I’m still behind, mostly because I’m just not giving myself enough time to read. I made it through about half of this week’s stack, but I live in hope that I’ll have more time soon.
Best Comic of the Week:
Black Cloak #8 – I love Black Cloak. Kelly Thompson packs a lot of story and character work into each issue, and with this new arc, which takes place five years after the first, she is avoiding giving us an easy update on what’s happened in between, and instead shows us some of the fallout of past events in subtle and indirect ways. Phaedra is back in the Black Cloaks (the police of their world) after she and Pax have to fight off a dragyern, a creature believed to be fictional. Now they are investigating the connection between it and the serial killer who is plaguing the city, while Phaedra has to confront the impact of the fire she caused that devastated the city. Meredith McClaren’s art is gorgeous, and imbues this world with so much life. This is easily one of the best comics on the stands and deserves way more recognition and praise.
Quick Takes:
Absolute Power: Task Force VII #7 – I’ve really liked this series, which has taken an anthology approach, giving each issue a new creative team and characters to focus on. This one, written by Dan Watters and drawn by Fran Galán, focuses on the heroes of the rest of the world, mostly members of four different teams that are squabbling. It seems that the Global Guardians have split into two teams, while another two teams claim to be Europe’s defenders. When an Amazo comes after all of them, they have to work together. I like the idea of these other teams not getting along, and would gladly read more about that. I was happy to see Nightrunner and Ghost-Maker make an appearance, although the inclusion of Jet confused, given that her name just popped up in Wonder Woman in a different context. Galán’s art is really cool. I’ve liked Absolute Power, even though it’s further ruined Amanda Waller, a former favourite character of mine. I’m excited to see how the event is going to end.
Convert #2 – This odd science fiction series by John Arcudi and Savannah Finley continues to impress me. Orrin’s alone on an alien world where everything seems to be poisonous, but now he’s been found by beings who are indigenous to the planet, and is starting to learn its ways. Arcudi provides information slowly, as Orrin gains the ability to communicate (likely through something he’s eaten) and heals. Finley’s art is terrific, giving this planet an odd feeling, and designing cool creatures. I also like the framing sequence at the beginning, as Orrin’s ‘rescue’ arrives thirty years after he is stranded and discovers his journal. This is a really solid new title.
Creepshow Vol. 3 #1 – I usually avoid horror anthology series like this, but this issue is split between a story by Chip Zdarsky and Kagan McLeod, and another by James Stokoe, so I had to get it. The opening story is about a repressed mother who wants to rescue her teen daughter from a psychedelic cult. This is by Zdarsky and McLeod, so you kind of already know that it’s going to go somewhere unexpected and funny. Stokoe’s gorgeously drawn story is about a man who becomes obsessed with a creature that carves a story into bones. It’s elaborate and very good.
Dazzler #1 – It’s funny that on the same day I read this comic, I was introduced via a Twitter thread to the concept of ‘cozycore’ (shout out @Comrade_Bullski); stories where not a whole lot happens in terms of conflict. I feel like writer Jason Loo is going for a bit of that, with this issue about Dazzler’s first stop on her world tour. Sure, she gets attacked by a supervillain who has no clear reason for attacking her during her set. Loo is focused on how Dazzler’s tour has become a kind of referendum on mutants for the pop culture set. She’s got protestors, and many more mutant and human fans coming out to show love. The subplots seem to be set around how her PR Manager, Wind Dancer (from the excellent New Mutants/New X-Men run) wants her to downplay her mutant abilities, or at least her more aggressive ones, and wants her drummer, Shark Girl, to wear an image inducer. There’s no larger plot at work here, which is odd for the first issue of a limited series, but this comic is a form of visual comfort food. Artist Rafael Loureiro does fine work, and I liked this comic, but I’m wondering how we once again have Jamie Madrox taking on a new career.
Detective Comics #1089 – I’m pretty sure this is Ram V’s last issue of Detective Comics, and in it, he does a good job of wrapping up his long and complicated Gotham Nocturne series. This was a very ambitious Batman story that ran for twenty-eight issues, and an Annual, and yet didn’t seem to impact the rest of the DCU. This issue has Batman finish his fight with the Orghams, and checks in on almost all of the characters that got roped into the story (but not that kid with the wing tattoos). I’ve really liked this storyline, which has taken a baroque approach to Batman. The art throughout this series has been fantastic (Guillem March wraps things up in a more conventional way than we’ve mostly seen here), and the backup stories have helped flesh out the story. I like how Dan Watters and Christopher Mitten’s backup takes place in the middle of the issue this time around. I’ve become a big fan of V, and am excited to check out his take on the New Gods. This was a very special run, and one that has been pretty unique these days.
Green Arrow #16 – Ollie takes steps to protect his family from Bright, one of those annoying multiverse villains Amanda Waller’s brought to work for her, but that doesn’t mean he’s betraying Waller’s mission. Truly, it’s getting harder and harder to understand what Ollie is up to in this series, and I’m worried that the upcoming shift in writers means we won’t have enough time for a proper resolution to this storyline.
Helen of Wyndhorn #5 – Helen is spiraling out of control and starting to think of harming herself after her grandfather has cut her off from traveling to the fantasy lands that he’s been taking her to. This spurs her governess into some direct action, confronting her employer while he battles a swamp monster thing. This series, by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, is pretty unique, and is among the best books that King has written in recent years. The characters are complex, and it’s an interesting way to explore the stories of people like Robert E. Howard in a more modern context. I especially like the framing sequences, which show the history of the set of cassette tapes that contain the main story’s narration. Evely’s work is gorgeous, and this book is helping to cement her space as a top artist.
The Incredible Hulk #17 – There is something about the Hulk that lends itself to this type of Vertigo-lite storyline, but it’s losing me. I have enjoyed everything else I’ve read from Phillip Kennedy Johnson, but find this series to be way too decompressed for my liking. The art (mostly by Nic Klein) has kept me coming back, but with this issue, I’ve decided I’m going to stop preordering this book. I just don’t think I ultimately care all that much about Hulk and these ancient monsters that are after him for some reason. It’s not held my interest.
Jenny Sparks #2 – Having got through all the setup of issue one, this issue moves things forward. Basically, Captain Atom has gone insane and wants to be declared a god. To that end, he’s holding a handful of people hostage in a bar, and the big superheroes send in Jenny Sparks to deal with the situation. We also learn how Jenny, the spirit of the 20th Century, is still alive and kicking a quarter of the way into the new century. Tom King is keeping things a little obscure here, as he plays with Warren Ellis’s creation, but also suggests that Jenny once had a thing with Superman, which is hard to believe. I really like Jeff Spokes’s art here, especially the way he draws Captain Atom when he’s armored up. The first issue felt a little too formalist for me, but this issue is solid.
Resident Alien: The Book Of Life #4 – Usually a Resident Alien miniseries ends with a good sense of closure, but this one ends on a cliffhanger. The focus of this series has been family, with the birth of Clover being the biggest part of the story, but in this issue Astra has a death in the family, and then it looks like Harry’s original family might be coming by soon. I love this series, and how casual and comfortable it is.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #50 – It’s impressive that this series made it to issue fifty (this is the last issue), but unlike Kieron Gillen’s Vader run, which gave us Doctor Aphra, I’m not sure I could tell you much about what this run accomplished. This issue wraps up all of Greg Pak’s long running plots, restoring Vader to his place next to the Emperor as the Marvel line heads into Return of the Jedi (spoiler – neither character makes it out, at least until a poorly conceived sequel trilogy). Vader is a difficult character to write, as you can’t change his status quo, and he’s ultimately not interesting. The only way to make Vader work is with a fascinating supporting cast, and this series didn’t really achieve that. I like how Pak tried to work within the confines of the movies, using one of Padmé Amidala’s former handmaidens, and Ochi of Bestoon, as foils for Vader, but in the end, this run meandered too much. I did enjoy the art of people like Rafaelle Ienco and Adam Gorham (all local artists).
Uncanny X-Men #3 – I am finding Gail Simone’s run to be a little all over the place. This issue mostly focuses on properly introducing the four new mutants who have found Rogue and Gambit and their nascent little team in Louisiana, while further establishing the threat of yet another of Charles Xavier’s retconned ex-lovers. I think my issue with this issue is the way in which Simone is leaning into the Southernness of Rogue and Gambit, and then extending it to everyone. Logan’s never called Rogue ‘moonbeam’ before, but it’s used multiple times in this issue. That’s a minor quibble, but it kind of grated. I’m also not really sure why this random guy who knows Gambit is letting all these people stay in his house. David Marquez’s art is nice, and some of these new characters are interesting, although the extent to which they are all so badly damaged makes it obvious that at least one of them will end up being a villain. It’s also not clear yet how all these international characters found one another, and knew to look for the X-Men in the bayou they’d just arrived at.
X-Force #3 – The team has to take on Nuklo in Asia, and along the way we see how Captain Britain has become a lot more critical than I remember her being. I’m still struggling with some of the concepts in this series; if the analog shows unrelated fractures that put the entire planet at risk, how is it that things have been okay so far? And where is Forge’s data coming from? I like how Surge is becoming the conscience of the team, but so far, I am left wanting more from this book.
