Discuss new issues of your favourite comics here.
The Continuing New Comics Thread
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Wish I’d known, Chris, I’d have bought them from you. Only switched to physical with #16.
Still enjoying the main book considerably. This is the closest thing to a Tynion superhero book that there is right now.
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SiKtC has gotten back on track but I’m not sure the House of Slaughter stuff is that interesting.
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Don’t know if people were aware of this gem, but it prints all of the short comic trailers for Brubaker and Phillips’ back catalogue, alongside a detailed write up of each, with interesting quotes and input from the creative team.
You’ve probably read many if not all of these online already, or printed in the collections, but for someone who has always bought their stuff in floppy, this was a nice little treasure trove and a fond look back over the years.
It was next to impossible to find in the U.K. too, so I had to order a copy from the U.S. Cost me a lot more than cover price, I can tell you, but worth every penny.
I also read the short Criminal story in the Image 30th Anniversary Anthology book, which was brilliant as usual. A bittersweet look at a Lawless family Christmas. Worth hunting down if you skipped this one.
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And yes, the Christmas story was great, everything you could want from Criminal in just a handful of pages.
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Behind a rather brilliant Dan Mora cover is a short story by the regular creative team of James Tynion and Werther Dell’edera, building on the events of previous arcs in the main series and seeding many potential storylines for the future. This book is what I wish we were getting with House of Slaughter. I liked this one. Probably nothing here for the uninitiated though.
Whilst exciting and impactful, with some fun twists, Something is Killing The Children #26 – 30 suffers from being the middle arc of the Tribulation storyline. It’s pretty unsatisfying taken in isolation, but I’m quite excited to see where things go from here. There are some fun developments with the House, the “monster of the week” is creepy as f*ck, and the real antagonist of the story is deliciously vile.
I haven’t spoken about the art in this book too much over the years. Dell’edera’s storytelling has always been pretty excellent, with great atmosphere and exciting action scenes. But, it’s never been the main attraction to me.
In these issues, however, it really struck me how his art has developed a style that is not dissimilar to Joe Kubert’s. There are pages here that I’d swear were Joe’s (or maybe Adam’s) if I didn’t know any better. And, I’m a big fan of the Kuberts, so that’s a pretty serious compliment.
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Much like Chris, I haven’t been the biggest fan of Josh Williamson’s work beforehand, but Superman #1 was certainly a fun debut issue. Everything old is new again, with a fresh coat of paint on a familiar status quo – the Daily Planet, the MSU, “Lex”-Corp, etc. It’s comfort food with a twist that makes you want to come back for more. Tonally very much in line with Taylor’s Nightwing or Waid’s World’s Finest.
I don’t think I have seen Jamal Campbell’s art beforehand, but it’s lovely here. Really works with the classic Americana vibe of the book, but also deftly switches tone at the end when things get darker. Good stuff
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Much like Chris, I haven’t been the biggest fan of Josh Williamson’s work beforehand, but Superman #1 was certainly a fun debut issue. Everything old is new again, with a fresh coat of paint on a familiar status quo – the Daily Planet, the MSU, “Lex”-Corp, etc. It’s comfort food with a twist that makes you want to come back for more. Tonally very much in line with Taylor’s Nightwing or Waid’s World’s Finest.
I don’t think I have seen Jamal Campbell’s art beforehand, but it’s lovely here. Really works with the classic Americana vibe of the book, but also deftly switches tone at the end when things get darker. Good stuff
Have you read Williamson’s Flash run Vik?
Im sure I’d started it then dropped it, but I’d been hearing some good things about that and Jeremy Adam’s Run, so I decided to go back and check it out.
One or the great things about the DC app is being able to check these things out on a whim with no additional cost other than your time.
I’ve read the first 10 issues and I’m going to stick with it, it’s better than I remembered. The art isn’t really to my tastes and there’s a lot of fill ins so the book feels very inconsistent artistically. However the writing is pretty solid, there’s a good mix of A, B, C and even D plots as you have the dynamics between Barry, Iris and both Wallys. A bunch of new speedsters. A potential love interest who becomes a good plot element. Some intrigue around the whereabouts of the Rogues, a good guy gone bad – all faulty basic stuff but he juggles it in a way that while not particularly new or exciting does make for solid superhero comics.
I’m not sure why I didn’t really like it before but I suspect my bar has been lowered in recent years by a lot of DC and Marvel’s output being quite poor.
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I’ve read bits and pieces of Williamson’s Flash run (mostly the Wally West focused stuff, to be fair).
I struggle to get into the Barry Allen stories, because they always seem to be Wally West stories with the title character unnecessarily substituted. The emphasis on the Rogues, the Speed Force, the expanded cast … all of that was from Waid and Johns’ runs on Wally West.
That being said, I am really enjoying Adams’ current Flash run. And, now that I know that the focus does eventually come back on Wally I might go back to Williamson’s Flash run (or even further back to Manapul’s New52 run) when I get the time.
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I managed to get my hands on w0rldtr33 #1 from Image. The new book by James Tynion, Fernando Blanco and Jordie Bellaire. It was supposed to come out this week, but was misprinted and a corrected printing is due in a couple of weeks.
This is a really strong first issue. Tonally it’s quite similar to The Nice House on the Lake. It’s a horror story with a big ensemble cast, and events of a mysterious past coming back to mess up events in the present day.
I won’t spoil the subject matter but I found it really fascinating. It’s this weird fantasy amalgam of my day job, what I’m studying in my MSc, and my comic book hobby. It struck a chord, as they say.
I also predict that James has created the next big character here. This feels a lot like what he did with Punchline during his Batman run, turned up to 11, and unshackled from the rules of a shared superhero universe.
There was a short preview story of this book in the Image 30th Anniversary Anthology #8. That’s not essential, but a nice little introduction to one of the main characters if you can find it. I see this going for well over cover price on eBay now already. Tynion posted that preview story on his Substack here (free for everyone to read) – https://jamestynioniv.substack.com/p/why-you-should-order-w0rldtr33-and
The corrected edition releases on the 26th, I think. Recommended.
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A few of my current/recent reads.
Amazing Spider-Man is good at the moment, with a JRjr-drawn arc that goes back and explains the big mystery at the start of this series. The story feels a bit padded – maybe in order to hit its climactic moment in #25? – but the quality of the art carries it. Might drop it when JRjr leaves though as I’m not a huge Ed McGuinness fan.
Ambassadors is OK, but the first couple of issues feel like they’re all setup and no story, which is a bit of a shame for a six-issue mini. Having each issue illustrated by a different artist is a nice gimmick, and Quitely’s initial issue looks lovely, I just wish he had been given something slightly more interesting to draw.
Batman by Zdarsky is engaging and enjoyable, with this second arc giving us a weird alternate Gotham for Bruce to explore. Like ASM, there’s a slight sense of the arc being padded to hit an anniversary issue (in this case #900 is coming up) so I’ll be keen to see what the next arc brings.
Blade Runner 2039 has been good so far, with the regular team from the 2019 and 2029 series offering the same solid storytelling here. Having said that, the plot seems slightly less essential and the delays have hurt the book’s momentum a bit, so hopefully it picks up soon.
Local Man has had a decent first couple of issues, riffing in a fun way on 90s Image superhero titles but with a more world-weary perspective and an emotional depth to it that you might not expect. A good read.
The Forged started well enough – I love the large page size and squarer aspect ratio that gives it a sense of visual scope that it wouldn’t have in a traditional format. But the first issue was a lot of ‘world building’ and not much plot, so hopefully the second offers more on that front.
Traveling To Mars is maybe my favourite book of the moment: the setup is a bit Dark Star/Silent Running/Red Dwarf with a lone human on a mundane space mission with only robots for company, and a nice gently comedic tone to the whole thing. But the book has surprising depth to it too, with some sections that examine fairly fundamental philosophical concepts about life decisions, loss and regret, while also offering some great satirical comedy around consumerism and capitalism. If you haven’t tried it, I really recommend it.
And Unstoppable Doom Patrol gave us a nice first issue, with Burnham’s art being perfectly suited to this offbeat team, and with the strangeness feeling nicely unforced. I’ll pick up more of this.
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I’ve not read Doom Patrol yet (I think it might be up on the DC app this week) and I never picked up The Forged – but I’d Co-sign all of that.
Traveling to Mars is top of my own list for the year so far (which I’ve been compiling as the year goes, rather sad of me – here’s my current top 10, not including stuff I’m reading in trade)
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<li class=”li1″ style=”margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;”><span class=”s1″ style=”font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;”>Travelling to Mars, Russell & , Ablaze </span>
<li class=”li1″ style=”margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;”><span class=”s1″ style=”font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;”>Junkyard Joe, Johns & Frank, Image</span>
<li class=”li1″ style=”margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;”><span class=”s1″ style=”font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;”>Superman: Space Age, Russell & Allred</span>
<li class=”li1″ style=”margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;”><span class=”s1″ style=”font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;”>Local Hero, Fleecs & Seeley, Image</span>
<li class=”li1″ style=”margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;”><span class=”s1″ style=”font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;”>Gotham City: Year One, King & Hester, DC</span>
<li class=”li1″ style=”margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;”><span class=”s1″ style=”font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;”>Danger Street, King & Fornes, DC</span>
<li class=”li1″ style=”margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;”><span class=”s1″ style=”font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;”>The Ends, Lapham, Bad Idea </span>
<li class=”li1″ style=”margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;”><span class=”s1″ style=”font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;”>Fantastic Four, North & Coello, Marvel </span>
<li class=”li1″ style=”margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;”><span class=”s1″ style=”font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;”>Predator, Brisson & Walker, Marvel</span>
<li class=”li1″ style=”margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;”><span class=”s1″ style=”font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;”>Damn Them All, Spurrier & Adlard, Boom</span>1 user thanked author for this post.
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Shit man I don’t even know how to fix that 😂
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Ha! Let me have a go.
I’ve not read Doom Patrol yet (I think it might be up on the DC app this week) and I never picked up The Forged – but I’d Co-sign all of that.
Traveling to Mars is top of my own list for the year so far (which I’ve been compiling as the year goes, rather sad of me – here’s my current top 10, not including stuff I’m reading in trade)
Travelling to Mars, Russell & Meli, Ablaze
Junkyard Joe, Johns & Frank, Image
Superman: Space Age, Russell & Allred
Local Hero, Fleecs & Seeley, Image
Gotham City: Year One, King & Hester, DC
Danger Street, King & Fornes, DC
The Ends, Lapham, Bad Idea
Fantastic Four, North & Coello, Marvel
Predator, Brisson & Walker, Marvel
Damn Them All, Spurrier & Adlard, Boom
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😂 you’re a gent, thanks Dave
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Yes. That’s where I post them, Chris. I rarely read my physical copies that quickly beforehand either.
That reminds me. I’m really surprised that Marvel haven’t yet followed DC with a premium one month later (or quicker) tier. Especially now that their ComiXology store front has shut down. I’m guessing it’s only a matter of time.
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Yeah definitely. I now often don’t get to my own single issues until weeks after they come out anyway.
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Yes. That’s where I post them, Chris. I rarely read my physical copies that quickly beforehand either.
That reminds me. I’m really surprised that Marvel haven’t yet followed DC with a premium one month later (or quicker) tier. Especially now that their ComiXology store front has shut down. I’m guessing it’s only a matter of time.
Thanks Vik
Apps are now the equivalent of a weekly trek to the store for me now; I check MU every Monday and DCI every Tuesday to see what is uploaded.
I wonder if Marvel are testing the water with the early releases of the likes of Avengers # 1 and GotG # 1 going up early in recent weeks…..
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I say keep posting issue reviews here, trade reviews in the trades thread. Nice, easy split.
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This is my thought process:
If it’s a single issue or run of issues that are not yet in trade then I post them here (the continuing thread).
If the story is recent but already out in trade I’ll post comments to the trades thread. Even if I’m reading them in singles or digitally.
If the comics are “old old” (where even the trade is older than a couple of years) then they go into the Old Comics thread.
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I skipped on Nemesis Reloaded initially because I didn’t really like the original mini-series and had no desire to read a continuation of that.
Upon hearing that it was a “reboot” rather than a sequel, and that it was the precursor to this summer’s Big Game, I went and picked up the whole thing (#1-5) online. This was a little before the big news broke out about the series a couple of weeks ago.
It’s alright.
It’s definitely better than the original. The over the top sadistic nastiness has been toned down considerably. The lead character is still a vicious bastard, but he’s not a douchebag. You even end up feeling somewhat sympathetic towards him in the end.
The art by Jorge Jiminez is excellent. Fluid and dynamic, and gloriously cinematic. I’m not sure the art is worth the price of entry, by itself, but it’s definitely a good looking book.
I think it’s let down a bit by a story that is a little obvious, and whilst toned down still reminiscent of the excesses of Millar’s past work. Maybe having the big twist spoiled beforehand ruined it for me. I don’t know.
It’s fun overall but feels pretty shallow. I am looking forward to seeing how things progress in the crossover though. That has the potential to be pretty great.
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I picked this up on recommendation from a friend, and I’m glad I did as it’s an excellent read.
Set in early 20th century New Orleans, it’s a book that revolves around music and musicians but tells a story with much broader resonance than that.
There’s a lot to take in here across the characters and subplots of the book, but overall it really feels like a comic that actually has something to say, with characters that feel real and an engaging story to tell.
I love the way the art and lettering evokes the atmosphere of the locations and the effect of the music (which I think is pretty hard to convey in comics). It really captures that feeling of being transported and transformed by music, for both the listener and the player.
Plus there are some really nicely executed subtle storytelling tricks here – for example shifting between two different conversations/timeframes that intersect and together give you a complete picture of what’s going on. It’s elegant and unshowy but really smartly done.
We talked about the cost of comics in another thread: this is a $5.99 book, so not cheap, but unlike most single issues this actually feels worth the money. There’s a proper level of craft here and you get a full and complete experience from this issue. Plus the production values (this is a smart squarebound comic) and the extras are really nice.
It’s just a quality package all round, and on the strength of this I’ve immediately ordered issue #2.
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Higgins has been doing some good stories over the last few years. The Massive-Verse is proving to be a fresh take on superheroics too.
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I picked this up on recommendation from a friend, and I’m glad I did as it’s an excellent read.
Set in early 20th century New Orleans, it’s a book that revolves around music and musicians but tells a story with much broader resonance than that.
There’s a lot to take in here across the characters and subplots of the book, but overall it really feels like a comic that actually has something to say, with characters that feel real and an engaging story to tell.
I love the way the art and lettering evokes the atmosphere of the locations and the effect of the music (which I think is pretty hard to convey in comics). It really captures that feeling of being transported and transformed by music, for both the listener and the player.
Plus there are some really nicely executed subtle storytelling tricks here – for example shifting between two different conversations/timeframes that intersect and together give you a complete picture of what’s going on. It’s elegant and unshowy but really smartly done.
We talked about the cost of comics in another thread: this is a $5.99 book, so not cheap, but unlike most single issues this actually feels worth the money. There’s a proper level of craft here and you get a full and complete experience from this issue. Plus the production values (this is a smart squarebound comic) and the extras are really nice.
It’s just a quality package all round, and on the strength of this I’ve immediately ordered issue #2.
Yeah it’s terrific !
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Avengers 1 (Jed McKay and C B Villa)
Is up on the unlimited app already, it was only released last week. It’s an old fashioned, fairly solid getting the team together issue. Nothing particularly spectacular but it’s clear he’s going for a 90s style Avengers book, underlined by his commentary at the end
7/10
Green Arrow 1 (Josh Williamson & ?)
I was looking forward to this, with Williamson doing some good work recently on the Superman book, the Rogues series and his creator owned Dark Ride (which is a blast).
I’m a sucker for a GA book but this felt like just a bit of a summary of stuff we’ve read about Ollie a bunch of times (and watched on Arrow) for the parts of the book that actually feature him. The rest of the book is focussed on the extended family, very much like a team book, which is what DC seems to be doing a lot these days, with Batman, Superman and others. I assume this is to address the diversity ‘problem’ of books led by white males, as the more diverse new characters are sadly struggling to carry their own titles. But a team book is not really what I’m looking for with traditionally non team books. I find the act of trying to force a bunch of characters and voices into a 20 page issue can really damage the time spent on actually telling a story, which was the case here. The plot or mcguffin here feels very rushed as a result.
5/10
Invincible Iron Man 4 (Gerry Duggan & ?)
I thought this was very good, the issue this series really gets into it’s groove. There’s a terrific use of flashbacks here to flesh out characters and relationships, which gives the reader a reason to care about a particular character’s death.
With the partial narrative choice being the lens of Tony’s autobiography, it adds another dimension and makes it interesting to read. Someone is intent on destroying Tony’s life and Duggan does a really good job of setting the mystery up in a way that is very enjoyable to read. Particularly as I’m not a fan of Iron man comics in general, just never warmed to them.8/10
The Vigil 1 (Ram v & ?)
This is Ram V’s new DC book and an entirely new creation borne out of the Lazarus Planet event.
Ram is a writer who I had a lot of hope for early on but the second half of his Swamp Thing run and his Detective Comics run really soured me on his writing; really dull, decompressed books trundling along without really going anywhere. He also overwrites; I can see what he’s going for with his Neil Gaiman influenced writing style, but he doesn’t have the words or turn of phrase for it to work.I expected very little from this and came away pleasantly surprised. It’s essentially a team book, a group set up to take dangerous technology and artefacts off the board. It’s a decent first issue but there’s no chance this is finding an audience, it won’t be long for this world.
7/10
Fantastic Four 4 (Ryan North & Iban Coello?)
This is a brilliant series that along with a few others made me think the other day that Marvel does have some really competent books that are as good as anything written over the past few decades, it’s just clear that a lot of the problems are down to incompetent editors (I could tell this book had a decent and experienced editor when I read the first issue, Tom Brevvort) and the number of books stinking the place out overall by terrible writers, which gives the impression the entire line is a mess when you throw in the constant events and reboots.
However, the apps make it possible to navigate the garbage to the good stuff without throwing away hard earned cash every month to do so.
This book is a throwback, like most of the books Marvel are doing well these days, with this one taking a bit of a done in one approach. Telling a really solid story within the individual issues with an overarching plot sewn through it. It’s rare we see A, B, C, D plotting these days, particularly with new writers who don’t even seem capable of producing a single A plot issue with consequences, rather than a series of things that just happen while they lecture the reader at a surface level on subjects or trends taken from their latest Twitter feeds, but this has some genuinely well thought out writing that feels like the writer has put a lot of time and effort into.
North also gets the character voices absolutely spot on.
Don’t let this run of FF pass you by folks, it’s sure to go down as a classic, made all the more appealing early on by its fairly inventive opening structure.8/10
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Due to the somewhat erratic shipping schedule since Covid and my ever growing to read pile I haven’t visited the Mignolaverse in a while. I thought I’d rectify that with a few recent mini-series.
The Sword of Hyperborea #1-4, by Mignola, Rob Williams and Laurence Campbell, told the story of the eponymous sword as it wove its way through history, from ancient Hyperborea to a basement in Chicago. It’s a great story with fantastic art.
Frankenstein, New World #1-4, by Mignola, Golden, Sniegoski, and Peter Berting feels like the start of a new storyline set in the post-apocalyptic future following Hellboy and the BPRD’s conclusion a few years ago. This one was a bit of a chore to read. It was deliberately alien, but there was nothing there to connect to either. It didn’t engage me at all and I doubt that I’ll be back for further stories in this era.
Koschei in Hell #1-4, by Mignola and Ben Stenbeck, on the other hand was wonderful. Set after the aforementioned apocalypse, this series returns to the world of the criminally short lived Hellboy in Hell series, and gives you a tantalising glimpse of what happens next. It ends in a vague and seemingly inconclusive manner, leaving the door open for more. Hopefully not tied too closely into whatever is planned with Frankenstein.
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I usually try to avoid being super negative here, but Amazing Spider-Man #26 is going to be my last issue of the current run, as the storytelling has just descended into utter guff.
It isn’t even the tossed-off (and long spoiled) big death this issue that’s the problem, it’s just the basic building blocks of story and character that now seem to be beyond this creative team – a world away from how they started off their run.
JRjr does his best with the material, but the whole thing is far too complicated and messy to make for a compelling story. I’ve followed it closely and I’ve still got no idea what half of it really meant. Nobody really acts like a character here, just plot devices.
But the fact that Romita is leaving the book again makes it an even easier decision to drop it.
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What makes it work so well is a deceptively simple combination – good writing, good art and a team that knows when to wrap their story up.
What a unique and revolutionary concept! Makes you wonder why all books don’t follow this template.
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Heh, yeah, who knew?
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I’m two issues into The Seasons Have Teeth. A very strange book about an aging photojournalist who is dealing with the loss of his wife but also a world where the seasons have become personifications of themselves and are destroying the world around them.
It’s a strange book but I’m really enjoying it. The character work is great and there’s a lot of storytelling in such as short space.
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I enjoyed the first issue of that, I think I might pick up the trade, it was pretty original and an interesting change to have an older protagonist
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Shazam 1, Waid and Mora
It’s a great book for kids. I could give this to my 8 year old with no fears. I could also give it to him because Waid lays down a great deal of exposition to fill the reader in on Shazam and catch them up; there’s a lot to cover and he pulls it off; the powers, who he is, a bit about the foster family and other marvel kids (now depowered – thankfully. The last thing Dc needs now is another fucking family book with a huge entourage) the magic word, the rock, the wizard, Tawny and so on…..For a 45 year old who already knows that shit, it’s not the most engrossing read, but if I was a kid it would probably be great. Waid attempts to appeal to the modern audience by having Shazam broadcasting constantly to social media, and smartly plays the downside of that into the cliffhanger.
The issue should have been double sized. There’s a decent cliffhanger but other than that it really lacks a hook. Make it double sized and keep it the same price, remember DC when you used to give incentives for new readers rather than just expect them to turn up?
The art is terrific. Mora is a beast and is clearly inking straight to roughs and it gives the art a nice bit of energy. You can tell he’s working fast (he needs to with the amount of work he’s churning out) but it’s not to the detriment of the book. There’s some lovely pages. The colours are pretty good as well, Shazam pops off the page with the red and yellow, the
way he should.
It’s solidly written, which is more than I can say for most – that’s what you get with Waid though. I have faith it will be a very good series, but for a first issue I’m wanting more. Specifically more plot. Good but not great, but yea this along the lines of the comics DC need to make more of.
7/10
Adventures of Superman Jon Kent 3, (Tom Taylor, Clayton Henry)
And this is along the lines of what DC need to be making less of. Writing, art and even the lettering here is horrible. In fact, even Jordie Bellaire, who I consider the best colourist in comics, has turned in some horrible work here, but then Henry doesn’t give her much to work with.
Here’s the problem: DC know Jon Kent is a shit character. Having 2 supermen doesn’t work, it’s hard enough to produce a good comic for 1 superman, not to mention fitting Supergirl in there.
Jon worked for a bit at first, giving Lois and Clark a kid, then the whole Supersons stuff that Thomasi wrote was fun. But it always had limited legs.
Bendis aging him up then presented DC with a huge problem for future generations of writers to deal with, and Tom Taylor making him gay made that even worse. Before you start sharpening the pitch forks here me out:DC are stuck with this character now that doesn’t work. It has created a massive problem for the superman line. Making him gay means they can’t retcon and get rid of him, because it will be met with outrage from people on the internet who mostly dont buy or read comics (if they did the book wouldn’t be outside the top 100 selling books). So they have to keep him around and it’s a mess.
So what do they do………Jon finds himself on another universe; clearly a plot device to get him out the main superman book can focus on telling a superman story. ANOTHER multiverse story, one without a shred of originality because Tom Taylor doesn’t have a creative bone in his body. Total snooze fest by a hack writer and hack artist who are going through the motions for a paycheck.
Other than take his plots from Twitter feeds, Taylor’s other main shortfall is his tell don’t show approach to storytelling. So what we have here is the superman of this universe explain to Jon what the hook of this universe is all about, he should have just dumped this all on Twitter rather than have two floating supermen talking about it. It’s seriously bad comics.Why am I still reading this, even though I can’t remember a single thing about the whole previous series? Because I pay for the app and I’m trying to get my head straight in the current continuity.
I genuinely don’t know who this book is for and I’ll be very surprised if DC do another mini series after this one, unless they are just going to publish them at a loss as a placeholder, doing 6 issues every year or two to avoid negative press. I can’t read any more of this shit though, even for free.
I’d put an options paper to DC for this character and provide them with the following recommendations
1. Kill the character off
2. Reboot superman without him
3. Hire creators who actually have passion for this character to produce something worth publishing, rather than a guy who revels in having fights with toxic people on social media and gears his strips towards that, who clearly doesn’t really give a fuck about the character when he produces this half arsed crap
2/10
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peacemaker tries hard 1 (Kyle Starks, Steve Pugh)
A perfect creative team for this book that really captures the tone of the tv show.
I laughed out loud nearly every page, it’s maybe the funniest thing I’ve ever read.
I enjoyed it so much that I’ve picked up the first issue in print and ordered issue 2 which comes out this week from forbidden planet.Kyle Starks has been kicking around for a while but he only really grabbed me with his great Where Monsters Lie mini series at Dark Horse, which centres on a community of serial killers, delivering a lot of laughs throughout.
This is great though
9/10
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I like Tom Taylor’s Nightwing a whole lot, but found his Jon Kent Superman: Son of Kal-El series tiresome. I gave up after a couple of issues, although I probably will come back to it on Infinite at some point.
But, in a similar vein, let’s talk about Tim Drake, Robin. This series has been cancelled at #10, inevitably damning the character to supporting character status once again.
Of course it won’t be seen as a failure because of the not quite ready for prime time writer or the terribly esoteric artwork. It will be seen as a failure because Tim was bisexual and the comic buying audience aren’t ready for that. All the wrong lessons are going to be learnt here.
But, that’s rubbish. I love the character (more than I love some members of my real life family) but even I couldn’t justify continuing to spend real actual money on this poorly misjudged book. So horribly disappointing.
Hopefully Zdarsky will continue to use him in Batman going forwards.
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I like Tom Taylor’s Nightwing a whole lot, but found his Jon Kent Superman: Son of Kal-El series tiresome. I gave up after a couple of issues, although I probably will come back to it on Infinite at some point.
But, in a similar vein, let’s talk about Tim Drake, Robin. This series has been cancelled at #10, inevitably damning the character to supporting character status once again.
Of course it won’t be seen as a failure because of the not quite ready for prime time writer or the terribly esoteric artwork. It will be seen as a failure because Tim was bisexual and the comic buying audience aren’t ready for that. All the wrong lessons are going to be learnt here.
But, that’s rubbish. I love the character (more than I love some members of my real life family) but even I couldn’t justify continuing to spend real actual money on this poorly misjudged book. So horribly disappointing.
Hopefully Zdarsky will continue to use him in Batman going forwards.
The owner at my LCS said at his shop, the sales of “woke” comics tend to be bad. He said the issue when a character comes out or there is a gender swap, the initial issue sells well but craters quickly after that. Those key issue sales tend to be driven by speculators but older readers tend not to support the change. Readers may come back once things go back to “normal”.
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They are doing the right thing for the wrong reasons (to tick boxes) and get clicks. Changing the sex of a character is the new killing a character off.
The way to do this is to be serious about it and put your best people on it. Make the books so good that the woke complaints become irrelevant.
It’s all very cynical which gives credence to those who have a real problem with it; it comes across as false and when the initial hubbub dies down, the passage of time confirms that it was a bad idea. The sales confirm it.
They’ve done long term damage for very very short term gain and I think that comes from having a lack of experience in editorial positions.
I’m in two minds about changing the sexuality of existing characters; on the one hand, people come out at any stage in life, so it’s real life. However it clearly pisses off groups of the fan following and a lot of these people have left DC comics and might never come back. And i don’t think they are all bigots as Twitter would suggest, I think a lot of them are just exhausted with the whole thing because they see through it. I can’t make up my mind if I’m speaking for myself there or not. I picked up the Jon Kent book regardless but I didn’t drop it because he was gay, I dropped it because it wasn’t very good. And the Tim Drake thing, the bits I read felt like a different character altogether from the one I grew up reading , but again I’m not boycotting the Tim Drake book because they made him Bi, I’m just not going to pick up a book written by Megan Fitzmartin because she can’t write for shit. I think if the comics are good people will read them, aside from a pretty small minority.
I went back and tried to read the Jon Kent run again on the app to get caught up on superman continuity before the relaunch and it took me less than 5 minutes to read each of the issues and I spent most of it cringing, not for the gay stuff which I couldn’t care less about, but the dialogue and lack of direction. I can’t remember if I read up to issue 18 or not, it was only a couple months ago and I can’t remember a single plot point. I don’t even know if there was any.
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The way to do this is to be serious about it and put your best people on it. Make the books so good that the woke complaints become irrelevant.
I bought the recent DC Pride 2023 anthology and I came away feeling similarly.
Aside from the lead Grant Morrison story (which is fine in a space-opera cosmic-nonsense Green Lantern-run kind of way) and a nice short by Christopher Cantwell about Constantine and Superboy which has a fun twist, the material was all pretty mediocre and nothingy – often with no real point to the story other than to remind you that these characters are all Pride-relevant to some degree.
Combined with the fact that pretty much all the characters in the book are B-list and C-list characters, it had an awkward vibe of being a performative gesture of a book – a nice way for DC to reinforce their queer credentials but at the same time not one that they would actually let their big-gun A-list characters anywhere near, and not something they’re going to assign to any of their current top creators either.
So I agree that if you’re going to do this kind of thing and consciously put such a focus on it, you have to do better than just some kind of “will this do?” effort.
DC have told great stories about their queer characters in the past, sometimes with their sexuality as a key plot point – the Rucka/JHW3 Batwoman run is fantastic, for example, as is the Renee Montoya stuff in Gotham Central – so it can be done well.
The special Pride book just has a whiff of tokenistic corporate gesture stuff rather than being something properly thoughtful and well-crafted.
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Adventures of Superman Jon Kent 3, (Tom Taylor, Clayton Henry)
I agree with you that this book doesn’t work at all. It seems like they don’t know what to with Connor Kent, but Tom Taylor’s run on Son of Kal-El was as good as his run on Nightwing. I can’t stand most capes books but those were the two books I was most excited for every month.
Nightwing has gone down hill lately as well though. Whatever bullshit crossover thing DC are doing this week is messing up the story.
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Nightwing was solid until #100. The Titans arc (#101 – 104) was ropey and the first issue of Titans likewise. It’s also been hurt by the extra $ and meaningless back up story content. That annoyed me immensely.
I’m hoping that Bruno Redondo‘s return on #105 will turn that book around. I think I’ll leave Titans for Infinite.
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Batman #900 (#135) was a lot of fun. I haven’t enjoyed this last arc particularly, but the ending was a blast. Jorge Jimenez returns to the book and delivers an outstanding second half, as Bruce travels through the multiverse. So much fun.
And, returning to an earlier topic, Zdarsky writes an amazing Tim Drake. The final part of his backup story in #134 brought a lump to my throat, leading to a beautiful reunion in #135. So good.
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Yeah the art in the back half is really something special given what he’s called upon to do.
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I finally read this after picking up a cheap copy on ebay.
It’s a decent enough first issue that sets up the story nicely enough (the ending perfectly captures the “anything goes” appeal of the old Ultimate Universe) – and Hitch’s art feels like a real throwback to his Ultimates style, even as far as the inking and colouring.
Plus there are some nice touches of observational detail here, like the Maker speaking in lower-case (as was often used in the Ultimate books) and the regular MU guys talking in upper case.
But at the same time it’s another one of those multiversal stories that doesn’t feel like it has any real stakes (yet, at least) – and there’s quite a lot of pages here given how little real story you get.
So it was an enjoyable read but I’m glad I didn’t pay $9 for it.
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So it was an enjoyable read but I’m glad I didn’t pay $9 for it.
I’m struggling to think of any single issue comic I’d be happy to have paid $9 for.
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So it was an enjoyable read but I’m glad I didn’t pay $9 for it.
I’m struggling to think of any single issue comic I’d be happy to have paid $9 for.
I’d maybe pay that for an original copy of Amazing Fantasy #15.
As long as it was in at least VF condition, obviously.
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I was listening to an interview with Hitch the other day. It’s an interesting contrast that all these issues are over normal page count, I think he said the last one was either 40 or 50 pages and he’s ploughing through them at pace and coming straight off a 16 issue run of Venom. No delays like the original book which was really late time and again.
He’s done something to how he draws (which he didn’t elaborate on much further) that he’s no longer slow while as Dave says, the art looks the same.
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I was listening to an interview with Hitch the other day. It’s an interesting contrast that all these issues are over normal page count, I think he said the last one was either 40 or 50 pages and he’s ploughing through them at pace and coming straight off a 16 issue run of Venom. No delays like the original book which was really late time and again.
He’s done something to how he draws (which he didn’t elaborate on much further) that he’s no longer slow while as Dave says, the art looks the same.
Yeah I saw his YouTube interview with Millar a while back and he was quite open about how self-critical he’s been in the past – scrapping whole pages, constantly erasing and redrawing – and how it wasn’t until his Hawkman run that he really broke out of that and freed himself from his own self-criticism and overthinking. It means he can produce work far more quickly and to a similar standard.
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Hitch’s turn-around is rather incredible because you don’t often see it go that way in comics. Artists slowing down and becoming perfectionists after previously working fast seems the norm (I have nothing to back that assertion up).
Good for him getting out of his own head and becoming more prolific.
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Yeah absolutely it’s the reverse of the norm. As they get older artists tend to slow down. Whether it’s in pursuit of perfection I couldn’t say, there’s a lot of circumstances involved, they get higher rates than when they started so don’t need to do so much. Kirby used to be so prolific mainly to get a living wage, some just slow down because your energy reduces with age.
Hitch’s seems to be a psychological one of leaving behind perfectionism. He’s quite frank in his recent Word Balloon interview that he doesn’t get asked to do variant covers much because his rate is too high to justify using him.
You look at someone like Bolland who hasn’t completed a full comic since The Killing Joke I think but seems to be doing okay to earn a living for 30 years doing covers. Byrne seems to have lived off commissions for a long time because it is a weird part of the business that while page rates have remained pretty static or even reducing for a while original art prices keep rising. Artists are being paid a couple of hundred dollars to complete a page by the big two and then selling the art on for a couple of thousand to collectors.
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Artists are being paid a couple of hundred dollars to complete a page by the big two and then selling the art on for a couple of thousand to collectors.
A lot of artists have moved to digital-only though, so don’t get any of that money.
Bolland is one of those. He’s one of the first that went digital only.
I think they have to work out the trade-off in their working practices over productivity gains from digital (a lot of artists now ‘ink’ or even colour themselves so they get paid more per page) and the aftersales in comic art. For Hitch as a popular established artist I can’t see much he has done going for less than $3000 so going digital would be a false economy for him, for other less so.
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A few recent #1 issues.
Heat Seeker #1:
This is a great first issue that captures the same pulp-y, sleazy appeal as Gun Honey (and picks up some threads from the most recent mini) but also introduces some new characters that are already interesting and well defined. It’s tightly written, with a lot of plot and decent efficient characterisation, and plenty of action too. A really enjoyable start.
Barnstormers #1:
This was a good read too. I missed in digital and picked it up on the basis of Tula Lotay doing full art. And it’s pretty good – the story is nicely told by Scott Snyder and takes some unexpected turns, and it all looks really good too. Plus for a $4.99 book it’s actually decent value as it’s around 50-60 story pages in this one issue alone.
Xino #1:
This was a bit of a random pick but I bought it on the strength of (That Texas Blood’s) Chris Condon’s involvement. It’s an anthology of Twilight Zone style weird short stories, and it’s a bit hit and miss, but there’s some pretty decent talent involved – Shaky Kane illustrates one of the stories and Phil Hester writes and draws another. Condon’s is probably the best one though.
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Not that I have much to say in reply but appreciate the reviews here.
Barnstormers trade looks to be out Jan-Feb 2024.
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Mark Millar’s The Ambassadors was an enjoyable book. Very much a spiritual successor to The Authority and Ultimates. Grown up superheroes, a bit of extreme carnage, and a sprinkling of pop culture references. A fun read.
The art on the book, however, was on another level. Frank Quitely, Olivier Copiel, Travis Charest … this was a good looking book! No disrespect to the others, who definitely all brought their A game too, but don’t really compare.
I’m intrigued to see how this title folds into the upcoming Big Game crossover, and assuming they survive the experience I’d love to see a vol 2 of this book. There’s a lot to like here.
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I was 50-50 on buying that one, mostly due to Millar going off the deep end on social media, but that review sells it.
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A bit of a Jeff Lemire catch up.
Little Monsters #11-13 wraps up his latest series with Dustin Nguyen, with a clever twist of an ending that certainly resolves the series’ conflict in an unexpected way.
I’m disappointed that the series concludes here. I felt it had lots of potential in its premise to run for a while yet.
Fishflies FCBD Edition collects the first couple of chapters of Lemire’s Substack serial in print for the first time. He’s writing and drawing this himself, so you can already picture in your mind’s eye how this looks and feels. It’s an interesting debut, but I think I’ll wait for the trade. I suspect it will be far more satisfying reading it in that format.
Phantom Road #3-5 wraps up the first volume of the series with Garbriel Walta on art. I really like this book, even though I freely admit that I don’t really know what is going on here. It’s tensely atmospheric, with a growing ensemble cast, and more than its fare share of weird shit. If you liked Gideon Falls a couple of years ago, I would definitely recommend you checking out this one too.
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Mark Millar’s The Ambassadors was an enjoyable book. Very much a spiritual successor to The Authority and Ultimates. Grown up superheroes, a bit of extreme carnage, and a sprinkling of pop culture references. A fun read.
The art on the book, however, was on another level. Frank Quitely, Olivier Copiel, Travis Charest … this was a good looking book! No disrespect to the others, who definitely all brought their A game too, but don’t really compare.
I’m intrigued to see how this title folds into the upcoming Big Game crossover, and assuming they survive the experience I’d love to see a vol 2 of this book. There’s a lot to like here.
Yeah I thought this series turned out really well, particularly the origins for the characters were really strong and quite original compared to other superhero characters out there.
Millar could have created a lot of IP for the big two if he’d hung around there, DC and Marvel are really struggling to create diverse new characters and Millar has come up with about half a dozen in one single issue run.
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Read knight terrors: first blood (Josh Williamson and Howard Porter) this morning.
both this and the Batman issue are on the app, DC have made the decision to upload these but not the others, bizarrely……
Williamson has established himself as a solid but sometimes inconsistent writer at DC. I don’t think he’s ever going to write anything that will go down as a classic but by current big two standards he’s probably near the top of the pile (in previous eras he’d be very much middling). He does an ok job with this, but I think Porter was a bad choice of artist for a horror book. I can see he’s tried to employ a looser style here to try and fit the tone and it looks digital, as a result the art is quite murky and lacks definition and impact.
The hook of this entire event is that the DC universe is all stuck in their own nightmare worlds, which will spin off into individual 1 and 2 issue stories across various characters. Not very original but it does provide an opportunity for good writers to tell good stories, Sadly the calibre of talent working on the books is very poor (Alex Parknadel, Alex Segura, Dennis Culver, Kenny Porter, Matthew Rosenberg, Josie Campbell, Tini Howard, Danny Lore, Leah Williams is like a who’s who of utter shit comic writers who have helped drag the mainstream US industry into the toilet) so I doubt I’ll be able to find the motivation to read anything outside of the ones written by Williamson, Mark Waid, Jeremy Adams or Dan Watters.
Mark Waid must be wondering what he has done so wrong in his career to be stuck in such company.
6/10
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I’m probably not even going to bother reading any of Knight Terrors, unless I hear phenomenally positive stuff about it. Even on DCUI. The creative teams are uninspired and I just don’t see the point.
I will probably make an exception for Waid’s Shazam, but I struggle to give a hoot about any of the others.
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I’m probably not even going to bother reading any of Knight Terrors, unless I hear phenomenally positive stuff about it. Even on DCUI. The creative teams are uninspired and I just don’t see the point.
I will probably make an exception for Waid’s Shazam, but I struggle to give a hoot about any of the others.
I don’t know if we have discussed this before, but it seems like a really odd thing to do, this 2 month long event after relaunching Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Superman, Shazam etc
it can’t be helping sales, it certainly isn’t helping the books get into any type of stride – it makes me glad I’ve now moved pretty much fully to digital on the apps now and it’s just a time investment I’ve made in these books as opposed to financial
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Shazam #1 & 2 were a lot of fun. Far better than I expected them to be. Not that I should have doubted this. Mark Waid and Dan Mora are a phenomenal creative duo. It’s just I don’t have much affection for the character, and the last time Waid tried to write a title geared towards “the youth” we got the tiresome Champions over at Marvel.
But, as I said, Shazam was fun. Wild ideas, gorgeous art, and an intriguing set up for the future. I liked this enough to keep buying it in hard copy. An increasingly rare choice today with the big two.
I followed this up with Knight Terrors: Shazam #1, also by Waid but with Roger Cruz this time on art. Aesthetically similar in tone that it wasn’t jarring in comparison. This story focuses on Mary rather than Billy, with her wondering through a series of weird nightmares.
As mentioned up thread, I’m not reading the other Knight Terrors books, so I don’t really have the context, but that didn’t make this unreadable. I liked how Waid introduced a “new” antagonist here who is genuinely quite scary. I kind of hope we see more of them in future, beyond this weird crossover event.
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Ronin Book II #3
This continues to be a weirdly enjoyable read.
I say weird because not much actually happens story-wise – it’s an incredibly decompressed approach – but the way it happens is really impactful, loads of brilliant big images and imposing page layouts, with a sort of hypnotic rhythm to the story due to the way Miller writes.
I like that this has turned out so odd and experimental rather than just a cash-in sequel.
I’m also looking forward to seeing the full Miller art next issue. Having him on layouts and Tan doing finishes has created some beautiful looking art, but based on the breakdowns we see in the backmatter it looks like Miller is creating fairly tight pages as it is, certainly stuff that could go straight to an inker/finisher rather than being redrawn by someone with a very different style. It’s still a great looking book either way but I think it might work even better with a more pure-Miller art style.
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Superman: The Last Days Of Lex Luthor #1 is the best Superman book I’ve read in years. Waid really gets to the heart of these characters with a great story idea and an interesting flashback structure, and the artwork is fantastic: Kevin Nowlan’s inks bring out all the strengths of Hitch’s lines and the colour is solid too, with an epic, grand scale to the whole thing that’s helped by the oversized Black Label format. Can’t wait for #2.
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I read Knight Terrors First Blood, Knight Terrors Batman 1, Knight Terrors Ravager 1, Knight Terrors Joker 1, Knight Terrors Poison Ivy 1, Knight Terrors Black Adam 1
The first 2 were re-reads as it was a month ago I first read them and wanted to try and get into the event and give it a fair crack when they arrive on the DCI app.
im glad I didn’t pay money for any of this.
the first two by Williamson were alright, particularly March’s art on Batman. But the rest ranged from abysmal to mediocre.Ironically The Joker was the one I enjoyed most, given that I’m not a fan of Rosenberg as a writer at all, at least on his big two books.
G Willow Wilson has sadly deteriorated as a writer into the role of lecturer into the ranks with the likes of Tom Taylor. I find this sort of writing unreadable (speaking of which I got about 4 pages into the current issue of the Jon Kent miniseries before quitting – fucking hell Tom Taylor is the most sanctimonious, self righteous fucking twat I’ve ever come across in any medium). She’s at least put some decent thought into this though.
Jeremy Haun’s Black Adam makes me feel like I could get a job writing comics because I’d never turn in anything as bad as he’s scripted here, not for the first time with him. One to avoid.
I actually quite like Ed Brisson but i can’t remember anything about Ravager and I only read it 2 days ago.
So far NOT good. With the right kind of creative talent behind it this event could be quite fun despite my fairly cynical feelings about the whole thing.
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There’s the negative bit done, for something more positive I read Rick Remender and Max Fiumara’s the sacrificers # 1 .
It was an excellent emotional read with incredible art and colours. A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance aside, Remender hasn’t quite been up to the standard of his previous work. I hope this is the start of something very good, certainly a promising first issue, I’m tempted ti read in single issue rather than my usual switch to trade that I do for most image books.
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Mark Millar and Juanan Ramirez’s Night Club is the Lost Boys meets Kick Ass. It’s a fun high concept – vampires as superheroes – but a bit obvious in execution.
I understand that it’s volume 1 of 3, so maybe this is just symptomatic of it being the introductory chapter, but it feels very much like the origin movie of a Marvel superhero. But not one of the cool ones, one of the lame ass ones that Sony still have the rights to.
It’s not bad. It’s even fun in places. But, there’s nothing here you haven’t seen before. I’m not sure I’ll be back for the next round, even at just $1.99 an issue.
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Mark Millar and Juanan Ramirez’s Night Club is the Lost Boys meets Kick Ass. It’s a fun high concept – vampires as superheroes – but a bit obvious in execution.
I understand that it’s volume 1 of 3, so maybe this is just symptomatic of it being the introductory chapter, but it feels very much like the origin movie of a Marvel superhero. But not one of the cool ones, one of the lame ass ones that Sony still have the rights to.
It’s not bad. It’s even fun in places. But, there’s nothing here you haven’t seen before. I’m not sure I’ll be back for the next round, even at just $1.99 an issue.
I quite enjoyed it in the end, but the first issue didn’t really grab me
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Is there a deluxe oversized HC of that coming soon?
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It’s Boom, so possibly but as to when is hazier. I’m still waiting on Once & Future OHC2.
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The third TPB is out later this year (Dec, I think). A deluxe hardcover will probably follow sometime after that. Boom tend to do their deluxe editions last.
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So I read the first two issues of Big Game, the big Millarworkd crossover event.
Honestly, it was meh at best. It was Mark’s typical shock-and-awe bombast with little nuance. A lot of characters dying which honestly, it all rang hollow for me. I guess because of Mark’s style and development of the characters, I really felt no connection or emotional impact when they died. Potential spoiler of me guessing the end of the series: I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a big twist where the dead characters are brought back.
I am not familiar with Pepe Larraz’s art. I think this may be my first exposure to him. And I’ve got to say, it didn’t do anything for me. I don’t know if it was Giovanna Niro’s color or Larraz’s art style, but it all felt mediocre. The art didn’t feel epic enough for this huge and important story that is being told. This could simply come down to my tastes and preferences. It wasn’t bad, but I was expecting more, considering the pedigree of Mark’s past collaborators.
I think I read each issue in about 10 minutes. And with each issue costing $4.99, I do not feel I am getting my money’s worth. I told the manager at my LCS to drop the series. I am done with it.
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Catching up on a few new #1s from recent weeks.
The Enfield Gang Massacre #1
This was as good as I expected. That Texas Blood has been consistently solid since the first issue and this book is just as enjoyable, but also has a look and feel all of its own. Even down to the newsprint paper stock (which literally smells of classic comics!), this feels like a book that has had real care and effort put into it, which feels like a rare treat for a single issue. And so far the new story is engaging and as well-told as you’d expect. Jacob Phillips’ art in particular just seems to be getting better and better, and the saturated colours look really good on the newsprint.
Sacrificers #1
I thought this was an intriguing first issue that stops short of fully revealing what it’s all about, but provides enough to draw you in and get you interested. Maybe a little more meat on the bones would have been nice, but at this stage it already looks like it’s going to tackle some big ideas in an interesting way. Plus Fiumara’s art looks fantastic. I also thought the afterword from Remender was a nice personal touch.
Ribbon Queen #1 (& #2)
I thought this was great. A strong story from Ennis that starts off much more grounded and crime-oriented than I expected for a supernatural mystery, and great art from Burrows who really seems to be growing as an artist – there’s a bit more life and energy to his work here than previously. As well as the usual Steve Dillon comparison, some aspects reminded me quite a bit of Chris Burnham, with a good eye for the occasional very disturbing image. Plus there are some interesting undercurrents to the story around inequalities that were crystallised by BLM and MeToo, as well as some commentary on dysfunctional policing. Looking forward to seeing where this all goes.
The Cull #1
I tried the first issue of this on a whim as the art preview looked nice and the premise sounded vaguely intriguing. But it was a disappointment: waffle-y writing that doesn’t really tell us anything about the characters except a handful of clichés, and nothing to get you hooked beyond a fairly generic (but vague) Weird Thing happening at the end. I can’t believe a full first issue can tell so little story these days. The art was OK (if a bit un-dynamic and overly realistic-looking) but not enough to save it. I don’t recall reading anything by Kelly Thompson but after this I won’t be seeking her stuff out.
The Devil’s Cut
This one-shot compilation of short stories was a decent read, and a nice statement of intent for a new publisher. Like all anthologies it’s a bit hit and miss, but there are some good short stories here and a nice variety of styles and subject matter. Taken together it’s a nice example of how varied comics can be. There’s a really good roster of creators involved:
…and the format is smart too, square oversized and perfect-bound, like a Black Label book. I’ll look out for more stuff from DSTLRY.
Penguin #1
I enjoyed this one. It’s basically the Penguin as the semi-sympathetic protagonist of a gangster story, kind of a Breaking Bad or Sopranos take, where he’s trying to resist getting sucked back into a life of crime as various pressures conspire to push him back to his old ways. It’s a solid take, and it also packs in a fair amount of story rather than dragging things out.
Rare Flavours: Tasting Menu
This is a nice little teaser issue for the new series by Ram V and Filipe Andrade, with a few pages of b/w art and some character designs to whet the appetite for the true first issue. I thought their previous collaboration, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, was really good, so I’m looking forward to this one.
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Also, a few ongoing books I’ve been keeping up with.
Void Rivals #2 & #3: I’m finding this a bit boring now. The art is fairly good but the story is dull, and it feels like the Transformers connection is weak and just bolted on randomly rather than being an important part of the story. Maybe Kirkman just included it to boost sales of an otherwise middling bog-standard sci-fi comic? Still, the preview pages of DWJ’s Transformers in the back of #3 look great.
Batman Generation Joker #3 and #4: I’m finding this a bit nothingy too. Not bad exactly, but it’s not grabbing me and feels like filler.
I also caught up issues #2 and #3 of Ultimate Invasion, which I’m finding to be a fun multiversal romp as well as an interestingly meta story about what it means to try and reimagine the Ultimate Universe for today. Hitch’s art really sells that same-but-different Ultimates vibe too – there are some fun new riffs on original Ultimates sequences here, and Hickman also seems to be also consciously trying to imitate Millar’s voice as a writer in places. Which makes it kind of a weird read but it works for me.
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Sooo…it has Ultimate Cap quipping what kind of girl uses diagrams all the time.
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Waid and Mora’s World’s Finest continues to be an under-appreciated gem of a book. The only problem with the third arc – “Elementary” (#13-17 ) – was the usage of A.I. (and other modern technology) in a storyline set years ago, when Dick Grayson was still Robin. It messes with the internal chronometer in your head! The rest of the arc was exciting, clever, with fun guest stars, nice character interplay, and beautiful artwork. Excellent.
#18 was the first part of a 2 part retelling of Batman & Superman’s first meeting. Nice nods to previous continuity aside, this is clearly a fill in. Fantastic cover though!
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Void Rivals #2 & #3: I’m finding this a bit boring now. The art is fairly good but the story is dull, and it feels like the Transformers connection is weak and just bolted on randomly rather than being an important part of the story. Maybe Kirkman just included it to boost sales of an otherwise middling bog-standard sci-fi comic? Still, the preview pages of DWJ’s Transformers in the back of #3 look great.
I agree entirely. I dropped Void Rivals too after #3. Doing nothing for me. Doesn’t exactly bode well for Transformers if it’s going to be closely tied into this “Energon Universe” concept.
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Definitely having similar feelings about Void Rivals. It’s a very average comic.
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Waid and Mora’s World’s Finest continues to be an under-appreciated gem of a book. The only problem with the third arc – “Elementary” (#13-17 ) – was the usage of A.I. (and other modern technology) in a storyline set years ago, when Dick Grayson was still Robin. It messes with the internal chronometer in your head!
I remember back in the early 2000s Peter David writing a story about Spider-Man that was set in his early years (around 10 years before the present-day continuity), and the plot involving people doing online research or cyber-stalking or something, and readers complained that the details were anachronistic as that stuff didn’t exist in the same way a decade ago.
Of course, reading that story now, Marvel’s sliding timeline means that all that stuff would be fine in the context of a story set a decade ago (in fact, given when it was written, some of the details would now seem quaint and out-of-date in the opposite direction).
I guess what I’m trying to say is that even if the details of the chronology don’t quite line up right now, give it a few years and they will!
(And then give it another few years and it’ll feel like a relic from a past era.)
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I agree entirely. I dropped Void Rivals too after #3. Doing nothing for me. Doesn’t exactly bode well for Transformers if it’s going to be closely tied into this “Energon Universe” concept.
Definitely having similar feelings about Void Rivals. It’s a very average comic.
Yeah, it’s just bland and nothingy really.
But for me, the shortcomings of Void Rivals don’t give me concern about the forthcoming Transformers book. That’s largely because I’m going to be buying it because it’s a DWJ comic, rather than because it’s Transformers – but also because there are so few details in Void Rivals that actually feel relevant to this Transformers reboot that I don’t think it’ll matter much either way.
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For Transformers I’m betting entirely on DJW.
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Yesterday, my weekly LCS haul was in double figures for probably the first time in a few years. This was one of my most anticipated weeks in comics for a good long while, and I actually made the time to sit down to read a few of those last night too. Can’t actually remember when that last happened! It was nice to feel that buzz again.
Tom King and Daniel Sampere’s Wonder Woman #1 was one of the main reasons for this, and it was a fantastic debut issue. Tense and political, tackling some very contemporary and probably controversial issues. This felt like a pretty drastic departure from the tone of more recent runs on the character, where such themes were dealt with superficially or the focus of occassional “very special episodes” at best. Yet, somehow, this feels right for Wonder Woman, and a surprising yet fitting match for King’s sensibilities as a writer. Sampere’s artwork was wonderful too, with Tomeu Morey’s colours delivering a gorgeous and cinematic experience. I liked this a lot. I hope that they can keep up this level of quality in the long term.
Straczynski and Saiz’s Captain America #1 was the 2nd of my big 3 for the week. Whilst this didn’t blow me away the way WW did, it was still an enjoyable read, quickly hitting the nostalgic Americana that is at the heart of Steve Rogers – 1930’s New York, Nazi’s, heart of gold, etc. That being said, there’s not enough here to see what this book is really about yet. There’s an underlying supernatural element in the background that is thematically quite similar to what King’s doing in WW, so it will be interesting to see what JMS does with this over time. Jesus Saiz and Matt Hollingsworth’s artwork is lovely too and suits the tone of the book perfectly. Just wish there was a bigger hook to this.
I haven’t got to Predator vs Wolverine #1 yet, but looks like that should be a lot of fun.
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Not from this week, but earlier in the month, was the new Birds of Prey #1 by Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, and Jordie Bellaire. Featuring a new line up of eclectic characters – Black Canary, Batgirl (Cass!), Big Barda, Harley Quinn and Zealot – there’s a lot of fun chemistry and inter-personal dynamics at play here. I caught myself smiling on several occasions whilst reading this. It was a cute read, elevated by absolutely stunning artwork. Romero’s art, for those of you who haven’t encountered it before, is very much in the vein of Cooke or Samnee – cartoony yet with impeccable storytelling and character acting. And, it ends on a blinder of a reveal that makes me want to read the next issue right now. Excellent stuff.
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Yesterday, my weekly LCS haul was in double figures for probably the first time in a few years. This was one of my most anticipated weeks in comics for a good long while, and I actually made the time to sit down to read a few of those last night too. Can’t actually remember when that last happened! It was nice to feel that buzz again.
Yeah, it was a big week for me this week too. Seven or eight new books for me I think.
Tom King and Daniel Sampere’s Wonder Woman #1 was one of the main reasons for this, and it was a fantastic debut issue. Tense and political, tackling some very contemporary and probably controversial issues. This felt like a pretty drastic departure from the tone of more recent runs on the character, where such themes were dealt with superficially or the focus of occassional “very special episodes” at best. Yet, somehow, this feels right for Wonder Woman, and a surprising yet fitting match for King’s sensibilities as a writer. Sampere’s artwork was wonderful too, with Tomeu Morey’s colours delivering a gorgeous and cinematic experience. I liked this a lot. I hope that they can keep up this level of quality in the long term.
I have to be honest and say this didn’t work for me. The political elements felt very heavy-handed, and the way the story is constructed – with so much happening upfront without the heroes’ involvement (or with them powerless to stop it) just didn’t ring true in this world.
At least something like Civil War, for its flaws, tried to dramatise the conflict and leave the outcome hanging in the balance – here, we have the bad outcome as the starting point and WW pushing back against it, which isn’t as dramatically interesting I think.
The art is very nice though I agree.
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That’s a fair criticism, I think. An element of “suspension of disbelief” was required to get here. It’s similar to how Heroes in Crisis, whilst quite a good read by itself, doesn’t really work as a core DCU book. Why wouldn’t Superman or whomever be stepping in for his friend and colleague? But, for me, that didn’t detract too much. Diana’s delayed entrance also worked, I think, almost as a nice homage to DKR – where was she whilst all this was going down, what prevented her from speaking up? Hopefully they’ll come back to that in future issues.
I am slightly concerned though that DC seem to be milking this new status quo already with a spin off Amazons Attack book starting next month.
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That’s a fair criticism, I think. An element of “suspension of disbelief” was required to get here. It’s similar to how Heroes in Crisis, whilst quite a good read by itself, doesn’t really work as a core DCU book. Why wouldn’t Superman or whomever be stepping in for his friend and colleague? But, for me, that didn’t detract too much. Diana’s delayed entrance also worked, I think, almost as a nice homage to DKR – where was she whilst all this was going down, what prevented her from speaking up? Hopefully they’ll come back to that in future issues.
Yeah, it could work out depending on how it plays out.
I also think a lot will depend on the significance and outcome of what we see in the final pages, because the implication seems to be that this is what’s responsible for things going to shit.
Another #1 issue that impressed me recently was Gargoyle Of Gotham #1 – it captured that Miller DKR/Year One feel without being a straight imitation, it has an interesting villain, a fun Bruce-Alfred relationship, and the artwork is just amazing throughout, such a unique look and feel. There’s no-one quite like Grampa.
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Flash #1 by Simon Spurrier and Mike Deodato, Jr is … intriguing. It is so, so, so different from anything that has come before that I imagine this feels a lot like how “The Anatomy Lesson” must have felt upon initial release. Something is wrong with the Speed Force and everything that the Flash family thought they knew beforehand may no longer hold true. It’s dark and disquieting. Tonally so very different from the Adams run that preceded this, I imagine fans of that run are going to get whiplash from the change in direction.
As someone who loves Wally and his family I’m not really sure how I feel about this yet. I enjoyed it though. It’s a very well made book. And, this could be the start of something amazing. We’ll see.
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