Best Comic of the Week:
Two Moons #6 – John Arcudi’s Western horror series returns after a brief hiatus, and the story has moved ahead more than twenty years. Frances, who was a nurse in the first arc, is now the only female doctor on the plains. One night, three Indigenous men come to see her, one of whom is suffering from a bullet wound. She’s surprised to see that it’s Two Moons who has brought the others. They’re being pursued by some settlers, who themselves run into some supernatural events. Arcudi sets up this new arc masterfully, and artist Valerio Giangiordano creates a dark, foreboding atmosphere. I got spirit bear vibes off a few pages. In the letter page, Arcudi explains that he is reworking the historical Ghost Dance movement in this arc, and I’m curious to see where he takes things. He’s one of my favourite comics writers, although he doesn’t write a whole lot. This arc should be good, and feels very different from the first.
Quick Takes:
Aquaman: The Becoming #2 – It’s weird that Jackson is not in this issue very much, as the Atlanteans aren’t able to hold him on suspected terrorism charges. The focus is on the agents interrogating Mera, not knowing that she’s perhaps already involved. I picked this up to get to know Jackson better, and because I’m a fan of Brandon Thomas’s independent work. So far, I am liking this series, and will probably get the whole thing.
Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target #1 – I was expecting this book to have something to do with the reasons why Arthur is on Mars in the other Aquaman book, especially since it’s written by the same writer, but instead, we are in a weird situation where Arthur and Oliver Queen appear to have switched places. Things are not clear at all here, but I have come to trust Brandon Thomas’s writing, so I think I’ll continue to check this book out. Despite the house style art, this book is not very typical.
Black Hammer Reborn #5 – Lucy has taken up the mantle of Black Hammer again after last issue’s tragedy, and has to figure out how to solve the problem of another Earth that’s about to crash into her’s, starting in Spiral City. Jeff Lemire has made this book very interesting, and I like how it builds on the previous Black Hammer comics while being tonally and thematically its own thing. I realize now that all the random-seeming miniseries he’s written have been leading into this, and I respect the amount of forethought and planning. I also really like the art by guests Malachi Ward and Matthew Sheean. There’s even a cool backup that heads back to the Age of Doom stuff, featuring art by Rich Tomasso. That was a nice surprise.
Chu #9 – We see Saffron’s origin story, and learn how she ended up being the criminal member of the Chu family. Now she is stuck working for the gangster that gave her her start, in a complicated time travel art theft plot. John Layman has a lot of fun writing this book, and it shows. It’s a good crime humor comic.
Crossover #9 – This is another solid issue that pokes fun at Brian Michael Bendis a lot, kills off another big name comics creator, and perhaps reveals the identity of the person that’s been killing them (I was seriously hoping it would be Scourge). I’ve liked this series since it started, but I’m more intrigued by this arc, which digs deeper into the mechanics of the story, and asks what happens to a writer’s creations after the creator is killed. It’s a good comic that is cemented by its strong central characters.
Daredevil #35 – Elektra stands against the Bullseyes, while Mary rushes off to rescue the Kingpin. This was a solid issue, as Chip Zdarsky starts wrapping things up and preparing for his upcoming Daredevil-driven event (Devil’s Reign?). My favourite moment in this issue is when Spider-Man calls out an NYPD cop for basically not contributing to society. Zdarsky has brushed up against some big concepts in this run, and I wish he’d been able to, or taken the time to, explore them in more detail. This ending feels like it’s coming pretty quickly.
Deathstroke Inc. #2 – This is a pretty quick-moving issue that has Slade, Black Canary, and Hiro fighting the Cyborg Superman outside a space station. Howard Porter makes this issue very exciting, but it was kind of lacking in substance for me. I’m hoping that the next issue, which has the team going after Cheetah, will leave a little more room for character development.
Echolands #3 – JH Williams III is going all out with this series, and it’s incredible. Every page of this landscape-formatted series is a revelation, as we see just what Williams can do when given ultimate freedom. The story is pretty compelling too, as Hope and her friends try to negotiate with Romulus, a former lover of hers, for protection, but he’s perhaps not all that inclined to help. This is a very impressive series.
Inferno #2 – While the first issue of this Jonathan Hickman X-event was a little cold, this one is more impressive. We learn just how Mystique managed to bring Destiny back, and watch her behind-the-scenes machinations to guarantee her a place on the Quiet Council. We also see how Charles, Erik, and Moira respond to it, all while Orchis continues to plan and work against them. Really, there’s no reason why this couldn’t be a story in the main X-Men book, but I’m enjoying it. It’s nice to see that there is a focus to the Krakoa books, even if it’s not always apparent. I do wonder how this issue’s end will fit with some of the recent events in X-Force though…
Jupiter’s Legacy Requiem #5 – More betrayal abounds as the family tries to pull itself together, and alien forces move against them. I’m finally feeling like I know who everyone in this book is, more or less, and I’m enjoying it more.
Marauders #25 – It’s rare to see a lot of action involving the main characters in this book, so I enjoyed watching the core crew work together to confront the alien that stole their ship from them. Phil Noto is the right artist for this book, and I hope he sticks around.
Moon Knight #4 – MK has to deal with a living ransomware attack, as a forgotten minor character tries to control his finances, just as Tigra pays a visit. I’m liking this book more and more, as Jed MacKay works to reconcile so many of the different visions of Marc we’ve seen in the past, and basically fix him as a character. It’s pretty decent stuff.
Oblivion Song #34 – I’m sad that there are only going to be two more issues of this series. Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici have made a really unique science fiction adventure series with this book, and its strong characters drive it quite well. We are clearly getting close to the end, as we see an amazing fight between two factions of Kuthaal, and discover the secrets of The Growth. This book has never not been entertaining.
Once & Future #21 – The visit to Bath reveals some more problems for our heroes, who now need to go on the run to stay ahead of Arthur’s forces. This series was a slow build for me, but now I’m enjoying it a lot.
Primordial #2 – I’m not entirely sure what all is happening in this latest series by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino, other than the fact that it’s about the experiences of the first animals shot into space, and the people who studied them. This book is gorgeous, and Sorrentino is doing his usual cool tricks with layout and design. I want to know more though.
Robin #7 – Damian’s figured out some of the secrets of the League of Lazarus, including Mother Soul’s true identity, but he’s not able to do anything about it all before being dragged back into the tournament. This issue is exciting and surprising, as this series becomes perhaps my new favourite DC book. It’s really well balanced.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #17 – Vader wraps up his involvement with the War of the Bounty Hunters, as we learn some things about Ochi, and how the apparent rift between Vader and the Emperor gets put on the back burner. As always with this book, Rafaelle Ienco’s art is incredible. It looks like Greg Pak will have Vader hunting down the Crimson Dawn for the next little while, and I’m cool with that. It should make for a nice change of pace. The fact that he only rarely encounters our favourite Rebels makes a lot of sense.
SWORD #9 – Henry Gyrich makes his move, interrupting a visit from the Shi’ar Empress to Arakko. This issue is full of Imperial Guardians, weird new villains, more intrigue from Brand, a new traitor, and a cameo from Guardian, of the original Alpha Flight. I really like this series, and am glad that there is at least one monthly book being written by Al Ewing still.
That Texas Blood #11 – Joe Bob and Eversaul work to rescue a young girl from a cult’s ritual in the 1980s, as Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips ratchet up the tension in this series by an order of magnitude. I found this second arc a little hard to get into at first, but now, as it nears its end, I think it’s both more exciting and a little more subtle than the first one. I feel like Condon is showing us his greater vision for this series, which examines a county that is just wrong at its heart. It’s good stuff.
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #9 – Just as it looks like the heist of the giant corpse of the God Malik is about to go off without a hitch, there’s a pretty big twist. Al Ewing must be having a ball writing this series, which looks at faith, loyalty, and resource scarcity in new ways. I still find Simone Di Meo’s art hard to follow, but I really enjoy this title.
Wolverine #17 – This is an atypically solid issue of this series, that has Logan’s CIA friend landing in some trouble, while Logan, Domino, and Maverick go after some enemies who want to poison the water around Krakoa. This series still lacks any real development or work on Logan’s character, but it’s nice to see some of the threads from the beginning of this run being picked up and worked on. I liked Lan Medina’s art in this issue too.
The Week in Music:
BADBADNOTGOOD – Talk Memory – I’m so happy to see BBNG return, taking their music in some new directions. The group carries on without keyboardist Matty Tavares, but his presence is not as missed as I’d have thought it would be. This new album has the group collaborating with people like Laraaji, Terrace Martin, and Brandee Younger, and also features incredible string arrangements by Arthur Verocai. BBNG are such a versatile band who explore cosmic jazz, progressive rock, and instrumental hiphop on this album. It’s great.
Native Soul – Teenage Dreams – This album is made by two young South African electronic artists. Each track is a densely built soundscape with multiple layers, in the amapiano style (which I’ve only learned about through reading the liner notes). This is a propulsive and intelligent form of dance music that tells a story, and offers great things to come in the future. I’m thankful for the label Awesome Tapes From Africa for finding and sharing this music with a larger global audience.
Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad – Jazz is Dead 9 (Instrumentals) – Now that the first “season” of the Jazz is Dead series, which has seen Younge and Muhammad collaborating with various jazz greats, is over, they decided to release instrumental versions of all the songs from the series that had vocals. It’s nice listening to these familiar songs in a different way, leaving space to reflect on and revisit some lovely music. Jazz is Dead is one of the things I’ll forever associate with the pandemic, as these bimonthly releases became something to look forward to and enjoy. There’s still a remix disc to come, and then at some point, the second season. So much good music.
