Old Guard

Old Guard 1-5

A very solid concept (good guy mercenary warriors who never die) that’s expertly executed by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez.  Some great action and a surprising amount of emotion keeps this at a high level of quality from start to finish.

Plus, it’s the source material for an even better movie.  The silent communication and perfectly coordinated movements of the team make for one of my favorite action scenes ever:

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

Old Guard: Force Multiplied 1-5

An old companion of Andy’s comes back to exact some revenge.  To be fair, drowning in the ocean for countless years would drive anyone mad.  

The ending makes no sense to me; the team finds out that Andy used to sell her vanquished enemies as slaves.  And by “used to,” I mean literal millenia ago.  And somehow that’s enough for them to dump her as a teammate.  Which drives her into the waiting, open arms of Noriko, who’d spent the last five issues trying to punish them all.  Sure, whatever.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Old Guard: Tales Through Time 1-6

A complete waste of money; Six issues, twelve stories, and not a single one that doesn’t feel like filler.  This is a really talented list of writers (including Rucka, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, and Jason Aaron), but none of them are able to bring anything that feels substantial to the table.  It’s really quite remarkable.  

Regret buying: Yes

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Didn’t suck

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.

Fire Power, Getting it Together, New Comics

New comics!

Superman: Son of Kal-El 1

Tom Taylor is amazing.  Just about every page of this has a “pause to appreciate” moment, it’s really quite impressive.  

Best bros.

New best bros.  Poor ninja.

Obvious Donner tribute here:

Ah, that smile :)

The problem is that I’m completely skeptical about the premise; I don’t see how Taylor’s going to get Jon to fix climate change or wealth inequity or any other real-world issue in any kind of believable way.  But I’m definitely on board for now, because he’s such a good writer.

Black Widow 9

Writer Kelly Thompson is totally channeling Florence Pugh through her Yelena, and I’m 100% okay with it.  What’s odd is that I’m getting no Scarlett in her Natasha.

I can't help but read this in Pugh's voice.

This too.  It's great.

And Elena Casagrande continues to own, of course.

Strange Adventures 11

The truth comes out, and it’s well written as usual.  Will see how it wraps up next month.

Love the owl creature design.

Black Cat 8

Not Jed MacKay’s most interesting caper for Felicia, but it’s entertaining enough.  And if this somehow ends up with Black Cat getting an Infinity Stone?  That’d be sweet.  

Beta Ray Bill 5

Such a fun finish to a wonderful miniseries, and with a heartache-y ending to boot.  Daniel Warren Johnson is on my radar now, after these five issues.  

Skurge has been great this whole series.

This whole sequence is glorious.

Old Guard: Tales Through Time 4

Not bad, but I'm not sure this series is good enough to justify the purchase. Kind of late now with two issues to go.

Fire Power: Prelude, 1-6

Once again, my original thoughts have not strayed from my current ones.  (That usually seems to be the case when there aren’t that many years between readings.)

The prelude remains phenomenal, slowly building up with all of the training and relationship growth until it reaches the climactic battle.  The battle itself flows with amazing pace, growing in tension and excitement until it practically explodes in the finale.  It’s a spectacular job by Robert Kirkman and Chris Samnee.  

Sadly, the main title doesn’t maintain that energy.  There are some sweet moments, particularly the tension that comes from knowing that a former love will always hold a place in your spouse’s heart.  

I get where she's coming from.

Also get his POV.

But this is as good of an explanation as I've heard.

Yet for all of that, the story feels surprisingly sparse.  Not much actually happens in these six issues - One issue to set things up, then five issues of fighting that take place over 24 hours or so. It’s going far too slowly, and that’s why I quit reading.  Which isn’t to say that this is a poorly executed comic.  The craft is all excellent, it’s just not for me.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No (Yes to the Prelude)

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good (Good for the Prelude)

Getting it Together 1

Even less fun than the first time I read it.  Relationship problems for people I don’t really like reading about.  Easy cut.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Didn’t suck