It’s the first new comic book day of 2026. With that it is time to check out what the new year has for us to kick off the year. This week we’ll be covering Absolute Batman: Ark M Special, Absolute Superman #15, Batman #5, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Zord Quest, Nova Centurion: #3, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus #2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla #2, Ultimate Wolverine #13, and Ultimate X-Men #23. Find out how these comic books turned out with the latest comic book reviews round-up below.
ABSOLUTE BATMAN: ARK M SPECIAL
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Scott Snyder and Frank Tieri
Artist: Joshua Hixson
Colorist: Roman Stevens
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Comic books like Absolute Batman’s Ark M Special are exactly what help further develop the personality of a universe. There is so much done to further enhance how different the Absolute Universe’s Arkham Asylum is. Going in on the horror elements does so much to create a uneasy vibe as we dive deeper into what this asylum is. It certainly helps that Joshua Hixson’s artwork fits incredibly well with the tone Scott Snyder and Frank Tieri are going for. It gets you more interested in learning even more about the Absolute Universe.
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #15
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Juan Ferreyra
Letterer: Becca Carey
Absolute Superman #15 was a much needed one-shot style story after the long-running Ra’s Al Ghul and Lazarus Corp story. Seeing Kal-L trying to live a normal life on Earth after everything that happens felt so alien. That is due to how Kal-L tries to adopt the Clark Kent identity while everyone knows he is Superman. There is no secret to hide. That creates a whole new direction for the interactions Kal-L has with Lana Lang, Lois Lane, and others. It added weight to how often we would see him go out to be Superman and the way he goes about saving the day with every problem he hears happening. More of this and Absolute Superman can start competing with the top tier comics in the Absolute Universe.
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #19
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Joe Kelly
Artist: Pepe Larraz
Colorist: Marte Gracia and Marcio Menyz
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Amazing Spider-Man #19 once again shows the difference in quality between the two stories we are getting in this series. The cosmic adventure Peter Parker is on has provided a new life for this series. Everything from Peter exploring more of his science and engineering side to simply interacting with the likes of Rocket Racoon feels fresh. Adding Hellgate back into the equation got us back into the major storyline for this direction. The fight kept the power from the previous Spider-Man vs Hellgate clash. It set the stage for the final battle between them well.
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10
BATMAN #5
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Jorge Jimenez
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Letterer: Clayton Cowles and Jorge Jimenez
It’s not to often we can say we got what feels like a new Batman story. That’s what Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez give us with Batman #5. All it took was having an entire issue where Bruce Wayne does not put on the cape and cowl. The “date night” set up with Bruce taking Dr. Anna Zeller out gave way for this opportunity. As soon as things go south with the villain that shows up we see Bruce have to think quickly while keeping up his secret. Jorge Jimenez clearly had a lot of fun with the choreography in this story. It all led to an strong hook ending.
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: ZORD QUEST
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Joey Esposito
Artist: Gavin Smith
Colorist: Joshua Jensen
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Zord Quest is a fun read that gives spotlight on the five original Rangers. Sure there are a few continuity hiccups but that is okay because the point here was to show strength of will these characters have grown to have. Each of the Rangers are fan favorites for a reason. Putting them each in situations to have them shine by overcoming the unknown situations they were each placed in was a great showing. If you are a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fan make sure to pick up this Zord Quest one-shot.
Overall Rating: 7.5Night Girls out of 10
NOVA: CENTURION #3
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jed MacKay
Artists: Alvaro Lopez and Matteo Della Fonte
Colorist: Mattia Iacono
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Nova: Centurion #3 solidifies this new direction for Richard Rider as cosmic hero for hire. The big fight in that wraps up this opening three-part arc shows that Richard Rider is more than just his Nova powers. He finds ways to beat even bigger stronger characters. That is something he very much needs with the state of his Nova powers. It all works to get over his new attitude with his new group of allies that he is going around space as cosmic heroes for hire.
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: BATTLE NEXUS #2
CREATIVE TEAM
Story Writers: Tom Waltz, Paul Allor, Sophie Campbell, Caleb Goellner, and Erik Burnham
Script Writer: Paul Allor
Artist: Ben Bishop
Colorist: Luis Antonio Delgado
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus #2 keeps up the nostalgic momentum with a strong second chapter. The fight between IDW’s Leonardo and the original Mirage’s Shredder was as intense as one would think. It set the tone for Battle Nexus in more ways than one. Particularly when it comes to showing us how the entire Battle Nexus tournament is essentially designed to eliminate every version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Establishing these stakes create a concern on a week-to-week basis that will have readers on the edge of their seats with every issue.
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES X GODZILLA #2
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Fero Pe
Colorist: Luis Antonio Delgado
Letterer: Brian Kolek
This second issue of the crossover puts over the problem facing the clash between the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Godzilla franchises. That is the fact that Godzilla and the other kaiju are such overwhelming threats no ninja techniques can overcome. That’s why leaning into the mystical side of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was an important thing to establish in this issue. This creates a route for the rest of this mini-series to take so that it is not just reliant on kaiju vs kaiju battle like this second issue was. Hopefully that opportunity is tapped into for some fun action that stands out from all the other Godzilla crossovers.
Overall Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
ULTIMATE WOLVERINE #13
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Domenico Carbone
Colorist: Bryan Valenza
Letterer: Cory Petit
After the events of the last two issues Ultimate Wolverine #13 is sort of a reset point for this series. That was something that was very much needed as Wolverine lost all his allies and the world is turning against the Maker’s Council. Seeing how the world looks now gives its own sense of solitude for where Wolverine is at even when he is interacting with others. It all makes you wonder where exactly his journey in the Ultimate Universe will go.
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
ULTIMATE X-MEN #23
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer & Artist: Peach Momoko
Script Translation: Zack Davisson
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Ultimate X-Men #23 felt like a waste of time. The story of this while having dramatic moments with the new character introduced it is something that would’ve been great as a middle chapter for this series. But as the penultimate issue of Ultimate X-Men there is this feeling we are largely getting a recap of the previous twenty-two issues from a different perspective. Yes, Peach Momoko’s artwork is fantastic with how she gives a different perspective of the events in this series. But no matter how beautiful the artwork is seeing most of the events of this series again felt like wasted opportunity. Especially with how there was a stronger story to have for these final two issues of Ultimate X-Men, as shown with what happens in the final page of this issue.
Overall Rating: 4.5 Night Girls out of 10
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