Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!
Best Comic of the Week:
Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1 – I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for a while, and it did not disappoint. Daniel Warren Johnson wrote and drew the lead story, which I guess is the origin of how Bruce got his hands on his massive Batmobile. Bruce is out of town buying weapons for his cause, and comes across a white supremacist group about to run some migrants out of their town, and responds as he does. In James Harren’s story, we see Batman foil some masked robbers breaking into one of their father’s home. Both stories are as violent as we’ve come to expect from the Absolute line, but also very effective. I also liked Meredith McClaren’s two-pager at the end (it makes me wish Black Cloak would return). This was a very effective comic.
Quick Takes:
Absolute Wonder Woman #13 & 14 – It’s a treat to be able to read a full two-parter back to back because of how far behind I am with my reading. A strange being is causing destruction in different places with historical connections to the Amazons, and to stop it, Diana is going to have to call in some pretty big help. Along the way, she is visited by the Absolute version of Zatanna, in a scene that is seeding future issues. Matías Bergara was a fine choice to fill in for regular artist Hayden Sherman on these two issues, as things still look great. I guess the next issue is going to have the first Absolute guest appearance, and that should be interesting.
Batman & Robin: Year One #12 – I really like what Mark Waid and Chris Samnee did with this miniseries. It captured the optimism of early Batman and Robin comics, while updating the story in a way that makes more sense in the modern world (such as showing Bruce Wayne having trouble navigating the child welfare system in order to have Dick come and live with him). Samnee is the perfect artist for any acrobatic hero, as he imbues the page with so much movement. This was a satisfying read.
Detective Comics #1102 & 1103 – Tom Taylor’s latest story involves a virus that removes the fears and inhibitions of its carriers, and that currently includes Batman. He is racing against the clock to investigate the origins of this virus before he has to go into quarantine, and elicits help from Superman and Lois Lane along the way. It’s cool that Taylor is writing this as both a detective story (so often overlooked in Batman comics these days) and as part of the wider DC continuity. Mikel Janín’s art is lustrous as always. I like these secondary Bat-books, and the space they sometimes give to stories that are not as widescreen.
Expatriate X-Men #1 & 2 – Like Eve L. Ewing’s Black Panther run, the first two issue of this tie-in to Age of Revelation suffers from having too many ideas tossed onto the page without enough room for them to feel fully established or to breathe. Some of the cast of Exceptional X-Men (Bronze and Melee) have joined up with Rift (who I assume was the boy that Bronze liked in the final issues of Exceptional) and Ms. Marvel to run a flotilla of ships in the regions between Revelation’s territory and the USA. We see them rescue a mutant from government custody, and try to take him to Darkchild’s territory for Mystique, but there are various intrigues and questionable decisions made along the way. I didn’t feel like I was at all invested in the story here, as there just wasn’t space given to get used to this status quo. It seems that Melee is at odds with her teammates, but it’s not clear why. I’m not sure if Extraordinary is set to return when the AoR stuff is finished, and it’s weird to think that might be it for some of these characters.
Green Arrow #29 & 30 – The Crimson Arrow story continues, with a strange connection to Ollie’s past (that seems to be a theme in Chris Condon’s run). I’ve been enjoying Condon’s and Montos’s work on this book and am sad that the book is being cancelled (after the next issue?). It seems like Ollie is a difficult character to write these days, but I like how Condon has tied his work to a number of current social concerns (the overdose crisis, safe housing); that seems to be a successful formula for Ollie. And Montos is incredible.
Green Lantern #28 & 29 – In the aftermath of the Starbreaker Supremacy, Hal gets zapped with something from the Book of Oa that is making him feel weird, but also deny it to his fellow Corpsemen. Instead of figuring things out on Oa, he launches into a bit of a tour of DC superhero cities, joining up with Green Arrow (who isn’t wearing the costume he wears in his own book) to deal with something tangentially related to Darkseid. These are good enough issues, and it’s always nice to see Hal and Ollie together.
Imperial #4 – There’s a lot of chaos in this issue as different factions of heroes work to try to save the day on Fulcrum station, without realizing they are working at cross-purposes. When the dust settles, Jonathan Hickman has set up a new status quo for the galaxy, one that is going to launch a number of new titles (I already have two issues of Nova’s series and one of Black Panther’s mini in my to-read pile). This was an effective miniseries, although there were a lot of moving parts, and I’m still not clear on what the Inhumans really want. I guess these new books will explore that. I find it interesting that Hickman’s not going to be sticking around for any of these books, and is instead becoming Marvel’s go-to guy for shaking things up and leaving.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #39 – 41 – Cody Ziglar keeps returning to the same wells in this book, but I don’t mind it. These issues finish up Miles’s adventure with Inari and White Cat, then show his return from Incursion (see below), then have him diving into another adventure involving Rabble and the Assessor. I like how Ziglar has built a new supporting cast and rogue’s gallery for Miles, and the way that both Miles’s and Raneem’s therapy is portrayed. This is a solid, if sometimes frustrating, read. The art, by Luigi Zagaria and Marco Renna can be a little hard to follow at times, but it works well enough. I don’t read the Amazing Spider-Man, so I was a little surprised to see how awful Peter’s new costume looks (although I don’t hate it as much as I do Miles’s).
Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #13 – 15 – I’m tired of the constant reboots of Jed MacKay’s Moon Knight, which is going to make it very difficult to ever reread this series for people who files their books in alphabetical order. These three issues mark the end of the Fist of Khonshu run, in a way that doesn’t feel very organic. They tell the story of the ghosts who are haunting the Wrecker, and the person responsible for said haunting. Layla, the Scarlet Scarab makes an appearance, and while I never read the miniseries that brought her from the MCU into the Marvel Universe, I am a little familiar with who she is supposed to be. I like how MacKay writes this book, and how he’s found a stable of artist with similar styles to draw it (Domenico Carbone handles these issues). Moon Knight is one of the best books Marvel is producing right now, and I think it’s too bad that they have to constantly relaunch it to try to juice sales. More people should be reading this title.
News From the Fallout #5 & 6 – This was a really cool little miniseries by Chris Condon and Jeffrey Alan Love. I really like how Love drew this all in silhouette (except for the extended sequence in a completely dark cave). These last two issues provide an explanation as to the mysterious substance that has turned a base full of soldiers into zombies, and connects it to the fate of the dinosaurs. Condon’s become a favourite writer of mine, and has shown himself to be very versatile in terms of his subject matter. I love when Image produces oddball projects like this.
Nights #16 – I haven’t enjoyed this prequel storyline as much as I did the earlier issues that focused on Vince and his family, but I do like learning more about Gray’s past. This issue has Gray, Tsukumari, and Eric making a new life for themselves on a magic island. They are embraced by the people living there, but there is a constant sense that things are going to end soon. This book is way behind schedule (even more late than I am in my reading), but I hope it gets back on track and moves back to telling stories about its original cast soon. Wyatt Kennedy writes these characters with such sensitivity that I really care about them, and I love Luigi Formisano’s art. I’d love to see them take on a New Mutants like project at Marvel. (EDIT: I hadn’t realized he was writing the new Wiccan series, which I’m now going to have to go pick up and check out.)
The Sixth Gun: Battle For The Six #3 – I guess this series didn’t sell very well, because this is the last issue, regardless of the fact that it doesn’t really finish the story. The Hunting Party, joined by an other-dimensional Drake, face off against the Cabal to secure the Six, mythical weapons. The story stops, but it doesn’t really end. I’m not sure if Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt intend to return to this story or not.
Skinbreaker #2 & 3 – I’m really enjoying this alien barbarian multi-generational epic story by Robert Kirkman and David Finch. This is maybe the best Finch’s art has ever looked; the detail on the page is amazing. These two issues show us how Anok became the village chieftain, and how the changes he implemented were received over the course of his life. There’s a sizable time jump, and a new threat for the village to deal with. Kirkman’s drawn me into this story, and Finch is providing more than enough reason to anticipate each new issue. It’s really good work.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra – Chaos Agent #5 – I really liked this latest Doctor Aphra series, and would have enjoyed seeing it continue. This issue has her tracking down her sister, who is a more notorious slicer than she is, and helping her get away from an Imperial remnant. I think that writer Cherish Chen has proven that she has a good handle on Aphra, and I’m hoping she gets another chance to tell her story (especially since we didn’t get enough resolution around the subplot introduced this issue concerning the droid Leia gave her to help in finding her sister). It seems like Marvel’s Star Wars line is in trouble these days, but I think some good character-driven building out of the space between Return of the Jedi and The Mandalorian would be successful.
Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #5 – Miles finally catches up with his sister, who has been taken by Emmanuel Da Costa, who is hoping to use her other-dimensional energy to gain access to the Maker. The Ultimates turn up, acting the most like a regular superhero team we’ve ever seen. I liked this miniseries, and the way that Miles got to tour the different books that make up the Ultimate line. It’s a bit odd, knowing that the line is shutting down, to give it this kind of promotion, but it was also cool to be reminded of the fact that Miles was never originally part of the mainline Marvel Universe either, and he survived the end of his line. Is there a hint here that someone from these books is going to survive the Endgame?
The Week in Music:
Yoni Mayraz – Dogs Bark Babies Cry – Combining my love of “nu-jazz” with my love for underground hiphop, we get this amazing album from Yoni Mayraz, a keyboardist and producer. There are features from flautist Tenderlonious and rapper Fly Anakin, who I never expected to see on the same project. This fits nicely with a lot of the London scene, and makes me happy. It’s a really solid release.
YUNGMORPHEUS & Dirty Art Club – A Spyglass to One’s Face – I’ve been a fan of YUNGMORPHEUS’s raps and his laconic delivery for a while now, but the producer Dirty Art Club was new to me. I was able to pick up this album at YUNGMORPHEUS’s show a couple of months ago, and it’s been a bit of a recent favourite. DAC’s beats match his flow nicely, and there’s a lot to unpack in his lyrics. This is one of the better releases this year, even if it did kind of fly under the radar.
Meklit – A Piece of Infinity – I first came across Meklit Hadero through her podcast, Movement, where she’s interviewed a few artists I like (I distinctly remember the Helado Negro episode being a good one). I wasn’t really familiar with her music, but then I heard the song Tizita, on this album, which features harpist Brandee Younger, and I was blown away by how good it was. The rest of the album is a mix of English and Amharic songs that are folky, jazzy, and a little bit pop. It’s an odd mix, but it works pretty well. Some parts feel way more Ethiopian than others, but I like the way this has been sequenced and feels like it takes the listener on a journey. It’s an interesting album, and I’d love to see her perform it live.
Kibrom Birhane – Lisané Bahir ልሳነ ባሕር – It’s been a big year for Birhane, with appearances on a lot of albums in my collection, including the excellent new Mulatu Astatke record. I was a bit surprised by this one though, which is a departure from his last album. Birhane has created a bunch of minimalist compositions, using modular synthesizers to explore Ethiopian music in a way that I’ve never heard before. It was a bit challenging at first, but with each new listen, I’ve found myself more and more entranced by this album; it’s kind of like an Ethiopian Floating Points at times.
Hania Rani – Non Fiction: Piano Concerto in Four Movements – I love Rani’s solo work, but for this piece of music, she joined up with Jack Wylie and the Manchester Collective to create a sweeping and cinematic concerto. It’s large and often loud, but also very beautiful. It’s been great to see Rani grow as an artist.
SML – How You Been – International Anthem excels at getting a group of disparate jazz musicians together and just letting chaos take over. SML is made up of bassist Anna Butterss, sax player Josh Johnson, drummer Booker Stardrum, guitar player Gregory Uhlmann, and electronic artist Jeremiah Chiu. Together, they create odd soundscapes that reveal interesting grooves, or sometimes, soundtracks to alien movies. It’s a cool project.
Jim Legxacy – Black British Music – This album came out of nowhere and really captured my attention over the last few weeks. Jim Legxacy is a rapper and singer who is paying tribute to the entirety of Black British music on this album. He encompasses a number of styles and tells stories of the Black experience in Britain. There are numerous references to the Windrush Generation, and it’s all done over some truly excellent beats. I really regret missing his live show a few weeks back, but he was here on the same night as billy woods, and there was no contest for me. I imagine it was a great show, though…
Oddisee – En Route – A four song EP (with instrumentals tacked on) is kind of cruel, as it just gets me in the mood for more of Oddisee’s excellent writing and rapping. The beats on these four songs (all made by Oddisee as well, I believe) are terrific too, especially the final track. I really hope he has a longer project in the works.
Niontay – Soulja Hate Repellant – I was able to grab a copy of this when Niontay opened for Earl Sweatshirt at a recent show. I was impressed with Niontay’s set, and like a lot of the tracks on this album. Niontay has an interesting flow, and while the beats have more clicking noises than I prefer, it works well as a complete package. The song with a guest verse by Earl does stand out for sure.
billy woods & August Fanon – Gowillog – August Fanon is one of the most gifted producers working in hiphop these days, and he’s started to make a name for himself for remixing various projects. In this case, he took wood’s brilliant album, Golliwog, from earlier this year, and recrafted it into a whole new album, showcasing his wonderful beats. He actually played with woods’s whole catalogue, arranging verses from Golliwog with ones from older projects (which adds some really interesting layers, given how often woods himself references his earlier songs). We get some new songs as well, such as the one featuring Aesop Rock. woods is my absolute favourite rapper and writer, and I like hearing his verses against different beats. The way Fanon has arranged and sequenced this makes me think of these songs in new ways, and causes me to consider woods’s ideas in juxtaposition to different songs. I was really lucky to see that this was released when I did (doomscrolling late at night), as the CD release was extremely limited, and I’m happy I was able to cop myself a copy. It’s now one of the gems of my music collection.
