The Incredible Hulk [2023] #1 - Marvel Comics

THE INCREDIBLE HULK No. 1, August 2023

Announced in March 2023 as a “chilling new ‘Hulk’ run by Phillip Kennedy Johnson” in which “Bruce Banner takes on Marvel’s most gruesome monsters”, this comic’s opening certainly must have pleased the majority of its readers with a genuinely disturbing exploration of a long-forgotten tomb in Iraq. But whilst graverobbing Trudy’s truly horrific transformation into a frighteningly fanged nightmare from beyond the grave is incredibly well-penned, what follows in Estill County, Kentucky, a year later, arguably isn’t quite so compelling.

In fact, this thirty-page-periodical’s plot debatably becomes a tad unfollowable as the founding Avenger is suddenly stalked by a seriously scary diabolical quartet who seem just as eager to feast upon hapless human flesh as they are determined to locate Stan Lee’s co-creation. Just who this ungodly troupe are is never really revealed, apart from them being led by the aforementioned, demonically possessed Trudy, nor how the “mysterious immortal” has somehow managed to force Banner’s ex-wife to accompany her murderous band of malcontents in tracking down Bruce’s alter-ego; “The belief of cattle means little. But this place does have the stink of the Green Door.”

Far more intriguing is probably the Eisner-nominated writer’s sequences featuring a badly battered Charlie desperately attempting to escape her obnoxious father by finally fixing the Mustang her “gramma left me”. This headlong flight through the woods at night from a drunk, domestic abuser gives the audience plenty of opportunities to witness both the young girl’s cleverness and raw courage, especially once she shockingly stumbles upon an already highly agitated Hulk and bravely decides to meet the monster’s chilling gaze rather than strike out into the dark forest alone.

Similarly as strong as the makeshift mechanic’s understandable determination to improve her lot in life are Nic Klein’s energy-packed panels and reimagining of the “Green Goliath” as a long-haired monstrosity with a genuinely disconcerting death-stare. Furthermore, the German artist’s ability to imbue poor Charlie with all the pent-up frustration and hatred a bibliophile might expect from an ill-treated adolescent really comes to the fore when Rusty’s friend finally takes the opportunity to sock it to her addled parent and rains down upon his face a series of palpable blows.

The regular cover art of "THE INCREDIBLE HULK" #1 by Nic Klein

Mud And Madness #1 - Blood Moon Comics

MUD AND MADNESS No. 1

Opening up this terrifying trip to the trenches of World War One, Peter Breau’s “Nacht feast” certainly manages to deliver an impressive amount of spine-tingling supernatural chills and enthralling intrigues within its surprising short eight-page storyline. Indeed, scout George South’s brief encounters with such a variety of colourful characters, whether they be ‘historical’ like Walt Disney, Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler, or a frightening, facially disfigured fictional priest, will surely have many a bibliophile clamouring for further insights into the actual Great War veteran’s sense-shattering shenanigans; “What I am gonna impart on you is true, even though it may have a ring of falsehood about it. These events have shaken me to my soul.” 

Foremost of these hooks however, has to be Piker, Ernest Chapman and South’s face-to-face confrontation with Vlad the Impaler and the bloodthirsty ruler’s ungodly ghoulish minions. Well-sketched by Brian Maikisch, these scenes are truly disconcerting with the artist cleverly adding lots of little details into their panels such as the gruesome Transylvanians merrily chopping up the bodies of their hapless victims on the battlefield and a sombre-faced young Adolph Hitler holding Dracula’s horse as the future Fuhrer of the Third Reich begins his well-documented obsession with the occult.

Carrying on this beguiling blend of real-life events with those of the paranormal is “Carnis Nocturnis” by Breau and his son, Jaden. Packed full of flesh-feasting wolves, similarly hungry cannibal combatants and a wonderful cameo by Canadian First Nations soldier Francis Pegahagabow, this first in a two-part narrative definitely grabs the attention just as soon as the reader is shown their first decapitated head stuck upon a stake.

Atmospherically produced in simple black and white, as well as (once again) prodigiously pencilled by Brian Maikisch, the almost suffocating sense of fear and trepidation in South, Piker and Chapman is palpable as they slowly make their way across the Eastern Front to find St. John’s Tigers a new location for their camp. Furthermore, the temporary stand-off between the three troopers and a group of grisly-looking, well-armed man-eaters should have some within this comic’s audience quite literally holding their breath in anticipation as to just who will fire the first all-important shot.

Writers: Peter Breau & Jaden Breau, and Artist: Brain Maikisch

Planet Of The Apes [2023] #2 - Marvel Comics

PLANET OF THE APES No. 2, July 2023

Oddly containing two separate storylines which both tackle the Army of Man’s “misguided attempt to end the spread of the ALZ-113 retrovirus” by storming Switzerland and killing all of the world’s apes, the pacing of this comic probably caused a fair few bibliophiles to scratch their heads in frustration. Indeed, considering that the book’s fourteen-page central tale predominantly consists of nothing more than Doctor Sembene having an argument with the Secretary General of the United Nations over the telephone, it seems somewhat illogical for editor Sarah Brunstad to then allow this publication’s sole source of pulse-pounding action to be exclusively bottled up until its very end with the tiny tale “The Smartest Gorilla In The World”.

True, David F. Walker’s ponderous depiction of a surprisingly idyllic life in Western Malaysia in 2013 and the harsh military training of chimpanzees living at the International Simian Research Centre in Ghana three years later, certainly paints an intriguing insight into the contrasting lifestyles on an Earth where Humanity is slipping “ever closer to the brink of extinction”. But this entire narrative is so sedentary in its delivery that those readers who manage to wade through its increasingly wearisome, word-heavy dialogue will surely wonder why the uninspiring physician’s diatribe about the decline of mankind wasn't intermixed with artist Dave Wachter’s prodigiously pencilled depiction of Pug’s brutal battle against the Exercitus Viri at the periodical’s conclusion.

Just as disconcerting though, is just why Sembene is so bitterly opposed to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) in America taking some of his facility’s specimens in the first place, or what the United Nations actually plan to do with the monkeys when they’ve got them. It’s made crystal clear from the tone of the conversation that both the Doctor and his political superior have very strong polar opposite opinions regarding the decision. However, as the relevance of the “direct order” is never put into context, apart from the Secretary explaining that Ghana now holds “the only sizable population of Great Apes still in captivity”, it will be debatably difficult for any within this comic’s audience to ascertain just who is potentially making the “inexcusable” mistake.

The regular cover art of "PLANET OF THE APES" #2 by Joshua Cassara & Dean White

Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Echoes #2 - IDW Publishing

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE No. 2, June 2023

Absolutely packed full of enthralling, edge-of-your-seat action as the fugitive criminal Akris escapes into Romulan space, it is difficult to imagine that many fans of Robert Wise’s 1979 science fiction film weren’t extremely satisfied with Marc Guggenheim’s script for this twenty-two-page periodical. Indeed, the Long Island-born television producer so readily captures the classic feel of Gene Roddenberry’s original series, that Issue Two of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Echoes” could easily be mistaken for something originally conceived by the Great Bird of the Galaxy during Paramount Television Service's unsuccessful attempt to produce a sequel television show; “Dancing is illogical. No amount of context makes it more or less so.”

Foremost of these highly nostalgic feats has to be the way the American author presents Admiral James Tiberius Kirk and the iconic character’s interaction with the rest of his bridge crew – most notably Commander Spock. There’s an eerily genuine swagger to “Starfleet's youngest starship captain” in this comic which quite superbly replicates all actor William Shatner’s confidence when he was performing in the role. In fact, so much of the Federation officer’s dialogue and banter is so ‘spot on’ that the Canadian’s voice repeatedly emanates off of the printed page.

Just as impressive though is this publication’s narrative, which shows the fast-thinking Chief of Starfleet Operations outwitting the Treaty of Algeron in order to pursue an “agent of chaos from a parallel universe”. True, some bibliophiles might find Kirk’s omnipotence concerning just how the Romulan’s will react to his Neutral Zone incursion a little too contrived. But the breach via a ‘stolen’ shuttlecraft and subsequent ferocious firefight aboard Base Station Delta V is so well penned that such a minor quibble is arguably easy to set aside in favour of this book’s pulse-pounding plot.

Pulling all this positivity together are Oleg Chudakov’s somewhat cartoony layouts, which do a great job in imbuing all the U.S.S. Enterprise’s crewmembers with some truly memorable facial expressions. The Russian artist’s fleeting side-exchanges between the considerably sized cast, most notably Pavel Chekov and Hikaru Sulu, are particularly well-drawn, as is the illustrator’s wonderful attention to detail when it comes to capturing the look (and feel) of Robert Fletcher’s uniforms and production designer Harold Michelson’s refitted Constitution-class sets.

Writer: Marc Guggenheim, Artist: Oleg Chudakov, and Colorist: DC Alonso

Free Comic Book Day - Tom Holland's Fright Night #1 - American Mythology Productions

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY - TOM HOLLAND'S FRIGHT NIGHT No. 1, April 2023

Whilst this heavily truncated “first look at the brand-new Fright Night Origins series” by “American Mythology Productions” probably didn't contain enough new material to woo any admirers of Tom Holland’s 1985 cult horror film into automatically placing the title onto their respective pull lists, the Free Comic Book Day special edition does provide a reasonably enjoyable summarisation of the vampire movie’s captivating “world full of horror, humour, and heart”. Indeed, in many ways it is a pity that this ten-page tease doesn’t just focus upon partially adapting the movie director’s script rather than rushing its readers straight through the motion picture’s main plot at an increasingly frustrating rate simply so it can then conclude with a cliff-hanger; “Please make it out to one of your biggest admirers.”

Of course, this publication’s solitary selling point is debatably to hook in a new audience for the fang-filled franchise by continuing “the tale after the original screenplay ends”, and in this endeavour James Kuhoric somewhat succeeds, courtesy of a mysterious female vampire who bookends the comic with a couple of dramatic entrances. Sadly however, despite the evident energy imbued into this new character’s introduction as she sucks some hapless human dry whilst sporting a pair of gigantic bat wings, Jason Craig’s proficient pencilling appears slightly off-target - especially when it comes to the illustrator’s reimagining of Peter Vincent as a dark-bearded novelist who disconcertingly lets a smart-mouthed student do all his talking for him.

The slightly scratchy-looking style of the “twenty-five-year comic book veteran” also badly compares with the much more cartoony panels of Neil Vokes, who not only draws the cover to this “perfect addition to every Fright Night fan's collection”, but also the aforementioned flash-back sequences focusing upon Charley Brewster’s battle with “our favourite sweater-wearing, apple-eating vampire, Jerry Dandrige.” These colourful recollections genuinely generate a thoroughly enjoyable sense of nostalgia for the $24.9 million grossing flick, especially as the “legendary” artist manages to crowbar in such notable cameos as actor Art J. Evans’ Detective Lennox and Amanda Bearse’s terrifyingly toothed vampiric form. So many a bibliophile may well feel it was a mistake Vokes wasn’t solely asked to draw all this book’s interiors instead of splitting the workload between two vastly contrasting professionals.

Writer: James Kuhoric, and Artists: Jason Craig and Neil Vokes

Dune: House Harkonnen #5 - BOOM! Studios

DUNE: HOUSE HARKONNEN No. 5, May 2023

Having started this comic with a fast-paced opening involving young Gurney Halleck staging "a tense rescue mission” inside a depraved Pleasure House on Giedi Prime, it is hard not to imagine some within this book’s audience becoming a little despondent at the somewhat sedentary storytelling which then follows. Sure, the subsequent seemingly inescapable fate of little Victor Atreides to fall before the charge of a gigantic Elecran should definitely grab all but the most cold-hearted of bibliophiles by the throat, especially when the tiny boy's bodyguards declare their inability to protect the first son of Caladan’s duke from so deadly a sea mammal. Yet even this devastatingly dramatic near miss is quickly engulfed by the co-authors’ determination to cram in as many other locations, personalities, and dialogue-driven predicaments as the twenty-two-page periodical will allow.

Furthermore, there arguably seems to be some distinctly dodgy characterisation taking place where “Leto the Just” and Earl Dominic Vernius are concerned. Many readers will doubtless acknowledge that “the Red Duke” is very wise to be suspicious of the Reverend Mother Mohiam’s motives when she suddenly visits him bearing “a trained Bene Gesserit to serve in your household.” However, the ordinarily cordial and considerate ruler debatably acts more like a paranoid Baron Harkonnen during this meeting, by savagely grabbing his unarmed “gift” around the neck and threatening to cold-bloodedly stab her in the throat with a hand-dagger. Likewise, it is difficult to imagine the “hero of the Ecazi Revolt” making small talk with a couple of Fremen traders who have inadvertently stumbled upon the fugitive’s hidden headquarters deep within the South Polar Zone on Arrakis, when the former war hero’s beloved wife was cold-bloodedly gunned down following a similar indiscretion.

Quite possibly adding to this disconcerting avalanche of figures and affairs from Frank Herbert’s “feudal interstellar society” is artist Fran Galan, who frustratingly appears as just another in an increasingly protracted line of contributing illustrators for this mini-series. Slightly stiff when it comes to drawing the physical movement of this comic’s considerable cast, the Spaniard’s proficient pencilling itself is not really the problem though. But rather his ‘take’ on the appearance of certain individuals, which will doubtless cause some fans to initially rely upon this publication’s text to inform them as to just who it is being depicted in the panels – most notably Gurney, who repeatedly seems to either age or rejuvenate his looks depending upon what activity the “talented minstrel” is sketched performing.

The regular cover art of "DUNE: HOUSE HARKONNEN" #5 by Raymond Swanland

Unstoppable Doom Patrol #3 - DC Comics

UNSTOPPABLE DOOM PATROL No. 3, July 2023

Hurling “the World’s strangest superheroes” against two of the DC Universe’s “best” Green Lanterns with little to no exposition, Dennis Culver’s script for “The Fast And The Nebulous” must surely have had the vast majority of its audience still sat upon the edge of their seats. Sure, the American author doesn’t really ever provide the reader with a plausible explanation as to just how Starbro found their way to the metahuman Mento or earnt the protection of Steven Dayton’s former dysfunctional team-mates. But it’s arguably enough to know that the face-hugging spawn of Starro the Conqueror did somehow manage it, and resultantly is now a prime target of the Guardians’ intergalactic corps of police officers.

Furthermore, there’s some incredibly well-written interplay between Robotman and Negative Man throughout this twenty-two-page periodical, which manages to both depict some genuine tenderness between the ‘partners-in-crimefighting’ as Cliff Steele apologizes to Trainor for repeatedly calling him Larry when the Negative spirit once merged with Doctor Poole, as well as provide the protagonists with some highly memorable wins over their pursuers. Indeed, the pair’s ability to transform their motor car into a wall-penetrating phantom vehicle is easily one of the highlights of this comic.

Similarly as well penned though has to be the hubris imbued into Guy Gardner and Kyle Raynor, as the Green Lanterns relentlessly track down the ‘brand-new fugitive’ without giving a moment’s thought as to why one of Starro’s spores has some how gained self-awareness. The famous arrogance of the former Baltimore lawman is particularly well-captured, with the overconfident ring bearer threatening to beat-up “a whole Doom army” almost single-handedly rather than reach any sort of compromise; “It’s not our decision to make. Above our pay grade.”

Adding plenty of wheel spin and the smell of burning rubber to Starbro’s predicament is Chris Burnham, whose slightly tongue-in-cheek pencilling repeatedly instils this book’s cast with so much more emotion and humour than its dialogue suggests. As aforementioned, Gardner is debatably at the height of his haughtiness during this story, with his arms folded tight across his chest or right fist cocked back ready to throw the first punch. However, the Connecticut-born artist is equally as good at making Robotman’s metallic face come alive, with subtle mouth gestures, or fleeting looks at Negative Man whenever their road trip starts to go awry.

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