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Part Five
Supergirl #17 slows Kingdom of Zod down, and the issue is better for it.
Instead of another chapter built around a brawl, Sophie Campbell puts Kara in the most dangerous place this story could send her: Krypton before it dies.
Kara, Superboy, and Ursa come through the timestream with Ursa determined to save the planet. Kara knows what changing the past could cost. If they tear the time bubble, they do not just scramble history. They could be stuck in the timestream for good.
Then they land.
Kara uses the S-Matrix suit, pulls a street cloak over herself, and walks into Kryptonopolis. Warm light. Orange trees. People on their way somewhere. Families. The buildings are still standing.
This is not a history lesson.
This is home.
She thinks it is as beautiful as she remembers. For a second she even wonders about ducking over to Argo City, just for a minute, like she has time.
Then she sees herself as a little girl, holding her parents’ hands.
That was the page that did it.
Kara knows these people are gone. She knows what happens to this city. And still there they are: Zor-El, Alura, and a kid version of her having an ordinary day she never thought she would get back.
The temptation is not a speech about destiny. It is quieter. Walking the street, she starts asking whether some of this could be saved. Some of the people. Without burning the future down.
Then she tells herself to knock it off.
A voice she does not recognize cuts in: “You are placing us both in danger.” She still does not know who that is. Finding Ursa is not the only problem on this planet.
The cleanest look at Kara fighting herself comes when the younger Kara gets knocked into traffic.
Adult Kara’s hand is already out.
Then she stops.
“Wait, what am I doing?!”
She thinks she should let herself fall to preserve the timeline. Who knows what she’ll be altering.
Clark does not teach her that.
She gets there first.
Then Superboy takes her off her feet.
The fight after that is the funniest scene in the issue.
Kara sees Clark and goes right at him. She told him to stay in the bubble.
Clark does not apologize. This might be the only time he ever sees Krypton. He is not sitting that out.
She tells him they cannot just start touching the past.
He has her there.
She just tried to save that little girl.
Her.
So she is furious at him for the exact thing she almost did. It is not a lecture about temporal mechanics. It is two people looking at a home they do not get to keep, and neither of them is as disciplined as they want to be.
Ursa is not having that argument with anybody.
She came here to save Krypton. She is not blending in. That is how the local authorities find them.
When the officers grab Kara, the S-Matrix immediately defends her. She realizes that will only make the arrest worse, shuts the suit down, and tells Superboy to run. He doesn’t slip away. She makes him leave while she takes the cuffs.
The interrogation is the sharpest use of time travel in the issue.
No name.
No identification.
The computer does not know her face.
“You don’t seem to exist at all.”
Ursa makes it worse. Their records show that an identical Ursa already exists in Kryptonopolis, so the officers start wondering if the woman they arrested is some kind of clone. They have no idea they are holding people from after the end of the world.
Then the door opens.
General Zod.
Not the Zod the present-day heroes think is dead. This is Zod on Krypton, still a general, still at home.
“I hope we can work together and get to the bottom of this.”
Kara’s face does the work. Ursa is the one who says it.
“Zod!”
Future Ursa is sitting across from the man she knew before the planet died. That is a mess waiting for Action Comics #1102.
Earth is not quiet while this is happening.
The Kryptonite infection is not a lab curiosity. Prisoners in El Caldero are growing crystals. Midvale civilians are locking up in the street. Lois and Jon are moving through the tunnels already marked by it. The Justice League is fighting infected life in the water.
John Henry Irons, Natasha, and Lana get a look at the rock itself. Steel says this is almost standard green K except for a small molecular change, and he compares what it does to a prion: it finds normal proteins and turns them into something else.
Whatever has happened to the Kryptonite, it isn’t just sitting there weakening Kryptonians anymore. It’s spreading and changing living things.
The short scene with Zod’s follower is the one that will probably matter later. Zod is gone. Ursa is missing. She is on a rooftop asking the only question she has left:
“Without Ursa, without Zod… without orders… what are we?”
Krypton in the past looks like a place you would want to stay. Sunlight, gold trees, clean towers. Earth is sick green, tunnels, crystals, bodies that are not bodies anymore. Bruno Frenda and Joe Quinones on the interiors, Luis Guerrero and Quinones on color. The split in the palette is doing as much work as the script.
The page that stayed with me was not a punch.
It was Kara in Kryptonopolis, looking at her parents and the girl she used to be, and walking anyway.
Then she gets arrested and ends up in a room with Zod before Krypton dies.
4/5
Quieter than the last few chapters, and more personal. Kara gets her home back for one issue, the infection keeps eating the present, and that last page hands the story to Part Six in the ugliest way it could.

Jack Ryan: Ghost War feels less like a completely separate movie and more like getting one more big adventure with the characters from the Jack Ryan series.

And for me, that is exactly why it works.

John Krasinski returns as Jack Ryan, who has left the CIA behind and is now living a much more normal life working on Wall Street. Of course, that doesn’t last very long.

James Greer comes back into Jack’s life and asks him to handle what is supposed to be a simple pickup while he is in Dubai. Jack reluctantly agrees, and Mike November comes along with him.

Naturally, nothing about the mission stays simple.

Jack meets former MI6 officer Nigel Cooke, who is clearly terrified and trying to get information back to Greer. Before Jack can really understand what is happening, Cooke is killed, and Jack and Mike suddenly find themselves caught in the middle of a much larger conspiracy.

That is where the movie really starts to feel like the show again.

One of my favorite things about Ghost War is how quickly John Krasinski slips back into the role of Jack Ryan. He still plays Jack as someone who is incredibly intelligent and capable without making him feel like an unstoppable superhero.

Jack can handle himself in a fight, but what makes the character interesting is that he is constantly trying to understand the situation around him. He notices details, questions what he is being told, and usually realizes there is more going on than everyone first thinks.

That was always one of my favorite parts of the series, and the movie keeps that intact.

It was also great seeing Wendell Pierce return as James Greer.

The relationship between Jack and Greer has always been one of the strongest parts of this version of Jack Ryan, and Ghost War makes that relationship even more important because the conspiracy they uncover is connected directly to Greer’s past.

We learn that Greer and Nigel Cooke helped create a secret black-ops program called Project Starling after 9/11.

Starling was designed to operate outside the normal rules and restrictions of intelligence agencies. Its methods were brutal, and eventually the program was believed to have been shut down.

But Liam Crown, one of the operatives connected to Starling, never really let it go.

Crown is the main villain of the movie, and I thought he worked really well because his motivation fits perfectly with the kind of morally complicated stories Jack Ryan has always told.

Crown believes the world still needs organizations like Starling.

His plan is basically to create enough chaos and revive enough terrorist threats that governments will be forced to admit that programs like Starling are necessary.

That gives the movie a little more depth than simply having another villain trying to blow something up.

Michael Kelly returning as Mike November was another huge positive for me.

Mike became one of my favorite characters in the series, and having Jack, Greer, and November together again immediately makes the movie feel familiar.

There is already history between these characters, so the movie doesn’t need to waste time introducing everyone again.

If you watched all four seasons of the show, you already know who these people are and why they trust each other.

Sienna Miller is also a really good addition as MI6 officer Emma Marlow.

She becomes involved after Jack and Mike’s mission in Dubai goes wrong, and she quickly becomes an important part of the investigation into Starling and Liam Crown.

I liked that she feels like her own character instead of someone who was simply added to replace one of the characters from the series.

The movie also does a good job keeping the international spy-thriller feeling of the show.

Dubai and London are major parts of the story, and the movie still has that combination of intelligence work, government secrets, betrayals, surveillance, shootouts, and political tension that made the series so entertaining.

The story also becomes surprisingly personal.

Jack eventually learns that Greer knew far more about Starling than he originally admitted.

That creates some real tension between them because Jack is forced to question whether he can completely trust someone who has been his friend and mentor for years.

Greer, meanwhile, has to confront the decisions he made when Starling was created and whether some of those decisions helped create the problem they are dealing with now.

That was one of the stronger parts of the movie for me.

It isn’t just Jack trying to stop another terrorist plot.

It is also Greer being forced to deal with something from his past that he thought was finished.

The movie raises the stakes even more when CIA Director Elizabeth Wright is killed in a car bombing connected to Crown’s plan.

From that point on, everything becomes much more personal for Jack, Greer, Mike, and Emma.

The investigation eventually leads them back to Dubai, where they discover information exposing the Starling network and the people secretly working with Crown.

There is a large final firefight, Emma is wounded, and Crown is eventually injured.

Jack ultimately kills Crown when Crown reaches for his weapon.

The ending also sets up an interesting future for Jack Ryan.

After Elizabeth Wright’s death, Greer succeeds her as CIA director.

Greer then recommends that Jack be nominated to serve as his deputy.

I really liked that ending because it feels like a natural progression for Jack.

Throughout the entire series, Jack has constantly been pulled deeper into the intelligence world even when part of him has wanted a more normal life.

Now he is being offered the chance to help lead the CIA alongside Greer.

It feels like everything the character has gone through has slowly been building toward that possibility.

The biggest difference between Ghost War and the series is obviously the amount of time the story has to work with.

A full season of Jack Ryan had hours to develop its conspiracy, villains, and supporting characters.

This movie has about an hour and forty-five minutes.

Because of that, some parts of Project Starling and Crown’s plan move pretty quickly.

There were definitely moments where I thought this story could have easily been stretched into another season.

But I also enjoyed how fast the movie moved.

There really isn’t much wasted time.

Once the mission in Dubai goes wrong, the story keeps moving from one discovery to the next.

And most importantly, it still feels like Jack Ryan.

That is probably the biggest compliment I can give it.

It doesn’t feel like somebody took the name Jack Ryan and made a completely different action movie.

John Krasinski still feels like the same Jack Ryan we followed through four seasons.

Greer is still Greer.

Mike November is still Mike November.

The relationships and history between these characters still matter.

That makes Ghost War feel less like a spin-off and more like another chapter of the show.

Overall, I had a really good time with Jack Ryan: Ghost War.

It has the espionage, action, conspiracies, international locations, betrayals, and characters that made the Prime Video series so enjoyable.

John Krasinski continues to be great as Jack Ryan, Wendell Pierce brings a lot of weight to Greer’s story, Michael Kelly is always fun to watch as Mike November, and Sienna Miller fits naturally into the group.

The story probably could have used a little more time to develop some of its ideas, but as a continuation of the series, I thought it worked really well.

If you liked the Jack Ryan show, I think you’ll love the movie.

It feels like getting one more adventure with characters we weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to.

Final Verdict: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A fast, entertaining continuation of the series that brings back the characters, espionage, action, and conspiracies that made the show so much fun.

For the first movie in my “Does It Still Hold Up?” series, the wheel landed on Last Action Hero, and honestly, I think it was a perfect movie to start with.

Released in 1993, Last Action Hero stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Jack Slater, an over-the-top action hero from a fictional movie franchise. Danny Madigan is a young movie fan who absolutely loves the Jack Slater movies. Nick, the owner and projectionist of the old theater Danny visits, gives him a magical golden ticket that Harry Houdini had given to Nick when he was a child. During an early screening of Jack Slater IV, the ticket transports Danny directly into the movie.

Right from the beginning, this movie felt like a complete blast from the past.

One of my favorite things about watching it again was the old movie theater. There is something about Danny’s excitement over seeing a new Jack Slater movie that reminded me of how special going to the movies used to feel. The old theater, the projection room, the giant screen, the posters, and even Danny’s love for movies gave the film a level of nostalgia that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did.

Once Danny enters Jack Slater IV, that’s when the movie really starts having fun.

Everything about Jack’s world is exaggerated. Cars explode, Jack survives ridiculous situations, there are endless one-liners, and almost everyone seems like they walked directly out of an action movie. There is even an animated cat named Whiskers working as a police detective.

Danny immediately realizes how ridiculous everything is because he has spent his life watching these kinds of movies. Jack, on the other hand, has no idea he’s a fictional character and thinks Danny is completely crazy every time he tries to explain it to him.

The relationship between Danny and Jack was probably my favorite part of the movie.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was perfect for this role because the movie allows him to make fun of the exact type of action hero that made him famous. Jack Slater is basically every unstoppable ’80s and ‘90s action hero turned up to another level. He’s unbelievably tough, always has another weapon, survives everything, and somehow always has the perfect one-liner ready.

That’s one of the biggest reasons I think Last Action Hero still holds up today.

The movie was making fun of action movies while those movies were still at the height of their popularity. Watching it more than 30 years later almost gives the joke another layer because now the type of movies it was parodying has become nostalgic itself.

And the nostalgia was probably my favorite part of the entire rewatch.

The cars, clothes, practical stunts, explosions, movie posters, old theater, and overall early-’90s atmosphere made it feel like stepping into another era of movies. There was just something fun about seeing that style of filmmaking again.

The movie references were another huge part of that.

One of my favorites is when Danny tries to prove to Jack that Arnold Schwarzenegger exists by showing him Terminator 2. Except in Jack’s world, Sylvester Stallone is the star of Terminator 2 instead.

It’s such a simple joke, but it works perfectly.

Later, the movie takes the idea even further when the magic ticket allows Death from Ingmar Bergman’s classic The Seventh Seal to walk out of the movie screen and into the real world. Ian McKellen plays Death, and seeing an older movie like The Seventh Seal incorporated into this giant Arnold Schwarzenegger action comedy was something I really appreciated.

That’s another reason this movie was such a fun nostalgic watch. It doesn’t just make fun of action movies. It celebrates movies in general.

The story becomes even more interesting once Benedict gets possession of the golden ticket.

Benedict starts the movie as the intelligent and dangerous right-hand man of crime boss Tony Vivaldi. When he discovers that the ticket can take him into the real world, he realizes something that makes him even more dangerous: in the real world, the bad guys can actually win.

Jack and Danny follow him out of the movie, and suddenly everything changes.

Jack quickly discovers that the rules protecting him inside an action movie don’t exist anymore. He can actually be hurt, everyday objects don’t conveniently explode, and being the hero no longer guarantees that he’s going to survive.

Then Jack discovers something even worse.

Arnold Schwarzenegger exists.

Jack is forced to confront the fact that he is a fictional character being played by an actor and that all of the terrible events he remembers from his life were written for the entertainment of an audience.

That gives the movie much more heart than I remembered.

Jack isn’t simply upset because he discovers he isn’t real. To him, everything he has experienced was real. His pain was real. His memories were real. Even the death of his son was real to him. Finding out that those tragedies exist because somebody decided they would make a good movie gives Jack a surprisingly emotional moment underneath all the comedy.

Charles Dance was also fantastic as Benedict.

Once Benedict understands how the real world works, he plans to kill Arnold Schwarzenegger because he believes that killing the actor would mean there could never be another Jack Slater movie.

He also realizes the golden ticket could allow him to bring other movie villains into the real world.

To help carry out his plan, Benedict brings the Ripper into reality. The Ripper was the axe-wielding villain from Jack Slater III who killed Jack’s son, which makes their confrontation much more personal than simply fighting another bad guy.

The showdown at the Jack Slater IV premiere is completely ridiculous in the best possible way. You have fictional characters running around the real world, Jack Slater trying to save Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Danny caught in the middle of everything.

Eventually Benedict shoots Jack, and this time the injury is serious because they’re still in the real world.

Danny realizes the only way to save Jack is to get him back inside Jack Slater IV, where the rules of an action movie can protect him again.

That’s also where Death from The Seventh Seal becomes important. Death explains that Jack isn’t on his list because Jack is fictional and points Danny toward finding the other half of the golden ticket.

Danny finds it and gets Jack back into his movie world, where his serious injury becomes the kind of minor wound an action hero can simply walk away from.

I really liked the ending because Jack returns to his world knowing the truth.

He now understands that he is a fictional character, but instead of allowing that knowledge to destroy him, he accepts his world for what it is.

There is something strangely uplifting about that.

Watching Last Action Hero today, I also think the movie was ahead of its time in some ways. Movies constantly use self-aware humor and make jokes about franchises, actors, clichés, and fictional universes now. Last Action Hero was already playing around with those ideas in 1993.

It isn’t perfect.

The movie runs a little over two hours, and there are definitely sections that could have been shorter. At times it also feels like the movie can’t decide whether it wants to be an action movie, a comedy, a fantasy adventure, or a parody.

But honestly, that is also part of what makes it charming.

The movie throws almost everything at you and just has fun with it.

More than anything, watching Last Action Hero again reminded me of how different movies from this era felt. The huge practical explosions, ridiculous villains, Arnold one-liners, old theaters, celebrity cameos, movie references, and completely over-the-top action gave me a huge dose of nostalgia.

It really was a blast from the past.

So, does Last Action Hero still hold up?

Yes.

Some of the pacing shows its age and not every joke works, but the main idea is still creative, Arnold Schwarzenegger is clearly having fun making fun of his own action-star image, Charles Dance is an excellent villain, and there is surprisingly a lot of heart underneath all the explosions and comedy.

More than 30 years later, Last Action Hero isn’t just making fun of old action movies anymore.

It has become one itself.

And that’s part of what made revisiting it so much fun.

Final Verdict: Last Action Hero still holds up. It’s ridiculous, funny, surprisingly clever, and an amazing nostalgic trip back to the action movies of the early ’90s.

The Mortal Thor #800 is a massive milestone issue that feels like both an ending and the beginning of something completely new. There is a lot packed into this comic, but what I enjoyed most was that underneath all the gods, monsters, mythology, and huge battles, the issue is really about endurance. What makes someone keep fighting when everything has been taken away from them?

The main story, “Ouroboros,” was easily my favorite part of the issue. Sigurd Jarlson has gone from being a god to living as an ordinary man who has experienced years of suffering. We see him homeless, hungry, imprisoned, injured, growing older, and even dying, yet one thing continues throughout his life: he refuses to yield.

That repeated idea of “I do not yield” really became the heart of the story for me.

Sigurd doesn’t have Thor’s normal power or status for most of this story. He’s just a man trying to survive, which makes his refusal to surrender even more meaningful. The comic shows that what makes Thor special isn’t only Mjolnir, lightning, or being a god. There is something inside Sigurd that refuses to stay down no matter what life throws at him.

Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent, makes that struggle even more interesting. The serpent has been watching Sigurd and testing him throughout his life, waiting for him to finally break. Eventually Sigurd reaches the point where he admits to Kris that he has lost all hope. For someone who has spent the entire story refusing to yield, seeing him finally reach that point made the moment hit much harder.

I also really liked how Loki’s involvement is revealed. Loki explains the strange connection between Sigurd and the serpent and how their lives have become tied together. The mythology gets pretty complicated at times, but it gives the story the feeling of an old Norse tale where destiny, death, and rebirth are constantly repeating themselves.

Then Odin enters the story, and everything gets much bigger.

Seeing Odin confront Jörmungandr gave the issue the huge mythological battle it needed. Odin understands what has to happen and willingly throws himself into the fight, eventually allowing the serpent to swallow him. But that becomes part of the plan. Jörmungandr’s own nature works against him, and what looked like another victory for the serpent turns into its downfall.

The artwork by Pasqual Ferry really shines during this part of the issue. The quieter scenes with Sigurd feel grounded and almost sad, while the moment Odin and Jörmungandr begin fighting suddenly feels enormous. The bright gold energy, the massive serpent, and Odin charging into battle make it feel like the story has gone from an ordinary man’s life into full Norse mythology.

But even with all of that action, I think the emotional side of Sigurd’s story is what worked best.

When Sigurd tells Kris that he lost all hope, she sees it differently. Maybe losing everything and still continuing forward is exactly what makes him important. By the end, Sigurd’s story isn’t finished at all. Instead, it becomes the beginning of a new journey.

The ending reveals that Sigurd must travel through the Nine Realms on a quest to somehow bring Thor of the Spring back. That makes The Mortal Thor #800 feel like the conclusion of one chapter while opening the door to something much bigger.

The comic then moves into the bonus story “Worthy,” and I thought this was a great choice for an 800th issue.

Instead of trying to tell another huge adventure, the story asks one of the most important questions surrounding Thor: What does it actually mean to be worthy?

Thor looks back across his life and everything that has happened with Mjolnir. We see different battles, different versions of Thor, and different people who have held the hammer. It becomes less about whether Thor can lift Mjolnir and more about why someone should be able to lift it in the first place.

What I liked about this story is that Thor himself doesn’t act like he has the answer.

He has fought gods and monsters. He has won impossible battles. He has failed, struggled, and even faced death. Yet after everything he has experienced, the question of whether he is truly worthy still matters to him.

There is something surprisingly human about that.

Thor may be one of Marvel’s most powerful heroes, but he still questions himself. Even after everything he’s accomplished, there is still that small part of him hoping that when the time comes, Mjolnir will judge him worthy again.

Declan Shalvey’s artwork also gives this story a completely different feeling from the main one. The different images of Thor and Mjolnir throughout the years make the story feel like a quick journey through the character’s history, which was perfect for an 800th issue.

Then there is “Decide,” which might be the strangest story in the entire comic.

The artwork immediately gives it a completely different atmosphere. It’s darker, rougher, and feels almost like a crime or science-fiction comic instead of a traditional Thor story.

The story takes place in another universe where everyone believes the gods have died. Society has moved on, almost treating gods as something from the past, while the story begins questioning whether what everyone believes actually happened is true.

That’s where Monark Starstalker comes into the story.

He begins questioning Maxon Pryce about what he witnessed during a strange storm on Earth. Maxon describes seeing something impossible in the clouds—someone he believes was the Thunder God.

But Monark immediately knows something doesn’t add up.

According to the story everyone believes, the Thunder God was banished long ago. So if Maxon really saw Thor, then either the accepted history is wrong or something much stranger is happening.

The ending leaves us with a mysterious, older-looking Thor and the words “What If?”

I really liked that the comic doesn’t immediately explain what this means. Instead of giving us all the answers, it leaves us questioning everything Maxon has just described. If the gods supposedly died, why is Thor still there? And if the history of this universe is wrong, what else have people been lied to about?

It was a strange story, but it definitely made me curious to see where it goes.

That’s probably what I enjoyed most about The Mortal Thor #800 as a whole. Every story looks at Thor from a different direction.

“Ouroboros” is about refusing to surrender even when hope is gone.

“Worthy” asks what makes someone worthy in the first place.

And “Decide” questions whether the stories people believe about gods and heroes are even true.

They are very different stories, but they all come back to identity. Who is Thor without his power? What makes Thor worthy? And what happens when everything people believe about Thor may be wrong?

For an 800th issue, that feels appropriate.

There are moments where the mythology in the main story gets complicated, and this definitely isn’t an issue I would recommend as someone’s first Thor comic. There is a lot of history and a lot of ideas being thrown at you. But as a milestone issue, I think that works more often than it doesn’t.

Overall, The Mortal Thor #800 was a strong celebration of Thor while still moving his story forward. Sigurd Jarlson’s refusal to yield was easily my favorite part, the battle involving Odin and Jörmungandr gave the issue its big mythological spectacle, and “Worthy” was a great reminder of why Thor’s relationship with Mjolnir is about much more than simply being strong enough to lift it.

Most importantly, the issue doesn’t feel like it’s saying goodbye to Thor.

It feels like it’s asking what Thor is going to become next.

Absolute Batman #23 Review – Bruce Wayne Is Losing Control

Absolute Batman #23 continues the “The Straw Man” storyline with another strong issue that puts Bruce Wayne through both a physical and psychological battle. I really liked how this issue mixed the mystery surrounding Scarecrow with Bruce’s growing obsession and distrust of the people around him.

The greatest strength of the issue for me was Bruce himself. He has become completely obsessed with figuring out what Scarecrow is doing, and it is starting to affect the way he treats everyone around him. His friends try to convince him that he may be seeing connections that aren’t actually there, but Bruce refuses to listen. Instead, he starts wondering whether the people closest to him have been compromised.

I thought this was a really interesting way of showing what Scarecrow is doing to Bruce. Batman normally relies on his intelligence and detective skills, but now he can’t even completely trust his own mind. The deeper he gets into the mystery, the harder it becomes for both Bruce and the reader to tell what is actually real.

There are also some surprisingly emotional moments throughout the issue. I especially liked the conversation between Bruce and his mother. She tries to remind him that his life belongs to him and that he needs to stop letting everything involving his father control him. Bruce has people around him who genuinely care about him, but he is becoming so consumed by this mystery that he keeps pushing them away.

The Robins were another part of the issue that I really enjoyed. Their scenes bring some humor into an otherwise pretty dark story. They argue, joke around and act like brothers, which makes their relationship feel natural. But when things become serious, you can also see how much they actually care about each other.

That makes the scene involving Tim even more effective. When it appears that Tim has been killed, the entire tone of the story changes. Seeing Batman holding him while the others react was one of the strongest moments of the issue. Tim blaming Batman for what happened also hits Bruce exactly where it hurts because Bruce already feels responsible for putting everyone he loves in danger.

The artwork by Nick Dragotta is also one of the best parts of the issue. The Scarecrow scenes become increasingly disturbing as the story continues. His appearance becomes less human and more like a giant monster, and there are moments where even Bruce doesn’t seem to understand what he is looking at. The heavy shadows, red backgrounds and strange imagery give these scenes an almost horror-comic feeling.

I also liked the flashbacks showing Bruce before becoming Batman. Even before putting on the cape and cowl, you can already see parts of Batman in him. He’s willing to put himself in dangerous situations, he refuses to give up and he keeps trying to protect people even when doing so puts himself at risk.

The ending was probably my favorite part of the issue. Bruce’s fight with Scarecrow becomes completely chaotic, and once again it becomes difficult to know exactly what is real. Bruce is angry, exhausted and barely holding himself together, but he still refuses to stop.

Then the issue ends with the tease, “Next: The Bat Is Born!”

That was a great way to end the issue because it feels like everything Bruce has experienced throughout this storyline has been building toward this moment. We’ve seen the pieces of Batman slowly coming together, but now it looks like we’re finally going to see Bruce truly become the Bat.

Overall, Absolute Batman #23 was another strong issue. I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding Scarecrow, the relationship between Bruce and the Robins, and the darker artwork throughout the issue. But my favorite part was seeing Bruce pushed further than we’ve seen him before. He’s becoming angry, paranoid and obsessed, and it feels like all of that is leading directly into the birth of Batman.

This issue of Uncanny X-Men was a great start to the new “Wild Ride” storyline. I really liked the way it integrated the darker, more supernatural elements involving Gambit and Rogue with the more emotional and sometimes funny moments back at Haven House.

The greatest strength of the issue was Gambit and Rogue. Gambit is still suffering from the effects of the Eye of Agamotto, with the mysterious Wyvern becoming more powerful and seemingly taking control of him. Rogue refuses to abandon her husband and takes him to Father Gabriel in hopes of finding a way to save him.

I think their relationship is what I love most about this series. Rogue’s determination to protect Gambit really comes through in this issue. The second he is threatened, she immediately retaliates. Despite all the supernatural events happening around them, the story remains focused on what really matters: Rogue desperately trying to save the man she loves.

The supernatural aspect of the story was also creepy, to say the least. Luciano Vecchio’s artwork truly comes to life here, particularly when the demonic creatures start appearing. The creepy creature designs, dark environments, and vibrant colors of Gambit’s powers give these scenes an almost horror-comic quality that works extremely well for the story.

The mystery surrounding Father Gabriel also added another interesting layer that I wasn’t expecting. What starts as a seemingly simple attempt to remove whatever is inside Gambit quickly turns into something much bigger. Gabriel’s connection to the supernatural world and the revelation involving the Infernal Court leave plenty of questions to be answered in the next issue.

At the same time, the Haven House storyline provides a completely different flavor. Watching the younger mutants train together gives us some funny moments, but underneath the humor is a much more emotional story involving Calico. Her connection with Ember and her fear of being abandoned begin to overwhelm her, eventually causing her to lash out.

I especially enjoyed Quicksilver in this issue. After Calico attacks him, instead of becoming angry with her, he understands that she’s a scared young mutant struggling with something she doesn’t fully understand. It was a small moment, but it showed a surprisingly compassionate side of Quicksilver that I really enjoyed seeing.

That’s probably the best thing about this issue overall. There’s a lot happening with demons, mutant training, action, humor, and mystery, but the characters always remain the main focus. Rogue is terrified of losing Gambit, Calico is longing for a sense of family and belonging, and Quicksilver even gets the opportunity to show a different side of himself.

The issue also ends with a great cliffhanger. After everything Rogue goes through trying to save Gambit, Father Gabriel reveals that he can’t help him—but someone else might be able to. It’s a simple conclusion, but I was immediately hooked and ready to see what happens next.

Overall, Uncanny X-Men delivers a solid start to “Wild Ride.” The Gambit and Rogue storyline was easily my favorite part, the supernatural artwork was fantastic, and the Haven House storyline added some much-needed heart to the issue.

By: Jeff

Amazing Spider-Man #34 had the ingredients for a great issue, but unfortunately it never came together. While the action involving Electro was entertaining, it was far too brief, with most of the issue focusing on Peter Parker’s personal life instead.

Electro continues his downward spiral, going from robbing banks to becoming increasingly reckless and murdering more people along the way. His growing instability makes him a more dangerous villain, but the story never spends enough time exploring that. Agent Griffyn from Damage Control even has to push Peter into taking Electro seriously before even more innocent people are killed. It felt like an interesting setup that deserved much more attention.

The emotional focus of the issue revolves around Aunt May discovering that her biological son never actually died. Instead, there was a mix up at the hospital, and he was raised by the Crane family. Peter struggles with this revelation throughout the issue, realizing he has a cousin, Cormac Crane, whom he never knew existed. He’s also forced to confront feelings of jealousy now that Aunt May has been reunited with her real son.

Peter asks Robbie Robertson to investigate Cormac, only to discover that he’s an outstanding person who has spent his life helping others. Peter even sarcastically refers to him as “Saint Crane,” highlighting just how insecure and conflicted he’s feeling. While the emotional conflict is understandable, it takes up so much of the issue that the main story with Electro suffers because of it.

There was also a brief appearance by Raelith the Wretched, but it felt underwhelming and ultimately disappointing. The character’s inclusion didn’t add much to the story and came across as more of a tease than anything meaningful.

Overall, aside from Electro’s scenes, Amazing Spider-Man #34 was a fairly mediocre issue. There wasn’t much that stood out, and it felt like the story spent too much time setting up future plotlines instead of delivering a satisfying chapter on its own.

By: Jeff

Move over, Spider-Man: No Way Home there’s a new movie taking its place in my top four greatest comic book films of all time: Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

From the very beginning, Brand New Day pulls you into Peter Parker’s emotional struggle following the events of No Way Home. Instead of trying to rebuild his personal life, Peter throws himself into being Spider-Man full-time. Throughout the film, you genuinely feel for him as he battles grief, guilt, and emotional trauma. At first, Peter believes his emotions are a weakness that need to be suppressed and kept under control. But as the story unfolds, something incredible happens he learns that his emotions aren’t his greatest weakness; they’re one of his greatest strengths. Watching that transformation was one of the film’s most rewarding aspects.

Sadie Sink was an interesting and refreshing take on Jean Grey. Her introduction into the Marvel universe was handled extremely well. Jean is driven by her search for her sister and is willing to do whatever it takes to find her. Throughout the movie, you see her powers grow stronger while she also learns an important lesson from Peter about accepting and controlling her emotions rather than letting them control her.

Then there’s Frank Castle. How can you not mention the incredible performance Jon Bernthal gave as the Punisher? It was the perfect blend of the brutal, no nonsense Punisher we all know, mixed with a slightly lighter, more fun side that I was honestly nervous about before seeing the film. Thankfully, it worked incredibly well. Frank’s chemistry with Peter Parker was one of the highlights of the movie. Their friendship develops naturally, and the dynamic between them is fantastic.

Ned and MJ also turned in solid performances, continuing to bring heart and familiarity to Peter’s story.

One of my favorite things about Brand New Day was how misleading the trailers were in the best possible way. They made fans think the movie was going in one direction, but the story constantly surprised me. It kept throwing unexpected twists my way, and I genuinely had no idea what was coming next.

This isn’t your typical friendly neighborhood Spider-Man movie. It’s darker, more mature, and far more character-driven than I expected. Every major character grows throughout the story, making the emotional payoff even stronger by the end.

I think this is my favorite Spider-Man movie ever made. In fact, after leaving the theater, I went home and watched No Way Home for what had to be the hundredth time just to compare the two.

After rewatching it, I can confidently say that Spider-Man: Brand New Day has earned its place in my top four greatest comic book movies of all time.

By Jeff