This week’s stack was so big that it took me a few days to get this column.
Best Comic of the Week:
Black Cloak #4 – I am very much in love with this series, which I find to be the most consistently surprising and engaging book on the stands right now. This issue has Phaedra and her partner swimming with mermaids, learning the truth about who might be behind the murder they are investigating, and then, Phaedra finally reveals the reason why she’s been living in exile from the palace. Kelly Thompson has layered a complicated police procedural with a story about social stratification, strong characterization, and high concept fantasy. There’s so much happening in each issue, and it’s just drawing me deeper and deeper into the story. Meredith McClaren’s art is so unique, and wouldn’t work on a lot of other series, but it’s perfect for this one. Her pencils are very soft and rounded, and it makes an interesting contradiction to the sharp edges of the story. I want this series to last as long as Saga has, as I don’t see myself ever getting tired of it.
Quick Takes:
All Against All #5 – I’ve been saying for a while now that I think Alex Paknadel is one of the most exciting writers in comics. I’ve not engaged with his Marvel stuff yet, as it seems to be pretty symbiote-related, and I hate Venom and his descendants, but all of his independent stuff has been gold. All Against All has been a form of body science fiction (as opposed to body horror), and it’s been fantastic. Paknadel and artist Caspar Wijngaard gave us a strange future where alien squid-like creatures who wear designer exo-skeleton bodies have been experimenting with animal species from Earth that they were able to resurrect from extinction in an orbiting habitat. The director of this project has been using the habitat to work through his issues with his daughter, and has a strong attachment to the sole human in the space, whom he calls Helpless. Now the director’s rival is wearing the gorilla-based body the director built for himself, and threatening to kill Helpless, while the director’s daughter works to protect her father. This issue wraps things up nicely, and is gorgeous in a strange way. I’ve really enjoyed this series, and look forward to seeing more from Paknadel and Wijngaard soon.
The Ambassadors #2 – In this new series being written by Mark Millar, a woman from Korea has perfected the technology needed to make people into superheroes, and she’s decided to share it with six people from around the world, her Ambassadors. This issue, drawn by Karl Kerschl, focuses on Binnu, a young Indian man who offered to sacrifice himself to protect a woman he loves during a terrorist attack on the mall where they work. This issue combines a lot of scene-setting with a new take on the standard point of view introduction to a new world, and shows that Millar is interested in making this a character-driven story. I like that each issue of this series is going to feature a different artist – when I started pre-ordering, I assumed that Frank Quitely was going to draw the whole thing. I would have been fine with that, but it’s cool to see Kerschl’s take on this world, and the next issue is drawn by Travis Charest, which is something I never thought I’d see again.
Batman Incorporated #7 – I love that Ed Brisson gave us a two-issue arc! The team’s fight with Professor Pyg wraps up this issue, with some welcome developments for Clownhunter and a few of the other members. Brisson is writing this series very well, developing these under-utilized characters. I’m also really impressed with Michele Bandini’s artwork; I think he is destined to become a big name player.
Captain America: Cold War Alpha #1 – I’ve been confused by both Captain America series, as they’ve struggled to differentiate from one another and find a path for their protagonists. The Sam Wilson series has been working lately, while Steve Roger’s series has struggled to make its high concept believable. Now the two titles are crossing into one another, probably way too soon, and we’ve got Bucky, now going by the Revolution, teaming up with the White Wolf for reasons that are still not very clear. I like much of this oversized launching point – it’s nice to see Steve catching up with his son Ian (and to see Rick Remender’s Cap run get acknowledged), and I did like the interplay between Bucky and Hunter. I’m still at a loss as to the Outer Circle and how they’ve been retconned into Marvel history, but I’m willing to stick this out. I like Carlos Magno’s art, but wonder why he got left off the cover credits.
Captain Marvel #48 – I came late to Kelly Thompson’s Captain Marvel, and now it’s ending, just as I get into it. Carol’s fight with the Brood continues, as various X-Men try to help out. This issue doesn’t pack in as much story as the last two, but it does set up a big finale, and I’m here for it. Do we know what Thompson is going to be writing after this series ends? After I started reading Black Cloak, she’s become a favourite.
Danger Street #5 – Tom King’s odd mashup of a series, pulling together characters who are essentially unrelated to one another, continues to be intriguing. This issue has Orion fighting Starman, allowing Warlord to make off with the corpse of the kid they killed by mistake. The only problem is that their battle has brought out both the Dingbats and Lady Cop, who want to speak to Starman and Warlord for different reasons. At the same time, the Manhunter continues to hunt the Green Team, and Batman has a conversation with the Creeper about the target of his right wing TV rants. This book looks terrific, thanks to Jorge Fornés, but I have figured out what has made this so hard for me to get really into. The story is being narrated by the Helmet of Nabu (aka Dr. Fate’s helmet), and his way of referencing the characters as if the story is a medieval fairy tale is pretty annoying.
Fantastic Four #6 – the team rushes to stop a mirrored bacteria from crowding out all life on Earth, and their solution leads to Sue hanging out in space for three days with Johnny, while Reed, Ben, and Alicia are left trying to convince people who already don’t trust them that they are doing the right thing. I’m really liking the approach that Ryan North is taking to writing this book. He’s using the weird science that makes this book unique, but he’s also really focusing on the relationships between these characters. The humor is nice, as is the art, but it’s these interplays that matter the most I think. I am left wondering when Sue became ‘Dr. Storm’ though – I know that existed in the Ultimate universe, but when, in the 616, did Sue complete a doctorate and return to using her maiden name? I haven’t been keeping up with this book in years, so it’s quite possible I missed all of that.
Guardians of the Galaxy #1 – I was really happy with the way Al Ewing set up the Guardians of the Galaxy, with a large lineup and a more-or-less official status as galactic peacekeepers. With this new series, things have changed quite a bit, with a reduced team operating in a remote region of space, trying to stay ahead of a planetary-scale threat that is maybe worse than Galactus. This issue is spent showing us how the Guardians work, haphazardly, to try to rescue one village of refugees on one planet from the threat coming their way (I’m being purposely vague). New writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing do a good job of setting up a sense of suspense, and making things feel pretty dire. We notice that Gamora is drinking heavily, for example. At the same time, I hate how they portray Mantis as being more like the film version of the character. She’s a classic Marvel character who has not been respected for a while now – is she even still a sentient plant, or is she a ditzy alien? Kev Walker was clearly watching episodes of Firefly and old Westerns for inspiration for this book’s appearance, although that doesn’t explain why Drax looks like a barbarian now. I love Walker’s art usually, and it does look really good here, but it’s not always as recognizably his as I’m used to (contrasting his recent Predators series). I’m curious about this new take, and want to know what’s happened to the other characters, but Lansing and Kelly’s recent run on Captain America hasn’t given me a lot of hope for this book. I’m giving it one arc, and then I’ll decide if I want to stick with it.
Little Monsters #12 – The small community of child vampires that have survived for years off vermin now know that there are humans still in the world, and that’s caused a rift. At the same time, the uncle of the girl that some of the vampires saved is coming to wipe them out. Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen have made this series a top read, like all of their collaborations. I’ll be sad to see it end next issue.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #5 – This new villain, Rabble, who really has it out for Miles, has set his home on fire, threatening his family. Miles arrives to save them, and does his best to make it clear that Rabble’s fight shouldn’t be with him. Her beef is that she knows Miles received the spot at Brooklyn Visions, his school, that she believes should have been hers. Miles discusses the unfairness of a system that has poor kids pitted against one another for scant resources, and I’ll admit that I didn’t expect this series to become an indictment of the education system. I think Cody Ziglar has proven that he’s more than capable of being the next writer for Miles, and I am enjoying his take on him. I’m also really liking Federico Vicentini’s art, which is very kinetic and sometimes hard to follow. I don’t know how Miles shaped his stinger energy into a sword, and am curious to see if Ziglar follows up on that. It’s too bad that the next few issues will be taken up with a Carnage cross-over. I hate that character and really don’t want to have to buy any issues of his series.
Moon Knight #22 – After being a supporting character in this book almost since it launched, Tigra gets the spotlight this issue. She wants to go after the new Midnight Man, who has been pulling break and enters on the extremely wealthy, and she can’t understand why Marc doesn’t want to do this with her. Tigra’s an interesting character who hasn’t really been given a lot of screen time over the years. Jed MacKay writes her as a complicated woman balancing instinct and self-control, and as a single mother trying to do her best. Even though the big reveal of this issue was kind of predictable, I really liked the way it was written, and the art by Alessandro Cappuccio. This series has been a very nice surprise, and has me taking a good look at everything else that MacKay writes. I’m looking forward to his take on the Avengers soon.
Paklis #6 – Dustin Weaver’s anthology series has returned after a years-long hiatus. Just like before, this book is gorgeous, as Weaver gives us a complete short story, a long chapter in his 1949 story, and a two-page chapter in his outer space series. I’ll be the first to tell you that leaving a serialized story unfinished for years means that I’m not really going to remember what is happening in the story, but Weaver’s beautiful art and strong writing drew me back into this complex story about clones, time travel, and a mystery. I love how Weaver plays around with genre, blending types of stories that usually don’t go together and upending expectations (the first story has a murderous angel in an Old West setting), and I’m really glad to see this book back on the schedule, even if it does have to be quarterly in nature.
Phantom Road #2 – Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Walta have started this new horror series, and it’s fantastic. Dom, a truck driver, and Birdie, a woman he stopped to help, have somehow been transported to a distorted version of our world, populated by shambling zombie-types, but mostly devoid of life. They find their way to a truck stop, where they meet a man we saw in passing last issue, who gives them a destination, but doesn’t provide a lot of answers. If I were being unkind, I could say that this book owes a lot to the Upsidedown of Stranger Things, but Lemire and Walta are making the concept their own here. The character work is subtle, and Walta is perfect – atmospheric but also very ordinary. This is shaping up to be a great series.
Predator #2 – I really like the concept behind this new Predator series. Ed Brisson has brought Theta, the hero of the last series, into this one, as she attempts to guide the humans who have found themselves brought from different eras to populate a Predator training ground. Brisson is pulling these characters together in a hurry, and their differences make them interesting. Unlike some other licensed properties, we know that anything can happen to the characters in this series, which makes the stakes higher.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #33 – I don’t play any Star Wars video games, so the Inferno Squad is new to me, but I did enjoy watching them hunt down T’onga and her crew. This book has been clicking lately, and I’m enjoying this current arc.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #30 – This issue takes place during and around the scenes in last week’s Hidden Empire #5, showing in greater detail how Aphra’s conflict with the Spark Eternal, the AI entity residing in her chest and mind, ends, and just how her friends have roles to play in that. It’s a big chaos issue, as a lot of things happen. In a way, it feels like Alyssa Wong’s run is wrapping up, but I’m not sure if that’s the case. I hope that she continues to write this book, as I’ve really been enjoying it for the last year, after a slightly rough beginning. Her take on Aphra has really grown on me, and I like the additions to the supporting cast.
Superman: Lost #2 – Priest and Carlos Pagulayan have proven that they’re an amazing team on their Deathstroke run a few years back, and now they’re impressing again with this Superman series. Superman collapsed a singularity in an alien vessel’s warp drive to save the Earth, and now he’s very far from home, but he’s also returned to Earth just a little while after he’s left, from Lois’s perspective. From his perspective, he’s been gone for twenty years and is struggling to readjust to his old life. Priest is so good at stories with multiple timelines, and is using this to really showcase Clark’s personality. I was a little surprised at the number of times he mentions Clark’s (and presumably all Kryptonians’) cellular relationship with gravity as well as starlight as a way of explaining his powers. I don’t think anyone’s ever written about that before, but it’s one of those retcons that makes a lot of sense and will probably stick around. This is shaping up to be a very good series.
Storm & The Brotherhood of Mutants #3 – One thousand years after Sinister took over things, we’ve got the Diamond Queen’s forces closing in on the remains of the Brotherhood, who manage to resurrect their goddess one last time. Now that we’ve jumped into this distant future, things are getting a little harder to follow, as most of the characters we know are dead, and have often been replaced by chimerae who blend many mutants from our era. I’m appreciating the scope and vision of this series, but found this issue a little hard to stay engaged with. I do like Alessandro Vitti’s art in this book, and how unpleasant he makes the future look.
WildCATS #6 – It’s been really interesting to see so many Wildstorm characters get yet another reboot, and get fit into the current DC Universe (where continuity is anybody’s guess). We’ve seen the team working as black ops for Halo, but now it seems that the core members of the team no longer trust their bosses, and when Grifter makes his return, it seems it’s time for everyone to decide what they really want. Matthew Rosenberg is doing a good job of holding my interest, and that’s good because it looks like this went from being a limited series to an ongoing (an eighth issue has been solicited). I want to stick around and see where this is headed, especially now that we know Batman is looking into things. Also, I was really happy to see Backlash show up; he was always my favourite Stormwatch character (it’s funny that I’m only about 80% sure he was on Stormwatch).
X-Men #21 – The fight against the Brood has Cyclops wanting to commit genocide, while Jean disagrees, wanting to support Broo in restoring control of his kind. I like how the different threads from the last few issues come together in this one, and its events start to line up with what’s happening in Captain Marvel. This book has been getting very good lately, with an increased focus on the characters that make up the team. I hope this current lineup sticks around for a while, instead of getting replaced in a few months like the last lineup did.
Bargain Comics:
The Flash #772-779 – It’s taken me a while to track down the rest of the issues of Jeremy Adams’s run that I hadn’t read yet, and I’m glad I got to get through them before Adams departs the title. He’s restored so much of what I loved about Wally West as the Flash to the title. We’ve got the emphasis on family that runs through this small stack, some humour, a weird fourth-wall breaking issue, and so many other elements that I really enjoyed. Adams is a really good writer, and someone I want to continue watching as he develops. I’ve decided to add his upcoming Green Lantern relaunch to my pull file, despite the fact that I kind of hate Hal Jordan, based solely on the fact that he’s writing. I hope he can pull off the same kind of magic he did here.
The Week in Music:
Niklas Paschburg – Panta Rhei – I’m used to Paschburg giving us gentle, serene Neo-Classical music that borders on New Age, but with this latest album, he branches out in a number of directions. There’s an intensity to this album that was not present on his earlier work, and there are more tracks featuring vocals than we’ve seen before, as well as drum programming at times. The best tracks are still the ones that are mostly keyboard or piano, but they have almost a sense of menace to some of them. I need to spend more time with this album to really get where it’s headed, but it’s nice to see Paschburg trying new things.
Transmissions from Total Refreshment Centre – The Total Refreshment Centre is a studio and venue in London that has been a focal point for that city’s wonderfully inventive jazz scene. This is a compilation put out with Blue Note Records that features artists associated with the place. I’m a fan of half of these artists – Soccer96, Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange, and Neue Grafik. The last track is by my favourite of all of these artists – Resavoir, and it’s beautiful. I also enjoyed the artists that are new to me – Byron Wallen, Jake Long, and Matters Unknown. This is not traditional jazz, incorporating breakbeats, rap, and electronics, but it is a good survey of one corner of the London underground, and I appreciate it.
Little Simz – Grey Area – I’ll admit that I was late to appreciate just how good a rapper Little Simz is, and to start exploring her back catalogue. This album from 2019 was just rereleased and it’s full of bangers. Like her two most recent projects, Simz collaborates with producer Inflo, who has been on fire lately. This album showcases just how aggressive Simz can be on the mic, and just how good a writer and rapper she really is. Inflo’s work here is less lush than his work with Sault, Cleo Sol, or with Simz’s more recent releases, but you can see him heading in his current direction. I’m glad I’ve added this to my collection, because it’s really good.
