Welcome back, everyone. Summer is hot, the weather is stormy, and the air isn’t all that clean. A terrible recipe for summer vacation (seriously, this is not what I remember ordering). If your kids are already growing bored with summer vacation and tossing them outside isn’t a good option in your area then give them some comics to read! Guaranteed 30 minutes of peace. And if you’re a full-grown adult and just want to relax, get yourself some comics! The peacetime limit is up to you. Check out the new comics for July 12, 2023, below!
[This week’s comics are provided by Warpzone Comics and Collectibles. Warning: My reviews of this week’s comics contain some spoilers, so read at your own risk]
Boom! Studios: Ghostlore #3
From Boom! Studios and the minds of Cullen Bunn and Leomacs. Written by Cullen Bunn, illustrated by Leomacs, colored by Jason Wordie, and lettered by Ed Dukeshire. A previous accident has affected how Lucas and Harmony relate to the spirits they encounter and each other. Now they must find a way to work together before they lose each other.
Lucas and Harmony wander the woods searching for Harmony’s mother (well her spirit). They don’t find her but they do find someone else. Lucas thinks the spirit is attacking Harmony and tries to fight it. But Harmony understands that the ghost just wants to share her story and stops him, then stops him again when he tries to attack the ghost while it’s sharing with Harmony.
In the end, everything is fine but Lucas insists they don’t all have stories to tell. He doesn’t agree with Harmony’s sympathetic approach to the ghosts. And she doesn’t agree with his violence-driven approach. If they can’t see eye to eye soon their differences won’t matter, because they won’t be working together anymore.
It’s nice to see that all families have difficulties, made me feel just a little more normal. So their family isn’t exactly normal, so what? It still made me feel better! (Check out the first look at #3 here via Boom! Studios)
DC: Batman Incorporated #10
From DC, written by Grant Morrison with art by Andrei Bressan. Batman and his friends (wait, Batman doesn’t have friends, associates? Yeah, associates.) are grappling with Joker’s latest “prank”. The only way to save innocent people is to kill the villains. But Batman has a strict no-kill rule. The tension between the kill vs. don’t kill factions in Batman Incorporated rose to the boiling point in the last issue with the heroes actually battling to the death over it (ironic right?). Now they have to deal with the aftermath of their decisions and figure out how to move forward.
The whole “to kill or not to kill?” question has kinda been beaten to death in comics. We all know the hero code (although somehow it never seems to apply to henchmen, just the big baddie). Another dissection of this ethos isn’t anything new. It’s nice that each member of the team got to play a meaningful part in this issue but maybe it’s time to stop beating the kill or not question into the ground.
DC: Knight Terrors Flash #1
From DC, written by Alex Pakndel with art by Daniel Bayliss and color by Igor Monti. DC continues its new Knight Terrors collection this week with Knight Terrors Flash #1. Barry just finished up a harrowing adventure where he was trapped in a different dimension. Now he’s trapped in his own worst nightmare.
I think? Because while a couple of out-of-place things point to Flash being in a dream, the overall events aren’t really that far outside of what usually happens in a Flash adventure. There’s a fight, Flash doesn’t like the outcome, he runs fast enough to travel to the past and change what he doesn’t like. It doesn’t have to have the overall sense of surrealism that the other Knight Terrors have provided. That being said, it was a good story with some quality emotions that were enjoyable to read. Maybe the real nightmare will come in part 2?
IDW: The Hunger and the Dusk
From IDW, written by G. Willow Wilson with art by Chris Wildgoose, and colors by Msassyk. In a dying world, humans and orcs are left trying to survive. This usually means attacking one another and taking what the land so grudgingly gives for themselves. Then everything changes. Ancient creatures known as the Vangol appear and they don’t like humans or orcs. In order to survive humans and orcs must move past their differences and work together to vanquish this new threat.
As a show of good faith, the orcs send their best healer to work with a human company of warriors. Callum Battlechild and his band, The Last Men Standing, aren’t the most well-known or richest warriors, but the orc leader, Troth, requested that the healer, Tara, serve with them specifically. He had previously fought against The Last Men Standing several times and admired their valor and bravery. If the orc-human alliance is going to succeed it will hinge on how well Tara and Callum are able to work together against the Vangol. No pressure for them.
IDW: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of Time
From IDW, written by Michael Walsh with art by Vlad Legostaev, Santtos, and Michael Walsh. The turtles are back together again. But before they can fully reconcile a new enemy appears. But this enemy looks awfully familiar. Bearing a message from the future, he hopes to stop the end of the world before it starts.
But who is really the enemy and who is really the hero? That can be a difficult question and it has a very difficult answer this time. It’s hard to say if the turtles are actually the good guys this time around, but they’re still teaching the most important lesson of all, family above all else.
Marvel: Amazing Spider-Man #29
From Marvel, written by Zeb Well with pencil work by Ed McGuinness, Ink by Mark Farmer, and Color by Marcio Menyz. In the last issue, Doctor Octopus attacked Oscorp with a new set of arms. His upgrade consists of individual ocktoid robots that work both together and separately. Thanks to these new and improved arms Doc Ock took out both Gold Goblin and Spider-Man. Spider-Man was rescued by none other than J. Jonah Jameson using Doc Ock’s old arms. But where is Norman?
Turns out Norman is in Doc Ock’s secret lab. Doc Ock is sure that Norman is only pretending to be reformed and is trying to force him to confess his secret evils. Meanwhile, Doc Ock’s old arms want to connect to Spider-Man. Will Spider-Man give in? After all, octopuses aren’t the only thing with eight legs! (great line!).
There’s a lot of angst in both halves of the story. Peter is terrified of connecting to something that his greatest enemy created. And Norman is afraid of what Doc Ock has planned for him. There is a strong sense of build-up as both sides prepare for an upcoming face-off. What will be stronger in the end, kindness or malice?
Marvel: Fallen Friend #1
From Marvel, written by G. Willow Wilson with art by Takeshi Miyazawa and Humberto Ramos. In Amazing Spider-Man #26, we lost Kamala Khan, the wonderful Ms. Marvel. Fallen Friend #1 pays homage to the incredible character and acknowledges the huge hole that her loss has created. The issue is a beautiful eulogy for Kamala that really sums up what she meant to the world, and what her loss means for us all. Very sad, Wilson had me crying pretty much through the whole issue. Goodbye Ms. Marvel, you are gone but not forgotten!
Alright comic buddies, that’s the rundown for this week. Now kick back, relax, and enjoy your summer with some comic flare! Until next week, enjoy!
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