Welcome to the weekly rundown of comic book reviews from Major Spoilers. There is a lot of stuff on the site, but this is certainly the place to find all of the reviews we’ve written this week (and a bit more).
DARK HORSE COMICS
HALO: COLLATERAL DAMAGE #2
Writer: Alex Irvine
Artist: David Crosland
Cover Artist: Zak Hartong
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 4, 2018
HALO: Collateral Damage #2 from Dark Horse Comics continues an exciting story from the history of the Master Chief. 3.5 out of 5 Stars. – Stacy Baugher
RESIDENT ALIEN: AN ALIEN IN NEW YORK #4
Writer: Peter Hogan
Artist: Steve Parkhouse
Publisher: Darkhorse Comics
Cover Price: 3.99
Release Date: July 11, 2018
Listen to the Full Review Here
In other media the confrontation between the federal agent and the alien would have been something that happens within the first arc. Here we are four volumes in and we MIGHT finally see that happen NEXT volume. Still, that’s not the point here. Once again Resident Alien wraps up an arc with sweetness, humanity and empathy. Showing us that just because you were not born here doesn’t mean you don’t belong. 4 out of 5 Stars. – Rodrigo Lopez
SWORD DAUGHTER #2
Writer: Brian Wood
Artist: Mack Chater
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: July 4, 2018
Sword Daughter #2 continues a hard look at the price of revenge and the difficulties of fatherhood, with a dose of bloody sword art thrown in. Make sure you pick it up and follow along. 4 out of 5 Stars. – Stacy Baugher
DC COMICS
BANE: CONQUEST #12
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Graham Nolan
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 27, 2018
All in all, Bane: Conquest #12 isn’t a bad comic book, it just doesn’t feel like a complete one, and while the dialogue and situations are fun (especially Gunhawk getting rattled at the sight of Batman and immediately turning tail), the action and dialogue doesn’t seem like it’s in service of a coherent plot, earning 2 out of 5 stars overall. With a little more setup, some explanation in these pages of the stakes of the conflict between Bane and Batman and a little more crunch in the climax, and this would have been a great comic. – Matthew Peterson
BATMAN #50
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Various
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: July 4, 2018
Listen to the Full Review Here
Despite the brouhaha surrounding the spoilers for Batman #50, this is a very good book. The hook is well played and the seeds of doubt are sown perfectly. There is a touch of sadness, that will sure to explode in the coming months (years?), as King continues to tell his tale. I guess the biggest question on everyone’s mind after reading this issue still is, “Why can’t heroes be happy?” King attempts to answer that in his own way, but what may be an answer for Batman isn’t the answer for all heroes. 4 out of 5 Stars. – Stephen Schleicher
CATWOMAN #1
Writer: Joelle Jones
Artist: Joelle Jones
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 4, 2018
I’m excited for Selina’s Kyle’s adventures under these creators and I really want to see the character define herself as something other than Bruce Wayne’s main squeeze once more. Catwoman #1 is a fresh start for our hero, featuring amazing art, incredibly coloring and an intriguing story hook that never forgets about the woman inside the leather suit (and for once focuses on more than her big breasts) earning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. If nothing else, the lack of a boob window and/or deep cleavage on Ms. Kyle’s catsuit is a step in a better direction. – Matthew Peterson
JUSTICE LEAGUE #3
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jorge Jimenez
Publisher: DC Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 4, 2018
Justice League #3 is a dark story, and it’s full of the unsettling feeling that much of that darkness comes from within. I appreciate that, despite this, the team works together and supports one other rather than fall prey to blaming each other. They can still maintain a sense of humor and joke around, which I love to see and which I think enforces their strong sense of team. I, for one, am eager to see where this goes next. 4.5 out of 5 Stars – Ingrid Lind-Jahn
THE SILENCER #6
Storytellers: Viktor Bogdanovic & Dan Abnett
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: June 27, 2018
The Silencer #6 is equal parts action and unanswered questions, and seems to be building to a big confrontation between Honor and her former boss, but it’s hard to get engaged in the story without a clear feel for who she is, and the aimless feel to the plotting (which I’m attributing to the art-before-scripting process, a problem I’m having with a lot of the New Age titles) leaves us with a right-down-the-middle 2.5 out of 5 stars overall. I’m not sure how DC is assessing the experiment of the New Age of DC Heroes, but this installment makes for another maddeningly inconsistent read. – Matthew Peterson
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
ELVIRA MISTRESS OF THE DARK #1 (OF 4)
Writer: David Avallone
Artist: Dave Acosta
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 4, 2018
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past 30 years, you know who Elvira is and what she’s like. If you love the Queen of Halloween, Elvira Mistress of the Dark #1 should be right up your alley. If you like some humor with your horror, give this a read. If, on the other hand, you like your horror dead serious with blood, guts, and on-panel dismemberment, this is probably not for you. 4.5 out of 5 Stars. – Ingrid Lind-Jahn
IDW PUBLISHING
THE CAPE: FALLEN #1
Writer: Jason Ciaramella
Artist: Zach Howard
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 4, 2018
As a reader, you can choose to pick and choose which bits of The Cape: Fallen #1 interest you the most. I enjoyed it all, but for some, philosophical discussions about the nature of evil can be a sterile debate. For them, the real, brutal impact of those debates comes to life in the actions of Eric, the boy who flew once, then fell and has been falling ever since. The Cape: Fallen #1 is as much a cry for help and understanding, as it is an issue that presages the gory vengeance to come. 4 out of 5 Stars. – Robert Mammone
IMAGE COMICS
THIEF OF THIEVES #38
Writer: Brett Lewis
Artist: Shawn Martinbrough
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 4, 2018
Thief of Thieves #38 marks the beginning of the end of the series. After leading a somewhat charmed, if exceptionally complicated life, Conrad’s chickens are beginning to come home to roost. No matter your best intentions, no matter how hard you try to make amends for the mistakes in your life, it is that accumulation of sin, if you will, that clings to you, drags you down, and offers you up for the punishments that life inevitably bring. Lost, seemingly abandoned in a Russian hellhole, Conrad is about to find out that the price of freedom is to be crushed underfoot. – Robert Mammone
THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #37
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Jamie McKelvie
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 27, 2018
This is a wonderful comic, you guys, and every time I think I have things figured out, these creators flip the script on me. Perhaps the most shocking moment in the issue comes not in a story page, but in the appearance of the “clock face” featuring the symbols of the Pantheon, a moment that had me gasping out loud. The Wicked + The Divine #37 is exciting, well-drawn and features at least three big shocking moments, making me wonder for a second if maybe someone will get out alive this time, only to consider myself foolish for asking, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. It’s wonderful to see creators telling a story this personal and unusual, and I recommend it to all fans of comic storytelling. – Matthew Peterson
LION FORGE COMICS
CELLIES #2
Writer: Joe Flood
Artist: Joe Flood
Publisher: Lion Forge
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 4, 2018
As with many humor books, the characters are all somewhat caricatures that we recognize. Christian is a dude-bro; Devin is a gamer; Rey is a high school student. Even so, they aren’t totally two-dimensional, and they’re genuinely likable. There’s an underpinning of truth in this book which connects with us. 4 out of 5 Stars. – Ingrid Lind-Jahn
MARVEL COMICS
BLACK PANTHER #2
Writer: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Artist: Daniel Acuña
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 27, 2018
In short, this is a real stretch for the character of Black Panther, but I’m totally onboard with that. The elasticity of iconic characters means that we can get things like X-Men in space or Spider-Man buried alive by Kraven for six issues, and their willingness to experiment makes it clear Marvel is taking T’Challa’s elevation seriously. Black Panther #2 isn’t what I expected when this book was announced, but the story is engaging and the art is excellent, making for 4 out of 5 stars overall. It’s worth the price of admission to see T’Challa piloting a space fighter in battle, as far as I’m concerned. – Matthew Peterson
CAPTAIN AMERICA #1
Writer: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: July 4, 2018
Listen to the Full Review Here
I think the largest issue with this book is that it’s a sequel to the Nick Spencer run, but we’ve had six or seven months of another story in between. The political commentary here is okay (and well-written, not to mention overdue, given Marvel’s recent run of tone-deaf ideological moments) but it’s not entirely successful as a first issue for me.
Also, the cover is really, truly butt-ugly. – Matthew Peterson
The trust in Captain America has been broken, and though it wasn’t his fault, Steve Rogers has to figure out a way to earn the trust of the people once again. If this issue isn’t an allegory for what is going on right now, then I don’t know what is. By the way, Captain America has always been political, and though some may not agree with the politics of Captain America, they are there, and they can be learned from. Also, the cover is just fine. – Stephen Schleicher
MULTIPLE MAN #1
Writer: Matt Rosenberg
Artist: Andy MacDonald
Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Editor: Christina Harrington & Jordan D. White
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
When a character has been so well-defined by previous authors, it’s often hard to find your own take on them. Rosenberg, MacDonald and the creative team do find a different angle on Jamie Madrox, but Multiple Man #1 ends up with a few too many moving story parts, making for a confusing second half that threw me as a reader, even with strong art, earning 3 out of 5 stars overall. It’s another example of a comic book that has an even balance of problems and successes, making for a reading experience whose inconsistency leads to frustration. – Matthew Peterson
SENTRY #1
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Aaron Kim Jacinto
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 27, 2018
Listen to the Full Review Here
Full disclosure: While I enjoyed the original Jenkins series, I hate what the Sentry became and I picked up this book in the hopes that I wouldn’t hate it. Thankfully, Lemire and Jacinto appreciate that the concept of “Superman, but in the Marvel Universe” needs to be more than just another member of the Avengers and works hard to set his new status quo. On the downside, very little actually happens in these pages. 2.5 out of 5 Stars. – Matthew Peterson
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT
VALIANT HIGH #3
Writer: Daniel Kibblesmith
Artist: Derek Charm
Cover: Daniel LaFuente
Publisher: Valiant Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 4, 2018
If we stay with the theme, this third issue is the Junior edition, with the story clearly ready to graduate to full Senior status. But, while we get more questions, we are still a little short on answers. Is there a possibility of more Valiant High after this series concludes? I hope so, it’s been a great ride and I can’t wait to see how the end game plays out. Will Colin succeed in getting Peter to Alpha status? Will Amanda confront her crush or will she be crushed? What about Faith and… but that would be telling. You have to pick the issue up to find out more.
Valiant High #3 remains at the head of the class, and the head of your pull list! – Stacy Baugher
Be sure to check Major Spoilers throughout the week as we review new comics from around the industry.
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