Last Week's Comics Today - 04/25/2017

This isn't everything I bought, nor is it even everything I read, but it is everything I was able to write about within my own self-imposed time limit.

Pick of the Week

Super Sons #3 - I love these kids.  The series is only on issue three.  If you like the current Superman title, give this a try.  And Superman, by the way, is great, if you weren't already aware.

Superman #21 - Weird things are happening in this small town and I'm very intrigued.  Batman is missing (after investigating said weirdness last issue) and --his son-- Garth teams with Superman and Jon to find him.  And that's when the giant alien squid-thing attacks a fair.  Things get surprisingly heavy for a moment and I'm left wondering how no one realizes Jon is superboy.  Clark/Superman in a city is mildly believable.  Jon/Superboy in a tiny town is really not.

Honorable Mention

Aliens: Dead Orbit #1 - If you like Aliens, you should get this book.  Stokoe is a perfect fit for the technological and organic details of Giger's now classic designs.  I'm going to stop writing now so you finish reading this sooner and can go buy the book.  On sale Wednesday!  P.S. The writing is great too.

Cave Carson #7 - I didn't know Oeming drawing Superman was something I wanted.  All the violence, swearing, and trippy visuals of the previous six issues, only now with Superman.

Descender #21 - Another character gets thrown out of a hatch!  I can't be sure if they're dead or not.  It looks like it, but I expect confirmation one way or the other next issue... which starts Rise of the Robots!  I don't know what that entails (I've got a decent idea), but I expect great things as every issue is fantastic.  This series continues to be highly recommended.

God Country #4 - When this concludes with issue six, I may demand another series.  I'll wait to see how everything shakes out, but it seems like there's enough material to keep going.  Anyway, a man walks into hell to save his granddaughter and is confronted by something he wants even more.  From there, it's all consequences of one's actions.

Moon Knight #13 - Moon Knight's long, strange journey is almost over.  It's been a brilliant series and I'll miss it once it's over.  No, I will not mention anything that happens this issue.

Sex Criminals #18 - Some real heavy, deep discussions this issue, and it's all brilliant.  Then the book ends with a dick in the ear.  There's also a page with 64 panels on it, which is a sight to behold.

Shaolin Cowboy #1 - I saw at C2E2 over the weekend and had the pleasure of explaining to a friend the chainsaw bo staff used in an earlier series as we stood at Geoff Darrow's table.  The skull, the sword, the shark, the whole bit.  That issue happens to be my first exposure to Shaolin Cowboy, before I went back to get the previous issues.  I will now read any new material for as long as Darrow produces it.  No, I once again will not discuss what happens this issue.

Everything Else

Batwoman #2 - Boatloads of backstory and a good half dozen characters are introduced.  It's good, and interesting, and I get the feeling some of these characters will be in it for the medium- to long-haul while a few are all but certain to die before the end of the arc.

'Namwolf #1 - A werewolf taking part in the Vietnam war.  That either sets your curiosity on fire, or I don't think we can be friends.  Get it.  It goes on sale tomorrow.

Trinity #8 - I expected this to continue the Dark Trinity (not the one currently in Red Hood & The Outlaws) story that started last issue.  Instead we get an entire issue of Batman, Wonder Woman, and superman talking about Superman Reborn, --Dr-- Mr. Oz, and what it all means.  It's an easily skippable book.

Wild Storm #3 - I had to read the first few pages a couple times to get what was going on.  I wasn't paying close enough attention the first time through, went back, thought I knew what was going on, and then read it again just to be sure.  Anyway, after that bit of character introduction, a pretty awesome firefight breaks out just after Grifter's team meet Angela.  Granted, it's been a long time since I've read anything with Grifter in it, but he seems more awesome more than I ever remember him being.  Maybe that's Ellis' doing.  I like it.

World Reader #1 - The "story" is more of an introduction to the premise - aliens existed in the universe, but every planet we find with evidence of life is now dead.  However, the art is beautiful, there's nice character development, and the final pages interesting enough to get me to come back.  I'll see where this goes.

Last Week's Comics Today - 03/05/2017

It's a great week for indies as I've already added three #1s from the week to my pull list.  I mentioned in one of my posts last week that Edena is the best thing I'm reading, but I can't write about it until I'm done.  That continues to hold true.  It's glorious.

Pick of the Week

Extremity #1 - I suspect this book is going to put Daniel Warren Johnson on the map.  I thought the art looked familiar but I couldn't place it until I looked him up - he did Ghost Fleet.  Which basically no one read.  I thought it had hints of James Harren from some of the action here.  Anyway, the book is really good.  It's about revenge, and fear, and grief, and living up to expectations and there's flying bikes, and floating islands, and a robot hand, and a weird tooth mask, and a bird eating out of some dude's empty eye socket.  I'd say, "Recommended for people that like 'Title X'." except I'd have to list dozens of things to properly cast a net wide enough.  Instead, just pay your $3.99 and buy a copy yourself.

Honorable Mention

Paper Girls #12 - Congratulations!  ~ sad trombone ~  ←  That won't make any sense unless you've read the issue.  This book continues to put a smile on my face every issue.  I love the art, love the writing.

Royal City #1 - The conundrum is where to put this.  I'm confused by what I just read, which means it doesn't earn the top spot this week... but I kinda like the confusion.  And at the same time, it's my fault..?  Maybe I should actually blame Lemire, but I'm sure I'm at least partially to blame since I thought the old guy at the beginning was the same as the guy in the car when I turned the page.  I thought the whole thing was an extended flashback.  So that's part of it and the other part is Tommy.  That's the confusion I like.  Recommended for fans of Underwater Welder.

Savage Things #1 - Note: The interior art is better than the cover.  Maybe it's just me, but I got a bit of a Ales Kot's Zero vibe - the early issues, before everything went off the rails.  I do wonder if at any point during the secret governmental meeting that decided to take child sociopaths and turn them into super-agents, if anyone raised their hand and asked, "But what if it all goes horribly wrong?"  Maybe this is their contingency.  Only way to know for sure is to keep reading.

Everything Else

Justice League #16 - The brakes get pumped from the fast-paced insanity of last issue for a lot of explanations and vague hints at things still to come.  It works better than the prior sentence makes it sound.  Just three things: 1) Hitch references another DC book! (does it still count if it was his own previous series?) 2) Every time a character mentions a "storm" - in this case referring to the time-attack that's going on - I think, "A Wild Storm??"  (probly not) 3) The Timeless should have been designed to look a little different than baby-faced Brainiacs.

Moon Knight #12 - Much like the new Legion show on FX, I'm constantly wondering how much of this is happening in reality vs only in the lead's head.  Here, Marc teams up with Moon Knight, as well as his other personalities to free a goddess.  Also, there's a B plot that involves an old villain that I'm completely unfamiliar with because I've only read the recent Moon Knight.  I suspect Lemire has an end in mind for the series as it seems to have been leading to a single confrontation since the beginning.  I'll be sticking around to see it.

Superman #18 - This is one long inciting incident.  Despite all my trash-talk toward Jurgens and vow not to read Action Comics for this crossover... I'm kinda curious.  Maybe because not enough happened here to satisfy, or maybe because things were left so open I'd like to know what's actually going on.

Last Week's Comics Today - 02/07/2016

Well this is awkward.  Some good books this week, but top honors goes to an ad?!

Pick of the Week

[this space intentionally left blank]

Honorable Mention

The Wild Storm - This is not a comic (yet), but an extended ad that ran in the back of DC's books.  And one I liked enough to comment on.  I was a fan of WildStorm in the beginning and everything Ellis speaks of here - secret organizations, space programs, human experiments - continue to interest me while hitting all the right nostalgia notes.  Additionally, I'm a fan of probably half of Ellis' output, so this is right up my alley.  I'm really looking forward to this line and whatever he's got cooking.

Everything Else

DC Comics Bombshells #22 - There's a panel early on with Selina, Kate, Renee, and Vixen glowering at Hawkgirl and I think they might be as irritated with her as I was with her seven straight panels of soapboxing.  I'm kinda glad she gets shot outta that sky immediately after.  I made it a few more pages but can't finish this.  The heroes get captured and then it's Cheetah turn to parrot the writer's research.  I'm dropping this.  It's nowhere near as good as it used to be and hasn't been for a while.

Invincible #132 - I read this sitting across from my wife and made several exclamations while reading the events within.  My immediately Facebook post upon completion was "Fucking hell, Kirkman" and in the resulting comments discussed how Ottley would have drawn it both better and more gruesome.  For that, I am both thankful and sad.  Next issue starts the march toward the finale, so there's still roughly a year to get aboard this train before the ride is over.

Justice League #14 - The bulk of this issue takes place in a hole.  Various members of the league discuss things they should have gone over years ago immediately following their founding, and Superman throws Batman under a figurative bus as he deflects like a motherfucker.  Whatever else is in this category, just know that Justice League #14 is the worst of the bunch (Late note: not worse than Bombshells).

Moon Knight #11 - This title continues to be a fantastic read told with incredible art and a story that's difficult to succinctly summarize.  Marc Spector (or is it Jake?  Or Steven?) continues to grapple with his own mental state and the possible machinations of gods.  It is, as always, highly recommended.

Paper Girls #11 - I don't have much to say about the events of this issue, but that last page is a real nice kicker.  I'm glad this is back.  It's good, in case you were wondering.

Planetoid Praxus #1 - It's really nice to revisit Ken Garing's Planetoid.  Note: You don't have to read the first series to understand anything that's happening here.  There's enough of a recap to get you up to speed with the major players and idiosyncrasies of the place.  That said, it's a good read.  I don't know the sales figures of the original series, but can't imagine they were good.  So I'm extremely glad Praxus exists and hope more people check it out.

The Spirit: Corpse Makers #1 - I love Francavilla.  Between his work on Batman, Archie, and Black Beetle, I'll be interested in anything his guy does for life.  Him on The Spirit makes perfect sense.  Unfortunately, this isn't as good as Black Beetle.  I mean, obviously, this isn't complete so there's that, but a couple storylines are started and by the end a few are starting to converge.  Of note, there's a couple pieces of dialogue that threw me.  Contractions that were separate words, slang that's jarring.  Not enough to ruin the book, but it does lose some luster as a result.

Superman #16 - Multiplicity was over faster than I expected.  I just assumed it would be four.  That's what I get for not paying attention.  The Justice Incarnate bits were amazing, the antagonist alluded to things there were more interesting than he was, and everything was resolved with punching and laser eyes.  Kind of a mixed bag, but I'll chalk it up as a Win.  Hopefully we get back to the heart of the book - Clark, Lois and Jon next.

Transformers Lost Light #2 - Next issue promises we'll learn about rung's alt-mode and I have more to say about that than the events of this series.  Because what happens here relates to something this (roughly) same cast did in another series years ago.  Rung, I have long suspected, is a crucial piece of something larger - like a combiner, only not.  I used to think he was a trigger, but a lever works too, or even - gasp - a rung!  I don't know how that last one works out either.  I guess we'll find out!

Walking Dead #163 - This is the first issue I've read since #100.  Not that I found anything specific in #100 to turn me off the series, just the general sense that bad things would continue to happen to everyone and I didn't need that negativity in my life.  It's a good series, but can be pretty heavy.  I grabbed this because it was $0.25 and to see whether I should get back into it. What I found was that this issue is the start of a fairly significant event, and I no longer care about any of these characters.  Thanks, but I'll just stick with Invincible.

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 - 12/13/2016

I've been quiet for a few weeks as a busy schedule kept me from reading my comics on a timely basis.  Below are my thoughts on last week's books, plus a couple others from prior weeks.

Pick of the Week

Aliens Defiance #7 - Double dose of Aliens this week (see below).  I was reading on lunch again, got to a particular page early on, stopped, and said, "Wait, what?!"  Because someone suggests something that's ludicrous.  And something I thought and already been proven not to work... but they try it... and it's insanity.

I almost didn't even write about this.  I missed it while making the list of all the books I got and had been struggling to select a pick of the week.  Some books were good, but nothing stood out.  Then I saw this in the pile while looking for Superman.  It's the winner by a mile.

Honorable Mention

Lake Of Fire #4 - This is what I've been waiting for - crusaders vs aliens.  It was fantastic.

Moon Knight #9 - Answers!  Anyone frustrated by this arc gets answers about what's been going on.  It's good.  I mean, it's been good this entire time.  Are you reading this?  Because you should be.

Predator Vs Judge Dredd Vs Aliens #3 - The book was living up to its title in the first two issues, but takes it to a whole new level here.  Full-on, Predator vs Judge Dredd vs Aliens.  In every combination.  I was beginning to think the series would end by setting up a sequel, but they covered a surprising amount of ground here and my sequel idea is apparently going to happen next issue.  So, even more vs action next issue!  (If there is a sequel, I'll read it.)

Unworthy Thor #2 - Thor has Owen Wilson's nose, now?  Sorry, "Odinson."  Odinson doesn't hold back.  Seriously, if you'd like to see a goat blow up a spaceship, this is the book for you.  Oh, and if you'd like to see him get a hammer again, 'cause that's going to happen.  Less Beta Ray Bill than I expected, but excellent read nonetheless.

Everything Else

Motor Crush #1 - I read this today on lunch and have been trying to figure out my feelings on it ever since.  The art's good, the story's good... but I didn't love it.  So I'm trying to figure out if I want to add it to my pull list or not.  Might grab a few more issues and see what that does for me.  The book is basically if you took Vin Diesel's Fast and Furious character, made him a woman, and set him in a near-future dominated by motorcycle racing.  30 pages, $3.99.

DC Comics Bombshells #20 - The most difficult part about reading this series is keeping all the characters straight.  The cast is entirely women, there's about two dozen of them that rotate in and out and they're all about the same shape, it basically comes down to hairstyle to tell them apart.  So when there's a flashback with a redhead, I stopped for an inordinate amount of time to wonder, "Is that supposed to be Kate?  How many other redheads could that be?"  I've honestly lost track.  Still a fun book, but I could really use some clarity.

Ghost Rider #1 - Why is surfer Hulk in half of this?  The art is fine, but the writing isn't as good as the previous two series.  Minorest of spoilers: X-23 shows up at the end, so we're only one member away from another New Fantastic Four "reunion."  Will it be Miles this time?  I won't be there to see it.

Justice League #10 - This issue forced me to re-evaluate the previous issues in this arc.  I've mentioned a few times how the opening arc of the series action-heavy and would even describe it as "wide screen."  It was very Warren Ellis-era Authority, which made sense.  This arc, especially this issue, is very street level.  Seeing the Justice League filling a suburban kitchen brings a level of reality to the book I don't often see.  It was refreshing.  Then, exposition exposed a staggering number of coincidences and the punching started again.

Transformers More Than Meets The Eye Revolution #1 - What a nutty book.  This is in no way necessary to the Revolution crossover and the only relevance to future Transformers stories may be that events here eventually lead to Grimlock doing something (really, anything) again.  On the other hand, it's a really fun, highly ridiculous store that pokes fun and peaks behind the scenes at Transformers, Dire Wraiths, and GI Joe.  While this could be easily skipped, it really shouldn't be.  The complainers that More Than Meets the Eye being too "quippy" will not be pleased.

Transformers Till All Are One #5 - I really thought the story of Windblade on Earth would last longer than it did.  I also thought it would take longer for the necro-titans to reach Cybertron.  I was wrong on both counts.  Ironhide was great, Starscream was entertaining as always, and Metroplex kicked ass.

Superman #12 - Lois once again shows how hardcore she is.  It's been a while, I don't recall if S.H.A.D.E. is supposed to be a secret organization or not, but if so, Frankenstein is pretty terrible at keeping a low profile.  Superman is here too, doing the whole flying and punching thing.  The art is good, the writing is good, but it's not as strong an issue as other recent issues.

Unfollow #14 - I was ready to tell you not to buy this issue.  If, somehow, you actually buy this series and haven't yet purchased this particular issue.  It's a flashback, with a different artist, and starring a character unrelated to the 140.  ...then I hit the final few pages and changed my mind.  It features Larry Ferrell and until shows his reasoning behind The 140.  At least you're informed now.

Wicked & Divine #24 - This was a good read, but I'm struggling to come up with something to say.  There was implied sex, a confrontation, and... no, I guess that's it.  That elipsis in the previous sentence was me flipping through the book again just to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything.  I hadn't.

Wonder Woman #11 - Not the surprise I thought we were in for.  Interesting, sure, as it opens up all sorts of "What does it mean?!" questions, but at the end of the day, I'm still trying to like to Wonder Woman book instead of simply enjoying it.  Reading on inertia more than anything else.