Last Week's Comics Today - 03/27/2017

I find it amusing that I have to least to say about my Pick of the Week and more words than usual about all the other books this week.

Pick of the Week

Black Road #8 - This went about as I'd expected, and it was still brilliant to watch/read.  Magnus the Black brings a smile to my face.

Honorable Mention

Black Hammer #7 - The life and times of Black Hammer!  Further down the page I call out a book for not giving me a sufficient recap to remind me what was going on.  I read this book immediately after that one, so the crit is still fresh in my mind.  With just a couple references to what happened at the end of issue 6, I was back up to speed.  And this had a longer period between issues.  Anyway.  Some of the murky chronology of both worlds is cleared up here as well as getting a detailed look into Black Hammer's life (and death).  Also, there are New Gods/Norse Gods/Inhumans stand-ins created here that filled me with joy.  It remains one of the best superhero books going, but since it's from Lemire, that really shouldn't be a surprise.  The first collection is out soon.  I recommend getting it.

Deadly Class v5 - Multiple "oh shit!" moments throughout this as a new freshman class comes to school and the returning sophomores try to figure out where everyone stands after the last arc's finals.  Betrayal comes early and often, there are some incredible fights, a D&D game, and a three-page description of a fart.  There's a reason this is one of my favorite books - it's amazing.

Descender #20 - There's an ad at the back of the book for a five-part Descender event called Rise of the Robots.  I am, perhaps, more excited for this than I should be.  This is a great title, and this is a great issue in particular with some nice surprises, a wonderful cliffhanger, and a suspense-filled setup for next issue with a fleet arriving at the Machine Moon.  The digital collections regularly go on sale at imagecomics.com and Comixology.  I recommend grabbing them if you haven't tried the series yet.

Ghostbusters 101 #1 - Some of the panels in mine are blurry.  Never the whole page, just certain panels.  Like something was screwed up before printing.  Didn't hurt the reading experience too much, but it is unfortunate and worth mentioning.  That said, I love the IDW Ghostbusters.  When the ongoing series ended, I was bummed.  But since then we've gotten a steady stream (heh) of mini series and I'm thankful for every one.  The hook here is the two movie universes crossing over.  It's not yet clear what they'll be teaming up to capture, but I'm certain that will happen.  The B plot is pretty interesting - faced with what could be a crippling fine, Pete comes up with a new money-making plan.  Burnham and Schoening were always great at capturing the essence of the characters and putting it on the page.  It's still true for the cast of the new movie as well.

Peter Panzerfaust v5 - This was a long time coming.  I loved the concept of Peter Pan in World War II from the beginning and have thought of it often since it started back in 2012.  There was a stretch where I feared we'd never get a conclusion, but now I hold it in my hands.  The end was not what I expected and the character of John is not who I expected, yet I'm deeply satisfied by both.  Jenkins' art has always been very stylized and loose and it's evolved the the hiatus.  That's not a knock against the book, though I do think the coloring on earlier issues was better than some of the issues collected here.  But that doesn't put a damper on my enjoyment, especially seeing the big Peter/Hook battle.

Spread #20 - I'm not going to count the words, but the amount No speaks this issue might top the previous 19 issues combined.  It's a little weird seeing him as something other than a Logan-esque killing machine with occasional bouts on non-killing, but at the same time, it's nice.  While we don't learn a ton about No, what we do learn here is significant.  We also learn about Hope and that final page from last issue.  It's quite a bit, and lest you think it's an issue full of exposition, Jack gets in trouble and fills this issue's murdering requirement.

Everything Else

Birthright #23 - While torturing Mikey for information, Mastema learns some troubling new information.  She "asks" a follow-up question, but we don't get an answer.  I believe the answer to that question is going to be 'yes' and that can mean nothing good.  The whole issue reads like the second-to-last in a story arc, except that the actual end is issue 25, so expect the crazy and drama to be ramped up even higher next issue. 

The Few #3 - This addresses the problem areas of previous issues.  Out of their travelling gear, the characters are easy to distinguish from one another.  Also, given context, Hale's actions and hallucinations make far more sense.  It's still good and I still like it, but with the series now half over, I don't know if it's better to grab the three issues that are out or wait for trade.  If you can find it, and you're interested, you might as well grab the first issue and see if it tickles your fancy.

Reborn #5 - Featuring Bonnie's husband!  And he's not a piece of shit like I expected!  Spoiler?  But all that foreshadowing from earlier in the series has to be leading to some kinda pay-off and this issue had shifty eyes and mentions of Bonnie's mother, so... The reveal at the end of this wasn't a big twist -- there's still one coming.  But hey, I've gotten this far and haven't mentioned Capullo's fantastic art.  I never read his Spawn run, so reading this series actually reminds me most of the Angela mini-series from way back  (which I think I've mentioned before, but it's true every issue).  I enjoyed Batman, but seeing him cut loose on this series is a real joy.

The Spirit: Corpsemaker #2 - This is better than the first issue... but I've also forgotten about what the characters are only vaguely referring to here.  If the first issue gets its basic grammar corrected, this could be a good trade, but The Black Beetle remains superior.  I'll finish the series, but if you haven't tried The Black Beetle, get that instead.

Teen Titans #6 - This issue is better than the entire first arc.  Team established, it's time to get on with adventuring.  And now with Aqualad!  Well, featuring Aqualad, as he hasn't joined the team or even met the team yet.  Yet.  Garth + Damian banter isn't quite as good as Jon + Damian, but it's up there.

TMNT #68 - After the brutal trouncing the Mutanimals took last issue, Hob goes looking for help.  Meanwhile, the Mutanimals themselves aren't exactly helpless without him.  Pete, remains forever, comic relief.  Leo's struggle with leadership seems forced, though.  The turtles' interpersonal conflicts at home are one thing, but he shouldn't be having issues in the field.  Especially given that he just faced nearly the same situation in Universe a few issues ago.  Mateus' art is a highlight, as always.

Unworthy Thor #5 - Not the ending I was expecting.  Which could be considered a spoiler.  It makes an okay end to the mini-series, but what I'm sure will be a far more satisfying eventuality for Odinson.  Since I didn't read Original Sin, I don't know the context in which Fury whispered what he did to Thor, but learning what he said makes him look like an asshole.  The final page is a bit frustrating since we just had one of these mysteries.  Hopefully this one isn't dragged out for eight issues like the last one.  Despite these complaints, the issue was awesome.  Much ass was kicked and characters got what was coming to them.  Though I'm still not sure why Thanos got roped into this.

Last Week's Comics Today - 01/24/2017

I thought about creating a special category below "Everything else" just for Black Widow and Justice League this week.  Read on to find out why.

Pick of the Week

Superman #15 - I was wrong.  Last time I said this would cross over with Action Comics, but that's the Superman Reborn arc which is coming in March.  And I'm still skipping the Action half because I don't like Jurgens.  However, this isn't that.  Multiplicity is on fire!  Writing, art, all of it's amazing.  Basically a continuation of Grant Morrison's Multiversity bookend storyline.

Honorable Mention

Black Road #6 - I got to the last page here and said, "Holy shit."  Which is, unintentionally, a little funny given the context.  Even given the break between the last arc and the new one here, there was no problem picking up where it had left off.  It's brilliant, brutal, beautiful, and if the plan on the last page is the story for this arc, I want nothing more than to be reading more right now.

Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye #4 - As much as I want more Powers, it's been clear for a long time that that's not where Bendis' priorities are at.  I'm extremely glad someone has put Oeming to work, since he's perfect for this book.  The character designs, fantastic settings, emotion, violence... he excels at all of it.  It's also really well written.

Descender #18 - Whaaat?  There are some surprising turns of events here.  Look, for the last 17 issues I've been writing about how great this series is.  This issue is no different.  Get it, see what all the alien/robot goodness is all about.

Kill Or Be Killed #5 - If you're not reading this, you're genuinely missing out.  It's easily one of the best written books on the market.  There's a slight time-skip from last issue in which Dylan gets better at killing people without nearly getting himself killed.  I actually winced while writing that because I remember how the issue ended.  Get it!

Trinity #5 - Things that were confusing before make sense now after the explanations given here.  This continues to be a fun read and gorgeous to look at.  Props to Manapul for pulling off both the writing and art so well.

Everything Else

Black Hammer Annual - If you like Black Hammer, read this.  It's a nice collection of stories about each of the cast members, with each one drawn by a different artist.  It's nice.

Black Widow #10 - A few things of consequence happen this issue, but those cover about three pages.  The rest of the book left me wonder, "What was the point of all that?"  If this gets cancelled and renumbered again, I'm out.

Curse Words #1 - I read this on Monday, after hearing nothing but praise about this book for days.  I don't know if that set expectations too high or what, but I don't get what all the hype was about.  It's alright, but it's basically just all character establishment.  I expected more from Soule.  The art is okay.

The Few #1 - You need to pay a tiny bit of attention here because the time jumps aren't immediately obvious.  Other than that, everything is great.  Action, interesting characters, a mission, a twist, and all told with great art.  This is getting added to my pull.

Justice League #13 - There's no reason to buy this.  No wait, even if you get this for free, there's no reason to read it.

Justice League Suicide Squad #5 - Whenever The League get taken out or possessed or incapacitated in some way, it's always Batman that's unaffected.  Because of course it's Batman.  He needs to save them to show how awesome he is.  The same is true here.  Also, the actual bad guy of the series is finally revealed -- scratch that -- finally shows up.  Because DC marketing revealed the character months ago.  Despite all of the above, it's still a fun series.  Especially Lobo.

Lucifer #14 - That's Constantine, right?  I mean, except she's a woman.  But other than that...  Anyway, new writer taking over with this issue and I was concerned at first.  Just like I was with Holly Black until I read the first issue.  The same holds true here.  All the plates are still spinning and not a step was missed.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #6 - The Turtles get a Clayface-equivalent in this Mikey-focused issue.  For reasons I won't go into for spoilers, Pitarra is an outstanding choice for artist this issue.  Which makes sense, since he had a hand in the story too.  And a nice bit of history as a back-up story.

Last Week's (ish) Comics Today - 01/09/2017

Note: Most of the rest of the last three week's worth of books are below.  There's still two or three stragglers that will make it into next week's post.

I complain about Black Widow and the interconnectedness of Marvel's comics below, then give high praise to two nearly stand-alone Marvel books.  So it's maybe not as line-wide as I indicated, but this week also saw that pic of a few panels of Nova complaining about recent Marvel developments that leads me to think that, yes, it really is that bad and I'm just reading the exceptions.

Pick of the Week

Unworthy Thor #3 - This series is kicking ass.  Loads of unexpected characters show up, and oh my god, text boxes explaining references to past events.  TAKE NOTE, BLACK WIDOW, THIS IS HOW IT'S DONE.  Really looking forward to next issue and the eventual conclusion.

Honorable Mention
Exodus Life After #10 - I can't be sure it's intentional, but there's a tiny smiley face on the space potato god early on in the issue that brings me joy just thinking about it.  Oh, and this is the final issue.  Honestly, I'm surprised it lasted this long as it's unlike anything else on the shelves, is trying to convey a message, and has a space potato for god.  It's brilliant.  I love it.  I'll miss it.  And you should absolutely try it if you haven't already.  The only reason this isn't getting Pick of the Week is because it came out weeks ago.

Ether #2 - It's hard to talk about anything that happens in this book.  There's a lot of otherwordly fantasy going on which you wouldn't understand unless you read the book, and then there's something else going on, which I don't want to spoil but is full of emotion and hits hard.  This is only issue two.  I'm SURE you can find a copy of the first issue somewhere, and you really should.  Another candidate for Pick of the Week.

Fix #7 - Below, I comment on things going wrong in Aliens Defiance.  The kind of wrong you can practically predict from aliens, humans, and androids in space.  Things go far more wrong here.  The kind of wrong that's perfectly set up before dropping the hammer.

Frostbite #4 - Nothing is going well for the main characters.  Things are going pretty well for the antagonists, however, so that should tell you something.  I have no idea where any of this is going, but it makes a great comic.

Moon Knight #10 - I don't know when it happened, but this has become my favorite Moon Knight series.  Not that I've read a ton of Moon Knight - really only since Ellis - but this really in phenomenal.  Watching the character struggle with reality and compelling and I'm regularly questioning how much of any of this is real vs in his head.  If you haven't tried it, I can't recommend it enough.

Everything Else

Aliens Defiance #8 - Some surprisingly good things happened last issue, so to balance that out, things go wrong here.  Still, all that wrong was merely setup for things to come.  Which, will very likely involve things getting much worse.  The artist changed, once again, but Wood's script was as solid as ever.

Autumnlands Tooth & Claw #14 - Androids and a human vs a goddess.  This ends another arc, and there's a note at the back about how it will be a while before the book returns so they can get ahead and ship on-time.  But was it shipping on-time for the last few issues?  Doesn't seem like it, but maybe I just haven't been paying attention.  Still a good book, though I find I have nothing else to say about it.

Black Hammer #6 - What the hell kind of ending is that?  It's mildly infuriating, in a good way.  Most of the issue follows Madame Dragonfly and her journey to how she got to the farm, with a gut punch thrown in every few pages for good measure.  In short, it's great.

Black Widow #9 - Isn't Bucky supposed to be in space or something?  It's like if you're not reading EVERY Marvel title, you shouldn't bother reading ANY Marvel comic.  Anyway, there's a nice fight scene and characters speak vaguely about things you should remember from months ago.  The art sure is nice, though.

Dark Knight III #7 - I don't remember what happened to Hal.  Not that he's a major part of this or anything, but he makes an appearance in the main book and the mini is almost entirely him.  I'm confused by the actions of both Superman and Lara.  I've been confused by Lara this entire time and would need to go back to read her motivation.  Superman kinda makes sense, though I expect a "why?" as soon as he's able to speak.

Justice League #12 - A Justice League vs Suicide Squad tie-in not written by Hitch.  I wonder if Hitch is the new Johns in that he doesn't care what other writers are doing.  It's not essential reading, but does help flesh out Maxwell Lord specifically and the New52/Rebirth world more generally.

Justice League Suicide Squad #3 - Final page surprise!  The real surprise is the book is still good; everything is chugging along well.  It looks like next issue we'll have three teams in combat with one another, so that's sure to be interesting.  I barely noticed the artist change this time.  There's a couple panels where it's stand-out, but since everyone's been basically doing "DC style" art, it flows better than expected.

Lady Mechanika La Dama De La Muerte #3 - A whole lot of people die here.  A bunch of people died off-panel last issue, but here their deaths are seen.  It's been a fun jaunt, despite the mutilated children and a town wiped off the map.  It would have been better had this finished nearly Halloween rather than started, but still good.

Lucifer #13 - Aw, Christmas with Lucifer and Mazikeen.  This features two entirely skippable but enjoyable short stories.  I've been trying to figure out something more to say, but that really covers it.

Optimus Prime #2 - I'm stopping here.  I could maybe tolerate it for a while longer if there weren't any humans, but then we'd probably just get more Prime snark and worship and I've had enough of that too.  Ultimately, I just don't care about any of this and the only plotlines I did care about ended in the last series.

Ragnarok #11 - I don't care that this book only ships every other month, or that there's less art pages and more backmatter this issue.  It continues to be a great read, with impressive art.  I will happily endure the wait for as long as this series runs.

Superman #14 - Clark has a very real problem with changing into Superman when it would be blatantly obvious to any casual observer.  As he steps out of his own vehicle, for instance.  Anyway.  This should be an interesting crossover since I'll be skipping the Jurgen's half as I can't stand his writing style.  The beginning is interesting in a vague-threat-with-cool-guest-stars kind of way though, but suffers from people talking too much when there should be action... which I've complained about in a few different books recently.

Teen Titans #3 - Three issues in and the Teen Titans are almost, but not quite, a team.  About half of that is because of Damien's actions and the other half is in spite of them.  Things get a bit overly share-y in the middle with people admitting things to strangers that felt more forced than organic.  Other than that, this remains a fun book, in line with Robin, Son of the Batman.

Transformers Till All Are One #6 - It's not going well for Metroplex as he almost single-handedly battles an army or reanimated titans.  The fight takes a surprising and unexpected turn, however, yet once I considered the decisions being made, everything was completely in character.  I have no idea where things will go next, but it's an interesting ride.

Wonder Woman #13 - I don't know what's going on with the artists on this book, but the art here isn't done by either of the regulars.  I'd have to check, but I believe this is about as far into Azzarello's run as I made it before dropping.  It was a book I wanted to like more than I actually did and was hanging on because I liked the author and hoped things would improve.  Maybe it's time I faced reality.

Last Week's Comics Today - 10/24/2016

I start placing these into the categories below as soon as I've read enough of that week's batch to get a sense of the highs and lows.  This week, at about the halfway point, I wanted to put almost everything into Honorable Mention.  So even if a title is under 'Everything Else" it's still quite good as the separation this week was razor thin.

Pick of the Week

Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye #1 - This is the Young Animal comic I've been waiting for.  Where the others went heavy on weird, this is filled with substance and the weird clings to that substance.  A lot of time is spent establishing Cave and his family and the immediate effect is that I care about them.  (Crazy, right?!)  Add to that a mystery and some other interesting bits, and it's a great first issue.  Oeming's art is perfect, moving from somber to dream-like to everyday and deftly tackling it all.  Recommended.

Honorable Mention

Black Hammer #4 - Abe's girlfriend comes to dinner, and most everyone acts as expected.  Two characters deviate from the "most" in the previous sentence and they were delights to see. The other surprise?  How emotional issue was.  Everyone shows what's on their hearts and minds here and it was all brilliant.  In a week of some extraordinary comics, this was one of the best.  Any Lemire fans be reading this book, and Ormston does an outstanding job with visual storytelling even in silent panels.

The Bunker #19 - This marks the end of The Bunker, a time-travel mystery centered on five people trying to do the right thing.  It was written exceptionally well with art that impressively captured the emotional rollercoaster ever character was on.  There were certainly other things to be seen in this series, but a good deal was emotionally charged friends yelling at former friends about what to do and how everything was going to shit.  It's been an incredible series that I highly recommend.

Mighty Thor #12 - This is the perfect story to follow last issue's big reveal - the origin of Mjolnir.  It's suitably epic, highly enjoyable, and recommended for all Thor fans.  This is all I'm going to say because you should be reading the comic rather than this paragraph.  Bonus: callback locale from Aaron's earliest issues.

Rumble #15 - I can't believe they ended the issue that way... and then announce they're going on hiatus.  UGH!  Things don't look good for Rathraq, and that's a serious understatement.  The big battle that started last issue concludes here, and things don't really go well for anyone except Lerna.  The combination of writing and art on this book make it one of my favorites.  And now, I'll have a Rumble-shaped hole in my heart until it returns.

Lucifer #11 - I opened the cover, thought, "Oh that's right..." and immediately closed again so I could make a snack.  This is one I didn't want to be interrupted for, and it was fantastic.  Even better than expected.  I'm somewhat heart-broken Holly Black is leaving the title in a few issues, because this book has been exceeding my expectations from the beginning.  The writing and art are phenomenal and this is absolutely a worthy successor of the Carey title.

Spread #19 - The cover is a spoiler.  So there's that.  Inside, I continue to love No especially as he replies to people with one word answers... which is almost all the time.  Jack was amazing, and Molly gets out with Hope.  Last time I talked about not knowing how they'd get out of the pickle the cast found themselves in, and then they did!    It was brutal, rather bloody, and accompanied by absolutely brilliant narration.  Earlier today I commented how I don't read The Walking Dead because it's so depressing, yet I love this.  If I had to explain why, the only answer I have is that it's the narration.  Hope narrating gives me hope that things, ultimately, will end well.  At least for her.

Everything else

Dark Knight III the Master Race #6 - Things happen in this book that I want to talk to other people about.  I'm not going to mention any of them here... mainly because I haven't figured out my own feelings about any of it yet.  The art is the same as the rest of the series, so that's down to personal preference.  The story... I'm curious what all of it means, what's going to happen next, and where all of this is leading.  I thought I was getting a sense at the beginning of the issue, but all of that changed by the end.

Black Widow #7 - Was there a longer-than-usual break between this and issue 6?  It feels like it and I'm struggling to remember where things ended after Widow confronted Weeping Lion.  The recap page kinda covers it, but not to the level of detail I want and it's that level of detail that's demanded here right from the start.  (I really should just re-read that those final pages, but I'm probly not gonna.)  In any case, there's a mission in the present and another in the past that has consequences for the present.  Also, Natasha gets a new task that should occupy her for the rest of the arc.  After that, it's anyone's guess, but I think her new ally won't last long.  Wait and Samnee continue to knock this out of the park.

Ghostbusters International #10 - Since the last issue - which seems like only two weeks ago - an annual has been solicited for January.  So even though the series is ending next issue, I've got my fingers crossed Ghostbusters continue at IDW in some form.  As for this particular issue, the plot advanced on multiple fronts and everything is now primed for (sadly) a conclusion next issue. Schoening is back on art for the whole issue, which was great to see once again.  

Justice League #7 - Though this arc wrapped up quickly, it seems like there will be some lasting consequences.  Specifically, Aquaman and Wonder Woman do some things that can't simply be taken back with an "I'm sorry, but we were under the influence of a fear-based attack."  In fact, that would probably make things worse.  I really hope some of these threads get followed up on, but that may depend on how long Hitch is writing.  Tim Seeley is taking over in January, but is Hitch coming back?  I'm going to miss him if Hitch is gone.  The early issues had an Authority feel due to the huge action, but so does this for the personal interactions and admitted desires (intentions?) of some of the cast.  I'd very much like to see this continue.

Superman #9 - Much like Justice League, this wrapped up quickly.  Issue 8 was slow and ended just as it was getting rolling.  Things are back on track here with plenty of action and character development.  Unfortunately, there's no movement on the overall mystery, but that only makes me want to know even more.  Overall, it's a good issue, though I think it might have worked better as a single 40-something page issue instead of two singles.  But what are you gonna do?  Also: Mahnke drawing Superman smiling is just creepy.