What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – June 3rd, 2025 – The Woman in the Yard, Steppenwolf, The Last Session, & More!

What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – June 3rd, 2025

So, the week after a holiday is always light for review titles. It’s not that they’re not coming out, necessarily, but the holiday (Memorial Day in the U.S. last week) slows down the shipping of review copies, so while titles are hitting shelves, I haven’t received my review copies yet. Still, there are a few new home video and graphic novel releases to dig into this week!

In This Week’s Column:

• The Woman in the Yard (Blu-ray + Digital)
• Steppenwolf (Blu-ray)
• Infini-T Force: Volumes 1 & 2 (Graphic Novels)
• The Last Session (Graphic Novel)
• Castle Swimmer: Volume 2 (Graphic Novel)
• Hour of the Wolf (Graphic Novel)

The Woman in the Yard (Blu-ray + Digital)

The Movie: 

On paper, the concept for The Woman in the Yard is an intriguing one, and actually an idea I’ve had myself in the past. Borrowing from the fact that the scariest scenes in John Carpenter’s classic Halloween are the ones where Michael Myers is just standing and staring at someone, I always wondered what a horror movie might be like with a scary-looking character who just stood in someone’ yard or outside their window but never actually did anything outright threatening. And that’s the basis for The Woman in the Yard.

Ramona is a mom whose husband has died recently and she’s struggling. With a teenage son and a young daughter, they live in a farmhouse that said husband bought as a fixer upper before he deceased. One day, when the power goes out, a woman dressed head to toe in a black dress and veil shows up in the yard and just sits there. The family starts to get freaked out, and even confronting her doesn’t resolve the situation. I don’t want to say much more because there are spoilers abound, but that’s the gist. 

Now, as I said, I’ve long wondered what a movie like this would be like, and now I know: it would be really boring. It takes about half the movie before anything starts to happen, and when it does, well, sadly the film doesn’t get better. It gets confusing and kind of annoying, frankly. Here’s the problem: I think the filmmakers think they made a really deep movie that’s about trauma and depression and mental health and tragedy and suicide, and it feels like they think they’re doing something important. And I applaud the effort. The reality, though, is that Ramona — while justified for acting the way she does – is a completely unlikable protagonist. Honestly, it’s hard to garner much sympathy for her, despite her tragedies, because of the way she’s written. The end result is a movie that is, sadly, a bit of a mess all over and not very enjoyable. 

The Bonus Features: 

• Making The Woman in the Yard
• Beneath the Veil

Digital Copy Included: Yes

The Wrap-Up:

I wasn’t expecting a masterpiece from The Woman in the Yard, but honestly, I thought it would be a better film than it was. This one starts boring and ends confusing, and that’s not a recipe for success. 

Steppenwolf (Blu-ray)

The Movie: 

While I’m fairly well versed in foreign films, there’s obviously way too many of them out there for me to be immersed in all of them. So while director Adilkhan Yerzhanov (festival favorites The Gentle Indifference of the World and Goliath) is apparently well-known on the European continent, he hadn’t crossed my radar yet. 

His latest film is Steppenwolf, which gets a Blu-ray release this week from Arrow Video, one of my favorite home video labels. In the film, a woman named Tamara is searching for her missing son in a dystopic future where children are harvested illegally for black-market organs. She ends up teaming up with a police detective who favors violence and brutality over actual detective work. While his methods don’t sit well with her, she also believes he’s the best hope she has for getting her son back, and so the pair go on a violent journey towards finding him. 

The film achieves exactly what it sets out to, but that doesn’t mean it’s an absolute slam dunk. Honestly, the violence felt a little more brutal and gratuitous than I personally enjoy. I know for some people it won’t be an issue, but there were a few times that I found myself cringing. That said, the performances are top-notch and the world of the film is realized fully, so you will never feel like you’re watching anything other than a horrible and violent future. 

This week, Arow Video releases Steppenwolf on Blu-ray in a terrific Collector’s Edition that also includes the director’s previous film, Goliath, as a bonus. So effectively, you’re getting two movies for the price of one. 

The Bonus Features: 

• Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s 2022 feature film Goliath, available for the very first time in the US.
• Brand new audio commentary on Steppenwolf with critic and pop culture historian David Flint, recorded exclusively for Arrow Video in 2025
• Reading Steppenwolf as a Transnational Post-Western, a brand new visual essay by author, film historian and academic Lee Broughton, exploring the use of American and Italian Western genre tropes in Steppenwolf and other films from around the world
• The Making of Steppenwolf, a 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette featuring interviews with the cast and crew
• Illustrated collector’s booklet 

Digital Copy Included: No

The Wrap-Up:

I can’t say that Steppenwolf was really my cup of tea, but I also can’t say it’s a bad film. It’s just more for some people than others. If it’s your kind of movie, though, it’s hard to beat the value that Arrow Video brings with this release. 

The Last Session (Graphic Novel)

https://youtu.be/XiYyH3nAByw?si=PjxYkqIyQ2veMOhK 

The Book: 

Imagine you’ve been playing Dungeons and Dragons (or in this case, Dice & Deathtraps) with the same group of friends for four years. Then, on the last night of the campaign, the dungeon master brings their new girlfriend to enter the game. That’s the basic premise of The Last Session, a trade paperback from Mad Cave Studios that collects the hit five-issue miniseries from writer Jasmine Walls and artist Dozerdraws. 

The comic sort of tells two stories concurrently. One is the story of this group of friends and how they cope with the addition of a new player (hint: some handle it better than others.) The other half is the story being told within the game, a fantasy tale with wizards and bards and dragonkin and dungeons and quests and magic. The characters are avatars for the players, so the story is both separate and related. Honestly, it’s an effect that really works and I think it makes the story much more interesting than if it just happened in the real world. The overall narrative progresses through the Dice & Deathtraps adventure, and you learn more about the characters as they progress on their quest. But it also works as a fantasy adventure in its own right, complete with its own conclusion. It’s a really good read whether you’re a gamer or not, and the LGBTQ+ and POC representation ensures that the book will be a good read for everyone and anyone. 

The Specs: 

Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Format: Softcover
Page Count: 128 pages
Cover Price: $17.99

The Wrap Up:

The Last Session is a really fun graphic novel that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Obviously, if you are a role-playing gamer, you’ll get the most out of it, but I think it will be a great read for you no matter what.

Infini-T Force: Volumes 1 & 2 (Graphic Novels)

The Book: 

Nakama Press is a newer publisher that is bringing manga (and other international graphic novels) to western audiences through a new line of graphic novels. These books are printed in the more traditional manga format, meaning they’re quite small (about the size of a postcard) but hefty (200+ pages each, on average.) They’re also made to recreate the true manga experience, so while they have been translated into English, they are printed in the right-to-left format, which admittedly took me a little while to get used to. 

Infini-T Force: Volumes 1 and 2 are the first two books I’ve received from Nakama Press to review, and they are way more enjoyable than I expected them to be. I’ve said many times over the years that when it comes to manga and anime, I’m a casual fan at best. I don’t dislike the art forms, but I don’t go out of my way for them, either. Infini-T Force, however, is a lot of fun. 

The story follows high school student Emi, who comes into possession of a mysterious pencil that can create whatever she draws. When she finds herself caught up in an emergency, she (with the help of the pencil itself) draws a hero, who turns out to be Gatchaman (yes, THAT Gatchaman, the popular long-time anime character.) He gets pulled into Emi’s world and finds himself stuck there. Other Tatsunoko Productions characters show up as well, including Polimar, Casshan, and Tekkaman, although, if I’m being honest, Gatchaman was the only one I was familiar with. 

The books are fun because they combine superhero fantasy, action, sci-fi, and good, old-fashioned high school drama. It’s all drawn in a manga style that is really smooth and polished and some of the better manga art I’ve seen in recent years (by Tatsuma Ejiri). Volume 1 sets up the story and introduces all the characters (although it has way more action than just serving as an origin story), while Volume 2 continues to draw in new characters and expand on the story. Together, they make a great read and set up more volumes that are on the way from Nakama. 

The Specs: 

Publisher: Nakama Press
Format: Softcover
Page Count: 256 pages (Volume 1) and 194 pages (Volume 2)
Cover Price: $10.99 (Volume 1) and $13.99 (Volume 2)

The Wrap Up:

If you’re into manga and some of the popular manga characters, especially Gatchaman, Infini-T Force: Volumes 1 & 2 offer up a slightly meta take on the typical hero/sci-fi fare. The books are printed well and look gorgeous, so I can definitely say they’re worth the cover price. 

Castle Swimmer: Volume 2 (Graphic Novel)

The Book: 

I did not review the first volume of Castle Swimmer. And while ultimately, Volume 2 was pretty easy to follow even without the context of Volume 1, I just wanted to clarify that I came into this story halfway. 

Wendy Martin acts as writer and artist for the LGBTQ+-friendly tale of two mermen who live in an underwater society and form a Romeo-and-Juliet-like bond that transcends the loyalties of rival kingdoms. In Volume 1, we met Kappa and Siren. Kappa is meant to be The Beacon, a source of light for the underwater world, but when he travels to the shark kingdom, he is imprisoned. But Prince Siren – who is prophesied to kill the siren – helps Kappa escape instead. 

Now, in Volume 2, Siren is trying to get Kappa to safety, and Queen Susca knows she may have to kill Kappa herself. With other kingdoms offering to help, it gets harder and harder for Siren to keep Kappa safe. All the while, their relationship strengthens, but Siren may have to sacrifice it for Kappa to live. It’s a really charming story that is filled with danger and excitement, but also character and world building, and I found it quite enjoyable, even if I had to fill in a few gaps from not reading Volume 1. (I Would definitely recommend you start with Volume 1 before reading this one.)

Castle Swimmer: volume 2 is available in hardcover or softcover and collects chapters 20-41 of the original Webtoon’s installments. It also includes a never-before-seen bonus chapter featuring Kappa and Siren.

The Specs: 

Publisher: Ten Speed Graphic
Format: Hardcover or Softcover
Page Count: 304 pages
Cover Price: $24.99 (Hardcover) or $18.99 (Softcover)

The Wrap Up:

Wendy Martin has a writing style that flows gracefully and an art style that bridges the gap between cartoony and more traditional comic book art, and it fits the story perfectly. Again, I would start with Volume 1, but Castle Swimmer is a world that you will definitely enjoy diving into. 

Hour of the Wolf (Graphic Novel)

The Book: 

Mark London is one of the architects of the Mad Cave Universe; in addition to being the Chief Creative Officer and COO, he’s also written several miniseries for the company now. I recently reviewed his Revolution 9 trade paperback, which I loved, and I’ve enjoyed some of his other books as well, including Battle Cats and Exit City. I’ve basically enjoyed everything of his that I’ve read so far. 

Until now. Unfortunately, Hour of the Wolf was a complete miss for me. The story (as I understood it, because I frankly found it pretty confusing) starts with a painting that causes people around it to disappear. During the hour of the wolf (between 3-4 AM), that’s when the veil between our world and the underworld is the thinnest, and things get creepy. Enter Wolvenheart agent Owen Blackwood, who gets sucked into the mystery of the painting… and maybe the painting itself. 

I’ll be honest, I couldn’t truly make heads or tails of the book. The story’s narrative was confusing, and worse, it wasn’t interesting enough to me to want to put the work in to try and decipher it further. I’m sure there are horror fans out there who will find it very rewarding, but it just never clicked for me at all. 

As with Revolution 9, this book is part of a bigger universe. From the publisher: “Hour of the Wolf is the second thrilling title in Underworld, an all-new universe created by Mark London which also includes Revolution 9 and Exit City. Each miniseries set within can be savored as a standalone serial, while serving as a stepping stone towards Endless Night, the must-read crossover guaranteed to blow your mind in 2025!”

The Specs: 

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Format: Softcover
Page Count: 88 pages
Cover Price: $17.99

The Wrap Up:

Hour of the Wolf is a good-looking book with great art by Danilo Beyruth, and I’m sure there’s an audience out there for it. I’m just not in that audience, unfortunately. Next time for sure, Mr. London!