So little time to read this week…
Best Comic of My Week:
Exquisite Corpses #12 & 13 – I’ve loved every page of this series, and found the ending to be fantastic. James Tynion IV, Michael Walsh, and a raft of collaborators kept this series, about a bunch of ultra-rich people who play a game of killers in a small town every five years, fresh and unpredictable right until the very end. These issues are written by Tynion and drawn by Walsh alone, unlike the jame sessions that made the earlier issues. I’m most happy to see that one of the survivors of this series is getting a miniseries starting really soon; this is not the type of title that lends itself to easy sequels, but I think this one could be a lot of fun and also very different from this book. I love that Image takes a chance on oddball story ideas like this one, and can really see this working as a TV series.
Quick Takes:
Absolute Flash #14 & 15 – This book has really hit its stride after a too-decompressed start. Wally and Linda meet the Absolute Mirror Master, who has them searching for Absolute Ray Palmer, who we see is friends with Absolute Cyborg’s dad (although Cyborg doesn’t appear at all). I like how Jeff Lemire is building out the science-based side of the Absolute Universe, while still finding time and space to develop Wally as a likeable character. I’m more intrigued than I was before, and now see this as a title with lots of growth potential.
End of Life #3 & 4 – When I learned that DC was reviving the Vertigo line, I didn’t expect that one of the titles would end up being an assassin family sitcom, but that’s what Kyle Starks and Steve Pugh are giving us with this book. As the Menagerie sends killers to take out Eddie for (unwittingly) betraying them, he slowly learns the value of small-town living and family ties. It’s amusing, and wonderfully illustrated by Pugh, whose work I’ve missed. I didn’t expect to enjoy this book so much, and I’m glad I picked it up.
Void Rivals #29 & 30 – As we reach the end of the Quintesson War, our heroes find themselves in a difficult position once again, as the ancient Cybertonian Zerta Trion gives them a mission. Robert Kirkman has built this series up to the point where I find that I’m worried for the inhabitants of the Sacred Ring, and am looking forward to seeing how things are handled now that the Quintessons have taken over. This book remains a really fun read, with a relentless pace.
The Week In Music:
Witch Prophet – Words Are Spells, Thoughts Are Magic – Witch Prophet is a really important artist in my city’s underground, and I was really excited to get her new album. She produced the first side herself, and Sun Sun, her usual producer, handled the second side. What surprises me the most is how consistent the production on this alt. r&b album is, even when Sun Sun adds in the two musicians that make up the other half of the couple’s group Above Top Secret. Witch Prophet has included a couple of songs I’ve been hearing her perform for so long, I always thought they’d been released. I like how WP and Sun Sun blend Ethiopian sounds into their beats, and am generally very impressed with this one.
