It feels good to be caught up on my weekly reading again! I might be able to get back to my Retro Review columns soon too!
Best Comic of the Week:
Precious Metal #1 – I really liked Little Bird, the last series made by writer Darcy Van Poelgeest and artist Ian Bertram, so I quickly preordered the first issue of this new series, a prequel of sorts to that one. I don’t remember the particulars of the first series, beyond general vibes and aesthetics, so I more or less came to this fresh. A body-modded bounty hunter of sorts discovers some strange things about his latest quarry, including the fact that he’s searching for a kid in a time when modifications like the ones the kid has are illegal. Our hero is thrust into some strange stuff, and while a lot of things aren’t clear, the story is pretty compelling. More than that, Bertram’s art is incredible. He has visualized a very strange future world that reminds me a little of the work of Tradd Moore; it’s psychedelic and strange, but also kind of appealing. This first issue is a sizeable chunk of comics, and it’s got me intrigued to read the rest.
Quick Takes:
Batman #148 – The Bat-family unite to try to take down Zur-En-Arrh, and it’s nice to see them all working together again. There is no excuse for the terrible costume that Tim is wearing, but other than that, this was a solid issue. I’m a bit confused, because we saw Zur working with Amanda Waller in the Absolute Power preview thing, but I guess that means this story isn’t quite over yet. Chip Zdarsky’s Batman has been much more wide-screen than I would have expected, and I’m kind of hoping for a nice detective kind of story next. All these large-scale stories that shift everything around in Gotham are starting to wear on me.
Bear Pirate Viking Queen #2 – Sean Lewis and Jonathan Marks Barravecchia are telling a very strange story with this series. The first issue introduced us to a former Navy man who becomes a pirate, with a bear in his crew, but now the story switches over to focus on the Viking that they found on a ship. The Viking is hundreds of years old, and determined to exact revenge on England for the downfall of his people. To that end, he sails to London and searches for the home he had in the 800s, and finding it, now occupied by a family, turns his wrath on the Queen, who commands the soldiers who have come to stop him. The whole thing is hallucinogenic and strange, made more so by Barravecchia’s art, which reminds me of Bill Sienkiewicz at his wildest. This is the type of story that could only be told in comics, and while I don’t think I understand everything, it’s an entertaining read.
Birds of Prey #10 – The Birds are trapped in a pocket universe where one of two surviving septuplets with powers tries to help them fight off her sister, who is trying to kill them. I’m not really sure what’s going on in this book anymore, which has artists switching faster than the Birds’ costumes as they hop dimensions. Robbi Rodriguez draws some of this issue, and it’s nice to see his art again. I’ve been enjoying this series, under Kelly Thompson’s writing, a lot, but this issue kind of lost me.
Kaya #19 – It’s another between arcs one-off issue, but this one is a bit different. Where previous stories have helped fill in some gaps in the backstory or our knowledge of the characters, this one gives us a glimpse of Kaya’s future. In it, she is running a crew of pirates who are going around fleeing slaves from slave ships. There are hints that there is a nation behind the increase in slaving, and it’s good to see Kaya in a leadership role, but this raises a lot of questions. Jin is not in the comic, nor is he mentioned, but Kaya holds an orb that she seems to consult. Wes Craig is doing stellar work on this book, and I like the approach he’s taken to structuring his larger story. This issue has a backup story drawn by Juni Ba, which is fun and quite nice to look at. Kaya is consistently one of my favourite series, and more people need to go check it out.
Love Everlasting #15 – The cowboy changes the rules in this issue, kidnapping Joan from her latest suitor (who he leaves dead) and taking her to his remote home, explaining the truth of their story to her, even though he knows that her mother will come for him. At this point, Tom King and Elsa Charretier really needed to switch things up, as the series was getting a little too routine, and while none of the things revealed to us in this issue fully explain Joan’s existence, it does move in that direction. This is a very curious comic, and I’m looking forward to its return from hiatus soon.
The Sickness #5 – Lonnie Nadler and Jenna Chu are making a truly disturbing comic with this series. In 1945, young Daniel’s hallucinations are getting worse and making his life impossible. In 1955, George finally gets to autopsy the brain of the woman who killed her family, and finds something remarkable, although he doesn’t know what it is. Nadler is spinning this story out slowly and subtly, while Chu makes even the most ordinary scenes feel disturbing. This book has a way of sticking with me for days after I read it.
Star Wars #47 – Lando’s trial comes to its end, and while the final result isn’t much of a surprise (maybe it would be if you’ve never seen Return of the Jedi or the sequel film he appeared in), the execution of it is handled very well. It makes sense, given writer Charles Soule is a lawyer. I’ve been enjoying this run, but as discussion of freeing Han from Jabba the Hutt commences, we move closer to the time when this series is likely to be relaunched again (I’m guessing #50 will be the final issue).
The Ultimates #1 – Since reading 20th Century Men, I’ve become a big fan of writer Deniz Camp. I’d rather see him continuing to write creator-owned stories, but if he’s going to work for the Big Two, I think having him work on the flagship Ultimates title, in the revamped Ultimates line, might be a good place for him. I’m not sure how much of this first issue was dictated by Jonathan Hickman’s story notes, but it was an entertaining first issue. Tony and Doom have not had the success they were hoping for in recruiting new heroes via time travel and care packages, so they set out to find people to join their cause, and end up getting into a huge fight with Captain Britain and his people in Manhattan. The tone of this issue feels right, and Juan Frigeri’s art is lovely. There is a lot of potential here, so long as Camp doesn’t try to just recreate the ‘hits’ of Ultimates and Avengers runs past, and focuses on doing something new instead. I think we’re off to a good start.
Underheist #4 – David and Maria Lapham’s story about a heist gone wrong gets stranger and stranger, as it looks like David (the character – is it weird that the character and creator share the same name in a book that is so very clearly not autobiographical?) might be in Hell, and that the people he’s trusted the most might not be who they say they are. The Laphams have given us a masterful switch up here, as this story becomes more unpredictable. I always enjoy David Lapham’s art, and feel like it’s perfect for this story.
X-Men #35/Uncanny X-Men #700 – The Krakoan Age is officially over, and I’m still processing how I feel about that. A few writers and a whole bunch of artists came together to say goodbye, and there are things that I like here, and things that I don’t. The central story comes from the fact that the mutants who were left behind in the White Hot Room return to Krakoa, bringing Atlantic Krakoa with them, after fifteen years have passed in their lives (but just days for the X-Men on Earth). It sounds like they’ve built a truly lovely society in isolation, and they intend to return there. Different mutants react differently to this, and sadly, Apocalypse is reverted to a villain instantaneously and awkwardly. One of the coolest things about Krakoa was the way Apocalypse became a richer and more interesting character, and I hate that Marvel is putting him back in this crappy 90s box. The scene where Magneto confronts Xavier for his choices reads a lot better, but Xavier’s heel turn was rushed and not that believable, so that’s a bit cheapened too. I always find myself looking forward to new takes on beloved characters, so I’m curious to see what all the relaunched titles will be like, but unlike other relaunches of the past, this is one that will have to acknowledge what came before, especially since so many relationships between mutants have changed and evolved on Krakoa. There’s lots of great art in this book, and the Chris Claremont written story about Mystique, Destiny, Nightcrawler, and Rogue was a bit nostalgic. I think there’s a lot of stuff that I’m going to miss from the Krakoan days, and many characters. I’m left wondering what’s happening on Arakko; it feels like a glaring plot hole here, and I’m a bit worried that no writer is going to acknowledge them again, at least for a while.
The Week in Music:
Reyna Tropical – Malegría – I came across this lovely summery album by chance, and am really happy I did. I’ve seen this described as ambient music, which I don’t agree with, but these are Spanish-language pop songs that have a sparseness to them that is very attractive. Fabi Reyna, who lost her musical partner while this album was being made, has started to sing as well as play most of the instruments, and her voice is warm and inviting. This is a lovely album.
Jose James – 1978 – I really like the smooth soulful R&B that Jose James makes. This album sounds a lot like his other ones, but it’s nice to see him returning to creating his own music instead of doing a whole album of covers again. He does have a timeless feel to his music that is very welcome.
Kamasi Washington – Fearless Movement – A new Kamasi Washington record is always cause for celebration, and this one is pretty typically great. Kamasi views this as his ‘dance’ record, and it does stand out from his other releases in a few ways. His music is always pretty propulsive, but this album carries a sense of optimism to it that is pretty nice. In addition to his usual crowd of friends, he’s brought in a few guests, most notably George Clinton, André 3000, and a couple of the guys from Coast Contra. This album, spread across two CDs, sprawls through a few genres of music, with Kamasi’s sax gluing it all together. Highly recommended.
Jasmine Myra – Rising – Like with any release on Gondwana Records, this is a beauty. Myra’s sax floats over her compositions, which are the best kind of restful jazz. There’s a cerebral quality to this album that I enjoy, but it never gets in your face or feels hectic. Late night or early morning jazz is always welcome.
Luke Stewart Silt Trio – Unknown Rivers – I really enjoy the band Irreversible Entanglements, so I was intrigued by the news that their bass player, Luke Stewart, had a separate trio. This is lovely, but also the kind of jazz that gets under my skin at times. I think I need to spend more time with this, as I’ve really only listened to it on a surface level.
Mary Lattimore and Walt McClements – Rain on the Road – I’ve become a big fan of Mary Lattimore’s harp music, so I was excited to see that she has a new album with accordion player Walt McClements. Like all of Lattimore’s stuff, this is a beautiful collection of neo-classical and ambient music that sets a plaintive and reflective tone. It’s very nice.
