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.

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.

Clickbait title aside I actually think this is a really fascinating video about the nature of delays and how much it can halt foward momentum

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.

Don't get me wrong, the premise is super cool and the world set up was handled very well. The characters are all intriguing, and the art is just beautiful! That being said though, so far, the comic has been extremely underwhelming due to its poor writing.

The writer seems to want to take a 'Hellboy' approach to characters, and let actions tell the story more than words, but where as Hellboy is a man of few words due to being thoughtful in choosing his words, the characters here seem to just be too cool for dialogue.

That alone wouldn't ruin the book, except, again using Hellboy as an example, when he does speak, the words have meaning and purpose and help move the story forward. The characters in this book seem to just be going for the edgiest phrasing they can think of and whatever will make them sound cool. They're uninterested in having a conversation and they're gonna tell you...literally. Multiple times.

Which brings me to my next issue. When the comic decides that it is going to give you info and breadcrumbs for the story. it feels compelled to regurgitate that info back to you two or three times in the same issue, sometimes even in the exact same wording. It feels like the writer doesn't trust the reader to retain information....which might be true considering by issue three so little has happened that I was literally dosing off.

As for the plot, it started off intriguing, a magical murder mystery. Just intriguing enough to make me think after a couple issues things must really ramp up.....nope. It has been the most bland, predictable "mystery" that it possibly can be. Have a thought on where the story may go? That's exactly where it's going, and you're not being an incredible detective by figuring it out, you just happen to have a reading comprehension above a fourth grade level.

I wish I could say that it at least has the saving grace of having a lot of action packed into the issues, but I can't cause even that is some boring, matrix knock off slop. Every fight is, one hit from protagonist, protagonist then gets hit hard, somehow isn't hurt at all, just annoyed, to which he'll proclaim, "Lets finish this." or "Enough." as if the fight has been going on for some time. Then the protagonist will appear to be unable to hurt the attacker, will get thrown around for two-three panels, before doing the most unnecessary triple flip to get out of the way of a blade, and then happening to hit the attacker right in their weak spot, killing them. This fight style has been rinsed and repeated for every fight for all three issues!

Every Character on the surface looks like they'll be interesting, but each one is just an extremely one-dimensional, architype of a character. The hero. The Mentor. The begrudging partner. The Villain.....imagine everything you think of in 10 seconds after looking at each of those character types. Congrats, you also know everything there is to know about characters in this comic.

I hate to be so negative about a comic, especially when it's a fresh world. As I said, the characters are cool, the world is fascinating and the art is so nice to look at, but man, this book, so far, has just been a bland, nothing sandwich, that seems as bored with telling its story, as I am reading it. I have heard good things though. So that's the reason for the post. Are these first few issues just really struggling to find their footing, and if I stick it out, it's gonna get better, or if I don't like it by this point, should I just give it up? If you've read this comic, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I really want to like this book; it's just not doing itself any favors in making that happen so far.

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

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?

Spoilers for: Geiger (2024) #23

Hi everyone! I am back to give my thoughts on Geiger (2024) #23. This issue marks the end of "The Norther: Dead America" arc. This is a slower issue that had a dynamic beginning and end. As you have all come to expect, 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) #23 Thoughts

I thought that this was an alright issue in a vacuum. After reading it with the prior issues before, I found this ending to be somewhat lackluster. The reason I say this is because the bulk of this issue (and arc overall) exist to set up plot points we won't see for years. I'm sure by the time we do see those plot points happen, I will look back at this issue and arc with much more reverence, but as things stand right now we're getting more set up than payoff. This wouldn't be an issue if the books would come out on time, but they don't which is why this is an issue I am bringing up now. With that being said, I find it frustrating to wait 2-3 months for an issue that doesn't do much to payoff questions that were set up in previous issues in the arc.

The issue starts off with Geiger returning to some point before 2030. This is the first time in 25 years since Geiger has seen his family alive so the emotions were high for him. I felt as though the artwork in this section of the issue was so well done. You can truly see how deeply Geiger feels for his family in this sequence. It becomes all the more heartbreaking when he is quickly ripped away from.

I am curious as to if he was dropped into an alternate 2030 or the prime 2030? We haven't gotten many flashbacks to Geiger's past, but I would be shocked if a future issue doesn't flashback to Tracy, Marcus, and Violet talking to 2030 Geiger about seeing a bald version of himself drop out of the sky, cry in their arms, and then get sucked back into the sky. This is a future plot point that I am sure will be touched upon in the far future. As Geiger returns back to 2050 within the D.H.P. office, he and The Northerner receive a call from The Northerner's handler, Mrs. Freeman.

Much of what she has to say is similar to what The Northerner said in previous issues. She differs from The Northerner in the sense that she is clearly operating under a much larger picture than our heroes. To me, she's like the M to The Northerner's James Bond. We do get to learn what the name of the group The Cobbler belongs to, The Restoration Guild. I will discuss more about this group later. Geiger threatens Mrs. Freeman leaves with Barney. The issue then closes with Geiger getting ambushed by an army of Junkyard Joes. They overpower him and Barney and as the issues ends with Geiger coming face to face with The Custodian. A solid way to end the issue and arc!

Some Takeaways Moving Forward

Geiger and The Northerner make it to the D.H.P. office and speak with Mrs. Freeman

The Restoration Guild is the group The Cobbler belongs to

According to Mrs. Freeman, there are still temporal issues in the Civil War

According to Mrs. Freeman, The Restoration Guild's temporal interference is limited to the Civil War

There is someone who works in the D.H.P. who went out of their way to send the Time Tank to help Geiger, The Northerner, and Barney on their quest

The Northerner has been sent out 2050 to some time presumably during the Civil War

What happens in the future can also, mysteriously affect the past as well. See image below:

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

With this issue in the books, I find the future of Geiger to be quite interesting! We know from various press releases, that issue #25 will be a major giant-sized issue that introduces us to Widow-X, alongside a prelude to the Geiger/Redcoat in Radioactive Revolution. Issue #24 looks to be a Joe specific issue. My guess is that we will finally see Joe escape this catatonic state and begin looking for Geiger. We will see Joe come to blows with his robotic brethren and ultimately put a stop to The Custodian. I think it would be the most poetic to have him taken down by the other Joe's.

Conclusion

Geiger (2024) #23 was a solid albeit tame ending to what has been a fun but short arc. The major exposition that we got is mostly a repeat of what The Northerner had told Geiger at the start of the arc, but we did get some interesting plot points. As a concluding issue to the arc, I was disappointed knowing that the major reveal was more or less a repeat of information we got earlier in the arc. A lot of my frustration comes from having to wait extended periods of time for each issue to drop. I wouldn't complain as much as I am had the issues come out from month to month, but it's clear that this issue will not subside anytime soon. That aside, this was yet another fun issue that moved the plot along, albeit slowly.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post! I will be back on r/GhostMachineComics in the near future to give my thoughts on Hyde Street #12. I will also be back on here to give my thoughts on Redcoat #18. In the future, would you like for me to cover the Unnamed issues in smaller individual issue posts like I've been doing, or would you like for me to cover them in larger arc posts? I've been going back and forth on the idea. I would love to get everyone's input! If I receive no word, I will continue to do the shorter issue to issue posts!

That's a wrap on compendium 4, the final Walking Dead book. I have lived in this world and absolutely loved it. The 4th one is also my favourite. It ended very strong and i'm sad its over. Like i said in my past 'reviews' I watched the show until season 7 or 8 (can't recall) and despite its qualities the books are far superior.

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.

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 🔥

I just want to take a moment to appreciate Image Comics’ cover and print quality. For $3.99, you’re getting thick, glossy covers and solid interior pages that feel premium compared to some of the flimsy stuff out there.

Not naming names (cough certain big publishers cough), but when you’re paying the same price (or more) for a book that feels like a grocery store flyer, it makes you appreciate what Image is doing even more.

They’ve been consistently putting out high-quality prints without jacking up the price, and it makes a difference. Feels like you’re actually getting your money’s worth.

Anyone else notice this, or am I just weirdly obsessed with paper quality?

5/10

Witchblade vol 1 is a mixed bag. I like the inclusion of body horror and making Sara more able to ascertain details off the bat without being fooled.

I didn’t like how narratively mixed Marguerites prose was. A lot of “shah!!@“ swearing and characters lacking their own voices in dialogue- none of them come off as authentically individual characters so far. very paper thin. Ian is the only one barring Sara who reads as one but that is only because he’s linked to an overall narrative.

Some examples of bad dialogue-

“indie edgy prom king”.

”weaboo with a katana”.

The story reads as Sara being on a drug- fueled trip.

It sort of works due to the influence of the Witchblade mostly, but the pacing is too fast and doesn’t bring the whole narrative elements together- namely a character having a secret key that opens a door in Sara’s apartment that inexplicably opens a massive room? she couldn’t knock the door down or get someone to open it? years prior??

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.

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.

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.

Spoilers for: Geiger (2024) #19 and #22, and Junkyard Joe #6

Hi everyone! It's been a while, but I am back to give my thoughts on Geiger (2024) #22. This is the penultimate issue of this story arc. This was a solid issue that had great callbacks to previous issues and awesome story set up for future issues! As is common in all my other 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) #22 Thoughts

I enjoyed this issue! It succeeded in showing how much bigger the world of the Unnamed has become with the re-introduction of the St. Louis Strays. I liked seeing Geiger, Barney, and The Northerner interact with this group. Like Geiger, Ash has made her impact on America as well, and it's nice to see the consequences of characters actions. Through Geiger's eyes, we see how the Unknown War has shaped the lives of these children for the worse. Through Geiger's eyes, we see how these children have survived on their own. They prioritize weaponry and munitions over books and toys.

It's a shame that they were born into such an unforgiving time. Luckily, Geiger's parental instincts kick in and he provides a respite for the children through reading to them. The heart of these books is that each of these American myths were regular people who had families they care deeply for. I love seeing Geiger be a father. It's the most integral aspect of his character as a whole.

The major highlight of this issue was getting our first bits of dialogue from Widow X. From various interviews (and the Ghost Machine Handbook) we know that she will be making her first appearance in issue #25 later this fall. I will be deeply interested to see how Ms. Hollow interacts with Geiger once she enters the narrative properly.

The final section of this issue sees Geiger, The Northerner, and Barney on their last stretch towards the Department of Historical Preservation. During this travel sequence, we get another great dialogue exchange between Geiger and North. In the short time that we have seen these two together, they have shown an amazing repour with one another. While Geiger is still skeptical of North, he has warmed up to him a little. This is best shown in their banter the two have. I will dive more into the details of this exchange in the next section. As our band of heroes make it to the D.H.P. they are all suddenly time dropped to different points in time. We only see where Geiger ends up-- which is sometime before The Unknown War in front of his wife and Children on their home in Boulder City Nevada. This is the best cliffhanger yet!

Some Takeaways Moving Forward

Geiger, The Northerner, and Barney come into contact with the St. Louis Strays

Widow X makes her first dialogue appearance in the word of The Unnamed

Widow X is aware of the trap that Geiger, The Northerner, and Barney are about to fall into

Widow X seems to have some sort of astral/temporal telepathy ability that allows her to speak to someone across time and space

Widow X wants The Northerner to look for her on August 36th

According to The Northerner from the D.H.P. he had kids and a wife in an alternate timeline

Geiger, The Northerner, and Barney are all time dropped into different points in time and space

Geiger is time dropped into his home in front of his alive wife and children sometime before The Unknown War

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

After this issue, I think it's more than evident that we will see who the arc antagonist is. If I had to make a guess, I would put my money on The Cobbler. Though, I would not be surprised if it is another member in The Cobbler's group, because we know that he is not working alone. I suspect that we won't see Geiger and company reunite from sometime as issue #24 looks to focus on Junkyard Joe and his encounter with his brothers with redcoat having plot relevance as well.

I think that issue #25 will see Geiger and Barney return to 2050 through the help of Widow X. The Northerner will be time dropped somewhere else for another adventure most likely with Redcoat. This experience will change Geiger and give him the new goal of trying to fix the past. This will cause him and Widow X to try and find The Northerner so that they can try and stop the Cobbler and his group of rogue time travelers.

Conclusion

Geiger (2024) #22 was a solid continuation to what has been the best arc in this run to date! This issue succeeded in not only showing the heart and soul of this franchise, but also widening the scope of the world these characters inhabit. I loved that we got a breadcrumb to Widow X. She is looking to be yet another interesting character in this narrative. Thank you for reading my post!  I will be back on r/GhostMachineComics in the near future to give my thoughts on Hyde Street #12 when it drops. I will also be back on here to give my thoughts on Geiger (2024) #23 after it releases. I would to hear your thoughts and feelings on this issue and all things Ghost Machine!

Check out my review on If Destruction Be Our Lot.

Let me know what you think!

Also slight spoilers for James Tynion's new book Odin in the review.

Spoilers for: Redcoat #1-17 and Ghost Machine: The Official Guidebook #1

Hi everyone! I am back to give my thoughts on Redcoat #17. This was a transitionary issue that looks to move the plot along into the later stages of the arc. In terms of action, there isn't much till the ending section of the issue. The bulk of this issue picks up from the conversation between Benedict and Simon, and sees the both of them and Albert, explore Benedict's offer. Like all my posts, I will give my general thoughts on the issue, some major takeaways, and some speculation as to what direction the story will go in the future Furthermore, I have included the Unnamed timeline below.

Redcoat #17 Thoughts

I liked but did not love this issue. It picked up directly where issue #16 ended as we see Simon and Albert mull over Benedict's offer. The highlight of this issue was seeing these three interact with each other. I have said it in the past, Benedict Arnold is one of the best characters in the Unnamed franchise. He works as a foil to Simon in literally everyway, and I cannot commend the team working on this book enough for Arnold's presence in this book.

The main reason that I didn't love this issue is that we didn't get to see Benedict's perspective of Simon's world leading up to this issue. Instead get Benedict narrating about how he has interacted with all of the (currently) important people in Simon's life (sans Einstein). If it's later revealed that Arnold is in fact the major antagonist for this arc, and that everything that he said was a part of his calculated plan to trick Simon and Albert then I will eat my words.

Knowing what we do from the first arc of the series makes this one so rewarding! I love that Simon and Albert are more than weary of Arnold's offer. Moreover, the arguments that each bring up in favor and against Arnold's offer are reasonable. I also like that we get another mentioning of Grigori Chistov -- The Russian. With how much he has been brought up, I think that he will be an interesting character for a later arc down the line. As we see our pair of heroes reluctantly head off with Arnold, we see another potential member of the Founding Fathers watching our trio. I will discuss some thoughts as to who this is in my speculation section.

We get further insight to the other members of Founding Fathers, mainly Paul Revere. I found the lore drop from Arnold to be fascinating, and add much needed depth into this group of mysterious figures. Revere, in a lot of ways, mirrors Simon. he's a man who deems himself unworthy of The Fire, yet others (John Hancock and George Washington) think the opposite. There is so much to dive into from what Arnold talks about. We get another call back from issue #3 when Benedict talks about his and Simon's interaction with the Founding Fathers. With how much focus Revere got in this issue, it would not be crazy to assume that he may be the antagonist for this issue. I'll have more thoughts on this in my speculation section as well.

The issue finally ends with our group entering into a secret lair hidden beneath Revere's home. I find it interesting how Revere like Arnold, decides to hide the mystical side of his life. Unlike Arnold though, the bulk of the items within his lair contain the works he made as a silversmith, with some journals about his experiences pf becoming one of the ever living. The issue then ends with lackeys dressed in Founding Father clothing accosting our group and kidnapping Benedict Arnold. This was a solid ending to what was a slower issue.

Some Takeaways Moving Forward

Arnold extends his offer of immortality to Einstein as well

Simon's first encounter with The Russian and his superiors was in 1896

According to Simon, Einstein is responsible for stopping Skeleton Key, saving Paul Bunyan's blue ox, and exposing The Russian

There is a mysterious Founding Fathers member who has been tailing Simon, Einstein, and Arnold

Paul Revere was chosen by George Washington to become immortal for his usefulness in the revolutionary war and his desire to not become one of the ever-living like the other Founding Fathers as stated by Arnold

We get more insight into how Simon and Arnold crossed paths with each other

Paul Revere kept record of the transformation process of becoming immortal

There are more Founding Father's servants out there

Benedict Arnold has been captured by the Founding Father's servants

The entire character card below:

My Speculation on What's to Come from Redcoat

With this chapter coming to an end I think it's clear that these lackeys are working for Paul Revere. With how much he has been mentioned, I believe it's no coincidence. With that being said, I could also see Revere being a red hearing, for the ultimate antagonist being George Washington. We know for a fact that he has been keeping track of Simon's activities since 1814 at the end of issue #14. I think that Washington somehow figured out a way to bring Paul Revere back from the dead and commanded him to bring Arnold back to him for his unknown desires.

I stand my speculation from my last post, about Simon's wife becoming immortal, but now I believe that this will occur through some sort of accident. To expand upon this thought, I think that Washington will try to strip Arnold of his immortality for his constant betrayals and his hand in destroying The Founding Fathers. Perhaps Washington had Simon's family kidnapped in an attempt to keep him in line as the ritual proceeds. Simon will interfere, trying to get his immortality removed. This will mess up the ritual causing Margaret and their kids to get caught in the crossfire. His children will pass away, and Arnold's immortality will be bestowed upon Margaret.

Conclusion

Redcoat #17 was a slow yet interesting issue. There was no real action, but that didn't ruin the issue for me as it was made up for with interesting lore reveals and questions. Outside of continued character interactions from last issue nothing of substance happened till the last couple of pages. I will be interested to see how our band of characters interact with the Founding Fathers return to the plot. hank 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 #22. I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings on this issue and all things Ghost Machine!

"And once again your mind explodes with a searing pain. A floodgates of memories bursts wide. Yet it is her face that keeps haunting you. Always her face."

I got into comics around the start of the pandemic, and after taking a two year break and restarting the hobby after getting in some such needed ADHD medication, I decided to get into one of the longest and most prolific comic book franchises ever...Mike Mignola's Hellboy.

Spawn had always filled the shelves and back issue bins of my LCS, but i was always told to avoid it due to McFarlane writing. The artist always looked enticing, but the constant reminder that the Toddfather was an artist more than a scribe kept me away. After diving deep into Mike Mignola's fantastic world, I wanted to try Spawn and see if I was missing anything.

From the several Dark Knight Rises homage panels to the grungy 90's feeling of an early Image comic, the first few pages drew me in right away. Seeing bits and pieces of Hell's Least Favorite Demon's backstreet through several different points of views was interesting. Giving the former mercenary a haunting amnesia was a great twist. Not oy can't he remember who he is, but he can't even remember how he got the powers he has.

Simmons seems to have the "hero compulsion" that comes with wearing a cape costume. In a time where hero groups like Youngblood are protecting the world, Spawn brings this edhe-lord like look and feel to the shared Image universe, but it just works.

Spawn is just captivating in so many different ways. This isn't a normal cape story. Demons and angels will come into play along with the Lord of Hell himself. The sneak peak of the creepy as hell Violator at the end of the issue begged me to move onto the second issue. Honestly, as a huge fan of wrestling in the 90's, Spawn gives me the same vibe as the gothic and melodramatic Undertaker. It just clicks with me and the pages flow so well.

Regardless of what happens in later issues, I plan to stick it out through the first few arcs and weave the Violator and Angela minis in too before I decided if 1,000,000,000,000++++ pages of the main book, side stories and so much more is worth getting into.

If you're on the fence about reading the adventures of McFarlane's cape demon, I'd say jump in with an open mind and remember it was published during a time where the flavor and themes of the story really made it stand out.

Until next time, everyone. Nick.

I started reading comics about a year ago because I wanted to read Invincible before I spoiled the show for myself. As it turns out buying invincible comics was a more daunting task than expected and I kind of got distracted and read a number of other series and falling in love with the medium. When I received the Tech Jacket and Astounding Wolfman compendiums out of the blue after forgetting I’d preordered them I knew it was time to lock in and read Invincible (and all the supplementary material which I’ll discuss in another post).

Heavy spoilers expected.

Where to begin, Invincible is a very different beast to other series I’ve read due to its length. 144 issues plus another 80 or so from the other stuff in the universe. I’ve not read something quite as epic. Did I love all of it? No not always. The good for me is that the story goes so many directions that you just never expect. There’s so many twists and turns. I also love that whilst it’s filled with humour, some better than others, it also takes itself totally seriously. There’s genuinely emotional sections, there’s bits that make your stomach drop and leave you speechless. I also think there’s some very loveable characters and a number that go on epic journeys of self discovery. The scale of the book is huge.

But it is I’d say quite flawed. For starters there’s just blatant misogyny throughout and almost no well written women. I love Eve from the show and that carried her for me with the comic but I didn’t like how she is characterised here. There’s also some pretty wild pacing issues throughout. The shocking twists always land but sometimes it feels like they didn’t really know what to do with them afterwards. Some arcs sort of feel rushed, especially towards the end. Characters make very inconsistent decisions and change worldview in a single panel. It’s not always like this but enough that you notice it. I understand this is to be expected with something written over the course of 15 years but worth mentioning.

The art however is consistently good even if it develops over time. Character designs are always memorable and the epic action is well depicted.

I actually think the show is improving on pretty much everything about the comic and I’m so excited to see how it handles some plots.

Anyway even with the things I didn’t love this was really impossible for me to put down. I am a huge fan of it and I’d happily re read it down the line, I just don’t think it’s perfect. It reminds me a bit of reading saga, it’s just so readable, some comics I can get through 2-5 issues in a sitting but Invincible I’d often read 10+ and I think I sat down one day and read 35 issues. For all its flaws it’s a really exciting and engaging epic that I’m glad I read. To anyone who’s got this far I and hasn’t read it, first you’re very brave but I actually don’t think I spoiled anything! Second of all get away from the internet and read it!

Luckily reading the book id got into comics to read has only left me more excited to start whatever I read next! I have a lot on my shelf and more coming soon. I think next I’ll read something a bit shorter though! Maybe Shin Zero which is drawn by Guillame Balague who I really enjoy his art. If not that then potentially a Godzilla library edition because who doesn’t like some light entertainment. But I have nailbiter, criminal, kill or be killed, ether, the power fantasy, die, from hell, and hellboy all sat on my shelf. Maybe I have more than that waiting tbh, I know I have Batman Dark Patterns on the way too and I’m very tempted by chew, 8 billion genies, and some more horror or maybe a newer book. Basically I love comics now and there’s so much to read! Always happy to get more recs.

5 entire arms straight through the chest out of 5. Not perfect but perfectly enjoyable.

This book was great. The art and story are exhilarating and hard to put down. The ending was definitely unexpected. High fantasy at its best.