Best Comic of the Week:
Flash #796 – With the end of the One Minute War, I’m left even more disappointed that Jeremy Adams is going to be leaving this book soon. I love the way he writes Wally and focuses so much on the extended Flash family. This issue rights some terrible wrongs done to Wally’s character (as a big Tom King fan, I’m still struggling with whatever Heroes in Crisis was), as well as shows the final fight with the Fraction, the Speed Force-tapping invaders from another universe. Almost all of this arc has been drawn by Roger Cruz, yet this issue features a few other artists, with the result being that this book does not look at all consistent, which is kind of disappointing (even when each individual page looks great). There are four more issues in this run, more or less, and I intend to enjoy them all. (At least I generally adore Simon Spurrier’s writing, but I don’t see him taking the family approach that makes Wally appeal to me).
Quick Takes:
Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #2 – Jon enters the Multiverse to stop Ultraman from killing Kal-El’s on different Earths, and the mission starts to fall apart pretty quickly. I love the way Tom Taylor writes Jon, and am enjoying this series almost as much as I did the Son of Kal-El series. Clayton Henry’s art is nice, but it makes the story feel very decompressed. I’ve never read the Injustice series, and don’t really know what it’s all about, so I feel like the end of this issue meant less to me than it probably should. I’m hoping that there will be some kind of recap or explainer coming, or I might have to do some internet research to understand what’s going on (I hate having to do that).
Almighty #3 – This issue is incredibly violent, as Fale and Del have to fight their way out of their motel room when the local militia comes to get them after Fale shot one of the militia guys last issue. Laroche handles these action sequences masterfully and with a cinematographer’s eye, making these quick scenes visually complex and satisfying. On the run, Fale has no choice but to head into the forbidden Zone One, thinking no one would be crazy enough to follow her, but if that were the case, this would be the last issue of this excellent miniseries.
Batman #134 – Bruce continues to explore this new world he’s found himself on, and confronts the man who would be the Joker. We see more of this world’s Selina too, and its version of a newer character whose been retconned into Bruce’s past. It’s another exciting issue, which also gives us a nice moment for Tim in the backup story. I haven’t been enjoying this arc as much as I did Chip Zdarsky’s first, but it’s grown on me.
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #11 – I’m going to admit to not really getting this series. Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing have retconned a shadowy group of powerful people playing some sort of tabletop RPG with the last century or more of history, but to what end? How does this game get played? Why does it involve AIM taking over Manhattan and MODOK trying to mess with the minds of Cap and his friends. I feel like I’ve missed something important, or even more likely, that this is just not that well thought out. With Bucky now working as part of the Outer Circle, I don’t get what Steve is expected to do here. After this issue the series is tying into the other Captain America title, which I’m enjoying more. After that event is done, I might be dropping this book. I just find it too hard to care about right now.
Hairball #1 – There are a lot of different approaches Matt Kindt takes when he writes comics. When he’s writing a book he’s going to draw, I know to expect some spy stuff. When he’s writing for Bad Idea, I know to expect some clever takes on familiar genres. His Valiant stuff is going to be more straight-forward, but entertaining. When he writes for Tyler Jenkins, though, I’m never sure what to expect, aside from high quality storytelling. This series is hard to describe. The main character is a young girl who’s been adopted by a couple that doesn’t really seem to like one another. The girl refuses to talk, and might have some special needs. She also seems to be fixated on the stray cat she adopted when she came to live with the couple. There’s a supernatural aspect to this story that hasn’t really been explained yet, as the cat seems to be targeting the parents in a number of ways. This book, with its thick black page borders and minimalist art is full of menace, and is very effective. I love Jenkins’s artwork, but I’m not sure I would recognize this book as his right away, as things are darker and less defined than I’m used to. This is an interesting book.
Immoral X-Men #3 – Is it too much to ask that, when the dust settles on the Sins of Sinister, we get to keep Rasputin, the most advanced clone that Sinister has ever created? I like her a lot. This is the first of the issues set 1000 years into the future, as Sinister continues to search for his Moira clones and a path to reset reality. Alessandro Vitti drew this issue, and he makes it clear that this is a pretty dirty vision of the future. I’ve been enjoying this little mini-event quite a bit, and am enjoying the coordination across the three titles.
Love Everlasting #6 – This book returns after a hiatus, and now that she’s a party girl again, Joan decides she’s had enough of flitting through romance novel tropes, and decides that it’s time to give in and get married. On her wedding day, she fully expects that the Cowboy is going to come and kill her again, sending her to her next story, but he doesn’t show up, leaving her facing down wedded bliss. This book has been interesting, and it’s been fun to see Elsa Charretier’s different designs for different eras. After the last issue, I thought we’d be getting more details on what’s really going on with Joan’s character, but I guess we’ll have to wait a little longer.
Mosely #3 – Mosely’s fight against the AI ‘gods’ who have taken over humanity continues, and gives him a reason to reconnect with his ex-wife. Rob Guillory’s writing in this book is sharp, and I’m afraid a little prescient, given the constant stream of news stories about AI we see these days. His story is hard to believe, but his strong character writing makes it all work quite well. I like the art of main story artist Sam Lofti, but am also enjoying the backup stories that Guillory is drawing himself.
Nature’s Labyrinth #5 – I’ve been loving this very offbeat series. Zac Thompson’s characters finish their insane reality TV show journey in this issue, but there’s still space for another issue. This makes sense as we still don’t know the main character’s secrets, or why she’s been sent to infiltrate this bonkers game. Thompson borrowed as much from old Marvel comics featuring Arcade (to say nothing of that Avengers: Arena series) as he did shows like The Amazing Race. This book has been surprising and fun, and has the nicest covers on the stands right now (thanks to Filya Bratukhin).
Saga #63 – Hazel and Squire decide to take matters into their own hands with regards to the idea that they might be able to get their fathers back, while Wreath makes overtures to the Robot Kingdom, and Petrichor looks for The Will. This series has a lot happening right now, and it’s all playing out in little chunks that make each issue exciting on the surface, but also a little too quick. Staples is amazing though, and I like the new character we meet who works with Alanna. I love this series so much.
Star Wars #33 – Luke, Leia and the gang do what they can to help the Kezerat Colony escape from No Space this issue, which Charles Soule uses to demonstrate how much Lando’s character changes between the second and third films. Soule has a really good take on all of these characters, and I like Madibek Musabekov’s art a great deal. This storyline was used to keep the main cast busy during the Crimson Dawn attacks, and therefore out of that fight, but Soule made it feel organic. We must be getting close to the point where Return of the Jedi happens, so I’m not too sure what the future holds for this title.
Star Wars: Hidden Empire #5 – I’ve really enjoyed the way Charles Soule has incorporated Qi’ra and the Crimson Dawn storyline into his Star Wars comics. This miniseries, which has had her throwing all her resources against the Emperor, has been exciting, and has also worked to connect the dots between various chapters of the Star Wars films. Artist Steven Cummings did a great job, and the coordination between all the Star Wars titles has been impressive. I was a little surprised to see a key plot point in Doctor Aphra’s series resolved here, and now figure that’s why her title didn’t come out in March. I like how organic this whole Crimson Dawn trilogy has felt, and hope to see some elements of it touched on again soon.
Stillwater #18 – I’ve really enjoyed this series by Chip Zdarsky and Ramón Perez, which ends this week. This series is about a town where no one ages or dies, and after decades of living in isolation from the outside world, things have gotten really bad. Zdarsky wraps up all of his storylines with this issue, leaving a door open to revisit this world. He walked a fine balance of plot and character with this series, making the town a very interesting place. Perez has been incredible through this whole run, but really outdoes himself in this last issue, as Daniel and Galen face each other, and as Ted faces his choices on the roof of a burning building. I highly recommend this series.
Wolverine #32 – Beast continues to do whatever he wants with his new resources. He has the Weapons of X, a group of Wolverine clones that he can control and use to carry out his missions, and a legion of Beast clones working as his backup brain trust. Basically, I’m reading this series as if it’s X-Force now, because Logan himself is a bit of a supporting character. I don’t mind Beast taking this heel turn, but wonder how he’ll ever be able to come back from this storyline.
Comics I Would Have Bought if Comics Weren’t So Expensive:
I Am Iron Man #2
Scarlet Witch #4
The Week in Music:
Sam Gendel – Cookup – On this album, Sam Gendel, a prolific and experimental saxophone player, reworks familiar r’n’b songs from the 90s and 00s into new forms. He covers songs by Beyoncé, Erykah Badu, Boyz II Men, and others, but many are not exactly recognizable, as he does some strange things with them. The result is a relaxing and enjoyable record that stands on its own.
