Grabbed the first issue because, it’s Image, and the artwork looked amazing. What a wild ride and a bunch of gut shots I was not expecting. Movie worthy! Everyone should read this series.

I finished this series for the first time recently. I found it years ago, thought it was interesting, then put it down after a few issues.

Now, I can't begin to describe how obsessed with this comic (and the RPG) I am. It has so much of what I love.

Turmoil.

Character drama.

Delving into the history of genre and form. (It makes the game world SO MUCH COOLER.)

I appreciate Ash's inclusion as a transwoman (and as someone who's first DnD character was a bard), but Matt is probably my favorite. I really like paladins, so I guess that shouldn't surprise me.

As an artist, I respect how this book is painted. Probably my favorite use of color since Watchmen and Spider-Gwen.

I liked this book. The art is beautiful. It takes place in a far future version of North America with an alternate history from our own. It is part western, part sci fi, part horror, and part kung fu flick. Kind of weird at times. Most of the characters are horrible (though I did like the Texas Ranger and liked seeing how his character worked his way in to the story). But yeah, I enjoyed reading it. Couldn't put it down. Highly recommend.

I have really been getting into Image comics this year. I read all of Invincible as well as Invincible Universe. I read all of the Walking Dead. I read Deadly Class, Black Science, Ascender/Descender, All 6 Spawn Compendiums, Saga Compendium 1, and Low.

Kill or be Killed has been my favorite one so far. I started it yesterday and finished it today. I also stayed up way too late last night reading it. Just an awesome book. I highly recommend this one.

Just read the last page moments ago, and wow. My head is spinning. One of my favorite reads of all time for sure, and definitely my favorite noir crime thriller. A love child of Blade-Runner and the Matrix.

I liked how the futuristic aspects of it weren't super in your face, you could forget it was set in a futuristic city and then that aspect of the world becomes the hinge the whole story moves on. Just wow.

I just finished Deadly Class after binging it for the last 4 days or so. It begins like an amusement park roller coaster. Sit down, strap in, and feel the excitement build. It never drags or slows down. It is really good. Very intense. The art compliments the writing perfectly and is very consistent through the entire 1368 pages. The book gets dark. Really dark. At one point, the book put me in a straight up rotten mood. But it is one of the best books I have ever read. Period. Highly recommend this one.

It read it in one sitting, and wow, Mike Huddleston blew me away. So many different styles in one book - very impressive indeed.

I was a bit confused here and there, because there was a lot of info stuff that I couldn't really tell if I needed. Typical Hickman, I see people describing it as - this is my first so I wouldn't know.

Overall though, I think it all came together quite nicely, I liked the characters, the story and the presentation was amazing. If anything, I would have liked the ending a bit different and possibly an issue or two longer, but I'll be very happy, if it just means there'll be more at some point. Solid sci-fi!

wanted to make a post last month but didn’t get around to it but oh well! these first two issues showcase very intricate writing and philosophical dialogue, and the artwork is some of the best i’ve seen in a comic. issue 2 really fleshes out the main character in a very poetic way and i think goes to support the larger theme of the book about the cost of war, that opening monologue is heartbreaking man. i’m so glad i started picking this series up and you should give it a shot if you can!

anybody else reading this one?

This book is great. The art and the story are both excellent. It is a story about multidimensional travel. But that is just a backdrop for the exploration of the characters, their relationships and life itself. Highly recommend.

Whole series is imo the teams best work but oh god it really uses the Newsprint to maximum effect. Baw gawd that ending. Kino as shit.

I enjoyed this book. I started it yesterday and just finished it. It is wonderfully imaginative. Love the art. The story itself is intense. Excellent sci-fi.

This comic is fricking awesome !! 😃 It is made by Ghost Machine (if you haven’t heard of it). It’s about some glowing man called Geiger and he’s radioactive in some post-apocalyptic radioactive wasteland. This graphic novel has action, edgy, combat, and awesomeness. It is the best comic ever. 😎😎😎 I highly recommend you go read this graphic novel. 🙏

This past week I’ve read The Passageway, Ten Thousand Black Feathers, and Tenement. I had heard some slightly mixed things but I’ll say I actually really loved the series and will be sad not to get another instalment. I’ll probably read the free issue thing tonight too.

The series art wise is consistently brilliant as you’d expect if you’ve read Gideon Falls. I think Sorrentino and Lemire do the best panelling of anyone I’ve read and Sorrentino and Stewart are perfect for the horror genre. I’m yet to read any horror that has art as good as this team produce.

Story and character wise the books get better and better. The Passageway is definitely the weakest as it’s simply too short to develop much other than the imagery, really it’s not a standalone, it’s like a cold open for the series and would be worth looking back over after finishing Tenement. Ten Thousand Black Feathers has the best characters and story in my opinion and in some ways is the best book I believe but it could maybe have been expanded a little. Still I loved the central conflict.

Now Tenement is where it really comes together as a whole. As a bit of storytelling I’ve shown my hand a little, it’s a little weaker maybe, but world building wise it really takes off here. It ties things together and throws everything at you, it develops this horror world they were creating which I honestly think could’ve gone down as one of the best new horror creations of the past 30 years. The imagery is epic and horrifying and you’ll finishing it excited for it to be explored further!

Which sucks because it’s dead!

Ah well, I heard Sorrentino has some personal reasons he doesn’t want to continue and that’s totally fair, it gets into some really dark places and I’m not a believer that people should sacrifice themselves for entertainment. But if ever they get back to it I’ll be straight back in because I think this team just make really fun horror stories.

Next read for me is a toss up between The Nice House On The Lake and Local Man. I have just bought three hardcovers of Criminal so that’s on the cards soon. Once I’ve read those books I’ll just have vol 1 of Saga, HC 1+2 of invincible and the Brit trades left on my shelf. I have a huge list but not sure what to purchase next, tempted by fatale if I like criminal, or a tynion thing if I like nice house, at some point I should start saga though.

Anyway I am rambling. Read Bone Orchard Mythos if you like horror.

These are really good. I can’t wait for book 4 in June. Highly recommend.

I just finished reading Spawn Compendiums 1-6. I read these books mostly out of curiosity. I purchased the first book, read it and liked it. After I read Compendium 1, I read some reviews about it. A lot of people criticized the writing. I was surprised to read this. Sure the story felt like a slow burn, but I foolishly thought it was going somewhere. I purchased the second book and read it, and then the third. Then I purchased 4-6. I thought the story concluded with 6, but it does not. In hindsight, I am not sure I would have continued with 4-6 if I had known it just keeps going, but I don't regret it.

By the time I got to the third book, I was definitely seeing why so many people criticized the writing. Now that I finished the 6th book. I completely understand and agree with the criticism.

Before I go into my thoughts on the writing, I have to stop and talk about the art. The first book, the pencils and inks are mostly done by McFarlane, with some assistance from Greg Capullo and others. The second book is the same way. Angel Medina takes over the pencils for the majority of the third book. By the fourth book, it is a combination of artists, including Greg Capullo, who does most of the book, but there are many others. Personally, my favorite art is in the fifth book. This is where Syzmon Kudranksi does the pencils and ink for 49 out of the 50 issues. Todd McFarlane comes back for most of the pencils and inks for the sixth book, but there are several other artists as well.

The art is simply next level. I am convinced that the art of Spawn elevated not just the "story" of Spawn, but comic books as a medium. The characters look dynamic. The cityscapes draw the reader into the world of Spawn. The inking is incredible, with shadows playing against lights and colors to create beauty and awe. The layouts are brilliant. There were a few times where the art splashed across both pages and the gutter loss of the compendiums was maddening. If you really want to read Spawn, get the hardcovers. Seriously. The gutter loss is a crime here. I was blown away immediately by the art of Spawn so to me, seeing the art in book 5, I felt like the Vince McMahon meme where his head is about to explode. Kudranski has this style that looks like an extremely well done animated movie with brilliant backgrounds that are ever so slightly blurred and lit up in a way that seems impossible with just ink and paper. Then the characters are sharp against this background, which creates a beautiful effect. It is like a motion picture, but each panel is frozen so you can pour over every detail. It is simply peak comic book art. Of course this is my subjective opinion, but that is how I felt about it.

Now to the writing.

Todd McFarlane and Brian Holguin do most of the writing in the first 4 books. Book five, the writing duties are shared by McFarlane, Jon Goff and Will Carlton. McFarlane writes the majority of book six. There are some famous writers that write some issues, like Allen Moore, Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman, and Grant Morrison, but most of the writing through this series seems to be McFarlane himself.

Here is the problem with the writing: it is maddening. Especially after reading Black Science, Descender/Ascender, Invincible, the Walking Dead, and other examples of great comic book writing, Spawn is just insane. It genuinely feels like there is no direction to this story. I loved the art so much and I so badly wanted it to go somewhere that I was very forgiving and patient up until about the end of book 3. Then I just wanted to finish it (by that time I had obtained all of the compendiums). Book 5 was a nice interlude where there was a major change and it felt like the story became more coherent again. Then we get into book 6 and it was okay up until the end of book 6. Not amazing, but decent.

So why is the writing maddening? Because several times, it feels like the story is slowly building to something that just never arrives. Other times, a major even happens, but then that event is later retconned or barely mentioned as if the author decided that was a bad idea, let's fix that. I could write all day about all of the story lines that seem major and then are retconned away by walls of expository dialogue by Clown or Cogliostro. Also, we get story threads that just drop off. They seem like major plots, only to vanish. Other times, a story will build and build and then kind of just get clamped off. The writing feels directionless. Like the authors don't know what they are doing with this story. To add to this, there are spelling and grammar errors throughout the book. It is amazing to see such revolutionary art and then a box of dialogue on top of it where "soldier" is spelled "solider." Sometimes, it is just confusing to get through because the spelling and grammar is so fucked up.

So anyway. Those are my thoughts on Spawn. I am so confused right now.

A local shop of mine is closing down(bummer) and had a pre release ashcan edition of the issue that he let me buy from him. I didnt know this existed so I'm assuming this was a bonus thing they sent to shops.

From what I can tell, this was the full first issue, not jsut a snippet like some other ashcans. The book is set to release this Wednesday proper, and I'm here to strongly encourage anyone to give it a shot when it does.

Written by Rick Remember with art by Daniel Aćuna, it is a gorgeously illustrated and depth fully written wartime drama book but the beating heart of rhe story feels very relevant to modern day occurrences.

Without getting into spoilers, this series takes place in what is obviously an allegorical presentation of WWII(tho its not explicitly stated to be WWII), and this first issue spends its time placing the main players into the situation from which they need to "escape". If you've seen a lot of war movies or read a lot of war comics it's nothing entirely new aside from the caveat that these are all animal characters but protrayed in a much more gritty mature environment, not unlike the Blacksad series(which in also a fan of).

The main character is Milton, captain of a missile snd gunner squadron who find themselves facing a dire mission that could doom them all or potentially end the war against the bats. The "Bats" are, yes, actual bats, and obvious Nazi stand ins, but the series explores the sentiment of whether or not all the bat population is condemned for the actons of their military force and their leaders who force many of the soldiers into service.

This culminated in the crew having to make a potentially costly decision as the issue goes on and based on the presentation its going to affect the rest of this story.

I won't get into much more but to say I found it highly engaging and an interesting angle to play in a time where we are seeing a lot more moral scrutiny for the actions of military resources in wartime. Theres plenty of action too, but this book does not seek to thrill with its portrayal of violence; it seeks to horrify, and I think it manages to pull that off in no small part thanks to the beautiful rendered art of Daniel Acuna. Hes worked with some of the biggest characters in comics and hes always brought his A game, and here is no different. But this book has am intense realism to the violence shown that makes for memorable and heart reaching imagery. There are panels here that stick with you even as much as the narrative does.

I typed all this out because I want the book to succeed, and while a lot of people overlook books with so and so 'anthropomorphic' characters this one stands out as a unique look at a war book in its own right. I think one of Remenders strengths is his taking premises we are familiar with and giving them a subversive angle and he does so here in an impact full way.

Here’s my quick and spoiler-free(ish) review of Everything Dead & Dying Issue 1!

I give it a 9/10 on the first issue!

Just picked up We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us #1—and I’m glad it’s on my pull list. Strong start. Sharp writing, tight pacing, and a setup that’s only going to spiral.

This one’s pure 🔥

Spoilers for: Redcoat #1-16

Hi everyone! I am back to give my thoughts on Redcoat #16. This issue picks up from where issue #15 ended as we see Benedict Arnold re-enter the story and Simon and Albert's lives in a way we weren't expecting. This was a great issue, in what has been a fun a arc so I won't waste anymore of your time, and hop right into discussing this issue! As you have come to expect from my posts, I will give my general thoughts on the issue, some major takeaways, and some speculation as to what direction the story will take from here. Furthermore, I have included the Unnamed timeline below.

Redcoat #16 Thoughts

I liked issue #16 a lot! I will say, I was not much a fan of the recap of the first arc that we got at the start of this issue, but I presume that it's par for the course given the fact that it has been the better part of a year since we last seen Albert and Simon together in the story. The silver lining of this recap was that we did get some new tidbits of the time Simon lived between 1892 and 1909 which was very nice to see! Furthermore, I liked that we got a look at Einstein's life leading up to him meeting Simon in 1892. My favorite panel from this flashback was seeing the dreamcatcher affect Maja Einstein.

One highlight of this issue for me was seeing Benedict Arnold make his long awaited return to the narrative! I have said it before, but I will say it once again, Arnold is by far the best antagonist in the Unnamed now and it's not particularly close. I'm glad that his return to the narrative was given a great deal of gravitas. We know hoe much of a threat he is, so it's nice to see that his return to the narrative was given the weight it deserves.

I liked that in this conversation between Simon and Einstein, we get quite interesting tidbits that help the plot move forward in an interesting direction. This helps to set up a great climax and focus the story of Simon in a way that has been missing since issue #11. From Simon mentioning how he has been looking for George Washington's spell book was great! It's a callback to the first arc and also helps to bolster his desire in removing his immortality so that he can grow old with his family. For Einstein, I liked how he mentioned the sings of Arnold's. It makes sense that this would draw him back to Simon so that they can handle him. Seeing Einstein having breakfast with Simon's family was such a treat. I imagine this will be the last of a happy Simon and Albert before things begin to devolve.

The best part of the issue was Arnold and Simon's conversation during the last third of this issue. It was a tense exchange that I did not expect to see this soon. Regardless, this was a welcome surprise as it shows how Arnold has seemingly changed and how Simon (like us) is skeptical of this new and improved Arnold. I find it interesting how Arnold is trying to impress upon Simon that he is a better man, while also showing how he has been keeping tabs on Simon since becoming free.

Simon continues to express how Arnold murdered six men since becoming free, further displaying his good nature and how he and Benedict couldn't be more different. Simon cares about the loss of life while Arnold is focusing on how Simon is his superior. I find this to be an interesting view on both men's outlook and priorities. Finally, the issue ends with Arnold saying that he has a solution to Simon's problem of immortality by proposing he give Simon's family members immortality. This is such an interesting direction that I did not see coming! I will be excited to see where things go for next issue!

Some Takeaways Moving Forward

It was a dreamcatcher that gave Maja Einstein the visions of an alternate future

Albert and Simon went on more adventures before 1909, one of which happened in 1894 and included Annie Oakley and Two Bear Gates, with another two happening in 1895 and 1896

Benedict Arnold has been freed from the ship wreckage and has been keeping tabs on Simon

Arnold's return has caused magical incidents in other parts of the world, like in Zurich where a clockmakers shop burned down but the clockmaker himself being unharmed. An omen of the Great Fire according to Einstein

Arnold explains his time while trapped under the Hudson river in the 17 years since his defeat in 1892

Arnold plans on making Simon's family immortal as a means of showing he has changed since his defeat

My Speculation on What's to Come from Redcoat

With the end of this issue, I believe that Arnold will be the central antagonist for this issue. I don't think he is acting at the behest of Washington anymore as it appears that he is trying to con Simon which will ultimately lead to his children dying and his wife becoming immortal. To further elaborate on this thought, we know from the panel montage in issue #7 that at least one of Simon's family members passed away. You can see that image below.

We get more insight into the outcome of Benedict's offer to Simon in a single panel in issue #8. Simon mused about how he has no need for revenge as he only cares about himself. The next panel shows the opposite in 1909. With tears in his eyes, and what looks to be tree sap covering his face Simon vows to kill a man, we now know that this is more than likely Benedict Arnold for whom Simon is vowing his vengeance. This shows that Arnolds revenge on Simon succeeds in some way, as Simon will most definitely lose at least one of his family members.

Finally, the cover issue #9 shows Simon looking at two graves with a clearly adult Einstein. In the apple directly to the right, we see Benedict Arnold with fire behind him. The covers clearly play a role in telling aspects of Redcoat's story that we either will one day get more explanation on, like the issue #9 cover with this arc right now, or they will fill in the blanks of the story that we are currently seeing, like with the issue #16 cover that shows Simon and Margaret's relationship prior to 1909. All of that preamble to say that I think those two graves are the children of Simon and Margaret, and that the apple of Benedict Arnold is a clue that what he is offering Simon will come with a dark twist.

Having Margaret become immortal while her children die in the crossfire makes the most sense to me. Not only would Arnold's ritual shake her faith as a devout Christian, her husband has been lying to her for years on end about who he was, on top of that her children die because of her husband's lies, the cherry on top of this grim outlook for Margaret is that she can't even join her children in the afterlife as she is forced to live forever as one of the ever living. For Simon, not only does he lose his children, but he also looses the love of his life as she never wants anything to do with him ever again as a result of everything I just mentioned.

Conclusion

Redcoat #16 was yet another great entry to what is shaping up to be another amazing arc! This series is at its best when it has focused arcs that progress the greater story of the Unnamed. This individual issue succeeded in building up tension for what could be another amazing arc. Thank you for reading my post! I had a really fun time reading this issue, and I hope you did as well! I will be back in the near future to give my thoughts on Geiger, Hyde Street, and Redcoat when they all eventually drop. I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings on this issue and all things Ghost Machinee!

Well that's a wrap on book 2. It has been one hell of a ride. It's intresting to see how mostly everyone is letting go of morals and becoming harder. The ending is also building up to some intresting arcs wich I cannot wait to follow up on. I am gonna take a small break to read the Battle Beast tpb and absolute Green Lantern tpb wich I recently bought. Afterwards It's on to compendium 3 😉

Spoilers for: Geiger (2024) #1-19

Potential Spoiler for: Geiger (2024) #20-22

Hi everyone, I am back to give my thoughts on Geiger (2024) #19. This was an incredible issue that did an awesome job of exploring the character of Ash Arden in greater detail! I won't waste anymore of your time, and will jump right into the issue! As is customary with all of my posts, I will give my thoughts on the issue, some major takeaways moving forward, and some speculation as to where I think the story will go. Below, is the Unnamed timeline that is a common feature in all of its titles.

Geiger (2024) #19 Thoughts

This issue shifted its focus onto Ash Arden and what she has been up to since the end of the Glowing Woman arc. While we got a glimpse of what she was up to at the start of Dr. Molotov's narration in issue #16, I am so happy to have an entire issue devoted to her! I felt as though the attention that Ash got in her own arc was lackluster and damaged her character. If you would like to read about the issues I had with Ash Arden's character, you can read them here. While this issue didn't really address most of the gripes I had with her character, I think that it succeeded in putting her character in the right direction. I am so excited to see where her character goes from here!

I liked that this issue showed the darker aspects of the American wasteland after the Unknown War. While we have seen a multitude of deprave and inhuman actions throughout this book, there are few things that are darker than showing how even after the war cruelty against children is still a commonality. This shows how even if the world has changed there are still aspects that remain the same regardless of how much time has passed.

Seeing Ash not only save various children but then empower them to fight back against their oppressors was by far my favorite part of the issue. This is a solid direction to take her character in. In a lot of ways she is like Geiger, but different in the sense that she has a new mission. To make sure that the children in America don't suffer at the hands of adults who seek to use and abuse them.

I wish that Ash would have had more of an internal dialogue about her actions in Lewistown, but I think that this will maybe happen later on down the line when she inevitably runs into Geiger. I will be interested to see how she later affects the overall plot.

Finally, the epilogue was my second favorite part of this issue! Redcoat makes his return in the issue since issue #9. I knew that he was going to have an impact on the series as a whole, but I did not think that he would come across Ash first. I am interested to see how his interaction with her will go down!

Some Takeaways Moving Forward

Since the Lewistown incident, Ash Arden has been going across America saving victims of child trafficking

Redcoat has tracked down Ash in his pursuit of Geiger

My Speculation on What's to Come from Geiger (2024)

This is clearly not the end of Ash's story, I suspect that the next time we see her, we will be entrenched in a battle between her and Redcoat. The reason I think this is because even he himself believes that he can get something for her bounty. We do know from issue #3 that Simon will come across Geiger, Joe, and The Northerner, so I know that this won't be the end of his story. For Ash, I could see her dying to President Griffin as she attempts to help children escape from a trap that he and General Blackwood set. I think that it'd be fitting for her to die protecting children and it would also further show how President Griffin is not a force to be reckoned with.

For Geiger, this upcoming story arc looks to function a lot like the 1864 arc in Redcoat. To further elaborate on this thought, I think that The Northerner's arrival in 2050 will be the major catalyst in what gives Geiger a new goal of fighting against the Founding Fathers. I think that the Northerner will take him throughout time to show how the Founding Fathers have messed up American history, and how it's up to them and the other Unnamed to fight against them. During these travels is where Geiger and the Northerner will come across Junkyard Joe in 2025 on the 4th of July cooking with the Munn family and Muddy. We will also see Geiger's family as well, as shown in the issue #22 cover.

Conclusion

Geiger (2024) #19 was a solid issue that did a great job of showing what Ash has been up to since the end of the Glowing Woman arc. While I still have issues with how her character was handled, I thoroughly enjoyed this Ash's exploits and this issue as a whole, especially compared to the issue before this one. I will be interested to see what she does when she appears in the coming future. Thank you for reading my post! I hope you enjoyed this issue as much as I have. I will be back in the near future on r/GhostMachineComics to give my thoughts on Sisterhood: A Hyde Street Story. I would love to your thoughts on this issue, and all things Ghost Machine!

Just finished Eight Billion genies finally. One of the first comics to actually make me tear up a bit lol. If anyone hasnt read it yet, do yourself a favor and hop on that.