Fantastic Four: Antithesis

So, 2021 is now in full swing, with 2020 nothing more than a very painful reflection in our collective rear view. However, for me it is not quite over as I still have a few issues of my pull list to catch up on.

So, here is me doing just that.

This past week, I decided to read the Marvel mini series created by Mark Waid and Neal Adams, Fantastic Four: Antithesis. This was a last minute decision by me as, once again, Mister Miracle got pushed downstream a bit and, to be honest, I kinda wished I'd just stuck to my initial guns.

Antithesis follows Marvel's first family who, after pushing their monstrous menace that is Annihilus back through a mysterious fissure from the Negative Zone, learn of a mysterious object crashing towards Earth. This object turns out to be the Silver Surfer with an ominous announcement; Galactus is dead!! Now, the FF must travel the stats and beyond to determine if Galactus is truly dead and stop, if that's even possible, a being even more powerful than the destroyer of worlds.

This in itself sounds like a really epic story and the fact it has two titans like Mark Waid (whose FF run I absolutely adore) and Neal Adams only made the concept all the sweeter. I'm fact, I had just this week thought that the FF need more 'separate' stories away from the main run. Something where the status quo doesnt change by the end, just the adventure.

However, I find myself thinking the old adage 'be careful what you wish for' because I found Antithesis a real struggle to read and enjoy.

The thing is, I'm not quite sure of the reasoning behind the why. Mark Waid is a fantastic storyteller and he's shown before that he knows these characters. However, with this it just felt to me like they had been taken back to something bronze age-esque or maybe even earlier. All four of the FF felt off somehow. Of course, that's not the only thing as I found the story to be unengaging and just not keeping me hooked as much as I like.

Meanwhile, I also found the art to be a struggle. Now, in fairness, Neal Adams is a phenomenal artist and the fact this series didn't appeal to me is maybe more a sign of my lack of art appreciation than his skill. However, while the art was gorgeous, it just felt to me that the style was just too muted for a Cosmic Fantastic Four story and that more flair and colour was needed that the muted visuals I got.

Of course, it's not all bad because, in truth, Waid did get the family dynamic to work well (even if the characters seemed 'wrong' to me). Also, Adam's drew a phenomenal Silver Surfer (especially in close up) and the massive double page spread of the master and herald combo is a thing of beauty.

Unfortunately, all in all, Fantastic Four: Antithesis was not my thing and that is a sad thing to say. After a couple of years of praising one-shot about the first family, is disappointing to see the second of 2 mini's from 2020 fail to impress me. Maybe the team is not meant for tales in a mini-series, just one-shot or ongoing.

However, at least I gave it a shot and I could always re-read and see if it becomes my thing at a later date. However, for the moment, that's probably not something I would consider doing so I'll just chalk it up to experience and move on.

Resonant Vol. 1

It has never ceased to amaze me just the width and breadth of fantastic comics there are out there. For a guy whose pull list and shelves were predominantly 'big 2' a decade ago, i sure do read a lot of 'alternative' genres these days.

This has been the highest benefit to reviewing for Pipedream comic over all these years because it has allowed me a taste of something different: different genres, different styles, different talents. As a result, I've been given the chance to become invested in something that I might not have given the chance all those years ago.

What's surprising is the number of comic series I've been hooked onto as a result of all these reviews I've wrote. Copperhead, Black Magick, Autumnlands, James Bond, Cognition, Porcelain, Future, it almost feels like an endless list.

And Resonant is another on this list, although it's a shame it has taken so long to get around to it.

After reviewing the first issue some time ago, I finally acquired myself the first volume (thanks Santa) and, while it's only been a couple of weeks, I found my eagerness to read it far too overpowering to ignore.

And, boy, was I glad I didn't.

Resonant Vol.1 follows a family, dad Paxton, daughter Rebecca and sons Tyrone and Stef(an?), attempting to survive in a post- apocalyptic world which attempts to continue in the wake of the waves, mysterious energy storms which cause people to become dangerously aggressive to themselves and others. However, youngest son Stef is sick and so, leaving his children at their isolated home, Paxton sets off to find help but gets more than he bargained for when he is forcibly separated from them and tries to find his way back while the trio struggle to survive together.

Of course, I probably could gave been more in depth with the plot but I fear I'd reveal spoilers (not that it matters because I suspect spoilers will be incoming).

Ive always felt that a sure fire way to gauge how much you enjoy anything is to see how long it takes you to complete. I read Sharpe's Tiger (a novel by Bernard Cornwell) in 3 days. I binge Daredevil in a night (God bless children unwilling to sleep) and, with Resonant, I complete this trade in two evening reads. Suffice to say I really loved this comic!! Volume 1 continued to offer everything that the first issue had initially hooked me on back when I reviewed it; a riveting and seriously engrossing story with a stunningly beautiful art style which formed a disturbing and twisted world.

Based on this volume, I feel David Andry is writing a fantastic series. I absolutely loved the Family dynamic that went through these first five issues as the relationship between the various characters felt incredibly real and genuine (given how some of the kids statements to each other take me back to how my siblings and I spoke). Meanwhile, I've always had a real soft spot for father figures in comic books with Reed Richards and Black Science's Grant McKay as examples. Now though Paxton joins their ranks as he has become my new favourite character with his unwavering love and sense of responsibility to his kids (naturally) while also being an absolute bad-ass martial artist coupled with his zen wisdom. It does make me wonder how Paxton made his seduction about the waves and I'm hoping that is something that is delved into later.

Speaking of the waves this is Resonant's grand overarching mystery and I find it compelling as anything. I really felt during these first five issues that Andry drip fed me the mystery of what happened to the world but did it in such a way, with the Chirpers and the need for people to be unconscious, that I was severely intrigued and need to know what is going on and where it came from. Everything else about this world has me equally engrossed, despite the fact more is divulged. I'm absolutely loving the new social hierarchy that we are being introduced to almost alongside Paxton and the kids. Seeing 'Hospitality as an almost 'Hilltop crossed with that Waterworld village (with the cage anyway)' type of place and from the moment we enter, every single character feels wrong somehow. It's almost as though the waves led to a madness that lost of the world has simply accepted. In fact, almost every character seems wrong in this series somehow. The congregation, particularly their leader, seems shifty. The Brotherhood of Maw come across as decidedly Mad Max-esque and Honcho is just vile (although I wonder if his protection stems from a form of sociopath, which would explain his almost insane rants). The fact is, David Andry has made this such a rich and three dimensional world that I find myself all the more immersed here than in any other apocalypse world I've read before.

As for the art ... well, what can I say that I haven't already said about the writing? Alejandro Aragon and Jason Wordie have produced a truly breathtaking set if visuals, with every scene looking incredibly beautiful but also emitting this sense of terror and chilling dread with every set piece the family respectively find themselves amongst. I thought Aragon's art had a distinctly European flavour to it but I thought this works well to give the world a look that seemed as damaged as the its society (and probably mental state) thanks to the waves. This, in fact, leads into what was was maybe Wordie's best work in the volume given how he coloured the waves, as I thought his heightened colours gave the whole manifestation of the waves a real thunder storm look (which again makes sense given how the chirpers pick up on them). Although, my most favourite scene was most definitely Paxton going all kung Fu on Honcho's tribe, as I loved the kinetic feel of it.

I've gone on for a while (at least it feels like it) but then, I could maybe have gone on for quite a while longer. I found that Resonant really imprinted itself onto my mind quite deeply and with the story it has told so far, not to mention that ending, I'm already eager as anything for this to continue.

Its just a shame I'll probably have to wait until next Christmas.

Oh, and before I forget ...

While I got to read and then gush (as you can see above), I also had the opportunity in the last week to review a couple of Aftershock comics, a publisher I had not yet had the privilege to read comics from.

First up was Scout's Honor #1 by David Pepose and Luca Cadalanguida. Now, I'm not sure what more I can say that you wont see in the review itself but, suffice to say, I absolutely loved this comic. I was completely immersed throughout and I have to admit that, given I just read Spencer and Locke a few days ago, you can actually see such an incredible advancement in David Pepose's writing (not that S&L was bad but just that this was THAT good).

As for the art, i really loved what Luca Casalanguida did in this first issue, as I felt that his style perfectly encapsulates the wilderness-esque atmosphere of the story. This was only enhanced when Matt Milla's colours were added as they were a natural palette which only better the original art.

Now, I do have questions about this story, things like 'Does Kit's Father know the truth?' and 'are the highwaymen and that crook former Ranger Scouts?' which are now niggling in my head but they are additional great incentives to come back which, based on this, issue I'd sure be happy to do.

After that I wrote a review for Join the Future by Zack Kaplan and Piotr Kowalski. Again, I think we've really lucked out from Aftershock this week because I thought that this was another fantastic read. I thought Join the Future was such a gripping, fast paced read that had compelling characters and, above all, a scenario where no one was the real enemy (I did find myself wondering if the future mega city were evil or truly believed that they were doing the right thing).

The art is gorgeous as well. I've compared it to Michael Lark's from Lazarus (to which, admittedly, the whole book makes me think of), but it's a comparison that's justified given how clean the images are (although it does remind me of other series which I just cant pull out of my memory).

At two weeks into the year, i didnt think we'd have contenders for the 2021 top 50 but I truly believe this is one and if they ever made a follow up series (which the ending would certainly allow for) then I'd definitely pick it up.

So, another week done and the equivalent of eleven single issue comics read, I feel it has been a good start to 2021 overall. Hopefully next week can keep this trend.

Spencer and Locke

2021 appears to have started almost as well as 2020 ended, with the UK once again being sentenced to lockdown. For me, that's been a return to juggling every aspect of adulting life, exacerbated by the schools being sent home.

So, how I found time to read in this first week is beyond me.

Fortunately, time for both reading and this general writing has managed to be found, along with a quickly made decision of what to read (although, I am regretting FF: the End so I could have titled the post 'beginning at the end').

The first read of this new year (in case the title hasn't given it away) was Spencer and Locke, a four issue mini-series by David Pepose and Jorge Santiago Jr coming out of Action Lab. This series centres around Locke, a seemingly hard boiled detective seeking the killers of his childhood crush and to protect her child with the help of his longtime friend and partner in crime fighting, Spencer.

Of course, the one caveat is that Spencer is a giant walking, talking panther that only Locke can see and hear, with everyone else simply seeing a child's toy.

This has been a series which has held my interest since almost as long as it has been available, and only now (well, my birthday a month ago) have I been able to acquire it. However, much like with Mister Miracle last year, I found myself concerned about how it would read and that the hype surrounding Spencer and Locke had oversold the comic to me. Unfortunately, this indeed seemed to be the case by the time I finished the first issue as, while I found it to be good, Spencer and Locke didn't come across as the awesome comic I had been sold on, moving a lot slower than I expected.

That said, on the evening i read this first issue i might confess i was wiped out and, in hindsight, I wonder if my sense of exhaustion affected my enjoyment. I say this because when I got around to the other three issues of Spencer and Locke over the following couple of nights I found myself seriously addicted to this story right up until the end.

With Spencer and Locke, I thought David Pepose told a superbly engrossing and seriously interesting story. Throughout all the issues I felt this real noir vibe that continued to remind me of the Rian Johnson film Brick as I continued to read. This feeling was only compound thanks to the fight scenes which look brutal and feel like every inch noir tropes as I understand them.

Of course, the art was a big part of that Noir feel and I really thought Jorge Santiago Jr and colourist Jasen Smith delivered that in spades. The aforementioned fight scenes in particular, almost the entire book had this dark yet vibrant quality and, above all, a really visceral look about it as well as certain scenes which just felt absolutely in place in a police procedural story.

I think the thing which hooked me the most though was the titular characters and their connection to one another. I remember always hearing how Spencer and Locke is the 'What if Calvin and Hobbes became police detectives' comic, and this certainly feels the case thanks to the C&H-esque pages (one in each issue). However, these pages in particular, which showed Spencer and Locke's backstory, to be seriously compelling as it showed Locke to be a severely damaged character. 

This made me wonder if Spencer was simply a coping mechanism for Locke's seriously troubled childhood and by being Locke's companion it provides Locke with some sort of good or even innocent memory from an otherwise crappy time. This would certainly track given Spencer's disappearance at Ramona's (the story's 'femme fatale') arrival as her possible entanglement in Locke's life could have been far too damaging that it eradicated any sense of innocence.

Alternatively, Spencer could simply be a crutch for Locke to hang all his guilt onto by blaming Spencer of all of Locke's actions.

As a result, I had so many theories about this series by the end of issue 2 that all of this was simply the dream of a young Locke or that Locke wasn't a cop but some sort of vigilante.

Of course, I was also left with a fair few questions about this series, particularly in the sense of Sophie's daughter, Hero. However, delving into them may cause the release of spoilers which I dont wanna do and so I won't go into detail. Besides, eventually I was able to, at the very least, find ways around them and so wonder if I was getting confused over nothing.

So, in the end, despite a bumpy start, I'm glad to discover the the hype oversold me nothing and that Spencer and Locke was a truly captivating and engrossing comic series. In fact, I just realised, looking back, that it is a series where nothing can be taken at face value, which I guess is the mark of many a good noir story. I do think that I'll have to read it again to see if the first issue comes across better, but that's not something which I feel will be a chore.

And nor would picking up the sequel I suspect.

My plans and goals for 2021.

So 2021 is here!!! Like everyone else, I know it has been a long old road to get here but, finally, 2020 is in the rear view and we can finally look ahead towards bigger and better things.

At least that's the theory.

For me, 2021 will be my 10 year anniversary of writing this blog (I started af the start of 2012) and, as such, I thought I'd just give a quick rundown (or possibly lengthy, depends on how much I write) of my plans and goals for this coming year. Now these arent resolutions per se because .... well, because I don't like using that word (it makes me feel worse when I fail at a 'resolution'), but instead this is a list of things that I'm aiming to do throughout the next 12 months.

Also, I've split them down between reading and writing because ... why not.

So, here we go.

Reading

• Read an average of 1 comic a day - I worked hard at this last year and, while COVID-19 disrupted mid-flow, I thought I did ok. The one difference is that, for 2021, I want to do an average so that I don't feel pressured to read every night even if the spirit doesn't take me or time is limited. Given that, through 2020, I was averaging one trade of 6 issues every week plus an review comic. Therefore, I feel I should be able to hit a full 365 without too much trouble.
• Read Mister Miracle - Now this is the one title I'm adding to the list for a very simple reason: after 12 months, I still haven't read it. Therefore, 2021 (ideally early) is going to see me make the Tom King/Mitch Gerads series a mandatory read.
• Read 4 novels in the year - While not a comic centric goal, it does have comic related elements. Way back when, I used to read a tremendous number of prose novels. However, in 2020 all i ended up reading was a book about aspergers. I don't want a repeat of this, especially given that (like my comics) I have a big backlog. Therefore, I plan to read four novels in 2021, the Christmas Killer (which I've already started), the Journal of Silas Pope (a tie in to the comic series, Cognition), Leviathan Wakes (which I've had a couple of years) and one other book which I haven't yet decided on.
• Pick up The Modern Frankenstein - I recently (like early December) saw an announcement for a comic series called the Modern Frankenstein by Paul Cornell and Emma Vieceli. Now, what makes this one special is the creative team itself as I am a huge fan of Cornell's writing and am absolutely in love with Vieceli's art (as evidenced when I talk about Breaks). As such, having this dream team on the same book, makes this a series worthy of my attention.
  
• Pick up Our Final Halloween finale/Trade - The trinity of Mikes' (Messrs Garley, Lee-Graham and Stock) 4 part horror comic has been long awaiting it's finale (or maybe it just feels that way) just as much as I have as this has been a phenomenal series all the way since I reviewed it last year. The plan since I first read it has always been to get the trade because it is so good, I need a copy on my shelf. Therefore, despite Mike G's non-committal answer on the subject, 2021 is sure to not only see the end but the full trade. If this is indeed the case then, I'm definitely committing to its purchase.
• Pick up Future in trade - Earlier this year, I was fortunate to review Tom Woodman and Rupert Smissen's Future, which is a phenomenal read if I do say so myself. Initially content with having a digital(pdf) copy, my opinion on the matter when Georgie of the Valkyries blog posted a photo of the hardcover. This converted me as the HC is stunning and, suffice to say, the format I want of this series has now change.
  
• Pick up Teen Titans: Beast Boy loves Raven - I saw a recent tweet by artist Gabriel Picolo with art for this title and, suffice to say, I fell in love with this book right there and then. It made me think about the pairs dynamic on the Titans show which I think is so well done. Anyway, I've since downloaded the previews off of Comixology of the Raven and Beast Boy respective solo titles and will be keeping my eyes sharp for this project's release.
• Pick up Untitled Stephanie Phillips/Peter Krause/Ellie Wright Crime Comic - Another title which was brought to my attention by the magic of Twitter, when Stephanie Phillips tweeted an image of Peter Krause's work and I saw it was a crime comic, I knew I'd need this. Of course, Phillip's and Ellie Wright's involvement are just as intriguing, but those first two points, I have to admit, have me hooked.
• Check out Miracles by Joe Glass and Vince Underwood - I'm pretty sure I've known about this for a while but, in a recent conversation with Vince Underwood, Miracles was brought back to my attention. Now, Vince's work on Elk Mountain is stellar stuff and I can't stop praising all the work Joe Glass has done with Pride and Acceptable Losses, etc. Therefore, this is going to be another must check out when it finally comes out.
• Catch up on Breaks, Vanguard, the Pale and Scurry webcomics - A few weeks back I not only analysed the first three trades of Vanguard but I also reviewed Breaks first volume after already speaking about it here. Anyway, I love both series but, for comics that are regularly released for free on the net, I severely behind. Therefore, in 2021, I want to make a concerted effort to catch up on both webcomics as well as Scurry and the Pale, which are other that I reviewed and loved, so that I can be more up-to-date on all.

Writing

• Write a short story to submit to the Soda and Telepaths anthology - There was recently a tweet (funny how most of my info came from Twittee) shared by Anthony Pollock of Soda and Telepaths who stated that he was putting together an anthology and was seeing submissions of 8-12 pages. Now, no sooner had I read this tweet, I had an idea or two which I thought would match the criteria requested. Therefore, as I want to do more writing I figured that I would give this a go.
  
• Produce my own comic anthology (Project Hail Mary) - Of course, as I have previously mentioned (almost ad nauseam on Twitter), I also have my own anthology idea percolating. Well, despite a great deal of umming and arring, I've decided to do my upmost to make this happen. I've gotten drafts of most the stories done, an idea of what artists I want and a plan of how I'd get them out. The only issue now is actually following through with this plan. Of course, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
• Average three Pipedream Comic reviews a month - Now, this goal is not the most difficult as I average nearly one review a week currently. However, in order to allow for the above goals, I'd like to do an average of three reviews a month so that I continue to provide a good output while simultaneously freeing up some time in order to write for my other projects.
  
• Average three blog posts a month - For similar reasons as the Pipedream comic reviews, I want to do no more than three blog posts a month in order to free up more time for other goals. Of course, my blog is a little more loose, as I only post there when I feel like it. However, I would like to maintain some sense of consistency and so limiting myself to three may keep me in a best of both worlds scenario.
• Pick up some more editing work - Recently, I did some 'editing' work (for want of a better word) for Daniel Kalban on an up coming comic of his. Now, I really enjoyed what I did for him and would, in honesty, really like to try it again. Therefore, a goal for 2021 will be to find some similar work from creators willing to give me that chance. Now, I'm skeptical that I will have a great deal of success here as anyone who wants an editor would rather splash out for a good one. However, I lose nothing by trying.
• Improve the layout of my blog - This last one is a bit of a cheat because I'm pretty happy with the layout. However, for 2021 I want to get into a habit of updating the lost of Kickstarters which interest me as well as produce a list of webcomics that I really like. Hopefully, this'll be the easiest goal on my list but time will tell.

And there you have it!! That's everything (certainly that I can think of) that i want to do in 2021. Now, i won't lie, given my previous years of doing lists like this, I'm skeptical that I will succeed of even half of my goals. However, as someone who needs to have focus and direction, hopefully these will all keep me in good stead to actually get something done.

Oh, and before I forget ...

While there hasn't (yet) been much fanfare about them, I recently read a couple of comics for review purposes over at Pipedream Comics.

The first was Theatrics vol. 2. Now, there isn't much I can say about this beyond what I've said in the review itself but i absolutely loved this read. It helped bring back to me the enjoyment which had come from reading the first volume.

I thought Gibson's writing continues to be great with this story. What I really enjoyed was the sort of moral ambiguity that seemed to come from Stephanie and Sam as they were like Rudy's Devil and Angel on his shoulders (though not always the same one every time). As such, felt that it was very compelling as it paved the way to what was (in hindsight) the only possible outcome.

Meanwhile, the art team continued to provide solid work, although I thought it looked much more 'heightened' than the first arc. Regardless though, I loved the look of it every step of the way, with my favourite being an absolutely killer final image to end the story.

This was a truly magnificent story and as such, I'm going to happily mark the Webcomic on a permanent basis to check it out again. I'd also be lying if I didn't say how very tempted I am to get the print editions.

After that I read I Walk with Monsters #1. Now, I know that i probably have a certain bias as i really loved Paul Cornell's work but I seriously think that this is a captivating read. This is because the speed at which I burned through was incredible and I was absolutely bummed out when I reached that final page.

I recently heard an interview with Cornell which states that this was a very personal project for him and, honestly, I'm inclined to believe that. This issue felt brutal (despite it's rather 'Stand by Me-esque art implying the opposite) and really came across as a truly complex thriller about the various monsters of the world. The figurative, the literal and the ones who might just have to become what they hate to beat them (so basically, I'm say Jacey is as much a monster as anyone else).

Now, I'm not going claim that it is perfect, as the plot in this opening instalment is rather bare. However, I really think that the potential far outweighs any problems this book has. I truly think that this is one of Vault's major winners. Therefore, I'll be getting this without question.

So, that ends the first post of 2021. Sorry if was a bit wordy, I guess I had a lot to unload. Maybe that should be another goal, to make my posts shorter. Nonetheless, how that my plans for direction have been vented, hopefully I can move onto what everyone really wants ... ths comics!!