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 - 03/11/2015

RAGNAROK 4

A great combination of action and story.  The Stone God fights while the Black Elf bloodies his sword and gets closer to finding out what happened to his wife.  The stage is set for the two main storylines to collide!  It's going to be awesome!  And possibly terrible for one of these characters.  I'm loving every second of this series.

I think I read that this issue was delayed, but since the book comes out every other month anyway, it's hard to tell.  Still, I was able to immediately get back into the issue, and even if I wasn't, there's a recap on the inside cover.

A Drifting Life

A DRIFTING LIFE

Another in my series of "bought this years ago and was immediately daunted by its huge size so I put off reading it until now."  Seriously, I have too many books that fall into that category.

I'm going to steal a couple lines from the back of the book now:

Over four decades ago, Yoshihiro Tatsumi expanded the horizons of comics storytelling by using the visual language of manga to tell gritty, literary stories about the private lives of everyday people.  Using his life-long obsession with comics as a framework, Tatsumi weaves a complex story that encompasses family dynamics, Japanese culture and history, first love, the intricacies of the manga industry, and most importantly, what it means to be an artist.

Don't make the same mistake I did, putting off reading this excellent book.  It's broken into chapters roughly 20 pages each, and I would read one to three of these each night, only ever putting it down because it was late or I was exhausted.

It's as insightful as it is interesting, giving a great view of both post-war Japan and the manga industry.  Recommended.

SPAWN RESURRECTION 1

I haven't read Spawn since shortly after it hit issues numbering in the double digits.  In this way, I'm like Jenkins - not having kept up with the minutiae of the last 250 issues.  But I've always maintained a general interest in the character and have thought many times about catching up on everything I've missed.

When Brian Wood was announced as taking over, I was excited.  He had come off a great run of Ultimate X-Men and I was enjoying his Conan work.  I thought, "This is my chance to get back into Spawn!"  That didn't last long.  Jenkins is here, and Resurrection is pretty okay.  It wipes the slate and sets a new stage, which is what's needed for this type of thing.  Jonboy draws a great Al Simmons and Spawn... though I'm still getting used to the mouth.

In the end, I'll check it out for a few more issues.  This didn't blow me away, but it's a nice start to something new.

CASANOVA: ACEDIA 2

Of course the week I start writing about comics again has a Casanova comic come out.  I couldn't not read this, as Casanova is and has been one of my favorite comics of recent years.

Last issue gave us a dramatically different Cass - both the title and the character - with plenty of mystery surrounding the titular character's shift.  Still, it managed to maintain the classic Casanova style and charm of previous series.  This issue gives us a couple more familiar faces and some of the old Casanova Quinn, while slowing picking at the scab of what's really going on.  I loved every second of it.

The back-up is once again done by Michael Chabon and Gabriel Ba.  Ba's art is as fantastic as every, but it feels like Chabon is trying to hard to emulate Fraction.  It's close, but not quite there.  I did, however, find it hilarious once it dawned on me just what the "fucking cute" Quinn was doing.

iZombie 1

I never read the series while it was being published, but have heard nothing but good things about it.  When I saw Vertigo were reprinting the first issue for only $1.00 before the premiere, I took the incredibly inexpensive chance of trying out the series.  In short: it's good.

It's easy to see how, with a few changes, this could make for a long-running television series.

Indie Corner - 12/17/2014

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

ANNIHILATOR 4

This book is so insane I don't know where to start.  Somehow, for some reason, I love it.  I really, truly hope it doesn't turn out to be some pretentious bullshit at the end, and that of all this makes sense.  It's probably meta.  Puzzle pieces are sliding into place and I just can't quite see the picture yet.  This would definitely be better to read in trade form, and I'll likely eventually buy it that way.  However, I can't at all talk about anything that happens in this issue.  Well, there's a new character.  But that's all I'll say.

Rumble 1

RUMBLE 1

I vaguely recall reading some interviews in the lead-up to this launch about a "scarecrow god."  It very much seemed like two creators having a blast writing and drawing whatever the hell they wanted.  That's very much what shines through in this issue.  Things happen, most of it unexplained, and it's absolutely brilliant.  While reading, I kept thinking of Six-Gun Gorilla and Tradd Moore.  Moore's a bit easier to explain, so I'll start there.  It's in the way Harren draws people - natural, yet exaggerated.  It's also in the way Harren draws movement; people and things are practically alive.  As for the Six-Gun Gorilla sensation, I think it stems from the fact that Arcudi throws us into a very strange place, with a main character that's completely out of his depth.  Plus, it's really good.  I'll be adding this to my pull and I recommend you do the same.  Or at least pick up the first issue.

THE BUNKER 8

While describing Ragnarok below, I mention not minding the wait between issues.  The wait between issues of The Bunker, however, is excruciating.  Once Breaking Bad hit a point were I knew I'd like it and wanted to watch it, I waiting until the entire series was over and streaming on Netflix.  I don't think I could have handled the wait.  Well, I made the mistake of starting The Bunker too early, and now I have to wait between installments.

RAGNAROK 3

Thor is awake once again, moving around, and really angry about everything he sees.  Nothing is the way it should be, and he's going to figure out why.  Then probably hit it with a hammer.  It'll be glorious.  I keep thumbing through the book just to look at the art again.  There's a point near the beginning where we're shown the same panel three times.  Anyone else would have just copied and pasted that panel, but Simonson actually re-draws it each time.  Same thing on the next page where we see the same panel four times.  Subtle differences each time.  This book comes out once every two months, and I know a guy that has a hard time waiting for new issues.  I'm okay with the wait, though, because I want Simonson to have the time he needs to make it the way he wants rather than be rushed.

THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE 6

This title didn't make my list of Best Comics of 2014 but it should have.  I was thinking about the broadstrokes of how the cast had expanded but we were still no closer to solving the mystery of the first issue.  But that thinking misses the point.  The brilliant way Laura narrates the book, often in contrast to the things she actually says.  As seen in this issue, opposite an equally brilliant diagram of Laura's room.  The rest of the issue is great as well, and I'll be sure to include the title on my Best Comics of 2015 list.

WYTCHES 3

The final pages of this issue features a single panel as it goes step-by-step through the coloring process.  I really wish I hadn't seen it.  I've seen Hollingsworth's coloring elsewhere, notably on the recent The Wake collection.  He's good; I like his work.  This guide, however, shows how good he is, right up until it's taken too far and intentionally made to look like garbage.  As for the rest of the issue: less creepy than issue two, but still pretty creepy.

I picked up some trades last week as well but I'm saving those for a future post since not much is coming out in the next two weeks.  So look for those then.

This week, I write about six comics while saying very little about what happens in them.  This little blog is fun.

Indie Corner - 10/08/2014

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

EAST OF WEST vol. 3

There's a few reasons I love this series.  First, the art is great.  Next, the characters are unique.  Seems like a requirement, right?  But in a week where reviews complain about everyone's quips in Axis, the characters here each have his or her own motives and manner of speech.  And last, the story isn't spoon-fed to the audience.  Monumental things are happening in this story (especially this volume), and it's up to the reader to figure out the full implications and what's really going on.

RISE OF AURORA WEST

I thoroughly enjoyed Battling Boy and was excited to hear more books would be coming.  One of those is now out, and I find I'm rather disappointed.  Rise of Aurora West follows Aurora and her father before the events of the original Battling Boy, but adds little to the characters or story.  There's also the art of David Rubin, whom I'm guessing was picked to compliment Pope.  While his art is well suited to some of the scenes, it really undercuts the violence with cartooniness instead of straddling the line like Pope did in the original Battling Boy.  Skip.

Annihilator 02

ANNIHILATOR 2

As I was reading this, I thought back to my recent words on Supreme: Blue Rose.  I greatly disliked Blue Rose, but Annihilator sits in almost the same spot of "divisive writer doing vague and weird."  Yet, for some reason, I'm really enjoying Annihilator.  The only thing I can figure is I think Morrison has given us a few more scraps to grab onto than Ellis.  I'm along for the ride.  Your mileage may vary.

WYTCHES 1

I think I made it two issues into The Wake before I decided I'd rather read it collected.  (Still waiting for the hardcover!)  This was a good first issue, and one helluva cliffhanger, but it's just setup so far.  Things had just started to happen when it ended.  I'll be back for issue two, but it's hard to get a sense of the series with just this issue.

COPPERHEAD 2

After a great first issue, I told my comic shop to pull issues 2 - 4 for me.  I read a lot of first issues and come back for issue two on about half.  In the case of Copperhead, I might be in for the long haul.  Great art and characters with plenty of intrigue.

BIRTHRIGHT 1

Wow.  It's tough to pull family drama and high fantasy in a single story, but Birthright does it well.  I'll be even more vague than usual so as to not ruin any of the surprises, but it's hard to tell where the series will go from here.  I have some ideas, but given the surprises thus far, I'd rather sit back and enjoy the ride than speculate.  Recommended.

RAGNAROK 2

If you haven't picked up the first issue, you really should.  It's brilliant.  This picks up right where that left off, and quickly leads to a whole bunch of people dying.  The end of the issue leaves things in such a way that anything can happen .  If you're at all interested in seeing Walt Simonson do whatever he wants, get this series.

BLACK SCIENCE 9

My feelings on this series are hard to put into words.  On the one hand, I enjoy it.  On the other, it's always at the bottom of my read pile.  Nine issues in, and I haven't converted it over to trades yet because I'm not not sure I like it.  The art is gorgeous, the characters are all well written, but the story... it's barely there.  I'm still reading it, but it's always hard to tell for how much longer.

SEX CRIMINALS 8

Another book that's usually at the bottom of my read pile each month, though for very different reasons.  Sex Criminals is personal.  It's funny and dark, evokes emotions, and makes me think.  It's something I like to read in a single sitting and have to be in the right mood for.  And it's always rewarding.  Here, we meet a new character, check in with our usual cast, and our antagonists make a move.  A pleasure, as always.

OCTOBER FACTION 1

Another number one this week, though this one doesn't have the same shocking cliffhanger ending as the others.  Still, it's a solid, atmospheric start.  Niles plants seeds for multiple stories and Worm's art sets the perfect tone for the dark series.