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#47 Stone Kraken by Angelos Kyprianos

I was fortunate, though only for a short time, to witness one of the many stories crafted over the years by Kyprianos , or as you may know him, Vardos or Angelos . Besides being a musician and writer, he has also created tabletop games, such as Meteor Tales . The Stone Kraken is one of the tales set in this world, written as if you are part of a game session, one of the characters yourself. It connects directly to Karadra’s Shipwreck and indirectly to several other books. I’ve read all of them except one, though I’ll need to revisit a few, since the amount of information is vast and no single mind can contain it all, except perhaps Kyprianos ’, who somehow seems to remember everything. He’s been developing this universe his entire life, and it shows in the details, the progression, and the ease with which he speaks and writes about it. His thoughts constantly return to the forests of his world, to the seas, the islands, and the underground passages that lead to the lairs of creatur...

#46 Scarlet by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev

I remember when it sat on the shelves of the comic shop I used to go to, back in 2010, and although I could have subscribed and picked up my monthly issue, I didn’t. I don’t know why. I probably had several other titles running at the same time and couldn’t afford to add another one. Now I regret it, because I’d have it in my collection. You can’t have everything. In 2022 Dark Horse published a volume that collects the entire work in an excellent edition. At some point I found it at a fantastic price, bought it, read it, and without exaggeration, Scarlet sits comfortably among Bendis’s five best comics. Maleev is consistently superb, so there’s nothing to qualify or single out. His work is uniformly strong. Enough with the generalities. At the center of the story is Scarlet Rue, drawn in meticulous detail. She narrates her life herself and even breaks the fourth wall to speak directly to the reader, as if only she can see an invisible camera, turning to us to say what needs to be said....

#45 Batman Omnibus Vol 1 by Tom King

It was on a boat. It was on the street. These two lines are repeated often and, strange as it may sound, they encapsulate the entire work. From a disagreement, a different memory, two opposing perspectives, two separate events that carry deep significance for each of them, Batman and Catwoman, Bruce and Selina, Bat and Cat. One insists that their first meeting happened on a boat, the other on the street, but where did it truly take place? Let’s not rush, though, and begin at the start. In the title I only mention the name of the main writer, not of the many other creators involved, since listing them all would make the title excessively long and unwieldy. Still, to give you a sense of who appears in this large volume, here are some of them: Steve Orlando , Joshua Williamson , Scott Snyder , Tim Seeley , James Tynion IV , followed by artists such as Mikel Janín , David Finch , Mitch Gerads , Clay Mann , Lee Weeks , and others. Lately I have been investing, as much as I can, in Omnibus e...

#44 Daredevil Omnibus Vol 1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev

I am not saying anything original or new, only offering one more confirmation among the many over the years that Bendis’s run on Daredevil stands equal in significance and quality to Miller’s . The comparison arises because of its maturity and its dramatic approach to the famous hero, with a strong focus on his psychology, particularly the moral dimension and the question of how consistently it is upheld. Being human, he makes mistakes or gives in to impulses he cannot control, creating a chain of irreversible actions. For many years I wanted to read it, and I finally managed to hold one of the two omnibuses in my hands. Unfortunately, the second is out of stock as I write these lines, and I can only hope it will be reprinted someday. Otherwise this story risks being left incomplete, since there is no other way to read it in print, other editions are either unavailable or sold at outrageous prices. The partnership between Bendis and Maleev is one of those rare cases that occur only onc...

#43 Something is Killing the Children Vol 1, 2, 3 by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera

It’s no wonder this comic has become so successful. It is, so far, the most accomplished work in the author’s career, a period in which he is at the height of his creativity, writing constantly. From what I have read, everything he puts out is excellent, and many of his projects are still ongoing, which makes the workload demanding, yet he handles it impressively well. At the end I’ll include a link to a recent interview he gave on Image Comics’ official podcast, which is definitely worth listening to. Today I’ll give you a concise overview of what happens in the first three volumes of Something is Killing the Children , which are the ones I’ve read so far. From what I understand, these close out the first major arc of the story. After this point, readers are encouraged to check out House of Slaughter Vol. 1 , a spin-off of the main series, so that’s where I’ll head next. For now, though, let’s focus here. In Vol. 1, we find ourselves in Archer’s Peak, where children are being brutall...

#42 Confess by Rob Halford with Ian Gittins

At the beginning of his book, Halford writes: Even though I knew I was gay, for a while there was a part of me that was in denial about it. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with gay people, I just didn’t want to be one of them, probably because of the confusion and pain I sensed it would bring me in later life. This sentence perfectly sums up, through his personal example, what so many people out there have experienced when facing marginalization, especially during the years to which this man refers. Unfortunately, even today, decades later, despite the progress that has been made, many still find themselves in this grim reality, which at times becomes even more complex and irrational. Concepts like acceptance, respect, and love are often thrown out the window of the tallest building, and as they fall, they sing national anthems, just to make sure division takes place before they hit the pavement with a final splat. Lemmy once said, paraphrasing, why be racist, why hate some...