So I’m not even finished last week’s new comics, but hopefully will have more time this week for hobbies…
Best Comic of my Week:
Spectregraph #3 – I liked the first two issues of this gorgeous DSTLRY series by James Tynion IV and Christian Ward, but this issue resonated so much deeper. Before now, the two main characters, Janie and Vesper, have felt like shallow characters. Janie is a screwup who left her baby home alone to go and show a house for work, while Vesper is a hard as nails goth who agreed to sacrifice Janie to the strange occultists who lured them into a clockwork house that houses ghosts. In the middle of their running for their lives, Tynion and Ward chose this issue as the perfect place to dig into their characters, and both women become so much deeper and richer over the course of this issue. I’m consistently impressed by Tynion’s writing, across a number of genres, so I’m not sure if this book is really going to stand out in the final analysis, but these are two great characters in a unique situation. Ward’s art adds a lot to the story, even if (other than the ghost scenes) it’s more restrained (constrained by the story?) than I’m used to seeing. I really hope the baby is okay, because his situation is probably the most horrific part of this story.
Quick Takes:
Dune: House Corrino #6 – After two other miniseries, all the threads of this Dune prequel story are starting to come together at last, and the book is getting a lot more interesting (even if it’s hard to remember where all the moving parts are coming from). These prequel stories lack the literary themes of Frank Herbert’s Dune, but they do provide an interesting look at the world he created. I’d still rather see some original stories in this universe written for comics, instead of always being given adaptations of novels.
Kaya #21 – This issue feels a little strangely paced, as Kaya and Jin are spending time with a new ally; a Pan-like demigod named Razel. They fight off one threat, but then get attacked by some robots, and things start to look bad for our heroes. I love Wes Craig’s work on this book, but didn’t feel as enthused with this particular issue.
The Missionary #1 – I was on the fence about this new DSTLRY series by Ryan Stegman and Jason Howard. Howard is not the kind of artist whose work needs the large-scale presentation DSTLRY provides, and Stegman is an untested writer. There are some rough patches, but overall, I enjoyed the start of this series, which is about a guy whose life is turned upside down (he discovers that his wife is performing sexual acts on his bishop that she won’t do for him on the same day he loses his job) just before a demon from hell tries to possess him and also fill in the friendship hole in his life. Some other demons are trying to take over the Earth or something, so we get a bit of an odd couple buddy cop movie, and it’s all pretty amusing. I still haven’t read a DSTLRY book I haven’t liked.
Nights #11 – I wasn’t really expecting this issue to be a ‘mixtape’ issue, a collection of short stories set in the Nights universe by a variety of creators, including the incredible Brandon Graham. Now that I think of it, Graham’s influence is all over this whole series, but with a more realistic approach. I’m not sure what the future of this title is; in some ways, it feels like Wyatt Kennedy is starting to wrap up his story, but I want it to continue for a lot longer. This issue helps prove how much potential this world has for different kinds of stories.
NYX #3 – This is much more what I was expecting from this series, as the focus shifts onto Anole. In the wake of the beating death of a mutant, Kamala, Sophie, Laura, and Victor discover that a new iteration of the Morlocks has taken up residence in the old tunnels, being led by Caliban and an Arakkan. I feel like writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly have better figured out what they want this series to be about, as Victor is given space to articulate how he wants to live in the post-Krakoan world, as a very visible mutant. The second issue of this book didn’t do much for me, but this issue has me more intrigued.
Outsiders #11 – In the end, this was a very odd little series. I like how writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly paid homage to Planetary, the great series by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday (RIP), even if it felt weird to see acknowledgement of Ellis’s work in this day and age. The series wraps up with this issue, which gets metafictional in a Grant Morrison kind of way. The main characters confront the new Drummer at the end of reality, which is in a library (?), and I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that the DC Universe does make it out intact. This book played with some interesting ideas, and had nice art by Robert Carey, but I think I liked the earlier issues, where the team was confronting odd mysteries, much more than I liked the end. Jackson and Lanzing are so inconsistent and hit-or-miss.
Phoenix #3 – I really want to like this book, and am intrigued by the premise, but so far, I’m not all that impressed. This issue has Jean dealing with a horde of zombie Asgardians while the Black Order does some stuff, and while the new character we met in the first issue is put to some kind of cosmic test. I fear that separating Jean from the X-Men also separates her from the things that made her interesting, and that Stephanie Phillips hasn’t quite figured out her voice yet. I hate the way Corsair is portrayed. I think I’m going to give this another issue (because of the Captain Marvel appearance), but then I might be taking this off my pull-file list.
Saga #69 – This fantastic series reaches a bit of a dubious milestone, and gives us another great issue that moves the main plotlines forward a little. Squire continues to struggle with his mental health, and Alana’s only support might not have her best interest at heart. I love this series, and enjoy it so much.
Titans #15 – I think, if I were in charge of the Titans, I’d be tempted to not let Raven be on the team, just because when she’s around, she has to turn evil every couple of years, and it’s a whole thing. Tom Taylor finds a different kind of solution this time around, but still, I’ve never liked her character, and am ready to see what the team can do having gotten her inevitable heel turn out of the way.
Ultimate Spider-Man #9 – Peter and Harry continue to get closer as they continue their crime-fighting partnership, but the differences between their approaches are becoming more clear. Jonathan Hickman continues to build his larger story, and fills this series with cool little character moments. Marco Checchetto’s art is fantastic, and this really feels like the kind of Spider-Man book I’ve been missing. It’s very good.
The Week in Music:
Finn Rees – Dawn Is A Melody – This is a gorgeous album of spiritual jazz from Australia featuring the keys and synths of Finn Rees. There’s a timeless quality to this album that makes it feel like it could have existed in the 70s as well as today. It’s a good album to bliss out to.
