Comic Book Reviews (Week October 20, 2021): Black’s Myth Issue 4, Catwoman: Lonely City Issue 1 & More!

Welcome to my comic book review round-up for the week of October 20, 2021. I will be talking about Catwoman: Lonely City issue 1, Black’s Myth issue 4, Beyond the Breach issue 4, and more!

I’ll begin by talking about Catwoman: Lonely City issue 1. In my opinion, Cliff Chiang’s Catwoman: Lonely City issue 1 isn’t just an awesome debut for a new Selina Kyle story, it’s an awesome debut for one of the most interesting Gotham City-centric DC stories, period. I really hope the momentum continues.

The premise dealt with Selina coming back to Gotham ten years after the tragic event of Fool’s Day (which took the lives of Batman, Nightwing, Joker, and Gordon). Being released from jail, Selina entered a city she didn’t recognize. Masked vigilantes had been outlawed and Batpolice roamed the streets. I liked seeing an older Selina trying to make sense of her identity. She’s not ready to let go of the Catwoman mantle yet. Seeing her trying to score to big job to get her reputation back made me laugh. Not only that, but there’s something Batman-related she’s got to handle.

With Harvey Dent running for re-election as the Mayor of Gotham and keeping an eye on Selina, I’m looking forward to seeing what Dent’s got planned for her and if she can avoid falling into his trap. At least, she’s got an older Killer Croc (with hips issues) on her side.

My only gripe would be a 55-year-old Selina looking a bit too aged in the art. I was surprised to learn her age a couple of pages in because I thought we were dealing with a Selina in her 60s.

Does it have obvious queer characters? Yes.

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

Superman: Son of Kal-El Issue 4

From writer Tom Tayler, Superman: Son of Kal-El issue 4 had Jon realize that Jay’s got superpowers. Apparently, Jay’s been given the ability to phase through danger like Shadowcat/Kate Pryde from the X-Men series. Due to Jay and Jon growing closer to each other, at least it won’t be easy for a villain to harm Jay to get to Jon. So, that’s nice.

As for Jon continuing to take on his father’s numerous responsibilities, I think the current issue made Jon realize that asking dictators to turn a new leaf just doesn’t work. Bendix’s serious about fighting Jon while following his own cunning set of rules. Our young Superman needs to get with the program and find a way to defeat Bendix ASAP. 

Does it have obvious queer characters? Yes.

Recommendation: Pick it up!

Beyond the Breach Issue 4

The penultimate issue of Beyond the Breach by writer Ed Brisson finally shared how the dimension-jumping technology worked. Poor Samuel didn’t even realize what he was doing by using such a device until it was too late. I really liked the scene where Vanessa tried to make Samuel say something that wasn’t going to happen. Apparently, there’s no way for the damage to be undone. However, Vanessa wanting to hear otherwise was very human of her.

I’m definitely looking forward to reading how this story will conclude and if Vanessa’s world can even go back to how it used to be.

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Recommendation: Pick it up!

Night of the Ghoul Issue 1

I was provided with a free digital copy of Night of the Ghoul issue 1 for review. The opinions I have shared are my own.

From co-creators Scott Snyder (writer) and Francesco Francavilla (art), as the title states, this horror story is about a ghoul and how a single night could determine the fate of a father and his son as they try to track down T.F. Merritt, the writer/director of the greatest horror film ever made. The original footage was damaged extensively during a studio fire and the movie couldn’t be released back in the 1940s. Rumors of the film’s greatness persisted and Forest Inman was able to find the damaged footage. He’s now interested in sitting down with Merritt and learning about the complete story.

I liked how the story unfolded in the debut issue. We had Inman sitting down in Merritt’s room to talk about the film in the present while the footage from the film was used to give us a bunch of flashbacks showing the horrors connected to the ghoul. You could tell there was something weird going on in the old home facility and I liked how the debut issue didn’t drag it out. Merritt was quite forward when it came to revealing his thoughts about the establishment. Inman and his son are in for some tough times ahead. And I can’t wait to see what will happen next. 

The art played a vital role in bringing the narrative’s creepy tone to life. The scene with Inman’s son in the corridor was impressively done. Due to the surroundings being dark, I liked the use of light sources, with people and objects having different shades of colors when illuminated by a laptop screen or a cellphone. The flashback sequences had panels being presented on a film reel, with abrupt pauses and jumps to depict where the film had been damaged.  

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Recommendation: Pick it up!

Black’s Myth Issue 4

I was provided with a free digital copy of Black’s Myth issue 4 for review. The opinions I have shared are my own.

From writer Eric Palicki, Black’s Myth issue 4 served as the penultimate chapter. If you have been following my reviews of Black’s Myth, you already know I really like this series. I really hope we get to see queer werewolf private detective Strummer and her Djinn-partner Ben soon. I’m a fan of supernatural beings hiding in plain sight in the modern world.

However, Strummer’s cover seems to have been broken considering she got kidnapped. Also, the flashback to Strummer’s father was heartbreaking. She deserves a good break after she’s done with the current predicament she’s stuck in. Here’s to hoping Ben can find her in time.

Does it have obvious queer characters? Yes.

Recommendation: Pick it up!

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You can read Jessica’s review of Nightwing issue 85 here.

Which comic books did you read this week? Did you enjoy Catwoman: Lonely City issue 1?

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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