Best Comic of the Week:
Saga #65 – This was a tense and kind of devastating issue of Saga, with a long-time character meeting their end. Petrichor goes after The Will while Hazel tries to keep Squire from making a mistake, while Alana rushes to find the kids before their new job launches and leaves them behind. Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples play up the emotional aspects of the story, and surprised me with the ending. This series is just so beautiful and awe-inspiring, and remains a favourite of mine.
Quick Takes:
Avengers #2 – Jed MacKay and CF Villa continue to structure their new Avengers series. Kang has given Captain Marvel information that will allow the team to save 1000 lives, so they split up to respond to a number of threats and incidents. This story is tied into the Timeless thing I never read, so I don’t really know what’s up with Kang, but so far I’m enjoying this series and intend to stick with it. Villa’s art is nice.
Black Adam #12 – I’ve loved this series. Priest has done an incredible job of applying his unique approach to Black Adam, and the best news is the notice that “Black Adam Shall Return”. I’m choosing to believe that Priest will be part of that, and hopefully so will artist Eddy Barrows. They’ve left Theo in a difficult situation, and have me wanting to read more comics featuring Malik, who has the potential to be the Miles Morales of the Shazam family. Priest is my favourite superhero writer, so I look forward to see what he’s got coming up next (his Vampirella stuff seems to be plagued with delays at the moment). I’ve alway thought that Black Adam was the most interesting part of the Shazam line, and it’s been very nice to see his potential get properly explored.
Bone Orchard: Tenement #1 – Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino return with another Bone Orchard miniseries. This one focuses on some of the people living in a single apartment building. We are introduced to the characters – a gambler who is struggling with his wife’s medical debt, a young drug dealer who lives with his mom, a musician with a drug problem, and a young kid who seems a little off, among others. There’s an older man who seems to be the lynchpin of this story, but at this stage, we don’t know much. Sorrentino infuses his pages with a lot of atmosphere, and successfully juggles all of these characters. So far, I’ve enjoyed this Bone Orchard stuff, without really seeing how it’s all connected. I’m intrigued enough to want to keep going, and like that the longer page count of this issue made up for the quick story that is a staple of a Lemire/Sorrentino book.
Dune: House Harkonnen #6 – The various storylines continue, as Lady Jessica finally catches Leto’s eye, and Rabban’s savagery impacts his parents and Halleck. I like this series, but really, not a lot happens in some issues.
Guardians of the Galaxy #3 – Quill is forced into a hunt with some people from his planet, and comes across a massive piece of Groot that gives him a little information. This new run is pretty dark, and I’m still struggling to understand some of the changes that were made to some of the characters, but I’m loving Kev Walker’s art, and am really happy he’s on this book.
Hellcat #4 – I’m struck by how different Chris Cantwell portrays Patsy Walker in this book, compared to the more capable and in-charge version we saw in his Iron Man run. We learn the truth of who is behind all of Patsy’s problems, and it feels a little too much like we’re circling back on stories we’ve already read before. There’s nothing wrong with this book, and Alex Lins’s art is phenomenal, but I don’t expect I’ll remember much about it in two years.
The Incredible Hulk #1 – I’ve been enjoying everything that Phillip Kennedy Johnson has been writing of late, so it didn’t take a lot of convincing to get me to add his new Hulk series, with Nic Klein, no less, to my pullfile list. Johnson is building off of Al Ewing’s modern classic Immortal Hulk, working with the concept of the Green Door, but appears to be connecting it to an ancient threat. The series opens with some tomb robbers waking something up. After that, we see that Bruce Banner is back on the road, trying to stay a few steps ahead of the Hulk, who is now very angry with him, and others who are pursuing him. There’s also a b-plot about a teen girl desperate to get away from her abusive father. Johnson doesn’t give us a lot past the new status quo for this series, but he has me intrigued. Klein’s art is dark and a little menacing, and fits the story very well. He borrows from how Joe Bennett visualized Hulk’s transformation, and makes it even more disturbing. I’m looking forward to following this story.
Kaya #9 – Kaya is more lost than ever, having been separated from her party, as their search for Jin faces tragedy. At the same time, the mutants that have Jin use him as a bargaining chip against the robot leader. Wes Craig is having a ball with this book, and its momentum continues to grow. This is a really consistently good series.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #7 – I’m really getting tired of this Carnage Reigns event, as I still don’t really know what Carnage is after here, or why any of these things are happening. I do like Miles’s interactions with Hightail, a new character who is working with Gao and Taskmaster, but ultimately, this symbiote and extrembiote stuff is nonsense to me. I’m looking forward to this book getting back on track.
New Mutants: Lethal Legion #4 – Charlie Jane Anders is starting to lose me a little with this series, as it feels like it’s been padded out to reach a full five issues. Anders’s approach to the characters is interesting, but so much of this issue feels like something I’ve already read.
Nightwing #105 – Bruno Redondo returns to this title with a neat and innovative approach. This whole issue, which concerns Dick and Barbara rescuing one of Double Dare from a shady pharmaceutical company, is told from Dick’s visual perspective. We see his hands and arms a lot, but only see him when he’s in front of a mirror or window. In many ways, this reminds me of playing video games, and it’s a cool conceit. It makes some of the action scenes a lot more chaotic, as we are limited to Dick’s peripheral vision. Redondo is a fantastic artist, and he and Tom Taylor are a wonderful team. This book already feels more exciting than the last few Titans-focused issues were, and I’m hoping that this partnership continues for a long time.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #35 – Tonga is putting together a new crew, which means a mixture of familiar faces and new ones for us, including the return of Boba Fett to these pages. This book was really starting to click, but switching up so much of the cast feels like a misstep at this stage.
Superman #5 – Superman finds himself in the odd position of trying to save Silver Banshee, who is in a relationship with Jimmy Olson. Joshua Williamson’s run is growing on me, as we see how Lex Luthor’s old enemies have laid a careful trap for both Luthor and Superman. Jamal Campbell’s art in this run is luminous. I’m concerned that the upcoming Knight Terrors event is going to ruin the momentum of this story, as this book goes on hiatus (aside from an upcoming annual) for a couple of months.
Terrorwar #3 – I’m pleased to see that Saladin Ahmed is digging more into the class aspects of the world he’s created for this series. I felt like the first two issues were a little light on subtext, but as Cho and his crew are taken to the lofty heights of the city to help the rich and powerful, we get some commentary on inequity. This series is looking up, and I’m glad I stuck with it.
Titans #2 – I’m definitely happy with this new Tom Taylor/Nikola Scott approach to the Titans, wherein they are taking on the role of the Justice League as the Earth’s premier defenders. There’s the question of a future version of Wally turning up dead in their new headquarters, then a mysterious forest fire in Borneo. After that, the team discovers that there’s a new Brother Blood who is rebranding his church and giving it a new mission to improve humanity’s future, with the help of a familiar face. Taylor is setting up a few threads for this book, and Scott’s art is beyond impressive. This is a strong title right now.
Ultimate Invasion #1 – I am of a few minds about this comic. To start with the positive, Jonathan Hickman really knows how to tell a good story. We see an elaborate attempt to break The Maker out of the secret prison he’s being kept in, and from there, we watch as the Illuminati struggle to figure out what he’s got planned. The execution of the story is great, and Bryan Hitch knocks it out of the park. He draws all of these characters very well, and his Black Panther is fantastic. He gives T’Challa a more feline look than I’m used to. This is a very handsome comic, and I liked the lengthier page count, which gave it a more prestigious feel. But then I had my reservations. I have no idea where this book is supposed to fit in current Marvel continuity. T’Challa is not exiled, and is working with the Hatut Zeraze, who have been disbanded in his own books. Reed Richards is in uniform and operating out of the Baxter Building, suggesting this takes place before Ryan North’s run, or way after it, but as Doctor Strange is alive again, it can’t be taking place too long ago. Tony Stark is not in his current suit of armor. The story aims at a certain timelessness, in a post-Krakoan Marvel Universe, but it leaves me with too many questions. And then there’s the issue of the suggested return of the Ultimate Universe. I don’t know why Hickman would return to kind of undo some of the decisions of his own Secret Wars event, and I don’t believe that anyone is clamoring for a return of the Ultimates. I don’t want to see reality rebooted again, and honestly, see the best outcome for this book to be the final end of the Ultimate Universe and The Maker (whom I kind of hate).
The Vigil #2 – Ram V continues to introduce the members of this secret team of metahuman Indian operatives, and we get to see Arclight in action as he infiltrates a facility that has been experimenting with giving weather powers to children. It’s a good issue that reminds me a little of classic Suicide Squad. I already wish this was going to last longer than six issues.
Wonder Woman #800 – Like many, I ended up picking this up for the preview of Tom King’s upcoming series, and the introduction of Trinity, the daughter of Wonder Woman. Lizzie has grown up with Damian Wayne and Jon Kent, and now they are the three main heroes of their world. Lizzie gets them to help her gain access to a dangerous villain, who it seems, will be “How I Met Your Mother”ing King’s series. I’m curious, and I trust King. The main story, written by Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad, and drawn by a bevy of artists, was pretty good, considering that I haven’t been reading their run. Diana is in a trance of sorts, and visiting the dreams of the people most associated with her. It’s a feel-good ending to their run, and reminds us of the value Diana brings to the world. The art is gorgeous.
X-Force #41 – Old Man Quentin continues to take the team through a monstrous future where they meet a stranger version of Deadpool and fight some monsters. This arc is not doing it for me.
The Week in Music:
Atmosphere – So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously – More than any other recent Atmosphere release, this album has me thinking that it’s actually a collection of unreleased tracks from previous albums. Some of these songs sound like they would fit perfectly on When Life Gives You Lemons or Southsiders, some of my favourites from their catalogue. It feels very much like Slug and Ant are returning to some of their classic sounds, and I’m here for it. The last few Atmosphere records have been very nice, but haven’t really stood out a lot for me. This one has tracks like Okay and Bigger Pictures that rank among the best of their long and storied career. Slug’s voice and flow are as good as ever, and feel comforting, while Ant keeps building on his signature sound, and perfecting it. This album is a little bloated, but still very good.
