I’m finally caught up on my new comics! It’s a good feeling to be current again.
Best Comic of the Week:
Grommets #1 – I always felt like Deadly Class afforded Rick Remender the opportunity to explore aspects of his teenage self, but having read this, I think it might have been more about how he saw a more idealized version of himself. In Grommets, his new series, he and co-writer Brian Posehn are portraying aspects of their real lives, as misfit outsiders in Junior High who bond over a love of skateboarding. In reality, they didn’t know each other, but it seems that they have enough points of intersection, that they can easily imagine what their friendship would have been like. Rick is new in town, and doesn’t have any friends yet, but Brian takes him to a skatepark and tries to live up to the bragging he’s just done. Artist Brett Parson really captures both the awkwardness of Junior High days, and the visual awkwardness of the mid-80s very well. This book feels like a sitcom, but in all the best ways.
Quick Takes:
Dawnrunner #3 – Ram V continues to push his way up the list of writers I admire the most these days. With Dawnrunner, he’s taken a standard story about mechs fighting large monsters and added moral quandary and very compelling characters. Anita continues to connect with the personality inside her new Iron King suit, while the threat of the Tetzas seems to be changing in unexpected ways. Evan Cagle’s art is gorgeous, and this story continues to grip my interest. It’s very good.
Detective Comics #1085 – Batman is going around Gotham securing new helpers in his fight against the Orghams, and that takes him to the Maestro and to Mr. Freeze. Ram V’s story continues to impress me with its scope and breadth, although I still wonder how none of this stuff is reflected in any other title. I was happy to see Alex Paknadel write the backup story, which also focuses on Freeze and has art by Christopher Mitten.
Dune: House Corrino #3 – I find that I’m getting bored of this series now. There has been a sense of diminishing returns since Boom! started to publish these Dune series (I’ve much preferred the one-shots or more contained miniseries), and it’s really setting in now, as plotlines continue to play out with little relation to one another, and the characters don’t really seem very interesting. My guess is this is how people feel about the prequel novels too…
The Flash #9 – This issue reveals what (or who) is behind the problems that Barry and Linda have been having, and shows us who Inspector Pilgrim really is (I guessed that one a little while ago). I’m still not very clear on what’s been happening to Wally, but I found this issue rekindled my interest. I don’t love that Simon Spurrier’s story is going to be connected to this Absolute Power event, but that’s life.
Green Arrow #12 – Ollie and his family finish their conflict with Merlyn, and then find some time to be together. I’ve been enjoying Joshua Williamson’s writing on this book, and this issue felt very much like it should be the last, except that the story is continuing. I’m happy to see this is still going to come out, as it becomes a big part of the Absolute Power event. I hope this book is still around after that ends.
Nights #7 – This continues to be one of my favourite books at the moment, mostly because of how wildly unpredictable and strange it can be. In this issue, writer Wyatt Kennedy focuses on Ivory, the most mysterious of our cast members. The being that’s kidnapped him has him break into Ernest Hemingway’s house to retrieve a particular book, but he’s stopped by the talking cats that patrol the place; later we learn Ivory’s secrets and why he’s been so distant from Matt and Vince. This series is a very strange soap opera of sorts, full of magical realist elements that make it so appealing. Luigi Formisano’s art is so good at making these bizarre elements seem normal. I’ve grown to really love some of these characters, and am glad that this series is still continuing.
Penguin #10 – Now the Penguin is openly going after his children, manipulating Batman into taking out many of their business operations (that he himself set up) and as things escalate, stopping their attempt on his life. This series continues to be an entertaining read, as Tom King helps rehabilitate the Penguin as a viable Bat-villain. Rafael De La Torre’s art is very nice, and each issue really gives the impression that the story is building to something (I like King’s use of a framing structure this issue).
Predator: The Last Hunt #4 – Ed Brisson wraps up his Predator run with this issue (I think – it feels like a good end for Theta, and nothing else has been announced). I’ve enjoyed these three miniseries, and like how this one included characters from the old Dark Horse Predator series. It was a good read.
Rise of the Powers of X #5 – I wonder if Jonathan Hickman’s original plan for the Krakoan Age involved the return of the Phoenix. Jean and the Phoenix pursue Enigma throughout time, but the whole thing depends on a conversation between Charles Xavier and Moira MacTaggert on a bench. I like how this brings us full circle, and in some small way works to redeem Charles, but it also feels a little inadequate given what a massive shift in status quo is coming for the entire X-line. I find it curious that a lot of mutants are still in the White Hot Room; is this a more gentle version of “no more mutants” and an attempt to trim the number of characters available to writers? I think I have more complicated feelings about all of this that I haven’t sorted through and aren’t able to articulate yet. I did really like that Kieron Gillen got a second crack at writing the X-Men, and think that he did an incredible job with his various offerings. It looks like a lot of the characters he gave the most life to aren’t going to be used in the next wave of titles, and that’s a shame. I would really enjoy a book featuring Destiny, Exodus, and Rasputin IV, assuming Gillen wrote it.
The Six Fingers #4 – Johannes is both figuring out the truth of what’s happening with him, and a prisoner to it, as he moves to either complete the program that the ‘one hand killer’ keeps leaving at murder scenes, or to escape it. I am loving this book and its companion, The One Hand; the two writers, Dan Watters and Ram V, have crafted a compelling mystery, and the artists, Sumit Kumar and Laurence Campbell have fully realized this world. I feel like this would need to be collected in a single trade with alternating chapters.
Star Wars #46 – Lando uses his knowledge to help rescue Mon Mothma from the mercenaries that have kidnapped her and are attempting to ransom her. I’ll be honest, I thought that maybe Lando’s lawyer set up this whole thing, but if so, that’s a revelation for the next issue. Charles Soule is making this book fun, but as we move towards the Return of the Jedi, I would think that he’d be setting that movie up more.
Titans #11 – As Nightwing becomes more suspicious of Raven (and has a novel way of dealing with it), Amanda Waller sends a new threat up against the team – Vanadia is a young woman who wants to be a Titan very badly, but is being manipulated into attacking them instead. This is a very solid run on this book, and I’m enjoying it a lot, despite my long-standing dislike of Raven.
Ultimate Spider-Man #5 – This issue focuses on Harry Osborn, as we learn about his relationship with his father, how he came to control Stark Industries as well as the Osborn company, and how he started out as the Green Goblin. Jonathan Hickman is clearly playing with our expectations of what any universes Harry Osborn is likely to be, and it does leave the reader wondering if he is going to end up being Peter’s biggest enemy. This is an interesting issue that helps build out the new Ultimate Universe. David Messina handles the art for this issue, and does a fine job, although I’m looking forward to Marco Checchetto returning for the next one.
Void Rivals #9 – I’ve been surprised that Robert Kirkman has maintained secondary plots in this title that on the surface have very little to do with the two main characters of this book. Reading this series makes me think a little of Saga, in ways that I never would have expected from a Kirkman comic, and I like that. This issue has our heroes find an Autobot (I have no idea which one) in the middle of the wasteland they are walking through, but the guy who is chasing them catches up, and we get some crazy action scenes (that are also kind of funny). I really enjoy this book and the work that Kirkman and artist Lorenzo De Felici are putting into it.
Wolverine #50 – I don’t think I’m going to miss anything about Ben Percy’s run on Wolverine. I’m not sure how much of that might be his fault though; the Krakoan Era didn’t really have a place for Logan. I think that he was better suited to adventures with X-Force during this time, as an enforcer and black ops guy, but increasingly, Logan is hard to write for solo adventures because all writers want to do is mine his past. I think that a long story about someone with his past trying to fit into a much happier place would have been interesting, but it would have probably had to have been a mature readers title, and really dig into themes of despair and trauma. Anyway, Ben Percy did what he could, and told some good stories along the way. This Sabretooth War probably wasn’t one of them though (he co-wrote it with Victor LaValle). This last issue has Logan and Creed going at each other, and quickly and painlessly deals with the fact that Creed de-powered him a couple issues ago. In all, I think that this storyline was too long, as it got stretched out to end with issue fifty, and it didn’t do enough with the circle of characters around Logan. I assume that we’re going to be done with mutant resurrection post-Krakoa, but don’t believe that Daken is going to stay dead (I think Quentin’s already been brought back?). Anyway, I did like the art by Javi Fernandez in the second backup story (the first, written by Larry Hama and set back in the day, was pointless).
W0rldtr33 #10 – Ellison’s sister, Asimov, explains how she is connected to the Undernet and Gabriel Winter, and it helps connect some important dots for us and fill in some key backstory as to how the Undernet infected the internet. At the same time, Ph3ar continues her killing spree. James Tynion IV and Fernando Blanco are doing some incredible work with this excellent series that feels more relevant every week.
X-Men: The Wedding Special #1 – I was originally going to skip this, but figured it was Kieron Gillen’s last go around with some of the characters he’s written best. I did like the way Gillen used Mystique and Destiny’s wedding (really, they’re just renewing their vows) as a framework for other writers (including Night’s Wyatt Kennedy) to tell small stories about other queer characters in the X-Men’s orbit. I guess it worked, but I don’t know how I feel about moving immediately to turn Raven and Irene into the next Thelma and Louise. Some of the shorter stories worked, while others didn’t. I had no idea that Rachel and Betsy were in a relationship now, and feel like that would take some serious retconning. The Wolverine story irritated me, even though it featured some X-Men that never get enough screen time. I also found it odd that everyone is just back to living in America and walking around like they aren’t refugees from an island nation and/or the biggest threat to mankind. It’s weird that Reed and Sue Richards would be at Raven and Irene’s wedding, but Pyro, Avalanche, and Blob aren’t.
The Week in Music:
Kelly Moran – Moves In The Field – Apparently I can never quite get enough of solo piano neo-classical music. On some of these pieces, Kelly Moran has prepared her piano, doing little things that will alter its sound, but on most of them, she plays as intended. Both types of tracks are lovely and atmospheric; music like this puts me in a contemplative mood, but also always gives me hope that the world can be better.
Uniri – Infinite Reflections – Astigmatic Records has become a favourite record label of mine. I’m not sure if Uniri is a Polish band, like the other artists on this label, or if they’re British, but they have found the same type of rhythms that so many other jazz fusion bands I love play with, where every track is just begging to be sampled and chopped up into a new hiphop beat that I’ll also love. This is a powerhouse of a record.
Blue Lab Beats – Blue Eclipse – A Blue Lab Beats album is always a good time, as they know how to put together nice jazzy dance songs. There is a wide variety of artists featured on this album, most notable of whom is the British rapper Kojey Radical. I like how this blends jazz, dance music, and hiphop.
Nubiyan Twist – Find Your Flame – The British afro-jazz collective returns with another solid album that marries afrobeat with current jazz sounds. It’s a very positive affair, that feels great. Seun Kuti’s appearance on one track feels very appropriate given the tradition the band is playing with. This is a solid release.
Jordan Rakei – The Loop – Jordan Rakei makes the kind of pop music that really fits well with a lot of the jazz artists I listen to. He’s a multi-instrumentalist from New Zealand who has embraced a large sound, with a ton of instrumentation, strings, and sometimes a choir, but the songs are about emotions and self-introspection. In some ways, he reminds me of an artist like Rex Orange County. This is a good album, and I’m looking forward to his tour in the fall.
