Phantom Road Vol. 2
Jeff Lemire, writer; Gabriel Hernández Walta, artist; Jordie Bellaire, colorist
Image Comics, 2024

FBI agent Theresa Weaver will soon be ordered off the case, but she began this collection by contacting her brother for information on their father (she has started to suspect that he was not the insurance agent he claimed to be). Then, she went out for a meal with Deputy Donnie, further cementing her ties with local law enforcement. Meanwhile, Dom and Birdie continued transporting the mysterious egg in his long-haul truck. They encountered a mysterious figure in an abandoned roadside circus. Birdie returned to her motel room to find her FBI ally, Agent Pike, dying in her bathtub. All this happened in the first issue! As the collection continues, there are further interactions with the mystery man wearing an Aloha shirt. He warns Weaver off and tells the truckers that the entity they interacted with at the circus (Birdie saw an angelic figure, while Dom saw the Billy Bear mascot from the diners they keep visiting) is the Enemy. The Enemy wants to prevent them from delivering the egg. Things get even weirder from there. The egg hatched and revealed amazing powers, and Weaver and the deputy were welcomed to Project Jackknife. This series started out strange, and keeps getting stranger. Also convoluted! My biggest fear is that it will become too Byzantine to keep track of.

Hairball
Matt Kindt, script; Tyler Jenkins, art & letters; Hilary Jenkins, colors
Dark Horse Books, 2023

Anna and her black cat Bestie are both foundlings, adopted at the same time. They have joined a contentious couple, and their presence seems to make things worse. Anna has been diagnosed as “developmentally delayed” because she rarely speaks, and Bestie is just plain spooky. We see the cat messing with all three of them–especially the parents–culminating in setting the house on fire by chewing through a power cord. They survive the fire, but Anna goes to live on her aunt’s farm, fearing that Bestie wants to harm her as well. Multiple attempts to kill Bestie finally convinced Anna that the cat was a supernatural being, tied into ancient Egyptian mythology. Quite a few unexpected twists for a four-issue miniseries. The art is painterly and moody, including a contrasting look for the ancient scenes.