Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow #1

It's very rare that I buy a comic book spontaneously from my local comic shop. While digital comics can be bought on a whim if a sale is happening, my pull list and its budget is always meticulously planned out to ensure that I never overspend.

But I guess, sometimes, even I need to treat myself and get something on the spur of the moment. That is what I did with this comic afted I listening to the First Issue Club podcast's most recent episode and deciding 'I'm gonna buy that!'

Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow #1 is the beginning of a multi-part 'What If?' story which asks the question what would have happenes if Spider-Man had never given up the Venom/Black suit symbiote all those years ago.

I've spent much of the day and two readthroughs pondering on my overall thoughts of Spider's Shadow. Do I enjoy it? Do I not? What are its flaws and strengths? Well, the more I've thought on it, the more I've realised that it's strengths come in two categories. First of all, it is a 'what if' story, which a type of story I've always been intrigued and enjoyed. After that there is the art, which I really enjoy with it looking so incredibly Silver Age that I might have mistaken it for Steve Ditko's were it not for the slightly dark twist, like I'm looking at the story through a dirty lens or warped glass.

However, on the first read through, I just struggled to find that this issue held my interest. Unfortunately, I just couldn't figure out why, assuming that either spider wasn't a character I could get on board with (as mu lack of Spidey titles would attest), Zdarsky's vision of the character isn't something I could get on board (which certainly has precedent) or that i was too tired at the time to feel fully invested.

Which is certainly why I'm glad I read it again later in the day because I certainly got into it a lot more. I think the biggest problem has been my perception of the What If formula. Traditionally, what if stories have been single issues and, as a result compressed to leave out all but the essential information. A great example in my head is the Spider-Man What If issue relating to the Other storyline, where everything that lead to the moment that changed was all in an opening text. On this issue, however, it felt like I was reading part of the original story as it gradually reached that moment where events differed from the original.

As such, I think it's fair to say that I'm intrigued about where the rest of the series goes. If nothing else, the cover of the second issue says to me that this is going to go in a much more horror-esque way so I think I'll add the other three issues to my pull list and, hopefully, I don't regret it.

Lazarus: Risen #5

This is (in theory) going to be a short post. Not only because it talks about a single comic book but because I wanna try and cut down on the isn't of waffle I tend to spew (and I'm already doing it).

I've finally gotten around to reading Lazarus: Risen #5. It's been in my house for a little over two weeks and who knows how much older since its release (we can thank COVID and lockdown for the latter). This issue sees the plans of Forever and her allies seemingly enter the home straight as she sets in motion her intention to not only finish the war that engulfs the world but also save both herself and her replacement, 'Eight,' from the servitude they find themselves in.

Now, granted, this sounds like a very generic breakdown of the issue but, honestly, I really felt that anything more would have spoiled things. Straight off the bat, I must admit that it is difficult to remember what has happened prior. This sounds like a complaint and it isn't meant to be (although I guess it is) but the truth is that it has been so long since I read the last issue came out and while it's convenient to say circumstances prevented its release, I do wonder if its current size might be a factor.

Still, this is my only gripe because, beyond the memory issues I still found this installment of Lazarus to be a pretty compelling issue. As soon as the clean up from issue 4 (presumably) was squared away, the story seemed to take a turn that implied that this was the beginning of the end. As Forever launched a plan to 'end' the war as well as to rescue her 'sister' (Eight), I really feel like this series is only a couple of issues from the end. That said, having recently heard an interview saying that there is still a couple of years left (by my calculations), I'm intrigued about what else could happen. What particularly had my attention was Malcolm's words as he seems to know a lot more than he should, given his 'retired' status. Then there is Beth, who also displays unusual characteristics in this issue, which also begs the question 'is she planning something herself?'

I'm not sure what I can say about the art but that's only because Michael Lark's work continues to be phenomenally gorgeous like always, leaving me runing out of new vocabulary to properly gush about it. All I can say is that it felt like it reached a whole new level of mood by Lark and Santi Arcas. This was best exemplified (least in my head) by a page which displayed the dynamic between Beth and her colleague Dr Mann, which displayed just enough of the image to show what was going on without seeming too revealing.

Of course, the main benefit to these new, larger digest issues is the additional in-universe prose story and this issue also failed to disappoint. This time we were treated to a tale of a Carlyle prisoner (in some form) and the life they struggled to lead behind bars. I thought this was another riveting story, one which seemed like a fitting inclusion given the main story was focused on Forever's battle with her own form of imprisonment (makes me wonder if past stories have this kind of connection). It also intrigued me about if and where this character appeared in the comic (I'm thinking the 'Lift' arc, though I may have to check).

Again I find myself gripped about what Greg Rucka has planned next in Lazarus. With the major storyline wrapping up and most of Carlyle's Enemies disappearing, I'm intrigued to see what's next in forever's plan, and the monkey wrenches that will no doubt affect it. Regardless though, Lazarus: Risen continues to be, much like its predecessor, consistently enthralling and while I'm starting to think it would have been better in trade format (at this point), am glad I only have to wait 3-4 months for a next issue rather than a couple of years (I surmise).

Oh, and before I forget ...

I recently wrote a review on Pipedream Comics for A Year in Hereafter, a fantasy webcomic by Mikael Hankonen. Now I must confess that I was a little put off of reviewing this initially because ... well, the size of it! Committing to a review of nearly 500 pages is certainly a time concerning commitment, especially if you end up not liking it. That said, I'm glad I gave it q shot because, post read, I can honestly say that this was a truly awesome read. Of course, it had some flaws to it, such as the character information dump at the beginning and the visual look of the characters (both points I've included in the review proper). However, both of these problems pale in comparison to how addictive a read Hereafter was, how gorgeous it looked and how fantastic the characters came across as.

I'll be honest here, I'm not sure what else I can say that isn't here and hasn't been placed in the review already. But, in short though, I'm gonna just say what a truly awesome read this was and how gratefuly I am that I was the one who got the chance to review it.

So, that's another post done (though maybe not as short as I'd planned). The next one though might also be a long one as I'm going to get about reading a large collected edition that has been on my 'to read' pile for a while.

Or I might not want to talk about it, in which I might not be writing for a while.

The S Factor

So this week has been a bit of a Samuel George London week for me. After my appearance on Sam's podcast, Comics for the Apocalypse, I got ahold of copies of both the Milford Green saga and the S Factor when I was asked if I'd read then yet and, sadly, I had to admit not.

Unfortunately, despite that event having been a few months ago, I'm sad to say that I still hadn't gotten around to reading either title ...

... until now.

With Sam and creative partner Mikael Hankonen's launch of their kickstarter for the Milford Green collected edition, I figured now was a perfect time to actually read both titles. Milford Green I've talked about over at Pipedream Comics but we'll get to that later. For now, let's talk about the S Factor.

The S Factor tells the story of Darkfox, a Batman-esque vigilante operating in London who struggles with the loss of her former sidekick, Redfox, decades before during an encounter with super villains. Now though, Darkfox is about to lose her current sidekick, Greyfox, to a wholly different tragedy; reality TV. Now, Greyfox is 'the Symbol', the lead in a Bachelor-style Superhero dating show called the S Factor, with twelve of the world's most eligible super heroines vying for his attention. However, all is not as it seems as a shadowy executive pulls the strings from behind the scenes, using this show to destroy superheroes once and for all.

Now I enjoyed S Factor. It was a good story that I thought really tried to play on the absurdity of reality television that often think is the case when I (on the odd occasion) watch such things. Moments like the plan to add flames to the Symbol's (Greyfox's on screen persona) boots "in post" or the moment where two of the contestants are asked to "do their first kiss again" I thought were hilarious in its (most likely real) absurdity. The S Factor felt very satirical in it's depiction of reality television in a similar fashion that it reminded me of Image Comics' America's Got Powers from ... a decade (?) ago with a touch of Monkeybrain's Insufferable.

However, this reminder was both a blessing and a curse for me. America's Got Powers was, similarly, an enjoyable enough read but I did also struggle with it, probably due to my apathy towards reality Television. However, with the S Factor, I really did feel stuff was missing.

The first of those 'things' was the ending, which came off as too abrupt for my liking. This wasn't helped by the almost eleventh hour addition of a superheroes/law enforcement revelation, which felt a little tacked on as it had no (well, minimal) focus up until that point. The other 'thing was that, I think, this series was focused on the wrong hook and that more time should have been put towards the question of 'who is behind the S Factor?' and less about the show itself (like Miss Congeniality but a little less comedic).

I feel like I'm being nothing but negative here and nothing is further from the truth. The fact is, despite it's flaws, S Factor still has pretty cool strengths, chief among them being Chris Panda's gorgeous artwork, which made me think of it as Jamie McKelvie/Mike Allred mash-up style. He also created an awesome host for the show who I thought looked the spit of Tom Hiddleston.

And the scripting held up in places too, such as the character of Darkfox who, despite being an obvious Batman analogue, came across as a complex and interesting character in her own right. As a result, it makes me wish we'd gotten more of the Darkfox/Redfox dynamic because I found that to be the most interesting parts of the book, as this ghost literally haunting Darkfox as she sought the truth. Finally, the Thespians were, in my opinion, an inspired design and concept, one worthy of a Batman 66-esque villain comparison (I only wish we could see more of their combined backstory).

So, in short, I thought the S Factor was a fun read for what it was and, despite some flaws, a good effort by Sam and Chris. Therefore, I'm certainly glad to have gotten the chance to read it although, unlike Arnie on the Running Man, I probably wouldn't come back for a re-run.

Oh, and before I forget ...

Well it isn't really a 'forgotten because, well, I mentioned it at the beginning of my post. However, as it is a review for Pipedream I guess thus is where it goes. 

So, as I mentioned, I also reviewed Milford Green this week, Samuel George London's other comic series (this time with Mikael Hankonen). Now this series I really enjoyed, as it was such a elegantly told story with some real beauty to it, both in the script and the art.

I think the biggest draw for me was the characters who felt so heartfelt and genuine, particularly in their relationships to each other. This isn't the case with all characters (e.g. the Villains) but for many of the protagonists moments like Rongara's final panel were just so beautiful that it hit me.

Of course, a lot of that has to go to the art as much of the story as the art has a real classy, Victorian vibe but still manages to look futuristic when necessary without being too jarring.

Now, I probably haven't said everything I could say but the review would certainly do that job for me. However, Milford Green really is a gorgeous series and, I think, will turn out to be an incredibly awesome collected edition once the kickstarter succeeds. I'll be honest, If I had to pick a series out of Sam's to recommend it would certainly be this one.

So that's another week done and more Comics read as well as more issues from beginning of the year 'to read' list (which is starting to become something or a trend in recent weeks). Fortunately, next week will continue that trend as the comic shops (well mine) re-opened in Britain and so that means my pull list has been picked up!!

And finally ... re-reading Superman Smashes the Klan.

Back when I decided to re-read this series, I thought to myself that while it might take a hit of time to get around to it, this was a series that wouldn't take very long to sink my teeth into.

Well, three weeks plus after saying that 'Superman Smashes the Klan will be my next read', here I am.

As I've mentioned previously though, this was not due to the series' quality or my unwillingness to re-read it. It was simply a case that these were the cards I was dealt.

Fortunately, I've managed to make the time and, Great Caesar's Ghost, was it a great use of it (again)!

Superman Smashes the Klan re-formats and re-purposes the Superman radio serial episode, Knights of the Fiery Kross into a three issue series as Gene Leun Yang and Gurihiru tell the story of the Lee family, a Chinese immigrant family who move to Metropolis when the father accepts a position with the Metropolis Health Administration. However, while the move is a new and exciting start for (most of) the family, others are not so enamoured with the new citizens of Metropolis as the Lees become targets of the Knights of the Fiery Kross, who believe that the Lee family are a blight that must be removed. Fortunately, the Lees are aided in this battle by the fearless reporters of the Daily Planet as well as the protector of Metropolis himself; Superman!

Now, I'm not sure what more I can say about this series as a whole when compared to what I originally said about issues two and three back when they first came out. However, I think it is fair to say that I absolutely love this series. Gene Leun Yang has written a truly phenomenal story, one that feels so authentic (which makes sense given the notes in the back of each issue regarding his own life and the serial's impact on him) and sincere in both it's portrayal of the various lead characters as well as the events which fill the story from beginning to end. I thought Yang created a terrific script here, one which progressed with terrific fluidity (apart from issue 1 which felt a bit clunky on this read through, although I'm unsure if that was simply down to my struggle to make substantial time to read it). What I loved about Superman Smashes the Klan was how it felt like a true Superman story in every way.

Of course, I didn't think that it was a Superman story really. I mean, sure, he was in it but the Man of Tomorrow felt like nothing more than a master of Ceremony or (at best) a supporting character. No, while Superman was involved in the story and even had his own sub-arc that focused on him, the lead character was Roberta Lee. I really thought that Yang used the Character of Roberta as an entry point for readers not just to pick up the story but also to understand the complexities and trials that many POC cultures faced (and still face). I absolutely adored the character of Roberta who, while often struggling with the issues that many children (and even some adults) face when their entire life is upended, was an incredibly courageous and uncompromising young lady, refusing to give an inch of her own moral fibre while still attempting to find acceptance from her new social circle.

This, I feel, is the major theme of the series. Acceptance. I thought that there were multiple characters who attempt to garner acceptance for themselves, but often appear to compromise themselves in some way. Whether it's Superman setting himself limits on what he can do in order to appear more human or Dr Lee emulating white culture in a view that it is more 'successful', many of the characters appear to never offer a 'true' accounting of themselves in fear of rejection.

That said, while a large portion of the cast experience this arc, the member of the Klan of the Fiery Kross are not amongst them. In fact, I didn't think Yang gave these characters any particularly extensive depth, portraying them more as pantomime villains twirling their moustaches. Of course, I don't class this as a slight in any way as, given their allegiances and values, maybe they weren't deserving of such depth. However, what I liked about this story was how the idea of the Klan turns out to essentially be a money making grift, a way to extort people through their hate (being British, this sounds eerily familiar), most likely manufactured thanks to the Klan's 'propaganda'. Thankfully, I love how Yang seems to portray them as less of a threat as the story progresses as more and more characters see through their shrouds.

By now, I've waffled on quite a bit about the story and what I've thought of it but I would be doing Superman Smashes the Klan a serious disservice if I did talk about Gurihiru's artistic contribution, no matter how inelegantly. I say 'inelegantly' because the art in this series is so beautiful, so 'elegant' that I'm not sure that whatever I could possibly say would come anywhere near the class which Gurihiru's style deserves. However, i honestly feel that the art throughout this series is truly breathtaking. Everything about it just seems to encapsulate what a Superman story looks like perfectly. It looks and feels both grounded and fantastical all at the same time while picking up the feeling and aesthetic of the 1940's perfectly. It is just truly a sight to behold from beginning to end and is yet another in an already long list of reasons why three issues was not enough.

At this point it is probably fairly obvious how I would sum up this series, but I'm going to say it anyway; Superman Smashes the Klan is a truly phenomenal comic series. It is such a beautiful, engrossing, enjoyable and, most importantly, inspiring tale about the fight against evil and hatred that I don't think I could stop gushing about it to anyone even of I tried.

I'm glad that I both re-read this series and talked about it because it has made me realise that A. I need to check out the original serial (if I can find it), similar to what I did for Star Trek, and B. I need to share its greatness with as many people as I can.

I might start with the 5 year old I live with who recently told me he wanted to look ag more comics!!