Author: Chelsea Weaver Smith

Mountainhead #1 IDW Publishing Writer: John Lees Art: Ryan Lee The first issue of Mountainhead was a lot to unpack but has a promising foundation centered around survival. The story hops from the sole survivor of what looks like a bloodied battle scene on a snowy mountain to the chaotic and nomadic lives of Abraham Stubbs and his father Noah. Like the incredible artwork on the cover, done by Ryan Lee, the story opens with gruesome and incredibly detailed linework. Lee creates several dramatic scenes of contrasting colors for his mountain man but quickly shows off of his skill set by…

Snotgirl #14 Image Comics Writer: Bryan Lee O’Malley Artists: Leslie Hung & Rachael Cohen It’s raining men in this one! As the boys head out to Ashley Von Frick’s bachelor party, the girls do some cliché feminine things like crafts and gossip. So many of O’Malley’s characters are stereotypically full of drama and backstabbing, but despite these banal stereotypes, they’re not entirely vapid. They each have their own set of problems, which are often intertwined with someone else in the group. While I rarely watch tv shows based on this type of drama, I’m loving O’Malley’s version of it because…

Unnatural #12 Image Comics Writer: Mirka Andolfo Artist: Mirka Andolfo While Unnatural has been a short series, it has given us great art and an exciting, fast-paced storyline since its start. We’ll be revisiting some overarching themes, so prepare for spoilers. In this issue, we gain a better understanding of what Glance’s goal for Leslie is: to take/transfer the power of the Albino to herself. The start of this series immediately got readers angry with the reproduction program and the society surrounding couples of different species. Early on, Andolfo introduced the theme of discrimination and made parallels to how people…

Space Bandits #2 Image Comics Writer: Mark Millar Artist: Matteo Scalera Mark Millar’s newest story of Space Bandits features two women, Cody Blue and Thena Cole, who are both criminals on a risky mission to get revenge. The cover art for this series gave me outrun vibes and initially had me so excited because I love heists, space, the 80s, and a female lead. My original excitement faded a bit after reading, but the story still has the potential to become great. Artist Matteo Scalera does an amazing job with Millar’s many characters, styles, and settings. Matteo uses thin lines, faded backgrounds,…

Paper Girls #30 Image Comics Writer: Brian K. Vaughn Artist: Cliff Chiang As many readers suspected, this last issue’s tone was much quieter than the rest of the finale arc’s. Despite it being a double issue, there was no more drama, action, or questions left to answer in these panels. I normally don’t add spoilers, but since I wanted to do more of a deep dive on this issue, this is pretty much a recap with analysis. In the previous issue, Mac is zapped away before she can say goodbye to Erin, Tiffany, and KJ. The question on everyone’s mind…

Unnatural #11 Image Comics Writer: Mirka Andolfo Artist: Mirka Andolfo This issue has extreme “out with the old, in with the new” vibes, and I ain’t mad about it. Like her mother, Maxime/The Glance, Leslie has had to face betrayal and loss in her life, and through this, she has had to craft a new identity for herself. She feels untethered from her old self because of her constant struggle with Kahl that she’s beyond exhausted. The old Leslie was ready to give in, but with nothing tying her to her old life, she readily invites the conflict with…

Unnatural #8 Image Comics Writer & Artist: Mirka Andolfo Spoiler Warning An escape, a death, and an attempted suicide. Like much of this series, this issue is not short on action. Determine to take ownership of her life, Leslie makes a splash on the first page of this installment as she attempts to save her friends from herself. With the albino threatening to take over her completely, she continues to resist. How many friends must she lose before she figures out how to rid herself of her demon? The story can’t go on like this forever, but where…

Paper Girls #29 Image Comics Writer: Brian K. Vaughn Artist: Cliff Chiang Brian K. Vaughan and his creative team still have many questions to answer in the second to last installment of the series. Not only do us readers have a few questions, but more importantly, our paper girls still have questions. As they attempt to reunite, they begin to understand just how much this journey has impacted each of them. They’ve seen the women they will become and gained friendships as well. Too bad they won’t remember any of it. They’re not the only ones suffering from memory loss.…

Paper Girls #28 Image Comics Writer: Brian K. Vaughan Artists: Cliff Chiang & Matt Wilson More questions are asked than answered in this series’ best issue yet. Fate. Mortality. War. Brian K. Vaughan begins to tie up each of these universal themes within the first couple of pages, proving once again he’s one of the industry’s top storytellers. With each narrative Vaughan creates, I gain more respect for him due to his ability to choose a creative team and execute complex ideas. I’m constantly in shock at his ability to continuously elevate himself. If you haven’t been paying attention…

Paper Girls #27 Image Comics Writer: Remove term: brian k vaughn Brian k Vaughn Artist: Cliff Chiang & Matt Wilson With the announcement that Paper Girls will be coming to an end this July, Brian K. Vaughan and his team have used this last arc of the series to start wrapping up conflicts between the Old-Timers, the first generation who time travels and believes there should be rules against altering timelines, and the Teenagers, descendants of the Old-Timers who are fighting against the OT’s rules. These last few issues have begged the age-old question of whether or not time can and should…