Star Wars: Inquisitors #1 - Marvel Comics

STAR WARS: INQUISITORS No. 1, September 2024

Set between George Lucas’ prequel and original cinematic trilogies, there is arguably quite a bit to enjoy during this thirty-page periodical’s opening third. Indeed, the Grand Inquisitor’s utterly merciless massacre of the inhabitants on Targyon immediately sets the former Jedi Temple Guard up as a seriously evil villain of the piece, who will clearly stop at nothing to eliminate his intended target; “Take the children to Coruscant. Kill the rest.”

Disappointingly though, the same probably can’t be said as to the impact of writer Rodney Barnes’ “all-new legendary” knight Tensu Run, who many a bibliophile will probably feel seems a little too close to a certain Corellian smuggler than a mythical hero supposedly “buried in the annals of Jedi lore”. True, the American author does provide his creation with a moment of bravado when he apparently single-handedly storms an imperial outpost in a lone spacecraft. But apart from blowing up a handful of TIE-Fighters and then culling a couple of Stormtroopers on the ground with his hand-weapon, the human hardly does anything particularly breath-taking.

Instead, Elan’s apprentice simply keeps running away from Darth Vader’s Jedi killers, seemingly content to live his life on an idyllic planet near the outer edge of the galaxy, whilst innocent others are savagely slaughtered protecting his secret whereabouts. Such conduct hardly seems conducive to cause any readers to care for the character, even if this comic’s Maryland-born writer does continually pen him stating that he’s happy to die in the name of his great cause.

Just as frustrating is this book’s artwork by Ramon Rosanas, which overall depicts a thoroughly pleasing insight into the dark world of “any Jedi who survived Order 66”. In fact, few onlookers could surely have any complaint about the Eisner Award nominee’s pencilling of Darth Vader or the Master of the Inquisitorius. However, the decisions surrounding the attire of this publication’s so-called legend may well strike some as being far too similar to Han Solo’s costume throughout “The Empire Strikes Back”. In fact, if it wasn’t for the man wielding a lightsaber and wearing eye goggles, a fair few perusers could well be fooled into thinking it was the scruffy-looking nerf-herder himself.

The regular cover art of "STAR WARS: INQUISITORS" #1 by Nick Bradshaw & Neeraj Menon

DC Vs. Vampires: World War V #6 - DC Comics

DC VS. VAMPIRES: WORLD WAR V No. 6, March 2025

It will be quite difficult for some within this comic’s audience not to have the feeling that Matthew Rosenberg simply threw his hands up in frustration with this script for Issue Six of “DC Vs Vampires: World War V”, and just hurled the two competing armies straight against one another two-thirds of the way through. For whilst the all-out fracas on a bleak, snow-caked tundra certainly causes plenty of drama as the likes of Damian Wayne, Green Arrow and the Black Canary seemingly fall beneath the fangs of a thousand bloodthirsty thralls, the head-on conflict comes completely out of the blue.

To make this mini-series’ storyline even more troubling though, the American author also appears to throw his sub-plot concerning Mister Miracle and his baby daughter squarely under a bus, by having the highly disagreeable Atlantean ruler Aquaman simply drown the pair by submerging them underwater. These almost nonchalant murders are as coldly calculated as they come ‘left field’, and momentarily suggests that this title is somewhat shockingly going to end significantly short of the twelve instalments its Burbank-based publisher originally promised; “The battle has turned in our favour. Shall we send in the rest of the troops, my Queen..?”

Easily this book’s biggest surprise however, has to be the sudden appearance of Darkseid and his numerous Parademons, following the revelation that the hooded old woman mysteriously trying to guide Barbara Gordon’s rule over all the vampires, is actually the New God from Apokolips - Granny Goodness. This revelation is gobsmackingly ill-timed for the Nosferatu as they’re just about to best humanity’s last few surviving super-heroes, and resultantly turns the entire title’s narrative right upon its head. Indeed, to some readers it may well look like Rosenberg suddenly tired of the complicated political manoeuvrings he has previously penned for this title and spontaneously felt like wiping the chalk board completely clean.

Disconcertingly, Otto Schmidt’s artwork is rather brusque-looking too, with the various panels depicting the competing armies jostling for any advantage looking like a mere collection of unrecognisable black blobs moving upon a boring, bare white winterscape. In fact, even the Siberian-born illustrator’s Granny Goodness is a disappointing shadow of the character originally imagined by her creator Jack “King” Kirby, due to the emaciated servant of Darkseid showing none of the physical attributes which made her the formidable leader of the Female Furies on Apokolips.

The regular cover art of "DC VS. VAMPIRES: WORLD WAR V" #6 by Otto Schmidt

Red Hulk #1 - Marvel Comics

RED HULK No. 1, April 2025

Announced by “Marvel Worldwide” in November 2024 as a new ongoing series which also has ties with the publisher’s 'One World Under Doom’ comic book event, Benjamin Percy’s tense, highly claustrophobic script for Issue One of “Red Hulk” arguably makes it easy to see why this twenty-five page periodical was the twenty-seventh best-selling title in February 2025. Admittedly, the actual, crimson-coloured behemoth himself doesn’t really make much of an appearance in this particular publication. But such is the American author’s mesmerising handling of an incarcerated Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross that few bibliophiles will surely mind; “And I know its chip technology is the key to this prison. And to my power inhibitor.”

Indeed, the entire point behind “Think Tank” is to show the audience that the decorated U.S. Air Force officer can still outmanoeuvre his opponents using his coldly-calculating brain, rather than just utilising his considerable super-strength and brawn. Such a plot twist genuinely creates a thoroughly riveting read, especially once it becomes clear that the three-star general is in league with a number of other notable fellow prisoners, such as Deathlok and Machine Man.

Similarly as convincing is the premise behind Ross’ captivity, and just why a top-tier villain like Doctor Doom would be interested in holding him “in a cell deep below the ground.” Latveria’s armoured monarch has always been obsessed with undermining the world’s status quo so as to give his small country within Eastern Europe a chance of global domination, so building a prison complex which houses some of the planet’s most “brilliant military, criminal and political minds” makes perfect sense – as well as a compelling adventure once the inmates band together to outwit the Fantastic Four’s arch-nemesis.

Nicely complimenting Percy’s prodigious penmanship are Geoff Shaw’s proficient pencils, which do a very good job of showing Thunderbolt as a somewhat vulnerable, aging man, rather than an unstoppable wrecking machine. Furthermore, the illustrator somehow manages to imbue Thaddeus’ escape attempt with all the meticulous patience and timing an onlooker would expect from such a tactical genius, who knows full well that every ill-timed movement or wasted second could be the difference between life and death.

The regular cover art of "RED HULK" #1 by Geoff Shaw & Marte Gracia

Moon Knight: City Of The Dead #5 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT: CITY OF THE DEAD No. 5, January 2024

Containing a truly sugar-sweet finale in which the titular character not only eventually saves the soul of poor Khalil Nasser, but also somehow manages to get the lonely orphan’s dead brother resurrected, David Pepose’s narrative for Issue Five of “Moon Knight: City Of The Dead” certainly seems to do a good job in tying up all the mini-series’ numerous past plot-threads. However, the fact that this “thrilling conclusion” only comes to a successful end due to the young boy dying – something which the Fist of Khonsu has desperately been trying to prevent since this adventure began – may well have bewildered or disconcerted the vast majority of its audience. Indeed, considering that the adolescent’s body actually contains the essence of the Mighty Osiris, the all-powerful ruler of the City of the Dead, many a fan of the Lunar Legionnaire was probably expecting Marc Spector’s character to somehow work out a much less grim way to release the Egyptian deity from its ‘physical prison’.

Furthermore, it’s arguably difficult to imagine that a fair few readers weren’t bitterly disappointed by the all-too short-lived nature of “Jackal Knight’s ultimate ascendance” causing the real world to suffer a supernatural incursion of the Marvel Universe’s most notorious dead super-villains. This tantalisingly peek into the ‘real world’ affairs of Tigra and Hunter’s Moon sadly only lasts a handful of phantom-filled panels. Yet could have so easily been expanded into one the New York City-based publisher’s famous, multi-book Summer events, such as “Blood Hunt” - with the likes of Death Adder, Jack O’Lantern, (the original) Kraven the Hunter and the Nazi vampire Baron Blood all rematerializing as green-hued ghostly apparitions to terrorise the population; “Does the Avengers Handbook say anything about zombie invasions.?”

Setting such quibbles aside though, the American author’s storyline for this twenty-page periodical should still be regarded as something of a success. Artist Marcelo Ferreira’s splash page of Moon Knight’s other persona emerging to battle alongside the Scarlet Scarab in a last stand against overwhelming odds is debatably worth this periodical’s cover price alone. Whilst Spector’s decision to defeat his brother’s vain belief that the masked vigilante has had an easier life as a mercenary than him is satisfying resolved, when Marc takes his delinquent sibling on an emotional, roller-coaster ride through the crime-fighter’s tragic history.

Writer: David Pepose, Penciler: Marcelo Ferreira, and Inker: Jay Leisten

Unstoppable Doom Patrol #7 - DC Comics

UNSTOPPABLE DOOM PATROL No. 7, December 2023

Disconcertingly living up to its pre-solicitation promise of “a happy ending is not guaranteed”, Dennis Culver’s conclusion to his “Unstoppable Doom Patrol” mini-series also packs plenty of punch with which to keep its audience thoroughly engrossed in the action. Indeed, due to the sheer grandeur and pulse-pounding pace of this publication’s frantic fisticuffs, many a bibliophile was probably left wishing that the “prolific comic book writer based in Los Angeles” was given at least one more issue within which to depict Degenerate’s single-handed battle against the ever disagreeable Peacemaker and the anti-hero’s United States Army giant robots; “Damn you! You’ll pay for that! It’s on!”

Intriguingly however, not all of this twenty-two page periodical’s plot solely relies upon its super-sized cast trading blows with a menagerie of villains and deadly psychic manifestations. But instead contains plenty of thought-provoking verbal arguments too, such as when the likes of Crazy Jane and the Negative Man anxiously attempt to persuade their ‘opponents’ to join them against a much larger threat to the world’s existence which neither group ever imagined possible.

Equally as well delivered as this comic’s penmanship is also its visuals, with Chris Burnham and colorist Brian Reber absolutely knocking the layouts right out of the park. Of particular note has to be the growing sense of desperation and physical fatigue felt by the titular characters during their protracted conflict. In fact, by the time Willoughby Kipling has finally festooned Robot Man’s armoured shell with all manner of protective runes and incantations, the leader of the Grave Minders genuinely extrudes so much sheer, total exhaustion that his haggard look may well cause the odd reader to actually breathe a bit harder themselves in sympathy.

Debatably this book’s biggest hook though, frustratingly comes at its very end, when the thoroughly detestable General Immortus-turned-Candlemaker suddenly lands upon Danny the Street in the space between universes, and encounters the macabre-looking Batwoman Who Laughs. This meeting comes completely out of the blue, and should have any fan of Doctor Niles Caulder’s Doom Patrol absolutely frothing at the mouth for this book to be awarded a second volume at some point very soon in the future…

Writer: Dennis Culver, Artist: Chris Burnham, and Colorist: Brian Reber

Moon Knight: City Of The Dead #4 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT: CITY OF THE DEAD No. 4, December 2023

Disconcertingly depicting Marc Spector (once again) relieving his origin in becoming the Fist of Khonshu and battling the ghost of Raoul Bushman, many a bibliophile probably felt this fourth instalment to David Pepose’s “Moon Knight: City Of The Dead” mini-series was a bit of a filler issue. In fact, it’s hard to shake the impression that the American author couldn’t have simply reached this particular comic’s cataclysmic conclusion with just a mere handful of pages or less, rather than use the cowled crime-fighter’s mental doubts and emotional insecurities to pad out an entire twenty-page periodical; “You may think of yourself as a monster… But you should know… I forgave you a long time ago.”

To make matters even more bemusing though, this book’s secondary plot-thread features Layla El-Faouly rather unimaginatively just flying across the mythical Egyptian metropolis, determined to reach the Gates of Osiris before her poor young ward expires. Admittedly, this headlong dash through toppling tower blocks and the shifting sands makes for a pulse-pounding experience. But its pacing is so intrinsically linked to that of the titular character’s haunted recollections of murder, collateral damage and death that the chase sequence arguably feels like it's only been penned to help break up the monotony of Spector’s sedentary storyline.

Indeed, it will debatably have come as no surprise to any within this publication’s audience, that Moon Knight somehow manages to recover his wits and successfully slice his way out of the gigantic Ammut the Devourer’s bloated belly at precisely the same moment a badly battered Scarlet Scarab finally falls to the ground just a few feet away from her goal. This ending is sadly ‘telegraphed’ straight from the comic’s opening, and resultantly there’s rarely a moment where either super-hero genuinely feels as if they’re in peril – even when Marc imagines receiving a loaded hand-gun from his god and makes a suicidal move to end his own life.

Much more enthralling than this book’s narrative is probably therefore its artwork with returning illustrator Marcelo Ferreira doing a first-rate job in providing many of ghouls and demons the mentally-scarred vigilante encounters with plenty of gruesomeness. In addition, there’s a real sense of speed to El-Faouly racing across the sky, and hefty impact to all the tall buildings crashing into one another as she passes them by.

Writer: David Pepose, Penciler: Marcelo Ferreira, and Inker: Jay Leisten

DC Vs. Vampires: World War V #5 - DC Comics

DC VS. VAMPIRES: WORLD WAR V No. 5, February 2025

There can surely be little doubt that Matthew Rosenberg’s revelation towards the end of this twenty-four page publication’s plot had its readers genuinely gasping in revulsion at “the horrifying secret” behind how the vampires were still defeating the human resistance. In fact, many a bibliophile will probably find themselves unable to move along from Green Arrow’s discovery and its “shocking connection to the Speed Force” without at least re-visiting the disturbing scene a couple more times; “They’re doing something with all that food they grow. If they’re not feeding a large group of people. What are they feeding.?”

Impressively though, this eye-opener isn’t the only surprise Issue Five of “DC Vs Vampires: World War V” has in store for its audience, with the comic’s American author clearly still having a few more trump cards tucked up his sleeves. Foremost of these disclosures is probably Big Barda’s sudden emergence from out of a dark, winter night’s sky to absolutely clobber the blood-drinking fiends intent on murdering her husband (and potentially harm their infant baby). To say Jack Kirby’s creation completely annihilates the likes of a heavily-fanged Power Girl and Raven is a massive understatement, and genuinely helps imbue this comic with some truly palpable energy at a time when its other simultaneous story-threads are undeniably dialogue-driven.

Likewise John Constantine’s ill-advised visit upon the convalescing vampire queen, Barbara Gordon, doesn’t pan out quite as some onlookers might have expected – albeit the Hellblazer is seemingly a little too cocksure for his own good when it comes to antagonising Gorilla Grodd. In fact, the anti-hero’s decision to visit the dark heart of the Nosferatu Empire appears suicidally insane straight from the start, largely due to him not actually having anything tangible with which to bargain for his life.

Prodigiously pencilling all these sense-shattering shenanigans is Otto Schmidt, who really imbues Big Barda with all the momentous muscle a member of the New Gods is expected to wield. Furthermore, the Siberian-born artist does an incredible job of capturing Batgirl’s myriad of emotions using just her eyes and mouth - a talent which is particularly impressive considering that the undead creature’s entire body is covered with unsightly burns and blemishes, so it must have been extra hard providing the figure with even the smallest of facial expressions.

The regular cover art of "DC VS. VAMPIRES: WORLD WAR V" #5 by Otto Schmidt