Comic Book Reviews (Week October 11, 2023): X-Men Red Issue 16, Creepshow Issue 2, and More!

Welcome to my comic book reviews for this week (October 11, 2023). I will be covering X-Men Red Issue 16, Creepshow Volume 2 Issue 2, Captain Marvel: Assault on Eden Issue 1, and more!

Let’s begin by talking about Captain Marvel: Assault on Eden issue 1 by writer Anthony Oliveira. I’m a fan of Oliveira writing Wiccan and Hulkling, so I decided to pick up this particular one-shot. However, I quickly realized that this self-contained story was more about exploring Carol as a character instead of Billy and Teddy. Fortunately, I still found the entire thing to be quite enjoyable.

The issue had Carol paying a visit to Emperor Hulkling and Wiccan as she reminisced about the political turmoil generations of Kree and Skrulls have gone through. It was nice to see the two species finally experiencing peace (or something close to it). But, as with Marvel Comics, there’s always something or someone waiting to cause chaos again.

As the name states, Captain Marvel: Assault on Eden had the Supreme Intelligence launch an assault to kidnap Kree/Skrull hybrid kids and force them back into the old ways. Being a hybrid, Hulkling also got kidnapped. I liked how Wiccan came very close to losing it after he couldn’t simply teleport to Teddy’s location via their wedding rings. The entire thing was a nice little callback to what Wiccan did during the Avengers: The Children’s Crusade storyline.

The book did a good job of helping readers understand Carol’s past, present, and future as she went to rescue Teddy and the rest of the kids. I’m not a big Captain Marvel fan, but I still enjoyed reading about her character in such a manner.

Now, hopefully, Marvel Comics will decide to give Oliveira more content focusing on Billy and Teddy.

Does it have obvious queer characters? Yes.

Recommendation: Up to you.

Guardians of the Galaxy Issue 7

From writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, I picked up Guardians of the Galaxy issue 7 because… duh!… it featured Wiccan and Hulkling. The married couple spent the majority of their on-panel time trying to understand the apparent resurrection process that Groot was currently undergoing.

And while I liked how Billy and Teddy promised to help the rest of the Guardians by vouching for them in front of the Galactic Council, things aren’t clearly as easy as they assumed due to numerous galaxy-related forces involved in the situation. Certain people have it out for the Guardians and I’m kind of looking forward to what will happen next. 

Does it have obvious queer characters? Yes.

Recommendation: Up to you.

X-Men Red Issue 16

From writer Al Ewing, X-Med Red issue 16 showed Storm finally getting a bit serious after Genesis decided to bring her kids, The Four Horsemen, to the current Civil War in the previous issue. Ororo easily taking out War and Famine was amazing to see. The moment, again, went on to showcase that if Storm wanted to defeat you, she could do that, and that too without breaking a sweat. Many fail to realize just how versatile Ororo was due to being an Omega-level Goddess who could control the weather. Omega-level mutants or other powerful beings who only had command over a single element just can’t compare.

Fight sequences aside, the main narrative push focused on Storm’s decision regarding the Uranos Trigger. Due to how Uranos was responsible for the death of numerous Arakki, I was wondering how they could justify the Arakki using such a weapon against another foe. Ewing provided the answer through a lengthy data page that went over the Arakki perspective when it came to accepting the Uranos Trigger from the Eternals and how it was being safeguarded. It’s revealed that Uranos can only be set free via thought. There was no button or lever to trigger his release. That also meant that Uranos would try to persuade a person to open his cage if they touched the Uranos Trigger.

A narrative throughline has been the parallel between Storm and Genesis. Both powerful women were faced with making a particular decision when faced with a major threat. Genesis succumbed to the power when she talked to Annihilation and caused a whole lot of suffering. And we got to see Storm, more or less, face a similar situation in the current issue when she touched the Uranos Trigger. Ororo had to make a choice. She could throw away her merciful nature and release Uranos to fight Genesis’ forces. Even if Uranos, somehow, couldn’t beat Genesis, he would still greatly weaken her. Or Storm could handle the situation herself.

I really liked how someone as OP as Uranos was aware of how Storm could cleanse the entire planet if she allowed herself to tap into the anger and darkness building inside her heart. Ororo didn’t need really Uranos. She could end the war herself. But doing so in such a manner would be against what Storm believed in.

Storm fandom member @Ororo101 created an interesting thread talking about the parallel between Genesis and Storm’s journey.

Genesis • Ororo • and “The Arakki Way”

A short “Theory Thread” on Two Queens & the overarching message on what sets them apart#Xspoilers #XmenRed pic.twitter.com/zIUJuKHGF5

— •HOMO•SUPERIOR• (@Ororo101) October 12, 2023

With the finale coming near, I’m looking forward to seeing how Storm will end Genesis’ reign of terror. In a way, I want to see Storm vs Annihilation instead of Storm vs Genesis. We all know that Storm’s stronger than Plant Granny. What I want to see is Storm showcasing a major feat of indomitable will by facing Annihilation and coming out victorious.

Does it have obvious queer characters? Yes.

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

Creepshow Volume 2 Issue 2

Creepshow is back for another season and I’m so glad. The second issue featured two short horror stories. ‘The With No Eyes’ by writer Michael Walsh and ‘Keep It Down’ by writer Dan Watters.

Walsh’s story was about a young boy named Dan who spent his time watching TV after his mother left and his father spent a lot of time at work. Staying up late at night led to Dan being contacted by a mysterious magician through the TV. I could tell where the story was going, but it was still fun to see it play out as Dan finally had enough of his father’s behavior and decided to do something about it after a certain suggestion by the magician.

Featuring some dark humor, ‘Keep It Down’ was a story about a young woman named Amy who came from a family that could listen to the dead. Apparently, the women in her family were supposed to listen to what the dead had to say and keep them company. However, that wasn’t easy for Amy as more and more spirits appeared to talk and complicated her already busy life.

I felt for Amy. I think listening to ghosts was likely far easier back in the day when you didn’t have a mountain of content to consume via TV and social media. There was also the noise due to living in the city and trying to hold down a job. So, of course, Amy had enough and she decided to take matters into her own hands to stop the ghosts from talking to her. But the consequences of her actions weren’t what she expected. Now, that particular ending took me by surprise!

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Recommendation: Pick it up.

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What did you think of X-Med Red issue 16? Which other comic books did you read this week?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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