The Fix #12 (Image Comics)
It’s been a little while since I’ve checked in on Image’s crime dramedy. Clearly, things have taken a turn.
Mac is dead. Roy is pissed. But a terrorist bombing at LAX has Roy and Pretzels too busy to do anything about it (no one was hurt, but some really nice Teslas were destroyed). Roy has to deal with the aftermath, while also trying to get justice for his best friend.
This issue is a somber change of pace for a series that has been an over the top farce so far. Nick Spencer’s humor is still present, but he wisely moves it into the backseat for the events of this issue. Because of the events here and the evil done in these pages, some the humor is levity to relieve the darkness, and some of it emphasizes it. It works really well.
Steve Lieber and Ryan Hill do an exceptional job with the art. Lieber is one of the best storytellers in comics. So much here works because of his art, while others probably wouldn’t be nearly as successful. His trademark madcap double page spreads are as always a highlight and we actually get more than one this issue. Hill’s color art sells the horror of what happens so well. The bombing investigation in particular is made so much more frightening by Hill’s colors.
This is still one of the best books coming from Image. Pick it up!
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
The Verdict: Subscribe
DuckTales #9 (IDW Publishing)
This DuckTales series has been an interesting read for a longtime Disney comics fan like myself. On one hand, it’s taking the new series and fitting some fun stories right in Duckburg. On the other, these feel like throwbacks to classic Uncle Scrooge comics, in the best ways.
This issue features two stories. In the first, written by Joey Cavalieri and art by Gianfranco Florio and Giuseppe Fontana, Scrooge uses a time machine to revisit his youth. There he changes things slightly, meeting and saving a young woman he’s instantly smitten with. He realizes what he’s doing though, and returns home to ensure he doesn’t overwrite his past and erase the family he’s come to love. In the second, written by Steve Behling & Alessandro Ferrari and art by Ciro Cangialosi, Cristina Stella, and Fontana, Scrooge and Donald go on a fishing trip and run afoul of the Beagle Boys.
These are fun, light stories. The art is on model with Disney duck stories and the style of the series. It’s cartoony, fun and perfect for a young fan of the new Disney Channel series. The stories are perfect for younger readers, but also has some of the depth the duck stories have had through the history of the franchise. It’s truly an all ages book, and I really liked that. My kids sat and read it with me (while singing the theme song).
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
The Verdict: Buy if you’re looking for a fun true all-ages read.
Thor #1 (Marvel Comics)
The last act of Jason Aaron’s absolutely epic Thor run begins here. But how was it?
Thor Odinson is back, but Asgardia and the Bifrost is in ruins. The artifacts in Odin’s weapons room are scattered across the globe. The war of realms rages outside of Asgard’s reach. And Mjolnir is still dead. So the god of thunder has a big task in front of him, gathering the artifacts from across the globe and stopping a war that spans all ten realms. Meanwhile, in the future, King Thor has learned that the universe is dead, and it’s just a matter of time before that death reaches him. But an old ally brings him hope…
This is a phenomenal relaunch for Thor after Jane Foster’s retirement as the hero. Aaron goes a long way to make sure the story feels fresh and new to us the reader. There’s a bit of the tone of Thor Ragnarok here, and it’s great. The set up has a tone of urgency, but also fun.
Mike Del Mundo and Christian Ward are fantastic artistic collaborators for this run. Del Mundo’s lush painted art drops us in a fantasy world, and his action is so striking. Ward’s art of the back-up story fits thematically with the lead story well, but is great for the melancholy tone of the end of the universe show here.
Aaron and his various artistic collaborators have made me life-long fans of Thor, and this issue is no exception. Pick it up.
Rating 9.5 out of 10
The Verdict: Subscribe
Coda #2 (BOOM! Studios)
Si Spurrier is one of the best world builders in comics, bar none, and that’s the biggest reason I checked this issue out.
Our hero is still trying to make it across the barren wasteland he calls home to save his wife. However, he finds himself beaten, arrested and stuck in a wizard’s den. He still perseveres though.
Honestly, I didn’t know what was going one for half of this issue, but that is by no means a bad thing. Spurrier is building a surreal world around the hero and it’s fascinating work. This isn’t an issue about character or plot. It’s all about the world, and it succeeds wonderfully.
Matias Bergara goes nuts in this issue. He draws the same creatures and monsters he did so well in the first issue. But he continues to create a lush world, full of strange beings, fun monsters, and magic. It’s fully realized and awe-inspiring, but also creepy as hell.
I’m really looking forward to the next issue now.
Rating: 7 out of 10
The Verdict: Buy for a high fantasy fan.
The Flash #48 (DC Comics)
There is no better time to be a Flash fan. Joshua Williamson has crafted a love letter to the history of the character and it’s paying off in the Flash War.
Wally West has had his lost past laid out for him. Hunter Zolomon, his greatest enemy, has shown him all he lost and a path to regain it. The problem is, there’s no guarantee it will work, and Barry Allen knows it’s remarkably dangerous for both of them, as well as potentially the entire timeline. And so a potentially universe changing race begins.
Williamson has long been the most “Rebirthy” of DC’s creators, weaving the massive Rebirth meta-story into his narrative is a really cool and organic way. Using Zoom as the catalyst for this simmering rift between Wally and Barry is a perfect touch, and he writes the two perfectly. Barry is the cool and analytical one, Wally is the brash and impulsive one. It causes tension, but you can tell these men love each other as well.
Howard Porter is one of the best living superhero artists out there. His Flash has long been one of my favorite takes on the character, and this is no exception. It ties the story into Flash history as well as giving us a great modern heroic story.
A flash fan needs to pick this up.
Rating: 9 out of 10
The Verdict: Subscribe
Tony Thornley is a Mormon geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, amateur novelist and all around awesome guy. He was born and raised in Utah and has been reading comics since age five. His first comic series was GI Joe and he was doomed from there. You can follow him on Twitter @brawl2099.
