Editor’s Note – James reaches another milestone as our eclectic iron man as his weekly column reaches #600; he’s been putting his passion into this for over 11.5 years. This column has put a needed spotlight on important comics that are not only from the Big 3, but from all publishers big and not-so-big. He’s also seasoned many columns with his eclectic musical tastes too. Thank you for sharing your interest and infectious passion with us James! We’re better for it. Now onto the milestone column. – John
Best Comic of the Week:
Marauders #21 – It’s Hellfire Gala time, and this issue is the main event for the week. We see the beginning of Emma’s grand evening, and I enjoyed the various character interactions that made this an entertaining issue. We’ve got the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom, Peter Gyrich, some world leaders, and other heroes showing up as guests, and Emma orchestrating the whole thing with wit. There are some funny scenes, building to Emma’s true purpose, which is kept secret. The twist in this issue isn’t actually revealed, which I found to be an entertaining approach. I’m looking forward to seeing where all this is headed. I like that this issue also included a reprint of the backup from an old issue of Classic X-Men, the only actual appearance of Lourdes, the woman who Sebastian Shaw has been thinking about lately. I’d forgotten how Shaw came to run the original Hellfire Club, so this was a good reminder. I still think it’s wild that John Bolton used to draw these backups for Chris Claremont, to retcon and fill in gaps in X-Men history. It’s all good stuff.
Quick Takes:
Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory #3 – We continue with the story from post-War Japan, where Emrys and his assistant Mullins meet the local equivalent of Wise Dogs, and try to get some help from the Yokai. This is a very middle issue, and as such, it didn’t do a whole lot for me. I enjoy this book a lot, but found this chapter a little slow.
Dead Dog’s Bite #4 – Tyler Boss is a very unique creator, and I enjoyed this series a lot. This final issue reveals the secrets of the town of Pendermills, and while things get weird, it does end very well. The art in this series is incredible.
Deadly Class #46 – This issue served up one surprise after another, as Rick Remender and Wes Craig jump forward in time again, and have Marcus getting together with some of his old friends to rehash past events, and maybe clear up some karmic debts. Last issue left me unsure, but with this one, I really get the sense that Remender is winding the series down, and while I’ll miss it, I think I’m okay with that. There is so much character development in this book, and so much life and detail in it, that it’s got to be exhausting to make. This was a really solid issue.
Everfrost #1 – I picked this up because I’ve really been enjoying Sami Kivelä’s work on a ton of indie comics lately (Abbott 1973, Undone By Blood). The last book I read that he did with Ryan Lindsay (Beautiful Canvas) was a mess of ideas. It seems like the same thing is happening here. There’s a scientist who is living in the remote skull of a dead god whose corpse has poisoned the whole world. She’s working on figuring out a way off the planet, by planting seeds extracted from creatures into the corpse of the god. She hangs out with a talking monkey thing. She discovers that her dead son has been cloned into a number of tiny underwater illegal squid fighters. I’m missing some of the other concepts that got tossed at us too quickly to fully process. This book is a mess, but it’s a pretty one. I don’t know if I’m going to get the next issue though; I need to read this again and see if I can make some more sense out of it.
Family Tree #12 – I’m a little surprised that Family Tree ended after only twelve issues, and wonder if Jeff Lemire and Phil Hester had a longer story planned. We do get a sense of emotional closure from this issue, but I’m left with a lot of questions about the whole people turning into trees and ending the world thing. Nothing really gets explained, and it leaves it feeling unfinished.
Fire Power #12 – If I’m being honest, I expected a much bigger issue here. Sure, this one is oversized, and wraps up the fight between the Temple of the Flaming Fist and the Scorched Earth Clan. As I was reading this, I worried that the series was actually ending, as it seemed to wrap up almost every plotline, but apparently this book is still going. I am so used to Robert Kirkman tossing a massive twist into his key issues, that I was left confused by how things played out here. This is an immensely entertaining book, so I am ready to see where things go next.
Hellions #12 – I read this Hellfire Gala tie-in last of this week’s three, but alphabetizing means that I’m placing it first in this column. I’m liking these Gala stories a lot. This one has the less savory members of the Hellions crashing the Gala after Sinister and Kwannon left them at home, and things get kind of chaotic, as they don’t really know how to behave in polite company. This was a fun issue.
Hollow Heart #4 – Mateo has set up a home for him and El, and they seem to be having a pretty good life, until El, the monstrous modified cyborg, starts to notice certain things, and begins to wonder if Mateo is being straight with him. This series, by Paul Allor and Paul Tucker, always starts each issue with a story about betrayal, and it really adds to the atmosphere. I was sure that I’d like this comic, but it’s exceeded my expectations time and again, as a very serious character study.
Immortal Hulk #47 – She-Hulk finally gets dragged into all of the madness revolving around the rest of her gamma family, as Hulk’s fight with the Avengers ends up bringing in Gamma Flight and a few others. Al Ewing keeps building towards his big finish, and this book stays fantastic.
Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters #1 – This new Star Wars event is satisfying my desire to see more Boba Fett in the world, and Luke Ross’s art is really very nice here. Boba’s after the people who stole Han Solo from him, and we finally learn just who that is. I guessed the revelation a few pages before we saw her, and am happy to see Charles Soule addressing this dangling plot thread from the movies. I have a good feeling about this event, although I think some of the tie-in issues will be tenuously connected.
Suicide Squad #4 – I stay confused by this Red X character, who is a kid but also so knowledgeable and aware of government secrets. Red X was taken prisoner by the Squad in Teen Titans Academy, but that seems to have been part of his plan all along. I am interested in this book, but am hoping we get a little more information soon. It’s strange that the most familiar character in this book is Peacemaker (I’m not counting Superboy, because he doesn’t seem to be himself).
Tankers #2 – Robert Venditti and Juan José Ryp’s squad of time travellers have to deal with the twist tossed their way at the end of the first issue. It’s a lot of powerful dinosaurs fighting people in tank-like exoskeletons, with some great Ryp artwork. This is basically a big dumb action movie, but a good one.
Vampirella #20 – This series is getting a lot wilder, as Priest has things all collide on Drakulon, and we get to know the first man to walk on the moon, who you’ve never heard of. It’s an odd issue, and doesn’t feature Vampirella’s therapist at all, perhaps for the first time. I continue to get a lot of enjoyment out of this book.
X-Force #20 – It kind of surprises me that anyone trusts Beast to do anything anymore. He’s trying to use the Hellfire Gala to his own ends, as we see some of the scenes from this week’s Marauders in a different light. It’s cool how coordinated this whole event is shaping up to be, and Ben Percy does have some interesting takes on his main characters.
The Week in Music:
McKinley Dixon – For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her – I love jazzy hiphop, but this album blows many others in the genre out of the water. Dixon is a great lyricist, filling this album with hard bars and some very introspective songs. Most of the tracks have him rapping over a live band (and, in one case, a full string ensemble), and it all works so well. He’s relatively new to the game, and shows so much promise on this album, which is on its way to being one of my favourites of 2021.
