Best Comic of the Week:
Birds of Prey #1 – I don’t love that the beginning of this book kind of gives away what’s going to happen in Green Arrow in a few issues, generally speaking, but otherwise, I loved just about everything else about this first issue. Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero have Black Canary putting together a new team, featuring some pretty great characters, and Harley Quinn. Harley’s inclusion was almost enough for me to not pick up this book, as I really can’t stand this character, but Thompson has earned my trust, and she makes decent use of her here. The team has to be assembled without Barbara Gordon knowing about it, which is intriguing, and the final member was a big surprise (which I won’t spoil here). Thompson is having fun with these characters (and really, Zealot is not a fun character, so that’s impressive), and Romero’s art is fantastic. There are some exciting fight scenes, and lots of good character work. I have a lot of hope for this book, and because of the way DC has been running lately, am already concerned for its length. I want this to last as long as Thompson’s Captain Marvel run, for starters.
Quick Takes:
Barnstormers #3 – I really liked this series by Scott Snyder and Tula Lotay, about a pair of pilots on the lam. Lotay’s artwork in this book is beyond gorgeous, and the aerial sequences in this issue conveyed the majesty of what was happening in the sky very well. I’ve grown a little tired of Snyder’s over-the-top epic stories, so it was really nice to see him writing a smaller, more personal story like this one, without any fantastical elements to the story.
Batman #137 – The Gotham War heats up, with Bruce showing himself to be as dogmatic as ever, and going after his own family because they don’t agree with him. Chip Zdarsky is showing us a Batman that is steadily falling apart (which is also a theme in Ram V’s now-interrupted Detective Comics story), and I think that makes him more interesting than he’s been in a while. I also like how the story swerves towards the end, with another long-time DC villain taking his own shots at Batman while he’s dealing with everything else that’s happening. This is shaping up to be a very good mini-event.
Black Panther #4 – I’m continuing to get more and more interested in Eve L. Ewing’s take on Black Panther. This issue tells us a lot more about Beisa, the anti-hero of Birnin T’Chaka, and has T’Challa fighting with Deathlok. Chris Allen and Mack Chater continue to share pencilling duties, and while their art is different, it works.
City Boy #4 – Cameron’s trip to Blüdhaven to look for his mother has him meeting up with Nightwing, with whom he has a difference of opinion. I find this story interesting, but also really feel that this was written as a miniseries, unlike The Vigil, which feels like it should exist as an ongoing. Greg Pak makes Cameron likable, and Minkyu Jung makes him believable. His powers are hard to show and understand, and that could use some work.
Doctor Strange #7 – Jed MacKay is quickly becoming a favourite writer of mine. In this issue, he has our Doctor Strange face off against General Strange, his alternate self who fought a war for thousands of years on behalf of the Vishanti, only to be betrayed (as he sees it) and imprisoned. Now he’s free, and not very happy about it. He comes for Strange during Umar’s wedding, and reveals his plan, which is to restore his ancient war (which, in some ways, should still be happening, unless he was transported to the ancient past when it sparked off – that’s something that needs clarification). Pasqual Ferry’s art is so good in this book!
Fantastic Four #11 – I can easily imagine that Ryan North has been coming up with weird plot ideas based on random science reading for years, jotting them down in a notebook in case he ever got to write the Fantastic Four. And now that he’s on this book, he’s just going back over scribbled notes that read things like, “What if Thing’s house falls down an endless hole and he only has a small dog to help him?” Because that’s what this issue asks, and solves. North is doing an incredible job of returning these characters to their science roots, all while building them up as characters who are constantly placed in new and strange situations. I also like that his Ben Grimm is not a moron; he’s not as knowledgeable as Reed or even Sue, but he is observant and a quick thinker. This book is really a unique joy in today’s Marvel lineup. There is no other book quite like it.
Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance Omega #1 – While I enjoyed this crossover between a book I’m reading and a book I’m not, I can’t help but figure that it exists only to keep Logan out of the Fall of X stuff for a little while. I think it’s weird that it’s the government that is trying to use Logan and a demon to attack mutants and not Orchis; it could have easily been made a part of the larger event. I really like that Geoff Shaw drew all the chapters of this story, and would like to see more of that kind of thing. I also like the supporting cast in Ghost Rider, but can’t really see myself picking that series up – I think like with Punisher and Deadpool, the character has too many negative 90s connotations for me.
Group of 7 Comics #7&8 – I picked these up at Fan Expo the other week after having enjoyed the first Group of 7 trade paperback. These two issues focus on the Peregrines, a group of nurses in the Canadian Army during the First World War who also make up a secret group of operatives who are trying to stop the flow of illegal weapons into the war effort. These two issues move pretty quickly, establishing a villain with a connection to their organization, and expanding the universe creators Chris Sanagan and Jason Lapidus have created. I like how these comics use real historical figures in interesting ways (the Group of 7 in the book’s title refers to a number of Canadian heroes from the arts, political, and sports worlds who fought together as an elite squad). The Peregrines were founded by Laura Secord, who is seen as a hero of the War of 1812, as well as the face behind some very good chocolates. This book is clever, but doesn’t leave out the storytelling. Lapidus’s art is solid, and I like how he uses shading (the book is black and white). I know it’s been a long time since issue 8 came out, so I’m hoping the story will continue.
Group of 7 Comics: Peregrines – Hunter’s Moon – This one-off featuring the Peregrines is really action packed. The creators were doing a thing where they created three panels a day, with a loose form, and the improvisational flow of the story works here, in a story that suggests there might be another Peregrine hanging out in the north. These are fun comics.
Hunt for the Skinwalker #1 – I appreciate Zac Thompson’s writing (see below), but found this pretty stilted for a first issue. There’s a ranch in Utah where a family settled down on a newly-purchased ranch and immediately ran into problems, in the form of things going missing, unexplainable events, and the appearance of a giant wolf-like creature. Soon this advances to seeing flying RV’s, and the family has to deal with a lot of terror. It turns out there are local legends about a Skinwalker, and it seems it has an interest in their land. It also turns out that this book is supposed to be a true story, depicting what happened leading up to an organization buying the land, and then twenty years ago publishing a book about it. I had no idea of any of this – I saw Thompson’s name and added this to my pullfile list. I’m intrigued, but I found that Valeria Burzo’s art, while quite lovely, was also kind of stiff and didn’t always make clear what was happening. I think I was most bothered by the fact that nothing was done to make me care about this family, and now that they’re out of the book, I guess I can see why. Thompson did not do a good job of providing readers an emotional connection. I hope things improve as this odd title continues.
Immortal X-Men #15 – As Shaw continues to scheme, Hope and Exodus continue to lead everyone through the desert, coming across some familiar faces. I can’t help but feel that Paco Medina is the wrong artist for this book, or at least this storyline. There should be a lot of weight to things right now; the mutants are at their lowest point, but his art is a little too clean for it. Kieron Gillen has such a good handle on these characters, and the coordination of this event continues to impress, but for such a dark story, the art should be a little darker.
Justice Society of America #6 – It’s nice to see the pace of this title’s releases have picked up some, but I remain disappointed in this book. The appeal to me of the JSA in general, and in Geoff Johns’s previous long run with the book, is that it can pull from the wide range of incredible Golden Age characters in DC’s past. Now that he has the book again, we’ve seen future versions of the team, and now we have a retconned team of sidekicks who worked with the Society? I don’t love this idea. There are some nice moments in this book, but I don’t see myself getting too attached to any of these characters (I’m way more excited about the return of the robotic Hourman than I am to learn that Red Bee had a sidekick).
Moon Knight #27 – Marc and Badr use this issue infiltrating the mind of Vibro, the enemy that Hunter’s Moon stopped last issue, in an attempt to learn where Black Spectre is. Jed MacKay uses this conceit very well, as both Marc and Badr have to rely on the other people in their own minds to help them out, and we learn what Black Spectre is truly after. Having just finished rereading the first Moon Knight series, I like that MacKay is dropping little Easter eggs that refer back to that series, such as the location that Black Spectre is using. Continuity call backs are a dying art, but MacKay does it well.
Nature’s Labyrinth #6 – The conclusion to this offbeat but fantastic miniseries by Zac Thompson and Bayleigh Underwood has not disappointed, aside from how late it’s been. This was my first Mad Cave series, and the publisher has definitely landed hard on my radar now. This book, about an undercover agent who has infiltrated an insane reality-TV island, and forced to fight for her life, stayed unpredictable right to the end. The characters were interesting, and Underwood’s art is very nice. I’ve been a big fan of Thompson’s writing for a while now, and it’s cool that his name opened me up to this dynamic publisher.
Star Wars #38 – Lando heads to Jabba’s palace to try to fix his friend Lobot, and finds himself in the middle of an attack by the Dark Droids entity that is trying to capture the talky droid. This is a solid issue that in a small way helps to establish the opening of Return of the Jedi. I’m enjoying this title, and find it interesting that Charles Soule has chosen to make it all about Lando, so he can use the other principle characters in the Dark Droids event title.
Star Wars: Dark Droids #2 – And use them he does, as the entity has C-3PO ask Luke about the Force, as it attempts to figure out how to utilize it to its advantage, and to help its primary goal, to take over living, organic beings. This event is interesting, and I want to know a lot more about the Ajax Sigma’s community. Luke Ross’s art looks great here.
X-Men #26 – As we continue with the Fall of X, Kate goes after Firestar on Orchis’s space station, not knowing the truth behind her status. At the same time, Emma chafes in her new secret identity, and we learn the story behind her apparent coming nuptials to Tony Stark. This issue felt like a bit of a letdown after the highs of Duggan’s last few comics; the pace is starting to slow a little, and I don’t think that can happen with this story. Maybe we need to check in with more of the team.
