Creepshow [2024] #1 - Image Comics

CREEPSHOW No. 1, September 2024

Pushed by “Skybound Entertainment” as being “creepier than ever”, this opening instalment to the third volume of “Creepshow” probably struck many a reader as being a rather hit and miss affair with its supposedly spine-chilling contents – most notably due to the arguable lack of logic or dread occurring within its first story by Chip Zdarsky. In fact, “Let ‘Er Trip” is debatably just plain odd as a desperate mother tracks down her errant eighteen-year old daughter to a local cult, and then inexplicably guts all of the sect’s knife-wielding zealots using the repressed power of her mind; “I shoulda lowered my dosage -- GK!!” 

True, the Canadian writer’s script certainly allows artist Kagan McLeod to pencil plenty of decapitations, eviscerations and innards-splattering sequences towards the tale’s cataclysmic conclusion. But just why taking a mouthful of mushrooms should suddenly imbue the housewife with such phenomenal powers is never properly explained, even by the Creep, and certainly doesn’t seem to live up to the publisher’s “guarantee” of this Eisner Award nominated horror anthology comic book actually scaring its audience to death.

Much more successful however, is James Stokoe’s fish-filled, foul-smelling “Scrimshaw”, which atmospherically evokes all the suspense a bibliophile may well expect from an isolated island whose sole source of income lies in trawling its waters. Somewhat reminiscent of actor Christian Slater’s character talking one-on-one with Louis de Pointe du Lac at the start of the 1994 movie “Interview With A Vampire”, this ten-page plot does a great job of quickly building up an almost mesmeric ambiance, as well as swiftly misdirecting the attention away from the grizzled storyteller with an enthralling old fisherman’s myth so as to provide a genuinely nerve-shuddering shock at its end.

Alongside such intriguing penmanship, the author/illustrator also provides his yarn with some incredibly detailed panels, which really help paint a vividly vibrant picture of an isolated world where hand-carved human body parts occasionally wash up upon the coastline, and are treasured by an increasingly wide-eyed murderer who enthusiastically searches the shore for just such grisly treasure. Furthermore, the concept of a mysterious Scrimshander, shrouded in the ocean’s detritus, is particularly well-depicted, with the creature's disconcerting demeanour easily captivating the eye whenever it makes an appearance.

Writers: Chip Zdarsky and James Stokoe, and Artists: Kagan McLeod and James Stokoe

Dune: House Corrino #5 - BOOM! Studios

DUNE: HOUSE CORRINO No. 5, August 2024

There’s arguably something of an uneasy feeling concerning Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s penmanship for Issue Five of “Dune: House Corrino” which smacks of the collaborative partnership simply hurling elements into their overarching narrative to see what successfully sticks. Admittedly, some of these new plot-threads, such as the Bene Gesserit having actually had an operative who aided C’Tair in his early rebellion against the Tleilaxu on Ix, are rather intriguing – especially when Sister Crystane is sent to replace her lost compatriot Miral Alechem. Yet others, like Gurney Halleck conveniently spotting some old smuggler friends aboard a Guild Heighliner, who just also happen to be carrying enough melange to rescue the lost vessel, feel far more forced and unconvincing.

Furthermore, these surprising developments hurl a bevy of new characters at the reader when they’re debatably already snowed under by an incredibly large cast, and resultantly can cause the likes of prominent personalities such as Duncan Idaho, Peter De Vries and Count Hasimir Fenring to get somewhat lost within the script’s ever-swirling morass of humanity. Indeed, early on within the thirty-three page periodical it appears that the comic will be focusing upon Lady Anirul’s discovery that her husband has brokered some “vile plot with the Tleilaxu.” However, this entire storyline then suddenly disappears beneath a wave of competing machinations never to be seen in the publication again.

Quite possibly this book’s biggest bemusement though rests with the aforementioned salvaging of a disorientated Spacing Guild starship, which had been powered by Saddam’s unsuccessfully fabricated spice. Luckily for all concerned, one of the transport’s passengers is Prince Rhombur Vernius of Ix, who despite originally being incognito, happily announces to all that he knows the fast route through the vessel’s giant substructure and security restrictions so as to reach the dying Navigator’s chamber. In addition, the cybernetically-enhanced commuter is also the only person able to physically exist inside D’Murr’s melange-filled cell in order to ascertain what the problem is and determine a solution; “I remind you that I no longer have human lungs.”

So many implausible, manufactured moments featuring an incredibly long roster of different personas may also account for Simone Ragazzoni pencilling the odd unimpressive-looking figure, most notably that of Glossu Rabban, whose gaunt, almost vampiric visage appears far from the physically intimidating “Beast” ordinarily envisaged by fans of Frank Herbert’s science-fiction franchise. The illustrator clearly digs deep into his skillset so as to give everyone something different in their demeanour, facial configuration or dress. But by the time Leto Atreides’ disgraced mother makes an unwelcome return to his throne room, some bibliophiles may well mistake her for simply another in a long line of Bene Gesserit witches, as opposed to the black-gowned murderer of “the Old Duke.”

Written by: Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson, and Illustrated by Simone Ragazzoni

Nightwing #118 - DC Comics

NIGHTWING No. 118, December 2024

Despite this twenty-four page periodical certainly living up to its promise of taking its audience “on an exhilarating journey through the streets of Blüdhaven as we bid a heartfelt farewell to the dynamic duo of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo”, the fact that the Australian author swiftly summarises the rest of the Bat-family tracking down the city’s kidnapped children could well still be seen by some as something of a missed opportunity. Indeed, the notion of the titular character teaming up with the likes of Tim Drake’s Robin, Cassandra Cain’s Batgirl or even the Dark Knight himself for a lengthy, possibly even issue-long, infiltration of Shelton Lyle’s covert organisation to discover the incarcerated kids' secret whereabouts would surely have provided some additional sense-shattering shenanigans for the original Boy Wonder to navigate.

Such a minor quibble aside however, there’s debatably not much else to complain about when it comes to this “epic conclusion” of the creative team’s “award-winning run”, as Dick Grayson embarks upon an almost entirely successful campaign to publicly clear his name of any criminal wrongdoing, ensure that Heartless’ reign of terror is brought to a swift end, and reconcile with the ghosts of the former circus performer’s deceased parents. True, the body of Gerald Chamberlain is never shown being recovered from the river into which he fell – which strongly suggests the deranged butler may well return to revive his supposedly dead master in the future, and Nightwing’s poor, three-legged dog takes a bullet meant for her owner. But overall, the book ends on a surprisingly neat shot of Bruce Wayne’s heir canoodling up to the love of his life watching the night stars.

Just as enjoyable as this comic’s script though are also its layouts, with Redondo giving the super-villain’s flight from Blüdhaven some breath-taking pace, as well as an awed “How?” moment when the mass-murderer’s colourfully-costumed pursuer plummets from a bridge to strike him straight in the face with a well-placed foot. This incredibly engrossing sense of speed then continues, with the “double Eisner Award winner” prodigiously pencilling Haley quite literally coming out of no-where to bite Chamberlain’s gun-toting forearm and Grayson providing his arch-nemesis with a truly memorable lesson in unarmed combat; “You thought you could buy strength. But you didn’t put in the work. You bought brute force. But that doesn’t make you powerful.”

The regular cover art of "NIGHTWING" #118 by Bruno Redondo

Blood Hunters #2 - Marvel Comics

BLOOD HUNTERS No. 2, November 2024

Whilst it’s hard to say with any real certainty that Erica Schultz set out to make Elsa Bloodstone as utterly unlikeable as the American author could, she definitely appears to do just that with her writing for Issue Two of “Blood Hunters”. In fact, probably a fair few readers of this twenty-page periodical wanted the former “staff member of the Braddock Academy” to suffer a good beating or two at the hands of Miles Morales or Bloodstorm One's Bloodcoven, simply so the insufferable, holier than thou monster hunter could be taken down a few pegs; “I must say… I am disappointed with your performance…”

To make Dan Abnett’s co-creation even more unbearable though, once the self-righteous super-heroine does allow her bloated ego to once again get the better of her already questionable decision-making, and finds herself a captive of Smoke Eater, the member of the Midnight Sons quite outrageously thanks a wandering cat for rescuing her, rather than her true saviour – Spider-man. Such an utter disrespect for facts genuinely grates upon the senses, and arguably will leave many a bibliophile desperately hoping that Ulysses’ foul-mouthed daughter is ultimately abandoned by her team-mates for a far more agreeable character.

Quite possibly this comic’s only distraction from the selfish scoundrel comes with the intriguing Hallow’s Eve, who repeatedly demonstrates her bizarre ability to pull magically-enhanced masks from out of her scarlet-coloured saddlebag. These face-coverings really help add some extra surprises to the script, and despite being perhaps a little too gimmicky or contrived, definitely help lighten up an otherwise almost unbearably deplorable spotlight upon Bloodstone’s rude, all-knowing attitude towards anyone even remotely undead.

Furthermore, Robert Gill debatably does a first-rate job in depicting all of Elsa’s ill-placed misgivings, almighty lectures, and “all vampires deserve to be dusted” attitude with just the over-the-top conceit an onlooker would expect from some hot-headed show-off armed with a shot-gun. In addition, the artist’s layouts are great at imbuing scenes with either the confrontational stance or fast pace, pulse-pounding action which they require; most notably when Miles Morales sets aside any issues he has with his would-be-murderer to save her from another violent pulverising by Unusual of the Bloodcoven.

The regular cover art of "BLOOD HUNTERS" #2 by Ema Lupacchino & Guru-eFX

Conan The Barbarian #15 - Titan Comics

CONAN THE BARBARIAN No. 15, October 2024

Whilst many a fan of Robert E. Howard’s sword and sorcery hero may well acknowledge Jim Zub’s bravery in attempting to pen another comic book adaption of “The Frost Giant’s Daughter”, especially when the publication’s own afterword dutifully doffs its cap to Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith’s ‘beautiful’ reconstruction for “Savage Tales” in 1971, a fair few readers were probably also rather disconcerted by the Canadian author’s decision to radically alter Atali’s motivation for goading a battle-weary Conan into following her lithe form across a wintry wasteland. Indeed, much of this twenty-two page periodical’s plot suggests that the “unearthly beauty” wanted the Cimmerian’s heart for herself, as opposed to the original short story in which she knowingly leads the fast-fatiguing fighter into an ambush.

Such an alteration (or arguably aberration) is perhaps understandable given the writer’s evident desire to add his own twist to the tale, or at the very least make “Gods Of The North” a little different to what many in its audience were expecting. Yet in doing so, it’s debatably difficult to shake off the notion that the Eisner Award-nominee is tinkering with a narrative best left well alone, unless he wants to suggest he knows how to improve upon an already much beloved storyline penned by “the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre.”

What does seemingly work within this script though, at least to begin with, is Zub’s predisposition to tell the tale from the reddish-blonde haired woman’s perspective. This insight into her motivations, desires and machinations certainly holds the attention up until an angered Ymir suddenly intercedes in the chase by causing a non-canonical firestorm, and the 'acclaimed creator' perturbingly steers his literary ship away from the established novella and into waters both new and unconvincing; “F-Father? N-No! I found him! I brought him! He… He’s mine by right!”

Adding plenty of gore to this comic’s gruesome opening, and then titillation throughout the scantily-clad female’s flight, is Doug Braithwaite. The London-born illustrator appears intent on pencilling every voluptuous curve he can cram into a panel, rather than rely upon any bibliophile’s imagination as to Atali’s physical form. But it is the artist’s fearsome-looking giants which probably most capture the eye, with an astonishing attention to detail in their clothing, accoutrements and weaponry.

The regular cover art of "CONAN THE BARBARIAN" #15 by Mahmud Asrar

Uncanny X-Men #2 - Marvel Comics

UNCANNY X-MEN No. 2, November 2024

To be honest, many an X-fan was probably a bit despondent having read the opening half to this twenty-page periodical. Sure, Gail Simone paints a wonderfully touching picture of how a young Charles Francis Xavier found his first love whilst at University. But alongside this heart-warming flashback the titular characters’ are disconcertingly mullered by a group of young mutant children who simply walk up to them during the dead of night and deck Wolverine with just a single punch.

To make matters even muddier though, this initially one-sided fracas in the swamps of Louisiana is due to the super-abled adolescents claiming they want help from Rogue’s freshly-formed squad, and then almost unforgivably give in to their unfounded fears that the heroes are actually going to harm them; “You see it, Ember? They’re mean. Like mother said. Goblins.” Such an irrational assault upon the X-Men debatably makes the Outliers particularly dislikeable, adding to the audience’s sense of woe when even the likes of Gambit are bested by a boot to the face by the somewhat scatty-brained Jitter.

Happily however, the stunning situation is eventually taken well in hand by James Howlett’s team-mates, and the newcomers are shown how to chew on a knuckle-sandwich or two. This ‘victory’ is arguably made all the sweeter by the arrival of Jubilee, and the potential promise of both Cyclops and Nightcrawler joining the comic to form a truly classic line-up. Yet, the ill-will lurking within the minds of some bibliophiles may well make the notion of the still fractured protagonists taking their “uncontrollable and wild” attackers under their protection sting quite a bit – especially when the majority of the unruly quartet come with a disagreeable attitude too.

Pencilling all this pugilism with great aplomb is David Marquez, who imbues Ransom and Deathdream with all the haughtiness expected from a pair of teenagers who apparently feel they can take on anybody; even after just being beaten by them. Of particular note though has to be the American illustrator’s marvellous pencilling of Xavier’s aforementioned romance, and the soft-looking visuals he creates for these tender scenes with the help of Matthew Wilson’s subtle colorwork.

The regular cover art to "UNCANNY X-MEN" #2 by David Marquez & Matthew Wilson

The Incredible Hulk [2023] #16 - Marvel Comics

THE INCREDIBLE HULK No. 16, November 2024

Containing a somewhat anti-climactic conclusion to “Lament For A Fallen Crown”, in that Eldest is simply bested by the One Below All by ill-advisedly coming within his sight, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s narrative for Issue Sixteen of “Incredible Hulk” still arguably manages to hold its audience’s attention due to the readers’ desire to witness just how the firstborn of the Mother of Horrors is going to get her well-deserved comeuppance. In fact, the sheer unadulterated hubris of the “most powerful of Earth’s ancient demigods” is utterly enthralling, especially once the deceptively potent young girl somehow manages to push Enkidu’s personality into a dark corner of his mind, and arrogantly unlocks the Green Door in the guise of the first Hulk; “Awaken little brothers. This is a day most joyous. Open the way to our mother’s prison for I now hold the key.”

Equally as intriguing though, is the way the fallen city of Nineveh is depicted by the “American Eisner-nominated comic book writer”, with the ancient metropolis’ once beautifully adorned, bustling streets now writhing with a mass of ill-looking demonic entities. The Bull-Man of Akkadia’s grim exploration of this municipal is powerfully-paced, and also does a good job in showing just how strongly settled Eldest’s malign influence was some 3,600 years ago – something which is particularly noteworthy once the wicked wrongdoer’s hold is no more, and humanity quickly recovers its unchallenged sovereignty so as to adorn the brave Tammuz’s tomb with the various bones of the God Child’s devilish disciples.

Finally, despite the aforementioned lack of battle between the tale’s two central characters, this twenty-page periodical’s plot does include a brief glimpse of Enkidu's physical might, when the green-skinned monstrosity is told by an even larger purple-hued, multiple-fanged fiend that a group of caged humans are not for sale. This brutal slug-fest is sense-shatteringly savage due to some fearless pencilling by artist Danny Earls, and demonstrates just how the Hulk has managed to wander so far into the Assyrian capital without being previously challenged by one of its hellish inhabitants. In addition, the sequence quite cleverly starts the notion that a few mortals may well be already re-arming themselves against Eldest, as the Irish illustrator almost covertly sketches a handful of escaped slaves collecting fallen weapons and quietly following in the Bull-Man’s thunderous footsteps to the palace.

The regular cover art of "THE INCREDIBLE HULK" #16 by Nic Klein