Unstoppable Wasp

Unstoppable Wasp 1-10

More of the same irresistibly positive fun from Jeremy Whitely and new awesome art team Gurihiru.  This time around, Whitely tackles bipolar disorder, bad parenting, and gay acceptance as well.  It doesn’t quite reach the highs of the first volume, but it’s still up there as one of those comics I’ll always recommend to my friends now.

And there's Nadia's sense of humor.

A cute little moment.

Hee, science martial arts.

Bring it, Ying!

I LOVE watching these scientists collaborating with each other.

I picked up Future Foundation after this, but Whitely's follow up series didn't haven't nearly the same charm as this. Alas.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good

Unstoppable Wasp, New comics

New comics!

Magic Order 2 3

The standard “things have to get shitty before they get better” portion of the series.  The good guys are getting their asses kicked, compounded by the fact that one of them (I don’t recognize him) gets high on heroin and friendly fires a comrade in the middle of a fight.  Entertaining enough to continue, but not as memorable as the first series.

Dark Ages 4

This follows the main Tom Taylor Elseworlds tic - prominent character dies because Elseworlds.  As usual, he makes it work.  Artist Iban Coello has a Mark Bagley vibe going on.  It doesn’t suck, but it’s also not as refined as what I’d like for a massively epic tale like this.  Still fun.

Unstoppable Wasp 1-8

This is so so good, as good as I remember.  Jeremy Whitley writes this from a place of such innocence, joy, and love that it’s impossible to not get swept away in it, just like Janet, Bobbi, and anyone else Nadia comes into contact with.  So much to love here, but calling out GIRL:

I love that Whitley is making it a point to push girls in STEM disciplines.  I hope that this inspires tons of kids and helps to balance out these completely skewed fields.

The recruiting of the girls of GIRL and the saving of Ying is great, but the true highlight of these issues come in the last two issues, when Janet Van Dyne does her thing and basically fairy godmothers Nadia and her friends.  It’s completely heartwarming and had me tearing up at the end with parental happiness.  

I’m thrilled this got a follow up series.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good to Pure Joy by the end

Jimmy Olson, Excellence, Unstoppable Wasp, Ragnarok, Clue, Pearl

Between my new job, going to bed at a decent hour, and other life things, maintaining 30 minutes of writing every night is neither feasible or desirable anymore for me.  So new rule. I still want to write every night, but the thought of doing it for half an hour at a time has really been a mental strain. So rather than having that be a deterrent, I’m going to try doing away with it.  No time minimum on the amount I write, only that I do. I’m hoping that it’ll make for a more freeing experience. Here we go, I’ve got a ton to write single sentences about!

New comics from last week.  (I’m so far behind!)

Jimmy Olsen 1

Not sure why I tried this.  Matt Fraction on the writing credits?  The idea of Jimmy Olsen as the protagonist of a funny book appealed to me.  Ehhh. It's moderately amusing. It might be enough to warrant another month, but I’m not sure at this point.  The wink hold is pure genius, though.  

Excellence 3

Still gorgeous.  Khary Randolph continues to deliver a beautifully drawn comic.  It started off slowly as I struggled to remember who all of the characters were, but I was utterly touched to  see the lengths Spencer was willing to go through to steal just a few precious moments with his grandmother. That lovely scene, followed by the plot of a mystical bodyguard falling in love with his charge, pulled me fully back into the story.  

Unstoppable Wasp 10

Final issue :(  So very very sad about that, this has been one of my favorite books over the last year.  Pure joy is hard to come across. But I’m thrilled that we were even lucky enough to get a second volume.  I’m going to miss this comic so much, and I really hope that Jeremy Whitley brings the same magic to Future Foundation.     

Ragnarok: Breaking of Helheim 1

Walt Simonson is back with jawless Thor!  This is straight up classic fantasy, and I love both the illustration and writing of his alternate Ragnarok.  Epic stuff.

The vertical panels are so choice.

Clue: Candlestick 3

This turned out to be a fun little story.  Dunno if I’d buy it again, but I particularly loved the little Monopoly digs.  

Heh, got boring.

Pearl 11

Dude.  The conversation at the beginning of the book may be one of the best idle chatter scenes of Brian Michael Bendis’ career.  It’s classic him, and absolutely hilarious.

Excellence, Unstoppable Wasp, Skyward

Excellence 2

I’d forgotten about this comic until it showed up in my pull folder - the title didn’t register in my brain when I saw it on the weekly release list.  It’s still fun, and reads like Creed with Harry Potter wizarding instead of boxing.  Writer Brandon Thomas has a few rough spots with his time jumps - For the majority of the story, he uses “Now,” “19 minutes ago,” “22 minutes ago,” etc as his temporal markers.  All well and good. But in the last two pages, he switches to the age of Spencer as his reference points: “Age 15,” “Age 19.” That threw me for a loop. Does that mean that the last scene, at Age 19, is four years in the future?  Or was Age 15 a flashback? Confusion.

Still, it’s good to read and great to look at.  Khary Randolph can draw a sweet looking page.

Unstoppable Wasp 9

Wasp is being cancelled with issue 10, so there’s only one more issue of this delightful comic coming up.  I’m sad, but also happy that I even got the chance to read ten more issues of this after the end of its initial run.  Jeremy Whitley is moving on to write Future Foundation, and I’ll be sure to pick that up - more kids doing science and going on adventures sounds just fine to me.  

The lab coat line makes it onto my list of favorites.

Skyward 14

After a (very) slight dip in fun for the last four or five months, Joe Henderson and Lee Garbett wrap up their second arc with a massive bang, delivering on story and art in spades.  (Henderson’s the one who needed to return to form. Garbett’s been kicking ass all along.) I’m going to show things that make me happy now.

She looks so graceful floating there, it blows me away.

Giant butterfly army.  Stunning.

Fearless, wonder-filled children are always fun to read.  Unless they're stupid.

What a sweet way to end it :)

Jessica Jones, Excellence, Unstoppable Wasp, Runaways, Star Trek: Q Conflict

New comics!

Star Trek: Q Conflict 4

Plot is so secondary in my enjoyment of this series.  I’m having a blast just reading this thing with the voices of the actors in my head.  Silvia Califano draws great representations of the characters, which really helps to sell the story as a massive tv show crossover.  

Love seeing everyone interacting around a table.

Runaways 21

I’d never thought of Chase as the responsible member of this family, but this issue goes a long way towards convincing me of that fact.  It doesn’t feel like a sudden shift in personality - writer Rainbow Rowell’s been building to it for a while, but always in the background, so that I never really noticed it.  I’d just been so used to early Runaways Chase, the self-absorbed bro that I didn’t like at all.  His conversation with Molly was touching in its honesty. Chase has levelled up, and I’m a huge fan of it.  

Heh.

Also like that Karolina’s in therapy, and it’s depicted as something positive.  Mental health maintenance is important!

Love the joy on the saved kid's face.

Victor’s apparently human now, so we’ll see how that shakes out next issue.

Unstoppable Wasp 8

The usual fun, not much more to add right now.  

Just a bunch of faces by Stacey Lee, but it encapsulates the book so well.

Excellence 1

I bought this after hearing the guys on the iFanboy podcast talk about it as their Pick of the Week.  I’m so glad I was introduced to to this, it’s a really sweet read. (Brandon Thomas writes, Khary Randolph pencils, Emilio Lopez colors.)  This is an excellent example of how to do a first issue. Thomas quickly sets up the world and characters, along with the conflicts that will be taking place.  It’s economical and action-packed, and I’m eager to find out what happens next.

Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter

The next collection of the webcomic by Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis.  Remarkably well written, and as gorgeous as the first trade.  On the other hand, I’ve totally reached my saturation point with the Purple Man.  I’m just so tired of him. Not as much as Jessica is, but still. I understand that the whole point is that Jessica will never be rid of him, but I wish it didn’t mean that the same thing applied to the readers as well.  

Thompson's conversations are as strong as Bendis'

Jones’ interactions with Emma Frost are the highlight of the story.  I would never have imagined the two of them in a team-up, and it’s simply hilarious.

Lots of boob jokes, but Jessica makes them work.

Banana Sunday, Unstoppable Wasp, New Agents of Atlas

New comics!  I didn’t buy the new Wonder Twins.  Each twin goes on a disastrous date, and the unfun was more than enough for me to drop it.  

War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas 1

This tie-in miniseries covers the Asian response to Malekith’s invasion of Earth.  Jimmy Woo leads his Agents of Atlas into the fray against the forces of Muspelheim.  I bought this because I wanted to support an all-Asian Marvel team book. Unfortunately, the story itself is pretty generic.  Greg Pak introduces a bunch of new heroes, each with their own gimmick and not much else. The only one with a personality is the already established Amadeus Cho, and he’s idiotically headstrong for someone so intelligent.  It’s unlikely that I’ll by the rest of this series, but I’ll keep this issue around for a re-read.

I did like this conversation, though:

I've always called them Asian pears...

Unstoppable Wasp 7

Once again, Jeremy Whitley’s writing has put a massive smile on my face.  This issue’s bursting at the seams with positive energy without an ounce of artifice.  I don’t know how he keeps this from crossing over into insanely annoying, but I love every bit of Nadia’s unfiltered joy.  It rubs of on everyone around her and it rubs off on me. On to the moments that I particularly enjoyed:

Almost as good as the end of Avengers: Endgame.

Gotta love Marvel continuity.

Banana Sunday 1-4

This did not age well.  I didn’t remember much about this comic, only that it has a teenage girl and 3 mischievous monkeys, and that I enjoyed it the first time around.  Not so much the second. Kirby’s the new girl at school, but in addition to dealing with an annoying new best friend, an annoying new love interest, and an annoying mean girl, she has to manage three annoying, talking simians who can’t stay out of trouble.  

The wacky hijinks ticked me off, and I derived zero to little entertainment out of any of it.  It’s revealed at the end that these are the the actual See/Hear/Speak No Evil Monkeys of legend, and their former caretaker was just as fed up with them as I.  

I totally get you, pal.

The only thing I liked was Go-Go.  He’s cute, eats bananas, and falls asleep all the time.  I respect that. The only thing convincing me to keep this series is that my future kids might find it entertaining.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Didn’t suck

Superman/Batman, Prodigy, Unstoppable Wasp, Wonder Twins

New comics!

Wonder Twins 3

A fine effort, but I don’t see myself needing to revisit these last three issues again.  A clear sign to stop buying Wonder Twins.  I thought Gleek might provide some humor, but Mark Russell chose instead to show his traumatic background with only a minor and unsatisfying resolution.  Ah well, I tried.

Alas, the comic did not live up to the promise of the cover.

I can't tell if he's sarcastic or sincere.  Either way, it's hilarious.

I didn’t make the connection until now, but the penciller, Stephen Byrne, did the art on Mera: Tidebreaker as well.  I hope to see him on more things in the future.

Unstoppable Wasp 6

Now this is how do you do a comic ostensibly geared towards YA.  Nadia Pym and her colleagues are delightful, and it’s a joy to read about their adventures and relationships.  Jeremy Whitley makes no effort to disguise his messages of acceptance, understanding, and empowerment, but when they’re presented so sincerely and satisfactorily, I have no objection.  Indeed, my only wish is to read more of them.

Prodigy 5

It’s nice to see Edison Crane be proven wrong in several instances this issue, first by the surgeon who saves his life, and then by Rachel.  It’s not a good sign that I have to look up the protagonist’s name even after five issues, but I’m still enjoying Prodigy.  With an issue to go, I’d rank it just above average on the list of Mark Millar’s miniseries.  

Superman/Batman 26

An IRL gutpunch of an issue.  Jeph Loeb collaborates with a host of generous artists to bring to life a story written by his recently deceased son, Sam.  The sadness of the backstory makes it impossible for me to give this any rating other than Major Feels, and there are quite a number of moments that make my lower lip tremble.     

Love the cleanness of the art here.

I can't imagine how Jeph Loeb managed to write this.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Major Feels

Superman/Batman 27

Superman and Batman’s mind are transplanted into Power Girl and Huntress.  Jeph Loeb’s departure from the title was enough to get me to stop buying it.  (I presume the last major story arc has something to do with it too…)

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? No

Rating: Didn’t suck (Cutting)

Star Trek, Unstoppable Wasp, Naomi

More new comics!

Naomi 2

So...the second issue ends exactly the same as the first.  

In between, we get Naomi’s adoptive parents acting as creepily as one would expect in a mystery about her origin.  It’s all about the set up and execution, and I’m still in during all this slow burn. But it had better get good soon, or this’ll meet the same fate as Action Comics.  (I finally cut it from my pull list this week.)  

Unstoppable Wasp 5

Nadia fights her friends as she struggles to deal with her first bipolar episode.  It’s a little after-school special, but I respect the effort by Jeremy Whitley to accurately portray the condition.  It’s also nice that Nadia’s in a caring environment, surrounded by loving friends who will support and help her as she learns to live with it.  And extra props to the extended Q&A with a psychology expert in the Agents of G.I.R.L. column.

Star Trek: The Q Conflict 1-2

I almost never buy Star Trek comics, but I couldn’t resist this one.  It’s pure fan service, and this fan is buying: Q brings the TOS, TNG, DS9, and Voyager crews together, then fantasy drafts them into four teams for a competition for the fate of the blah blah blah.  (Quark is the last pick, right after Harry Kim.) The plot doesn’t matter, of course - This one’s all about the interaction between the different crew members. It’s wonderful, and I’m looking forward to four more issues of this.  

You’re crazy if you don’t think I’m totally going to analyze the draft.

Assumptions: The grid is showing each team’s pick order from left to right.  The pick order goes Picard, Janeway, Sisko, Kirk. (We know Kirk and Sisko’s placement because of Quark and Kim.)  It’s not a snake draft, since that would mean Kirk’s team has the first pick of the second round, and there’s no way McCoy goes before Spock.  Which also means Picard’s team has the first pick over Janeway, since Riker would never go before Spock either.

Given that, the pick order with my thoughts:

1. Picard - Unfair to judge the captain pick order, they were chosen before the start of the draft.
2. Janeway
3. Sisko
4. Kirk
5. Spock - An excellent second pick.  Data would have been the other acceptable one.
6. Riker - Any pick that isn’t Data from this point forward is inexcusable.
7. Chakotay - Are you kidding me?  Chakotay doesn’t belong in the first half of this draft.
8. McCoy - The only non-XO in the second round
9. Crusher - Waaat?? Not even the best doctor left on the board.  Though with only three CMO’s in the draft, I can see Picard not wanting to be the only team left without one.
10. Kira - A wasted pick, Janeway doesn’t need a second first officer.  Especially w/ Data still available.  
11. Data - Steal of the draft, at least five slots too low.  
12. Worf - Solid pick, the physically strongest competitor remaining.
13. Seven - Strong science pick.  Paired with Spock, the intelligence on this team is skyrocketing.
14. Scotty - First chief engineer taken, and probably the best.  
15. Sulu - Odd to take a helmsman so early.  It’s like taking a kicker way before everyone else.
16. Dax - Intentionally putting the couples on the same teams?
17. Odo - Another questionable pick.  What does he bring?
18. Paris - Why are all the pilots being taken?  You already have Riker, who can fill that role.
19. Bashir - Nice, getting your doctor so late.
20. Tuvok - The Dax pick is looking bad now, Kirk’s team is without a doctor now.
21. Geordi - Geordi or O’Brien: feels like a coin flip.  Might as well go with the synergy w/ the captain.
22. Chekov - Even with Scotty, I’d have taken another engineer here.
23. Troi - How did she get taken before the last round?
24. O’Brien - Best pick left on the board.
25. Uhura - I’d have gone w/ Torres here.
26. Torres - Sure.
27. Kim - Yep.
28. Quark - Okay.

Of course, I have to draft this myself now, given the same starting captains.

Picard	Janeway	Sisko	Kirk
Data	Spock	Riker	Scotty
Seven	Worf	O’Brien	Tuvok
Geordi	Torres	Dax	Bashir
Crusher	McCoy	Sulu	Chekov
Paris	Kira	Kim	Chakotay
Uhura	Odo	Troi	Quark

This was way too fun for its own good.