Best Comic of My Week:
Resident Alien: One More For The Road #1 – I’ve loved this series since it first began. Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse created a very unique comic – it started as a genteel murder mystery series featuring a small town doctor who just happened to be an alien from another planet, who was able to hide his true appearance and identity through means of mental persuasion. He looked after the town’s health, and then got involved in a variety of mysteries. Over time, we got to know the inhabitants of the town, and the supporting cast became very important parts of the story, especially Asta, the woman that Harry (our alien) ended up settling down and fathering a child with. That in turn led to increased attention from Harry’s own people. This one-shot is the final Resident Alien story, and while I expected it to continue in its gentle and polite ways, Hogan decided to end off with a very American story, as one of the FBI agents originally hunting down leads and looking for Harry finally tracks him down, and shoots him. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I’ll say that Hogan and Parkhouse once again handled this issue beautifully, giving us yet another look at Harry’s true character, and leaving us off with a note of optimism. I like that this book leaves us with hope for the world, given how dark the real world has become since this series began. I think they found a good place to end Harry, Asta, Clover, and all the rests’ stories, and appreciate that this series ran so long at Dark Horse. It is a comic more people should read (and now maybe I’ll check out the TV series based on it).
Quick Takes:
Absolute Batman #19 & 20 – This series keeps getting darker and darker, as central characters leave Bruce’s life, either by refusing to speak to him, or through death. He begins to learn some truths about his past as the Straw Man comes to town, and at the same time, Grimm launches the Robin Program, run by Slade Wilson. Scott Snyder continues to remix key elements of Batman’s story in new and surprising ways, as he sets him up to be seen as the greatest villain Gotham has ever seen. Nick Dragotta’s art on these two issues is phenomenal; I love the way he lays out his pages, making this book look truly unique on the stands.
Batwoman #2 – I’m not as swept up in this series as I’d expected to be, given that I’m such a fan of both Greg Rucka’s writing and DaNi’s art. I don’t love that Rucka is back to having Kate be a total mess, and that her sister has become central to her story again. DaNi’s art choices are interesting, but her emulation of post-Sin City Frank Miller means that the art is a little more abstracted in ways that sometimes feel underdone. Kate is pretty mysterious here, having little to say in her attack on the Greek chapter of the Church of Crime (I assume that’s what this is all about), and it’s hard to connect to her character. We’ve seen a lot of her lately, in The Outsiders and then in the Question miniseries, and this feels like a completely different character. I trust Rucka to pull things together, and hope he does so soon.
Bleeding Hearts #3 & 4 – I love how Deniz Camp is writing this book. The zombie genre felt played out after years of The Walking Dead, but in this series, Camp is exploring the nuances of zombie culture, showing how their society works and establishing that his zombies are unable to understand ‘live’ speech patterns. We see our zombie hero, now called Flower Boy by the little girl who he’s saved along with her mother, work to defend his new friends, even though he can’t fully explain why. Camp’s writing here is so fresh and interesting, and artist Stipan Morian is the perfect artist for this book, giving it a European sensibility, and conveying so much through the zombies’ expressions. It’s definitely one of the most creative and original books on the stands right now.
Deathstroke The Terminator #2 – I’m really getting into this new run. Tony Fleecs is burning down every aspect of Slade’s life, with an unknown antagonist having killed Wintergreen, stolen all their money, and now coming for his safe houses. The end of this issue reveals two characters that I haven’t seen in a long time (one of which I’m so happy to see again). Carmine Di Giandemenico is doing the work of his career with this. I miss the Deathstroke of Christopher Priest’s fantastic run, but this is almost as good.
Emperor Aquaman #16 & 17 – Jeremy Adams is making some odd choices with this series, now that Arthur’s focus is on connecting other water-rich worlds through his Lighthouse, and becoming a leader for all of them. His first two attempts to explore lead him into a fight with some parasites on one world, and drop him and Jarro onto the Starro homeworld on another. Meanwhile, his enemies are starting to join forces against him. This leans heavily on the visions that everyone who went to the K.O. tournament received, which we haven’t seen yet ourselves. It’s an interesting direction-shift, but I can’t help thinking that Arthur probably has a lot more to do at home these days.
Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #8 – At the height of Invincible, Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley were creating some of the most bloody and violent fight scenes in the modern era. This issue reminds me of that, as Battle Beast attacks the reunited Juggernaut siblings and proceeds to beat the hell out of them. It’s ridiculously over the top, and all the more glorious for it. I’m so happy this series exists.
Star Wars: Shadow of Maul #2 & 3 – I’m really enjoying this Star Wars series which reads like a noir-ish police series. A cop, Lawson, is trying to play the main gangsters on his planet against one another, which is getting him negative attention from his superiors. At the same time, Darth Maul has arrived and has his own plans. I know that this series is designed as a prequel to the new Maul TV series, so I wonder if our cop and the ex-Sith lord are even going to meet here or if that will be on the show. Still, Benjamin Percy is doing a good job telling this story, and Madibek Musabekov is doing fine work. I kind of miss Star Wars comics, so this is scratching an itch for me.
Transformers #31 & 32 – These two issues are pretty different, given that they are part of the same series. Issue thirty-one spotlights Megatron (with art by Ludo Lullabi) and shows us more of what happened to him during his trials. We learn the identity of who Megatron serves (which would probably mean something to me if I actually knew anything about the Transformers). Issue thirty-two follows Elita-Prime and her squad as they arrive on Cybertron and are almost immediately discovered by Decepticons. It’s a good action issue, with nice art from Jason Howard, who is the new artist on this book. I continue to enjoy this series, but hope we see the Earth contingent in the next issue.
Ultimate Wolverine #16 – This series really did end up being a big disappointment. There was a stretch near the beginning where I was enjoying the concept of Logan being a weapon used to hunt down other mutants, but after he got freed, it felt like writer Chris Condon really struggled to say anything new or interesting about the character, so instead he became a bit of a plot device. It seems like Condon was more interested in telling Illyana’s story, but the book wasn’t really about her, so even her emotional moments towards the end got kind of butchered. The pacing of this final issue is way off, as Jean and Logan travel to Limbo to confront Illyana, but there is no real catharsis or sense of accomplishment. This corner of the Ultimate Universe really didn’t do much in the end, which feels like a lost opportunity. I believe that Condon is one of the best new writers on the scene, but this project was not a good fit.
X-Men United #2 – For a book called X-Men United, it seems like there are a lot of X-Men disagreeing with one another. Emma invites Captain America to her new school, offering to track down the surviving other Black men that were experimented on in attempts to re-create the super soldier experiments that created him, so he can apologize to them, and then sends him with a small team made up mostly of rookie X-Men. And of course something goes wrong. I’m not sure about this book yet – I like the idea of a psychic plane place for the X-Men to gather and train, but so much of this is poorly explained. Are their bodies travelling there in some form, like it’s a physical place, or are they all just sitting in separate places? If they are not physically there, why do they need to eat, and how does Rift teleport them to places in the real world? It’s just not really making sense to me yet. It reminds me of the space that was used in Simon Spurrier’s Legion of X series, but that was much better explained. Also, it’s interesting that all of the mutants who are currently starring in X-Men and Uncanny X-Men seem to have no real differences of opinion, outside of Scott, when their own books kind of suggest otherwise. I think this needs some more explanation to make things completely clear.
The Week In Music:
Alice Sara Ott – Jóhann Jóhannsson: Piano Works – These delicate piano pieces have a way of evoking the Icelandic landscape they hail from. This album moves in and out of my consciousness as it plays, sometimes getting so quiet I barely notice it, and other times commanding my attention. Alice Sara Ott plays these solo pieces composed by the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, and they are very beautiful. This is a lovely album that pairs nicely with my favourite Philip Glass piano music.
Fatboi Sharif & Child Actor – Crayola Circles – This is one of the most intriguing albums to come out so far this year. Child Actor captures the mood of Fatboi Sharif’s off-kilter, oddball rapping and provides beats and soundscapes that only he can navigate so well. I’ve listened to this album a few times and still don’t really know what it’s about on a larger scale, but I find myself drawn to it time and again. If you like leftfield rap and beats, this is something you’ll really enjoy. I can’t want to see Fatboi Sharif in another week or two.
Rickey Kelly – My Kind of Music – Jazzman Records has been a huge part of my jazz education, and their Holy Grail series has breathed new life into some very rare records. This Rickey Kelly album is totally new to me, and is a fantastic example of late 70s spiritual jazz. Kelly plays the vibraphone, which is one of my favourite instruments, and I could float on this all day. It’s really good.
Mamas Gun – Dig! – This British soul band is a new discovery for me, and I’m glad I found them. Like similar bands on the Daptone label, these musicians provide a funky, soulful modern take on an older song that is warm and inviting. These guys are coming here in November and I’m looking forward to seeing them perform these songs live.
Ana Roxanne – Poem 1 – The latest album by experimental artist Ana Roxanne is gorgeous. As with earlier projects, Roxanne gives us beautiful swelling synths and pianos, matched with her lovely voice. There are some tracks where she recites poetry, and her voice complements the music nicely. Roxanne is one of my favourite ambient-adjacent artists, and I’m excited that I get to see her perform this album today (if you are reading this when it’s published).
