Still getting caught up, but I did get into last week’s comics…
Best Comic of My Week:
The Power Fantasy #6 – Now we know most of the players, and have a good sense of their relationships to one another, so Kieron Gillen can get the larger plot underway. We learn about Heavy’s son, whose existence is a closely-guarded secret, and see what Jacky’s plans are, now that he’s carved himself a place in the US government (this would have been written before Elon Musk’s takeover of the Oval Office, but seems really on point). I reread this whole run before reading this issue (the real reason I’m so far behind on my reading) and it really helped, because I found the first couple of issues a little challenging. I’m really enjoying Caspar Wijngaard’s art on this book; his pastel hues really help separate this book from other similar fare (I’m thinking of books like Jupiter’s Children or The Authority).
Quick Takes:
Aliens Vs. Avengers #3 – The last humans on Earth escape to space, but when stopping at Arakko, the Avengers and their charges have to deal with Mr. Sinister, who is once again playing his usual role. We meet the remaining X-Men, and things generally follow the usual trajectory of any good Aliens story, and the surviving cast gets whittled away. I like how Jonathan Hickman has incorporated the tropes of the Aliens movies onto the Marvel Universe, and of course I love Esad Ribic’s art. These types of crossovers are often silly, but this one is different. It feels like a bit of a throwback, what with its acknowledgement of Krakoa and the Wakandan Interstellar Empire (which I don’t think has been acknowledged in the main Marvel line in some time), but I like that about it.
Batman and Robin: Year One #5 – While Batman fights Clayface, Robin gets into some trouble on his own. I’m enjoying this look back at Bruce and Dick’s earliest days together, but I think if Chris Samnee weren’t drawing this comic, I wouldn’t be bothering with it. That’s not a knock on Mark Waid, he’s an excellent writer, I just don’t usually go in for ‘times past’ series. Samnee makes this whole project worth supporting though.
Daredevil #18 – Matt’s fight against the demons is nearing its conclusion, as he has to faced the Pride-possessed Foggy Nelson in court, and then heads off to deal with Wrath, who has possessed one of his foster kids, and has Cole North prisoner. I’ve been enjoying Saladin Ahmed’s run on this book, but wonder if we’re heading for another relaunch soon, or if he’s going to have a new story to tell after this one runs its course.
The Department of Truth #28 – After a bunch of flashback issues, this series finally returns to its present-day storyline, and James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds inch the plot forward a little. This series has always been interesting, but very slow moving in the last year. I like it, but would love to see something more happen.
Exceptional X-Men #6 – Eve L. Ewing sets up the next story arc, having the kids all get a job that is really just a plot device so they can meet Xenos, the man behind a new app that has people giving him their DNA so he can design lifestyle alterations. Alex is taken with the guy, who has horns, while the others suspect that he’s up to no good. This is a decent issue, but a bit obvious and a little scattered. This title seems to have survived the first round of X-culls in the post-Krakoan era, but I have a hard time seeing it lasting another full year. There isn’t enough happening.
Fantastic Four #29 – While the main event book for One World Under Doom might be a little more conventional in its approach to being a main event, this issue of Fantastic Four makes it pretty clear that Doom’s bid for world domination (and his use of a minority group as a rationale for why it’s necessary) can be read as a commentary on the Trump administration. Sue and Ben take a day off in New York to hang out with She-Hulk, but end up having to rescue a family of vampires from a mob. Some stuff happens, which spurs the team on to find a cure or treatment for vampirism, as the family struggles to figure out what to do about Doom. This is a very strong issue, with Ryan North once again impressing. The art, by Andy Smith, is fine. This has me more excited about this event, as I was curious to see if it had political underpinnings.
Jenny Sparks #7 – I can appreciate what Tom King was trying to do with this series, but I’m not sure that it was successful. We’re given a seven issue saga about Jenny trying to stop an insane Captain Atom, who is holding hostages in a pub, from destroying the world. We got to see different snippets of Jenny’s life in the twenty-first century, but I don’t feel like she was made more relevant or reinvented in any way. I also thought that the destruction of Captain Atom’s character was strange (maybe this was King correcting an imbalance from the whole Monarch thing back in the 90s). I did like Jeff Spokes’s art a great deal, and that kept me coming back. I am starting to wonder if King is beginning to miss some steps, as his current Black Canary series isn’t exciting me all that much either, especially when compared to some of his earlier, similar, series.
Justice League Unlimited #4 – The League mobilizes to try to stop the entire Amazon Rain Forest from going up in flames, but it is Tefé who is most helpful, even though she doesn’t want to be part of the League. I am really enjoying the work that Mark Waid and Dan Mora are doing on this book; the large scale and constant churn of characters makes it exciting, but they manage to work in important little character moments that help it build. I hope this gets a good long run.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30 – The crossover with Deadpool continues, so this is a little annoying, but Cody Ziglar finally finds some time for Miles to check in with Ganke, and almost lets him have a serious conversation with Shift before the action begins. I have no idea what the deal is with Deadpool’s daughter, but she is slightly less annoying than he is, and I like the way Miles approached talking to her. I also like the way Luigi Zagaria drew this issue; it’s more straight-forward than this book usually looks, and that makes the story a lot easier to understand.
Mystique #5 – Declan Shalvey’s miniseries comes to a bit of an unexpected close. I figured that much of this issue would focus on Raven explaining all the ways she’s manipulated Nick Fury Jr., and that played out as expected, but I didn’t think the series would end with Raven in such rough shape. I’ll be curious to see if whoever works with her next will remember how this book closed off. I’ve liked this series; Shalvey’s art is phenomenal, and his writing keeps getting better. I’m not sure that it did much more than re-establish SHIELD in the Marvel Universe, but I liked it. I’ll be sure to see what Shalvey works on next.
NYX #8 – I really can’t make up my mind about this book. It’s been so shapeless, that I’m not surprised it’s getting canceled, but I still see a lot of potential in it. For this issue, Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing set about working on the relationship between Hellion (aka The Krakoan) and Wolverine, as she, Sophie, and Kiden try to free Julian from his captors. Laura is convinced that Julian wasn’t in control when he killed some city councillors in the first story arc, and as she tries to reach him, the comic revisits some of the classic New X-Men run that I enjoyed so much. I liked this issue, but am bothered by how it has nothing to do with the last issue. I think this series took too long in setting itself up, and never had a clear raison d’être. Had there been a clearer purpose, it might have lasted longer.
The Question: All Along The Watchtower #4 – Now Renee and the others know that the Cyborg Superman is behind everything that’s been happening in this series, but his plan has advanced to the point that she can’t do much about it. Alex Segura has plotted out an exciting story that makes use of a lot of characters I like. I’m not sure when Animal Man developed the ability to command animals, though (he’s not Aquaman), but the DC Universe has rebooted so many times, I’m never sure of anything. This is a decent comic.
Superman #23 – Joshua Williamson’s run on Superman has been pretty enjoyable. This issue wraps up the big fight involving Doomsday, Radiant, an army of aliens, and the Time Trapper, with big consequences for one of the most important people in Clark’s life. Dan Mora somehow continues to make both this book and Justice League Unlimited look amazing, at the same time, and more future storylines are set up. I’m rarely a Superman person, so it says a lot that I’ve been with this title for so long now.
Titans #20 – I like how John Layman is acknowledging the events of Tom Taylor’s run on this book, which is not something a lot of writers do anymore. There is growing evidence that Raven is having trouble controlling her powers, but after a makeout session she’s having with Gar impacts everyone around her in a park, the team knows they need to do something. We know who is really behind these problems, but they’ve not gotten to the point of figuring it out yet. Pete Woods returns to draw this issue, and it’s lovely. This is a solid, if kind of unspectacular, run.
Uncanny X-Men #10 – I’m starting to like the new kids that are hanging out with Rogue’s team, as this issue has them fighting the dog-sentinels that have come after them in a mall. I still question some of the ways in which Gail Simone is portraying some of the established characters in this book, but have to respect how good she is at handling team dynamics.
X-Force #8 – This is another series that is not long for the world, and I’m not sure yet what Geoffrey Thorne was hoping to accomplish with it. We’re now a few issues into the fight with La Diabla, but we have no idea why Colossus is with her and fighting his former teammates. I’ve been finding it hard to care about the La Diabla stuff, and wish this book spent more time on team dynamics (do we know anything about Tank at all?). It’s a bit surprising that an X-Force book can’t last ten issues in 2025…
The Week in Music:
Kendrik Lamar – GNX – If you’re even a bit of a hiphop head, you’ll always remember 2024 as the year of the great Kendrick/Drake beef, which had the LA rapper utterly demolish the pop star from my city. I loved it, and then as a final word in the whole thing, Kendrick dropped this surprise album. It’s by far Kendrick’s most accessible piece of work, and the most mainstream thing he’s ever made, but it’s also full of amazing west coast-style beats and fun songs. I’ll always prefer a project like To Pimp A Butterfly, but this has so much replay value, and sounds great in the car. I can’t wait to see Kendrick play with SZA in June.
Brown Spirits – Cosmic Seeds – I’ve come to trust Souljazz Records, the label that released this album. Brown Spirits play a kind of driving funk music that teeters on rock in places, but also has some cool jazz flourishes. This is a little harder than a lot of what I listen to, but it’s nice. I think this band would be fun to see live.
Adrian Younge Presents Linear Labs: São Paulo – Adrian Younge is the genius behind the Jazz Is Dead series, the Midnight Hour, and the Luke Cage soundtrack, among many other things. On this album, he leads the Linear Labs Orchestra and a number of guests through nine solid tracks of mostly Brazilian-influenced jazz and soul. Younge is so good at this kind of thing, and at bringing together disparate musicians to create a nice big sound. Parts of this album have a real 60s vibe to it, while the Snoop Dogg track sounds straight from the 90s. This has a lot of replay value, and helps to further cement Younge’s place in the world of music. As I write this, I’m a few hours away from seeing him perform with a ten-piece orchestra, and I can’t wait.
