Marcus Helminiak Comic Reviews

Overall, this issue left me wanting a lot more. The presentation is there, but the story behind it almost doesn’t exist. This is fast food for fans of Sonic and Godzilla, and while it’s getting the job done, it’s just barely doing that and could be doing a whole lot more. I’ll definitely check out the other issues, but that’s because I’m a fan of the IPs in place, not because the issue sold me. Frankly, this is a bit overpriced for what it’s offering, and I would be far more willing to recommend it at four dollars than at five.

Overall, this issue is a mixed bag for me. It has a lot of potential that it flirts with constantly, but its rushed pacing killed a lot of my interest and stymied some of its greatest strengths. This could just be a problem with establishing the status quo, however. I can easily see it correcting this problem by issue two, and spending more time in Jor-El’s head, and developing his relationship with the world around him. This issue wasn’t for me, but I’ll definitely check out the next one to see how it handles its new status quo.

Verity seems like a fantastic addition to the Bat-Family, but what do you think of someone taking Alfred’s place? Personally, I love that DC is committing to keeping Alfred gone, even if I do miss the world’s greatest butler.

Of course, it’s also impossible to talk about Sorrentino’s art without addressing the elephant in the room. Back in 2024, he faced allegations of using AI in his work on Batman (2016). He denied it, but the evidence is pretty darn incriminating. The allegations left a major stain on his legacy, but still, his work here matches his actual style much more closely and is significantly better than the work from those allegations. Overall, I enjoyed his art in this issue, and hope that I can continue to enjoy his real art in the future. There’s a whole lot more good than bad here. It’s hard to make a skull be that expressive, but by God, does that skull drip with personality.

Here’s to another sixty years of Mary Jane Watson! She’s always been Spider-Man’s best supporting character, and I look forward to seeing her headline her own adventures even more later this year!

Overall, this issue is very much more of the same with the series as a whole. If you’ve enjoyed Orlando’s work with Scarlet Witch, then you’re sure to love this issue, as it highlights a whole lot of his strengths. However, it also shows some of the run’s biggest weaknesses, with the lack of the grounding element that tethers Wanda to the world she works so hard to improve. Still, it covers a shocking amount of ground for a modern comic, and it definitely provides a fun story and some interesting new villains.

The second story was penciled by Yasmine Putri, whose clean, detailed style proved perfect for the healed future and introduction of one of the biggest threats the Legion has ever faced: Brainiac One Million. His massive, looming form perfectly encapsulated the fear that a villain like him is meant to generate, with the constant shots of his upper body or close-ups on his face reminding everyone just how gargantuan he is. He was a being nearly always covered in shadows, while the numerous Legions were plainly in the light and celebrating their futures before his arrival. This contrast was beautiful to behold and endlessly effective.

Overall, this issue is very good, but it does have a few hallmarks of small nitpicks that could become problems if they go unaddressed. The story is charging forward so quickly that it will start to affect characterization soon if it doesn’t slow down. Still, there’s no denying that this issue is a whole lot of awesome fun in a way that only Absolute Batman can be. It’s big, loud, and in your face, and I love it. I hope that it slows down just a bit for its own sake, but everything we have in this issue is definitely worth the price of admission. It continues to give us way more than the average issue, at the very least.

While I have my gripes with how the series framed the conflict between John and Tyler and how quickly they resolved it in this issue, I definitely enjoyed it an awful lot. This series has captured all of our imaginations for months now, and as the first Absolute book to officially be truly done, it’s the end of a wonderful era that I am so hyped to dive further into. This book is definitely worth a read. Heck, it’s the kind that you’ll probably end up liking more on a reread, and I can’t wait to start that.

Overall, this issue is a fantastic part of a fun, self-contained story for Doctor Doom. I understand that everyone is already pretty Doomed out with how much Marvel is pushing the character, but this is the type of story to justify that much focus. Every Doctor Doom fan will get something out of this, and it might even make a few new fans of him along the way.

Guru-eFX’s colors need their praises sung to the heavens for this issue. Knull and Hela’s armies are totally white and black, respectively, but they never get lost in the background or look drab. Nearly every page has its own definite color scheme, from the blues of Beta Ray Bill’s lightning to the red highlights streaking across Hela and Scarlet Witch’s magic. My personal highlight is Nova’s bombastic yellow versus Knull’s white, which somehow makes both stand out and pop despite them being such bright colors with no contrast. The space warrior’s golden glow is phenomenal, and definitely worth the price of admission alone.

Overall, this issue is definitely a set-up issue that is trying to capitalize on the movie, but it offers a very entertaining story that I definitely want to follow to its conclusion. The only thing it needs to do is flesh out its three protagonists’ storylines, and I’m confident that this creative team can do just that. If it’s going to call itself a Spider-Man book, though, it definitely needs more Spider-Man in future issues.

Overall, Deadman’s first issue is a whole lot of dark, honest fun. It balances grim reality with hopeful, beautiful reality, and has gotten me plenty excited for whatever’s coming next. It’s rare to see a DC book balance its tone so well, especially without making any of the jumps feel overbearing. This miniseries has a very promising start, and if the rest of it is at the same quality, it’s bound to be something special. If you’re a fan of ghost stories, Deadman, or this team’s previous work, you’re sure to like this too!