Luke Cornelius Comic Reviews

"Big Girls" #2 further underpins the characters with moral complexity but is weakened by its stilted dialogue and disjointed final scene.

"Black Cat" #2 is a roller-coaster heist story from start to finish.

"Blade Runner Origins" #1 is a layered and intriguing opening issue that introduces a new protagonist in the calm before the storm.

"By The Horns" #1 has a unclear and indecisive narrative that doesn't match its great artwork.

A fun comic which primes "Cable" for its 'X of Swords' involvement.

What "Cable" #9 lacks in story progression, it makes up for with high quality in every other department.

"Deadpool" #4 gives the opening arc of the series an entertaining and satisfying end.

"Deadpool" #6 is a fun and satirical look at the X-Men status quo.

"Dr. Strange" #3 dives into the weird side of Strange's magical adventures and delivers it with some suitably surreal designs and colorwork.

"Excalibur" #18 is a dense but compelling exploration of the 'X of Swords' fallout.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" #2 gives an incredibly exciting ride that builds upon the bold foundations set in the first issue.

"Heroes Reborn: Peter Parker, The Amazing Shutterbug" #1 is an ambitious alternate take on a classic character, though the misfires in its ending and artwork hold it back.

"Jenny Zero" #1 combines fantastic visuals with an intriguing story for a promising debut issue.

"Juggernaut" #4 is a mostly enjoyable, though somewhat extraneous, penultimate issue.

Spurrier, Saiz, and Petit succeed at producing an entertaining 'King in Black' tie-in that's a good appetizer for "Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade."

"King in Black: Thunderbolts" #1 is a solid and entertaining tie-in, with characters who might just convince you to return for issue #2.

"Maestro" #1 is an accessible first issue, with solid artwork, which fails to show its potential until its final pages.

"Maestro" #4's exciting visuals ease the damage caused by the misfires in its script.

"Marauders" #19 is a simple and effective story which puts a pause on the clashes with Verendi ahead of the 'Hellfire Gala.'

"Middlewest" #14 delivers yet another emotional entry in the series with its great artwork.

"Middlewest" #18 is a fantastically executed finale to the rollercoaster ride that Abel's journey has been.

"Moon Knight" #198 continues the recent good form of the series.

"Once & Future" #7 sees the creative team continue their form with an addition to the mythology that will change the course of the series.

"Once & Future" #18 is a good finale to the third arc of the series, though it is marred by the disorienting opening pages.

"Protector" #2 delivers a somewhat subversive script with energetic artwork that is only slightly marred by a pair of missteps.

"Redshift" #1 focuses on a compelling central character amidst the sci-fi surroundings and is all the better for it.

"S.W.O.R.D." #4 is an issue with great visuals that bends its 'King in Black' connections to its will.

"Star" #1 serves as a good (re)introduction to Ripley Ryan and sets up the miniseries with potentially reality breaking consequences.

"Stealth" #3 is another strong issue that keeps its twist on the superhero genre captivating.

"Stealth" #6 provides a satisfying conclusion to a superhero series that has strived to subvert expectations.

"Strange Academy" #1 has a strong creative team that deliver an entertaining start, with plenty of potential.

After a promising start to the series, "Superior Spider-Man" #2 raises the stakes and delivers an action-packed issue that will leave you desperate for #3.

Each member of the creative team produces great work in "Superior Spider-Man" #11 to make for a great read, filled with tension and drama, that closes with a fantastic cliffhanger.

"Taskmaster" #1 is a series debut that lacks stakes in its central mystery but makes up for it with humor and energy in abundance.

"That Texas Blood" #4 is a fantastically colored, slow-burning depiction of Randy's return to alcohol.

Anyway, *ahem* to finish on a high note, this volume was fantastic. "The Manhattan Project" continues to be a zany and ludicrous series, but with the added expansion into space, and the pervasive influence of aliens on Earth, the volume has the creative team firing on all cylinders. By the end of it, the only negative is that there isn't much more left.

"Thor" #2 sees Thor un-tethered from his monarchical responsibilities which makes for an entertaining read that is supported by some epic visuals.

"Thor" #5 is a great comic that makes the Black Winter's arrival as epic as anticipated.

"Thor" #11 is an entertaining read despite it being paced slower than the rest of the arc thus far.

"Undiscovered Country" #3 will leave you no choice but to get strapped in for the long haul.

"Undiscovered Country" #6 gives an action-packed and satisfying conclusion but loses the characters' voices along the way.

"Undone By Blood: Or The Other Side of Eden" #1 is an intriguing issue, but one that will likely be stronger when collected with the rest of the series.

"Way of X" #1 is a masterful deep dive into the growing culture surrounding Krakoa's resurrection protocols.

"X of Swords: Stasis" #1 is a great half-way point in a consistently strong event series.

"X-Men" #17 brings highly enjoyable superheroics wrapped in a nostalgic aesthetic.