This week the Wednesday Comics Reviews team dives into the strange, with reviews of books like Benjamin #1, The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos: Children of the Night #1, Last Witch: Blood and Betrayal #1, and more! We also look ahead at a new title eligible for pre-order, specifically a new Mad Cave Studios series, Red Vector #1. Plus, as always…Ensign’s Log!
Benjamin #1
Writer: Ben H. Winters
Art: Leomacs
Colors: Luca Bertelè
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: Oni Press
Review by Javier Perez
There is a very easy pitfall that a writer can fall into when creating a story with a character based on a recognizable influence. To avoid that pitfall, a story must navigate the very thin line between a successful homage and a knockoff that repeats the original work. Benjamin #1 by writer Ben H. Winters and artist Leomacs not only walks that line perfectly, it sprints to the other side and dares readers to keep up.
Benjamin #1 is a love letter to Philip K. Dick, which on its own would be enough for me to be interested as someone who read many of his books in my teens. What really makes Benjamin special, though, is the book’s willingness to not always flatter our main character. It’s refreshing to have an honest talk about these famous writers. Everyone has heard “never meet your idols” and what Winters and Leomacs are doing in this book is a special riff on that idea.
In the first issue, we meet Benjamin Carp, a science fiction writer who wrote a ton of novels in the ’70s, died in the ’80s, and then wakes up with no memory of how or why he got to a dingy motel room in Los Angeles in 2025. Carp is brash, egotistical and honestly kind of awful to everyone around him. He’s a man out of time, and the tension between modern sensibilities and Carp’s lack of restraint is incredibly funny. The dialogue is snappy, with a real humor to it, and the set up is elevated by questions of consciousness. This comic is a mystery story where the question is Why am I here? How did this happen? Is Carp living a plot in one of his novels?
As a writer, Winters is no stranger to work on television and film, and to me Benjamin #1 feels like an excellent pilot episode of a brilliant new show. It’s got heart, laughs, and enough of that classic pulp fiction to easily keep readers around. I can’t stand having to wait for the next issue (this is the binge streaming age, after all), but that’s a good problem to have.
The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos: Children of the Night #1
Writers: James Tynion IV & Tate Brombal
Artist: Isaac Goodhart
Colorist: Miquel Muerto
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Review by Zack Quaintance
The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos returns this month with a new #1 and a new subtitle, Children of Night, as well as, thankfully, the same creative team from the first book. It’s also picking up largely where the first series left off, albeit with a new school year and a determination to explore monster archetypes up against the characters and the world that have been created here. If you liked the first set of 15 issues (which wrapped up in January), you’re definitely going to want to pick this new series up. It’s a direct continuation, with all the things you loved about the book coming back.
I’ve written this before in discussing the first series, but this book has some of the best character designs in teen comics. Christopher is just so perfectly designed and rendered by Goodheart’s clean, almost-classic linework, and the bold energetic coloring of Muerto. That’s all back here, as is the static-y video storytelling motif. The book continues to look just as good as it always has, which is very good.
Story-wise, the status quo has evolved in this book to become less of an odd alienated teen concept, and more of a found family story, with Christopher and his friends forming a group they call the Monster Club. This new #1 does a great job serving as a jumping on point in that regard, simultaneously reminding old readers of the status quo while introducing it to new readers. The book has only been gone five months, but as someone who reads (and reviews) a lot of books, I found the reminders tremendously helpful, which tells me new readers should be just fine.
Ultimately, the book also pushes into new territory too, introducing this world’s take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which I found intriguing. And if that isn’t enough newness, this series has enlisted writer/artist Bradley Clayton to team with letterer Bidikar on flipped book, Monsters In Love back-up stories. The book description suggests there’s an EC vibe to these, but like everything else in this book, it’s with a Christopher Chaos styling that makes it feel very much of this exact moment.
The Last Witch: Blood and Betrayal #1
Writer: Connor McCreery
Artist: V.V. Glass
Colorist: Natalia Nesterenko
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Publisher: Boom!
Review by Jordan Jennings
The Last Witch enters into its final sort with The Last Witch: Blood and Betrayal #1. I went into this comic haven’t read the previous volume of The Last Witch, but I can assure you this comic is new reader friendly. It’s a testament to Connor McCreery’s skill as a writer to male something feel rich with prior events but still so accessible. This accessibility makes sense as the target audience for this book is definitely in the comics 10-13 year old crowd. This is a group that’s likely to read a graphic novel series out of order. I should know as a parent of 10 year olds. They always read these things out of sequence. That aside, the accessibility doesn’t mute the richness of the past events. In this issue alone we get a hint of prior battles, world building, and back story in a very organic way.
One thing I found enjoyable about this book was the setting and tone. McCreery presents a high fantasy world that has a tone akin to something like Disney’s Amphibia versus something more all ages. It is lighthearted at times but there’s a subtle heft to the story that gives it more of a bite. McCreery’s dialog is smooth and gives insight to the characters while still moving the plot forward.
V.V. Glass’s art is simple and clean allowing for greater emphasis on the emotion of the moment. The opening scene of the kids playing a sport was quite kinetic and Glass’s layouts contributed to this brisk sense of movement. The book has this animated feel that is equal parts dynamic and emotional.
The magical sequences are equally solid. The rules of magic in this world deal a lot with the themes of corruption and intent of use. It’s not a new approach to magic but it is still a solid one. This chapter challenges some preconceived notions from the prior volume and addresses the worn out trope of power corrupting women. Glass displays magic effectively and the meditative mind garden sequence is visually distinct from the rest of the issue. The only thing I feel would have helped this scene would have been a distinct coloring. Natalia Nesterenko’s colors are strong overall in the issue in conveying mood and tone. It just would have been visually more clear if it was given a different saturation or hue but that’s a small complaint to an overall strong issue.
The Last Witch: Blood and Betrayal #1 is a strong start that is perfect for young adult readers and fans of fantasy. Highly recommend checking this out.
Rapid Wednesday Comics Reviews
Bytchcraft #1 (Mad Cave Studios): Black, queer, colorful, vibrant, what’s not to love about Bytchraft #1? I enjoyed getting immersed in this world as this urban fantasy presented quite a bit of intrigue in a breathing world with characters that feel real. This first issue is a visual feast and that is only complemented by the characterizations on page, written by Aaron Reese with letters by Morgan Martinez. Sleek art and paneling by Lema Carril with colors by Bex Glendining breathe life onto every page as we meet our wytches Adriyel, Michele and Em who ooze charisma and charm in their interactions with each other and the magical world around them. A ritual gone wrong sets the stage for the events that will be unfolding, though the urgency drops a little bit in favor of spending more time getting to know our cast of characters though looming in the background is what seems to be an interesting conversation around religious zealotry with an antagonist who has an explosive entrance. The world feels established and alive which in turn makes the characters feel alive with rich interior lives and that is a strength of this first issue. —Khalid Johnson-
Copra #50 (Image Comics): Copra, the opus of solo comics powerhouse Michel Fiffe, is officially over. And while the previous arc, Death of Copra, handled much of the action, issue 50 is devoted to the more quiet, contemplative side which has often made the series shine. Fiffe gives us a beautifully succinct denouement that answers what it needs to and leaves the rest to the reader to interpret. Restraint carries the day here and the overall experience is richer for it. Objectively, 50 issues plus a handful of spinoffs is a wildly impressive feat for a single creator to pull off. Subjectively, Copra is the finest ongoing superhero comic I’ve ever read. —Harrison Stewart
Ensign’s Log Stardate 61825
As IDW’s Star Trek comics continue to expand, Ensign Avery Kaplan has enlisted here to keep a careful log!
Star Trek: Omega #1 (IDW Publishing): All good things… No, wait. These are the voyages? No. I mean… Turnabout intruder? Look, Star Trek endings are hard (unless you’re Lower Decks, then you make them look easy). But Star Trek: Omega #1 wraps up this era of IDW’s mainline Franchise comic in a bow so neat, you’d think it was replicated. One thing I really enjoyed about this issue was the way it moved so many pieces into place for the future stories we’ve already been told. Fans of Star Trek: Picard will be happy to see some connections with that series, and there’s also some signposts towards Star Trek: Nemesis. Thanks to the heavy use of characters introduced on screen, even those who haven’t closely followed along with either the Star Trek or Star Trek: Defiant titles will not have too much difficulty following along with this issue, which begins at a stable situation and brings the various threads of the story to a conclusion. I was especially pleased with one panel in particular — no spoilers, but you’ll know which one I mean, fellow Lower Deckers. The issue is written by Christopher Cantwell, Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing, the latter two of which are off to write Star Trek: The Last Starship for the publisher. And the art in the issue was especially a treat, given that thirteen artists worked on it. They were: Oleg Chudakov, Joe Eisma, Mike Feehan, the indispensable Tess Fowler, Angel Hernandez, Liana Kangas, Megan Levens, Travis Mercer, Ramon Rosanas, Rachel Stott, Erik Tamayo, Davide Tinto, & Marcus To. All of these artists did excellent work, and having all of them collaborate on this issue made it something special. Colorists Lee Loughridge & Marissa Louise did great work as well, as did letterer Clayton Cowles. And the design & production by Neil Uyetake was impeccable. Finally, shout-out to Star Trek group editor Heather Antos. It is clear that these series have benefited from her leadership, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the Franchise IDW comics go from here (hint: you’ll want to add Red Shirts, written by Cantwell, on your pull list). —Avery Kaplan
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