Monday, June 3, 2019
It’s been a mostly cold wet spring so far which curtails outdoor activities, but I’m lucky enough to have proper outerwear to get out and enjoy myself whenever the mood strikes. I still haven’t been able to get on my bike yet but that will happen eventually. I went fishing solo on Saturday and had a blast. I didn’t even land my biggest fish, but I got a good look at it when it jumped out of the water and shook off my lure. The laughter of joy afterwards made the hours of casting worthwhile.
Catwoman Annual #1 – Joelle Jones (writer) Elena Casagrande (art pages 1-11, 14) Le Beau Underwood (inking assist pages 7-10) Hugo Petrus (art pages 12-13, 15-17) Scott Godlewski (art pages 18-38) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). This extra long murder mystery involves a triple homicide that Selina is being framed for. She must have picked up some pointers from a certain detective because she finds the real killer. Jordie Bellaire did a great job of keeping all the various plot threads easy to follow.
Heroes in Crisis #9 – Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). These psychotherapy sessions all stem from the Flash’s attempt to resurrect his family? I dunno. I knew there was going to be time travel involved with Booster Gold in this story but the explanation for what happened made my brain hurt. This 9-issue rigmarole’s saving grace is that I liked how Clay Mann draws Batgirl.
The Superior Spider-Man #6 – Christos Gage (writer) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC’s Clayton Cowles (letters). Doc Ock teams up with Doctor Strange to fight Master Pandemonium to prevent hell on earth. It was fun how Christos Gage evolved the two doctors’ relationship from beginning to end.
Thor #13 – Jason Aaron (writer) Mike del Mundo (art) Mike del Mundo & Marco D’Alfonso (colours) VC’s Joe Sabino (letters). Get to know Cul Borson, the Norse god of fear, more than you’ve ever known him before. Odin’s big brother may have given his life in the War of the Realms but he’s been dead before so shed no tears.
Blossoms 666 #4 – Cullen Bunn (writer) Laura Braga (art) Matt Herms (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). I realised after I finished reading this issue that I am only enthralled by this story because it stars the Archie characters. If this occult story involved wholly new characters I would have stopped reading after the first issue. Veronica in her LBD made this issue worth the $3.99 US cover price.
Immortal Hulk #18 – Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Ruy Jose (inks) Paul Mounts (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). Meet the most abominable Abomination ever. I wonder how the Hulk is going to react when he realises that his friend is merged with this creature. This revival of the Hulk is still going strong.
Doomsday Clock #10 – Geoff Johns (writer) Gary Frank (art) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Now that Doctor Manhattan has entered the picture things start to get very confusing. He not only jumps around in time but also universes. The narration might be trying to explain things as Jon jumps around but to me it’s as clear as mud. I’m not interested in what’s going to happen next anymore. I’m just happy to look at Gary Frank’s art.
Superman: Leviathan Rising Special #1 – Brian Michael Bendis, Greg Rucka, Matt Fraction & Marc Andreyko (writers) Yanick Paquette, Mike Perkins, Steve Lieber, Eduardo Pansica & Julio Ferreira (art) Nathan Fairbairn, Paul Mounts & FCO Plascencia (colours) Dave Sharpe, Simon Bowland, Clayton Cowles, Tom Napolitano & ALW’s Troy Peteri (letters). This $9.99 US one-shot needed all those creators to pull together for a very comprehensive kick-off to DC’s Leviathan Rising event. The only part I didn’t like much was the Jimmy Olson adventure. Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #1 hits the racks July 17 written by Matt “Sex Criminals” Fraction so that’s going to be a hard one to pass up for some fans but if it’s the same silliness that’s in this issue I am going to take a hard pass. I liked the rest of this story and look forward to seeing who Leviathan is. My guess is Lex Luthor.
Fantastic Four #10 – Dan Slott (writer) Paco Medina with Kevin Libranda (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters). This War of the Realms tie-in issue brought up a comic book conundrum for me. Why does Malekith’s Midgard invading forces just walk away from Yancy Street before killing all the residents? They’re doing that everywhere else in Manhattan. It makes for a nice happy ending to this issue but it didn’t make a lick of sense to me.
X-23 #12 – Mariko Tamaki (writer) Diego Olortegui (pencils) Walden Wong (inks) Chris O’Halloran (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). I was sad when it looked like Gabby was leaving after last issue but I am happy again because the two sisters patched things up this issue. Not only that, but Honey Badger decides to change her super hero name. Head ’em out Scout. The end of this issue had a finality to it. I’m sad again if this is the last issue.
The Amazing Spider-Man #22 – Nick Spencer (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba & Humberto Ramos (inks) Edgar Delgado & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters). Hunted part 6, the saga concludes and thank the Spider god for that. There’s a twist with the black costume that I thought was really dumb leading to Kraven being triumphant. After much pondering I think I know why Peter was in the black costume in this story. That was what he was wearing during Kraven’s Last Hunt right? Okay, can we get on with revealing who the super villain with the giant centipede is now?
Detective Comics Annual #2 – Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Travis Moore & Max Raynor (art) Tamra Bonvillain & Nick Filardi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Fear the Reaper, but the Eraser? Not so much. I remember seeing the Reaper Batvillain as drawn by Alan Davis back in the day and thought what a great arch enemy. This story goes international starting in France and ending in Greece. There’s a reference to Batman Incorporated for us long time Batfans and this new Reaper opens up the possibility of more international adventures for Batman.
Daredevil #6 – Chip Zdarsky (writer) Lalit Kumar Sharma (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Java Tartaglia (colours) VC’s Clayton Cowles (letters). No Devils, Only God part 1. This issue starts a new chapter in Matt Murdock’s life. Daredevil has been “dead” for eight weeks and the effects on NYPD Detective Cole and Mayor Wilson Fisk are not good. I like Matt’s new job and the anticipation of Daredevil’s return keeps me reading.
War of the Realms: Spider-Man & the League of Realms #2 – Sean Ryan (writer) Nico Leon (art) Carlos Lopez (colours) VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters). Hey, what happened to Spidey’s helmet and shield, which aren’t anywhere in sight this issue? The team makes a new ally in Lagos and the battle moves to Rome. That’s where they encounter Kurse and we are treated to the second twist in this 3-issue mini.
