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Articles by Kevin Clark
‘Red Sonja/Barbarella’ #1 is a fun team-up with great art
A cadre of interstellar time-traveling smugglers are trafficking relics and people from different eras and dimensions and the only people who can stop them are Barbarella and…Red Sonja? Red Sonja/Barbarella #1, written by Homero Rios with art by Diego Yapur and colors by Fares Maese, kicks off with Barbarella being dispatched on her thousandth mission for the ever ungrateful, borderline shady Earthgov (which is like a less benevolent version of Star Trek’s Starfleet).
‘Hello Darkness’ #26 stays consistently great
Hello Darkness #26 releases this week from BOOM! Studios, and though I’m always apprehensive when cracking open a new anthology book, always skeptical that the percentage of bad stories will tip the scales over the good ones, I’m happy to say that this issue has not two great stories, not three great stories, but four, yes four great ones! Yep, there’s not a stinker in the book, and just in time for Halloween too.
‘Filthy Lambs!’ #1 review
Mad Cave’s newest book is Filthy Lambs! #1, the first of a five-issue miniseries written by Pallie Paul Allor with art by Chris Evenhuis and colors by Sjan Weijers. It’s in a similar vein to recent films like Ready or Not, full of shadowy satanic ceremonies and in-fighting amongst the filthy rich – in this case, the Grimaldi family. The only thing the Grimaldis enjoy more than subjugating the poor is attacking each other.
‘Magic: The Gathering: Untold Stories – Liliana’ #1 review
I’m sure most fans of Magic: The Gathering have a favorite color they like to play, even those who wield a multi-color deck. Personally, I prefer black, with its devastating combos of weakening an opponent with discarding while hitting them with hordes of demons, zombies and vampires with the dreaded Death Touch.
‘Flux House Presents’ #1 is a welcome return to the anthology format
Straying a bit away from their recent EC revival anthologies and steering more into the realm of Dark Horse Presents, Oni debuts their new anthology series with Flux House Presents #1, written and drawn by Matt Kindt with additional art by Alison Sampson, Brian Hurtt, and David Lapham and colors by Bill Crabtree, Nick Filardi, and Ella Kindt. Anthology books are great because when you’ve gotten one great story you can look forward to getting another great one set in a whole new world.
”Hillbilly: The Treason of Twelve-Toe Maggie’ #1 review
Rondel, the hulking witch hunter/killer extraordinaire, continues to roam the Appalachian Mountains in Hillbilly: The Treason of Twelve-Toe Maggie #1, written and drawn by Eric Powell. It’s been four long years since Rondel last appeared in a short story in Eric Powell’s anthology book Albatross Exploding Funnybooks #1 and it’s great to see the big lug again.
‘Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft’ #1 review
The gothic realm of Ravenloft gets the spotlight this week in Dark Horse’s Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft #1, written by Amy Chu with art by Ariela Kristinantina and colors by Roman Stevens. Ravenloft focuses on Ezmerelda (Ez) D’Avenir, a warrior and monster hunter who travels across the Dread Domain, battling monsters, mostly vampires. She’s like a D&D version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, except far more brutal in combat and without a Scooby Gang to back her up. Where’s Willow when you need her?
‘Hope’ review: Action packed and overly long
I think it was Aesop of Aesop’s Fables who said “Too much of a good thing isn’t necessarily good”. Or maybe it was Captain Kirk? Either way, Na Hong-jin’s new film Hope runs an exhausting 156 minutes and it’s the textbook definition of “too much of a good thing”.
‘Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures’ #3 review
The newest Young Hellboy miniseries, Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures, written by Mike Mignola and Thomas Sniegoski with art by Craig Rousseau and colors by Chris O’Halloran, is the best one so far. It not only captures the thrill of being a kid and cracking open a brand new comic, it also embraces the pulp adventure of the 1930s, with masked swashbucklers barnstorming planes across pre-WW2 era continents when not trading punches and bullets with bad guys.
‘Tales of Wonder’ #1 is a send-up of two comics greats
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby return (sort of) in Image’s new miniseries Tales of Wonder. The book’s main characters – elderly artist Jake Crumsby and flamboyant comic book writer Stu Reeds – represent the two comic greats and are so identical to them that a sledgehammer would be more subtle. Tales of Wonder #1, written and drawn by Steve Skroce with colors by Ian Herring, has Stu and Jake reuniting at the San Diego Comic Con after years apart.
‘Prima Apparata’ #1 displays humanity’s drive to survive in the cosmos
Ignition Press’s new book Prima Apparata #1, written by Olivia Dufault with art and colors by Rebekah Isaacs and colors by Marissa Louise, is part coming-of-age story, part space opera and part horror, and all these parts meld to deliver a tantalizingly gripping beginning to the saga.
'Witchblade/Vampirella' #1 review • AIPT
A massive mutant vampire is tearing through the streets and alleys of New York, devouring victims or turning them into his mindless vampiric drones. Sara Pezinni aka Witchblade investigates the murders, which inevitably leads her to a confrontation with Vampirella. But whose side is Vampirella on? Image Comics’ new one-shot Witchblade/Vampirella #1, written by Marguerite Bennett with art by Laura Braga and colors by Gibran Ferdian, takes place over one blood-soaked night in Manhattan.
‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’: Blood. Lust.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun) is a cozy horror film. It’s cozy for the same reason Jane Schoenbrun’s previous films, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and I Saw the TV Glow (check them out!), were cozy. It plays out in a microcosm of pop-up book style scenery, with a small but fascinating group of characters and a sliver of dream logic. From the first few minutes, you want to be lost in that world, enveloped in all its romance and terror.
‘Aperture’ is a time-hopping romance
I’ve never met a camera I liked. I avoid getting pictures with as much effort as I avoided COVID, possibly with a bit more vigor. Maybe it’s because without cameras and their resulting image captures, we could hide our imperfections from the world. The upcoming graphic novel Aperture features an especially unique camera, one that can transport people backwards and forwards in time.
‘The Punisher’ #7 is a great jumping-on point
The Punisher #7, written by Benjamin Percy with art by Farid Karami and colors by Frank D’Armata, is a perfect jumping on point for readers who haven’t been following the series so far. It’s a complete story with Frank battling a new nemesis named Collateral Damage.
‘Vampirella vs. Red Sonja: Red City’ #1 review
Earth 0001 (part of Dynamite’s multiverse of Earths) is front and center in this week’s Vampirella Versus Red Sonja: Red City #1, written by Chuck Brown with art by Paulo H. Mel and colors by Marcos Antônio. Red Sonja and Vampirella, arguably the superstars of the Dynamite Multiverse, are alive and well on Earth 0001, though they’re stranded there along with the spunky superheroine Dyna Mite.
‘X-Men: Outback #2’ continues the team’s sojourn down under
Several X-Men continue their sojourn in Australia, occupying the Reavers old HQ while they recover from their “rebirth”. X-Men: Outback #2, written by Steve Orlando, with art by Stephen Segovia, colors by Alex Sinclair and graphic design by Carlos Lao, is another all-around great issue of the miniseries. It sets up a couple teasing subplots, gives us some fun character moments, and even drops in a bit of Invasion of the Body Snatchers-type chills. I’m really loving this team’s lineup.
‘Odin #3’ is an atmospheric, disturbing third chapter
Image’s Odin miniseries features main characters that are the absolute dregs of humanity. They’re neo-Nazis. Racists, homophobes and the same invertebrate ilk who think Andrew Tate and Donald Trump are the definitions of manhood and machismo. Odin sets these characters off in search of Odin himself, in the hope of ultimately bringing back the Nordic gods to make the “dread white race” supreme. One of their party, Adela, is secretly a journalist, doing some Hunter S.
‘The Invite’ review: A night to remember
There’s a lovely Beatle-esque song that plays during the opening credits of the new film The Invite. Its bouncy melodic rhythm and lyrics promise a lot of fun ahead and it delivers. The film (directed by and starring Olivia Wilde with a screenplay by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones(!)) goes way beyond just being a cute story full of cutting dialogue between feuding spouses (in this case Olivia Wilde’s Angela and Seth Rogen’s Joe).
‘Fixation’ #1 delivers plenty of chills
Whenever I read a fiction book, I try to get a feel for the look and atmosphere of it and what movies are similar to it. It’s easier to do with thrillers and horror books, because most super hero books lean towards being generic. IDW’s upcoming Fixation #1, debuting in September as part of their “IDW Crime” imprint, has a heavy Jane Schoenbrun vibe.
‘What If…? Jessica Jones’ #1 is a unique take on one of Marvel’s most complex characters
What If…? Jessica Jones #1, written by Justina Ireland with art by David Messina and colors by Brian Reber, reworks history to show how things would have been different had Jessica Jones got bitten by a radioactive spider in high school instead of Peter Parker. The bulk of the story is set in modern day, with Jessica having set aside her Spider-Girl identity a long time ago to live a normal life as a bartender.
‘Mister Nemo’ #1 reworks a classic literary character
Mister Nemo #1, written by Mark London with art by Alden Kaye and colors by Alex Sinclair) is a new take on the classic Nemo character from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Yes, it seems like every month there’s a new variation on the character from a multitude of publishers, but I think Mad Cave has a winner with this one. Why? The story is set in the present, tossing aside the steampunk trappings and gauche politics of the Victorian Age, replacing it with something more immediate and visceral.
‘Sorcerer Supreme’ #8 crackles with spectacular art
You think you have problems at work? Wanda Maximoff, current Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, has had to deal with being attacked by the Vishanti and other gods who don’t really appreciate that she’s the new kid on the job. After holding her own against them and securing her place, the Extinction King arrives, hungry for destruction. The Extinction King was created by the Vishanti to protect them while they explored the stars.
‘Babylon Cove’ #2 mixes cheesy romance and Lovecraftian horror
Heather Hutchens continues her stay in Babylon Cove, even as the demonic Corrodere Karthoni lurks in the background in Babylon Cove #2, written by Rafer Roberts with art by Joe Eisma and colors by Marissa Louise. The miniseries combines the romantic drama of a Hallmark movie with Lovecraftian horror and so far, it mostly works.
‘Adventure Time Quadruple Feature’ #1 is a tribute to classic comedy flicks
Adventure Time Quadruple Feature #1, written by Mariko Tamaki with art by Brenda Hickey and colors by Leonardo Ito, has a brilliant concept: drop Adventure Time characters into different film eras and genres and let the magic happen. And it does! Finn, Jake, Marceline the Vampire Queen, and Lumpy Space Princess want to see a movie. But which one? Unable to agree on anything, they agree to split up and go see the movie they want.
‘Leviticus’ review: Great performances, uninspired story
“My love is as a fever, longing still For that which longer nurseth the disease…” – William Shakespeare, Sonnet 147 Leviticus is a love story in a horror framework. Its core concept bears similarities to 2014’s It Follows, with the protagonists being pursued by a murderous doppelganger-like entity. It Follows was a metaphor for the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases (and a parody of all those slasher films where having sex was an inevitable death sentence for all parties involved).
‘The Furious’ review: Non-stop jaw dropping action
I’ve been a fan of martial arts films for decades. From the Jeet Kune Do stylings of Bruce Lee’s films to the ballet-like Kung Fu of the Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers films to the high-flying Wuxia battles of films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers.
‘The Phantom vs. The Red Dragons’ #1 is incredibly striking
The Phantom returns in The Phantom vs. The Red Dragons #1, written by Ray Fawkes with art by Lynne Yoshii and colors by Juancho!. I’ve always considered The Phantom (AKA Kit Walker) a combination of Batman and Tarzan. Living in the deepest wilds of Africa with his wife Diana, he protects the local populace from the outside world (and the underworld) who continually encroach on the peaceful local villages.
‘Altered States: Warlords’ #1 review
Dynamite Entertainment’s new miniseries Altered States: Warlords #1, written by David Avallone with art by Mariano Benitez Chapo and colors by Jorge Sutil, is the company’s spin on Marvel’s What If? and DC’s Elseworlds books, exploring alternate universe versions of their established characters. Here, we see what happens if Red Sonja had been transported to Barsoom (AKA the planet Mars) centuries before American Civil War soldier John Carter teleports there. Guess what?
‘Justice League: Dream Girls – A DC Pride Event’ #1 review
Justice League: Dream Girls – A DC Pride Event #1 – written by Jadzia Axelrod and Nicole Maines with art by Nicola Scott, J. Bone and Brandt & Stein and colors by Annette Kwok, Marissa Louise and Dearbhla Kelly – opens with Dreamer and Galaxy frolicking on Themyscira aka Paradise Island. Both of them look as snug as a bug there, with Dreamer looking particularly striking in Amazonian warrior dress. But something seems amiss.
‘Backrooms’ review: There’s more than one way to be lost
I’ve been trying to figure out why liminal space horror has been so big recently. Is it because people feel more lost now than they ever have? As characters wander and fumble around M. C. Escher-style spaces that seem to have no beginning or end, maybe it’s easy for us to identify with those trapped disoriented souls. Maybe we even envy them, because in a world that seems crazier now than it ever has, who wouldn’t want to just get lost somewhere in those zoned-out spaces?
‘The Rocketeer: The Island’ #3 review
The Rocketeer: The Island #3, written and lettered by John Layman with art by Jacob Edgar and colors by K. J. Díaz, continues the latest Cliff Secord (aka The Rocketeer) miniseries, which finds the titular hero and his team on Skull Island – the legendary home of King Kong.
‘Fantastic Four’ #11 downshifts to a cruising speed
Having defeated Invincible Woman (an alternate evil version of Sue Storm) last issue, Fantastic Four #11 downshifts to cruising speed with a “day in the life”-style story written by Ryan North with art by Pat Boutin and Serge LaPointe and colors by Edgar Delgado. When Maria Hill suggests that it’s a good time to start a new Future Foundation, the team (primarily Reed, Sue and Johnny) argue over what the concept should be, threatening to form a rift in the team.
‘Vampirella’ #2 has something for everyone
Vampirella #2, written by Priest, with art by Davis Goetten and colors by Giovanni Caputo, continues the storyline “Family Plot”, which gathers all of Vampirella’s cast of supporting characters together as Vampirella (who accidentally turned Draculina back into a vampire days before) alternates fighting crime for a mysterious organization while desperate to keep Draculina from using her rekindled vampire abilities to wreak havoc.
‘Erupcja’ review: Electrifying and gorgeous
Erupcja offers a transcendent experience in its scant 71-minute run time. What at first seems like a more dramatic version of a “hangout film” (akin to films such as Superbad or Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist) evolves into something deeper, a meditation on relationships and the way fate intervenes to alter their course. Director Pete Ohs’ influences are obvious from the first moments of the film, most notably Czech director Věra Chytilová and her film Daisies.
‘Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword’ #1 review
Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword #1, written by Rory McConville with art by Pablo De Bonis and colors by Salvatore Aiala Neto, starts off with a bang, as members of the fanatic cult Rising Sun take down a wealthy Lord and his friends who have been extorting taxes from the local beaten-down populace while the Lord and his rich friends feast and frolic 24/7 in their castle.
‘Michael’ review: A front row seat to the King of Pop’s musical highlights
Michael, the new Michael Jackson biopic from director Antoine Fuqua, has been surprisingly divisive among critics and fans, much like the man himself. The loudest criticism of the film is how it sugar coats many of Michael’s most bizarre quirks, including his need to have exotic animals as pets and his obsession with Peter Pan, even as an adult.
‘Mile End Kicks’ review: Typical rom-com with Gen Z trappings
When I first saw the trailer for the new film Mile End Kicks (written and directed by Chandler Levack), visions of Cameron Crowe’s glorious film Almost Famous flooded my mind and why not? The film’s about a young female music critic leaving home and heading to a big city to write a book. There’s even an Almost Famous poster hanging right next to her bed, the space that’s reserved for the most reverential works.
‘Alpha’ review: Masterfully done tale of stress and anxiety
Writer/Director Julia Ducournau returns with her third film Alpha and though the film has elements of body horror, it mostly diverges from her past viscera-drenched works Raw and Titane, delivering a story with themes of grieving and the agony of letting someone go instead. A bloodborne epidemic is spreading across the city, the disease causing people to slowly turn to stone as if they’d locked eyes with Medusa.
‘Flash Gordon’ #0 is a nostalgic launch full of heart and spectacle
Much like Captain Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, an aging Flash Gordon finds himself at a crossroads. He’s back on Earth after vanquishing Ming the Merciless for a final(?) time. The planet Mongo has been flung into the farthest reaches of space, leaving Flash, Dale and Hans Zarkov with no other option than to return to Earth and face the scariest prospect of all: living normal lives again.
‘Forbidden Fruits’ review: Crafty and hilarious
When I was in high school (cue all the “When Dinosaurs ruled the Earth” and “In the Beginning…” jokes) I was friends with two girls who dabbled in the Wiccan religion. Though they always insisted I keep that hush hush, including never mentioning their late night “spell-jamming sessions”, they routinely decked out in goth outfits and wore jewelry with so much Wiccan symbolism that it was hard to tell where the jewelry ended and they began.
‘Slanted’ review: If you can’t beat them, be them
Slanted, the new film from director-writer Amy Wang, is like a blend of The Substance and one of those ABC Afterschool Specials from the 70’s and 80’s. Though some scenes don’t hold back on the gore, the film never reaches the Grand Guignol heights of The Substance and you know what?
‘Godzilla vs. America: Portland’ #1 review
I fell in love with Portland, Oregon when I took a two-week vacation there in 2019. Having been attracted to the city after watching the hilarious and bizarre TV show Portlandia, I wanted to see for myself if the city lived up to that weird zany vibe. Much to my delight, it not only matched the TV show, in some cases it exceeded it. Alas, I’ve never had a chance to head back there, but IDW’s Godzilla vs. America: Portland #1 brought back a lot of great memories.
‘Exploit’ #1 feels all too relatable
Move over Lois Lane, here comes Kirby Kuo! The current state of magazine publishing gets the spotlight in Exploit #1, written by Tim Leong and Laura Hudson with art by Emiliana Pinna and colors by Rebecca Good. Much like our current state of things, wealthy billionaires are buying up all the news outlets so they can replace them with AI-generated news that’s more propaganda than facts.
‘Return to Sleepy Hollow’ #4 review
I’ve always felt that 1999’s Sleepy Hollow was one of Tim Burton’s best films. With its mix of steampunk, gory horror, end-of-the-millennium jitters, and Burton’s usual splash of Gothic atmosphere, the film’s pretty magnificent and a great spin on the dusty old story by Washington Irving.
‘Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun’ #1 peeks at rarely seen corners of the Marvel Universe
A galaxy of martial arts heroes appear in Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun #1, written by Yifan Jiang with art by Paco Medina and colors by Ceci De La Cruz, including the new Iron Fist Lin Lie, former Iron Fist Danny Rand, White Fox, Elektra, The White Tiger, etc., but the overwhelming amount of information that’s dumped throughout the book results in it being a sometimes arduous task to read.
‘The Muppets Noir’ #1 captures the chaos of The Muppet Show
Dashiell Hammett meets The Muppets in Dynamite’s new miniseries, which kicks off with The Muppets Noir #1, written, drawn and inked by Roger Langridge with colors by Dearbhla Kelly. The story’s set during the usual behind-the-scenes frenzy of The Muppet Show, as Kermit stresses over one of this week’s guests: a piccolo-playing panda whose piccolo is made of bamboo.
‘Thundarr the Barbarian’ #1 review
First Space Ghost, then The Herculoids, now Thundarr the Barbarian! Yes, Dynamite once again brings back characters (and memories) from a classic Ruby-Spears animated show. This time, it’s Thundarr the Barbarian, an animated show that ran for two seasons on Saturday mornings from 1980 to 1981 on ABC (with repeats being shown on NBC in 1983). In a way, the show was similar to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which would debut a few years later.
‘DC’s Supergirl Next Door’ #1 review
DC’s Supergirl Next Door #1 arrives just in time for Valentine’s Day, with a variety of writers and artists delivering romantic stories and an eclectic mix of characters across the DC Universe. As with most anthology books, the eight stories are a mixed bag. One is amazing, three others are great, two others are slightly better than average. The remaining two? The less said about those the better.
‘Adventure Time’ #9 is algebraic
Finn’s been fitted with a new robotic arm that’s like a cybernetic Swiss Army Knife. It’s even got a place to hold snacks! But will it cause him even more problems? Adventure Time #9, written by Nick Winn with art by Austin Baechle, is part one of the new epic “Handbook Heroes!”, where Finn and Jake set off to write a new version of the Enchiridion, which will be the gold standard reference book for heroes in the future.
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