#442 - Catching up, part 2: the February Pull List.

Ok, so the original plan for my last post had been something somewhat bigger. However, as I said at the end of that post, what I wrote and what I thought turned out to be a lot more than I had expected.

Instead, I decided that rather than write a really big post, I would just break it into two.

So, here is part two.

The Pull List

So, while I read Kaijumax at home, the descent onto the UK of Storm Eunice meant that I returned to getting the bus to work. This allowed me to catch up on my pull list comics for February (at least so far).

First of these was Star Trek: The Mirror War #4, which saw Picard and the Crew of the I.S.S. Enterprise-D continue their mission to acquire a fleet to call their own. However, when the Klingons catch up to them, Picard's mission looks set to fall at the first hurdle, until a familiar looking captain intervenes.

As I've mentioned several times prior, I've found so far through this series to be slow going (for want of a better description). However, this issue finally felt like the pace was picking up with events happening that seemed more relevant and/or consequential than all of the talking and planning which had taken place so far. I still have some questions regarding the story (in particular to the inclusion of some 'guest' cameos) but the story really seems to have started to gain the momentum.

I could say the same about the art, although the improvement is more in my appreciation than the work. This is because, while the pencils and colours are still solid (in my opinion), I feel I'm finally getting over the need to compare to Mirror Broken and just enjoying it for the quality it imbues. As a result of both these things, issue four was a good read for me and I'm now quietly hopeful in how the overall story will come across.

Moving on from Star Trek, I then had a back to back reading of Fantastic Four: The Reckoning and Fantastic Four #40, both of which marked the beginning of the Dan Slott event fifteen years in the making. Reckoning saw the war and chaos engulf the galaxy as the mysterious race known as the Reckoning finally begin their plan of revenge, starting with the Badoon Invasion of Earth. Meanwhile, picking up from the Reckoning special, #40 continued with the heroes of Earth (and the X-Men of Mars, apparently) holding back the Badoon onslaught, while the FF go retro as an enlightened Reed leads the way in ceasing the Reckoning's campaign against the galaxy.

After reading issue 38 and 39, I expressed hope that this event could up the series' game a bit, especially given how long this story has been set up. Fortunately, it certainly felt that way as I found myself enjoying the good reads which were both of these issues. While it certainly seems early days, I thought that there was plenty of action and spectacle, with a revelation which certainly has me intrigued. On top of that, the art by Carlos Pacheco and Rachel Stott respectively continues to match the style of the last nearly 20 issues that I've just been absolutely adoring (although I've found the FF's classic look to be somewhat jarring as it doesn't seem to match the rest of the book).

That said, there are some niggles to the story which are getting to me, not least revolving around Reed Richards, his momentary lack of scientific knowledge regarding the moon, his seemingly robotic transformation (and whether it is that or if Slott is trying to paint him as more uncaring to match what most people I've noticed seemed to think) and, maybe most importantly, where did Nick Fury Sr. get a new flying car from? Still, besides these things (as well as the cramped feeling, as if they are trying to fit too much into these issues), I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next (specifically with Sue's place in the event) and so I can't wait for the next instalment.

Reviews

Now, before I read anything in the last just over a week, either the comics from my pull list or Kaijumax, I took the time to read and review Bountiful Gardens vol. 1 for Pipedream Comics. Created by Ivy Noelle Weir, Kelly Williams, Giorgio Spalletta and Justin Birch, this was a story of prodigy teenagers facing horror-esque problems in deep space.

As always, the review details the nitty gritty of my thinking about this comic but, in short, I really liked and enjoyed reading this. Bountiful Garden's was really creepy and unnerving and, as a result, I found it utterly captivating as I followed these kids wake up in a situation which seemed to be totally over their heads. I loved the art as well because it really ramped up the creepiness to the point that by the end, I really couldn't wait to read the next volume (if one, hopefully, comes into being).

And that's been my week (or two)!

Now I'm all caught up I hope to get back into some sort of a groove and get back to a sense of one trade a week. First up though, I would like to focus on Kickstarters given that my reward of Hallowed North #1 arrived in my inbox during the week as well as Fellhound's newest campaign for 'And We Love You' has taken off.

However, they might take second fiddle as I want to check out what's changed now that Comixology to Amazon and test those changes in a real time reading scenario.

And I have just the comic (or several ... hundred) to do it.

#441 - Catching up, part 1: Kaijumax Season One.

It has been nearly two weeks since I last posted anything here. That has not been by design or intention but simply due to a confluence of events such sick kids, school closures and my own fluctuating mental health.

However, in that time, I have still managed to read a number of comics, including two trade collections.

The comic which has been my main focus during this time has been Kaijumax Season one, which follows the goings on within an island prison created to house the monsters and kaiju of the world. Told (mostly) from the perspective of Electrogor, a recently captured monster who simply wants to return to his now parentless children, the series follows the power struggles, corrupt guards and various fights of prison life, but on a much, MUCH larger scale.

I've heard a lot about Kaijumax for a good few years from various places, all of whom gave it high praise. So, when Comixology were offering it on sale just prior to Christmas (or was it just after?) I thought this felt like providence and took advantage and see what it is all about.

Well, with the news that Comixology was going full on Amazon and some of the horror stories people were mentioning online about the new set up, I thought I'd try and get one last comic read before the changes and Kaijumax became that choice.

So, was it worth the praise I kept hearing? Well, the short answer to that is I don't know. Kaijumax was an interesting read, but one that I'm not sure was meant for my mentalities or that I understood 100%. 

That's not to say that that the story or the characters are confusing because they are not. I thought that Zander Cannon created a really believable prison drama, something akin to some of the best prison based TV shows I've seen. The characters and their various plight and circumstances kept me sympathetic and engaged in their journeys (while some deserve my feeling of ire).

The art also is gorgeously colourful, giving the whole book this truly ... I don't know to be honest, comic book look (in the most cartoon sense of the statement). The whole look gives it this very Manga vibe (at least, in my opinion, given I've read very little manga).

However, the marrying of the two is where the book seems to have lost me. Based on the cover art, as well as the concept, I was expecting a read which would have seemed a little more comedic or humourous. However, as I broke open the cover and started reading the pages, the more serious tone of the plot seemed to be quite jarring when shown in the colourful, cartoony look of the art.

I feel like I'm sounding unnecessarily negative about this comic and that's not my intention. I think that, for the first time, I'm doubting my own ability to comprehend a comic I've read. This is because while a lot of the season was such a struggle, the final issue, while still containing the problems I saw, had me very intrigued, especially the cliffhanger ending.

So, where do I go from here? Well, I was very close to saying that this Kaijumax wasn't my thing and moving on. However, the cliffhanger has me interested enough that I actually want to check out the next volume. Obviously, due to my already large backlog, I probably won't be getting Season 2 for a while, but that'll maybe mean I can make time to give the first season another chance.

At this point, I had planned to talk about a lot more stuff. However, I feel I talked so much more than planned here (just for a change) that I'd split the post into two.

That other one, where I talk about the comics from my February pull list will be the next one up.

#440 - From my Pull List: Fantastic Four: Life story #6

It seems that I am in something of a groove this week.

After the post I put up just a couple of days ago, I had expected to get back into a routine, with my reading one trade a week (or at least trying) and leaving the singles from my pull list until the end of the month.

However, it appears that, once again, I've been unable to return to old habits and I had too much to say to just let it wait until the correct time come.

So instead of reading a trade, I pulled from my singles pile Fantastic Four: Life Story #6, the final instalment of Mark Russell and Sean Izaakse's look at Marvel's first family as they lived (and aged) through the decades. This last issue, which sees the team reaches the 2010's, the ramifications from their encounter with Galactus are felt as the Four reach retirement age. But first, before they hang up their jumpsuits, they have to find a way to push back a new threat which the world is now facing as an old enemy re-emerges.

As I moved to read this final issue, I found myself feeling some trepidation about what I was about to get. While it had been a mostly good run so far, I had thought that, from issue to issue, Life Story had been a little bit up and down. As a result I did worry that this finale would be more down than up and not stick the landing, something I especially feared when I remember that recent FF mini's I'd read had also burned me a little as well.

Fortunately, I didn't think Life Story's end followed suit as I found this to be a really enjoyable issue, with Messrs Russell, Izaakse and Co. providing a really poignant and heartfelt story about (in my opinion) a father and husband as he looked back over life and the mistakes he made. As a man who often does that as he approaches his fort ....er, I mean late thirties, this idea of Reed wishing he could have done things differently as he watched the world continue to move on by without him really resonated.

I really thought that, more so than any issue prior, this issue capped off the series really beautifully, imbuing the notion of family within the characters better than any of prior five issues (not that I thought they failed at this). For me, this was best seen in Izaakse's final panel where with Reed and Sue reaching the end of their story and their family having left them (as tends to happen), the background shows photos of their family members in the background showing that they haven't really left. I really loved this panel but that doesn't imply that Izaakse dropped the ball elsewhere because, like the rest of the series and the main series before that, his artwork is phenomenal and makes me think of what I said about the FF art recently in that I wonder where he was before that FF job.

Now, I wont lie, this issue did have its problems. For one thing, while it certainly made sense that the issue be Reed-centric, I certainly do wish that Sue and Ben had gotten a little more focus (even if they got some good panel time). Also, While I certainly loved the plot within this issue, I did get the feeling that the all of the loose ends being tied up in the 'B' plot really made the whole thing feel a little bit crowded issue (which I get but I wish it had offered Sue and Ben a little more even focus) as well as all the tying up of loose ends made it all feel a little crowded.

Still, despite these things, I really felt that the good outweighed the bad quite heavily in this issue. I now intend to go back and re-read the entire series together to see if the whole is certainly greater than the sum of its parts. However, after reading this issue and thinking back, I'm confident that this will be the case.

I won't lie, I hadn't intended to write as much as I have done. I guess I had more to say about this issue than I thought.

Hopefully, on my next post, normal service can resume (whatever 'normal service' actually is).

#439 - Off the Racks: Superman and Robin #1

Once again, I seem to have written a post that I hadn't planned on. Given that I try and utilise every spare minute I have, between this blog, reviews and everything else, I try and live by some degree of a schedule.

Alas, that seems to have stumbled once again, the third time since the New Year started.

Originally, I had planned to talk about this comic along with the other pull list comics from January. However, I ended up buying it the week after its release and ran put of time in which to read it.

Then I planned to include it with the pull list comics at the end of February, but then I became inspired to write all of this and so instead here I am.

Then again, this comic wasn't on my pull list, instead being grabbed from direct from the shelves. Therefore, maybe it deserves its own post.

So, over this weekend I've read Superman and Robin #1, a one-shot from the regular Super sons writer, Peter Tomasi, where the new Man of Steel and the current Boy Wonder reunite (despite their now obvious age difference) to investigate a possible break in at the Fortress of Solitude.

So, more of an 'off the rack' than a 'from the pull list', this issue seemed to call to me from the wall as I perusing my LCS, waiting for a space to be served and get the goods from my slot in their filing cabinet. And as I looked upon this cover and this title, the idea of a now grown up Jon Kent and a still kiddish Damian Wayne and how they interacted intrigued me greatly. That said, the fact that Peter Tomasi, who had written the Super Sons ever since Rebirth (including the only story of theirs I've read: Super Sons of Tomorrow), was on writing duties here certainly helped seal the deal.

Fortunately, Superman and Robin didn't disappoint as I thought that it was a fun and light-hearted adventure which once again showed off how well Tomasi gets the dynamic between the two. I absolutely adore the friendship between these two characters, something which really works well given how much I normally dislike Damian Wayne. However, despite the change in circumstances, I really thought that Tomasi got the chemistry really well, regardless of the fact that these new circumstances led to a minor change in their roles (with Jon being more serious and Damian being a bit more light hearted and quippy, like two contrasting extremes coming together).

Meanwhile, I really liked the art by Viktor Bogdanovic (along with an army of inkers and colourists), which really got the alien feeling that the Fortress should emit (with it's alien artifacts and creatures and so on) as it really reminded me of the work by Kenneth Rocafort back when he worked with Paul Cornell on Action Comics (post Black Ring, pre Flashpoint). There were a couple of things which bugged me and they were predominantly Robin based (his costume and his personality because, while he wasn't as bad, he was still a little annoying) but, overall, this one shot was a good read which didn't feel dark and serious at all.

My only concern now is whether the comic has any re-readability to it (because initial impressions tell me it might not).

#438 - The first pull list post of 2022

After a month of reading trade after trade (nine of them in total, which is a surprise for me as I always plan to read no more than one a week), I thought it was time that I devoted myself to the single issues that had been filling my pull list at my LCS

That said, it wasn't exactly a large amount given that some on my list actually belong to my son (Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic: Imposter Syndrome) and one of mine had been delayed into February. Nonetheless, three comics is still enough to occupy my week (especially given that I was reading something else at the weekend).

The first of my reads for the (working) week was Fantastic Four #39, which picked up from it's prior issue to continue in the battle between the Richards family and the Wizard for custody of Bentley 23.

Now, as I looked at the cover, I have to admit that I expected an improvement on issue 38, which was ok but didn't really wow me in anyway. However, I almost expected some sort of questioning of various versions of Franklin Richards from across time and reality as they all spoke up in defence of the Richards clan (or, more specifically, their parenting style), culminating in the Wizard's (legal) defeat. However, this was not the case, as the issue instead seemed to continue at the rather slow, almost boring pace from the prior issue.

I mean it wasn't all that bad as I thought Slott had created some wonderful Father/child moments during this issue (although it is a real shame that one of them couldn't be used for Sue. It does make me realise that she gets a bit of a raw deal, focus wise) as well as the final shock reveal (although that was a bit of a double edged sword for me because while it is a surprise, I don't like how it changes the status quo a bit). Also, I loved Pacheco's art work (Seriously! How are there so many great artist doing this style? and how have I never seen it/their work before this run??) as well as the Easter eggs referencing the various Wizard's origin issues.

Unfortunately, while there were bits and pieces that I really liked, the overall story was only 'ok' to me (although probably better than its predecessor). It does make me wonder if this two-parter was just a filler story to spin the wheels until we get to Reckoning War. Hopefully, the events in this issue will be relevant to the overall arc but, for now, it's a shame because FF was having a good one there for a while.

After that, I read Star Trek: The Mirror War #3, which continued the Mirror Universe Enterprise's mission to gain power for their Captain Picard by capturing a secret shipyard located within Klingon/Cardassian space.

Unfortunately, as seems to continue to be the case with this story, this issue turned out to be a real struggle. I mean, issue 3 once again started well with another fantastic and gorgeous cover. Sadly, I did think that it seemed to be the best part for me.

I think the problem with this issue (and Mirror War as a whole) is that I'm not sure if it is a story which is designed to be read in instalments. As a result, any momentum gained from previous issues is lost during the month (or maybe two) wait between entries. Again, as with FF, this issue is not a bad issue, but it does feel standard and gives a feel that it is just going through the motions with little in the way of twists (although it is nice to see how this all connects to the DS9 mirror episodes (though I wonder why didn't Smiley mention this at any point?)).

Otherwise, much like the issues prior, Mirror War's third issue is ok. While the story is slowly progressing and the art is solid (though not Through the Mirror's Woodward work), this run (so far) isn't convincing me to come back for any fourth story. At this point, I'm just hoping that it reads better when all issues are read together.

My third read was She-Hulk #1, which saw the Jade Giantess begin the road to recovery after many years of being more Hulk than She-Hulk as Jen Walters sets about getting a new job, a new home (as she crashes with the Wasp) and a new Status Quo with nemesis Titania. However, this new beginning gets interrupted when a formerly dead Avenger shows up at her door.

Now, I was umming and arring over whether to buy She-Hulk or not and even when I did pick up a copy, I found myself hesitant to break it open. The reason for this was that I had been hearing so much praise and hype surrounding what Rainbow Rowell and Roge Antonio had done in this issue that I was afraid my expectations were going to be too big and that She-Hulk wouldn't meet them.

Fortunately, all my worrying seemed to be for nought because I thought that this opening instalment to be a fun, colourful and light-hearted read which felt like a real throwback to the Slott run (at least the issue I read). Certainly, in the aftermath of the last few years and runs the character has been involved in, it certainly reads like the beginning of Jen Walters leaving a very dark cloud and finding the start of a new lease on life. 

It wasn't perfect for me, of course, as the issue did seem to lack an overall direction for the series and the last minute guest appearance felt a bit forced (I wonder if it is down to Reckoning War that this character appeared), Nonetheless, this was still a good read for me as it was easy-going and full of vibrancy and showing off a nice new dynamic between Shulkie and Titania that I look forward to seeing more of. In fact, I look forward to seeing more of this entire comic as a whole, so I guess I'm going to add this to my pull list full time.

And that's my week, and my January's worth of single issues, done. To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the ratio of good comics to just genuinely ok. However, in fairness, I'm expecting great things from Reckoning War next month (because who wouldn't about an event 15 years in the making) and I'm hopeful that when Mirror War is completed it'll come across as a much better read combined than as singular issues. Therefore, I guess this is a month consisting more marathon comics than sprint ones.

Fortunately, if there is one silver lining, it's that She-Hulk has certainly convinced me to add it to my Pull List permanently. As a result, it certainly builds up the number of reads I'll have for the end of February.