I am still reading comics from like three weeks ago. I need more time off…
Best Comic of My Week:
Green Arrow #20 – I’m really enjoying the way Chris Condon is writing this book. It’s a big tonal change from Joshua Williamson’s run, but it works. Ollie figures out the connection between the Fresh Water Killer and her victims, as Condon writes about a hazardous waste cover-up that comes back to haunt its perpetrators. Montos’s art gives the book a real cinematic feel, and a ton of atmosphere. This is shaping up to be a great run.
Quick Takes:
Black Canary: Best of the Best #3 – As Dinah’s fight with Lady Shiva continues, and gets even more brutal, we gain some insight into why Dinah is doing this. We see Batman join her training sequences, and continue to explore Dinah’s relationship with his mother. I can’t stand the fight commentary that Tom King is writing (even while I recognize that it sounds authentic – there’s a reason I can’t watch sports), but do like how he’s doing his usual character study here. I do think there’s a lot to be said how these out-of-continuity series always end up reflecting the post-Crisis, pre-Flashpoint DC Universe, as if it had just been allowed to continue. Ryan Sook is an artistic genius, and I’m glad to see his work on this title.
Detective Comics #1093 – Tom Taylor’s new run really kicks into gear with this issue, as the whole Batman family works to protect recently released young offenders from a serial killer. We learn the killer’s identity (although I figured it out last issue), and it’s the kind of revelation that would have worked better with a longer, less obvious build. I feel like we’re trained now to recognize that any new person in Bruce Wayne’s life is going to turn out to be a villain (or another sidekick). Mikel Janín’s art is lovely.
The Flash #17 – Simon Spurrier’s Flash run stays pretty weird, but I’m enjoying it. Wally’s split himself into two, and now both of him are working the same problem, but from different locations. In Skartaris, Wally discovers why Warlord doesn’t quite appear to be himself, while in the Atlantic, Wally and the Justice League try to figure out why people are so angry in six cities. There’s a lot to pay attention to here, and it can get confusing, but this is a good comic, which makes interesting use of Wally’s children.
Iron Man #4 – Spencer Ackerman’s run continues to confound me a little. On the one hand, he’s taking some interesting approaches to Iron Man that make the book feel fresher than it has in some time, but on the other hand, he’s using “gen alpha” slang and has Tony wearing the weirdest looking armor of his career. I like how threads of this story date back a couple of decades, and that Tony’s friends (Lionheart and Scarlet Witch) just casually enter the story. I was happy to see Javier Pina’s take on this new look. I’m definitely sticking with this, as it’s so interesting and strange; I just hope this take doesn’t bleed into other Marvel comics too quickly.
Mystique #4 – Mystique and Nick Fury Jr. finally find one another after spending the first three issues dancing around, but I’m still not clear on what this ‘protozoa’ thing that Mystique is looking for is. Declan Shalvey’s art has been terrific on this book, but I do think I liked Mystique better the way Kieron Gillen was writing her for the back half of the Krakoan era. Raven is such a complex character, with powers that aren’t ever explored enough, and while I like the direction that Shalvey has taken with her, I prefer her working in concert with others while pursuing her own agenda. This series has a timeline that is a little hard to believe, especially without letting us see just how Raven is moving around the world so quickly, or appearing to be in many places at once.
Phoenix #7 – In advance of reading this issue, I went back over the whole run, hoping I would connect with it a little better. I don’t know, I’m struggling with this book. I like Stephanie Phillips’s writing well enough, but I’m bothered by how easily Thanos was able to take over much of the galaxy, mostly off-screen and by how the resistance to him is just Jean, Captain Marvel, Nova, Sif, and Rocket Racoon. Where are the Guardians? Or any other space-based heroes? Things happen too quickly in this book, and I still don’t feel like Jean is left with any real personality. The most recent solicitations make it look like this title might be stealth-canceled, so I’m not going to drop it yet, but I might not stick around for issue eleven if the book does continue.
Uncanny X-Men #9 – Gail Simone’s team returns home, and Rogue has the idea that each member should mentor one of the kids, but then they send them to the mall where they get attacked by the Sentinel Hounds that the Graymalkin people have been building. This issue is odd, mostly because of the art of Andrei Bressan, whose work reminds me of a more indie Chris Burnham. It looks good, but it’s an odd fit. I’m also not sure how I feel about the revelation that the Argentine character, Ransom, has a famous X-Men cousin from Brazil. I would assume Simone knows how far apart those places are…
Wonder Woman #17 – As Diana stays at home on Themyscira with her daughter, the Wonder Girls attack the Sovereign in his home, demolishing it and making him run. It’s another very solid issue with a very formal structure. Tom King has impressed me with this series, even though it’s very slow-moving. His miniseries usually deconstruct a character and really dig into their motivations; I feel he’s doing the same here with Diana, but he’s really taking his time to do it. I don’t mind though, especially with the big scenes he’s setting up for Daniel Sampere to shine on. This book is gorgeous.
The Week in Music:
Cavalier & Child Actor – CINE – This came out in the fall of 2024, but it took until now for me to get a copy and really listen to it (I do better with physical copies than with music over streaming for some reason. Cavalier dropped three terrific albums last year, but this one is my favourite. He really displays his lyrical prowess, and collaborates so well with producer Child Actor, who has been on a hell of a tear himself. Cav’s rapping is introspective and dextrous, and the whole package is like the movie the title suggests. The packaging also contains a pretty amazing photoshoot that is more steamy than I’m used to seeing on a CD these days. I’m glad to finally have this.
Nautilus – Sunrise – Nautilus is a fun jazz fusion band from Japan that has once again put out a great album. I think the highpoint of this one might be the infectious and accent-inflected cover of Oasis’s Wonderwall.
Peace Flag Ensemble – Everything Is Possible – This six-piece jazz group from Saskatchewan has figured out the code to making warm, gentle, and inviting music. They refer to their stuff as ambient jazz, and while I feel like it has a little more going on than that name would suggest, this is a very relaxing and welcoming album that is never in danger of becoming boring.
