Best Comic of the Week:
Planet-Size X-Men #1 – I don’t want to give away the content of this issue, but let’s just say that it’s got the right title. Magneto has been cooking up a pretty big plan for a while now, and it’s during the Hellfire Gala that it gets put into motion. Now we can understand what shocked so many of the guests, as we saw in the latest issue of Marauders, and for once, I think that the hype about this issue changing the Marvel Universe is correct. At the same time, it might not have a lot of effect on other Marvel titles. I do think that it will rub up against some plot points from Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers run, which might be interesting. This is a very well-written issue, thanks to Gerry Duggan, and it looks great, thanks to Pepe Larraz. This was a very meaty issue, and I’m thankful that Marvel didn’t try to squeeze an extra dollar on the cover price.
Quick Takes:
Alien #4 – Nothing says Alien more than people running around on a space station trying to avoid xenomorphs and getting into arguments with each other. That’s all we really want from this book, right? Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Slavador Larroca continue to deliver a good, exciting story with enough character development to keep things interesting.
Grendel: Devil’s Odyssey #7 – I was curious to see how this latest storyline, which has Grendel-Prime seeking to overturn a centuries-long tradition of trial by combat on a distant world as a precursor to making it the next home of the human race, would turn out. I didn’t expect it to turn into a pretty funny parody of Donald Trump, but that’s what Matt Wagner gives us this week. I’m sad that there’s only one more issue remaining in this series, it’s been really good.
Jupiter’s Legacy: Requiem #1 – Mark Millar returns to this world for a twelve-issue final series. In it, he jumps into the future, where the grandchildren of the original heroes are more or less running things. They are curious about the secrets of the island that gave the first Utopian his powers, and it looks like Millar is going to use this series to tie up any dangling threads from the start. Tommy Lee Edwards draws this issue, and it’s pretty gorgeous, although the colouring effect felt a little weird in places. There’s a flashback sequence inked by the great and recently departed John Paul Leon, which felt like a real treat to see. There are a lot of characters introduced in this issue, and I spent much of it trying to remember the details of the last Jupiter’s run. Luckily, I did just watch the Netflix show, so things were a little more familiar. I liked this.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #27 – Miles’s clone saga continues, as we learn a little more about the three clones who are making his life so difficult, and get a good sense of their leader, Selim. This book was slipping for a while, but I think that Saladin Ahmed has a good handle on it again, and I’ve grown to appreciate artist Carmen Carnero.
New Mutants #19 – It’s Hellfire Gala time for the cast of this book, at least most of the classic characters. Warlock is feeling lost now that Doug is married (I honestly thought their relationship was going to go a different way earlier on in this series), and Rahne is still upset with Dani for not being there for her. This issue is mostly plotless, aside from some dark stuff with Gabby at the end, but was enjoyable. I don’t understand why Karma went through the Crucible, and chose to be reborn without her leg though. I would have thought that she would have taken the opportunity to fix that.
Sacred Six #10 – At the ten issue mark, it often feels like this book is still assembling its team. We learn about the connection between the Gardener and the vampire hunter on a motorcycle, as the remnants of the group Lilith gathered discuss their next steps. This book is starting to feel way too unstructured for me, but I see that there are actually only two issues left, so it’s whatever. I wondered how Priest was going to keep things going, with Vampirella appearing in two different places at the same time.
Silver Coin #3 – I was really looking forward to this issue, written by Ed Brisson, because he’s so good at dark and crime-ridden stories. Instead, this one felt like it was done in a big rush, and I didn’t feel very connected to any of the characters. I still love the concept behind this series, and how artist Michael Walsh collaborates with a different writer each issue. Next month it’s Jeff Lemire, so that should be good.
Star Wars #14 – The War of the Bounty Hunters has Leia, Chewie, Han, Lobot, and C3PO on their way to the auction Crimson Dawn has arranged. A number of Charles Soule’s plotlines are colliding here, and he’s showing a real good understanding of Leia’s and Lando’s characters. I am enjoying this event so far.
Stillwater #8 – This time around we get some backstory on the Sheriff of Stillwater, and learn that she’s not originally from the town. Chip Zdarsky and Ramón Perez have crafted a really interesting book about a town where no one ages or dies, and it’s nice to get a chance to get to know the extended cast a little better. This series has a lot of story potential, and I like the way Zdarsky is slowly expanding our knowledge.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1 – I preordered this based on the fact that writer Tom King does his best work (Vision, Mister Miracle, Rorschach, and Strange Adventures) by focusing on underutilized characters who have a long past. For this eight-part series, he’s partnered with the excellent Bilquis Evely, whose work is magnificent here. I was a little confused when I started reading, as this is a fantasy series, with sword-wielding barbarian types. A young woman is furious that a corrupt official has killed her father, and is on the road seeking revenge. Her path crosses with Supergirl, who has come to this red-sun world to get drunk on her birthday. This is definitely not what I was expecting from this title, but King is good. He usually takes a very formalist, structured approach to his writing, but I don’t see that here. This seems to be a more character-driven story, and I’m down for it, especially with Evely’s art and the gorgeous colours of Matheus Lopes.
X-Corp #2 – I think this might be the most perplexing X-book, as it so far has all been about Warren and Monet starting a company that is already fully set up, aside from its board of directors. They spend this issue interviewing people at the Hellfire Gala, while basically snubbing Jamie Madrox. All of the characterizations feel kind of off here. This is not how I would expect Warren to act, and I don’t like the way they portray Monet. If this weren’t a miniseries, I’d probably be dropping it, but I am curious to know what the point of all this is. I need a better explanation of the difference between X-Corp and Hellfire too, and I’d like to know why they need a massive island helicarrier. There’s too much flash here, without enough substance.
The Week in Music:
Sedibus – The Heavens – I’ve talked on here before about how The Orb were a seminal band for me growing up, introducing me to the world of ambient house. Now they seem to have started their own label, Orbscure, from which this is the first release. Sedibus are The Orb’s Dr. Alex Patterson and Andy Falconer, who was involved in some of the earlier Orb recordings. It sounds like them, and it’s lovely. I had a few hours of drudgework to do the other day, and this just made it fly by, as I found it transported me to another world, and wormed its way in and out of my brain while I was listening. I like it better than the last Orb album.
Jaubi – Nafs At Peace – This is an incredible album of spiritual jazz from a group of mostly Pakistani musicians, and it is beautiful. Jaubi is joined by Tenderlonious, the prolific sax and flute player, and this whole thing is just such a vibe. I like how they weave what I think of as familiar jazz with an Eastern viewpoint. It’s going to get a lot of play this summer.
Mustafa- When Smoke Rises – Mustafa, once known as Mustafa the Poet, has been a part of Toronto’s poetry and hip hop scene for more than a decade now, first achieving fame while still in middle school. This is his official first album, and it is haunting and lovely. Mustafa writes and sings about lost friends. This elegiac album is as much a folk record as it is pop or r’n’b. His voice is plaintive and hurting, and the stripped down production (by Frank Dukes, with assistance from James Blake and Jamie XX) is haunting and sparse. It’s a really short album, but there’s a lot in here to digest. It was just placed on the long list for the Polaris Prize this year, and I can see it winning. It’s really worth listening to.
