Well, I almost made it through all of last week’s pile. Should I take a day off just to read comics? It’s tempting…
Best Comic of My Week:
Bronze Faces #1 – I was a big fan of New Masters, the Image series by Nigerian brothers Shobo and Shoff. They are co-writing this new Boom! series, with art by Alexandré Tefenkgi. It’s set in our world, where a young man and the two young women he grew up with come together for the first time in years, in London, after the man’s father has died. He was an artist, working in bronze, and the three don’t think it’s right that the British Museum has acquired his works. I think I missed something, as I was trying to figure out the relationships between the characters, but I like how the writers are commenting on Britain’s long history of keeping cultural artifacts from their colonizer days. I also found the character relationships interesting and complex. Tefenkgi’s art is lovely and tells the story well. I’m glad to see Boom! publishing a book like this.
Quick Takes:
Absolute Batman #5 – Batman promised to turn the other way and let Black Mask have his way in exchange for a lot of money two issues ago, and it seemed like a very non-Batman thing to do. This issue shows us what he’d intended all along, and with Nick Dragotta drawing, it’s pretty cool, as is his fight with Black Mask. I’m getting a lot out of this book, and while this issue didn’t reveal much more about this version of Bruce, it probably gives us the best look we’ve seen so far of what to expect as the title becomes more established. It’s good stuff.
Absolute Superman #4 – I am more than impressed by this series. This issue focuses a lot more on Lois Lane and the Omega Men, the ‘terrorist’ group that is working in opposition to the Lazarus Corporation. Kal-El does turn up towards the end of the issue, but I appreciate that Jason Aaron is giving over space to the supporting cast (we meet another familiar yet unfamiliar face in this issue), while still working to fill in Kal’s backstory. This went from being a title I was going to pass on to one of my most anticipated comics each month, which is not easy to do.
Aquaman #2 – Jeremy Adams has Aquaman searching for his missing wife and people, and that takes him to a strange desert world/plane, where a being gathers water from the blood of people who come through the omega-shaped gate that Arthur’s now come through. There’s a classic DC character who guest stars, and his appearance is a little weird, mostly because Arthur keeps referencing his age, but he doesn’t look more than five years older than Arthur. I like John Timms’s art, but something got disconnected here. I didn’t really expect this new series to take such a fantasy-oriented approach, but I’m intrigued so far. We’ll see where Adams takes things.
The Avengers #23 – In this very enjoyable issue, while trying to rob Kang’s datastore from the Grandmaster, the Avengers compete with Kang and the Black Cat for their prize. This wouldn’t be so tough, but Kang’s also hired Gatecrasher and the Technet to fight them, which made me really happy. I always thought that team of mercenaries needed more screentime, and Jed MacKay captures their essential chaoticness nicely. I’m very impressed with the art of Farid Karami, who is growing in leaps and bounds with each issue. His work reminds me of a number of artists I enjoyed in the 80s and 90s, and he draws some of the Technet as well as Alan Davis did. I like how this title is playing out, and hope that MacKay has a long run with it.
Batgirl #4 – Batgirl learns who her mothers allies are in this issue, and while she has a negative history with most of them, an attack by the Unburied on the train they’re travelling on makes for strange alliances. Once again, Takeshi Miyazawa astounds with the action sequences, while Tate Brombal digs into the mother-daughter dynamic between Cassandra and Lady Shiva. I’m enjoying this book a lot, and stay impressed by it.
Birds of Prey #18 – It’s time for a new arc, drawn by the excellent Juann Cabal. Some people are coming for Sin, so she and Dinah decide to lure them away from Gotham to a nice lake house. At the same time, Barda and Batgirl head off to help John Constantine, who has been possessed by a demon. This is a typically fun issue, with terrific Kelly Thompson writing. I like how she prioritizes the character interactions, placing this run in conversation with Gail Simone’s legendary time on this title. Cabal was a great choice for this arc, too.
Black Lightning #4 – Jefferson continues to work to improve his relationship with his daughter, and it looks like real progress is being made. At the same time, the various antagonists in this book keep clashing, as the Sons of Liberty work to undermine the place of powered people, and the New Masters of Disaster try to stop them. It’s interesting that Brandon Thomas is taking a page from the X-Men in this series (the Sons could be any number of anti-mutant organizations), while still focusing on the family aspect of things. This book is good.
Green Lantern Corps #1 – I’ve been enjoying Jeremy Adams’s Green Lantern run, so it makes sense that I’d dive into this series, which he’s cowriting with Morgan Hampton (who is new to me). It’s a decent first issue, establishing how the new Corps is going to run, and the prominence of John Stewart and Sinestro, while also showing what the other Lanterns from Earth are up to. I’m hoping we’ll see more of Jo Mullein, but would also be fine with a shifting spotlight, as there are a lot of characters in this book.
Into the Unbeing Part Two #1 – I’m pleased to see the second part of this series hit the stands. Zac Thompson and Hayden Sherman have been serving up a very strange story about four (at least the beginning) explorers who have entered what appears to be the still-living body of a dead giant after the world’s environment has collapsed. This second act starts with the story of an earlier explorer, but soon returns to the women from the first series. Thompson is good at body horror, but this is the first story I remember that is actually set inside a body, strange as it is. I’m not sure how Hayden Sherman has time to work on this series while also absolutely killing it on Absolute Wonder Woman, especially since there is no discernible dip in the quality of his art. This is a unique series, and the type of story that really only works in comics.
JSA #4 – Jeff Lemire launched this series with the team already under attack and split apart, and is only slowly bringing us all up to speed. This issue focuses on Doctor Mid-Nite, who has been captured by the new Injustice Society. We also see where Obsidian and Jakeem Thunder are, while the villains continue to move against the Society. This issue has a guest artist, Joey Vazquez, whose work is fine, but has me wanting the regular artist, Diego Orlortegui, back. I’d prefer the book to look a little less cartoony, though, if it were up to me.
Jupiter’s Legacy: Finale #4 – The penultimate chapter of Mark Millar’s long-running series has the heroes of Earth (and a couple of other planets) preparing for the coming of the aliens who intend to harvest every living being on the planet for food. This issue has yet another artist on it (Lee Carter, whose work is very nice). It would be cool if Frank Quitely returned for the next, final, issue, but I don’t know how likely that is (I am aware I could look at the solicitations and learn who the artist is, but I’d rather stay hopeful).
Justice League: The Atom Project #2 – The Atoms (Ray and Ryan) continue to search for Captain Atom, who has regained his powers and apparently some other ones. We see how he got his own powers back, but not what caused him to run from the JL yet, nor do we know whose voices we keep hearing narrating things. This series is good, if a little slow moving. It’s made so much better by Mike Perkins’s artwork, which has such a classic look to it. I find it interesting how this book focuses on Captain Atom at the same time that the out-of-continuity Jenny Sparks book is doing the same thing. Is there a relaunch in his future?
Juvenile #3 – Jesús Orellana’s teenage take on One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest for kids with powers continues to entertain. Last issue, Sara discovered that if she didn’t take her medication, she could develop psychic powers, but in this issue, she and her new friend Max are discovered floating together, and that brings the hospital’s staff down on her. Now she knows that if she doesn’t do anything, a lobotomy is in her future, so she has to rally the other kids on the ward. Orellana’s developed an interesting situation and likeable characters, and his art is lovely. I’m enjoying this series and am glad I took a chance on it.
Kaya #25 – In this interstitial issue, we return to the Mutant Lands, where a revolution is taking place, and something happens that promises to change the status quo for our heroes and their whole world. I feel like Wes Craig’s art is getting looser as this series continues, and that this really works for the story that he’s telling. Kaya and Jin only appear in the backup story (drawn by the incredible Jesse Longren, who is new to me). It looks like this book is taking a break for a few months, and I’m happy to see that Craig continues to tell this story. It’s a stand-out on the comic shop shelves.
One World Under Doom #1 – Marvel’s next big events with Doom announcing that he’s taken over the world, and promises everyone free health care and education. This of course can’t stand, so the American heroes gather together to try to put a stop to these benefits, which Iron Man refers to as ‘bread and circuses.’ I feel like Ryan North might be taking this in a political direction, given that it’s coming out at a time when so many places in the world are embracing a type of authoritarianism that seems to be working against health and education. I’d love for this to turn to a greater discourse on the state of a world where so many people have such incredible powers, but don’t really see that happening. The concept behind this is cool, but the story is a little clunky. I’d have liked to see this group of heroes gathering to better understand why Squirrel Girl is there. I also have no idea why Brain Drain would get roll call placement, despite doing nothing in the issue, and I don’t know who Nancy Whitehead is. I guess that these last two characters were in North’s Squirrel Girl, but am not sure. RB Silva’s art is gorgeous, and a little busy, with so many characters and so much going on. I am not sure what the shape of this event will be, but I’m intrigued.
Phoenix #8 – Jean undergoes a bit of a metamorphosis in this issue, resulting in her getting a new costume? This book continues to underwhelm, and that’s too bad. I want to like it, but am just not finding Jean herself to be all that interesting. I also don’t care for the villains arrayed against her.
The Sacrificers #14 – Things shift to Soluna and Beatrice, who have been captured by the Foreman. Soluna knows that they are in danger, and is working to protect the young girl from the fate that awaits the other sacrifices, but also learns that there is a malevolent parasite inside her that kills people when she falls asleep. This is another brutal issue in this series, yet also it’s beautifully drawn by Max Fiumara, and is very compelling. This is a great, and unique, series.
Snotgirl #18 – This second life of this series is moving a lot more quickly, and is pretty gripping. Lottie goes to her aunt’s onsen in Northern California with her mom, sister, and Caroline, who is still freezing her out. There, they discover that Lottie’s mom and aunt were in a J-Pop group once, and there are hints about why they stopped that life, but nothing is clear yet. At the same time, Sunny and Meg investigate Virgil, Caroline’s brother, trying to figure out who the two siblings really are. I like how Bryan Lee O’Malley has slowly shifted the story into something with more elements (was that a ghost in the mirror?) and made it more unique. Leslie Hung’s art is lovely, and seems to have improved upon greatness since the book was on hiatus. There is no other comic like this one, and I’m enjoying it a lot.
Star Wars: A New Legacy #1 – Now that it looks like Marvel is winding down its release of books set during the original three films, we get this valedictory one-shot, with stories written by the three main writers of the property, Charles Soule, Jason Aaron, and Kieron Gillen, celebrating some of the characters that Marvel has added to the mythos. Soule’s story is the longest, showing an early adventure of Dr. Aphra and Sana Starros, which involves appearances by Beilert Valence, and the ancient artist whose spirit inhabits a mask. The middle story, by Jason Aaron, showcases Scar Squadron, and the Gillen story revisits the height of his Vader run, featuring Aphra, Triple Zero, and BT. I liked revisiting these eras, although it’s a bit bitter sweet, because I’m less enthused about where Marvel’s headed now, with this new Kylo Ren series.
Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1 – I don’t know that anyone is looking for new stories featuring the new characters from the third trilogy of Star Wars films, but since Marvel’s ongoing title has reached the end of Return of the Jedi, they seem to be jumping to the moment in time. Set between episodes eight and nine, Kylo Ren is taking over the First Order, and I guess dealing with his poor emotional self-regulation skills. He decides to go on a bit of a Vader-related pilgrimage, perhaps to learn how to be actually scary or compelling, so he heads to Mustafar. I don’t know, this didn’t do much for me. I like Charles Soule’s writing, and the work he did with Vader, and I’m always happy with Luke Ross’s art, but my disdain for these films makes this a tough sell. I didn’t hate the Poe Dameron series, though, so maybe I’ll find something to like here too. I’m not entirely sure if this is an ongoing or a limited series, and given that I don’t think too much time passed between those two films, I don’t see it lasting for too long. It’s wild to me that the Star Wars line was such an important part of Marvel’s lineup for a while, but it’s fallen off to this level now.
Transformers #17 – Chaos continues in this series, as the two factions of Decepticons take their fight to Seattle, Beachcomber and Arcee find Magnus, and Cliffjumper gets the Autobots on Cybertron to help him create a new Transformer, who is so clearly designed by Daniel Warren Johnson. I sometimes struggle to remember who these characters all are, but I am enjoying this book.
Wolverine #6 – I’ve been liking what Saladin Ahmed has been doing with this book, but with a couple of pages left in this issue, I figured out who the main villain has been, and it killed a lot of my enthusiasm for the story. Perhaps I’m just hating, but I don’t have a lot of good memories of Daniel Way’s writing on Wolverine: Origins (Steve Dillon’s art was the draw for that book for me), and this is making me think too much of it. Anyway, Laura, the other Wolverine, joins Logan, Kurt, and the young Wendigo in this issue, as they try to figure out who has taken over the adamantium-using villains, and to what purpose. Martin Cóccolo’s art is very nice here, and I’m going to trust Ahmed to not disappoint me with the next issue.
X-Men: Xavier’s Secret #1 – I hate that Marvel is putting out original comics on their Infinity app, or whatever it is, because I hate reading comics digitally (even though it would solve all my space problems). This comic holds two stories by Alex Paknadel and Diógenes Neves that address the end of the Krakoan Era. The first is a pretty standard Cyclops and Phoenix story that has the couple spending time together before Jean departs for space. Their vacation is cut short by the emergence of an unsettled spirit. The second story is much better, featuring little-used journalist Sally Floyd, who has been tasked with writing a profile of Charles Xavier. Her research leads her to realize that Charles didn’t actually kill anyone during the end of the fight with Orchis, and I’m not sure how I feel about that, given that he’s locked up and that his students have complicated feelings about all of it. It seems like a bit of a redemptive copout that is coming way too soon. It might have relevance for this upcoming X-crossover, so I’m glad that I’ve been brought up to speed on things.
The Week In Music:
Jeff Parker – Mondays At The Enfield Tennis Academy – This double album came out a year or two ago, but was never on streaming, and so I had to endure seeing a ton of posts about how good it was, without hearing it myself. I finally saw some copies come up for sale (perhaps there was a repress after the acclaim of Parker’s ETA IVtet album). These four tracks were recorded across three nights, and have Parker working with the same musicians that make up his ETA IVtet (I guess ETA stands for Enfield Tennis Academy). They are all meandering and loopy, as the artists improvise off one another. Like the newer release, this is music that can stop time, and seems to promote deep thought. It definitely lives up to the hype.
Uyama Hiroto – Freedom Of The Son – This 2014 album is full of gorgeous instrumental hiphop tracks that slowly give way to jazz songs. Hiroto makes great use of pianos or woodwinds over his beats, and creates a gorgeous atmosphere on this record. I’m so glad it’s part of my collection now.
Nujabes – Spiritual State – I’ve been filling out my collection of Japanese instrumental hiphop, and that means I need to round up as many Nujabes releases as possible. This album, from 2011 (it’s a posthumous release), showcases the incredible talent of the late producer. Most of these are instrumental tracks, but rappers Cise Star, Pase Rock, and Substantial show up on a few tracks. Listening to these jazzy, Dilla-esque beats, I wonder how different my life might have been has I spent the last fourteen years with this. It’s one for the ages.
