I barely had time to read comics this week, and picked up such a big stack. Will I ever catch up?
Best Comic of My Week:
Absolute Batman #6 – The end of the first arc makes clear some of the biggest differences between Absolute Batman and regular old Batman. On the way to stopping Black Mask’s plans for Gotham, Batman reveals himself to some of his friends, and that’s something that’s going to generate a lot of differences as the series continues to play out. The fight between Batman and Sionis is pretty brutal, and amazingly drawn by Nick Dragotta. I do wish we got some explanation as to why Sionis’s accomplices all look like Twi’lek, but maybe that’s still to come. The glimpse we got of his boss was intriguing. This book has held my attention across this entire arc, and I’m looking forward to a two-parter with art by Marcos Martin next!
Quick Takes:
Batman and Robin #19 – The Momento arc continues, and Bruce and Damian are having trouble connecting again. Philip Kennedy Johnson is on familiar territory, but still making the story interesting, and Javi Fernandez’s art is very nice. This is a quieter Bat-book, and that works for me.
Black Lightning #5 – I’ve liked this Black Lightning series. Brandon Thomas really focused on Jefferson’s family, and used this book to help build up the upcoming Power Company stuff in an organic way. I’ve never really known Pierce and his family well (I hope to read through all the Outsiders comics I’ve been buying lately for my Retro column soon, but it’s been on hiatus for a while), but I like how they were portrayed here. This All-In stuff has generally really worked for me.
Deadpool #12 – The crossover with Mile Morales continues, and appears to wrap up, until we learn who is behind Agent Gao hiring Deadpool to kill Miles in the first place. I’m curious to know if this crossover was made to boost the sales of one of the two books, and I honestly couldn’t guess which one would sell lower. I hate Deadpool, but haven’t hated this story as much as I thought I would.
Green Lantern Corps #2 – I have no idea who Shayera Thal is in the current DC Universe, but it seems there’s been something between her and John Stewart that is causing some tension in her appearance in this issue as she, John, Kilowog, and Razer head to the remains of Thanagar, where they find Atrocitus and some of the other former Red Lanterns scavenging for Nth metal. It’s a good issue, complete with a Red Lantern version of MODOK. I know that this series is going to have too many characters in it for them all to get moments in each issue, but I’m hoping that the focus shifts around some and we get to see some of the lesser-known Lanterns, while still keeping John in the starring role.
Phoenix #9 – I feel like I write the same thing with each issue of this series, but I still don’t think that writer Stephanie Phillips has a good handle on Jean Grey. She’s a bit of a cipher in her own book, and very little is being done to explore her character. Over the course of the last few issues, she’s given away her power, reclaimed it, ascended to be a different type of cosmic being (I think), gotten a new costume, and also managed to stop Thanos from taking control of the Galactic Council (mostly off-screen, it seems). There’s so much happening in this comic that it feels like nothing is really happening. I want this to be better thought-out and executed than this.
Snotgirl #19 – Bryan Lee O’Malley is leaning into the stranger aspects of this series, which is not really about the misadventures of a social media star anymore. Two characters are investigating the seemingly ageless Virgil, and have him tied up in his own sex dungeon for an interrogation, while Lottie chats with a ghost at her aunt’s creepy inn. This is a strange issue, but it drops a lot of clues about things I’ve been wondering about, without coming out and explaining anything.
Star Wars: Vader’s Legacy #2 – When Charles Soule wrote his volume of Darth Vader, he was very focused on the period of time when Anakin Skywalker fully embraced his new role. Now, he’s got Kylo Ren looking back at Vader’s life, and trying to both understand it all and erase things from Vader’s past that he feels are at odds with his vision of his grandfather. That means we’re back on Tatooine, revisiting Anakin’s past as a slave. I don’t mind that someone is trying to make Kylo an interesting character, and I love Luke Ross’s art in this, but this title has a lot of heavy lifting to do, and I can’t understand why anyone thought it might be necessary.
Transformers #18 – This is a really momentous issue, as the warring Decepticon factions are surprised to see the return of a key character that will make them all stronger. Daniel Warren Johnson has a lot happening in this book, but Jorge Corona does a great job of keeping it all moving. I’m still surprised I’m still with this series and enjoying it so much; I never thought someone could make me care about these characters for a whole year and a half.
West Coast Avengers #5 – The new Flag-Smasher is the evil Steve Rogers (aka Grant Rogers, aka Stevil Rogers), right? It’s odd that he would be the main villain in this issue, but being shown without motive or personality. Firestar’s relationship with Blue Bolt is moving too quickly, as is the story of her alcoholism. I can’t help but think that Gerry Duggan’s learned this book is set to end with issue ten, so he’s speeding up his plans and leaving important details or story elements out. I like this book, but there could be so much more going on here.
The Week in Music:
Ebo Taylor, Adrian Younge, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad – Jazz is Dead 22 – On the latest installment in the Jazz Is Dead series, Younge and Muhammad are joined by Ghanaian artist Ebo Tayor, for a raucous dip into high life. Taylor sounds good, and the vibe is very different from most of the rest of this series. I’m excited to see Taylor play soon on his farewell tour.
Mulatu Astatke and Hoodna Orchestra – Tension – I have a deep and abiding love for Ethiopian jazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke, so I was excited to see that he has a new release. For this one, he teams up with an Israeli band and the end result is a bit mixed. The tracks that sound and feel Ethiopian are the best ones on here; there are a couple where I would never guess that it was Astatke I was listening to.
Alabaster DePlume – A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole – Alabaster DePlume constructs strange soundscapes with his saxophone and accompanying musicians, and then often recites slightly bizarre poetry over it. It’s oddly arresting and something that I often find myself completely lost in. This album is a bit darker than his last one, but in a good way. His voice is a little more sinister, and it works. It builds to a more upbeat finish that I love.
NIJI – Oriki – This album is an upbeat example of contemporary African jazz via the London scene. Niji plays keys and a few other instruments, and the music is propelled by driving drum beats and an overall sense of optimism and joy. I would recommend this to anyone who likes Ezra Collective.
