Best Comic of the Week:
Post Americana #1 – Steve Skroce returns with a new series set after the fall of the American Empire. A secret government facility has been housing the remnants of the military, and a bunch of rich people, who are now ready to pull a First Order, and take over the Wasteland. A small group tries to stop them, and two escape. At the same time, a young woman is discovered by a tribe of cannibals and scavengers, who go to investigate the crash of the vessel the first two men escaped in. This is an irreverent look at post-Apocalyptic society, which owes as much to Garth Ennis’s Crossed as it does to movies like The Omega Man, and it’s kind of fun. Skroce is a great artist, and writes to his strengths, so there’s a lot to enjoy here.
Quick Takes:
Barbalien: Red Planet #2 – A story from Mark’s past, which has him discovering the Spiral City gay scene, as he continues to figure out how his identity works. There are aspects of this story that feel like they are following a tight formula, but I’m still enjoying the way writer Tate Brombal (with Jeff Lemire) is exploring Mark’s character. Also Gabriel Hernánde Walta is always going to make something like this look cool.
Captain America #26 – I fear that Ta-Nehisi Coates is dragging this story out way too long for my liking. This whole issue features more of Cap and his friends fighting against the Lukins and the Red Skull, resulting in the return of the Red Hulk. I’m curious to see how nicely this will dovetail with the stuff going on with the other Hulks in Immortal Hulk, but really, I’m getting bored of this title.
Decorum #6 – The two main strands of this book (cosmic egg hunting and assassin school life) come together finally, as the weirdly geometric aliens hire the assassin guild to find the egg for them. This book hasn’t followed a more typical Jonathan Hickman plan, and it’s been refreshing and cool to see just how indulgent and strange the pacing and structure have been. I especially like the way Mike Huddleston has been given carte blanche on making things strange and wonderful.
Immortal Hulk #41 – The Thing confronts the Hulk in Coney Island, and that doesn’t go the way he expects. We get a good look at Ben Grimm in this issue (I’d be onboard if Al Ewing starts writing the Fantastic Four), as things progress a little slowly this time around. This series is really unique for Marvel.
Iron Man #4 – I’m still finding this run to be a little strange, in that Chris Cantwell maybe doesn’t have the best feel for Tony Stark yet. I do like that Stark is turning to a list of as-yet unseen D-lister heroes to try to quietly take on the threat of Michael Korvac, and that Patsy Walker is becoming more of a central character. There’s lots of potential here, and Cafu is doing great work on the art, but it’s still not completely clicking for me.
New Mutants #14 – This is a rare comic – a new writer comes on board, and the book is not relaunched! Vita Ayala is working to refocus this title, which under Jonathan Hickman and Ed Brisson, has never felt very cohesive. The original New Mutants, more or less, decide that someone should be providing schooling and training for the younger mutants of Krakoa, and start to put that together, while an old X-Men and New Mutants villain turns up on the island, where it seems he might be influencing some of the students. I liked this issue, which had amusing character moments, set off a few subplots, and very good Rod Reis art that seemed to be intentionally harkening back to Bill Sienkiewicz’s classic run on the title. I had some issues with it though – it’s hard to believe that Charles Xavier wouldn’t have thought about providing education for the youth of Krakoa, especially those living in the Akademos Habitat. I’m also not sure why some characters, like Anole, are still being portrayed as among the younger inhabitants, when he was Dani’s student twenty years ago. Adding Warpath to the central lineup makes up for much of this, though.
Once & Future #14 – Stories continue to bleed into reality, as a confrontation with the Green Knight leads our heroes to their next stop, and as we see a kinder side of Bridgette for a change. This book has been steadily growing on me.
Rai #10 – Rai appears to be going on a bit of hiatus, which is a shame, as this is the best issue we’ve seen from this series since it resumed post-lockdown. We find out what The Dark is, learn the fate of Ray, and see Rai at his best in a very cool action sequence. When this title returns, I’ll be waiting…
Rorschach #3 – The man investigating the assassination attempt on a Presidential candidate spends the whole issue reading the journal of the woman who was killed with the guy in the Rorschach mask. We get a very complete portrait of her childhood, learning to shoot and plan for the coming invasion of squid aliens, as predicted by her father. It’s another incredibly structured, interesting issue. Tom King and Jorge Fornés are doing very good work on this title, and I like seeing how the different puzzle pieces are being arrayed for us, so far, without any answers.
Seven to Eternity #15 – Are there any likeable or noble characters in this book? It’s strange that Garils, the Mud King, might be the best character in the series. This issue has him facing his son, the Piper, while Adam Osidis returns to the magical fountain or river or whatever it is, determined to gain access, even if that means confronting hard truths about himself. This book is gorgeous, and I’ll be sad to see it end in only two more issues. I’m still stunned at the amount of story that Rick Remender and Jerome Opeña have squeezed into this series.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #8 – Considering how sure of himself Vader was in every film portrayal we’ve seen, it’s odd that he’s once again having to plumb the depths of his soul in the comic. Some mystical eye creature on Mustafar challenges Vader’s perception of things, or something. There are memories, lava, and creatures. It’s all kind of paint by numbers, really, but at least Raffaele Ienco’s art is gorgeous.
Stillwater #4 – It’s time to learn some of the history of Stillwater, how the town where no one can die stayed a secret, and how Daniel/Tommy got out of it in the first place. This book is exceptionally well-written and planned, which makes sense with Chip Zdarsky writing, and is also gorgeous, thanks to Ramón Perez. It’s one of the best new series of this year.
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #4 – Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo’s bizarre science fiction adventure continues, with some new revelations about the relationship between the ship’s captain and the law officer that’s been pursuing him, as they confront one another near the first still-living god that’s ever been seen. I’m enjoying this book a great deal, but do find it hard to talk about, as there’s a lot going on in it that’s hard to describe.
X-Force #15 – I’d forgotten that Beast had had Colossus arrested prior to the X of Swords event, so things were a little jarring when this issue returned to that, and didn’t mention anything about X of Swords. Hank is proven wrong in his suspicions, and immediately moves on to address the issue of Omega Red and vampires that was raised in Wolverine’s book. I wonder if Hank has any friends left on Krakoa, as he’s so often portrayed as being manipulative and problematic. I’m still not sure that X-Force has ever carved out its own identity among the X-books, and am hoping that happens soon.
Comics I Would Have Bought if Comics Weren’t So Expensive:
Firefly #24
King in Black Immortal Hulk #1
Reckless HC
Solid Blood #17 (I didn’t know this existed until I started compiling this list – damn Covid restrictions kept me from seeing this at the store)
The Week in Graphic Novels:
“>Rock Candy Mountain Vol. 2 – I read the first half of Kyle Starks’s series about rail-riding hobos, spears of destiny, and deals with the devil a while ago, and had forgotten a lot of the particulars before digging into this volume. The story is enjoyable, and Starks’s idiosyncratic art has grown on me, enough so that I’m down to check out whatever his next project might be. I don’t really have more to say than that, though…
The Week in Music:
Keaton Henson – Monument – If you are used to reading this column since I started adding music to it at the start of the first wave, you’ll have noticed the almost complete lack of guitar-based singer/songwriter stuff. And then I heard Keaton Henson’s new album a couple of months ago, and found that it stuck with me to the point that I wanted to purchase it. I don’t love every song on here, but the delicate, alt-folk tracks are gorgeous and speak to something I didn’t know was in me. Ontario is the stand-out favourite, not just because I live there…
Matthew Tavares & Leland Whitty – January 12th – In my pre-Covid life, I went out to live music almost every week. I put a lot of time into tracking shows, and knowing when events were happening in my city, so I was pretty unhappy when I learned that I’d somehow missed a night of improvisational jazz put on by Matthew Tavares and Leland Whitty, who are (were?) members of BADBADNOTGOOD at the Burdock, a tiny little venue that would be just perfect for an intimate performance like this. Luckily, that evening was recorded and has now been released as a four-track album, with pieces lasting from just under ten to almost thirty minutes. Listening to it, I can picture being in that space. Seeing that I haven’t been out to live music since mid-March, this recording is especially poignant, and I’m glad I got to experience it.
Cleo Sol – Rose in the Dark – I came a little late to this excellent example of soulful r’n’b from singer Cleo Sol and producer Inflo. Both are connected to Sault, the group that is blowing up Best Of lists this year, and this album is close to perfect. Sol’s voice is lovely, and the production is fantastic. This is such a feel-good project, and I’m happy that I added it to my order when I got the Tavares & Whitty album (above), since it didn’t cost any more to ship it. A classic.
