Comics: Never Mind, Here's the Comics

by Dee. 2/8/2024

Greetings, everybody! Look what I found this month: I have Pine and Merrimac from Boom! Studios, Kneel Before Zod from DC Comics, and Miguel O'Hara: Spider-Man 2099 from Marvel Comics. Let's goooooooo~!

Pine and Merrimac (Boom! Studios): Kyle Starks, the GLAAD and Eisner nominated writer of I Hate This Place, is back: this story follows two married former detectives getting away from the city, and winding up in a quiet little town which is anything but.

The script is cute, as the husband and wife team banter playfully as the atmosphere and main plot hook are set. The wife is the brain to her husband's brawn, and they move quickly to action after a demonstration of her Holmes-level observational skills.

This is a beautiful and intriguing book. Fran Galán creates lovely character designs, whether they are bulky, square-jawed guys or the petite and feminine brainy detective. The action scenes are very dynamic and fast-paced in yellow hues. This makes the following scene in blues seem all the more desolate and cold.

The script unfolds the top layer of the mystery in the first issue, and I look forward to reading the second issue, which already hit the shelves on February 7th.

Kneel Before Zod (DC Comics): It's finally happened: Zod is the leader of the entire planet of New Kandor, which is at his disposal.

Let me rewind a bit. This is one of Superman's greatest enemies, and if you need more context, pick a Superman run and give a read through.

This series focuses on Zod and his family, the discord within the family and the ruthless brutality that Zod is known for. As opposed to Pine and Merrimac, Zod and his wife have a stilted relationship; it shows in every interaction, and their body language is unmistakably strained. There are hints of Zod's mental instability throughout the issue, and I think it's just a matter of time before he fails spectacularly and has a breakdown.

The art seamlessly connects the scenes together, moving quickly through this first issue of the miniseries. The colors and shadows within this issue enhance the brutality of the fighting and the changing motivations of Superman's greatest enemy.

All in all, I look forward to a story that can only get worse from here.

Miguel O'Hara: Spider-Man 2099 (Marvel Comics): This is a short, five issue series about the Spider-Man of Earth-928, and his horror-filled adventures in the corporate-controlled future. There's some blatant social commentary in this very-serious-for-a-Spider-comic, and plenty of emotional anguish for our hero when his family (and the Barrio of Nueva York) is threatened.
If you're not familiar with Miguel's background, it might be a good idea to do some back issue reading before jumping into this book. For those folks who already know Miguel's backstory, the surprise comes with the particular flavor of zombie (eww!) that writer Steve Orlando came up with.

Miguel and Blade get together to fight off these zombies, and revelations about Patient Zero contain clues to this particular, peculiar invasion. It feels a bit rushed, as all of the characters are giving exposition during the action. Most of the zombies are surprisingly verbose, which adds another level of suffering to Miguel and his unforgiving task.

Each issue connects Miguel's Spider-Man with another of Marvel's futuristic heroes, so if you're looking for a monster of the week comic, this feels like it will be right up your alley. Featuring Moon Knight and a futuristic Man-Thing (who by the way, looks really cool), it will be entertaining to see the interpretations of well-known Marvel heroes in these issues.

Hasta luego,
Dee