#111 = THE PUNISHER #1 by Benjamin Percy and Jose Luis Soares (Marvel Comics, April 2026) I don’t know that I need more PUNISHER comics in my reading, but I wanted to pick this up and check it out based on the new creative team - - mainly Benjamin Percy, a comics writer I admire and also a novelist of many genres (horror, thriller, crime, science-fiction).
I was not disappointed by this debut issue, which picks right up following events in PUNISHER: RED BAND. It’s not necessary to read that first because this story refers back to the main takeaways from that mini-series:
1) Frank Castle is weakened and disturbed by a device that Kingpin implanted in his brain. It kicks in and immobilizes him at inconvenient times.
2) With the Kingpin out of the way, a new character makes plans and takes action to become the new kingpin of Hell’s Kitchen - - Jigsaw.
He’s trying to persuade the imprisoned Tombstone to sign over his assets to Jigsaw.
Frank returns to his long-time ally Microchip to help him get the chip out of his brain. Meanwhile, a persistent investigative reporter is positive that The Punisher is back in town but can’t persuade her news editor to give her the green light to write the story.
My favorite scene is when a mugger steps into an alley that Frank Castle was wandering, fires two rounds at his feet, and says “Hey, man. . . . You see what I got? . . . (blam, blam) . . . That’s what I got . . . Now what do you got? Empty your pockets.” You can just imagine the next panel without me describing it to you. The Punisher is always packing.
The art compliments the gritty, dirty feel of the story. FOUR STARS.
@112-#113 = BLACK PANTHER 60TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL by writers Evan Narcisse, Cody Ziglar, Murex Ayodele, and Priest; artists George Jeanty, Alitha E. Martinez, Eder Messias, and Javier Pina (Marvel Comics, April 2026) If only all over-sized tribute issues (be it 25, 50, 60, 75 years etc) would be more like this one. I’m used to big tribute issues containing one new originals story with the rest padded with classic reprints and filler. I normally pass over these specials, but not this time.
Each of these separate flashback/memoir stories has a common element running through them: former NYPD office Kevin Cole - now a member of the Wakanda Hatut Zeraze Security Division is tasked with trying to locate the whereabouts of the missing T’Challa/Black Panther as he’s expected to participate in an annual ceremony honoring his deceased father. He seeks out and interviews anyone who may have been the last to see T’Challa, hoping the trial will lead to him.
His journey takes him to visit an old friend from student days, to the undersea base of Blue Marvel, to Storm’s sanctuary in Atlanta, to X-Men HQ in Alaska and a meeting with Magneto - - who finally puts him on the right path - - but it remains to be seen whether T’Challa will come out of seclusion.
The quality of both story and art in each of these vignettes is first class, Each story focuses on a particular attribute/memory of the Black Panther, which get to the root of what makes the character stand out. FOUR STARS.
#114 = MARVEL TEAM-UP #14 FASCIMILE by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker (Image Comics, March 2026 - originally published 2006) Somehow I missed this the first time around, but that McFarlane cover got my attention and made this an easy impulse buy. Glad I got a chance to read this. It’s amusing and light-hearted in a non-silly way.
One of Invicible’s foes has forced him to keep passing through dimensional portals and visiting other universes, trying to break him down. He ends up in Spider-Man’s timeline just in time to stop Doctor Octopus from putting a nasty hit on Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
Instead of fighting each other, as happens so often in these publisher cross-overs, the two become friends and Invicible joins the hunt for Doctor Octopus.
The story occurs sometime between Issues #32 and #33 of INVINCIBLE. Don’t ask me where this fits into the Spider-Man universe - - just put it somewhere in 2006. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#115 = BATMAN #7 by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez (DC Comics, April 2026) I didn’t find anything in the debut issue of Matt Fraction’s BATMAN to convince me to subscribe to the title. However, the split image of Joker/Batman on this cover persuaded me to take another look. I loved this story.
This doesn’t really have any action scenes. Instead, it’s a long conversation between Batman and The Joker where the power/impact is in the story-telling.
The Joker is confined to Arkham Towers and is the patient of Dr, Zeller. He’s isolated in a float tank and intubated for nutrients and oxygen. Cranial implants convert his thoughts to speech and transmit external sounds to him. He asked for a conference with Batman.
Batman of course is very suspicious of security and warns the doctor to take precautions. She is very protective of her patient and has put safeguards in place (floor sensors). Things seem over-the-top excessive when she warns Batman that she will be holding a kill switch the entire time he is in the room with Joker. Step outside the lines and you die.
It’s a fascinating conversation spotlighted by a foldout montage of images from the Joker's memory that spans across four pages. As their time ends, Batman receives a cautionary message from Joker. FOUR STARS.
#116-#117 = HELLBLAZER: RISE AND FALL #1 of 3 by Tom Taylor and Darick Robertson (DC Comics/Black Label, November 2020)
This is the wise-cracking, irreverent but still effective when it counts John Constantine that I remember. Tom Taylor gets to the root of the character and puts his own stamp on things. It’s an absolute bonus to find the always expressive art of Darick Robertson to compliment the story. The magazine-sized prestige format with bigger panels is much appreciated.
Ultra-rich elites and business men are falling out of the sky and dying in gruesome ways, always with Angel Wings attached to their back. Constantine discovers a link between these weird murders and a critical moment in his youth. To make things more complicated the detective working with Constantine, Aisha Bukhari, is a childhood friend also connected to the incident.
The promotional hook on the back cover says it perfectly: :With a nation tearing itself apart and the irredeemable one percent falling from the sky, will John Constantine lift a finger?
If so, which finger?”
It’s cool to get a glimpse into the early days of Constantine, which were far from ideal. Also, Taylor and Robertson sneak in some Easter eggs to pay homage to previous Hellblazer creators. The doctor delivering the baby John Constantine is Dr. Delano (after Hellblazer writer Jamie Delano). Another scene takes place in a pub called The Dillon (after Hellblazer artist Steve Dillon). FOUR STARS.
#118-#119 = HELLBLAZER: RISE AND FALL #2 of 3 by Tom Taylor and Darick Robertson (DC Comics/Black Label, January 2021)
The promotional synopsis: “John Constantine has been in trouble before, but running afoul of the Devil himself is crossing a line even for the self-styled Hellblazer. But that’s exactly who darkens Constantine’s door with news that John’s investigation into the gruesome ‘angel murders’ of London’s billionaire class and Satan’s own vendetta against a treacherous demon are actually the same mission. What’s that mean? You guessed it: It’s time for a team up?”
Before they team up there’s a long-winded discussion (last issue) that takes place in a pub, well into the early morning hours when everyone is blind drunk. When Constantine wakes up in bed next to Satan, he assumes the worst has happened.(It didn’t - the Devil has “higher standards”.
Turns out the childhood incident, when an 11-year old Constantine tried to pull off a spell and show off in front of his friends, resulted in one of them (Billy) being drowned. Except it also released a demon from Hell, Despondo, who possessed the dead kid. He fed on anguish, grief, and loss and waited until he was strong enough to return to Hell and rip Satan’s wings off, fleeing back to Earth and beginning the murders - - all to get the attention of Constantine and his friend detective Aisha. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#120-#121 = HELLBLAZER: RISE AND FALL #3 of 3 by Tom Taylor and Darick Robertson (DC Comics/Black Label, March 2021)
I’m no expert on Constantine/Hellblazer, but I think this series will please the long-term diehard Hellblazer fans - - although the somewhat happy but bittersweet ending might put them off.
It’s the final issue in this story arc, and little dead Billy possessed by the demon Despondo turns out to be a truly unlikable, despicable villain. He makes Satan, who teamed up with Constantine to bring him down, look like a nice guy.
Billy created a con game to grab money from the rich and promise them fake salvation - - which ends up being their falling from the sky on the broken wings of Satan, usually bloody, naked, and embarrassing.
If you’ve never read Hellblazer before but are curious, this is a perfect starting point. You’ll get enough of the back story to understand the premise, but it never gets in the way of the current story. Also, Constantine reveals himself through his actions, cynical and sly observations, and interactions with the other characters.
I would welcome more of Constantine at the hands of these same creators. Robertson is a perfect choice for this big-panel art. FOUR STARS.
