Last Week's Comics Today - 04/03/2017

I must have used up all my words last week as this week I'm back to my usual brevity.

Pick of the Week

Dark Knight III #8 - Damn, Wonder Woman was the shit.  Batman and Superman show up for a few pages, but this was Wonder Woman's show, and she owned it.  I still don't understand Lara, though.  Maybe her motivation will make sense next issue when this wraps up?

Honorable Mention

Aliens Defiance #10 - I saw a headline or ad this week saying the upcoming Aliens: Dead Orbit is the best thing to happen to Aliens in years.  I have no doubt it will be excellent but also feel that statement overlooks the fantastic work Brian Wood and a handful of artists have been doing for the last 10 issues.

Everything Else

Black Widow #12 - S.H.I.E.L.D. continues to be terrible at everything.  Seriously, how do they still exist?  Compassion trumps vengeance and two lines from Maria along with Tony's money sweep any lingering plot threads under the rug.

BPRD Hell On Earth v15 - I'm not ready for this to be over.  The end was suitably apocalyptic, but I was hoping for more closure.  This is all I find I'm able to say about it as I may be in denial about it being over.

Moonshine #6 - There's a whole lot of death this issue. I'm hoping someone still knows how to make the titular Moonshine, otherwise all this death is just over pride.  This issue marks the end of "Book 1", per the final page, so I'll eagerly be awaiting more as this is always one of the first I read each week it comes out.

The Sixth Gun v. 1 - I avoided this book for a long time because I had my own supernatural western comic I was working on.  Even when it became clear that comic wasn't going to happen, I still kept away.  Now, the series is complete and the team is working on their old series - which I quite enjoyed - The Damned.  This served as a reminder to me that I should finally give this series a try.

I like it and have since bought four more of the nine volume series.  Briefly, there's a set of guns, each imbued with a special power.  There's a gang in control of five of these guns, looking for the sixth, and a loosely held together group in opposition to them acquiring it.

The story moved far more quietly than I expected, and I found this quite satisfying.  Just reading it made me feel like I'd learned something about storytelling from it.

Transformers Lost Light #4 - Whirl and Cyclonus are brilliant together (as always).  Megatron is having a case of deja vu, hoping things will turn out differently this time.  Rodimus doesn't seem to care about what's going on, which seems off, but lets his true feelings known while getting into an argument with Megatron which should make for great drama down the line.  There's also a few pages with Anode and Lugnut, but I couldn't care less about them.

Transformers Till All Are One #8 - I'm lost.  There's a titan, but it's not the titan it's supposed to be.  And someone's locked up with a connection to the titan that's not supposed to be but gets out.  And necrotitans are killed, but it's not clear how many are still a threat.  And someone died (highly doubtful).  I miss the Cybertronian politics.  This extended action-sequence-with-a-twist has failed to impress.

Unfollow #17 - The cover says '40' but that's nowhere near true by the end.  The sprint to the finish continues as a whole lot more people die and Ferrell's plan is finally explained.  Those two sentences read as somewhat dismissive, but it's quite good.

Last Week's Comics Today - 02/20/2017

I normally start placing these into categories as I write them knowing some will move later as the scale their judged against changes.  This week I find seven books in Honorable Mention (with more good ones in Everything Else that missed the mark by a hair).  The thought of picking a single title above the others is more daunting than I care to engage in.  So it's a 7-way tie!

Pick of the Week

Not for a lack of good books, I just couldn't pick this week.

Honorable Mention

Ether #4 - Another amazing issue full of childhood fantasy and heartbreak.  I need to buy a hardcover of the eventual collection because it's absolutely shelf-worthy and I need to be able to lend it to people at a moment's notice.  Just shove it in their hands and tell them to start reading.

God Country #2 - Another comic this week where the fighting is done with words and a brilliant last page.  I recommend jumping on board now because this is a title you're going to continue hearing about.

Invincible #133 - It's great seeing Ottley back on art; it feels like he's been gone a long time.  The issue itself was an emotional rollercoaster with multiple characters using violence to process their emotions.  Terra and Mark's parents provided the levity while a quiet moment between Mark and Eve filled me with dread.  Well done, gentlemen.

Justice League #15 - This is what I've been waiting for.  Big, mad ideas coupled with great art and loads of action.

Mighty Thor #16 - I've given this title some smack in recent months, comparing it unfavorably to Unworthy Thor.  This issue, however, kicked serious ass.  Sif vs Cul, Thor vs Shi'ar gods, Volstagg vs the Congress of Worlds, and spaceships vs arrows not only advanced multiple plotlines, but did so with clever dialogue and massive-scale action.  I didn't care about the Shi'ar War before this issue; now I need more.

Sex Criminals #16 - Long before Kill or Be Killed was stealing thoughts out of my head, there was Sex Criminals.  It chronicled all the weird, wonderful, awkward personal and relationship stuff, and it's back.  There's an extremely informative recap up front since it's been quite a while since the last issue came out.  Note: these guys haven't lost a step.

Super Sons #1 - How about that last page?!  Next issue is going to be fantastic.  right after I finished reading this I texted a friend, "Your next must-read Rebirth title is Super Sons.  Jon + Damian is amazing, hilarious, and completely ridiculous."  I want only Tomasi and Gleason to write these characters.  The art is a great pairing for these young and energetic characters.  Recommended.

Everything Else

Batwoman Rebirth #1 - If you read previous Batwoman series, there's nothing new here except teaser snippets at the back about upcoming event.  If you haven't, this is a crash course is Batwoman.  I can only hope they're done recapping and the series can actually start when it starts next month.

Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye #5 - I read this days ago but didn't write anything at the time.  These are "reviews" in the loosest sense of the word.  More vague summaries, first impressions, tangential anecdotes, and sometime recommendations.  So I needed to flip back through it again to refresh.  Stopped on Wild Dog's bad trip and again for the "Fuck my life" panel which brought a smile to my face.  Pretty sure I actually laughed out loud the first time I read that, which is pretty incongruous considering the situation they're in.  I still love this book.

Kill Or Be Killed #6 - Dylan is completely fucked and he doesn't have the first clue.  For the first time this series, we get an extended look at what's going on away from Dylan.  Two forces are now gunning for him (perhaps literally) and by the time he's aware, it will likely be too late.  Another great issue from a great series.

Lucifer #15 - I gotta say, again, the new writer is doing well.  Everyone's making or putting plans into action.  Nothing really to say beyond that.  Still enjoying it.  And that's absolutely supposed to be Constantine, down to the carbon-copy origin.

Spread #19 - Not a significant amount happens here but some major information is given and there's a shocking final page I immediately want to know more about.

Superman #17 - A well made done-in-one.  It was great seeing Jon again (I haven't read Super Sons yet) and it's always great seeing him with Kathy.  If this series were a TV show, this issue would be one people remember and talk about years after it went off the air.  A little monster-of-the-week, a lot of weird, and I don't think we really got any satisfactory answers... it was brilliant.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #67 - Poor Slash.  But even more than that, poor Mutanimals.  Eesh.  My nephew is talking about getting his first apartment with some friends and my response was, "That's something everyone should experience at least once."  The Turtles are going through it now with Splinter not around for the first time in their lives.  It's well written, especially the scene between Leo and Splinter.  And Santolouco is back on art, which always makes me happen.

Trinity #6 - This didn't really stick the landing.  Great opening issues, but last issue with Mongul in a dream with Poison Ivy's daughter... it didn't really work.  That all wraps up here with a hasty memory erasure since she absolutely would have had follow-up questions and that's clearly not in the cards.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next arc and Manapul coming back on after that.  I still like his work, just hope the ending works better next time.

Unfollow #16 - This week's trend of final page stunners continues!  Early on in this series I said I could see it running for 60 issues like previous Vertigo greats.  Alas, that isn't going to happen as the book closes out two issue from now.  But it absolutely could have.  There's a lot of unmined material here, though the sudden speeding up of events hasn't made it any less great.  The counter on the front of #17 will be much lower than this issue's.

Wild Storm #1 - It's okay.  A decent, albeit subtle start.  It's interesting to contract this with Justice League from Hitch also out today.  I'll stick around to see where it's going, mostly to see more characters and actually see where this whole thing is going.

Last Week's Comics Today - 11/08/2016

Hard to pick a top book this week, so I'm giving it to two.

Pick of the Week

Moon Knight #8 - Some people have a problem with this arc, or perhaps even the series not making enough sense.  This is not a problem I have.  It makes enough sense to me that I'm simply enjoying the ride.  And it's an awesome ride.  Next issue will probably make more sense.  Probably.

Unworthy Thor #1 - The unworthy Odinson is back!  And it was awesome.  Thor fans of all sexes should check this out as it seems to be the first step in his return.  Recommended.

Honorable Mention

Bitch Planet #9 - Even with the massive break between issues, it was easy to pick up the plot threads again.  I wasn't the only one - everything picks up exactly where it left off, making this an issue where quite a bit happens.  Inmates are loose at the beginning and things escalate until the dramatic final page.  If you weren't reading before, you really should jump on now.

Superman #10 - This was not what I was expecting from when I read Batman and Damian would be making an appearance.  I guess, I was actually expecting something like the first issue of Trinity - civilian clothes, a little meet-n-greet... but pretty much the completely opposite of that happened.  It was brilliant and mildly disturbing.  Really looking forward to next issue.

Sheriff Of Babylon #12 - Ooph, what an issue  We end were we began.  I saw something last week referring to these 12 issues as "season 1" implying there will be more.  I haven't seen anything that confirms this, but I would absolutely buy more if King and Gerads continue.

Everything Else

Catwoman: Election Night #1 - I skipped the Catwoman story completely, only buying this because of Prez.  And it was fairly disappointing, really only opening old wounds again.  It was a nice, short comic with all the usual sature and humor, but it wasn't enough.  It mostly just served as a reminder of what I'm missing.  As for Catwoman, she went through so many writers and direction changes during New52, it's clear no one at DC knows what to do with her.

DC Comics Bombshells #19 - This issue and last seem to be slipping in the writing department.  Harvey Dent used to be mayor.  By the end of this issue, he's essentially Alfred.  Oh, and everyone's a lesbian.  The fuck?!

Justice League #8 - Destruction on a global scale that nearly shook the planet apart in this series' opening arc... and only one person on the planet died?  A random white mother in Colorado?  Fuck you.  I was a huge fan of this series and now I kind of hate it.

Lady Mechanika: La Dama De La Muerte #2 - None of this went down how I expected.  Last issue, I was confused how it was going to wrap up with only two issues to go.  This issue, I hit about the mid-point of the book and thought I knew how, and then everything gets turned on its head again.  I fully admit to initially liking Lady Mechanika for the art.  It's been apparent before, but this issue more than any other shows the uniqueness of the writing.  And that's something I'm constantly looking for.  I'm constantly on the lookout for something fresh and new - this is it!  And there's nice art on top of it.

Lake Of Fire #3 - I was planning to make this my last issue... but then I got to the last few pages.  The abundance of talking finally comes to an end and small group of survivors decide to take the fight to the creatures.  That's good enough to get me back for one more.

Transformers: Till All Are One Revolution #1 - Not real clear on what this means for the future of Till All Are One as one of leads - Windblade - is requested to remain on Earth.  This was certainly better than last week's Revolution tie-in, but that bar was so low it was underground.  Blind faith is the name of the game here, and ultimately, I think Optimus makes the right call, but for the wrong reason.  Skip.

Unfollow #13 - Focus on Akira in a flashback issue.  I'd say no one dies this issue, but that wouldn't be true.

Wicked & Divine #23 - I opened this, was confused, and put it back down to read later when I have more time.  A magazine-style series of articles on the pantheon is certainly unique and interesting, but not the kind of thing I could read on lunch with a bunch of noise around me.  While this is less of a review than my usual comments, I did accurately describe it, which is more than I do for some books.