and obliterate anyone feeling to strongly a certain way. Cool premise that I can't help but feel like is based on something. The entity attacks people playing outside, people at weddings, people congregating at church, people gathering for concerts and parties, people blowing off steam at a bar. Where we come in, everyone is pretty much forced inside and all the revelry of the social world is gone. Where have I seen that before?

Frontiersman #1
I love a good superhero book with scruples. Frontiersman was not what I expected. After Image's recent tangles with the superhero being a bit lame (looking at you, Mr. Radiant Black), I expected this to be another run of the mill super story. What I got instead was a very natural feeling character in a slowly built world struggling with concepts like relevancy, climate change and the nature of social media martyrdom. It was a moderately paced, chill kinda read with some nice world building. I'm rooting for you, Frontiersman.

​We're away on a MUCH needed vacation, but we made sure to get a new episode ready to go during our break! We had the chance to sit down and play the Marvel-themed Love Letter iteration centered around the Infinity Gauntlet and Thanos, and it's super fun! A quick, lively romp (and Tee won twice!), you won't be disappointed when you pick this one up. 

​Marvel is not messing around with Phase 4! We hit our local theater to see the new box office smash, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and it did NOT disappoint! The fight choreography is incredible, the storytelling is excellent, the acting is exceptional, and the magic is, well, magical. Let's get into it (and be advised, we do give a spoiler warning)!

​So you've heard that your favorite comic book creator is joining Substack - but what does that even mean? Substack is a newsletter publishing site that's recently courted some of the bigger names in comics. Does this spell the end for the print medium? Probably not, but we get into the nitty gritty of what this could mean for the industry and how it could affect your pull list. 

Weekly Pull Highlights: August 25, 2021

• St. Mercy #1
• Lifeformed #1
• Echolands #1 
• Darkhawk #1 

Brand new time, same great comic content (I mean, we think it's pretty okay, anyway)! This week we have a blast from the past, a book turned sideways, and a big twist (surprise! it's aliens) - not too bad for a Thursday, huh?  

Honorable Mention Highlights: Summer Break 2021

• Ordinary Gods #1 (w: Kyle Higgins, a: Felipe Watanabe)
• We Don't Kill Spiders #1 (w/a: Joseph Schmalke)
• The Lot #1 (w: Marguerite Bennett, a: Renato Guedes)
• M.O.M. Mother of Madness #1 (w: Emilia Clarke, Marguerite Bennett, a: Leila Leiz)
• Cinnamon #1 (w/a: Victoria Douglas)
• Moon Knight #1 (w: Jed MacKay a: Alessandro Cappuccio)
• Superman and the Authority #1 (w: Grant Morrison, a: Mikel Janin)
• Campisi: The Dragon Incident #1 
• Tales Told in Technihorror #1 (w: Kiyarn Taghan, a: Christian Dibari)
  
• Bermuda #1 (w: John Layman, a: Nick Bradshaw)
  
• Dark Blood #1 (w: Latoya Morgan, a: Walt Barna)
  
• The Last Book You'll Ever Read #1 ( w: Cullen Bunn, a: Leila Leiz)
  

Ordinary Gods #1
Wow, okay, this book is cool. Very fun world building, solid concept. It doesn't break too much ground beyond the "hey, you're a reincarnated hero and I'm here to save you" trope, but the action is intense and shocking and the characters are well done. This is a seriously fun book. It's going to fill the void Sacred Creatures left.

We Don't Kill Spiders #1
A viking murder mystery with necromancy?!? Yes please! These book drips cool, both with Schmalke's interesting use of color pallet and with his very unique Viking character in Bjorn, our investigator. I was super stoked for this to come out and am very pleased with the result!
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The Lot #1
Gee wiz, finally something out of Bad Idea that I can actually recommend. The Lot is exactly my kind of B Horror movie but with a twist: the characters are not actually complete douchebags. A freshly hired CEO for a Hollywood studio, her assistant and her famous actress friend from college unlock the secrets of a haunted and possibly demonic studio lot left shuttered for 50 years. It's black and white, it's wonderfully dark and photo real, and it's just an incredibly good time all around. 
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M.O.M. Mother of Madness #1
MOM is an important book in a lot of ways. For one, it's another product of a celebrity bringing their ideas to the medium, an important trend for better or worse depending on who you talk to. Second, it's steeped in social topics that are important to keep in the forefront of our minds. The struggles of women, the dangers of capitalism, the shakiness of childcare and guardianship programs, and many many more pieces of our culture are on display here. The team does a good job lampooning these things in a way that feels believable and leaves the reader thinking "well, yeah, that's messed up." I really like this book.

Cinnamon #1 
It's a book about a cat imagining it's in a hardcore action/crime thriller. It's cute and funny, especially if you're a cat owner who can absolutely relate to what's going on. #LongLiveCinnamon

Moon Knight #1
This feels like a simultaneous return to form for this character as well as a promised expansion of his mythos. Moon Knight has always had some really cool stories to tell and I am WAY on board with the complex narrative Jed MacKay seems to be weaving at the moment.

Superman and the Authority #1
A unique take on the "alternate Superman" type of story that doesn't see Superman as a broody tyrant or evil unchained bruiser, but rather a pragmatic and altruistic-by-any-means kind of hero a la Batman. Morrison does has a fascinating team story building here. It's definitely worth checking out. 

Campisi: The Dragon Incident #1
I didn't know how to feel about a story pitched as Mafia Messenger vs Dragon, but I gotta say this book is a ton of fun. It fits nicely into the pocket of campy enough while still being creative and I ique. The characters are fun and Campisi is particularly likeable. 

Tales Told in Technihorror #1
This was a really cool concept book with some neat little snippet stories. This is like the comic version of the two-sentence horror stories and I dig it. None of the individual stories where particularly mind bending, but they were fun and fit the whole B-Movie Theater type theme they have going on.

Bermuda #1
Peter Pan meets Land of the Lost. This book I a fun, approachable adventure story for people who like their islands a bit less deserted. The map on the back of the book promises some pretty cool world building, so there is a lot of room for stories here. 

Dark Blood #1
A story knee deep in some of the darkest points of American history, Dark Blood focuses on a WWII vet struggling with racial tensions back home and having to make the choice of living in fear or reflecting that fear outward. Kind of a disjointed 1st issue with a lot of action but not much information or development, but seems like a heavy, intriguing story all the same. 

The Last Book You'll Ever Read #1
I think I would have liked this book better if it were about books or media being blamed for the horrors of society, but alas. I suppose it can still come to that, but at the onset it seems to be about a broody E. L. James by way of Wednesday Addams writing a book that unintentionally (?) send people into a bath salt rampage. Something about her "revealing the darkness" and "people aren't ready to hear that" and whatnot feels a little arrogant, but the concept is still neat enough and Leiz is quickly becoming an artist I'm going to keep my eyes on.

​Cover B is on summer break, but we'll be back with brand new episodes in August. In the meantime, were sharing some segments from way back when that you may have missed. This week, it's one of our early Key Issues, all about cross over events and how little they seem to matter in comics nowadays. It's all happening now on Cover B.

​It's the movie we were promised a decade ago, and hot damn it actually lives up to our expectations! Not necessarily a revelation in cinema, but a hellova fun ride and certainly the film Natasha deserves after a long-served tenure in the MCU. And can we just TALK about how fantastic Yelena is? Anyway, let's get into all deets!