War of the Realms

War of the Realms 1-6

On the plus side, this is super epic in scale.  Russell Dauterman’s art is suitably excellent to match the ambition.  And there are some truly hell yeah moments.

That said, it falls victim to my biggest crossover pet peeve: It depends on its tie-in issues to tell the full story.  Tie-ins should serve to fill in little gaps, tell side stories that enhance the main plot.  They shouldn’t be required reading.  And there are far too many dependencies in this series.  Each of the threads are begun here and concluded elsewhere, with only the endings shown.  It’s wholly unsatisfying, and no amount of entertaining quips and character moments can overcome that.  

Dauterman is a phenomenal artist, but his Daredevil looks like a baby.

I love Jane Foster as All-Mother...

...but there's no way she survives against the Minotaur.

The result is a series that feels super rushed.  This is a montage, not a story.  The need to squeeze this into six issues was its downfall.  I would have preferred Jason Aaron take his time with this in the main title, give the final battle on Midgard the same care he took in setting it up over seven years.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

New Agents of Atlas 1

Original review.  Everything there still stands.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Runaways, War of the Realms

Only two new issues, with a graphic novel that I’ll review some other time.

Runaways 22

With the exception of the opening scene, this is a bottle issue set in the hideout.  Chase succeeds in reactivating the Doombot, but without his ethical regulator. Fight ensues.  It’s got some great character moments, which really makes it fun.

Oops.

Oops again.  This team is endearingly full of oops.

Yes, we remember...

...from issue 9.

Except when it’s horribly sad.

War of the Realms 6

The last issue of this series finally feels like an epic battle, instead of the glimpses into cool fights that we’ve been getting up until now.  While there are cuts to some of the ancillary fights, the issue primarily focuses on the fight between Malekith and the four Thors. So much fun to read, Russell Dauterman really brings it home.  

Don't fuck with Carol Danvers.

I would have loved to see Frog Thor.

Check out the confident smile on Jane Foster.

Excellent division of labor.

New inscription.  Bravo.

A little groanworthy, but I still laughed.

The explosions and energy flying around reminds me of the climaxes of just about every MCU movie, but with more emotional investment.  It doesn’t feel like a soulless CGI-fest.

Jason Aaron did a pretty good job with the culmination of his years-long epic.  He knows how to deliver on the small fist-pumping moments, but I would have liked a little more focus on the overall story.  Now as things return to their monthly titles, I really wish Mike del Mundo wasn’t doing art for the main title, I’d still be buying it otherwise for Aaron’s story.  I’ll check out Aaron’s King Thor miniseries instead.  Undecided on the new Jane-Foster-as-Valkyrie title.  Not a fan of her new costume. Way preferred her as Thor.

Gamekeeper, War of the Realms

Only one new comic this week.

War of the Realms 5

Jason Aaron does a horrible job with the timeline here.  He jumps around in an incoherent matter, leaving me unclear as to what’s going on for the entirely of the issue.  The individual scenes have some real gems, but they don’t make for a satisfying epic.

Okoye rules.

I'd rather live in Wakanda too.

Also, why is Cable hunting Vader in this ad?

Gamekeeper 1-5

Guy Ritchie teams up with Andy Diggle to write this not-so original story.  A man with a dark past has spent the last however many years trying to find peace as the reclusive gamekeeper of a ranch.  Naturally, the very thing that drove him to solitude comes back with a vengeance, driving him back into the world of violence he was so desperate to avoid.  

Sure, something like John Wick uses the same basic premise, but it adds a number of clever twists and flourishes that set it apart from the pack in a way that Gamekeeper does not.  This was pretty enough with Mukesh Singh’s art, using what appears to be Virgin Comics’ house coloring style with garish neon colors.  I intended to cut this when I first started reading it, but it’s a fun enough paint-by-numbers adventure, worth keeping around. (Also I spent two bucks on it, so good value.)

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Fine    

War of the Realms, Buffy, Calexit, Childhood's End

Last new comic for the week:

War of the Realms 4

The heroes of Earth gather allies from the other realms.  Of note is She-Hulk’s recruitment speech to the dwarves of Snidavellir:

Odin and Freyja appear to come to a glorious last stand end, but no bodies, no death.  

I miss the days of Secret Wars, where epic crossovers read more like a single, cohesive story rather than a collection of connected vignettes.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1

I reviewed this as a new comic just four months ago.  My opinion stands - It’s fun, but not enough for me continue getting.  Dan Mora’s art comes as such a breath of fresh air after Georges Jeanty.  How much better would Season Eight have been if Mora had been the artist instead?  I would have liked to see that very much.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Calexit 1

The concept, of course, is enough to get me on board: Huge chunks of California attempt to breakaway from the United States after the President announces plans to deport all non-US citizens.  

The result from writer Matteo Pizzolo doesn’t match up with what I was looking for.  I was hoping for an examination of what a successfully seceded region would be like - What would a state with no right wing look like?  What would fill the vacuum left by the conservatives? (Maybe I’ll write it myself someday.)

Instead, Pizzolo gives us a DMZ-type scenario, where the government is running a military occupation of California.  It’s certainly a plausible depiction of what would really happen, but it’s not something that I’m that interested in reading about.  I’ve seen stories about the gritty rebel fighting against The Man plenty of times, and this doesn’t add anything that I haven’t read before.  I’m still keeping it, because the idea alone is still worth keeping around.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Fine

Childhood’s End 1

Children are cruel, mean, little assholes.  That’s the story Dr. Malcolm Bourne, child psychologist, tells in this issue, showing all the mental and physical trauma kids can go through from just an everyday outing at the playground.  (At least the shittiest bully gets his comeuppance.)

This was the only issue of a planned five issues to come out, which is a shame.  This might be a hard read, but the truth of all the situations makes it an important one.  I would have liked to see how this played out.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

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

Five Years, War of the Realms, Spencer and Locke

New comics!  I took another flip through Young Justice.  Passed on it again.

Five Years 1

I was positive that I was going to pass on this after the conclusion of SiP XXV.  I had no interest in an end of the world scenario.  But I took a look through this at the comic shop out of courtesy to Terry Moore, who’s certainly earned that much with his amazing work over the years.  And darn it if he didn’t drag me back in. He does this by giving me what I was looking for during the entire XXV run - life with Katchoo, Francine, and their family.  It’s delightful, and Moore is wonderful with the dialog.  

Was it too much to have provided this during the run that was ostensibly about these characters?  Will see how long I stay with this.

War of the Realms 3

The heroes continue on their separate tasks - Cap leads a team to find Thor.  Freyja sets out to destroy the Black Bifrost. Daredevil defends the Rainbow Bridge alongside, among others, Jane Foster.  When in the world did she develop martial skills? Captain Marvel and a squad hit the streets to take on Malekith. It’s fine for an event book, but it’s a little too vignette-y for me, lacking the focus that I’d prefer from the main title of a massive crossover.  Russell Dauterman’s art remains stellar. And Jason Aaron gives us a nice Spidey quip:

Oh Spidey, you rascal.

Spencer & Locke 2 1

Elevator pitch: Calvin and Hobbes grown up, but Calvin’s childhood was abusive instead of idyllic.  Now he’s a hard-bitten detective who still carries his stuffed animal around with him wherever he goes.  His dad’s a crime boss and Susie Derkins was murdered.

The first miniseries was really dark and compelling.  The second introduces David Pepose’s twist on Beetle Bailey, now a psychotic army vet who’s killing city politicians.  Spencer (Calvin) investigates the case while also dealing with the custody case involving his newly discovered daughter.

This probably wouldn’t hold up without the comic strip angle, but it’s definitely entertaining with it.

Pearl, Naomi, War of the Realms, Star Trek: Q Conflict

New comics!

Star Trek: Q Conflict 3

The four starships play Capture the Flag until Trelane spices things up with TOS Doomsday Machine.  It’s fun seeing all four crews working together to take down a big threat, but there isn’t as much inter-show interaction as I would have liked.  Most of all, I enjoy reading this while imaging how it would look with the actors and effects in an actual TV crossover. Would be so cool.

Pearl 8

A long conversation, which involves a flashback several other long conversations, one of which recounts another flashbacked conversation.  Coming back to the original conversation, Bendis throws in a mini-twist that isn’t that surprising. It’s all great reading, which is of enormous relief to me after dropping both of Bendis’ Superman books.  He hasn’t completely lost it.

Naomi 4

This was really a key issue - if fun didn’t happen here, I was going to drop it from my pull list.  (Actually, it hasn’t made it on yet. Still on probation.) Naomi’s dad gives his origin story. It’s pretty standard, the deep cover agent who goes native and abandons his assignment, marrying a local in the process.  The tale ends with his discovery of Naomi as a baby. Bendis tells it well, and I’m probably in for the rest of this first arc. (Is that the White Lantern symbol on the box at the end?)

No...not quite the same.

War of the Realms 2

Having read so many events and tie-in issues over the past year for the project, I’ve learned my lesson and have resisted buying any of the side stories for this crossover.  (It’s helped that none of them have sounded very interesting so far.) The main title is maintaining the quality that I want to see, with great art and tons of action. Jane Foster appears to be in remission, and her hair growing back totally reminds me of Natalie Portman post-V for Vendetta hair shaving.  

So q.

There’s a bit of clunkiness at the end where the heroes delineate the various tasks that they’re splitting up to handle.  I hope they’re covered in this comic and not any of the spinoffs.

Love the pith.

Son of Superman, War of the Realms

Only one new comic this week.  I stopped getting Young Justice.  

War of the Realms 1

I stopped getting Jason Aaron’s Thor after Mike Del Mundo took over on art.  His dull color palette deadens the energy of his panels, which kills my enjoyment of the story.  But with the return of Russell Dauterman as Aaron begins the culminating story of his years on Thor, I’m all in on this Marvel event.  

The first issue is all set up as Malekith begins his invasion of Earth.  The fighting’s about to start in earnest, I’m pretty excited. And Loki gets eaten by his frost giant father.  I’m just going to leave that out there.

Son of Superman

It’s odd.  As Elseworlds stories go, there isn’t too much to this story by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman.  Superman’s been missing for fifteen years, but the son he fathered with Lois is now a teenager and developing powers.  He returns, of course, which sets off conflict and fighting. There nothing inherently new here, and yet I still find myself quite pleased with the result.  Part of it must be in the execution, similar to the Elseworlds story I reviewed last week.  Jon Kent comes across a lot like Mark Grayson from Invincible (which came after this, but is far superior in quality), all young and exuberant, but not rebellious enough to be annoying and stupid.  

JH Williams III is great on art.  (Have I mentioned how similar his style is to Tony Harris’?)  Though he doesn’t really seem to understand the concept of a fifteen-year leap forward - His men have aged into ancient geezers, which his women appear just as young and nubile as ever.

Batman?  Collecting social security.

Lana Lang?  Ready for MTV Spring Break.

I’ll happily read this again, but I don’t think I’d ever seek it out, either.

 

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Nice