NEW COMICS 4 THIS WEEK (07/03/24)
*All comics will be rated on a scale from 1 to 10*
Amazing Spider-Man Annual # 1 
Batman # 150
Free Agents # 1 
Miles Morales: Spider-Man # 22 
Radiant Black # 29
Radiant Black # 29 29.5
Shazam! # 13
Space Ghost # 3 
Spider-Man: Reign 2 # 1
Wolverine: Deep Cut # 1
Amazing Spider-Man Annual # 1 – This year’s annual puts the focus on the Infinity Stones and really brings nothing new to the table except some fun action sequences but that’s about it; ASM Annual # 1 puts the spotlight on Overtime, the bearer of the Time Stone that sees him come into conflict with Spidey but the fast pacing of the script doesn’t work wonders in terms of food storytelling but it does go heavy on the action while Overtime tells the readers via narration about his motivations and the use of his powers that takes up most of the story which is moving at a snail’s pace, however, i will say that seeing Ron Lim drawing Spider-Man again was a nice touch…too bad his art was dragged down by Derek Landry’s half-hearted scripting that sees the teleportation factor get overuse to no end; This annual, along with the required back-up story that features a resurrected Phil Colston (Obviously picking up a plot thread from Jason Aaron’s run on “Avengers”) is in full form but while both stories seem rushed to where readers have to get the next annual to get another scope of this money-grabbing event, this installment forgot two major elements to make this a good story- one being that it should’ve been more of a Spider-Man story since itis his annual and second, it should have been more entertaining. With that, it looks as if Marvel should do away with the summertime events and go back to telling more single stories in their annuals because what worked in the late 80s does poorly in the modern age.
Batman # 150– Even though it’s a milestone issue that’s still basking in the celebrating of what’s old is new again from issue # 149, Batman # 150 is surprisingly a dud with the main story focusing on a local criminal running around Gotham with the knowledge that he knows Batman’s secret identity (No doubt a plot threat that was left hanging from “Gotham War: Scorched Earth”); The story comes off as more of a low-budget crime movie with the drama but more exaggerated cliches that go to show readers that this was once again not Chip Zdarsky’s finest moment. The art, provided briefly by Jorge Jimenez with comics legend Denys Cowan (whose art graced such series as “The Question” and “Hardware” as well as the cover to the 1995 hip-hop classic “Liquid Swords” by GZA) handled the lion’s share that I feel is the bright spot for this issue. Still, with Zdarksy’s handling of this story, he could have punched it up a bit to play on Cowan’s strengths but the latter came through with flying colors. Another welcoming factor is the backup feature that leads to “Absolute Power” which comes off as more intriguing than the main feature so let’s hope that “Absolute Power” can bring back Zdarksy’s mojo instead of him coasting through his scripting because he can produce such great stories, all he is now is motivation.
Free Agents # 1– Is it always a joyous occasion whenever comic legends Kurt Busiek & Fabian Nicieza team up for a new series given the numerous amounts of superhero comics they’ve written together?!- YES!! It’s a cause of celebration and a chance to check out this new series that displays their collaboration while showing a new side of superhero teams. The premise finds a group of heroes who are survivors of an intergalactic war. Still, they now find themselves stranded on Earth with no way back to their homeworld while staring at their past when some elements from the war appear. Busiek and Nicieza’s ideas make for a cohesive and pleasurable story that doesn’t feel like anything we’ve read or watched. The dynamics between each team member feel genuine so by reading this, you can tell how much Busiek and Nicieza deeply care for these characters to the point that they don’t feel like another “Youngblood” or “Wetworks” rip-off (Who would want that?!?) but a team willing to carve out a life for themselves while sticking together no matter what comes their way. Stephen Mooney’s art has that 90s vibe that brings out the deep emotions within every page which helps in creating a strong foundation for this title. Yes, the 90s nostalgia can be overwhelming but let’s see a modern update to a series that has tons of promise.
Spider-Man: Reign 2 # 1– “Spider-Man: Reign” came out in 2006 and saw an aging Peter Parker continuing to deal with the loss of Mary Jane while living in a dystopian New York that’s being ruled by an authoritarian police force called Reign so it was quite the surprise that two decades later, only thing is – it doesn’t quite live up to the hype from the original series; Reign 2 finds Wilson Fisk becoming a tyrant king of NYC while Peter himself is living in the Matrix until Kitty-Kat (Felicia Hardy’s daughter) comes to his rescue and yes, time travel is brought into the mix to where Peter and Kitty-Kay head to the present to stop Reign, and Fisk’s tyranny from ever happening; The story itself had some good moments to where no one would get disgusted by this sequel but unfortunately, Kaare Andrews, who usually produces such great work, stumbles out the gate with the beginning and the middleof his story because while the thought of going back to seeing an aging Spider-Man navigate his way through life, i just wish that the premise could have had more originality instead of recycling the Reign concept again because a story such as this one should have been saved for a later date; Yes, we get an aging Miles Morales thrown in for good measure (because why not!) so Andrews manages to keep his involvement under wraps until the next issue, but even with that wrinkle being introduced, the sequel itself seems like a good idea, but due to the nonsensical forces scattered all over this issue an idea like this one should have stayed a good idea.
Well, that’s it for me this week. Thanks for sticking around. I will see you all next time.
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