Monday, November 12, 2018
It was a very quiet Capital Trade Show at the Jim Durrell Arena yesterday, what with it being Remembrance Day and all, but Chris and I still had fun hanging out with fellow vendors and talking about comic book collecting with the few people that attended.
I just finished reading Amy Tan’s autobiography “The Opposite of Fate” and her recounting her mother’s experiences during World War II reminded me of stories my dad told me about those years. He was a houseboy for a Chinese Army officer and had to follow this man around the country doing his laundry and serving him his meals. On a fishing trip many years ago as we drove past farm fields, he told me the troop was marching past similar fields and they were so hungry that they dug up taro and ate them raw. I know how lucky I am to have my freedom. His stories makes me appreciate Remembrance Day a lot more now.
Batman #58 – Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). The Tyrant Wing part 1. This new story features the Penguin and starts with a death in the family. No, it’s not Dick. There’s reason to believe that the ex-Boy Wonder is alive. Another target is requested by Bane and the Penguin is to carry out the hit. I loved the lengthy poem that winds through the last few pages of this issue. I felt like I was reading Shakespeare. And Mikel Janin is back on the art. Sweet.
Doctor Strange #7/LGY #397 – Mark Waid (writer) Javier Pina & Andres Guinaldo (pencils) Javier Pina, JP Mayer, Andy Owens, Roberto Poggi & Keith Champagne (inks) Brian Reber, Jim Campbell & Andrew Crossley (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). The Two Doctors part 2. Every Marvel super hero has an arch enemy and this story brings back one of Doctor Strange’s oldest foes. You’re in for a surprise. I was. Hint: it’s not The DD.
Runaways #15 – Rainbow Rowell (writer) Kris Anka (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters). That Was Yesterday part 3. It looks like Victor will finally get a new body but first we are privy to the secret of Nico’s magic. I thought the art in this issue was exceptional. The facial expressions add so much to the dialogue.
X-23 #6 – Mariko Tamaki (writer) George Duarte (art) Chris O’Halloran (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). I love this one shot story where Laura and Gabby go undercover to find an evil scientist in a high school. It’s more fun than a barrel of clones.
The Immortal Hulk #8/LGY #725 – Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Ruy Jose (inks) Paul Mounts (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). The Hulk has been captured and his dissected body parts are being stored in jars. That’s new. It’s another drastic change for this iconic character but I like it. It’s very Clayface.
The Green Lantern #1 – Grant Morrison (writer) Liam Sharp (art) Steve Oliff (colours) Tom Orzechowski (letters). DC goes old school with this creative team to bring Hal Jordan back to the racks in a new solo book. Liam is the youngest at 50 and Tom is the oldest at 65. I was hoping that this would be just about Hal saving the day all by himself, but nope, the first 9 pages has a bunch of new Green Lantern Corps members arresting some space pirates. That did not endear this new comic book with me. The main reason I stopped reading Green Lantern comics was because I got tired of keeping track of all the characters. When we finally see Hal, he’s in civvies fighting aliens invading Earth and then saving a fellow Green Lantern from dying. We end the issue with the Guardians of the Universe sending Hal on a new mission to track down someone who will threaten the universe. I liked what Liam did when he drew Wonder Woman and he does a fine job here too. Unfortunately, Grant writes way the heck too much and seems to be making very good use of a thesaurus. I’m going to give this DC book a pass.
Marvel Knights 20th #1 – Donny Cates (writer) Travel Foreman (pencils) Derek Fridolfs (inks) Matt Milla (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). The Marvel Knights imprint hit the racks in 1998 near the end of Silver Snail Ottawa’s first decade in business. I remember being excited as a 45 year old member of the Merry Marvel Marching Society to see what the line had to offer. I remember being very impressed by the more mature content, especially how they handled Daredevil and the Punisher. It’s 20 years later and Marvel has impressed me again with this concept. Here we have Marvel characters living different lives not aware of their alter egos. They are slowly being woken up to their true selves but the transitions are complicated. Matt Murdock is featured this issue with help from Frank Castle. The other guest appearances are neat and the big bad guy controlling everything wasn’t a surprise to me but made a lot of sense if you are a big Marvel nerd. This one goes on to my “must read” list.
