February 2017's pull list

I'm a little late in writing this, mainly because February has been a hell of a month. Wife's been sick, son's been sick, I've been sick, it's been kind of sickness all round as bugs have doing the rounds. As a result, I've not really been in the right frame of mind to read and now, as the month drew to a close, I found myself playing catch-up (which isn't easy when time, usually, is a luxury).

But, found time I did and so I've gotten reading.
 

The first thing I read was, of course, Black Science #28. This is due to the fact that Remender, Scalara and co. have consistently released the best comic on my list. This issue saw half(ish) of the anarchist league of scientists jump to a new dimension and a meeting with the Legion of Ethical Champions as well as an old enemy out to cause chaos. Sadly, while I've loved this series every single month, this issue felt a little off and took me two read throughs to get. I think the problem is the fact that it moves away from the "main story" involving McKay, Block, the parasites and Earth Prime and instead introduced us to a bunch of new characters, many of whom are really around long. That's not to say this issue isn't good, as it continued to give me all that I love about Black Science, as well as setting up story points for the future, but overall it wasn't the best the series has offered (though I'm confident that won't last long).

Next came Titans #8, which saw the team moving in and getting settled into their new tower while Herald and Bumblebee visit a company who specialise in controlling meta-human powers for Karen's growing abilities. I've got to admit with this book that I do tend to back and forth. While this series has slowly improved from it's early issues it still doesn't feel incredible. However, the wonderful Titans Hunt mini along with the classic Titans line up does keep me on board with a lot of goodwill. With this issue, again I felt like it was a bit of a slow start, although it was awesome to see the Titans relaxing in their new base as well as the (more central) return of the Duncan's. However, the slow start made it a sluggish read although I am looking forward to seeing if Karen will be joining the team by the arc's end.

After that was Daredevil #17, which saw Soule and Garney tell the story of how Matt Murdock got his secret identity back in the bottle and filling in the gap between the start of their run and the end of the previous run. Now, for me, this had to be the best book of the month as it felt more like what I had loved about the Waid/Samnee run while giving good reasons as to why the series became what it is now. It was also excellent to see the return of Kirsten McDuffie, although I did feel she was a bit off in how she was depicted, especially in a couple of panels such as Typhoid's attack (oh yeah, Typhoid Mary showed up. Classic villain usage points) and the return to New York. However, what I really loved was how Garney changed up his style to look more Samnee-esque and give the whole book a warmer feel. Also, the there was a throwaway reference to Mephisto sorting secret identities which had the fanboy in me happy it had been remembered. Overall, this was an issue which certainly ended on a high with a revelation I almost, but didn't quite get right and, as such, has me eager to get the next instalment as I'm now fully on board with this volume afterwards.

Finally, there came Trinity #6, which completed the first arc of the run as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman thought to escape the dream world of the Black Mercy in order to put a stop to Mongul's rampage in the real world. For me, this issue was a bit of a mixed bag as, while I enjoyed the concept surrounding Mongul and the Black Mercy (it reminds me of the Justice League Unlimited episode which involved both), the arc as whole felt a bit of a struggle to get invested in, although there were moments of light. This issue in particular though did seem a little fast which, while I've found natural in action heavy comics, gave me the impression that the finale was a little rushed. However, I still love Manapul's art and this issue was no exception and the end focusing on the three heroes together was a nice resolution. In the end though, I'm on the fence and, due to recent price changes, I'm not overly torn up about having to drop this title after the next issue. But hey, I came back on Daredevil, so maybe I'll come back to this one later.

And so that was February. A bit of a let down overall compared to January, but it was nice to have Daredevil remind me of how good it is and I have faith Black Science will turn it around in the next issue. However, it is kind of a shame that all DC was bringing up the rear and I'm inclined to blame the lack of recap page again (it's a useful tool, I just wish DC would get that).

Anyway, now that I've vented these books, it's time for March a.k.a. bumper comic month!