So I’m behind again, but it’s because I’m trying to reread or skim recent past issues before reading new ones, and clear out some piles around here. I miss having enough time to keep up…
Best Comic of My Week:

The New Gods #2 – I think I can confirm that this might be my new favourite DC book. Ram V is building a sprawling story about the Fourth World characters in the wake of Darkseid’s death. Apokalips is in a state of chaos, and about to be invaded, while on New Genesis, Highfather is on the verge of a mental breakdown, and has sent Orion to find a child, possibly Darkseid, resurrected, and kill it. Orion has tasked Mister Miracle to rescue the child from him, so Scott, Barda, and their own infant have set out on a quest. Meanwhile, in India, a child with Source powers is being hunted by Max Lord’s operatives. There’s so much happening, story-wise, to draw me in, and Evan Cagle’s stylistic artwork keeps me riveted to each page. Each issue, so far, has opened with a sequence by a guest artist that is also stupendous (Jesse Lonergan this month). Ram V has become one of my favourite writers working right now, and this book is really showcasing his strengths. I can’t recommend it enough.
Quick Takes:
Aquaman #1 – It’s really easy to make a mess of an Aquaman comic, so I’m always unsure of a new first issue, but I like what Jeremy Adams and John Timms have done so far, even if we’re in the earliest days. Aquaman has acquired Mera’s hydrokinetic powers, which is a little weird, and is trying to balance his time on the throne with being part of the Justice League. When he goes to fight a monster, Atlantis either disappears or is destroyed, and soon he’s off through an ominous portal trying to save his daughter and his people. I don’t know what Adams has in store for this book, but given that I loved his Flash, and he’s got me not hating Hal Jordan, I have faith that this is going to be good. Timms is a good choice of artist for this title. I’m really happy with just about everything DC is doing right now!

Batman and Robin #17 – Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s first arc on this title is continuing to impress me. He is blending some elements from The Knight with a continuation of Joshua Williamson’s work with Damian, who is trying to define himself outside of his mission and relationship with Batman. I also really like Javi Fernández’s art. This is not the most flashy approach to a Batman comic, but it is consistently good.
Green Lantern: Fractured Spectrum #1 – I’m happy to see the Green Lantern Corps is back in action, with restored Guardians to advise them, but I’m less enthused by the fact that the emotional spectrum has fractured and spread throughout the universe. I often find spectrum stuff to be a turn off with GL and the GLC, and think of it as way overused since Geoff Johns introduced so many new Lanterns. Anyway, that Sorrow Lantern is set up as the big bad guy for the upcoming GLC series and/or Hal’s book. Jeremy Adams has done some good work with these titles, and I’m planning on sticking around for a while, but I hope that there are some other story elements in here too.
Juvenile #2 – With this issue, Jesús Orellana confirms what I was suspecting in the first issue. The teenagers that are being held in a hospital to treat them for a plague that targets adolescents are being lied to, in truth, they are given medication to keep them from developing psionic powers. Max, the new kid, has no choice but to explain this to Sara when she figures out that he has abilities, all while their relationship grows closer. Orellana’s art is gorgeous, and his writing is sharp. I’m glad I took a chance on this series, as I’m really liking it.

Nights #12 – This is one of my absolute favourite books, but it’s funny because I much prefer the slice-of-life moments in it to the big fight scenes and supernatural intrigue. In this issue, Matt, the ghost, moves to Japan, and Ivory puts the house up for sale since the family is all going its separate ways. They decide to celebrate their independence with a trip to Florida’s “Generic Rodent Theme Park”, but the ancient spirit that’s been bothering them, Sam, shows up after being rescued by the government agency that’s supposed to protect people from monsters, and it all goes to hell. Ivory has to reveal his secret (that the Roggenwolf that killed Matt lives within him) in order to save Vince, while Gray has to let the demon girl within her out too. This felt like a big finish for the series, but there are more issues solicited, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Wyatt Kennedy’s strange approach to writing this book has been a big draw for me, and I love Luigi Formisano’s art. I’ve really come to care about these characters, and I’m glad this series is going to continue, especially since things are a mess right now. This was a really long, chunky issue that made excellent use of the extra space.
Nightwing #122 – Dan Watters and Dexter Soy are making some decent Nightwing comics. It’s a bit of a letdown after the heights of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo’s recent run, but that was a highwater mark for the character. Dick has been suspicious of a new company, Spheric, which has been giving weapons to the Blüdhaven Police, and he suspects, fomenting a gang war. In this issue, we learn where Dick met the company’s CEO before, back when he was still Robin and starting out as Batman’s partner. Watters gets Dick, and Soy’s art has come a long way.

NYX #7 – Between the last issue and this one, the crew set up some kind of drop-in community centre for mutants and human allies in New York, which they are calling NYX. I like the idea behind this, and how Prodigy, who appears to be leading the initiative, has set himself up as the mutant Bobby Seales (at least, that’s how I interpreted the wicker chair he sits in). Synch comes to town, and finds the whole idea a bad one, which inevitably leads to a mutant fight. At the same time, Kamala’s bigoted cousin turns out to be one of the new Purifiers. This was not a bad issue, but I personally would have liked to have learned more about the NYX story – how they went about establishing the place, what they actually do there, and why it looks like Ebony from Hip Flask is hanging out there. Enid Balám’s art is pretty nice, and this is the first issue that gave me the impression that there is something new and fresh in this comic. I hope the cast of the book continues to evolve and grow, and would love to see this comic become more flexible in who it considers to be a main character. I grew to really like Synch since he became an X-Man, and hope to see more of him in this comic.
Star Wars: Battle of Jakku – Last Stand #2 – Before reading this issue, I reread the previous nine issues of this series to see if I’d connect with it or like it more. I still feel like this has been a total disappointment; I can’t bring myself to care about any of the characters introduced in this series, and the constant shifting status quo (is Adelhard taking over the Empire? Dead? Insane?) are boring. I also do not understand the timeframe this is taking place in; the series started at the party on Endor, and now Leia is very pregnant, but there is never any clear reference to time passing. This series needed a lot more workshopping. I don’t blame writer Alex Segura alone; there are too many people involved in the Star Wars comics for the story to be this much of a let-down (unless they are letting the people who cooked up the newer trilogy have some say in things). It’s starting to feel like Marvel’s time with Star Wars is ending, but I’m not the least bit interested in a reboot.

Storm #4 – It’s taken me a little while, but a quick reread of the first three issues, followed by this one, has me starting to better understand what writer Murewa Ayodele is doing with this book. I’ve always liked Storm best when she’s been grounded in her role as leader (the time when she was powerless was my foundational X-Men era) and friend, but I can see some appeal in Ororo having to deal with cosmic matters soon. A dinner with Doom is interesting, although his reason for inviting her seems thin, and then she’s made to have to choose between using her powers and possibly dying (there was an agreement made with a powerful spirit that she would not use them for a week in exchange for having her life saved) and letting another man die instead. This is setting up the cosmic aspect of this book, which is going to involve Eternity, Oblivion, or both? Lucas Werneck is the perfect artist for this comic. His Storm is absolutely gorgeous, and I love the way he draws her hair. There’s a lot of potential with this creative team.
Transformers #16 – Things are really chaotic in this issue, as the fight happening on Earth reaches even higher levels of devastation, Optimus increasingly behaves erratically, and a certain mega-villain makes his return. On Cybertron, Cliffjumper wants to try to make a new Autobot, even though that means travelling deep into Decepticon-controlled land. This series continues to engage and entertain, as Daniel Warren Johnson tells a very large story with a lot of moving parts. I’m not good at recognizing a lot of the characters, or keeping their personalities straight, but I’m liking this nonetheless.

Ultimate Wolverine #1 – I was curious to see what a writer like Chris Condon would do with the Ultimate Universe, and this first issue has left me intrigued, if a little wary. This version of Logan has been turned into a brainwashed weapon and given the Winter Soldier name, working for the Rasputins. They send him after some renegade mutants, namely Nightcrawler and Mystique, who seem to know and have history with him. The problem is that this Logan never talks, and therefore isn’t super interesting on his own. I do like the art by Alessandro Cappuccio, but am worried that Condon might not be able to keep the story intriguing enough if Logan is really just a bit player in his own story. I’m much more interested in learning about his history with Kurt and Raven, and, since I’m not reading Ultimate X-Men, what the situation is for mutants in this world.
What’s The Furthest Place From Here? #21 – The crew has made it over the mountains and now find themselves in a place that looks a lot like the one they left, right down to a record shop that’s identical to the one they used to live in. Things are not the same though, and the oddly-speaking residents of this community are not very friendly. Matthew Rosenberg and Tyler Boss continue to spin one of the strangest ongoing comics to have ever lasted this long, and I love it. This book is always unpredictable and strange, but also grounded in some very well-written characters that I’ve come to care about. Boss’s art is great, as always, and I’m left once again wondering what is going to happen next.

You Won’t Feel A Thing #1 – I’d fallen off on reading Scott Snyder’s work, having not enjoyed his New 52 Batman or having any interest in things like Metal, but lately, he’s been pulling me back. His Absolute Batman has been great, and the thought of him returning to work with Jock, his collaborator on Wytches, piqued my curiosity. This is an excellent comic, which is what I’ve always come to expect from DSTLRY. The story focuses on a retired FBI agent, who is currently suffering from a form of brain cancer that is causing him to have some dementia and hallucinations. He’s living in an assisted living situation, and bristling at his predicament. He’s also struggling with the fact that he’s never caught the one serial killer he’s been hunting for, more or less, since he was a teenager. Snyder sets up the story masterfully, slowly parcelling out information and building the situation for us. Jock’s art is always great – he is so good at establishing shots and creating a sense of place. This looks like another great win for DSTLRY.
Bargain Comics:

Stargate Universe #1-6 – I’ve recently completed a lengthy rewatch of the entirety of Stargate SG-1 and its related shows (I’ll admit I didn’t make it all the way through Origins), mostly because I wanted to rewatch the best of them, Stargate Universe again. I always hated that this series never got a proper ending, having been canceled after season 2, and that the story left with all the characters in stasis, having to sleep for at least three years as their almost-derelict ship had to cross the void between galaxies. I saw that American Mythology once printed a six-issue miniseries written by some of the show’s writers, and I wanted to see what happened. As licensed comics go, this was kind of rough. It did follow up on the TV show, but in a very unsatisfactory way. Basically, one of the main characters discovered that the million-year old ‘Ancient/Lantean’ ship that the characters were stranded on had some of its original builders on board in stasis (contradicting lore from Stargate Atlantis, which showed that a thousand years of stasis would age someone beyond viability). They quickly fix the ship, giving the crew access to everything, fixing their power problems and finding the solution to their more immediate issue of automated drones that keep attacking them when they drop out of FTL. It reads like fan fiction, where the authors are determined to make everyone happy. The art, by a bunch of different people, ranges from stiff to terrible (I was shocked to see Greg LaRocque’s name attached to this, but didn’t recognize his work outside of some of the covers), but the writers do have the characters’ voices down perfectly. I don’t see enough here to make me want to seek out the other Stargate books that American Mythology published.