The Incredible Hulk [2023] #17 - Marvel Comics

THE INCREDIBLE HULK No. 17, November 2024

Described by its New York City-based publisher as beginning ‘the crescendo to Legacy Issue Nine Hundred of Incredible Hulk’, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s opening for “City Of The Idols” certainly should have utterly enthralled any Hulk-heads with a genuinely touching tale of two girls being lured to a truly unpleasant fate in Las Vegas. But whilst the destiny of the wannabe actresses easily holds the attention, especially once its revealed that they’ve inadvertently walked straight into the heart of an underground vampire coven, the rest of this twenty-page periodical’s plot is arguably far less surprising; “I knew you nearly four thousand years ago. We died together. Our bones were entombed together.”

For starters the titular character simply just walks straight through “the Entertainment Capital of the World” without so much as batting an eye, right up to the entranceway of Lycana’s subterranean temple, and is then rather disappointingly just invited down to meet Eldest. Such matter-of-fact penmanship undoubtedly allows the central antagonists to lock horns as quickly as possible. However, it must surely have made some readers feel the American author had missed a trick not to show the founding Avenger facing off against some of the foul fanged-fiends which he had just established litter the dark streets of the gambling metropolis.

Likewise, the actual battle between Bruce Banner’s alter-ego and his regrettably ordinary-looking female foe may strike some as being a rather ‘fight-by-numbers’ affair, seeing as it’s already been established in past instalments, and then reinforced in this actual publication, that the Hulk cannot physically hurt his opponent. This knowledge, driven home by Eldest’s disagreeable haughtiness, always points to the anti-hero’s human side caving in to her demands to sacrifice the Green Goliath so as to save poor Charlie Tidwell, and resultantly this book's narrative delivers no shock whatsoever when the gamma scientist does just that.

What does strike home though are Nic Klein’s layouts, which try to hold the audience’s eyes with a staggering buffet of physical horror, emotional despair, and bold-faced brutality. Indeed, in many ways it’s a pity the illustrator didn’t stick to showing Eldest in her more Lovecraftian-manifestation, rather than return to pencilling her as a simply smartly-dressed individual whose hands just happen to transform into pointy tentacles similar to James Cameron’s mimetic polyalloy T-1000 shapeshifting assassin.

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Artist: Nic Klein, and Color Artists: Matthew Wilson with Nic Klein

Conan The Barbarian #16 - Titan Comics

CONAN THE BARBARIAN No. 16, November 2024

Considering that the entirety of this twenty-two page periodical explores the titular character’s shocking belief that Crom doesn’t actually exist, it’s difficult to imagine all that many readers of “The Hidden World” will wholly agree with the British-based publishing house's claim that this book forms part of a “triumphant new era of Conan”. In fact, Jim Zub’s tampering with one of the fundamental foundations of Robert E. Howard’s most famous literary creations could well be seen as fairly sacrilegious by some dog brothers and sword sisters; especially when the Canadian author suddenly seems to double-down on his anti-deity narrative by proposing that the barbarian’s father also had his doubts as to Cimmeria’s indifferent god.

Furthermore, the Animex Honorary Award-winner wraps the young adventurer’s doubts regarding his people’s religion around an arguably unconvincing plot which depicts Osmin seeking revenge for not being chosen to accompany Wulfhere’s doomed band of warriors. Admittedly, the bearded bully is evidently full of drink and misgivings as to just why his fellow fighters have ‘adopted’ the black-haired Outlander so willingly into their midst. But his brutal, out-of-the-blue attack upon an unarmed, and frankly distracted Conan, still smacks of the writer needing some contrived spark with which to imbue his script with some much needed action. Indeed, up until the point where the drunkard suddenly emerges from the trees vehemently questioning the barbarian's manhood, the majority of this tome’s audience probably thought the disagreeably arrogant Aesir had been killed as part of the lost patrol.

To make matters worse though, once the Cimmerian has defeated his foe, courtesy of Doug Braithwaite pencilling him splitting the fool’s head with a small hand-axe, the camp’s reaction is to immediately blame the "savage" for the death and cast him back out into the winter wilderness. Considering just how hard the heavily-muscled protagonist has fought for these people of Asgard in the past, and that it was Osmin who first cowardly clubbed Conan from behind to (re)start their non-canonical grudge-fight, such an illogical reaction appears to have been manufactured simply so the future King of Aquilonia can once again be sketched wandering the snow-covered countryside on his lonesome; “I gave up my hunt, doused your enemy’s fire, fought in your damned blood feud… of that’s not enough, step forth and try to take more.”

The regular cover art of "CONAN THE BARBARIAN" #16 by Colleen Doran

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