Somehow, for almost forty years, I kept up with my weekly reading pile. What’s changed? Good thing people love to read my thoughts on comics from two weeks ago!
Best Comic of My Week:
FML #1 – I’ve been looking forward to this book since I first saw it solicited. I’ve missed Kelly Sue DeConnick’s writing these last years, so was always going to support this book. She has a story about a group of teenagers living in Portland Oregon in a season marked by wildfires. The kids are not really okay – they gather in the woods to go through goofy rituals and focus on their heavy metal band, but they all know that these are distractions, meant to protect them from how bad the world seems to be getting around them. Of course, there has to be a supernatural aspect to the story too, but it doesn’t turn up until the very end. David López draws this book beautifully, giving these kids a real sense of identity and individuality. I especially liked the main character’s mother, an aging former rocker who has never quite figured out how to live an ordinary life. There’s a lot of promise and potential in this book, and I look forward to seeing where DeConnick and López take it.
Quick Takes:
Absolute Batman #2 – I’m still finding myself very invested in this story, as we get to know a little more about this version of Bruce, and how he uses his friends for information. We also get to know a little more about how things work in Gotham, as Mayor Gordon loses his standing in the polls as he recovers in the hospital. The big draw to this book is Nick Dragotta’s art, which is phenomenal. Scott Snyder is definitely writing to Dragotta’s strengths, and making him the star of this book.
Avengers #20 – It’s a Black Panther spotlight issue, as T’Challa works to free the beings captured inside the alternate reality of Meridian Diadem from the gangsters and loyalists who would oppress them. Jed MacKay puts forth a decent argument for him being given a Black Panther series, as he understands the Panther’s ability to be a leader and to deceive himself as to his motives. It’s a decent issue, and it’s nice to see an issue of the Avengers that’s concerned with character development.
Batgirl #1 – I’ve never really read any of the Batgirl series featuring Cassandra Cain before (although I would love a trade of the Damion Scott run), but I’ve liked her in things like James Tynion’s Detective run and Kelly Thompson’s Birds of Prey, and I’ve liked writer Tate Brombal’s work on Behold Behemoth, so I thought I’d give this a try. I’m glad I did; this is a very good issue. Batgirl is summoned by her mother, Lady Shiva, who wants to protect her from a secret league of assassins or something that comes after them both. The issue is short on exposition and full of action, and the art by Takeshi Miyazawa is fantastic. The fight scenes are fluid and cool, and Miyazawa gets plenty of expression out of Cassandra’s full face mask. I’m going to stick around for this first arc for sure now; DC is really killing it lately.
The Body Trade #2 – Zac Thompson’s latest body horror series, about a near future where a father searches for the remains of his son, who has had his body taken by an unscrupulous company for various nefarious purposes, is intriguing. The father is deeply flawed – he’s on parole, and ultimately responsible for his son’s death – and that is what drives him to learn the truth about his child. Thompson takes our current atmosphere of corporate impunity to extreme heights, but this story also feels believable. I like Jok’s art on this book; he gives it a very lived in feel.
The Domain #5 – I’ve enjoyed this book, which is supposed to be the comic that the characters of Public Domain are making in that series. Writer Chip Zdarsky gets a bit meta with this concept, but keeps that out of the actual Domain miniseries; it’s a pretty standard approach to superhero stuff, although having the power set be shared between three people, only one at a time, is an interesting approach. This issue finishes off the initial story, and sets our heroes on an interesting path. I love Public Domain more than this, but am glad I got to read it. This does stand on its own; neither series needs the other to be enjoyed, and I kind of wish there’d been more Easter eggs in this one (although maybe I just missed them).
Green Lantern #17 – Jeremy Adams’s story is really heating up, as the various Green Lanterns meet up on Oa, trying to save the day as both the Durlans come looking to take over, and Thaaros, who is supposed to be dead, arrives, still controlling the planet Mogo, which is now a Red Lantern. Truly, there’s a lot of confusing things happening here, as chaos takes over, but it works and makes me glad I stuck through the initial issues of this series that didn’t really interest me. I hate all the spectrum stuff in GL, but am still enjoying this.
Helen of Wyndhorn #6 – I’d expected this series to last longer; in my head, it was supposed to be an eight-issue miniseries, so when we got the conclusion in this issue, I wasn’t expecting it. I’ve really enjoyed this series, but I was expecting a lot more from its ending. I was hoping that we’d see something more done with the running thread of what happened with the tapes made of Helen’s governess narrating this story, which each issue has followed across many owners. I like what Tom King did with this story, fleshing out the character and life of someone based loosely on the family of a Robert E. Howard type who actually went on the adventures he wrote about. The series has incredible art by Bilquis Evely, and very strong characters; in the end, I’m not sure that the series lived up to the potential it showed in its earliest issues. I still got a lot out of it, though.
JSA #1 – I’m glad to see the JSA returning after the rather disappointing recent series written by Geoff Johns. I’m a big fan of Jeff Lemire’s writing, but have never really liked his corporate comics, so I was a little hesitant going into this. He puts us in the middle of a story – most of the senior Society members have gone missing, and the current lineup of the team is pretty heavy on former members of Infinity Inc.; they are facing some internal division as one faction wants to go after Kobra terrorists, while the other wants to focus on finding their missing members. There’s some other stuff going on, too, but I don’t want to spoil anything. Lemire’s set up an interesting story, and it’s nice to see some of these characters getting more screen time than they’ve had in decades. The art, by Diego Olortegui is a little too light-hearted for the story – it reminds me of Todd Nauck and Scott Kolins, who are also artists that I often think are wrong for the books they’re on. Still, I’m intrigued and want to see where this book goes; it reminds me that I was planning on reading all of the classic Infinity Inc. run, and should get on that soon.
NYX #5 – With the conclusion of the first arc, I’m left a little confused as to why everyone is so cool with Sophie Cuckoo, who had kind of betrayed them, and why this loose group of friends is going to want to keep hanging out together. There’s not much glue to this group, and if they are going to live their lives as everyday mutants just trying to make it in New York, it’s going to be hard to keep coming up with story reasons for them to be in each other’s business. I can see this book becoming a little like Friends, where everyone just hangs out, but aren’t even necessarily good for one another. I guess there’s a place for something like this, but it needs more of an indie sensibility. Like, I’d rather this be written by Sina Grace and drawn by someone with a grittier, less polished style.
Psylocke #1 – I missed the original introduction of Kwannon into the X-Men, as it happened during the brief period where I stopped reading X-Men. As such, I’ve never had much of a connection to the character, but I’ve generally like the way she’s been portrayed since returning to her actual body during the Krakoan Era. this miniseries, by writer Alyssa Wong and artist Vincenzo Carratú, starts out okay, but doesn’t feel all that special either. Cyclops benches Psylocke from his team because she’s not well-rested, and so she heads off on some private mission to investigate an AIM auction. Somewhere along the way, she’s picked up her own version of Oracle to guide her in her missions, and I don’t know, it feels pretty standard. I think my biggest complaint about the post-Krakoan wave we’re on right now is that it is not taking any real risks. This is a character that you could really do a lot with, but Wong is playing it safe.
The Sacrificers #12 – A lot of threads start coming together as the Pigeon’s fight against the world’s ruling class leads to a reunion with his sister and Soluna. As with most Rick Remender series these days, there’s nothing joyous about it, and the issue leaves Pigeon in a darker place (literally and figuratively) than when the series started. This is a very solid book, and it’s great to see Max Fiumara back cutting loose on the art.
Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Insurgency Rising #4 – I continue to feel like this series is moving too quickly, at the expense of character recognition and world building, in its rush to get to the Battle of Jakku that is in the title. Luke fights the Acolyte that came out of nowhere, while the rest of the former Rebels (it’s weird to call them Republicans) fight for their freedom. Lando Calrissian gets roped into things, but his appearance feels very tacked on and inconsequential. I’m genuinely curious to know more about this era of Star Wars, after the Return of the Jedi, but if Alex Segura is the writer for the inevitable next ongoing series, I think I’ll end up passing on it.
The Ultimates #6 – The entire Ultimates team attempts to rescue some heroes from execution, but instead find themselves facing off against Hulk and his Immortal Weapons. It’s an all-action issue with what looks like pretty big consequences for our still-forming team. This issue lacks the social commentary that has made this book such a great read, but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of it much. Deniz Camp’s writing is impressive, and I like Juan Frigeri’s art. I wish that there was more space in this issue for some characters to have important moments, but the cast is getting pretty big.
X-Men #7 – We get another solid issue of this series, as Jed MacKay finally reveals why Magneto is powerless and confined to a floating wheelchair (although I’m not sure I like the reason, as it feels too much like the Legacy Virus all over again). I like the way MacKay is writing the relationship between Scott and Max in this series, and hope to see more of that in future issues. Artist Netho Diaz’s style seems to be an attempt to fit with what Ryan Stegman was doing on this book, and I think I prefer the approach Diaz took to earlier comics, such as the Heir of Apocalypse book he drew.
The Week in Music:
Jaubi – A Sound Heart – Jaubi is a rare band. Its members hail from all over the world (England, Poland, and Pakistan, predominantly) and they blend the sounds of their countries’ take on jazz music in a way that is novel and completely absorbing. I especially like the way they work the tabla into straight-forward fusion songs; I never get bored listening to their music. Music is universal, and bands like Jaubi help to prove that.
Paradise Cinema – returning, dream – Paradise Cinema are one of the more abstract acts on the Gondwana Records label. They create odd soundscapes using percussion and synthesizers, and while their work is not always as relaxing as the rest of the label’s offerings, it’s a little more global, with interesting African patterns. I need to spend more time with this, but I like it.
Anna Butterss – Mighty Vertebrate – I am loving this album from bassist Anna Butterrss, who has assembled an interesting crew to explore with. This is experimental instrumental jazz that is a little hard to categorize. Butterss and friends develop and roam around sonic worlds here, and generally add another impressive piece of work to the International Anthem discography.
Aaron Parks – Little Big III – Aaron Parks returns to the Little Big series with this impressive album. He leads a piano-driven quartet that moves from ‘regular’ jazz into breakbeat territory quite comfortably. Much of this album soars.
Shigeto – Cherry Blossom Baby – It’s been a long time since we last got an album out of Shigeto, the Detroit-based drummer, producer, and electronics wizard, and he’s made it worth the wait! On Cherry Blossom Baby, he leans into his collaborative side, bringing a lot of people into the mix. We’ve got features from rappers (Cleveland Thrasher and Zelooperz), singers (Keswa), and musicians like Ahya Simone, creating a combined palette that ranges across house, rap, r&b, and the type of electronic music I always associated with Shigeto. It’s a very accomplished album that I’ve been enjoying a lot.
