Best Comic of the Week:
Stillwater #7 – This series is really heating up. A group of ex-Marines have been brought into the town in an effort to bolster the Judge’s position, but he didn’t know anything about the plan, making it kind of awkward. Daniel sees this as his chance to run with his mother, but that doesn’t work out either, and then in a surprise at the end, we learn what the kids of the town have been up to. Chip Zdarsky and Ramón Perez have made this one of my favourite books of the last year.
Quick Takes:
Captain America #29 – We’re at the second last chapter of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s run with Cap, and we’re still not at the place where Cap has confronted the Red Skull. This entire run has moved very slowly, with many action sequences that don’t really go very far. I don’t imagine I’m going to have any memory of this run in a couple of years, which is a shame because I would have thought that Coates could use the character to say a lot. These haven’t been bad comics, they just haven’t been very focused.
Daredevil #30 – Matt stays annoying his friends as he rejects their latest attempt to get him out of jail, while Elektra makes a mistake in going after the man that Izzy Libris is putting in charge of crime in Hell’s Kitchen. Chip Zdarsky keeps moving his various plotlines forward, but little seems to happen in any given issue lately.
Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters #1 – I’ve generally learned to stay away from Marvel’s one-shots over the last few years, but when one includes writing by Al Ewing and Alex Paknadel, and art by Juan Ferreyra and Kevin Nowlan, it’s hard to resist. In the main story, Ewing and Paknadel (who is one of my favourite indie writers) tell us a story of a Hulk from the Babylonian era who had access to the Green Door. I wonder if we’re going to see this guy again, or if Ewing is just establishing that this has been a thing for a long time. In the backup story, The Scarecrow tries to feed off Bruce Banner’s fears. I’m always confused by Marvel’s Scarecrow character, because I know the Batman villain so much better. It’s weird that there are two. Another thing I don’t understand is why Kevin Nowlan is not considered a true legend. I’ve always loved his art, and wish he made more comics. He has not lost a step.
Rain Like Hammers #5 – Brandon Graham wraps up his latest miniseries by returning to Eugene, the character that opened the book, and tying his story into that of Brik Blok and the other characters. I feel like some elements of this story have gone over my head, but I’m always happy to just gaze at Graham’s art, especially when he’s in one of his Moebius phases. I enjoyed this series, and the expanded page count of each issue. I do think it’s cool how his different threads came together at the end here.
Sacred Six #9 – There are a lot of reasons why this book shouldn’t work, but Priest is able to make it a tough read on one hand, and compelling on the other. The various characters are not making this a team book at all, but the connections between the characters continue to grow. It’s an interesting companion to his much tighter (but also occasionally very confusing) Vampirella, but you could never read this book on its own and have a hope of understanding it.
The Scumbag #8 – Ernie is conflicted once again, as the hippies on the moon work to recruit him, and turn Sister Mary to their side first. This leads to a nice scene where we learn the backstory behind both of these main characters, before Ernie makes a mess of things again. This arc is not as obvious in its social commentary as the first one was, but it’s still a fun book to read.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #12 – Valance is trying to work with Dengar to track down Boba Fett, but the appearance of Zuckuss and 4-LOM really messes things up for him. This issue lines things up with the upcoming War of the Bounty Hunters event, and works to remind potential new readers of Beilert’s awkward history with Han Solo. I’m going to stick with this book through the War, but I’m kind of tired of it now.
Undone by Blood or The Other Side of Eden #3 – I love the parallel structure of this series, which has two postal workers in rural Depression-era Texas fleeing from the rich men they’ve just robbed, while in the pulp Western one of them is reading, Solomon Eaton is trying to pull together the wreckage of a botched train robbery. Both stories are interesting, and I like the way writers Lonnie Nadler and Zac Thompson weave them together thematically. This is an enjoyable series.
Way of X #2 – I’m enjoying this miniseries, even though it’s not really what I was expecting. Nightcrawler gets recruited to help Legion, who has fallen into trouble because of Orchis. This raises questions about whether or not it’s going to be safe to have Legion on Krakoa – he’s always been a handful and very unpredictable. Si Spurrier is picking up on plot threads from his last X-book (the Legion-centric X-Men Legacy) and also creating space for the less-popular or under-utilized people on the island. I’m curious to see where he takes things, especially given the revelation of who the Patchwork Man is at the end of the issue.
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #6 – I wasn’t sure where Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo were planning on taking this series after the end of the first arc, but now, we’ve moved forward some distance in time, and learn that Captain Malik has become the focus of a growing religion. Ewing is playing with big ideas in this series, and I feel like it’s only getting more interesting. I still find Di Meo’s art a little hard to follow though.
Wolverine #12 – I’m still not sure what Ben Percy is trying to do with this book. Logan is approached by Omega Red with a plan to stop the vampires, which he goes along with. I’m getting a little bored with this title, and am wondering if it’s time to start culling some mutant books…
Comics I Would Have Bought if Comics Weren’t So Expensive:
Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade #3
Mighty Valkyries #2
