Best Comic of the Week:
New Masters #1 – I thought I’d take a chance on this new Image comic by two Nigerian creators, Shobo and Shof (I’m pretty sure they’re brothers), and I’m so glad I did. This is an excellent first issue. We are introduced to a science fiction world where Nigeria is one of the key cities on the Earth, due to its having an interplanetary launchpoint. We meet a young woman, Ola, who is a scavenger hunting for some rare obsidium from crashed alien ships with her robotic companion Àse (I can’t figure out how to make the correct accents to put dots under the s and e in his name). We also see how cut-throat her world can be, as her unexpected discovery doesn’t reap much benefit for her. We learn that the illegal obsidium trade is squeezing profits for the ruling class, and that the Governor has a Jovian lover who alerts her to the existence of an alien artifact that could solve all her problems, but that is also being sought by other interested parties. This book is rich and full of interesting details, strong character development, and very cool art. I like how Lagosian slang and patterns of speech are used throughout, giving this a very different feel and sensibility. So far as first issues go, it does an incredible job of setting up the story and giving me lots of reasons to return next month. I’m very excited about this book, and appreciated the extra page count in this issue. I think that Shobo and Shof show a lot of promise as creators, and I’m looking forward to reading more.
Quick Takes:
Batman #120 – Joshua Williamson’s Batman is interesting. He’s trying to figure out who framed the men of Batman Inc., which is now funded by Lex Luthor, while also trying to solve the mystery surrounding new villain Abyss. Things move at a good pace, and Mikel Janin and Jorge Molina do make the book visually impressive. I am not feeling any real heart in this book yet, which is a contrast to Williamson’s Robin, but I’m willing to stick around for a while and see where this all goes.
Crossover #11 – This series heads down a much more metatextual path, with writer Donny Cates now being a major character in the story. We learn how he came to be in the government’s custody, and see that he has some secret plans at play. This series has been enjoyable, and with the latest comics character to enter the cast on the last page, it looks like it will continue to be full of surprises. I like the way Cates and Geoff Shaw have structured and built this story, and the way it rewards a lot of deep knowledge of Image and other independent comics.
Devil’s Reign #3 – As the Kingpin works to tighten his grip, Luke Cage launches his mayoral campaign, and he and his friends figure out how the Kingpin is influencing peoples’ decisions. There’s a development with Doctor Octopus, who has some alternate reality companions now, and the Purple Man’s kids come to town. This issue feels looser than the ones before it, and like too many key moments are happening in the tie-in comics I’m not reading. Still, Marco Checchetto demonstrates that he’s up to big tent-pole comics with his excellent art, and Chip Zdarsky keeps things moving. I’m basically just reading this series as an interlude before his next Daredevil relaunch, so that’s where my attention is.
Devil’s Reign: X-Men #1 – It’s come to light recently that Emma Frost employed her talents on behalf of Wilson Fisk during his days as the Kingpin, so it makes sense that there be an X-Men tie-in to the Devil’s Reign event. Gerry Duggan shows us a little of what Emma used to get up to, before having the Thunderbolts, led by USAgent, go knocking at the treehouse, looking to evict the X-Men. This fits pretty seamlessly with what is going on in the main X-Men title, and has some lovely Phil Noto art, but ultimately, is not going to be very groundbreaking. The idea of Emma and Elektra working together back in the day is an interesting one…
Echolands #6 – This book continues to be the most beautiful and visually inventive comic on the stands. JH Williams III has gone off in this title, and it is pretty incredible. The quality of this book has me wondering just how long of a lead time he’s given it, as I cannot believe a book that looks like this can be crafted in just a month. I’m really enjoying it.
Eternals #9 – Thanos comes after the Eternals in Lemuria, and a few devastating things happen. Esad Ribic shares the art in this book with Guiu Vilanova, who is a fine artist, but kind of suffers in comparison. I like how Kieron Gillen is reconceptualizing the Eternals in such a way that I find them interesting for the first time ever.
Iron Man #16 – Tony has cosmic powers now, and still has his tendency to think that he knows what’s best for everyone, so that quickly leads him into problems with his new crew (minus a few) and the Avengers. I wonder if this is what Chris Cantwell has been building to all along, and the Korvac stuff was just necessary preamble. It’s a decent issue, and I want to see where it goes.
Marauders Annual #1 – Steve Orlando is going to be taking over writing Marauders when it returns in a couple of months, so he uses this Annual to put his stamp on things. Kate Pryde goes about gathering a new team, and since Daken is missing, she decides to stack the group with his current and former lovers, which strikes me as a too obvious recipe for unnecessary drama. I liked this issue until they confronted the bad guy, Brimstone Love, who just seemed a little too ridiculous to me. His grievances weren’t all that clearly articulated, and it kind of threw me out of the story (he think Xavier has betrayed his dream, so he wants to tortue Daken). Still, this was an entertaining comic, and I have hope for Orlando’s run. It should be decent. I don’t know the artist, Creees Lee, but I liked their work.
Moon Knight #7 – Moon Knight is trying to hunt down Zodiac, but there are very few leads, and they don’t much help. We see him make a visit to the Bar With No Name, and also learn that Tigra is keeping an eye on Marc for someone. I’m enjoying this title, but this issue felt more slight than the ones before it. It’s still a good read though.
Newburn #3 – Someone has been killing members of each mob family, and Newburn has been struggling to solve the case. I like that three issues into this series, Chip Zdarsky has kept things more or less episodic, almost like he’s setting this series up for a TV adaptation. Jacob Phillips’s art gives off more of a Sean Phillips vibe here than he does in That Texas Blood, and I’m sure that’s because of the subject matter. It wouldn’t take much to think this is a Brubaker/Phillips comic, and I mean that in the most glowing way. The backup story continues to be interesting, but it’s paced pretty strangely, like someone is just taking a graphic novel and cutting it into five page chunks.
One-Star Squadron #3 – Power Girl makes her move to take over the office from Red Tornado just as Superman starts to put some pressure on the Heroes4U app’s board of directors. I’m getting a lot out of this character study of lower-tier heroes by Mark Russell and Steve Lieber, who is always so good at this kind of thing. This book is funny, but also very affecting. I do wonder why the Red Tornado is not a more prominent character in the DC landscape. This book gives off major Damage Control vibes…
The Scumbag #12 – Rick Remender and Roland Boschi have a good time poking fun at the 1950s world that Scorpianus has brought about. Ernie is not too pleased with this new reality, but is also on the run from his former colleagues. This series is silly, but at its best when taking the piss out of a lot of right wing ideology.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #18 – Aphra continues to hunt Ascension tech, but she’s one step behind a person she’s wronged, which means she has to get the help of another person she’s wronged. This is not narrowing anything down, because she’s wronged just about everyone she’s ever met. This is a decent issue, but it doesn’t really stand out.
Suicide Squad #12 – Flag’s people attack Waller’s base while the Squad continues its fight with weird Marvel knock-offs in another dimension. There’s a lot of chaos in this issue, as Waller makes her big move (and seems to have teleportation powers). This leads into an event that’s coming up, and really, I’m left wondering if I care. I keep this title on my pull-file list, but I’m not sure why anymore. None of the characters interest me at this point, and the established ones feel a million miles away from the characters I knew. I am hoping we learn these are all multiversal counterparts, and when Dennis Hopeless starts writing this book, it finds an emotional centre. I do really want to like it…
The X-Cellent #1 – I was happy to see Peter Milligan and Michael Allred returning to the world of reality TV mutants, but this issue didn’t exactly grab me. The X-Cellent is a different team, run by Zeitgeist, who was once the leader of X-Force, but it’s not clear what they want, beyond becoming more popular than X-Statix. The comic jumps between these two teams, and like in earlier incarnations, they keep tossing new characters into the mix without much space for development. I’ll always love Allred’s artwork, which has not changed one bit, and I’m curious if Milligan has anything new to say about celebrity culture in the 2020s, but I didn’t get that vibe from this first issue.
X Lives of Wolverine #2 – I do think I am preferring the X Deaths series, so far. This issue has Logan jumping back in time to take over his body in different moments, in an attempt to protect Charles Xavier or his family line. The story is not linear, and I feel like it keeps the story from building any real sense of drama.
X-Men #7 – Last issue introduced Captain Krakoa, and revealed who he really is. This issue backs up and explains just what happened that made his existence necessary, and slightly advances some of the other plotlines. I’m not sure why Gerry Duggan chose to tell the story all out of order like he did; it didn’t really add all that much to things. This book continues to be enjoyable, and I’m liking Pepe Larraz’s art.
Comics I Would Have Bought if Comics Weren’t So Expensive:
Ka-Zar Lord of the Savage Land #5
Sabretooth #1
Star Wars: Halcyon Legacy #1
The Week in Music:
Bonobo – Fragments – It feels like Bonobo’s latest album is more dancey than his last few. Don’t get me wrong, Bonobo makes dance music, but this leans more into bouncier realms, while still remaining thoughtful and insightful. I like hearing Miguel Atwood-Ferguson’s strings in a few different places, and find that it all works really well for me.
Cleo Sol – Mother – I’ve been waiting for half a year to get a physical copy of what I consider to be the best soul album of 2021. Cleo Sol has a beautiful voice, and is a good songwriter. The production on this, like on her first album, is done entirely by Inflo, and it is superb. Together, they are part of Sault, which has also been very impressive (their album 9 also made my top ten of last year), but this album is much warmer and inviting. It is a treasure, and I love it.
