Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.
These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.
Logan
The Power Fantasy #8 (Image) – Caspar Wijingaard‘s art is both heavenly and hellish in this Eliza Hellbound-centric issue from him and Kieron Gillen. Even though she has the power of a nuclear arsenal, Eliza still believes in the Christian God and is wracked with guilt for wiping out the entire continent of Europe. The Power Fantasy #8 explores her backstory and this guilt, which has a little bit of a twist. The system and world of The Power Fantasy is getting increasingly complex, and my enjoyment of it has been off and on. You get quips about Thomas Aquinas and dark red worlds of torment from Wijingaard, but then the momentum gets weighed down by talking heads. I really want to like this book more than I do, but sadly connected more with Gillen’s failed 24 Hour Party People meets Akira Vertigo pitch he mentions in the backmatter than this issue. Overall: 6.1 Verdict: Pass
Assorted Crisis Events #2 (Image) – Deniz Camp, Eric Zawadzki, and Jordie Bellaire juxtapose the life of a migrant man named Jesus who works at a slaughterhouse with the life span of cattle in a powerful installment of Assorted Crisis Events that’s not for the squeamish. Bellaire’s use of red connects blood, wine, and meat in a tragic abbatoir. Sure, there are dinosaurs and a time loop, but Camp and Zawadzki keep the narrative grounded in the unfortunate lived experience of folks who work in factory farms and experience daily trauma so Americans can devour Big Macs. However, Assorted Crisis Events #2 doesn’t read like a vegan PSA, but a beautiful and violent meditation on life, death, and what comes in between. Overall: 9.4 Verdict: Buy
Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor #3 (DC) – Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch‘s Superman/Lex Luthor magnum opus ends with a solar system spanning battle against Brainiac that also acts as a direct refutation of Man of Steel. Even with his powers on the fritz, Superman tries to find a way to save Earth without taking a single life, including that of his arch-nemesis Luthor. Hitch, inker Kevin Nowlan, and colorist David Baron‘s widescreen art is a perfect fit for this story’s epic scope although I feel like the Lex Luthor getting superpowers was handled much better in Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman. Also, the actual ending of Waid’s plot feels a little rushed. However, Last of Days of Lex Luthor is a solid evergreen Superman story even if it pales in comparison to, say, Superman Birthright or “What Happened to the Man of Tomorrow”. I do love how Mark Waid repurposes Silver Age concepts for contemporary comics and the intricate detail of Bryan Hitch and Nowlan’s art line art that doesn’t sacrifice motion or storytelling. Overall: 7.7 Verdict: Buy
Metamorpho: The Element Man #5 (DC) – The stakes rise as Metamorpho and his friends fight evil suns in the lore-packed Metamorpho: The Element Man #5 by Al Ewing and Steve Lieber. This issue goes guest star heavy with appearances from Element Woman, Element Dog, and ancient Roman Metamorpho, Algon. Ewing gives them unique personalities and skills to fight the solar threat of CYCLOPS while riffing off forgotten characters and convoluted backstories in superhero comics with Element Woman not being in the spotlight for a while. The fight sequences continue to creatively showcase these characters metamorphic abilities with Lieber pulling off both the funny faces and the big explosions. This wasn’t my favorite issue of Metamorpho: The Element Man, but the final couple of pages set up an epic reveal and showdown in next month’s issue. Overall: 7.6 Verdict: Buy
Absolute Martian Manhunter #2 (DC) – A police officer/Martian investigates a hate crime against Syrian refugees in Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez‘s Absolute Martian Manhunter, but the comic is so much more than that one line plot summary. Rodriguez’s synesthetic color palette and trippy layouts combined with Camp’s insightful captions create a reading experience akin to radical empathy by way of telepathy. John Jones doesn’t just read folks’ minds, but sees their hopes, dreams, aspirations, and full lives. He’s light years away from being the rock of the Justice League, but the chaos of the visions he sees make for more interesting reading with Javier Rodriguez doing an all out visual assault on the comics medium. Absolute Martian Manhunter is definitely one of the books that I would show people as an example of how comics as medium are different and can do unique things that film can’t. This comic is like listening to music with synesthesia or tasting poetry while providing a warts and all look at existence in 2025. Overall: 10.0 Verdict: Buy
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