The Weekly Round-Up #687 & #688 With All Against All #3, Moon Knight #20, Almighty #1, Bishop War College #1, The Flash: One Minute War Special #1, Storm & The Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants #1, Star Wars: Sana Starros #1 & More Plus The Week In Music!

Columns, Top Story

Best Comics of the Fortnight:

Moon Knight #20 – I wasn’t expecting a backup story for no reason in this issue, but I liked it.  The main story is solid once again.  A pair of F-level villains are going around assassinating all the people who used to help Moon Knight back in his 90s series days, while Marc rushes to stop them.  It’s not very clear who is behind this attack, but as Jed MacKay starts another storyline, I’m definitely interested.  MacKay’s writing has been so sharp here that I’m very close to adding him to my on-sight list, and intend to check out his upcoming Doctor Strange series.  The backup, by Danny Lore and Ray-Anthony Height focuses on the time that Blade met Hunter’s Moon’s precursor in the 70s.  I like the idea of another Moon Knight character bumping around in Marvel’s history, but really like the notion that she was interacting with some other Marvel characters, who never mentioned her to Marc.  Height’s an artist I’d like to see a lot more from.

All Against All #3 – This very strange alien story by Alex Paknadel and Caspar Wijngaard just keeps getting better with each issue.  A group of alien parasites who live in custom host bodies have been in orbit around a barren Earth for years, testing specimens that they’ve raised in sealed habitats after finding a genetic storehouse on the planet’s surface.  The director, B’Tay, is believed dead at the hands of the sole human in the Habitat, Helpless, and now his daughter has been tasked with dissecting the human.  This doesn’t go well though, and as Paknadel amplifies the family aspect of this story, things start to get chaotic.  Wijngaard’s art is very good here, and incredibly creative and bold, and Paknadel’s story is very notable.  I love books like this.

Quick Takes:

Alien #6 – Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s second Alien run comes to its end as most Alien stories do, with few survivors.  I liked the first run better than this one, but still enjoyed it.  I wish Marvel wasn’t handling this as a series of miniseries that all have the same name, because it is just kind of annoying.  I’d have preferred an ongoing series that uses an anthology format, with rotating creative teams. 

Almighty #1 – I enjoyed Edward Laroche’s previous series, The Warning, so I thought I’d give this new one a chance, and I’m glad that I did.  Laroche has a very European sensibility to his art, and it feels very different from most of the other titles that Image puts out.  This series is set in a post-collapse America (these stories seem so much less fantastical than they did a decade ago) that looks kind of bleak.  A young woman has been kidnapped by one of the biker gangs that roam the deserts, but just as she manages to escape on her own, a highly trained woman comes to rescue her.  Laroche uses this issue to establish the feel of this time, which appears indebted to the Road Warrior, and it grabbed my attention.  Somehow, I’d missed this book in the solicitations, but am pretty sure I’ll be adding it to my pullfile now.

Batman #132 – Bruce Wayne is trapped in a parallel Earth where he’s dead, and his efforts to figure out how to get home are not getting very far.  He figures that a meeting with the richest man in Gotham might help, but since this world’s Wayne is dead, his appearance, despite a disguise, causes some problems for him when Selina Kyle discovers him.  I’m enjoying what Chip Zdarsky is doing with this book, which has undergone a big tonal shift after the non-stop action of his first arc.  

Bishop War College #1 – I’ll admit that the Ken Lashley cover turned me off this new miniseries, and left me not wanting to add it to my pullfile, but then I decided to give this first issue a chance.  I don’t know who writer J. Holtham is, and I appreciate that Marvel is giving new creators a chance to play in the Krakoan sandbox, but I don’t see the point to this series.  Bishop is trying to train a small handful of mutants to help defend Krakoa through a six-week course of what looks like him yelling ‘again’ at them over and over while they fight stuff.  They don’t like it, and neither does Dani Moonstar.  To extend the young mutants’ training, Bishop gets Tempo to help him freeze time, but when Fenris attacks the island with Orchis, Bishop gets lost in time or something?  I am tired of every Bishop story having to do with time travel, and just didn’t buy into this story.  I don’t think I’m going to get the rest of this series (I will read this issue again before the second one comes out, though, to see if I’m being unfair).

Black Panther #14 – As John Ridley moves towards concluding his ill-conceived run, as a parting gift, he gets T’Challa exiled for life from Wakanda.  I’m not really sure what the goal with this series was, but it hasn’t been effective.  I’m very worried, what with Wakanda’s new treaty with Atlantis, that Marvel is going to mandate a killing-off of T’Challa in the next issue, so that this book better aligns with the MCU.  That would be a mistake, but then, so was letting Ridley write this title.  He doesn’t seem to understand this character, or any of the Avengers who keep guest starring.

Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #9 – I am trying really hard to like this series, but it’s not really working for me, and that leaves me feeling pretty nervous about the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy series which will also be written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly.  They are playing with some big ideas, but they are not sticking the landing.  The Outer Circle is being infiltrated by Bucky, while directing AIM to take over part of Manhattan, which no other heroes seem to be caring about.  I’m not sure why Mayor Cage and the Thunderbolts would rather negotiate with the science terrorists.  I don’t understand why Steve has to work on this with a team that includes a few very old people.  I don’t understand why there’s no emotional resonance to this story, and I’m finding it hard to care about it.  It feels like Lanzing and Kelly are trying hard to weave in some sort of discussion of socialist ideas, but it’s just not working for me.  I’m starting to wonder, after the lackluster run by Ta-Nehisi Coates, if maybe the current era just doesn’t have a place for Steve Rogers.

Captain America: Symbol of Liberty #10 – This issue felt very decompressed, as Falcon arrives in Mohannda, out of his mind with rage and hunger, and attacks Sam, delaying his attack on the White Wolf’s compound.  RB Silva’s art has really leveled up lately, and looks fantastic in this issue.  I’d like a bit more story in each issue, but I’m starting to enjoy this book more and more.

Daredevil #8 – This is a big issue, as Daredevil’s Fist forces take on the Hand in an attempt to rescue Bullet’s son.  DD and Punisher square off, while Aka goes after Elektra, and some of the villains Matt’s working with team up to take down a dragon.  I love how Chip Zdarsky is taking on some of the older Frank Miller themes in this series, but then blending them with a more widescreen approach to telling this story.  Marco Checchetto is absolutely incredible here, juggling so many characters and depicting so much mayhem.  This is one of the best books Marvel’s publishing right now, and I am surprised I’m not hearing more about it.

E-Ratic 2: Recharged #4 – I always enjoy Kaare Andrews’s comics, after adjusting to some of his weirder quirks or twitches.  I’d thought that this series would need another issue to wrap up the story, but Andrews brings it all together pretty quickly without leaving anything out.  His art is always nice, and I hope this isn’t the last we see of this character. 

The Flash: One Minute War Special #1 – Jeremy Adams uses this one-off to further flesh out some of the side events of the One Minute War storyline he is running in the Flash’s main title.  This issue checks in on various speedsters who aren’t really a part of Flash’s family, and shows what they’re up to when the aliens invade Earth at top speed.  I don’t dislike it, but I wonder if it was necessary.

The Flash #792 – Impulse and Kid Flash get most of the spotlight this issue, as they infiltrate the Fraction’s base and take a look around, while the others work to figure out how they’re going to stop the alien invaders who are moving at incredible speeds.  Jeremy Adams’s Flash has been a real delight, and I am enjoying Roger Cruz’s art a lot.  I wonder how much lead time he had to work on this story, since new issues are coming out every two weeks.  I am also really happy to see Bart getting some space again; I’ve missed him.

Gotham City: Year One #5 – It almost all comes out in this issue, as we learn who was behind the kidnapping of the young Wayne girl, and the real role that Queenie played in it.  Tom King has once again put together an intriguing puzzle box of a story, scattering clues throughout but still managing to surprise.  I think the biggest revelation of this series is the notion that Slam Bradley is mixed, and able to pass as white in a Gotham that has some serious racial divides.  It’s an interesting idea, and I like how King doesn’t focus on it in a heavy-handed way, but instead lets it influence events.  Phil Hester’s art in this book is gorgeous, and I’m left looking forward to the ending, and seeing just how Batman is connected to the narration.  I’m also curious to see if we’ll ever address all the little owl motifs in the art, or if that’s a false trail.

Legion of X #10 – Simon Spurrier wraps up a few storylines in this issue, and kills off a long-standing character who might not be a candidate for resurrection, and a relatively new one who also might get left out of the queue.  It’s a good issue, as just about any comic he writes is, but it did feel a little rushed as the book is set to be replaced during the Sins of Sinister event.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #3 – We learn the story behind the latest villain to be coming after Miles, and it fits this Rabble character nicely in his world.  Cody Ziglar seems to be having a lot of fun writing Miles, and I’m really impressed by Federico Vicentini’s artwork.  He has a very kinetic, busy style that at first glance looks like the animated style we’ve seen before, but on closer inspection, you can see that there’s a more dynamic approach.  His Miles is very angular and always moving, and it’s pretty cool.

Spy Superb #2 – I am loving this new Matt Kindt series.  The governments of the world have been trying to kill the ‘Spy Superb’ for decades, but this incredibly gifted operative has always slipped through their fingers.  How?  There is no such person.  Instead, handlers have recruited hapless individuals to bumble through missions, drawing no attention to themselves.  It’s a cool concept, and now the latest Superb is a fatuous wannabe author who is so full of himself, he cannot figure out what’s happening as Chinese and Russian master spies close in.  Kindt always does a great job with stories like this, which match his unique art style perfectly.  This series, with its oversized issues, works great.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #31 – I’m really starting to lose interest in this title, as we get more of Darth Vader manipulating the former handmaidens of Padmé Amidala (who annoyingly all have rhyming names).  I’m not sure what the point of this is now, and it’s starting to get more than a little old.  Are they rescuing Sabé?  Is this just Vader’s way of making her into his own image of what he’d like her to be?  It’s getting hard to follow this title.

Star Wars: Hidden Empire #3 – Chanath Cha and the Orphans engage Darth Vader while trying to rescue the Archivist and the device she’s hoping will help Crimson Dawn destroy the Emperor.  Recently, the Star Wars books have introduced a number of character groups like the Orphans – there are a few in Bounty Hunters, and another in Darth Vader, and if I’m being honest, it’s getting hard to tell them apart.  Still, Charles Soule makes this story enjoyable, and Steven Cummings’s art is nice.  I’m enjoying this series, but it’s feeling less epic than I’d expected.

Star Wars: Sana Starros #1 – I was happy to see that Sana Starros was getting her own Star Wars miniseries, and this first issue didn’t disappoint.  Starros was introduced during Jason Aaron’s Star War’s run, as Han Solo’s wife, which was kind of a bait and switch.  Since then, she’s had an ongoing supporting role in Doctor Aphra’s title, and has become a favourite character.  I’m not sure when exactly this story fits in the Star Wars continuity, but it has Sana returning to her family’s home for a bit of a break, and immediately getting caught up in some intrigue involving her pregnant cousin and an Imperial officer.  Justina Ireland keeps the story moving, and Pere Pérez is a great choice to draw this.  

Storm & The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants #1 – As the Sins of Sinister event starts sprawling, we see what has been going on with Storm in the ten years since Sinister took over Krakoa.  This issue, written by Al Ewing, builds off the X-Men Red series, as Storm runs the Brotherhood among the remnants of Arakko.  Mystique gives her information on how to kill the Moira clone that has made this all possible, so her team goes in.  This is a good issue, despite the art by Paco Medina (I’ve never been a fan).  I’m enjoying this little event.

Vampirella: Year One #5 – In the penultimate issue of this series (which has covered many years in Vampirella’s life), she is finally on Earth, unable to speak the language and very confused by the culture.  The story is set in the 70s, and I’m not willing to accept that that was fifty years ago.  Priest does his usual thing, making this story kind of confusing, and based on Vampirella’s assumption that Houston (she watches an Apollo launch on TV) is a person named Hugh Stone.  I’ve enjoyed this series, and how it helps connect some of the dots that Priest put down in his earliest issues with these characters.  I’m hoping that there will be another Vampirella series announced soon by Priest (unless he’s shifting his focus solely to Draculina).

X-Force #37 – I’ve been saying lately that I needed a lot more from this title, and this issue finally delivers, revealing the identity of the man with the peacock tattoo, and addressing the issue of the baby that was taken from Krakoa.  I kind of expected our bad guy to turn out to be another version of Mister Sinister early in the issue, and much prefer the way Ben Percy went with this story.  I’m glad to finally be fully invested in this title.

Comics I Would Have Bought if Comics Weren’t So Expensive:

Miracleman: The Silver Age #4

Bargain Comics:

Monkey Prince #1&2 – When I saw this series solicited, it didn’t garner much interest for me.  It looked like an out-of-continuity YA series, so even though I like the writer (Gene Luen Yang) and the artists (Bernard Chang) a lot, I ignored it.  Then the character started popping up in the Batman Vs. Robin and Lazarus Planet events, and I got a little intrigued.  These first two issues are fine, but kind of what I expected. I was surprised to see that Damian attends a public high school in Gotham, and recognize that perhaps the original miniseries this book was supposed to be was what I expected, and then the book grew.  I would read more of this – Chang’s art is great, and Yang is very good at writing awkward new teen heroes.  I see potential in this book, which is clearly popular.

The Week in Music:

Run the Jewels – RTJ Cu4tro – The fourth RTJ gets a full-length Latinx remix treatment, and it’s a lot of fun.  Killer Mike and El-P really impressed with this album, and it’s very cool to hear these remixes from a number of Latinx artists.  I’ll admit to not knowing many of them, but I was thrilled to see that a musician from my city, Mas Aya, remixed one track, which features his partner, the incomparable Lido Pimienta on vocals.  Many of these songs just have El or Mike’s verses over different beats, but some add new verses from other artists, or reimagine the track completely.  This is a very enjoyable project, and does a lot to tide me over until RTJ5 drops, whenever that will be.

Get in touch and share your thoughts on what I've written: jfulton@insidepulse.com