Creepshow #4 - Image Comics

CREEPSHOW No. 4, December 2022

Containing two vastly contrasting “all-new standalone stories”, there’s still arguably not a great deal for Creepsters to enjoy inside this twenty-two-page periodical. Sure, Kyle Starks’ opening fright fest “Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are” initially shows some terrific potential by capturing the feel of both Joel Schumacher’s 1987 horror film “The Lost Boys” and Stephen King’s award-winning novel “It”. But disappointingly the narrative soon becomes incredibly sedentary once three of the “ragtag group of kids” are fatally bitten by the neighbourhood’s vampires, and the sole-survivor spends the next twenty-five years of her life sat inside her home in total isolation.

Sadly, this sudden change of tempo can’t even be saved by Fran Galan’s artwork, which having been packed full of pace during the unwise adolescents’ flight from Mesker Woods, suddenly lapses into a succession of panels depicting a now rather rotund SkinnyNancy81 tied to her computer desk conversing with faceless ‘friends’ over the internet. Pencilling so lack-lustre a life certainly helps sell the author’s plot that the woman has completely removed herself from the real world so as to keep her safe from the blood-drinkers at her doorstep. However, many readers of this comic may well have preferred for the writer to have shown more of the energetic build-up to the gang’s ill-advised hunt or possibly have extended their sad demises rather than this somewhat soulless ending.

Infinitely livelier is “La Mascara De La Muerte” by Henry Barajas, which ultimately turns into a seriously gratuitous depiction of mutilation within the squared circle as a wrestling champion quite literally tears off her face to end a demonic curse. The notion of a would-be winner selling their soul so as to reach the top of their profession’s ladder is hardly new. Yet, the Latinx author adds some intriguing elements into the mix with Dragon Roja’s legendary father having been similarly cursed for desiring greatness; “I’m sorry I lied to you all these years, Mija. But the truth was too painful --”

Sadly, what debatably lets this tale down are Dani’s layouts, which many a bibliophile will doubtless find somewhat difficult to navigate. The illustrator’s splodgy style makes some of this yarn’s panels rather indistinct, especially during the flashback to when Lupe’s parent became a murdering psychopath “after he won the belt”. Albeit the scene of the victorious female wrestler desperately ripping her cursed mask from her head, flesh and all, is plain for all to see, and will doubtless give anyone witnessing the grotesque event nightmares for weeks.

Writers: Kyle Starks and Henry Barajas, and Artists: Fran Galan and Dani

Rick And Morty Verses Cthulhu #2 - Oni Press

RICK AND MORTY VERSES CTHULHU No. 2, January 2023

Despite this comic’s narrative tying into arguably one of H. P. Lovecraft’s most popular horror novellas - “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”, Jim Zub’s subsequent decision to then make his twenty-two-page plot ‘Rick Sanchez free’ must surely have struck many fans of this Cartoon Network/Cthulhu Mythos crossover as a big mistake. For whilst both Morty and Summer Smith initially make an impressive duo as they bravely batter the fish-faced denizens who caused their grandfather’s apparent death. By the time the pair have been separated from one another by their eventual captors and commence vastly contrasting ‘escape plans’, the book’s pace has somewhat slowed to something of an expletive-laden crawl; “I have seen enough s**t in this a**hole dimension to give me nightmares for the rest of my life.” 

True, Sum-Sum’s mind trip to the Dreamlands definitely gees things up a little when Zadok Allen is shockingly speared through the chest by a roving pack of savage Moon Beasts, and the terrified teenager is forced to flee for her life before she suffers a similar lethal fate. But this action-sequence is somewhat short-lived, and debatably feels like it was simply ‘crowbarred’ into the adventure just to help fill a void prior to the gore-splattered girl meeting Nyarlathotep and the Egyptian deity’s army of murderously savage cats.

Disappointingly, Morty’s thread is even more sedentary, at least to start with, courtesy of the Canadian author focusing upon the boy’s virginity whilst he is interrogated in a dingy cell. This supposedly embarrassing state of affairs is explored for over a dozen panels and does not actually end until near the book’s conclusion when it becomes clear it matters neither one way nor another to the sea-dwelling Dagon. Indeed, considering the puzzled reaction of Innsmouth’s chief cultist when the boy mentions 'unflowering himself' with a female co-captive, there is a strong suggestion that Rick’s grandson actually imagined his entire intimate moment with Cathy anyway.

Perhaps also capable of causing this publication’s audience some consternation is Troy Little’s rough-looking artwork, which was purposely pencilled to appear somewhat less clean-lined than normal so as to add an extra level of grubbiness to those scenes set within the decrepit seaport. Unfortunately, this 'filter' debatably starts to ‘spoil the senses’ after a while, especially when the cartoonist returns to his usual style in order to illustrate Summer’s aforementioned exploits having “move[d] above tha Earthly coil”.

The regular cover art of "RICK AND MORTY VERSES CTHULHU" #2 by Troy Little

Batman: Urban Legends #17 [Part Two] - DC Comics

BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS No. 17, September 2022

On plain paper a battle between this anthology’s titular character and Theo Ramses Djoser Teth-Adam would appear to be a rather short, infinitely one-sided affair, with Otto Binder's dauntingly super-powered co-creation winning the tussle within a matter of mere moments. However, such a disconcertingly brief conclusion doesn’t take into account the Justice Leaguer’s ability to out-think his opponent, and Alex Paknadel’s script for “Statecraft” arguably does a first-class job of depicting just that; “Hawkman was right -- Kings are one thing, but the people of Kahndaq have had their fill of butchers. Killing me would make him look weak, so he’ll try to get inside my head.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean for a second that the English author falls into the trap of having Bruce Wayne unconvincingly defeat “Shazadam” through uncharacteristic magic use or manipulative mind games. Quite the opposite in fact, as an overly confident Dark Knight is proficiently pencilled by Amancay Nahuelpan still having to fight for his very life against the formidable villain’s ‘human’ alter-ego, following the Caped Crusader’s realisation that Black Adam is actually a master of the immortal martial arts discipline Dhritishastra.

Rounding off this comic’s quartet of adventures is Dan Watters’ short story “On His Worst Nights”, which dips its toe into the murky waters of Batman’s frustration-fuelled hatred for the Riddler and the criminal’s canny conundrums. Intriguingly penned to surprisingly show just how many steps ahead of his arch-nemesis Edward Nygma can occasionally be, courtesy of the green-costumed cad actually narrating the plot, admirers of the World’s Greatest Detective should still enjoy this depiction of the costumed crime-fighter’s remorseless groundwork to ascertain just how his fiendish foe managed to escape custody once again.

In addition, Riley Rossmo provides some excellent layouts which genuinely go a long way to help sell the Dark Knight’s mounting anger as his enquiries with the likes of the Penguin and Catwoman prove fruitless. The vigilante’s attack upon Oswald Cobblepot in the Iceberg Lounge is particularly pulse-pounding. Although, it is probably the Canadian creator’s panel showing a raging Batman shouting up into the night sky upon discovering his puzzle-obsessed prey has already ‘flown the coop’ that is the artistic highlight of this particular parable.

The regular cover art of "BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS" #17 by Jim Cheung & Jay David Ramos

Batman: Urban Legends #17 [Part One] - DC Comics

BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS No. 17, September 2022

Described by “DC Comics” as “a blockbuster issue”, Ryan Cady’s script for “Cold Shoulders” arguably appears to live up to the Burbank-based publisher’s boast by providing this anthology book with a fantastically fast-paced opening yarn featuring Batman and the Flash. However, whilst it is undoubtedly the “Scarlet Speedster” who injects this twenty-page tale with much of its mesmerising momentum. It is perhaps the plot’s focus on Captain Cold questioning just how evil he is willing to be when compared to the murderous machinations of his partner-in-crime, Mister Freeze, which is the highlight of the adventure.

Similarly as sensational is the story’s artwork by Gleb Melnikov, Scott Hanna and Luis Guerrero. The creative team’s depiction of events as respective penciller, inker and colorist genuinely adds to the ever-increasing sense of peril as Barry Allen feverishly attempts to run rings around Gotham in an effort to locate Victor Fries’ secret hideout. Indeed, a lot of the wide-eyed youth’s anguish and sense of desperation to both thwart the villains’ deadly plan, as well as live up to the Dark Knight’s high expectations, are projected through the character’s well-drawn facial expressions and body moments, rather than what Central City’s protector says.

Likewise, the impetus quickly established by Joey Esposito’s excellent “The Sea Beyond” doesn’t let up until Bruce Wayne’s deep sea mission to identify the mysterious source of some catastrophic seismic activity has been completed. Sure, the author’s decision to pen Mera as a debatably dislikeable foil to Aquaman’s good manners and courteousness may well remind many a Silver Age bibliophile of Stan Lee’s writing for the anti-hero, Namor the Sub-Mariner. But her overzealous, sarcastic rants that the Caped Crusader only ‘rules’ on land because her beloved King permits it can easily be forgiven once the three super-heroes enter the ocean; “You’re not listening, Batman! We know the cause. That’s why we’re here. With you. Show him, Arthur.” 

Serg Acuna and Alex Guimaraes also add an incredible amount of energy to this narrative’s telling, courtesy of some truly sumptuous underwater illustrations which genuinely help sell just how far down under the surface the action is taking place. The sheer physical power of the spiralling currents at play are incredibly well sketched, as is this chronicle’s final splash page, depicting the World’s Greatest Detective riding home on the back of a grim-looking Killer Whale.

The regular cover art of "BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS" #17 by Jim Cheung & Jay David Ramos

The Batman And Scooby-Doo Mysteries #3 - DC Comics

THE BATMAN AND SCOOBY-DOO MYSTERIES No. 3, February 2023

Seemingly stepping straight out of the animated television series which “Hanna-Barbera Productions” launched in 1969, Matthew Cody’s script for Issue Three of “The Batman And Scooby-Doo Mysteries” rather succinctly folds the secret society known as the Court of Owls deep within the ‘Elseworld’ where Mystery Incorporated regularly patrol Bruce Wayne’s darkly-lit metropolis alongside the Caped Crusader. Sure, the centuries-old criminal organization is greatly reduced in scale from that of a “violent cabal of some of Gotham City's oldest and wealthiest families” down to a simple haunting used to cover a number of antique thefts. But that still doesn’t arguably stop a lot of menacing fun from occurring at Bibi’s poorly-attended birthday party inside the Owl Court Hotel, as a Talon (or two) scare poor Shaggy and Scooby-Doo within an inch of their lives.

Indeed, the Missouri-born writer manages to imbue this twenty-page periodical with some genuinely classic moments inspired by the “fifth-greatest TV cartoon of all time” (at least according to “TV Guide” in 2013) - most notably that of Rogers and his great dane dressing up as a pair of bell boys and momentarily defeating their murderous ‘ghost’ with the utterly hair-brained “Your room’s, like, ready already” gag. This laugh-out-loud action sequence, prodigiously pencilled by Erich Owen, is obviously doomed to failure. Yet readers will surely still hear the canned hilarity in their head when the deadly assassin turns out his embarrassingly empty trouser pockets when required to pay the unprofessional porters and subsequently gets buried under a ton of tightly-packed luggage cases; “Sorry sir, but no tip, no special service!”

Similarly well-written are the rest of this comic’s quite considerable cast, with Cody providing a particularly intriguing insight into Daphne Blake’s old cheerleading days, courtesy of the “pretty snobby” Bibi. Likewise both Fred Jones and Velma Dinkley are able to ‘show off’ their impressive investigative muscles, even arguably besting Batman to the punch when they notice just how odd the hotel’s brand-new light switches are when compared to the rest of the place which “is covered in an inch of dust.” This deduction notably occurs before the Dark Knight has made his physical presence known, and leads to the teenage group’s “bespectacled resident genius” single-handedly locating the Owl-beast's secret lair.

Written by: Matthew Cody, Drawn and Coloured by: Erich Owen

Batgirls #7 - DC Comics

BATGIRLS No.7, August 2022

For those Batfans able to negotiate their way through Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad’s surprisingly sedentary storyline for Issue Seven of “Batgirls”, it was probably very clear just why “DC Comics” needed to ‘pump up’ the enthusiasm for the book by largely focusing its solicitation upon the mysterious identity of the serial killer known as the Hill Ripper, rather than what this twenty-two page periodical genuinely contains. Yet whilst such a debatably dishonest ploy might have tricked a few ill-fated bibliophiles to pick a copy up off their local store’s spinner rack, the actual narrative to “Bad Reputation” will arguably have ensured that few readers would make a similar mistake again.

Indeed, considering that this magazine contains the murderous mercenaries known as the Saints and Barbara Gordon’s arch-nemesis Seer, as well as a covert mission to infiltrate Oswald Cobblepot’s felon-filled Iceberg Lounge, many devotees must have been bitterly disappointed that nothing much action-orientated occurs within its cover. Sure, the publication opens dynamically enough with Kira Kosov apparently racing for her life across the rooftops of a night-time Gotham City. However, even this short-lived, adrenalin-pumping act is soon shown to be nothing more than a sham to lure Tarsus, Assisi and Valentine into Oracle’s trap.

Furthermore, this comic’s collaborative writing team appear to unashamedly test their audience’s willing suspension of disbelief by skirting over the fact that the Saints had previously been well and truly defeated by the Batgirls, courtesy of a single line stating that the supposedly imprisoned “ex-Magistrate splinter cell” simply “vanished” from police custody before they could be booked in at Central Station. Quite possibly such an ‘unusual’ escape would be much more forgivable if incoming artist Robbi Rodriguez had actually been given an opportunity to draw their escape. But instead, the co-creator of Spider-Gwen is disappointingly tasked with simply pencilling numerous panels featuring alcoholic news reporter Grave O’Halloran talking nonsense or Barbara getting dressed up for a date with Dick Grayson; “I don’t care! How am I supposed to kick butt in a dress?”

In fact, the illustrator’s layouts must have come as something of a shock to those readers who have been collecting this ongoing series from its start, as the American’s heavily-laden line style somewhat shocking jars with the much more quirky drawing technique employed by his predecessor Jorge Corona – a striking contrast which is probably made all the worse by this book having Corona sketch its cover.

Story: Becky Cloonan & Michael Conrad, Art: Robbie Rodriguez, and Colors: Rico Benzi

Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings #5 - Marvel Comics

SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS No. 5, January 2023

Rather energetically explaining the tragic origin of the ten rings, Gene Luen Yang’s storyline for “Game Of Rings” surely must have ‘hooked’ this comic’s audience with its exhilarating mixture of pulse-pounding pugilism, and unhappy flashback to a time when the Jade Emperor despairingly ordered the death of the god-hero Nezha. Indeed, there’s barely a dull moment to be found inside the American author’s twenty-page long plot, as Shang-Chi battles both a maggot-infested demonic Leiko Wu and treacherous Shen Kuei for ownership of the legendary Ten Rings; “What happened to partnering until we’re the last two left!?!”

Foremost of these fights are the Master of Kung Fu’s titanic tussles with his former lover. Now an unwilling host of a spawn of the Desolation Wyrm, the possessed MI-6 agent provides a suitably dangerous opponent for Commander Hand to face, especially when he’s equally occupied keeping the Cat from inadvertently plunging to defeat through a ground-based portal, and this palpable threat to the Chi-Meister’s success genuinely helps raise the tension between the combatants as they rapidly exchange seismically-powered blows.

Equally as engaging as this book’s all-out action though, has to be the emotional drain experienced as Shang-Chi desperately tries to reach inside Leiko Wu’s head and help her battle the fiendish monster controlling her. The woman’s eventual exorcism of the grisly mind grub arguably adds an extra element to her previously somewhat unsympathetic character, whilst some genuine sadness is generated in the character's final scene when she willingly departs “maybe the only one I trust at all” with a tearful kiss and admits that the British Intelligence Service were entirely wrong to have stolen the “set of ten mystical iron rings” from the head of the Five Weapons Society in the first place.

Impressively adding plenty of jaw-breaking “HWOK” and sense-shattering “SHINGGG” to this publication’s proceedings are Marcus To’s layouts, which somehow manage to cram an awful lot of punches, kicks and throws onto each individual sheet. In fact, the sheer sense of speed created by the artist’s clever use of small panels depicting all the intense drama, really helps sell the breath-taking pace of the furious fisticuffs on show - whether it be Red Cannon cold-bloodedly falling upon an otherwise distracted Yokozuna Tak, or the leader of the Red Dot Collective savagely blowing a hole straight through an astonished Ghost Maker with his formidably-sized hand-cannon.

The regular cover art of "SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS" #5 by Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson