Best Comic of the Week:
Dawn Runner #1 – I think that Ram V might be the writer I’m most excited about these days, and love that he’s working for a variety of publishers, putting out series in a variety of genres. Dawn Runner is set in a world where a portal opened above South America, spitting out the occasional massive creature that humanity cannot communicate with. Mankind, being mankind, has decided the best way to deal with this situation was to wall off a large area and use giant mech suits to kill the beasts. This issue introduces us to Anita Marr, the best mech pilot. She gets a new suit, Dawn Runner, and prepares to carry on the fight, but something very strange happens. The art, by Evan Cagle, is lovely and makes this world believable. V’s writing is sharp, and he continues to be a writer worth keeping a close eye on.
Quick Takes:
Black Panther #10 – I hadn’t realized that Eve Ewing’s run on Black Panther was ending. I guess I haven’t been paying attention to the solicitations lately. This ending feels a little rushed, as T’Challa faces the entity that’s been behind many of the problems in Biti since he moved there. I kind of had a hard time following the story in this issue, but I’m guessing that Ewing tried to cram a third arc into here, and didn’t have enough space. It’s too bad, because I was really starting to like this book more as T’Challa got to know the city better. I was looking forward to seeing his eventual reconciliation with the rest of the country, but I guess sales weren’t good enough? It’s wild to me, because this is a character who should be able to have an ongoing (the last run was only ten or fifteen issues too). It’s interesting that two of the top MCU properties, in the Panther and the Guardians, can’t hold on to a monthly book now. It’s almost like the MCU has drained them of what made them so special in the Marvel Universe. Is it time to get Priest to come back to Wakanda?
Bone Orchard: Tenement #10 – Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino’s longest-running Bone Orchard project to date wraps up with this issue, and it gives us our best look of the world that is under our reality, without really providing too many answers. I liked this series, but was hoping it would provide more of an overview of what this whole thing is about.
Captain Marvel #6 – Carol pulls together more of her family (really, more of Mar-Vell’s family) to figure out how to fight the Omen and the Undone, as well as Genis-Vell. I think that Alyssa Wong is hitting her stride with this series now, and I find myself liking it more and more, just like with Wong’s Doctor Aphra series. I’d like to see Mingyu Jung come over to this book too for the art.
Deer Editor #2 – It took me a while to track down the second issue of this Mad Cave series by Ryan K. Lindsay and Sami Kivelä (so long that I got the second and third issues on the same day). This story about a gumshoe journalist who also happens to be an anthropomorphized deer is pretty unique. In this issue, he’s been captured by his city’s mayor, who is up to no good, and we discover that he and his cronies are supernatural beings. This surprised me and felt out of place until I remembered that the main character of the book is a talking deer, so I guess other fantastical elements shouldn’t feel out of place. I really like Kivelä’s art, so I’m glad I was able to get all of this series.
Deer Editor #3 – This wraps up neatly, but also leaves the door open for a return to this world some day. I feel like this series would have worked better with a fourth issue, as this final one had to rush through some things that weren’t all that clear. I also wonder how Bucky’s antlers grew back so quickly after the last issue. Still, I’m always happy to take a chance on an indie book like this. Mad Cave puts out some very unique comics.
The Displaced #2 – As a lifetime resident of Toronto, I can’t downplay enough how thrilling it is to be able to read a miniseries about the neighbouring town of Oshawa disappearing off the map, and everyone immediately forgetting it and not caring. I think that only people who live in the GTA can appreciate how amusing this concept is (for an analogue, imagine how New Yorkers might feel if the same thing happened to Newark). Ed Brisson, who is originally from Oshawa, and Luca Casalanguida have put together a cool book that reminds me a bit of the TV show Lost, or the other Boom! series The Woods, only the focus is on a small group of people who have survived this strange phenomenon, and who now find themselves equally forgotten. I could really see this working as a Netflix show.
Dune: House Corrino #1 – Everyone is talking about Dune again, thanks to the excellent movie, but I think that anyone who wanders into a comics store for more Dune (does that ever happen) will be disappointed. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson continue to adapt their prequel novels, and if you take out the subtext and messaging of Frank Herbert’s books, I guess this is all fine and good. This continues the story started in House Atreides and builds on the end of House Harkonnen. The Tleilaxu have just about perfected their artificial spice, and all the other intrigues continue. It’s still a little stiff, but it’s not a bad comic.
Fantastic Four #18 – Once again, Ryan North comes up with a strange science problem for the team to tackle, followed by a strange science solution. The done-in-one nature of this series is really working for me, as longer plotlines continue to play out. I really like how North writes these characters, and was pleased to learn the secret Franklin has been keeping from everyone. This book is really well written. I like Carlos Gómez’s art too.
Green Lantern War Journal #7 – I’m really enjoying Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Montos’s work on this series. John’s lost in the Dark Star universe, while the ring construct he created to look after his mother, in the form of his dead sister, is maybe not making the best choices, and is creating some conflict with John Henry Irons. Johnson’s story is moving slowly, but enjoyably so, and Montos’s art is cool. This is a good book.
The Holy Roller #5 – Levi goes to a meeting to see what the far right in his home town is up to, and learns that they consider themselves to be New Neo-Nazis. Rick Remender and his cowriters are leaning into the ridiculousness of this world (this is set in the Scumbag-verse), and having a great time poking fun at our own. This series is not breaking any new ground, but it’s a fun satire of superhero comics.
If You Find This, I’m Already Dead #2 – I liked the first issue of this series by Matt Kindt and Dan McDaid, but feel like the story really clicks with this second issue. Robin is a reporter who went to a hostile planet with a group of soldiers who were killed in an attack on the base the US built. Now she’s on the run, trying to survive in a truly alien environment. She starts to learn the language a little, but discovers that the priests who have been helping her have other intentions for her, as her adventure gets even stranger. Kindt doesn’t normally write such big screen stories as this, but he excels at it. McDaid must be having a ball with the designs of the beings and environments on this world. The last page has a surprise that has me excited about the next issue. This is a good series, and it really benefits from the oversized pages.
The Invincible Iron Man #16 – Tony’s big fight against the Stark Sentinels and Feilong’s own Sentinel-sized War Machine armor is told in an issue of almost all splash pages. Tony’s in an absolutely massive new suit, and the fight is pretty high-stakes, as he tries to take out the Sentinels so the X-Men can move on Orchis in other titles. It’s an exciting issue, but new artist Creees Lee is maybe not entirely up to the job. I’m not saying his art is bad, but it’s also not really consistently dynamic. This should be a huge moment for this title, but it’s really a little forgettable.
Justice Society of America #9 – I really wish this book came out on a monthly schedule, because the constant delays between issues are really hurting it. The alternate future Huntress has somehow convinced the team to recruit a bunch of villains in an attempt to reform them, and while they are trying to reason with the Harlequin’s Son (such a bad name), they meet up with a character whose look and ring have me pretty excited. There’s so much potential in this series, but Geoff Johns’s pacing is slow and plodding, which is made so much worse by the lateness of each issue. Mikel Janin’s art is great, of course, but that’s not enough, really. This book needs some help.
Nightwing #112 – Dick continues to look into the murder of a businessman, and looks out for the man’s child, who is the inheritor of the man’s wealth. Tom Taylor is good at showcasing aspects of Dick’s personality, and uses Batman as a narrator to make things clear. At the same time, we’ve seen this kind of thing a few times too many of late. The backup story, featuring an Elseworld’s kind of story, is beautiful thanks to the rare appearance of Francesco Francavilla as artist, but the story left me cold.
Resurrection of Magneto #3 – On the path to Resurrection, Magneto and Storm come across the Shadow King and have to battle the truths, or interpretations of truths, that he shows them. Al Ewing really gets both of these characters, and I really hope that he is going to be connected to one of the as-yet unannounced new secondary X-Men titles (Storm would be ideal). I do think it’s cool that these two characters are making their way back to the world in time for the conclusion of Fall of the House of X.
Superman #12 – The fight against Graft and Pharm comes to a bit of an easy end after so many issues, but I guess Joshua Williamson needs to clear the deck for this upcoming Brainiac story he’s telling here and in Action Comics (does that mean Jason Aaron’s run is over already?). I’ve liked the approach Williamson is taking to Superman, and while I kind of preferred what Phillip Kennedy Johnson did to build out the Superman Family, I am happy sticking with this book for a while.
Titans #9 – The Titans continue to work to improve their image after the Beast World debacle, while Gar stews in his unpopularity, and the team’s enemies make alliances to move against them. Tom Taylor is setting up a lot of interesting plots here, and is making good use of Amanda Waller (for a change, in the modern DCU). I’m enjoying this book, and was excited to see a Chris Samnee cover on it (even if it has little to do with what happens in the story).
Vengeance of The Moon Knight #3 – Soldier narrates this issue, as Reese and the Midnight Mission crew find that the new Moon Knight is making them a target in the supervillain community, as the average villain doesn’t know that he’s not with them. Jed MacKay is doing a great job of building mystery around this character, and keeping the facts of his existence to himself. I was very happy with this book before he killed Marc Spector, but I’m also happy with how this is going now.
Wonder Woman #7 – This issue is out of sequence, taking place after issue five, and out of place in terms of story. Diana zips off to a massive space station shopping mall with Superman, where they try to figure out what to buy for Batman for his birthday. Tom King tries his hand at comedy, giving this a feel somewhat similar to the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League International days, but it feels a little forced to me. Guillem March’s art is gorgeous, but I didn’t really like the way these characters were portrayed. This series has been so good since King took over, and I can understand that Daniel Sampere maybe needed a month to catch up on things, but this tossed me out of the story for a bit (while also explaining why Clark isn’t getting involved in the fight against Diana and the Amazons).
X-Men Forever #1 – It’s a little odd that this miniseries is being used to fill in the gap between the last issue of Kieron Gillen’s Immortal X-Men and the beginning of Rise of the Powers of X, but I do appreciate how he is working to bring closure to a number of the subplots that were left unresolved there, including the historical relationship between Destiny and Mister Sinister, how Mother Righteous ended up Xavier’s prisoner, and what Sebastian Shaw has been up to. I like Gillen’s writing, and find this half of the Fall of the House of X storyline pretty compelling.
The Week in Music:
Bozack Morris – The Toronto Tape – Toronto has such a vibrant hiphop scene, with so many varied and talented rappers. Producer Bozack Morris has brought a bunch of them together for this mixtape project that showcases his classic beats. Among the rappers I usually listen to on this project are DijahSB, eighteen year old Gritfall, and Raz Fresco, the hardest working man in Toronto. Everyone else on here is new to me, and sounds great. One rapper that really stood out to me is Daniel Son, who sounds a lot like C-Rayz Walz. This is a cool project.
Sedibus – Seti – Sedibus is the name of the project made by Alex Patterson and Andy Falconer, both founding members of The Orb. The Orb has an outsized place in my life, having been my gateway to electronic music as a teenager. On this project, Sedibus captures the weirdness of early Orb – the random sounding voice and dialogue samples that play over and under music that ranges from ambient bleeping to driving dance beats, often in the same song. Listening to this takes me back to my teen days, and the music sparks something in me that I really enjoy.
