It’s the jolliest time of the year and our caped crusading companions are getting in the holiday spirit, too! Around this time of year, Marvel and DC release holiday specials and themed comics. To get in the festive spirit, I decided to read and review a few of them, new and old. For this go-around, I picked up three Marvel issues: a Marvel holiday special from this year, a Power Man and Iron Fist comic from 2016, and an Iron Man issue from 1990. If visions of holiday comics dance in your head and you want something to read while nestled snug in your bed, consider checking these out. And from myself and the rest of the Nerds That Geek crew, I’d sincerely like to wish you a happy holiday season!
 
Marvel Season’s Beatings #1 (December 2018)
Based on the title, can you guess which Marvel anti-hero hosts this comic? If you guessed anyone but Deadpool, you get coal in your stocking. The comic features three different holiday tales, interwoven with a story about Deadpool and the X-Force signing autographs at a mall. The short stories have different meaningful messages (take care of yourself and do good for others) that are always nice to hear this time of year.
 
The first tale focuses on Miles Morales and an over-burdened Peter Parker (great timing for showcasing that duo as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in theaters). The second is a fun, Grinch-style story about Doctor Doom and Squirrel Girl. The third is a mall Santa crime mystery with Quentin Quire and the Kate Bishop iteration of Hawkeye taking on the investigation. Jason Latour’s writing makes for a fun and lighthearted read. I feel like it was written just for me, as it featured references to Die Hard, Back to the Future, and Childish Gambino, which I now consider the gold standard for a comic book reference trifecta. This one is on shelves now and is definitely worth picking up. Check it out!
 
Power Man and Iron Fist Annual #1: ‘Sweet Christmas’ (December 2016)
This comic was a hit right from the title – the use of Luke Cage’s ‘Sweet Christmas’ catchphrase for a holiday tale is everything I’ve ever needed. The cover art is whimsical, as Power Man, Iron Fist, and Santa celebrate thwarting a masked robber. But like they say, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover… because the action inside is EVEN BETTER! The villain that needs to be taken down is the evil Krampus. The duo vanquishes the foe to the delight of the most badass and heroic version of good ol’ Saint Nick that I have ever seen. 

​Scott Hepburn’s art and Matt Milla’s colors are phenomenal. David F. Walker’s writing is full of Christmas joy. The rapport between Cage’s daughter and her ‘uncle’ Iron Fist is adorable, especially as they bond over their love for the characters from the year’s hottest toy. Like Transformers, though, those toys are more than meets the eye. Some other special guests make appearances and add to the mix. If you’re looking to spend time with The Heroes for Hire over your holiday break, this issue is worth digging through back issues to find.
 
Iron Man #254 (March 1990)
I stumbled upon this issue in a dollar bin at my local comic book shop. I was immediately drawn in by the incredible cover. How do you not have your attention grabbed and put in a chokehold by Santa Claus blasting a laser-gun at Iron Man, with a ‘Ho-Ho-Homicide’ headline written across the bottom? I didn’t have the chance to buy it the first time I saw it but, through a Christmas miracle, it was still there when I returned for it.
 
The story is a strangely satisfying mix of heartfelt morals and intense action. In the story, Taskmaster hosts a deadly Hunger Games-eque competition to find a new Spymaster (very violent and grim). The winner of the tournament must break into the Stark Industries’ Christmas party, through high levels of security, and steal the ornament on top of the Christmas tree in order to fully graduate (very non-violent and adorable). In the end, Tony Stark spares some destruction by letting Spymaster take the ornament, stating that even a menace like Spymaster deserves some good will at Christmastime.  
 
Iron Man #254 is the ‘is Die Hard a Christmas movie?’ of comics. Despite being released in March, the story is set around Christmas and takes place in a winter-simulating inflatable dome built across the street from Stark’s office (the dome allows for a wintery office Christmas party in an otherwise hot and sunny Southern California). It includes some great Christmas puns and Spymaster dressed as Santa, although I could’ve used more scenes of Santa fighting Iron Man as shown on the cover. Instead, early into his infiltration, Spymaster (hilariously) removes his Santa mask suit to reveal a full Spymaster suit underneath. Another very fun and very 1990 specific treat is that the issue includes a Nintendo Power Glove reference. This issue was a great blast from Christmas past and I’m glad I found it. 

The way we watch TV shows in 2018 is a far cry from how we did in a not so distant past. Just 10 years ago, let’s say, the most typical way people followed a given program was on a week-to-week basis. The Netflix-style subscription model has reframed that. Now, instead of tuning in for appointment television weekly, people are willing to play the long game between seasons and wait for all of a show’s episodes to come out at once. A new comic publisher - TKO Studios - is asking why the same can’t be done in the world of comic books.
 
Why should people wait month-to-month for each new issue of a comic to drop? And why should they wait for months after the final issue of a run to see the whole collection gathered in a trade paperback? TKO hopes to present a solution to those questions, aiming to give its readers quality content, all up front.
 
On December 10th, TKO Studios posted a thread on Twitter that certainly sought to rattle the cages of the current comic book industry, claiming that it hopes to be the ‘first modern comic book company.’ In the thread, TKO laid out its star-studded staff, its new approach, and an invitation to check out its content and give it a shot.
 
TKO Studios wants to give readers the opportunity to binge-read comics the way they sit down to binge-watch episodes of their favorite shows. They want the readers to have control over how they pace the series, rather than waiting months to see how the story unfolds. To accomplish that, TKO plans to release all six issues for each of its miniseries at one time. To accommodate a variety of readers and collectors, each miniseries will be released in three formats: as six individual issues packaged in a collector’s box, as a trade paperback, or digitally. All will be in the deluxe oversized style to best show off the art. While products are available for purchase straight from TKO, they’ve stated that they’re also up for working with comic shops to get their physical products in stores.
 
TKO Studios isn’t just putting forward a novel idea. They’re backing that idea up with quality creators and content. The all-star staff features big players in the comic industry, such as Roxane Gay (World of Wakanda), Jeff Lemire (Essex County, Sweet Tooth), Jordie Bellaire (Batman, The Wake), and Gabriel Walta (The Vision), just to name a few. Tze Chun is on as co-founder and publisher, with Sebastian Girner serving as Editor-in-Chief. The assembled crew is diverse and acclaimed, with several Eisner-winners and nominees involved. With such an experienced and talented team, there is little doubt that the quality will be there. 

TKO has introduced four launch titles already, with four more titles on the way. Thus far, they have a war serial focused on a female sniper (Sara), a Western (The 7 Deadly Sins), a tale that harkens back to the old horror comic days (The Fearsome Doctor Fang), and a unique murder mystery (Goodnight Paradise). Each title brings about fantastic new combinations of writers and artists who may not have had the opportunity to collaborate before, setting up limitless potential.
 
I’m somewhat torn on the idea of this new business model, but also very intrigued by it. While I do like the anticipation that builds when waiting for comics to release on the traditional timeframe, I also find myself falling behind on comics easily if I’m not able to make it to my comic shop to pick up my pull list on a given week. In practice, then, I do often tend to binge-read my comics anyway, waiting until they pile up before I dig through them. The publishing approach that TKO is putting forward seems to fit nicely with how I already read my comics, but it might be an adjustment for folks who look forward to new comic book day every Wednesday and who devour their new pickups the day of.
 
I am also hopeful about the positive implications this approach might have for writers and artists. Sitting in on panels at various comic conventions, I’ve heard comic creators talk about the pressures of publisher deadlines. I’ve also seen comic series that were slated for a larger run get cancelled and, as a result, watched the creators struggle to wrap up their intended story in the few remaining issues they had left. I’m curious to see if releasing comics in a bundle might provide writers and artists a little more freedom, allowing them to work on their publications well in advance and to pace their stories how they desire.
 
While TKO Studios is obviously taking some big risks with its new model, I’m given a boost of confidence based on the people who are behind the company. In other types of media that are shifting away from the status quo, it seems the most successful attempts are those that are grassroots efforts, with individuals on the inside creating change. An example that comes to mind is the sports journalism site, The Athletic. The site hoped to move away from the ad and click-driven model that the traditional sports page was turning into. The site’s creators hired great sports writers within the industry to spur the movement, banking on them to create quality content. With the knowledgeable team TKO has assembled, it is poised to challenge key players in the comic book industry.
 
The TKO Studios site is up for preview now, using the password “vipaccess” to enter. On the site, readers will find the four aforementioned series available for purchase. Right now, the full first issue of each series is available to read for free. Readers can also pre-order the next four series that are slated to come out. I’m personally most excited about Sara and The Fearsome Dr Fang from the first set and I’m most looking forward to Sentient, The Banks, and Pound for Pound in the next batch. Time will tell if TKO Studios can go for the knockout in its battle with the comic book industry, but their early releases are promising.
 
You can find TKO Studios on Twitter (@TKOpresents), Instagram, and Facebook. 

​When we think of the word hero, certain images come to mind. We instantly think of comic book characters who wear capes and have super-strength, or we think of people who are one hundred percent willing to put themselves into harm’s way in order to save lives or make the world a safer place. But the fact of the matter is, sometimes heroism doesn’t come from a noble place. Sometimes people do the right thing out of fear. Because a fear for one’s own safety, and the safety of others is a powerful motivator to take action and while history will look upon the act as noble or just, those involved will always know, that their push to do something more came from a far different place.
 
Why all of that matters for the sake of this review, is because that alternate side of heroism, just so happens to be the focus of the fourth issue of Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers. Because this particular tale, picks up almost immediately after the blood-bath of a battle featured in the prior issue, one where Jack was taken by the evil to be used as bait to draw out the King and his friends and while one’s first impression of such an act would be that our heroes would immediately venture out into the world and bring Jack home with guns blazing, that simply wasn’t the case here. Instead, what we were treated to was a hyper realistic debate as the team licked their wounds and took inventory upon the situation.
 
Which quite frankly was a genius stroke of storytelling. Because the team has now seen just how powerful and terrifying these beings really are, and any further action should give them pause since the danger is real and while the discussion as to whether or not to save Jack was fascinating in its own right, since it was in fact grounded in utter fear, what matters more here is that Elvis reached a point where he realized that inaction was a far worse way to go. It would mean horrible things for Jack and for others if they left the power of this monster unchecked and there was something supremely uplifting and powerful emanating from the page as he dug in and made the call to go after Jack and deal with this threat on its home turf.
 
If anything, the inspiration and wonder that came from watching Elvis make the call to play the hero and take the fight to evil only grew as the issue rolled on because the monsters simply didn’t expect a good ol’ fashioned ass whipping to come to their way, and while the team was a touch too late in saving Jack since the evil did unspeakable things to the poor man, and they were forced to bestow a merciful death upon him, they made every last creature pay and pay dearly for hurting their friend and hell, they even managed to force the big squirmy thing from another world to retreat and really when all is said and done, this issue was downright brilliant.
 
I loved how its themes were subtle yet powerful and that the action that was present in the last issue continued, and that every theme and concept this series has been working with comes together in magnificent and smooth fashion here and well, there’s a good reason as to why everything is assembled in this particular chapter because as it turns out, this served as the penultimate issue for this incredible tale. For the monster has returned home to gather reinforcements and the team is going to make sure that everything is safe at its base of operations before moving on, meaning that a powerful showdown is on its way for the finale and well, while this issue was powerful in its own right, discovering that the end of this story is near leaves me with a little sadness in my heart.
 
Because this has simply been a magnificent ride, and this kind of quality writing is just hard to come to by, and I really cannot get over the wonder of this adaptation of Joe Lansdale’s work. But, while the end is near, I have no doubt that the finale of this epic series will exceed my expectations thanks to the care that Writer Josh Jabcuga and Artist Tadd Galusha have put into every single page of this comic and while I wait for that powerhouse finale, I can bask in the wonder of this issue, the one that brought everything together and popped off the page with magnificent artwork as I quietly prepare myself for the end of one stunning journey. Until next time. 

​Writer John Ward and Artist Juan Romera serve up another much-needed dose of refreshing Horror with Scratcher: Part Three. This issue sees the triumphant return of Tattoo artist (Scratcher) Dee Williams in pursuit of another of her clients. This time it’s Lucy Ciba, a college sorority girl out of Austin, Texas whose tainted tattoo compels her to run amok inside her sorority house. With the unexpected help of Father Jerry Jones, Dee discovers that the inky terror she’s accidentally unleashed might not be as easily dealt with as she first thought.
 
For a genre that is constantly re-framing and re-examining what we are afraid of in society horror is almost by definition self-referential. As you track the evolution of these stories through film, comics, and even video games you can spot homages and variations on familiar themes as creators play with audience expectations by subverting and leaning on the influences of those that came before, with the best of these escapes being termed ‘derivative’ or ‘rehash’ by using their knowledge of the genre and the audience’s familiarity with its images and themes to mislead and surprise that audience. John Ward has done just that with Part Three.
 
Beautifully paced, weaving a meaningful subplot via flashbacks, Part Three effortlessly dances between gore and psychological terror reminding me again of Evil Dead but this time with a dash of Land of the Dead thrown in. Dee continues to be a rich and complex character whose self-examination aids and balances her narrative arc and she’s not bad with a machete either. Ward’s clever subversion of expectations with how one should handle the monstrous tattoos he’s imagined is skillfully executed and really a satisfying play on the tropes of infection and possession in horror.
 
Romera’s artwork continues to be compelling, dynamic, and sinister, balancing the intimate accuracy of his character’s facial expressions and the eerie stillness he accomplishes in the moments before machete meets flesh. It’s not just that Romera’s faces are expressive, it’s that he captures the subtle nuances of escalating horror and dread as an insidious inky skull looms over Dee’s hospital bed and crafts a sorority house massacre as blood soaked and gory as can be hoped for. With his mastery of shadow and texture Romera is able to convey the crescendo-ed terror of a face to face confrontation, but also the voiceless horror of dramatic irony as he shows us what is silently inching toward our heroine.
 
This is a talented duo at the helm of a horror comic that is consistently refreshing. Ward and Romera are creative talents to watch and treasure and I can’t wait for the next issue! Until Next Time, Geek On!
 
Special thanks goes out to John Ward for providing Nerds That Geek with a review copy of Scratcher: Part 3 and you can find your copy and the rest of the Scratcher series at Comix Central.