Best Comic of the Week:
The Brother of All Men #2 – I’m really impressed with this title by Zac Thompson and Eoin Marron, which has a private investigator infiltrating a theosophist cult in British Columbia in the 1920s. The pacing of this book is perfect, as Guy, under the guise of Remi, tries to learn more about the mysterious Brother XII, what his true goals and means are, and also tries to get closer to Brother X, the woman he was hired to return to her family. Complicating things is the fact that Guy’s long-lost brother Bastien is there too, but doesn’t seem to know him. There’s a lot of intrigue happening in this closed community, and Guy runs the risk of being discovered. Thompson’s story is very compelling, and Marron’s art does a very good job of selling the strangeness of the commune where they all live. This is a very notable book.
Quick Takes:
AXE: Death to the Mutants #1 – Reading this, I realized that it’s really the next issue of Eternals, only given a new name to boost sales. Ikaris and his group of renegade Eternals make plans to try to disrupt Druig’s attack on the mutants of Krakoa by employing some unexpected tactics. I was enjoying Kieron Gillen’s Eternals, so I’m glad to see it sort of continuing in this form. I also like the way, since he’s writing the main AXE event, and most of the key tie-ins, that there is such good continuity and control of the story. I don’t know yet if this is essential to the main story, but it does help flesh it out.
Black Adam #3 – Malik is working to figure out if he can still save Adam’s life, even though it appears he’s died. At the same time, Teth-Adam is in the afterworld (or isn’t – it could be a question of perception) fighting for his life. Christopher Priest is once again weaving together a very interesting story, using some of his classic tropes (a government employee who provides backstory, a new legacy character) but mixing them up in new ways. Rafa Sandoval’s art is great, and I’m growing to really like Malik (I refuse to call him White Adam). This is a very good series, by one of the best writers in comics.
Daredevil #2 – Even though this is just the second issue of the latest DD relaunch, it’s also the 650th issue of Daredevil, so for the second month in a row, we get an oversized story. Goldy, Matt’s recently retconned friend from college has just blown up a train, because he believes that it will make Matt a better hero. I’m not sure what’s going on yet, but Goldy believes that he’s Matt’s guardian angel, and that he’s been whispering encouragement to him throughout his whole career. To support this, we see some art from notable artists at different points in Daredevil’s publication history (sadly, no Miller or Mazzuchelli). It’s kind of a strange direction for Chip Zdarsky to be taking things, given that this title is supposed to be about Matt and Elektra fighting the Hand, but Zdarsky has more than earned my trust. Marco Checchetto’s art on this book is phenomenal.
Dune: The Waters of Kanly #4 – I think there is a lot of space to expand on the world of Dune, and find it a little disappointing that when something like that is done, it so often ends up focusing on a minor or supporting character from the original novel. Still, I enjoyed this miniseries about Gurney Halleck and his quest for revenge against the Harkonnens. I do wish that more of these Boom! Dune books better matched the visual aesthetic of the recent film.
Entropy #1 – I almost missed this new series being published by Heavy Metal, which would have been a shame, because it’s written by Christopher Priest. I’ll admit to being a little lost in this first issue – a mailman inadvertently makes a deal with some sort of cosmic being, who then destroys the world and exiles him into space for years, before he manages to return just before the world is destroyed. This is billed as being “From the world of Taarna”, which doesn’t mean much to me, as I don’t really read any Heavy Metal stuff, and have never seen the movie. The thing is, there are few writers I trust as much as I do Priest, so I’m going to give this an arc, and the space to develop. The art, by Montos, is pretty nice. I’m sure this will make more sense as I go along (I was equally confused by the first issue of Priest’s Vampirella, knowing nothing about that character too, and that worked out great).
Fire Power #23 – This issue is pure action, as Owen and his allies attack the dragon that is menacing the world. The old masters take on Master Shaw on the ground while Owen fights the dragon in the air. This issue is visually stunning, as Chris Samnee takes us through some pretty complicated and fluid sequences. Samnee has long been an impressive artist, but this series is providing him with new life and opportunities to cut loose. It’s great.
The Flash #758 – The three different groups of speedsters finish up their adventures on alternate worlds, with Wally succeeding in finding Barry Allen and sending him in the right direction to engage in Dark Crisis. While I could do without the crossover stuff, I am really enjoying Jeremy Adams’s Flash, and the way it successfully channels the best of Mark Waid’s run. I’m also happy to see Amancay Nahuelpan climbing the artist ranks – I was a fan since his work for Black Mask comics, and can see he’s continued to improve. This is becoming one of my favourite DC books.
Ginseng Roots #10 – I’m very happy to see another issue of this excellent autobiographical series. In this issue, Craig Thompson recounts traveling to Korea with his brother Phil to learn about ginseng and ginseng culture there. This book is operating on a few levels – we learn about ginseng, but also about Craig’s difficulty in making this book, and the strangeness of his relationship with his brother. As with previous issues, Phil is given a few pages too (which intertwine with Craig’s in a new way), and we see what he was thinking during their trip too. This book is immensely personal, but also is about how multiple cultures interact with a root, and how its cultivation has shaped communities in at least three countries. There is really nothing like it being made, and while it sounds like it should be a disaster, it’s pretty awesome.
New Mutants #28 – We finally get to the end of the Magik/Goblyn Queen Limbo storyline, which has run for too long. I like the idea of Illyana getting some closure on her childhood, but now that she’s officially on the X-Men, I guess she won’t be in this book anymore. I believe that writer Vita Ayala is moving on too – I’ve seen different names in the solicitations. This book has struggled from the very beginning, as it hasn’t really got a clear mission statement the way the other Krakoan books mostly do, yet it’s held on longer than a lot of the others. I hope that some kind of plan gets developed for this book, as the younger characters on the island are among the more interesting.
Nightwing #95 – Dick, his allies, his family, and his network make their big move against Blockbuster, crippling his operation in a variety of ways. Of course there’s still going to be a big confrontation between Nightwing and his giant foe. Bruno Redondo’s art on this series is just amazing – he keeps things feeling so fluid and elegant. Tom Taylor has made me care a lot about this book, and I hope this team sticks around for a while.
The Silver Coin #13 – Johnnie Christmas writes this month’s issue, which is a pretty disturbing body horror book. A pregnant teenager finds the coin, and as the new millennium dawns, finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her. Her labour goes wrong in all sorts of ways, and generally, this issue is not for the weak of heart. The timing of this issue, as reproductive rights has become such a hot button topic, has got to be intentional, but I’m not sure if the goal of this was to be political or not.
Star Wars #26 – Charles Soule starts a new arc with this issue, and things feel very different. To begin with, the Rebels are on the offensive, attacking an Imperial military parade as a way to announce to the galaxy that they’re still around and fighting. After that, Leia and the other leaders start to plot out a path forward. The rest of the issue is focused on some Imperials who are working on a secret project. Some of them, though, are Crimson Dawn, and when they receive word that it’s time for them to start disrupting things, they take drastic measures to try to get in touch with the Alliance. This is a very tightly written issue, and I’m very impressed by the art. I don’t know artist Andrés Genolet, but he brings a very different approach to the book. His work is more minimalist and European than we’re used to seeing, and I like it a lot. I hope he sticks around for the whole arc.
20th Century Men #1 – I was intrigued by the title of this series, and liked the art, so I decided to give it a chance. 20th Century Men is by writer Deniz Camp and artist S. Morian, and is an alternate history showing what could have happened in the Cold War, had super soldiers existed on both sides. The bulk of this first issue is set in 1987, as the Soviet Union works to control Afghanistan, and as America finally decides to get involved. Most of this issue focuses on Petar Platonov, who has mental abilities and wears a very cumbersome suit of metal armor that, for whatever reason, has arms that extend to the ground in front of him. His American counterpart is now the President of the United States, and he wants to return to global involvement, something that stopped (or was pulled back) in the wake of a strange event in the Vietnam War. This is an interesting book, and Morian’s art is phenomenal. They use many different styles, and the Vietnam pages are gorgeous. I feel like I missed some nuance in reading this the first time, but will give it a second read before the next issue is released. I’ll likely add this to my pullfile list though.
X-Force #30 – I have no idea why this issue has the Judgment Day trade dress on it, as this comic has nothing to do with that event. Instead, having lost Kid Omega and Wolverine, Beast and Sage work on rebuilding the team, adding Deadpool and Omega Red, and then sending them out on a trial mission that doesn’t go so well for Wade. This series flounders a lot, but is usually just good enough to stay on my pullfile list. I just don’t have a lot to say about it.
X-Men #13 – Like the Death to the Mutants issue above, this issue of X-Men shows the newly-elected team working to stop the Eternals’ attack on Krakoa from yet another perspective. As this issue was written by Gerry Duggan (and not Kieron Gillen), it wasn’t as well coordinated as everything else I’ve seen so far, but it still works. I think that debuting the new team like this is a mistake though – we don’t really get to see them interact much, and the shift in lineup is a little jarring. I hope that the yearly lineup shuffles don’t continue.
X-Men Unlimited: X-Men Green #1 – I’m not sure why it took so long for this to come out, given that I think it first existed online. This is the first half of a story built around Nature Girl, who has had enough of mankind destroying the planet, and has decided to take on environmental destruction on her own. The thing is, she’s really just rampaging, and breaking one of the few laws Krakoa has: “Kill no humans.” Wolverine is sent to pursue her. I was enjoying this comic already, but that kicked up a notch when a former Captain America villain turned up on the last page, making me look forward to the next issue. Gerry Duggan is good at this sort of thing, and Emilio Laiso is a good choice as the artist. I’m not sure about this new character Curse – I am not sure what her powers are, or why she is so determined to get into trouble.
Comics I Would Have Bought if Comics Weren’t So Expensive:
Batman: One More Day – The Riddler #1
Dark Spaces Wildfire #2
In Memoriam:
Tom Palmer – Just last week, I was reading Fallen Angels for my Retro Review column, and I wrote about how good Tom Palmer’s inks were. Palmer is one of the classic Marvel artists, who was most notable to me for his incredibly long run with The Avengers, collaborating with Roger Stern and John Buscema on the best era in the team’s history. He stuck around, continuing to ink the book after Buscema left, and providing it with a consistent look. He was an incredible artist, providing some very beautiful covers over the years, but seemed to mostly stay in the inker role. He could make any artist look better, while still being instantly recognizable as the inker. There are not many inkers I can say that about – Bill Sienkiewicz and Klaus Janson come to mind. My condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and fans.
The Week in Music:
DOMi & JD BECK – Not Tight – I think that DOMi and JD BECK might just be the future of music. These two jazz instrumentalists are very young prodigies, and their stuff is pure heat. DOMi plays keys and occasionally sings, while JD plays the drums like no one else – his work often sounds like it’s been programmed. This album features appearances by Anderson .Paak (they’re on his label) and Thundercat (who has been performing with them for years), and has rap features by Snoop Dogg and Busta Rhymes. Most impressively, Herbie Hancock appears on one song, basically passing the torch. This is a really impressive and light-hearted album, and I really hope we’ll be hearing about a North American tour soon, because I’d love to see this stuff live.
