DC Comics from Lunar Distributors for October 18, 2022

DC COMICS:

Aquaman Andromeda #3 (Of 3)(Cover A Christian Ward), $6.99
Aquaman Andromeda #3 (Of 3)(Cover B Tiffany Turrill), $6.99
Aquaman Andromeda #3 (Of 3)(Cover C Evan Cagle), AR
Aquaman Green Arrow Deep Target TP, $19.99
Batman Hush 20th Anniversary Edition HC, $49.99
Batman One Bad Day Penguin #1 (One Shot)(Cover A Giuseppe Camuncoli), $7.99
Batman One Bad Day Penguin #1 (One Shot)(Cover B Jim Lee), $7.99
Batman One Bad Day Penguin #1 (One Shot)(Cover C Dan Mora), AR
Batman One Bad Day Penguin #1 (One Shot)(Cover D Jamal Campbell), AR
Batman One Bad Day Penguin #1 (One Shot)(Cover E Brian Bolland), AR
Batman One Bad Day Penguin #1 (One Shot)(Cover F Giuseppe Camuncoli Premium Variant), $7.99
Batman Superman World’s Finest #8 (Cover A Dan Mora), $3.99
Batman Superman World’s Finest #8 (Cover B Taurin Clarke Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Batman Superman World’s Finest #8 (Cover C Travis Mercer Card Stock Variant), AR
Batman Superman World’s Finest #8 (Cover D Clayton Henry Card Stock Variant), AR
Batman The Knight #10 (Of 10)(Cover A Carmine Di Giandomenico), $4.99
Batman The Knight #10 (Of 10)(Cover B Riccardo Federici Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Black Adam #5 (Cover A Irvin Rodriguez), $3.99
Black Adam #5 (Cover B Rafa Sandoval Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Black Adam #5 (Cover C Ariel Colon Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Black Adam #5 (Cover D Joshua Sway Swaby Black Adam Movie Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Black Adam #5 (Cover E Mario Fox Foccillo Card Stock Variant), AR
Black Adam #5 (Cover F Rafa Sandoval Sphinx Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Black Adam #5 (Cover G Rafa Sandoval Sphinx Foil Card Stock Variant), AR
Black Adam Box Set, $51.00
Catwoman #48 (Cover A Jeff Dekal), $3.99
Catwoman #48 (Cover B Sozomaika Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Catwoman #48 (Cover C Tula Lotay Card Stock Variant), AR
Dark Crisis Young Justice #5 (Of 6)(Cover A Max Dunbar), $3.99
Dark Crisis Young Justice #5 (Of 6)(Cover B Belen Ortega Card Stock Variant), $4.99
DC Vs. Vampires All-Out War #4 (Of 6)(Cover A Alan Quah), $3.99
DC Vs. Vampires All-Out War #4 (Of 6)(Cover B Christian Ward Card Stock Variant), $4.99
DC Vs. Vampires All-Out War #4 (Of 6)(Cover C James Stokoe Card Stock Variant), AR
DCeased War Of The Undead Gods #3 (Of 8)(Cover A Howard Porter), $3.99
DCeased War Of The Undead Gods #3 (Of 8)(Cover B Dan Mora Homage Card Stock Variant), $4.99
DCeased War Of The Undead Gods #3 (Of 8)(Cover C Kael Ngu Acetate Card Stock Variant), $4.99
DCeased War Of The Undead Gods #3 (Of 8)(Cover D Steve Beach Card Stock Variant), $4.99
DCeased War Of The Undead Gods #3 (Of 8)(Cover E Sun Khamunaki Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Doom Patrol By Rachel Pollack Omnibus HC, $100.00
Duo #6 (Of 6)(Cover A Dike Ruan), $3.99
Duo #6 (Of 6)(Cover B Cathy Kwan Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Fables #156 (Of 162)(Cover A Qistina Khalidah), $3.99
Fables #156 (Of 162)(Cover B Mark Buckingham Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Fellspyre Chronicles Volume 1 HC, $49.99
Flash #787 (Cover A Taurin Clarke), $3.99
Flash #787 (Cover B George Kambadais Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Flash #787 (Cover C Ejikure Black Adam Movie Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Flashpoint Beyond #6 (Of 6)(Cover A Mitch Gerads), $3.99
Flashpoint Beyond #6 (Of 6)(Cover B Xermanico Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Flashpoint Beyond #6 (Of 6)(Cover C Dan Mora Card Stock Variant), AR
Flashpoint Beyond #6 (Of 6)(Cover D Gary Frank Card Stock Variant), AR
G.C.P.D. The Blue Wall #1 (Of 6)(Cover A Reiko Murakami), $3.99
G.C.P.D. The Blue Wall #1 (Of 6)(Cover B Francesco Francavilla Card Stock Variant), $4.99
G.C.P.D. The Blue Wall #1 (Of 6)(Cover C Jorge Fornes Card Stock Variant), $4.99
G.C.P.D. The Blue Wall #1 (Of 6)(Cover D Stefano Raffaele Case File Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Green Lantern Alliance GN, $9.99
Harley Quinn The Animated Series Legion Of Bats #1 (Of 6)(Cover A Yoshi Yoshitani), $3.99
Harley Quinn The Animated Series Legion Of Bats #1 (Of 6)(Cover B Dan Hipp Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Harley Quinn The Animated Series Legion Of Bats #1 (Of 6)(Cover C Logan Faerber Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Harley Quinn The Animated Series Legion Of Bats #1 (Of 6)(Cover D Jess Taylor Card Stock Variant), $4.99
I Am Batman #14 (Cover A Christian Duce), $3.99
I Am Batman #14 (Cover B Howard Porter Card Stock Variant), $4.99
I Am Batman #14 (Cover C Caanan White Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Marvel Family #1 (Facsimile Edition), $3.99
New Teen Titans Omnibus Volume 1 HC (2022 Edition), $100.00
Nightwing #97 (Cover A Bruno Redondo), $3.99
Nightwing #97 (Cover B Jamal Campbell Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Nightwing #97 (Cover C Sergio Acuna Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Refrigerator Full Of Heads HC, $24.99
Rogues #4 (Of 4)(Cover A Sam Wolfe Connelly), $6.99
Rogues #4 (Of 4)(Cover B Leomacs), $6.99
Rogues #4 (Of 4)(Cover C Kaare Andrews), $6.99
Scooby-Doo Where Are You #118 (Cover A Walter Carzon), $2.99
Titans United Bloodpact #2 (Of 6)(Cover A Eddy Barrows), $3.99
Titans United Bloodpact #2 (Of 6)(Cover B Derrick Chew Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Titans United Bloodpact #2 (Of 6)(Cover C Rahzzah Black Adam Movie Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Titans United Bloodpact #2 (Of 6)(Cover D Ed Benes Card Stock Variant), AR
Wonder Woman By George Perez Omnibus HC (2022 Edition), $100.00

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#IReadsYou Review: SCOOBY-DOO, Where Are You? #117

SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? (2010) #117
DC COMICS

STORY: Ivan Cohen; Sholly Fisch
PENCILS: Valerio Chiola; Dario Brizuela
INKS: Valerio Chiola; Dario Brizuela
COLORS: Valerio Chiola; Franco Riesco
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte
EDITORS: Courtney Jordan; Kristy Quinn (reprint)
COVER: Valerio Chiola
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (October 2022)

Ages 8+

“Beast of Eatin'”

Welcome, dear readers, to my continuing journey through the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? comic book series, which began publication in 2010.  I continue to renew my subscription so that I can continue to review this series for you, dear readers.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #117 opens with “Beast of Eatin',” which is written by Ivan Cohen and drawn by Valerio Chiola.  The story finds Mystery Inc.:  Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma on morning television.  Scooby and Shaggy have joined Juliana Perez to launch her new TV segment, “International Eats.”  However, a Sasquatch is stealing all the food for the show.  Can the gang solve the mystery before Shaggy and Scooby starve?

The second story, “Snack Attack” is, as usual, a reprint story and is written by Sholly Fisch and drawn by Dario Brizuela.  [This story was originally published in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #37 (cover date: November 2013).]  The story finds Mystery Inc. in the middle of a terrible situation.  They have visited five grocery stores, and none of them has any “Scooby Snacks.”  They have just visited a sixth store, and the situation is the same – no Scooby Snacks.

The gang decides that it is time to visit “Deauboy Bakeries,” the factory that produces Scooby Snacks.  There, the owner, Mr. Deauboy, informs them that he hasn't produced any Scooby Snacks in a month and that he has shut down the factory.  The villain behind this is even more shocking.  It a monstrous version of the Scooby Snacks mascot, “Skippy Snackerdoodle.”  Can Mystery Inc. bring this monster hound to heel?  Can they save Scooby Snacks for Scooby's … and Shaggy's sake?

“Beast of Eatin'” is a convoluted story, something about former spies and betrayed feelings.  At times, the story really isn't coherent, and Valerio Chiola's art and graphical storytelling can't really crack the contrived nut of this story.

Luckily, the reprint story, “Snack Attack,” is pretty straight-forward.  If you've every wondered about Scooby Snacks, what they are and where they come from, Sholly Fisch, one of the best Scooby-Doo comic book writers, offers his behind-the-scenes look at Scooby's favorite go-to-snack.  The story is drawn by one of my favorite Scooby-Doo comic book artists, Dario Brizuela.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #117 follows two really good issues, #115 and #116, and only the reprint story keeps #117 from being a disaster.  Because of the “Scooby Snacks” story, I will recommend #117 to collectors of Scooby-Doo comic books.  And until next time, Scooby-Dooby-Doo!

B-

★★½ out of 4 stars

[This comic book includes a seven-page preview of the original graphic novel, “DC League of Super-Pets: The Great Mxy-Up” by Heath Corson and Bobby Timony.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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#IReadsYou Movie Review: DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS

DC League of Super-Pets (2022)

Running time:  105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – PG for action, mild violence, language and rude humor
DIRECTOR:  Jared Stern
WRITERS:  Jared Stern and John Whittington (based on characters appearing in DC Comics)
PRODUCERS: Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Patricia Hicks, and Jared Stern
EDITORS:  David Egan and Jhoanne Reyes
COMPOSER:  Steve Jablonsky
ANIMATION STUDIO:  Warner Animation Group/Animal Logic

ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/ACTION/FANTASY

Starring:  (voices) Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Thomas Middleditch, Ben Schwartz, Keanu Reeves, Marc Maron, Olivia Wilde, Jameela Jamil, Jemaine Clement, John Early, Daveed Diggs, Dascha Polanco, Maya Erskine, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alfred Molina, Lena Headey, Winona Bradshaw, and Keith David

DC League of Super-Pets is a 2022 3D computer-animated, superhero fantasy and action-comedy film directed by Jared Stern with CGI animation produced by Animal Logic.  The film is based on characters and concepts appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.  DC League of Super-Pets focuses on Superman's dog and a group newly super-powered shelter animals who must stop a conspiracy hatched by a guinea pig that is an evil genius.

DC League of Super-Pets opens with the story of how baby Kal-El and a Labrador Retriever-like pup left the planet Krypton, as it was in the throes of destruction, in a space ship headed to Earth.  Decades later, the baby is now Superman/Clark Kent (John Krasinski) and his pet, Krypto the Superdog (Dwayne Johnson).  All is well between Superman and his super-best friend until Clark decides to take his relationship with Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde), a fellow reporter at “The Daily Planet,” to the next level.  Krypto suddenly feels that his relationship with Superman is threatened.

Meanwhile, LexCorp CEO and Superman's enemy, Lex Luthor (Marc Maron), has hatched a plot to bring a meteorite of “orange kryptonite” to Earth.  Superman and Krypto easily stop the plot with the aid of the Justice League:  Wonder Woman (Jameela Jamil), Aquaman (Jemaine Clement), Flash (John Early), Green Lantern (Dascha Polanco), Cyborg (Daveed Diggs), and the Batman (Keanu Reeves).

At LexCorp, Lex used guinea pigs as test subjects.  One of them, Lulu (Kate McKinnon), is also an evil genius.  She has reeled in her own piece of orange kryptonite, having discovered that it gives super-powers to animals.  Now empowered by flight and telekinesis, Lulu is determined to free the now imprisoned Lex Luthor and to destroy Superman and the Justice League.  Now, only Krypto and a ragtag band of shelter animals:  Ace a boxer dog (Kevin Hart), PB the potbellied pig (Vanessa Bayer), Merton the slider turtle (Natasha Lyonne), and Chip the squirrel (Diego Luna), are left to stop Lulu's plot and save Superman.

DC League of Super-Pets is cute, and I imagine that it may be a hit with certain young viewers.  While watching it, I couldn't wait for it to be over.  The first 56 minutes of the film is formulaic superhero movie drivel, except for a moment here and there, such as the baby Kal-El and puppy Krypto's exodus from a dying Krypton.  The film does not have another emotional moment that feels real until Kevin Hart's Ace tells his tragic story.  When the other shelter pets tell their story, those stories don't work as well as Ace's.  Also, I wasn't crazy with the design and art direction for this film.  Everything looks like second-rate retro and draw-by-number art deco.

Perhaps, I have mixed feelings about this movie because I have mixed feelings about the voice performances.  Dwayne Johnson is okay as Krypto; to me, his personality seems wrong for Krypto.  Keanu Reeves is good as Batman, mainly because he captures the humorous angle written for the character.  Kevin Hart is quite good as Ace; actually, Hart's Ace would have been a better lead character.  [Maybe, we can get an “Ace the Bat-Hound” movie.]  Kate McKinnon is also really good as Lulu, and she makes a character that probably shouldn't work dominate much of this movie.  No other voice performances in this film really move me.

The last act of DC League of Super-Pets offers a satisfying superhero battle with a victory for the heroes.  McKinnon is so good at making Lulu evil that I cheered when she receives her comeuppance.  I can recommend this movie to fans of superhero films, especially fans of films based on DC Comics characters, and to young audiences.  For the most part, it is like the average DreamWorks Animation or Illumination Entertainment anthropomorphic animal movie.  There are many superhero films that I watch repeatedly, but I doubt DC League of Super-Pets will be one of them.

C+
★★½ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved.  Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: CHAOS CAMPUS #43

CHAOS CAMPUS: SORORITY GIRLS VS ZOMBIES #43
APPROBATION COMICS

STORY: B. Alex Thompson
ART: Ricardo Mendez
COLORS: Alivon Ortiz
LETTERS: Krugos
POST-SCRIPTING/POLISH: John P. Ward
EDITOR: B. Alex Thompson
MISC: Ricardo Mendez with Alivon Ortiz
COVER: Ricardo Mendez with Alivon Ortiz
28pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (2019)

Rated: Teen 13+

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies created by B. Alex Thompson

“She Blinded Me With Magic”

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies is the long-running zombie apocalypse comic book series from Approbation Comics.  Mixing in elements of comedy, horror, adventure, and magic, it is the creation of B. Alex Thompson.  The series is set during a zombie invasion and follows the adventures of three members of the sorority, Epsilon Alpha Zeta Upsilon (EAZY):  ass-kickin’ Jamie Lynn Schaffer, brainy and magic-wielding Paige Helena Patton, and sexy goddess-type Brittany Ann Miller.  The series is written by Thompson.  It is currently drawn by Ricardo Mendez; colored by Alivon Ortiz; and lettered by Krugos.

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies #43 (“She Blinded Me with Magic”) opens on the “Campus” in the wake of the events of “Convocation.”  “The Alts” – a squad made of alternate world versions of our heroes – have injected Paige with “Nanobites” in order to kill her.

Now, the Campus heroes try to figure out a way to remove the Nanobites without killing Paige or blowing up half the country.  Since the Nanobites are anchored by Paige’s energy signature, the group decides to temporarily drain her of her powers so that they can disable and remove the tiny invaders.  Paige's mother, Morgan, is really big on the idea.  When Paige doesn’t consent to the procedure, Morgan overrides her decision. Paige doesn’t take it well…

Now, Paige has gone all “Dark Phoenix” on the people who should be her allies.  They can't stop her, but that ever scheming super-skank, Mitzy Peterson, is eager to volunteer her services – if everyone would only be good enough to help restore to Mitzy her powers...

THE LOWDOWN:  Yes, dear readers, I am continuing to review towards the conclusion of the Chaos Campus comic book series.  Every time I read an issue of this genre-busting series, however, I get deeper into the denial that the end is near.

Chaos Campus #43 continues a run of exceptionally good issues of this series.  With each issue, writer B. Alex Thompson offers what amounts to a graphic novel's worth of narrative – a trade paperback's worth of bombast in only 28 pages.  No one else is doing that.  Issue #43 joins #42 in a kind of two-fisted delivery system of “WOW!'  Thompson offers some of his best dialogue; the foul, mean-spirited crap coming outta Paige's mouth … Jeez!  It certainly makes for a good read.

Ricardo Mendez has already cemented his place as Chaos Campus' signature artist.  He makes each issue seems like a giant crossover event, as he juggles what seems like a cast of thousands.  Mendez manages to make it a better read than most big event series offered by Marvel or DC Comics.  Alivon Ortiz's colors sparkle and continue to make the graphical storytelling pop.  Krugos' lettering is the thumping soundtrack that Chaos Campus needs.

So, dear readers, it is easy to join the Chaos Campus fun.  I have placed a link where you can order issues at the bottom of this review – just for you.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of zombies, video games, and of horror-comedies will want to try Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies.

A
★★★★+ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


Buy Chaos Campus here or at https://www.indyplanet.com/approbation-comics

www.ApprobationComics.com
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The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: KING OF SPIES #4

KING OF SPIES #4 (OF 4)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Matteo Scalera
COLORS: Giovanna Niro
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Matteo Scalera
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Matteo Scalera; Ozgur Yildirim
42pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (March 2022)

Rated M / Mature

King of Spies created by Mark Millar at Netflix

King of Spies is a four-issue miniseries created and written by Mark Millar.  It focuses on the world's greatest secret agent who has six months to live and won't die quietly in a hospital bed.  Published by Image Comics, King of Spies is drawn by Matteo Scalera; colored by Giovanna Niro; and lettered by Clem Robins.

British secret agent, Sir Roland King, is 65-years-old and has just been diagnosed with Glioblastoma, the most aggressive from of brain cancer.  Facing an unusual, mid-life turned end-of-life crisis, King decides to go to war with the very system that he propped up for 40 years.  Kings, presidents, crooks, and the greedy pigs who treat everything like their personal troughs: King is coming for you.

King of Spies #4 opens in the past – a sort of origin of Roland's relationship with his ex-wife, Ornella, and especially with his son, Atticus.  Present day, Roland is riddled with bullets and dying, but in his time of greatest need, an old love has returned to nurse him back to life.

Yes, King has escaped his now adult son, Atticus, who is leading the mission to kill him.  Foiled again, King's old bosses decide to play dirty.  It is Roland's self-assigned final mission:  murdering all the men and women in high office that he knows are to blame for the absolute mess the world has become.  But to do this will cost Roland everything, even if it gives everything to the people he hurt long ago.

THE LOWDOWN:  Mark Millar's fifth original comic book property for Netflix, King of Spies, comes to an explosive and shocking conclusion.  It is impressive that Millar delivered one killer spy comic book series, the Kingsman series, beginning with 2012's The Secret Service.  However, it is more impressive that Millar actually delivers a second one, this amazing King of Spies.

Artist Matteo Scalera's supremely skillful graphical storytelling and brilliantly designed compositions and pages made King of Spies fly as high as any action movie.  King of Spies #4 reveals Scalera's deft and subtle touch with genuine emotion and love.  The rekindling of Roland's former love interest is poignant and painful, as Scalera depicts the wrenching reality of what the relationship was and the heartbreaking possibilities of what that relationship could have been.  Giovanna Niro's colors and Clem Robins' letters complete the beautiful graphics package that is this fourth and final issue, as they did for the previous issues.

Mark Millar could have rested on his laurels.  After all, by the time Millar sold Millarworld to Netflix, he already had an extensive backlist of creator-owned publications.  Those comic books yielded an impressive library of intellectual property.  Many comic book creators have cashed in on a big Hollywood sale of one comic book property and rested on that laurel.  Now an executive at one of the planet's most influential and powerful media companies, Mark could have relaxed.

Yet, Millar is actually still writing comic books, and not just any kind of comic books.  He is delivering (forgive me) kick-ass titles like King of Spies, which offers a clever, shocking, and pleasing ending.  Best of all, King of Spies #4 assures that the series will be an evergreen of the spy genre – good now and still good by the time EON Productions names its next James Bond … and the next...

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of secret agents will want to read King of Spies.

A+

10 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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#IReadsYou Review: NEW MASTERS #1

NEW MASTERS #1
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Shobo
ART: Shof
COLORS: Shof with Julmae Kristoffer
COVER: Shof
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Shof
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2022)

Rated: “T+/ Teen Plus”

New Masters created by Shobo Coker & Shof Coker

New Masters is a new six-issue miniseries from brothers, writer Shobo Coker and artist Shof Coker.  New Masters is set in a version of West Africa that is under the control of alien invaders, particularly the Jovians.  The series focuses on a band of misfits and outcasts who become caught up in the struggle to control an immensely powerful ancient artifact that could rid Earth of its alien colonizers.

New Masters #1 opens in the distant future.  In the early part of the twenty-first century, the “Jovian Naviculae” slammed into Earth, spreading exotic fuels and destroying many great cities.  A thousand years later, deep in the Eko Exclusion Zone (E-Zone), a young female scavenger, Ola, hunts for a cache of Obsidium, an alien mineral.  Elsewhere, in the sinking slums of Makoko on the coast of Eko City, a couple offers the suffering residents a device that could change their lives.  Meanwhile, a high-ranking politician and her alien lover discuss The Eye of Òrùnmìlá, an ancient alien artifact that could change the fate of Earth.

THE LOWDOWN:  The wider interest in Afrofuturism, a cultural aesthetic and philosophy about the intersection of Africa, the Diaspora, the future, and technology, has been increasing for some time.  For some, their most memorable experience with Afrofuturism is the 2018 Disney/Marvel Studios film, Black Panther.  Perhaps, one of the most prominent expressions of Afrofuturism in comic books is LaGuardia (Dark Horse Comics/Berger Books), the 2019, award-winning miniseries from writer Nnedi Okorafor and artist Tana Ford.

New Masters shares a few ideas with LaGuardia.  All of it infused with (as the creators say) “...African experience, philosophy, and culture...”  I suspect that many American comic book readers will find New Masters exotic because so many of them have been exposed to science fiction that is White male, White American, and White people in general.  For some of them, anything with more than two characters that are Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) must seem like a comic from another land or an foreign artifact of some kind.

As my tastes are varied and diverse, New Masters seems only a little exotic to me, but some of it feels quite familiar.  To me, some of it looks like the wild and weird alien futures that readers could find in an issue of the seminal science fiction comics magazine, Heavy Metal.  In fact, Shof's art and colors, in terms of visuals and narrative, remind me of the work of the late French comics master, Moebius.  Overall, the visuals and the narratives of New Masters is familiar from old masters.

Shobo Coker & Shof Coker spend New Masters #1 introducing characters and settings, giving tastes of the story's overall plot and subplots.  There is a lot to take in, and so much of it piques my interest.  Truthfully, I think that this first issue would have been better served as a double-sized first issue.  The 32 pages of narrative that comprises this first issue is strained to bursting with all the beautiful story elements contained inside the covers.

New Masters #1 intrigues me too much not to come back again, and it is so fresh and inviting.  New Masters could be something special and could inject what American comic books really needs – actual new creative blood.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of science fiction comic books and of Afrofuturist fiction will want to read New Masters.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for October 12, 2022

BOOM! STUDIOS

AUG220265 APPROACH #1 (OF 5) CVR A HAUN (MR) $3.99

AUG220266 APPROACH #1 (OF 5) CVR B BLACK VAR FRANCAVILLA (MR) $4.99

JUN220460 JUST BEYOND OGN GIFT SET (TP VOL 1-4) (C: 0-1-2) $39.99

AUG220334 ONCE & FUTURE #30 CVR A CONNECTING MORA $4.99

JUN220387 SOMETHING IS KILLING CHILDREN TP VOL 05 (C: 0-1-2) $14.99

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