Monday, April 24, 2017
Should be a lot of happy hockey fans here in Ottawa today with the Senators moving on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after defeating the Boston Bruins in game 6 yesterday. I’m more excited because fishing season starts in 3 weeks. I went to check up on my boat yesterday wishing I could take it out right then. That first trip out to the lake with my buddy Matt can’t come soon enough.
Punisher #11 – Becky Cloonan (writer) Matt Horak (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). It’s the penultimate issue of the EMC drug story. That’s the pharmaceutical that turns ordinary people into near indestructible berserker killers. Frank has been captured by the bad guy mercenaries and must fight his way to freedom plus kill all the bad guys. No sweat when you’re the Punisher. Becky really stretched my suspension of disbelief with all the injuries that Frank sustains so I might take a break after next issue’s conclusion.
Batwoman #2 – Marguerite Bennett & James Tynion IV (writers) Steve Epting (art) Jeromy Cox (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). It must be hard coming up with names for villains. Here we are introduced to Knife. You can probably guess her weapons of choice.
Secret Empire #0 – Nick Spencer (writer) Daniel Acuna (art) Rod Reis (prologue art) VC’s Travis Lanham (letters). Spoiler Alert: Steve Rogers/Captain America is really a Hydra sleeper agent. Has been since day one. If you can believe that nonsense then you’ll love this new Marvel Universe wide crisis crossover. Steve is now the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the new Supreme Leader of Hydra. This is 2017’s big event for Marvel with fans anxious to see how the heroes handle the betrayal by one of their best. It’s all hands on deck and battle stations all around. Look for the Secret Empire trade dress on the covers of all related tie-in books to get the full story. Have fun Marvel Zombies.
Batman #21 – Tom King (writer) Jason Fabok (art) Brad Anderson (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). Good timing here with the NHL in playoff season eh. The first few pages features a hockey game brawl. Here’s DC’s entry in the crossover sweepstakes. It’s called “The Button” and it starts here. This looks like an interdimensional story with the smiley face button from Watchmen a major image appearing often. They should have used it as a distinctive trade dress on the covers to help fans find the other parts of the story on the racks easier but they didn’t. You’ll have to pay close attention to get the whole story. Part 2 hits the racks on April 26 in Flash #21. I am more inclined to read this story than Marvel’s “Secret Empire” since this book was better written and drawn than Secret Empire #0.
The Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign? #1 – Geof Darrow (story & art) Dave Stewart (colours) Nate Piekos (letters). It’s a new 4-issue mini picking up where the last one left off right after Amitoufu (I think that’s his name) killed all the zombies. Geof’s books are such a visual feast that the weird story fits right in with all the stuff that he puts on the page. This is my favourite type of comic book. A fun story (there are talking vultures) with stunning artwork. The minute details always amaze me.
Nick Fury #1 – James Robinson (writer) Aco (pencils) Hugo Petrus (inks) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC’s Travis Lanham (letters). This is a good replacement for the recently ended Black Widow spy series. Nick’s got some cool gadgets that would make James Bond envious. Even his eye patch does some nifty things. The vibrant colours make each page pop while this mission hums along with plenty of action. There are hot Hydra agents and a cool as a cucumber hero so I’m going to come back for the next mission.
Superman #21 – Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi (writers) Patrick Gleason (pencils) Mick Gray, Joe Prado & Ray McCarthy (inks) John Kalisz, Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Part 2 of “Black Dawn” makes the Kents’ neighbours even creepier. I can’t wait to find out what’s going on out on the farm.
Plastic #1 – Doug Wagner (writer) Daniel Hillyard (art) Laura Martin (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). This is some sick stuff right here, as if you couldn’t tell from the variant cover with the severed head in a zip lock plastic bag and the fork impaled tongue. This comic book is NOT FOR CHILDREN and follows the misadventures of Victor, a former spy who lives in a fantasy world with his “girlfriend” Virginia. He runs afoul of a very bad man and must repay a blood debt. The art is very good but the story is super cringe worthy. Victor is like the Punisher with autism so you decide whether you want to get to know him or not.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Dream On #1 – Marc Sumerak (writer) Andrea Di Vito (art) Laura Villari (colours) VC’s Travis Lanham (letters). You could not dream up a truer title for this one shot if you tried. Half of this book is a reprint of an original Guardians of the Galaxy adventure from 1990. This is perfect for teens but this mature reader wasn’t stimulated intellectually.
Super Sons #3 – Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Jorge Jimenez (art) Alejandro Sanchez (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). The boys battle deadly doppelgangers and are overwhelmed. Robin may have found a way to gain the upper hand but I looks like he’s too late. A nice cliffhanger last panel to make you want to read the next issue as soon as it hits the racks.
The Greatest Adventure #1 – Bill Willingham (writer) Cezar Razek (art) Daniela Miwa (colours) Taylor Esposito (letters). I grabbed this off the rack to read based on my love for Bill’s most excellent work on Fables. Here he takes a bunch of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ fictional characters on a great adventure to stop a mad scientist from assembling a weapon of mass destruction. The biggest name in this group is Tarzan and he and Jane are the only ones that I recognise. There’s an innocent pulpy feel to this adventures so it’s quite suitable for younger readers.
