Welcome to the latest installment of Preview Reviews.  This is where we give advanced glimpses at some of the comics that will be coming out this Wednesday.

A reminder for you. Here at PopCultureSquad, we are decidedly Anti-Spoiler.  We feel that ruining someone’s experience with something for the sake of getting a scoop or clicks is the wrong thing to do. Therefore, we have decided to publish this column, as necessary, with mostly spoiler-free reviews of upcoming issues.  Hopefully, the information that we share with you will increase your excitement for these books.

This week we have TWO preview comics. The first is the debut of Wailing Blade by Rich Douek and Joe Mulvey, published by Comix Tribe. This is one of the books that we were eagerly anticipating and featured in our New Number Ones column for May.

The second book is the continuation of the second volume of Spencer and Locke by David Pepose and Jorge Santiago Jr., published by Action Lab. We have been excited about this story for some time now.

You can find Road of Bones and Incursion at your LCS or on Comixology on May 29, 2019.

Wailing Blade
Comix Tribe
Written by Rich Douek
Art by Joe Mulvey
Colors by Chris Sotomayor & Jules Rivera
Letters by Taylor Esposito
Cover art by Mulvey & Sotomayor

Original Solicitation:

The Headtaker, feared executioner and wielder of the legendary Wailing Blade, kills every man who meets his gaze. And, right now, he’s looking at Tychon, an upstart bandit prince fighting to save his father from the chopping block. An oversized first issue with so much skull-splitting action, you’re guaranteed to lose your head over it! Wailing Blade is high-adrenaline fantasy adventure, in the dark future of mankind, from the mad minds of Rich Douek and Joe Mulvey. Available in eye-popping Silver and Gold foil enhanced covers.

PCS Review:

The opening salvo for this post civilization adventure book is hit. The characterization is quickly and effectively set up. Douek’s use of an internal monologue to open the book is expertly done. As with most literary devices, the effectiveness justifies the use. In this case, the story is off to a fast start, and the action begins to take center stage. The dialogue is smart and feels perfectly suited to the setting. We love how this book is written. We are very interested in the characters being introduced, and the antagonist seems to be incredibly formidable.

The art in this book is really good. The mix of cartoonish features and pseudoscience weaponry makes for a fun read. Mulvey’s facial acting designs are critical to the success of the book. Sotomayor’s color pop off the page giving the book a massive heartbeat that is almost audible.  His ability to give light to the weaponry really makes it come alive. Taylor Esposito’s lettering is tight and makes navigating the book a breeze. This book is a super example of all members of the creative team putting out high quality work.

Spencer & Locke 2 #2
Action Lab
Written by David Pepose
Art by Jorge Santiago Jr.
Colors by Jasen Smith
Letters by Colin Bell
Cover art by Santiago & Smith

Original Solicitation:

The trial of Spencer and Locke starts now! After turning the city upside-down to stop Roach Riley, our hard-boiled heroes suddenly find themselves on the wrong side of the law, but what happens when Roach crashes their hearing with a sixty-ton tank?

PCS Review:

Hang on to  your hats folks. This book is one wild ride. The sheer volume of what is presented to the reader makes me believe David Pepose when he said that they are going to be even more audacious in this second volume of Spencer & Locke.

While this is ambitious, it is also excellently executed. Before I get any further along, we must give a shout out to Colin Bell for the lettering in this book. It is clearly and ingeniously delineated, and a lesser lettering job would have hurt this book. Santiago’s stylistic ambidexterity is amazingly on display in this book. Every panel is gorgeous. Pepose’s storytelling is full of balls to the wall action, and then he just grabs you in the feels.

Go out. Get this book. Put on your seatbelt, and hold on tight….