Monday, June 12, 2017
Took a new fishing buddy out to the lake yesterday morning and it was so windy we were blown off the lake for real. Not a great way to impress a new friend.
Penny and I saw the Wonder Woman movie and both of us enjoyed it very much. I particularly liked the fight choreography and the use of slow motion. Go see it.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #1 – Charles Soule (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Cam Smith (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters). The ever popular dark lord of the Sith is back on the racks in a new story that takes place soon after the almost dead Anakin Skywalker gets his copyrighted black armour. I was very impressed with the art and did not quite recognise Giuseppe Camuncoli’s style right away. I think David Curiel’s colours made a big difference. Giuseppe’s art looked different when he was drawing Amazing Spider-Man. This art looks nicer. I’m going to read the rest of this story to see how Vader gets his light sabre. The back-up story by Chris Eliopoulos (writer & art) and Jordie Bellaire (colours) shows what a bad boss Vader is. I wouldn’t want to work for the guy.
Superman #24 – Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi (writers) Doug Mahnke & Patrick Gleason (pencils) Jaime Mendoza, Mick Gray, Joe Prado & Doug Mahnke (inks) Wil Quintana, John Kalisz & Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Part 5 of “Black Dawn” reveals Manchester Black’s evil plan. Can young Jonathan Kent fight against the villain’s control? You better believe it baby, but not yet.
The Divided States of Hysteria #1 – Howard Chaykin (writer & art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) Ken Bruzenak (letters). One look at the burka on the cover and I thought to myself “hoo boy, here comes Howie with another controversial comic book that’s going to rile up folks”. A quick flip through the pages inside confirmed my suspicions. This is like the new TV show Designated Survivor but with a lot more sex and violence ala Howard Chaykin. Howie always knows how to stir up poop but his stories are never stinkers. There are things in here that some fans will find offensive so please be warned. One of the coolest things about this debut was the essay in the back by letterer Ken Bruzenak. Read it for some insight to his craft.
Spider-Man/Deadpool #18 – Joe Kelly (writer) Ed McGuinness (pencils) Mark Morales & Jay Leisten (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC’s Joe Sabino (letters). Well, that’s it. The battle for Peter Parker’s soul ends with Mephisto getting a big surprise. I liked Joe and Ed’s run on this book. They gave Wade a lot more depth than other creative teams and that made me stick around. I will see what the next team has to offer now.
Batman #24 – Tom King (writer) Bruce & Selina: David Finch (pencils) Danny Miki (inks), Batman & Gotham Girl: Clay Mann (pencils) Seth Mann (inks), Jordie Bellaire (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). SPOILER ALERT! Who did it better: The Big Bang Theory or this issue of Batman? The chemistry between Batman and Catwoman has always been an interesting aspect of the two characters and now we will see how combustible it is.
Paper Girls #15 – Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Cliff Chiang (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) Jared K. Fletcher (letters). It’s another great cliffhanger in this season finale as time shifts again for the girls. The next issue won’t hit the racks until October.
Doctor Strange #20 – Jason Aaron (writer) Chris Bachalo & Kevin Nowlan (art & colours) Al Vey, John Livesay, Tim Townsend, Jaime Mendoza, Victor Olazaba & Kevin Nowlan (inks) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). This is the special giant sized grand finale of Jason’s run on this title. It sets things up for the new creative team of Dennis Hopeless (writer) and Niko Henrichon (art) with a major cast change that will be sure to surprise you. I look forward to seeing what Chris Bachalo will draw next. If you want to check out other like Jason Aaron books, I highly recommend The Mighty Thor.
Doctor Strange #21 – Dennis Hopeless (writer) Niko Henrichon (art & colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). I hope that this isn’t indicative of the calibre of work that Dennis and Niko are going to putting into this series. I was not impressed but maybe it’s because this is a Secret Empire tie-in and Stephen is teamed up with other heroes. I’m going to bench this until after Secret Empire is over and see if the Doctor’s solo adventures are an improvement.
Riverdale #3 – James DeWille (writer) Joe Eisma (art) Andre Szymanowicz (colours) Janice Chiang (letters). Okay, that’s it. I can’t reconcile the TV versions of the Archie Gang with what I know them to be from decades of reading Archie comic books. Plus the fact that I had to Google TBH to find out what it means. One of my pet peeves is using the cliché TBH when talking to someone. I am tuning this book out.
Champions #9 – Mark Waid (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC’s Clayton Cowles (letters). Speculator Alert: the first appearance of the Red Locust is in this issue. I think she is going to be a star. Buy multiple copies, bag and board them and keep them for about thirty years. By 2050 paper will be so rare that every old comic book will be worth thousands of dollars. No, seriously, Red Locust is a fun new hero and she teams up with my favourite Champion, Viv Vision, in her debut.
Jessica Jones #9 – Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Michael Gaydos (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). Something happens in this issue that made me very happy and then something else happens that made me go argh. I want to know what happens next so bad right now.
Amazing Spider-Man #28 – Dan Slott (writer) Stuart Immonen (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Marte Gracia & Andres Mossa (colours) VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters). The finale to “The Osborn Identity” has Peter and Norman beating the poop out of each other. I’m sure you can guess who wins.
The Unstoppable Wasp #6 – Jeremy Whitley (writer) Elsa Charretier (art) Megan Wilson (colours) VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters). If you can believe teenagers doing delicate brain surgery then you’ll love this issue. Yes, some plot devices in comic books can be vary far fetched but that’s what makes them fun.
Spider-Man #17 – Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Oscar Bazaldua (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). It’s Miles versus Hammerhead and the kid gets schooled in the art of street fighting. Hey Marvel, it ruins the suspense when the next issue page shows Miles fighting the Black Cat. Just sayin’.
