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 - 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.