Spiral Comics Blog

I like Star Trek. I loved the Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) series. I enjoyed most of the other television series. I liked the original crew movies (even the odd-numbered ones). The TNG films got too bloated, in my opinion, but were still watchable at least once. But…Abrams’ reimagining of Star Trek reinvigorated my interest intensely. (I could watch that one again right now, in fact.) The follow-up was good, but not as good, and I have yet to catch the newest film. I’ve never felt the need to know everything about every nook of the Star Trek universe like I do the Star Wars universe. But, if you want to explore the world of Star Trek further, you […]

Vampires have come a long way since Béla Lugosi, and The Lost Boys perhaps helped transform them in pop culture away from the demon of Salem’s Lot to the sensual beauties of The Twilight Saga and The Vampire Diaries. So, you probably have to be the right age to be excited about this one (and maybe have actually seen the two direct-to-video sequels of the movie.) If you need a horrific vampire fix and haven’t read 30 Days of Night, check that one out. You know, Sesame Street’s Count von Count is kinda loveable, I guess. But, as the new host of Sesame Street, we’ll see what HBO does with the character! “The stakes are raised in this nostalgic and […]

Are you kidding me? This mini-series will be epic! DC put out a He-Man mini in June of 2012, but ThunderCats haven’t seen print since 2004 (in the States). And that WildStorm ThunderCats stuff isn’t considered canon because of story inconsistencies. So, I really get the sense this mash-up will be leaning heavily on the original 80’s vibes. If they get it right, it’ll usher in an age of plenty. If they get it wrong, the properties will return to the sarcophagus to regenerate at a later date. “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe team up with the ThunderCats–the epic crossover event you’ve waited thirty years to see! In his ever-living desire to destroy the mighty ThunderCats, Mumm-Ra quests […]

Super excited for this one. If you loved the show. If you loved the movie. You should know these comics are official canon and continue the story where the film left off. The previous mini-series, SERENITY: FIREFLY CLASS 03-K64–LEAVES ON THE WIND [2014], was excellent, but teased us with some unfinished plot developments. This one picks up a year and a half after that mini-series. “The ‘verse is a complicated and dangerous place, and Malcolm Reynolds and his outlaw crew aboard the Serenity are ever experiencing tough times. When tensions rise among the crew, a call for help becomes a welcome interruption: they must track down a missing friend and the answers to the mystery surrounding her disappearance.”

Sweet! “She is back after a decade! A lot has changed in the Marvel Universe and there are still many secrets hiding in the shadows. Secrets only a special woman like Jessica Jones can hope to uncover. Discover the haunting secrets from Jessica’s past in this blistering new series. Alias Investigations is open for business.” Brian Michael Bendis writes a new Jessica Jones series. I want so much more of this emotionally damaged, reluctant hero. It’s torture to wait so long for the MCU Netflix series to pick back up again. Thankfully, the variant cover of this issue by Alex Maleev has a real Krysten Ritter thing happening.

This one looks very interesting: “Professional basketball player and world renowned celebrity, Morris Sackett, gains extraordinary abilities, at the grave cost of his own mortal body. Imbued with the ability to jump from person to person like a ghost, he controls the bodies and memories of those he inhabits. With his own body destroyed, the one-time superstar athlete must rely on others to survive. The saga of the newest Marvel Inhuman MOSAIC begins here!” I always was a fan of the Quantum Leap television show and the Denzel Washington movie, Fallen, mostly for how they represent the infinite possibilities of jumping from person to person. Roger Ebert wrote in a mixed review of the film, “the idea is better than […]

“An ancient evil threatens to unravel the fabric of reality, and one Sorcerer Supreme may not be enough. Doctor Strange must unite past, present, and future Sorcerers Supreme to stem the coming darkness–Merlin, the Ancient One, Wiccan, and more! But Strange should watch his back, not all of these Sorcerers have his best interests in mind…” Another Doctor Strange series launches. I predict the Doctor Strange film later this year will be amazing, so I’m all for exploring the character to his fullest. But, if Marvel doesn’t reign in the character editorially at some point, he’ll get too scattered, diluted and weak to maintain a cogent presence in the printed Marvel Universe.

The Champions–the bronze-age, b-list team-up of Angel, Iceman, Hercules, Black Widow and Ghost Rider–have been even less popular than The Defenders, who haven’t been able to hold a steady title since their original bronze-age run. The original Champions are fairly forgettable, so, I’m skeptical of this one even though it’s a completely different roster. Mark Waid is a proven writer, so I’d be willing to give it one chance. I do really like the variant cover by Alex Ross. It’s poster-worthy. “Following the fallout of CIVIL WAR II, Avengers Ms. Marvel, Nova and Spider-Man strike out on their own–joined by Cyclops, Viv Vision and the Totally Awesome Hulk! Six young heroes determined to change the world–and they’re only the beginning!”