The Best Comic of the Week:
20th Century Men #6 – I’ve been beyond impressed with this miniseries written by Denniz Camp and drawn by Stipan Morian. This final issue ends perfectly. This series is set in an alternate history where the Soviets and Americans of the 1980s had super soldier programs dating back to the Second World War, and deployed them as part of the Cold War that played out in Afghanistan. As the series progressed, it spotlighted different players in the drama, and where the focus of the early issues was on Platonov, the top Soviet super-soldier, who wears a massive suit of armor, by the end, the focus had shifted to his aide, an Afghani woman with a complicated backstory. This series explores a number of themes, including the resistance and endurance of the Afghan people, and was told with a surprisingly wide scope. Camp’s writing is so sharp and incisive, as he examines how Afghanistan’s history encapsulates the entire 20th century. Morian’s art is gorgeous. He plays with different styles and approaches to layout. This series is complicated and rewards close reading. It’s adventurous and at times exciting, but is also a collection of excellent character studies and an indictment of wars of empire. I really enjoyed it, and am glad that I took a chance on it because flipping through the first issue reminded me of one of my favourite comics, The Winter Men. I intend to pay close attention to whatever Camp and Morian do next, whether they work together or separately; they are both creators with bright futures.
Quick Takes:
Black Adam #8 – I’ve liked Black Adam since Geoff Johns brought him into the JSA, but with this series, Priest is working his usual magic on the character. We learn about his centuries of serving Egyptian pharaohs, and watch as he tries to figure out how to help Malik in the modern day. This series is smart and complicated, but rewarding. I hope that when it’s over, we learn that Priest will be getting to write Bolt in his own series, as I’ve really started to like the character.
Black Cloak #2 – I think this is going to be the breakout hit of 2023. Kelly Thompson and Meredith McClaren have created a pretty interesting fantasy world, and are continuing to dribble out interesting facts about it. Phaedra is hiding something about her parentage that could have big repercussions were it to become common knowledge, and has to lie to explain how she survived the attack that appeared to kill her last issue. Once that’s out of the way, she continues to investigate the murder of the Prince she was once expected to marry. McClaren’s art is pretty unconventional, but works so well with this series. I see this series as being roughly equal to Saga in quality, and hope it achieves the same longevity and success.
Damn Them All #5 – Simon Spurrier’s excellent crime series about demons and the mobsters who have taken control of them continues to impress me. It’s so nice to see regular Charles Adlard artwork again, and I just keep thinking about how good they’d be on a Hellblazer book. The characters in this book are just the right kind of bastards.
Draculina: Blood Simple #1 – Two Priest books in one week is always going to make me happy. With his Vampirella seeming to have run its course (aside from the very late conclusion to Year One), Priest returns to Draculina’s story, but uses it to wrap up a number of loose ends from his earlier Vampirella and Sacred Six runs, checking in on Victory, the other other character to use the Draculina name. Lilith is back, looking to settle up with Belial, while Katie lives at Belial’s place, and a new child of Lilith, the amphibious Levi, enters the picture. This is not at all new reader friendly, but it’s pretty good if you’ve been around.
Dune: House Harkonnen #2 – The prequel series, which is a sequel to House Atreides, continues to develop the universe of Leto Atreides, showing the first time that the Lady Jessica became aware of her, and how Baron Harkonnen discovered the extent of his new illness. I’m enjoying this series, but still prefer more original stories set in the Dune universe.
The Finder #1 – I managed to secure a copy of this Bad Idea one off by Christos Gage and Tomás Giorello. It tells a single story set in a world where two teams of enhanced people operate – the glitzy public face of the operation, and the quiet black ops and support crews that work behind the scenes. One of the big name people has been taken by a former hero turned bad, and The Finder is sent in to extract him. Along the way, they learn the secrets of their existence. This story gave me a darker version of Stormwatch vibes, and I would not object to reading more stories in this world. Giorello’s art is always very nice. The backup story, by Robert Venditti and Vincent Kings is cute.
The Flash #793 – The One Minute War continues, and the stakes seem to be getting higher and higher. It’s so nice to see the whole Flash family working together again. Jeremy Adams’s run continues to restore the best of the Mark Waid era to these characters, and I really like it.
Immoral X-Men #1 – Kieron Gillen is showrunning the Sins of Sinister series, so it’s good to get to the tie-in series that he’s writing. Emma Frost is the focus of this issue, as the altered members of the council turn on Sinister, and he’s not too happy about it. This book has some nice surprises, and is really working for me.
Immortal Sergeant #2 – Joe Casey and Ken Niimura are taking a pretty decompressed approach to this series about a dysfunctional family. Whereas the first issue focused mostly on Sarge, a throwback police officer resisting the idea of retiring, this issue expands to introduce his family, who are gathering for the retirement lunch. Sarge’s son, Michael, is pretty traumatized from growing up with Sarge as his father, and it seems to colour his relationship with his wife and three children. Michael’s mother left Sarge years ago to marry a woman, but they are both active parts of the family’s life, even if none of them see each other all that often. There’s a lot to like here, as we get tossed into the family’s tempestuous way of being around each other.
Lazarus Planet: Omega #1 – I don’t like the way that DC will move from one line-wide game-changer like Dark Crisis directly into another. This series, which is mostly made up of one-shots that I wasn’t interested in, is making ‘permanent’ changes to a number of magic or tech-based characters, but it seems to be punching way above its weight. As a story about Damian Wayne coming into his own in the eyes of the heroes who decide to follow his lead, I like it. I can also accept it as an attempt to raise the profile of the Monkey King, a new character, but it all feels a little rushed to me. Also, while Riccardo Federici and Mike Perkins’s art is lovely, Brad Anderson’s colouring choices make it all a little muddy. I can’t escape the feeling that this event is going to be largely ignored, and that some of the character changes will be quietly swapped back within a year. I do like seeing Black Alice get some shine though; I miss the way Gail Simone used to write her.
Nature’s Labyrinth #4 – Zac Thompson and Bayleigh Underwood’s weird series about a reality-TV style contest to the death is quite bizarre, but very enjoyable. I’m really liking this book, and am glad I noticed it in the solicitations.
Nightwing #101 – After the big issue 100, and the revelations about Dick’s plans for Blüdhaven, we get an issue that is more focused on things from a little while ago. Neron is still looking for the little girl that Dick and Nite-Mite managed to rescue from him, and he uses the tragedy that struck Titans Tower during Dark Crisis to try to make it happen. This is more an issue of Titans than anything else, but it works. I’m not thrilled to see that this book has been added to the ranks of DC’s $5, with a backup story that didn’t impress me that much. If Tom Taylor were writing the backups, I’d be a lot happier.
Saga #62 – I’ll never not enjoy an issue of Saga. This one moves a number of storylines forward, without really standing out, aside from an argument between Hazel and Alanna about a certain word that should not be used anymore, even if it’s in an Oswald D. Heist book. Fiona Staples’s art is absolutely incredible, more than it was even two years ago.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #29 – I noticed that the regular artist on this series, Minkyu Jung, has been given a new series at DC, which I guess explains why Natacha Bustos is the artist for this issue. This series has just been getting better and better lately, with Aphra still under the control of the Spark Eternal, and her friends trying to figure out how to rescue her. The story dovetails nicely with the Hidden Empire miniseries and what’s happening with Crimson Dawn, which makes it feel more essential to the rest of the Star Wars universe. We learn more about the Ascendant this month, and Bustos’s art is very nice.
Superman #1 – I’m not a Superman fan, but I’ve really liked the work that Phillip Kennedy Johnson has done with him in Action Comics over the last year, and I’ve enjoyed Tom Taylor’s work with Jon Kent, so I thought I’d give Joshua Williamson’s new Superman relaunch a try. It feels like Williamson is trying for a modernized take on classic Superman. He’s back at the Daily Planet, where Lois is now the editor-in-chief. Lex Luthor is in jail, but is insistent on helping Superman be more effective at his job, even going so far as to turn over control of his business, now renamed Supercorp. Some of these ideas are interesting, but I did find my attention wandering a little while I was reading this. Jamal Campbell’s art is lovely, as are his colours, but things are a little too slick at times. I’m going to give this team an arc for sure, but for now, I’m really glad that Johnson is still on Action, which I’m much more excited about.
Comics I Would Have Bought If Comics Weren’t So Expensive:
Earthdivers: Kill Columbus #5
Local Man #1
The Week in Music:
Snotty Nose Rez Kids – I’m Good, HBU – I’ve been a fan of the Snotty Nose Rez Kids since their second album, The Average Savage, made waves and got shortlisted for the Polaris Prize. These two rappers are from a remote community in British Columbia, and they have some of the most unique voices in hiphop. They play with various styles, making homage to classic rap and modern sounds, while establishing themselves as strong lyricists. This short album feels more like a collection of loosies than a fully-realized album, and it’s much lighter than their more recent albums in topic and execution. Young D and Yung Trybez trade verses masterfully, and the beats on this are very nice. I would like to see something a little deeper, but as an appetizer before their next album, this works pretty nicely.
José James – On & On – For this album, vocalist José James covers most of the best songs of Erykah Badu’s catalogue. His covers are jazzy and a little more spacious, and it’s all very lovely. I enjoy this new take on classic beats by Madlib and J Dilla, although for the most part, this album left me wanting to dig out my old Badu CDs and listen to them again. James has an amazing voice and great musical sensibility, and I hope he returns to writing his own music again soon.
