GHOST WRITES

Author: Ghost Face

  • Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man – What’s Next?

    Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man – What’s Next?

    The two episode finale of “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” left us with many exciting cliffhangers and set-ups for next season, some obvious and others less-so. Where do we think these storylines could lead to and can we uncover more hidden storylines if we look to the comics for leads? Let’s talk about it.

    Before we can really start I do have to say that I won’t be discussing the obvious; Yes, Norman will become Green Goblin. Yes, Lonnie will turn into a more comic accurate Tombstone. Yeah, I also saw the symbiote and Yes, Doc Ock will get his tentacles. Sure, those things are exciting but they’re not super fun to talk about compared to the outlandish theories I have cooked up, hence I’m not touching on them.

    Spoiler warning for Season 1 of “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man”

    Taskmaster

    Last year, way before the show came out, even before we got any official trailers or promo material, I wrote a speculative article on the series trying to piece together what we could expect from its first season. One of my more outlandish theories from that article was a surprise appearance from none-other than Taskmaster, one of Marvel’s most iconic bad guys and a fan favorite for many. Now we obviously didn’t see Taskmaster in the show’s first season but the ending of episode 10 weirdly enough made me more certain we’ll see the skull-faced bad guy in the second season. 

    See Taskmaster is connected to one of the show’s minor characters; Jeanne Foucault, who we see teaming up with Daredevil at the end of season 1. Jeanne, going by Finesse in the comics, is a gifted Polymath, being able to copy anyone’s fighting abilities in an instance. Obviously these powers are very similar to that of Taskmaster, often implying that he’s Jeanne’s biological father in the comics. Now obviously her inclusion does not have to mean Taskmaster will show up next season, but the fact that the show opted for Jeanne instead of someone like Blindspot, who’s an actual Daredevil sidekick in the comics, leads me to believe Taskmaster has at the very least been discussed by the show’s creative team. 

    Imagine how cool a team-up episode would be where Daredevil, Finesse and Peter have to face Taskmaster? Tell me you don’t wanna see that!

    The Future of W.E.B.

    One of the final scenes in season 1’s finale ended with Harry Osborn establishing W.E.B, a tech company set up to help young scientific minds fund their brilliant ideas. We see a list of potential names to join the organization including Ned Leeds; a classic member of Spider-Man’s supporting cast with a headache-inducing amount of lore and retcons to his name – including being the Hobgoblin, and Max Dillon; better known as classic Spider-Man bad guy Electro. Also included are a bunch of the show’s crew members and a wide-array of minor characters from the comics. While those latter additions to the list are far from household names, there is a shared link between some of them; G.I.R.L.

    No, that doesn’t mean they’re all girls, it’s actually an acronym for the “Geniuses In Action Research Lab”, another enterprise focused on honing the skills of young scientific minds (though this one only focused on female members). This group is founded by Nadia Van Dyne, daughter of Hank Pym and known as the Unstoppable Wasp in the comics. I’d love to see Spidey team-up with another bug-themed do-gooder and the inclusion of Nadia would be another fun way for the show to differentiate itself from the sacred MCU timeline. I’d also enjoy seeing the W.E.B team face off against the G.I.R.L group as the two strive for scientific dominance. 

    Fallout of War

    Now what you might forget as a viewer is that “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” is basically a “What If…” episode expanded into an entire show. It might be a bit of an unconventional one but the show does explore what would’ve happened to Peter’s life had he not joined team Iron Man during the events of Civil War. While the show never addresses the Sokovia accords and subsequent fallout of the new superhero laws in detail, Civil War is alluded to on several occasions, so much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if the show delves much deeper into this “What If…” in subsequent seasons. 

    The inclusion of General Ross and Iron Man are my main reason for thinking we might be getting more down the line. Not only is their appearance in the show a sort of random addition, as neither character really interacts with Peter’s story at all, mainly being used as a tool by Norman, but the show also reiterates their importance in the season’s finale. Norman specifically mentions both characters in his speech to Octavius in jail as if the writers really wanted you to remember their inclusion in the show. 

    We also saw the actual Accords in the show’s final episodes and Cap makes a very minor appearance in the hallways of Oscorp, posing for a picture with Norman that’s hung on the wall for all of his visitors to see. To me it’s clear that the show keeps reminding the viewer that the superhero Civil War happened so people keep it in the back of their minds once season 2 or 3 continues developing the scenario. 

    The “YFNSM” prequel comic that Marvel has been publishing also established that this version of Peter is a bigger fan of Cap than he is off Tony, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the show decides to retroactively make Pete a member of Team Cap, especially since the webhead is definitely in conflict with the Sokovia Accords as a masked vigilante. I’d love to see what Peter would do once Cap is the first Avenger he meets instead of Tony and if he would join him in a fight against Iron Man.

    Future Villains

    Now the show has set up a whole heap of exciting new adversaries for Spidey to face next season with the obvious inclusions being more Doc Ock, Green Goblin and a Venom of sorts, but the show planted many more seeds for the future of Peter’s rogues.

    The show gives us a bunch of future bad guy material in episode 4 and 5 by establishing a crew of criminals looking to buy some of Octavius’ gear before being apprehended by the cops. These characters obviously included The Unicorn, who I don’t expect to see much more of, but it also included characters like Mikhail Sytsevich; father of the original Rhino in the comics. While this could mean his son Aleksei vows to take revenge on Spider-Man for putting his father away in prison, he does also sport a very bulky body himself, perfect for a Rhino suit in the future? Someone on the crew who does get their comic accurate costume already is Dmitri, better known as the Chameleon, the groups getaway driver. He dons his iconic white mask later on in the season while helping the 110th find Octavius’ gear. 

    While the 110th is obviously led by an increasingly scary Lonnie Lincoln now, the group does also include another well known Marvel bad guy; Bulldozer. Bulldozer is normally a part of the Wrecking Crew (who we saw in She-Hulk previously) alongside Wrecker, Piledriver and Thunderball. If we’ll see those three pop up in the 110th later on as well remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Lonnie goes to look for more super-powered allies after discovering what Ocatvius’ gas did to him.

    One of the show’s final teasers and one that puzzled me the most was that of Nico Minoru, as she used her previously hidden magical abilities to conjure up a spell. Now it wasn’t entirely clear to me what her spell was going to do but it obviously has something to do with her mother. Nico has sort of mystified me in this show, her inclusion is fun and I get that the series wanted to differentiate Peter’s supporting cast from other adaptations, but putting in the biggest member of one of Marvel’s most interesting titles, a character with such a well-established back story and identity, seems on purpose. While we don’t know what happened to Nico’s parents, we do know her story is much different from her comic book counterpart, yet I wouldn’t be surprised if the show manages to align the two versions a little more in subsequent seasons. For those who don’t know, the original Runaways story establishes Nico’s parents as villains working for an evil cult-like organization called the Cabal. I’m guessing “YFNSM” ‘s version of Nico’s mom is lost somewhere in a magical realm and Nico is desperately trying to get her back, but once she manages to do so, her mom will have turned in some way, either voluntarily or possessed by something on the other side (Mephisto?? We did see a hint of him in her Tarot deck…). 

    Whatever or whoever will appear in the shows upcoming seasons remain to be seen (though we did get an exciting Gwen Stacy reveal on Twitter today), but if the response to season 1 is any indication, fans will love whatever happens!

    There were many more exciting reveals in “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” and I’d love to hear what you are most excited to see happen next! And what did you think of the show’s first season. Did you love it? Hate it? Let me know! Be sure to follow along as I can promise the Wall-Crawler will be discussed much more in the future!

  • Thrillers Or Spectacle: The MCU Dillemma

    Thrillers Or Spectacle: The MCU Dillemma

    Marvel Studios’ latest cinema release, “Captain America: Brave New World”, is the umpteenth film in a long line of projects developed by the movie-conglomerate to disappoint fans. While there are many factors to consider in the film’s critical failure – some just and others unjust – one of the most prevalent points I keep hearing online is the unmet expectation of an “Espionage Thriller”. People seem to be champing at the bit for a gritty spy flick that takes the bureaucracy of the Marvel Universe and runs with it to create a tense, world shattering, conspiracy that only the heroes of this world can fix. That craving has been prevailing for years now while films and series released under the MCU banner promising to deliver on this specific genre more often than not end up being quite bad. We’ve seen it with “Secret Invasion”, a spectacular misfire that tried to turn the gigantic comic book event of the same name into a small scale conspiracy story to little success, and before that we also got the solo Black Widow film that seemed to be interested in relighting this gritty fire missing for so long. While that movie certainly isn’t as bad as “Secret Invasion” was, it definitely wasn’t great either; quickly falling back into the studios’ worst habits and turning into a generic action film with forgettable set pieces. So why are MCU fans still hung up on this genre if the studio can’t seem to ever get it right? Why do they think Feige and his creative partners are even capable of making a film of that kind?

    Well before we can even answer that question I say we need to take a step back and ask a bigger question instead; “Has Marvel ever made a real espionage thriller?”. I say Yes and No. You see the MCU and its hordes of fans have been chasing one high ever since 2014, hoping to fill the “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” sized cavern left by the studio. A movie so good it might end up being a negative for the MCU in the long run. “The Winter Soldier” was something so incredibly fresh, so invigorating and cool, that fans have elevated their standards to such a degree that any and all attempts at recreating the magic have fallen on deaf-ears. But, and pardon my bluntness, do MCU fans really know what they’re talking about? Or have they been chasing an unachievable high left by a film that never even really existed in the way they remember? I think so. See I agree that“The Winter Soldier” is good, it’s a tense mystery filled with great action, but any great Espionage Thriller needs that bit of realism embedded in it to create stakes. It needs to grip you, relate to you and the fears you have about the world. It needs to take from real world issues and use that to create something gripping and tense. It needs politics, an identity, maybe a little anger aimed at the world as it is. But “The Winter Soldier” has absolutely nothing to say about anything besides a surface level “good vs bad” narrative. Sure, inspired by actual political thrillers from the past like “All The President’s Men” and “Three Days Of The Condor”, “Winter Soldier” might make you feel like you’re watching something meaningful, but it’s only ever an emulation of said genre rather than actually trying to be it.

    The MCU is maybe one of the most apolitical worlds you’ll ever see on the big screen, where any real world conundrum about race or war or equality or every other very basic surface level political interest is reduced to a minor hurdle in the road to a large world ending threat or even ignored all together. I can’t remember the last time one of these movies actually used it’s heightened – super – version of reality to put a mirror up to the real world, not even using it’s super-powered foundation as an allegory for real world problems, which is probably one of the MCU’s most apparent short-comings given that almost every comic book that’s even come close to being lauded a masterpiece by general readers builds entire narratives around that exact enhanced mirror. It seems Feige and the upper-creatives at Marvel Studios are desperate to say as little as possible, often only saying things when convenient for them rather than for any artistic reasoning. 

    “But Ghost, The MCU is built on a foundation of social commentary, didn’t you see Iron Man! He hates weapons!” I hear you yell at your digital screen, and yes, Iron Man certainly tries to say something about… war I guess? That making weapons is bad… unless you use the weapon yourself? I think that’s what Iron Man tries to say, I can’t be sure though as any meaningful – though very confusing and muddled – message you try to squeeze out of the first Iron Man film is in fact buried underneath a thick layer of genuine US Military propaganda. I know I’m far from the first person to have spoken about this but Marvel has on numerous occasions (including on the production of “Iron Man”) actively worked with the US Military for their films, including giving the Department Of Defense final say on the film’s script in exchange for access to real military equipment for the film’s production. Marvel traded their entire artistic integrity just to pay a little less. A spineless decision for a quick buck. 

    Now I don’t want to get ahead of myself here but… I feel like we’ve sort of found ourselves at the root cause of this issue fairly quickly. It’s money, because of course it is. I know, I know, what a boring conclusion to come to, but I can’t help that we are living in a world built atop a foundation of currency over humanity. When you make art with the sole purpose of making money from it, you’re gonna end up saying nothing, because saying something means you’ll undoubtedly step on someone’s toes – and that person is not paying for a ticket to see your next film about a purple guy trying to kill a spider-guy. You can only make billions by making movies for everyone, which means you have to also appeal to everyone, thus saying nothing in the process. Because if you didn’t appeal to everyone, you’d end up only making hundreds of millions of dollars at once, and who’d want that when you could be making a billion instead? 

    There is honestly only one MCU project that I believe dares to say something even remotely controversial ; “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” (coincidentally a project independent from Box Office numbers since it’s a streaming series not a cinematic release) A story all about a black man becoming Captain America, this show simply couldn’t not make a statement about race and what it means to be black in America. By mirroring the real life vitriol Sam Wilson (and in extension Anthony Mackie) got for portraying the new Captain America, this show was the only thing actually willing to take a stand against that hate and by adding Isaiah Bradley to the story the show also managed to use that enhanced mirror I mentioned previously to create a really solid series. Sure, the political commentary isn’t all that scathing and falls on deaf ears for a lot of its run time, but even a small step in the right direction will get you to where you need to be eventually. Yet then, when it’s time to give Sam his own solo film, when it’s time to put Isaiah on the big screen and to continue making that same statement, the studio instead flops over into something else, a spineless film about nothing. Absolutely nothing. In a time where elections are maybe the most important they’ve ever been, Marvel studios makes a film about the president turning into a big jello pudding hulk. A sad display of cowardice but one also not all too surprising given their track record. 

    So no. A political espionage thriller isn’t happening. Not now and maybe not ever. But is there still room for a thriller of any other sort? A tense and grounded story focusing on a smaller scale adventure for any of the heroes in the MCU? Honestly, I’m not so sure about that either.

    Post-Endgame it’s been apparent that the once king of blockbuster film-making just isn’t what it used to be. While pre-Endgame Marvel movies certainly didn’t all hit, the general reputation of the MCU felt untouchable, hit after hit after hit, billions coming in at the box-office, it really felt like the MCU had the formula down. But post-Endgame the conglomerate seems to have slipped a bit. With their focus shifting to bigger and bigger slates of films and tv, the overall cohesion of the Universe slowly seemed to disappear and with it quality seemed to slip a little more as well. I wouldn’t say everything has gone to shit, that we’re watching an unmitigated disaster spin out of control until it reaches its inevitable whimper of an ending, but I do think the studio has, in an attempt to course correct, started relying too much on big spectacle moments to make up for poor critical reception, and those spectacle moments will end up leaving no lasting impact. 

    Yes, putting Red Hulk in your movie and then marketing his inclusion like crazy might compensate for the lack of audience investment in this world in the short-run, but it’s not gonna be a sustainable solution. You will run out of these characters eventually, there’s not an endless supply of glup-shitto’s in the Marvel Comics vault, and when you do, audiences will realize there’s nothing left for them in this universe, no cohesion, no stakes, no dynamics they love between characters they stan on twitter! Just a universe mistaking cameos for spectacle. 

    That same mistake is also what’s causing their Thriller problem – or lack-thereof I should say. Yes, you can give us a story about The Leader pulling the strings behind the US government as an all out world-war is set to break out, but if the stakes can only conclude in a big smash fest between Captain America and Red Hulk well then you kind of lose the tension you’ve been building (now a weak script and massive reshoots don’t help this case either but my point still stands). Same with “Secret Invasion”, which has arguably the worst finale of any Marvel project ever made with that god awful fight between Giah and Gravik forever stained upon this universe. Thrills can come from more than just bad Dragonball battles, more than power-scaling and smashing action figures into each other, especially when your entire story depends on tension on a much smaller scale!

    So can Marvel make Thrillers anymore? Probably! But there has to be some change before any of that can happen. The studio needs to take some risks. I know big studios don’t like taking those these days, but risks are what is going to get butts in seats in the long run. Risks make the audience engage in your stories and risks are how you build a franchise out. And yes that might cost money, yes you might not hit a billion with every movie you make, but you will have an audience left after your big expanding universe reaches its 20th year anniversary.

  • What To Read: Captain America – Brave New World

    What To Read: Captain America – Brave New World

    We live in a day and age filled with comic book adaptations. Movies starring our favorite superheroes, villains, anti-heroes and pulpy characters seem to pop up every month, tv shows adapting cult classic independent books are released so fast you can barely keep up with it and every now and again they even try to adapt the books we love for the stage (to middling success). Yet the stories that inspire these films and shows often get overlooked. The books that breathe life and color into these – often inferior – adaptations are sometimes completely ignored when a major studio gets their claws into them, a trend that frustrates me endlessly. That’s why I’m starting this series, where we look at upcoming comic book adaptations and discuss the books that inspired them, so you know what to pick up next time you’re in your local comic book shop.

    Today we’ll be looking at Captain America’s latest big-screen outing “Brave New World” and the books that inspired it as well as books that will supplement your Gamma radiated cravings after seeing the film. 

    All-New Captain America

    Sam Wilson’s first solo title as Captain America is immediately his best. This 6 issue mini-series written by Rick Remender with art by Stuart Immonen is exactly what you want from a book like this. It introduces you to this new era of Captain America with no-holds-barred action. Seriously, this thing opens right in the middle of the fight and just doesn’t let up the entire time, it’s really thrilling. Cap is sent on a mission against Hydra that sees him facing off against every pseudo-nazi Steve Rogers has ever faced. Having Sam stuck in this adventure that encompassess almost the entirety of Steve’s past is genius and a lot of fun, solidifying it as one of my favorite ways off relaunching a legacy character like this. 

    Sam is put through the ringer here as he’s thrown into the modern-day version of a Kirby and Simon era story, including evil super-nazis trying to take over the world with a ridiculous scheme and colourful interior pages. It’s clear that Remender really went for it here to prove just how worthy Sam is of the shield as he beats down 80 years of Cap villains in 6 issues. But the story doesn’t just use its incredible action to convince the reader of Sam’s competency. It does much more.

    The entire adventure plays alongside several flashbacks scenes that explore Sam’s past and instill the entire story with motivation as we realize more and more why Sam is supposed to be Cap. These flashback sequences aren’t just good to create that sense of morality that fuels Sam but it also gives readers a sense of Sam’s back story. Sam has a sort of convoluted past because of a retcon from a few decades ago but Remender uses this book to clean that up a little, making it easier to stomach as this new status quo for the character is ushered in. 

    “All New Captain America” is a non-stop action book great for new readers and old readers alike.

    Captain America: Sam Wilson

    Remender’s Sam Wilson Mini is followed up by Nick Spencer’s run on the winged Avenger, another solid entry in this character’s new status quo. While I think Remender’s mini is the better of the two, this book feels much more akin to his Live-action counterpart. The book focuses on more grounded issues compared to the “sci-fi nazis try to sterilize the entire earth using inhumans” of our previous entry, often commentating on real world events and the rhetoric present in 2016’s America (and also 2025 America sadly). But by tackling said issues in a heightened way the book still manages to be fun and engaging instead of simply depressing. 

    The book also features the origin of Joaquin Torres’ Falcon, who we will see more of in “Brave New World” after his Disney+ debut 4 years ago. I really like Joaquin as Falcon in the comics, he’s got a very fun, young, energy around him and the total ridiculousness of his origin story is something I mess with heavily. 

    Also present in this book which may or may not tie into “Brave New World” is the Serpent Society, a group of snake-themed evil doers who were originally featured in this new film but reshoots and rewrites seem to have done away with them for the most part. It’s not entirely clear what happened to them but if you wanna make sure you’re not missing out on any snake related activity in the film, make sure to check out this book since they’re the big bad of the entire thing.

    While this run is solid, it does tie into a bunch of other Marvel Universe stuff later on which might make it a bit of a tough read for those who aren’t fully engaged into that world-building yet. I recommend starting with the first 6 issues and seeing what you think before either continuing on or pivoting to one of the other books on this list!  

    Thunderbolts Red

    No, I didn’t confuse the next two MCU releases, I know we’re not talking about the “Thunderbolts*” yet. But the inclusion of Thaddeus Ross and The Leader in Brave New World make “Thunderbolts Red” (or Thunderbolts 2013) the perfect supplementary reading material as you prepare for the new MCU blockbuster. Especially Ross’ shines here, both in his role as a no-nonsense general and as the Red Hulk. Written by Daniel Way (and later Charles Soule), this run on the Thunderbolts is unlike any of the others sharing the name. While previous incarnations of the team focused on groups of (reformed) villains, this take on the character sees a group of anti-heroes coming together under the leadership of Ross to do the big scale stuff they can’t do alone.

    Their first mission revolves all around Samuel Sterns AKA The Leader, who might not be exactly as smart as you expect him to be in this run (or the color you expect him to be for that matter), but he’s still as dastardly as you want him to be (especially in the later half of this run once other writers take over the book). The Leader doesn’t necessarily have the most iconic line-up of books under his belt, so finding a run that prominently features him the way this one does isn’t as easy as you might think.

    This book is a ton of fun. Bloody, violent, action packed and filled with fun characters like Ghost Rider, Deadpool, Elektra and Punisher alongside the aforementioned Hulk characters. 

    Honorable Mentions

    There’s many more stories to get through as we prepare for Brave New World, but many of them might not be entirely relevant to the movie’s story. That’s why they’re in this little paragraph. I still recommend reading these stories, but if you don’t get through them before the film’s release it’s not going to affect your viewing experience. 

    Red Hulk was created in 2008 by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness in the aptly titled “HULK” book, an unstoppable tour de force of a comic. Loeb has undoubtedly written some beautifully emotional books before but his Hulk run sure as shit isn’t that. I wouldn’t even really call this book good yet it is still very entertaining. Each issue whizzes by you like a freight train and before you know it you’ll be 12 issues in and pondering what the fuck you’re even reading about. If you have a Marvel Unlimited subscription and a free afternoon I’d highly suggest cracking this open and turning your brain off. But if you don’t have any of these, maybe let the book lay to your wayside.

    On the flipside I’d recommend reading Immortal Hulk, my personal favorite Hulk book ever written and one of the most solid runs the big two have had to offer readers in the last 20 years. Immortal Hulk, written by Al Ewing and drawn by Joe Bennett, is a body-horror thrill ride that introduces readers to a whole new mythology surrounding Bruce Banner. Sure, this isn’t focused on Captain America necessarily, neither is it too focused on Thaddeus Ross, but if we want a story that focuses all on Gamma then Immortal Hulk is the book to bat for. 

    A book I’ll always recommend people read if they want to get into Captain America is “United States Of Captain America”, a story all about what it means to be Captain America, a concept I’m sure Sam will struggle with as well in Brave New World. The book features both Steve and Sam suiting up as the titular red-white-and-blue hero but it also includes a plethora of other Captain Americas, both old and new. It’s a fun cross-country adventure that celebrates the 80 year history of Cap perfectly and introduces you to a whole new cast of fun characters.

    Are you excited for “Brave New World”? And If so, will you be checking out any of these aforementioned books in preparation? Let us know in the comments and give us a follow if you’d like to read more!

  • 4 Fantastic Yet Underrated Fantastic Four Comics

    4 Fantastic Yet Underrated Fantastic Four Comics

    The year of The Fantastic Four has officially started. Yesterday’s incredible teaser trailer for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” ushers in the start of an exciting few months of promo – both on screen and on the page. But as we get ready to see Marvel’s First Family finally portrayed on the big screen for a third – and hopefully most successful – time, I’d love to shine a light on some of the best books this team has to offer. The Four have many astonishing titles under their name, critically acclaimed books from some of the biggest writers comics have ever seen. But over the course of their 60 year history they’ve also had so many incredible smaller books that don’t get put into the spotlight as often. That’s what I want to focus on today. The books that deserve the spotlight just as much as those aforementioned critically acclaimed runs. Let’s dig in!

    Fantastic Four: Full Circle

    “Fantastic Four: Full Circle” is nothing short of breathtaking. Made as a sequel to maybe the most famous Fantastic Four issue ever written – “This Man, This Monster” – Full Circle is a glorious mix of vintage sci-fi mixed with hypercolored modern comic making. Written and Illustrated by the legendary Alex Ross, this book is a clear labor of love; love for the Fantastic Four, love for the Silver Age, love for Kirby and love for Ben Grimm specifically. 

    It’s the most gorgeous Fantastic Four book I own. A stunning work of art from start to finish with each page seemingly better than the next. I know I sound like a broken record here but what Ross does in this book is mind-blowing. My jaw drops to the floor with each flip off the page. I own the newly released Deluxe Edition of the book and I can’t recommend reading the back-material in there enough. The creative journey Ross has been on while making this book is inspiring and instills the entire book with a new level of beauty.

    Plus it’s not like the story is bad either. It’s actually really good. An incredibly classic little thrill-ride that lets all members of the Four shine as they journey through the Negative Zone. Not since Kirby has the Negative Zone been portrayed with such life, exploring a unique new side of this staple of the Marvel Universe while never straying too far from what made it so classic in the first place. If you need something to scratch the itch left by the original Kirby and Lee works I highly recommend “Full Circle”.

    The Thing (2021)

    He’s the heart and soul of the Four. He’s the ever-loving blue-eyed Thing. He’s Ben Grimm. He’s the only member of Marvel’s first family who has his own solo series on this list! And that’s not for no reason. Walter Mosley and Tom Reilly’s Thing mini sets Ben on a journey across the globe (and beyond it) that quickly spirals into something much more cosmic. I love a book like this. An ever expanding story that unravels into all corners of the Marvel Universe, including appearances from a ton of other F4 characters. 

    If you’ve read “Batman Universe” by Brian Michael Bendis you sort of know what you’re getting with this book, an adventure across wacky worlds that sets its titular character completely out of their element. But whereas that book purposely strays away from the classic tropes of the Caped Crusader, this mini goes full on Fantastic, not only going for the wild intergalactic sci-fi characters and worlds that make the F4 who they are, but also the equally important character work. The entire thing (pardon the pun) is delightfully classic, with Tom Reilly’s art being the pulpy centrepoint. 

    Tom Reilly’s art is just stunning. He nails Ben’s look; This is that version of The Thing that the kids of the Marvel Universe love, The Thing who sells Action Figures and The Thing who’s lovable face is plastered on t-shirts. But it’s also the brawler. It’s also The Thing who makes the ground beneath his feet shake with every punch. He’s big and tough yet loveable. He’s perfect. 

    If you want to read a fun and breezy book about arguably one of comics’ most layered heroes, pick this up!

    Marvel Two-In-One

    “Marvel Two-In-One” is a strange book published in an even stranger time. Marvel seemed to be struggling with what to do with the Four given that their exclusion from the MCU (and subsequent inclusion in stories made by other rivaling companies) meant the studio behind Marvel couldn’t milk the cow completely dry – they’d have to share the poor aching bovine with other conglomerates. Thus, post Hickman’s “Secret Wars”, Marvel’s first family was banished from their publishing line-up. In-universe this meant Reed, Sue and their children had decided to leave this universe in order to rebuild the universe. Leaving behind Ben and Johnny, who believed they had passed during the Secret Wars event. With this in mind, Chip Zdarsky set out to write “Marvel Two-In-One”, A wonderful little book that sets out to explore the grief left behind by Reed’s sudden departure. 

    While the family might be split up in “Marvel Two-In-One”, it’s still a Fantastic Four book through and through. It’s got the exploration of different worlds that make the Four standout from the other more typical hero-types, it has family dynamics that are both fun and emotionally resonant, plus it even has all the heart you’ve come to expect from this group. Chip writes Ben and Johnny so incredibly well; They are well rounded characters, strained brothers-from-other-mothers whose rekindling is both satisfying as it is real. Sue has always been Johnny’s sister, but Ben really grows into Johnny’s big brother here. 

    It’s not like Reed and Sue aren’t present in the book either. The book introduces a plethora of different multiversal versions of Reed and Sue who help highlight the importance of the teams dynamic with one-another, cementing this book as a giant love letter to the Four as we wait on their return. 

    Their return to the Marvel Universe is touched upon by Zdarsky in his final issues on the title, which are both satisfying as they are bitter sweet. I feel this book’s biggest flaw is its corporate mandated end. Zdarsky could’ve written this for another 50 issues as he prepared to relaunch the main FF title but alas, the publisher had other things in mind. Thankfully there’s still these 12 exciting and beautiful issues left for you to delve into. 

    Silver Surfer: Requiem

    Now to be fair, I know putting a solo Silver Surfer book on this list might not be entirely accurate to what I set out to do in this article but I felt like The Surfer is so ingrained into the Four and their lore that he’s basically a member of the team at this point (plus, The Four do heavily feature in this book). Written by J. Michael Straczynski and illustrated by Esad Ribic, this four issue mini focuses on the final days of Norrin Radd’s life as the power cosmic that gave him his powers turns out to be his undoing as well. 

    As I start this off I must say that I have truly no words to describe how much I adore this book. I read it for the first time when I was much-too-young to fully understand it, but as I have grown a little older I love it more and more. That is what I love most about “Requiem”, the fact that I know I haven’t fully wrapped my brain around the entire thing yet, I know there is so much more emotional development left to gain here that I’m simply not feeling yet. One day I will, One day this thing will tear me apart completely and leave me entirely breathless and that’s something I’m looking forward to very much.

    Exploring all sides of Norrin Radd’s life, both on Earth as on Zenn-La, “Requiem” explores who the Silver Surfer is in such a beautiful way that I challenge anyone who reads this not to fall in love with the character. Frankly, his death might be the best place to start reading Silver Surfer comics, because no other book will make you feel for Norrin the way this one does. No book will make you understand why Silver Surfer might just be Stan’s greatest creation. No book will make you understand why we need Silver Surfer. 

    The book is an emotional ride from start to finish, exploring all corners of the Marvel Universe as it jumps from one beautiful character moment to the next. Requiem is wonderful. Truly wonderful.

    I hope you decide to check out one or more of these books as we all anxiously await the release of“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” this summer. Make sure to follow Ghost Writes since we will be covering so much more of The Fantastic Four in the upcoming months (and beyond).

    Make sure to let me know what you think are some of the most underrated Fantastic Four titles ever released!

  • Marvel Premier Format: Why Change A Winning Formula?

    Marvel Premier Format: Why Change A Winning Formula?

    Last year DC comics decided to launch a new printing initiative focused on reprinting their most iconic stories in smaller formats more akin to that of a regular Manga Volume. The much talked about launch was met with wide appraisal and stunning sales that seemed to prove what many consumers had been saying for years; Cheaper and smaller comics will sell better when you put them in more convenient places to buy. It was truly a breath of fresh air in the comics industry, after years of seemingly unresponsive initiatives from publishers it seemed like audiences were finally being listened to and in return DC made a shitload of money. The Compact Comics Initiative seemed to be a win-win for DC and comics as a whole. 

    Later on, Marvel decided that they too were going to jump on this bandwagon with their own line of smaller sized collections of some of their most iconic stories. The first wave of which is releasing this week, including the seminal Daredevil book “Born Again” and the first few issues of Ta Nehisi Coates’ run on Black Panther. Yet, while DC’s compact Comics Launch was hotly anticipated, it seems Marvel’s version isn’t off to such a hot start. I haven’t heard a single person mention these books coming out and I follow a sickening amount of people from the industry. No writer, nor artist, nor editor or journalist that I follow seems to be all that amped up for these books and quite honestly… I can understand why. 

    DC’s Compact Comics were a clear success. Their biggest and best stories for a good price of around 10 bucks and in a size that anyone can take along with them on trips or on their commute to work. It’s genius. Sure, It’s simple. But it’s genius. Yet a formula this simple seems like too much for Marvel Comics to wrap their head around, as they have seemingly decided to not learn a thing from their competitors’ success and instead just do their own baffling thing. 

    First off, Marvel has increased the price of these editions with 5 bucks, making their version of these Compact Comics a much steeper 15 bucks. This increase might not seem like a lot, but you’ll quickly figure out that every cent counts (especially these days) and that the increase seems to be for no logical reason at all. No, instead the price hike seems to be the result of an even dumber change made in sizing. DC’s format sports a nice 5.5” by 8.5” format similar to that of your standard paper novel, while Marvel’s version sports a much taller and wider size of 6” by 9”. That might not seem like much, but those half inches count for a lot. 

    People want to take this with them on the go. You want any random person, if they’re a comic fan or not, to see a book like this on the shelf and pick it up. Size and price are huge factors in this case, they might just be the most important factors. So I truly cannot imagine why Marvel ever assumed hiking both of these aspects up was such a good idea. Now your local 11 year old isn’t going to buy your Black Panther book anymore, he only got 10 bucks of allowance this month, thankfully there is a cool Batman book he can get for that price on the next shelf over. His Mom isn’t picking up your Daredevil book now either because it just doesn’t fit in her purse like her normal novels do. Luckily for her there’s a nicely sized Wonder Woman title on the shelf next to Marvel’s that does fit in her purse. These changes matter. 

    I’m obviously being a little silly here but my point is still clear. The Compact Comics had two huge selling points and Marvel has decided to just sort of ignore that in favor of something worse. Some might say that the price increase isn’t just because of the bigger format, since the book does also include quite some bonus material inside like Mazzucchelli pencils and Miller’s script for the Born Again book. While I’m really glad those extra pages are in there (The fact that Compact Comics got rid of such bonus material bugged me slightly) I don’t believe it should’ve had any real impact on the price. The Compact Watchmen edition included the entire 12 issue run, more than 400 pages, for the same 10 dollar price point as any other Compact edition while Born Again is 5 bucks more yet only has 300 pages. It just does not make sense, no matter how much bonus material is in there. 

    Yet my issues do not just end with the terrible price and size changes, I also think Marvel dropped the ball on their design choices here, mainly those hideous covers. Compact Comics have a very clear look. It’s color coded, sleek and stands out. The bright impact-like font pops out at you when it’s on the shelves and even the spines are eye-catching enough. Marvel opted for a different route. A very boring one. I do not know what the thought process behind the covers is, I imagine it’s an attempt to look more sophisticated since these books are “Premier”, but the end result looks more like a bland textbook you’d carry around in high school. Nothing screams excitement to me, there’s no action on display, no popping colors or iconic covers. Nothing about it is eye-catching. The stark white design and the badly faded out original covers slapped onto the front of the books are ugly and confusing. The thick red border at the bottom is plain and straight up boring to look at as it only highlights the confusing amount of different fonts thrown into your face. The spines are not nearly as striking as its competitors’ version, coming across as the more timid and scared little cousin of DC’s initiative. The cherry on top of this terrible cake is that horrible new Marvel Comics logo (Feige you will rue the day you started striving for brand synergy). 

    I get that Marvel is trying to hone in on a new sort of audience with these books, but I think they’ve forgotten that they’re still a comic book publisher. You can dress up the exterior as clean as possible, but once you crack open that book you will still see men in tights fighting evil villains and their henchmen. It’s okay to be a comic book, it’s okay to exude that fun energy that’s inside these books, that’s what they’re here for. If you’re trying to trick a different audience into buying your book this entire thing is gonna misfire in your face and you’ll be stuck with a few hundred boxes of “Premier” collections instead of the absolute success of the Compact line.

    A big issue with this idea for Marvel is also the type of books they have. DC just has a better library when it comes to stand alone minis that make for great material for these sorts of Collections. Marvel doesn’t really have their own version of “Batman Year One” or “Watchmen”. They have iconic, long running story arcs that you can’t squeeze into a format like this. The general audience outside of comics have always had this belief that Comics are this impenetrable web of continuity while that really isn’t the case, but showcasing them the first few issues of a 25 issue long run isn’t gonna calm their fears on that front. 

    I get that this isn’t the fault of the format. It’s really nobody’s fault. But it is a shame that Marvel didn’t even try to find more than one stand alone book at launch. Born Again is a great pick for an initiative like this. It’s singular, it’s popular and it’s coming out at a time when the words “Daredevil: Born Again” are plastered on posters across the entire globe. That’s smart marketing, and something DC doesn’t have to benefit from – not yet at least. Marvel truly has the characters to rival DC. Yes, they might have Batman and Superman – characters who’s name will forever be ingrained into our collective consciousness – but ever since the MCU, Marvel has really made some minor characters into household names. An Iron Man Premier edition would sell just as well as one of Batman’s compact editions, trust me on that, you just have to pick the right Iron Man story.

    Do I think this is gonna do well? Not particularly. Do I hope it’s gonna do well? Obviously. I love comics, the entire reason I started this page was to hopefully get some new people riled up about this industry the way I am, so if this initiative sticks I’d be happy to swallow my words. It’s not like everything is terrible about these books, the quality of the paper is really nice. The printing is wonderful and really does justice to Mazzucchelli and Scheele’s original coloring. Again, putting bonus material in there is lovely and a great way to get people familiar with the artists making this stuff behind the scenes, as they can often be overlooked by the general audience. I just hope Marvel manages to course correct over the next few months and have a nicer, more affordable set of books available come Christmas time.  

    What do you think of this new initiative? And are you planning on checking out any of the releases this week? Let us know on the socials and be sure to follow us as we’ll be delving into the future of Marvel’s Premier Collection and trying to find which books deserve to be published in this format as well.

  • What To Read: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

    What To Read: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

    We live in a day and age filled with comic book adaptations. Movies starring our favorite superheroes, villains, anti-heroes and pulpy characters seem to pop up every month, tv shows adapting cult classic independent books are released so fast you can barely keep up with it and every now and again they even try to adapt the books we love for the stage (to middling success). Yet the stories that inspire these films and shows often get overlooked. The books that breathe life and color into these – often inferior – adaptations are sometimes completely ignored when a major studio gets their claws into them, a trend that frustrates me endlessly. That’s why I’m starting this series, where we look at upcoming comic book adaptations and discuss the books that inspired them, so you know what to pick up next time you’re in your local comic book shop.

    Today we’ll be looking at Marvel Studios’ upcoming Spider-Man show: “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man”, the first ever animated Spidey show set to release under the MCU banner. The show sports a vibrant color scheme and a classic Spidey narrative wrapped up in a modern coating. The show’s aesthetic is clearly inspired by the first books on our list.

    Amazing Spider-Man by Ditko and Lee

    Yeah. This one feels sort of obvious. But it’s here for more than just that. Yes, of course every single adaptation of Spider-Man will harken back to the original stories shaped by Ditko and Lee. It’s an inevitability. But these original works are also the only comics that have been explicitly stated as a major influence on the show’s look by Showrunner Jeff Trammell. And that influence is not subtle. The bright look of the show and its vibrant classic character design are a clear indication that – at least in parts – this show will harken back to the 60s roots of the character. 

    Multiple episode titles of the first season refer to this era of Spidey comics, with both the pilot and the finale being named after seminal moments of Ditko’s time in the book. The Pilot titled “Amazing Fantasy” refers to Peter’s first appearance in “Amazing Fantasy #15” while “If This Be My Destiny…” refers to the iconic storyline of the same name which has been loosely recreated by Marvel Studios before in “Homecoming”.

    It’s always good to brush up on the origins of these classic characters, both the good ones and the bad ones, and “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” is no exception. Doc Ock, Chameleon, Scorpion, Stephen Strange – they all harken back to that Silver Age of comic books – which funnily enough happens to be the golden age of Marvel if we’re being completely honest. We’ve seen many different books tell Peter’s origin as Spidey, and even more showing us the early days of his crime-fighting career, but none are as classic as Ditko and Lee’s time on the book.

    Yet, Lee and Ditko’s work can be tough to get through, it’s wordy. Very wordy. A trademark of the Golden age and Silver Age that has made it quite impenetrable for some modern audiences. I suggest reading this era one book at a time. Check out the characters you most like, read an issue at a time, take your time with them. These are stunning books, rich and fun, they are the groundwork on which all of this is built, all of these stories we love so much, don’t let some text get in the way of experiencing that. 

    Untold Tales Of Spider-Man

    “Untold Tales Of Spider-Man” is on this list for similar reasons as our previous entry. It’s a good classic Spider-Man book chronicling Peter’s early days as the webbed wonder. Written by Kurt Busiek and drawn by Patrick Olliffe, Untold Tales sets out to fill in the moments between Lee and Ditko’s original stories, making it great supplementary reading material next to our previous entry.

    This is one of my personal favorite Spider-Man books, as it nails every beat a good classic Spidey story needs to hit. It has the big spectacular action beats as he fights classic villains like Vulture and Green Goblin, but it also focuses on the smaller scale day-to-day criminals, perfectly balancing a roster of A-tier evildoers and C-listers who might not always get the time of day they deserve. Having seen the roster of bad guys we’ll be getting in “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” it seems the creators of the show share a similar love for the C-listers, as we’ll be getting appearances from The Unicorn, Speed Demon and White-Rabbit to name but a few names, while also featuring classic villains like Doc Ock and Norman Osborn.

    Identity Crisis

    Back in 2022, Marvel Studios’ animation department had their big Comic-Con panel in which they revealed a ton of exciting stuff, among them was a whole bunch of cool tidbits about “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” (still titled Spider-Man: Freshman Year back then). Among those exciting pieces was one of Leo Romero’s amazing line-up shots featuring a bunch of different suits the webhead would be wearing in season 1, including 3 suits heavily featured in the “Identity Crisis” storyline.

    “Identity Crisis” – written by a group of writers including J.M. DeMatteis and Howard Mackie, with art by artists like John Romita Jr and Joe Bennett- follows Pete as he’s figuring out how to deal with one of Osborn’s more nefarious’ attacks. He’s been able to completely sully the Spider-Man name by framing him for murder, meaning Peter has to find some new alter-ego’s while trying to clear his name. Instead of going for the usual black suit or just laying low for a bit, Peter decides to create 4 distinct new super-hero personalities, all with their own distinct function, to fill the spider-sized hole in his life.

    From the show’s episode titles we can safely assume it’s third episode, titled “Secret Identity Crisis” will somehow focus on the “Identity Crisis” storyline, but in what shape or form that will manifest remains to be seen.

    Honorable Mentions

    There are a few more titles that I see as potential influences on the show, but I’m guessing they might not be as important as others on this list or even be bad guesses on my part which is why I’m putting them in their own little category.

    Based on the show’s premise as an early days Spider-Man story I’d feel it’s always a safe bet to read 2015’s “Spidey” run by Robbie Thompson and a rotating team of artists including Nate Stockman and Nick Bradshaw. That 12 issue run focused on a more modern-day retelling of the first adventures of Peter as Spider-Man and explored not just his own world of villains and supporting characters but also introduced the webhead to many different corners of the Marvel Universe as he teamed up with heroes like Iron Man and Black Panther. I’m sure the two versions of Pete’s early days will be similar in tone, making it a fun little read while you wait on more episodes to release each week.

    We know Pete will meet other heroes of the Marvel Universe in this new show as well. We’ll see Daredevil, Doctor Strange and Iron Man in the show to name but a few names and his supporting cast is filled with familiar faces like Amadeus Cho and Nico Minoru. I wonder if this means we can expect the show to pull from Pete’s time leading Marvel’s “Team-Up” books from the 70’s to mid 80’s. For a more modern take on this concept, check out “Avenging Spider-Man” from 2012, which saw Pete team-up with a bunch of characters from all sides of the Marvel Universe.

    In the episode titles we can also find references to the “Big Time” initiative of 2009, which jump started a new day and age for Slott’s time on the Amazing Spider-Man title. I don’t expect there to be any real influence in “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” that can be traced back to “Big Time” but the inclusion is certainly suspicious.


    Are you excited for “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man”? And If so, will you be checking out any of these aforementioned books in preparation? Let us know in the comments! And give us a follow if you’d like to read more of my thoughts on Marvel Studios’ latest attempt at reinventing Spider-Man.

  • 2025’s Most Exciting Releases

    2025’s Most Exciting Releases

    Time has already started flying by this year as we are already steadily approaching the end of January. The perfect time to look ahead at the 11 months left in 2025 and see what exciting things are in store for us (or in stores, I should say). The year has already proven to be as exciting as its predecessor with some fantastic new issues released over the course of the previous 4 weeks but we also know there are many more amazing new stories on the horizon, Stellar issues we have to look forward to and classic characters coming in to make a splash. Let’s talk about my personal most anticipated books to be released in 2025.

    Ice Cream Man #43

    Imagine this: you combine a group comics’ greatest talents with one of the industry’s most successful horror series to create a single issue packed to the brim with haunting tales and even scarier imagery. Would you be excited for a book like that? Because I sure am. “Ice Cream Man’s” upcoming 43rd issue is that book. The long running Horror anthology created by Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran is climbing to new heights, putting together a stellar line-up of talent and giving them the same assignment; write a one page horror story. 

    This line-up includes stories from Grant Morrison, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Matt Fraction, Jeff Lemire and Zoe Thorogood among many other industry giants. Shepherded by Prince, Morazzo and O’Halloran, the minds behind “Ice Cream Man”, these titans will put out what can only be an All-timer of an issue. And having heard some of the early reviews of this thing it seems like my wildest expectations could still be blown out of the water. I cannot wait to hold “Ice Cream Man” #43 in my hands this week. 

    Yes, You read that right. THIS WEEK!!! Ice Cream Man 43 is releasing on the 29th so run to your local comic book store on Wednesday and make sure you get your hands on what I can only assume to be a stunning book.

    GODZILLA

    Sometimes all you really need is a good title. A strong eye-and-ear catching series of words strung together so perfectly that it hits your senses just right; that you just can’t help but pick it up. “Godzilla Heist” is one of those titles. It feels weird that I even have to explain myself any further than this but I suppose I’ll give it a shot.

    Written by Van Jensen and Illustrated by Kelsey Ramsey, “Godzilla: Heist” is exactly what you expect. We are getting heists while Godzilla is roaming around outside causing a ruckus. Again, need I go on?! This series follows Jai as he concocts the perfect heist using Godzilla as his distraction. Having figured out a way to manipulate Godzilla into being his perfect red herring, Jai attracts the attention of some dangerous individuals who hope to use this manner of thievery for themselves.

    Now if that doesn’t excite you, then I don’t think we can ever truly be friends. There is little I love more than a good heist story but putting Godzilla into that mix might just get you the upper-hand; I prefer a Godzilla over a Danny Ocean every day of the week! 

    Now Godzilla isn’t just heisting around next year, he’s also going to be terrorizing the Marvel Universe! Godzilla is going to be tearing through the world outside your window starting with the Fantastic Four in March, the beginning of a series of One-Shots all focused on the titular Kaiju in different eras of the Marvel Universe. Pair up this awesome sounding idea with a batch of stellar talent and you’ve got my curiosity peaked. Ryan North and John Romita Jr will be taking on creative duties on this first issue, and with such talent at the helm from the start I’m sure the subsequent issues will feature equally iconic creative teams!

    While we don’t know the entire line-up of characters that get to face the world most famous Kaiju, we do know that both the Hulk and Spidey will be leading their own issue against Godzilla. The initiative’s announcement came paired with an amazing promotional piece by Leinil Francis (partially pictured above) that also showed both the Avengers and The X-Men facing off against Godzilla so I’m guessing we might be seeing those two teams in the future as well. 

    Fantastic Four Fanfare

    2025 promises to be a big year for Marvel’s first family as the characters make their way to the big screen for their fourth attempt at getting a successful film off the ground, this time under the MCU banner. With a big movie campaign headed our way it was only a matter of time till Marvel Comics followed suit with an equally big push. While Ryan North’s critically acclaimed time on the team steadily continues to barrel its way towards his earth-shattering “One World Under Doom” event this spring, Marvel decided to announce one of the most exciting titles the team has seen in recent years.

    Uniting some of the Four’s most iconic writers and artists, “Fantastic Four Fanfare” promises to be a must-have for any self respecting fan of Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben. The series, which will be composed of four issues each focusing on a different member of the Four, sports an incredible team of writers and artists; Hickman, Zdarsky, Waid, Allred and Bagley (to name only a small part of this fantastic line-up) all return for what can only be a magnificent love letter to the four ahead of their big screen outing.

    The Fantastic Four have had many iconic runs over the years. Waid’s time on the title is career defining stuff, Hickman’s magnum opus at Marvel kick-starts during his time writing the team, Zdarsky brought back some light the team desperately needed in his “Two-In-One” book while Marvel was hesitant to even write about them due to their absence in Marvel’s cinematic landscape and Allred brought some of the most classically bonkers sci-fi interiors to the title only equaled by King Kirby himself. To see them return to my favorite family in the Marvel universe is just Fantastic.

    The title’s first issue releases in April with the entire page real estate dedicated to Johnny Storm, which I’m sure can only mean we’re in for an incredibly fun ride.

    HEAD TRAUMA

    Now admittedly putting “Head Trauma” on this list might not be entirely accurate. Without a solid release date or really any official publishing words we might need to wait on this stunning looking books release for years to come but to be truthful – any amount of time would be well worth the wait. Anytime Zoe Thorogood puts out work I’m first in line at the shops. I’ll always champion this magnificent talent’s work and this upcoming book is no exception.

    Thorogood herself announced the book on Twitter quite some time ago in late 2022 and has been plucking away at it ever since. With the frequency of which I’m seeing her “Head Trauma” pages show up on social media I’m hoping this is finally the year we can get this book in our hands. Focused on a man who’s “intrusive thoughts start manifesting themselves into reality- largely in the form of accidentally exploding people’s heads”, “Head Trauma” sounds like exactly the type of mayhem I enjoy and paired up with Thorogood’s stunning artwork and writing I’m basically clamoring at the bits to pre-order this thing!

    Thorogood has also been teasing other work she’s been doing on different creator owned projects and I am anxiously awaiting those as well, but for now I’m betting on Head Trauma’s release first!

    Absolute Martian Manhunter

    Marvel and DC both launched their respective alternate universes in big ways. Exciting creative teams taking on exciting new versions of the two publishers’ most iconic characters as the books continued to break records and gain critical acclaim. An invigorating start for both publishers, yet the best was still yet to come. Because just when things seem to be going great, Deniz Camp jumps on board and elevates it all to something even more spectacular. What Camp (and Frigeri) did for Marvel’s Ultimate line is still one of my personal favorite moments of last year and I cannot wait till he does it for DC with his new “Absolute Martian Manhunter” book.

    While most of the Absolute titles so far have taken the iconic iconography of its most classic heroes and presented it from new angles, Camp and Javier Rodriguez seemed to have done away with (almost) everything that makes J’onn J’onzz The Martian Manhunter in favor of a bold and exciting new version. No more chiseled shapeshifting Martian, now we’ve got an insane new Gumby-esque walking-talking mood ring creature taking over the consciousness of his earthly host in the form of John Jones, an FBI agent driven mad by his newfound intergalactic guest. Honestly, the design alone was enough to completely sell me on the book, most probably due to the amazing artist behind it.


    Camp is joined by industry titan Javier Rodriguez, whose name alone makes any book an instant buy for me. He’s one of those artists with such a singular style that I’ll want to read any book he does, no matter the character or creative team attached to it. Yet when the creative team is as good as this one, it’s hard not to put it at the top of a list like this.

    What are some of your most anticipated books of 2025? And who are the artists and writers you’re most excited for this year? Let me know in the comments or on my Twitter and Bluesky! If you liked this article please give us a like on there as well and make sure to follow us so you don’t miss a thing from GHOST-WRITES!

  • The Best Comics Of 2024

    The Best Comics Of 2024

    2024 was a stacked year for comic book releases, new universes seemed to pop up every week, indie releases only seemed to get better and better, some of comics’ biggest and best names have put out career defining work and we’ve seen record breaking numbers for every major publisher out there. All in all, 2024 has been an incredible year, but off all that amazing work, what was the absolute best? The crème de la crème. The cream of the crop. The books that border on being perfect? Let’s discuss my top 5 books of 2024.

    Of course, with any list like this I need to preface it with this: This is my list of books, formed by my own reading habits and my own preferences. While I try to express exactly what it is that makes these books as good as they are, I am aware that I cannot make everyone happy with this list. I haven’t read everything that came out this year, far from it, my head would explode if i were to do that. But I do genuinely love all of these books, and I hope that, if you haven’t already, you manage to pick one or two up and see what you think for yourself.

    Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees

    Patrick Horvath’s “Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees” is without a doubt the most versatile book on this list. On the outside you may look at this book the way you do your average children’s picture book, colorful animal characters included, but inside you’ll find contents akin to the best seasons of Dexter. An engaging murder-mystery that utilizes the medium in such a creative way it hasn’t really left my brain since reading it months ago.

    I can’t really put into words how effective Horvath’s book is besides just explaining to you how it stuck with me. Truth be told, I wasn’t really sure how I felt about the book after finishing the trade a few months ago. Yes, I enjoyed myself a ton and the gorgeous interiors did blow me away but was this a book I considered among the best I’d read? No… right? Well since then I’ve read dozens of other trades yet none stuck with me the way “Beneath The Trees” did. It’s haunting imagery stuck with me more so than any epic – big two – splash page. The Juxtaposition of art and writing never came to the heights it did here. No book seemed to generate the sorrow and dolefulness of this one. Simply put; no book was like “Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees”.

    If you like a solid murder mystery, pick up “Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees”. If you like stunning art, pick up “Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees”. If you like both? What are you still doing reading this???  Pick up “Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees”!!!

    Avengers Twilight

    There aren’t a lot of Superhero tropes I like more than a good alternate universe story, especially an alternate future story; What are my faves up to after a few more decades pass? How are they faring in a dark dystopian future or a past infused by swords and sorcery? Who doesn’t wanna know the answers to such burning questions? Yet, it seemed the best ones are a thing of the past – until last year that was. Chip Zdarsky brought back the genre in a big way . Paired up with Daniel Acuña, Zdarsky is able to create an exciting look at the Marvel universe in 30 years. 

    In a medium that often doesn’t allow any real growth or progression for its characters or world, these rare gems are the only thing satiating the craving I sometimes cannot seem to ignore. And when the characterization is as good as it is in “Avengers: Twilight”, it’s easy to see how this shoots up to being one of my favorites of the year. 

    Seriously, the characters in this book are written perfectly; what otherwise would be quite the basic and cliched story becomes something more because we’re introduced to these exciting new versions of characters we’ve loved for so long. I don’t think a single character featured in this story acts in a way that doesn’t feel like a very logical progression of what we know them as in the present day MU and the newer versions of heroes we know and love are all well-rounded additions to the mythos.

    Zdarsky’s top-tier writing paired with Acuña’s stunning interiors (The best interiors published by Marvel this year without a doubt) make this a must have.

    The Moon Is Following Us

    Daniel Warren Johnson and Riley Rossmo are two of comics most engaging and unique artistic talents, both delivering stunning and fluid interiors every time they jump on a book. So when these two artistic titans decide to make a book together, You are damn right I’m gonna be enjoying the hell out of it. And “The Moon Is Following Us” manages to deliver on all my wildest fantasies. The two artists worked together to create a stunning story about parenthood that has somehow managed to surprise me with its quality every issue even while expectations are at an all time high. 

    While some books that share a team of artists on interiors can feel frustrating and annoying as the story bounces between art-styles, “The Moon Is Following Us” uses its creative team to its fullest capabilities. I wouldn’t want to spoil just why or how these two managed to create this story so perfectly as a duo, but once that page hits, once you realise what DWJ and Rossmo are doing, you’ll immediately be hooked. 

    We are only about half-way done with the story so far, with issue 6 of 10 releasing next month, so there is still a slim chance both Rossmo and DWJ manage to mess things up as they make their way to the finish line but knowing how consistently both creatives manage to deliver, I won’t be too scared of that happening. Instead I implore you to put this book on your reading list and engulf yourself into this world every month when new issues are released.

    Boy Wonder

    I’ve never been a huge Robin fan. Sure, I’ve liked a lot of Robin (adjacent) comics, I’ll always champion his place in the Batman mythos and respect the fact that he is integral to Bruce Wayne’s development as a character, but I’ve never been ecstatic to pick up a Robin book (no matter who might be under that domino mask). That was until this year, when creative juggernaut Juni Ba decided to take a crack at the character in his stunning and beautiful “Boy Wonder” book.

    “Boy Wonder” follows Damian Wayne as he sets on an adventure that pairs him up with almost all the mainline Robins of the past. Juni Ba’s take on each Robin is distinct and fresh yet still a familiar version that maintains the core of what each Robin represents. He’s able to create such perfect renditions of these beloved characters that most of them have quickly shot up to the top of my list of iterations, with Jason Todd being the main highlight. Ba’s Jason is so perfectly heart-wrenching yet brutal that it’s hard not to crave an entire Red Hood book by Juni.

    Ba’s writing of these characters is so perfect that it almost makes you forget to mention his stellar art-work. His work is dynamic, colorful, fluid and wholly original; there is not a single book that has come out this year that looks even close to Boy Wonder. Ba is a singular talent who’s style feels like a breath of the freshest air in this modern day landscape of hyper-realistic superhero comics. There is a story book quality to Ba’s art that pairs very nicely with the way he tells this story that makes the entire thing feel like a perfect Gotham Fairy Tale.

    The collected edition of “Boy Wonder” releases next month so don’t forget to pick up your copy and let this beautiful book wash over you. 

    Ultimates

    Anyone who’s been following me for a while knows this was an inevitability. “Ultimates” has been at the top of my reading list every month since its announcement and has increasingly blown my expectations out of the water with each passing issue. Written by Deniz Camp and illustrated by Juan Frigeri (as well as Phil Noto taking over art duties for the much-talked-about fourth issue) Ultimates cements itself as the best superhero book of the year, maybe potentially even the best superhero book of the decade – if I may be so bold. 

    While the new Ultimate universe has been incredible, no book manages to pack the punch that Ultimates does (which is saying a lot given just how excellent every Ultimate title has been thus far) mainly because it really earns that “Ultimate Universe” title. Ultimates is an Ultimate Universe book, it knows what that Ultimate moniker means and has meant in decades prior and uses that to create something familiar yet wholly different from it’s 2000’s counterparts. Ultimates feels like a perfect blend of that vibrant world-building so prevalent in Bendis’ early issues of Ultimate Spider-Man and the timely, politically charged real-world commentary of the original Ultimates Run, two books that ended up defining what the Ultimate moniker would come to mean in the present day. 

    Ultimates is action packed, heartfelt, thought provoking, topical, scathing, gruesome in the best ways and absolutely stunning to look at and the book of 2024. Please, do yourself a favor and pick up each new issue as it releases in 2025, I’m sure Camp and co, have so much more in store for us as the Ultimate Universe begins to unravel this summer, and you just don’t wanna miss out on that now do you???

    What were your favorite releases of 2024? Tell me in the comments and let me know which books you’re excited for this year. We’ll be looking at those upcoming titles in the next Ghost Writes post.

    Thank you for checking out the first “GHOST WRITES” article EVER and be sure to keep following me to read more exciting pieces ALL ABOUT COMICS!!