Comic Books, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for May 21, 2025

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

MAR251930 A TAILS TALE GN VOL 03 (C: 0-1-2) $13.99

FEB252229 ADORED BY AN ELITE OFFICER GN VOL 01 (MR) (C: 0-1-1) $14.99

MAR250765 ARCHIE IS MR JUSTICE #4 (OF 4) CVR A REIKO MURAKAMI $4.99

MAR250766 ARCHIE IS MR JUSTICE #4 (OF 4) CVR B WILFREDO TORRES $4.99

MAR250767 ARCHIE IS MR JUSTICE #4 (OF 4) CVR C MATT TALBOT $4.99

MAR251368 ARSENE SCHRAUWEN TP (C: 0-1-2) $29.99

APR251266 BAD GIRLS CHEEKY FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251267 BAD GIRLS DEMURE FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251268 BAD GIRLS FERAL FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251275 BAD GIRLS FIERCE FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251269 BAD GIRLS GOULISH FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251270 BAD GIRLS INFERNAL FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251271 BAD GIRLS MISCHIEF FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251272 BAD GIRLS TASTY FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251273 BAD GIRLS TEMPTRESS FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251274 BAD GIRLS WANTON FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251282 BELLADONNA BARBARIC FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251276 BELLADONNA DEADLY FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251277 BELLADONNA DIVINITY FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251278 BELLADONNA ENCHANTING FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251286 BELLADONNA FIRE & FURY CURSED NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1- $19.99

APR251287 BELLADONNA FIRE & FURY HELLISH NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1 $19.99

APR251289 BELLADONNA FIRE & FURY SHOWTIME NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: $19.99

APR251288 BELLADONNA FIRE & FURY SINISTER NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: $19.99

APR251279 BELLADONNA PAGAN FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251280 BELLADONNA RECKLESS FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251281 BELLADONNA VIKING FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251283 BELLADONNA WITCH FOIL BONUS SET (5CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

FEB252158 BLOOD NIGHT MARKET GN VOL 02 (C: 0-1-2) $14.99

FEB252159 CAT FROM OUR WORLD & FORGOTTEN WITCH GN VOL 05 (C: 0-1-2) $13.99

FEB251737 CHAMBERLAINS #1 (OF 3) CVR G METAL COVER (MR) (C: 0-0-1) $99.99

FEB252161 CHOKING ON LOVE GN VOL 02 (C: 0-1-2) $13.99

FEB252162 CHRONICLES OF ARISTOCRAT REBORN IN ANOTHER WORLD GN VOL 12 ( $13.99

FEB251129 CYBERPUNK 2077 PSYCHO SQUAD #4 $3.99

FEB252144 DEATH MAGE GN VOL 08 (C: 0-1-1) $12.95

FEB252145 DETECTIVES THESE DAYS ARE CRAZY GN VOL 01 (C: 0-1-0) $12.95

JAN251630 DF MARVEL COMICS STAR WARS CVR ART SGN & REMARKED KYLO REN ( $119.77

MAR251932 DONT TOY WITH ME MISS NAGATORO GN VOL 19 (C: 0-1-1) $12.95

MAR251809 DRA-Q GN VOL 03 (C: 0-1-2) $13.99

MAR251536 EC EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #11 (OF 12) CVR A BERMEJO $4.99

MAR251537 EC EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #11 (OF 12) CVR B CITRIYA $4.99

FEB251133 FROM WORLD OF MINOR THREATS WELCOME TWILIGHT #3 CVR A $4.99

FEB251134 FROM WORLD OF MINOR THREATS WELCOME TWILIGHT #3 CVR B $4.99

NOV241560 GEORGE HERRIMAN LIBRARY HC VOL 05 KRAZY & IGNATZ 1928-1930 ( $49.99

FEB251135 GHOSTBUSTERS SKELETON CREW #1 CVR A CROOK $4.99

FEB251136 GHOSTBUSTERS SKELETON CREW #1 CVR B SARIN $4.99

MAR251810 GO GO LOSER RANGER GN VOL 13 (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $10.99

MAR250914 GODZILLA HERE THERE BE DRAGONS II SONS OF GIANTS GN (C: 0-1- $17.99

FEB251137 GREAT BRITISH BUMP OFF KILL OR BE QUILT #2 $4.99

MAR250744 GRIMM FAIRY TALES #96 CVR A MARCO SANTUCCI $4.99

MAR250745 GRIMM FAIRY TALES #96 CVR B IGOR VITORINO $4.99

MAR250746 GRIMM FAIRY TALES #96 CVR C MICHAEL DIPASCALE $4.99

MAR250747 GRIMM FAIRY TALES #96 CVR D MARIA LAURA SANAPO $4.99

APR251290 HELLINA RAVENING MISTRESS NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1-2) $19.99

MAR251839 HERO WITHOUT A CLASS GN VOL 03 (C: 0-1-0) $13.95

MAR251840 HIGEHIRO AFTER BEING REJECTED GN VOL 11 (C: 0-1-1) $12.95

JAN257303 HIT TP COMP COLL (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

FEB252170 HOME SWEET HOME GN VOL 02 (C: 0-1-2) $14.99

MAR251812 I WAS REINCARNATED AS 7TH PRINCE GN VOL 15 (C: 0-1-2) $12.99

MAR251925 I WAS REINCARNATED AS HEROINE VERGE A BAD ENDING GN VOL 04 ( $13.99

FEB252146 I WAS SOLD DIRT CHEAP POWER LEVEL IS OFF CHARTS GN VOL 03 (C $13.95

FEB252178 IM IN LOVE WITH VILLAINESS GN VOL 08 (C: 0-1-2) $12.99

FEB251141 INTO UNBEING PART TWO #4 CVR A SHERMAN $3.99

FEB251142 INTO UNBEING PART TWO #4 CVR B ECKMAN $3.99

MAR251013 IRVING THE EVIL WIZARD #3 (OF 4) (MR) (C: 1-1-2) $5.99

FEB252179 IT TAKES MORE THAN A PRETTY FACE GN VOL 02 (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $13.99

APR251291 JUNGLE FANTASY IVORY FOOD CHAIN NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: $19.99

APR251292 JUNGLE FANTASY IVORY LURID NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1-2 $19.99

APR251293 JUNGLE FANTASY IVORY RELAX NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1-2 $19.99

APR251294 JUNGLE FANTASY SECRETS REAR VIEW BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1- $19.99

APR251295 JUNGLE FANTASY SECRETS SPLASH NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1- $19.99

APR251296 JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS BAWDY NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1 $19.99

APR251297 JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS TARTS NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1 $19.99

APR251298 JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS WILD RIDE NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) ( $19.99

FEB251448 KATABASIS #5 (OF 5) CVR A LOPEZ $4.99

MAR250802 KILLER AFFAIRS OF THE STATE II #1 (OF 6) CVR A JACAMON (MR) $4.99

MAR250803 KILLER AFFAIRS OF THE STATE II #1 (OF 6) CVR B BOSS (MR) $4.99

MAR250806 KILLER AFFAIRS OF THE STATE II #1 (OF 6) CVR E UNLOCKABLE (M $4.99

FEB252147 KUROKIYA SAN WANTS TO LEAD HIM AROUND BY NOSE GN VOL 04 (C: $13.95

MAR251814 LIFE LESSONS WITH URAMICHI ONIISAN GN VOL 05 (C: 0-1-2) $17.99

MAR251015 LINK CLICK HC VOL 04 (OF 4) (MR) $19.99

APR251299 LOOKERS CHEERFUL NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1-2) $19.99

APR251300 LOOKERS DUET NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1-2) $19.99

APR251303 LOOKERS FALLING NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1-2) $19.99

APR251301 LOOKERS ROASTING NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1-2) $19.99

APR251302 LOOKERS STRETCH NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1-2) $19.99

APR251304 LOOKERS TEASE NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1-2) $19.99

MAR251909 LOVE IN PALM OF HIS HAND GN VOL 01 (C: 0-1-2) $12.99

FEB252232 LOVING MOON DOG GN VOL 02 (MR) (C: 0-1-1) $14.99

FEB258241 MARK SPEARS MONSTERS #1 5TH PTG CVR A  HORROR OF DRACULA $5.99

MAR251255 MAX & CHAFFY WELCOME TO ANIMAL ISLAND GN (C: 0-1-2) $12.99

MAR250918 MOTHRA QUEEN OF MONSTERS #3 CVR A CAMPBELL $4.99

MAR250919 MOTHRA QUEEN OF MONSTERS #3 CVR B BEALS $4.99

FEB252188 MY WIFE HAS NO EMOTION GN VOL 08 (C: 0-1-1) $13.99

JAN251863 NACELLEVERSE TP VOL 01 BIKER MICE FROM MARS & ROBOFORCE (C: $29.99

MAR251367 NIGHT DRIVE HC (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

OCT247736 ON MARS GN (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $24.99

MAR251934 ORIGIN GN VOL 10 (C: 0-1-2) $12.95

FEB258858 OUT OF ALCATRAZ #2 (OF 5) 2ND PRT CROOK $4.99

MAR251525 OUT OF ALCATRAZ #3 (OF 5) CVR A CROOK $4.99

MAR251526 OUT OF ALCATRAZ #3 (OF 5) CVR B DOMINGUEZ $4.99

FEB251358 PRODIGAL SON #3 CVR A ALPER GECGEL $4.99

APR251305 RAVENING SEDUCE NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1-2) $19.99

MAR251553 RAYMOND CHANDLERS TROUBLE IS MY BUSINESS HC (C: 1-1-2) $29.00

FEB251528 RED RANGE #2 (OF 4) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $4.99

FEB251150 ROBOWOLF #1 $4.99

FEB252117 SHES STRONGEST BRIDE BUT IM STRONGER GN VOL 03 (MR) (C: 0-1- $14.99

MAR250958 SIN BIN TP $18.99

MAR250928 STAR TREK DEFIANT #27 CVR A WARD $4.99

MAR250929 STAR TREK DEFIANT #27 CVR B SIMEONE $4.99

JAN251190 STAR WARS HIGH REPUBLIC ADV PHASE III TP VOL 03 (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

FEB251154 STAR WARS HIGH REPUBLIC ADVENTURES PHASE III #18 CVR A ROMBO $3.99

FEB251155 STAR WARS HIGH REPUBLIC ADVENTURES PHASE III #18 CVR B $3.99

MAR251640 SUITOR ARMOR GN VOL 02 (C: 0-1-0) $17.99

MAR251641 SUITOR ARMOR HC VOL 02 (C: 0-1-0) $24.99

MAR251842 TALES OF THE TENDO FAMILY GN VOL 06 (C: 0-1-1) $12.95

APR251306 THRESHOLD ALLURE DIVINE NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1-2) $19.99

APR251284 THRESHOLD LOOKERS FRISKY BAG SET (4 CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

MAR251931 TRAPPED BY HIS LOVE THE DUKES UNEXPECTED BRIDE GN VOL 02 (C: $13.99

APR251285 UNHOLY ARGENT VS ONYX MISCHIEF BAG SET (4 CT) (MR) (C: 0-1-2 $19.99

APR251310 UNHOLY ARGENT VS ONYX STUNNER NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1- $19.99

APR251311 UNHOLY ARGENT VS ONYX VIXENS NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1 $19.99

APR251309 UNHOLY WICKED NUDE BAG SET (3CT) (MR) (C: 1-1-2) $19.99

FEB251161 VATICAN CITY #2 CVR A BERG (MR) $5.99

FEB251162 VATICAN CITY #2 CVR B BERG B&W (MR) $5.99

MAR250772 WORLD OF BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #39 $9.99

FEB251166 YOU NEVER HEARD OF ME #4 $3.99

MAGAZINES

MAR251484 LOCUS MAGAZINE #772 VOL 94 NO 5 (C: 0-1-1) $12.50

BOOKS

JAN252110 ACCEL WORLD LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 27 (C: 0-1-2) $16.00

JAN252103 ALYA SOMETIMES HIDES IN RUSSIAN GSC LN VOL 07 (C: 0-1-2) $16.00

FEB252080 DR MASHIRITOS ULTIMATE MANGA TECHNIQUES SC (C: 0-1-2) $25.00

FEB252206 MODERN VILLAINESS ITS NOT EASY BUILDING EMPIRE SC NOVEL VOL $15.99

MAR250306 SEA OF THIEVES THE ART OF PIRACY HC (C: 0-1-2) $44.99

FEB252209 SHE PROFESSED HERSELF PUPIL OF WISE MAN LIGHT NOVEL VOL 13 ( $15.99

FEB252210 STRANGE ADVENTURE OF BROKE MERCENARY NOVEL SC VOL 11 (C: 0-1 $15.99

FEB252211 SWORD OF DEMON HUNTER KIJIN GENTOSHO SC NOVEL VOL 09 (MR) (C $15.99

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Comics Review: "HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #1" is an Explosive First Issue

HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #1

DARK HORSE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Rafael Albuquerque

COLORS: Dave McCaig

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

COVER: Rafael Albuquerque

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Rafael Albuquerque; Jae Lee with June Chung

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (May 2025)

Rated 18+

Huck created by Mark Millar and Rafael Albuquerque

Huck: Big Bad World is a new six-issue comic book miniseries created by writer Mark Millar and artist Rafael Albuquerque.  Published by Dark Horse Comics, it is a sequel to the 2015-16 miniseries, Huck.  Both series focus on Huck, an autistic man with extraordinary powers who tries to do one good deed every day.  Colorist Dave McCaig and letterer Clem Robins complete the creative team. 

Huck: Big Bad World #1 opens in Ukraine, 1976.  What does this vision have to do with the past of Huck's mother, Anna Polina Marianna Kozar?  Now, a mysterious man, Dr. Jack Harper, has arrived to tell Anna that she and her son are not the only super-people out there and that there are others in hiding that are just like them.

Meanwhile, Huck is on a rescue mission.  When he returns home, however, he will need to rescue his relationship with Zoe Fox.

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest received is Huck: Big Bad World #1.

I recently finished reading Huck Volume 1, the trade collection of the first miniseries.  While writer Mark Millar picks up where he left off, Huck: Big Bad World veers into darker narrative territory.  What Millar gave us in the first miniseries was just a sampler of the dark and complicated history and back story of Anna Kozar.  This first issue intrigues by referencing the tone of the first, but mainly by taking us into a sinister realm.

The storytelling by artist Rafael Albuquerque conveys the darker turn of the story.  It is almost as if Albuquerque is giving Huck the mood of one of those gloomy fairy tales from the world of Mike Mignola's comic book hero, Hellboy.  Dave McCaig's outstanding coloring for the first issue sets the striking tone that there is more on the line here than in the previous series.  As always the lettering by Clem Robins is a mood embellisher.

Wow, I really liked Huck Volume 1, and this first issue of Huck: Big Bad Day does not disappoint.  I have really bought into it, and I'd really like to hurt Jimbo Burke.  Yeah, this first issue got me into my feelies and made me pay attention.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of the first Huck series will want to try Huck: Big Bad World.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

---------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

Comics Review: "HUCK Volume 1" is Comic Book Perfection

HUCK VOLUME 1

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Rafael Albuquerque

COLORS: Dave McCaig

LETTERS: Nate Piekos of Blambot

EDITOR: Nicole Boose

COVER: Rafael Albuquerque

ISBN: 9781534300804; paperback; (July 26, 2016)

160pp, Color, $14.99 U.S. (May 2016)

Rated T / Teen

Huck created by Mark Millar and Rafael Albuquerque

Book One: All-American

Huck was a six issue comic book miniseries created by writer Mark Millar and artist Rafael Albuquerque.  Originally published from 2015 to 2016, Huck focused on a man who lives in a small town from where he anonymously travels the world doing good deeds and acts of kindness and mercy using his super powers.  The series was first collected as a trade paperback graphic novel in 2016.

Huck Volume 1 opens in rural Maine.  In a quiet seaside town, there are picket fences, farms, old-fashioned gas stations, and everyone knows everyone.  Life is a good, and it is made better by Huck, a 34-year-old young man of mysterious origins.  He humbly works at a gas station, but he has special gifts and physical abilities.  Each day, he uses his gifts, such as super-strength, to do a good deed.

His neighbors return his favors by keeping Huck's abilities a secret, but a newcomer to the town – in the form of Diane Davis – sees money in revealing Huck to the media.  Now, Huck is about to discover that his past had an eye on the future – a dark future of beings like him.

THE LOWDOWN:  Millarwold and Netflix provide me with PDF review copies of their publications and have been doing so for several years now.  I recently requested a copy of Huck Volume 1 in anticipation of Huck: Big Bad World #1, which is due in May 14, 2025.

When one considers writer Mark Millar's previous work on his creator owned series like Wanted, Kick-Ass, and Nemesis, it is not unreasonable to be shocked that Millar could write a comic book like Huck: All-American.  By turns sweet and sentimental, the first issue, Huck #1, almost seems like a fanciful retelling of the early years of Clark Kent.  However, it goes by way of Mayberry of former CBS sitcom, “The Andy Griffith Show,” more so than by way of Superman's Metropolis.  Millar tries to create the spirit of genuine Americana, and he pulls it off in a way that is different from the way two boys from Cleveland (writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster) did it.

I initially had mixed feelings about artist Rafael Albuquerque's work on Huck #1.  Albuquerque is both a distinctive stylist and storyteller, but almost a decade ago, I found his work in that first issue to be flat.  Now, I find Albuquerque's art to be a revelation.  Huck Volume 1 is a revelation.

Albuquerque's work in the entirety of Huck is glorious.  He really depicts and captures the spirit of Huck for which Millar is aiming.  Huck is not so much about good versus evil as it is about people who tirelessly do for others versus people who perpetually hurt and destroy others for their own personal gain.  Dave McCaig's colors convey Huck's spirit of human goodness.  The lettering by Nate Piekos is classic comics cool and gives the story a vintage 1980s sci-fi movie aesthetic.

Wow!  I love this first volume of Huck.  I would never go against the Moonstone family and the The Magic Order, but Huck is close to being my favorite Millarworld comic book.  I must have really been having a bad time in life back when Huck was originally published to have felt so “meh” about it.  [Actually, there was an awful lot of family melodrama back then.  It was other people's problems, and I was letting it constantly drag me down.]  Anyway, the first issue of the new series, Huck: Big Bad World, is about to drop.  I think I'm in a better mood to receive Huck this time.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and Millarworld titles will want to read Huck Volume 1.

[This volume includes a section of Rafael Albuquerque's character designs, layouts, and inked art.]

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

The HUCK VOLUME 1 trade paperback is available at Amazon.

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

Comics Review: "VATICAN CITY #1" Breaks Hell Loose

VATICAN CITY #1 (OF 3)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Per Berg

COLORS: Per Berg

LETTERS: Per Berg

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Per Berg

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Per Berg; John McCrea

40pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (April 2025)

Rating: 18+

Vatican City created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Vatican City is a new Millarworld miniseries from Dark Horse Comics.  It is created and written by Mark Millar and drawn, colored, and lettered by Per Berg.  Vatican City is set in a world overrun by vampires, except for Vatican City, which is the main target of the vampires.

Vatican City #1 opens in Princeton, New Jersey.  There, Professor Derrida is about to discover that he is to play a key role in a vampire plot that is steadily taking over the world.

A few hours later, Guido Cavelti, recently of the Swiss Air Force, is in Vatican City, the independent city-state within Rome, Italy that is the government of the “Holy See” (the Pope and the Papacy).  Cavelti is there to be interviewed about a position with the Swiss Guard, the security that protects the Pope and the Apostolic Palace.

Before he knows it, however, Cavelti is in the middle of a rescue operation, trying to save everyone inside Vatican City.  There is an invasion of monsters just outside its borders.

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest received is Vatican City #1.

While reading this, I thought of a few apocalyptic and vampire films to which Vatican City #1 has at least a passing resemblance – in one way or another.  That includes 28 Days Later (2002), I Am Legend (2007), Daybreakers (2009), to name a few.  Of course, Vatican City's writer, Mark Millar, has dealt with vampires before, as he has did when he launched his wonderful vampire-as-superheroes franchise with Night Club #1.

Millar throws the readers right into the action, and as always, Millar action is bracing action – filled with equal parts thrills and chills.  I don't want to spoil anything, but, of course, there is a shocking surprise to close out this first issue.

The art, colors, and letters by Per Berg (also known as Per Darwin Berg or by the pen name, “Narwhal”) are both representational and impressionistic, possibly because Berg is depicting a world that is rapidly shifting from the natural to the supernatural.  One thing that Berg's storytelling certainly does is create the sense of rapid breakdown and hopelessness, which are perfect modes for apocalyptic fiction.  Berg wants the reader to guess at what is happening more than know what is happening.

Well, Millar and Berg have certainly given readers a reason to come back for the second issue.  I suggest that you do so, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar, of vampire comic books, and of horror apocalypse will want to read Vatican City.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

Comics Review: "THE MAGIC ORDER V #5" Fights for Itself

THE MAGIC ORDER 5 #5 (OF 6)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Matteo Buffagni

COLORS: Giovanna Niro with Laura Ciondolini

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Matteo Buffagni with Giovanna Niro

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Matteo Buffagni

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (February 2025)

Rating: 18+

The Magic Order created by Mark Millar at Netflix

“The Death of Cordelia Moonstone”

The Magic Order 5 is a six-issue miniseries from writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni.  This is the fifth installment of The Magic Order series, which began with the 2018-19 miniseries written by Millar and drawn by Olivier Coipel.  The Magic Order is a band of sorcerers, magicians, and wizards – with a focus on the Moonstone family and its leader, Cordelia Moonstone – that live ordinary lives by day, but protect humanity from darkness and monsters of impossible sizes by night.  Colorist Giovanna Niro and letterer Clem Robins complete the series creative team.

The Magic Order 5 finds Cordelia preparing for her death – the punishment for using black magic (back in Volume 1).  However, a new case has dropped itself in front of her, but it all may be a front for some really bad people trying to collect the price on Cordelia's head.  Cordelia Moonstone is going to die soon... and there's nothing she can do about it.  The end is coming in a matter of days.

The Magic Order 5 #5 opens in The Magic Order's new headquarters in Chicago.  There, Clyde Bailey (the wizard who ended up with three demons inside him) and ten other wizards will try to save Cordelia from an assassination attempt by the magical world's most attractive bounty hunter.  She has been sent by her mother, Sister Moon, at the behest of “the Fellowship of the Bell.”

Led by Grandmaster Samuel Mott, this splinter group has finally come into possession of the “Bell” that will summon the Fellowship's ancient gods.  And Mott does not want Cordelia in his way.  Cordelia has escaped death countless times, but who is going to save the master escape artist this time?  Or will she have to save herself?

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest received is The Magic Order V #5.

It is possible for each issue of The Magic Order 5 to be crazier than the previous issue, and I know that because issue #4 was nuttier than issue #3.  Issue #5 decides that instead of being crazy, it's simply going to toss up a hook shot of a revelation.  The Magic Order, which has always been slickly produced, offers fight comics fun, as writer Mark Millar prepares for the big finale next issue.

Line by line, artist Matteo Buffagni has created in The Magic Order V a world of such fearsome darkness, treacherous magic, and magical treachery that mesmerizes the reader.  However, Buffagni can also make explosions that bring a kind of action movie mania to this series, which he does this time.  The glorious hues of Giovanna Niro turn this chapter into a symphony of pyrotechnics and thrilling chases.  As always, Clem Robins uses his lettering to create a soundtrack of destruction.

The Magic Order 5 is plotting something mind-bending; that I know, dear readers.  Don't miss the twenty-first century's best American comic book about wizards and sorcerers.  It's a shame that this is supposedly the final entry in the series.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of The Magic Order will want to read The Magic Order 5.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar

https://twitter.com/netflix

https://twitter.com/themagicorder

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-----------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

DC Comics Shipping from Lunar Distributors for February 26, 2025

DC COMICS:

Absolute Transmetropolitan Volume 3 HC (2025 Edition), $125.00

Absolute Wonder Woman #5 (Cover A Hayden Sherman), $4.99

Absolute Wonder Woman #5 (Cover B Homare Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Absolute Wonder Woman #5 (Cover C Jeehyung Lee Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Absolute Wonder Woman #5 (Cover D Mike Perkins Card Stock Variant), AR

Absolute Wonder Woman #5 (Cover E Homare Card Stock Variant), AR

Batman '89 Echoes #6 (Of 6) Cover A Joe Quinones & Paolo Rivera), $3.99

Batman '89 Echoes #6 (Of 6)(Cover B Joe Quinones Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Batman Superman World's Finest Volume 5 Secret Origins HC, $24.99

Batman Superman World's Finest Volume 5 Secret Origins TP, $17.99

Batman The Long Halloween The Last Halloween #5 (Of 10)(Cover A Tim Sale), $4.99

Batman The Long Halloween The Last Halloween #5 (Of 10)(Cover B Bill Sienkiewicz Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Batman The Long Halloween The Last Halloween #5 (Of 10)(Cover C Rob Liefeld Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Black Canary Best Of The Best #4 (Of 6)(Cover A Ryan Sook), $4.99

Black Canary Best Of The Best #4 (Of 6)(Cover B Rachta Lin Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Black Canary Best Of The Best #4 (Of 6)(Cover C Kendrick Kunkka Lim Card Stock Variant), AR

DC Connect #58, AR

Detective Comics #1094 (Cover A Mikel Janin), $4.99

Detective Comics #1094 (Cover B Bruno Redondo Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Detective Comics #1094 (Cover C Ariel Olivetti Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Detective Comics #1094 (Cover D Ryan Benjamin Black History Month Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Detective Comics #1094 (Cover E Dustin Nguyen Hush Card Stock Variant), $5.99

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Detective Comics #31 (Facsimile Edition)(Cover A Bob Kane), $6.99

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Detective Comics #31 (Facsimile Edition)(Cover C Blank Card Stock Variant), $7.99

Flash #18 (Cover A Mike Del Mundo), $3.99

Flash #18 (Cover B Saowee Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Flash #18 (Cover C Stephen Segovia Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Flash By Grant Morrison And Mark Millar The Deluxe Edition HC, $49.99

Flash By Grant Morrison And Mark Millar The Deluxe Edition HC, $49.99

Green Arrow #21 (Cover A Taurin Clarke), $3.99

Green Arrow #21 (Cover B Marc Aspinall Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Green Lantern #20 (Cover A Ariel Colon), $4.99

Green Lantern #20 (Cover B Stephen Segovia Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Green Lantern #20 (Cover C Fernando Blanco Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Green Lantern #20 (Cover D Michael Allred Card Stock Variant), AR

Green Lantern (2023) Volume 2 Love And War TP, $19.99

Green Lantern Dark #3 (Of 7)(Cover A Werther Dell Edera), $4.99

Green Lantern Dark #3 (Of 7)(Cover B David Nakayama Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Green Lantern Dark #3 (Of 7)(Cover C Tran Nguyen Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Harley Quinn #48 (Cover A Elizabeth Torque), $3.99

Harley Quinn #48 (Cover B David Nakayama Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Harley Quinn #48 (Cover C Jorge Fornes Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Harley Quinn #48 (Cover D Gleb Melnikov Hush Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Harley Quinn #48 (Cover E Bailie Rosenlund Card Stock Variant), AR

John Constantine Hellblazer Dead In America HC, $39.99

Justice League International Volume 1 Born Again TP (2025 Edition), $39.99

Justice League Unlimited #4 (Cover A Dan Mora), $3.99

Justice League Unlimited #4 (Cover B Christian Ward Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Justice League Unlimited #4 (Cover C Lucio Parrillo Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Justice League Unlimited #4 (Cover D Salvador Larroca Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Justice League Unlimited #4 (Cover E Ryan Benjamin Black History Month Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Justice League Unlimited #4 (Cover F Fico Ossio Wraparound Card Stock Variant), AR

Justice League Unlimited #4 (Cover G Gavin Guidry Card Stock Variant), AR

Little Batman Month One #4 (Of 4)(Cover A Patrick Ballesteros), $4.99

Metamorpho The Element Man #3 (Cover A Steve Lieber), $3.99

Metamorpho The Element Man #3 (Cover B Derrick Chew Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Penguin Volume 2 All Bad Things TP, $19.99

Power Girl #18 (Cover A Yanick Paquette), $3.99

Power Girl #18 (Cover B Elizabeth Torque Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Power Girl (2023) Volume 2 More Than A Crush TP, $19.99

Superman #23 (Cover A Dan Mora), $4.99

Superman #23 (Cover B Nathan Szerdy Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Superman #23 (Cover C Dan Panosian Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Superman #23 (Cover D Guillem March Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Superman #23 (Cover E Kaare Andrews Hush Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Superman #23 (Cover F Dave Johnson Card Stock Variant), AR

Titans (2023) Volume 2 The Dark-Winged Queen TP, $19.99

--------------------

Advanced Comics Review: "NIGHT CLUB II #5" Wakes the Dead

NIGHT CLUB II #5 (OF 6)

DARK HORSE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Juanan Ramírez

COLORS: Fabiana Mascolo

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

COVER: Juanan Ramírez with Fabiana Mascolo

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Juanan Ramirez

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (January 2025)

Rating: 18+

Night Club created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Night Club II is a six-issue miniseries written and created by Mark Millar and drawn by Juanan Ramírez.  A Dark Horse Comics publication and a Netflix production, Night Club II is a sequel to the 2023 miniseries, Night Club.  Both series focus on a teen boy who is bitten by a vampire and decides to make the best of his new condition.  Colorist Fabiana Mascolo and letterer Clem Robins complete Night Club II's creative team.

Night Club II focuses on 17-year-old Danny Garcia.  After being turned into a vampire, he passed his new found powers unto his friends, DJ Sam Huxley and Amy Chen.  Now, they're the superheroes:  Starguard (Danny), Thundercloud (Sam), Yellowbird (Amy).  But jealousy has broken up this vampire-superhero trio and opened the door to a disaster of newer, more nihilistic and narcissistic vampires. 

Night Club II #5 opens in Philadelphia, specifically at St. Luke's Hospital.  Amy is there to steal blood.  In fact, she has been stealing from blood banks all over the city.  Why is Amy a blood thief?

Risso, Kendra, and their vampire gang killed Danny and Sam.  Amy believes that if vampires are real, then, some of the stories and myths about them must be real, also.  Relying mostly on old horror movies, Amy has concocted an idea of how to bring her friends back from... the wherever.

Meanwhile, Risso pays a visit to someone to whom he believes he owes a flex.  Plus, the Philly police are deep into an investigation of all these missing teens.

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest received is Night Club II #5.

Night Club II is full of surprises, and writer Mark Millar always drops surprises in his comic books.  The unexpected is to be expected, and this fifth issue of Night Club II does not disappoint.  The Hammer Film Productions vampire movies are clearly a point of reference here.  Christopher Lee first plays Count Dracula in Hammer's 1958 film, Dracula (known as Horror of Dracula in the U.S.).  In later Hammer-Lee Dracula films, the Count is revived via methods that are similar to the process Amy is using to revive her partners in superhero/vampire crime.

Artist Juanan Ramírez has built this narrative on capturing the reckless nature of young people with too much power, regardless of whether this power is natural or supernatural and criminal or evil.  Ramirez's storytelling has made Night Club II a vampire comic book like no other.  He brings Millar's unique concept to life with a style that is both gaudy and earthy. Night Club jumps off the page with Ramirez's incomparable graphics, and colorist Fabiana Mascolo brings the funk and flash to Ramirez's art.  Clem Robins' lettering, as always, is a perfect accompaniment.

Night Club II does not disappoint, dear readers.  It's vampire+.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of vampire comic books will want to be bitten by Night Club II.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.instagram.com/DarkHorseComics/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

Comics Review: "THE MAGIC ORDER 5 #4" Breaks the Hell Outta Hell

THE MAGIC ORDER 5 #4 (OF 6)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Matteo Buffagni

COLORS: Giovanna Niro with Laura Ciondolini

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Matteo Buffagni with Giovanna Niro

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Matteo Buffagni

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (January 2025)

Rating: 18+

The Magic Order created by Mark Millar at Netflix

“The Death of Cordelia Moonstone”

The Magic Order 5 is a six-issue miniseries from writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni.  This is the fifth installment of The Magic Order series, which began with the 2018-19 miniseries written by Millar and drawn by Olivier Coipel.  The Magic Order is a band of sorcerers, magicians, and wizards – with a focus on the Moonstone family and its leader, Cordelia Moonstone – that live ordinary lives by day, but protect humanity from darkness and monsters of impossible sizes by night.  Colorist Giovanna Niro and letterer Clem Robins complete the series creative team.

The Magic Order 5 finds Cordelia preparing for her death – the punishment for using black magic (back in Volume 1).  However, a new case has dropped itself in front of her, but it all may be a front for some really bad people trying to collect the price on Cordelia's head.  Cordelia Moonstone is going to die soon... and there's nothing she can do about it.  The end is coming in a matter of days.

The Magic Order 5 #4 opens on a lonely, rural Texas road in 1978.  This is the story of how Clyde Bailey ended up with three demons inside him.  He eventually tamed the demons and tried to make up for the wrong he did because they controlled him.  Now, doing good means saving Cordelia.  But there are so many magical denizens after her – from “Skin-Walker Sam” the magical hit-man to the magical world's most attractive bounty hunter, who has been sent by Sister Moon.

Meanwhile, after kidnapping and killing boys for years, Grandmaster Samuel Mott and his splinter group, “the Fellowship of the Bell,” believe that they have finally found the boy with the “bell” inside his small body.  It is the bell that will summon the Fellowship's ancient gods.

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest received is The Magic Order 5 #4.

It is possible for each issue of The Magic Order 5 to be crazier than the previous issue, and I know that because issue #4 is nuttier than issue #3.  And that's a good thing.  However, The Magic Order has always been slickly produced, no matter how dark the narrative became, but now, the darkness seems paramount to drama, which scares me as much as it attracts me.

Millar certainly benefits from an artist who uses his favorite drawing implements to transform his scripts into glorious graphical storytelling (comic book storytelling).  Line by line, artist Matteo Buffagni creates a world of such fearsome darkness, treacherous magic, and magical treachery that mesmerizes the reader.  In the end, Buffagni makes The Magic Order 5 one of the best comic book series about magic ever published in North America.

The glorious hues of Giovanna Niro are a symphony of colors of light that accentuate the spellbinding aura of this narrative.  Finally, there is Clem Robins – reliable Clem Robins, and his lettering is the soundtrack of this deadly game of thrones and bones.

The Magic Order 5 is plotting something mind-bending; that I know, dear readers.  Don't miss the twenty-first century's best American comic book about wizards and sorcerers.  It's a shame that this is supposedly the final entry in the series.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of The Magic Order will want to read The Magic Order 5.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar

https://twitter.com/netflix

https://twitter.com/themagicorder

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

Comics Review: "PRODIGY: Slaves of Mars #5" is a Family Affair

PRODIGY: SLAVES OF MARS #5 (OF 5)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Stefano Landini

COLORS: Michele Assarasakorn

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Stefano Landini with Michele Assarasakorn

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Stefano Landini

40pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (January 2025)

Rated M / Mature

Prodigy created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Prodigy: Slaves of Mars is a five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar.  It is the third entry in the Prodigy series, following the original 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy, and the 2022 miniseries, Prodigy: The Icarus Society.  This new series' creative team is comprised of artist Stefano Landini; colorist Michele Assarasakorn; and letterer Clem Robins.  Prodigy focuses on the adventures of the world's smartest man, Edison Crane.

In Prodigy: Slaves of Mars, Edison returns to New York City from an adventure in the Himalayas to find his company, Crane Solutions, in disarray.  He also learns that his father, the former Senator Whitney Crane, is dead on Mars after discovering some shocking secret.  Now, a wanted man, Edison only has one person left to whom he can turn.  That would be his older, smarter brother, Elijah Crane.

Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #5 opens on Mars.  Elijah ascertains that he and Edison's father, Whitney, discovered a series of “star gates” on Earth.  So Edison and Elijah head to the most consequential star gate, the one in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka, and that's how they got to Mars.

Now, it is time to get down to three mysteries:  First, who murdered their father?  What is the full story behind the secret mission to Mars?  And what is the terrible fate of the human race is facing sooner than it thinks? The answers are shockers.

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest title to mark my return is Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #5.

While the fourth issue was a blast to read, Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #5 offers the reader a chance at a variety of emotions.  The issue is at once humorous and then, scary.  It contemplative and talkative by measures before moving onto weird conspiracies and threatening futures.  Millar goes full “Ancient Aliens,” secret space programs, and the Anunnaki.  You already know about Millar's love of secrets and conspiracies if you have read Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 or read Prodigy: The Evil Earth, the trade collection of the first miniseries.

The art team of illustrator Stefano Landini and colorist Michele Assarasakorn, as in the earlier issues, unveil the surprises in a steady stream of straightforward storytelling.  Landini's storytelling here is more cautious, and does not race across the pages.  Now, Landini wants us to savor doom, and Assarasakorn colors it all in the red hues of bad dreams.  As always, Clem Robins provides the perfect soundtrack to this chapter with his classic lettering – this time more muted and ominous.

Without spoiling things, I can say that Millar's script is the kind that a father would write, with its resolutions and redemption.  It is more about legacy than inheritance, and more about pointing the way than making the way.  That makes Prodigy: Slaves of Mars a unique entry in a idiosyncratic franchise.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of his comic book, Prodigy, will want to read Prodigy: Slaves of Mars.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar

https://www.netflix.com/

https://twitter.com/netflix

https://www.darkhorse.com/

https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.instagram.com/DarkHorseComics/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-----------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

Comics Review: "NEMESIS: ROGUES' GALLERY #5" Asks, "Do You Kiss Your Cows with That Mouth"

NEMESIS: ROGUES' GALLERY #5 (OF 5)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Valerio Giangiordano

COLORS: Lee Loughridge

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

EDITORIAL PRODUCTION: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Valerio Giangiordano with Lee Loughridge

40pp, Color, $6.99 U.S. (January 2025)

Age range: 14+

Nemesis created by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven

Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery is a five-issue comic book miniseries from writer Mark Millar.  It is a sequel to the miniseries, Nemesis Reloaded (2023) and Big Game (2023).  Published by Dark Horse comics, the new series finds the super-killer, Nemesis, on a mission of revenge.  Rogues' Gallery is drawn by Valerio Giangiordano; colored by Lee Loughridge; and lettered by Clem Robins.

Nemesis: Rogues Gallery finds Nemesis on a mission to once again be the world's greatest super-villain. Now, out for revenge against everyone who wronged him, Nemesis must rebuild his empire and his fortune... this time with a sidekick, Pedro Hernandez, following him every step of the way.

Nemesis: Rogues Gallery #5 opens on an island where billionaires gather to indulge in the worst fantasies mankind can imagine outside the watchful eye of the authorities.  That's where Nemesis is – using his Alton Albrecht identity, of course.

Nemesis is a guest of notorious billionaire, Adrian Zigo, and he plans on being a poor guest.  Nemesis is on a mission that involves each and every one of these billionaires on the island and half their wealth.  However, Nemesis' first sidekick, Sang, is also on the island, and he is leading an assault team in high-tech suits and bearing a hard-on for Nemesis.  Is Nemesis finally trapped for real and looking at his demise or is his new sidekick, Pedro, also on the island?

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest comic book to mark my return is Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery #5.

Writer Mark Millar offers an explosive finale for Nemesis: Rogues Gallery #5, as he did for the previous Nemesis series.  His depiction of the billionaire class as plutocratic dullards who are always looking to indulge their depraved desires is timely.  It is only a little ironic that a substantial portion of the readers for a comic book like Nemesis are chumps for the tech bros and would gladly serve the whims of the super-rich.  Rogues Gallery is cathartic precisely because fiction is the only scenario in which the ultra-rich get their comeuppance.

Artist Valerio Giangiordano continues to deliver stellar storytelling with a gritty, crime-noir spin on violent superhero/fantasy action.  If Nemesis is a take on an evil version of Batman, Giangiordano gets in on the spirit of things and draws several close ups of Nemesis that look like some of the close-ups of Batman that Frank Miller drew for his seminal graphic novel, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.  Letterer Clem Robins captures the deranged narcissism of the title character by making us believe this comic book has a soundtrack.

Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery offers one of the best lines that I've read in a comic book in recent memory:  “Do you kiss your cows with that mouth?”  If you missed this series, dear readers, there should be a trade paperback available soon.  That's how you can make up for this transgression... before Nemesis finds out.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books and of Valerio Giangiordano's art will desire Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.instagram.com/DarkHorseComics/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

--------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

Comics Review: "THE MAGIC ORDER 5 #3" is More Proof of This Franchise's Greatness

THE MAGIC ORDER 5 #3 (OF 6)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Matteo Buffagni

COLORS: Giovanna Niro

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Matteo Buffagni with Giovanna Niro

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Matteo Buffagni

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (December 2024)

Rating: 18+

The Magic Order created by Mark Millar at Netflix

“The Death of Cordelia Moonstone”

The Magic Order 5 is a six-issue miniseries from writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni.  This is the fifth installment of The Magic Order series, which began with the 2018-19 miniseries written by Millar and drawn by Olivier Coipel.  The Magic Order is a band of sorcerers, magicians, and wizards – with a focus on the Moonstone family and its leader, Cordelia Moonstone – that live ordinary lives by day, but protect humanity from darkness and monsters of impossible sizes by night.  Colorist Giovanna Niro and letterer Clem Robins complete the series creative team.

The Magic Order 5 finds Cordelia preparing for her death – the punishment for using black magic (back in Volume 1).  However, a new case has dropped itself in front of her, but it all may be a front for some really bad people trying to collect the price on Cordelia's head.  The end is coming in three days.

The Magic Order 5 #3 opens on a lonely, rural Vermont road.  “Skin-Walker Sam,” the magical hit-man, makes his latest move in a track that will bring him closer to his target, Cordelia Moonstone.  Meanwhile, Cordelia believes that she has uncovered the identity of the entities behind the kidnapping of male toddlers from across the country.  The “why” is horrific, especially because the perpetrators were supposedly destroyed by The Magic Order long ago.

Later, when a walk in the city turns into a dog day afternoon, Cordelia will have to rely on a really bad hombre, Clyde Bailey, to save her life.  Meanwhile, Sister Moon is sending someone to claim the magic world's most attractive bounty.

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest received is The Magic Order 5 #3.

I have often said that The Magic Order is my favorite of the titles that Mark Millar has created for Netflix since it bought Millarworld.  Millar has filled this franchise with surprises, and each issue of The Magic Order 5 gets crazier with the unexpected.  The Magic Order has previously been described as “Harry Potter series meets The Godfather,” and if that is true, then, it is more like The Godfather.  I will say that adults who have to tolerate Harry Potter only because of their kids will find that someone has created a supernatural drama and crime thriller just for them.

The art team of Matteo Buffagni and colorist Giovanna Niro are delivering stellar work early in this series.  At the halfway point, Buffagni's storytelling dives deep into the peril of Cordelia Moonstone with Niro's coloring blazing a dazzling path to the finale.  As usual, Clem Robins's lettering is the gentle chamber music by which to read this deathwatch.

The Magic Order 5 is plotting something mind-bending; that I know, dear readers.  Don't miss the twenty-first century's best American comic book about wizards and sorcerers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of The Magic Order will want to read The Magic Order 5.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar

https://twitter.com/netflix

https://twitter.com/themagicorder

http://www.millarworld.tv/

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The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: "NIGHT CLUB II #4" - Jack's Tribe is Winning

NIGHT CLUB II #4 (OF 6)

DARK HORSE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Juanan Ramírez

COLORS: Fabiana Mascolo

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

COVER: Juanan Ramírez with Fabiana Mascolo

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Juanan Ramirez

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (December 2024)

Rating: 18+

Night Club created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Night Club II is a six-issue miniseries written and created by Mark Millar and drawn by Juanan Ramírez.  A Dark Horse Comics publication and a Netflix production, Night Club II is a sequel to the 2023 miniseries, Night Club.  Both series focus on a teen boy who is bitten by a vampire and decides to make the best of his new condition.  Colorist Fabiana Mascolo and letterer Clem Robins complete Night Club II's creative team.

Night Club II focuses on 17-year-old Danny Garcia.  After being turned into a vampire, he passed his new found powers unto his friends, DJ Sam Huxley and Amy Chen.  Now, they're the superheroes:  Starguard (Danny), Thundercloud (Sam), Yellowbird (Amy).  But jealousy has broken up this vampire-superhero trio...

Night Club II #4 opens as Risso, Kendra, and their friends run wild through their Philadelphia stomping grounds.  As the high school jocks and cool kids, they were bad enough when they were regular human beings.  As vampires, they are monsters.  Risso was a minor thug for the local drug lord, Rufus Tee.  Now, Risso wants everything Tee has, including his life.

These young vampires are terrorizing the town and not even the cops can stop them.  Amy/Yellowbird is alone in the wake of what seemed like Danny/Starguard's destruction.  What is her next move if she is going to stop Risso and Kendra in their vampire tracks?

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest received is Night Club II #4.

Writer Mark Millar uses the first issue of Night Club II to bring us to the current state of affairs.  With the second issue, Millar quickly moves things forward, and shit gets real deep, real quick.  Issue #3 is the best and most consequential of this series... so far.  Now, issue #4 moves into the aftermath of the third issue's shocking affairs.  I think that there are a lot of “secrets” to Millar's three-decades long successful tenure writing comic books for U.S. publishers.  One of them is that he always has at least one major surprise per issue, and that surprise never seems contrived.  In this fourth issue, Millar shows off another “secret of his success,” and that is to always keep things fresh.  I'll be honest, dear readers, after this fourth issue, I thought Risso should have his own comic book.

Artist Juanan Ramírez has built this narrative on capturing the reckless nature of young people with too much power, regardless of whether this power is natural or supernatural and criminal or evil.  Ramirez's storytelling has made Night Club II a vampire comic book like no other.  Stylish and gaudy, Night Club jumps off the page with Ramirez's incomparable graphics.  Colorist Fabiana Mascolo brings the funk and flash to Ramirez's art.  Clem Robins' lettering, as always, is a perfect accompaniment.

Night Club II does not disappoint, dear readers.  It is one of the standards in American vampire comic books.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of vampire comic books will want to be bitten by Night Club II.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar

https://twitter.com/netflix

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

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https://www.instagram.com/DarkHorseComics/

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: "PRODIGY: Slaves of Mars #4" Goes Into the Star Gate

PRODIGY: SLAVES OF MARS #4 (OF 5)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Stefano Landini

COLORS: Michele Assarasakorn

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Stefano Landini with Michele Assarasakorn

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Stefano Landini

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (November 2024)

Rated M / Mature

Prodigy created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Prodigy: Slaves of Mars is a five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar.  It is the third entry in the Prodigy series, following the original 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy, and the 2022 miniseries, Prodigy: The Icarus Society.  This new series' creative team is comprised of artist Stefano Landini; colorist Michele Assarasakorn; and letterer Clem Robins.  Prodigy focuses on the adventures of the world's smartest man, Edison Crane.

In Prodigy: Slaves of Mars, Edison returns to New York City from an adventure in the Himalayas to find his company, Crane Solutions, in disarray.  He also learns that his father, the former Senator Whitney Crane, is dead on Mars after discovering some shocking secret.  Now, a wanted man, Edison only has one person left to whom he can turn.  That would be his older, smarter brother, Elijah Crane.

Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #4 opens with a flashback to the day 15-year-old Elijah left the Crane family because he just couldn't take his father's antics any longer.  Move to the modern day, and Elijah ascertains that their father discovered a series of “star gates” on Earth.  So Edison and Elijah head to the most consequential star gate, the one in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka.  Now, it is time to get down to the mystery of their father, Whitney, and his involvement with a mission to Mars.  They're about to get more answers than they expected.

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest title to mark my return is Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #4.

Of course, Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #4 is a blast to read, just as the first three issues were.  This being the penultimate issue (second-to-last), writer Mark Millar fills it with surprises.  He also continues to tease us with more of his obsessions with “Ancient Aliens” and secret space programs.  You already know about Millar's love of secrets and conspiracies if you have read Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 or read Prodigy: The Evil Earth, the trade collection of the first miniseries.

The art team of illustrator Stefano Landini and colorist Michele Assarasakorn unveil the surprises in a steady stream of straightforward storytelling.  Throwing caution to the wind, they present graphical storytelling that races from page to page in a loose drawing style and muted coloring style that captures the weird aesthetic of this franchise.  As always, Clem Robins provides the perfect soundtrack to this chapter with his classic lettering.

We have been set up for a great ending, dear readers.  Catch up if you need to.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of his comic book, Prodigy, will want to read Prodigy: Slaves of Mars.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar

https://www.netflix.com/

https://twitter.com/netflix

https://www.darkhorse.com/

https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.instagram.com/DarkHorseComics/

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: "NEMESIS: ROGUES' GALLERY #4" Has a Perfect Last Panel

NEMESIS: ROGUES' GALLERY #4 (OF 5)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Valerio Giangiordano

COLORS: Lee Loughridge

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

EDITORIAL PRODUCTION: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Valerio Giangiordano with Lee Loughridge

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (November 2024)

Age range: 14+

Nemesis created by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven

Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery is a five-issue comic book miniseries from writer Mark Millar.  It is a sequel to the miniseries, Nemesis Reloaded (2023) and Big Game (2023).  Published by Dark Horse comics, the new series finds the super-killer, Nemesis, on a mission of revenge.  Rogues' Gallery is drawn by Valerio Giangiordano; colored by Lee Loughridge; and lettered by Clem Robins.

Nemesis: Rogues Gallery finds Nemesis on a mission to once again be the world's greatest super-villain. Now, out for revenge against everyone who wronged him, Nemesis must rebuild his empire and his fortune... this time with a sidekick, Pedro Hernandez, following him every step of the way.

Nemesis: Rogues Gallery #4 opens in the compound of billionaire Adrian Zigo.  Nemesis and Pedro are there in their fake billionaire identities under the guise of attending Zigo's charity auction.  The duo is really present in order to launch their plot to steal a hundred million-dollar diamond.

But there is always a surprise, and it comes in the form of an attack led by Andy, the nurse who was once kind to Nemesis before the villain blinded him.  Andy and his men are surprisingly well armed, but the biggest surprise is the identity of the person who joins the attack against Nemesis and Pedro.

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest comic book to mark my return is Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery #4.

Mark Millar continues to deliver in this, the ultimate modern super-villain comic book franchise.  For the fourth issue, Millar unleashes action violence on a level to match that of a Hollywood action movie.  However, Millar is never without surprises, and he offers two shockers, one related to the real-world that took my breath away.

Artist Valerio Giangiordano continues to deliver stellar storytelling with a gritty, crime-noir take on violent superhero/fantasy action.  Why do what everyone else is doing when you can do you, as Giangiordano is doing.  There is a deranged, edgy comedy vibe here that takes Nemesis to a new level.  Colorist Lee Loughridge, who knows how to deal with “the dark,” perfectly accentuates Valerio's storytelling with colors that suggest murder, mayhem, explosions, and more murder.  Letterer Clem Robins captures the deranged narcissism of the title character by making us believe this comic book has a soundtrack.

Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery promised to be a good time, and it has delivered all the way to the penultimate issue.  It may also end up being the best evil Batman comic book in ages.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books and of Valerio Giangiordano's art will desire Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar

https://twitter.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.instagram.com/DarkHorseComics/

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).