#412 - Black Cotton #1-4

So, a little known fact about me, I celebrate my wedding anniversary on the same day as the anniversary of the creation of the Fantastic Four.

Therefore, I had thought that it would be fitting to talk about issue 35 of the greatest comic book magazine ... except for the fact that it wasn't released this week (for reasons known only to Marvel).

So instead, given that I'd written about other comics elsewhere (more on that later), I thought I would take this opportunity to read some issues of a series that I had been wanting and hoping to read every since I'd heard the interview with its creators.

Set in a universe where race relations are flipped, Black Cotton tells the story of the Cotton family, whose lives and reputation as a successful business family is thrown into turmoil when eldest son Zion, a uniformed police officer, shoots an unarmed white woman he mistakes for an armed suspect. This event leads to backlash from the minority European-American society as their family works behind the scenes to get control of the situation and maintain their reputations.

After hearing creators Patrick D. Foreman and Brian Hawkins explain the concept behind Black Cotton, I have to admit that I was seriously intrigued. The idea about inverting everything we know about America's race relations was a notion that I thought would make for a compelling and introspective story.

And in honesty, I certainly thought this was the case. Black Cotton is an ok read, with some interesting characters and a depiction of generic protests that seem both different and very, very similar. It's strength, though, comes from the idea itself because I really liked how intriguing Black Cotton was it felt like some sort of announcement or editorial piece to give more people a greater insight into the real world. As a result of this, I find myself with questions as I make it to the end of issue 4, curious about the reason behind the Cottons' actions (beyond the obvious) and what is the meaning of their saying, "Black Cotton"?

That said, I did struggle with the plot itself as it felt somewhat underwhelming and by the numbers. I think the problem I had was that it was too generic, while the various members of the Cotton's weren't terribly likeable (although maybe that was the point). Also, the midway addition of the samurai extremists felt a bit superfluous and like a distraction. Of course, there moments at the beginnings of issues where prior scenes are replayed with extra context which I liked and found interesting.

Meanwhile, the art is ... well, its different. I like Marco Perugini's work here but after reading this off the back of Cuddles (which this artist also drew. More on that later!), this series felt like a bit of a step down in comparison. That said, I can't help but wonder about the visual direction the creative team were going with this artwork. For instance, the entire series (at least so far) is entirely black and white and I can't help but wonder if there is a reason for that? I can't help but wonder if it is to make all the characters look the same (which they do a little) and thereby remind readers that regardless of this fantasy world, or even the real one, that we are all the same people.

(I hope that makes sense.)

Like I said, Black Cotton (at least the series so far) is an OK read to me. While I not sure if I would come back for a re-read, I'm certainly intrigued where the writers go to finish this series. For that reason, I'll certainly be back to check out the end.

Oh, and before I forget ...

While I read Black Cotton , I also read a couple of other comics for the weeks reviews. First up was Amber Blake Operation Dragonfly, a re-release by Magma Comix of a European comic from Jade Lagardère and Butch Guice.

Now, I really enjoyed this comic. I felt it was a good read which reminded me a lot of the Jennifer Garner TV show Alias in the story it told and Lazarus in its artistic style and the way the panels were planned out from an action standpoint.

That said, i did struggle with the issue to begin with because, while this is sold as a one shot, it felt like there were references to events which had occurred before but not the necessary exposition. In fact, I'd have thought of this to be a second issue to series rather than a one shot.

Still, it turned around as it went and, by the end, had me very intrigued as to what happens next and many questions about this world. It is a shame that it is only a one shot because if a sequel were to be produced, it certainly would be on my wish list (in fact, this might be the case as I heard rumours there is a full series out there.

Anyway, after that I reviewed for We Don't Kill Spiders #1 from Scout comics' horror imprint, Black Caravan. I wont lie, I feel as if all I've been saying recently is how much I like what I've been reading. However, this is always the truth.

The same is be said for We Don't Kill Spiders because, while it is a much slower, more cerebral comic than any I've read in quite a long while, it really feels like a supernatural police procedural, the latter of which I'm certainly a fan of. For these reasons, I really liked this issue as it really hooked me to want to know what's going on.

I enjoyed the character of Bjorn who had this stoic, all business, Geralt like persona which was intriguing as well as the question which came to my head as a result of his investigation. My only problem I had was that his trust on Revna turned up really quickly, but it didn't make or break my thoughts on the book.

As I've said, the art for this reminds me of prior Viking related comics I've read, only here the colours used differ slightly to give it this Limbo-esque vibe. All in all though this was another terrific read and I look forward to it hitting comixology (or even a trade) to see whodunit.

Finally, I did a guest review for the Wednesday Pull List of Cuddles: A Last Chance Crime Story by Jed McPherson, Marco Perugini and Shan Bennion. Now, like the others, I really enjoyed reading this. However, unlike the others, I really, REALLY enjoyed reading this!!

The story was terrific and the characters were amazing and gripping. I really felt like this was an incredible noir story the likes of which I'd only seen on the big screen (although, admittedly, I need to read more crime comics).

Meanwhile, the art was just Heavenly in its look and aesthetic. It looked both like things I'd seen before and, alternatively, like the most unique style I'd ever seen in my life. In the end, this is more than a good and fantastic read, this a high recommendation and I'm gonna have to save the coin to get a print copy as soon as is possible.

So, that's another week done ... well, almost. This week also saw me bring complete another script as well as read one last comic, Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow #5, bringing that series to an end. It was an ok read but I think I want to go through the whole mini-series to see if they all work better if read together.

Next week's goal is guess.