I’m still so far behind; I wonder when I’ll get around to reading the FCBD stuff I grabbed this weekend…
Best Comic of My Week:
Absolute Batman #7 – Marcos Martin steps in to draw a two-part story, and understands the aesthetics of what regular artist Nick Dragotta does perfectly, while adding his own unique stylings. It’s been a little while since the end of the Black Mask arc, and Bruce is starting to investigate Ark M, a black site prison being built near Gotham. We meet Matches Malone, and then Bruce ends up meeting Victor Fries. This is another solid issue in this very good series. Visually, it’s just about perfect.
Quick Takes:
Aquaman #4 – Arthur escapes from Lori Lemaris, who is somehow beholden to the god-like creature who has stolen the population of Atlantis. Arthur also gets a new sword, thanks to Arion and Vivienne. I’m liking this series, but Jeremy Adams’s writing is a little decompressed. John Timms’s art works well with this book, and I like the throwback sense of adventure we get here. It’s a good read.
Batman and Robin #20 – Robin’s been taken by Momento, and Batman, still suffering from some hallucinations, tries to solve the case of who and where Momento is. He turns to Damian’s notebook for answers, in a sequence drawn by Juni Ba that is pretty great. This has been an interesting run, as Phillip Kennedy Johnson digs into Bruce and Damian’s relationship in a way that we haven’t really seen before. I like it.
Birds of Prey #20 – The Birds split up to investigate a new threat based on a pile of conflicting and confusing evidence, and Barda gets the worst of it when she’s attacked in Dubai. This book is a fun read, always, but Kelly Thompson also takes advantage of the unique lineup to build the characters. There’s a nice moment in this issue between Cassandra and Sin. I also am happy to see Sami Basri back on the art.
The Body Trade #5 – It took a while for this comic to reach me, what with the Diamond situation, but the end of this Mad Cave series was worth waiting for. Writer Zac Thompson gave us a dark look at a near-future where the rich trade in the cadavers of the young and poor, and we learn in this issue about a government connection. Jok’s art made this odd series memorable.
Daredevil #20 – Time has passed since the end of the deadly sins arc, and now Matt is back in his ugly 90s costume, and has been staying with a woman he used to date back when he pretended to be his brother. He discovers that people have been disappearing from the incredibly nice and affordable apartment building the woman is living in, and ends up getting more involved in the case than he’d like. New artist José Luis Soares does a fine job here, as Saladin Ahmed takes the book in a new direction.
Far Down Below #1 – It’s a shame that Mad Cave comics have become so hard to find in the wake of Diamond’s financial troubles (at least for me), because this is a series I want to read all of. Chris Condon and Gegê Schall are telling an interesting story here. First, we learn that some scientists discovered a hollow space below Pennsylvania during the Civil War, and then we switch to a story about a pair of kids who want to explore the supposedly haunted house that one of the kid’s family owns. That part of the issue feels pretty standard, but also interesting knowing that the Hollow Earth connection is coming. It’s an effective first issue.
Green Lantern Corps #3 – The GLs face Atrocitus and the remaining de-powered Red Lanterns, learning what happened to them at the hands of the UP Green Lanterns. I like how this series is building out the current state of DC’s outer space reaches, and have enjoyed the guest appearance by Hawkwoman. I wonder if future issues are going to shift towards showcasing other characters more.
Long Cold Winter #3 – Another Mad Cave series I’ve been waiting for, and that’s worth the wait (although I think #4 is out and so far eluding me). Francesca Perillo is telling a strange post-Apocalyptic tale, made all the stranger by Stefano Cardosellis’ over-the-top art. Peace Dog is accompanying a robot child across the wasteland, despite having made a deal with the devil not to do things like this. We learn what The Kid is trying to accomplish in this issue. This is not a brilliant comic by any means, but it’s got a really interesting aesthetic, and I’m enjoying it.
Phantom Road #11 – After a hiatus, Jeff Lemire and Gabriel H. Walta return with a new arc of their strange highway horror series. This arc is set in the 90s, and features Theresa, the FBI agent’s father, who was also an agent of the FBI, and who was assigned to work with the guy in the Hawaiian shirt that keeps popping up in the alternate reality parts of the first ten issues. We learn that they together made up Project Jackknife, investigating the strange goings on along the northern highway and the Billy Bear rest stops that are always near an event. Lemire is giving us more information now, but it’s still not very clear what’s really going on. I like that about this book, just as I enjoy Walta’s art. This is a good series and I’m glad to see it back on the stands.
Phoenix #10 – The first long arc of this series comes to a conclusion that I didn’t find all that momentous. I’m hoping that Stephanie Phillips has worked out the kinks of this series now, and as she embarks on her next story, I’m hoping that it’s more focused. There’s a lot of stuff happening in this issue that I couldn’t find my way to care about, and that’s disappointing. I’d really like to see the next arc be more focused on Jean herself, as she’s not really an interesting character in this book so far.
Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #1 – I never read the 90s Resurrection Man series, but I have been buying up back issues for the last year or so with the hopes of reading it. For that reason, I came to this new Black Label series by Ram V and Anand RK with little familiarity with the character, but looking forward to seeing what V was going to do with him. This is a solid first issue, which shows us that Mitch Shelley has lived for decades without dying, but old age sets the cycle of resurrections going again, although this time something is different. Much of the issue is focused on showing us what happened to him during the Second World War, and establishing an antagonist for him. The story is compelling, and RK’s art is very nice. I feel like I’m going to enjoy this series.
Storm #7 – I’m still not sure I understand the direction of this series, but I am enjoying it for what it is. I don’t know about a version of Storm that is even more powerful than before, living in a floating city (with only Maggot and a zoo for company), and apart from humans and mutants alike. This power-up and focus on cosmic stuff is a strange fit for her; Ororo is always best when we see her balancing her nurturing side with her warrior spirit, and now we’re mostly getting the warrior. Leaving all that aside, this issue is interesting, as Storm has to fight a massive snake juiced up with a variant of super soldier serum, as a favor for Iron Man, who seems involved in unsavoury things. This all has something to do with the fight between Eternity and Oblivion, but also the storm gods of different pantheons. I’m not really sure where this is all headed…
Transformers #19 – Guest artist Ludo Lullabi joins the book for a Megatron-focused issue. We see that years before the story started, Megatron was captured by aliens and forced to go through hundreds of trials, all of which involved him fighting shark-robot creatures and then getting smashed by a much bigger being. I guess this is interesting in the way it shows Megatron’s determination, and provides some backstory for his character, but I was never clear on who it was that was making him go through these trials, and don’t know enough Transformers lore to make a guess. Lullabi’s art is nice, but I would love to see Daniel Warren Johnson draw a one-off issue again.
The Ultimates #11 – I’ve been dreading the inevitable Asgard issue, as I’m just very tired of that place, but was amused by the approach that Deniz Camp took to this issue, writing it all in rhyme. Thor and Sif work to free Asgard from Loki’s rule, in this unconventional issue. Juan Frigeri’s art has never looked as good as it does in this issue of splash pages. This book remains a treat.
Uncanny X-Men #13 – At the start of a new story arc, we have some retconned mutant history (apparently the “midnight M” hand gesture dates back to the Jim Crow era), the kids head out on a mysterious quest, and the dragon thing from the first issue takes Gambit to the Savage Land. This issue is kind of all over the place, but David Marquez’s art is really nice, and the story keeps things moving nicely.
In Memoriam
I was sad to hear of the passing of Jackson “Butch” Guice this week. I’ve been a fan of his comic art since I was a kid, first learning to recognize his style on some of the best issues of Micronauts I ever read. He had a way of making the final issues of the first run feel more epic than anything else I’d read at the time. I thought that he made Baron Karza and Acroyear look so formidable, Commander Rann so grizzled and battle-worn, and I don’t even want to go into the impression that his depictions of Marionette had on my young self. From there, I was always happy when I saw his name turn up on a comic. Looking on the internet, I’m surprised to learn that he only ever had a handful of runs lasting more than ten issues; I think of his work on Flash, The New Mutants, and the start of X-Factor as pretty iconic. And then there’s his Captain America work, which was mind-blowingly good, and which defined the Bucky Barnes as Captain America era. I’ve been slowly buying up his run of Resurrection Man with the hopes of reading it in order, and I’m saddened to learn that that’s probably the last time I’ll be exposed to a lot of his artwork (unless I decide to read Rune one day). Guice was never a big name, but he was someone who always delivered, and his work will be missed. My condolences to his family, friends, coworkers, and fans.
