Welcome to the weekly rundown of comic book reviews from Major Spoilers. There is a lot of stuff on the site, but this is your one-stop post to find all of the comics we’ve reviewed this week.
BLACK BADGE #1
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Tyler Jenkins
Colorist: Hilary Jenkins
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Editor: Eric Harburn
Publisher: BOOM! Studios!
Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 8, 2018
Story-wise, there’s little in the way of fireworks here. Willy’s more experienced comrades shoulder a world-weary burden, having lost a comrade and waiting for Willy to prove himself. While the twist to the story isn’t original, it’s still an intriguing premise that is only really hinted at in this opening issue. Mission accomplished, for now, but further intrigue and revelations await in future issues. – Robert Mammone
CAPTAIN AMERICA #2
Writer: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Penciler: Leinil Francis Yu
Inker: Gerry Alanguilan
Colorist: Sunny Gho
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 1, 2018
As with issue #1, I feel like there is a huge mismatch between the painted Alex Ross covers and the interiors of the issue that could be really damaging to a potential reading experience, but that’s not a deal-breaker so much as an annoyance. Captain America #2 makes logical use of the fantastical story points to underscore our hero as a man-out-of-his-era, adding enough complications and personal entanglements to make it all feel very authentic and real, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. I am not sure what the last page surprise cameo is all about, but I’ll definitely be back next time to find out. – Matthew Peterson
CHARLIE’S ANGELS #3
Writer: John Layman
Artist: Joe Eisma
Colorist: Celeste Woods
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 8th, 2018
The story of Charlie’s Angels #3 is not terribly deep, but we were never expecting that. It is, however, fun. Our narrator is more openly the omniscient TV-narrator guy, and clearly relishes the role. We have a truly light-hearted thriller here. Have I mentioned “fun,” enough times in my review yet? – Ingrid Lind-Jahn
DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: EVIL AT BALDUR’S GATE #4
Writer: Jim Zub
Artist: Ramon Bachs
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 8, 2018
Listen to the Full Review Here
Friends are the best thing – ever! And you should never leave a friend behind, even when they are a werewolf (unless you want them to power a battery). There is a good fight sequence, and a great skills challenge in this month’s issue, and it works out very well in the end. – Stephen Schleicher
FANTASTIC FOUR #1
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Simone Bianchi, Sarah Pichelli, Skottie Young
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: August 8, 2018
Listen to the Full Review Here, and the Other Review Here
This issue has some great set up, but it’s kind of a bummer that what I think of as “The Fantasic Four” doesn’t appear. This has become a trend in Marvel Media. Daredevil on Netflix did it. We didn’t get to see Daredevil in his costume until the final episode and I’m disappointed that it seems like Fantastic Four is going to relaunch with this slow pacing. That complaint aside, the contemporate pieces that make up this issue are all beautiful and very well crafted. Hoping it’s just a slow start and the first family of Marvel Comics get to the cosmic adventures soon. – Ashley Victoria Robinson
It’s really more of a teaser or trailer than a first issue, but it’s a tease that I totally buy into. – Matthew Peterson
There is a lot of heart in this first issue of the Dan Slott era, and though we don’t have the team back together, we can see where everything is going, and I like it! – Stephen Schleicher
HAWKMAN #3
Writer: Robert Venditti
Artist: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Andrew Currie, Paul Neary, Bryan Hitch
Published by: DC Comics
Cover price: $3.99
Release Date: August 8, 2018
I am one of those Hawkman fans who has been longing for the Winged Avenger to get some good treatment for a long, long time. He doesn’t need to be killed or brought back again and again. He doesn’t need to be a brute. He needs to be an adventurer, if I dare use that word again!
Usually at this point, several issues in, a comic will show if it has legs – or, in this case, wings. I have to say that Hawkman is one of my favorite books out right now, and I hope we can get this creative team to stick with it for maybe 50 issues or so! I’d be one extremely happy fan!
If you haven’t been reading this series, I highly recommend it, especially if you are a fan of Carter Hall and his heroic self. It’s a wonderful time to be a Hawkfan! – Stacy Baugher
INFINITY WARS #1
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist: Mike Deodato, Jr.
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Editor: Jordan D. White
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: August 1, 2018
In short, this is an issue with much to offer in terms of story and dynamic art, but one that gets hamstrung by the familiarity of this the story elements and by being a bit pricey, but Infinity Wars #1 isn’t a bad book at all, and if you haven’t read previous takes on this story, it has the capacity to excite readers, earning 3 out of 5 stars overall. Even if you’re a jaded old jerk like me, seeing the dramatic death on the last page is well-done and I’m still smirking about the whole Turk subplot. (If they’d tried to use him instead of The Hood in those “new Kingpin of Crime” tales a couple of years ago, I’d probably have liked that mess a lot more.) – Matthew Peterson
NANCY DREW #3
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Jenn St-Onge
Colorist: Triona Farrell
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 8, 2018
The mystery is steadily building. In Nancy Drew #3, we find out a little more about what’s going on, and we find out that there is more we don’t know. There’s a real cliffhanger feel at the end, and it is set up well to entice us back for the next issue. We’re starting to see some individuality among the characters, and the potential for some serious character growth. If you love a good mystery, you should be reading this book! – Ingrid Lind-Jahn
OUTPOST ZERO #2
Writer: Sean Kelley McKeever
Artist: Alexandre Tefenkgi
Colorist: Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 8, 2018
Outpost Zero #2 is emotionally rich and lets us in on so many private moments. It reminds us that everyone does not react the same way, even in the same crisis, and sometimes those reactions may seem inexplicable. The future setting allows for this to be a study of a smaller group of people faced with an unusual degree of stressors. This book is well worth reading. – Ingrid Lind-Jahn
PREDATOR: HUNTERS II #1
Writer: Chris Warner
Artist: Agustin Padilla
Colors: Neeraj Menon
Cover: Agustin Padilla
Editor: Randy Stadley
Assistant Editor: Benjamin Peterson
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Although the story of the Predator Hunters began in the previous series Predator: Hunters, you find out everything you need to know between the covers of this issue. There is no learning curve, and even those with only a little knowledge of Predator basics will be able to enjoy the story. Tales of this sort are sometimes difficult to keep fresh, but Warner and his team have managed it well.
Predator: Hunters II #1 belongs on your hit list. It’s violent, dark and a thoroughly enjoyable read. – Stacy Baugher
ROBOCOP: CITIZENS ARREST #5
Writer: Brian Wood
Artist: Jorge Coelho
Cover: Nimit Malavia
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Robocop has always, at its core, been a tale concerning the danger of giving the state too much power over individuals’ lives and futures. The fact that it is wrapped in a wonderfully entertaining package that allows for exploration of multiple aspects of that danger is part of what draws you in and has you rooting for the good guys no matter the odds.
Make sure Robocop: Citizens Arrest #5 makes it to your read list, or you might end up regretting it. – Stacy Baugher
SABAN’S GO GO POWER RANGERS #12
Writer: Ryan Parrott
Artist: Dan Mora
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 1, 2018
Listen to the Full Review Here
A little #TimeTravelShenanigans and the Power Rangers book set in the past is part of the big crossover too! Kimberly meets her future self, but discovers that she actually is the smart one, while the Ranger-Slayer makes a move that seems like it will bring the ‘Shattered Grid’ to its end. – Matthew Peterson
SHADE THE CHANGING WOMAN #6
Writer: Cecil Castellucci
Penciler: Marley Zarcone
Inker: Ande Parks
Colorist: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Editor: Molly Mahan and Jamie S. Rich
Publisher: Young Animal/DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 1, 2018
This issue is a weird one, in ways both good and bad, and I admit it is hard to really engage with the story. Turning Rac Shade into the villain of the piece and having his co-stars from the original series saying horrible things to and about him is off-putting for me as a fan of the old book, and I found that the same pliability in the art that makes it realistically depict madness can affect the legibility of the art. Shade The Changing Woman #6 is a fitting end for an odd and metaphysically focused series, and even though it shows the original Changing Man to be a huge jerk, it wraps up the Changing Woman’s story well, earning 3 out of 5 stars overall. – Matthew Peterson
STEVEN UNIVERSE: HARMONY #1
Writer: S.N. Vidaurri
Artist: Mollie Rose
Colorist: Meg Casey
Letterer: Mike Fiorentino
Editor: Matthew Levine
Publisher: kaboom!/BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 1, 2018
Steven Universe: Harmony #1 makes for a nice first chapter, even serving as a decent jumping-on point for new readers and delivering a story that feels like the cartoon without being slavish to its style, making changes to enhance the comic format and earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. With attractive art, cute story and good use of the cartoon cast, it’s a solid issue that will bring me back next time. – Matthew Peterson
SUPERGIRL #21
Writer: Marc Andreyko
Artist: Kevin Maguire
Cover: Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Over the years Supergirl has been everything from the “kid” cousin, to a proto-plasmic being, to an angel from on high. With this issue, Andreyko and company seek to make her something else, a young woman mourning her family and looking for answers, and revenge. Using Supergirl as the girl-next-door cheesecake character has been common over the years, and it is good to see someone finally step up and take a fresh look at the character and her possibilities.
A great starting point for new readers, and a refreshing new direction for established fans, Pick up Supergirl #21 at your local comic shop. – Stacy Baugher
THE SANDMAN UNIVERSE #1
Plot: Neil Gaiman
Co-Writers: Simon Spurrier, Nalo Hopkinson, Kat Howard, Dan Watters
Artist: Bilquis Evely, Dominike Stanton, Tom Fowler, Max Fiumara, Sebastian Fiumara
Cover: Jae Lee
Variant Covers: Sam Keith, Jim Lee, David Mack, Dave McKean, Craig Russell, Jill Thompson
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Although I was at first a little taken aback that Gaiman himself was not writing the book but plotting it, the idea that he handpicked the contributors to this new endeavor assuaged my fears. The tale told here sets up the concept of the new Sandman Universe perfectly, and it feels on first read the characters are all in good hands.
The Sandman Universe #1 is a wonderful beginning to what hopes to be a long run of new stories with the characters of this beloved story. – Stacy Baugher
THE TERMINATOR: SECTOR WAR #1 (of 4)
Writer: Brian Wood
Artist: Jeff Stokely
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: 3.99
Release Date: August 15, 2018
Listen to the Full Review Here
I picked this up without reading the solicitation and I was really expecting a continuation of the John/Sarah Connor story line. Very happily surprised to see the direction this is going, there is lots of room in this universe for this and other stories. – Rodrigo Lopez
TOMB RAIDER: INFERNO #3
Writers: Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly
Artist: Phillip Sevy
Colorist: Michael Atiyeh
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Editor: Megan Walker
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 8, 2018
Tomb Raider: Inferno #3 is an issue your reviewer found hard to like. The writing doesn’t quite hit the right mark, but it does allow the art side of the creative team to shine in a series of extravagant full-page images that fully plumb Lara’s memories and dreams. I would hazard that this sort of issue is a once off, a clearing of the decks before we rejoin the real world action. As such, I think it is a bold, if not quite successful experiment. But where would we be, I suppose, if we did the same thing over and over again without trying something different to draw new readers into the genre? – Robert Mammone
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