Still catching up…
The Best Comic of the Week:
Convert #3 – I continue to love this series by John Arcudi and Savannah Finley. It’s a story about an astronaut who has been stranded on a hostile and strange world. He’s been adopted, in a way, by a small group of Indigenous beings. He’s fallen in love with the female of the group, but the Provider, a different type of being that travels with them, has convinced our hero that they plan on sacrificing her when they reach the destination they’ve been traveling to. This issue reveals the truth of all of this, and it’s pretty strange. Finley’s art looks like it would have belonged in the much-missed Island magazine, and the alien world here, and its inhabitants, reminds me a lot of the work that Brandon Graham and Simon Roy did together in Prophet. This series is bizarre, a kind of alien Dances With Wolves, but it’s very intriguing.
Quick Takes:
Avengers #19 – Jed MacKay gives us an excellent done-in-one story about Doctor Doom, the new Sorcerer Supreme, confronting the Avengers about their limited effectiveness in actually improving the world. Given that I’m reading this on election night, a year into a genocide, and with many other examples of oppression and misery running rampant around out world, it’s an argument that carries some weight, even though our heroes do not see things as Doom does. This is a well-written, if decompressed, issue that works to help set up the next big Marvel event. MacKay is doing good work with these characters. One thing that I really liked about this issue is the art by Farid Karami. It’s pretty detailed and cool, and I’m hoping he sticks around for more issues after this one. I think he could become a big name artist.
Dune: House Corrino #7 – After years of setting up a number of conflicts, it all comes to a head in this issue, as the Atreides fight to liberate Ix, The Emperor turns on Baron Harkonnen, and Lady Jessica gives birth, revealing her secret to the rest of the Bene Gesserit. It’s all a little hard to follow, as the art isn’t always that clear and some characters are hard to identify. I wonder if Boom! is going to be done with Dune after the next issue; I’d much rather see some original comic stories set in this world than another adaptation.
The Flash #14 – Simon Spurrier’s first long arc on this book was kind of confusing and off-putting, but it feels like he realized that and reset a little, taking a family-centred approach to this issue. After all that’s gone on, Wally feels like it’s time for the family to take a vacation, but he also wants to track down the missing Weather Wizard, so he chooses to travel to Skartaris, to kill two birds with one stone. Spurrier gets the family approach right with this one, but the last page has a surprise that left me wondering. I like the art, by Vasco Georgiev, but I hate Wally’s new costume. It’s too much like something we’d see in a movie, and is just too busy. I love the classic Flash look, but don’t imagine this approach will stick around for long.
Green Arrow #17 – Joshua Williamson wraps up his run in this issue (although then has another Annual to go), and Chris Condon and Montos preview theirs. I’ve enjoyed this series, and have been impressed with how it transitioned from being a miniseries into an ongoing that was at the heart of the Absolute Power event. Williamson wrote Ollie and his family well, and I’m a little concerned that the family aspect of the character is going to be stripped out of Condon’s run. This issue makes it clear that Ollie is still welcome in the Justice League after his time spent deep undercover with Amanda Waller, and kind of resets the status quo, as we’re so used to seeing when writers leave a book.
Grommets #5 – This usually fun, nostalgic book takes a really dark turn with this issue, as Brian’s party is invaded by angry jocks who just want to have sex with the girls or get into fights with the boys. And when it’s clear that the girls aren’t interested, Rick and his punk friend become their main targets. This is a pretty brutal issue, but still pretty great because of Brett Parson’s fine art. Rick Remender and Brian Poesehn were having a lot of fun with this series, but now I feel like they’re exorcizing some personal demons.
The Incredible Hulk #18 – I’ve been a big fan of writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson these last years, starting with his excellent run on Action Comics, but after a year and a half’s worth of Hulk, I’m jumping ship. This series is just not working for me. I was intrigued by the horror approach he’s taking to the Hulk, and I love the art of both Nic Klein and Danny Earl, but there is not enough story in each issue, and the story is not interesting enough to keep me. I’ll still check anything else Johnson writes, but I’ll leave this to the people who enjoy it. I want more content…
Kaya #22 – Kaya rushes to save Jin from both their supposed new friend, Razel, and a bunch of robots that are pursuing them. It looks like the only option is to head for a haunted city that Kaya’s uncle warned her away from in a dream. This is a fast-moving issue that relies heavily on Wes Craig’s fantastic art. I love this series, but this issue feels a little slight.
Nightwing #119 – I’ve been intrigued by Dan Watters’s writing lately, especially on the Six Fingers, so figured I’d stick with this book after the fantastic run by Tom Taylor with mostly Bruno Redondo came to its end. I’m not sure if this first issue has convinced me to stick around. Some new criminal is making a play for control of crime in Blüdhaven, but also seems to be going after Nightwing, and knows that he’s Dick Grayson. Didn’t we just do this with Heartless? Dexter Soy’s art has come a long way since his run on Captain Marvel, but compared to the lightness of Redondo’s work, it feels a little too scratchy and dark for this title. I’ll give this a few more issues, but I’m hoping to see something more from it. I do like that it sort of addresses the issue of police militarization.
NYX #4 – Kamala figures out who the Krakoan is, and tries to get Prodigy to help her take care of things. I’m not all that clear on what the point of this book is; originally, I thought it was going to be a slice of life title, looking at the lives of young urban mutants, but now it just looks like it’s setting up yet another team. I feel like this book isn’t going to last past issue ten, but right now, I”m not sure I’ll give it that much rope; I’m not all that interested.
The Power Fantasy #3 – Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard continue to build the lore around these characters with an issue that jumps around in time a little, further making clear how different this world is from our own, due to the emergence of powered individuals in the mid-40s. The last page is a bit of a surprise, as it really drives home a major difference. I’m not sure that I’ve had the time or space to connect with the characters in this book yet, but it’s always interesting to see Gillen play out a concept. Wijngaard’s art is lovely, and suits the book well.
Superman #19 – In the All In era, Lois has become Superwoman, although we’re not clear yet on how, and she and Clark are enjoying working together. Doomsday returns, and of greater importance to me, so does the Time Trapper, although his identity came as a surprise. I’ve been enjoying Joshua Williamson’s work on this title, and am glad to see that he’s continuing with it. Dan Mora is drawing way too many books, and I’m not sure how he manages to do it without losing any quality in his art. It’s been rare for me to like Superman, but I like this title.
Void Rivals #13 – Robert Kirkman’s story continues to sprawl as our two heroes continue their separate journeys, the leader of Zertonia seeks help, and a new character searches for the Transformer seen in the first issue. There’s a lot going on in this title now, but Kirkman manages to balance it all nicely, and the story stays very compelling.
X-Factor #3 – This series is growing on me, even though I don’t think there was ever a need to blend the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League with Milligan and Allred’s X-Statix. Havok takes his team to the moon to defend a corporate science base, but that mission is not what he thought it would be. Mark Russell is more interested in making this book amusing than in developing these characters, and it kind of bothers me to see Cecilia Reyes and Frenzy, in particular, used as comic foils. At the same time, Bob Quinn’s art is nice, and the pace is right. Some day I’d like to see Alex Summers redeemed and restored as a respectable character, but I guess this is not that day.
X-Men #6 – As this series continues, I feel like I’m starting to like it more, especially when an issue gives everyone on the team something to do. Magik and Temper go looking for a young girl who reveals that she’s a mutant while her single mother protests outside the Factory, and we get Beast’s update on how his investigation into the new mutants turning up is going. This issue felt very fast (decompressed?), but is solid. I’m glad that the next issue is going to help fill in just how Scott’s team came to settle in Alaska.
The Week in Music:
MaLLy and Last Word – The Sweetest of It All – I first became aware of MaLLy when he was touring with Brother Ali, many years ago, and I’ll admit I kind of lost track of him and Last Word in the last five years. This new album, though, is very impressive and makes me think that the Minneapolis hiphop scene might be staging a comeback. Last Word’s beats are very nice, and MaLLy gives us some terrific rhymes. This is the type of boom bap rap music that I live for, but it doesn’t sound like a throwback.
Nicole McCabe – Mosaic – Saxophonist Nicole McCabe impresses on this album, which is of a more traditional type of jazz than I usually listen to. McCabe works with a couple of artists that I admire a lot, pianist Julius Rodriguez (who shines here) and Jeff Parker, and that’s what brought me to this album. It’s good stuff.
Snotty Nose Rez Kids – Red Future – Every new project from the Snotty Nose Rez Kids, a rap duo from northern British Columbia, is cause for celebration. Yung Tribez and Young D continue with their unique approach to trap music that reflects and represents their Indigenous perspectives. On this album, they bring some friends along, including Drezus, Ruben George, Aysanabee, Princess Nokia, Jeremy Dutcher (this surprised me), Sebastian Gaskin, and the excellent Travis Thompson. I feel like this has more substance than their last release, and am enjoying it.
