Best Comic of the Week:
Die #20 – Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans’s exploration of a universe based on a role playing game comes to its satisfying end with this issue. I’ve never been an RPG person, except for a brief couple of weeks in middle school, but this story really appealed to me. A group of friends got trapped in the game as teenagers, and then most of them were able to free themselves, returning to the real world years after they left. Now, they’re back in Die, and find themselves confronted by the talking die at the centre of it. We grapple with the central reason for these games, but never loses sight of telling a complex and rewarding story. Hans’s work has been gorgeous throughout, and I know I’m going to miss these characters now that it’s over.
Quick Takes:
Crossover #8 – It’s nice to be back on the main story, with series creators Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw returning. This issue flew by in a hurry, picking up from where the first arc ended. I like that Deena Pilgrim and Christian Walker, from Powers, are featured so prominently, and generally enjoyed this issue. I would like to see meatier issues though…
Deathstroke Inc. #1 – I’ve always thought that Deathstroke was a cool character, but Priest’s superlative Rebirth era series made me love the guy. I was happy to see him returning to monthly books, and written by Joshua Williamson, whose Robin has been making me happy. It’s an odd setup this time around. Slade has joined an organization called TRUST, alongside Black Canary, and they use Batman’s extensive collection of gear (I don’t know what’s up with that, having given up on following Batman’s title a while back) to hunt down criminals. Slade and Dinah go up against HIVE, and we start to get the lay of the land, although it’s clear that TRUST is not to be TRUSTed. I’m intrigued, and like the fact that Slade is trying to turn over a new leaf. I want to see where this book goes (although I’m not too excited about the teaser that suggests he’ll be going up against Prometheus; that’s a character that only Grant Morrison should be allowed to write). Howard Porter is a fine artist, although his style seems to have gravitated further towards the DC house style than I would like.
Department of Truth #13 – And now, finally, we learn one of the biggest potential secrets in this series, as Cole is taken back to the place he claimed he saw Satan as a child, and learns a ton of new things about Black Hat, the Department, and his own past. James Tynion IV has a bunch of threads converging here, and it’s all pretty interesting.
Echolands #2 – I’m all in on JH Williams III’s new series. We learn a little more about Hope and her crew, while she exhibits a hidden ability, and leads them on an escape from the city’s ruler’s people. This book is stunningly beautiful, with Williams making very good use of the landscape format to make this book look and feel completely different from anything else on the stands. Beyond that, though, it’s clear that he and co-writer Haden Blackman have big plans for this series.
Inferno #1 – I’ve been looking forward to seeing Jonathan Hickman return to the subplots and themes that he sprinkled across House of X, Powers of X, and his X-Men run, but I’m afraid I was a little bored with the final result. This issue is calling back to stories that are now a couple of years old, so a lot of exposition was needed (whether it was always there or not), and some of this comic fit awkwardly with what’s happening with other Krakoan titles (most notably, I don’t know how this fits with the Trial of Magneto). I’m pleased to see the team taking on Orchis again, and that the long-running storyline about Mystique, Destiny, and Moira McTaggert is coming to a head, but this issue felt kind of clunky to me. I’m hoping that the next issue will be a little more streamlined.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30 – I have two complaints about this issue. 1) I hate Miles’s new look. I can see how a redesign makes sense, but the built-in hoodie often makes it look like he’s wearing a baggy onesie, and I don’t understand why he’d have a built-in face warmer. 2) This title has way too many oversized issues with underwhelming backup stories for no good reason. Sure, it’s Miles’s 10th anniversary, but we just did the same thing with issue 25. I don’t care that the Hollywood people turned up for the backup stories, because they weren’t good stories. At least it was nice to see some Sara Pichelli art in this book again.
Robin #6 – The tournament is on, and Robin is up against a number of talented fighters, while simultaneously trying to figure out what the League of Lazarus is trying to do. I’m really enjoying this book, and how Joshua Williamson is making use of a number of cool obscure characters. Gleb Melnikov’s art is perfect for this run.
Star Wars #17 – Luke and Vader confront one another in space while Leia, Chewbacca, and Lando try to get the Millennium Falcon working, so they can rescue Han before the Hutts get him. This issue looks great (Ramon Rosanas just keeps getting better), and the story is fine given these are scenes between scenes of the larger War of the Bounty Hunters event book. Is it worth pointing out that there are no bounty hunters in this issue at all? There’s been some false advertising with this event…
Superman: Son of Kal-El #3 – I’m really impressed by this book, and how Tom Taylor is solidifying Jon Kent’s new role, and how he’s going to do things differently from his father. When police try to arrest protestors who are trying to keep the Gamorran refugees from being deported, Jon insists he be arrested too. It’s a strong scene, especially since Jon points out that his father was a refugee, which is not a common take on Superman. I’m looking forward to continuing this book, as Jon gets positioned to face Henry Bendix in future issues.
SWORD #8 – Storm gets the spotlight this month, as she adjusts to being the regent of Arakko, which means having to face challenges from anyone who wants her position. This puts her at odds with Tarn, and they face off in the arena. It’s hard not to think about her fight with Callisto decades ago during this scene, and I do wonder why Storm is trapped to forever live through similar stories. I like SWORD a lot, and with Guardians of the Galaxy and Immortal Hulk both ending or recently cancelled, it’s the only regular Al Ewing book on the stands right now; however, I do wish this book felt more focused, instead of like it could always be an issue of another title.
Thor #17 – Donny Cates continues to try to put his own stamp on Thor, while having to incorporate some changes being made to the character over in the Avengers book. Thor has an acrimonious meeting with his parents and sister, and I found my attention drifting. I’m starting to get a little bored of this book, and the way that everything always has to return to Odin in the last ten years. I really like Michele Bandini’s art in this issue, which has a different feel to it than what I’ve gotten used to. If things don’t pick up quickly, though, I think I might stop preordering this title.
Undiscovered Country #16 – This series keeps getting stranger and more abstract, and as I was reading this issue, which has our main characters communicating with a creature made out of iconic musical instruments, I realized that writers Scott Snyder and Charles Soule are trying to make this their Grant Morrison book. I honestly don’t think it’s working – things are hard to follow like a Morrison book at their most Morrison, but the story isn’t saying as much as they seem to think it is, and I’m less and less invested in it. The characters are enjoyable, but I’m starting to think this might be my last arc.
Wolverine #16 – Logan and Solemn square off over the Muramasa swords, and things get a little complicated. I like that Solemn’s character is getting more play, as he was the most interesting part of X of Swords, but once again, this series seems to exist just as service to events in X-Force or Marauders. I’d rather see Logan have his own purpose or some character growth.
Comics I Would Have Bought if Comics Weren’t So Expensive:
Amazing Fantasy #3
The Week in Music:
Cadence Weapon – Parallel World – This week, Cadence Weapon’s latest album, which came out in the summer, won the Polaris Prize, Canada’s preeminent musical award, given to the best album that came out that year, as selected by a jury of people who know what they’re talking about. I also got to see Cadence play the first indoor show I’ve been to since the first Covid lockdowns (I had tickets long before he won the prize), and I finally picked up a copy of this album, which I didn’t know had been released on CD. The album is an interesting collection of songs, rapped over strange and untraditional beats. Cadence raps about self-love, Canada’s hidden Black history, and gentrification in Toronto. That song, Skyline, calls out our current mayor and provincial premier for not caring about the people, and, as someone who lives near part of the transit project that has disrupted a huge swath of the city for near a decade now, it really feels like the anthem of the summer. Cadence is a hiphop mainstay in this country, and deserves the increased recognition (even if this album was my third choice for the prize this year, after the transcendent When Smoke Rises by Mustafa, and the very cool DijahSB project, Head Above the Water). The show this week felt terrific too!
