Kate Kane is in a bad place in the new Batwoman series. The first issue is set in an upscale health facility where she is being treated for both mental and physical wounds. Much of the issue is dedicated to a therapy session in which she expresses hopelessness and despair. Interspersed between those moments are scenes from her last, terrible fight with the chaotic villain Alice, who also happens to be Kate’s long-thought-dead twin sister Beth.

Detectives Macintosh and Skorzeny have finally had a break in the case of the missing boy, Billy Kinderman. And that break has led to a winding conversation with the Mad Hatter, filled with riddles and a sinister undertone. This is the first chapter in the “Unholy Ground” story arc and leaves readers with a genuinely surprising ending.

The situation on Sakaar just keeps getting worse. First, Korven declared himself king and immediately turned into a vicious ruler, then when She-Hulk chose to defend Quade – who was falsely accused of killing Korven’s wife – Korven decided that she would defend him in combat.

The team consisted of Woo, Namora, the Human Robot, Marvel Boy, Gorilla Man, and Venus. One of the main reasons this collected edition is so cool, is that it also includes the first appearances of these characters from the pages of Marvel Mystery Comics #82, Yellow Claw #1, Venus #1, Menace #11, Men’s Adventures #26, and Marvel Boy #1, all gloriously restored. The beautiful rendition of Yellow Claw #1 alone is worth the price of admission.

Writer Mark Evanier and Steve Rude have once again teamed up, this time for a Space Ghost one-shot at Comico.

Alias: Red Band #1 starts with a great cover by David Mack. The complexity of the character is established with two striking views of Jessica Jones encapsulated by layers of symbols, shapes, and text.

Scene of the Crime #1, originally published by Vertigo, cover dated May 1999. I didn’t know a whole lot about the series, and I didn’t yet know much about the creators, writer Ed Brubaker, pencil artist Michael Lark, and inker Sean Phillips. Like a lot of comic fans, over the next few years I would get to know plenty about them, but at this point, I knew what I read in PREVIEWS and what my friends at DC Comics told me. That’s it.

Edward and Angie’s game with the Masterminds has gotten seriously out of hand. A man has been killed, Edward and Angie almost drowned, and now Edward is injured and about to pass out as another round of the game starts.

Under the care of writer Josh Trujillo and artist Andrea Di Vito, two very different worlds have collided in the poorly titled but very nicely executed (thus far) Planet of the Apes versus Fantastic Four.

In 2021-2023, Cullen Bunn wrote a few dark series that I really enjoyed, including Basilisk at BOOM! and Book of Shadows at Valiant. His characters are tough, and his stories are both direct and complex, which is something he repeats in Red Zone. From the first issue, a lot was going on. The book has threats on multiple sides, and it leaves the reader knowing that things are going to get messier, but Crane is poised to handle it with cleverness and precision action.  

Disney Villains: Gaston is written by Greg Pack and Fred Van Lente, the duo behind Incredible Hercules, who have captured both the comical and vile aspects of Gaston.

While the title of this issue is a bit misleading – it is distinctly not a true facsimile edition – it’s nonetheless fantastic to see this wonderful story back in print. The volume of Marvel Team-Up began in 2005 had a number of really inviting issues, Marvel Team-Up #14 was and remains the cream of the crop for that 25-issue run.