2020 - A Year of getting my house in order

With 2019 almost at an end, I think back to the beginning of January, when I posted a similar post detailing my plans for the year ahead (something I've done for the last few years in fact).

In hindsight, while my goals and resolutions started off very well indeed, the arrival of my son threw things out of whack and I struggled to achieve what I set out to do to the extent that I had planned.

However, it's been nine months to get used to two kids, a full time job and all the comics in my world and, with 2020 only two days away, I figured that there was no better time to put together a new list of goals for a new year. However, this list is different for others as it feels more specific and great in quantity, due to the fact that, at 36, it's time I started getting things done and, as the title suggests, I get my house in order (both figurative and literal).

Therefore, behold my goals/resolutions for 2020:

Comics (because I've broken these down into categories)

• A (slightly) bigger budget - For the last few years, the budget I've put aside for new comics has continued to drop. Due to the appearance of my children, changes in jobs, economic changes and the need to streamline my collection (and time) with fewer new comics has meant that my budget covers roughly two or three singles a month, two trades over a year and my Comichaus subscription. However, this year I've decided to be a little different and increase my budget by an extra 50% of what it previously was. My reasoning behind this is mainly due to the fact that, due to my role as a reviewer, I'm coming across more and more comics which are truly fantastic reads but yet I struggle to afford to support. Hopefully, by doing this, I can now support at least a couple more of these specific titles over the course of the year while still maintaining the financial stability I always focus on.
• Less impulse buys - Paradoxically, while I've prided myself on running a tight ship with my pull list, I do have a really bad habit of being impulsive in my comic buying, especially when Comixology has a sale (such as just recently buying Darth Vader's second volume, just because). Therefore, I'm going to try and keep away from those sales in 2020. This isn't just in an attempt to save money (although it is a bonus) but also because I already have a LOT of comics I still need to read.
• Comic book catchup - Of my entire comic book collection (which, of course, is far less than it used to be), now more than ever, I have a large portion which still hasn't been read. Thinks like Wonder Woman, Marvel Knights FF and beyond have been sat waiting for years. I just recently read one of these in the form of New 52 Green Arrow but there is still so many more to go. Therefore, I want to, if not clear the pile then certainly put a huge dent in it.
• One Comichaus title a month - I also want to take advantage of Comichaus to a greater degree in 2020. I've held a subscription with 'the Netflix of comics' for two years now but only recently have really put it to any major use (reading 32 Kills, Close and Rok of the Reds in quick succession). This really goes against my 'focusing on the pennies' mantra as I've been throwing good money after bad on something I don't really use. However, having a scan through the site recentry,  I found a tonne of titles which I'd had on my comics wishlist available through the app, meaning I could read them anytime rather than buy them outright (unless I really wanted to). Therefore, 2020 will see me working harder to take advantage of the issues goldmine and read at least one title a month (and that's NOT one issue, that's one title with however many issues it includes). By doing this, not only will I give myself a greater variety, but I'll also put better use of the money I'm already spending.
• The great re-read a.k.a. A comic a day (nearly) - probably the most reoccurring item on these yearly list of goals, it is still something I want to do nonetheless. Last year I did very well, getting all the way up to mid-March. However, the arrival of my second child threw me out of whack and, while I may have recovered, I certainly didn't read one a day. Therefore, this year I'm going to be a little more flexible and say that I'm going to go for either a comic a day or a graphic novel a week. I'm also going to allow myself to bulk up on certain days, so reading 2 comics in a day makes up for not reading any on the next day. Of course, this will include everything; Comichaus, reviews, backissues, backlog, just as long as I can keep myself consistently reading.

Blog

• More Blogging, less reviewing - Last year, while I enjoyed writing so much on my blog, I felt that all I did was talk about specific comics and what I thought of them. This isn't a bad thing, not at all, but for 2020 I'd like to do more in regards to voicing my opinions. This blog is, essentially, an extension of my personality and not a review site and so I should use it in that manner. Therefore, I hope to blog more about my thoughts and views regariding not just comics but things which happen in comics. Maybe that's a mistake and I should stick to playing it safe, but I've watched another year where my sitting on the sidelines has done me no good (see UK politics) and so maybe venting would be good for me.
• Two posts a month - While 2018 was something of a bust, I appear to have really bounced back in 2019 when I posted 52 (I guess with this 53) blog posts in the year. This was over double what I had planned for. This year, however, I do hope to properly scale back and get out 2 posts a month, so 24 in the year. Of course, that isn't a fixed number and am happy to go over to, say, 30, however, I want to devote more time this year to other work and so need to scale back on other areas.
• More bells and whistles - I've said previously that this blog is an extension of myself and one thing I'd like to do is bulk its general look up to refleet that. I'm not quite sure how yet but to give it more depth than what I feel it currently has would be a nice goal.

Pipedream Comics

• Get a process for Pipedream - Last year, one of my goals was to improve on the note Talog in relation to my reviews for Pipedream Comics. Well, I believe that particular goal was a success (whether any of the others were is up for debate). However, I want to continue to improve as a writer and reviewer and so, for 2020, I want to caste a more uniformed process to how I review comics. What I mean by this is in relation to the turnaround of these reviews. This is because certain comics do end up being forgotten about due to priority and/or my preference. But also, my recent review of Canopus has made me realise that, whether helpful or not, my reviews could be used to influence a title's ordering numbers. Therefore, I'd like to get in a place where I'm reviewing comics in advance enough to help with ordering or Kickstartersomething etc. 
• Three reviews a month - Much like with my blog output, the number of reviews I put out in 2019 was considerably impressive compared to the previous year. With 49 reviews having been posted onto the Pipedream Comics web site which were written by my fair hand, that averages at almost one a week. For 2020, however, I hope to scale back slightly by putting out 36 ish reviews, or roughly three per month. The reason for this is, again, a selfish one as I would like to devote more time to my own writing in the coming yearound. However, unlike with my blog, I feel I owe those who make comics the additional time to review as many of their crelationship as I can in a year. Therefore, I felt three to reviews every month instead of the standard four would be sufficient.

Other Projects

• Continued Positivity - Something else which was originallya goal for 2019, my desire to be more postive about comics was, by and large, a success (although not perfect) in my opinion. However, improvement is always possible and I feel that I can always be more positive.
• More time to write - I've already made mention of this multiple times prior, but I'll elaborate on my thinking now. So, obviously, I would like to write more of my own projects like comic scripts and short stories. To what end I'm not sure but I have a lot of ideas rattling around in my head and, after much insistence from many people overy the years, I've decided to try and get as many as I can down on paper. I already have a few, but I've got the bug now and so would rather keep on going as much as I can.
• Better work/comic/life balance - This one requires little explanation (I hope) bit with a family, a full time job and my desire to read (and write) comics, I do find that time is at a premium as I use up every space moment on one of those three. However, I did notice as I went through 2019 that I struggled to maintain the necessary balance between work, comics and life (although, admittedly, it was more a case of work and comics struggling to balance with life rather than all three independently). In truth, I do wonder if it is possible and if entertaining all three within my time is meant to be a case of spinning plates as I scramble to ensure I keep all three in the air simultaneously. That said, if there is any way to keep a true balance, hopefully I can find it in 2020 (or at least get closer to it).

And there it is, my goals for 2020. Of course, these are not all the goals I have planned for the year as I do have the obligatory lose weight/get in shape goals as well as some personal to me like watching more movies (I watched shockingly few last year), reading more prose novels (I read shockingly few last year) and actually completing a video game and two (the number I have still to complete is staggering). However, the list above are the main ones I have when it comes to comics.

Hopefully, despite it being a lot, I can keep on track to getting through most, if not all, of them.

Because it's always good to have goals to strive towards.

My Theories behind Star Trek Voyager: Mirrors and Smoke

On Monday (as of when I posted this) I read Star Trek: Voyager: Mirrors and Smoke, a new one-shot I had been waiting on for a couple of months by writer Paul Allor and artist J.K. Woodward.

Now, while I'm not a major Star Trek fan in relation to the comics (although, as anyone should know, I do love Star Trek), this issue caught my eye because it continues IDW's ever evolving story surrounding the Mirror Universe. That in itself is a concept that's always fascinated me and, as a result of the tremendous Mirror Broken mini-series a couple of years back, a subgenre within Star Trek Comics that I'm fully committed to.

The basic premise of this newest issue focuses on the crew of the mirror universe Starship Voyager who, like their prime counterparts, have found themselves stranded in the Delta Quadrant. However, unlike in the main universe, the MU Captain Janeway isn't concerned with returning to a quadrant where the Klingons and Cardassians are in charge and so, she decides to remain to become the Pirate Queen of the Delta Quadrant.

Star Trek: Voyager: Mirrors
and Smoke #1. But what
happened before this issue?

So far, my enjoyment of the Mirror universe stories has been varied. Mirror Broken was amazing, while Through the Mirror a little less so (Terra Incognito I haven't read yet because is it a Mirror Universe story?) However, with Mirrors and Smoke, I'm going to say that it was closer to Mirror Broken in terms of my enjoyment factor. Allor's story was a solid one and it was nice to see this crew again, especially in the breath taking art style of J.K. Woodward which is what gave the issue high marks in my book (what can I say, I REALLY love this artwork).

However, when I say that the story is convoluted it is really down to one thing which bugged me about it: the Timeline. Naturally, the end had no definition and, in theory, the adventures of this crew could continue but the thing that bugged me was the beginning. This is because, not only do we not know how Voyager got to the Alpha Quadrant, I struggled to grasp all of the various character's loyalties pre story. For instance, the opening blurb references Voyager as a Rebel Ship, but it's colours looked very imperial instead. Also, the tv series Terran rebels didn't seem quite together to build an Intrepid Class Starship (they struggled with a Defiant Class which is about a third the size). And then there are the characters, with Janeway's attire looking Imperial but none of her crew looking the same. And then there's Tuvok, who actually appeared in a Mirror Universe Episode.

Anyway, it doesn't really affect the story in the grand scheme of things but I've always been a stickler of fan of continuity. Therefore, after reading the issue, I spent the next day or so pondering how all of this could have fit and, wouldn't you know it, I think I figured it out (go me!!)

Of course, it's essentially Fan-Fiction, but I think it works well within the rules of the Mirror Universe as the episodes and JK Woodward and the Tipton Brothers (who previously shared insight with me) established. And so, sit back and have a read of my thoughts on how the Imperial Starship Voyager reached the beginning of this issue:


So, beginning in early 2371 (or around the time the prime Voyager set off on it's maiden voyage), Captain Kathryn Janeway and her crew were entrusted with a mission by the Emperor deep into Klingon/Cardassian space. Unfortunately, both the ship and her crew were caught out by superior forces and captured before being placed in a mining facility along with rebels (Kim and Chakotay), criminals (Paris) and outcasts (Torres).

Meanwhile, a few months later (occurring AFTER the DS9 episode 'Through the Looking Glass), the Terran Rebels sent a team on a sabotage mission within enemy space. Unfortunately, like the Voyager crew, the team was caught and all killed but for a Vulcan operative, Tuvok.

Tuvok was processed as a prisoner of the Alliance and found himself held within the same prison as Janeway and the others. It is at this point that the crew comes together (under the leadership of Janeway) to escape their prison and their captors when Tuvok confirms sighting Voyager, intact, in an orbiting impoundment dock.

And So, the crew of Voyager, along with a large contingent of 'other' prisoners makes a break for the I.S.S. Voyager and, recapturing the ship (with Paris and Kim taking their 'rightful' places after Stati and the Operations Officer are killed mid-escape), Voyager sets course to escape the oncoming fleet bound to intercept. However, with the enemy ships closing in, Janeway is forced to take Voyager into the now nearby Badlands in the hope of evading and meeting Smiley's band of Rebels (at this point cue a similar scene to the Maquis escape scene in the first episode of Voyager, only with the titular ship doing the running).

At this point, everything plays out much like that first episode, with Voyager shaking off their captors but then being caught in the transport wave which strands them in the Delta Quadrant. The only difference I think would be that before they are scanned/transported like in the original, Janeway orders the Array destroyed in retaliation.

Now, with no way of getting home, Janeway decides that there is no life in the Alpha Quadrant under the boot of the Klingons and Cardassians. Therefore, she sets off to make her fortune as 'the pirate queen of the Delta Quadrant' which we find her at the start of this episode.

The End.


In truth, I'm probably WAY off in what Allor and Woodward (and to a greater extent, IDW) were thinking (or even had planned), but this was a fun little waste of time to just kind of connect it all in my head. Of course, I've not considered Neelix, Kes or Seven of Nine's changes in circumstance but that could be an easy case of 'right place, right time', with Kes having gone into space when she first met Neelix and subsequently developing her abilities in a harsher, less encouraging environment (which I always thought Tuvok gave). Meanwhile, Seven speaks of her parents and the Borg so I can only guess she somehow evaded the Borg on their ships (like Newt in Aliens) before eventually escaping. That said, their stories feel a little less 'different' to their original incarnations (in my opinion).

For now though, unless the creative confirm something different, I'm going to treat this theory of mine as canon (while hoping more of these comics are to come).

Fantastic Four: The Prodigal Sun

This had been one of those buys I've been eyeing up for a while prior to picking it up during a spree around Black Friday, although this was mainly due to the particular character name in the title.
 

I think it's probably very obvious by now to anyone who sees what I post that I am a big fan of the Fantastic Four. To this day they are still my number one comic, characters and team and, regardless of their main title's quality at any given time, they are characters I am always likely to pick up nigh on everything about.

 

Fantastic Four:
The Prodigal Sun

Therefore, it probably seems pretty obvious that this title would have made might my pull list when it was originally released. However, while my love for the four is absolute (well, nearly) the same can't be said for crossover events, 24th which I've had a mixed history of enjoyment. As such, I tend to give such crossovers a wide berth (a rule I ignored for the Lazarus Contract, to my detriment).

 

However, my need to read the Fantastic Four beat out my worries about crossovers, although maybe I should have been a little more disciplined.

 

The Prodigal Sun storyline traverses through Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer and Guardians of the Galaxy one-shots as those titular characters cross paths with 'Prah'd'gul' (I hope I spelt that right), and elemental prince whose is travelling back to his home world in an attempt to seek revenge on his brother. However, Prah'd'gul must first contend with a couple of detours when his spaceship crash lands in the Savage Land.

 

Man v Dinosaur; An average
day in the Savage Land?

As my brief synopsis may attest to, this story turned out to be less about the characters whose books are a part of this crossover and more about Peter David's (presumably) new creation Prah'd'gul (or as Ben references him, Prodigal, hence the title). For this reason I feel a little bit screwed over because, while the book states 'the Fantastic Four' in the title, they are anything but the stars of the show as they only appear in two of the issues (and the second of those is more cameo-esque). That said, not even their own title feels like theirs as they appear are seemingly bit players behind the roles Prah'd'gul and Savage Land natives Ka'zar and Shaana.

 

In fact, none of the various 'lead' characters from any of the three instalments feel like anything more than masters of ceremonies to me, literally standing around and watching Prah'd'gul's story unfold. Only the Surfer gets any real influence into the story (although, I suppose the FF do at the end of their instalment), but otherwise, this entire story most likely would have happened in the exact same way without their involvement.

 

I guess this just strikes me as odd because I wonder if this story needed to be placed within any of these books as surely Peter David is a great enough writer to deserve focusing directly on his own creation, either at Marvel or independently.



What an Epic image!!!

That said, none of this is in any way hinders my enjoyment of the story. I thought the Prodigal Sun was a fun little read and felt it introduced an interesting character in the form of Prah'd'gul, even if he sounded a little too human (although, so did Norrin Radd in his issue). I was also glad to get a bit of insight into Ka'zar and Shaana and their world of the Savage Land, a part of the Marvel universe in which my knowledge has always been lacking. Of course, not all of the issues were equal, with the middle part squaring Prah'd'gul off against the Surfer more interesting, exciting and epic. That said, the other two instalments were still great to read, the first giving me what I want while the last was ruined (for want of a better word) by the only major downside which I could see in that the story ended a little abruptly, as though another issue was expected. In fact, I kind of hope for a follow up to see the ramifications of the finale (although that may still happen in a future follow up).



Manna's artwork through this
crossover is out of this world
(somewhat literally)!!!

As for how it looked, I thought that Francesco Manna's art style over these three issues was gorgeous. I can't really describe how it looked or compare it to another artist's style but it felt very .... organic, giving a nice, soft, easy on the eye vibe which suited the story and world's perfectly. I think this was best exemplified by the scenes involving the Silver Surfer, who looked really epic, as well as the full appearance of Galactus, which was just breath taking (in my opinion). 2019 has shown me a lot of great artists drawing the FF and now I can add one more to that list .



So, overall, I thought that the Prodigal Sun was a good read and one I'm glad I took the chance and time to look at it, even if I wish the FF, the Silver Surfer and (I guess) the Guardians of the Galaxy had had more screen time and influence.

 

But then, maybe I'm just being greedy because this title was still one which entertained me and left me kind of wanting to see a continuation of Prodigal's story.

 

I wonder if I've just contradicted myself there?

Comic Reviews: November 2019

As we inch ever closer to Christmas, I'm finding my life just gets busier and busier. More and more, things which need doing seem to get bigger in volume (i.e. how much of it you have to do), importance and number (of things which need doing).

I'm starting to wonder if this is what a video game developer feels like during that infamous 'crunch' time.

Comic book reviewing is not separate from this as, with seemingly each passing day, more and more comic in need of a review enter my dropbox to the extent that the online drive is full (and I'm not willing to pay for the additional space).

Of course, it's a good problem to have, although it does mean having to decide what of all these quality books is read first.

With that in mind though, I think I made some good decisions in November.


Hero 9 to 5 Vol. 1

So, first was my review for Hero 9 to 5. Now, I feel guilty about this comic in that, I've seen it at con's in the past and by passed it for other things. However, now that I've read it, I wish I'd taken the chance all those times. Hero 9-5 is a really funny series which, while hitting us with action, humour and a fair bit of NSFW content, does actually work to ask questions and try to deconstruct certain Superhero tropes. Now, it's not perfect as the refreshing slice of life-esque story telling at the start seems to fall away nearer the end and I also felt that the character of Frostica got the short end of the wedge at times when she could have been utilised better and more in keeping with the series deconstruction. Regardless, Hero 9-5 is a refreshingly funny series which I do wish I'd taken the chance. So I am thankful to Alex for letting me have the chance to review it.

 

Money Shot #1

After that, the next couple of titles on my reading list for the month weren't titles which I reviewed (although, Pipedream Comics have) but I was given the chance to check them out and figured, why stand on ceremony? First up was Money Shot #1, which I would have said is essentially 'Scientists go into space to make porn.' Now, the Pipedream review for this was pretty positive and the opinions of people I trust have also raved about it. Therefore, I was expecting big things with this read. However, after finishing that last page, I found myself to be in two minds about this title. I thought that Money Shot came across as very quirky with this almost off-kilter humour. It wasn't Sex Criminals (which I thought was more of an earnest story), but very much an all out comedy with Sci-fi aspects. Meanwhile, the art was very Stephen Byrne-esque and I liked its .... well, I don't quite know what but only that it stood out to me as different and that I liked it. However, while I found Money Shot to be a pleasant enough read, I struggled to fully enjoy the story, which bummed me out given Vault's recent reputation. By the end though, I was unsure about this comic, although I think it just had enough to tempt me to check out another issue at some point.

 

The Plot #1

Finally, of the Vault titles which I didn't review, was Plot #1 and 2 which told a story of a family (well, two orphaned children and their bum of an uncle) returning to their mysterious, abandoned family home which just happens to be haunted. Normally I'm not very good with horror, as I can never get on board with the mysticism of it all (give me a good, old fashioned crime story any day), but with this I did find it immensely interesting. The plot had this Locke and Key vibe going for it, only much darker in an almost Amityville Horror way. Meanwhile, I loved the art, which gave the issues the right kind of eerie to really match the story and cement that very threatening feel (that I felt was being pushed towards). Of the three Vault titles, this was (to me) the clear favourite and the one that I'd be most likely to return to.

Sentient #1

Next up, I return to titles which 'I' reviewed (you'll probably notice the difference based on writing quality) and, this time, focused on the recently released collection of TKO titles. First up I checked out Sentient #1 by Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Walta and this was a fantastic read. It was addictive from the very beginning and the pace of it continued to heighten as the issue progressed, feeling more tense and exciting as it went. I thought there was very little about it that put me off the comic, the characters (what we saw of them) were incredibly interesting, Kruger in particular, and all of the world building necessary to explain what was informing the immediate situation didn't feel forced. Meanwhile, the art was sublime, with Walta really pulling across the same emotional range I thought he'd used in the Vision to give the characters more depth than the dialogue alone gave us, as well as tug at my heart strings. All in all, this was a fantastic first issue and I've got serious plans to get the remainder of the series (which I might treat myself and get as a physical copy).

The Banks #1

I followed Sentient with a review of the Banks #1. This was another entertaining comic which I'm highly intrigued about by the end. I will admit that after the first time jump I wasn't sure if this was my thing. Thankfully, however, the story drew me in as the I stuck with it, particularly as we focused on Clara's integration into the life and the begin of the dynasty. By the end, I have a number of questions, such as what was Cora's entry, what happened to Clara's husband and why did Celia change her mind about being a part of her family's world. As I've stated In the review proper, I really love the art (which makes me think the Kitchen is a book I need to bump up my get list) and had no problems with it, save for the issue of the first time jump. However, this is a minor quibble and in no way damages my thoughts on an otherwise great comic.

Pound for Pound #1

Third up for TKO was my review of Pound for Pound #1. Now this was a good read in itself, enjoyable and well paced, however, the only issue with it was that it felt a little forgettable. What I noticed most was that the story felt very 80's and, while that's not a bad thing, what let me down was how the characters came off as tropes from those sort of films. Also, for a title called 'Pound for Pound' I expected it to be a little more boxing centric in a slots sort of way. Overall, I feel the art was this title's biggest strength as it made every panel look quintessentially 80's (similar in a way to Our Final Halloween's look, which I mentioned). In the end, it was a good read but, compared to its sister books from TKO (so far), it just didn't match up to me. I'd recommend that anyone try it (which I did) but, for me, I'm not sure I'd come back or if I did it wouldn't be a urgent purchase.

Eve of Extinction #1

Finally for November was my review for Eve of Extinction #1 which, despite not entirely being sure what I was about to read, turned out be a rather enjoyable read. It felt like mostly a set up issue as it got the pieces in position before starting the story proper, but it's well pace and very engrossing. The key to this seemed to be the character dynamics as the (understandable) conflict between the leading ladies immediately has to be pushed aside in order to survive, something I don't think I've seen in many similar stories. Meanwhile, the art is really nice. There's nothing to write home about it other than it's solid, although I really liked the opening pages and their horror-esque vibe. By the end, I have a load of questions in my head; What's with the boat? Why is it only the men? Does it relate to the 'microbes' found in the Antarctic? Suffice to say, I'd be more than happy to come back to get those questions answered.

Phew!! Seven titles in a month (not to mention the Green Arrow Omnibus and a host of single issues. Just in case you thought that was all I read) in the bag and, all in all, a good bunch of reads, with only a couple really letting me down and even those I still wouldn't give a wide berth (even if I might leave them until more preferred titles are picked up).

But now, as we move into December it's time for the reviews to wind down as the Pipedream Comics Top 50 list dominates the site. For me this is a blessing in disguise as I can now focus my time on some urgent real life situations, namely, Christmas, a (late) family holiday, my wife's birthday and even my own round of cake and pressies.

That reminds me .... OH GOD, I'm about to enter the late thirties!!!!