I Love Comics (Blah, Blah, Blah…)

NEW COMICS 4 THIS WEEK (08/28/24)
*All comics will be rated on a scale from 1 to 10*

All New Collectors Editon # 56: Superman vs Muhammad Ali (Facsimile Edition)
Amazing Spider-Man # 56
Chasm: Curse of Kaine # 1
Detective Comics # 1088
The Flash # 12
Green Arrow # 15
Grommets # 4
Incredible Hulk Annual # 1
Marvel 85th Anniversary Special # 1
Nemesis: Rogues’ Gallery # 2
The Rocketeer Breaks Free # 2
Saga # 68
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider # 4
Ultimate X-Men # 6
X-Force # 2
X-Men # 3

All New Collectors Editon # 56: Superman vs Muhammad Ali (Facsmile Edition)- This is a story that still holds up as memorable and exciting since it’s reprinted in its original format from 1978; It’s a wonderful experience to see Neal Adams’ artwork in all its glory and the writing is top-notch for its time, mainly because having Dennis O’Neil as a co-plotter works wonders for Adams’ scripting even if there are some moments or dialogue that feels goofy considering it was the late 1970s. Overall, this book featuring two icons is something everyone should have in their collection, facsimile or not.

Amazing Spider-Man # 56– Zeb Wells kicks off his final arc for this title with Spidey’s battle with Tombstone (An arc that’s been building up for the last year or so) and what better way to do that than with ASM’s 950th issue (going by the title’s legacy numbering) that delivers what could be the biggest Spider-Man/Tombstone battle to date and what found appealing is how Wells’ perfect characterization of Tombstone to where he makes him menacing and deadly in a way that’s reminiscent of how Gerry Conway used to write him back in the late 80s with the dramatic tone that Wells set is the perfect way to make this story likable. Still, while the backups are just filler material, it’s great to see Wells start to wrap up any loose ends from his run to where everything that happened in his first issue is beginning to pay off so for now, this could be considered a win.

Chasm: Curse of Kaine # 1– Two of the biggest figures from the 90s sequel to The Clone Saga return in his new series as we welcome back Ben Reilly who continues to embrace his new identity as Chasm and Kaine Parker aka The Scarlet Spider back to track down the former ever since his escape from Limbo. I do like what writer Steve Foxe brought to the table in terms of fleshing out both Chasm and Kaine to give them some strong character development while giving the latter a much-needed spotlight that in turn makes this issue more enjoyable especially with the action sequences while at the same time, giving the readers a few surprises that they will enjoy that will set this apart from any of the other Scarlet Spider stories; This is easily a book any Spider-Man fan can get into while old fans will appreciate the importance of both Ben Reilly and Kaine while being one of the best Spider-Man spinoffs to date.

Marvel 85th Anniversary Special # 1– Marvel (sort of) pulls out all the stops for their 85th anniversary with some special features with a framing sequence featuring everyone’s favorite BFFs- Deadpool and Wolverine as they investigate an intergalactic takeover in the year 50,000 but I should add that it has plenty of gags that will have the readers chuckle with glee; Stories such as Ms. Marvel being the new herald of Galactus, Spider-Man going on a zany adventure with the Spider-Mobile, a new but vintage Excalibur story written and illustrated by Alan Davis and a Manga-inspired version of Moon Knight highlights the nostalgia and adventurous aspect of the Marvel Universe that’s worth celebrating; The “Contest of Champions” story by Steve Skroce, however, shines thanks to the art but the story is basically all over the place and, to be honest, it would have been better if Skroce had some backup in the form of a co-writer (Definitely would have helped); This is the type of special that some may flip through just to be sure that they could get something great for the money they’re dishing out for this but while the “Contest of Champions” could have been left off, this special does wonders in paying homage to Marvel’s past while looking towards the future.

Well, that’s it for me this week. Thanks for sticking around and I will see you all next time.

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