NEW COMICS 4 THIS WEEK (08/16/23)
*All comics will be rated on a scale from 1 to 10*
Alpha Flight # 1 
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest # 18 
Batman White Knight Presents: Generation Joker # 4 
Daredevil # 14 
Dark X-Men # 1
Ghost Rider # 17
Iron Man Annual # 1
Spider-Man # 11
The Madness # 1
Uncanny Avengers # 1
What If…? Dark: Moon Knight # 1
Alpha Flight # 1– Canada’s number one premier super team returns with a story that covers topics such as prejudice, grievance, and government interference and ties them into a story of redemption for Alpha Flight that fans of the group will appreciate. Ed Brisson does a great job of showing the group at their best and worst to where he’s not taking everything that John Byrne did in his original run and reusing it for his own purposes. Scott Godlewski (Making his Marvel debut) shows his art at its best while complementing Brisson’s script. Yes, this issue had a tough time getting out of the gate. Overall, it’s a new beginning for Alpha Flight that’s a good read while taking advantage of the team’s X-Men connection which brings that vintage feel to the book that fans will love. Welcome Back, Alpha Flight.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest # 18– This issue gives us a modern-day retelling of the first-ever meeting between Batman and Superman that pays homage to their past meetings in a way that only Mark Waid can pull off, once again showing what a marvelous storyteller he is. The story finds the World’s Finest dealing with The Riddler and a villain straight from the Phantom Zone (**NO SPOILERS**) after they establish mutual respect for one another while at the same time, forgoing the usual misunderstanding that most heroes find themselves in when they meet for the first time (meaning the typical fight); This new take on the Batman/Superman meeting never gets bogged down by continuity which is great for the new readers and old readers will find themselves pleased with the new structure. Yes, the two of them have met several times but this one has without a doubt proven to be the encounter that will always be remembered.
Spider-Man # 11– THIS IS IT!! The curtain gets pulled back on Spider-Boy’s history and I have to say it’s well worth the wait. Dan Slott gives a perfect breakdown of Bailey Briggs’ adventures as well as the origin of his costume (**NO SPOILERS**); What makes this issue fun is how Peter gets to hear some of Bailey’s adventures including his battle with Arcade as well as Peter instructing him to sit on the sideline when it comes to duking it out with the likes of Carnage and Dr. Doom. While I feel like it took time for Spider-Boy to grow among the fans, it looks like this issue will finally make the naysayers accept him with open arms
(He’s getting his own series coming in November) and with that, it looks like Spider-Boy is here to say….and it looks like it will be a while before we get a proper Spider-Man/Spider-Boy team-up which was teased in this issue but never delivered. There’s always next time.
The Madness # 1– J. Michael Straczynski teams up with ACO for a tale of vengeance that centers around a thief name Sarah Ross aka The Raven, a thief who steals from the rich until one fatal day, she ends up stealing from the wrong person to where a government official begins plotting her assassination (It doesn’t help that the official has the backing on a government-sponsored superteam called “The Council of Justice”); The hit goes down- only Sarah, with luck on her side, avoids it but unfortunately, her family pays the price. With revenge now on her mind, Sarah reveals a hidden personality that will help her in a dark and brutal quest for vengeance. It feels like the tale of revenge has had quite the resurgence since “The Boys” but Straczynski manages to add his own flair of creativity to this concept that is extremely hard-hitting while hitting all the right notes in his script to make it feel dark and gritty. It may be a story of revenge featuring superheroes but JMS makes it powerful enough to where you’ll be on The Raven’s side. Fans who enjoy darkness in their stories will love this series and with JMS at the helm, you just know it’s going to be a hit.
Well, that’s it for me this week. Thanks for sticking around. I will see you all next time.
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