Comic Book Reviews for This Week: 10/9/2024

Happy new comic book day! It’s another major week in comics, and the ComicBook staff have come together to break down and review as many of the big comics releasing this week as possible. Now obviously this isn’t every single comic on stands, but we’re breaking down new releases from Marvel, DC, Image Comics, BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse, Dynamite, Oni Press, Mad Cave Studios, DSTLRY, and more!

We’ve also carved out some additional space for three of this week’s biggest books, including Absolute Batman #1, Blade: Red Band #1, and The Terminator #1, so if our smaller review here piques your interest, make sure to check out the full review for a much more comprehensive analysis of all three issues. As for ratings, we keep things simple with a whole or half number out of five, and you can check out some of our previous reviews right here. With all that said, let’s get to this week’s new comics!

DC

Absolute Batman #1: Reinvention isn’t an unfamiliar concept for comics, but it’s not one that always works. However, with Absolute Batman #1 Snyder and Dragotta have not only successfully reinvented and reimagined one of the most iconic and beloved characters in popular culture, but have kicked off a very well-crafted story as well. With a strong balance of familiar elements and a new approach that is both more contemporary and more grounded, Absolute Batman #1 has given new readers a compelling jumping on point while offering longtime comics fans plenty to be interested in as well. It’s a well-crafted issue that works on all levels and will be fascinating to see where it goes from here. The issue is well-paced and full of interesting details and action as well as sets up a fascinating story. It’s a great kickoff. – Nicole Drum (Click here for full review)
Rating: 5 out of 5

Action Comics #1070: Action Comics #1070 is a solid comic. The issue sees Superman have to deal with an unexpected — and unsettling — threat when something emerges from the Phantom Zone that pushes Superman to his limits. The mechanics of the story is, as most opening chapters are, largely setup but it’s good setup that sees a little bit of classic teamwork between Superman and not only Supergirl, but Jimmy Olsen as well. It’s a story with solid balance between real stakes and intrigue that makes it a good read. The backup story, a Supergirl tale from Mariko Tamaki, is also solid, though it feels more like a slow burn than a direct mystery. Overall, this is a great issue and well worth the read.
– Nicole Drum
Rating: 5 out of 5

Batman and Robin #14: While it is a little disappointing to see Damian regress a bit back to his more petulant behavior after the relationship between him and Bruce came so far in the previous arc, Batman and Robin #14 is a fascinating issue that kicks off a chilling new adventure in which a new threat starts reenacting horrible crimes from Gotham’s dark history. There’s a lot to enjoy here: digging into Gotham’s history and tragedies is of course enjoyable, but structuring the story with Bruce and Damian split up as things kick off makes it even more interesting. The art here is also solid. It’s a good start. – Nicole Drum
Rating: 4 out of 5

Batman: Full Moon #1: Batman’s fight against a new werewolf foe proves to be a serviceable new entry into DC’s Black Label imprint. Rodney Barnes’ script takes a bit of time to really coalesce, but offers some tragic and pointed analysis of fear and faith once it does. Stevan Subic’s art fluctuates between a gritty and shadowy brilliance and unflattering character designs, but neither extreme really feels out of place in the story’s aesthetic. Overall, Full Moon is far from the most interesting or headline-grabbing new Batman book to launch this week, but it still possesses a lot of promise. – Jenna Anderson
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

DC Vs. Vampires: World War V #3: As the newest fight in the DC vs Vampires universe continues to coalesce, even the most satisfying of plot points don’t stop the series from delivering more of the same. Matthew Rosenberg’s script does possess some clever and character-driven moments, but remains as dissonant and scattered as previous installments. Otto Schmidt’s art renders the carnage and splatters of blood well, but leaves other panels with bizarre facial expressions and underwhelming backgrounds. While this is issue is promising for the overall arc of DC vs. Vampires, it still feels like something is missing. – Jenna Anderson
Rating: 3 out of 5

Green Lantern Civil Corps Special #1: The Green Lantern corner of the universe has changed quite a bit over the past year, and all of those changes collide with the fallout from Absolute Power in the Green Lantern Civil Corps Special #1. Those who have been keeping up with the various Lantern happenings in Green Lantern, War Journal, the recent Superman backup stories, and Absolute Power will be right at home, and writers Jeremy Adams and Phillip Kennedy Johnson do a good job of getting you up to speed on what the other book’s been up to if you haven’t been keeping up with everything. The new elements in play from all of those various stories inject some fresh energy into the mix, though just seeing some of your favorites together again gives the book some welcome nostalgia as well, and longtime Lantern fans will enjoy one particular appearance immensely. The team of artist Salvador Larroca and colorist Luis Guerrero know how to craft some epic ring-slinging, with creative constructs and bigger than life action that utilizes the unique power set the Lanterns possess. There is perhaps too much happening at times, and those who haven’t been keeping up with everything might still be a bit lost in certain moments, but those are small quibbles, as the Green Lantern Civil Corps Special delivers big action, shocking reveals, and the promise of even better things ahead for the Corps.
– Matthew Aguilar
Rating: 4 out of 5

Marvel

Amazing Spider-Man #59: Peter Parker and Lonnie Lincoln’s slobberknocker of a death match continues in Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr’s latest issue of the Amazing Spider-Man. As mentioned in my last issue review, this is one of the most brutal fights that the wallcrawler has ever been a part of, reminiscent of his previous battle with Morlun as he finds himself bouncing off the brick wall that is Tombstone. It’s an emotional, heart-pounding thrill ride as the two super-powered brawlers fight for the life of Janice Lincoln. On top of both combatants pitting their strength against one another, they are also placing their ideologies against one another as well and it really works here. Wells has had his issues throughout his ASM run but he is looking to go out with a band thanks to this final fight. – Evan Valentine
Rating 4.5 out of 5

Blade: Red Band #1: Eric Brooks has been having a tough go of things in recent Marvel Comics days. Thanks to the events of Marvel’s Blood Hunt, Blade has found himself shunning society thanks to being possessed by the first vampire, Varnae. While Marvel’s most popular vampire hunter was able to escape the crossover without shedding this mortal coil, Blade finds his life at an impasse as he attempts to figure out what to do next. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately for Blade, his next big challenge falls at his doorstep in the form of a mysterious group that are hoping the vampire hunter will give them some major assistance. – Evan Valentine (Click here for full review)
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Fantastic Four #26: Marvel’s First Family — more specifically, Reed and Johnny — get into the spooky spirit with yet another truly delightful issue. As the duo’s predicament grows more and more outlandish, Ryan North’s script roots the events in some wonderful characterization and genuinely hilarious one-liners. Ivan Fiorelli’s art perfectly compliments the genre-bending lunacy of the narrative, without veering too far from Marvel’s house style. This issue is yet another example of how consistently stellar this new Fantastic Four run is. – Jenna Anderson
Rating: 5 out of 5

Marvel Zombies: Dawn of Decay #2: The new take on the Marvel Zombies continues and with this departure to a more “Last of Us” style infection, readers do miss out on some of the specific dark comedy that helped make the Marvel Zombies a household name. Ultimately, the partnership between Hulk and Groot here is the star as the green side of Bruce Banner and the Guardians of the Galaxy’s favorite tree. It’s a far more humorous take on the Marvel Zombies overall and it offers just enough to justify its own existence, though it could use a little more bite in terms of this new undead tale. – Evan Valentine
Rating 3 out of 5

Phoenix #4: The clear thesis of Stephanie Phillips’ take on Phoenix is made crystal clear by a meaningful exchange in the first pages of this month’s issue, but making the subtext text doesn’t diminish the power of anything before it or what we see here. Alessandro Miracolo’s art (with colors by David Curiel) continues to be awe-inspiring stuff, whether it’s the major action splash pages with a planetary scale of destruction or quiet character-based moments where two omega-level superheroes are just chatting. Phoenix continues to be the X-Men title that feels the most fresh out of Marvel’s latest relaunch.
– Spencer Perry
Rating: 5 out of 5

Sentinels #1: I don’t remember the last time I felt like a comic book pranked me, but Sentinels first the bill. The moody framing, coloring, and line work on the first page, steeping in what appears to be Barry Windsor-Smith’s influence, had me primed for a story in that vein. Unfortunately, a page turn revealed coloring much more in line with Marvel house standards and linework that didn’t quite fit that bill, but that had entirely abandoned the claustrophobic atmosphere of page one. The premise of Sentinels is interesting in that it takes the concept of the Suicide Squad and puts it into the X-Men’s orbit. However, where previous efforts along similar lines like Hellions put together a team of mutant ne’er-do-wells, Sentinels comprises its team of desperate humans injured during the various cataclysmic events that have beleaguered Marvel’s Earth for years and who have submitted themselves to experimental nanotech procedures to get their lives back only to find themselves disposable, highly-regulated members of a mercenary fireteam and in danger of being bricked by glitches in their new hardware. Mix in the idea of utopias built on such disposable sin-eaters and the plight of the mutants who just lost their promised land and there’s an interesting cocktail of ideas here. It doesn’t quite all come together neatly in these first 20 or so pages, and it’s a shame the issue didn’t commit to the more distinguished visual style of its opening page, but it’s still got enough of a hook to bring readers interested in its layered themes back for more. – Jamie Lovett
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Spider-Man: Black Suit And Blood #3: Like so many other comic book anthologies, Spider-Man: Black Suit and Blood has its ups and downs. While the red, white, and black-styled comic follows Peter Parker’s misadventures with the symbiote, this latest issue has also injected a wild story involving Battleworld and a mysterious villain named Master Blood. This Kang-centric story is an ingenious one and works well within the parameters of the theme. Ultimately, the stories are solid enough and show the more ruthless side of Your Normally Friendly Spider-Man. The artwork across the board is beyond solid here, putting its stylistic restrictions to good use. This Spidey anthology is a good addition for symbiote fans and supplies some solid stories in Peter’s history. – Evan Valentine
Rating 3.5 out of 5

Star Wars: Ewoks #1: The concept for what this series is going to be is quite good, centering on the Ewoks on the moon of Endor as a group of mercenaries from the fractured Empire returns to collect the weapons they left behind. This first issue takes a long time to get to that conflict, and not all of the setup is particularly interesting. Thankfully, Steve Orlando is a more-than-capable writer and delivers compelling pages even when the story calls for heavy exposition. There’s a lot to be excited about with this series now that the seeds have been planted. – Charlie Ridgely
Rating: 3 out of 5

The Ultimates #5: The Ultimates #5 introduces readers to the new Ultimate Hawkeye, a young Indigenous man who got ahold of Tony Stark’s high-tech arrows and costume and has been using them to blow up oil pipelines and similar. It’s a timely reimagining of the character that fits well into the concept of the Ultimates as a resistance network, and there couldn’t be a more appropriate debut than having this new Hawkeye square off with Captain America. Visually, their fight is relatively low-key despite the explosions and acrobatics, which places a lot more of the focus on the conversation, which dives into minority repression, cultural representation, and the act of stealing meaning from those who would otherwise deny it to you, amounting to another thoughtful and exciting issue. 
– Jamie Lovett
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Venom #38: This tie-in to Venom War continues to be as unique as it is fun with scribe Torunn Grønbekk injecting some much-needed characterization into Dylan Brock, which ironically couldn’t be done until he was an old man. Germán Peralta & Cafu are credited with art on the issue, with colors by Frank D’Armata, and any time the frame gets too big and the details get smaller there is something lost in the look of the book. Close shots where minutiae are shown off are where this one lives, and luckily there’s more of it than not, though it is noticeable when the detail is absent. – Spencer Perry
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

X-Force #5: Forge’s team jumps from one nexus point to the next thanks to a shortcut through the otherworld without much rhyme or reason in X-Force #4. Forge is written as being so secretive about his reasons for assembling this new X-Force team that it makes it difficult to understand what anyone’s motivations are. The tensions between team members feel superficial and petty, expressed through dialog heavy with technical phrasing and superhero nonsense. The artwork remains vibrant, but that only goes so far when forced to render such a lifeless and listless plot. – Jamie Lovett
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Image Comics

Geiger #7: When the teachers don’t want the kids getting books, you know there’s going to be a problem. Geiger #7 sees Tariq and Nate deal with some knights before they continue on and encounter some children in danger and, in escorting them back to safety it’s revealed that the reason the kids were out was that they were looking for books — which is apparently something that would not go over well with their teachers. Meanwhile, we’re also introduced to a new King hot on Tariq’s trail. Both elements move the story forward though it’s not quite certain which threat is going to be more challenging, what’s happening with the schoo or this new king. It’s a good issue, though it feels almost like it’s a little short. – Nicole Drum
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Precious Metals #5: As I’ve said the past few issues, I cannot pretend to tell you that I understand fully what is going on plot-wise with Precious Metal. Scribe Darcy Van Poelgeest is spinning a lot of plates and letting the art by Ian Bertram do a lot of the talking, which leads to instances of new characters appearing and old characters taking on new forms which creates almost an avalanche of insane sci-fi concepts and storytelling that doesn’t hold your hands. In a world where this comic doesn’t look good then that specific style of storytelling would be grating, but Bertram’s linework with Matt Hollingsworth’s colors makes that an easy fault to look around. Precious Metal is wild and I do not understand it fully. – Spencer Perry
Rating: 4 out of 5

Public Domain #9: When a series is about the inner workings of the comic book industry and the pop culture industrial complex of related media built on the backs of its creators, it’s only a matter of time before you get to the chapter set at a comic con. Public Domain reached that point before reaching double digits on its issue count. Chip Zdarsky brilliantly utilizes the high-stakes event to develop his complicated characters while keenly matching the visuals to the dominant emotion of the moment, be it a cockeyed view of an angry son defending his father’s honor or that father’s world blacking out around him as he learns a hard truth about the history of his relationships. Public Domain #9 is a beautiful, nuanced, fast-paced, funny, and insightful new chapter in a series that has been all of that throughout. – Jamie Lovett
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Scarlett #5: Scarlett’s final chapter leans into the espionage and spycraft that have made the series so captivating while also setting the stage for the hotly anticipated G.I. Joe team series, and it pulls both of those feats off rather impressive. Kelly Thompson’s banter and dialogue between the three leads are delightful, and the artwork and colors of Marco Ferrari and Lee Loughridge deliver several adrenaline-filled sequences that embrace the franchise’s penchant for epic action, all while grounding everything in the smaller more human moments that happen along the way. There’s plenty of story left to tell, so those looking for more of a hard close won’t necessarily find it here. That said, Scarlett has showcased exactly why the character has been a fan favorite for such a long time while also adding even more depth and charm into the mix, and I can’t wait to see where the character goes from here. – Matthew Aguilar
Rating: 4 out of 5

Transformers #13: I’m a sucker for flashback stories when it comes to the lives of the Autobots and the Decepticons, because it’s territory that doesn’t get thoroughly explored that often. While there have been comic stories, and the recent prequel film Transformers ONE, highlighting the past, most Cybertronian-focused stories keep an eye on the present war. In the latest entry in the Energon Universe, we specifically have the chance to focus on the early days of Ulchtar, aka Starscream. What works so well here is showing just how Ulchtar would become the second in command of the Decepticons and what was the match that lit the to creating one of the Autobots’ deadliest villains. Starscream was once a very different character from the one we’ve come to know and in the quiet moments in this issue, it works well at highlighting the calm before the storm on Cybertron. Skybound’s Transformers continues to be one of the greatest representations of the characters and I’d be hard-pressed to name a flaw. – Evan Valentine
Rating 5 out of 5

BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse, and Dynamite

I Heart Skull-Crusher #6: It was always going to be interesting to see what Skull-Crusher did with its story after the team won their way into the pros. The series handles the transition fairly well, setting up some new conflicts in the next tournament and bringing more political players into the drama. – Charlie Ridgely
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Johnny Quest #3: Series scribe Joe Casey continues to do a lot of fun and exciting work with Jonny Quest, delivering more twists and modern ideas into the world that cement this as a contemporary take on the material. The ideas are only elevated by the crisp pencils by Sebastián Píriz, who makes the action all feel fluid and concise, even if the scene is full of science jargon. Píriz’s artwork is also taken up a notch by color artist Lorenzo Scaramella, who creates the tone and mood in the key action sequences and expands on this world with layers that make this a must-read action series. – Spencer Perry
Rating: 4 out of 5

Minor Arcana #2: What makes Minor Arcana #2 such a good issue are the little revelations. First, we see Theresa finding that there might be something more to what she’s always believed is just a fraud and that revelation unsettles her. That, in turn, causes her to try to run from what she’s just experienced and the reasons she’s come back to her small town in the first place, an act that only leads to another little mystery. It’s a fascinating balance of things and one that feels rooted in the experience most adults have faced at some point in their lives: when the reality of who we are hits a little harder than perhaps we were ready for. While there are still a lot of mysteries to unpack and this issue does have a bit of a slower pace, it’s still an exceptional read and has really lovely art to go along with it. – Nicole Drum
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Seance in the Asylum #1: When it comes to atmosphere and creating scenarios to give readers the creeps, Seance in the Asylum passes with flying colors. This thing will get you squirming with some unsettling artistic decisions and a whole cast of eerie characters. The problem is this first issue doesn’t do a lot to bring that energy into the story itself. – Charlie Ridgely
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Space Ghost #6: With its first arc now in the books, Space Ghost cleverly blazes a new trail. David Pepose’s script offers the series’ most earnest chapter thus far, dissecting heroism and personal conflict in some fun ways. Jonathan Lau’s art continues to update Alex Toth’s character designs for modern and shadowy bouts of action, even though a handful of panels are left undercooked. Space Ghost continues to delight. – Jenna Anderson
Rating: 4 out of 5

The Terminator #1: The Terminator #1 might not be the most groundbreaking licensed comic to arrive this year (an honor that is easily given to the Aliens vs. Avengers crossover book from Marvel), but its debut issue is nothing short of a pleasant surprise. By shifting focus away from the worn-out stories of the franchise’s main protagonists, this first issue is able to craft a portrait of ordinary life in an anything-but-ordinary robot apocalypse. On both a narrative and aesthetic level, The Terminator #1 is so straightforward and effective that its attempts at a larger narrative feel like an afterthought — but you still can not help but be excited to see this creative team eventually tackle it. Whether you have voraciously followed every chapter in the Terminator saga, or are jumping into the decades-old story for the very first time, you will probably find something impactful in this debut issue. – Jenna Anderson (Click here for full review)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5