Best Comics of the Fortnight:
Deep Cuts #3 – This is a week for squarebound comics, with this being the first of three I picked up. Joe Clark and Kyle Higgins continue to look at music with this series of one-off stories. This one is set in Kansas City in 1940, and features a young girl as its main character. Her father used to play upright bass, but now spends most of his time laboring or parenting. When the opportunity comes for him to return to his former life, it puts a lot of pressure on the family. I like how the writers and artist Diego Greco have chosen to portray a very typical Black family in this time period. There is subtle acknowledgement of Jim Crow, but this is a story about family before anything else. Greco’s art reminds me a little of Kyle Bakers (in The Truth era), and there’s a warmth and wholesomeness to this comic that made it a relaxing read. I really love what is being done with this series, and am really excited for the next issue, with art by the great Ramón K. Pérez.
Black Panther #2 – Eve L. Ewing continues to build the new city she’s exiled T’Challa to, and there’s a lot to take in here. I’m intrigued by this take on the Black Panther, and am really enjoying the level of detail Christopher Allen is putting into his art. I like that Deathlok shows up here, and that Queen Divine Justice gets a name-drop. There’s a lot of potential to this series, and I want to learn more.
Quick Takes:
Alien #4 – I’m not sure why this issue had to be oversized (and overpriced), but Declan Shalvey does a lot with the story in this issue. As the remote station is overrun by xenomorphs, the young girl that has been our main character has to deal with her mother’s labor, and a few other surprises. All Alien stories reach this point where it’s basically just people running around trying to escape, and that can be hard to keep interesting. It works here, but this is not saying anything new at the same time.
Antarctica #1 – I preordered this because it looked interesting, and then promptly forgot what intrigued me about it. I thoroughly enjoyed this first issue, by Simon Birks and Willi Roberts, both of whom are new to me. This series is about Hannah, whose father went missing while she was still young, which sent her life spiraling downward. Hannah ended up unhoused, but through the kindness of a diner owner, started to get her life together. She became a mechanic, and has worked her way to getting a posting in Antarctica, where she believes her father was last seen. Almost as soon as she gets there, she notices some strange things. This book is intriguing. After Whiteout, I didn’t think we’d ever need another Antarctic comic, but this one feels and works very differently than that Rucka/Lieber classic. Roberts’s art has a sharpness to it that immediately tells me it’s published by Top Cow. The story hinges on some odd coincidences, but I’m going to stick around and see where it leads.
Batman Incorporated #10 – The Joker and his Joker Inc. team have the heroes in a tough position. If they don’t kill Joker’s people within an hour of them being ‘activated’, hundreds could die. We lose a couple members of the team (a little too casually for my liking, considering how long some of these characters have been around), and Ghost-Maker finds his agents opposing him. Ed Brisson has a lot going on in this series, and I enjoy that, but I am left wondering if he’s thinning the ranks because there are just too many characters in this book.
Don’t Spit In The Wind #4 – I was intrigued by this series by Stefano Cardoselli, but in the end, I was disappointed. I love his art, and the post-Apocalyptic, Tank Girl-esque vibe of the series, but there just wasn’t enough story for me. I didn’t care about any of these characters, and it ended up feeling a little juvenile. I think Cardoselli has a lot of talent, and I want to see more of his art; I just hope he leaves his next story in the oven a little longer.
Dune: House Harkonen #7 – Duke Leto continues to deal with strife at home while a terrorist attack on Ix gives people there hope again. The stories continue to advance, slowly, as this series helps set up the first Dune novel. I enjoy this series, but it doesn’t really stand on its own.
Fishflies #1 – When I read the Free Comic Book Day preview of this new Jeff Lemire series, I assumed it was the type of comic that took its title from something that gets mentioned in the first issue, but then falls off in terms of importance to the story (like with Oblivion Song). The small town in Ontario where this takes place gets covered in fishflies every year for a couple of weeks, and that provides some interesting context to the first scene, which has three teens daring each other to walk across a parking lot strewn with flies. It quickly becomes a crime series, as the only teen brave enough to enter a convenience store interrupts a robbery, and later, we see the crook, wounded by a bullet, stagger into a cornfield. Now that this first full issue (which is about sixty pages long) is released, we see that the flies are a lot more essential to the story, which owes a few things to Franz Kafka. Lemire is so good at these odd rural tales – he is drawing this one on his own, and puts a lot of care into establishing the feel of the place. I’m definitely intrigued by the main character, Franny, who is an odd young girl who feels the need to help the crook, even after she learns that the boy who found him was killed. This looks like it’s going to be a good read, and I like the longer format of it.
Guardians of the Galaxy #4 – With the Guardians in a remote part of space, working to save numerous planets from the new version of Groot, which is taking over whole worlds, I’ve been wondering where Rocket was. This issue focuses on him, and his mission to keep one world safe. This series, written by Kelly and Lanzing, is pretty dark, but it’s starting to grow on me. A big part of that is Kev Walker’s art, which has been incredible from the first issue. I’ll never understand why he’s not a top-level artist.
Immortal Sergeant #7 – Sarge is closing in on the man he’s spent decades searching for, and when Michael finally gets free of his father’s craziness, he has to decide if he should stop him from killing someone. Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura have once again given us an unconventional and compelling story about family trauma. There’s nothing really like this book.
Immortal X-Men #13 – As we prepare for the Fall of the Mutants, Kieron Gillen brings fall to Krakoa. Doug has noticed that the island’s leaves are starting to fall, and he believes this is connected to the rot at the heart of the Quiet Council. There’s a lot of talking in this issue, as the leaders of Krakoa, such as they are, debate what they should do to fix things, and it looks like it’s going to go terribly wrong. I wasn’t sure what the point of the Fall of the Mutants event was going to be, but it’s starting to come into focus as we learn that the citizens of Krakoa have lost faith in their leaders (which, now that one of them is Selene, isn’t all that shocking). It’s another solid issue, and Lucas Werneck’s art continues to shine.
In Hell We Fight #2 – John Layman’s writing is often a lot of fun, and that seems to be his focus on this new series about a trio of kids who are hoping to use the Angel they just acquired to get themselves out of Hell. Layman continues to build his characters and acclimate us to the underworld realm where the action takes place. The artist on this book, Jok, is fantastic, and his work reminds me a lot of John McCrea. There’s a bit of a YA feel to this series, but I’m still finding enough to keep my interest.
Knight Terrors: The Flash #1 – I wanted to avoid these miniseries and take a DC break, but because I’m a fan of Alex Paknadel’s writing, I decided to give this a shot, even though it focuses on Barry Allen, my least favourite Flash. We’re in solid Nightmare territory, as Barry deals with the fact that Wally (as Kid Flash) was badly hurt by Grood, and he can’t figure out (or notice sometimes) why time and the Speed Force aren’t working the way they should. Paknadel has the space to be wild with this, but he kind of plays it safe. Daniel Bayliss’s art is nice but doesn’t really stand out. This whole event is kind of mid.
Knight Terrors: Green Lantern #1 – I’m still on the fence about Jeremy Adams’s Green Lantern series. On the one hand, I loved every moment of Adams’s Flash run, but on the other, I can’t stand Hal Jordan. Because the second issue of his book led into this miniseries, and because it’s written by Adams, I picked this up, but I kind of regret that. We get a look over some of Hal’s problems over the years, in a tired nightmare sequence. There’s nothing here that shows that Adams has a new take on Hal (although I didn’t know he was Jewish before now, but that doesn’t really count), and so we’re left with the guy that I don’t like being his usual self. The Sinestro backup suffers from the same problems; these are just not interesting characters. I am much more excited about John Stewart’s upcoming title. I will give Adams a couple more issues of the regular series, but it’s not looking like I’m going to be here for long.
Knight Terrors: Superman #1 – So Superman warrants a confrontation with the being behind all the heroes and villains going to sleep (or an underling – I wasn’t paying that much attention). The dream stuff is getting old fast, but I was happy to see who is coming to his rescue at the end of the issue. I do really like Tom Reilly’s art in this issue, and how it balances cartoonish and iconic.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #8 – Now that the Carnage Reigns stuff is over, Cody Ziglar gives Miles some downtime, as he goes to a food truck fair with his girlfriend and some other friends (weird that Ganke is not included). Of course, it’s not long before there is an issue with the Hobgoblin. I like how Ziglar is writing Miles, and think his discussion with Tiana about seeking therapy was handled well and is important, but I think he has trouble with his plots. I don’t really understand where Hobgoblin came from or what was going on at the Beyond facility, and some clarity would have been helpful.
Moon Knight #25 – I did not expect this to be such a giant comic, at $10! Jed MacKay fits a few month’s worth of story into this issue, as Moon Knight goes after the new Black Spectre, who has arranged for a few of his other foes to confront him. This issue also looks back on Marc’s days as a mercenary, when he worked as one of the Karnak Cowboys. The extended flashback sequences have some relevance to the main story, but are mostly there as a way of introducing Layla El-Faouly, who appeared in the Moon Knight TV show. I hate when Marvel feels the need to acknowledge the MCU in their mainstream line, and am probably going to ignore the miniseries featuring her. I am really enjoying MacKay’s take on MK though, and am glad that two years in, this book is still going strong. This issue, which is the size of a small trade paperback, ends with a reprint from The Hulk! magazine of the late 70s, which I was actually set to read in a day or two anyway, since that’s my current Retro Review topic.
New Mutants: Lethal Legion #5 – Charlie Jane Anders finishes up her take on the New Mutants, which is really more of an Escapade miniseries than anything else. The story is silly, but her love for these characters is very clear, and it does a good job of establishing Shela and her friend Morgan in the Krakoan era. The New Mutants brand has been struggling for years, and I’m not sure what Marvel might do with it next, but it’s probably time for it to take a break.
Red Goblin #6 – I hadn’t realized that Alex Paknadel was writing for Marvel until the Carnage Reigns event brought this title to my attention. I like Paknadel’s writing, and thought the idea of a young symbiote being bonded to a kid is an interesting concept, so I thought I’d see what the book is like without the crossover stuff. I hate symbiotes, but Paknadel has an interesting take on it, as Normie has to push the symbiote into helping when the Goblin Nation tries to kidnap his friend, as it reacts badly to the kid’s emotions when they are negative. I might end up adding this to my pullfile; I’ll give it another issue to see.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #36 – Now that T’onga’s contacted Boba Fett to help her in her attempts to save Valance’s memories (he’s had his mind wiped), she has to do him a favour. This means that she and her new crew are facing down a large number of Black Sun operatives. This is an entertaining issue with a lot of action. I have no idea who this Durge character is, but I feel like he’s not new.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #36 – In the build up to the Dark Droids event, a bunch of droids previously ‘murdered’ by Vader attack him in a coordinated assault, hoping to gain advantage because of his currently weakened state. It’s a nicely-drawn issue, with Rafaelle Ienco again showing us how impressive he can be. Also, once again, it is an issue that is over a little too quickly.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #34 – Aphra’s adventure with Luke Skywalker comes to its close as we get closer to the Dark Droids event that will be taking over across the line for the next little while. This series is fun, but it’s best when Aphra is bouncing off her usual supporting cast, none of whom are around here.
Superman: Lost #5 – Clark continues to struggle with adjusting to life back on Earth, and Lois turns to Wonder Woman for help. At the same time, we see more of how Clark spent his decades lost in space. He met a Green Lantern who acquired her ring without any help in learning how to use it, and he continued to intervene in the affairs of the planet he called Kansas. Priest and co-plotter/artist Carlos Pagulayan are doing incredible work with this series. Priest gets what makes Superman work, and it’s curious to see him in such an unfamiliar situation.
Terrorwar #4 – Saladin Ahmed’s sci-fi monster series reads like a good adventure movie. I thought there was a little more going on under the surface of this series, but in this issue, it’s really just about the action. That’s not a bad thing.
The Vigil #3 – This series is giving me big Suicide Squad vibes, without killing off anyone in the cast yet. The team of Indian agents is definitely unstable and shady, and as our POV character tries to better understand them and their structure, one of them starts to investigate her. Ram V is doing a great job of building this unique team, and Lalit Kumar Sharma’s art is very nice. There is a lot of potential in this book, and I hope it gets the space to continue to develop.
Void Rivals #2 – Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici continue to build their new world, which has had two planets at war with one another for thousands of years. Now one pilot from each planet is trapped together on a comet and are working to figure out how they can get home. Working together, they learn that they’ve been lied to, but their cultural programming runs deep. This is an interesting new series, and I think it’s interesting how it’s being positioned as the flagship book in the new Energon Universe, without really being that involved with the properties that make it up. I have a lot of trust for Kirkman and his ability to spin unexpected stories, so I’m excited to see where this goes.
WildCATS #9 – Grifter faces an alternate Earth’s version of Void, hoping to get home, while the Court of Owls and the Seven Soldiers interrogate Priscilla, and Lynch makes an offer to Zealot and the others. Things are coming together in Matthew Rosenberg’s exciting take on this team, and I continue to enjoy it a lot. I wish this book could get more consistent art, but I’m glad to see it’s continuing past its original seven issues.
X-Force #42 – We’re finally at the end of this arc that has the team moving through time, taking out future versions of Beast. I like Paul Davidson’s art on this issue, and hope he’s going to be sticking around for a while. I can’t help but feel like this story was treading water a little, as we wait for Fall of the Mutants to begin, but it wasn’t bad. I’m hopeful that Domino will figure out what’s going on with Colossus, because that storyline has been running a long time now and hasn’t really gone anywhere.
X-Men Red #13 – Genesis has returned to Arakko, and does not like what she finds. This issue is long on talking, as Storm and some of the other members of Arakko’s ruling circle argue. I’m not sure how much this is going to shape the Fall of the Mutants, but it doesn’t feel like it’s a culmination of what Al Ewing has been working towards in this book.
Comics I Would Have Bought If Comics Weren’t So Expensive:
Hunger and the Dusk #1
Scarlet Witch #6
World’s Finest: Teen Titans #1
Bargain Comics:
The Next Batman: Second Son #1-4 – I was curious about I Am Batman, but learned that I should read this series first. John Ridley focuses on the Fox family in this mini; Jace (who used to be Tim) is estranged from his family, but has to return home for a legal reason related to something that happened when he was a teen. Luke continues to fight as Batwing, while their father has become custodian of the Wayne family fortune. There’s a long subplot about Gotham’s new mayor outlawing all masked people (is there a bit of pandemic subtext here?), which I don’t think was reflected in any other DC books. Ridley writes these characters well, and I like Travel Foreman’s art (he drew most of the series), but I do think it’s strange that the series ended without really resolving anything. I do still want to check out I Am Batman, so that’s good.
Solid Blood #17 – I was really surprised to find this comic in a half-price bin, as I thought it was rare and hard to find. Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley released this during the pandemic as a one-off pretending to be part of a larger series built around Michonne from The Walking Dead, had she been a superhero (who died a few issues before this one). Reading it reminded me a little of my earliest comics reading days, when I didn’t know who any of the characters were and had to figure out what was happening as I read along. Those were fun times, and if this was a real series, I’m sure I’d be reading it. I like that Kirkman is always doing these odd things to support retailers and keep the public guessing.
The Week in Graphic Novels:
Three Worlds/Three Moons Sourcebook One: [Systems] – About a year ago, I decided to sign up for the 3W/3M Substack, thinking I’d be getting access to a hidden trove of comics. 3W/3M is spearheaded by Jonathan Hickman, Mike Del Mundo, and Huddleston, and I’m sorry to say that in the end, I was disappointed. There just wasn’t enough comics content for me, and I’m not one to join online communities, which seemed to be the focus of the Substack. I’m not going to deny that they, and their collaborators, have some amazing ideas and are putting together an interesting world. I just prefer to see worlds like that unfold through stories. This Sourcebook represents much of their early work – we have chapters explaining the social, political, economic, and religious structures of their fictional solar system. Each section also has a few short comics that help illustrate those ideas, and they are gorgeous. The problem is, most of them are unrelated to one another, and no larger story is coming into focus. I love the idea of a big shared world that’s as interesting as this one, but this felt like a deluxe version of a FCBD comic – it gives me some notion of what’s to come, but only a vague idea of when that will happen. As I was reading this, I kept thinking about the intricacy of the world that Kelly Thompson has created for her Black Cloak series, and how we learn about it through the story. I’m happy to have this handsome and rare volume in my collection, but I did choose to discontinue my subscription to the Substack (depriving myself of the [Maps] Sourcebook this year). I figure that one day, once they have more comics under their belt, the material will get published somewhere, and I’ll read it then.
The Fortnight In Music:
Fred Again.. & Brian Eno – Secret Life – Fred Again..’s approach to dance music has been pretty transformative over the last couple of years. Now he’s collaborated with Brian Eno for this meditative and gentle take on his usual style. It’s not exactly an ambient album, as he often uses typical song structures, but it’s also definitely not a dance album either. It took me a few listens to really start to understand what he’s doing here, but now I’m kind of hooked on it. As with his Actual Life albums, Fred samples from other songs or social media videos to construct the basis of his songs, and that gives his work a democratic, inclusive feel. I know that some purists dunk on him, but I like his stuff.
Snazzback – Ruins Everything – This Bristol jazz band reminds me a little of Ezra Collective, but Snazzback is a bigger band, membership-wise. They incorporate some spoken word, sung vocals on some tracks, raps on others, but overall have a very consistent sound that captures the same optimism I get from listening to Ezra. I remember playing a compilation of Bristol artists a few years back, and these guys really stood out from the pack. I’m glad to see them finally putting out a proper full-length.
McKinley Dixon – Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? – Here’s another strong contender for album of the year. Dixon raps over a live jazz band, and his music is so dynamic and exciting. Much of this album is a tribute to Toni Morrison (the title lists the titles of three of her books, and the intro track has someone reading from one of her novels), but it’s also a clear assertion of Dixon’s skills as a rapper and bandleader. I could listen to this over and over without ever getting bored of it, there’s so much going on.
Peter Somuah – Letter To The Universe – This turned up on my radar just because the cover looked interesting. Peter Somuah is a trumpet player from Europe who has managed to blend African sounds and polyrhythms into his playing. This album shows his range, and is full of tracks that are easy to groove out to. There is always so much new music to discover, but this is an album worth checking out.
