Corey's Comic Corner Edition 17 - Review of Biden’s Titans #1, Werewolf x The Society of Fearless Frontiersmen, Ronin Book 2 #1 and Dark Web - Mary Jane and Black Cat #1.
/Corey’s Comic Corner
Welcome back pop culture lovers for another edition of Corey’s Comic Corner, etc!
I hope everyone managed to have a decent Christmas over the past weekend even in the wake of the 2022 Christmas blizzard. Unfortunately for many of us in WNY, Santa only brought us freezing temperatures and blizzard conditions which left a large portion of us missing out on Christmas Eve and Christmas day festivities. We were also spared quite a bit in ROC snow wise as compared to our Buffalo neighbors but the city did find itself with a major water break ahead of the storm which closed many businesses including POP ROC.
The winds and blowing snow were the most challenging part here in Rochester and there were various power outages heading into the holiday. Nonetheless, we made the most of it like we have the past couple of years in general since Covid became a thing. We’ve learned to adapt and make due a lot over the past couple of years. Being away from our families is sadly becoming more normal than a rarity. I swear each year lately gets weirder and weirder. Thankfully we always get a redo in the form of New Years Day which is right around the corner. We can mostly pack the past year away and look forward towards 2023. We are kinda lucky in that way. The calendar allows us a chance to start fresh. A renewal of sorts. We can’t control the weather but almost every other aspect of our life is determined by the choices we make. Almost. There are always some things that are left to fate or chance. If we do our best to control everything else it all balances out in the end. Anyways, here’s to 2023 and being the best version of ourselves we can be!
COMIC BOOK REVIEWS
“This week I had a chance to read Biden’s Titans #1, Werewolf x The Society of Fearless Frontiersmen, Ronin Book 2 #1 and Dark Web - Mary Jane and Black Cat #1”
Dark Web - Mary Jane and Black Cat #1
Published by Marvel
Written by Jed MacKay
Pencils by Vincenzo Carratu
Rated T for Teen
Available now!
Another one shot spinning out of the Dark Web event this time featuring Mary Jane and Black Cat! Caught in the middle of the fight with all the possessed and demonic entities in Limbo, these two heroes must work together while also trying to prevent their own secrets from getting out.
This story had its ups and downs for me. I generally enjoy Jed MacKay and he’s been absolutely killing it with Moon Knight. I guess the main issue I had with this book was that it wasn’t really sure if it wanted to be serious or funny. Not that I have a problem with some comedy weaved in but I guess I just expected it to be a lot darker based on the characters and the current events going on. The art was on point and easily meshed with the dialogue that was presented. This book also features the debut of Mary Jane's new powers which is interesting from a speculative angle since she’s never had any prior and they seem like they could potentially be a big deal even though she doesn’t quite know how to control them yet. A lot of time is also spent with black cat trying to find a way to break the news to Mary Jane that she has renewed interest in Peter Parker which I'm not sure has to be such a big secret given Mary Jane is no longer with him in this timeline. This is one of those issues that if you wanna keep up with every book in the Dark Web event you will want to grab but otherwise I'm not sure it’s required reading outside of Mary Jane's new powers which could come into play later on.
Biden’s Titans #1
Published by keenspot
Written by John Baron
Pencils by Shawn Remulac
Rated M for Mature
Available now
Biden’s Titans are back and this time they're taking on the Prince of Darkness! If that’s not ridiculous enough, not just one Count Dracula though, they are battling every Dracula across the multiverse! Including Count Trumpula!
This was an interesting read for me. I typically don’t pick up a lot of comics like this. I have to say though, it was actually pretty silly. In a good way! The art isn’t exactly groundbreaking but it’s serviceable and you can make out the parodies or caricatures with ease. There are a lot! It’s humorous and bordering stupid in that Garbage Pail Kid type of way but it’s obviously not meant to be taken seriously. The dialogue for each character is written just like you would imagine them and that gave me a chuckle. I’m not really familiar with anything else the writer has done but I'd guess given his style it’s more or less in the same wheelhouse. I’m almost tempted to pick up the next issue which seems like it will parody Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter and how it’s destroying the world and he must be stopped. It just sounds funny. If nothing else, I’m curious and that says something! If you enjoy satire this might be right up your alley.
Werewolf x The Society of Fearless Frontiersmen
Published by Bad Idea
Written by Peter Milligan
Pencils by Robert Gill
Rated M for Mature
Available by pre-order only
An ancient group of shamans prepare their young with a rite of passage unlike any other. Their disciples are tasked with facing off and slaying one of many Werewolves that also inhabit their land. When one young man is unable to face his fears and complete this task he becomes an drunken outcast who spends his life looking for his shot at redemption. Whether he likes it or not.
This one-shot, or double shot as it’s billed, was an awesome read! I can only hope there is more in store from this universe and judging how the book ends I have a feeling Bad Idea may have something additional up their sleeve down the road. When don’t they have something up their sleeve?? First of all, the art is fantastic. It’s gritty and gory and I just really loved how they utilized the panels and the black and white style. There are a few depictions of the Werewolf that are just wicked good, especially when they have just sliced and diced their way through someone's stomach or face. I loved Peter Milligan’s writing as well. It’s a unique and interesting story with a bit of a twist and as I mentioned earlier there is definitely a lot of meat left on the bone here for potential future issues. The story as it’s written is quickly paced and while it’s a fairly long read it didn’t feel like it. The story ends up weaving into WWII a bit as well which I didn’t see coming but definitely made things more interesting. I’d love to see more of that aspect in the future as well. Overall, this might be one of my favorite Bad Idea books thus far and if you have read this I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Ronin Book 2 #1
Published by FMP
Written by Frank Miller
Pencils by Phillip Tan
Rated M for Mature
Available now!
Frank Miller is back with the sequel to his highly acclaimed cyberpunk series from the 80’s. RONIN Book 2 finds our main character Casey, now with her child, making her way across the wastelands of the US.
This was another fantastic read! I loved the art, the writing, the details, etc. Tan’s art is just sprawling and gorgeous. This is another book that uses black and white wonderfully to illustrate the style of writing and story being showcased. Miller’s writing reads almost like poetry. He has a way of writing dialogue that just flows as if it was written by a middle ages poet or philosopher. The story is really fun and action packed too. There is a lot going on but not so much that you get overwhelmed. One thing that stuck out to me the most with this issue was how similar it felt to parts of Lone Wolf and Cub which is one of my favorite books and collection of movies. Miller has always been heavily influenced by Asian culture and Manga so it would be no surprise to me if this was intentional. Overall, this was a really fun read and I'm looking forward to the next issue.
MOVIE RECOMMENDATION OF THE WEEK!
Glass Onion - A Knives Out mystery
Produced by T-Street
Directed by Rian Johnson
Rated PG-13
Available on NETFLIX
If you saw the original Knives Out movie and are a fan of murder mystery movies you cannot go wrong with this sequel from Rian Johnson. Much like the first one it has a great cast of actors/actresses, it’s witty, it’s funny and it will leave you guessing until the end. There is a bit of a different twist in this movie from the original but it works well. These movies are always a lot of fun and best of all if you subscribe to NETFLIX you can watch it for free!
That’s it for this week folks! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed putting it together. As always I’d love to hear your thoughts if you want to drop me a line! Wishing all of you the happiest of New Years! Eat, Drink and be Merry! Until next time…..
Corey Newell
“Just a guy who loves comics”
⁃ Independent blogger, dad, dork, comic nerd and pop culture lover hailing from Spencerport, NY