What's next?

(Feel free to now the West Wing intro music before reading on, given that's what the title is in reference to).

It's been a little over three months since I wrote anything and, truth be told, I've missed it terribly. That said, it's been difficult to commit to writing anything new and that's not because of the limits on comics the current pandemic and lockdown have brought us. In fact, thanks in part to these things, I have been lucky enough to have a large number of issue 1's provided for free from a number of publishers within the industry.

Sadly, the reason for my absence from blogging and reviewing has been down to simple thing; a loss of time. This is because, while many seem to have gained time due to furloughs and the like (though I suspect they would gladly trade back in some respects), this lockdown appears to have chewed up more of my time, given me little opportunity to jot down my thoughts.

Of course, it hasn't been all bad as my 'downtime' has been used to go through all of those previously mentioned free comics. It's not been the easiest thing to do as I've attempted to etch out precious time here and there through my days (predominantly at 2am when I'm settling my youngest) and so writing about them has been even more difficult. That said, it was good to read with a more relaxed frame of mind, as it even found me some seemingly hidden gems of which the trades have been added to my wishlist.

However, with life becoming a little more consistent lately (if no less busy), I thought I'd try and return to old habits, although with some rather impactful changes (which I thought I'd ramble about so I can remember better in future). These changes pretty much revolve around my reading habits as my pull list has (again) been hit due to COVID induced financial issues and even Comichaus will have to go once my current subscription is done.

But all is not lost as I have come out of lockdown with nearly 70 new trades on Comixology which, when added to what I already have, makes for a substantial bit of new reading (more so when you think i still have 5 months of comichaus left). But also, I still have a rather large collection which could do with re-reading (if for no other reason than to determine what of all I already own I dont want and could maybe sell).

So, what's next (see, and that's why the title!!)? Well, my new plan is to just ramble once a week about what I read, no more, no less and eventually, when time allows, return to my other projects such as reviewing for Pipedream comics. That said, I'm now more away of my limitations and if I cant maintain a post a week, or two then so be it. The most important thing is that I dont stretch myself (which I'm prone to doing) and still enjoy the comics that I read.

... and page 2.

My to read list, in all its glory.

So now that the new status quo is revealed (almost like a Marvel reboot. I just hope mine lasts a little longer), I should give a few minutes to the comic (yes, only one) I read this past week.

Our Final Halloween #3. Cover by Jen
Bartel.

So, about a month after there successful (and that's a major understatement in my eyes) kickstarter, I've finally read Our Final Halloween #3 by the trifecta of Mikes that is Mike Garley, Mike Lee-Graham and Mike Stock. This issue saw the surviving characters continue to prepare for the upcoming halloween and their 'final' battle with the deadworlders (one way or another) as, in typical end act tradition, Claire and the forces of evil work to take any advantage to impede her former friends.

Now, based on their own merits, I'm not the greatest fan of mid-arc issues. In fairness, this isnt through any fault of the creative team but simply a case of how it serves the overall story. The first issue is the setup, the last issue is the resolution, but the middle issue/s is simply the journey from one to the other and while some may offer additional twists or obstacles, they are still entries dependant on what came before.

That said, Our Final Halloween #3 was still a comic I absolutely loved reading and couldn't drag myself away from. Of course, being a middle issue, this one does suffer from all that I've just said but that doesn't change the fact that this felt incredibly tense as I went from beginning to end. In fact, it's a reminder why I love Mike Garley's work so much. Our Final Halloween does feels very similar to Stranger Things in its tone(which I recently watched), but OFH has such a unique feel, vibe and atmosphere that it draws me in and it's not until the end and once you think back that you see any (and if there are they are fleeting) similarities. In fact, of them all, this is the strongest work of Garley's that over read to date.

Of course, the strongest part of the issue for me was definitely Mike Lee-Graham's artwork, which I cant believe I'd never seen before this series as I read each additional issue. The art is glorious, reminding me of a cross between Babs Tarr's work from Motor Crush (or what I've seen of it) and Caspar Wijngaard's on Limbo. That said, that comparison still doesn't do justice as I am blown away by the style and especially the colours as each scene changes to scheme ever so slightly. It has made me wonder if the colours are meant to be how to show readers the time of day and/or the comfort of the locale. This is because, with the time, the colours at the church start very bright but I thought toned down as the story progresses like the sun was setting as the scene unfolded. These same colours also seemed to give an idea of the feel of each scene, such as the sterile blue for the hospital or the warm orange for the library. All in all, the writing for this story is good but it feels like a real fight with this art to see which is the better.

Finally, there's the lettering. Now, I can never say much about the lettering because, like streetlights or the bins being emptied, I always feel it is something you dont notice unless it is broken and that is the joy of Mike Stock's work. I thought the lettering was perfectly unnoticeable and, in that sense, an absolutely solid job (although I expect nothing less from someone as prolific as Mr Stock). That said, I'm not sure what he does but I felt he gives the lettering for Claire's dialogue such a subtle change to imbue a greater sense of demonic possession or something of that nature. Another perfect addition  to an already perfect series.

Of course, it's not really perfect because, for instance, I continue to struggle with both recollecting the story thus far (although that's a problem I always have with small press comics) and remembering the characters different names (because, thus far, I feel they just operate as a collective, like the Borg or something). I also have the question in my head of 'how is Claire wandering around and doing things when she supposedly had a funeral? Has no one noticed this doppelganger? (On that note, did they even have a body for the funeral?)

In the end though, all of this is small potatoes for me. I absolutely love this series and I am (in all honesty) counting down the days until Halloween and the final installment is released, along with (hopefully) a trade. In truth, the trade is now what I'm waiting on because I've set myself a rule to collect the truly great titles in printed collections and this series as a whole is a truly great title (if I can say so as unbiasedly as possible).

So, that's my thoughts on that one comic. Maybe a little long-winded but i figured I'd get out all my thoughts on the subject.

Hopefully, i can get a few more things read next week because i already have MI666 planned bit I'd also like to check out Rebecca: Tales from the Resonant (which the creators allowed for viewing) as well as Mount a Rescue on Comichaus.

So, what's next? Trying to find the time to read all three, I guess.