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 - 10/11/2016

Green Valley and Moonshine were both great, I couldn't pick just one.  Other than that, a lot of confusion this week trying to remember what happened in comics past.

Pick of the Week

Green Valley #1 - Gorgeous art, good story, all-around great start for the series.  The focus is squarely on the characters here, establishing primarily two of the knights, but showing enough of all four to get a sense of their personalities.  But there's a good amount of action as well, and a final page to teases plenty more to come.  Recommended.

Moonshine #1 - I love this team and would likely read any book they do together.  You might think that means my opinion can't be trusted, as I'm someone that read all of Spaceman, but I can admit that was weird and not their greatest collaboration.  This, is a reminder of the heyday of 100 Bullets.  Bad men doing bad things with some of the best dialogue in the business.  All with art, heavy in shadow, telling just as much of the story through gesture and facial expression.  These two remain at the top of their game.  Recommended.

Honorable Mention

Paper Girls #10 - The titular paper girls - both young and old - get on the same page with one another and take some serious action this issue.  The craziness is as high as ever, and it caused me to let out a single "ha!" when I got to the last page.  There's a lot of books trying to out-do each other with great last pages, and I think that makes us all winners.  Recommended.

Superman #8 - This was kind of spoiled by some articles before I'd read the issue.  If you haven't been spoiled, it should be a nice surprise.  If you have, it's a pretty long setup when you already know the payoff.  Regardless, it's still a good issue.  Clark and Jon are great together.  I don't know if Lois is being given much time in Action, but she's barely in this series.  She's great whenever she shows up, and that's coming from a guy with a life-long hatred for Lois.  Anyway, between this and Trinity, I have to wonder who's messing with Superman.  Same person/being or different in each book?  Something is definitely going on.

Everything else

Archangel #3 - There was an announcement for a collected version of this series at NYCC this past weekend.  Which is good, because I suspect a lot people are going to need it.  I remember the first issue better than the second, and the recap page didn't help much.  I have a rough memory of what's happening, but there's so many characters here with different agendas, the series either needs to ship more quickly or do a better job within the series itself.  Things happen, but the best I could figure is "the good guys got away from the bad guys."

Autumnlands Tooth & Claw #13 - I think I'd like this series better if I read it in trades.  It's a great series, but without a recap page and what seems like (I haven't verified) a less-than-once-per-month shipping schedule, it's hard to remember where things left off.  Context is king, and the story caught me up well enough once I started reading.  I'm somewhat purposely avoiding writing about anything that happens this issue since, like a handful of other series, you'd be completely lost if I were to explain anything.  If you like Birthright, check this out.  If you like fantasy in general, check it out.  If you like a Paper Girls-style mystery and trying to figure out what's really going on... you should check the series out.

DC Comics Bombshells #18 - Mera vs Siren for the fate of Atlantis!  Where did the cast teleport to last issue?!    Hint: There's still Nazis.  This issues appears to wrap another arc, but by the last page, there's a hint of what's to come.  I'm constantly amazed by the number of characters getting added to this series, and wonder how long it can go on.  It's good, though I don't know anyone else reading it... makes me wonder if the sales are good enough to sustain.  Certainly appears that way, and I wish it the best.  It's positivity is always refreshing, the stories entertaining, and the art almost always wonderful.

Future Quest #5 - Two stories this issue - minor advancement of the main storyline that ends in a great last page, and a disconnected story involving The Impossibles.  I'll be dropping this.  As much as I like the main story, it's exactly stuff like The Impossibles I couldn't care less about.  And with good new books coming out all the time, it's time to make room by clearing books I'm not as interested in.  I'm too young for most (all?) of these characters, and they're getting introduced faster than I can keep up.  I'm not invested in any enough to continue.

Ghostbusters International #9 - Issue 11 seems to be the last for this series, which is unfortunate, as I'd been really enjoying it.  So, with only a couple issues to go, things are starting to wind toward the inevitable conclusion.  The team have split in order to achieve multiple objectives, but what I wasn't expecting was a different artist for each team.  I'm going through the book and suddenly think, "Kylie's face doesn't look right..." look closer, check the cover and credits page, and sure enough - two artists.  It's a little weird this late in the game, but it's still a good series and will make for a nice collection once concluded.  

Justice League #6 - This arc looks to be the polar opposite of the first.  Where the first arc focused on huge action and the team working together, this issue opens with them quickly ending (or did they?) a fear-based assault with the rest of the issue focused on their civilian lives.  It's a nice contrast that breathes life into characters I'm not reading elsewhere (except Superman).  If DC have their ducks in a row, it won't clash with their solo books like Johns' run did.  The art and writing remain strong.  

Ragnarok #10 - Thor has done some impressive things in this series, but here we're shown even he has limits.  And unless he does something about it quickly, he's not going to make it.  So I think we're due for a side quest soon to get his strength back.  The book continues to be well written, with art I can't help but stare at in awe.  I know the publishing schedule is slow, but this is one book that's always worth the wait.

Shade, The Changing Girl #1 - I sometimes write these immediately after reading a comic.  Other times, I need to figure out what I want to say, so the write-ups come a few days later.  This is one I've sat on, and I'm still not sure what I want to say.  It's weird, that's for sure.  Marley's a friend, and I think she was a fantastic choice.  This issue the surreal and very alien alongside the very real and human.  And she does a great job with all of it.  The story?  ...It's... all those things from two sentences ago.  I never read Shade before.  Maybe if I had, I'd like this more.  As it is, I'll check it out for a few more issues, but... I don't know... it's weird.

Shipwreck #1 - What the hell did I just read?  I don't know if there were preview pages for this book or not - either way, I didn't read them.  I saw the names "Warren Ellis" and "Phil Hester" and I was sold.  Phil Hester did The Wretch (among other things), and for that I'll take a life-long interest in any comic he does.  At a minimum, it deserves a look.  Warren Ellis, is of course, Warren Ellis.  Some hits, some misses, but when he hits, it's outta the park.  I can't even describe to you what happens in this issue.  If either of the creative names behind it interest you, you should pick it up.  I'll be getting issue two and see where that takes me.

Transformers #57 - I'd written a review of this, but for reasons unknown, that was lost to the electronic ether.  Rather than try to re-write it, I'll get straight to the point: this is a bad ending to a mostly bad series.  It was briefly good following Dark Cybertron, but the plotlines I cared about moved over to Til All Are One.  I'll miss Soundwave and Thundercracker, but that's about it.  The writing is horrible as characters possessing multiple names try to explain overly complicated schemes I could not care less about.  The art is incomprehensible in places.  This issue was a chore to get through and exactly the justification I needed to drop it when it's rebooted into the Optimus Prime title in a few months.

Indie Corner - 01/21/2015

Each week I'll spotlight a couple independent books I've read and may have flown under people's radar.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 42

Krang!  Shredder!  The Turtles!  Hob!  Stockman!  Fugitoid!  This issue features nearly every member of the cast, as everyone's plans come into figurative, if not literal, conflict.  Judging by the events of this issue and the cover to the next issue, there should be at least three major slugfests next issue... but there are a few notable absences.  Hun is on the cover but not in the issue.  Casey is similarly absent.  Could Alopex and Nobody be aces up someone's sleeve?  I hope so, because neither is on the scene yet and I'm sure they'll be needed somewhere soon.  Rat King puts in an appearance for one flashback panel, just long enough to remind me we haven't seen Kitsune in a while.  Everything we know is happening or about to happen is explosive enough, but factoring in the remaining characters means the scales could tip in anyone's favor.  There's a reason I can't stop talking about this series, and it's because this title is consistently great.

Zombies vs Robots 01

ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS 1

So here's a surprise: the usual comic backmatter actually shows up on page 13.  Page 12 ends with "to be continued...", Page 13 is the backmatter, and I hadn't even hit the staples at the center of the book yet.  In a move that certainly surprised this reader, this issue is actually three short comics set in the Zombies vs Robots world.  Two writers, three artists.  I dig it.  The "backmatter" I mentioned earlier explains what came before and how this series came about.  It was rather informative since I haven't read any of the previous series.  The actual back of the book lists those previous series, including ISBNs, for easy ordering.  Which I think I'll do.  To sum up: humanity is dead, robots fight zombies for control of the Earth.  This is what happens next.

THE AUTUMNLANDS: TOOTH & CLAW 3

I read this yesterday and have been struggling to figure out what to say about this issue.  I enjoyed it, so there's that.  It's mostly a picking-up-the-pieces issue for our cast.  A city fell out of the sky in the first issue and everyone's still recovering from that, trying to figure out what to do next.  It feels a tiny bit like Walking Dead since everyone is trying to find shelter, food, supplies, and generally survive to see tomorrow.  The Champion decides he'll play along, even if he does think all these animals are a dream.  It's good, and I think I might be in it for the long haul.

CONAN/RED SONJA 1

The only Conan I've read is the Brian Wood series, which I generally enjoyed.  The only Red Sonja I've read was the free first issue I got from Comixology last December that I haven't talked about yet.  When this series was first announced, I thought, "Great!  People love Gail Simone writing Red Sonja and I enjoy Brian Wood writing Conan!"  Then Brian wasn't working on it anymore, and I really didn't hear anything else until the book was out.  I use all of that as preface because I don't actually have much to say about the book itself.  It's well written and looks gorgeous.  The title characters meet, team-up, and fight as per the standard rules of engagement of any crossover.  I'll be picking up the rest of the series and would recommend you do the same if you're a fan of either character.

INVINCIBLE 116

This is a pretty quiet issue, checking in with various characters and the new status quo of Earth given the events of the previous arc.  I found the conversation with The Immortal particularly interesting, and am glad to see Mark knows himself well enough to come to the decision he does at the end of the issue.

I had this whole other paragraph planned and partially written, speculating about upcoming events.  But I decided to scrap it.  When it comes to Kirkman, my speculation is never accurate.  He always manages to surprise me and come up with something even better than I expected.  I await whatever new amazing, and likely horrific, story elements will follow.

P.S. It's a little weird seeing Bulletproof still wearing Invincible's costume.  What's up with that?

RUMBLE 2

I can't tell you what happens in this issue.  A few of my reviews this week include the line "not much happens."  That's not the case here.  The story gets moved forward, but there's so much vagueness and weirdness that I can barely tell you what happened.  Ordinarily, that might be seen as a negative.  In this case, I love it.  The script is full of humor, and the art is amazing.  I could look at this all day.  I'm primarily familiar with Arcudi and Harren from their work on B.P.R.D., a series which is consistently great, and Harren drew two of my favorite stories.  He conveys a sense of movement and speed exceptionally well, but everything looks awesome.  Anyone even remotely interested should pick up the first issue to check it out.

SAMURAI JACK 16

Samurai Jack is definitely written for the trade, with a trade equating to one or two TV episodes.  This is the beginning of a new arc, so the stage is set.. but otherwise, not much happens.  Still, this issue features the return of a favorite character of mine (probably a genuine fan favorite, but I don't have confirmation on that).  It should be a really fun arc, though I think the end is pretty obvious from the outset.  Still enjoying it, still recommending it for anyone that was a fan of the show.

SPREAD 5

This issue is a turning point in the series, and all the characters know it even while it's happening.  As if things were bad enough before, they'll be worse once this present situation is resolved.  That situation?  The big multi-faction everyone-versus-everyone that started last issue is still going here and will continue into at least into next issue.  It is, in just about every way, worse now than it was at the end of last issue.  Which is to say, this issue was fantastic, and I can't hardly wait until the next one.

THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE 7

Not much happens this issue, but just as it was with Trees, it's the WAY not much happens that counts.  While I love the way Gillen and McKelvie tell this story, the story itself is getting a little tired.  I sincerely hope this whole Luci thing doesn't stretch out for the next two years of comic-time, because it frankly doesn't have the legs to support it.  That said, Laura continues to be amazing and the gods continue to be fairly uninteresting assholes.  Luci was great but she's gone now.  I'm really going to need someone or something else to care about, and quickly.

WILD BLUE YONDER 6

It all ends here.  Most of the issue is a giant firefight between various types of aircraft and airborne people, with bullets flying and things exploding on just about every page.  There is a brief origin story, or sorts, and a brief epilogue, but again, most of the issue is taken up by the fight that's been brewing since the first issue.  It's intense mayhem, and I loved every second of it.  While the series was slow to come out as single issues, a collection is scheduled to come out real soon.  Anyone wanting to get into the series should try that route since it will likely be easier.  Meanwhile, I'll be looking forward to whatever these creators come up with next.

Indie Corner - 12/03/2014

Each week I'll spotlight a couple independent books I've read and may have flown under people's radar.

THE AUTUMNLANDS: TOOTH & CLAW 2

Ugh, now this book is really pissing me off.  If you recall from last time: it's really good.  That's still true.  You might also recall I said this was close to a comic I've been writing.  That's even more true after the second issue.  Personal gripes aside, this comic is great.  If you're into fantasy stories, I recommend giving this a read no matter what they name is.

The Borgias

THE BORGIAS

Jodorowsky.  Manara.  I'd be interested in any book by either of these creators, but together?  Doing historical fiction?  It was too much to resist.

This is one seriously twisted tale.  Encompassing the rise of Rodrigo Borgia to pope, through to his family's eventual downfall.  This book is filled with corruption, murder, treachery, debauchery, and countless instances of hypocrisy.

The book is good, and I really enjoyed it, but knowing how touchy Americans can be about sex makes it a bit difficult to recommend.  So, if you're into historical fiction, either or both of the creators, and can handle some sex and violence, I say give The Borgias a shot.

BIRTHRIGHT 3

My love for this book is beginning to waver.  The first had an emotional family story with a fantasy twist thrown in.  The second issue largely continued that while diving deeper into the fantasy world.  Here, in a weird flip, the family moments just didn't resonate with me and the story of child Mikey in the fantasy world was more interesting.  Previously, I couldn't stand the whiny child story and wanted to get back to the real world.  Now, I want to see more of the war criminals and Kallista.  I'll have to see if the next few issues can recapture the fire.

DOC UNKNOWN v1 and v2

I backed the second volume of Doc Unknown when it was on Kickstarter, after reading some of Doc's adventures in the back pages of Five Ghosts (a fantastic series).  It's classic pulp, with Lobster Johnson being the closest similarity.

Volume one tells a complete story, including a flashback of Doc's backstory.  Volume Two is mostly a collection of stand-alone stories that occasionally reference earlier events or characters while building out Doc's world and overall story.

I was actually reminded of the early issues of Invincible while reading this.  In the way that the issues were good, but the team was still getting their feet under them.  Given a bit more experience, this team could go from good to great.  Both volumes are currently available from Comixology.

STRANGE GIRL v1 - v4

I became a fan of Remender's through Fear Agent and X-Force.  Strange Girl was brought to my attention a few years back via a Twitter dust-up over "creator owned" vs "writer owned."  That's definitely a conversation worth having, but not here.  As a fan of the man's work, I went to Amazon, found a good deal on the box set, and quickly purchased.

Strange Girl begins with the Rapture before jumping ahead a decade to an Earth controlled by demons, lording over the few remaining humans.  Bethany, the titular strange girl, learns of a portal to heaven, and she wants in.  With a couple humans and a few demons, the band trek across the US and Europe to reach the portal all while trying to avoid getting killed by just about everyone.  That sounds pretty heavy when summarized like that, but the series has a lot of humor.  It also has a fair bit of religious rhetoric, as Bethany is not at all pleased with how things have shaken out.

There are a half dozen artists credited on the slipcase, over the course of 18 issues.  To say the art is inconsistent is a bit of an understatement.  While certainly an interesting read, I have a difficult time recommending it.  If the above sounds like your kind of thing, go for it.  The slipcase seems to have rocketed in price, though there's an omnibus that's more reasonable.