#461 - (some of the) May 2022 Pull List

It's been a few weeks since my last post on here. In fact, It's been exactly three weeks since I not only wrote anything on this blog but also since I wrote any reviews for Pipedream Comics.

The reason for this lack of output has been, in a word, burnout.

I've been finding it tough going of late to get invested in reading (or nigh on doing) anything, with this picking up on a feeling I've had of lethargy or apathy as I push myself to read comics in order to fit some self appointed schedule.

The truth is that maybe I've just been pushing myself too hard, with my need to provide content to Pipedream as well as my wish to write a post a week here and then live a normal life of wife and kids etc. finally breaking me a little as I found there might not be enough time for all of these without a taking a strain on the old mental health.

Therefore, I needed a break.

However, with more and more time having past, I thought I'd try and dip my toes gently back into the water and read my pull list comics that were, so far, available during May.

The first read was Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi #1, where Christopher Cantwell, Ario Anindito and Carlos Lopez told a tale of a older, wiser (and very Alec Guinness looking) Obi-Wan Kenobi, reflecting on an adventure he had as a Jedi Youngling as he tried to prevent his only friend leaving the Jedi Order. With, the new TV series (now literally) around the corner, I was excited by this series, especially when I learned that Christopher Cantwell was writing it (after I loved his Fantastic Four One-Shot).

Unfortunately, I didn't think that this comic didn't meet the expectations I had set upon it, with it only being an ok read. The annoying thing about it is that there was nothing really that let this issue down in any major way as both Cantwell's script and the art from Anindito and Lopez was solid. I guess that, in a nutshell, I found issue 1 to be a bit bland in terms of the story that it was telling, feeling too quiet compared to the older Obi-Wan's adventures which had been revealed through the prequels and the Clone Wars. Hopefully, this series can pick up a little bit from the second instalment because, given all I know of him and his prior work, I have faith in Christopher Cantwell to offer me something great.

So, with the end of one Sci-Fi franchise, I decided to cross the aisle to another as I followed up Star Wars with Star Trek: The Mirror War #6. This mini (or maxi) series from the Tipton Brothers and Gavin Smith, picked up the pace a little bit as Captain Picard and the I.S.S. Enterprise finally unveiled its master plan, with it's newly built armada, to take the fight to it's Klingon and Cardassian enemies who had imprisoned their Empire for so long.

Now, it's felt like it has taken a while to get here, but I really enjoyed issue 6 as it came across as a good read. The pace of this issue certainly seemed to greatly increase, with the chess piece moving of the prior five issues finally having everything in place enough to get the action moving. Meanwhile, the art continues to improve in my eye as I continue to get more comfortable with its style. While it is unfair to compare against cover artist J.K. Woodward's prior work on Mirror Broken, I am starting to find Smith's style is beginning to warm to me, with the characters looking more and more like their real life counterparts. By this point, I'm still convinced that Mirror War will be a far better read as a whole than in piecemeal. However, this issue I think really made me happier that I stuck with it.

To round out this rather cosmic week of comics, I read Fantastic Four #43, which continued Dan Slott's Reckoning War event as he, Rachael Stott, Andrew Di Vito and Jesus Aburtov provided a penultimate installment which saw Marvel's greatest heroes struggling against the unstoppable invaders as Dr Doom faces an familiar enemy. Oh, and the FF appear somewhere.

As with most of this 'event' was far, issue #43 was yet another ok read. Unfortunately, I (for the most part) really struggled to get invested in this issue, with the story feeling like a bit of a slog, maybe due to the issue effectively getting everything in place for its finale. I think the biggest issue with the writing for me is the sacrifice of the comic's main characters in exchange for a load of guest stars getting predominant focus (like the Mandolorian in the Book of Boba Fett). As for the art, I enjoy the style that Rachael Stott uses here for it's vibrancy but, overall, Reckoning War isn't doing it for me in this issue. With one last part to go, I do hope that the whole thing reads a lot better as a whole. That said, I think my excitement in this series is now focused on David Pepose taking over for a couple of issues over the summer.

And that's been my week ... well, almost. While I haven't quite finished reading it yet, I have gotten started on John Ridley's The Other History of the DC Universe, which tells a retrospective about the history of the DCU but from the perspective of heroes from disenfranchised groups. Now, as I write this, I'm three fifths of the way through but I have to confess that it's good. A rather dense and eye-opening read but good nonetheless. Hopefully, I'll have more to say on it once I have finished the last two issues. 

But that's for next week. First though, I have two big occasions to enjoy:

MCM London on Saturday ...

... and the premiere of Obi-Wan on Friday!