The Previous Title Was Capriciously Censored

Review by The Wife

Two very different towns. One a yuppie one, the other a hippie one. And both are connected by one woman, who seems to have survived attempted murder. The questions are why and by whom. To answer those questions, we need to know who Cassie/Jill is. And was her objective to escape an abusive marriage or infiltrate a more sinister group?

Score: 7 out of 10

End of Life - Issue 4

DC / Vertigo

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is a messed-up book, but it has some endearing aspects to it that make it work. Mostly in what is happening around Eddie, the protagonist, to the supporting cast. Everyone is kind of weird but generally decent. I mean, except for the bad guys, who are just over-the-top awful. We actually learn a fair amount about George, but I think it comes a bit too late for us to do anything with it. I’m curious as to what happens when Eddie decides to go on the offensive. Messed-up book. The art is great. Same with the cover. The back of the issue stuff is amusing.

Score: 8 out of 10

Fantastic Four - Issue 11

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This issue has all the beats that make this book great, particularly in the past few volumes, where the creatives are leaning heavily into the family aspects as well as the big science stuff. It’s an immensely hopeful and positive book, and it is well constructed. And this issue hits all of those beats, even if the threat isn’t that significant. What’s extra good is that it doesn’t gloss over recent events as they’re still causing problems. The normal artist isn’t here, so the look is just OK. But… there is a backup story by Stan Sakai, which is a lot of fun.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

Seven Wives - Issue 1

Review by The Wife

In rural Arizona, the pastor of a fringe group of fundamentalist Mormons is brutally murdered. Detectives Aguilar and Halwell are brought into investigate. And as they investigate the seven wives, one thing is for certain…you cannot escape human nature. Which begs the question, who stabbed Ezekiel Dunn 47 times? Will it be an Orient Express situation or simple rage?

Score: 7 out of 10

Absolute Green Arrow - Issue 1

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I feel like this book works as long as you spend little time thinking about it. And much of that is because of the artwork, which makes things seem confusing. Particularly about the character called Jubal Slade, who at times seems like a sniveling little geek and then other times like a contestant on one of those dating shows. It was very confusing. Most of the story revolves around Dinah Lance, and that was alright, though I’m not clear why they didn’t just make this Absolute Black Canary instead. The big mystery is who Green Arrow is. I’m not sure it really matters as this character seems inconsequential in this universe, but maybe the heroes do need a billionaire backer…so, Oliver, who faked his death. And now wants revenge. I don’t know. This universe vexes me. The art is adequate.

Score: 6 out of 10

The Amazing Spider-Man - Issue 29

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Raelith the Wretched makes an appearance! I hope she sticks around, though MJ and Black Cat are still on the periphery. This is an alright tale, but it feels like this issue is mostly dealing with the aftereffects of the past year or so of story. So, not a lot moves forward, and everything stays the same for sad-sack Peter. At least when he was in space, that was something different. Just like things were when he was briefly Sorcerer Supreme. If you’re not going to give us Pete and a significant other, then give us something new. The art is very good with interesting coloring.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

Sirens: Love Hurts - Issue 4

DC / Black Label

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This appears to be the end of this series. I guess it was a mini-series, and it had a sense of closure and growth amongst the four main characters, as well as with their significant others. Much of my early confusion about this book’s beginnings was about the chronology of how it fit into things. By the end, I realized it was earlier in the universe, and it made more sense. The villain was almost an afterthought. Messed up like the heroes, and a plan that barely existed. Given the dysfunction, it was much harder for the team than it should have been. The book is fun and profane. And it’s well-drawn with vibrant colors.

Score: 8 out of 10

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Alright, so other than a three-day weekend, this past week sucked ass. As for the comics, it was solid. Fantastic Four is worth your money.Will next week be better? No. Thanks for joining us at Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 20 May 2026! - A Whole New Kind Of Corruption!

2026-05-21T11:45:54.283-07:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. Honestly, I’m not sure how Trump can be more obvious about his corruption and this new January 6th fund—unless he pulled Air Force One up to Fort Knox and just started grabbing gold bars. He won’t stop until he gets that ballroom. Especially given how poorly the war in Iran is going for him. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got five titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Something Is Killing The Children - Issue 47

BOOM! Studios

Review by The Wife

This issue gives a glimpse of how Jessica started her alcohol addiction. She cares about those she protects because it isn’t wrong to save people. And we also learn more about Adda because the choices they make should be hard choices. As for Cecilia, she’s a sociopath but genuinely cares for Jessica in her own way. James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera craft a very human story in a world filled with monsters.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

Godzilla vs America: Godzilla vs Texas - Issue 1

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This ongoing series of one-shot stories tends to be of mixed quality. Usually, there is one great one, a few OK ones, and one or two that weren’t very good. This issue was pretty bad. The first one was sort of amusing, but in reality, they all seemed damning of the people living in the state. I’m politically critical of the state, but I don’t hate the people. Many make me sad and infuriated, but it’s a bit brutal. And the stories aren’t that clever to make it worth it. The art, generally, is not that great either.

Score: 4.5 out of 10

Barbara Gordon: Breakout - Issue 1

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Barbara Gordon has evolved a lot over the years. Sure, there are repercussions from Killing Joke that still sometimes show up, but not always. She’s got some strange goal of infiltrating the prison to deal with corruption in it, which is great, except that it comes at the expense of the problems befalling the Bat-family. It’s a bit of a stretch, though I think not a huge concern, because any two or three of them working together are pretty formidable. Adding another doesn’t swing the balance so much. Still, the timing nags at me. This book looks pretty good, and it seems like it will be fun overall.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

Action Comics - Issue 1098

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

All of the joy of the prior issue was a struggle to find here. The only part I enjoyed was the more human moments with Mary Marvel, and even then, all of that momentum came to a crashing halt. Which is a shame. The main story, here, is fairly straightforward. Lots of timey-wimey things that drive things, and it is passable. Where this book (or any, for that matter, in the superhero genre) tends to elevate itself is when the creative team finds new character angles, most of which come through relationships. This book was so close to jumping into something cool, and then it backed off. I suppose Clark and Lois are just so fixed, there’s no point in something else. But why not? The book does look good.

Score: 7 out of 10

Ultimate Endgame - Issue 4 (of 5)

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Seriously, I thought this was the last issue, but I was wrong again. This issue was mostly Captain America fighting Captain Britain, with people reacting to events. I wish there were more to add to this. Aside from the Ultimate Spider-Man, these books are mostly incoherent. There are weird jumps, and there’s little narrative flow. Perhaps I should have started by wishing this event were over. I find this vexing, too, mostly because the writer of this book has written one of the best books right now: Assorted Crisis Events. He’s great. I think this series is ruined by the editorial mandate not to let the copyright lapse. At least it looks good, even though the cover has no semblance to the content.

Score: 5 out of 10

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OK, so the world continues to swirl into the toilet, but the comics are a mixed bag. Something Is Killing The Children is a must-buy. Everything else is just OK to poor quality. Will next week be better? No. Not it won't. Not until those cheeseburgers finally stop Shitler's "heart." Until then, thank you for joining us for Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 13 May 2026! - Let's Vote These Guys Out

2026-05-14T09:48:26.473-07:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. Trump has been saying the quiet parts out loud that he hates you and wants you to suffer. I mean, he certainly did nothing about inflation. Or gas prices. And his KKK, er, SCOTUS has done a bang-up job on protecting voting rights. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got nine titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Absolute Superman - Issue 19

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This book is almost interesting. Or, I guess almost absolutely interesting. Sorry. I know it’s done well, but I just don’t get it. It’s like editorial thought that the 90s were the best time for comics, and let’s bring it back with darker stories and weaker characters. Here, things have become a bit more interesting as more characters are being introduced. So much of the drama is being driven by the chaos Braniac caused. The new takes on the other heroes have been interesting. Steel is the biggest enigma. I’m curious to see how this all plays out, but this feels like a setup for an Absolute Justice League. The look of this book is interesting.

Score: 6 out of 10

Fall of the House of Slaughter - Issue 1

BOOM! Studios

Review by The Wife

Tate Brombal does a good job of taking over the storytelling from James Tynion IV. He keeps the politics of the house in play as well as the monsters. Plus, Maxine’s character keeps growing and evolving. However, given the artwork, it does take me out of the story a bit, as it isn’t on par with Werther Dell’Edera, in my opinion. Despite that, of course, I will continue to read this series to see where it leads.

Score: 7 out of 10

Fantastic Four - Issue 10

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

There was a tremendous build-up to this issue, as we met the Invincible Woman in past issues. She was Sue Storm from an alternate dimension who became all-powerful and lost her humanity. So there was a big build-up to her arrival on our Earth, and she was sort of surprised by all the heroes here. Still, it took everyone digging deep and finding further reserves to… well, redirect everything back on her to save the day. The ending of that part suggests we haven’t seen the end of her. If I were the editors, I’d connect her with The Maker. Chaos. Also, there was some Galactus stuff, which was interesting. I do love how Marvel has leveled Sue up considerably. The art in this book looks great.

Score: 7 out of 10

Batman - Issue 9

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

There are two things happening in this issue. The main part is that Vandal Savage and the GCPD are on the attack, and the Bat Family has to clear out safe houses. It’s fairly chaotic and kinetic. It’s also kind of small. They keep jumping to Tim Drake, who is on a date while this is happening, and you can tell he’ll get back in, but the drama is weird. The delay is worse given what happens at the end of the issue, and he’s still on his date. It’s tonally odd. The other part is that Bruce is wrestling with how to be the parent Damian needs. I feel like this has been covered elsewhere. Overall, it is still a well-constructed book, but it has lost some of the charm that earlier issues had. The art is fine, but not quite as good as prior arcs.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

If Destruction Be Out Lot - Issue 1

Image Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I think someone was in here is an interesting philosophical question about what a machine is when no one is using it, even if it can still do stuff. My feelings on the depth of this book end there. There’s some small amount of world-building going on here, but there’s not much else. The protagonist is an animatronic Abraham Lincoln, but I sort of get what he wants—I just don’t care. There is a casual, goofy violence to this story that rings inauthentic. It’s just chaotic and overwhelming, and misses the mark on connecting to something deeper. I concede that this might collect well, and make more sense then. But as floppies, it’s disappointing. The interior is solid.

Score: 5.5 out of 10

The Amazing Spider-Man - Issue 28

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

A lot of things have changed for Peter, but very little has changed. This was a useful issue in that it resolved things, but more in a checklist sort of way. And it did move something forward, but as usual, Peter is worse off than before. I think the best part of this issue was the characters Peter picked up in space. Particularly, Raelith the Wretched, and I hope she gets to become something more. Also, I hope Glitch sticks around. Otherwise, this book was amusing, but it didn’t break much new ground. It looks good.

Score: 7 out of 10

Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner - Issue 1

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

If you’re a Guy Gardner fan—and I am—then you’ll probably enjoy this book. Probably. I kind of did. There is a lot of mayhem associated with the character, and you either like it or you don’t. They’re leaning into him being the college frat boy, and I see some of that in him. I also see a damaged person who creates barriers to avoid being hurt. The willpower that made him the arguable first choice for Abin Sur in the first place was born out of his background. He was a joke for a long time, but I think his value has become more apparent. This book does spend some time exploring his depth, even if the story is pretty thin. There is an amusing bit where he’s right, but for all the wrong reasons. And the book looks pretty good.

Score: 7 out of 10

The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace - Issue 2 (of 3)

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I didn’t realize this was just a three-issue mini-series until the last page of this book, when it said, “to be concluded!” I have mixed feelings on that. I felt like the first issue was a massive setup, but it created little in the way of stakes, since most of the characters were flat or poorly defined. Some of that came from the artwork, which is both weird and sort of amateurish. There is a degree of subtlety found in it. Particularly with the demonic entity, but there were so many moments I couldn’t tell which character I was looking at. I feel as though this book is better than the prior issue because things moved forward, and it tied into the other mini-series. Still, it’s a flawed project.

Score: 6 out of 10

Star Wars Rogue One: Cassian Andor - Issue 1

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I was intrigued by this. After the Andor series on Disney+, I think we’ve all come to like the character. Rogue One only gave us some insight into him, and that series was really well told. We get this comic to add a bit more. I’m not sure. It was another of his missions, which is cool. I’m just not sure what it did for this universe. Maybe we get a little nugget about some minor character, but there wasn’t anything that felt new here. Add to that, it was just a one-shot (I think), and I wonder what the point is. Besides, stealing a few bucks from someone who spends little time in a comic shop. At least is looked good.

Score: 5.5 out of 10

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So, the world continues to flush itself down the toilet. And the comics are just adequate. Is this our new normal? Given everything happening in the world, do we actually deserve better? I don't know. I just know I'm tired of all this. If we're still here next week, please join us for more Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 6 May 2026! - Vote For Your Life

2026-05-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. We’re still at “war” with Iran. Or maybe we’re negotiating? Or maybe there is a ceasefire? No one knows. Well, they know the cost of gas is getting crazy. Of equal importance, but consequential for a different group, SCOTUS pretty much gutted the Voting Rights Act. And now the Redistricting Wars seem to have no end in sight. Also, are we on the precipice of another pandemic with the hantavirus? It’s not like the head of the Department of Health and Human Services cares. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got four titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Batman / Wonder Woman: Truth - Issue 1

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I guess this is the thing that came after Batman: Hush, and it’s by the same creative team. I feel like I read Hush, but I remember very little of it. This story was a fun heist tale, with some fun swerves involving Catwoman. Given the events of the Justice League Unlimited animated series, I was reading more into this story than I think was there. I totally thought this was an early stage of a romance between the two. I might end up being right, but if it is the case, they’re only dancing around it. Otherwise, this is a fine tale that adds little to these characters. At least it looked nice.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning - Issue 2

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’ve got mixed feelings on this book. I liked the movies. They had a chaotic feel, yet were steeped in rules. A sad, rather suspenseful story, it gained its strength not just from the visuals but also from the sound. Mostly the lack of sound, but the moments where there was sound were profound. A comic book of this tale loses all of that sound element, so you’re really required to be invested in the characters. Unfortunately, none of these characters is all that interesting. Add to that artwork that is decent but not great at differentiating those characters, and this book comes up short. I get the feeling a collected edition will read better.

Score: 5 out of 10

Predator Bloodshed - Issue 3

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

The flow of this book is odd. The set-up makes sense. I mean, assuming you can believe that an alien race has been hunting humans for centuries, and one comes to Earth and gets involved in a high-stakes, underground fighting event. Preposterous, but amusing. What’s weird about this issue is that the villain (not the Predator) does a 180 from page 1 to page 22. I understand the reason, but it felt so rushed and lacking in the kinds of consequences the story needed. The best part of the tale is that the other characters get more page time, and they’re starting to become interesting. The art is fine.

Score: 7 out of 10

The Ultimates - Issue 23

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’m not really sure what to do with this issue. I can grasp what is happening, but I’m not clear why it is happening. It’s this series of single or double-page spreads about a war in the Nine Realms. There is a quality to the artwork that is similar to the Prince Valiant comic strip, even though it is much more useful and better drawn. There were moments when familiar characters looked like nightmares. Then, there was the narration, which felt like a 1960s-style beat poem. In the end, I think everyone died except for Thor. I think. It was hard to tell. And I don’t know what this had to do with the main universe’s storyline, so this really missed the mark for me.

Score: 5.5 out of 10

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OK, so another absolutely awful week, and our only path is down. Nothing is truly worth your money in comic books. And, clearly, next week will somehow be worse than this week. So, you know, thanks for joining us for Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 29 April 2026! - 86 47 and the White House Correspondents Dinner

2026-04-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. So, on Saturday, the Pedophile In Chief was preparing to lambast the press at the White House Correspondents Dinner, when some guy from California did a thing at the hotel. We’re still not clear what happened, but he seemed to have a gun, and someone was shot before he was taken into custody. And, just like Butler, PA, I doubt we’ll get clarity—at least until Shitler is dead or in jail or both. Oh, and this is not me endorsing regicide, otherwise I’ll be eighty-sixed like James Comey. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got five titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Exquisite Corpse - Issue 12

Review by The Wife

The penultimate issue before the last showdown. Who will win? New York or Massachusetts? My money is on Massachusetts, but we shall see. Regardless, it’s clear that Oak Valley loses as trauma changes people for the better or for the very worst. Yet there is a chance these townspeople can break the system. Only if they are strong enough.

Score: 7 out of 10

Hello Body Horror - Issue 1

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is a collection of horror shorts, and I’m pretty sure one is a reprint from Hello Darkness. I like horror anthologies in general, and the results here are a mixed bag. The first tale was the most direct, but it was perhaps stranger than scary. The others vary in quality. There was a wordless story that was hard to follow. Everything else was in the middle. Alright stuff, but nothing that really sang. The art varies as well, though the cover is excellent.

Score: 7 out of 10

The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery - Issue 3

DC / Vertigo

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Beyond the plot point involving the forge, I still don’t understand why this is a Vertigo title. This is not a complaint. I love hardboiled detective tales set in the 1920s/30s, and that’s what we’re getting. It’s a solid tale about a flawed, wounded investigator stumbling through a strange investigation. I’m not sure Ezra Cain is the best protagonist for one of these tales, but he’s serviceable. I suspect this story will collect well, though the issue’s ending is a bit clunky. The art is fine, as is the cover.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

In Your Skin - Issue 1

Image Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is a trippy story about a Bollywood actress obsessed with another, and things go weird. I wish I could say I like this, but there’s a lot here I simply don’t understand. I can’t tell whether it's because the story is meant to be unreliable, given the protagonist’s probable mental illness, or a stylistic choice, with the writer intentionally telling the tale in an unclear way. Perhaps it's cultural, since I’m not immersed in India's societal norms. Or it could just be the art’s fault. It’s nice-looking, but I’m not sure it helped tell the story.

Score: 5.5 out of 10

The Amazing Spider-Man - Issue 29

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’d been avoiding the Death Spiral story because its structure was confusing. Also, Torment seems like an uninteresting character, somewhere between Spider-Man and Carnage. There’s a philosophical aspect to the character that I’m just not getting. There were significant changes to this universe, particularly the death of SPOILER Paul Rabin. I don’t think anyone really cared about this character, so his death is sort of meaningless. The art and cover are fine.

Score: 6 out of 10

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So, an adequate week for comics. Nothing great. Nothing terrible. Better than we can hope for with America, which is sucking ass right now. Well, it's been that way for a while. Still, there should be a law or something. Well, thanks for joining us at Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic and Movie Bitrot for 22 April 2026! Last, Best Offer (Pinkie Swear)

2026-04-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. So…we still haven’t attacked Iran with nuclear weapons, even though Trump never backs down. Sure. All the while, gas prices are still in the tank, and his cronies are making bets that are turning them into mega-billionaires. At least the people of Virginia have clapped back on redistricting, even though a GOP judge in their state has blocked the vote certification. These anti-democracy people won’t stop until they’re all in jail in about nine months. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got six titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Batwoman - Issue 2

DC Entertainment

Review by The Wife

Greg Rucka throws the readers straight into the fray. We don’t know exactly what’s going on and who all the players are. From the last issue, we know that Kate is in a sanatorium, recovering from a fight with her sister Beth. There is also a religious cult dedicated to Darkseid that wants Kate to join. Which leads up to this issue…Kate baited the evil cult into a drag-out fight, causing her to cross the line. The question is: Is Kate fulfilling her destiny or derailing it?

Score: 7 out of 10

Smile: For the Camera - Issue 2

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

There is a weird pace to this story, as it tries to tell a lot with many characters, and it doesn’t feel successful. Part of this is that I simply can’t tell. The artwork is so wonky and unhelpful that it is often challenging to tell what is happening. The artwork is interesting, but I question these horror books with the moody art that seems designed to invoke an unsettling quality, but just ends up failing the story. Add to that, the characters are in an awful situation, but do little to endear themselves. I’m not sure this IP is worth exploring this much.

Score: 4.5 out of 10

Superman - Issue 36

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I know that the arc of editorial is that even the worst of villains often take a hero turn, and we’re seeing that with Superboy Prime. Sometimes a hero turns into a villain, which makes sense. Magneto. Lex Luthor. Characters that aren’t so much evil as they are fighting on the opposite side of a situation. Utter popularity kicks in when dealing with Harley Quinn or Deadpool. But with Superboy Prime…it’s really hard for me to see him as a hero. But they’re trying. They almost succeed, here. It helps that Lois is trying to make it work. And, they’re adding some Grant Morrison-style kookiness to the pages. This book might work, but I’m still not sold on the character turn.

Score: 7 out of 10

Star Trek Starfleet Academy: Lost Contact - Issue 1

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’ve been enjoying the television series, thus far. I can’t say it surpasses Strange New Worlds or Lower Decks, but it’s right there with later seasons of Discovery. One thing that has been tricky is that I still have trouble remembering all of the characters’ names, which isn’t a huge issue when you have actors who are good at their job. Their voice and little nuances help differentiate them. You don’t get any of that here. Add to that, they’re mixing characters from the two schools, and it gets harder to follow. Then, there is the artwork, which at times makes it nearly impossible to tell which character is which. Also, the lettering's coloring seems to help, but it’s not enough to fix the problems. I have no idea about the story because the challenge of understanding who is talking is real.

Score: 5 out of 10

Absolute Batman - Issue 19

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Multiple villains are converging on Batman. One of them is Scarecrow, who (maybe) kills off a major character. And, Martha is running around with some shady birds, and that sort of feels like it came out of nowhere. I think the ending is supposed to be a bit more shocking, but it just came out of left field. The artwork is unique, but some aspects ruin it. For example, the villain shown at the end is strange, and I think clearer artwork may have made things flow better. Also, I don’t get why Bruce is pushing his friends away, unless it's just to create drama. I'm hoping Barbara will get a lot more page time. This book needs more strong female characters.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

Narco - Issue 2

Review by Zachary Hunchar

There was a plot shift that just seemed to come out of the blue. That was what really pulled me out of this story. I’ve liked the other serial killer books by this creative team a lot more because there was no mystery or ambiguity. This book has a lot of ambiguity and suffers for it. The tone and look are consistent with the other stories, which I liked. The coloring tends to be vibrant. This one is a departure, and I’m not convinced it works.

Score: 6 out of 10

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Meh. Another shitty week in the world, and another underwhelming week for comics. This is untenable. There should be something great, but it's not. So angry. At least humanity should be finished off soon, and the dogs don't need to worry about us anymore. Come on, human extinction! So, thanks for joining us and if we're here next week, come back for Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 15 April 2026 - UFC: Trump v Pope!

2026-04-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. So, I was going to say something funny about it being tax day, but the GOP’s tax bills pretty much fucked us over. And it sounds like a lot of other citizens. Remember this the next time you vote for your pocketbook. What else happened? Oh, right. Trump attacked the Pope. I repeat, The Pope. We know Trump hates dogs. Children with cancer. What’s left? Jesus? Oh, no, he did that too. This is all stupid. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got six titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Die: Loaded - Issue 6

Image Comics

Review by The Wife

Callum is an asshole. He’s worse than his dad. Perhaps it’s the child in him, but even children know better. Now the question is…where does Sophie go from here? Where can she go? She’s a mother and cares about people, but what happens when one of those people couldn't care less? We won’t find out until the series returns in July. Oy!

Score: 7 out of 10

Star Trek: Lower Decks - Issue 18

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This current storyline ended. Finally. It was way too long for the subject matter. Lower Decks worked so well because the stories were tight. This book wasn’t. Half the time, I could barely recall what happened in prior issues. And a fair amount of what was forgotten was barely important. The best thing about this book continues to be the lore and the callbacks, not really the story. And, to be fair, I laughed quite a bit. But you might not find that sufficient to pay the cover price. At least the book's look mirrors that of the television show. Overall, a decent book, but not a great one.

Score: 7 out of 10

Black Cat - Issue 9

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I really want to like this book. The creative team has done a fun job of making Felicia Hardy an enjoyable character as she navigates the world. This issue had a What If...? kind of thing, where we saw her and Mary Jane get what they want, and things are nice. And dull. Things revert back, and maybe there was a lesson learned? I’m not really sure. Everything is so passive in this series; it’s hard to feel the stakes. The interior artwork is lovely, and the cover is outstanding.

Score: 6 out of 10

Something Is Killing The Children - Issue 46

BOOM Studios

Review by The Wife

You start the issue, then it’s over. And you have to wait another month or so before the next one is made available. What can I say, I love this series. In this arc, we are learning more about how Jessica came to be. Why she drinks so heavily…she cares too much. And she and Erica have a traumatic bond and a co-dependence of sorts. The humanity beneath these monster slayers is what makes this series an amazing tale.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

Sirens Love Hurts - Issue 3

DC / Black Label

Review by Zachary Hunchar

As this book is constructed, I find it weirdly hard to read. There is a shorthand to the writing that I can follow, but the artwork impacts things. It’s not bad artwork. There are spots where it is great. There are just stylistic elements and an unusual color palette that make it hard to tell which character is which at certain points, which derails the momentum. And that’s mostly what this book is: momentum. I feel like Black Canary, on her own, would have solved this mystery already. But that’s not what the book is about. It’s about relationships. Between the Sirens and their individual significant others. The book probably works better as a collected edition, but as individual issues, it’s just OK.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

Action Comics - Issue 1097

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I found the prior issue confusing, but as we got further into this story, it made more sense. I’m still unclear who the villain is or why this particular group returned, but it is fine. I do appreciate that it is post-DC KO and Booster Gold is still messed up, as he should be. The stuff with the Kents is interesting, but it seems almost like a throw-away. I think the best part of this is Mary Marvel. Her attraction to Clark makes perfect sense. Honestly, if Lois weren’t around in the future, it would make perfect sense there. It is a sweet situation. The art and cover are good.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

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OK, so the world continues to suck ass. The comics were OK. Something Is Killing the Children is worth your money. Nothing was terrible, so this week is as close to a wash as you can get. Given that the president is increasingly acting like the Antichrist. If there's no rapture between now and then, stop back for more Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 8 April 2026 - Shall We Play A Game? No.

2026-04-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. So, uh, we didn’t destroy the world through nuclear war. Yay. Which is good because that’s where all of my stuff is. Also, maybe we beat Iran, or maybe we need help beating Iran, or maybe Iran won. But, you know, obviously, Trump made clear on his promises of no wars, lower inflation, and cheap gas. Let’s just get to comics, which no one can afford anymore. This week, we’ve got six titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Daredevil - Issue 1

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is tricky book because it’s three different things. The best part is Matt being a college teacher and having to learn how to communicate with students. Also, there is a subplot with some flirting with another teacher, which is all I really cared about. There is some crime stuff with a serial killer, and Daredevil jumping around. Lastly, there is this seemingly mystical guy hanging around for reasons. It’s disjointed, but you can hang. Other than Matt (and this new love interest), the story is adequate. Nothing inspiring. Add to it the art, which is weirdly flat. I did like the cover.

Score: 7 out of 10

Killroy ~~Was~~ Is Here - One-Shot

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This was a story we’ve seen before. OK, a story I’ve seen before. There is some mystery-of-the-week thing, with a clear number goal designed to keep networks renewing a series. In this case, some magical guy has to track down 200 fallen angels. So with that math of 22 episodes a season, that’s like 9 seasons worth of story. They never make it that far on those shows. This one is listed as a one-shot, so it has less chance. There are a lot of things referenced that aren’t all that clear, but shorthand fills in a lot of the blanks. The characters aren’t interesting enough for this to resonate, I think. Also, the artwork is both flat and confusing at times.

Score: 6 out of 10

Absolute Superman - Issue 18

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This book really hyped up Black Adam's debut, and he did appear. Sort of. It was an origin thing, and then the story moved on to a bunch of other things. Like, Ra’s al Ghul wanting to stay in jail, and Steel debuting? That latter part I’m uncertain about. The bit with Parasite was amusing, and then there is this stuff with Jimmy at the Daily Planet. Kind of weird going from a revolutionary to a clerk. Strange book. I just don’t get this universe. It looks OK.

Score: 6 out of 10

Star Trek: The Last Starship - Issue 6

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is both an important and a gripping story, battered by the artwork. A huge event in the current batch of TV shows set in the 32nd Century has a root cause: The Burn. This book explores what happened afterward. This spends some time exploring what happened to the Federation and how the Emerald Chain came out. It’s sad because of the betrayal. Though the stuff with Kirk is kind of weird. And then we get an issue that just focused on Wowie (he’s an officer in the story), and now he’s leaving? What? In the end, this book is kicked in the crotch by the artwork, which is very interesting, and almost useless for conveying this story.

Score: 5 out of 10

Wonder Man - Issue 1

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

There is an obvious reason for this character getting a new comic series. Mostly the quirky Disney+ show of the same name, but with a different character. The original Simon Williams is a weird character, with a convoluted backstory. This book fits that theme well, as it is both weird and convoluted. There is that time-shifting technique that helps make things engaging, but here, with the art changes, it became more confusing. I’m not sure who this book is for. I’m not sure the creative team is, either. The art varies in quality by section.

Score: 4.5 out of 10

Batman - Issue 8

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

For the most part, I’ve enjoyed this new volume because it digs in with family and emotion, which are things that get talked about in the Batverse but are rarely shown. Also, it’s been fun. This particular issue underwhelmed. It's set up, which is fine, but it reads as filler or an overly long prologue. Also, when did Poison Ivy become mayor? I mean, sure, millions re-elected a crazed, super-villain and…oh. Right. There is a companion storyline about this reporter mentoring this kid, and it’s just one long lecture. Weird. Overall, it’s still a good book, but it has been a lot better. It still looks great.

Score: 7 out of 10

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So, you know, a terrible week that didn't become some kind of Omega-level deuce, but we got close. The comics were just OK. And I'm sure next week Cthulhu will rise or something equally stupid. So, if we're still here, join us for more Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 1 April 2026 - NoKings and One Fool (Plus everyone who still supports him)

2026-04-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. We’re back from Death Valley and…jeez, it was hot. Not as hot as it was in the cities, where 8 million-plus people came out to let the Felon-In-Chief know what we think of him. Still, he continues to screw things up. Moving troops to the Middle East. Gas prices are going bonkers. He’s trying to screw up Birthright Citizenship. All because he probably raped children. I can’t wait until he’s burning in Hell. Speaking of that, if you celebrate than Happy Easter and Chag Sameach!Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve reviewed eight titles. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Hyde Street - Issue 11

Image Comics

Review by The Wife

Inker Danny Miki creates works of art in each panel. He incorporates drama, action, and emotions with each stroke. He causes the reader to empathize with Pranky, the kid who deserved no love...at least in the beginning. And it made you wonder if The Butcher of Hyde Street is a brutal killer or simply misunderstood. He is, however, dangerous. As is the Scorekeeper. But who will be the lesser of two evils? In this arc, we may see the larger picture.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

The Flash - Issue 31

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Written by new Flash writer Ryan North, we’re given a story that is lacking in the angst front. Which is a great thing. The Flash, for me, has been unreadable for a while because it’s been miserable. Pretty much since they had Wally go insane and kill a bunch of heroes. DC KO did the good thing of making them heroes again. The story in this issue was annoying, but it seemed like something that would happen. I think that is what made it so annoying. There was this hysterical bit in the middle where Wally and Linda were looking in want-ads, and I laughed a lot. More enjoyable than before, but maybe a bit light on story. The art and cover were fine.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

Fantastic Four - Issue 9

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I need to do a Ryan North section, as he wrote this one as well. I liked this one a lot more. I think he’s really done a great job of telling a story about families, and then leveling up Sue Storm. This current suggests that she’s a Galactus-level threat. I will admit that I find her motivation a bit weak, but the power-up makes a lot of sense, and it is very clever. And terrifying. I’m assuming the solution will be to give her some family or connect her with The Maker, which is worse. This is a messed-up story. And it looks great. Even the parts where Sue (Prime’s) skull is invisible.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO

There were several first issues in the post-DC KO Universe. Often, there will be a slew of new books launched after, and rarely do they do well. We’ve got three new offerings, and I’m lumping them in one section.

Batwoman - Issue 1

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Batwoman. Writer Greg Rucka. This should be a winning combo. It gets pretty close, but there’s something off about the book. I can pinpoint the artwork as an issue because it has a very flat, muted feel. There are points where I can’t tell what’s happening. A portion of that is the story, which is intentionally mysterious. For the crime aspect, it’s fine. But for the character aspect, it’s a rough way to start things. Other than Kate and Alice, there is nothing familiar.

Score: 7 out of 10

Deathstroke: The Terminator - Issue 1

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I think the creative team got bogged down here by various mandates from DC Editorial. Capture the style of Priest’s run on this series, yet make it accessible to new readers. So, much of this is about showing Slade as an absolute beast, yet giving him personal stakes. I think this book fails because it isn’t sure what it wants and offers nothing new. Other than what happens to Wintergreen, which was presented in a way that was more confusing than shocking. I’ve not found Slade to be all that interesting on his own, but with more personal drama, it can work. The artwork was certainly interesting.

Score: 5 out of 10

Lobo - Issue 1

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I wish I could tell you what happened here, beyond an update of the character that Keith Giffen and Simon Bisley made iconic in the 1990s for its hyper-violence, humor, and striking visuals. This book is a facsimile: violent and mildly amusing, but it seems sort of lost in time. This might have worked thirty years ago, but there’s nothing new or interesting here. Honestly, I think bringing back L.E.G.I.O.N. would be a better use for him. Meh. It looked alright. There was a homage to the original, that worked okay.

Score: 3.5 out of 10

KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO

The Sentry - Issue 1

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is a character I don’t get. I remember there was some drama about his first appearance, suggesting he was there all along, just wiped from our memories. The problem is that he’s such an uninteresting character that it’s not compelling. There is this weird behavior among other heroes: they keep reaching out to him for help, even though he’s the villain. I’ve seen (and written) stories like this, and they only work if one personality is interesting. Neither of these personalities is. I suppose that some people will enjoy this book, but I don’t know anyone who will. The artwork is interesting.

Score: 4.5 out of 10

The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace - Issue 1

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This oversized first issue was interesting, and I’m not sure if it is in the same universe as The Exorcism at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue mini-series. The story here is as good as the one in that series, which is decent. A lot of dread and mood is established. The thing that keeps this (and that one) from being a home run is the artwork. Both series have a strange, low-fi art style that makes it very hard to tell who all the characters are. It’s just not helpful and detracts.

Score: 6 out of 10

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So, it was quite a week. Death Valley. Death White House. Hyde Street and Fantastic Four were worth your cash. Everything else...meh. And, you know, next week will be worse. Thanks for joining us here at Comic Book Bitrot.

Comic Book Bitrot for 18 March 2026 - Did You Survive St. Patrick's Day? Or Another Forever War?

2026-03-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. I put up a post about what name I got to pick, in honor of Drunky-Irish Day. Not that we need a reason to drink beyond the general apocalyptic horror that is the Trump administration’s ~~war plans~~, attempt to distract from the Trump/Epstein Files. Also, The Wife and I are going to Death Valley next week, so I’m uncertain if there will be a column. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got six titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Sirens: Love Hurts - Issue 2

DC/Black Label

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This book remains a wildly inconsistent mess, and that’s not a complaint. There is a mystery driving the story that is a thing. I guess. It’s less a mystery and more of a thing they run at only to discover they’re wrong, and then they run at something else. What makes this book entertaining are two things. The first is the relationships that add dimension (but don’t merely define) to these characters. Harley and Ivy. Selina and Bruce. Dinah and Oliver. There is depth and steam. It’s fun. The second is the colorful language, which feels real. It adds a degree of humor to things that helps. This book is fun and messy. Its art is colorful, though there are times I found it confusing.

Score: 7 out of 10

Star Trek Lower Decks - Issue 17

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

The stuff with Mariner is the best part of this comic. She’s a hoot. Both chaotic and tactical. And the surprise ending was fun. Otherwise, this book has become clunky. There are many amusing moments, but the story has sprawled so long and seems to have lost its threads. I think the key here is that once we’re through this massive story, we can get back to shorter tales that capture the magic and humor, but don’t just keep dragging on. The art and cover are pitch-perfect.

Score: 6 out of 10

X-Men United - Issue 1

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This issue seems like it is just a soft reboot of the Age of Krakoa, as all the mutants may not be on the same island, but they’re in the same brain-island. I really don’t understand what is happening with their editorial. It was like they felt the need to end the Krakoan storyline to launch new books, but then they discovered that there was nothing new and interesting to say, so they’ve scrambled back to this. At least the Age of Revelation was trying to do something sort of new. Is that still happening, or is this the new status quo? I don’t blame the creators because the goal they were given was just dumb. Maybe this goes somewhere, but even Cyclops’ reaction at the end seemed bizarre. The art is pretty good, and the cover was great.

Score: 4 out of 10

A Quiet Place: Storm Warning - Issue 1

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This story seems set in the world of that movie franchise. I liked those films because they were heavy, character-driven, and, more or less, worked. This comic focuses on a community that is a literal island, trying to ride things out while doing little differently. We get the beginning of the invasion, and one voice trying to save everyone, and the rest pushing him away. Then, it jumped forward, and he was right. We get so little time to get to know the characters; there are very few that you care about, so the horror isn’t quite fully formed. Still, it’s OK. There is potential here. The interior art is fine, and the cover is very good.

Score: 7 out of 10

Imperial Guardians - Issue 1

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

In the aftermath of the Imperial, we’re left with the chaos of the universe. Thus far, it has been as interesting and as coherent as the event was…which is to say, not very much. The event series was an interesting idea, but it quickly descended into a scale that was lost on the reader and an outcome that made little sense. And the being behind it had very murky motives. This book is sort of a black ops team doing stuff. There is this weird confessional framing device that makes it more unweildy. Add to it that the line-up is so weird, it is jarring, and you probably should avoid this. The art and cover are solid.

Score: 5.5 out of 10

Action Comics - Issue 1096

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I wasn’t aware that the DC Universe (in its current form) returned to Clark being Superboy in his youth. It’s very hard to keep track of universal reboots and what they mean. This issue seems to be a bridge connecting the end of DC KO to the Super-books. It’s a fine tale. Nothing that screams must-buy, but nothing bad either. The quiet, “human” moments are the best parts, but I’m not really sure there is enough to go on here. I’m a huge fan of writer Mark Waid, but I’ve been indifferent to his Superman stuff. It hits all the right beats, but it just doesn’t connect for me. Still, it’s well crafted. And it looks very good.

Score: 7 out of 10

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Alright, so I got some Guinness in me, so I don't remember as much of this week as usual. But I remember enough, and it sucked ass. The comics weren't all that great. Save that copy of X-Men United in case you run out of toilet paper. Maybe we'll publish something next week. Who knows? Thanks for joining us at Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 11 March 2026! - Dire Straits (of Hormuz)

2026-03-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. The “war” against Iran continues, as oil prices have skyrocketed because we have Podcasters in charge of the largest military in the world. Because of that, we’re seeing the Straight of Hormuz mined, and my gas has gone up a dollar in 11 days. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got seven titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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DC KO - Issue 5 (of 5)

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Meh. SPOILERS. This had been a fun story up until this issue. The resolution was fine. I mean, it was kind of muddled at points, but the basic idea came across that Superman is the best of us because he sees the best in all of us, and draws strength from the collective, which is why … he… DID I MENTION SPOILERS…fought Darkseid to a stalemate by going back in time and stuff. It was confusing. What was frustrating was that, instead of giving a satisfying ending, it was all set up for new titles. I suppose there are things in this that aren’t resolved. Particularly, the Absolute Universe and the Omega Legion of Super-Heroes. Still, it was a big miss at the end. The artwork is very interesting, but mostly worked.

Score: 7 out of 10

Narco - Issue 1

Image Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is a new miniseries by Doug Wagner and Daniel Hillyard, the team behind Plastic, I Was A Fashion School Serial Killer, and Vinyl. All three are about serial killers. This one was as strange and demented as those others, but it didn’t resonate as much because it was a bit more confusing. Usually, the killer is prominently featured, and this protagonist seems to have only narcolepsy. I suppose it is a mystery, and he’s the actual killer. I don’t know. But that’s the thing that’s not working here. I suspect it will make more sense in the next issue, but that’s a lot of faith to

Score: 7 out of 10

Avengers - Issue 36

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’m guessing this is the end of Jed MacKay’s run on this series. I guess. It seems as though the series is ending here. Honestly, the whole issue was Captain Marvel going around to the rest of the team, telling them it was ending. The best moment was The Impossible City saying goodbye, and being reminded that it was an Avenger. Otherwise, this issue could have been one page. Does this mean The New Avengers are just The Avengers? And the cover blurb, “Epic Finale!” There was nothing epic about this. This was just a waste of paper and your money. At least it looked good. And the cover was great.

Score: 5 out of 10

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones - Issue 5

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

After Jason Aaron’s disappointing run, I had hope things would pick up for the heroes. Turns out I was wrong, as these books seem to be heading in a darker, less pleasant direction. In this issue, Casey remains unchanged except for mutant stem cells that make him tougher and stronger, at a great cost. So, there’s a source of those stem cells: mutants being tortured and hunted for sport. And the rest of the things are that Casey is as unbalanced as before. So, the only thing that’s changed is that these books are less enjoyable than before. The artwork is underwhelming.

Score: 4 out of 10

Batman - Issue 7

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’m a little unclear where this fits in continuity. Damian seems younger than elsewhere, and there was a bit of drama bout Tim admitting he’s into a guy, which I thought everyone knew. Otherwise, this series has been a lot of fun. There are still dark and broody aspects, but the creative teams have leaned into fun and romance. Anika Zeller has been an absolute blast (major props to the date issue). And they’re doing nothing to hide his identity from Anika. This issue: several prior subplots came to a head as Batman visited The Joker, who was floating in a pod with a device regulating his brain. The assumption is that, with a functioning mind, Joker was able to deduce Bruce Wayne's secret identity. I’m not sure where they go with it, but it’s interesting. The artwork is odd, but a lot of fun.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

Nova Centurion - Issue 5

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

There was a brief moment when I was enjoying this book. That was solely because of Yr-Kett. She’s been absent the past two issues; instead, we’re given Star-Lord. A poor substitution. So, then, this becomes just a series of madapped adventures with a bunch of people who mean little, in a place where most don’t care about. And the antagonists (The Kree Skrull War) have the dumbest name imaginable. I suppose there is something here that people might care about, but I can’t figure it out. The interior art is interesting.

Score: 5.5 out of 10

Sleep - Issue 8

Image Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’ll confess that I had to re-read this issue. And, before the second read, I saw a letter printed in the back of the issue where someone more or less was able to predict the reason for what was happening. I had to read that twice because it was fragmented, but even so, I was able to understand what was happening. It ended up being both sad and satisfying, albeit somewhat still vague. Mostly, I’m unclear what happened to the protagonist. I liked this book. There were times it was great. Others, where it was just OK. A technical masterpiece. I suspect it will collect well. The art was excellent, and the coloring stole the show.

Score: 9 out of 10

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Alright, so the world continues to flush itself down the toilet. How were the comics? Somewhere in the middle. Casey Jones was not great. Sleep was very good. The rest...emoji shrug. Will next week be...no, I need to stop asking that. The only way things will get better is if Shitler finally succumbs to McDonald's. Meh. Thanks for joining us at Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 4 March, 2026 - Iran, You Are The Distraction

2026-03-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. So, pushing inflation, ICE agents murdering Americans in the street, and a primary in Texas was news that Pedolf Shitler attacked Iran for reasons. The most obvious was that Netanyahu tricked him into attacking. Six soldiers dead, two billion dollars spent with no end in sight. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got six titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Superman - Issue 35

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Redemption. These tie-in books seem to have this theme running through them. The biggest points in this book are Doomsday figuring out what he really is, Superboy Prime (maybe) realizing he can be a hero, and the Omegaverse Legion of Super-Heroes realizing that Darkseid might not be the right path. Also, there was the thing in Titans where Terra got some redemption. It’s an interesting approach to what is happening, in that heroes seem to be sneaking into the final battle…it looks like it is time for some villains too. Not bad. Not sure I like the art, but the story mostly resonated.

Score: 7 out of 10

Punisher - Issue 1

Review by Zachary Hunchar

There was a strange event book before this under the Marvel Knights banner, which seemed to make Frank Castle mind-controlled. This followed a series in which they tried to introduce a new character as the Punisher, but I don’t think people cared about either book. I don’t think people will care about this, either. Frank is standing around looking at criminals, and the rest of the time, he’s dealing with this open wound in his head where he removed a microchip. So odd. And there is some guy he has imprisoned. It’s confusing. Add to that the Jigsaw stuff, and this is just not worth your time. Even the art is weird.

Score: 4.5 out of 10

Escape - Issue 6

Image Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

The ending of this issue was a surprise. Mostly, I thought it would end here, but this was just the first volume wrapping up. Which is odd, because Shaw, the protagonist, didn’t complete his mission. He’s near completing it, but it didn’t resolve; it ended on a cliff-hanger. I‘m guessing there is other stuff he needs to do, but destroying the weapon shouldn’t take more than one issue. Which makes things weird for the structure, since it would be a collected edition followed by one straggler issue. All of that aside, it’s a fun book. He’s a complicated character, and writer Rick Remender tries to make the antagonists interesting. The artwork is growing on me.

Score: 8 out of 10

Infernal Hulk - Issue 4

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Finally, we get back to some of the horror. The Evil Hulk attacks a passenger plane in mid-flight. Quite disturbing. The rest of the book suffers because it’s very dream-like, as many prior versions of Hulk collide and fight the current one. It feels like the creative team is trying to move forward with an idea of defeating the new version through the others' combined efforts. I’m not sure that will be satisfying, but what can you do? An interesting book, but I’m not sure if it is a great book. Maybe not even a good book. The artwork is interesting, but not that helpful in telling the story.

Score: 7 out of 10

Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery - Issue 1

DC / Vertigo

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is a new Vertigo comic that I enjoyed, in that I love pre-WWII hard-boiled mysteries. The protagonist is very much a Sam Spade kind of character in his approach to things. What I get confused about is why this is a Vertigo book. There is a preamble with an Indiana Jones/The Mummy kind of set-up, but very little else that makes sense for Vertigo. I’m guessing the artifact, once recovered, will elevate things. Otherwise, this seems like a very average Image Comics release. The artwork is solid and works for the idea.

Score: 8 out of 10

Predator Bloodshed - Issue 1 (of 5)

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I guess this fits into the Marvel universe, since Marvel is publishing it. Beyond that, I’m not really sure how it might. It takes place about ten years in the future and leans into the dystopian idea of the ultra-wealthy and their blood sports. You’ve got this UFC/Running Man kind of setting, and then a Predator is thrown into the story. The protagonist is endearing, and the set-up brutal. I think this might work out just because it’s sort of bonkers and fairly contained. The artwork is fine for the story.

Score: 7 out of 10

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So, this was a week. We inch closer to armeggedon and the comics are just alright. Avoid The Punisher, unfortunately. Will next week be better? Will there be any life left on Earth? Find out (or not) here at Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic aBook Bitrot for 25 February 2026 - State of the Union Is Shit

2026-02-26T09:40:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. This week, the State of the Union dominated the news, with the Olympics ending and more Epstein revelations right behind. And we seem to be inching closer to attacking Iran. At least SCOTUS finally showed a little spine regarding tariffs. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got nine titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Exquisite Corpses - Issue 10

Image Comics

Review by The Wife

Interestingly, James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh team up with different writers and artists for each issue. I appreciate the opportunity to see what others can do, but it does make it hard when one artist is favored over another. That’s the case here. This issue isn’t as visually interesting as the past ones. As a result, characters and storyline become one-dimensional.

Score: 5 out of 10

Smile: For The Camera - Issue 1

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This series (?) is a spinoff of the horror movie series Smile. I saw the first one, and it was fine. SPOILERS: The premise is that there is a curse that causes hallucinations, and you acquire the curse if someone else with it dies in front of you. Usually, the death occurs within 7 days. Not my typical horror choice, where the victims have no way out, but some like it. Here, we follow a group of young fashion models, and one gets it from an airplane mechanic. I think the main thrust of the story is about how people behave and what happens when things go to shit. The book is fine. Characters are barely more than one-dimensional, and the artwork doesn’t help the story.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

Titans - Issue 32

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

A few things happened in this book. The most significant was that Raven and Nightwing seemed to reach Terra. I didn’t realize she was still alive. It seemed to work, though. The rest was the team fight against Darkseid’s daughter and her forces, which was mostly shorthand. The remainder was the super soap opera stuff, long a hallmark of this series. Their humanity may be the best part of things. Still, this book is disjointed, given its place in the DC KO event. The art and cover are solid.

Score: 7 out of 10

Death Fight Forever - Issue 1

Image Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is a weird book. Sort of feels like Axe Cop, with a six-year-old writing it. It’s sort of like what happens with that kid trying to tell a tale merging the video games Contra and Street Fighter. It’s kind of bonkers, but I suppose someone might find this engaging. I didn’t. I didn’t care about anything, and there were quite a few confusing parts of the tale. The artwork is sort of stylized in a grungy, indie manner. Apparently, this was a Kickstarter campaign, and I missed it, though it did manage to get funded. There is probably an audience for this, but I don’t know who they are.

Score: 6 out of 10

Ultimate Spider-Man - Issue 24

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is the last issue of this series, as this universe is barreling towards its conclusion. A number of things are wrapped up, though not quite all of them. There is still the matter of The Maker. A huge matter, as he has returned and plans to destroy everything. A number of subplots get wrapped up, but most of the story is about what happened and what will happen next. We know the Ultimate storyline is ending. We were given some interesting takes on characters, and others that fell flat. Here, with this series, we’re given the most human storyline, even if little of it had any kind of flow. The issue is sort of like that—a very well-drawn Wikipedia entry. This was the best book in this relaunch, and even though it wasn’t great.

Score: 7 out of 10

Star Trek: The Last Starship - Issue 5

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

The crux of this story is time-dilation. The U.S.S. Omega uses Borg propulsion, which is slow. So, a lot has changed since the crew got to the conference to figure out what to do with the Federation. It’s a very political story, which is not everyone’s cup of tea. What’s more interesting is that it explains the formation of a criminal block introduced in Star Trek: Discovery. I’m not sure it needed to be explained, but it is a decent example of what happens when people are desperate. Still, this book is interesting. The biggest complaint is the art and color, which is odd. I’m not sure it works well, as characters are nearly impossible to tell apart.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

End of Life - Issue 1

DC / Vertigo

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is a weird comic about an assassin who screws up and is now being hunted by the organization he worked for. Fairly straightforward in setup. Eddie Stallion is really good at what he does…and nothing else. He’s dumb and obnoxious. That’s the hook of this book. This truly awful character is having to survive, and it’s hard to care. I’m not sure if this is a good book, but it is memorable. I do appreciate the way the creative team just goes for it, no matter how absurd it is. I’m unclear if this can sustain a long run, but a short dose is fine. It looks good, and the cover is great.

Score: 7 out of 10

Fantastic Four - Issue 8

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’ve been writing about how much I’ve enjoyed the past few volumes of Fantastic Four, and much of that is the expanded family stuff. Adding Alicia and the adopted Kree and Skrull kids has elevated things, but driving home the family. Another thing that has been happening is Sue Storm's leveling up. The creative teams have found new and clever ways for her to use her powers, and she’s become quite formidable. Well, this current arc has culminated in this issue, which is the Dark-Phoenixing of her. It takes a while for this issue to make sense, but once it does, it’s kind of terrifying. An excellent tale, both tragic and imaginative. The book looks great, as well.

Score: 9 out of 10

Absolute Batman - Issue 17

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’ve mentioned this before, but I find it odd that this series is doing as well as it is. When I read it, thereis a distinct feeling that I’m sick, reading it with a fever. There are moments that are clear, and then others that are so removed from reality, I don’t know what to make of them. Everything happening with Poison Ivy is weird and surreal. It doesn’t help that Bruce is so ill-defined, and his motives are weird. I guess the deconstruction of the Bat-verse is appealing. Especially to people who are just starting to read comics, but this is almost alien to me. I think the artwork is less distracting than the layouts, which are inventive but constricting. All of this may be intentional, but it isn’t something I’d ask for.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

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As usual, the world sucks. At least the comics are alright. And Fantastic Four is something you should give your money to. The others...meh. And, no. Things won't be better next week. Assuming we don't get into WWIII between now and next week, there should be new comic reviews. Thanks for joining us here at Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 18 February 2026! The Epstein Files, er, The TRUMP FILES

2026-02-19T09:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. It’s cold and rainy in Los Angeles, and I love it! For news, I think the key takeaway is that we shouldn’t call them The Epstein Files. No, with one third of them about the Trump world, it should be The Trump Files. Heck, as we were about to publish, we got word that the UK’s Prince Andrew was arrested in response to his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. When will this sort of thing start happening here? Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got seven titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Die Loaded - Issue 4

Review by The Wife

Like father, like son. Fools abound. And Sophie is stuck mothering the young one. He believes that he’s the chosen one. Rushing in without thinking. Everything is fun and games. Just like his dad. But, just maybe, he’ll survive...and even better...grow. At least the players are assembling...we have the Dictator, the Knight, the Godbinder, and, of course, the Fool. So who will be Neo and the Master? Which also begs the question, is it really Isabelle in Die? Or a clever imposter?

Score: 7 out of 10

Star Trek Lower Decks - Issue 16

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

There is a storyline going on that feel’s been going on for months. I think it has, as this is like part five? There is a snarky, madcap quality to this book that makes it fairly entertaining, but the cleverness of the show and its prior arcs are missing here. They’re tying things together, but without the wit of the others. So, it’s a mixed bag. Fun but not smart. Which is a shame because I know what it can be, and this comes up a bit short. That said, it is still better than many releases this week, which is more of a critique of those books. The look of this book is perfect.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

DC KO - Issue 4

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This series continues to be bonkers, but I appreciate that the creative team is being smart about it, keeping characters behaving properly. Joker switching sides was brilliant. Batman sneaking back in seems less reasonable, but there’s nothing reasonable about this book or this universe, so whatever. I wasn’t sure how the Absolute characters would factor in, but things made sense. Mostly. Bonkers book, keep bonking. Maybe the thing that threw me most was that this series didn’t end here. I’m glad it didn’t, but it was surprising. Also, we got a winner to face Darkseid. I thought it would be one villain, but it turned out to be the other one. I still feel there is a wildcard that will end up saving the day. If I were a betting person, it would be The Legion of Super-Heroes showing up unexpectedly. Maybe a Titan shows up. Or, some variation of Lois Lane/Superwoman or Superboy Prime. Either way, this is fun. The look is great. Especially, the lettering.

Score: 8 out of 10

The Thing On The Doorstep - Issue 1

Image Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Structurally, showing the ending at the beginning was a helpful plot device as it established the tone of this tale. Without it, I’m unsure I would have stuck with it, and that’s coming from someone who loves the Lovecraft mythos. There was a lot of history that was blown through to get readers to the good parts. It took some time, but it seems interesting. Perhapsa little we’ve not seen before, but still heading in a fun direction. The interior artwork is fine, and the cover was cool.

Score: 7 out of 10

Marc Spector: Moon Knight - Issue 1

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’m not much of a fan of Moon Knight, but I’m familiar with him. Particularly of Jed MacKay’s volumes these past few years. There are things MacKay has been doing to expand the character’s network and goals. He’s reduced the Dissociative Disorder aspects of Spector, which is a positive. But everything else here is maddening. It’s a suspense tale because we know what is going on even if Marc doesn’t. The problem is that I just don’t care because the conflict is so abstract, and I barely understand motives. Add to that, the artwork is so heavily stylized that it doesn’t connect with me. This is just not a book for me.

Score: 4 out of 10

Bleeding Hearts - Issue 1

DC / Vertigo

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I have to give the creative team credit—they swung for the fences on this, though I feel like I saw this in a movie I released called Warm Bodies. It was an interesting and fun film. This is sort of fun, but I’m not sure it is interesting. The selling point is the intense focus on building a culture and language for the zombies, but it never really finds its heart. Which is in the protagonist's chest. There is such a blasé approach to what happens that it glosses over the horror. I can see how the ending is meant to set up the rest of the drama, but I’m not sure there is any drama. What are the stakes for the protagonist? Like, what might happen to him? Does he stay a zombie? The biggest thing giving me a headache is the endless zombie names. The artwork is very interesting, and it kind of works.

Score: 7 out of 10

Sirens: Love Hurts - Book One

DC / Black Label

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is a weird comic: it used to work fine with the villains, but now Black Canary is shoe-horned in, and even the characters are having a hard time. There is a mystery going on, and it’s sort of a whatever tale. The best moments are when the women are just hanging out. Except with Dinah. Her presence ruins the momentum. There is a fun undercurrent with the raunch, but the story just isn’t working. It helps that the artwork is gorgeous. This has humor and a good look, but the tone is off. It might recover as it goes, but right now it is off-kilter.

Score: 7 out of 10

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OK, so an average week for comics, and a shitty week for the world. Obviously, next week will be worse than last week. Fingers crossed a comet wipes humanity out. We've wasted our time on earth. Thanks for joining us at Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 11 February 2026 - Love Is In The Air? No, It's Just Drones

2026-02-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. Valentine’s Day is nearly upon and the chocolate seems to be laced with malfeasance. Whether it is Donald Trump being mentioned in one-third of the Epstein Files (that’s one million out of three million documents), or Pam Bondi’s open contempt for Congress and the law. Or, perhaps, it was the El Paso airport being shut down for ten days, only to learn it wasn’t because of an assault by Mexican cartels’ drones but balloons? At least cheating Trump fan, Robert Kraft’s team got spanked in the Superb Owl. ¡Tití Me Preguntó! Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got four titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Nova Centurion - Issue 4

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This book comes up short because it has 100% less Yr-Kett in it. It’s what made the first three issues enjoyable…the sexual tension between her and Richard. No Yr-Kett. No joy. More than half the issue was Eden Rixlo running around, doing stuff. Seriously. I don’t know what he wanted, other than Richard’s ship. And Richard spent much of the issue attaching jumper cables to his suit. That’s pretty much the issue. I know they can’t all be cosmic soap opera, but shouldn’t they all be? The art is fine. The cover is weird.

Score: 6 out of 10

The Twilight Zone - Issue 4

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I keep wanting to like this series, but I keep being unimpressed. There was a classic Twilight Zone trope to this story. The tale focuses on twin siblings who are polar opposites, and everything is sort of pointing to them getting what they want, and not being happy with it, remaining content in what they had, but perhaps no longer able to get it. The build-up takes too long to get to, and the midpoint and ending are ambiguous enough to kill any meaning in the story. Other than the moments of intense inking in the brother’s fantasy, I found the artwork to be very good. Very reminiscent of Terry Moore’s work.

Score: 5.5 out of 10

Absolute Superman - Issue 16

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Issue 15 of this series was probably the first issue that I’ve enjoyed. Sure, Clark was miserable, and he had good reason to be. But both Lois and Lana were totally hitting on him, and he was oblivious. I just like the idea of these characters having a little fun. Cause there’s nothing fun about the Absolute universe. Like, nothing. At least Diana has some joy, but it is so fleeting. I’m curious to see how it folds into the DC KO event. Back to this book, Katar Hall has always been an asshole. It’s cranked to 11 here. And his motivation is almost non-existent. I’m sure he’ll have a slight shift before this arc is over, but I kind of hope he stays that way. It’s a nice thing to repel Clark. The art and cover are fine. The coloring is solid.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

The Avengers - Issue 35

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I think we’re almost at the end of this Kang/Impossible City/Twilight Court storyline, and if I understand it correctly, they pulled a Final Crisis. It seems as though the City tricked the villains into taking the universal reboot device, knowing they’d activate it. The trick was to send them back to right before the creation of the first universe (I think this is the 7th?), which caused the creation of everything. And, I guess, killed the bad guys. Maybe? It was unclear. This book is all about big events…splash pages, and not a whole lot of evolution or depth. I assume this book sells. It certainly looks good and has a great cover. I think you either love this or you don’t. I don’t.

Score: 7 out of 10

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OK, so everything continues to suck. Even the comics were just adequate. And I'm sure next week will somehow be worse. Good times! Thanks for joining us at Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 4 February 2026 - Six More Weeks Of ICE (at least)

2026-02-05T09:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. So, that little bastard Groundhog saw his shadow, which means at least six more weeks of winter—if you believe that sort of thing. This has been an awful winter, given the actual snow/cold and all of the murders committed by ICE. We’re hearing about 25% of ICE are leaving Minnesota, but that still leaves 75% of those former Proud Boys. Let’s hope that the Democrats hold the line about DHS funding. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve reviewed five titles. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Iron Man - Issue 1

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This book is a mixed bag. The main stuff with Tony Stark is cliched and rather tedious. He’s charming and smart and blah-blah-blah. It felt like they were trying to channel Robert Downey, Jr., but with a terrible mustache. There’s no new ground there. What is interesting is more about the B story, which is about AIM trying to kidnap the young scientists Tony is trying to build up to make the world better. That is an interesting angle, as he shouldn’t be just part of a tiny group. He’s sort of making his own version of the Future Foundation. Otherwise, this book is utterly forgettable. The artwork is adequate.

Score: 5 out of 10

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Casey Jones - Issue 4

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This current arc of TMNT has been better than the prior arc. I do not miss Jason Aaron’s run, as it brought nothing to the story—in fact, I think it made things worse. The biggest issue has been the substandard artwork. This book is, at least, better in that front. One thing it is artificially doing is elevating Casey to a level more in line with the Turtles. He still has significant mental illness, but now he’s jacked up on mutant juice. Or whatever it is called. I find the B story about the villain with his mutant hunting grounds both boring and disgusting. They need to wrap this up soon, or this book will just get lumped in with the other inferior books.

Score: 6 out of 10

Bug Wars: The Spyder Witch Special - Issue 1

Image Comics

Review by The Wife

Although this collection contained 3 stories, I couldn’t make it past the first one...Lair of the Fire Spiders. The plot was nonsensical and the characters specific. Perhaps the reader needed to read prior stories (if there are any) to see any depth. As it stood, Wysta the Wayward Witch lacked coherence in her motivations. Then it jumps to a completely direct story with minimal ties to the main one... new characters are introduced without a foundation for who they are. Ultimately, I did not enjoy the tale.

Score: 2 out of 10

The Infernal Hulk - Issue 3

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

The first issue of this new volume was wild, creating a new status quo for The Hulk. These subsequent issues have underwhelmed, as it has turned into a stealth World War Hulk series. This book could be really interesting if it spent less time on the superhero angle and leaned more toward horror. Issue one did that, and it made it special. Everything else since has been pedestrian. Except for the parts with Bruce and Betty. That was fascinating, though once the heroes show up, it dragged. There is a content warning in the front that is appropriate given what is transpiring. The artwork is very interesting.

Score: 7 out of 10

The Kids Are All Fight - Issue 1

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is a DC KO tie-in because it beats you over the head about it. Beyond that, I would be confused if I just picked this up randomly. There’s weird stuff happening on the edges of this event, and most of it involves the Titans and some of the B-list JLA members. There is weird mayhem going on, and a bunch of random second-generation heroes are trying to manage things. It’s serviceable, but does little other than maybe get Jonathan to join the Titans. The inside art is fine, and the cover is solid.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

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So, this was a genuinely crap week. Nothing is worth your money and Bug Wars: The Spyder Witch Special you should avoid. Will next week be better? No. It won't. But, there will be another Comic Book Bitrot to read!

Comic Book Bitrot for 28 January 2025 - ICE's Victims

2026-01-29T09:20:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. On to the heavy news. We need to remember their names. Renee Good. Alex Pretti. People murdered in the streets by ICE, DHS, and Shitler. But we can’t forget the other people who died in ICE custody this year (as of today). As a reminder, it’s been forty days since the Epstein Files were supposed to be released. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got five titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Green Lantern: Galactic Slam - Issue 1

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I continue to think that this DC KO event is the best event book to come from either of the two major publishers in years. I’m not sure it makes much sense, but it careens along the tracks with no one at the wheel. It’s bonkers, but fun. And this book was as bonkers as the rest of things. Somehow, Kyle Rayner gets pulled into this intergalactic wrestling organization, only discover…well, it’s bizarre. But we meet our newest hero: Omega-Bam-Man. Not an easy name to say, but a strange character that I’m sure we’ll see more of. I’m sensing a showdown with Lobo at some point. Strange book. Strange event. Lots of fun. Interesting artwork.

Score: 8 out of 10

Star Trek: The Last Starship - Issue 4

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This issue focuses on the first officer, Wowie Carter. The idea behind this comic is interesting, even if the pacing is odd, and one plot point makes almost no sense. The issue explores Wowie, who seems fearless. They hint there is something more going on with him, but it’s all hints. What confuses me is that they've given this time-dilation thing, and Wowie keeps going back to Earth. Maybe it is a shorter trip than I thought. I found it confusing. Also, there was nothing more about the Kirk/Agnes thing from the end of issue 3. My biggest complaint is the art and coloring, which makes it unreadable at times. It’s interesting but not helpful.

Score: 6 out of 10

Assorted Crisis Events - Issue 8

Image Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Sometimes these issues are challenging to read. There was one where the double pages were spirals, which makes it hard to read on a tablet. Other times, the story is extremely complicated. Generally, these issues in this wonderful series are still outstanding, and this issue hits both of them. Hard to read and wonderful. This issue is hard to read for two reasons. The first is that we’re seeing a comic book artist as his life is falling apart, and it’s hard to read. The second part is that, as his world implodes, the art becomes increasingly abstract. It’s masterfully handled, but still a hard read. The artwork is a bit more complicated to explain. It has the normal look, but there is an added element that would make Scott McCloud happy. Top-notch stuff.

Score: 9.5 out of 10

Titans - Issue 31

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is one of the DC KO tie-in books that actually deals with the stuff on the side of the main story. Mostly, it’s about dealing with refugees from Earth. A chunk focuses on trying to save Gemworld, and maybe try to connect with Terra (who I didn’t know was alive, now.) The best part was Donna and Roy facing off against Grail and an army of Parademons. Not because of the fight, but because it’s hinting that there is some relationship stuff peaking through there, and that would get my dollars. Still, this issue was too fractured to really resonate. It looked solid.

Score: 7 out of 10

Fantastic Four - Issue 7

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This remains one of Marvel's best comics today because it spends a great deal of time exploring the human aspects of these characters. Much of it is focused on the family, which is usually a selling point. I find it more compelling now that Ben and Alicia are married and have adopted children (from space). It’s super-family focused, and it rises because of it. Additionally, we see that these people aren’t superheroes, just worried about justice. We get to see Ben actually engaging the villains and treating them with respect. We quickly discover that they have a lot more friends than we knew. The artwork is lovely.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

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OK, so another week of reality absolutely blowing, but the comic books were great! Two must-buys in Assorted Crisis Events and Fantastic Four. And Green Lantern: Galactic Slam came close. Fun. Will the comics be as good next week? Will America still exist? Stop back next time for more Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 21 January 2026 - Putin, er, Trump Dragging US to War

2026-01-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. So, you know, Shitler is continuing to drag us kicking and screaming into a war with NATO. But don’t forget how we’re leaving Ukraine out to dry, all the while plotting to overthrow the Venezuelan government. Didn’t Trump say he was going to stay out of this stuff during his campaign? Not the one for the Nobel Peace Prize, which he totally deserves. That was sarcasm for any MAGA CHUD that stumbles across this. Oh, and, apparently, he’s sending military troops to Minnesota so they can kidnap more children and murder more women. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got seven titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Die Loaded- Issue 3

Review by The Wife

The players are gathering. We have the Godbinder, the Knight, and now the Dictator. And we know that Molly dies in Die...but can destiny be changed? Or is there some other trick in play? Kieron Gillen crafts a wonderful adventure. And with Stephanie Hans’ artwork, the reader gets to role-play along. Even though the players are inthe process of gathering, I cannot wait for the tale to begin.

Score: 8 out of 10

Logan Black, White, & Blood - Issue 1

Review by Zachary Hunchar

These Black, White, & Red series have generally underwhelmed me. They tend to focus heavily on the art (and, in particular, the coloring), but the stories are meh. I think a number of these tales are try-outs for new writers. I can speak from experience; first-time writers, even with some editorial help, are still not great. So, this book touches upon that, even though it was better than many of the others. I think more had to do with the character being really well-known and able to get to things quickly. This book moved well, and everything made sense, more or less. Add to that the excellent look of things, and it ends up being decent.

Score: 7 out of 10

DC KO - Issue 3 (of 4)

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This event continues to be bonkers, and I’m starting to feel like it’s one of the better event stories of late. I still find it confusing at points, but they’re going All-In on things. There was a huge swerve in that it became a team-up series of fights, where each of the remaining got to pick a partner who didn’t make it. It was interesting about how they’re starting to level up, and it had some clever moments. SPOILER, but I’m starting to think The Joker is going to end up winning this. A lot of that had to do with Barda and Wonder Woman discussing things, and I think the key is the chaos he brings. The outcome is going to be bad, but maybe better than Darkseid winning. Also, the ending provided and even more interesting swerve. Kudos! And the book looks great.

Score: 9.5 out of 10

Dungeons of Doom - Issue 1 (of 3)

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Bonkers can be applied here, as well. This is a weird and crazy story about various groups trying to bust into Castle Doom and steal all of its secrets. I barely knew who anyone was or what they wanted, but that wasn’t the point. This was about mayhem and what lies within. There are some wild things people encountered, and I suspect it will get worse. All of that being said, unless there is something vital to the overarching universe, I can’t imagine this is something people will look back fondly on. The artwork was adequate.

Score: 7 out of 10

Knull - Issue 1 (of 5)

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

The symbiote subplot in this universe is not something I think many people care much about. They’re definitely expanding their role and purpose, which I suppose is a good thing, but I know I don’t really care. And that there are really just two villains as the main characters makes this less enjoyable. I find stories like that to be less enjoyable. And as neither of the leads is that interesting on their own, this book lost me. The artwork is OK.

Score: 6 out of 10

Star Trek Lower Decks - Issue 15

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This comic series continues to fill a void in the world. When Paramount+ ended this phenomenal animated series, I was sad. Then, IDW gave me this comic book. The first arc was special, but the creative team has shifted. This current one comes pretty close, but is still slightly off the mark. This current storyline is a good example. There are some inspired jokes, and the characters are pretty spot-on. It’s just that the overall plot of the four-issue tale isn’t strong enough to sustain. I think that had this been two issues, it would have been outstanding. Still, it’s fun if you like the property. Which I do. The artwork is perfect.

Score: 8 out of 10

The Ultimates - Issue 20

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

We’re about two months away from this event ending. Everything points to it going away, but I suppose there could be surprises. This issue was a clone of the Android army of Nick Furies vs. OG Human Torch—now Vision—sort of facing off against one another. Sort of. It’s a strange tale, as the narrator/protagonist uses fragments of sentences and forces the art to drive the drama. Strangely, this is mostly successful as motives are clear. The robots in this tale seem more compelling than the flesh-and-blood characters. There's a lot of drama, but I’m not clear what this all accomplishes, as it’s ending soon. Unless it isn’t, and that’s the surprise. The artwork is pretty good.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

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OK, so reality continues to suck, but the comics were solid. That includes DC KO, which I think is a must-buy. I won't bother about whether next week will be better — it won't. Thank you, though, for reading this week's Comic Book Bitrot.

Comic Book Bitrot for 14 January 2026! - The War On America (and the world) Continue

2026-01-15T09:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, you can still order copies of my first novel, The Grange, here. So, I think the biggest news of the week is the fascist administration’s invasion and assault on the people of Minneapolis. He sure wants an excuse to declare Martial Law. Seems like he’s spreading himself thin by picking a fight with NATO. WTF? Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got six titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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The Lucky Devils - Issue 6

Review by The Wife

Rake, Cameron, and Starr all have lost their way. Collar is the only one who has stayed the course...turning hell into hell for demonkind. And, at the moment, he’s the only likeable character. Rake sold out her beliefs. Cameron is on his high horse. She Starr is still self-absorbed. We only have 3 issues to go, and hopefully, these characters are on the path to redemption.

Score: 7 out of 10

Nova Centurion - Issue 3

Review by Zachary Hunchar

So, this brief storyline came to a somewhat satisfying conclusion as Nova defeated a guy who had history with by…using a cosmic forklift? It was less than a brilliant plan, but it worked. A new normal has been acheived and now he has a small team to work with. The only problem I had was that Yr-Kett seems to have left. I was looking forward to her and Richard smashing. Still, it moved, and it was far less bogged down in so much other drama with this character. I assuming we’ll see some Guardians of the Galaxy soon. Or some Avengers. It’s fine. I like the interior artwork more than the cover.

Score: 7 out of 10

Cheetah & Cheshire Rob The Justice League - Issue 6 (of 6)

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This was an excellent ending to this story, and a sizeable chunk of it went as expected. There were plenty of swerves, and they all went well. I assumed a bunch of these things would happen, and they did. What surprised me was what happened after, and I appreciate that they made a major change to one character. I’m not sure you can have another story like this, but I’d love to see these characters and this creative team again. It was a blast and quite well done, and the characters all stayed true to themselves. The art and cover are excellent.

Score: 9.5 out of 10

Fence Breakthrough: Quarter Clash - Issue 1

BOOM! Box

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This series continues with a new miniseries (I think) is dealing with the Quarterfinals. I’ve picked up this series sporadically because the topics and comic-book styles do very little for me. I assume there is a very targeted audience, and I am not in it. It’s an extremely drama-driven story, which is odd given the fencing bouts that are happening in the background. And even then, we get the buildup and the aftermath. It seems like a failing of the plotting, but I think the audience wants pretty men doing something. If you like American manga about men fencing and falling in love, this is for you.

Score: 6 out of 10

X-Men - Issue 23

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Dammit! I thought Age of Revelation was over, but it isn’t. This storyline is leaning heavily into alternate timelines, which means it will never end, even if future Cyclops fails to kill modern Doug Ramsey. I think if I were going to write an X-Men event story, I’d totally turn it into Rick & Morty, where an endless barrage of future X-Men keep coming back trying to change something, and they start fighting each other, and then it creates this future where all of the things happened. And finally, Scarlett Witch says, “No more time travel.” We’d be done with this. But I’m not sure we are. I did like how Cyclops kept escaping. That was fun. The art and cover are solid.

Score: 6 out of 10

Escape - Issue 5

Image Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’m not sure if this is a good series. There are some things that are remarkably topical, though there is a Hollywood kind of quality to it. A great deal of time is spent focused on how characters react to a situation, but there’s little closure for characters along the way. It kind of feels like writer Rick Remender is trying to write his own Quentin Tarantino script. He’s fairly successful, if that’s your jam. I found it unoriginal. Then, at the end of the issue, the hero sneaks around. I don’t understand why the villains don’t stop him. It was odd. The interior art is solid, and the cover is excellent.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

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OK, so the world continues to suck ass, but the comics were solid. Particularly, Cheetah & Cheshire Rob The Justice League, which is totally worth your money. I'm not even going to try to hope that next week will be better. Will there even be a next week? Good luck out there, and thank you for reading Comic Book Bitrot.

Comic Book Bitrot for 7 January 2026! - War? What is it good for? Oil. Just oil.

2026-01-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on
Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, my first novel, The Grange, is still available at a reduced price. Given this is the carryover from New Year’s, this is a limited week for comic options. Which is fine because who could concentrate with us INVADING VENEZUELA AND KIDNAPPING THEIR PRESIDENT. Today was the one-year anniversary of the Los Angeles Fires, and who could have thought it would have been buried in the news? I mean, it just took ICE murdering a woman in Minneapolis and covering it up. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got seven titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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X-Men Age Of Revelation - Finale

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This strange event concluded, even though the tags at the end suggest it’s not over. I assume there are multiple time frames, with characters observing the events and trying to make them happen or prevent them. I was confused. The only reason I could hang on was that there were recaps explaining what was happening and enough info dumps, but this was just dull. These events usually fail for me when they make it all about the totality of these characters' history, which is hard to remember. Everything quickly unfolded and ended, and I could barely follow what was happening. Particularly with the Cyclops and Beast time-travel things. They made little sense, and I’m not sure what the point was. I’m glad this is kind of over. The art is fine.

Score: 6 out of 10

Mary Sue - Issue 3

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I knew in the first issue that this comic was geared toward someone other than me. It’s very much a product of the current generations, and the concerns are so alien to me. Still, there were some nice themes and messages to be found within. Much is about being true to yourself, but there are also other lessons about bravery, community, and honesty. So, the key is that I’m not sure the target audience will like it, and I didn’t dislike it so much as I didn’t care. The art seemed appropriate.

Score: 6 out of 10

Predator Kills The Marvel Universe - Issue 5 (of 5)

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This outcome made some sense. Some. The title is misleading as it’s more than it kills some of the Marvel Universe. Perhaps there will be more killing, but I kind of hope not. I still have a hard time believing this many heroes died, but I’m not sure. I guess having a plan and Vibranium gives the aliens some hope. Still, it’s just odd. Also, why doesn’t Tony Stark build a super-suit for every hero? They’d get way more done. The artwork was, but the story is still meh.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

Sorcerer Supreme - Issue 1

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This was a fine new series in this grouping of volumes, with Steve Orlando writing and Russel Dauterman doing covers. I find Orlando’s writing strange and overly cumbersome at times. What he has done well is restore the noble and heroic aspects of Wanda, which is a positive. I do not enjoy it when it’s crazy, Scarlett Witch. I find that boring. The situation is nice, as well, with her at the Sanctum, and not everyone is happy with her new status. Still, this was a very chatty and thinky issue, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It looks great with a fantastic cover.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

The Expanse: A Little Death - Issue 3 (of 4)

BOOM! Studios

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’ll confess something easy: I loved this television show. I’ve started reading the books, and it feels like a pretty faithful adaptation. I’m early in, so I don’t know if that holds, but it’s been great so far. This series is interesting because I know it fits in after the show ended, but I’m not clear if this was part of the books. It’s co-written by the actor who played Amos, and the tone is solid. I think it helps that the artist does a good job with most of the characters. I forgot that Julie is the fifth member of the crew. This is a violent and political story, and it feels like the show. I’d guess this won’t resonate if you didn’t watch the show.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

Ultimate Endgame - Issue 1

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Just as shown in the title, we’re at the Endgame of this Ultimate Universe 2.0. And, honestly, I’m not sure I will be sad. I’m going out on a limb here, and I don’t think many other people would be all that sad either. It’s not that it is bad or anything. It’s just kind of pointless. The Maker is sort of omnipotent, and his plan seems to be the end of the world. It just seems futile, and add to that it was announced that this world ends this Spring. So, there’s little drama. Add to that, there are time jumps, and you have to infer all the updates, and it's just too much work for too little return. The “shocking” reveal was far from that. The artwork is fine.

Score: 5 out of 10

The Ultimates - Issue 19

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

The issue was quite clear, which takes place right after Ultimate Endgame issue 1. The bulk of the story focuses on Wasp’s “betrayal.” It’s in quotes because it sort of seems like she didn’t quite betray the Ultimates. But she betrayed someone. I think it was S.H.I.E.L.D. The whole thing with Hank was just weird, as they sort of flipped their roles in the main universe. I guess the reveal at the end was the most important part. This is such a weird event. The art was adequate.

Score: 4.5 out of 10

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Just an average week's worth of comics to functionally end last year. Nothing terrible, nothing great? Will this start off...eh, forget it. An illegal war, less than a week in, says this year might be worse. Hopefully, the comics are better. Thanks for joining us for Comic Book Bitrot.

Comic Book Bitrot for 31 December 2025 - Goodbye You Stupid Year

2026-01-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. Sorry, this is a brief one and coming at a weird time. The holidays have messed everything up, and we’re just trying to rest. One nice thing is that we’ve barely been looking at the news, so we’re a bit calmer. We’ll have another post this week with a recap from last year. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got five titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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No Man’s Land - Issue 4

Review by The Wife

Szymon Kudranski’s artwork engages the reader and draws them into the story. Overall, murder mysteries with political intrigue are captivating. The main constraint is that it's quite a story to contain to four issues, which tends to lead to a quick wrap-up. And this issue lays it all out except for: Why would the powers that be dispatch an unhinged individual? And who was the victim, other than allegedly a double or triple spy? Also, I felt the tie in to the political assassination at the end detracted from the events of the story.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

The Flash - Issue 28

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This was an interesting DC KO book because two heroes faced off, and one knew he wouldn’t win, creating another instance of trying to push the eventual victor to become a better person. I’m a big fan of the winner, but even I think the loser would have been a better choice to be the champion. I’m assuming this event will cause a soft reboot of things, but it’s unlikely much of this will carry over editorially. I might be wrong—I’ve just seen enough of these to know not to hold my breath. The inside and cover were good.

Score: 7 out of 10

The Will of Doom - Issue 1

Review by Zachary Hunchar

The title of this book has a double meaning. The first is dealing with all the things Doom forced into existence by sheer willpower, intellect, and planning. The other is how he chose to deal with his assets, and that they went to Valeria Richards, the only person he cares about in this world. There’s also some stuff about a new, paranoid White House and General Ross’s role there. The issue was longer than expected, and it probably didn’t need to be, though it did seem to wrap things up from before. Sort of. Doom left quite a mess. I hope it sticks around. The art and cover were solid.

Score: 7 out of 10

Sleep - Issue 7

Image Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This issue moved things forward somewhat. It placed the protagonist in a closed situation where the Government/Military has him and is conducting numerous experiments to try to figure him out. Things remain hazy for the reader and the protagonist, but it doesn’t change the sadness and confusion he feels. I’m not sure this will have a happy ending, but it certainly is interesting getting there. The art and coloring are fantastic.

Score: 8 out of 10

DC KO Red Hood vs. The Joker - Issue 1

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I found this book confusing, and I think that it was intentional. There were some interesting moments where Jason reflected on The Joker and what made him such a formidable opponent. But that was about the extent of things being interesting. The central conflict was confusing, and I think it was because the artwork was moody but unhelpful. Also, I have no idea who won this. It seemed like they both lost, which may have been necessary for Darkseid to enter the tournament. In the end, I don’t think this did much for the overall tale, even if Jason may have gotten some emotional closure.

Score: 6 out of 10

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So, it wasn't a terrible way to close out the year. Certainly not perfect, either. Just OK. Certainly better than last year in general. Thanks for joining us at Comic Book Bitrot, and let's hope for a better 2026!

Comic Book Bitrot for 24 December 2025 - Happy Christmas

2025-12-24T14:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. Don’t forget that there is still time to order my debut novel, The Grange, in time for the holidays. Speaking of which, we’re a bit early this week as Christmas is here! Very excited for the quiet few days ahead. Lots of home projects to do. Did anything interesting happen in the—oh, yeah. The Epstein Files were “released.” The quotes were due to the sheer amount of black ink applied and the fact that they weren’t all released. Already some…unfortunate stuff got out. And some sick stuff. Also, the Trump Administration, er, Larry Ellison killed a horrific 60 Minutes piece on CECOT. And they want to let the guy buy WBDiscovery as well. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got seven titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Exquisite Corpses Season 1 - Issue 8

Review by The Wife

Things are finally getting more complex. At first, this seemed like the Hunger Games, whereby each of The Thirteen selects a killer of sorts to take out the others. Afterall, there can only be one. But three killers are not alone. There are civilians, and some are more capable than the average schmo, like Laura, a trained medic from the Army, who may just enter the game yet.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

30 Days Of Night: Falling Sun - Issue 2

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’ve read and enjoyed the other 30 Days Of Night miniseries, including the original by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith. It was an interesting story at the time, with moody and atmospheric images. This new mini(?) by Rodney Barnes and a team of artists manages to capture the moodiness of the prior stuff while infusing it with some grit. Given what Barnes did in Killadelphia, this book makes sense. Things are moving very quickly in this story, and very little of it is happy. It’s dark and violent, and it does a fine job of showing that the vampires aren’t the only monsters. My only knock remains these abstract art teams that create mood at the expense of clarity.

Score: 7 out of 10

Alien vs. Captain America - Issue 2

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is sort of a What If…? kind of tale. I sort of like the idea, even if the execution is pretty awful. The Howling Commandos deserved better. The arrival of reinforcements at the end makes sense, but it seemed to come out of nowhere. There just wasn’t any setup for it. So we keep moving further and further away from the book's title, and what we’re given is just OK. It looks excellent. Neither this series nor the Predator crossover books I enjoy just because it is so dark and nihilistic. I get Disney wanting to keep the properties fresh, but it’s hard for me. I mean, what’s next? Alien vs. Disney Princesses?

Score: 7 out of 10

The Bat-Man Second Knight - Issue 2

DC Black Label

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This new arc is slightly less enjoyable than the first arc. Not much has changed in the writing and art, which are excellent, and in the themes explored at the beginning of the Second World War. Mostly, the issue is that there are too many things happening, including Superman and Lois Lane, plus multiple bad guys running around. It ends up being muddy, and nothing gets enough focus. You go a bunch of pages, then forget about characters, only to have them suddenly pop up again. Also, a lot is happening in the background, and it isn't very clear at times. Still, there are enough things that are good that it’s an alright book—when compared to the prior arc, it feels a bit underwhelming.

Score: 7 out of 10

Hector Plasm: Hunt For Bigfoot - Issue 3

Image Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This was a strange ending to a strange mini-series. But something that is kind of fun as well. The protagonist is a less competent John Constantine, but definitely a better person. And a sort of man of action. Sort of. There was some mayhem at the end that was very drawn out and maybe a bit confusing. Still, it has funny moments, and I suspect it will collect well. The artwork is sort of quirky, yet endearing.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

Titans - Issue 30

DC Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’m just doing these two comics next to each other. Both are in the DC KO event. They both seemed to share similar themes, with fights between people who liked each other. I mean, “people” in quotes, as Swamp Thing is an elemental. It and Cyborg respect each other, so it made things strange. I’m not sure I agree with Swamp Thing’s decision, but I suppose the outcome seemed inevitable. What was nice about this book was that there was more than the fight with those left on the Watchtower and Booster/Darkseid. There was some drama with Roy Harper and his daughter, Lian. I appreciate that they even brought up the Cheetah and Cheshire Rob The Justice League. The overall art was solid.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

Harley Quinn vs. Zatanna - Issue 1

DC Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is another DC KO book. This one also deals with people who seem to have a positive relationship. It started with Harley teaching Zatanna a critical lesson, and it ended with an interesting decision. I understand where this particular story went, but it was still odd. I do appreciate that they seemed not to want to kill each other, but it is a low bar to clear. There was more mayhem on the Watchtower, which was good to check in on. Overall, this was OK. The interior artwork is cutesy. The cover is very unappealing to me.

Score: 7 out of 10

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OK, so, a sort of middle-of-the-road week. Nothing terrible. Nothing great. Just in time for Christmas! Hopefully, it will be better than that. Until then, be safe, and we'll see what we can squeeze in for next week. Until then, thank you for joining us at Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 17 December 2025! - Goodbye Affordable Care Act

2025-12-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. And don’t forget that if you’re looking for an excellent gift for a fan of paranormal fiction, my book The Grange is available for sale. This was a rough weekend. It began with a mass shooting at Brown University, continued with a mass shooting at a Hanukkah event in Australia, and ended with the great filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife being stabbed to death.

After the weekend, we learned the House recessed for the year without restoring ACA subsidies. I think the GOP knows it's going to get clobbered next year, so this is their last chance to destroy Obamacare. Before we published, it looked like some GOP House members broke ranks to vote for a discharge petition, which will force a vote in January. And there is no guarantee that it will pass the Senate. Next year is a midterm election. Please make sure you tell your candidates that it’s Medicare For All, or they don’t get your vote. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got eight titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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DC KO Wonder Woman vs. Lobo - Issue 1

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This was one of the special editions that focused on a Sweet 16 fight. Wonder Woman and Lobo face off, and it is resolved as it should be. SPOLIER - Diana wins, but now right away. It’s a best-of-three, and each time, everything changes. It was crazy, as Lobo seems to be the focus, so it’s chaotic. The second round confused me. I wasn’t sure if Wonder Woman’s squad was real. I guess this doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, as this event will eventually end and EVERYTHING WILL CHANGE. Until the next event that changes everything. The interior artwork was much more palatable than the cover.

Score: 6 out of 10

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Issue 13

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Jason Aaron isn’t writing this anymore. I’d say I was happy, but it’s weirdly worse than his short run, and I didn’t like his run. This picks up right after, and tonally they’re shifting things more toward the Saturday-morning cartoon, which I find weird after all of their recent runs. Fighting and pizza. Weird. What is weirder is the plot about the mysterious character who, after a bit of a swerve, is revealed at the end. It seemed inevitable that this character would show up, but you’d hope it was more engaging. The style of the book’s artwork is equal parts bombastic and unhelpful.

Score: 5 out of 10

Batman: Gotham By Gaslight A League For Justice - Issue 6

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I think this was the last issue. I think. I’m a little unclear, as it sort of ends with a bunch of the heroes running dramatically. A lot of ground was covered, and it was handled pretty clumsily. There was a moment where they faced Darkseid, and he looked at them and then moved on. Also, there was a weird betrayal, and I’m not clear why it happened. This whole miniseries has underwhelmed, as it was more about getting to big moments and then doing nothing with them. So much atmosphere, so few coherent events. The artwork doesn’t help, either. It just makes it hard to tell what is happening and who the characters are.

Score: 4 out of 10

Star Trek Lower Decks - Issue 14

IDW Publishing

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I assumed that this story would wrap up in this issue. I was wrong. A three-part story (at least!) that probably didn’t need to be this long. This story is weird. The first part was all this stuff with Boimler, Rutherford, and their weird robot companion. This issue is Tendi and T’lyn’s bizarre rivalry. All the while, there is this mystery about a failed second contact. I did like that they addressed the whales are still on their ship, but I don’t understand why they didn’t drop them off on Earth. The story has all the familiarity of the show, with none of the elevated storytelling. It’s just messy. It looks good, though.

Score: 6 out of 10

Assorted Crisis Events - Issue 7

Image Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’ve really enjoyed this series, thus far. I’ll quickly say that this wasn’t the best issue. It may have been one of the weaker issues because the protagonist, Tom, just isn’t very interesting. I know that it was intentional as a proxy for showing the reader the banality of a Crisis Event, but his emotional range is so flat it’s hard to care. The situation itself is morbidly amusing, but he’s so inured to it that it’s hard to care. Then, there is a moment where he seems to get some bright idea, but it just seems more of the same. For as negative as I am, it’s more that this issue isn’t as good as prior issues than it is overall bad. It’s still decent. Just misses the mark on the idea that you need to buy it. The art is excellent in its own, weird way.

Score: 7 out of 10

Aquaman - Issue 12

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This is anotherDC KO Tie-In, albeit within the structure of an existing series, which is fine, as all comics in this universe should pause given what is happening. Here, we’re given a fight with Hawkman. Hawkman seemed pretty confident, especially when in space. However, this is a new, godlike Aquaman with all kinds of kooky new powers. I didn’t just assume that Aquaman would win based on their abilities, but because of whose name is on the book. SPOILER - the reason he wins is that he’s leveled up. Bigly. I doubt he will win the DC KO because we’ve seen almost nothing to indicate it's imperative to him. But it’s something. The art was solid.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

Ultimate Spider-Man - Issue 23

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This book remains the best in an utterly forgettable reboot. I know the Ultimate 2.0 universe is ending in the Spring, and I wonder if itis due to weak sales overall. This issue is fun because it feels like the final Act in an action film. All of these characters are propelling forward, and there is conflict all around. There is some scale issues, which I find confusing. If Peter is having such problems with Fisk, how can he beat him and Negative Man? And the stuff with Kingpin and Negative Man is weird. They’re mortal enemies on one page, then allies on the next. Weird. It feels like a lot of story, which is a mixed blessing. The art is very good.

Score: 7 out of 10

Nova Centurion - Issue 2

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

First, let me say that I absolutely hate that the criminal gang is called The Kree/Skrull War. It is so cumbersome. Then, we’re at a moment where Richard is having to be a mercenary to keep the Hive Mind alive in his helmet. He needs energy, and that seems to be the primary driver of this dull series. It seems important to him, but I doubt readers care very much. The best part was the exchange between Aalbort and Camille about the obvious sexual tension between Richard and Yr-Kett. If they went in on that, I’d totally be in on this book. I like the interior art, though I don’t care for the cover.

Score: 6.5 out of 10

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So, this week SUCKED. The world was awful. Comics weren't great. At least it's almost the weekend. What could possibly go wrong, then? I guess we'll find out. We're going to be done with next week's column because of the holiday, so join us (early) for Comic Book Bitrot.

Comic Book Bitrot for 10 December 2025! - Back From Sick, er, Sin City

2025-12-11T10:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. As a reminder, The Grange is still on sale in eBook form—a perfect gift for the holidays! I’m back from Las Vegas, and I’m already feeling like the city passed along some virus. I suppose it could have been all those people smoking and drinking at the slot machines for breakfast. Let's see, a judge told Shitler he couldn't keep using the California National Guard. The blue wave continues hopefully into November of 2026. And, regardless of Trump's lies, Americans are finding it hard to pay for stuff. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got seven titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Something Is Killing The Children - Issue 45

Review by The Wife

What makes this series so wonderful is that the personalit’ personalities are distinct, with their own humanity, reeking of flaws. Jessica, for instance, cares too much, and she tries to numb her pain with drinking. Erica worries about her mentor Jessica. The one who was there when her parents and friends were murdered, and you can tell that she didn’t want to lose another loved one. You want everyone to be okay, safe. But they never are.

Score: 8 out of 10

DC KO Superman vs. Captain Atom - Issue 1

Review by Zachary Hunchar

We’re through two issues of the mini-series event, and now we’re at the part where there will be eight issues, if you will, focusing on the eight fights in the Sweet Sixteen. I’m not sure this was the best one to start with, as you’re given a Boy Scout and a soldier, so their personalities have enough overlap, the drama becomes manufactured. Add to that, the rules are impossible to understand, so it’s just one trying to out-imagine the other, but mostly, it was arguing over who would be better at rebooting the universe. It was tedious. The outcome seemed inevitable given who was involved. I’m hoping the rest of the match-ups are going to be more exciting. The art was fine. I found the cover to be terrible.

Score: 6 out of 10

Criminal - Giant-Sized Issue 1

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I’ll admit this was the first issue in this world that I read, and now I want to go back and read the misadventures of Ricky Lawless. It’s truly dumb, classic noir. This character makes terrible decisions and spends much of the story making things worse. On top of that, it appears that there is going to be a television series about him, and now I’m excited about that. There is other content in here, including an RPG (?!) and a guide to this world. A nice primer for the show. The story is well written, and the artwork is perfect for the tale.

Score: 9 out of 10

Star Trek Red Shirts - Issue 5

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I finished this book, and all I could think was, “huh.” There is a surprise that happens at the end. I’m not sure I can say this was well-set up, but it was interesting. SPOILERISH-SPOILER: The protagonist, Ensign Miller, has a significant revelation that makes sense for the ending, but I’m not sure it works for what happened to the character. I’m not sure there was a way to end this that would have made more sense. Still, it was unexpected. There might be more with this character, but I’m not holding my breath. I’d like to see more Red Shirt stories, though.

Score: 7 out of 10

Doctor Strange - Issue 1

Review by Zachary Hunchar

The good doctor is still in Asgard (which is at odds with Hulk Smash), and he’s officially the Sorcerer Supreme of that realm, though he really wants to get back to Earth. But he can’t because things are broken and Thor’s dead and stuff. So, he’s trying to be helpful, but thus far, he keeps trying to do things only to see them blow up in his face. Good for storytelling, I guess. I'd question whether anyone wants this, but I have a hard time with anyone wanting more of this character in comic form. Wizards are fun in tiny doses. Having to carry endless storylines gets tiresome for me, and this was a story with almost no one I cared about. The art was decent.

Score: 6 out of 10

Hulk Smash Everything - Issue 1 (of 5)

Marvel Comics

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This was a…strange comic. The creative team presented a book of mayhem where The Hulk is rampaging, and it explains why. But that’s not really why you’re here. You want to see the big guy…smashing everything. And he does some of that. It’s not till the end of the story that it becomes interesting. And bonkers. This isn’t going to win awards, and it’s not going to be something celebrated for years to come. But, I guess, if you read it, you’ll be entertained. And isn’t that all that matters? The answer is no. But you’ll still be entertained. And it looks pretty good with vibrant colors.

Score: 7 out of 10

Cheetah & Cheshire Rob The Justice League - Issue 5

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

Yeah. This is what we’re talking about. The first four issues of this mini-series were set up and focused on character work. This was the issue that gave us the series title. The ~~heroes~~ protagonists execute their plan, and it’s… surprisingly simple. I mean, there were a lot of moving parts and weird parts, plus they still had to get to space. Everything more or less worked out. Except for betrayal at the end. Which was set up and presented perfectly. I can see how this will end, and it looks great. I wasn’t sure about this book at the start, but it came together nicely. And it looks interesting. Same with the cover.

Score: 9.5 out of 10

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Alright, so the world still sucks. But the comic books were solid. Particular attention should be given to Cheetah & Cheshire Rob The Justice League and Criminal. Totally worth your cash. Will next week be better? No. Not even close. Until then, thank you for reading Comic Book Bitrot!

Comic Book Bitrot for 3 December 2025! - It's Not War Crimes, But Murder

2025-12-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Book Bitrot. As a reminder, you can find much of this on Substack. You can follow Zachary on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and his website. Just to remind you, my debut novel, The Grange, is available for sale and would make a great holiday present. Obviously, the biggest news this past week was, SPOILER, a Belgian Sheepdog winning the National Dog Show. Oh, and I suppose the story about the BFF of Jeffrey Epstein and Whisky Pete murdering people in the ocean. And don’t forget, inflation isn’t real, and the GOP didn’t take away health insurance from tens of millions of Americans. Let’s just get to comics. This week, we’ve got seven titles reviewed. As always, they’re scored on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst.

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Absolute Wonder Woman - Issue 14

Review by The Wife

Although the inverse Wonder Woman is the vocal point of the story, it’s the ethereal woman who speaks backwards that’s the most intriguing part. She reminds me of Zantanna, but is she? Getting back to the main story, Diana shows her humanity when she realizes she needs help, and her cunning when she asks for it. The question is: who was behind the threat?

Score: 7.5 out of 10

Escape - Issue 4

Review by Zachary Hunchar

This continues to be an ambitious project that swings for the fences yet is wildly unfocused. That seems like many of the books writer Rick Remender creates. At least with the Image books, it veers into something positive but inevitably incomplete. This feels the same way. The (dog) protagonist, Milton Shaw, is single-minded, even if his loyalties are split between the war effort and his wife and unborn child. Someone in the resistance shelters him, but it’s less about providing a meaningful perspective and more about sparking debate. His series Scumbag felt that way, and it was hard to figure out the point of things. Still, it’s got some weight to it. Add the excellent artwork, and it’s fairly compelling.

Score: 7 out of 10

DC KO - Issue 2

DC Entertainment

Review by Zachary Hunchar

OK, wow. This is a strange, yet compelling event that I’m unclear about what it will mean when it ends. It’s sprawling through other books, but the summary can be found here—it’s just too much for me to explain. This issue primarily focuses on fighting, but there is a brief section before the book's events where Batman lays out why Superman may one day need to cut loose. Everything points to Superman “winning,” but I’m not sure he’s the right person for that. Otherwise, things are chaotic in this story. I’m still not sure who ended up with what artifact. It was a bit vague, but there are only sixteen champions left, and some of them would be bad choices. This book looks great.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

The Killer Affairs Of State II - Issue 6

Review by Zachary Hunchar

I think this mini-series sort of ends, but doesn’t conclude. A strangely introspective series, I think the creator seems to enjoy the protagonist’s musings and pontifications more than advancing the story. It feels very much like the middle part of a story, but I guess there is an end. I suppose there is room for more stories with this character, but I’m not sure how that works. At its heart, this feels very European, and that’s a good thing for American comic books. It may prevent wider exposure, though. It has an interesting look. I think the coloring is what really resonated with me.

Score: 7 out of 10

The Infernal Hulk - Issue 1