Author: Victor Benito

Giant-Man (2019-) #2 Marvel Comics Writers: Leah Williams Artists: Marco Castiello & Rachelle Rosenberg Marvel’s summer event War of the Realms is having fun go with many of its tie-ins. There’s a ton of silly and serious imaginings out on the shelves now and I’m loving it. Creators seem to just be picking up Jason Aaron’s ideas and running with them, making frivolous thrills. Unfortunately, whenever there’s a grab bag of characters and action during a summer event, there are also a few mediocre books. I hate to say it but Giant-Man leans into the latter. The story’s crux is…

Smooth Criminals #6 BOOM! Studios Writers: Kurt Lustgarten, Kirsten ‘Kiwi’ Smith, and Amy Roy Artists: Leisha Riddel & Brittany Peer Smooth Criminals is a criminally underrated series as of now. It has cryogenics, 1980s tech movie tropes, the 1960’s hair poof, and a thrown together thieving duo. The characters have been disenfranchised and use their criminal escapade as a way to bring themselves up to par. They’re good people doing the wrong thing for decent reasons and it’s something any reader can get behind. The series spends its first five issues building to the big heist. Mia is constantly…

Assassin Nation #3 Image Comics Writers: Kyle Starks Artists: Erica Henderson Assassin Nation is a wild ride with marvelous visuals that is screaming to be read. Crowded is the comic that feels closest in spirit to this series, what with the craziness and violence. Starks and Henderson make the characters and their choices in the book pop. While I’ve got a small nitpick, I can honestly say this is one of the most fun books I’ve read. The story feels predictable but that doesn’t make it bad or boring. I’ve been able to guess the next steps of each issue…

War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery #2 Marvel Comics Writers: The McElroys Artists: Andre Lima Araujo & Chris O’Halloran Have you ever eaten something and thought, “Oh! This is what I’ve been craving!” That’s my exact reaction upon finishing this book. Journey Into Mystery harkens back to the zany comics of old where anything is possible. The McElroy Brothers take Marvel’s license to run wild at its word. Bringing together a cavalcade of unexpected characters, this team feels like the original Champions or West Coast Avengers. Strung together by a thread of fate, these heroes must take care of…

The Life and Death of Toyo Harada #3 Valiant Entertainment Writers: Joshua Dysart Artists: Cafu, Adam Pollina, Andrew Dalhouse, and Kat Hudson There’s nothing I love more than a fantastic villain. When you can understand a motive on an innate level and see how a person goes down the wrong path? Well, that just reels me in and keeps me coming back. The Life and Death of Toyo Harada is easily one of my favorite villain character studies. What really grabs my attention about this series is that there’s no real hero. Rising Spirit, the corporation funding all anti-Harada campaigns…

Archie #704 Archie Comics Writer: Nick Spencer Artists: Sandy Jarrell & Matt Herms Stories can often tie themselves in knots if they pull in too many directions. Archie #704 is one of those stories. It’s not a bad issue but it drops the baton previous issues were passing it. There are a bit too many story pieces happening far too quickly for the pacing to be enjoyable. It’s not bad dialogue or concepts that make this issue difficult to digest since those are fantastic. The hard parts are watching cool ideas being thrown against a wall without exploring them.…

Runaways (2017-) #20 Marvel Comics Writer: Rainbow Rowell Artists: Andres Genolet & Triona Farrell Runaways is Marvel’s true to life, never-ending coming-of-age story. The characters are constantly learning lessons what it means to grow up while learning their assumptions about it are incorrect. The series wonderfully mimics real life’s realizations while playing them against Marvel’s fantastical backdrop. The book’s creators clearly recognize this and craft amazing stories with this in mind. What happens after the battle is won? How do we put ourselves back together after taking down obstacles or coming face to face with our traumas? Runaways seek…

Major X #2 Marvel Comics Writer: Rob Liefeld Artists: Brent Peeples, Scott Hanna, and Romulo Fajardo Jr Usually reading comics is a fun experience for me. They can be silly or serious and I’ll enjoy whatever comes out of them. I can put aside almost anything that may sound like a flaw and have a great time. While reading Major X, I found myself devouring the pages within seconds since I was ignoring everything. The 90s era of comics is my original gateway into the medium so I’ll say there’s great stuff back there. However, we need to learn to…

Ronin Island #2 BOOM! Studios Writer: Greg Pak Artists: Giannis Milonogiannis & Irma Kniivila Ronin Island is a staunch tale of unity beyond differences, looking at separations that hopefully make us stronger together. Here I am again, staring down a Greg Pak book and enjoying it. I swear that I’m not actively choosing only Pak books, but I’m incredibly happy I keep stumbling onto them. Once you see his name, you know the book’s going to be fun. This truth holds for Ronin Island and BOOM! Studios knows it; increasing the issue count from five to twelve. I suggest…

The Flash (2016-) #67 DC Comics Writers: Joshua Williamson Artists: Scott Kolins & Luis Guerrero The Flash is a book you can count on to be an enjoyable read no matter when you jump in. Some of the best stories come from this book and its creative teams. Whether it’s because of the great supporting characters or the imaginative rogues gallery, you’ll get a kick out of it. This time though? Well, the return of the original Trickster is what has me hype. Often thought of like a knock-off Joker, James Jesse is anything but. This arc is setting him…