As you know, I’ve been struggling to keep up with my comics reading, but am also leaving the country and probably not reading any comics for a couple of weeks. This column will return in August; I hope you’re having a great summer!
Best Comic of My Week:
Assorted Crisis Events #3 – This might be one of the most important comics coming out right now, as much for its sheer inventiveness as for its political commentary. Each issue is a done-in-one story, at least so far, dealing with multiversal shenanigans. This issue tells the stories of two identical towns, both named Hearth, in two different realities. The only real difference is that on the second Earth, environmental degradation is happening at an accelerated pace, such that the survivors of Hearth-2’s destruction come to Hearth-1 for refuge. The story digs into the problems and consequences of this, such that soon the people, who are essentially the same people, end up turning on one another. Writer Deniz Camp is really telling the story of migration and asylum as it is playing out across the real world today, but he allegorizes this story in such a way that comic book readers, especially pre-Crisis ones, will immediately understand. The book is very well-written, and works on many levels. Artist Eric Zawadzki does a wonderful job of differentiating these multiversal doppelgangers, and the whole issue leaves the reader with a lot to think about. As we move into darker times, we’re going to need stories like this to help us think through the consequences of our actions, and Camp seems particularly tapped into the zeitgeist.
Quick Takes:
Absolute Flash #3 – This is a quick read, as so many Jeff Lemire books are. Wally is introduced to the Absolute version of Grodd, who is cute and sad, and they bond, deciding to fight back against the mercs that keep pursuing Wally (who also sent Grodd after him). This book has potential, but I think we need more to happen soon to keep it interesting.
Absolute Martian Manhunter #3 – I love the way this book reminds me of many of my favourite pre-Vertigo weird superhero comics. In many ways, this book, with its psychedelic alien, is a grandchild of Shade the Changing Man. The ‘White Martian’ entity is attacking the city by having people set fire to homeless people and then to random homes, as he wages psychological war against humanity. The ‘green one’ who is inside Jones’s head struggles to explain things to him, but we see how their partnership is evolving. Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez are making one of the most unique comics on the stands right now, and I’m really getting a lot of enjoyment out of it. Part of me would be curious to see this book interact with some of the other Absolute titles, but only in an organic way.
Absolute Wonder Woman #8 – Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman start their second big arc on this book, as Diana establishes a base for herself, and a government organization gets a gaseous scientist to weaponize the sound made by the creature Diana fought in the first arc. I’m curious to see where Thompson is taking this book, especially since Dr. Poison is a bit of a deep cut antagonist. As always, Sherman’s art remains the top draw for this comic, as it’s really unique and wonderful.
Avengers #26 – Captain America is alone in the Impossible City (except for his new suit, which houses the City’s consciousness) as the New Masters of Evil try to take over. It’s a pretty action-filled issue that is a solid read. It also does its job of keeping this title busy during the One World Under Doom event, so that the rest of the team can be freed up to be in that fight at the same time.
Batman and Robin: Year One #7 – Bruce and Dick are getting into a routine and improving their working relationship, while also learning more about Grimaldi and his plans. At the same time, Grimaldi is stepping things up, and it’s not clear what either Clayface or Two-Face want in all of this. Mark Waid and Chris Samnee are a fantastic creative team, and are building this to be a memorable series.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39 – The fun of the We Are Yesterday arc continues with Batman, Superman, and Dick Grayson swapping places in time, and trying to figure out their way back, while dealing with the Legion of Doom. Mark Waid excels at writing these kinds of stories, and makes this a very entertaining read, while also working in a couple of touching moments. Clayton Henry’s art is always welcome, and I’m happy to see that references to the Legion of Super-Heroes keep getting made.
Bronze Faces #3 – I am really impressed with this strange series from Boom! The writers, brothers Shobo and Shof, are telling a story about three sort-of siblings who have become determined to return pilfered bronze masks to Nigeria, by any means necessary. They’ve become leaders of a gang of art thieves, and also social media stars along the way. What’s really interesting is that the writers have chosen to keep jumping the story forward, skipping the actual heists. For example, we learn that between issues two and three, something happened in Vienna, but we don’t really know what. The planned heist in Cape Verde is joined as our heroes are pursued. It actually creates a lot more suspense in the story, and then when the various interpersonal relationships of the characters get tossed in, things get even more interesting. I really like Alexandre Tefenkgi’s art (although I also really liked Shof’s art on New Masters). This is a very cool, very topical comic that is taking an unconventional approach to the issues it portrays. I’m glad Boom! is publishing this.
Bug Wars #4 – I’m continuing to really enjoy this book. This issue has the young hero travelling across his gigantic yard with his spider witch guide, who is perhaps hiding something from him. Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar have built an interesting world in this comic, merging fantasy with the insect world in a way we haven’t seen since Bug and the Micronauts.
Daredevil #21 – It’s curious that after having Matt deal with devils for almost twenty issues, he’s now in a much quicker moving storyline about how someone is using the residents of the building that his current ‘friends with benefits’ lives in for strange experimentation with fungus, spores, and body horror. The story is good, but it’s a pretty sudden shift in tone, almost as if Saladin Ahmed didn’t expect to have a followup to his deadly sins arc. It’s kind of cool to see Daredevil back in his 90s armor.
The Department of Truth #30 – Things are really coming together with this book, as Lee Harvey Oswald finally comes to grips with the fact that things are going to have to change in the Department if he’s going to weather the storm that Black Hat has brought. At the same time, Cole decides to chart his own path towards the truth, rejecting the way he’s been manipulated. I wonder how much James Tynion IV has had to change his original plans for this series, given how the real world appears to be intersecting with what this book is about. I can’t believe that he would have been able to originally plan the end of this issue, given who Oswald goes to talk to on the last pages, back when this book was first being written or conceptualized. I do think that future historians could study how on-point this book has been since its first issue. The fact that it’s also entertaining is impressive.
Detective Comics #1097 – Now that Batman has put a stop to the murdering of juvenile delinquents, it’s time to dig into the organization that appears to be behind it all, the mysterious Elixir. We learn that this group of people stopped operating in Gotham around the same time that Harvey Bullock first became a cop, but now they’re back, and they know that Batman hired Bullock to look into them. Tom Taylor continues to build on his first story arc, and actually has Batman doing detective work, which is rare these days. I like seeing Lee Garbett’s art in this issue; he’s an unsung talent I feel.
Exceptional X-Men #9 – One thing I find refreshing about this book, in an age where every story arc seems to be about a bigger and bigger threat to the world, Eve L. Ewing has the team that’s coalesced around Kitty Pryde take on Mister Sinister like he’s a really serious threat. The stakes in this title are not smaller, necessarily, but they’re very different in that the book is focused on the development of its teen characters, and the way in which the adults are trying to help them. It’s quite different from everything else on the stands right now, and while it’s sometimes kind of slow, I do enjoy it.
Fantastic Four #32 – Valeria is the only member of her family who wasn’t wiped out of existence, Back to the Future style, after the last issue, but she does find herself in the body of Reed and Sue’s daughter in another reality where the Fantastic Four never existed, but where Franklin developed his powers in utero, and ended up taking over the whole world, in a way. It’s another very solid issue by Ryan North. Cory Smith’s art looked a lot like Mark Bagley’s in this issue, which is not my preference.
Into The Unbeing Part Two #4 – This series just kept getting stranger and stranger, and the ending (I’m assuming there won’t be a Part Three) is also pretty unconventional. I enjoyed this book, which was about four women exploring the long-dead corpse of a massive giant and the ecosystem that developed inside of it. This was definitely a book that was never predictable, like much of Zac Thompson’s writing, and I enjoyed Hayden Sherman’s art, and the fact that he was working on this book and Absolute Wonder Woman at the same time.
Iron Man #8 – Spencer Ackerman continues to explore the questionable approach Tony is taking to dealing with Doctor Doom by selling him weapons. I’m not sure I buy how quickly Tony has become friends with the guy he rescued from Latverian extremists, who also happens to be a magic user, but I like many aspects of Ackerman’s approach to this book now. I feel like not enough of the mainline Marvel titles are acknowledging Doom’s control of the world, so I’m glad to see it being addressed here in this title.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #33 – Miles is wrapped up in this conflict between Anansi and Ares, and now has to pick companions to help him in his fight against the Greek God and his champions. It’s a fun issue that has Miles’s therapist throwing down against a minor harvest god. Cody Ziglar is having fun with this story, and artist Marco Renna depicts it well.
Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #8 – Moon Knight gets into a fight with Carver, the bodyguard of Fairchild, the otherworldly drug dealer he’s been trying to take down. Carver kills him, but that’s all part of Marc’s plan, as he’s recognized something about her sword. This continues to be Jed MacKay’s best monthly book.
The New Gods #6 – Lightray is having a hard time accepting that he’s dead, and when the Death Racer takes him to the Source, they are attacked by beings that should not be there. At the same time, Highfather and the rest of the New Gods are crashing towards the Earth at an unreasonable velocity. Filipe Andrade drew most of this issue, and it’s gorgeous, with odd watercolour-like effects. Evan Cagle’s pages are also very attractive. Ram V continues to make this one of the most interesting, and unconventional, books that DC is putting out.
Nightwing #126 – Franco Francavilla wraps up his two-part story with this issue, which has Nightwing and Commissioner Sawyer separately investigating an urban legend of a vengeful cop that appears to be real. Dan Watters is continuing to build on some of the topics of policing that have been on the periphery of his first run; I’m not sure where this title is headed, but I’m curious enough to stick around with it.
Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #4 – As Kylo Ren continues to explore places that held significance to his grandfather, we continue to see how quick to anger he really is. This issue has him going to Naboo, which has fallen on hard times in the wake of the Emperor’s defeat. I am starting to like this book more than I expected to, which is a testament to Charles Soule’s ability to make an unlikeable character compelling. Stefano Rafaelle’s art has continued to get better recently, and this issue looks great.
Titans #23 – I like how John Layman is setting the Titans up to not exactly go against the Justice League, but to want to have some autonomy within the larger organization. This issue shows how Vanadia is struggling to fit in with the team, and how she is more powerful than Cyborg knew when he rebuilt her. She’s an interesting character, and seeing as the team is getting ready to go after Deathstroke, experienced readers can’t help but think about the last time he managed to plant someone on the team. This run is more interesting than I originally thought it would be.
The Ultimates #12 – A year into this run, it’s time for the team to take stock of whether or not they’ve accomplished any of their goals, and that means that it’s time for Iron Lad, Doom, and Captain America to switch things up. What we learn is that there is a spy on the team, who is reporting everything to Nick Fury. Instead of giving us a new clever twist on an established character, Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri instead dig into the cast they’ve already got, especially when we learn that Doom lied about something important. This is a great book, and it feels like the momentum behind it is continuing to grow.
Weapon X-Men #4 – I’ve always loved the design of the Red Ronin mech, so the cover to this issue really caught my eye. It’s a shame that this book couldn’t make a go of it as an ongoing, given that the characters keep talking about how they’re planning on being a team. This issue is a solid done-in-one, featuring most of the team working to stop the Red Ronin from rampaging through New York. Chriscross’s art is always very nice to look at, and I hope we’ll see more from him soon once this book wraps up (it probably already has, hasn’t it?).
Wonder Woman #21 – Diana continues to work to solve the mystery of Ares’s murder on Olympus, while also confronting her own grief and anger over what happened to Steve Trevor. Tom King writes this interlude stories pairing Diana with major DJ characters more often now, and while I hated the one that had Diana shopping with Superman, I thought this story worked really well, with Batman serving a supportive role and helping Diana through quiet example. I am still curious to see how this book will work after the Sovereign story wrapped, but this two-parter gives me hope.
The Week In Music:
McKinley Dixon – Magic, Alive! – I don’t think there’s another rapper I find more exciting than McKinley Dixon. He writes lyrically inventive and thoughtful songs that are as propulsive as they are intelligent. He works with a live band, and rides over their jazzy beats beautifully. He’s confident and brash, but also writes about insecurity at times. This album calls back to stuff on his last album (the brilliant Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?) in clever ways, and shows that he’s building the McKinley Dixon sonic universe while also entertaining his fans. The song ‘We’re Outside, Rejoice!’ is maybe my favourite song for this summer. I can’t recommend Dixon’s work enough; he’s magic.
