Scott's Take: Magik and Colossus: Bound by Blood by Ashley Allen, illustrated by German Peralta, Cover Design by David Nakayama

Magik and Colossus: Bound by Blood by Ashley Allen, illustrated by German Peralta, Cover Design by David Nakayama, collects the miniseries, Magik and Colossus. This is the latest Magik series by Ashley Allen who has done several of the Magik series to date.  

 

In this one, Colossus (Magik’s older brother) is dealing with the fallout of being mind controlled for several months. He was forced to kill his girlfriend, betray his friends, and pretty much destroy everything he has ever loved. He has always been big on self-sacrifice and seems to think death would be welcome at this point in his life. In this deep depression, he decides to return to his home country of Russia.

 

Magik just happens to return to Russia at the same time. The siblings reunite and soon stumble across monsters terrorizing Russia. Old creatures, myths, and more have returned to Russia. Instead of retreating to gather more X-Men (even though Magik is a teleporter and could return with back up in minutes) they two decide to handle this together. The estranged siblings are going to save Russia and, hopefully, deal with their issues.

 

Colossus has never forgiven himself for not saving Magik from being kidnapped by a demon. Because she was captured, she spent a number of years pf her life in Hell. Magik is mad still at Colossus that he has not accepted that she is part demon now whether they like it or not. She is also tired of Colossus willingness to die.

 

This is action packed adventure with Russian myths at the heart that also dives deep into both characters. Colossus has found his import reduced since the Juggernaut has become a hero,  thus most writers are picking the Juggernaut over Colossus as a team member. Then there is the fact that Colossus’s popularity, and relevance, has been eclipsed by his younger sister. So, this is a much-needed spotlight for the character. Additionally, Magik has broken out of her niche character status by becoming mainstream by playing prominent roles in several video games and being a core character in a lot of modern X-Men stories.

 

I really enjoyed this team up book and, as a fan of both characters, I am glad they got to team up. They are parting again, but hopefully future writers will continue their relationship.  This miniseries was good.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4hubBEj

 

I read this through Marvel Unlimited months ago. The trade was just released earlier this week.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Scion by James Islington

Scion by James Islington is his first foray into science fiction. It also appears to be his first published story told from one character’s perspective.

 

Azure is an assassin in some far-off future time on Earth. Humanity has found a way to make some people live forever. Those people are “Lifers.” With limited resources and most people struggling, society has decided that Lifers can legally be murdered. Azure works for the Keres corporation who plays both sides of the game. The assassination part and the protection part. Azure is forced by his corporate masters to go protect a new client that has specifically hired him for a protection detail. Of course, there is a lot more going on in.

 

This is an action-packed thriller that is relatively on the short side. It does not include a glossary of science fiction terms for its world so readers might be confused. I also did not appreciate the ambiguous ending.

 

Despite those flaws, I really enjoyed this read. This was a fun read that is very different from his previously published work that is fantasy driven and also good. In this case, I hope he does science fiction again as I enjoyed this a lot.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4xPNxC1 

 

I read this by way of the Libby/Overdrive app through the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple © 2026

Scott's Take: Time to Play by Erin Ampersand (Book 1 of the Apocalypse Parenting series)

Time to Play by Erin Ampersand is the first book in the Apocalypse Parenting series.  Meghan and her three kids are enjoying a typical day when aliens use some sort of technology to render most electronics and combustible materials useless. So, no cars, no internet, no cell phones, no firearms, etc. The aliens declare that all surviving humans will be forced to fight for their lives against monsters for alien entertainment. The kids will be forced to fight as well.

 

To accomplish this each person is given an ability is given a power. The youngest, Cassie, accidently turns her stuffed turtle into an alien AI. The boys go with magical powers.  Meghan is going to be forced to solo parent this apocalypse until her husband can make it back from Colorado. He was away on business when the aliens launched their take over. So, its mom and kids vs monsters while trying to rebuild the community of survivors and while hoping dad is alive and coming home.

 

This is action packed family drama is a LITRpg is recommend by the author who writes Dungeon Crawler Carl series. According to the acknowledgement pages, he played some role in getting this book published. This read was humorous while being darker than I expected. There are deaths of children, seniors, and more. This is a violent and dangerous apocalypse

 

Additionally, one of the support characters is named Scott. He is a guy training dogs to identify hostile mimics in the environment. Mimics are shapeshifters that can disguise themselves. So, points for naming a character Scott.

 

Apparently, there are five books in the series all of which are available through Kindle Unlimited. I got my copy in eBook form from the library system. There is a spinoff, Engineer's Odyssey: An LitRPG Adventure in the Apocalypse Parenting Universe, which is about the dad trying to get home to his family. The spinoff is available through Hoopla. The spin off takes place sometime from book one until book four or so of the main series.

 

The second book in the main series is titled Making Friends. Meghan is continuing to try to survive while taking care of her kids.  One son is now a wizard, one son has turned himself into a monkey, and the daughter keeps getting new magical alien friends. Sounds like Mom has her work cut out for her.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4xGAD9i

 

 

I read this book through the Libby/Overdrive app by way of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple  ©2026

Scott's Take: Cyclops: Seeing Red by Alex Paknadel, illustrator Roge Antonio, cover art by Federico Vicentini

Cyclops: Seeing Red by Alex Paknadel, illustrated by Roge Antonio, the cover artwork by Federico Vicentini, is a short five issue mini-series. In this series, Cyclops, leader of the X-Men, is alone and without his visor he uses to keep his powers in check. He is also stranded behind enemy lines with Reavers (mutant hating cyborgs) hunting him. Things are further complicated because he also has a young girl in tow. He is going to have to use all his wits and savageness to keep them  both safe. Can he?

 

This is action packed thriller with body horror. The art is great. The  Reaver are absolutely disgusting.

 

There is a small plot hole, I think, but maybe I missed it. It seems they don’t address why he can’t just call for help telepathically since he is friends with so many telepaths. You would think that is worth trying.

 

I read each of the five issues through Marvel Unlimited. The trade version that has all the issues together will not be released until early November. I enjoyed this solo Cyclops outing.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3TI2isu

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Iron Man Vol 1: A New Nightmare by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Carmen Carnero and Juann Cabal

Iron Man Vol 1: A New Nightmare by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Carmen Carnero and Juann Cabal is the latest relaunch of the Iron Man series. So new status quo and new creative team.

 

As this begins, Iron Man is in a late-night tryst with the villain Madam Masque. He, for some inexplicable reason, thought it was a good idea to tell her that his worst fear is that someone could recreate the situation that turned him into Iron Man. Madam Masque, years later, decides to use the information against him. She decides to kidnap a bunch of genius years that have been picked by Stark as being the future of Earth. Her plan is to have the brilliant minds create a new Iron Man for A.I.M.  (a mad scientist terror group). That means that the real Iron Man is forced into trying to save while also dealing with the consequences of his decisions.

 

There is also someone working in the shadows against him. Someone who wants revenge. That’s the plot of first five issues.

 

Then, in the sixth and final issue of this first series, Spider-Man guest stars while trying to diffuse a situation between Norman Osborn and Tony Stark. They are in some sort of conflict over the Iron Patriot Armor. Someone is trying to make them throw down while Spider-Man just came by for a bagel. Will Spidey stop their fight? Will he get his bagel?

 

This is action packed adventure with Tony facing tech that he forgotten about such as his old Hellicarrier. The art is great. Tony is well written and is allowed to be a multifaceted character. There are several short hero cameos including Captain America being disappointed in Tony for his pillow talk. It is also weird how Spider-Man is also a better character as a guest star now than in his own books.

 

The ending tease does not bode well for Tony and his future. I am eagerly looking forward to Volume 2. I read this as individual issues through Marvel Unlimited as the trade won’t be out until late October. I also recommend most of Joshua Williamsons various Superman runs too if you are looking for a good Superman book.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4hoo4t2

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

 

Scott's Take: Supergirl’s Family Vacation by Brandon T. Snider and Sarah Leuver

Supergirl’s Family Vacation by Brandon T. Snider and Sarah Leuver is about Superman’s family on summer vacation. Supergirl is feeling overshadowed by Superman. She asks that for summer vacation they visit Argo, the last remaining Kryptonian city in outer space. Clark and Lois agree. They also take their young son Jon so he can explore his heritage. They invite Natasha, the niece of Steel to come along.

 

Along the way they make a brief pit stop to celebrate a planet’s freedom. A planet and its people that Superman saved early in his career. The leaders of this planet convince the family to stay a while before going on to Argo. Of course, there are things going on that are not right and slowly the family begins to realize there is something very wrong.

 

This is a strong character led story with action, humor, and goofy moments like a drunk Superman dealing with a hangover. The art is excellent and fits the story well. Making Jon and Kara closer in age and more like siblings was an interesting take. The main character is supposed to be Supergirl, but the other characters play big roles in this tale.

 

I could easily see this becoming a series. But, for now, this is a one and done tale.

 

I read this is paperback form by way of the Audelia Road Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3SzZxcl

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Discount Dan: A LitRPG Adventure by James A. Hunter (Discount Dan’s Backroom Bargains series)

Discount Dan: A LitRPG Adventure by James A. Hunter is the first book in his Discount Dan’s Backroom Bargains series. James Hunter also has a series, Viridian Gate Online, that I tried but could not get into. The Discount Dan’s Backroom Bargains series is clearly inspired by the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, but has its own unique elements.

 

Former Marine and current construction worker Dan was at a party, got drunk, and passed out. When he woke up, he is in the “Backrooms” located somewhere else in another part of reality. Thanks to his drunken partying, he does not know how he got here or why he is wearing a bathrobe, among other things. 

 

Unfortunately for him, the monsters waiting there are not going to let him get used to his strange new reality. Shortly after arriving, he manages to anger one of the most powerful monsters in the Backrooms, The Flayed Monarch, leader of the Skinless Court. So, he has made a monster king angry. The same monster king who leads a court of humans, people who are willing to skin themselves and others for their master…. Yep, they sound like lovely people.

 

So, his goals are simple. Try to stay alive, try to get somewhere safe, find food and water, get stronger and find some allies.

 

This is an action-packed humorous adventure with LitRPG elements and some entrepreneur spirit as Dan attempts to set up a store in this hell hole.  There are some interesting characters such as Temperance, a furry wearing witch from the Salem Witch trials armed with a machete, and Croc, a shape shifting polymorph who befriends Dan and acts as a guide to this new reality.  On the one hand he is a warm-hearted creature. On the other hand, he also a ravenous monster at times. His diet consists of some type of frozen yogurt and meat.

 

I read this through Kindle Unlimited which has all three books that are out currently. The Second book in the series is called Cul-De-Sac Carnage where Dan is trying to set up a trading post with the Howlers a small eclectic group of survivors who are trying to make it in the backrooms. To do this he needs to clear out the 24th level which is a nice suburbia area filled with feral Karens, Kannibal Kids, and the tyrannical HOA. Luckily, Dan has friends to help.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4x6fODR

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: I’m Not The Hero: An Isekai LitRPG by Tommy Kerper, aka Sourpatchhero

I’m Not The Hero: An Isekai LitRPG by Tommy Kerper, aka Sourpatchhero, is a series of webnovels that have done so well they have been published into actual physical books. An Isekai is something where the main character is transported into another world. A LitRPG is something that is an RPG game in Literature form. Dungeon Crawler Carl was my introduction to this genre. Hoopla put a selection of books that they recommended under this genre as part of their monthly advertisement and I selected it.

 

Daniel and Orrin are lifelong friends who are basically brothers because of Orrin’s tragic backstory. Daniel is a natural born hero. When both are simultaneously hit by a truck, they are transported to a magical world where the AI that runs it decides that Daniel should be the hero. The AI assigns Daniel a quest.

 

But what do with Orrin? Orrin is given a new class (think power set) that is uncommon in this magical world and off they go. That is basic gist of the initial premise. Things are way more interesting and detailed than that, but the book blurb only tells you so much.

 

This tale is told from Orrin’s perspective who has his own struggles and issues with his new powers and magic. Daniel and Orrin are the leads of this series. Along the way they make new friends and enemies. I think the author did a very good job of making both characters interesting and powerful in their own right.

 

The second book in the series, also available on Hoopla, is titled Secrets and Strife: An Isekia LitRPG. Daniel and Orrin just are exploring a dungeon (underground realm with monsters) and along the way are caught up in a war between humans and elves.  There are currently five published novels four of which are on Hoopla. These reads are also on Kindle Unlimited. There is a sixth novel that is being posted in installments by the author online.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4zCBoT6

 

 

I read this by way of Hoopla through the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple © 2026

Scott's Take: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder Vol. 1 by Dan Watters and Illustrators Michele Bandini and Sid Kotian

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder Vol. 1 by Dan Watters and Illustrators Michele Bandini and Sid Kotian is set in the second series of IDW TMNT books. The second series is a continuation of the first series, but they rebooted it because the issue numbers got too high. They also did a significant time skip forward.

 

The Shredder returns with PTSD and without the Foot Clan. He is now alone in the world. He returns to find that a new Foot Clan has risen in his absence. This Foot Clan seeks to cause the end of the world. The Shredder isn’t going to allow that to happen. Things are way more complicated than this, but that is the basic synopsis without revealing too much.

 

This is a violent story that uses the complex character of the Shredder in a dark tale as he goes around the globe on his mission. This tale is more violent than the usual TMNT story. The Shredder has no qualms about leaving people in bloody heaps as he goes about his mission.

 

The art is excellent and detailed. The character work is interesting. By the end, Shredder has a new purpose and a new mission. If one is expecting to see the Turtles in this one would be disappointed as they only get a brief cameo.

 

This story is about the Shredder and I am interested to see where it goes from here in Volume 2. At this time, I have no idea what the title is for that and could find no record of it anywhere. But, I want to read it.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4wFFaIo

 

 

I read this by way of Hoopla through the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher (The Saints of Steel series)

Paladin’s Strength by T.  Kingfisher is the second book in The Saints of Steel series that began with Paladin’s Grace. Each book in the series spotlights a different Paladin.

 

In this one, the Paladin featured is Ishtvan, a large man who sort kind of leads what is left of “The Saints of Steel.” Ishtvan and Galen (another character from the previous book) are, allegedly, providing escort for a merchant who is in fear of bandit attack. The real mission is that they are hunting the head cutting off people from the first book.

 

Things are going slow, but predictable, until Clara, a slave who is actually a nun, is won in a duel with the locals. As soon as they have her, Clara says she is not the only nun that has been kidnapped. She and the rest of her fellow nuns were taken away during a fire at their convent. Someone has kidnapped a group of nuns for some reason.

 

Of course, Clara and Ishtvan are hiding things from the other, but agree to work each with each other. Of course, there is some sort of attraction between the two of them from the moment they lay eyes on each other. As they search for the nun kidnappers as well as the folks cutting off heads, they become closer.  And that’s the plot-- can their connection survive each other’s secrets?

 

If you like the first book, this is a lot like it, but with different main characters. Ishtvan here and Stephen from the first book share a lot in common since they were picked by the same God. Their main driving emotions are duty and guilt. Clara is more of an action hero character, than a typical Kingfisher female lead, because of her own secrets. I enjoyed this book, but it has the same flaws as the first book. The fact that the god being dead does not matter and that the read is very predictable as it follows the usual template.

 

The third act has some horror elements that were unexpected. They also did not fit the tone of the book. They were a surprise and did not seem to be a natural outgrowth of the story.

 

The third book in the series is Paladin’s Hope. According to the plot synopsis, Piper is a “lich doctor” (basically a fantasy version of a coroner). He teams up with Galen (the same Galen from this book), to investigate a grisly series of murders. Galen, who suffers from violent night terrors, is supposed to protect Piper while he works. Of course, Galen wants to do more than just protect him or the read would not be a romance fantasy book. But, can Galen control himself?  They are assisted in their investigation by a Gnole. What is a Gnole you ask? Think dog/monkey/goat hybrid thing and far more helpful than the man/bear/pig on Southpark. Yes, Gnoles are also weird.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4fbKEE5

 

 

 

My reading copy came through Hoopla and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026 

Scott's Take: Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher (The Saint of Steel series)

 

Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher is the first book in the series,  The Saint of Steel. It is also set in the overarching “The World of the White Rat” universe that covers several different series.

 

Stephen, the main male character, is a Paladin that has fallen in to depression. What is a Paladin, you ask? A Paladin is usually a heroic figure that derives their powers from a god. They are the knights of a God. For want of a better way of putting it, they have a sort of psychic spiritual connection to a god that gives them powers, guidance, and support.

 

The Saint of Steel (a god) is considered dead since his prescence is no longer felt by his followers. Many of those psychically connected followers having lost that connection, became adrift, and could not handle the loss of the presence of the god. Some died in battle. Some went completely insane. Many of them killed themselves.

 

As the book opens three years later, Stephen and 6 others remain, and have united together to survive. Stephen stumbles into an assassination plot that involves a local perfume maker named Grace. Soon Stephen and others are attempting to uncover the truth of what is going on. Additionally, Stephen is also involved in the secondary storyline involving murders and decapitation.

 

This is a romance fantasy book that follows Kingfisher’s usual plot beats. So, you get a lot of character development, action, comedy, romance, and characters dealing with their past. As expected, the read is a fantasy featuring romance type characters in their mid-thirties or so in a medieval style world. Her books are a little repetitive and follow a sort of template that applies across multiple series.

 

It usually takes me to Chapter Five before I start liking the characters enough to stay with the read. Despite what you read on the synopsis on Goodreads and elsewhere, the idea of the god being dead is not a substantial part of the book. Some plot threads lead into the next book, Paladin’s Strength.

 

There are currently 4 books out in this series and 3 more planned. There are also several  other series that tie into this series. So, there is a lot to read if you are interested in this type of book.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3T0RIMw

 

 

I read this in digital format by way of the Libby/Overdrive App through the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: A Parade of Horribles (Dungeon Crawler Carl series) by Matt Dinniman

A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman is the eighth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I read this as an eBook so I did not have access to the short story. At the time of writing this review at the end of May, the hardback version is still on order at the Dallas Public Library System. I have a hold on one, whenever they get them in, so that I can read the short story.

 

In this action-packed installment, Princess Donut, Carl, and the remaining Crawlers, compete in various races and must try to survive and win them. Then, once the races are done, the evil AI is planning to have “A Parade of Horribles.” The AI is calling it a coming out party for himself.

 

This one is heavy on the lore building at the end. There is a lot of violence, but it is a lot less than one would expect in this series.  I also found the races to be very different than what I was expecting. I was kind of disappointed in that aspect of the read.

 

Carl and Donut get some more quality character development but some of the gimmick jokes drag on longer than I think they should have. Also, a lot of the plot points that have been running in the background for more than one book are still not followed up on  here. I kind of wish we would get a novel focusing on the kinder facility or the human resistance on Earth against the aliens.  Instead of a few sentences here and there. I feel like a lot happened in this book,  but mostly towards the end.

 

I enjoyed this read, but maybe I was overhyped for it. I thought this one was one of the weaker books. In the next book,  The Ascendery Games begin as the Crawlers will attempt to escape various floors while trying to stop one of the gods from becoming the King of The Gods.  There should be quite a lot going on as the large cast of the series has been scattered to so many other places by this point. It is going to require some very good scene switching to make it all work.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4dCSpDE

 

 

My reading copy came through the Libby App by way of the Dallas Public Library system. I have a hold on the hardback through the system. Sometimes the short stories are important, sometimes not, but either way I want to read it.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan is a book I would not have gotten except for the fact that when I was scrolling through Libby the cover made me take a look at it. There was a blurb comment attributed to Leigh Bardugo that she liked it. I like Leigh Bardugo’s books, so I picked it up.

 

This first book in the Time of Iron series is a strange read with a lot of metafictional elements making fun of adult fantasy novels. In this novel, a woman who is dying of cancer is given a second chance at life by going into a book series she has somewhat read. Without spoiling the read, there is a way for her to come back to the real world and be well, if she escapes into the fictional series and does what she had to do. This is not explained in the book synopsis.

 

So, she goes into the fictional world and ends up taking over the body of a villain that is going to be executed. She thinks that by paying the role of a villain, and using her knowledge of the series, she can find a way for the bad folks or, at least the bad woman she now inhabits, can win. This is also not really explained well in the book synopsis. I think the book synopsis does a bad job of explaining the book, but a good job of describing elements of the book.

 

There is humor, action, adult sexual content, violence, and more, as this book weaves through multiple perspectives until its abrupt end. This is a read that I think you will enjoy more if you have read a lot of these kind of fantasy novels. There are jokes that one character makes that another does not like, such as calling his horse, Google Maps, since it never gets lost.

 

It gets weird since it’s a book about someone becoming part of another book, which is changing the original plot line of the book that the real person got inserted into, which also gets even weirder because of spoiler reasons. Having a normal person interacting with fictional archetype people is a big part of the fun. The next book,  All Hail Chaos, is already out and I have put a hold on it through Libby. 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/432zZpW

 

 

As mentioned, my reading copy was a digital read through the Libby App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple © 2026

Scott's Take: This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl Series)

 

This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman is the seventh book in the Dungeon Crawler series. Warlords Donut and Carl are leading the former Crawlers who have returned to the Dungeon, alongside the remaining Crawlers, against the alien tyrants and their mercenary forces. Luckly, they have allies in the NPC army, but they are still vastly outnumbered. Can Donut and Carl beat thousands and thousands of soldiers even with the help of the former crawlers? Can Donut and Katia find a way to escape the curse of the Sepsis Whore?

 

This is action packed humor filled war tale with Donut becoming a sniper. Yes, she even has her own little ghillie suit. The main former Dungeon Crawlers are fully realized heroes of their own tales and one could imagine them having their own separate series. Jamal the mechanical shark (an NPC hero) is introduced and is given a giant flamethrower. I enjoyed this character’s sense of humor immensely.  I really liked how the author explored the toll the war is having on Donut and how the Crawlers band together to help Donut deal with the trauma she goes through.

 

There is no shortage of villains in the tale and plenty of high stakes. The third act gets incredibly weird. Even weirder than the last book and I did not think that was possible.

 

The short story in the hardback highlights the Shadow Mimics that have infiltrated the backstage of the Dungeon and their plans.

 

 The next book in the series comes out May Twelfth and is titled, A Parade of Horribles. Donut, Carl, and those who chose to remain are going to compete in a death race while the AI continues to lose his mind.

 

As of right now, there are two more books planned, a Peacock tv series in production, a graphic novel adaption which can be read for free on webtoon, a separate graphic novel planned for next year that will feature, Florin, the shotgun wielding human turned into a Crocodile. There is also an increasing amount of merchandise such as shirts and other things. There is also now a table top game. And, Libby signed a deal to be the exclusive home of the eBooks for  libraries. It is rather amazing how this series has exploded in so many ways.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4nqN6uq

 

  

I read the eBook by way of the Libby/Overdrive App in the Dallas Public Library System. While in the middle of the eBook, the hardback showed up at my local branch as it had been transferred from the Lakewood Branch. That allowed me to read the short story.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: The Bat-Man: Second Knight by Mike Perkins (Author/Illustrator)

The Bat-Man: Second Knight by Mike Perkins is a follow up to The Bat-Man First Knight and is set in the same universe. The plot synopsis online for the trade is only somewhat accurate in my opinion. The car crash does not involve Batman despite what is stated. There is no cult. I did not realize the guy in purple was supposed to be the monk. I don’t think they even call him that.

 

The actual book is about the Scarecrow and a guy in purple killing people and spreading fear gas across Gotham. Set sometime when Germany is marching across Europe at the beginning of World War II, Batman is attempting to stop the killing. He is also with his very scared girlfriend who is back in town to participate in the premier of her new movie.

 

Lois Lane and Clark Kent are also in town for the premier. It is also not long before they are victimized by Scarecrow’s plan. In the wake of that attack, Clark is quickly able to figure out Bruce has his own secrets. Can they find a way to trust each other and work together to stop the attacks?

 

There is action, horror elements, vivid art, and a classic old school Superman. In this story, Superman is way weaker than he is now. He can’t fly. He just jumps really high. Bruce is more of an average man in this story. Jim Gordon is a veteran of World War 1 and has his own fears to deal with as related to gas attacks. This book gave me a new appreciation for how scary gas attacks are. There is a lot of historical elements drawn in to each character’s backstory.

 

I enjoyed this period piece. I hope the series continues, but there is no word at the time of writing this review in early May if it will.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3R4bdTq

 

I read this by way of Hoopla through the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026