Comic Book Reviews (Week July 14, 2021): Mighty Morphin Issue 9, Eve Issue 3, Double Walker & More!

Welcome to my comic book reviews for this week (July 14, 2021). I will be covering Mighty Morphin Issue 9, Eve Issue 3, Double Walker, Beyond the Breach Issue 1, and more!

Turns out, there wasn’t a single comic book from DC and Marvel that caught my interest this week. However, that doesn’t mean there weren’t still a handful of titles from other publishers I enjoyed reading. I get that numerous people solely read DC or Marvel. But there’s a lot of other good stuff out there. You should consider checking them out. This week was a very good one for horror fans.

Mighty Morphin Issue 9

From writer Ryan Parrott, Mighty Morphin issue 9 was another stellar issue (duh!). Parrott’s been doing a lot of work to make Zedd an actual character instead of the visually interesting (yet kind of boring) villain that he’s been in the long-running franchise. I get that he’s evil, but I don’t mind such characters being given some depth.

Having kidnapped Zelya (or Candice) and placing her on the Moon, it looks like Zedd’s ready to tell her the truth behind how the forces of Eltar function. Talking about Zelya, Skull (who thinks she’s a normal human girl named Candice) is still trying to look for her. I feel bad for Skull. I’m interested in seeing how their relationship develops.

Coming to the dynamics between the Power Rangers on Earth, Zordon’s been making Billy face certain consequences after Billy betrayed his trust. The Rangers, on the other hand, are willing to forgive him or at least limit the severity of his punishment. In a sense, I would have forgiven Billy. But currently, Billy’s future on the team is up to Zordon. So, let’s see what happens.

Zordon’s all about maintaining trust with teammates. But I guess Zordon’s going to experience another breach of trust soon enough now that Zartus has arrived on Earth. While I don’t trust Zartus at all, I think Parrott did an impressive job displaying how he and Zordon interacted with each other in front of the Rangers. Old friends do talk like that.

As for Matthew, he’s still not a proper member of the Power Rangers. He’s trying to be, but Tommy’s definitely not interested. Seeing Tommy and Matthew butt heads during a mission came across as a bit clichéd. Having said that, I’m enjoying how Matthew’s being treated compared to the Rangers. Everyone knows about Matthew’s identity. He’s respected by the community and received special treatment at school (being able to leave class for missions, extended deadlines for assignments, etc.). Of course, the other Rangers, who continued to keep their identities hidden had an issue with that. They are teenagers after all. 

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

Beyond the Breach Issue 1

From writer Ed Brisson and artist Damian Couceiro, we have another new offering about interdimensional beings arriving in the human world and killing everyone in sight. While I’m not sure if I’ll be sticking around for the long run (my decision could change), I do think I’ll read the second issue because I’m intrigued about the monsters and where they came from. Apparently, the hideous-looking ones are vicious while the gremlin-looking ones are the good guys?

Our human lead’s a woman named Vanessa. Her life’s not great. She lost her mother to cancer and got cheated on by her boyfriend (who hooked up with Vanessa’s sister. Ew!). The story opened with Vanessa going on a drive out of the city to clear her head. That’s when the breach occurred and she immediately had to save herself, a young boy, and one of those gremlin-looking creatures. Even though I have no idea where the main narrative’s going, all of the blood and gore definitely kept my attention.  

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Recommendation: Pick it up.

Bunny Mask Issue 2

Coming to another horror comic, we have Bunny Mask issue 2 by writer Paul Tobin. I knew Tyler growing closer to Bee (who might not actually be Bee?) would cause problems. The closer Tyler got to Bee, the more intense the voices in his head became.

There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the supernatural creature in the Bunny Mask and I can’t wait to find out more about her. Is she a spirit of vengeance? Does she only target bad people? I don’t know. Also, due to there being whispers about a Vessel, it looks like there might be something else trying to escape (is it the Snitch?).

As for Bee and Tyler’s budding relationship, I was kind of weirded out about their age difference and the fact Tyler knew Bee when she was a kid. But then again, Tyler’s roommate did have a point about how they didn’t see each other in fourteen years and it’s not as if they both grew up together. Anyway, I think your mileage will vary when forming an opinion about what’s going on between Tyler and Bee.  

Andrea Mutti’s pencils and colors continued to perfectly fit such a story being told as the scenes jump between what is and isn’t real.

Does it have obvious queer characters? Yes.

Recommendation: Pick it up.

Eve Issue 3

I have to say, I wasn’t expecting the events that transpired in Eve issue 3. And, frankly, I’m not sure how I feel about it. Yes, I enjoyed seeing what happened (writer Victor LaValle really amped up the stakes), but I was hoping for a certain someone to act differently. But, oh well, that doesn’t mean I’m still not intrigued by what’s about to happen next.

LaValle’s not playing around when showcasing the dangerous world Eve woke up in. It’s kind of tough to talk about this comic book issue without spoiling stuff. So, all I’ll say is that I appreciate LaValle trusting his intended young reader demographic with such a heavy and timely story.

As someone who was once a young reader, I know such a reading audience wants writers to take them seriously and not pull their narrative punches. I’m still thinking about what happened!

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

Seven Secrets Issue 10

Writer Tom Taylor focused on the team trying to weed out a traitor in their midst during Seven Secrets issue 10. We also got to meet a new character, Queen Jedda (who I wouldn’t mind seeing more of). Having said that, I still think there are way too many characters to comfortably keep track of in this story, and I don’t actually care about a bunch of them.

With the team separated in groups and one of the groups going back to a destroyed Switzerland to retrieve the Secret, here’s hoping things work out for the better, but then again, with how things usually go in this particular story, I’m not so sure. Also, I guess we will have to wait a bit longer to know how Sigurd came back.

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Recommendation: Pick it up.

The Silver Coin Issue 4

Writer Jeff Lemire decided to put his sci-fi spin on the current anthology linked together by the ominous Silver Coin. Titled ‘2407’, we got to see a dystopian future where people can hack into each other through worm-like appendages installed in their eyes. I was quite impressed by how a lot of weird stuff (including body horror) happened in the story before the Silver Coin made an appearance later on.

With our female lead being in possession of the Silver Coin, the story gave us the possibility of a sequel. I’m not against it. I would like to see the Silver Coin, its curse acting like a virus in such a technologically advanced world, wreak havoc in your usual sci-fi authoritarian-run walled city. 

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Recommendation: Pick it up.

Double Walker (Graphic Novel)

I was provided with a free digital copy of Double Walker for review. The opinions I have shared are my own.

From writer Michael W. Conrad and artist Noah Bailey, Double Walker served a story about an American couple, Cully and his pregnant wife Gemma, visiting Scotland. The tone of this horror offering was set in the opening pages. The creative team didn’t waste any time telling readers it was not going to end well for the couple. We were then taken back to find out what really happened.

Using Scottish folklore, Conrad’s Double Walker can be described as an incredibly engrossing and disturbing tale. I read the entire 130+ page book without taking a single break. I didn’t even check my Twitter mentions or email.

With the main narrative following Cully and Gemma’s incredibly bad luck, there are a number of faerie tales peppered throughout. There’s an old Scottish legend about The Old Man of Storr, another one about Changelings, the shapeshifting Boobrie spirit, and more. All of the tales have some kind of connection to what the American couple went through. It’s all fascinatingly creepy.

Not only that, I liked how Conrad explored the shift in Cully and Gemma’s relationship after tragedy struck when Cully left Gemma alone during their hiking trip to The Storr. Even if you took away the supernatural element, Cully and Gemma’s interactions felt natural.

In my opinion, the story being shared in Double Walker was one about change. People tend to change with time due to their experiences and sometimes relationships just run their course. With both of them trying to process what just happened to them, cracks appeared in their bond. I felt bad for Cully as he tried to be there for Gemma but was continuously being pushed away by her.

Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the hints about whether or not Cully was seeing things. A particular story about a Changeling made me think that his POV was unreliable. Did the fae really do something sinister to Gemma or was Cully trying to process a tragedy in a destructive manner? Was he going down a dark path because he didn’t want Gemma to leave him?

Double Walker also had two detectives following the current murder spree, with Gemma and Cully being the prime suspects. At first, I was a bit disappointed to see how the two detectives acted more as spectators instead of active participants. Apparently, a similar incident had occurred years ago and I guess as far as the detectives were concerned, it was better to let it play out. As the story progressed I began to understand the detectives and their actions a bit better.

I do think this graphic novel also took a jab at certain people (*ahem* Americans *ahem*) ignoring the culture and folklore of places they visit or trespass as tourists.

Of course, the art by Noah Bailey played a huge role in setting the visual tone of Double Walker. I enjoyed the unique art style, with certain facial designs reminding me of what you would expect to see in The Adventures of Tintin. The muted colors helped make the damp and cold surroundings feel real. The way the gore and violence was portrayed will also make you feel things. I loved it!

The letters by Taylor Esposito (who also worked on Bunny Mask) didn’t miss a mark when it came to emphasizing certain words or making you really get into how you should read a particular panel in your head.

And for those wondering, I found myself siding with Gemma. Cully shouldn’t have left Gemma alone during their hike. I don’t think there’s ever a good reason to leave your pregnant partner alone when on a trip to a foreign land. Stick together! Especially when you have already heard scary local stories. I don’t consider myself superstitious, but you won’t catch me deliberately going out of my way to risk getting caught in paranormal trouble or being involved in the occult. I don’t need such kind of energy in my life. 

In my opinion, Double Walker is definitely one of the best horror stories I have read this year. I hope it attracts the audience it deserves. Do take note that this book is meant for ages 17 and up. There’s some nudity involved, but it’s not anything sexual.

Does it have obvious queer representation? No.

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

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Which comic books did you read this week? What did you think of Mighty Morphin issue 9?

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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