New Comics

More new comics!

Batman: Dark Age 5

This is still not bad, but I’ve pretty much lost all interest.  Only one issue to go.

Jenny Sparks 1

This fits in the “starts off a bit incomprehensible” camp of Tom King’s books.  

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2

Jason Aaron’s really nailing it.  It’s a very generic “I have everything that I want now that I’m rich and famous, why am I so unhappy?” story.  (Listen to Britney Spears’ Lucky.)  I suppose mixing in ninja and diamond nunchaku separates it from all the others 🙂

Transformers 12

This story arc ends, and I’m done with the title as well.  A month after saying I’m going to stick around for the full 24 issues, I’m tapping out.  It’s missing something.  Can’t explain it, but it’s definitely lacking something crucial.

Helen of Wyndhorn 4

So effing good.  This is why I love Tom King.  And he collaborates so well with Bilquis Evely.

Zatanna: Bring Down the House 3

I know it’s magic and all, but this is getting too psychedelic for my taste.  Still, the art by Javier Rodriguez is good, and maybe Mariko Tamaki can turn it around.  The arrival of John Constantine is a promising addition.

Fantastic Four 23-25

I so wish that Ryan North’s excellent run was paired with a better artist than the perfectly fine Carlos Gomez.  North’s scripts don’t always land perfectly, but the originality of the ideas deserves pencils of equal quality.

New comics

New comics.  Many of them.

DC vs Vampires 1-12

Picked these up on the strength of an iFanboy recommendation and the awesomeness of Matthew Rosenberg and Otto Schmidt’s previous work.  I think I was hoping for something similar to Tom Taylor’s magnificent DCeased.  What I got was something close, but lacking the poignancy that elevated the zombie version.  

Things start off very well, with the heroes quickly forced on to their collective back feet.  The heroes are forced to scramble and regroup.  So far, so good,  But the plot fails with their final three-pronged plan; Green Arrow’s mission to rescue everyone is of no strategic significance, the quest to recharge Supergirl really has no business succeeding, and Batgirl’s final gambit makes no sense - She was always planning to become a bad guy?

On top of that, the storytelling is extremely muddled.  There were plenty of instances where I had trouble tracking what was going on.  I haven’t taken the time to determine who’s more responsible, but it’s definitely a combination of both the art and writing.

Still, it’s entertaining enough that I’ve picked up the tie-in trades and sequel series that just came out.  I still believe in the creative team, and the world is one that I’m keen to read more about.

Nightwing 117

One more issue to go in Tom Taylor’s run.  Dick gets over his fear of jumping and Bruce more than amply fills in his protege’s costume.  Not Taylor’s strongest work, but not a bad swan song.

Ultimate Spider-Man 8

Just some really solid comic booking by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto.  Not top tier, but super fun to read.

Get Fury 4-5

Too much government conspiracy, not enough Frank Castle.  I hope this isn’t a sign that Garth Ennis’ game is slipping; This is one of his weaker Punisher arcs, and it would be devastating for all involved if it’s the start of a trend.

Transformers 11

Turns out this is a 24-issue run.  This has been on the cusp of my cut list for a while, but knowing it’s halfway through is enough for me to stay around.  

Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter 2

This continues to be way better than any expectations I had for it.  Both Jay Kristoff and Tirso are people I’ll be keeping an eye out for in the future.

Wonder Woman 12

Where does Tom King get his wonderful ideas?  Wonder Woman and Damian Wayne take turns interrogating Captain Boomerang, and it’s hilarious.  As with many of the high-concept pairings in this run, it’s a smidge too precious.  But King manages to get away with it.

Penguin 12

Not the best of Tom King’s endings, but I’m pretty sure that reading the whole thing will still be a positive experience.  

Scarlett 4

I didn’t enjoy this issue as much, but I think it was more my low energy level at the time than anything else.

Uncanny Valley 5

I’m so done with this series, the execution of an interesting idea has been remarkably lackluster.  I’d quit if there weren’t just one issue left.

Batman: Off-World 5

Losing my enthusiasm for this as well.  Am I just getting old and stodgy?  Sigh.  

Archie: The Decision 1

I bought this because Tom King wrote it.  I shouldn’t have bothered, it’s like every other old school Archie comic ever: Lame.  

Animal Pound 5

Maybe it’s not Animal Farm.  But it’s damn good.  I really liked the elegant twist on the classic final line of the book.  This will be a fun re-read, and I haven’t come close to parsing all the references to the current political world.

Babs 1

This is Garth Ennis in funny mode, his spin on a female fantasy warrior.  I’m so starved for Ennis comics that I’ll buy anything now… (It’s actually not bad.)

New comics

New comics!

Scarlett 3

This reads like a great Chuck Dixon action comic.  Lots of fun.

Uncanny X-Men 266

I picked up a reprint of the first appearance of Gambit because it fills a tiny gap in my Uncanny run.  It’s really not a good issue; Mike Collins’ art pretty much ruins any good times.  Remy LeBeau’s lucky that Jim Lee started drawing him almost immediately, or he may not have lasted very long on the roster.

Fantastic Four 22

Not the strongest issue, but I love the setup at the end; Apparently the events in the main Blood Hunt issues have led to Doctor Doom saving the day and earning the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme.  Excellent.  This sounds like Norman Osborne becoming the head of SHIELD, only fun.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1

I like the Turtles, but I’m only picking this up because of the A+ creative team of Jason Aaron and Joelle Jones.  Holy crap, that’s an amazing lineup.  (It’s not going to last, because it sounds like they’re going with a different artist with each issue, but they’re only going with winners.  I’ll be sticking around for this twelve-issue maxi.)

Ultimate Spider-Man 7

Peter and Harry test out their suits against each other.  They both make idiotic choices when imbuing their suit AI with personalities.  (Peter chooses himself, Harry opts for his father.)  I still can’t believe Jonathan Hickman is writing something this fun and coherent.

Wonder Woman 11

Useless Absolute Power tie-in.  Damian becomes a Swiftie in the hilarious backup.

 

Zatanna: Bring Down the House 2

Mostly a fight scene.  It’s fine, and it’s not like I’m going to stop buying this.

Transformers 10

Once again, I feel like I should be loving this way more than I am.  It’s great on every level but the emotional one.

Uncanny Valley 4

I’d stop buying this if there weren’t only 2 issues left; The concept is far more interesting than the execution.

Get Fury 3

More set up.  

Nightwing 116

Not the best Tom Taylor Nightwing story, but it’s fun, and I love the reveal at the end, as ridiculous as it looks.

Batman: Dark Age 4

Continues to be a fun Elseworlds.

Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter 1

I wasn’t going to get this, given that the original series was one of Tom Taylor’s weaker efforts, and he isn’t even the writer on this.  (I’ve never heard of Jay Kristoff.)  Imagine my surprise when this take on Deathstroke was immensely entertaining!  I’m in.

Big Burn 1

The second title I’ve gotten from new publisher Dstlry.  I bought this on the strength of Joe Henderson and Lee Garbett’s previous collaborations, knowing absolutely nothing else about it.  Turns out it’s Ocean’s Eleven in Hell.  Great elevator pitch and even better execution.  I’m skeptical about the Devil being actually blind to what’s going on, but we’ll see how it pans out.

New comics

Birds of Prey 11

I thought I cut this, but apparently there was one more waiting for me.  Such a gorgeous book by Robbi Rodriguez, Javier Pina, and Gavin Guidry.  Why can’t Kelly Thompson make it work storywise??

Scarlett 2

At least she’s doing a bang up job with Scarlett!

Helen of Wyndhorn 3

So far, this has been a surprisingly straightforward series by Tom King.  The last time things were so unconvoluted might very well have been Supergirl, another Bilquis Evely collaboration.  FIne by me, this is a wonderful book.

Zatanna: Bring Down the House 1

The beautiful Javier Rodriguez cover caught my eye, the Mariko Tamaki writing credit sucked me in, and the combination of the two creators has me sticking around for the rest of this series.  A great start to an origin story that I’ve never considered before.

Fantastic Four 21

Reed and Alicia have a rare team up in part one of this Blood Hunt tie-in.  Not bad, but still entertaining.

Ultimate Spider-Man 5-6

This Spider-Man Elseworlds is super fun, something that really doesn’t read like a Jonathan Hickman comic.  It strays just far enough from the 616 to qualify as different, but still feels comfortably familiar.  A lot like Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man in that way.  (But not nearly as good.  That was a masterpiece, after all.)

New comics

I’m so far behind.  And I just don’t have the same enthusiasm for this anymore.  Not enough sleep?  Something else?  Who knows.

Love Everlasting 15

So an arc ends, I don’t know much more than when I first started, but it’s been entertaining the whole time.  This will likely read much better all at once.  I’m still in when Tom King and Elsa Charretier come back from their announced hiatus.

Birds of Prey 10

I tried, I really did.  But Kelly Thompson’s plots just ain’t doing it for me.  Such a shame, her characterizations are wonderful.

Uncanny Valley 1-3

Yet another iFanboy recommendation.  This is a delightful mixing of the real world with Looney Tunes cartoon universe tropes.  The concept is without a doubt stronger than the execution by Tony Fleecs and Dave Wachter, but this is a title worth supporting.

Get Fury 2

Mostly setup, but it’s always good to read a Garth Ennis Punisher story.

Batman: Dark Age 3

A really solid Elseworlds.  I’ll never be fully all-in on Mike Allred, but he’s an oddly suitable choice for this title by Mark Russell.  

Scarlett 1

My first entry into the GI Joe side of the Energon Universe.  A fun little action comic by Kelly Thompson and Marco Ferrari.  Hopefully Thompson does a better job w/ the story on this book.

Penguin 10-11

Looks like this is a maxiseries after all, concluding w/ the next issue.  Makes sense.  As with most Tom King series, this will be super fun to read over again.

Nightwing 115

Heartless makes his move and Dick Grayson experiences the start of his own Born Again fall from grace.  

Ultimate X-Men 4

After giving it a few months, I’ve determined that this just isn’t for me in the long haul.  Peach Momoko does a fine job, but there isn’t enough traditional X-Men for me.  

Transformers 9

Perhaps the first time I’ve ever seen Shockwave wielded as a gun by someone else.  Still fun, but there continues to be some ineffable quality that’s keeping me from completely loving it. 

Rare Flavours 6

It’s no Many Deaths of Laila Starr, and the themes aren’t nearly as profound.  But this followup by Ram V and Filipe Andrade is still a joy to read, bringing the tastes and smells of Indian cuisine to the page.  

Animal Pound 4

The parallels to our modern state of American politics come front and center with this issue.  As with Animal Farm, the truths on display here are utterly terrifying and spellbinding at the same time.  Wondering how many more issues it’ll take Tom King to finish this story.  

Wonder Woman 10

So much invisible plane humor, it’s excellent.  Not sure i buy the Cheetah lovefest; Tom King is really toeing the line of annoyingly earnest, but I think he stays on the right side of it.

Plus, Kite Man!

Movies

Some movies I’ve recently seen:

Challengers

Zendaya is a goddess, and this movie is a perfect showcase for her.  Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor are quite good as well, but without Zendaya, I honestly wouldn’t have watched this film.  It’s a well-executed examination of the psychology of three extremely flawed characters, and while entertaining, it’s nothing that I need to watch again.  (The final scene is pretty classic, though.)

Regret watching: No

Would watch again: Yes, but only if someone else wanted to.

Would buy on DVD: No

Rating: Nice

Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

An amusing action film that I won’t ever think about again.  For a film with such a heist-style plot, the characters are sadly unmemorable.  I remember them as Henry Cavil, Jack Reacher, the scientist from 3-Body Problem, and the doctor from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.  And the big action piece is poorly filmed and horribly inert.  Meh.

Regret watching: No

Would watch again: No

Would buy on DVD: No

Rating: Didn’t suck

New comics

New comics!

Nightwing 114

Bruno Redondo returns for Tom Taylor’s final Nightwing arc.  It’s so good to see him back.  The story is fine, as Taylor begins tying up all the Heartless threads he’s laid out from the start of his run.

Ultimate X-Men 3

Ultimate Storm (in the form of Mei Igarashi) gets her origin story, and Nico Minoru makes her debut.  It’s intriguing enough to merit a stay of pull list execution for another month.

Wonder Woman 9

Daniel Sampere’s art reaches a new level of beauty, and the followup story has Super and Bat corgis.  A near-perfect issue.

Sunstone TPB 8

New stuff doesn’t ever really happen in Sunstone, but that’s not the point.  It’s about the stunning art, the wonderful development of the relationships, and (coming in at a surprising third) hot sex.   Stjepan Sejic remains one of my favorite creators.

New comics

Always new comics.

Avengers 12

I was sure I cancelled this title, but I guess I got this last one in my sub box.  It’s a tie-in with the Fall of the House of X arc.  It’s fine, but not nearly enough to change my mind.

Rare Flavours 5

Things are wrapping up, and this is still wonderfully engaging.  It’s like Iron Wok Jan, but with cannibalism.  

Helen of Wyndhorn 1-2

Tom King is back with another title.  (Seriously, how is he this frickin’ consistent and good?)  It’s also so nice to see Bilquis Evely again, after her magnificent Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.  The story here isn’t groundbreaking, but King’s writing elevates it way above boilerplate.

Wonder Woman 8

Seeing Wonder Woman tied up and humiliated is extremely uncomfortable for me.  It’s a good thing she breaks out at the end of the issue, since she’s a total badass. 

New comics

The neverending battle to stay less than a month behind my new comics continues.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees 6

As I hopefully predicted, creator Patrick Horvath does a great job closing this miniseries out.  Sam executes her endgame flawlessly, and the joy of watching her competence far outweighs the lack of narrative tension.  I’ll have to keep an eye out for Horvath’s future work.

Transformers 8

My review is exactly the same as last month's.  It’s hanging on to my list by a thread, despite its well-done execution.

Birds of Prey 9

As much as I want to like this, it’s on even thinner ice than Transformers.  I love the characters and Kelly Thompson does a decent job w/ their personalities, but these stories are complete snooze fests.

Fantastic Four 20

Johnny and Ben get into an inane, meaningless competition over who’s the better grocery cashier, ending with a predictable “but beneath it all they love each other like family” denouement.  Not Ryan North’s best.  

Fine Print TPB 2

I had to re-read the first trade since I’d forgotten everything that happened previously.  No chore at all, Stjepan Sejic really deserves to be a bigger name in the industry.  He really is one of my favorite creators.  There’s more plot, more sex, and more characterization in this second volume.  Win win win.

Asgardians TPB 1

George O’Connor follows up his excellent Olympians series w/ the next best mythology out there.  And while it’s of the same quality as his original offering, the fact that it’s the next best mythology out there naturally limits its ceiling.  I’ll still be getting all of these.  

Zorro: Man of the Dead 4

This miniseries ends way earlier than I expected it to, but that’s not a bad thing; Sean Murphy got in, did his thing, did it well, and got out cleanly.  It’s better than Plot Holes, worse than Batman: White Knight, and looks great the whole time.  

Get Fury 1

Garth Ennis finally gets back to his “Frank Castle in Vietnam” epic, crossing over w/ the Nick Fury of My War Gone By.  It’s exactly what I want out of it.  I’ve missed Ennis.

Animal Pound 3

Tom King writes what amounts to a historical recitation of facts in the most engaging way possible.  I loved reading this, as the animals’ government succeeds as conceived.  But there’s always an underlying tension as you get the feeling that it could all fall apart at any moment; the peace between the different species is precariously balanced on a knife’s edge, and my expectation was that it would all go to shit once Titan or Fifi inevitably died.  Instead, the twist comes a lot earlier in an ominous, harrowing turn.  Can’t wait to see what happens next.

New comics

It seems like I can’t get to the comic shop more than once a month now.

Batman: Dark Age 1-2

It’s not like I was that impressed by Superman: Space Age.  But I was still compelled to buy this follow up by Mark Russell and Mike Allred.  It’s not a bad Elseworlds, pretty much the definition of Nice.

Ultimate Spider-Man 1-4

I was going to ignore this; a reboot of the Ultimate universe felt completely unnecessary.  Knowing Jonathan Hickman was the chief architect only reinforced my indifference.  He’s a decent idea man, but his execution usually leaves much to be desired.  But I read some good reviews, and picked up the first three issues.  Imagine my pleasant surprise when this turned out to read nothing like a Hickman title; It’s fun, bright, and has a coherent narrative.  I’ll stick around as long as those things continue to be true.

Ultimate X-Men 2

This isn’t a bad comic, but it’s not an X-Men comic.  And I’m not in the market for a horror high school manga.  This’ll get one more issue.

Love Everlasting 14

I don’t have anything to say about this, but it’s still good.  This’ll be interesting to read all at once.

Nightwing 113

It’s good to see Daniele Di Nicuolo, Tom Taylor’s Seven Secrets partner, back in action.  It’s even better seeing the return to Bruno Redondo, getting his feet wet before next month begins Taylor’s final Nightwing story arc.  Howard Porter is unrecognizable (in a good way) in the backup story.  

Batman: Off-World 4

This is losing its initial appeal, but I’m pot-committed at this point.

Transformers 7

Does Jorge Corona pass the art test?  Yes, but I’m still on the fence with this title.  It’s not bad by any stretch, but I find myself emotionally uninvested.

Birds of Prey 8

Certainly amusing, enough to keep it around.  But not really memorable.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees 5

Sam engages in some soul searching, embarks on a vision quest, and decides to fight back. Very much a filler issue, but I expect things to get back on track next month.

Crave 5

Penultimate issue.  I’d stop buying if it weren’t ending next month.

Fantastic Four 19

Ryan North writes a film noir.  Carlos Gomez’s art is perfect for it, but the story isn’t one of North’s stronger ones.  

Penguin 9

A set up issue as Tom King uses a bunch of inner monologues to give us insights into a number of characters.