Best Comic of the Week:
Black Cloak #1 – This forty-plus page first issue is one of the most realized and engaging first issues I’ve read in a long time. Kelly Thompson and Meredith McClaren have created a strange world where a variety of fantasy races all live in the same city, which seems highly divided along class lines. The Black Cloaks are more or less the police of this city, and they seem to be universally disliked by everyone they deal with. Phaedra Essex, our main character, is a Black Cloak detective who, we learn, is also an exiled member of the royal family. When another royal, the man she was once betrothed to, turns up dead, Phaedra is assigned the case, which means having to deal with her family again, including a brother who wants her dead. Thompson crammed so much information and character development in this one issue that it’s truly impressive that the story kept moving so smoothly. McClaren’s art is gorgeous and unconventional, as she builds an entire visual language for this strange world, and gives the characters unique looks. I’m really excited about this new series, and already can’t wait for the next issue.
Quick Takes:
All Against All #2 – This miniseries by Alex Paknadel and Caspar Wijngaard is pretty impressive. An advanced group of alien parasites have been orbiting the extinct planet Earth for years, experimenting on the creatures they were able to create thanks to genetic samples left behind by mankind. The Director of this facility has been hiding some things all along, but now the military is looking into what is in the facility. This all centers on Helpless, the sole human living in the carnivore habitat, who has a history with the Director. Paknadel’s writing is complex and engaging, and Wijngaard’s art and character designs are so creative. I like how he humanizes these odd creatures, and makes them understandable. This series is pretty cool.
Batman Incorporated #4 – I’m enjoying this series, and its focus on Ghostmaker, but man, there are a lot of characters in this book right now, and it makes things a little hard to follow. We learn who is behind the coordinated attacks on Ghostmaker’s teachers, but I’d like to know more about that person, who I think is a new character? This series is good, and I’m hoping that after this first arc, we can spend some more time with these characters.
Black Panther #13 – I’m starting to think that John Ridley has never read a comic featuring Captain America before, as he doesn’t seem to understand the character in the least. T’Challa’s put together three squads to take the fight to Jhai, but they are all running into Avengers who want to stop them, for reasons that aren’t all that clear. I’m not upset that Ridley’s run is ending soon, and am hoping that Marvel lets the character rest for a little while before relaunching again. I love the Black Panther, but think there’s no point in publishing another series without a clear reason for it existing; this series doesn’t have that.
Bone Orchard: Ten Thousand Black Feathers #5 – Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino wrap up the first of their Bone Orchard series with this issue. It doesn’t really resolve much, and leaves me with more questions than answers about this new shared world these creators are making, but it also is full of gorgeous Sorrentino art and does at least solve the mystery of the missing girl Jack. I’m intrigued to see where this all goes, and if the next series will have any connection to this one.
Captain America: Symbol of Truth #9 – Cap and Nomad fight against the beings that the White Wolf has brought from Dimension Z to try to stop them, while their new allies work to protect the citizens that the Wolf, the new President of Mohannda, has just bombed. This is an all-action issue, and RB Silva is really given space to shine. The art in this book is fantastic, as Silva excels at stories like this. This is one of the best issues of this series so far, and makes me glad I stuck with it.
Danger Street #2 – Tom King has a lot of unconnected characters knocking around this series, and so far, there is very little to connect them. This is very much unlike King’s other series, where he usually does a deep character examination. This feels more like he’s just spinning a wild story, having given himself the constraint of having to use all of the characters that appeared in a 70s DC spotlight series. I can’t quite see the shape of this story yet, but there’s enough interesting things happening to keep me hooked, and I really like Jorge Fornés’s artwork. It’s also cool to see the 70s blue-skinned Starman again, although he feels pretty different from how James Robinson used to write him.
Daredevil #7 – I love the way Chip Zdarsky is writing this book, and using it to address some pretty important issues. In this issue, Daredevil takes some of his criminal followers to an apartment building where its investment firm landlords are using the police to evict all the tenants based on false reasons. Zdarsky talks about the way the 1% harms people for increased shareholder value, but also focuses on Matt’s mission, and how it is changing him and the men in his care. This issue sets up the upcoming conflict between DD’s people and the Hand, which is being led by the Punisher now. I feel like next issue is going to be a big one.
The Flash #790 – The One Minute War begins with this issue, as an alien race arrives on Earth and freezes time for everyone except the speedsters, who are all in this issue. It looks like Jeremy Adams might be killing off a major supporting character in this storyline, which might be interesting. A lot happens in this issue, but that means that we don’t get a lot of Wally and his family. I like this book best when it’s character-driven, but I’m down to see how this war plays out.
The Human Target #10 – Each issue of this series has had Christopher Chance interacting with a member of the JLI, and this month we’re scrapping low enough into the barrel that G’nort shows up. Does this mean the return of L-Ron next month? I hope not. Chance continues to investigate who is responsible for his impending death, and what the annoying dog-like GL helps him discover is unexpected. This series has not been fun like the old JLI was, but it has been satisfying to see them all treated as serious characters, in a way.
Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1 – Continuing from Batman Vs. Robin, Mark Waid has Damian running the show when a number of heroes, mostly C-list if we’re being honest, gather to deal with the demon Nezha. There is rain filled with Lazarus resin falling all over the Earth, changing both magic and technology, which causes all sorts of problems for the various heroes who come in contact with it. This book sets up the various Lazarus Planet one-shots coming our way, and some other stuff, I guess. I’d first assumed these were alternate reality books, but now we see that it’s more likely that some of these changes are permanent. It’s interesting to me how much Waid is promoting the Monkey Prince series with this event, and it’s making me wonder if I shouldn’t have been reading that book all along (Gene Luen Yang is a great writer). This one-shot has very nice art by Riccardo Federici, but Brad Anderson’s colours often make it hard to determine what’s happening. The book looks like someone ran it through a muddy filter before printing it, and that’s disappointing. This feels like it should be a much brighter comic, even though things appear dark for our heroes.
Legion of X #9 – There’s a lot happening in this issue, as the Technarch attacks Krakoa, Orchis makes a move, Nightcrawler discovers who has been causing him to mutate, and Professor Xavier comes to talk to Legion. Simon Spurrier has a number of storylines running all the time in this book, and I really appreciate the way he’s able to juggle so many characters and plotlines. This book is interesting and impressive.
Little Monsters #9 – Our group of child vampires has been split apart by the knowledge that humans still exist in the world, and while one group continues to shelter a human girl, the other group attacks their sleeping places, assuring that things have changed forever. Jeff Lemire has an interesting take on the standard vampire comic with this title, and Dustin Nguyen proves every month that he’s the perfect artist for this. I think we’re going to get some big revelations next month, and I’m looking forward to that.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #2 – I am not familiar with Cody Ziglar, the writer for this latest relaunch, but with this issue, I think I’m impressed with him. Miles can tell he’s struggling with aspects of his civilian life, especially his relationships with Ganke and Starling, but he also gets himself wrapped up in a mystery and jumps at the chance to work with Misty Knight. I hadn’t really thought about this before, but it’s true that Miles doesn’t spend a lot of time with older Black superheroes, so I understand why this would be exciting for him. Federico Vicentini’s art is nice, and I’m interested in both the Scorpion plotline, and the b-story that has Starling in a big fight of her own. I have high hopes for this book now.
Monica Rambea: Photon #2 – Monica finds herself in a state of confusion, suddenly turning up on her boat without remembering how she got there, and then meeting a different version of the Beyonder than the usual one. Not long after that, the core group of ‘her’ Avengers show up, with no idea who the Beyonder is. It looks like Eve Ewing has our hero in an alternate reality, and I don’t understand why she doesn’t figure that out on her own. The story is entertaining, and I like the way Ewing writes Photon. It’s so great to see her in her own book, and the artists, Ivan Fiorelli and Luca Maresca are doing a fine job. I love when underserved characters finally get the chance to shine.
Moon Knight #19 – Moon Knight and Hunter’s Moon head under the Earth to help some travelers in the night, and it gives them a chance to talk about the realities of resurrection as Fists of Khonshu. At the same time, Zodiac is talking with the psychiatrist Marc got him, and that sheds some light on where this series might be going. Jed McKay continues to respectfully build on the legacy of early Moon Knight comics, while taking the title in new directions. I’ve been really happy with this comic, and wondering if it’s not time to start reading more McKay comics.
Predator #6 – Ed Brisson’s first Predator miniseries comes to a close, and it’s a nice, satisfying ending. Kev Walker gets to draw a pretty gnarly and rough fight scene, as Brisson has Theta face off against the Predator she’s spent her life hunting. I’m glad this series is going to continue in a new miniseries; I just wish Marvel continued the numbering and treated it more like an anthology series. I’m glad Brisson is sticking with the book, but am going to miss Walker’s art.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #30 – There are a lot of Padmé’s old handmaidens running around, as a bunch of them try to find Doré, who is now maybe also working for Vader, or is trying to play him in an effort to get to Sabé, who is definitely maybe working for Vader. Ochi has had enough of them all, and is getting pretty irritated, while Vader seems to get pleasure from manipulating them all into being his servants. Things are getting a little strange, but thanks to Luke Ross, the book looks really good.
WildCATS #3 – I’m glad I stuck with this title, because it keeps getting better. Matthew Rosenberg introduces Halo’s new superteam, the Seven Soldiers of Victory, and after Grifter is given a suspension, the WildCAT team is sent into a situation they can’t quite handle on their own. I’ve given up trying to figure out if any of these characters have a history in the DCU, or if they are all new iterations once again, and am just enjoying seeing some of these characters used well once again. This isn’t Joe Casey’s Wildcats 3.0 by any means, but it’s decent.
Wolverine #29 – Logan’s had his mind effectively wiped by Beast, but now that he’s captured in the Pit, the prison under Krakoa, his mind is starting to return to him. We also learn that Sabretooth, the first prisoner on the island, has tainted the area, and now it’s seeking a form of revenge on Logan. I’ve not read either of the Sabretooth miniseries, having not realized that they were connected to the rest of the Krakoan titles, and now I’m wondering if I should fix that.
X-Men #18 – I like that Gerry Duggan has brought back Laura Kinney, the version that lived for centuries in the Vault with Synch. Now she coexists with her younger self, who was reincarnated after Laura was declared dead. The two Lauras meet and help the X-Terminators with a vampire nest, and Duggan sets up the upcoming Captain Marvel crossover, which will deal with the Brood. This series has been pretty good since the end of the AXE event.
Comics I Would Have Bought if Comics Weren’t So Expensive:
Swamp Thing: Green Hell #1
Bargain Comics:
Marvel Voices: Indigenous Voices #1 – This 2020 oneshot by Indigenous creators is a decent little collection. There are stories featuring Echo (who maybe isn’t the character to be traveling to other planets, because I imagine that lip reading from alien mouths might be different), Mirage, and unexpectedly, Silver Fox. The creators are all very good. It’s cool that Marvel started doing these Marvel Voices one-shots, and I recently picked up a few of them at a sale. I want to see if any of these creators come to prominence, as they all deserve a chance. In the afterword, Taboo talks about a series about a Sorcerer Supreme who was also a Ghost Rider, but I don’t think that book ever came out. It sounds cool.
