Best Comic of the Week:
Seven to Eternity #17 – This series began in the fall of 2016, and since then, has consistently stood out as being completely unpredictable and stunningly beautiful. Adam Osidis is a deeply conflicted man capable of betraying anyone is pursuit of his own delusions, who convinced himself that he, and he alone, could manage to protect his family, save the lives of millions, and be the only person who could end the threat of Garils, the Mud King. This entire series has been built on his sense of hubris and his incredible talent for self-deception, and this issue ends pretty much the only way it could, kind of brutally. Rick Remender made this book an uncomfortable one. It’s hard to spend years reading about as flawed a person as Adam, and still find yourself rooting for him, while decrying his actions. It took me a while to figure out this title – at the beginning, I was wrapped up in the depth of world building that Remender and Jerome Opeña engaged in to make this comic so unique, and didn’t really notice that Adam was not growing in positive ways. And I think that, in addition to Opeña’s art, might be why I will treasure this series. Compare it to Remender’s other recently concluded series, Low, which was built around Stel’s optimism. In both books, a deeply unfamiliar world’s future hinged on an unlikely hero, but in this one, anyone who demonstrated the kind of hope that Stel devoted her life to, ended badly. This final issue has a lot going on in it, and it is a heavy read. I really liked this series, and am glad to see it through to its conclusion. I remember looking at Opeña’s art in FEAR Agent, many years ago, and thinking that he’d grow to be a big name artist. I don’t think I could have guessed at how impressive his work would become. I cannot wait to see what he does next. Now that this is done, I would love to go back and read it from the start in a short amount of time; I just think I need to wait a while, as this is heavy stuff.
Quick Takes:
Fire Power #14 – There has yet to be a slow issue of this series. Even an issue, like this one, which spends half its time focusing on Owen’s family and life at home, can turn on a dime to involve dozens of sentient snakes, the return of dead girlfriends, and a kung fu basketball game. Chris Samnee continues to make each and every issue stunning, and it’s clear that Robert Kirkman is having a ball writing this.
Hellions #14 – Tarn has come after Mister Sinister, as part of the fallout of the X of Swords event, and that leads to some chaos and some clarity on the changes that Wildchild, Nanny, and Orphan Maker underwent in that land. This was a decent issue, if not a particularly memorable one.
Immortal Hulk #49 – For Al Ewing’s penultimate issue, we have Jackie writing the narrative as a piece of her reporting. Most of the issue is given over to another big fight between Hulk and the Avengers, even though he goes to them for the help of the Fantastic Four in reaching the place (Hell?) where Banner’s been taken. This book is going on a brief hiatus before the fiftieth issue, and while I’m excited to see how it all ends, I don’t mind waiting as I know that Ewing and Joe Bennett have been giving this book everything they’ve got.
The Lot #2 – I’m pretty impressed with this horror series by Marguerite Bennett and Renato Guedes. The story, about a studio lot where a deal was made with a malevolent demon decades before, is being handled in new ways, and Guedes’s mix of photography and art keeps things visually very interesting. This comic is not like anything else Bad Idea has published so far, and it definitely has my interest. I also liked the Hero Trade backup by Kindt and Lapham. I’d have no problem with them expanding the concept into a proper series – it’s like a twisted Astro City.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #15 – There’s a lot that happens in this issue that is dependent on reading Doctor Aphra’s book. This title is lagging a little compared to how the other titles are coinciding with the War of the Bounty Hunters. I will say that I’m enjoying the buddy cop pairing of Dengar with Valance.
Stillwater #9 – We are back in the present with this issue, as we learn what the children of Stillwater have been up to over the decades, and why they think that Daniel might be the one to help them. At the same time, the Sheriff has been deposed, and Ted takes that as a chance for some payback, but as usual, he’s kind of ineffective. Chip Zdarsky and Ramón Perez have put together a very interesting series, which is starting to move in some unexpected directions.
Suicide Squad #6 – I continue to find this series interesting, but I wish we had more of a handle on the characters. So many of them are not very established, and now six issues in, it’s still hard to care about them. I think Robbie Thompson needs to spend a little more time digging into everyone’s motivations.
Vampirella #22 – I found out this week that Priest’s run with Vampirella will be wrapping up soon, which explains why everything has been ramping up lately in the story. Vampirella is back on Earth, and Shane is tracking down his family in our world, but not for a reunion. Characters from Sacred Six are bleeding back into this book again, as Victory confronts Vampirella, and as Katie comes across the three teens that came from Drakulon. This is getting a little confusing again.
X-Men #2 – There are some aliens who are competing to trash the Earth, so it looks like we’re going to keep getting these stories where some threat (the Annihilation Wave, this time) comes at the Earth, and the X-Men respond. Gerry Duggan seems determined in this issue to give everyone a bit of character space, so we get Sunfire explaining his sense of self-worth to some humans. Things feel a little forced in this issue, but I hope it’s just growing pains, as Duggan gets used to writing a more focused book after spending so much time working on the loose and fluid Marauders.
Comics I Would Have Bought if Comics Weren’t So Expensive:
Avengers #47
Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1
Swamp Thing #6
The Week in Music:
Leon Bridges – Gold-Diggers Sound – I’ve been aware of Bridges for a while, but never really paid him much mind until this project, which I first listened to because of tracks featuring Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin. This is a lovely, soulful album that I need to spend more time listening to. It has a nice, relaxed vibe to it, and features appearances from artists I admire like Keyon Harrold and Carlos Niño, and features terrific production from Ricky Reed and Nate Mercereau.
