Last Week's Comics Today - 02/27/2017

I thought most of this week's books were okay, until I started writing all the reviews.  That's when the wheat really separated from the chaff and I remember all the good books I'd read nearly a week ago.  Which is why Honorable Mention is so stacked.

Pick of the Week

Fix #8 - The mayor is on the cover, but not in the issue.  Pretzels, however, is all up in this.  And the book still manages to inject humor even while slowly crushing your heart.  Also, are both leads independently deciding to do their jobs better?  How crazy would that be?  If you're a fan of the humor of Sex Criminals, you should be reading this book.

Honorable Mention

Black Road #7 - There's a subtitle on the cover, "A Magnus the Black Mystery."  I noticed this early on and thought it was cool - a nice indication for a hopefully long-lasting title.  But I took notice of it again this issue, specifically the "mystery" part.  'cause I gotta say, it seems pretty straightforward to me.  Christians and Northmen don't get along.  There's going to be religion and death.  I mean, clearly.  I read this last night and kept thinking about it today - cool moments in the issue and what's to come in the next.  I'm loving it.

Descender #19 - This damn book.  It's like Saga in that it's incredibly good and makes me feel feelings... except no one else is talking about it.  One of my first reads every month and one I most anticipate.

Frostbite #6 - I had no idea this was a mini series.  I've talked about how I thought this series and Unfollow could be the next breed of Vertigo titles to hit 60 issues, and now both are ending within weeks of each other.  If you were ever curious about Frostbite, I absolutely recommend picking up the trade.  I'll hold out hope for another series since I continue to think it could sustain it and the end perfectly invites additional exploration of the world.

Few #2 - I'd like this a bit better if Sherman made the characters more visually distinct.  A good chunk is tall people in masks walking around in the snow, but when the masks come off, it's dramatically more clear who's-who.  The story and world remain compelling.  Per solicits, it's only a six-issue mini series (though for some reason, called a maxi-series (because the page count is higher?)), which is unfortunate because I'm really enjoying it.

Everything Else

Belfry - This was good.  If it had been a series rather than a one-shot, I probably would have added it to my pull list.  For anyone that enjoys Hardman's art and horror, I suggest grabbing it.

Justice League Of America #1 - This was okay.  Pretty standard superhero comic, and standard hasn't been good enough for a long time.

Old Guard #1 - It's interesting enough that I'll grab the first arc to see where it's going.  The art is okay, but I don't think it's as good as it should be for a Rucka book.  A lot of that comes down to character faces which are large, weirdly proportioned, and have perspective issues.  The art is sometimes helped but frequently further hindered by the bright, simple coloring.  It's like no one on this creative team was on the same page.  Writing this, I may have just talked myself out of buying the first arc.

Teen Titans #5 - Two things: 1) I feel like the Ra's thing ended as best it could.  Which was actually pretty good; he was suitably disgusted by the outcome and his own descendant.  2) I'm pretty sure the ending here gives the Batman writers a reason not to include Damien in their books.  I mean, they weren't before, but now there's something they can point to when asked why he's never around.  I'm looking forward to Aqualad.

TMNT Universe #7 - It's hard to put too much stock into anything this series does.  Maybe I'll ultimately be proven wrong, but it feels like the Agents of SHIELD show whereas the main series as Marvel's movies.  Sure, things will get referenced back and forth, but you know where the real talent and focus are on the main stage.

Transformers Lost Light #3 - That's not Rung.  I've already written one Saga comparison this week, so why not another?  On an issue-to-issue basis, Saga isn't always amazing (I almost went with "stellar" instead of "amazing" but couldn't let myself do that).  However, each arc starts slow and builds to something phenomenal and/or crushing and great moments along the way.  More Than Meets The Eye was a lot like that, and I'm guessing Lost Light is continuing that considering it's the same creative team and all.  Good stuff happens here, but it's building toward something much greater.

The Wicked + The Divine - There's a new terrible thing and still no one can get along.  I'm less interested in the new bad that's coming for the cast and more interested in the varied and always entertaining way the cast interact with one another.  There's going to be a lot of fallout from decisions made here.  It's gonna be great.

Last Week's Comics Today - 01/30/2017

The Justice League / Suicide Squad ramble below could have gone much longer.

Pick of the Week

Saga #42 - This issue ends with several all-black pages.  I don't know if those are really to hammer home what just happened or to allow your brain a slight mental break before returning to the real world after what just happened.  At one point I said, "They killed [redacted]!" and then tried to explain to her both that scene and the final scene.  She was more concerned with The Stalk.  Maybe someday she'll read it and understand.  Then we can share in the goodness and sadness.  Damn this book for being so good.

Honorable Mention

Aliens Defiance #9 - I'm not sure if it's surprising or expected, but things continue to get worse for the small crew of this beleaguered ship.  When faced with very likely dying very soon vs maybe dying sometime later, they choose the latter and let loose the alien queen they've had on ice.  So now they'll have to deal with that and it won't be nearly as "easy" as it was the first time.  Once again, an amazing read.

Briggs Land #6 - This tends to be near the bottom of my weekly read pile -- not as any sort of indication of quality, as it's outstanding work, just that I need to be prepared to read it.  I'm not sure if that's been the case the entire time, but definitely since the Nazi uniforms issue.  Anyway, multiple plans are hatched or set in motion here setting the stage both short- and long-term.  This is a book that's incredibly well executed.  I'm looking forward to the forthcoming TV series so the comic can hopefully reach a wider audience.

Ether #3 - There's a hand drawn map in here that reminded me of Weirdworld.  There's enough similarities between the titles that for anyone that enjoyed the Secret Wars title, I recommend picking this up.  While that heavier on action, this is a murder mystery with a gut-punch of humanity at the beginning or end of each issue.

Frostbite #5 - The cliffhangers in this series are great by themselves, but even better is how the characters get out of them in the next issue.  It's really well done.  If last issue weren't enough, Vic shows she's nowhere near helpless.  The cast should arrive at Alcatraz next issue and what happens there will be anyone's guess but it should definitely be interesting and make for a fun read.

Everything Else

Abe Sapien v8 - The end of the series snuck up on me.  I mean, I probably read about it months ago whenever the solicits came out, but must have promptly forgotten about it.  It's been clear for a while that BPRD is building toward a finale and as much as I'd like to see it, I'm a little in denial about the whole thing.  We learn a lot in this volume about Abe's early years, about how he became Abe (even if you think you already know), and where he fits in the broader picture.  It's fantastic and makes me want to re-read the entire Mignola-verse to refresh my memory.  For anyone that read Hellboy but not BPRD or Abe, you're missing a significant chunk of the story.

Detective #949 - This two issue arc went well enough that I'm signing up for Batwoman Rebirth #1.  Kate's father is in a completely different place than when I last read, but I'm not sure I want to go back to read how all that went down.  It's good and I'm looking forward to reading more Batwoman.

Justice League Suicide Squad #6 - It's a better ending than these things usually get, and it's satisfactory in places, but my brain wouldn't stop reminding me of certain aspects.  Eclipso "unlocks the darkness within" ...which only manifests as violence, for some reason.  With all the talk of "secret desires" I kept thinking sex was being felt out, and I understand why, but there are other base instincts that could have been represented and the variety would have been nice.  The eclipse itself reminded me heavily of Forever Evil, especially given the cast similarities.  Finally, there's the large-scale destruction.  The Earth has faced a fair bit of global damage due to metahuman fighting in recent months, which reminded me of Hitch's opening Justice League arc and how - unbelievably - only one person died.  Surely more people died here, but I don't know if it will ever be addressed or even commented on in either title, especially given Hitch's detachment from this event.  All I'm saying is, it'd be nice to see some consequences.  There's constant fighting, constant destruction, but hardly any rebuilding or downtime.  For me, that's where the real fatigue of events and "widescreen" stems from.

I've gone off topic long enough.  I'm interested in Batman forming his own league and have no comment regarding the last page.

Reborn #4 - Millar gets Bonnie and her father out of the scrape from the end of last issue, then gets them into and out of two more before this issue wraps.  It's a wild ride and I love seeing Capullo draw all of the craziness.

Teen Titans #4 - I can't quite put my finger on what but something about this feels off.  It's a fine read, kinda typical monthly superhero stuff, which isn't really my usual bag.  There's just something about Damian here that makes me wish only Gleason and Tomasi would write him.  They get him in a way that makes this feel hollow.  Ra's too, if I really think about it.  Hopefully I can enjoy the book more when the entire arc isn't focused on him.  Otherwise, I'll probably drop this in a few months.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #66 - Raph and Angel search for Alopex in Alaska.  It wasn't until that sentence I realized how many female character names start with "A."  It's a good read that moves Alopex forward in a significant way, even if it does seem implausible to borrow a helicopter in New York to fly to Alaska.  I'll just let that one slide.  Sophie Campbell is back and does an outstanding job illustrating everything.

Thief Of Thieves v06 - Honestly, this seemed a bit rushed.  The job within the comic, not the comic itself.  There was a lot of setup, virtually no planning, and then suddenly the plan was getting executed.  I feel like this title has historically taken more time to flesh those events out, with at least one storyline going on the side.  There was no story going on other than the job itself.  Still good, still highly enjoyable, but a minor mis-step I think.  Oh, and an ending that ensures I'll be back for more.

Last Week's Comics Today - 11/01/2016

For the first time, I thought about creating a new category after "Everything Else" as a place to put the truly bad books.  Then, I thought about putting everything into Honorable Mention except those few.  In the end, I didn't do either.  Quality naturally sorted things out on their own and you'll know the bad books when you reach them without any extra emphasis from me.

Pick of the Week

Renato Jones One Percent #5 - What a ride!  If I haven't mentioned it before, this book is nuts.  This issue was cover-to-cover madness and I loved every second of it.  The good news is - we'll be getting more Renato Jones!  Though the bad news is it'll be early next year.  (Like so many other titles!)  Still, I'll take it.  Also, the cover is not a spoiler.  Although... maybe it is, based on that last page...  Highly recommended if you like a little violence with your politics.

Chew #59 - Fucking Hell.

Honorable Mention

Aliens Defiance #6 - This has one of the best opening sequences in recent memory.  Five pages of perfect marine vs alien action.  There's also betrayl here.  There's the obvious one, but I think another as well, that will quietly be forgotten until the series conclusion when everything goes spectacularly to hell.  I'm excited, but also a little sad.  With a cast of only two, now three, I'm not sure anyone is going to make it out of this alive.

Descender #16 - An emotional tale about a couple of robots.  I continually praise this books art and writing and can only hope some of you have decided to pick it up.  This issue starts "seventeen years ago" and for the first time I wondered if a collection would or could ever be made in chronological order.  I can't say it'd be better that way, but I'd take the opportunity to real the whole series again.

Exodus Life After #8 - I don't think there's been an issue of this series that hasn't put a smile on my face.  The artist is a good friend of mine and when each issue comes out, he makes a post on Facebook.  Last night's post was about naked Ernest Hemingway.  But I didn't read this then, I read some other garbage you'll see further down the page.  This would have put me in a better mood then, but I chose not to read it.  Instead, I saved it for the end of my lunch break, just before going back to my soul-sucking cubicle, all while thinking about how great Ernest Hemingway is.  Thanks, gents!  You're the best.

Saga #39 - It's been a while since I had to consider the implications of an "or."  Not too much happens this issue, but where that would tend to be a fault in other books, it's really not here.  Plans are hatched, plans are dashed, there's much to discuss, and all of it looks wonderful.  I'd say no one dies this issue, but that's not true.

Everything Else

American Monster -#5 - This would absolutely read better as a trade.  At the very least it would help just keeping track of what's going on with everyone.  Add to that the vagueness with which the characters speak to one another, and it's hard to follow.  Not impossible, and I happen to like the way the characters speak, but clearly difficult.  It's continues to be good.  Maybe not as good as Moonshine, but I'll take all the Azzarello I can get and I'm a fan of Juan Doe's art.

Birthright #20 - This issue starts with a dragon and it barely even registers with the revelations let loose this issue.  Some seriously major history is told here, but we're going to have to wait a few months to learn what any of it means because they're going on hiatus between arcs, like an increasing number of Image titles seem to be doing.  Each issue reminds me just how long it's been since the men and women of this family have been in the same place at the same time.  It appears that's being set up for next arc, which should be explosive given everything each group knows that the other doesn't.

Frostbite #2 - This book continues to be a solid addition to Vertigo's growing stable of new titles.  That may not seem like high praise when I'm raving about other indy titles, but thinking about past Vertigo titles I've enjoyed, they mostly had a slow burn for a solid 60 issues.  I hope this gets there one day, as the world these characters inhabit is wonderfully interesting.  Really only the main character has any depth yet, but they've gone deep on her and I find her a relateable, believable protagonist.  Recommended.

Teen Titans #1 - I'd wanted the Teen Titans Rebirth issue since, like a bunch of other Rebirth titles, I wanted to try it.  Except I screwed up my pull list and put this down instead of that.  I read the Rebirth issue once I realized I'd missed it, but didn't like it.  Writing just wasn't for me and wasn't a huge fan of the art either.  Then I wind up walking out of the shop with this in my bag without realizing it.  Turns out it's pretty good.  Much better than the Rebirth issue.  Except Jonboy has left the book, and I haven't seen a replacement artist announced yet.  Which makes recommending it a bit difficult.  Note: I now hear the new artist is Khoi Pham, which is pretty bad ass.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #3 - I feel like less happens in this series than the main book.  The main title generally feels dense with word balloons, though not in a bad way, simply that there's so much to cover in so little space.  Here though, we end in almost the same place as the issue started - trapped in a building under siege.  Raph gets some good panels, April takes action, Stockman helps out, and the scorpion character gets a name... but that's about it.  It's good, but not as solid as the main book.

Transformers Revolution #1 - This is bad and you should not read it.  Even if you're reading Revolution, which, I can't imagine why you would be if this is any indication of its quality, just skip this.

Wonder Woman #9 - If it hadn't been pointed out elsewhere, I'm not sure I would have seen it - the arc is called "The Lies" yet there's been very little lying going on thus far.  Expect the lie quotient to increase dramatically in issue 11 when this concludes.  This issue was good; they address Wonder Woman's relationship with both Superman and Steve Trevor and it all goes well.  There's also that ending, which I think bodes less well than it appears.  And whatever's been going on behind Wonder Woman's back all this time.  So, in all, much to look forward to.  Oh, and then there's that cover, a creepy Engineer-looking Matrix-y thing.  No idea what that's about.

Ultimates #12 - The Ultimates was a good series that got massively derailed by at least one major crossover.  I don't know what happened to Rocafort on art, but he only drew half the series?  Maybe a little more?  This series ends by demolishing what was built and seemingly promising to put it back together in the next series.  Except, when it all went so wrong this time, why would anyone give this writer and title another shot?  I'm getting off this train and if anyone else is reading, I recommend you do the same.