It’s hard to believe that I’ve been doing this column for 800 weeks. Sometimes I wonder if anyone even reads it, but I do like the way it forces me to think more about what I’m reading. I hate how far behind I’ve been in my reading this year, but life is pretty busy these days.
Best Comic of My Week:
The Deviant #9 – After a lot of delays, the excellent Christmas-themed horror series by James Tynion IV and Joshua Hixson wraps up perfectly. This series is about a cartoonist who wants to make a graphic novel about a man who was found guilty of killing and cutting up two young teenagers. The cartoonist has been aware of the story his whole life, and it became integral to his sexual awakening. Shortly after he started interviewing the man in prison, it started to look like he embarked on some copycat killings. In this issue, we find out who is behind all of this (although the original killings still remain in doubt), and see the resolution to some subplots as well. Tynion has established himself as one of the best writers in the business right now, and I was really impressed with the depth of the four main characters in this book. Hixson is an incredible artist; the scene in an empty bar when the killer goes after the cartoonist’s boyfriend is a master class in suspense. This was a really impressive series, and it stuck its landing so well.
Quick Takes:
Absolute Flash #1 – The first of the second wave of Absolute books starts off in an intriguing way. Wally West is the fifteen year old son of an Army colonel who oversees some sort of biophysics weapons development project, and the Wests do not get along very well. Barry Allen, a scientist working on the project tries to befriend Wally, but that doesn’t go well. Wally ends up with something like speed powers (it’s not clear yet), and goes on the run. He’s chased by some sort of familiar figures, but we aren’t given a lot of information about them yet. This is a good start, and I like how writer Jeff Lemire is using the Absolute approach to redesign the character. Artist Nick Robles does a very good job, and I am coming away from this first issue with a genuine interest in this version of Wally. Let’s see where it goes.
The Avengers #24 – The Avengers’ attempt to steal some data from Kang has gone horribly wrong, but that doesn’t ever mean things are hopeless for our heroes. Jed MacKay has tapped back into what makes the team work so well in this run, as they play to one another’s strengths. This series is pretty slick, and I am really impressed with new artist Farid Karami’s work. I feel like MacKay used this story to wrap up some stuff from his Black Cat run (which I’ve never read), although it also looks like he’s abandoned Felicia in the past.
Batman & Robin Year One #6 – Batman works to rescue Robin from Grimaldi, only to discover that he’s got a lot more going on than typical crime boss stuff. This issue shows the bond between Bruce and Dick strengthening, and gives artist Chris Samnee space to cut loose with some cool moments. I like this book, but am wondering how long it’s set to run. I think I assumed it was a miniseries when it started, but now I’m wondering…
Bug Wars #2 – Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar appear to be having a ball with this miniseries that has a young teen thrust into the wild world of bug-barbarian conflict and gladiator games. Aaron is building this story quite well, and Asrar’s designs and portrayal of this world are excellent. It does follow some very familiar tropes, but I don’t mind that, because it’s all enjoyable.
Detective Comics #1095 – As concern continues to grow about the treatment Bruce has been receiving, he also learns the truth about Joe Chill, the man who killed his parents. It’s clear that he’s being played by someone, at least a little, but it’s not clear if the new woman in his life is involved. Writer Tom Taylor is taking a pretty steady approach to this story, which is lasting longer than I would have expected, and I like that. Mikel Janín’s art is great, and while this may not be as stunning a run as Taylor’s recently finished Nightwing run, it’s really pretty good.
Exceptional X-Men #7 – Axo gets closer to his boss, who is really an X-villain in disguise, as the others learn that Xavier is free, but this is not actually an X-Manhunt tie-in. I think this book is growing on me, but the pacing of this issue is off; there are five pages given over to showing that Emma Frost has issues, but that could have been accomplished in a much shorter amount of space. Axo’s argument with the other kids also is drawn as more dramatic than necessary. Otherwise, there’s a rhythm to this book that is starting to click, and Eve Ewing and Carmen Carnero are working well together. I’m glad this book appeared to have survived the first round of cullings in the X-Line.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #31 – The Deadpool crossover mercifully wraps up this issue, with the revelation that Agent Gao has received her new powers from Ares. This looks to be leading into a god-focused storyline, with Thor and Hercules guesting. Miles is at his best when he’s doing street-level stuff, and focused on his friends and family. This book has become a constant parade of guest stars and new concepts, and it’s killing my enthusiasm for the character.
The New Gods #4 – I continue to be very intrigued by this book. I’ve never been too aware of all of the New Gods, but I do think that some of the characters in this series must be new additions created by Ram V and Evan Cagle (like the woman who fires hundreds of arrows at the same time). This book is slick and very attractive, and I like how V is telling two stories at once – the story of the invasion of New Genesis, and the story of Mister Miracle trying to find a Source-infused child and save him from Orion, who comes calling in this issue. Some of the lore is lost on me, but I’m very intrigued.
Nightwing #124 – As Dick donates blood to save some of the Flyboiz, his sister finally learns the truth about Spheric, the company trying to take over policing in Blüdhaven, but only after agreeing to let them deploy robots on the streets of the city. This storyline has been running for a while now without a lot of forward movement, but it looks like we might be approaching its conclusion. I am tired of the trope that everything happening in Dick’s life has to somehow relate back to his circus childhood, and this one feels like a particularly big stretch, but we’ll see if Dan Watters sticks the landing.
One World Under Doom #2 – This title is just too on the nose, as Doom consolidates his control of the world and talks about his philosophy with Valeria Richards (partially at Toronto City Hall, which is cool for me at least). The FF try to stop Doom from addressing the United Nations, and once again, are stymied as he makes decisions that are popular with the world’s citizens. It’s interesting that, at a time when people are being disappeared and deported off the street, that Doom would open all borders around the world, while pretty much only the heroes distrust him. Ryan North is making this a lot more political than your standard tentpole event, and RB Silva is killing it on art. This is not a flashy event, but it is thought-provoking and interesting.
The Power Fantasy #7 – As the second story arc begins, we learn about the Second Summer of Love, which resulted in the destruction of Europe, and meet two more of the most powerful Atomics (although one is met just through flashback). Kieron Gillen takes a kaleidoscopic approach to writing this issue, as various characters tell this story in fragmentary ways, making the story a little more challenging to follow, but also more rewarding. I’ve been getting a lot out of this series, and have been impressed with the work that Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard have been doing here.
Psylocke #5 – Kwannon confronts the Taxonomist, who is a strange villain for this series. He wants to add her to his collection of oddly taxidermied mutated creatures, but seeing as he’s a normal human in a wheelchair and she’s a psychic ninja, it’s not much of a fight. I like Alyssa Wong’s writing in general, but I’m not sure that she has enough to say about Kwannon to keep this title going. I actually thought this was a miniseries when it debuted, and am surprised to see that it’s carrying on past this arc. I’m hoping that pretty soon, we’ll never have to read about Kwannon’s feelings about Betsy and their body swap ever again.
The Question: All Along The Watchtower #5 – We’re getting closer to the end of this miniseries, and writer Alex Segura is so focused on plot that there’s not a lot of space for character development, beyond Renee’s self-recrimination around her relationship with Batwoman. I kind of wish that Batwoman was left out of this book (as Renee was left out of the recent Outsiders run), because Renee has become too tied to her, especially considering they’re not married or even together. I think there’s a place for a street-level Question series in 2025, but this is not that at all. I have liked this book, and the way it’s shone the spotlight on a lot of rarely used characters.
Sacrificers #15 – This is a pretty big issue of this series, as Roku, the sun god, comes looking for his daughter, and when he can’t find her, decides that the world should burn. Rick Remender and Max Fiumara are freely destroying this world that they’ve built now, and that comes as a bit of a surprise. I’m enjoying this series a lot, especially because of how unpredictable it is.
Saga #72 – Big news shakes the galaxy (solar system?) when the Robot Kingdom makes a surprise announcement, and we see how that impacts a number of regular characters in this book. I always love a new issue of Saga, but I really liked how this one made a political moment into an excuse to check in on a lot of characters we haven’t seen in a while. I also thought it was interesting how shifting alliances in the Saga-verse reflect the current political scene in the world, and wonder if this was something that Brian K. Vaughan always had planned, and the timing is coincidental, or if world events have shaped this current storyline. As always, Fiona Staples is brilliant, and the issue shines.
Titans #21 – This run is not even two years old, and has been split across two writers, but we are in our second arc that involves Raven being manipulated by a villain to do evil. At this point, I would think the rest of the team would force her retirement, although if she wasn’t on the team, they’d have a lot fewer foes to face. Anyway, I am enjoying John Layman’s work on this book as much as I am Pete Woods’s nice clean art, but I’m hoping we can put Raven stuff to rest for a while. I’m looking forward to the team hunting down Deathstroke in the next issue, as he’s always a welcome villain.
X-Force #9 – As most of the team continues to battle the generic villains La Diabla and Rage, and we get more evidence that this is not really Colossus they’re fighting (unless he can morph his hands no, T2 style), Tessa and John Wraith (who I have no memory of) help Xavier with his mission. We learn who is in the final Krakoan egg that Xavier has brought with him (that actually surprised me), as the X-Manhunt event nears its conclusion. This book had a lot of potential, but now, with one issue left before its cancellation, I’m at a loss as to what Geoffrey Thorne really had planned for it. It’s hard to believe that all the early issues were building up to La Diabla, a female version of El Diablo. I don’t really understand what’s happening there, and I’m surprised that this book is going to end with us knowing nothing about Tank. Why not put a generic strong character on the team (like Strong Guy) instead of introducing a new character that has no personality?
The Week in Music:
Actress – Daren Dz Kanningem/Даррен Дж. Каннінгем – This single-track album/mixtape is really illustrative of why I’ve become a big fan of Actress’s downtempo, exploratory take on drum and bass/electronic music. I’m not sure what sub-genres his work belongs in, but I know that this fifty-four minute journey is never boring. There are elements that remind me of The Orb, which is always welcome in my home. In the age of single and playlist focus, I like that Actress has just let this play out as a single track; it takes a bit of commitment to sit and listen to it.
Yazz Ahmed – A Paradise In The Hold – I love the way Yazz Ahmed blends the sounds of the contemporary London jazz scene with Eastern and Middle Eastern sensibilities. This new album is a continuation of the work she started with her previous albums, and it’s lovely. She mainly plays the trumpet of flugelhorn, and has composed the music here. She’s joined by a number of musicians and singers, but the one that had me most excited is the great Natacha Atlas, who I used to listen to a lot in the mid-90s when she sang with Transglobal Underground. This is a very beautiful, very thoughtful album.
Blvck Spvde & The Cosmos – Overjoyed Through The Noise – I’ve long enjoyed Black Spade’s rare musical output. This time around, he’s joined up with a spirit jazz band, and they sound great together. I do hate that this is only a four-track, twenty-three minute EP, as I would like to hear a lot more from them. Still, the energy on this is pretty infectious, and is highly recommended.
Okonski – Entrance Music – This album was a bit of a revelation to me. I found it through a Twitter post, and was immediately entranced by its gentle piano-driven jazz. Steve Okonski, Michael Montgomery, and Aaron Frazer make up this band, but they are also all members of Durand Jones & The Indications, although that group makes very different music. This is contemplative and serene, but also very groovy in parts. It’s a good trip.
Bizhiki – Unbound – I’m a fan of the musician S. Carey, and when he came through town recently, I was surprised to see that he was selling an album I’d not heard of. He collaborated with Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings and Joe Rainey Sr., along with some other artists, to make this record. It’s a curious combination of powwow music with Carey’s sensibilities, which are very much in line with the other artists that have gelled around Justin Vernon and his Bon Iver project. To be clear, none of this sounds like a Bon Iver project (even though Vernon has credits on two songs on the record), but it does embrace the sense of experimentation that I associate with Bon Iver music. Parts of this record makes me anxious, which is something that I find happens when I listen to powwow singing, but much of it is gorgeous and soothing. I’m glad I found out about it and am not sure how I missed it.
