July's Comics - Part 1.

It's been a busy few weeks for me. As I write reviews for Pipedream Comics, look for a new job and get everything ready for my upcoming (which is much sooner than even I expect) wedding, it's meant having less time to write my own thoughts here. All being well, with the job situation resolved and the wedding almost done, I'll be able to put more attention to here and put a lot more of my thoughts to paper.

That said, I was able to carve a little time out for myself and now that I'm getting my comic collecting/reading has stabilised and I've gotten into a routine, I figured I'd use this rare abundance of time and just have a run through of what I've read in the first two weeks of July and give my thoughts on them. I'm trying something new here so bare with me.

Earth 2 #25 - The battle for Earth 2 between Superman and the forces of Apokolips and the Wonders of the World Army enters the (seemingly) final battle as the good guys put in motion a plan to save the world, while Val-Zod finds the courage to face Kal-El for the world (and the title of Superman). This is kind of a bittersweet issue, given the recent revelation that Nicola Scott is leaving the book, however, it is also quite possibly the best issue of the run yet with tonnes of action, great moments for all the cast and (as usual) gorgeous panels from start to finish. Even with it being a bigger issue, there still wasn't enough here and I was salvatigin a bit at the end for the next issue.

Lazarus #9 - In the final issue of the 'Lift' arc, while the Barrets start through the selection process at the Denver Lift, Forever continues to seek out the Waste terrorist intent on destroying the event. Unfortunately, this is the weakest issue of the arc, fortunately, it's still pretty damn good. Rucka and Lark continue to world build as well as deepen the main character, both is story and flashbacks. I thought the ending was a bit of a shame as it went against the dark, grim concept of the book, however it was still an extremely engrossing read and I'm more than happy to ignore something as superfluous as that.

Daredevil #5 - This issue is more of a flashback issue as time returns to before Matt Murdock's relocation to San Franscisco as the story of Foggy Nelson's 'death' is explained. Despite my struggle with the early issues of this run, issue 4 felt like a turning point to me. Issue 5 continues on this track with yet another fantastic, done-in-one story which feels more like the prior volume and really highlights what makes Waid and Samnee such a great creative team on this title. The only gripe I have with it is that I'm sure Murdock already knew that the original Leap Frog was dead (During the Bendis run I think), yet he kept referring to him as alive. Maybe I'm nitpicking there though.

Fantastic Four #7 - This Original Sin tie in is wrapped up as it is revealed Johnny's original sin which cause Ben Grimm to remain the Thing. Unfortunately, Ben's woes are yet to end as, upon responding to a call for help, he finds himself in the position of being in a LOT of trouble!! Much like Daredevil, I did have problems getting on board with this book, but it did start to improve. I did fear the tie in would undo the improvement (I hate tie ins), but Robinson puts this handicap (I REALLY hate tie ins) to his advantage, wrapping it up quickly and using the fallout to help inform reasons behind Ben's later circumstances. I'm annoyed that Sue's fight with the Avengers was glossed over, but the way the book is heading, along with Kirk's beautiful art, allows me to not worry about it so much.

Spread #1 - Spread is a new book by Justin Jordan and Kyle Strahm which tells the story of No, a man surviving in a world where the spread, an organism which absorbs everything it comes into contact with, covers almost every inch of the planet. However, when a child is found who might contain the key to destroying the Spread, it's up to No to rescue her. Despite incredibly visceral artwork and an interesting premise, I just couldn't get into this book, which is a shame given the creative teams previous awesome work. What's worse is that there is nothing inherently wrong with book, only that it didn't draw me in as much as I like a comic book to do. Unfortunately, Spread is a prime example (for me) that even if you have the right combination, that still doesn't make something great.

And that was it. Five books so far this month and, although I'm upset that the newest release didn't appeal to me as much as I like, it has so far been a pretty good month regarding what I read, which is a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, my last four books aren't out until the end of the month, so nothing new until then. Of course, it gives me time to get to get excited about those books, especially as they include Alex + Ada, Black Science and Low. Now that's worth the wait. 

Although, now that I think about it, I'd rather then was now.