07/30/25

MARVEL COMICS

✍️ By AzM Blog | 🗂️ Pop Culture > Comic Book Wednesday

Savage Wolverine #1 slashes open a bold new chapter in Logan’s legacy, written by fan-favorite Benjamin Percy (X-Force, Wolverine) and brought to brutal life by the visceral, hyper-detailed art of Greg Capullo (Batman, Spawn) in his long-awaited return to Marvel.

After months off the grid, Wolverine resurfaces deep in the Canadian wilderness, but something's wrong. He’s wounded, disoriented, and hunted by enemies that shouldn't even exist. 

The Weapon X experiments he thought were buried in the past are clawing back into his reality, twisting his memories and pushing his healing factor to the brink. With no X-Men to call for backup and no allies in sight, Logan must rely solely on his animal instincts and what’s left of his humanity to survive.

Percy’s sharp, noir-inspired script pairs perfectly with Capullo’s savage linework, delivering a first issue packed with bloody fights, cryptic flashbacks, and a chilling mystery that threatens to redefine everything we know about Wolverine’s origins.

07/23/25

IMAGE COMICS/ONI PRESS

✍️ By AzM Blog | 🗂️ Pop Culture > Comic Book Wednesday

Deep in the sweltering heart of the Louisiana bayou, a voice whispers justice and demands blood. Voice Said Kill #1, written by Si Spurrier and illustrated by Vanesa R. Del Rey, drips with Southern Gothic dread from its first page.

Spurrier, the acclaimed writer behind Coda and John Constantine: Hellblazer, brings his signature blend of literary crime storytelling and raw emotional grit. Against a backdrop of moonshine matriarchs, mushroom-fueled hunters, and alligator poachers, we meet Sergeant Marie Burgau, a heavily pregnant park ranger defending a remote wildlife preservation alone. As danger stalks the swamp, and a mysterious voice begins to speak directly to her grief and vengeance, her world trembles on the brink of violent collapse 

Del Rey’s artwork is nothing short of mesmerizing. Known for her stunning work on Redlands, her impressionistic linework and pacing turn each page into a fever-dream. The Louisiana landscape becomes alive, oppressive, lush, and hallucinatory as shadows crawl through every panel and tension pulses beneath every frame. John Starr’s pastel-infused color work bleeds into Del Rey’s textures, crafting a visual style both dreamy and visceral. Hasan Otsmane‑Elhaou’s expressive lettering completes the immersive tone alongside the helm of editor Eric Harburn 

07/16/25

MARVEL COMICS

✍️ By AzM Blog | 🗂️ Pop Culture > Comic Book Wednesday

“I’m not the Wolverine you remember.”

That haunting opening line sets the tone for what has quickly become the most buzzworthy comic of 2025. Ultimate Wolverine #1 isn't just a relaunch, it’s a complete reinvention, and it’s got the numbers to prove it. According to ICv2’s Spring 2025 sales charts, this title has claimed the number one spot across the industry, dominating shelf space and conversation alike.

Set in Marvel’s newly reimagined Ultimate Universe, Ultimate Wolverine #1 introduces us to a younger, deadlier, and far more mysterious version of Logan. Written by Peach Momoko and illustrated by Geoff Shaw, the issue ditches the grizzled Canadian woodsman archetype in favor of something more haunting and surreal. This is Wolverine reimagined through the lens of modern trauma, body horror, and a sleek, near-future dystopia.

Gone are the dark alleyways and Weapon X labs. Instead, we’re thrown into a war-torn Tokyo, soaked in neon and blood a vision that feels like Blade Runner collided with Claremont-era pathos.

What makes this debut work so well is its refusal to waste time. The origin is immediate. 

The stakes are high. The pacing is brutal. Geoff Shaw’s artwork is cinematic, delivering each panel like a gut punch, while Momoko’s storytelling blends visceral emotion with mythic undertones drawn from Japanese folklore.

07/9/25

IDW COMICS

✍️ By AzM Blog | 🗂️ Pop Culture > Comic Book Wednesday

Some stories leave a lasting impression. Others return years later with sharpened claws, ready to dig even deeper. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring #1 is very much the latter, a haunting, atmospheric return to the pastel-colored town of Woodbrook and the sociopathic brown bear who’s always kept a shovel nearby.

Patrick Horvath, who writes and illustrates this uncanny blend of cute-animal aesthetic and suburban horror, wastes no time reawakening the tension that made the first volume such a standout. With Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou returning as letterer, the creative team once again strikes the impossible balance between whimsy and psychological dread.

The issue opens by reaching into the past eight years ago, to be exact, when Samantha Strong, the polite and unassuming brown bear at the heart of the series, committed one of her most grotesque acts. She drove into the city, abducted a kind-hearted duck, dissected him, and buried his body in the woods.

Despite his family’s relentless search for justice, Samantha covered her tracks too well. In the ’80s, without surveillance footage, online forums, or digital footprints, her secrets stayed buried.

07/2/25

MARVEL COMICS

✍️ By AzM Blog | 🗂️ Pop Culture > Comic Book Wednesday

There are few symbols in comics as enduring or as divisive as the shield. Every generation gets the Captain America it deserves, and this week, Marvel is making sure the conversation is louder than ever.

Captain America #1 launched today with all the fanfare you'd expect, and it’s already earning its spot as one of the biggest releases of the summer. This isn't just a new volume; it's a fresh chapter in what the legacy of Captain America means in 2025, both within the Marvel Universe and outside of it.

Written by J. Michael Straczynski with art by Jesus Saiz, this relaunch threads a delicate needle: honoring Steve Rogers’ legacy while asking uncomfortable questions about patriotism, heroism, and how national identity evolves in a fractured world. There’s no multiverse gimmick, no time travel trick, just a man, his convictions, and a country that no longer agrees on what he stands for.

From the very first page, it's clear this new series isn’t playing it safe. The tone is sober, the politics are current, and the art is absolutely stunning. Jesus Saiz delivers clean, bold lines with subtle emotional depth. Steve feels tired, but not broken. There’s weight behind his words, and more behind his silences.