Monday, July 2, 2018
It’s stinking hot out. I wanted to jump in the lake with the fishies yesterday. We drove downtown on Canada Day to spend time with friends and I lucked out on a parking space right in front of their house. The car in front of us pulled out shortly afterwards so I plunked myself down in that spot to hold it for another friend who was driving in from out of town. People were expecting issues with other drivers trolling for a parking space but in typically Canadian fashion, cars just slowly passed by as I was sitting there under my umbrella to shade myself from the hot sun. Only one car stopped, rolled down their window and asked if I was saving the parking space. I said “yep” and they drove off. I probably would have been shot if I did this in the capital city of another country on the fourth of July.
Hunt for Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor #2 – Jim Zub (writer) Thony Silas (art) Filipe Sobreiro (colours) VC’s Joe Sabino (letters). I like this story. Kitty and her team skulking around Madripoor trying to find Wolverine while being hunted by Viper and her very, very bad girls is right in my wheelhouse. Unfortunately the art turns me right off. Unless Psylocke is a midget, how the heck is Logan taller than she is on page 2? All the women’s faces are drawn the same with angular features and almond eyes. Even the different hair styles and clothes didn’t help to distinguish them. There is a surprise appearance on the last page that’s an attempt to keep readers invested in the story but it is not enough for me to read the rest of this mini.
Old Man Hawkeye #6 – Ethan Sacks (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters). Clint is like the flu. Whenever he shows up things go from bad to worse. I love this dangerous future Earth where the super villains are in control. Old Man Hawkeye seeking redemption is a great story but President Red Skull trying to kill Bullseye makes this book that much better.
Multiple Man #1 – Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Andy MacDonald (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) VC’s Travis Lanham (letters). Yeah, I thought he was dead too. That’s why I pulled this off the rack to read. Jamie died during the Terrigen mists killing all the mutants crisis but they have found a way for one of his dupes to survive that made sense. Then they go and ruin it by having this surviving Jamie steal a time traveling device. I loved Jamie when he was leading X-Factor and was sad when they killed him off. This one is younger and they’ve tweaked his powers with a big twist on the last page. It just might be enough to get you to keep reading this 5-issue mini.
Batman: Prelude to the Wedding: Harley Quinn vs. Joker #1 – Tim Seeley (writer) Sami Basri (art) Otto Schmidt (epilogue art) Jessica Kholinne (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Prelude to the Wedding part 5. Way to screw up the timing DC. This should have hit the racks before Batman #48 and #49 because what happened in those issues involved what happens with the Joker in this one. I had a sense of disassociation when I saw the Joker in the church while reading Batman #48 three weeks ago and now I know why. This screw up will be forgiven if Batman #50 proves to be a good read when it hits the racks July 4. I loved how Harley is drawn in this, even though my least favourite version of her is the Joker infatuated court jester. SOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ the New York Times article about Batman #50 posted July 1.
Saga #53 – Fiona Staples (art) Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Fonografiks (letters). Holy crap in a hat. This is a must read issue if you’re a Saga fan. There are major deaths in this issue and that’s not including what Brian’s doing with all the letters the book receives. If he thinks thoughts of mortality invade in your forties, wait until you get to your sixties.
Sentry #1 – Jeff Lemire (writer) Kim Jacinto (art) Rain Beredo (colours) VC’s Travis Lanham (letters). Sentry World part 1. I remember thinking that this super hero was just Marvel’s version of Superman when he first hit the racks in 2000 and that his arch enemy the Void was your basic generic super villain. Turns out it’s more complicated than that. The Sentry’s alter ego sacrificed a lot to save the world from the Void but now Robert Reynolds finds himself in a dangerous situation. Jeff Lemire has taken a character that I didn’t much care for and given him a story that I very much want to read now in this 5-issue arc.
Detective Comics #983 – Bryan Hill (writer) Miguel Mendonca (pencils) Diana Egea (inks) Adriano Lucas (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). There’s a new writer and he’s starting off boldly by introducing a new Bat-villain and a new super hero to join Batman’s team of Gotham City crime fighters. This new bad guy has no qualms about killing so things are going to get intense.
Amazing Spider-Man: Wakanda Forever #1 – Nnedi Okorafor (writer) Alberto Alburquerque (art) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC’s Joe Sabino (letters). This new book stars the fierce warrior women of Wakanda, the Dora Milaje. One of their member has turned super villain, calling herself Malice. When she threatens a neighbourhood in Brooklyn guess who just happens to be swinging by? So it’s team up time and they fight with a classic Spider-Man super villain under water. When Malice surfaces again she’s going after the Black Panthers ex-wife. If Storm’s a target then you know that the X-Men will be involved. Look for X-Men: Wakanda Forever #1 to hit the racks July 25.
The Silencer #6 – Dan Abnett (writer) Viktor Bogdanovic (art) Mike Spicer (colours) Tom Napolitano (letters). Exit Strategy part 3 or death in a diner. Talia al Ghul and Hope fight through a horde of Leviathan killers during lunch. It was disappointing that Deathstroke wasn’t in there. The two new super villains are cool. I am looking forward to seeing what Cradle and Grave are capable of.
Moon Knight #196 – Max Bemis (writer) Paul Davidson (art) Mat Lopes (colours) VC’s Cory Petit (letters). Kudos to Paul Davidson for the mad art for this psychedelic story. Now that Maurice and his crazy collective have been straight jacketed we can see where Marc and his many personalities take us next.
Man of Steel #5 – Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Adam Hughes (art) Jason Fabok (art pages 8 -11) Adam Hughes (colours) Alex Sinclair (colours pages 8 – 11) Josh Reed (letters). Superman’s fight with the big bad Rogol Zaar does not go well. He’s taken to the brink of doomsday. By the end of this issue we find out how Rogol Zaar is going to destroy the Earth. Meanwhile, more clues are given about what Lois and Jon have been up to. You might want to review recent Superman stories to understand what’s happening.
Marvel Two-In-One #7 – Chip Zdarsky (writer) Ramon K. Perez (art) Frederico Blee (colours) VC’s Joe Caramagna (letters). The truth about Doctor Rachna’s duplicitousness comes out at last. Plus Johnny finally learns the truth about Sue and Reed. What a revolting development this is. I’m still enjoying this book very much as Chip has come up with interesting ways to keep Ben and Johnny scrambling.
Thor #2/708 – Jason Aaron (writer) Mike del Mundo (art) VC’s Joe Sabino (letters). I’m growing to appreciate the new art style and can see subtle expressions in the faces. Mike’s use of colour really enhances the action on the page. Thor and Loki join up with some allies in Hel to fight Sindr and her fire hordes. I had forgotten that Hela was no longer the Queen of Hel (was that in the movie too?) and Balder the Brave was King of Hel now. The surprise appearance on the last page will make the throne room in Hel pretty crowded.