League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

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Magic Order 2 6

The good guys win in extremely easy fashion.  An entertaining enough series, but completely forgettable.  I’ll most likely be skipping the next iteration.

Dark Ages 6

A surprisingly un-epic ending.  As big boss battles go, it feels awfully slight.  No one (except for the bad guys) even dies, which is odd considering how unsqueamish Tom Taylor is about killing beloved heroes.  He could have done with a better artist than Iban Coello, who has a Roger Cruz flavor to his work.

Captain Marvel 37

Kelly Thompson is so good at these between-arc issues where Carol decompresses and gets a chance to hang out with her friends.  Sadly, the next arc doesn’t look that interesting; I’m not interested in Binary, the latest in a long line of “naive, innocent characters learning about life with the help of her friends.”  I’ll give it a few issues, but I’m getting close to cutting this title.  

Batman: Beyond the White Knight 1

Some great setup from Sean Murphy as he kicks off the third installment of his White Knight books.  Looking forward to the rest of this.  Also, I should read the comic of his that I Kickstarted…

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 1-6

“Rollicking good time” is the phrase that comes to mind.  Alan Moore clearly has a blast writing these.  There’s too much savage glee in all of the fake ads, they’re absolutely hilarious.  Oh, and the story itself is excellent as well.

I enjoy the first two volumes of LoEG so much more than the others because I recognize the characters and the plots are a lot more straightforward.  Sometimes simpler is better.  (By the way, speaking of things that I won’t finish, I don’t have high hopes for From Hell, coming up in just a few days.)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good

Swamp Thing

Swamp Thing 55-64

DC Comics Presents 85

The Swamp Thing in space bit is generally a massive downgrade from the first 75% of Alan Moore’s run.  (It’s also clearly the inspiration for the “Stars My Destination” arc in Starman, also the weak stretch of that comic.)

There's a huge Ray Bradbury vibe to this issue, with the isolation, the beautiful imagery, and the alien landscapes.

That blue husk will show up in Starman.

I was just thinking that Moore had toned down the horror aspects of the comic when I came to this page...

Medphyl will show up in Starman as well.

This plant body horror is so gross.

This is a fascinating issue that doesn't quite achieve what it's trying to accomplish.

Simultaneously touching and gross as hell.  Nice writing debut for Stephen Bissette.

Swamp Thing’s vengeance on those who exiled him from Earth has a definite Sandman vibe.  All of his kills have a very Morpheus feel to them.  (Though it’s really the other way around.)

Corinthian inspiration?  Gaiman got so much from Moore.

The ending is completely anti-climactic, and despite everything that Alec and Abby have gone through, feels unearned.  I think a lot of that has to do with the art.  Rick Veitch just isn’t as good as Steve Bissette and John Totleben.

Everything is wrong on this page.

This is how you do a romantic last page with these two.

As a whole, the first half of the run is far superior to the second.  I’d probably re-buy it all if it burned down in a fire, but I’d start with just the first couple of trades until I was hit with the urge to read the rest.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: A wide range from Good (the Blue Planet), Pretty good (Abby’s father, the revenge issue, and the Superman team up), Fine (the last issue), Boring (the Rick Veitch-penned fill-in), and Nice (all the rest).  

Swamp Thing

Swamp Thing 51-54

Swamp Thing brings the wrath of the Swamp God down on Gotham City when Abby’s arrested for sexual depravity, and it’s pretty cool to see Alec cut loose with his extensive powers.  (Super kudos to John Totleben for that.)

It takes a moment for the scale to set in.

Of course Batman would threaten Swamp Thing.

Great composition.

Wonderful depiction of melancholy.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home

I finally got to watch this!  This is probably the most emotionally draining MCU movie thus far.  Peter really gets put through the ringer in this one, and the deaths and losses hit home with a weight that doesn’t exist in the other films.  (Not a knock on them, this one just does it way better.)  A lot of it has to do with Tom Holland’s superb acting; His pain and grief are palpable in a way that feels far more real.  

Let’s get this out of the way: So much of the plot needs to be disbelieved.  It completely failed my wife’s threshold for character stupidity, and I can’t blame her.  Everyone here needs to behave like an idiot for any of this to happen;  Peter’s stupid for wanting to cast the spell, Dr Strange is stupid for casting it without getting the details, May’s stupid for asking Peter to help all the villains, Peter’s stupid for doing it, the plan is stupid because even after they’re fixed, the bad guys are just going to be sent back to the moment of their deaths, regardless of their new states of being.  

But so much of it can be forgiven because this movie is so darn good once the setups are in place.

Things I liked:

I didn’t care for Willem Dafoe in the original Spider-Man trilogy, but he’s amazing here.  He completely bucks the “generic MCU bad guy” problem.  He’s legit terrifying and effective.  He kills May, for crying out loud!  And how he keeps that manic grin on his face as Peter punches the hell out of him. 

So great to see Alfred Molina back as Doctor Octopus.  He’s a huge reason why Spider-Man 2 is so beloved by me, both as a bad guy and as the fatherly mentor to Peter Parker.

Because the conflict is so personal, it actually made for an excellent final fight, with no CGI creatures in sight.  (I’m not counting Sandman.)  Perhaps the best final fight since Civil War?  (Well, Endgame, but I’m not counting that either, it still exists on a completely different tier.)

The Spidey-bros.  The interaction between the three Peter Parkers is some of the most delightful fan service I’ve ever experienced.  Note perfect in every way, I couldn’t have asked for more.  And I love that the Peters are just as happy to be hanging out, all supportive and accepting of each other.  Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire are phenomenal revisiting these roles.  “I have the tingle thing, just not for bread.”  Their chatting scene on the Statue of Liberty!

How does Zendaya come across as the most perfect person in the history of the world?  I don’t know, but I can’t get enough of her.  Highlights include the look she gives Peter on the school roof right before they (don’t) kiss, throwing the rolls as Peter 3, her comforting Peter on the bridge after May dies, their sunrise farewell, and her final scene in the diner.  

Peter’s delighted giggle when he takes control of Doc Ock’s tentacles.

May’s death scene.  Holland sells the crap out of it.

The scene on the bridge with the three Spidey’s.  So much shared pain.  So similar to the equally effective scene in Into the Spiderverse.  Here are the only people in the world who really do know what he’s going through.

Charlie Cox’s cameo.  “I’m a really good lawyer.”  

This is how you keep two people apart.  I absolutely hated the end of the first Tobey Maguire Spider-Man, his rejection of Mary Jane’s love pissed me off to no end.  But Peter’s sacrifice here feels more unavoidable and necessary.  So even though it broke my heart to watch him leave Ned and MJ alone, I at least understood why he made that decision.  (It also helps that Tom Holland and Zendaya are together IRL, so at least they’re happy in this reality.)

Things I didn’t like:

All the plot stupidness.

This really is an emotionally intense film.  It legitimately makes rewatching the whole thing difficult.

Regret watching: No

Would watch again: Yes

Would buy on DVD: Yes

Rating: Really good

1. Avengers: Endgame

2. Captain America: Civil War

3. Captain America: Winter Soldier

4. Spider-Man: No Way Home

5. Ant Man/Wasp

6. Avengers: Infinity War

7. Shang-Chi

8. Black Panther

9. Captain America: First Avenger

10. Spider-Man: Homecoming

11. Avengers

12. Avengers: Age of Ultron

13. Spider-Man: Far From Home

14. Thor 3

15. Iron Man 2

16. Black Widow

17. Captain Marvel

18. Ant-Man

19. Iron Man 1

20. Iron Man 3

21. Doctor Strange

22. Eternals

23. Guardians 1

24. Guardians 2

25. Thor

26. Hulk

27. Thor 2

Swamp Thing

Swamp Thing 47-50

The conclusion of the “American Gothic” arc.  Honestly, I was a little bored by it all.  Swamp Thing learns that good and evil need each other to provide balance.  There’s a bunch of fighting and I still don’t know why Constantine needed to gather all of those wizards.  Zatara dies.  As large as the stakes were, it wasn’t really exciting or interesting.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Swamp Thing

Swamp Thing 41-46

A really good string of stories here.  The first is a two-parter where the actors filming on location at a southern plantation start reliving the traumatic events from one hundred years ago.  

So true.

I'm with Abby.  Sometimes it's preferable to stay behind.

So amused by this illustration of turning in one's grave.

Issue 43 shows what happens when people on opposite ends of the moral spectrum eat Swamp Thing’s fruit.  The fruit is basically nature’s super soldier serum.  The effect it has on a dying woman is magical and bittersweet.

Issue 44 introduces the Bogeyman, and it’s amazing how much Neil Gaiman will mine from this for one of the best issues of Sandman.  

And from this will be born the cereal convention...

45 give Alan Moore’s explanation for why the Winchester Mystery House was built.  46 is a meh Crisis of Infinite Earths tie-in.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good.  (Nice for 46)

Swamp Thing, New comics

New comics!

Lion and Eagle 2

Not Garth Ennis’ best war comic, but I’ll still take it.

Human Target 6

Did Christopher Chance and Ice really just kill Guy Gardner?  If we needed a sign that this is out of continuity…

This continues to be an amazing story, with lovely, understated art by Greg Smallwood.

So, so beautiful.

I've always wondered about this, melting frozen flesh...

Nightwing 90

Wally West shows up for what will probably be a couple of issues.  

Love the mussed hair.

Such a simple, elegant, sublime cover.

Swamp Thing 35-40

Issues 35-36: Alan Moore’s commentary on the dumping of nuclear waste by large corporations.  Swamp Thing learns that he can regrow his body.

Issue 37: John Constantine’s first appearance.  I own a reprint of this, not the original issue.  (I found most of this run in the back issue bins of a used book store when I was in high school.  Which reminds me, I should go back issue diving again sometime.  I used to love it, but I stopped doing it when I realized I owned all the old comics that I wanted.  But I want to do it again for nostalgia’s sake.)

Issue 38-39: I think this is the beginning of the “American Gothic” storyline, where Swamp Thing travels from city to city dealing with various horrible things.  Here, he fights aquatic vampires.

I’m realizing as I read these issues that they’re getting the “Good” rating based off of the art and the creepy mood.  The actual stories themselves are not the draw I would have thought at the beginning of my reading of this run.

Issue 40: The one where Alan Moore acknowledges how shitty it is to be a woman in Man’s world, and then piles on by equating the menstrual cycle with lycanthropy.  What?  The title of the issue is literally “The Curse.”  You go in expecting some kind of feminist message, and then get a “nope, sucks to be a woman, that’s all there is to it.  By the way, you’re literally a monster when you get your period.”  The second Moore work to get the “Huh” rating.  (Promethea was the first.)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good (Huh for 40)

Swamp Thing

Swamp Thing 28-34

Swamp Thing Annual 2

The Anton Arcane arc - Arcane possesses Matt Cable and sends Abigail’s soul to Hell.  Swamp Thing follows and rescues her.  (It’s a shame that this takes place before Sandman; All trips into the afterlife should feature Death.)  The first part is the best, as Abigail slowly realizes what’s happening.  Even knowing how it goes, I was still enthralled by the horror of it all.  Alan Moore does some good writing here.  

Two of the other issues are ho-hum fillers.  The third fill-in is the heartbreaking “Pog,” Moore’s Pogo tribute.  Adorable alien refugees land on Earth, thinking they’ve finally found a new home.  Instead, they find it to be as bad as their home planet, and lose one of their own to unexpected violence.  Extremely well done.

The last issue is the plant sex issue.  Setting aside the fact that I’m sure Swamp Thing could grow the necessary equipment for physical intercourse, this is an extraordinary issue.  Moore does so much here - Not only does he depict a euphoric, transcendental, alien experience with astonishing beauty, but he also makes this relationship between a human and a plant a completely natural, wonderful thing.  Remarkable.

All of this done with the spectacular art of Stephen Bissette and John Totleben.

Love how comfortable they are with each other.

That moment when you realize she likes you back.  It's magic.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good (Really Good for 29, 32, 34; Fine for 28 and 33)