Absolute Batman #12
Tick tock, it’s time for Croc! Waylon Jones has been put through the wringer, kidnapped and mutated into a monster. Is there any humanity left in this Gotham City kaiju? Nick Dragotta outdoes himself this issue, expertly crafting some of the most horrific scenes I’ve ever seen in a Batman comic. Croc’s design is absolutely monstrous — rows of jagged teeth and sewer-green scales are betrayed by eyes that are all too human, eyes that plead for a way out of the hell Bane and company have forced him into.
Poor (literally) Bruce Wayne is doing a bit better. He still has his human form, give or take a few arms. The rest of his friends — well, you and I both saw the last page of issue No. 11. Whatever terrible fate you imagined Bane had in store for Ozzie, Harvey and Eddie, multiply it by three and you still won’t be close to the horror Snyder and Dragotta have laid out in these panels.
Batman is now in a world much bigger than himself, and it might prove to be more than he bargained for. So far Bane has been five steps ahead at every turn, and he shows no signs of slowing down. It’s a fight he can’t win — at least not alone. Fortunately, the Dark Knight still has some friends in one piece. It will take everything Batman has and more if he hopes to beat Bane.
Punisher: Red Band #1
You’ll see red in this thrillingly brutal new Punisher No. 1. Frank Castle is back in rare form, tearing through New York City’s underworld like a force of nature. This time Frank has a problem: He’s got no memories, not even his name. His instincts prevail, though, much to the dismay of criminals everywhere. The mystery element drives the story as much as the action — and there’s plenty of both. Julius Otha steals the show. This comic is incredibly graphic and more than earns the Red Band title.
The villains are terrifying tombstones, and Benjamin Percy does an excellent job of showing just how depraved Marvel's criminal underworld can be. When Frank busts up a fentanyl shipment worth millions, the fallout will no doubt lead to a citywide gang war — one that Kingpin seeks to puppet master to his advantage. The last page complicates things even further. Frank might be in over his head this time, but it’ll be a blast to see how things shake out.
Ultimate Spider-Man: Ultimate Incursion #4
Spider-Man vs. Magik in the duel of the century. Miles’ baby sister Billie is still on holiday in the Ultimate Universe, and now she’s fallen into the hands of Russia’s mutant regime. No need to worry, though — Miles and Maystorm are hot on the trail. Through tundra and turmoil, they’ll find Billie one way or another.
This issue is a perfect split between drama and action. We get a vulnerable Miles, weary from his now months-long journey through the Maker’s Ultimate Universe. His frustration is palpable. Artist Jonas Scharf does an excellent job conveying that. Another highlight is the incredibly cozy cabin Miles and Maystorm find during their search. Camp and Ziglar establish a fun dynamic between the two as they share stories from their respective universes.
Magik steals the show here in all her heinous glory. The Queen of Limbo cuts through rival council henchmen with ease. She's a vision of terror and the worst nightmare of 616 Magik. The fight that ensues is the series’ best yet, pushing Miles and Maystorm to their limits in a team-up where they're clearly outmatched.
Like always, Billie is in another castle. This time she’s been whisked away by Emmanuel DaCosta, who may be the creepiest member of the Maker’s council. The story comes to a close next month. Here’s hoping Miles can save Billie before it’s too late.
X-Men of Apocalypse Alpha #1
A deal with the devil to right the wrongs of the past — what could go wrong?
The X-Men return to the Age of Apocalypse. The only problem is that they never left. Magneto killed Apocalypse. That should have reset the timeline and stopped the dystopia they call home from ever coming to fruition. It didn’t, and now they’re stuck in a timeline tantamount to hell.
The story kicks off in earnest with Blink in the middle of a daring escape, robot hounds hot on her trail. Luckily for Clarice, Sabertooth and Wild Child are there to cover her getaway. It’s a hodgepodge assortment of X-Men — the kind of team you scrounge together when the world has truly gone to heck. That’s what makes it so fun, watching old foes join together with heroes to fight for the greater good.
There’s no shortage of action in this issue, and Simone Di Meo perfectly captures the tone of this book. Vibrant reds and blurred backgrounds give the sense that the whole world is on fire. The characters are striking, and the emotions are running high — particularly for the love-lorn Gambit, whose love Rogue and best friend Magneto have coupled up at the end of the world. Loeb writes Rogue and Gambit well. They clearly still care deeply for each other, and I’m left wondering if they’ll rekindle their romance in this timeline.
Another highlight here is Morph, the only X-Man whose sense of humor survived the apocalypse. They add some much-needed levity to the issue and get some somber, reflective moments of their own. Morph is tasked with the imperative mission of finding Forge, who’s been taken by everyone’s favorite salacious sociopath, Mr. Sinister.
What Sinister reveals to the X-Men changes everything they know about their world and kicks off a mission that I look forward to following when X-Men of Apocalypse No. 1 comes out in November.
Murder Podcast #1
I don’t want to trash anyone’s interests. We all like different things, and that’s OK — the world would be terribly mundane otherwise. That said, I’ve never quite understood true crime fanatics. I’m not a prude; of course violence is par for the course in a lot of media, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the occasional hyperviolent video game. God of War, Gears of War, Fallout — yes, I’d be lying if I said my 9-year-old self wasn’t positively giddy as I used my Lancer rifle to chainsaw locusts in half. Or when I got older and started double tapping survivors begging for mercy in The Last of Us (the multiplayer in the first game was slept on).
The difference is that all that violence is fake. Kratos never actually poked Poseidon’s eyes out, and the countless locusts I brutally pureed were never anything more than pixels on a screen. So I am confused when people listen to the grisly details of actual crimes that happened to real people — people who had hopes and aspirations, mind you!
What happens when those true crime enthusiasts fly too close to the sun? When the podcast becomes too influential and people start to die? That’s the premise of Murder Podcast, a stunning new series about a podcast that entrances listeners into an insatiable murderous rage.
Things kick off calmly enough with an innocent listener finishing the latest episode of “Kill, Killers, Killing” as she meal preps. It's a normal evening until a notification appears for another show. “Dead Inside” sounds intriguing enough, right? When she turns it on her body stiffens. She begins to recite the words along with the hosts as though she’s possessed, and when her partner comes into the kitchen she murders him. One blood-curdling scream and scene change later, we meet our main cast: Mina, Rene, Josie, Alice and Blythe. Young millennials who are appropriately obsessed with coffee and true crime. Writer Jeremy Haun makes the characters and their dialogue feel organic. You immediately get the sense that they’ve been friends for years. They bully and encourage each other in equal measure, as old friends do. Mike Tisserand’s art renders characters incredibly expressive, and that works wonders for a story with so many explosive moments.
This comic isn’t just about friends enjoying overpriced coffee. It’s clear there’s something sinister bubbling under the surface of their city. Who is the man in the bone mask? Where did this new podcast come from? And why is it making people crash out? Whatever the answers are, if they're as entertaining as this first issue, we’re in for a great story.
I've worked at Dr No's for just less than a year and I've been patronizing them for half my life. I like comics, video games, music and sometimes sports.
I’m a GSU graduate, veteran sandwich artist, and aspiring writer. Ask me about the X-Men or my anime car sometime.
I think all comics are good they're human expression, dreams put to a page through days, months and years of dedication. They're windows into other worlds, aspirations of all we can be, warnings of what we may become and everything in between. Above all I think comics can help us understand the things we often don't consider.
That's what I want these reviews to do, help folks understand maybe even appreciate something they haven't seen before, but yea lemme wrap this up I got books to file. Happy reading!
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