Best Comic of the Week:
The Penguin #1 – I wasn’t sure what to expect from this series. The Penguin is not really a character I’ve ever taken seriously, so as Tom King has character after character express depths of fear in meeting with him, I had to wonder what’s going on. I like this premise – that the Penguin has always been more terrifying than anyone, including Batman, ever acknowledged him to be. There is a federal agent who has designs for the Penguin, and so this issue is mostly about her putting her plan into action. It’s effective, and Rafael De La Torre’s art is very well suited to this. I’m confused that this is being advertised as an ongoing, when King shows us what this is building towards in the first and last pages of the issue. Anyway, I’m going to be sticking with this book for sure.
Quick Takes:
Black Panther #3 – Eve L. Ewing is digging more into Birnin T’Chaka, the city where T’Challa is spending his exile. We get a better sense of the city’s underworld, as T’Challa partners up with Beisa. This run is a big departure from previous Black Panther runs, reminding me a little of when he took over Daredevil’s book for a while, and I’m interested in seeing where it heads. Chris Allen and Mack Chater both do great work on the art here, with Allen’s pages practically glowing.
Bone Orchard: Tenement #3 – Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino make this issue extra-creepy, as the inhabitants of the building that’s just moved into the Bone Orchard dimension (what are we calling it?) descend a long staircase and find something familiar to anyone who read the initial FCBD Bone Orchard story. I like how the first two issues got us to like these characters, and now many of them look like they won’t be around anymore. This series is good, and Sorrentino is a master.
Captain America: Finale #1 – Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly put all their toys away as they wrap up their relatively short Captain America run. I’m going to be honest – I didn’t much like this run or the premises behind it. The writers retconned a massive amount of Marvel’s history, including adding a secret history to Cap’s shield, but then wrapped up a conspiracy more than a century long that I’m sure no one will ever reference again. The Inner Circle stuff never really made sense to me, I never understood the game these power brokers were playing, and now it’s done. It seems like Lanzing and Kelly are showing up everywhere these days, and I’m not all that impressed with the way they play so fast and loose with established characterizations (read their Guardians of the Galaxy) or continuity. I can overlook these things if the writing is amazing, but it’s really only adequate. Carmen Carnero has been terrific on this book, and I hope her profile continues to increase. I think after this, I’m going to give Captain America a rest for a while; I’m not all that excited about a JMS Cap run…
Fire Power #26 – This is a bit of an in-between issue, as Owen trains his people, and the world takes a breath after the dragon destroyed Chicago. It’s a very solid issue that advances a number of character arcs, and helps build suspense for the fight we know is coming. Chris Samnee does incredible work, as always, even without a lot of big fight scenes to draw. I love this title.
Immortal Sergeant #8 – After last issue’s accident, Michael is in the hospital, and that leaves his dad to try to figure out what he should do next. This issue almost feels like something emotional is going to happen, and then it swerves in another direction, as Sarge finds the guy he’s been looking for all along. I love this series, and can’t wait to see how it all comes out in the end, next issue.
The Immortal Thor #1 – I came at this from conflicting positions. On one hand, I think that Al Ewing is the most interesting and exciting writer at Marvel right now, and that his track record over the last decade proves that to be true. His Immortal Hulk was character-redefining and thrilling. His work with SWORD/X-Men Red has been consistently excellent, his Guardians of the Galaxy was very cool, and his work with the Ultimates was a personal favourite. So, I felt good about this. On the other hand, I find Thor boring. Walter Simonson’s run was a high point, and I enjoyed the work Jason Aaron did while Jane Foster was Thor, but really, I get bored of this character pretty quickly. I gave up on Donny Cates’s run because it kept doing the same old thing. So, I wasn’t sure what to expect here. And the sad truth is, my attention wandered all over the place while I read it. I think Thor is at his most interesting, these days, when he is not tied to his mythology. There’s just too much of shoehorning the same old things. At this point, I want to see Thor have nothing to do with Asgard, and especially with Loki. That’s not what this is, though, as Ewing works to show us good-time Thor (that’s actually kind of nice), returning him to his old costume and more cheerful roots. But there’s a whole thing happening with the realm beneath the ten realms, or something, and the elder gods that were around before Odin and the boys. I don’t know, like I said, my attention wandered. Granted, I had a headache already when I picked up this issue, so I’ll give it another shot before issue two comes out, but I’m definitely not coming away from this with enthusiasm. It might be me – Ewing is solid, without doing anything overly original. The art, by Martín Cóccolo is pretty nice too. I enjoy Ewing’s take on Loki too, but I’m sick of Loki. Maybe I’m just being a hater.
Invincible Iron Man #9 – While most of the tie-ins to Fall of X have been taking place ‘X’ weeks after the Hellfire Gala, Gerry Duggan continues to show us what happened to Tony Stark and Emma Frost immediately after Orchis made its big move. Things are bad for Tony – he’s left without any money, his friends, or his armor, but maybe things are even worse for Emma. They find common cause, and it feels like a bit of a big deal. I like how Duggan has made this series essential to what’s happening in the X-books.
Knight Terrors: Action Comics #2 – I think this is the last of the Knight Terror tie-ins for me. At least I hope it is. This event has done nothing for me. I like how the writers for this Action Comics mini have used the event to explore their characters (Power Girl in the main story, the two Warworld orphans in the second) a little better, and the art is nice. It’s just that this stuff wasn’t really needed.
Newburn #10 – Things are getting harder for Newburn, as it seems like his bosses are fomenting against him, at the same time that a reporter is looking into Emily’s life. Chip Zdarsky and Jacob Phillips are doing great work with this unconventional crime comic, focusing on a neutral fixer who works for all of New York’s crime families. I also love the backup story by Dave Brothers and Nick Dragotta. I wish it was longer.
Realm of X #1 – Magik, Dani, Dust, Marrow, and Typhoid Mary have ended up in Vanaheim, somehow, with a number of injured mutants, after the Hellfire Gala. Illyana’s powers still aren’t working, Mary is very difficult, and after the mutants fight off an attack from some locals, the child Curse has gone missing. It seems that people in Vanaheim have the ability to see into the future, and the appearance of four of these mutants has been foretold for some time, and the hope is they can help them fight off the ‘white witch’ that they’re at war with. Torunn Grønbekk has a lot to do to make this series work. Sure, there’s a history between the New Mutants and Asgard, but that’s not exactly what this is. The revelation of who the white witch is makes things more interesting, but I’ve already had enough of this bitchy, unhelpful version of Mary. I also don’t get how or why Curse would have been at the Gala, given that she’d taken off as part of X-Men Green the last I remember seeing her. Anyway, this is entertaining, but seems like one of the least essential Realm of X books.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #35 – Continuing with a long string of bad decisions, Aphra gets to know Domina Tagge better than before, and then decides to go to a nightclub planet before heading off on the mission that Tagge’s sent her on. This Dark Droid thing is starting to confuse me, as now disconnected and warehoused droids are starting to act up; I thought that it was necessary for the main bad droid to have some kind of contact before he can influence another droid. That’s confusing.
Terrorwar #5 – There are glimmers of the social and political commentary I thought this series was going to be about, but there’s more time spent on the Terrors – strange destructive manifestations of people’s fears. We get an idea of where they’ve come from, as they take Cho with them. This series is entertaining, and seems to be hitting its stride.
Unstoppable Doom Patrol #5 – The team responds to news of a new metahuman in a small town, but discover there’s a lot more going on, as a rival tries to recruit Niles Caulder to their company. I’ve been enjoying this series, and am sad to see that it’s set to end in two issues. I think this approach to the Doom Patrol is one that could work for a while, and I’m sick of seeing this team reconceptualized every few years. Eric Burnham’s art is perfect for this book; maybe we’ll get lucky and there will be a second ‘season’?
X-Force #43 – This issue takes place during the Hellfire Gala, showing us what this team’s experience was. It looks like we’re finally getting close to a resolution of the long-simmering Colossus storyline, which is going to be welcome. It’s dragged on way too long.
Comics I Would Have Bought if Comics Weren’t So Expensive:
Jean Grey #1
Bargain Comics:
Peacemaker: Disturbing the Peace #1 – I guess this Black Label one-shot was made to have something on the stands when the Peacemaker TV show debuted. This is definitely not the classic character that used to knock around in Checkmate, and instead, we are given a glimpse into a typical Garth Ennis psycho comic. This version of Peacemaker grew up through a series of bad situations, and then continued to find himself at the centre of multiple tragedies, especially as he climbed the special forces ladder. Ennis is good at this stuff, as is artist Garry Brown, but there really wasn’t any need for this to exist.
The Week in Music:
John Carroll Kirby – Blowout – I’m not sure how I would classify John Carroll Kirby. His music is too fast paced to be considered New Age or even contemporary Classical. It has too many live instruments to be considered electronic, and it doesn’t fit into the category of jazz at all, but at the same time, it’s kind of all four of those things? This is a happier, more upbeat album than his last one, and I find it interesting. It’s nice to just put on and let it improve my mood.
YUNGMORPHEUS – From Whence It Came – YUNGMORPHEUS is a prolific artist with a smooth flow and unique delivery that is not quite like anyone else. This album has him partnering with a number of producers who are united in using soulful beats. It’s another solid album from an up-and-coming rapper whose work I admire.
Julie Byrne – The Greater Wings – I know that Julie Byrne has been around for a while, but it wasn’t until I started hearing so much praise for this album from a number of different places, that I really gave her a proper listen. This album is incredibly beautiful. It’s a little hard to describe, in that some tracks sound like pop music, while others sound like folk. Across them all, is Byrne’s mournful and affecting voice, and a sense of sadness and dignity. I’ve listened to this a bunch of times so far, and still haven’t really taken in the lyrical content because I’m slow like that. I have learned in life to trust anything put out on Ghostly International…
Johnathan Blake – Passage – Drummer Johnathan Blake surrounds himself with an incredible ensemble for this new album. He’s got Joel Ross on vibes, Immanuel Wilkins on saxophone, Dezron Douglas on bass, and David Virelles on piano/keys, so basically, this album can do no wrong. There’s a contemporary sound to a certain class of Blue Note recording artists, and this album is squarely in that genre. It’s lovely, with some longish compositions to allow Blake’s ideas to fully form and get explored. It’s some great stuff.
Sault – Earth – Sault dropped five albums on the same day near the end of last year, but this was my favourite. Inflo explores a few sounds on this, with tracks that are all percussion, play with Brazilian rhythms, and give Cleo Sol the opportunity to show how powerful a singer she is. There’s a heavily Christian influence on this album, which does grate a little at times, but overall, this is another beautiful collection of music from this enigmatic and reclusive band/collective.
Helios – Espera – Another win from Ghostly International is this beautiful album from Helios. This is that kind of electronic music that approaches New Age, but is way more interesting. It has big swelling emotional moments, and the odd danceable beat. Helios’s music would appeal to fans of Tycho and Bonobo’s more cerebral output. I’m happy to have this as part of my collection.
Oddisee – To What End – This came out a while ago, but it’s taken a while for me to get a physical copy. Oddisee is one of my top five rappers, but he often flies under the radar. Through his whole career, he’s shown remarkable growth as a rapper and as a person, but has managed to keep a level of consistency to his sound at the same time. This album checks in with Amir after he’s become a father and come through the pandemic, and he’s in a thoughtful place. There are some great features here (Phonte stands out) and a lot of live instrumentation augmenting Oddisee’s beats. This is a really strong album.
