Spiral Comics Blog

What’s not to like about a “violent space opera of warring clans, gladiatorial arenas and political intrigue?” It sounds like a cross between Farscape and Pitch Black. The interior art looks amazing too. “In the cold silence of a galaxy ripped apart by war, a prison ship drifts alone in the void. Aboard, three races are preparing for a battle that will determine the ruler of their eternal home. Khaal, the embattled, bloodthirsty, and unhinged, leader of the human faction will stop at nothing to triumph…”

At first glance, I thought this was a solo series of the character that was introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie, Ant-Man. (Hope Van Dyne, the daughter of Hank Pym (the original Ant-Man) and Janet Van Dyne (the original Wasp), is actually an MC2 Universe character, not a Marvel Universe character.) But alas, upon research, it appears that Hank had another daughter with a Soviet woman. This daughter, Nadia, was introduced in All-New, All-Different Avengers #9 (Jul, 2016) as having grown up in the Red Room, the same Soviet training facility that produced the Black Widow. Pulling this character out of nowhere, in much the same way as Silk was introduced in the Spider-Man family, is a little […]

This looks very cool. I was a fan of DC’s post-Crisis Captain Atom incarnation back in the day. His nuclear powers are very reminiscent of Doctor Manhattan’s, who was based on Charlton’s Captain Atom incarnation. With the possibility floating around that the Watchman Doctor Manhattan has had something to do with DC’s “rebirth,” having another near-limitless nuclear-powered character come back from who-knows-where is very intriguing. “BLOWBACK, Part one! Captain Atom hasn’t been seen or heard from in years-and even if you think you know what happened to him–you’re  wrong! But you’re not alone. To this day, no one on Earth-not even the other superheroes-has an inkling of the missing Captain Atom’s true fate. At last, the truth is about to […]

What a cool idea…bring back the classic Marvel monsters as a group for the united heroes to defeat. So, Godzilla is probably the most famous giant monster in modern culture. But early Marvel comics from Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby featured a host of ingenious monster creations, who were born as or who could turn into giant monsters. Their varied origins can be attributed to being space aliens, mutates, ancient subterranean dwellers, or experiments that took a wrong turn. Many of these pre-date the famous Fantastic Four #1 (Nov, 1961), in which the Mole-Man invades the surface with the help of his giant monsters. The hero, The Thing, struggled with his self-identity as a monster. In the Marvel […]

Dynamite launched an all-new *classic* Battlestar series and now issues an all-new series based in the reimagined Battlestar universe–you know, that awesome 2004 television universe. With a focus on Baltar, GODS AND MONSTERS is bound to be interesting. You know what would rock, though? I’d love to see Dynamite go back to some point in the reimagined series, split away from the television series events, and strike out on a different timeline with all-new events and a different ending in mind. Oh! Instead of at #1, they could start the numbering of this series with something like #34 (or whatever episode number would mark the diversion) and make it seem like we’re joining the series in progress. Or they could […]

I don’t know too much about Foolkiller. I know there’s been a few incarnations, but not much material as a whole. This take has vibes of a Deadpool meets Suicide Squad mashup. “Greg Salinger was just your typical merc for hire–FOOLKILLER–killing those that he deemed to be ‘foolish.’ And for money. But that life is behind him now. Today, he’s a psychiatrist, trying to help others. But now S.H.I.E.L.D. wants him to try to rehabilitate super villains. The catch? If these ‘patients’ don’t make enough progress, they’re dead!”

Terry Moore is a proven comic creator and has just come off a favorably reviewed 42-issue run of his self-published series, RACHEL RISING [2011]. His series ECHO [2008] was before that, and the Eisner Award-winning series, STRANGERS IN PARADISE [1993] before that. This newest series is a very good bet, even without its interesting premise. “When Samantha’s junkyard is visited by a UFO looking for spare parts, she is only too happy to oblige. But when word gets out she is a reliable source, Sam’s booming alien business catches the attention of an Area 51 investigator determined to shut her down! Don’t miss the premier issue of Terry Moore’s fantastic new series!”

Hawkeye has somewhat departed from the traditional superhero sphere in the modern Marvel Universe. Matt Fraction’s 2012 series, HAWKEYE [2012], was truly great mostly because it focused on what Clint did when he wasn’t an Avenger. The 2015 relaunch, ALL-NEW HAWKEYE [2015], tried to reproduce the magic with an exploration of his childhood. By apparently aligning itself with the Occupy Movement, I’m not sure where this series is going, so I’m skeptical. “Super heroes–they’re a privileged class. Doing what they want, when they want and suffering no consequences. They have no regard for the ordinary people who are left behind to suffer in their wake. Who will stand up for the little guy? There is a man. If you can […]

This one looks interesting. Jonathan Hickman writes and draws a new science fiction series. The planets have aligned, and the prodigal son has returned! For the first time in eight years, JONATHAN HICKMAN (EAST OF WEST, BLACK MONDAY MURDERS, Secret Wars, Avengers) is both writing and drawing a new comic series: FRONTIER. It’s like Star Trek, but super depressing. Seriously. Not a joke. The final frontier…is a total bummer. Each issue contains galaxy-expanding bonus content like star maps, breakdowns of alien races, interstellar factions, and detailed spaceship schematics. FRONTIER is a brand new science fiction story about utopia lost, and how we might just gain it back.

Hmmm. A new ongoing Thanos series. But it doesn’t mention anything about any Infinity whatsits. So, what’s the point?