The Phoenix is Reborn, Dark Knights of Steel expands, and Paranoid Gardens is freaky (in the best way) - July 17 Reviews

This week’s comic book reviews. While I try to read everything, I can’t review everything. So, if you’re a publisher who wants me to check out their upcoming releases, email me at [email protected]!

Marvel Comics

Phoenix #1 - by Stephanie Phillips, Alessandro Miracolo David Curiel, and VC’s Cory Petit - Jean Grey becomes a cosmic hero, turning into a sort of anti-Galactus in defending the universe and its worlds from extinction-level events. Flipping the script on the dark side of the Phoenix totally works, with a book that’s beautifully illustrated and features some cameos that should excite longtime Marvel Readers. 9/10

Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #1 - Eric Schultz, Michael Dowling, Dee Cunniffe, and VC’s Clayton Cowles - Elektra’s Daredevil is one of the best reinventions of a comic book character in some time, and issue one of her new series proves to be a great story highlighting her heroic side. Issue one gives great personal stakes to Elektra, some legit villains standing in her way, and a surprise antagonist in the final pages. A well-done start. 8.5/10

Blood Hunters #4 - Fabian Nicieza, Patch Zircher, Pete Pantazis, Mary Sangiovanni, Giada Belviso, Giada Marchisio, Eric Schultz, Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo, and VC’s Joe Caramagna - Silver Surfer confronting darkness, Satana taking on vampire intruders, and an unlikely team coming together to fight the Blood Hunt’s threats makes Blood Hunters #4 a book worth picking up. 7.5/10

Namor #1 - Jason Aaron, Paul Davidson, Alex Lins, Neeraj Menon, and VC’s Joe Caramagna - Jason Aaron proved with Punisher telling a story in the past and the present can help rebuild a character and with Namor, the same formula succeeds in a big way. In the present day, Namor is dejected, done with Atlantis and never wants to sit on the throne again — instead welcoming being imprisoned. In the past, his rise to power is told in bloody detail. With Davidson and Lins’ dual artwork, and a story for Namor that is epic — like Aaron’s work with Thor — the comic has the potential to be one of the best stories starring Marvel’s first mutant and redefine him for a new generation of comic book readers. 9/10

Dark Horse Comics

Paranoid Gardens - Gerard Way, Shaun Simon, Chris Weston, Dave Stewart and Nate Piekos — A truly strange gem of a comic about Loo, a nurse at a care center with aliens, ghosts, superheroes, and all kinds of oddities. For fans of Killjoys, Doom Patrol, and the Umbrella Academy, this comic keeps the cool weirdness Way is known for, with a truly absurd world that feels surprisingly real thanks to gorgeous work from Weston and Stewart. This has hit series written all over it. 9/10

DC Comics

Superman #16 - Joshua Williamson, Jamal Campbell, Ariana Maher - Even as a tie-in to the Absolute Power event, this issue adds to the Superman ongoing series, while spotlighting some of the most badass women in the DC Universe as Superman recovers from his own injuries. Campbell’s work is unsurprisingly sublime, while the script balances a large assortment of characters and intertwining stories quite well. 8.5/10

Wonder Woman #11 - Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, Jay David Ramos, and Clayton Cowles - One of the most action-packed comics of the week, Wonder Woman and a team of heroes (including Shazam, Detective Chimp, John Constantine, and Spectre) find out just how powerful the Amazo robots can be. While the issue feeds more into the overall Absolute Power event than the Wonder Woman series, the show-stopping battle between good and programmed evil is worth the price of admission. Daniel and Ramos do fantastic work filling in for the usual artist team. 9/10.

Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter #1 - Jay Kristoff, Tirso Cons, Tom Taylor, Riccardo Federici, and Arif Prianto - Epic in every sense of the word, this comic shows what makes the Dark Knights of Steel universe so much fun. It’s bloody, violent, and twists DC lore into something fresh and different. Building out the Dark Knights of Steel universe — created by Taylor and Yasmine Putri — with different creative teams bringing their own visions to each project is a winning formula. 9.5/10