These days, I'm not spending as much time in front of the camera. But the consolation prize is I get to spend more time talking comics in other forums, like our Discord community. Last week, someone asked everyone for their Top 3 comics on the pull list at the moment. After thinking about it for a while, I came to a shocking conclusion.

Comics have been in a great place for the past 18 months or so. We've got the Energon Universe at Skybound, the Ultimate Universe at Marvel, and the Absolute Universe at DC -- not to mention their All-In initiative which saw new, exciting jumping on points for every book in the mainline DCU.

At Marvel, I've particularly enjoyed Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri's The Ultimates, a series with lots of done-in-one stories en route to a universe shattering collision with The Maker. I've mostly checked out of the main DC Universe, though I thoroughly enjoyed Brandon Thomas and Fico Ossio's Black Lightning miniseries, and I can't wait to see what Bryan Hill does with The Power Company: Recharged one-shot later this month. Murewa Ayodele, Lucas Werneck and Luciano Vecchio have a bona fide hit on their hands with Storm, and I can't wait to see where that goes. But even with all this excitedment, nothing has hooked me with the exact mix of nostalgia, action and impactful storytelling I often crave like Jason Aaron's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

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After a historic 150 issues, IDW soft relaunched the Turtles last year. While we're still in the same continuity, there's no need to do any homework before diving into issue #1. The first story arc walked us slowly into a heartbreaking new status quo for my favorite set of anthropomorphic brothers, with each issue focusing on a single turtle (plus Casey Jones), until we finally got them all in the same room for issue 6. From there, the gloves are off and we're running at full speed. Their relationships fractured, and their backs against the wall. In a nailbiting matchup, it's the world versus the Turtles, and the Turtles versus themselves -- and I have no idea who's going to win.

The addition of Juan Ferreyra as the ongoing series artist with issue 6 brought everything over-the-top in a way I couldn't have expected, and didn't know I needed. His distinct looks for each Turtle, dynamic action shots and visual effects stand out in a field where great seart is as common as a run-on sentence in my newsletters. Juan is even coloring the book himself, often with a muted palette that clearly tells us these aren't the fun-loving turtles you might be expecting to see. If you don't take your time following the movement on his pages, you may not notice that each brother has a signature aura when in combat.

All told, this series has been riveting, action-packed and heartbreaking -- a must read for Turtles fans everywhere. Just seven issues in, it's on a character defining trajectory. Issue #8 is in shops this Wednesday, and I hope you'll join me in its readership.

Is Spider-Man Amazing Again??

As I mentioned last week, Wednesday saw the release of a brand new Amazing Spider-Man #1. I was hoping it would be good, as I've always been a fan of Peter Parker in other forms of media, but his modern comics never quite hit for me.

I'm pleased to report Joe Kelly's debut outing, first issue err... newest relaunch doesn't disappoint. We find Peter Parker in a pretty typical status quo. His real life is in shambles because he prioritizes his responsibilities as Spider-Man. But things may be looking up! He's still got his love interest (no, not that one), and thanks to a favor from an old friend, he's gainfully employed. But we know it's only a matter of time until the superhero reality check has to clear the account.

Meanwhile, we're doing the "is Norman Osborn evil or not" thing... again. Seriously. That backup, and the fact that JRJR is on art duties for it, give the feeling that we're going to be retreading old ground far too soon, and that's unfortunate.

This debut was fun and action-packed with great art -- which is pretty much all I ask of an Amazing Spider-Man book in 2025. Pepe Larraz art on the main story feels like the shot in the arm this title has needed for a LONG time. I just hope the writing can rise to the occasion over time, as it feels a little flat comparitively. It's not quite amazing, but for now, I'm on board.

On the Podcast

Last week on the Podcast, I finally released my conversation with Karla Medrano aka Moon The Storyteller. Recorded in the weeks leading to New York Comic Con 2024, this got lost in the shuffle of mortgage applications and prenatal doctors visits. Thankfully, Karla is ALWAYS working on something new, so the conversation is still relevant.

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59. Karla Medrano on Lane Sw... Apr 10 · Comics Are Dope (The Pod... 58:04   ​

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Read Something Dope Today,

BJ KICKS