Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Superman: Secret Identity

This was an amazing day of comic book reading.  I haven’t been this happy in a while.  There were moments I was practically tearing up, the comics were so good.  I love this medium.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow 1-8

Looks like this is my favorite Tom King comic book.  I don’t remember Vision being quite this good, and though I love Human Target so far, it doesn’t have the emotional resonance that Supergirl does.  King imbues this with a genuine earnestness while mixing in enough edge and irreverence to keep it away from over-sentimentality (at least until the last issue).  He does it with some of the most beautiful prose I’ve read this side of Alan Moore, which perfectly matches Bilquis Evely’s stunning art.   

An AMAZING setup for this issue.

So choked up.  How do you say goodbye to your daughter?

There are no timeline shenanigans, no complex mysteries, none of the usual King hijinks.  This is just a series of brilliant, stand-alone stories tied together by the most basic (not in a bad way) of overarching narrative threads.  It’s staying on my shelf, no question about it.  I love this.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pure joy

Superman: Secret Identity 1-4

This has been one of my favorite comics books since it first came out.  It remains so after every reading, including this one.  This is no-doubt magnum opus stuff from Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen.  (Along with Astro City ½.)  Not much else for me to say here.  I know what this is.

First flight.

Heh.  A lot more people know about The Queen's Gambit now.

The second issue is a beautiful love story.

So unlike the rest of Immonen's (also awesome) art.

So Americana.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pure joy

Fortune and Glory, New comics

New comics!

Lion and the Eagle 1

Garth Ennis is back doing another war comic, woots!  This one covers the Burma campaign during WWII.  It’s about average for Ennis, certainly no Sara.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow 8

A little too much moralizing at the end for my taste, I wish Tom King had gone for something a little more subtle.  Also, I’m still confused by the last page.  Why did Ruthye end her book that way?  Still, this was an amazing series.  If only the last two issues were just a touch stronger.

Nightwing 89

Tom Taylor crosses his two DC titles over as Nightwing meets up with Jon Kent.  I may have quit Son of Kal-El, but I’ll pick up issue 9 so I can see how this ends.  

Fortune and Glory 1-3

I was in the mood to go through Ennis’ war stories next (a coincidence that a new one popped up this week!), and they happen to be boxed along with Brian Michael Bendis’ indie stuff.

This is a hilarious look at Bendis’ attempt to sell his Goldfish screenplay to Hollywood.  He approaches the story with the perfect mix of “Yes, I realize how absurd all of this was” and “But there’s no doubt I wanted this to happen.”  It’s easy to forget how accomplished of an artist he is, the dude is a really skilled cartoonist.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

Sandman Mystery Theatre, New comics

New comics!

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow 7

One of the weaker issues in the run.  Still good, though.

Nightwing 88

Super fun issue where the Titans show up to protect Dick from a number of assassination attempts.  Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo nail the humor here.

Death of Doctor Strange 5

Past Dr Strange resurrects present Dr Strange, they save the day together, and both die again, leaving Clea as the new Sorcerer Supreme.  Not a bad mini, but squarely in the Nice category.  I won’t be buying the forthcoming Strange title, but if I hear good things, I’ll pick up the trade.

Human Target 4

By the end of the issue, the only thought in my mind was, “Damn, this is a sexy, sexy comic.”  For all the scantily clad women in comics (reduced as it has been since the 90s), there’s a definite lack of legitimate hotness.  This bucks that trend.  Ice is hot, and the sexual tension between her and Chance is unbelievable through the entire issue.  Tom King and Greg Smallwood are perfect in their execution of their growing attraction as they wordlessly get closer and closer to each other.  Amazing body language.  I love this issue.

Sandman Mystery Theatre 17-28

Writers Matt Wagner and Steven Seagle do this interesting thing throughout SMT where they often introduce the identity of the killer quite early in each arc, usually in the first or second act.  But they don’t overtly confirm that the villain is the same as the ancillary character in question, leaving me to ask, “Wait, it’s not really that person, is it?  It’s just too obvious…”  And yet it almost always is.  It’s an odd way to write a story, not one that I see very often.

The Scorpion: The Scorpion kills the oil barons responsible for the death of his father.  Dian starts to suspect that Wesley is the Sandman.

Dr Death: A doctor poisons poor people.  Dian discovers the truth.

The Night of the Butcher: A random person living in the sewers slaughters random people for no discernable reason.  One of the few times we learn almost nothing about the killer.  Dian struggles to reconcile her feelings for Wesley with his secret identity.  

Note how everything is from Dian’s POV.  This comic is really more about her than Wesley.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good.  Good for The Scorpion

Simonson Thor, New comics

New comics!

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow 6

More often than not, Tom King issues follow a similar pattern: It always takes a few pages to set up the premise, where it’s hard for me to figure out how it ties into the main thrust of the series.  It’s like warming up a cold engine, I’m not sure if it’s actually going to get started or sputter out.  Almost always, the car roars to life, and this time is no exception.  Supergirl continues to be one of the best new series I’ve read in a long, long time.  This time around, King describes the destruction of Argo City and how it affected Kara starting from a very young age.  It brings harsh details to a period of time that’s always been glossed over in the past, and it’s a harrowing story.  So top notch.

Jupiter’s Legacy: Requiem 6

Mark Millar continues to kill off just about every single good guy in this universe with no hesitation.  I will very likely have to re-read this just to refresh my memory when the final volume kicks off next spring.

Batman/Catwoman 9

Sigh, Liam Sharp has got this Bill Sienkiewicz vibe going on that doesn’t suck, but just isn’t a match for the preceding Clay Mann issues.  Also, this still feels like filler.

Nightwing 87

The much-anticipated 22-page-long single-panel issue.  Bruno Redondo hits this out of the park.  The story itself is rather slight, but it’s completely understandable given the high concept.  Super fun.  

Thor 373-374

Thor helps out X-Factor during the Mutant Massacre.  Hela reveals the curse she’s laid on Thor: Brittle bones that won’t heal, plus the inability to die.  As curses go, it’s pretty good.  Sal Buscema continues to provide completely adequate art.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Miracleman, New comics

New comics!

Dark Ages 3

Tom Taylor loves his shock moments.  Here he has Quicksilver snap Okoye’s neck and stab Johnny Storm in the chest.  Even better, it comes in the middle of some great character work.

Nightwing 86

Nightwing and the gang take down a UFO.  It’s great watching them all be uber competent.

Everyone ships them.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow 5

By the time this is over, this has a chance to be my favorite Tom King story.  This is on Pure Joy levels.  

Miracleman 1-3, 5-6

The Neil Gaiman/Mark Buckingham run.  (The missing issue is in the mail.)  These are a bunch of short stories covering life during the Miracleman Golden Age.  

It took me a couple of issues to realize: These are all Sandman stories.  Swap Morpheus in for Miracleman, and these would fit in perfectly as a Fables and Reflections or World’s End one-issue tale.  They’re not as good (except for the excellent Miraclewoman romance), but it’s kind of neat to see the leap between these issues and Sandman four years later.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good (1), Good (2), Nice (3, 5, 6)

New Comics

New comics!

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow 4

This is a special series, even by Tom King standards.  He can be so good at the two-page mini-story, using it to capture yet another aspect of Supergirl and what makes her great.  It struck me today that the writing style he uses is reminiscent of Laura Ingalls Wilder or Lucy Maud Montgomery.  There’s a refined, old school elegance to his language that works beautifully here.

This is very Clark Kent.

But this is where Kara differs from him.  She's harder.

Nightwing 84

Crossing over to Fear State, the event going on over in Batman, I presume.  Robbie Rodriguez does a great job filling in, I love his kinetic, lean style.  There’s Otto Schmidt and Sean Murphy in there.

Batman vs Bigby 1

I got this out of my love for Fables, but even with original writer Bill Willingham at the helm, I have to say that I’m not feeling this.  It reads more like a lesser Jack of Fables spin off than something from the master.  I might want to cancel this before I get in too deep.

Black Widow 11

Lovely art as usual, but this time it’s from Rafael de Latorre.  Between this and Captain Marvel, Kelly Thompson is really cornering the market on awesome all-women teams.  Though it would be really nice if she weren’t the only one.

Seven Secrets 12

I think that’s it for me.  Twelve issues in, and this has done very little for me, despite the colorful, beautiful art.  I just don’t care about any of these people.

Rorschach 12

Annnd, that’s it?  I mean, it’s well done from a craft POV, but it’s a little underwhelming.  I think it’ll be much better on the re-read.  

That’s it for all the non-Spider-Man Ultimates titles, it fills one box!  I’m not sure if I’m moving on to that Bendis run or something else.  It’s a lot of Spider-Man to be starting, no matter how good it is.  

Box summary

Time spent reading: 22 hours, 25 minutes

Issues read: 238

Issues cut: 42

Highlights (Good or better): Ultimate X-Men 1-6, 40-45, 58, Ultimate War, Ultimate Fantastic Four 1-12, Ultimates, Ultimates 4 1-12

Project Summary:

Time spent reading: 42 days, 21 hours, 42 minutes

Issues read: 9001

Issues cut: 1074

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.