Monday, February 5, 2018
Way to go Philadelphia Eagles. I couldn’t stay awake to watch the whole game after a long day at the monthly Capital Trade Show with Chris. I was surprised at how well we did considering that it snowed all day, it was Super Bowl Sunday and Winterlude was going on in Ottawa. We had our regular show folks looking for old comics and magazines to thank for our sales. I’m happy for the Eagles for winning their first Super Bowl and for all their fans. I hope they enjoy the celebrations.
Detective Comics #973 – James Tynion IV (writer) Jesus Merino (pencils) Jason Wright (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). Fall of the Batmen finale. Whoever inked this issue did a great job but their name was left out of the credits. The fate of Batman’s team of crime fighters and Clayface in particular gets answered. I thought it was a very satisfying end to this story.
Jessica Jones #16 – Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Michael Gaydos (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC’s Clayton Cowles (letters). Return of the Purple Man continues. Every time I read a Marvel Bendis book now there’s a feeling of finality. He made me feel like this was it for Jessica a few times here. Just when I thought that the end was near be takes this story in a new direction that makes me happy that we get to read another issue.
The Silencer #1 – John Romita Jr. & Dan Abnett (storytellers) Sandra Hope (inks) Dean White (colours) Tom Napolitano (letters). Code of Honor part 1. Meet Honor Guest, a loving mother and wife who used to be a very dangerous killer. She took early retirement from her old job but the past has caught up to her and threatens her idyllic life now. John Romita Jr.’s art made this feel like a future version of Hit Girl. The appearance of a Batman nemesis puts this New Age of Heroes book in the DCU but it didn’t need to be. This first issue was good enough to make me want to check out the next one.
Hungry Ghosts #1 – Anthony Bourdain & Joel Rose (story) Alberto Ponticelli & Vanesa Del Rey (art) Jose Villarrubia (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). This 4-issue mini is an anthology of creepy tales told by famous chefs. I’ve watched Anthony Bourdain’s adventures on TV as he travels the globe immersing himself in other cultures and enjoying their cuisine. These could be stories he’s heard from fellow chefs. I found this quite enjoyable and would have left a generous tip if it were a meal.
Moon Knight #191 – Max Bemis (writer) Jacen Burrows (pencils) Guillermo Ortego (inks) Mat Lopes (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). Crazy Runs In The Family part 4. I like this simple story with this complex hero. The bad guy wants to make Marc suffer and now he has Marlene. The rescue mission will be fun to watch.
Avengers #678 – Mark Waid, Al Ewing & Jim Zub (writers) Pepe Larraz (art) David Curiel (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). No Surrender part 4. Still loving this weekly action packed story. Lots of super heroes fighting super villains and super villains fighting super villains. If this were a movie it would all be a blur on the screen. That’s the cool thing about comic books. The art may be two dimensional and static but you still get a feeling of movement and action. Still loving the art too. The cover by Mark Brooks makes you want to grab the book off the racks. Page 2 showing the Black Order against the Lethal Legion is just screaming out to be made into a full sized poster. The drone’s eye view of Quicksilver and the Lethal Legion was a perspective that I don’t think I’ve seen before. Pepe and David are rocking this story.
All-New Wolverine #30 – Tom Taylor (writer) Juann Cabal (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). Orphans of X part 6. This is a very well thought out finale where Laura and the good guys manage to win their freedom without having to kill the bad guys. Juann Cabal’s art was so frigging good throughout. Not since Joshua Middleton was drawing X-23 in NYX back in 2003 have I been so in love with how Laura is drawn. Look for Juann’s art on the racks and buy it.
Detective Comics Annual #1 – James Tynion IV (writer) Eddy Barrows (pencils) Eber Ferreira (inks) Adriano Lucas (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). It’s the origin story of Clayface. This is a nice companion to Detective Comics #973.
Defenders #9 – Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Marquez (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). I love the double X chromosome power on the cover and this issue delivers all those lethal ladies on the last page. So Bendis puts himself in a vanity appearance on page 2 but I don’t know what 17-year running gag he’s talking about. Maybe somebody out there in fandomland can enlighten me.
Punisher: The Platoon #5 – Garth Ennis (writer) Goran Parlov (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Rob Steen (letters). Frank’s platoon is trapped by the Viet Cong army during a recovery mission. The fire fight is intense and even though we know that some of the soldiers survive, these pages still convey a feeling of despair. This is where the revenge driven Ly Quang finally catches up with Lt. Castle. I can’t wait for next issue’s conclusion.
Phoenix Resurrection: The Return Of Jean Grey #5 – Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Leinil Francis Yu & Joe Bennett (pencils) Gerry Alanguila & Belardino Brabo (inks) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC’s Travis Lanham (letters). Well that’s it then. There’s going to be another Jean Grey on the racks with the Phoenix force petering out like a spent candle in the wind. The Phoenix arrived with a bang and went out in a whimper. I was also disappointed with the switch in art halfway through. Leinil and Joe’s styles are so different that it made for a disjointed reading experience. I wonder when we’ll see this resurrected Jean meet the resurrected Logan.
Incredible Hulk #712 – Greg Pak (writer) Greg Land (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Frank D’Armata (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). Return to Planet Hulk part 4. It’s the Unworthy Thor versus Hulk in the fourth bout of the gauntlet. It’s fun to compare this to the big fight scene in the movie Thor Ragnarok. The winner won’t be a surprise but what the bad guy has up his sleeve for the fifth stage of the gauntlet will.
Invincible Iron Man #596 – Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Stefano Caselli & Alex Maleev (art) Marte Gracia & Alex Maleev (colours) VC’s Clayton Cowles (letters). They sure seem to be dragging this return of Tony Stark story out past its best before date. I’m actually more interested in what’s going to happen to RiRi Williams. The last panel made me very happy indeed.
