lavaturtle's 2023 comics challenge

This is a dedicated thread for comics I read in 2023, organized into their own set of categories:

- 2023 Hugo nominees
- X-Men and other Mutants
- Follow that character!
- Written by one of my favorite authors
- Related to a Movie or TV Show
- Acquired at an Event
- Anthology
- Non-fiction and Memoir
- Grab bag

My main, non-comics, thread is over here.

Running totals
Total issues read: 71

2023 Hugo nominees
Works nominated for the 2023 Hugo awards in the Graphic Story category

X-Men and other Mutants

Issues read:
1. Marauders (2022-) #9 by Steve Orlando, Eleonora Carlini, and Matt Milla
2. Marauders (2022-) #10 by Steve Orlando, Eleonora Carlini, and Matt Milla
3. X-Men Annual (2022) #1 by Steve Foxe, Andrea Di Vito, and Sebastian Cheng
4. New Mutants: Lethal Legion (2023) #1 by Charlie Jane Anders
5. Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain (2023) #1 by Tini Howard, Vasco Georgiev, and Erick Arciniega
6. Marauders (2022-) #11 by Steve Orlando, Eleonora Carlini, and Matt Milla
7. Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain (2023) #2 by Tini Howard, Vasco Georgiev, and Erick Arciniega
8. New Mutants: Lethal Legion (2023) #2 by Charlie Jane Anders, Enid Balám, Elisabetta D'Amico, and Matt Milla
9. New Mutants: Lethal Legion (2023) #3 by Charlie Jane Anders, Enid Balám, Elisabetta D'Amico, and Matt Milla
10. Marauders (2022-2023) #12 by Steve Orlando, Eleonora Carlini, and Matt Milla
11. New Mutants: Lethal Legion (2023) #4 by Charlie Jane Anders
12. New Mutants: Lethal Legion (2023) #5 by Charlie Jane Anders
13. Immortal X-Men (2022) #1 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
14. Immortal X-Men (2022) #2 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
15. Immortal X-Men (2022-) #3 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and Dijjo Lima
16. Immortal X-Men (2022-) #4 by Kieron Gillen, Michele Bandini, and David Curiel
17. Immortal X-Men (2022-) #5 by Kieron Gillen, Michele Bandini, and David Curiel
18. Immortal X-Men (2022-) #6 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
19. Immortal X-Men (2022-) #7 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
20. Immortal X-Men (2022-) #8 by Kieron Gillen, Michele Bandini, and David Curiel
21. Immortal X-Men (2022-) #9 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
22. Immortal X-Men (2022-) #10 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
23. Sins Of Sinister (2023) #1 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and Bryan Valenza
24. Storm & The Brotherhood Of Mutants (2023) #1 by Al Ewing, Paco Medina, and Jay David Ramos
25. Nightcrawlers (2023) #1 by Simon Spurrier, Paco Medina, and Jay David Ramos
26. Immoral X-Men (2023) #1 by Kieron Gillen, Paco Medina, Walden Wong, Victor Olazaba, Jay David Ramos, and Chris Sotomayor
27. Nightcrawlers (2023) #2 by Simon Spurrier, Andrea Di Vito, and Jim Charalampidis
28. Immoral X-Men (2023) #2 by Kieron Gillen, Andrea Di Vito, and Jim Charalampidis
29. Storm & The Brotherhood Of Mutants (2023) #2 by Al Ewing, Andrea Di Vito, and Jim Charalampidis
30. Immoral X-Men (2023) #3 by Kieron Gillen, Alessandro Vitti, and Rain Beredo
31. Storm & The Brotherhood of Mutants (2023) #3 by Al Ewing, Alessandro Vitti, and Rain Beredo
32. Nightcrawlers (2023) #3 by Simon Spurrier, Lorenzo Tammetta, Phillip Sevy, and Rain Beredo
33. Sins Of Sinister: Dominion (2023) #1 by Kieron Gillen, Paco Medina, Lucas Werneck, and Bryan Valenza
34. Immortal X-Men (2022-) #11 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
35. Immortal X-Men (2022-) #12 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
36. X-Men: Hellfire Gala - Last Rites (2023) #1 by Steve Foxe, Jim Towe, and Erick Arciniega
37. X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2023) #1

Follow that character!
Comics I read because they feature a character I'm interested in.

Issues read:
1. New Mutants (2019-) #31 by Charlie Jane Anders, Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque, and Carlos Lopez
2. New Mutants (2019-) #32 by Charlie Jane Anders, Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque, and Carlos Lopez
3. New Mutants (2019-) #33 by Charlie Jane Anders, Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque, and Carlos Lopez
4. The Amazing Spider-Man (2022-) #26 by Zeb Wells, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, and Marcio Menyz
5. Fallen Friend: The Death of Ms. Marvel (2023) #1 by G. Willow Wilson, Mark Waid, Saladin Ahmed, Takeshi Miyazawa, Humberto Ramos, and Andrea Di Vito
6. Mary Jane & Black Cat (2022-2023) #1 by Jed MacKay, Vincenzo Carratu, and Brian Reber
7. Mary Jane & Black Cat (2022-2023) #2 by Jed MacKay, Vincenzo Carratu, and Brian Reber
8. Mary Jane & Black Cat (2022-2023) #3 by Jed MacKay, Vincenzo Carratu, and Brian Reber
9. Mary Jane & Black Cat (2022-2023) #4 by Jed MacKay, Vincenzo Carratu, and Brian Reber
10. Mary Jane & Black Cat (2022-2023) #5 by Jed MacKay, Vincenzo Carratu, and Brian Reber
11. Hawkgirl (2023) #1 by Jadzia Axelrod, Amancay Nahuelpan, and Adriano Lucas
12. Hawkgirl (2023) #2 by Jadzia Axelrod, Amancay Nahuelpan, and Adriano Lucas

Written by one of my favorite authors
Sometimes my favorite authors of prose fiction also write comics!

Issues read:
1. Know Your Station #1 by Sarah Gailey, Liana Kangas, and Rebecca Nalty
2. Marvel Action: Captain Marvel: Cosmic CAT-tastrophe by Sam Maggs and Sweeney Boo
3. Know Your Station #2 by Sarah Gailey, Liana Kangas, and Rebecca Nalty
4. Know Your Station #3 by Sarah Gailey
5. Know Your Station #4 by Sarah Gailey
6. Know Your Station #5 by Sarah Gailey

Related to a Movie or TV Show

Comics read:
1. Harley Quinn: The Animated Series - The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special (2022) #1 by Tee Franklin
2. Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats! (2022-2023) #3 by Tee Franklin, Jon Mikel, and Andrew Dalhouse
3. Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats! (2022-2023) #4 by Tee Franklin, Jon Mikel, and Andrew Dalhouse
4. Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats! (2022-2023) #5 by Tee Franklin, Jon Mikel, and Andrew Dalhouse
5. Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats! (2022-2023) #6 by Tee Franklin, Jon Mikel, and Andrew Dalhouse

Acquired at an Event

Comics read:
1. Galaxy: The Prettiest Star by Jadzia Axelrod and Jess Taylor

Anthology

Comics read:
1. DC Pride 2023 #1
2. Marvel's Voices: Pride (2023) #1
3. Women of Marvel (2023) #1
4. Marvel’s Voices: Wakanda Forever (2023) #1

Grab bag
Stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else

Issues read:
1. Multiversity: Teen Justice (2022-) #5 by Ivan Cohen, Danny Lore, Luciano Vecchio, and Enrica Eren Angiolini
2. Multiversity: Teen Justice (2022-) #6 by Danny Lore, Ivan Cohen, Luciano Vecchio, and Enrica Eren Angiolini
3. Black Cloak #1 by Kelly Thompson
4. Spirit World (2023) #1 by Alyssa Wong, Haining, and Sebastian Cheng
5. Spirit World (2023) #2 by Alyssa Wong, Haining, and Sebastian Cheng
6. Spirit World (2023) #3 by Alyssa Wong, Haining, and Sebastian Cheng

This thread is all set up!

Stopping by to wish you a wonderful year of reading in 2023!

Have a great year of reading!

Good luck with your comic reading in 2023.

Thanks, everyone!

Marauders (2022-) #9 by Steve Orlando, Eleonora Carlini, and Matt Milla
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

To be honest, I'm still annoyed that the Marauders went on this ill-advised mission to a doomed ancient civilization they know basically nothing about except that it's being destroyed by unstoppable biological weapons. This was obviously a very bad idea! That said, there are a few interesting bits in this issue. The safe haven for the resistance is pretty neat, and the plan to save the birthing pond seems like it has a distant chance of working. The end reveal was... weird and doesn't make any sense! Unless there's more going on here...?

Know Your Station #1 by Sarah Gailey, Liana Kangas, and Rebecca Nalty
Category: Written by one of my favorite authors

What a deliciously dystopian space-capitalism setting! From the first page, the writing and art did a great job painting an all-too-plausible picture of what the ultra-wealthy and unscrupulous do in the face of disaster. The protagonist is intriguing and I want to know more about her past! And we have a fast growing murder mystery plot, and I think also a non-binary supporting character? This is very much my sort of thing.

Multiversity: Teen Justice (2022-) #5 by Ivan Cohen, Danny Lore, Luciano Vecchio, and Enrica Eren Angiolini
Category: Grab Bag

I'm glad to see Gigi and the team reunited again! I feel like she still must have some important role to play. I like the big fight with the wristbands, and Jess saving the day. Jess is great, and so is Raven although I always feel like I'm missing some context with him... Fun to see the Lasso of Truth put to good use!

Multiversity: Teen Justice (2022-) #6 by Danny Lore, Ivan Cohen, Luciano Vecchio, and Enrica Eren Angiolini
Category: Grab Bag

Gigi finally makes her move! And Jess continues to be awesome. I have to admit, when the adults show up, they feel so superfluous, and I honestly don't remember half the events they're referring to. This series had a little too much extra stuff packed in around the edges, and it ultimately made the pacing a little weird. Still, we got a satisfying ending, and I'd love to see more of this team!

New Mutants (2019-) #31 by Charlie Jane Anders, Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque, and Carlos Lopez
Category: Follow that character!

Shela/Escapade is such a great character, and Permanent Sleepover was one of my favorite stories from Marvel's Voices: Pride (2022) #1. This arc picks up pretty much right where we left off, as Shela meets some other young mutants on Krakoa. I loved her interaction with the other mutants, and the delightful bit at the beginning with the Krakoan creative writing class. By the end of this issue our protagonists are in a bit of trouble; I'm excited to see how they get out of it!

New Mutants (2019-) #32 by Charlie Jane Anders, Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque, and Carlos Lopez
Category: Follow that character!

Awesome! Love to see Escapade using her powers to rescue her friends. The U-Men are great villains, such terrible people! And oof, that ending... looks like Shela's going to have to face her fears sooner than later.

Marvel Action: Captain Marvel: Cosmic CAT-tastrophe by Sam Maggs and Sweeney Boo
Category: Written by one of my favorite authors

I enjoyed this short, cute, fun story. The plot was good, the art was great, and the cat puns were ridiculous. Love the relationship between Carol and Jessica.

Harley Quinn: The Animated Series - The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special (2022) #1 by Tee Franklin
Category: Related to a Movie or TV Show

This is a fun little anthology featuring a bunch of the characters from the animated series. "Double Date" was my favorite story in here. I love Elle, and her relationship with Vixen, and their whole dynamic with Harley and Ivy. And it's great the amount of diversity/representation the writers just casually include -- in all the comics based on this series, really.

New Mutants (2019-) #33 by Charlie Jane Anders, Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque, and Carlos Lopez
Category: Follow that character!

I really liked how this wrapped up the plot with the prophecy around what happens to Morgan. Looking forward to seeing more of these characters!

Know Your Station #2 by Sarah Gailey, Liana Kangas, and Rebecca Nalty
Category: Written by one of my favorite authors

Not a lot of answers in this issue, since most of the time is spent focusing on Elise's withdrawal from Blue. I'm glad we got to see Marin again. But things are only getting worse for Elise...

Black Cloak #1 by Kelly Thompson
Category: Grab bag

It's an intriguing setting for sure. I'm not sure yet what I think of the series as a whole. It kind of depends on what the deal is with this weird police organisation the protagonist seems to be part of. The mystery is intriguing, though. Also, I want to know what the deal is with the protagonist getting exiled, that seems important?

Marauders (2022-) #10 by Steve Orlando, Eleonora Carlini, and Matt Milla
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

I'm glad this issue wrapped up the distant-past storyline, because TBH I didn't really care about that plot and found it annoying. I'm far more interested in some of the more personal fallout: the plot to kill Cassandra Nova, and Tempo's pining after her fling. Things are looking up!

Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats! (2022-) #3 by Tee Franklin, Jon Mikel, and Andrew Dalhouse
Category: Related to a Movie or TV Show

This is a lot of fun! Mayor Joker and the whole City Hall situation is great. Loved watching Ivy interview folks for the Legion. Harley's new team-up is going... interestingly. And oh no, Ivy, what are you doing there at the end?

X-Men Annual (2022) #1 by Steve Foxe, Andrea Di Vito, and Sebastian Cheng
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

I don't know all the context here with Firestar, but the pair of X-Men missions here was great. Loved the montage of the various villain fights while Cyclops and Firestar deal with the hospital situation. That Whirlwind guy is a real asshole, and I'm glad they defeated him! I liked the backstory we did get on Firestar, and why her feelings about her powers are complicated.

Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats! (2022-) #4 by Tee Franklin, Jon Mikel, and Andrew Dalhouse
Category: Related to a Movie or TV Show

Love seeing Harley and Batgirl spending more time together! Another fun romp, and I'm glad Harley at least has filled Ivy in on what she's doing.

Galaxy: The Prettiest Star by Jadzia Axelrod and Jess Taylor
Category: Acquired at an Event

I really liked this heartfelt story about a sort-of-trans alien princess and her struggles with small-town high school. And her awesome girlfriend Kat! The ending was super sweet. And a special shout-out to the beautiful art that brought the story to life!

New Mutants: Lethal Legion (2023) #1 by Charlie Jane Anders
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

So excited for more stories with Escapade! She's such a fun character. I love the way the relationship between her and Cerebella is developing, and this new plan seems likely to lead to even more hijinks. Meanwhile, the B plot with Morgan Red and Wolfsbane does some crucial exploration of who those characters are and why they feel the way they do.

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain (2023) #1 by Tini Howard, Vasco Georgiev, and Erick Arciniega
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Rachel Summers is the best! And I really liked Faiza Hussain too, and the exploration of who the public will accept as a "British" symbol. I don't really know enough about the Captain Britain corner of Marvel to understand or care about most of the main plot here, though.

Marauders (2022-) #11 by Steve Orlando, Eleonora Carlini, and Matt Milla
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

I'm intrigued by this new adventure the team seems to be embarking on. It's a cool idea!

Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain (2023) #2 by Tini Howard, Vasco Georgiev, and Erick Arciniega
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Peggy Carter! Always good to see her. And I loved the new character Lizzie Braddock too. Hope to see her again in the future!

New Mutants: Lethal Legion (2023) #2 by Charlie Jane Anders, Enid Balám, Elisabetta D'Amico, and Matt Milla
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

This is so fun! Wolfsbane and Morgan Red in a more serious plot dealing with terrible things in the sewers. Meanwhile, Escapade, Cerabella, and Gabby having a very silly time attempting to rob a very silly villain.

New Mutants: Lethal Legion (2023) #3 by Charlie Jane Anders, Enid Balám, Elisabetta D'Amico, and Matt Milla
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

And all of a sudden, things got very serious. Wolfsbane's voiceover about all the times people have tried to kill us before was hauntingly relevant. And Escapade and all her feels about humor and relating to her friends... and then the terrible situation the whole crew finds themselves dealing with at the end. This is the mutant corner of Marvel at its finest!

Spirit World (2023) #1 by Alyssa Wong, Haining, and Sebastian Cheng
Category: Grab Bag

What an intriguing setting, and a cool protagonist! I like the paper magic and the story playing out in both the human world and the spirit world. Glad to see Constantine, too!

Marauders (2022-2023) #12 by Steve Orlando, Eleonora Carlini, and Matt Milla
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

I liked this. It's a fitting end to this run, neatly tying up a bunch of the earlier story threads.

DC Pride 2023 #1
Category: Anthology

My favorites were "And Baby Makes Three" (the Harley Quinn / Poison Ivy story), "Lost & Found" (the character from Spirit World and Batwoman), and "My Best Bet" (Constantine get Superboy to throw a fight so he can win a bet to rescue a soul from Hell). Kind of lost as far as what's going on in some of the others. The interspersed one-page art panels are also cool, though.

Know Your Station #3 by Sarah Gailey
Category: Written by one of my favorite authors

I love the increasingly snarky station AI here, and the relationship between Elise and Marin. And the plot is certainly accelerating! Our heroes are going to need to figure things out soon!

Know Your Station #4 by Sarah Gailey
Category: Written by one of my favorite authors

We see more of the staff in this issue, and it helps further develop the massive disparities in this setting between the residents (wealthy) and the staff (exploited). Certainly a lot of people with motives! Although I'm currently convinced that Brigid did it.

Know Your Station #5 by Sarah Gailey
Category: Written by one of my favorite authors

What a great ending! Loved the take on AI art, and the characters' choice to re-imagine what's possible in their world.

New Mutants: Lethal Legion (2023) #4 by Charlie Jane Anders
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

This is very much a "middle of the story" issue, as we gear up for the finale. Lots of character moments though. I hope Sheila and Morgan can figure things out!

New Mutants: Lethal Legion (2023) #5 by Charlie Jane Anders
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

What a good ending to this arc. I'm glad Escapade and Cerabella got together! And Morgan and Sheila worked things out! And they saved the day from Nefaria, of course. I hope to see more stories with Escapade and Morgan Red in the future.

Marvel's Voices: Pride (2023) #1
Category: Anthology

What an absolute delight! Every story in here was great. I particularly loved "Everywhere" (Wiccan and Hulkling, on a road trip, meet a fabulous trans lady who's lived thousands of years and been to space) and "No Trespassing: Beware of Dog" (introduction of Muzzle, as part of Peach's crew doing a heist for hormones and other basic drugs to meet people's needs). "Everything's Coming Up Aces" (Gwenpool) and "Jumbo Carnation's Ultimate Creations" were also super cute.

I just love Charlie Jane, even if I don't read comics! Loved watching last year's Hugo awards.

>48 JayneCM: Yes! I got to see her on a panel at Flame Con this summer and it was a delight.

Immortal X-Men (2022-) #1 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Mr. Sinister is such a fun villain/narrator! And there's some intriguing power struggles afoot...

Also, I absolutely love the cover art / splash page!

Immortal X-Men (2022-) #2 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Loved getting Hope Summers's viewpoint here; I feel like I learned something about her character and voice. But what's happening to Destiny? Why is she collapsing and talking about ghosts like 1919 Sinister? Why do they need to be on the same side?

Immortal X-Men (2022-) #3 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and Dijjo Lima
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

It was really cool to get Destiny's viewpoint on all of this. And intriguing that her current condition ties in to Mr. Sinister's Moira clones.

Immortal X-Men (2022-) #4 by Kieron Gillen, Michele Bandini, and David Curiel
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

This was an interesting look into Emma Frost's state of mind, around when the secret of mutant resurrection is coming out.

Immortal X-Men (2022-) #5 by Kieron Gillen, Michele Bandini, and David Curiel
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Here we're in the Judgement Day event, with some flashbacks to Exodus's past.

Immortal X-Men (2022-) #6 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Sebastian Shaw isn't a narrator I was particularly hoping for -- he is a terrible person -- but this issue was interesting with his "business deal" angle on what to do about Judgement Day. (And it is interesting how shaken he is being judged by the image of Emma Frost...)

Immortal X-Men (2022-) #7 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Okay, I generally like Nightcrawler, but is it still Judgement Day? Sheesh. Although I didn't expect a team-up with Moira and Orchis to save the planet...

Immortal X-Men (2022-) #8 by Kieron Gillen, Michele Bandini, and David Curiel
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

First thing: I adore this cover art. It's such a great interpretation of their costumes.

Aside from that, this issue has some crucial backstory for Mr. Sinister, plus a peek at some of the darker places Destiny's gift leads her to. Mystique as narrator adds some color to the latter.

Immortal X-Men (2022-) #9 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Kate Pryde is the narrator here, but it's really Mr. Sinister's story, as he loops through ten attempts to murder the Quiet Council. The time loop shenanigans were fun!

Immortal X-Men (2022-) #10 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Oh dang. The Xavier voice-over seems just maudlin at first, and then we see a bit of his big-picture thinking about protecting the world from mutants (and nuclear war)... but just as it's starting to feel overwrought, we get the reveal that Xavier has been compromised. And now we know exactly how bad that is.

Sins Of Sinister (2023) #1 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and Bryan Valenza
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Well! This is certainly a whole situation that is happening. I hope Storm, Destiny, and Mystique can save the day! And what has happened to Sinister's lab?

Storm & The Brotherhood Of Mutants (2023) #1 by Al Ewing, Paco Medina, and Jay David Ramos
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

A lot happens here! Storm has a new crew in this apocalyptic hellscape. We find out who stole Mr. Sinister's lab. But more importantly, Mystique betrays the Brotherhood! And stabs Storm! And it's all because Destiny wants to keep this timeline for Mystique? And also, the sphere from the lab doesn't have Moira, it has a "spade" Essex??

Nightcrawlers (2023) #1 by Simon Spurrier, Paco Medina, and Jay David Ramos
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

I don't know about Ghostrider Banshee (?), but I thought it was cool how they were able to free some of the Nightcrawlers from Sinister's control. And something that seemed like a throwaway detail early in Immortal X-Men (Nightcrawler growing horns) turns out to be important -- something Orchis set up to stop Mr. Sinister from using important mutant bloodlines. Also, with the reveal of Mother Righteous, we've met all four suits now! But which faction to root for?

Immoral X-Men (2023) #1 by Kieron Gillen, Paco Medina, Walden Wong, Victor Olazaba, Jay David Ramos, and Chris Sotomayor
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Emma Frost being a boss, like she does.

Nightcrawlers (2023) #2 by Simon Spurrier, Andrea Di Vito, and Jim Charalampidis
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

I liked this one, a cool exploration of the Nightkin's faith as it's developed over the decades. It seems clear that Mother Righteous is hoarding magic items for... some reason, but probably not a benign one that's going to save everyone from Sinister control. And making a ritual of smashing against Sinister's anti-teleport barrier? Damn. The baby seems important. I hope they can save it.

Immoral X-Men (2023) #2 by Kieron Gillen, Andrea Di Vito, and Jim Charalampidis
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

It's betrayal time! The council betrays Mr. Sinister, Exodus betrays Hope, Mr. Sinister frees Rasputin and... has second thoughts about his schemes?

Storm & The Brotherhood Of Mutants (2023) #2 by Al Ewing, Andrea Di Vito, and Jim Charalampidis
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

This twisty plot kept surprising me! I really wasn't expecting the choice to keep this timeline intact and kill Destiny instead. Intrigued to see what the Brotherhood does next!

Immoral X-Men (2023) #3 by Kieron Gillen, Alessandro Vitti, and Rain Beredo
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

I liked the weird logical conclusion of the Church of Exodus. Intrigued by the message Destiny left for Sinister. Is saving Mystique really her only motivation? And of course Sinister betrayed poor honest Rasputin IV in the end... I hope she gets her revenge!

Storm & The Brotherhood of Mutants (2023) #3 by Al Ewing, Alessandro Vitti, and Rain Beredo
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Everything is starting to come together now, as Red Diamond Queen Emma Frost attacks Fort Arrako, defended by a newly sort-of resurrected Storm, and Mr. Sinister tries to make his way to the Moira clones at the center.

Nightcrawlers (2023) #3 by Simon Spurrier, Lorenzo Tammetta, Phillip Sevy, and Rain Beredo
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Well, this tied off a bunch of loose ends! Mother Righteous reveals her plan to use her giant hoard of relics -- and the baby -- to set herself up with all the knowledge when the timeline resets. All the remaining Nightkin sacrifice themselves. A Juggernaut that was shot into space centuries ago hits its final target. And Wagnerine gets her revenge! But then... remember Robot Moira? Yeah, Robot Moira is here. That can't be good.

Sins Of Sinister: Dominion (2023) #1 by Kieron Gillen, Paco Medina, Lucas Werneck, and Bryan Valenza
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

All the remaining plots pay off here. Robot Moira makes her move. Mr. Sinister goes for Dominion... and finds out someone else already got there. I didn't expect that the big timeline reset would happen halfway through the issue, leaving the rest for "future past" fallout. Rasputin IV is back! Mother Righteous has all the data! Moira is restored to her mutant (not robot) form, I think? And we're currently dealing with the four corrupted clones by putting them in the Pit. The whole ridiculous timeline was worth it just for the depth of horror in the final words... "Thank you, Mother Righteous."

Immortal X-Men (2022-) #11 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

And so the world is put back together... mostly. Probably? Hard to know whether we're done with Sinister's corruption of the clones. We've barely heard anything from Colossus for dozens of issues; what's going on with him? Nothing good, I'm sure. And it's always great to see Storm in her power and glory.

Immortal X-Men (2022-) #12 by Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, and David Curiel
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Well that came out of left field! With all the Sinister machinations, I wasn't expecting Colossus to be puppeted by his brother / some writer / the Russians (?) for unclear ends. Things are not going well! See also Mother Righteous forcing Mystique to kill Destiny :-O

Fallen Friend: The Death of Ms. Marvel (2023) #1 by G. Willow Wilson, Mark Waid, Saladin Ahmed, Takeshi Miyazawa, Humberto Ramos, and Andrea Di Vito
Category: Follow that character!

Solemn, respectful, reminding us who Kamala Kahn was and who she left behind.

X-Men: Hellfire Gala - Last Rites (2023) #1 by Steve Foxe, Jim Towe, and Erick Arciniega
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

So this is just a set of short ominous "teasers" where two mutants are talking about the X-Men vote and then "5 minutes later" some kind of destruction has happened. Foreboding!

X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2023) #1
Category: X-Men and other Mutants

Oh. Oh no. So, the cool thing here is that Ms. Marvel is back, and she's a mutant now! Unfortunately, Orchis makes their move and it's a doozy. A bunch of people are dead, nearly all mutants on earth are missing-presumed-dead, and all the humans on Krakoan drugs are hostages. Only a scattered handful of people left to save everyone.

Spirit World (2023) #2 by Alyssa Wong, Haining, and Sebastian Cheng
Category: Grab bag

Loved this! The scene with Xanthe's family is heartbreakingly well done, and I liked how the lettering handled the deadnaming. Constantine and Xanthe have a great friendship vibe. And the art for the Spirit World itself is delightfully weird.

Spirit World (2023) #3 by Alyssa Wong, Haining, and Sebastian Cheng
Category: Grab bag

I liked the big fight with the eye monster. The revelation about Batgirl's past, I'm not sure how much of that we were meant to already know, but yikes! Whatever's going on in the Spirit World is an intriguing mystery...

Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats! (2022-2023) #5 by Tee Franklin, Jon Mikel, and Andrew Dalhouse
Category: Related to a Movie or TV Show

A fun, chaotic romp as Harley's bat stuff and Ivy's crime stuff collide.

Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats! (2022-2023) #6 by Tee Franklin, Jon Mikel, and Andrew Dalhouse
Category: Related to a Movie or TV Show

I'm glad Harley and Ivy got a good ending here. Not sure if we're ever going to resolve the Miia plot...

Women of Marvel (2023) #1
Category: Anthology

This was fun! My favorite was "Sing Your Heart Out".

Marvel’s Voices: Wakanda Forever (2023) #1
Category: Anthology

I really liked "The Education of Changamire", and the introduction was good too. Unfortunately, a couple of the other stories just felt like the middle of something that was missing the beginning and end.

Mary Jane & Black Cat (2022-2023) #1 by Jed MacKay, Vincenzo Carratu, and Brian Reber
Category: Follow that character!

This was a lot of fun! And the art for the main story is really excellent.

Mary Jane & Black Cat (2022-2023) #2 by Jed MacKay, Vincenzo Carratu, and Brian Reber
Category: Follow that character!

No B story this time. Still a fun caper with amazing art.

Mary Jane & Black Cat (2022-2023) #3 by Jed MacKay, Vincenzo Carratu, and Brian Reber
Category: Follow that character!

S'ym is fun! And finally, the secret Black Cat's been keeping won't keep anymore...

Mary Jane & Black Cat (2022-2023) #5 by Jed MacKay, Vincenzo Carratu, and Brian Reber
Category: Follow that character!

What a delightful ending!

Hawkgirl (2023) #1 by Jadzia Axelrod, Amancay Nahuelpan, and Adriano Lucas
Category: Follow that character!

I'm not sure the whole "dark fairytale" villain story is my thing, but I really liked the Hawkgirl part of the story. Her dynamic with the other heroes (and with Abilene) is great! And I'm super excited to see Galaxy again.

Hawkgirl (2023) #2 by Jadzia Axelrod, Amancay Nahuelpan, and Adriano Lucas
Category: Follow that character!

I'm intrigued by what Galaxy's intervention is going to mean for Hawkgirl's whole situation. And I love the supporting cast!

Okay, this is weird timing, but as I've been reading a lot more comics in the past week, I'm just not feeling like writing a review for every single issue. So I'm closing out this thread. I had originally planning to stick with it through the rest of the year or at least the rest of the month, but I'm just not feeling it.

>90 lavaturtle: Don't feel bad -- if it's not fun for you anymore, no need to keep doing it! For what it's worth, I've enjoyed seeing your thoughts on the various comics, even though I don't read them myself and don't even know who most of the characters are. :)