Best Comic of the Week:
Superman: Son of Kal-El #10 – It’s time for Jon to confront a lot of what’s been going on with him, as Lex Luthor tries to turn public opinion against him. He also decides it’s time to come out to his mother, a scene that Tom Taylor and Cian Tormey handle very well. This book has been impressing me since it started, as Taylor balances the longer plots involving Henry Bendix with Jon’s journey as a hero, and his family relationships so well. There’s some really good stuff going on at DC right now, and this is among their strongest titles.
Quick Takes:
Black Panther #5 – The quest to discover who is leading the assassins that have been killing T’Challa’s sleeper agents leads to him being accused himself in an issue that features a lot of quick changes to the status quo. I’m enjoying this take on the Panther, as Wakanda transitions to democracy and institutions like the Hatut Zeraze struggle to understand their place in the new order. Juann Cabal’s art is great, and John Ridley has a good feel for T’Challa’s sense of responsibility and inscrutability. I am left wondering how many times someone can lose their own throne in the course of their life…
Eternals #11 – The Eternals are interacting more and more with the rest of the Marvel Universe, as their infiltration of Avengers Mountain is detected, and they have to try to rescue the inhabitants of a small town from Thanos’s machinations, while also keeping the Avengers at bay. It seems that Kieron Gillen is having more fun writing this book, and poking fun at the Eternals while he does it. I’m liking this title, and am not even upset that Esad Ribic is not always drawing it (Guiu Vilanova has a different style, but it works here).
Farmhand #16 – I’m so happy to see Rob Guillory’s Farmland return after a two year hiatus. Things are looking bleak in Freetown – the population is mostly taken over by planets, and while Zeke and his family are okay, helping the people who have been affected but still have self control, there’s a lot going on. It took me a bit to get back into the swing of this series, and remember where things left off, but once again, Guillory’s blend of light humour and dark body horror work very well together to make this series interesting and quite unlike anything else on the stands.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #37 – Miles and Shift are hopping dimensions, looking for Miles’s Uncle Aaron, but have instead found the original Miles Morales of 616, Ultimatum. There’s a weird fight, and then another jump that leads to a dark future. It’s cool that Miles gets his own Days of Future Past kind of storyline, but I maintain that I like this book best when he’s surrounded by his supporting cast.
The Rush #5 – Simon Spurrier and Nathan Gooden reveal a lot of what’s behind the weirdness in the small gold rush town where a faceless man riding on a giant spider (big Grant Morrison Doom Patrol vibes) is working with a winged creature and a giant spirit elk to keep people mining, although it often seems that the gold comes from their own wrists. This is a very strange series, centred around a very strong main character who is searching for her missing son. Nettie is betrayed, and things get pretty dark, which is saying a lot for this series. Spurrier deserves a lot more credit for putting together a wide variety of compelling miniseries. This is a very unique and strange book.
Star Wars #22 – The tight integration of the Star Wars titles pays off here, as a scene we’ve seen in Crimson Reign plays out from a different angle at the end of this book. Q’ira goes to see Leia with information, while Kes makes his move to try to rescue his wife. I’m liking this line a lot right now, even as Marvel seems determined to expand beyond a reasonable number of books.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #22 – There are so many layers to the constant deception we see from Vader, Ochi, and Sabé in this story arc, that I’m no longer sure where anyone stands. Greg Pak’s story is getting hard to follow, but it remains exciting, and very attractive, thanks to Rafaelle Ienco’s art.
X-Men #10 – Wolverine gets the spotlight this month, as she infiltrates the Orchis base on Phobos to rescue what she assumes is one of her sister clones. That’s not how it all turns out, of course, but this issue does give Gerry Duggan and Javier Pina space to showcase Laura for a bit. I’m enjoying this book, but it does feel increasingly cut off from the rest of the Krakoan titles, now that it’s the only one that Duggan is writing.
Comics I Would Have Bought if Comics Weren’t So Expensive:
Elektra #100
The Ghost in You: A Reckless Book HC
The Week in Graphic Novels:
Jesusfreak – I didn’t save this hardcover graphic novel by Joe Casey and Benjamin Marra for the Easter long weekend, but it did just work out that way. If I’m being honest, I was a little disappointed in this book. Going into it, my expectations were pretty high. Casey is known for his often frenetic writing and wild ideas, and Marra has a very distinct style that evokes 70s kung fu and exploitation movies, so the thought of them telling the story of Jesus held a lot of appeal. This book definitely has its moments, but I found that my attention wandered as Casey stuck to a more respectful (you could even say faithful?) adaptation of the standard myths, although he did also toss in a lizard guy for Jesus to fight. I’m not sure if Casey knew what he wanted this to be, and that constraint impacted Marra’s art, which was a lot more understated than some of his previous work.
The Week in Music:
Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer – Recordings From the Åland Islands – This ambient album on the International Anthem label is becoming one of my favourites of this year. Jeremiah Chiu plays a number of synthesizers, while Marta Sofia Honer plays viola and chimes, creating a textured and beautiful soundscape. This was all recorded on the Åland Islands of the Baltic Sea, and there is a real sense of place that comes through. This is a very relaxing, meditative album that is perfect for the end of a long day, or for helping to create focus when you need to complete some work. There’s a lot to notice if you just lay back and let it wash over you. I don’t know if International Anthem has ever put out a release I didn’t like.
Fly Anakin – Frank – Fly Anakin has been on my radar for a while, and I really liked his recent collab album with Pink Siifu, but this is the first that he’s had a solo release. He comes with a lot of heat, barring out on most tracks over some very nice production. He has beats from Madlib, Evidence, Lastnamedavid, and others, and the album works very well as a cohesive unit. It’s nice to see this next generation of underground rappers putting out such high quality product.
Latarnik – Marianna – I ordered this on a Bandcamp Friday based on the artist’s association with the Jaubi – Nafs at Peace album that I enjoyed so much. This is a solo piano album that moves from neo-Classical to contemplative jazz, and it’s lovely and very understated.
