NEW COMICS 4 THIS WEEK (03/13/24)
*All comics will be rated on a scale from 1 to 10*
Action Comics # 1063 
Amazing Spider-Man # 45 
Batman & Robin # 7
Ghost Rider: Final Vengence # 1
I Heart Skull-Crusher! # 1 
Immortal Thor # 8
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return # 2
Sinister Sons # 2
Spider-Gwen: Smash # 4
Symbiote Spider-Man 2099 # 1
Thundercats # 2 
Transformers # 6
Ultimate Black Panther (2nd Printing) # 1
Weather Man Vol. 3 # 3
Ghost Rider: Final Vengence # 1– G.R. writer Benjamin Percy is taking the time to shake things up and give The Spirit of Vengence a new host as this double-sized first issue goes on a short tour to find said host …..but it may not be one of noble spirit so get ready to have your jaw hit the floor! The issue opens up with Johnny Blaze unleashing the Spirit of Vengence but suddenly gets left behind by Zarathos; The issue feels more like the first “Heavy Metal” movie as Percy and artist Danny Kim give the readers a glimpse of what would happen if the S.O.V. darted around numerous people like a overworked single mother to a frost giant who gives Thor a run for his money. The premise had a lot of promise but lost steam after a few pages since it would have benefited the readers if most of these bits got fleshed out more which hurt this issue by not doing that. The second thing that will leave anyone wondering is why Zarathos would ditch Johnny Blaze. Still, Percy is waiting for the right time to give us an answer. Still, until then, we get a new Spirit of Vengence in Parker Robbins aka The Hood (a villain mostly used in Brian Michael Bendis’ run on the Avenger titles). Still, I would have wished that we could have gotten more out of The Hood being the new Ghost Rider but that has to wait until the next issue. A few missteps were shown within this issue, but with a new Ghost Rider on the horizon, this series is still strong enough for us to enjoy.
I Heart Skull-Crusher! # 1– This series, which is basically “Mad Max”, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” & “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” all rolled into one, delivers a dark but heart-filled take on the underdog concept that will be a delight among fans who love rooting for the little guy; The issue introduces us to Trini, a girl who lives in a post-apocalyptic America where the number one sport is a violent game called Screaming Pain Ball and since she’s been spending her entire life training to be like Skull-Crusher (her favorite Screaming Pain Ball player), Trini seeks him out so that he can train her to join the tournament where the winning team gets to join the Skull-Crusher’s professional squad while she puts together a team, only thing is Trini has no friends and no water to buy her way onto the team. The whole Underdog premise has been done to death but Josie Campbell finds a charming way to make it fresh to where it never ends up as a rethread of anything that we’ve either seen or read; the dark overtones mixed in with the fun spirit from Trini herself keeps this series from becoming another Disney/Pixar ripoff so that’s a plus; Alessio Zonno’s art has that brilliant anime tone to where his range from expressions and movements is outstanding and works well with the elements that Campbell has set up. Some aspects of this premise are familiar but with the originality presented heavily in this opening issue, it’s an exciting romp that will have anyone waiting to play a quiet yet safe game of Pickleball.
Symbiote Spider-Man 2099 # 1 – If you’re a Venom fan while having a deep-rooted love for the 2099 universe, then this title is for you; With Peter David back plotting a new adventure featuring everyone’s favorite wall-crawler from 2099, he takes the time to set up a story that takes place shortly after the events of Spider-Man 2099 # 43 (Vol. 1) where Kron Stone is without the Venom symbiote and looking to get it back by any means. The plot is easy to follow, and the occasional guest star (Punisher 2099) makes for an entertaining story. While Steve Orlando’s take on Spidey 2099 and his world is a solid read, nothing can match PAD’s work on the 2099 universe which is always a good thing to behold even if this first issue takes its time in setting up the premise, it’s still energetic that it keeps up wanting more.
Ultimate Black Panther # 1– WOW!!!…. I was just blown away by everything presented in this issue; From the scenery to the characters themselves but at the same time, the creative team plays it safe with the premise as we get some of the elements that we’ve seen in the MCU, and with that said, I wish we could have gotten a more fresher take on T’Challa and Wakanda as a whole but it is an enjoyable read that will captive anyone looking to be a Black Panther fan even with the heavy dialogue in full effect. What I found to be the most interesting is the upcoming war between Wakanda and Khonshu (Looks like we’re getting a new Ultimate Moon Knight) but everything looks polished thanks in part to the strong artwork by Stefano Caselli (he can never produce anything bad); There was a golden opportunity for T’Challa and his world to stand apart from what we’ve seen before in his past series but given time and a lot more effort, it looks like both Bryan Hill and Stefano Caselli are moving into brighter pastures with the character but hopefully they won’t continue to play it safe and deliver a story brimmed with brilliance.
Well, that’s it for me this week. Thanks for sticking around and I will see you all next time.
About Author
