Image - COMICSXF https://comicsxf.com The comics criticism you crave Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:14:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://i0.wp.com/comicsxf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/cropped-orange-favicon-2.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Image - COMICSXF https://comicsxf.com 32 32 107498702 DIE: Loaded #5 reveals its Master. What now? https://comicsxf.com/2026/03/16/die-loaded-5-reveals-its-master-what-now/ Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:14:50 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=56281 The Master is the one character that brings the rest together, and dooms them to play until all are ready to go home. Meet Violet in DIE: Loaded #5.

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]]> 56281 The Fool revealed in Image’s DIE: Loaded #4 https://comicsxf.com/2026/02/18/the-fool-revealed-in-images-die-loaded-4/ Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=56015 What happens when you give a kid a world where they can pretend to be an adult, and the world bends to their desire for mayhem? Meet our Fool in DIE: Loaded #4.

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]]> 56015 Enter the Dictator in Image’s DIE: Loaded #3 https://comicsxf.com/2026/01/15/enter-the-dictator-in-images-die-loaded-3/ Thu, 15 Jan 2026 17:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=55575 Someone is bringing the family members of the original DIE party into that 20-sided world. Sophie is working to gather this new party — with one minor snag.

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]]> 55575 Image’s DIE: Loaded #2 gets its Frazetta on https://comicsxf.com/2025/12/20/images-die-loaded-2-gets-its-frazetta-on/ Sat, 20 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=55347 A Godbinder and a Rage Knight find themselves lost in a realm of endless artscapes, with little idea of why they’re there, and what they’re meant to do. There’s a steep learning curve, but with the help of a mysterious new Master or two, they just might figure things out before they face the game’s...

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]]> 55347 Of roles and rolls – Image’s DIE: Loaded takes us back to hell https://comicsxf.com/2025/11/16/die-loaded-1-full-review/ Sun, 16 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=54823 In 1991, six teenagers disappeared into a magical world based on a roleplaying game. Some, but not all, returned. In 2018, they disappeared once more — and once again, some, but not all, returned. It’s 2025, and people are about to go missing again. Could this be the point of no return? DIE: Loaded #1...

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]]> 54823 ADVANCE REVIEW: Does DIE: Loaded #1 uphold the magic it created? https://comicsxf.com/2025/11/10/die-loaded-1-advance-review/ Mon, 10 Nov 2025 17:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=54782 Six children fell into a role-playing game, experienced the true horror of having your fantasies become real – and went through it all again as adults. Now, they’re dealing with what they’ve learned about the true nature of DIE, including the most dangerous truth of all: everyone in the world is still at risk of...

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]]> 54782 A thinly disguised metaphor for dementia in Image’s Assorted Crisis Events #6 https://comicsxf.com/2025/11/09/assorted-crisis-events-6/ Sun, 09 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=54727 Are you or someone you love suffering from retro-anterograde temporal diminishment? Do you find yourself vacillating between child and octogenarian from one moment to the next? Is it increasingly difficult to remember important details such as your name, your address, the date or the faces of cherished loved ones? If so, see a doctor and...

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]]> 54727 A heartbreaking new take on the zombie story in Image’s Everything Dead & Dying #1 https://comicsxf.com/2025/09/07/everything-dead-and-dying-1/ Sun, 07 Sep 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=53998 Jack Chandler is the sole survivor of the zombie apocalypse in his rural farming community, but rather than eliminate them, he has chosen to continue living alongside the undead — including the husband and adopted daughter he fought so hard to have. But when his town is discovered by outsiders, Jack suddenly becomes the one...

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]]> 53998 Why Image’s Assorted Crisis Events by Camp and Zawadzki is the comic of 2025 https://comicsxf.com/2025/07/31/assorted-crisis-events-5/ Thu, 31 Jul 2025 19:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=53647 After millions of years trapped in the same 60 seconds, Anna has to readjust to life on the straight and narrow. But even out of the time loop, all roads seem to end where they began. Will Anna be able to escape endless recursion? Assorted Crisis Events #5 is written by Deniz Camp, drawn by...

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]]> 53647 Transformers to…transform…with Robert Kirkman & Dan Mora as new creative team https://comicsxf.com/2025/06/26/transformers-to-transform-with-robert-kirkman-dan-mora-as-new-creative-team/ Thu, 26 Jun 2025 17:34:50 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=53199 Like a semi truck that turns into a robot, or an ancient artifact known as a “cassette tape player” that transforms into a robot and also shoots out cassette tapes that transform into robots, Skybound’s Transformers series is about to undergo a transformation of its own. News broke today that writer and Skybound impresario Robert...

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]]> 53199 Assorted Crisis Events #2 puts the trauma of the immigrant experience through the meat grinder https://comicsxf.com/2025/04/24/assorted-crisis-events-2/ Thu, 24 Apr 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=52320 What stalks the blood-soaked kill floor? A dizzying, heartbreaking, hallucinogenic trip through the endless slaughterhouse! Witness a man’s life cut up, ground down and packaged for easy consumption in Assorted Crisis Events #2, written by Deniz Camp, drawn by Eric Zawadzki, colored by Jordie Bellaire, lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and designed by Tom Muller for...

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]]> 52320 ADVANCE REVIEW: We’re Taking Everyone Down with Us #1 brings to new life to ’60s genre fiction https://comicsxf.com/2025/03/30/were-taking-everyone-down-with-us-1/ Sun, 30 Mar 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=51910 After her mad-scientist father is killed by the world’s greatest spy, 13-year-old Annalise is left all alone in the world. Sort of. Her dead dad’s robot bodyguard is following her around for some reason. Now Annalise has a choice: try to lead a normal life for the first time ever, or seek revenge and maybe...

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]]> 51910 Assorted Crisis Events #1 the perfect dizzying, chaotic allegory for our current moment https://comicsxf.com/2025/03/16/assorted-crisis-events-1/ Sun, 16 Mar 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=51942 Time is having a crisis. Mingling in the red-light district, you can find actual cavemen, medieval knights and cyborg soldiers on leave from World War IV. Victorian debutantes amble their way into cellphone stores, confused and bewildered (what is a data plan?). On their way to work, bleary-eyed commuters get trapped in time-loops, assaulted by...

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]]> 51942 ADVANCE REVIEW: Image’s You’ll Do Bad Things #1 is a slasher with beautiful details https://comicsxf.com/2025/03/11/youll-do-bad-things-1/ Tue, 11 Mar 2025 16:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=51883 Seth Holms can’t seem to write himself a happy ending. A True Crime bestselling author, he has been trying his best to move on to lighter fare, only to find that no matter how hard he tries, something always keeps pulling him back to dark, gruesome endings for the characters whose fate he controls. He’d...

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]]> 51883 Masumi is the black orb over Tokyo in The Power Fantasy #4 https://comicsxf.com/2024/11/20/power-fantasy-4/ Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=50870 Masumi’s latest art exhibit opens tonight. Tokyo is petrified. Will any critic dare say what they think and risk unleashing her wrath? Meanwhile, Etienne discovers the dangers of long-haul flights when you’ve just murdered a world leader. The Power Fantasy #4 is written by Kieron Gillen, drawn by Caspar Wijngaard, lettered by Clayton Cowles and...

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]]> 50870 No cow, but plenty of Valentina in The Power Fantasy #3 https://comicsxf.com/2024/11/03/power-fantasy-3/ Sun, 03 Nov 2024 10:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=50647 On July 16, 1945, the world changed forever. Santa Valentina was born. There was also the Trinity test, but that’s not as important. As the world hangs in the balance, we explore the life and times of the girl who fell … skipped? … to Earth. Also: check out that cow!  The Power Fantasy #3...

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]]> 50647 The Moon Is Following Us #2 blends the fantastical with the crushingly real https://comicsxf.com/2024/10/23/the-moon-is-following-us-2/ Wed, 23 Oct 2024 15:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=50502 We’ve seen the fight. We’ve seen the mission. We know what’s at stake – the only question is, how did we get here? Find out, in The Moon is Following Us #2, created and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson & Riley Rossmo, written by Daniel Warren Johnson, colored by Mike Spicer, and lettered by Shawn...

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]]> 50502 Image’s A Haunted Girl handles depression sensitively while exploring the supernatural https://comicsxf.com/2024/09/23/haunted-girl-image/ Mon, 23 Sep 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=50274 Content warning: This review discusses suicidal ideation. If you or someone you love is in a mental health crisis, help is available through non-carceral resources like Blackline, Kiva Centers Groups and Wallflower Alliance. Cleo, a 16-year-old adopted Japanese-American whose anxiety and depression drive her to suicidal thoughts, is fresh out of the hospital and trying...

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]]> 50274 The Power Fantasy #2 turns it up, brings the noise https://comicsxf.com/2024/09/20/power-fantasy-2/ Fri, 20 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=50255 Tension builds in the Cold War between the Atomics in the fallout to Etienne’s retaliatory strike, even as Brother Heavy reveals a secret which threatens to destabilize the détente even further in The Power Fantasy #2, written by Kieron Gillen, drawn by Caspar Wijngaard, lettered by Clayton Cowles and designed by Rian Hughes.   Sean...

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]]> 50255 The Moon Is Following Us #1 is a testament to the magic of the comic medium https://comicsxf.com/2024/09/18/moon-following-us-1/ Wed, 18 Sep 2024 15:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=50229 Sam and Duncan LaMarr love their 6-year-old daughter, Penny, more than anything in the whole world. But half a year ago, she was taken by The Cascade, an evil force they barely understand. Now, Sam and Duncan must fight side by side with the magical beings Penny cherished to try and get her back, before...

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]]> 50229 The Power Fantasy #1 is here! Come dance to the ticking of the doomsday clock! https://comicsxf.com/2024/08/07/the-power-fantasy-1-is-here-come-dance-to-the-ticking-of-the-doomsday-clock/ Wed, 07 Aug 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=49767 Ed. Note: This review contains spoilers for The Power Fantasy #1. If you’d like to read a spoiler-free version of this review, check it out here. “Superpowered.” You have certain preconceptions. They’re incorrect. Here, that word has a specific technical definition. Namely, “any individual with the destructive capacity of the nuclear arsenal of the USA.” There are six...

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]]> 49767 The Eternal Fight Against Fighting Starts Now in The Power Fantasy #1 https://comicsxf.com/2024/08/02/the-eternal-fight-against-fighting-starts-now-in-the-power-fantasy-1/ Fri, 02 Aug 2024 15:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=49770 Ed. Note: This is a special spoiler-free advance review of The Power Fantasy #1. Check back next Wednesday for the full review, with spoilers. “Superpowered.” You have certain preconceptions. They’re incorrect. Here, that word has a specific technical definition. Namely, “any individual with the destructive capacity of the nuclear arsenal of the USA.” There are...

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]]> 49770 The Six Fingers #1 shows us how the other half kills https://comicsxf.com/2024/02/20/six-fingers-1/ Tue, 20 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=47914 The year is 2873, and the East & Peninsula Power Factory has had another toxic spill – and Johannes Vale is having a rough time of it. He’s got a lot of things to answer for. Where are his plans for his grad school thesis? Where did this blood-stained handkerchief come from? And, most importantly,...

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]]> 47914 ADVANCE REVIEW: The One Hand is one-half of a mystery where whodunnit isn’t the question https://comicsxf.com/2024/02/05/one-hand-1/ Mon, 05 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=47838 The year is 2873, and the One Hand Killer has struck again — and Detective Ari Nassar is postponing retirement to put him behind bars. He’s got a lot of questions to answer. What are the strange ciphers left behind at the scene of every crime? Why are these killings happening? And most importantly, why...

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]]> 47838 The Has-Bros explore the Energon Universe with Duke #1, Transformers #4 and Cobra Commander #1 https://comicsxf.com/2024/01/19/duke-transformers-cobracommander/ Fri, 19 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=47749 In Duke #1, a bold new era kicks off for America’s daring, highly trained special mission force, written by Joshua Williamson, drawn by Tom Reilly, colored by Jordie Bellaire and lettered by Rus Wooton. Meanwhile, an arm-less Optimus Prime races to save Spike’s life as the Decepticons continue to push the Autobots to their limits...

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