The Best Comic of the Week:
Two Moons #1 – I’ve been looking forward to this comic since I saw it in Previews. John Arcudi is writing a horror series set in the US Civil War. That, with some pages of Valerio Giangiordano’s art, was enough to guarantee the preorder. This issue introduces the main character, Two Moons, a young Pawnee man who was raised by a white family, and who is fighting on the side of the Union in the war. He’s plagued with visions he doesn’t understand, and things take a very dark turn during a small skirmish. I love historical fiction grounded in a strong understanding of history, and it looks like that’s what Arcudi is bringing to the table. This is a dark book, and with the possible exception of Brian Azzarello’s short-lived Loveless, is something I’ve never quite seen in comics before (we are a long way from the Haunted Tank era of war comics). I’m excited to see where this book leads, and I love Giangiordano’s detailed and creepy art.
Quick Takes:
Black Panther #23 – It has been almost a year since we last saw an issue of Black Panther, and it’s so nice to get back into this storyline. I really liked what Ta-Nehisi Coates, Daniel Acuña, and Ryan Bodenheim were doing with this book, and I’m not sure why it took so long for it to return after the Diamond shutdown. Its absence did kill a lot of the momentum, but over the course of this issue I found myself getting drawn in once again. I like how T’Challa has assembled a huge group of Black heroes to help him fight off the symbiote N’Jadaka, but also wonder why he wouldn’t put the call out for a larger group of helpers. I think there are only two issues left in this run, and then I’m curious to see what, if anything, Marvel is going to do with the Panther next.
Crossover #3 – Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw are having a great time with this book, which features characters from their earlier comics, and also features Michael Allred’s Madman, which is very cool. Comics figures from many fictional universes are in the real world, behind a big dome, and our main characters are trying to get a young fictional girl back inside it, and keep finding allies along the way. It’s a concept that could only work in comics, and it’s definitely working.
The Department of Truth #6 – This is an odd issue, focusing on Lee Harvey Oswald’s earliest days with the Department, and his education in the secret history of the world. Much of the issue is given over to a book he had to read, which is focused on the idea that when the Roman Catholic Church implemented its calendar, it fictionalized a few centuries, and the existence of Charlemagne. I’ll admit that I know very little about that time, and like seeing how much writer James Tynion IV is expanding the scope of this title by. It’s nice to see the guest artwork of Elsa Charretier.
Future State: Legion of Super-Heroes #2 – I’m really disappointed that this is how Brian Michael Bendis has chosen to bring his high-profile relaunch of the Legion to a close. It feels like he tried to use the time-jump possibilities of Future State to have both his Levitz/Giffen heyday, and then a couple of months later, his Giffen/Bierbaum nadir all at once. The Legion is a much-loved property, and the relaunch felt like it both understood the team’s appeal, and had new and modern things to say about it, but now it looks like it’s all over. As for this issue itself? It condensed what should have been a good long run into two issues, mostly by arriving at easy endings. This was a waste.
I Breathed A Body #2 – This Aftershock series by Zac Thompson and Andy MacDonald keeps getting weirder, as in the wake of the suicide of a very popular influencer, his handlers are instructed to vivisect his body on livestream, fueling interest around the world. The thing is, Mylo, the dead kid, was probably a clone, or maybe a large mushroom, and there is a lot we don’t know yet. Thompson’s recent books (especially Lonely Receiver) have been looking at the intersection of bodies, technology, and social media for a while now, and his work keeps getting darker and odder. I am not usually a huge fan of body horror, but there’s something very compelling about this book, and I want to understand more.
New Mutants #16 – Vita Ayala’s New Mutants feels very disjointed. There are various plotlines underway, but they aren’t exactly connected to one another, and Rod Reis’s art is back to being hard to follow in places, like when he debuted at Marvel. The bulk of this book is focused on Dani and Xian going to Otherworld to look for a missing mutant, and after X of Swords, I’m very sick of Otherworld. That’s why I’m not reading Excalibur. I want to like this book more than I am right now, but it’s not helping itself. I am intrigued by what’s going on with Rahne, and like that some of the characters from Morrison’s days, and from the Kyle/Yost New X-Men are getting a bit of screen time.
Oblivion Song #30 – Nathan spends most of this issue in a very cool sword fight with Dakuul, who is surprised to learn that Nathan has been schooled in their ways. The visuals in this issue are great, and the end of this fight changes everything about this series (a Robert Kirkman trademark, at this stage). I was surprised to learn at the end of the issue that there are only going to be another six issues of this title. Kirkman’s started writing much tighter stories these days, and that works for him, but at the same time, I’m sad to learn that this one isn’t going to last much longer. It’s been a very cool series. We should also remember that Kirkman is always at his most dangerous before he ends a title – there’s no telling what he might do.
Post Americana #3 – Steve Skroce’s post-American wasteland series has been pretty entertaining. This issue is more about lining up all the ducks for the rest of the series, as our two heroes go looking for allies in the fight against the people in the mountain. Skroce puts a lot of detail into his work that makes this a rewarding read.
Rain Like Hammers #2 – I was surprised to see that this issue wasn’t at all about Eugene, the hero of the first issue of this new Brandon Graham series. Instead, we follow a criminal mastermind to a flying city, where he ends up transferring his consciousness into the body of a butler, and works to figure out how to achieve his goals. Graham oozes creativity with every line he draws, and there’s a lot of wild ideas crammed into this comic. I’m curious to see how, if at all, this story connects to Eugene’s.
Scumbag #5 – Wes Craig drew this issue, and it’s gorgeous. Ernie has compromised himself, which cuts him off from his new abilities (they require noble intentions to work), but when he learns what Scorpionus is up to, even he has to act. Craig’s work in this book is incredible – it’s really got me missing Deadly Class, which is set to return soon.
Skulldigger + Skeleton Boy #6 – I was starting to wonder what happened to this very late Black Hammer comic, but as soon as I saw Tonci Zonjic’s art in this issue, I understood. He absolutely blows this one out of the park, as Skulldigger has his final confrontation with the book’s villain, and Skeleton Boy has to make a decision about the rest of his life. This was a good series, with an excellent ending.
USAgent #3 – Priest is having fun with this book, which brings back Battlestar, and introduces a new USAgent. Where the first couple of issues of this book were concerned with portraying the people of a small town in West Virginia, this issue also starts to look at identity politics, and some schisms in Black culture (a topic that Priest returns to quite often in his writing). This issue jumps around a lot, and is a little hard to follow in places, but I’m enjoying it. Priest’s John Walker is pretty different from the one we are used to seeing, in that he seems more thoughtful, especially compared to the way he was portrayed in the Avengers West Coast comics I’m currently rereading.
Wolverine #10 – Logan and Maverick are working together again, although it looks like they have pretty different goals. This series is pretty inconsistent, and while I liked this individual issue, I’m not sure there’s a lot of direction here.
X-Men #18 – We finally get to see what happened to Wolverine, Synch, and Darwin when they went into the Vault a while back. It’s an interesting issue, although I think I’m getting a little frustrated at how much this title jumps around lately. I would like to see Jonathan Hickman focus on a couple of storylines at some point, so we can have some sort of resolution to plotlines that started almost two years ago. At the same time, I do like how this appears to circle back on some stuff from Powers of X.
Year Zero Vol. 2 #5 – It’s the second last issue, and in each of the five stories being told in this run, we reach a point where our heroes have to deal with other people, who mostly do not seem to be too friendly. This series, which explores various responses to zombie takeovers, remains entertaining.
Comics I Would Have Bought if Comics Weren’t So Expensive:
Firefly #26
Write It In Blood TP
The Week in Music:
Adrian Younge – The American Negro – Adrian Younge takes us all to school with this incredible new album. Younge is exploring the history of Blackness in America with this album, which is dense with professorial vocal tracks interspersed between the songs, which illustrate a variety of styles and approaches to music, consolidating all of the ideas on display. This is an album that is going to require many more listens to fully absorb and digest. Younge provides an alternative look at Black History Month, revealing stories and contexts that aren’t often discussed, while also making some truly beautiful and affecting music. Younge plays all the instruments on here himself on most tracks, and this is a truly impressive project.
