(No stickers, please.)
Here’s where we can discuss the new books that come out each Wednesday.
The Ongoing New Comics Thread
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that I feel must inevitably end in wibbly wobbly timey wimey continuity reboot.
That doesn’t sound like something DC would do
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I’ve been waiting since the start of lockdown for the final issue of Punisher Soviet. My local comic shop finally got their orders sorted last week and I finally got a chance to sit down and read all six issues last night. Ooft. There’s nothing more that can be said.
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Really not feeling Dark Knights: Death Metal.
It feels like Snyder has taken the discard pile, the one where all the ideas were a little too werid, and slapped them all together into the DC version of Hickmans Secret War. And it doesn’t feel like an homage, more like he’s hoping noone will notice.
All-powerful entities from the other side the source wall? Beyond it you might say.
Omnipotent enemy that has remade the world into something where he has absolute control and lives in the center of it all in a castle named after himself? Doomed to fail, for sure.
Only a handful remain from the old world and they have to travel these lands with ah feck it, I’m not going to spend any more time writing this review than I should.
It’s not good. There are a few “oH My GoD tHaT’S sO CoOl” things, but they’re just visuals. Nothing is explored, everything is just explained. And it feels forced. There’s nothing at stake. I don’t care about these… characters. It doesn’t feel like the main DCU. It’s all just some weird elseworlds dream. So “out there” it could as well be fanfic. Text-on-page pages after one another, interspliced here and there is a trademark “cool” concept getting a second to shine. I didn’t the like the first issue. I like this even less.
The art is really good though.
1/5
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The art is really good though.
Could it be that Snyder has moved on and is really only doing this so that Capullo can get all this cool art out on paper for everyone to see.
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Sadly I think that may be true and it happens. Despite originally falling out a little Snyder and Capullo are big pals now, I think Jeff Loeb’s quality of work nosedived when he said he turned to asking Ed McGuinness what he fancied drawing and wrote the plot to that.
Comics are a collaboration and that’s what often makes them better than the sum of their parts but these comics which are ‘let’s draw Batman on a dinosaur with a machine gun’ are bullshit. The reek of that was all over the original Dark Knights Metal thing and I walked away very quickly.
I like both Snyder and Capullo a lot as talents but this does not interest me at all. I’ll pick up American vampire when it restarts.
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Comics are a collaboration and that’s what often makes them better than the sum of their parts but these comics which are ‘let’s draw Batman on a dinosaur with a machine gun’ are bullshit. The reek of that was all over the original Dark Knights Metal thing and I walked away very quickly.
Agreed. Metal was hollow spectacle for me and there’s only so many times you can be wowed by that kind of outrageous “crazy” approach no matter how good the art is.
It feels like Snyder is better suited to subtler books. With these I get the sense that he looks to emulate Grant Morrison’s cosmic craziness in his events but forgets the substance (which in fairness sometimes happens to Morrison too).
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The art is really good though.
Could it be that Snyder has moved on and is really only doing this so that Capullo can get all this cool art out on paper for everyone to see.
Bad news for fans of sequential storytelling!
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I mentioned up thread that the Fire Power OGN was a fantastic, if barely concealed mash up of Iron Fist and Kung Fu Panda. Well, I finally got to read the free #1 that came out the same day, and it’s tonally a totally different book. Almost.
Set 15 years after the events of the OGN, our protagonist’s life has radically changed. He has a wife and family, a regular job, the works. The first issue is pretty much a “day in the life of” type interlude, before the crazy kung fu shenanigans start creeping in towards the end of the book.
This works really well, if you’ve read the OGN already. But, coming in to #1 cold may make that a really dull first issue.
Chris Samnee’s artwork, with Matt Wilson’s colours, still carry the book. But, clearly with a more mundane setting, there’s less jaw dropping stuff on display here.
Looking forward to #2.
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Image also had another innovative launch recently, that’s definitely worth a look see.
Adventureman #1, by Matt Fraction and the Dodsons, was a triple sized first issue for $3.99, before going back to regular sized for #2.
It’s a very impressive debut. The artwork is spectacular. On a whole other level than the Dodsons WFH stuff coming out concurrently from Marvel. This is just gorgeous; much more in line with the detailed work on Coraline, for example.
The story is also incredibly captivating from the start, where it throws you straight into the action for a huge chunk of the first issue, giving you the finale of famous pulp hero, Adventureman’s, career. Before, pulling back and introducing you to a whole new cast of characters in the modern day, and hinting at the ties that bind both stories together.
There’s clearly a lot of thought that has gone into this book’s supporting cast. They all feel fully fleshed out and real, from just a handful of pages and a few lines each.
And, the book’s main character, Claire is immediately likeable and relatable in much the same way that Fraction’s Hawkeye was earlier.
This is a great “all ages” book.
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On the other hand, Straczynski and Deodato Jr’s The Resistance #2 was a pretty disappointing issue. Maybe it just feels too real for its own good, given the current geopolitical events, set as it is in a post- global pandemic with governments trying to suppress the rights of individuals for the greater good. There’s certainly not a lot of escapism available here!
It also suffers, I think, from too much world building and not enough character. It’s supposed to be the start of a new, shared, creator owned superhero universe. And, as such, it’s all about the possibilities this scenario presents with very little substance. It’s all very mundane and perfunctory.
Deodato’s artwork is also unusually subdued here. The story doesn’t really give him anything to let rip with and talking heads are not his strong point, especially with the distracting actor likenesses he relies upon.
Hopefully, this week’s #3 and the remaining issues of the mini will allow for some of these weaknesses to be addressed. Off the back of what has been published so far, I can’t see why anyone would want to invest in this particular universe.
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Excellent reviews Vik, thank you! I’ll def check out Adventureman tomorrow night after work! Will probably have a lot of tension to clear me mind of and if it’s something so fresh and captivating as your review says, that’ll be graaaand!
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I just read two Event books. Empyre #1 and Dead Planet #1. The connecting point between them is both involve huge battles involving starships
Dead Planet is from the DCeased universe and written by Tom Taylor and Trevor Hairsine. Hairsine’s art is great. I didn’t read DCeased because it seemed too dark but i hoped Dead Planet might be more hopeful. It is. Jon Kent is everything you would hope for from the son of Superman. He leads the Justice League on this version of Earth 2. It is five years after they abandoned Earth and just received a signal from Earth that Cyborg is still alive and asking for help.
Once they get back to Earth,after a very happy reunion between a boy and his dog we find out why Jon and Cassie are Superman and Wonder Woman. Here is where the book gets less hopeful. The fates of Kal and Diana are very depressing and Cyborg in found in 2 pieces. The ending is huge and all I will say is Taylor can write some bad ass females. I will DEFINITELY pick up #2
Empyre is written by Ewing and Slott. Much of the advertising I had read pit the Fantastic Four against the Avengers. After the obligatory fight between them, the ads turn out to be fake news. The actual villain of the story turns out to be a young man with ties to the Avengers. but not the one you think. Mantis’ and Swordsman’s son is supposed to be the Celestial Messiah yet he somehow now leads the formerly peaceful plant-based race into an attack on all human based life. The art is ok. The action is fun and inventive. The narrative is good with displaying people’s thoughts(especially Tony and Reed. love Reed’s take on Tony). I will pick up any associated books based on their individual merits.
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On the other hand, Straczynski and Deodato Jr’s The Resistance #2 was a pretty disappointing issue. Maybe it just feels too real for its own good, given the current geopolitical events, set as it is in a post- global pandemic with governments trying to suppress the rights of individuals for the greater good. There’s certainly not a lot of escapism available here!
It also suffers, I think, from too much world building and not enough character. It’s supposed to be the start of a new, shared, creator owned superhero universe. And, as such, it’s all about the possibilities this scenario presents with very little substance. It’s all very mundane and perfunctory.
Deodato’s artwork is also unusually subdued here. The story doesn’t really give him anything to let rip with and talking heads are not his strong point, especially with the distracting actor likenesses he relies upon.
Hopefully, this week’s #3 and the remaining issues of the mini will allow for some of these weaknesses to be addressed. Off the back of what has been published so far, I can’t see why anyone would want to invest in this particular universe.
I read this a few days ago and I agree entirely. It reads like a source book comprising bullet-point notes for a wider universe, rather than a coherent story in its own right. And ending this issue on an editor’s note that tells us to read a separate #1 issue to see the plot thread continued reinforces that!
It’s a shame as there’s an occasional decent standalone scene that makes you wish JMS was just left to write a full story here, and Deodato’s art is very nice, it’s just not put to any real use.
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PUNCHLINE!
Think Punch except Judy?
DC’s bestest best new character!!! I dunno.
Who?
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I’ve seen Stranger Things.
Are you saying that Punchline is Eleven? or Joyce?
Ah, I was just playing with the words. Stranger things have happened.
For a start, Punchline is a shit name.
Mind you, Eleven was used and underestimated at first. Joyce was dismissed.
Who knows?
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I finally got around to reading issue #1 of That Texas Blood and thought it was a great start – the best debut issue in a long time. Loved the vibe and the way the story gradually unfolds, and teases out characters and ideas without beating you over the head.
It felt very much in the Criminal mould, but with its own vibe too – in the vein of No Country For Old Men and the Brubaker/Refn TV series Too Old To Die Young.
Lovely variant cover and design by Sean Phillips too.
I’ll definitely be picking up issue #2 next week.
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I’ll definitely be picking up issue #2 next week.
I’m looking forward to #2 also; if I read the solicits right, this one will begin a multi-issue arc.
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I’m sorry that these reviews aren’t exactly new (I’m a bit behind), but I think better here than in the general DC topic.
Legion of Super-Heroes #5
By Bendis, Sook, Godlewski, Von Grawbadger & Bellaire.
Make sure you’re sitting down before you read this.
Ready? Ok:
I quite liked this issue.
Now, before we get carried away, I’ll point out that Bendis still writes horrible dialogue, he doesn’t know how to use a large cast of characters, and his plots are a confused mess. And the art isn’t consistent. I think Sook can draw beautifully, when he wants to, but a lot of the issue looks rushed.
But all that aside, this comic has some very satisfying ‘moments’,
Take the first scene, where the Science Police have been ordered to arrest the Legion. Just when you’re expecting a big fight scene, Brainy wins by using words. That’s just … beautiful.
It’s a great use of the character. This feels like how Brainy should be written. He’s so much more than an abrasive inventor with a force field belt, he’s a thinker.
(To be continued)
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(Legion #5 continued)
This really is Brainy’s spotlight issue. Bendis seems to love the character, and he writes him really well. There’s a flashback to the Legion’s beginnings, when the founders go to Colu to invite a new member, and, well…
(To be concluded…)
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(Legion #5 review part 3)
This still isn’t ‘my’ Legion, and the writing tics are still annoying, but the sentiment is … it feels right. It just has me smiling.
And while I’m in a feel-good mood, I turn the page and there’s an astonishing bit of writing. Bendis goes all Grant Morrison, and has Brainy realise that they are in a rebooted comic. Well, ok, it’s not quite that blatant, but:
They’re referencing Watchmen, and I don’t even object because it’s so meta, it’s Brainiac 5 understanding (and disagreeing with) DC’s editorial meddling. I am grinning at how clever this has suddenly become.
Mr. Bendis, I still think you’re a rubbish writer, but this time I take my hat off to you. I really like this issue.
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Don’t be sorry. Both pictures and non-picture-y posts were equally readable and enjoyably enthusiastical.
I have some random comic good news. Christian is collaborating with Oscar on a comic. (No, not our Christian. The other Christian, Ward that is). I love his art. (Both Ward and Isaac btb).
The sparrows are flying.
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The latest issue of Batman is so, so, so… gorgeous. Jorge Jimenez is totally killing it. I can’t from the top of
the morningmy head remember who’s on coloring but the colours, the city lights, are as beautiful as they are vivid. There’s something Terry-Gilliamesque over the use of perspectives, coming in from unexpected angles at times. A damn fine issue, worth reading just for the art.Don’t get me wrong, the story’s not bad. Not at all. Batman really is in a tight spot here. I don’t know what’s going to happen next and I certainly don’t know how bats is going to get out of this one even though I’m certain he will… It’s exciting! The Batman title is back!! Wonderful!!
edited to add: Punchline is completely meh. For emphasis: MEH
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Some brief capsule reviews from the past couple of weeks:
Snake Eyes – Deadgame #1: Despite not being a particular Liefeld fan and knowing nothing about GI Joe, I kind of enjoyed this. It read a bit like a Frank Miller Daredevil issue, narrative captions and supernatural ninjas and all. Even the action staging felt like 80s Miller. Not bad in an old-school kind of way.
The Resistance #3: this third issue yet again feels like it’s gone off in a different direction to the previous two. The whole series just isn’t coherent, and feels like slivers of other titles bundled together under a common banner. There’s also a really weird moment where the characters break the fourth wall to comment on the parallels with Marvel’s Civil War storyline. An odd book.
Tartarus #4: I’m still enjoying this title for the explosion of imagination and colour that every issue brings, but I’ll admit to not keeping up with the plot terribly well. That’s partly due to writing that isn’t always totally clear, but also due to me forgetting what happened in previous issues. One to reread when the full arc is complete I think. This issue at least features a cool extended action scene.
Strange Adventures #3: is it just me, or is this book a step down from the likes of Mister Miracle and The Vision? I’m just not grabbed by the characters or story, and the weird combination of serious, grounded elements and comicbook craziness isn’t doing it for me here like it did in Mister Miracle. I wanted this to be better.
X-Men – Empyre #1: what Vikram said in the X-Men thread. This was a fun, goofy, silly story that is already one of my favourite issues of Hickman’s run. And didn’t require any knowledge of Empyre to enjoy.
FCBD – X-Men: this was worth what I paid for it.
The Green Lantern, Season Two #5: After really enjoying the first season and the Blackstars mini, I feel like this book is disappearing up its own arse. The stories are increasingly goofy and nonsensical without that being attached to any real extra depth or meaning.
Giant-Size X-Men – Magneto: Magneto stories are like burgers, even a bad one is kind of good. This wasn’t a bad one though, it was actually pretty decent, and introduces a new twist to a couple of important character relationships that will hopefully pay off down the line.
The Batman’s Grave #8: the plot is starting to come together a bit more at this stage, and this issue featured some solid action and a decent cliffhanger, rather than the usual Ellis hard stop.
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Hey Anders – what did you think of Adventureman?
Honestly, I couldn’t keep up with it. It was a lot more thought-provoking to try anf and follow the introductions of characters and understand the intricacies of the plot and thus not the read I needed at the time, but I will dip back in when I’m not air fried from work.
I think I could follow the plot as far as people drinking the super serum-thing and gaining unique powers but my brain gave up soon after.
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I just read this one-shot follow-up to the Killer Smile mini – it came out several weeks ago but I didn’t realise the series was getting an epilogue issue so only just picked it up.
It puts the spotlight on Bruce and tells one of those “is it all in his head?” stories but without giving you the kind of release and resolution that they usually provide, so it’s nicely creepy and disturbing and sticks with you afterwards.
It’s quite a bit better than the main mini and makes me wish that the main series had been a bit more Batman-centric.
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Hedra, by Jesse Lonergan from Image Comics, is the best book you didn’t pick up this week. It’s an incredible one-shot sci-fi comic that tells a great story while doing amazing, innovative things with the comics medium across its 56 pages – and at $5.99 it’s amazing value for money.
It makes use of a 35-panel grid on oversized pages to tell a post-apocalyptic cosmic story with real heart, and all in a ‘silent’ dialogue-free fashion with a deceptively simple-looking art style.
It takes place on a scale that ranges from the epic to the intimate, and which leads you around its page in all sorts of unusual directions thanks to the endlessly new layouts and panel combinations.
Some pages can be read in traditional left-right manner, some snake around the page like a board game, others can be read in multiple directions (and even, on one memorable page, upside-down), and yet others simply show you things you’ve never seen before.
If you’re a fan of epic, thought-provoking sci-fi like 2001: A Space Odyssey, or if you love comics like Morrison & Quitely’s We3 or Moebius and want something that pushes at those same boundaries, pick this up – you won’t be disappointed. Inspiring stuff.
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If you’re a fan of epic, thought-provoking sci-fi like 2001: A Space Odyssey, or if you love comics like Morrison & Quitely’s We3 or Moebius and want something that pushes at those same boundaries, pick this up – you won’t be disappointed. Inspiring stuff.
Sounds and looks great; I’ll look for it at my LCS.
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Hedra, by Jesse Lonergan from Image Comics, is the best book you didn’t pick up this week.
I actually did pick it up!
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Pulp
This is turning into a pretty great week for new comics.
This hardcover OGN from the Brubaker/Phillips (and Phillips) team is as well crafted as you’d expect from the group that’s brought us so many wonderful collaborations in the past.
Like Criminal and Incognito it’s a book about crime and pulp heroes with some dark twists; like The Fade Out it’s a well-observed and researched period piece; like Kill Or Be Killed it’s a book about pushing back against the injustices of society; and like Fatale it straddles different eras and toys with mysteries that aren’t all as they seem.
But more than ever for this team it’s also a book that revels in the quiet moments, the moments- between-moments, and muses on subjects as diverse as ageing and finding purpose in life; the gulf between fictional pulp heroes and the reality; the way creators are treated by the arts industry; and the inevitability of death, and how that final endpoint casts a reverse-shadow over our lives.
It couples all of this with a compelling central crime plot about cowboys and nazis, heists and mysteries, flitting between the last days of the old west in the back end of 1800s and the march to war in the late 1930s, somehow straddling these two contexts while also telling a story that’s timeless and worringly relevant today.
This is a book with fantastic, heartfelt writing; wonderfully evocative art; and colouring that not only creates the perfect mood but also does a fair amount of heavy lifting in terms of distinguishing between the different eras.
I won’t say any more for fear of spoilers, other than to recommend picking it up. This is a book that I know I’ll come back to many times again in future.
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Hedra, by Jesse Lonergan from Image Comics, is the best book you didn’t pick up this week.
I actually did pick it up!
Look again Todd. You definitely didn’t.
I did and once again, you are wrong:
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Hedra, by Jesse Lonergan from Image Comics, is the best book you didn’t pick up this week.
I actually did pick it up!
Look again Todd. You definitely didn’t.
I did and once again, you are wrong:
Photoshop!
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Hedra, by Jesse Lonergan from Image Comics, is the best book you didn’t pick up this week.
You are correct in both instances. I do however have a perfect memory of reading it and enjoying it…
Somehow…
And yeah, it was pretty good. And it would have read at least twice as good in paper form, for the digital format of which I was subjected to didn’t have opposing pages so some of the grander designs, like the one you showed imagery from, was lost on me.
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A week full of excellent new releases continues with Black Magick #12. Great to see this book back again after a long time away.
I was a bit concerned I’d be lost after the hiatus, but it feels like there’s a conscious effort here to catch readers up as a new arc kicks off.
Rucka’s writing and Scott’s art are both as good as ever – this is funny, chilling, sexy, mysterious stuff in equal measure, and I continue to love the fantastic use of colour amid mainly black-and-white art.
If you’re a newcomer, this is a great place to get on board (and you can buy the OHC of the first eleven issues to see what you missed!)
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Hint – buy the OHC of Black Magick if you don’t have it.
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The art on the book just blows me away. Scott is amazing. Well deserving of the OHC treatment.
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Ok, I’m calling it now – best week of the year for new comics so far. That Texas Blood #2 is a great second issue that kicks off a new story arc while still retaining that strong focus on character that the first issue had, and building on that excellent start.
The location itself almost feels like a character here too, really informing the interactions we see. And there’s a very clear grasp of the language of comics, in terms of knowing how much to show and tell – when the art can carry the story and when more text is needed.
One other thing this book does really well is capturing a slow way of life without the story itself feeling slow – a lot happens here and a lot of good groundwork is done to set up the arc as a whole. Roll on issue #3!
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Batman #95 & #96 – “Joker War” parts 1 & 2, by James Tynion & Jorge Jiminez – some seriously epic superhero storytelling here. Big events, big action, and entertaining characterisation too. This is great stuff, from a talented creative team giving it their absolute all. Loving it.
Dark Nights: Death Metal #1 & #2, by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo – this will be a divisive book. It’s very much a book for the DC nerds – it feels like a culmination of so many different story threads, building on events from the original Metal, Batman Who Laughs, Snyder’s Justice League, Doomsday Clock, DC Rebirth, and Flash Forward too. But, this is most definitely not going to be for everyone. It’s a crazy, mad story that I can’t imagine making sense to anyone without that intimate knowledge of DC lore. Fortunately, that’s my thing, and I enjoyed this a whole lot.
So much so that I’m all in on this series, and will be picking up all of the tie ins as well as the main book. It’s exactly the sort of thing I buy comic books for.
Speaking if which Dark Nights: Death Metal – Legends of the Dark Knights came out this week too. It’s an anthology of short stories by different creative teams, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The two longest stories tie in most strongly to the main series, providing background and context to a couple of key moments in #2.It’s the four shorter stories, however, that make for a more entertaining book though, with creative contributions from Francesco Francavilla, Daniel Warren Johnson and Garth Ennis (who absolutely steals the show with his 2 pages).
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With a cover like this
And a solicit like this
This very special issue focuses directly on the friendship at the heart of Young Justice: Conner, Tim, and Bart—a.k.a. Superboy, Drake, and Impulse. As younger men, these three iconic heroes built Young Justice on their friendship. Now their dream has grown and changed as much as they have. And with the demands of adulthood pulling them in different directions, they realize that nights like this one may never happen again.
You would think that Young Justice #17 would be my favourite thing ever.
But, of course, that’s not what happens. Because Bendis. This seems to happen a lot with his books, doesn’t it?
What actually happens is alright too, but amount to little more than a deleted scene from Action Comics. Tying in to the team’s appearance in the “Metropolis Doom” arc, and setting up Connor’s appearance in “The House of Kent”.
Disappointing.
Action Comics #1023 is a talking heads heavy issue that gives John Romita Jr little opportunity to let rip. The artwork and story are both rather subdued here. Hope things pick up in the next issue.
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Strange Adventures #4 might be where the series turns around for me, after a slightly underwhelming start.
This was a good issue and makes some of the real-world parallels the book is dealing with a bit clearer, while also making some decent general points about the nature of war and history.
It also has a couple of nicely handled cameos and builds Mr Terrific’s character up really well.
Plus the art is gorgeous.
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Marry the interstellar hero – gain (political) power.
Here we go with King deconstructing a lesser DC hero. One of Adam’s main reasons for making sure he did not miss the zeta beam was the love he had for Alanna. it disgusts me the way he keeps taking lesser known heroes and f&%^*(ing with them. Kyle, Vision, Scott, Wally, now Adam. They even let him f with Bats until they realized were he was headed and removed him from the book. This is a tic just like Bendis’ and I would take Bendis 10 times out of 10 over King because at least Bendis does not write so negatively. I read comic books to cheer up and be happy and watching a writer just f with people (even from afar as a bystander) sickens me.
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I read comic books to cheer up and be happy and watching a writer just f with people (even from afar as a bystander) sickens me.
Given that, I think it’s perfectly understandable that King’s style isn’t for you.
But I’m glad you still have people twisting these characters and reinterpreting them in this way. Without it you’d just have the same stories and characters preserved in the same way forever, and you’d never get a DKR or an Anatomy Lesson or an All Star Superman or a Year One or whatever.
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Having never read Knightfall I thought his Batman run was an even more ridiculously long version of Born Again. There are great moments along the way though, the guy has loads of talent but I don’t know if a bi-weekly flagship book is the best place for them.
He’s a lot like Peter Milligan in that the more ‘mainstream’ the subject gets the worse the work is. I think his interest in trauma and mental health probably isn’t best placed in a superhero crossover but I thought his Vision and Mr Miracle were two of the best books of the past decade. Nobody really ruins these side characters that never really warrant their own series, you can and will reboot degrees of it all (although if you are just looking for fun escapism like Don then yes your luck is out).
Really he should sign up for an extended run of Black Label books. Out of continuity, do what you want stuff. I’d love to see a creator owned book too with the 12 issue format that seems to suit his style.
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aren’t these all elseworld type stories? i guess I could deal better with King if his stories are.
Strange Adventures is a Black Label book, which (if my understanding is correct) means it’s out of continuity, so an Elseworlds if you like.
So unless his stories are being pulled into the main continuity, he isn’t ‘breaking’ anything in the sense of ruining characters for the rest of the DCU.
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Really? What’s the point in rebooting Injustice which stands completely alone?
I know he’s doing a prequel series but I think Tom Taylor’s greatest skill as a writer has been ensuring 95% of his material is outside continuity.
It’s DC though, who’s main problem since 1986 has been navel gazing about continuity rather than just telling a story.
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He’s a lot like Peter Milligan in that the more ‘mainstream’ the subject gets the worse the work is.
Let me introduce you to my man Tom King….
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It’s DC though, who’s main problem since 1986 has been navel gazing about continuity rather than just telling a story.
Don’t you fucking dare sully the beautiful art of navel gazing by comparing it to the cluster fuck of continuity brouhaha that is the DCU!!!
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What’s the point in rebooting Injustice which stands completely alone?
There’s this abstract concept called… munny? Monni? Mhoney? You can Google it.
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Anatomy Lesson
Enlighten me.
It’s Alan Moore’s second issue of Swamp Thing, and the one where he really turns the book (and the character) around and makes them his own.
I won’t say any more in case you haven’t read it.
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When visiting my father in law’s house I saw a bunch of about 30 US comics bought in the 80s by his eldest son that had found their way to Malaysia. In there was a copy of Swamp Thing #21. I was tempted to keep it for myself but told my brother in law to put it away safely as it’s worth about $50.
This is the start of an Al-x Thought Provoking Thread, isn’t it?
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I haven’t read any new Marvel comics for a few years now, so I thought it was high time I took a gander at what was happening, and I bought the first 4 issues of Empyre. It’s not very good. I’d heard it was going to be the FF and Avengers at odds with one another, but instead they join forces by the end of the first issue. And then it’s our heroes, PLUS the Kree, PLUS the Skrulls against… the Cotati? Really?? A race of rarely-used plant people who are now the biggest threat to the universe if they manage to.. I dunno, plant themselves in Wakanda’s vibranium-enriched soil or something?
The stakes couldn’t be any lower, and in order to emphasise that fact, our heroes do a lot of standing round explaining things to one another. We’re always told how powerful Captain Marvel is for instance, well now she also has a super-powerful weapon in the shape of Ronan the Accuser’s hammer, so obviously she flies straight to Wakanda to kick some Cotati butt, right? Nope, because there’s more explaining to do!
The one thing that might have made things interesting, is Teddy “Hulkling” Altman’s ascent to the throne of the Kree/Skrull alliance – makes sense since he has both Kree and Skrull heritage. As the leader of two warrior nations, he might have had some tough decisions to make, but now it’s revealed that he’s being manipulated – if not flat-out mind-controlled – by an evil Skrull. So even that’s kind of a dead end.
According to the occasional footnotes there is interesting stuff happening in the crossover titles, but I had hoped that after decades of this kind of event, Marvel would have honed them to perfection. Instead, they’re as messy and pointless as ever, and seemingly serve as nothing more than unwelcome interruptions to the ongoing books. There are two issues left of the main book, so Empyre has two more opportunities to redeem itself – I don’t fancy its chances though.
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Thanks for reading it so we don’t have to!
The only related story I’ve read is the X-Men Empyre mini which has been pretty entertaining and fun, and all I’ve felt the need to know about the wider story is “evil plant aliens attack Earth”. So that was a pleasant surprise.
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Hi Steve, nice to see you again.
I listened to the iFanboy podcast review of Empyre and it was almost exactly the same as yours. Too much seemed to be happening off camera in other books, lots of talking and low stakes and the only bit they liked was the Hulkling subplot. So with two pretty much identical views on it from opinions I respect I’ll skip it.
A pity as I’m a fan of Al Ewing’s writing but like many it seems to suffer the more it gets involved in Marvel’s ‘events’ cycle. His Hulk has largely avoided that which is probably why it’s won Eisner awards.
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Cheers Gar. Sorry my first post couldn’t have been more positive! I wanted to like it…
Can anyone who keeps up with Marvel tell me why Tony Stark is such a hot mess In EMPYRE? Is he back on the booze again?
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Thanks for the Empyre review but are you going to finish it? If so, I’m looking forward to that review.
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Yes, I’ll stick with it to the bitter end, and report back when I’ve read it. If it ends with the Cotati leader uttering the words “no more plantlife!” though, I’ll be pissed!
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Hey Steve! Glad to see you around!
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Mantis showed up in the most recent issue, but it mainly revolves around the Avengers and FF.
Hey Anders!
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not connected to any internet system
So he’s a mess because he’s lost his connection to porn and his favourite memes thread on Reddit.
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not connected to any internet system
So he’s a mess because he’s lost his connection to porn and his favourite memes thread on Reddit.
He can see he has 356 unread messages on grindr but he can’t use his 2fa to log in so he’s tortured.
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So what yous are saying is, I’ve been interneting all wrong.
2 users thanked author for this post.
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So what yous are saying is, I’ve been interneting all wrong.
The first mistake most internet users make is logging on to begin with.
3 users thanked author for this post.
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So what yous are saying is, I’ve been interneting all wrong.
The first mistake most internet users make is logging on to begin with.
That’s a relief. I’ve never logged on.
2 users thanked author for this post.
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It’s simple enough. You put you left log in, left log out, in out, in out and shake it all about.
4 users thanked author for this post.
