Strange Adventures

Strange Adventures 1-12

Third Tom King maxiseries in a row.  It’s interesting that while they all follow the same structure (well documented by this point), they don’t feel the same.  I guess it’s like how the piano concerto form doesn’t limit the infinite possibilities available to Mozart.

As with Rorschach yesterday, the mystery that Mister Terrific is trying to unravel is an enthralling one, right up until the reveal in issue ten.  While a bold move by King, it fundamentally betrays Adam Strange in a way that’s difficult for me to reconcile with my ultimate enjoyment of the story, even if I take it as an Elseworlds.  

Still, the execution is flawless, and the Mister Terrific bits are…well, the name says it all.  King should do a series with more of him.

Cruel.

Heh.

Day-um.

Lapping the field.  LOVE it.

Ouch.

As you can see above, Mitch Gerads is effing amazing. Evan Shaner is stunning as well:

*gasp*

That starfield...

The point where you knew things were going to go bad.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good (Really good for 2, 10)

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

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

Scott McDaniel Batman, New comics

New comics!

Strange Adventures 10

Things are finally made clear as Mr. Terrific lays it all out like the detective at the end of a murder mystery.  It’s 27 pages of narration, but Tom King had me completely glued to the page.  Fantastic writing, and now we’ll see how it all turns out.

Black Widow 7

This team of Kelly Thompson and Elena Casagrande might be, no joke, one of the best creative teams ever.  I can’t believe how blown away I am by this title right now.  As heartbreaking as it is, I’m glad that Thompson is continuing to explore the trauma Natasha’s experiencing in losing her family from the first arc; It’s not a plot point that’s so easily dismissed.

You don't have to be a parent for this to sting.

And then there’s the art.  Mind exploding.

Shadecraft 3

I can’t articulate why, but the story so far has been as insubstantial as shadows themselves.  It lacks any kind of emotional weight, and I’m finding myself sadly disappointed so far.  The only thing keeping this on my pull list besides the art (and even that isn’t Lee Garbett at his best) is Joe Henderson’s continued streak of excellent issue-ending cliffhangers.

The Many Deaths of Laila Starr 1-2

This is kind of like Neil Gaiman’s immortal Death: High Cost of Living, but not really.  The goddess of death is out of a job, and she sets out to kill the person responsible.  It’s unlike anything else I’ve ever read, and it’s lovely.

Batman 575-578, 582-584, 588-590

The start of the Scott McDaniel run. (I think this comes after his time on Nightwing and before Green Arrow.)  He works with Larry Hama, Ed Brubaker, and Brian K Vaughan in a series of stories that are all decent enough but really need the art to elevate them to a Nice rating.  

Having not read much, if any, non-GI Joe writing by Larry Hama, this is the first time I’ve noticed that his scripts could very much pass for his GI Joe stories, with their military specificity and characters describing exactly what they’re doing.  Batman’s basically a more verbal Snake Eyes.

Vaughan writes a creative Matches Malone origin story that would be more interesting if I cared at all about Matches Malone.

I was literally thinking this exact same thing at the exact same moment.

Sweet pose from McDaniel.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Superman, New comics

New comics!

Shadecraft 1

Joe Henderson and Lee Garbett, the creative team of the excellent Skyward; Of course I was going to pick this up!  It’s too early to tell much of anything right now (Shadows are attacking girl, girl’s brother who’s in a coma fights them in his own shadow form), but I’m certainly in for the ride. 

Black Cat 4

Jed MacKay’s just a really good writer, even in this slightish story starring a possible future antagonist.  

Batman/Catwoman 4

Strange Adventures 9

I love Tom King, but I really wish I could enjoy his series as individual issues rather than 12-issue epics.  The gap between issues really prevents me from enjoying all the subtleties and continuity in these stories.  Waiting for the re-read to really evaluate these.  

Seven Secrets 7

Just a little bit more origin story for Caspar.  (I had to look up his name.  Not the best sign.)  Still enjoyable.

Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity 8

It feels like this series has been going on forever.  Quick search reveals...October 2019.  Wow, this is older than my daughter, for just 8 issues.  Anyway, Harley doesn’t become a Joker disciple, nor does she go crazy.  That’s all I really wanted from this, so yay.  The ending’s a total let down (she catches him, he goes to jail, she vows to kill future bad guys), but this was still worth the buy.  WIll see if it holds up.  

Superman: Man of Steel 18-19

Superman 74-75

Adventures of Superman 497

Action Comics 684

Justice League America 69

The storyline that kicked off gimmick events at DC - This led to Knightfall (Batman), Emerald Twilight (Green Lantern), Terminal Velocity (Flash), whatever the death of Green Arrow was called, and Wonder Woman’s short biker chick phase.

There’s not much to talk about here - Doomsday pounds on Superman and the Justice League for seven issues.  Doomsday’s lack of origin doesn’t bother me so much, nor does the out-of-nowhere nature of his appearance.  That part of it actually works for me - a lot of people don’t see their deaths coming, and neither did Superman.  As Ron Burgundy says, 

With the decreasing number of panels per issue, the reduced number of images that can be devoted to storytelling means that the fight goes by really quickly.  It leads to my main problem with the arc - Superman really shouldn’t have been able to kill Doomsday.  Most of the story shows him getting his ass kicked.  He gets a few shots in, but given how much Doomsday’s strength has been touted, there’s no way Superman wins this fight.

Still, this is a classic storyline, certainly worth reading and a lot more entertaining than some of the other arcs I listed above.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Action Comics 858-863

There’s something about Geoff Johns and Gary Frank.  They tell some beautiful stories together.  This one, where a powerless Superman travels to the future to help the Legion of Super-Heroes, isn’t quite as good as Secret Origins, but it’s pretty close.  Mark Waid’s the only other person who’s made me care about a Legion story as much as this one.  This is a frickin' good yarn.

This page reveal made me gasp with joy.

Frank's great, but that punch is drawn all wrong.

Brainy's interjection is priceless.

Such a sweet way to connect Superman's adventures across the years.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good

Action Comics 864-865

One issue that ties up loose ends from the Legion arc that I really don’t care about.  Another about the Toyman that screams “let’s give Gary Frank some time to draw the next storyline.”  Since I don’t have this complete run anyway, I don’t feel bad cutting these.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Didn’t suck

Action Comics 866-870

Maybe it’s because Superman’s been rebooted so many times that this death of Pa Kent had absolutely zero emotional effect on me.  And this Brainiac lacked any kind of menace.  Good thing they gave Frank time to draw this, because it keeps the less-good-than-usual Johns writing from tanking the rating.  

As always, Frank's Clark is perfect.

Makes no sense from a logistic POV, but I still love it.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Superman 677-678

Tried these out because James Robinson was spectacular on Starman.  He’s not as good here.  I don’t know who Atlas is, but I don’t care in the slightest.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Boring (Cutting)