The Spectacular Spider-Men #2 Review

 

Writer: Greg Weisman

Penciler: Humberto Ramos

Inker: Victor Olazaba

Colorist: Edgar Delgado

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado; Carmen Carnero & Nolan Woodard; Mike McKone & Alex Sinclair; Will Sliney & Rachelle Rosenberg [Homage]

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 17, 2024

 

When Dr. Seymour Krepps switched the power on in Miles Warren’s laboratory at Empire State University, he awakened the Jackal Hulk. The ferocious clone broke out of its containment chamber and rampaged across E.S.U. After capturing the creature, Peter and Miles Morales joined Dr. Krepps and Professor Raymond Aaron Warren in Jackal's laboratory, where they found a smoking Human corpse. How might Jackal's experiments and a new computer game interrupt Peter and Miles’ caffeinated chats at The Coffee Bean? Let’s grab our lattes, thwip into The Spectacular Spider-Men #2, and find out!

 

Story

NYPD Detective Shari Sebbins studies the burned skeleton in the morgue after Dr. Jane Foster's forensic examination. Jane Foster concludes that the man didn’t burn to death. Instead, each cell of the man’s body exploded. Did the Jackal Hulk do this? Or has Losira found a more spectacular way of killing people like Captain Kirk and U.S.S. Enterprise geologist D’Amato? “I am for you [Insert Name Here].”

 

Whatever the case, this prompts Jackal's brother, Professor Raymond Warren, to spend more time with Dr. Krepps instead of teaching at Midtown High. As the colleagues investigate Jackal's laboratory, Professor Warren grows intrigued when his friend’s taste in beverage changes.

 

 

 

Miles’ friend Cedrick has long adored Shelly. He’s plighted his troth to no avail. In The Spectacular Spider-Men #2, Shelly meets Cedric one night, tells him her feelings have changed, and promises to leave her beau Kenny. But when he meets her later at The Coffee Bean, Shelly affirms her love for Kenny and pretends their night together didn’t happen.

 

Miles grew up with Cedrick. He worries about his friend in The Spectacular Spider-Men #2. Peter accompanies Miles as they tail the distraught lover. But they lose Cedric, and when their trail leads into the sewers, they discover that Number Five is alive. Unfortunately, Number Five isn't a robot and has no plans to move to Montana. 

 

 

 

Art

Humberto Ramos and Victor Olazaba celebrate Miles's late arrival at The Coffee Bean with a double-page scene broken into panels. The staggered shots portray Miles' interactions with Shelly, Kenny, Professor Warren, and Sha Shan as he walks through the crowded coffee shop to Peter's table. Professor Warren glances up from his copy of The Daily Bugle bearing the headline Too Many Spider-Men and smiles at Miles. A woman seated with her back to Miles reads a He-Hulk comic. Peter and Miles clink together cups with their names written on them.

 

Edgar Delgado lavishes a loaded palette on The Spectacular Spider-Men #2. Scenes during the day, such as Miles' coffee shop entrance, shine brilliantly. Yet Delgado makes night scenes involving another Marvel hero and two lovers in Italy equally eye-catching. When the Spider-Men descent into the greenish sewers, light reflects off the costumes and illuminates their angry adversaries. Delgado's lighting and color choices help us understand how much Peter values their Wednesday meetups (when he should be visiting his local comic shop) and feel the danger he and Miles face as they battle more of Jackal’s creations.  

 

 

 

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase letters into white balloons and colored narrative boxes. The appealing font rarely shrinks. Dialogue often grows bold, changes color, or enlarges. Amid the bodies hurled against the brick-lined tunnels and those splashing in the festering fluids, a spine-tingling hissing fills the darkness in The Spectacular Spider-Men #2.

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

In The Spectacular Spider-Men #2, Jackal's cloning experiments continue to threaten society. Some students prove more adept than others at discerning fantasy from reality. Greg Weisman's Spider-ode to Cheers spins a healthy web of Thwippage and Quippage while reminding us that nurturing relationships is as important as accomplishing personal and career goals.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Helen Of Wyndhorn #2 Review

 

Writer: Tom King

Artist: Bilquis Evely

Colorist: Matheus Lopes

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes; Greg Smallwood

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 17, 2024

 

After years of research, journalist Thomas Rogers has published his book on early 20^th Century author Christopher Krieger Cole. Yet a guest at a book signing for Fighting Monsters: The Life And Tragic Death Of Fantasy Master C.K. Cole awakens forgotten memories. Lilith Appleton's nephew is enthused about C.K. Cole's Sword And Sorcery hero Othan and wishes his aunt had told him stories about the celebrated author. Why does learning of Lilith’s death make Thomas search his office for his cassette tapes? Let’s grab our pens and notepads, leap into Helen Of Wyndhorn #2, and see what we can learn!

 

Story

Thomas conducted several interviews with Lilith Appleton. But Barnabas Cole hired Lilith to be Helen’s governess after C.K. Cole’s death. So Lilith never met the author, only his daughter. Lilith never even read C.K. Cole’s stories. Thomas eventually stuck recordings of those interviews in a box and never listened to them again. Yet Thomas cares about getting things right. Even though he’s published his book, Thomas wonders if he missed any essential background on the author by not listening to those interviews.

 

After a thorough search, Thomas finds his recorded interviews with Lilith in Helen Of Wyndhorn #2. He listens to them late into the night. Lilith’s interviews enhance a tragic tale that propelled Cole to an early death. But Lilith is gone now. No one else will likely write about Helen's experiences at her grandfather's estate. Should he?

 

Lilith was rooted in convention. Given Helen’s itinerant life with her father, Lilith is pleased that the girl betrays an understanding of classic languages and literature. Yet Helen's attention flits to and fro, seemingly driven by fear. Lilith worries the girl’s fondness for alcohol could be a culprit. Like her father, it could drive her to an early death.   

 

In Helen Of Wyndhorn #2, Tom King crafts a gothic tale about haunted souls. Helen didn’t want to come to Wyndhorn. Often, Helen sleeps with Lilith rather than spend nights alone in her grand bedroom. Barnabas Cole blames himself for his son’s death. Yet he sees nothing wrong in Helen’s fondness for alcohol. Unlike Lilith, Barnabas is a man of two worlds. He has wealth and a lavish estate, yet Barnabas seems out of place. As Lilith reminds him, his son couldn’t reconcile what he knew with the world he inhabited. Barnabas seems to hope that Lilith can educate Helen out of her infatuation. But when Helen shows signs that she cannot live as she has, Barnabas realizes he must act. Perhaps Helen can follow in his footsteps rather than in her father's.

 

 

 

 

Art

In Helen Of Wyndhorn #2, Thomas Rogers has put on weight. He dresses more conservatively, and his hair is no longer curly and untamed. Bookcases line his office. A radio with a metal handle and a tape cassette player rests on a fine wooden desk. An EGA monitor sits atop a computer with 3 ½" floppy disk drives. His blond, mustached partner clad in pajama pants stops brushing his teeth to shrug at Thomas’ temporary insanity.

 

Barnabas Cole's face is a roadmap of lines. He hunkers down at the head of the dinner table and grasps the meat with his hands. When Lilith rebukes Helen for scattering plates and bowls, Barnabas dashes the candelabra, glasses of wine, and all the plates, bowls, and platters filled with food into the air.

 

Matheus Lopes enhances Bilquis Evely’s exuberant penciling with a selection of color palettes. While Barnabas and Lilith wear gray and brown clothing, Helen often opts for pink. Lopes colors mansion interiors in brown, beige, and blue-gray, while night subdues these colors and adds black walls with white details. Helen often looks out the window during the day, where the sun shines on verdant greenery. A purple cast fills the bedroom as Thomas lies beside his partner and listens to Lilith's interviews. The purple lighting, the tank top Thomas wears to bed, and the shirt he wears at the book signing suggest a link with Helen's fondness for pink.

 

Large uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons relate dialogue and Lilith’s recorded voice. Clayton Cowles’ small, ornate lowercase black letters on pink scraps of paper provide a transcript of Lilith’s recollections. Helen might find satisfaction in the large BANG her outburst at dinner produces. But Barnabas' immense and transparent CKKRAKKK makes clear who rules the mansion in Helen Of Wyndhorn #2.

 

Thanks to Dark Horse Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Even before they were written and collected, fairy tales tantalized readers with glimpses of realms beyond our own. Any Human who ventured into those realms saw great wonders but paid a price. Helen Of Wyndhorn #2 reminds us that early 20^th-century fantasy authors like Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft suffered mental afflictions and died young. Yet their tales of magic and wonder, populated by heroes, monsters, and gods, left an indelible mark on our collective consciousness.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3 Review

 

Writer: Amy Jo Johnson & Matt Hotson

Artist: Nico Leon

Colorist: Dono Sanchez-Almara

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Cover Artists: Goñi Montes, Ejikure, Rahzzah, Frany, Ivan Tao, The Escorza Brothers & Nico Leon

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 10, 2024

 

Trini Kwan's niece Selena tracked Kimberly to her remote mountain cabin. When Kimberly refused to train her, Selena assumed Rita Repulsa's appearance and attacked her. Why would Selena want to hurt Kimberly? Or did Rita return to life to kill Kimberly? Let's grab our power coins, leap into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3, and find out!

 

Story

After Green Ranger Tommy Oliver failed to return from the moon, Kimberly extracted a promise from the surviving Rangers. They would never draw on the Morphin Grid again. Trini kept the agreement, but Jason disappeared while fighting crime as the Red Ranger. Former Blue Ranger Billy Cranston and Black Ranger Zach Taylor told Kimberly Hart they also utilized the Morphin Grid.

 

Way to let down the ladies, guys!

 

Kimberly awakens where her old life ended in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3. Jason, Billy, and Zach are also in Bandora Palace. Selena reveals that she wasn’t Trini’s niece but Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa's daughter. Her father may have died when Billy’s Benevolator detonated, but Rita survived. Or at least her spirit did.

 

Once again, Kimberly’s fears over the power of the Morphin Grid prove correct. Billy’s invention drew power from the Morphin Grid. Rita used that conduit to send her spirit there. Now a ghost in the machine, Rita spoke with her daughter through the Morphin Grid.

 

Jason, Billy, and Zach used the Morphin Grid to help others. Kimberly avoided it to shield Earth from malignant forces. Rita Repulsa inhabited it! Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3 tantalizes us with a glimpse of Selena's childhood. We don't know how Selena grew up, but we know her mother influenced her. In Amy Jo Johnson and Matt Hotson’s story, Selena says she wants power, but her immediate plans involve emotional fulfillment. While seeking revenge, Selena lets her parents' killers live. If Selena achieves her objective, will it bring the satisfaction she craves?

 

Art

Billy’s Benevolator created a crater the size of Angel Grove. The debris orbits the moon, captured by the planetoid's gravity. Outside the damaged Bandora Palace, the Putties that once battled Rangers now clean up the debris. Inside, Jason—the first Ranger captured—hovers over Kimberly. Zach and Billy linger back, doubtless still smarting from their tongue-lashing in the diner. When Selena speaks to them from her mother's throne, the former Blue and Black Rangers assume fighting stances on the flagstone floor. Energy encircles them as they face the reincarnation of their old nemesis.

 

Dynamic layouts showcase Selena’s confrontation with her parents’ enemies, while inset panels reveal how she tracked them. Thoughtful camera placement keeps the action fresh in a now familiar setting. One of Rita's former servitors survived in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3. Although ravaged by age, he hobbles with a cane as he attempts to carry out Selena's plan. Nico Leon reveals Tommy Oliver’s final moments. His final act may explain Selena’s reluctance to kill.

 

Dono Sanchez-Almara colors Jason, Zach, Bill, and Kimberly's clothing to remind us of their uniforms. White energy pulsing through the blue dome evokes sunlight reflected in the sea. After a stream of pink energy signals Kimberly's departure, Tommy spies a child sitting on the worn wooden floor. As Selena reaches toward her mother's still form, her white hair and gray dress contrast with her mother’s colorful regalia and the crystal adorning the Magic Wand’s headpiece.

 

Large, black uppercase letters inhabit white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3. Words grow bold for inflection and rarely shrink. Colorful sound effects help us hear Kimberly’s attempt to break free from the energy dome and Tommy's struggle to reach the Benevolator as it counts down to detonation. Ed Dukeshire’s immense letters compare the power humming through Billy’s device with the one constructed to resurrect Selena’s mother.

 

Thanks to Boom! Studios and Hasbro for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

While providing insight into Tommy Oliver’s final moments, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #3 portrays the perils of social media, the allure of power, and how clinging to the past warps one’s character.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

The Siren’s Red Tide Diary Review

 

Writer: Thaddeus Arjuna

Price: $3.99 (free with Kindle Unlimited)

Release Date: January 25, 2024

 

Darrell Taylor thought he had everything. He had a home. Darrell had a wife. He taught at the University of Florida. But Darrell didn’t share his wife’s interest in religion, and she didn’t share his love of fishing. One day, Darrell returned home and found his wife in bed with her pastor.

 

Darrell wasn't a saint. He'd had a short affair with Karen, his wife's niece. But his wife’s act—and her choice of companion—made Darrell realize the gulf between him. And when he was hurting, his friends at the university didn’t stand by him. So, Darrell filed for divorce, resigned his professorship, and started anew as a commercial fisherman.

 

Amid Darrell’s heartache, his wife’s nephew asked for a job. Nick wasn’t the most reliable worker, but he’d had a difficult childhood, so Darrell felt sorry for him. And an extra pair of hands came in handy on the boat. Hiring Nick as a deckhand also lets Karen remain in his life. Even though he’d kept his distance from the younger woman, Darrell liked her. Then he met Kyna, and everything changed.

 

Once, she had tormented seamen with her ruthless clan of sirens. But dealing out misery left Kyna empty inside. So, she abandoned her sisters and retired to the gulf near the Dry Tortugas. While beginning a new chapter in her life, Kyna noticed Darrell. She began to speak with him when he was alone on the boat. Darrell’s psychologist, Dr. Hammond, wonders if the trauma of his divorce created these hallucinations. But Darrell’s friendship with Kyna will prove a boon when Darrell discovers Nick’s plans for his boat. And Karen will defy her brother and rally to Darrell's side.

 

Abandoned in an inflatable raft with insufficient fuel, food, and water to reach shore, Darrell and Karen drift through red tides and barracuda-infested waters. They struggle to capture fish while fending off shark attacks. As Darrell and Karen lean on each other, Kyna speaks with them and helps them through their ordeal.

 

Author Thaddeus Arjuna invites readers to share Darrell and Karen's adventures through diary entries and dialogue-driven scenes. Atmospheric, transcendent, joyful, and enthralling, The Siren’s Red Tide Diary will find a home in your heart and remind you that the world contains more wonders than we can ever discover.

 

Warning: contains sex and mature themes.

 

The Siren’s Red Tide Diary is available on Amazon.com

ThunderCats #3 Review

 

Writer: Declan Shalvey

Artist: Drew Moss

Colorists: Martina Pignedoli

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Lucio Parrillo; Declan Shalvey; Jae Lee & June Chung; Ivan Tao; Drew Moss

Publisher: Dynamite

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 10, 2024

 

Newcomer Calica enchants Lion-O. The ThunderCats’ young ruler wishes to accompany her outside. But when Lion-O draws the broken Sword Of Omens to check if it is safe, the embedded Eye Of Thundera doesn’t grant him Sight Beyond Sight. Instead, a door of glowing light appears inside the crashed flagship. What will Lion-O discover when he steps through this magical doorway? Let's extend our claws, leap into ThunderCats #3, and see!

 

Story

Lion-O peers through the glowing doorway. But before he can enter, something leaps out at him. Cheetara doesn’t hear Lion-O’s cry, but she hears Calica call for help. She races through the Thundarian flagship to find Lion-O beaming. Her leader embraces a long-lost friend.

 

When they enter the chamber, the ThunderCats discover a cache of weapons. Lion-O learns that his father appointed his friend to guard the room two months ago. They find no stasis pod to explain his friend’s lack of aging. Yet Jaga piloted the ship for years. Even though Lion-O’s malfunctioning pod slowed his aging, he still grew to manhood during their trip.

 

Jaga gave his life to pilot the Thundarian flagship to Third Earth. Yet his spirit haunts Mumm-Ra in ThunderCats #3. Seated upon his throne in the black pyramid, Mumm-Ra questions the glowing figure. He alludes to their shared past. But the Thundarian spirit does not answer.

 

 

 

In Declan Shalvey’s story, Panthro should be Lion-O's rock. Yet his Security Chief grows impatient with Lion-O. When Panthro countermands one of Lion-O's decisions, the situation escalates. Cheetara intercedes but realizes she must restore order quickly to protect her people's heritage and cohesion on this alien planet.

 

Panthro’s distrust of Calica is understandable. Why would the Mu'Tants abduct the girl before they destroyed Thundera? The previous issue also hinted at a psychic link between Calica and Mumm-Ra. As Jaga once wielded the Sword Of Omens, this suggests that Mumm-Ra gained access to the sword’s Eye Of Thundera and used it to communicate with Jaga and Calica. With Declan Shalvey cramming ThunderCats #3 with hints, mysteries, and drama, Tygra’s suffering almost goes unnoticed. While Cheetara strives to return order, the contest for leadership between his friends shakes Tygra to the core.

 

 

 

Art

Drew Moss reveals the grandeur of the ThunderCats’ flagship. Calica wanders through long corridors, Lion-O meets her in an immense conference room, and Panthro studies screens projected from computers in the hangar, surrounded by vehicles and Tygra’s repair equipment. Even broken, the ship hums with a technology indistinguishable from magic. When Lion-O first peers inside, the chamber mirrors the conference room in size and shape, with a central aisle lined by empty displays leading to an elevated throne. Yet when he and the ThunderCats enter, the walls seem to hug the shelves and cases filled with weapons in this Room Of Requirement.

 

Moss portrays earnestness, determination, despair, and overwhelming joy in the ThunderCats’ expressions. He propels the Thundarians into action amid rising tensions regarding Lion-O’s leadership. Yet the most fraught scenes belong to Slythe, the Mu’Tant leader. He entered the jungle to be alone. In leaving his people behind, he may have lost them forever. His desperate fight for survival in ThunderCats #3 reveals that he was wrong to claim victory over “this pathetic world.” 

 

 

 

Cheetara cuts an electrifying swathe of yellow through the red, blue, and green that enrich this story. Whether the action occurs during the day or night, Martina Pignedoli surrounds the characters in bright, rich colors. The atmosphere of Third Earth fills the air with appealing colors that contrast with the characters. When tensions rise in the Thundarian flagship--or something unexpected occurs--a cloud of beautiful color appears.

 

Lowercase black letters in colored narrative boxes relate character thoughts and off-camera dialogue. Black uppercase words in white dialogue balloons grow bold for inflection and swell for shouts. A heartfelt cry wafts through a disembodied pink oval. Mumm-Ra’s handprinted letters dominate cloudy balloons. Jeff Eckleberry helps us hear the Eye Of Thundera open, Slythe’s failure, and a bulkhead shatter in ThunderCats #3.

 

Thanks to Dynamite Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Repressed anger prompts a challenge to Lion-O’s leadership, a beloved friend returns, a mysterious room showcases a Mu’Tant weapon, and a villain discovers new adversaries in ThunderCats #3.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

For more covers and preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Napalm Lullaby #2 Review

 

Writer: Rick Remender

Artist: Bengal

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Bengal & Dave Guertin

Publisher: Image

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 10, 2024

 

A baby operating alien armor appears in a burst of light. Three soldiers also materialize and pursue him. After he kills his enemies, a Human couple finds the child and takes it home. Fifty years later, the Church Of Glokar rules our world. Sam and Sarah want to free Humanity from Glokar’s dominance. But can the teens accomplish such a monumental task? Let’s leap into Napalm Lullaby #2 and find out!

 

Story

Norfolk, Nebraska, is home to a brilliant Crystal Temple. An energy shield protects the skyscrapers surrounding the gleaming architectural beacon, while most of the population inhabits a multistory shantytown of old residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. People conform to Glokor’s religious rule in the hopes of bettering their social and economic status, while the poor feast on fried cricket stew for dinner.

 

Sam and Sarah's father once served in the temple. He escaped, but their mother remained behind. For a short time, the Crystal Temple will allow pilgrims to enter. Entrants hope to spend the rest of their lives inside. Their father doesn’t want to return, but Sam and Sarah wish to see their mother. They're also tired of the world they inhabit.

 

Napalm Lullaby #2 tackles the generation gap. Or should I say the generation chasm? Their father sends them out on missions to procure relics. He safeguards the treasures they find for future generations. Sam and Sarah see their home as a mausoleum, full of dead things that cannot make today better for anyone.

 

In Napalm Lullaby #2, Rick Remender asks: What if Kal-El used his superhuman abilities to transform Earth into his ideal society? We saw suggestions of this in Zach Snyder's Man Of Steel, where young Clark Kent read Plato’s Republic. But Glokor wasn't raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who urged young Clark to let Human society choose its path. Instead, Glokor came to Brenda and Paul, two protestors against anti-liberal causes.

 

Sam and Sarah’s childhood inside the temple granted them superhuman abilities. They’ve secured halos from murdered priests. They want to sneak into the Crystal Temple, find their mother, kill Glokor, and free the world from his religious oppression. Assuming they survive, what will Sarah and Sam do with their superhuman abilities then? Let their fellow Humans choose how they live? Or will they, as agents of change, forge a new and better society for everyone to inhabit?

 

 

Art

Bengal imbues Sam and Sarah with anime appeal in Napalm Lullaby #2. Sam and Sarah ride through narrow streets on an old motorcycle and sidecar. Children play in the dirt while workers stride past beggars and vendors manning stalls sheltered by awnings. An eyeball named Rufus greets Sam and Sarah from a panel beside their front door. After scanning their identities, the eyeball lets the brother and sister inside.

 

Art and relics clutter rooms and hallways. Space hardly seems at a premium in this makeshift future, or at least in Sam and Sarah’s home. Paintings and relics like the front of a classic car and a McDonald’s symbol adorn walls, while old TV sets, action figures, toys, and CDs fill shelves. A carved Greek statue shares a room with a bust of Marilyn Monroe and the upper half of C3PO, while books fill shelves and arise like Ghostbuster-arranged stacks from the floor. Their father awaits their return in an easy chair near a defunct arcade game stuffed with potted plants. Clad in a helmet adorned with aviator goggles and a shirt of chain mail festooned with medals, he reads an Ernest Hemingway novel by candlelight, surrounded by—yes, you guessed it—more books.

 

Reds, yellows, and browns dominate Napalm Lullaby #2, yet Bengal lavishes touches of others to suggest a spectrum of color. Bengal lavishes special care upon lighting, which streams into rooms dramatically. Sam’s powers also manifest as light. They hint at the clown mask he sometimes wears. The angrier Sam gets, the hotter the light grows. Note: don’t make this guy angry!

 

Rus Wooton fills white dialogue balloons with small uppercase black lettering. Inflection and raised voices enlarge and embolden the words. His sound effects help us hear Sam plunk his bag of stolen halos on the table and his anger erupting amid his father's lifework.

 

Thanks to Image Comics and Giant Generator for providing an issue for review.

 

Final Thoughts

In a future where most of humanity lives in slums, dreams can become reality, and thought crimes can get you killed in Napalm Lullaby #2.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

TMNT Best Of Alopex #1 Review

 

Writers: Brian Lynch, Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Juni Ba, Erik Burnham & Sophie Campbell

Artists: Sophie Campbell, Juni Ba, Roi Mercado & Gavin Smith

Colorists: Sophie Campbell, Heather Nunnelly, Ronda Pattison & William Soares

Letterers: Chris Mowry, Shawn Lee & Jake M. Wood

Cover Artist: James Biggie

Publisher: IDW

Price: $6.99

Release Date: April 10, 2024

 

Once, she ran with her pack in the Alaskan wilderness. Now, the Mutant Arctic Fox dispatches her opponents not with her teeth but with her martial arts prowess. What is Alopex’s story? Let’s grab a pizza, leap into the four stories in TMNT Best Of Alopex #1, and find out!

 

 

 

TMNT: Villains Micro-Series #4: Alopex

Story

For Alopex, the mission is everything. She fights for the Foot Clan and follows Master Shredder's orders without question. One assignment awakens old memories. Alopex returns to the land of her birth. Walking through the Alaskan snow reminds her of life hunting prey and avoiding bears before the scientists mutated her. In this first story in TMNT Best Of Alopex #1, Brian Lynch forces Alopex to compare her old life with her new identity. She leaves with a less naive view of her ninja master.

 

Art

Sophie Campbell brings an Old School sensibility to TMNT: Villains Micro-Series #4: Alopex. The Mutant Arctic Fox crashes through windows, fights rival ninjas, and remembers battling the turtles. While reds and blues dominate, Sophie Campbell and Heather Nunnelly use other colors sparingly to highlight killing blows, the mutation drug, and the purple surrounding Alopex’s eyes.

 

 

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #66

Story

Alopex fled New York City for Alaska. She thought she could escape Kitsune’s grasp. But the witch who controls the Foot Clan refuses to let her go. Raphael and Angel pursue her in this second story in TMNT Best Of Alopex #1. The mutant reptile lacks Alopex’s fur. Yet he braves the cold to save her. He's conflicted about his feelings for her. Raphael uses two methods he learned from his fellow turtles to find her. But in Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz’s story, Alopex must discover how to win her freedom from Kitsune before returning with Raphael to New York City.

 

Art

Campbell's art lends a softer, feminine appeal to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #66. Raphael's love for Alopex knocks his confidence for a loop, leaving him open and hesitant before Angel. Ronda Pattison paints the Alaskan land and sky in gray and white, while red dominates Kitsune's scenes. Campbell's atmospheric art and Pattison's limited colors bathe Alopex’s battle with Kitsune in mysticism.

 

 

 

TMNT: The Armageddon Game: The Alliance #3

Story

Alopex’s life grows more confusing when the turtles ally with Shredder to combat the Rat King. She now blames Shredder for experimenting on her and ripping her away from her home and family. Although it hurts, she turns her back on Raphael and the turtles in this story in TMNT Best Of Alopex #1. She helps Angel take on Ravenwood’s Earth Protection Force squad and entertains an offer from Oroku Karai. Juni Ba and Eric Burnham address how our circle of friendships and our concept of family adapts to changes life throws in our path.

 

Art

Juni Ba's art in the first story in TMNT: The Armageddon Game: The Alliance #3 features sharp angles and fraught action. Ronda Pattison's limited coloring electrifies scenes where characters often revert to silhouettes or negative silhouettes, visualize Alopex's scent, and limbs resemble lightning bolts. Roi Mercado's characters approach photorealism in the backup story, while backgrounds often fade. Ronda Pattison fills null backgrounds with brilliant colors that evoke the aurora borealis from the land of Alopex’s birth.

 

 

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #140

Story

After the Rat King's defeat, everything is different. Leonardo tries to keep the group together, but the turtles can't even agree on whether patrolling the neighborhood is necessary. Raphael glimpses Alopex and texts her. But the Mutant Arctic Fox doesn't answer. Alopex has left the turtles behind. She leads the Claw Clan in this final story in TMNT Best Of Alopex #1. Despite her pack’s enthusiasm, Alopex strives to find a purpose in their activities. Sophie Campbell’s story places the turtles front and center, with Alopex limited to one scene. But a series of mutant murders and a cliffhanger featuring Raphael suggest the Arctic Fox's return.

 

Art

Gavin Smith packs this final story in TMNT Best Of Alopex #1 Review with breathtaking reality. The turtles and other mutants convincingly (if not always harmoniously) interact with their Human neighbors. Ronda Pattison enhances Smith’s inked shading and illuminates her characters under the city lights and a full moon. Pattison's loaded palette and nuanced coloring portray a community rocked by change. 

 

Final Thoughts

From ferocious arctic fox to streetwise ninja leader, the mutant Alopex has endured the trials and hardships of modern life. She navigates a maze of twists and turns, pulling Raphael into her struggles before leaving the mutant turtle behind. TMNT Best Of Alopex #1 showcases her struggles with change and her unending search for a home.

 

Rating 9/10

 

To preview TMNT: Villains Micro-Series #4: Alopex, the first story in TMNT Best Of Alopex #1, see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

 

Review: Second Death by Jeff Kerr

 

 

Author: Jeff Kerr

Cover Artist: Cheynne Edmonston

Paperback: $9.99

ebook: $0.99

 

 

 

After serving his country in Afghanistan, Adam Cash wanted to join the police force in his hometown. Instead, he got blamed for the sheriff's murder. While clearing his name and finding the killer, Cash brought down a human trafficking ring. Will life get less dangerous for the new deputy in Pinyon, Texas? Let’s leap into Second Death by author Jeff Kerr and find out!

 

When an explosion rocks a gas station, Deputy Cash discovers a hidden tank in an incinerated truck. The driver, Ralph Spencer, was smoking while stealing diesel fuel. Cash finds a gold coin in his pocket. Learning that Ralph had a regular income but no job, Cash smells a mystery. Fellow deputy Keisha Hodge, another recent addition to the Pinyon Police force, is keen to help Cash investigate. But even after Ralph’s girlfriend Alissa goes missing, Sheriff Gabe Santos insists Ralph's death was due to Ralph's greed and carelessness, nothing more.

 

But then, Gabe Santos has a lot on his mind. After inheriting the job from his predecessor, a local rancher forced the county commissioners to hold a special election. Santos hates all the paperwork his new job brings. Still, he never wants to work for a corrupt sheriff again. So he asks Cash’s girlfriend, Edie James, to help run his campaign. But the rival candidate’s offer to purchase Edie’s services endangers Santos’ poorly funded campaign.

 

In his sequel to Blunt Force Trauma, Jeff Kerr throws many obstacles into Adam Cash’s path. He’ll battle a doubting boss, threats to his love life and family, and attempts on his life as he follows a trail of financial breadcrumbs across state lines to find Alissa and discover Ralph Spencer’s killer. Plus, there's also an alligator named Jeremiah. He's always hungry for his next meal!

 

Warning: Second Death contains racism, sex scenes, and religious themes.

 

Second Death is available at Amazon.com

Visit Jeff Kerr's website

Revisit Jeff's first Adam Cast novel with my review of Blunt Force Trauma