Best Comic of the Week:
Rain Like Hammers #1 – Brandon Graham has a way of creating worlds that are completely incredible, but also feel very relatable. In this new series, he gives us Eugene, a worker in a moving city who doesn’t appear to have any friends or much purpose. He’s new to Elephant, having worked hard to get this posting, but now finds it pretty isolating and disenchanting. Graham never explains why all people seem to live on these roving cities, but when one of them suffers a catastrophe, we get to see more of how society appears to operate. Eugene’s days of sitting alone in his room eating food he didn’t prepare feels pretty familiar after the last year, and I’m sure a lot of people will relate to his position. Graham’s artwork is always a fantastic mixture of expansive empty landscapes and detailed personal possessions. His work here has a real Moëbius feel to it, and it looks great. I’m happy to see him working on such a personal-feeling story this time around.
Quick Takes:
Abbott 1973 #1 – I read the first Abbott series, by Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivelä, this last summer and really liked it, so I was happy to see it return for a sequel. Elena Abbott is a Black female reporter in early 70s Detroit, who also happens to have a connection to the spiritual world. As this series opens, life is looking good for her. She’s now working at a Black-focused newspaper, the city looks set to elect its first Black mayor, and she’s finding peace living (in the closet) with her girlfriend. But, the first arc did open the city to some supernatural evil that might be targeting her, and her paper has just been bought by a man determined to fit the stereotype of a chauvinistic harasser. Ahmed really gives this book a sense of place, and Kivelä is great. I’m looking forward to the rest of this series.
Barbalien: Red Planet #3 – Jeff Lemire and Tate Brombal continue to explore Mark Markz’s life in Spiral City in the 80s, as he comes to terms with his sexuality, the AIDS crisis, and a Martian assassin sent to kill him. Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s art is perfect for this book, and I want to learn more about the superpowered doctor who treats AIDS patients.
Cable #7 – I’m enjoying Young Nate’s adventures a lot more than I expected. His quest to find the kidnapped mutant babies leads him to a discovery that would normally have me rolling my eyes, but that wasn’t my reaction here, because I like the way Gerry Duggan is writing him. This is a good series, and after Nate’s vulnerable turn in X of Swords, it’s interesting to see where he’s headed.
I Breathed A Body #1 – Zac Thompson has been writing a lot of body horror style miniseries, with titles showing up at Aftershock, Black Mask, and Vault, with and without his regular partner Lonnie Nadler. I Breathed A Body fits into that larger body of work, and reminds me a lot of the recently finished Lonely Receiver. Mylo is the biggest social media star in a near-future, after the current social media empires have all gone under. His father runs the company, and employs two people to help manage Mylo’s brand, and fix his mistakes. There’s a lot more to it than that though, as his father also works with biotechnology, and the disturbing opening scene, coupled with the disturbing last scene, make it clear that this is more than just another exploration of mankind’s relationship with their phones. Andy MacDonald is drawing this, and it looks nice. I’m curious to see where Thompson is taking things with this, and how it’s going to differ from much of his recent work.
Legion of Super-Heroes #12 – This issue has me worried. I’ve been steadily becoming more and more enamored of Brian Michael Bendis’s Legion, but reading this, it felt like a final issue, in that it wrapped up multiple plot lines. I know there are two Future State issues scheduled, but I’m pretty sure those are out of continuity. There is no thirteenth issue solicited for March or April. Honestly, had I known that this book wouldn’t have lasted, I might not have bothered giving it a shot. I love the Legion, and have felt like Bendis’s new take on the team has been the most successful reboot, in that it features actual new takes on the classic characters, and has a ton of potential. I mean, we don’t even know who some of the characters on the team are yet! I’m not a huge Bendis fan, but his approach to ensembles worked here. Ryan Sook’s art has been gorgeous. I really hope this isn’t the end of it all.
Once & Future #15 – I find this title is working a lot better for me now, as we move deeper into the unresolved issues in Duncan’s family. As he and his grandmother investigate just what his mother did to contact the story world, his mother confronts his girlfriend, revealing a lot about how difficult her life has been. Part of why I’ve had trouble with this series is because of Dan Mora’s art. For example, Duncan’s mother looks to be about the same age as him, and it throws me out of the story every time.
Rorschach #4 – Our main character continues his investigation into the two dead would-be assassins, one dressed as Rorschach, by interviewing the last man to take up the inkblot mask. Laura, the dead woman, manipulated a carnival strongman into believing he was a hero, and he spent some time killing criminals at her behest. This series, by Tom King and Jorge Fornés, is as highly structured as any King comic, and remains an interesting read. I feel more affinity with his Strange Adventures series, but I’m still getting a lot from this book, and I love Fornés’s art.
The Scumbag #4 – Ernie goes undercover to what ends up being a massive orgy, and hilarity ensues. Rick Remender’s book about terrible people is a lot of fun to read, although the events of the last couple of weeks make it seem a little too on the nose in places. Roland Boschi is the artist for this month, and his work fits nicely with the aesthetic established so far. This book is fun, and a little biting.
Seven to Eternity #16 – It’s the penultimate issue, and I still can’t quite figure out if I’m supposed to like Adam Osidis, or hate him. In that way, he’s one of the most complex characters that Rick Remender has ever written. In this issue, his former Mosak allies, and his daughter, catch up to him, and try to figure out how to take care of the mess that Adam has made. While the Mosak try to deal with him, Adam’s daughter is offered something by the Mud King, which is probably not a good thing. Jerome Opeña’s art continues to be incredible here, and I know I’m going to miss the wild landscapes of this world when this series is gone.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #7 – Aphra is on the hunt for an ancient engine, and that takes her to Sana Starros, yet another woman she has a complicated history with. This book is beginning to hit its stride, and while Alyssa Wong hasn’t given us any capers on the level of what Kieron Gillen and Simon Spurrier did with Aphra before, she is finding a lane. I like that Lucky appears to be sticking around as a supporting character.
Stillwater #5 – I’ve really been enjoying this new series about a town where no one gets old or dies (and they don’t have to swim with a cocoon to do it!). There is a faction of townspeople who are opposed to the Judge’s order that the town continue to live in isolation, but their gentle push for a vote on the matter turns spectacularly violent. I like how Chip Zdarsky shakes things up in this issue, changing the tone of the book considerably. Ramón Perez is doing incredible work on this book.
X-Force #16 – I’d wondered how Namor, the sometimes X-Man, might feel about the developments on Krakoa, so I was happy to see him show up in this issue, which deals with a tumor that Krakoa expelled into the ocean, with some very negative consequences. This book chugs along, but often feels to be lacking in purpose. I don’t dislike it, but I find it meanders a lot.
Comics I Would Have Bought if They Weren’t So Expensive:
Avengers #41
Batman/Catwoman #2
Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman #1
King in Black #3
The Week in Graphic Novels:
“>Coda Vol. 1 – I’ve become a big fan of Simon Spurrier’s writing, but this Boom! series just didn’t do it for me. Spurrier has a complex and fully-realized fantasy world in this book, but unlike in his excellent Spire, it doesn’t come alive for me. The main character is a travelling bard who claims he wants to free his wife from some kind of evil, but he’s not being completely honest. Actually, it seems like everyone in this book is lying about something, as people try to eke out lives in a world where magic is mostly gone, existing only as a liquid called akker. I found the first issue hard to follow, which is largely because Matías Bergara’s lovely art isn’t so good at storytelling, and never really found my way into it.
The Week in Music:
Jahari Massamba Unit – Pardon My French – Years ago, the hiphop producer Madlib started making jazz music under the name Yesterday’s New Quintet. It was all him, but the “band” was made up of fictional musicians. Later, he released an album of tribute tracks, made by other fictional acts. One of them was the Jahari Massamba Unit, which is actually a collaboration between Madlib and Karriem Riggins. Now, they’ve put out a full release using that name, and it’s pretty good. It’s a collection of thirteen tracks with jokey French track titles. We get some interesting drum patterns, and the kind of noodling space jazz that Madlib does so well.
Tenderlonious – Ragas From Lahore – British jazz artist Tenderlonious takes his flutes and saxophone to Pakistan for this album, that sees him collaborating with Jaubi, a classical and jazz ensemble in Lahore. The result is definitely interesting, as he explores that sound, and marries it to his own.
Transmissions: The Music of Beverly Glenn-Copeland – It’s been ten months since I’ve seen any live music, but I’m still discovering “new” acts. Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s music helped me get through the first period of Covid lockdowns, as his Primal Prayer album kept turning up on lists provided by musicians I respect. This is a moment for Glenn-Copeland – he recently received a Polaris heritage prize for his Keyboard Fantasies album from 1986 (which is getting rereleased), after living in obscurity (and relative poverty) for decades. The rebirth of interest in his work came via the Japanese collectors’ market, which realized that Glenn-Copeland’s oeuvre was decades ahead of its time. Now, the artist, in his late 70s, is achieving acclaim from all over the place. I think I remember seeing him on Mr. Dressup, a Canadian children’s show, when I was little, where he appeared from time to time when he was still living as a woman. This compilation album collects his work from across his career, which started in 1970, but also includes live recordings from two years ago. This collection is lovely, and showcases Glenn-Copeland’s growth as a musician in ways that are remarkable.
