Best Comic of My Week:
W0rldtr33 #19 – Things are really heating up in this series, as Ellison’s sisters make their move against Angel at the same time that the W0rldtr33 group enters the building. Silk’s attempts to interview the man responsible for the Undernet being unleashed goes very badly. James Tynion IV and Fernando Blanco are moving this series towards something exciting for sure.
Quick Takes:
Cyclops #2 – I like the way this miniseries is playing out. Cyclops is lost in the woods, blinded by the lack of his visor and likely suffering from a concussion, and now has to deal with a new band of Reavers who are chasing a mutant girl. Alex Paknadel balances the pace and tension well, and artist Rogê Antônio is doing fine work.
End of Life #2 – I’m glad I decided to take a chance on this book, as it’s pretty entertaining. Kyle Starks shows us around the small town where killer Eddie Stallion is hiding out, now that a massive animal-themed cadre of killers is after him. Steve Pugh is so good at books like this, giving the various characters realistic, yet cartoonish, appearances and a lot of personality. There aren’t a lot of books where the main character is completely unlikeable yet you still find yourself rooting for him, and I appreciate how well Starks and Pugh have pulled that off here.
Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #7 – I’m happy to see this title return, and that Salaka has his entire body back (although maybe we saw too much of it?). Battle Beast also recovers from his injuries and prepares to do battle again, as the Viltrumites prepare to come to the planet where BB hopes to die. I’m pleased that Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley are working together again, and on such a cool character. It seems that this is really going to be an ongoing series, and I appreciate that they are playing around more in the Invincible Universe, which is full of characters that I miss.
Knight City #2 – Once again, Matt Kindt has an interesting take on a superhero story, and constructs a whole world (two, I guess) to tell it. The Knight is a Superman-like character who, when he sleeps, has constructed a whole other reality, where he is an unpowered, regular person. His greatest foe has figured out how to follow him there, and is using his vulnerability there to try to kill him. It’s an interesting study of the superhero psyche. With art by David Lapham but Kindt providing the colouring, this book looks like nothing else on the stands right now. It’s a really interesting visual approach.
Marc Spector: Moon Knight #2 – This latest Moon Knight series is as great as the last few, because it’s still Jed MacKay doing cool things. Marc has been taken prisoner by a European criminal spy organization, and now Zodiac has come to help him bust out. We learn the identity of the person who has been handling Marc’s interrogation and drugging, and that promises that the next issue should be exciting. I appreciate that it took MacKay years to go to this well, as it’s often been a go-to for new MK writers. Artist Dev Pramanik continues to impress me; I like his art more and more with each issue. I am starting to miss the gang at the Midnight Mission, but also like seeing Marc do things on his own for a change.
New Titans #33 – New creative team Tate Brombal and Sami Basri shake things up quite a bit in this issue, which seems to have Dick and the other long-time Titans stuck in a Groundhog Day-like scenario. Each day they wake up, drink coffee together, and are interrupted by a threat. Later they hang out together. The coffee machine starts to warn Dick that things aren’t normal, but he can’t quite figure it out. I’m excited to see this New Titans team in action (I didn’t expect to see one of these characters, especially since they aren’t on the cover). Both Brombal and Basri are rising stars, and I think they complement one another’s strengths in this issue.
Vampirella #12 – I guess we’re getting ready for yet another reboot, which has got to be a formula for diminishing returns, right? There’s no way anyone is coming onto this series long-term at this point in Christopher Priest’s multi-year, super complicated run. Vampirella and her latest group of friends are in the Wild West, complete with a character basically borrowed from Deadwood, having to face off against a number of vampires who are coming to destroy everyone in a small frontier town. It’s a good adventure issue, full of Priestian asides and plots within plots. It what I come to this book for.
Ultimate Endgame #3 – This book is pretty unlike other big event series, in that it’s really unpredictable and is working with no limits, as we all know that this line is closing when it’s done. To that end, Deniz Camp kills off a pretty big character (although since things are happening in the time bubble around The City, there’s a chance that this can still be reversed). The Ultimate X-Men show up in Latveria, where Killmonger is also operating, and things move closer to whatever resolution Camp has in mind. I like this book, and like that I can’t really see where it’s headed.
Ultimate Wolverine #15 – It still feels like this series is spinning its wheels a little. Logan, Jean, and their Sentinel continue to hunt for Illyana Rasputin, and come across a ruined town where one soldier remains, but he’s infected or controlled by something. That’s about it. I’m going to miss the Ultimate Universe, but not this title, sadly.
Uncanny X-Men #25 & 26 – Gail Simone wraps up her story that has Elsa Bloodstone and a bunch of Marvel monsters harassing the team, before launching into a new story that appears to be about the Outliers, the kids that Rogue and her team are looking after, swapping places in history with the original New Mutants. The issue is a little clunky – the transition into the past is not explained very well at all, and threw me out of the story. I want to like this series so much more than I actually do. It has some great high points, but then it starts to feel like Claremont fan fiction at times.
Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon #2 – I’m definitely enjoying this series, which has Wolverine meeting up with David Colton, the other Captain America that Chip Zdarsky recently introduced in that series, while they’re being hunted by Nuke. Zdarsky is pacing this series well, and I like how it’s not really clear how these events are going to dovetail into his Cap work, in preparation for this upcoming Armageddon event.
The Week In Music:
Atlantis Jazz Ensemble – Mystic Suite – I’m a huge fan of Ottawa’s Pierre Chrétien, who is the leader of the Souljazz Orchestra, the person behind Cinephonic, and the leader of the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble. This project leans into big spiritual jazz pieces, and always impresses. This latest outing for the ensemble sees eight tracks composed by Chrétien, and featuring some familiar names from Souljazz Orchestra. It’s a very lovely album, and it’s nice to see something being made at this level in Canada. It deserves a lot more recognition and hype.
James Blake – Trying Times – The latest from James Blake is interesting, because it’s the loudest and more rocked out, for him, that he’s ever been. There are more upbeat numbers than I’m used to from this artist, but they are still dappled with melancholy and layers of manipulation. This album is frequently lovely, and seems to have benefited from his ongoing partnership with the rapper Dave. It does sometimes sound like he’s been listening to the Weeknd a lot, but it also leaves me very excited for his show here in June.
Sault – Chapter 1 – I don’t buy every Sault release, because they tend to explore a number of different types of music, and it’s not all for me, but when they lean into their spiritual soulful r&b bag, I’m always going to be here for it. I’m not comfortable with overly religious music (at least not if it’s in English), but these guys are able to pull it off. There are some nice laidback gems on here, as well as some uptempo songs. Cleo Sol continues to blow me away with her voice, just as Inflo’s production stays as good as ever. This is a solid Sault album, which is a bit bittersweet, as I can’t listen to it without thinking about the world tour they’d teased like two years ago, which has never happened. I’d love to see Cleo sing live some day.
