Moon Knight

Moon Knight

Well, it happened.  Marvel put out a flat out boring tv show.  It's not just boring (which it was), this was bad.  Let’s get the good stuff out of the way, because it wasn’t devoid of moments:

Oscar Isaac is a great actor.  I’m not a fan of his depiction of Steven Grant, but the acting is well done.

“Are you an Egyptian superhero?”  Representation matters.

Marc’s abusive mother.  Horribly painful to watch, but the wretched realness of it was the best part of the show.  

I think that’s it.  

Everything else comes down on the not-good side of the balance sheet.  The CGI on the Moon Knight costumes didn’t look real, there were no fun action scenes, the Ammit storyline (ooh, someone else who wants to kill off most of the world) was a snoozefest, Ethan Hawke was wasted, Steven Grant is a dolt (he’s basically Oliver from season 4 of Coupling.  That bad.), the lighting for half of the show was Battle of Winterfell unwatchable, and I’m not doing this anymore.

I heard rumors of a season two.  I don’t know why.  For the first time, here’s an MCU character that I don’t want to see again or wonder how they’re going to interact w/ the rest of the cast.  

1. Hawkeye

2. Wandavision

3. Loki

4. Falcon and Winter Soldier

5. Moon Knight

Regret watching: No 

Would watch again: No

Would buy on DVD: No

Rating: Boring

Moon Knight, Pulse

Moon Knight 1-4

I just stopped buying this, and rereading it so soon after has done nothing to make me rethink it.  The art by Alessandro Cappuccio makes me regret it just a bit (he really draws a spectacular Moon Knight), but the writing by Jed MacKay (so good on Black Cat!) doesn’t elevate the character into must-read territory. 

A cute little turn of phrase.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Pulse 10

So I’ve already reviewed The Pulse.  Somewhat unfortunately, I didn’t update my database to reflect the fact that I had anything past issue 6, so I rebought the full run when it was on sale at my LCS.  On the other hand, the re-buy included issue 10, which is not included in the trade.  (It’s a random House of M crossover that’s really more of an Avengers tie-in than anything else.)

So at least I now don’t have a missing issue in the run.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Miracleman, Moon Knight, New comics

New comics!

Catwoman: Lonely City 1

This is the Catwoman version of Dark Knight Returns.  Set ten years in the future, Selina Kyle is old, just out of jail, and dealing w/ a post-Batman Gotham City where Bruce Wayne’s been dead for ten years.  Cliff Chiang surpasses all of my expectations on both writing and art duties, and on top of it all, Josie Mac shows up!  Looking forward to the rest of this.

Superman: Son of Kal-El 5

Admission: I wanted to cut this last issue, but didn’t want my LCS to think it was because I’m against Superman being in a gay relationship.  Whatever.  This comic isn’t doing anything for me, and his relationship status has absolutely nothing to do with it.  Cutting.  

Miracleman: Apocrypha 1-3

A bunch of more short stories from quite the impressive list of creators, including Neil Gaiman, Mark Buckingham, James Robinson, Kelley Jones, Norm Breyfogle, Matt Wagner, Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross, Darick Robertson…

The stories themselves nothing too stand out, except for the Ross story, which is basically a retelling of Ray Bradbury’s Kaleidoscope:

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Moon Knight 1-6

The Warren Ellis/Declan Shalvey issues.  He’s definitely on his back half of his career at this point (2014).  It feels like he’s barely trying.  And yet, it really doesn’t suck.  Suboptimal Ellis is still entertaining.  And the sniper issue (issue 2) is really effective as each victim gets picked off one by one.

The moonblades have such a clean, elegant look.

Moon Knight really has the coolest cape ever.

Edna Mode be damned.

I don't know, he killed the other eight.  Bank doesn't always win.

Plus, I think Shalvey’s the one who came up with the “Moon Knight in a suit” thing (I’m not sure), and it’s a sweet look.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Miracleman 4

The missing issue in my Gaiman/Buckingham run came in the mail today.  Eh, not that interesting, but it’s worth filling out the gap.  (Gaiman tells us what happens to Winter after she flies off into space.)  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Marvel Action: Chillers, New comics

Tons of new comics, I hadn’t been to the shop in like a month.

Batman/Catwoman 8

I’m really not digging the Liam Sharp art.  It’s just not the same as Clay Mann.  Storywise, this has felt like filler for a couple of issues now.  But with four issues to go, I can’t really quit at this point.  Sigh.  

Death of Doctor Strange 2

Nothing spectacular.  It may be that Jed MacKay isn’t worth following from title to title the way Tom King and Tom Taylor are.  But this is still good enough that I’ll stick around, especially with Lee Garbett on art.  

Strange Adventures 12

As with all Tom King stories, this definitely requires a re-read.  I wonder if this will lose its mystique now that the twists have been revealed.  Certainly the craft and art are great.  I’m just not so sure about the story itself.

Moon Knight 4

Is there any comic character who has a larger discrepancy between how cool they look and how interesting their stories are?  I love Moon Knight’s look, but I’ve never been able stick around for any of his runs.  (Warren Ellis only went six issues with him.)  The fact that this is volume 9 suggests that the rest of the general public feels the same.  Anyway, this is my last issue for this comic.  Thanks for trying, Jed MacKay.

He looks so good!

Alessandro Cappuccio is spectacular

Superman: Son of Kal-El 4

I was skeptical after last issue, this one cemented it for me.  This title doesn’t have the spark, the fun, the crazy ideas of Tom Taylor’s better work.  Which is sad, because I’m a fan of Jon’s impending coming out in the next issue.  (Loving how it’s pissing off all the right people online.)  But this was almost a full issue of Jon saving his grandparents from an explosion in slow motion, then standing around a crater and talking about it.  I can totally see a world where that can be done well, but it isn’t here.  Combined with my lack of enthusiasm for the previous two issues, that means the end of line for me.

Captain Marvel 33

It’s just a string of mediocre comics for me this month.  Kelly Thompson’s newest Captain Marvel arc falls flat, but the strength of the rest of the title means I’ll push through this and at least try out the next one. 

Dark Ages 2

Phew, Tom Taylor hasn’t completely lost it.  He can at least still bring it on his alternate reality comics.  Iban Coello’s art is a little too sloppy for this to be top tier, though.  There’s a Mark Bagley vibe to it, and not in the good way.  (Bagley can be great, but only on the right projects.)

Marvel Action Chillers 1-4

Yeah, this is way more for kids than Jeremy Whitley’s work on Wasp.  Not that I don’t enjoy a good comic for the young ‘uns, but this isn’t anything special even taking that into account.  I’d cut it, but I’d still read this with my daughter someday.

Heh.  That's probably true.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Fine

Ultimates, New comics

New comics!  I was literally passing out while reading these, but I don’t think that affected my feelings for these issues...

Moon Knight 3

I’m not feeling this so much anymore.  After the intriguing first issue, things have been remarkably uninteresting.  This is nothing more than an extended fight scene.  I might get it one more issue, I might actually cancel now.  Not sure.

Death of Doctor Strange 1

I’ll give this another issue to see where it goes.  Lee Garbett on art certainly merits at least one more month.  

Jupiter’s Legacy: Requiem 4

This isn’t bad, but I don’t know that I need to read this ever again.  Another candidate for immediate cut.  I may have to read the first couple of miniseries to see if that makes me care more for the characters than the zero that I do right now.  

Old Guard: Tales Through Time 6

I got too caught up in the rush of the movie.  This anthology series is seriously not worth the purchase.  It’s not bad, but I certainly wouldn’t buy it again in hindsight.

Batman: The Detective 5

A rare misfire from Tom Taylor.  This is entirely replacement level, nothing that makes it stand out as a Taylor title.  Another “wouldn’t buy again.”

Ultimates 1-13

This was amazing when it first came out - Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch bringing the widescreen blockbuster action of Stormwatch over to the Ultimate universe.  Crazy fun action, quippy heroes saying clever things, the whole package.  

This comic is literally how Sam Jackson got the MCU role.

This was just before Pirates came out.  Thank goodness they went with RDJ...

Buscemi would have been interesting...

I would totally read a Butler Club teamup comic.

Total Matrix ripoff, but the ensuing action scene is pretty sweet.

The classic, defining moment for this comic.

Hitch really can draw a splash page.

But reading it this time around, I’m mostly struck by how cynical and bitter Millar’s take on the premier Marvel team really is.  There are almost no truly likeable characters (Thor is the only one), and most of them have at least one trait that makes them at least annoying, if not worse - Captain America’s stuck with his out-of-date 1940s morals, Hank Pym’s a weak-willed wife beater, Bruce Banner’s a weak-willed suck up, Quicksilver and Wanda have their incestuous relationship going on, Natasha ends up being a traitor, Tony Stark is a drunken fool, Betty Ross is a cruel, calculating phony, and even Jarvis is an unpleasant asshole.  

Takes the original and cranks it up to "way worse."

This is just mean spirited of Millar.

Really?  Still going with gay jokes?

Sure, the action scenes are spectacular, but underneath it all, there’s an unpleasantness to it all that really tainted the experience for me.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

Ultimates 2 1-13

Ultimates Annual 1

About halfway through volume 2, I realized that The Ultimates is really just Garth Ennis’ The Boys a few years early.  You’ve got your government/corporate-sponsored team of superheroes sent off to do the whims of their master.  Everyone’s despicable to some extent, no one’s really friends with each other, and it’s all vaguely depressing.

I don't mind with Sam Jackson, but Patrick Stewart's likeness completely takes me out of it here.

Such a phony, cynical moment.

Agree with Nat, I actually cheered when he got shot.

I don't get Millar's affections for "[Name], [begging]" moments.

Is it supposed to make the hero more badass?

Because it makes the final blow more pathetic for me.

The team’s so dysfunctional that I stopped caring after a while whether or not this team succeeded or failed.  It stopped being fun. 

And yet, it still gets a much better rating than you’d imagine from the tone of this review.  It’s too ambitious and well drawn to deserve anything less, and I’d still read it again.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Ultimates Annual 2

A piece of crap about Captain America, Falcon, race, and Arnim Zola.  Incoherently written by Charlie Huston, I had zero patience for this.  

Regret buying: Yes

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Disliked (Cutting)

New comics

So many new comics, and yet again, it’s a reaffirmation of why I love this medium so very much.  A ton of great stuff.

Die 19

Lots of stuff happens here, and it’s all entertaining, but I’m honestly ready for this to be over with the next issue.  Depending on how it ends, I might not be back for any follow ups.

Old Guard: Tales Through Time 5

Yeah, this series wasn’t worth picking up.  There’s no meat to any of these short stories.  I got suckered in by the first issue.  Mistake.  And now I’m committed, there’s only one issue left.  

Black Widow 10

This arc has been generic from the story side, but the art continues to be incomparable.  Elena Casagrande!

Awesome reveal.  And Kate Bishop is always welcome.

Dude.  This is insane.

Hee.

Superman: Son of Kal-El 2

Some nice character moments, mostly set up for future confrontations.  It’s still weird seeing Wildstorm properties like Gamorra and Henry Bendix in the DC universe.

Heh.

Jupiter’s Legacy: Requiem 3

This is...fine.  Do I really want to stick around for another nine issues?  Kind of torn on this one.

Batman/Catwoman 6

Probably the weakest Tom King story since Heroes in Crisis.  It’s not bad or anything, but there doesn’t seem to be any point to this, even for a King story.  He doesn’t appear to be setting the groundwork for anything, it’s just some disjointed scenes that don’t contribute much of anything.  I could be wrong, though.  I’m hoping I am.

Black Cat 9

Not really feeling this caper so far.  Maybe it’s because I’ve found Star to be a boring villain, both here and over in Captain Marvel.  (I just discovered that Kelly Thompson wrote a Star miniseries, but I can’t be bothered to pick it up.  And this is as a recent Thompson convert.)

I didn't think much of this Pepe Larraz cover until I examined the faces.

Moon Knight 2

Not as strong as the first issue, but I’m in for at least a few more issues; Jed MacKay deserves that much.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow 3

Loving this.  The strengths of this issue lie in the moments, not the plot (which is the standard “town hiding a genocide” trope.  (Is that really a trope?  It didn’t feel new to me, in any case.)).  

It’s in the way Bilquis Evely draws the outline of Supergirl’s hair with solid, impossible curves:

It’s in the protective way she shields the narrator during an assassination attempt:

And it’s the way she brushes aside a bullet to the eye, very reminiscent of Superman Returns:

Nightwing 83

No one masters the “moment” like Tom Taylor.  The thing is, none of these instances are that surprising; they’re actually pretty obvious.  But the point is that Taylor’s the only one who actually takes the time to realize them.  That’s the magic.  

Power pose!

Alfred getting the proper respect.

*Squee!*

This literally brought tears to my eyes.