#458 - From my Pull List - April 2022

As April comes to an end, I've found myself realising two things.

1. We really are burning through 2022, as the first four months seem to have passed at breakneck speed.

2. I could have really written this post at the beginning of the month instead of the end.

While I spent much of this week finishing off blog posts which aired my thoughts on the comics which I read during my holiday a couple of weeks prior (specifically about the Sheriff of Babylon, Black Bolt and Bullseye: Perfect Game), I decided to use the time to read the April releases from my pull list as the final issue of that collection, Fantastic Four #43 was due out this past Wednesday.

Then I discovered that FF #43 had been pushed back to mid-May, meaning I could have written all of this in the first week of April instead.

Oh well, we're here now so why stand on ceremony (any longer)

First up was Star Trek: The Mirror War #5, which continued the crew of the I.S.S. Enterprise's mission to gain control of an independent shipyards in order to build an armada big enough to lay waste to their enemies. Now though, two years after having seized that shipyards, the first ships are rolling off of the production line. However, with pressure coming from imperial High Command and their representative, Commander Shelby, for results, Picard and his crew encounter another obstacle as they lack the fuel needed to power the newly formed fleet.

First on my list thanks to the enticement of yet another J.K. Woodward cover, I'm still finding myself intrigued about this series although, after a feeling that things were ramping up in the last issue, this latest instalment felt like an abrupt (almost) all-stop. Still, the Tipton's, who I think have a better grasp than some actual Trek writers, certainly have me wondering where series, and with it the universe, is going to lead to.

As I progress issue after issue, I'm certainly getting a much more comfortable feel for Gavin Smith's artwork, although I must admit I'm having a resurged longing for Woodward's interiors. Overall, this issue was interesting but once again has me thinking that the series would read much better if I read it all in one go.

Next up, I read Rainbow Rowell and Roge Antonio's She-Hulk #3. This issue continues the Jade Giantess' re-invention after years of more Hulk-like tales as Jen gets better settled back into her green skin, her old apartment and her new job all the while trying to help Jack of Hearts understand and acclimate to his new power level and circumstances post resurrection.

I continue to enjoy this latest run of She-Hulk. After years of Jen feeling like nothing more than a Hulk stand in, it's really great to see Rainbow Rowell return She-Hulk to her more upbeat and positive self. However, this series is also losing me a little as the plot feels like its meandering, coming to a crawl with little focus on prior hints. I have to admit, it makes me wonder if this series was planned to be more than five issues from the start, because I'm unsure it'll resolve by then.

As for the art, like the tone of the writing, it feels so upbeat and vibrant. Roge Antonio's style is gorgeous and has a real glam look to it (which the dialogue helped me to realise). It reminds me of Javier Pulido's work on the Soule She-Hulk run, but then maybe skew a little closer towards the Dodson's art style. Suffice to say, I love this style and think it's a wonderful look for the postivity that She-Hulk should imbue. As such, this was yet another good read, although if the next issue can give more of a hint towards a story resolution then I certainly wouldn't be upset.

Finally, my last read was Fantastic Four #42, which continued the saga of the Reckoning War as Mr Fantastic, the Thing, Jack of Hearts and She-Hulk pursued the agents of the Reckoning after the theft of the M'Kraan crystal from the Shiar. Meanwhile, elsewhere, as Johnny continues to lead forces from Spyre in order to repel the Reckoning's main forces, Valeria, Franklin and the Grimms find themselves cornered in the Baxter Building which leads them to a decision which could force the bond between Ben and Reed to be broken forever.

I continue to be in two minds with this event as I read through another issue. I'm continuing to enjoy the direction Reckoning War is going and am intrigued about what Dan Slott has planned for the finale (and I do wonder how different it is now to 15 plus years ago). However, beyond that, this issue felt a little ... standard really. What I disliked about was not only the absolute ignoring of Sue Storm (doesn't appear in one panel) but also the seeming character assassination of Reed Richards. This issue more than any other feels like this should be more an event book instead of within the pages of FF due to the amount of screen time the first family lose to other characters (and Ben because this issue returns to the Ben Grimm show).

The artwork in this issue is a different matter as I really like Rachael Stott's work throughout. While it's certainly not a style similar to Isaakze, Medina, Silva, etc, there is juat something ... 'different' about Stott's art (I.e. not of the superhero standard) that, while it took a moment to get used to, here really connected with me and looked great. Unfortunately, the cool art isn't enough to make me think this is a good read, leaving it as an ok one in my mind. Much like with Mirror War, I do wonder if Reckoning War is something better read in its entirety. Hopefully, that opportunity won't be far off as I'm pretty sure the final issue is that pushed back issue 43.

Anyway, that's been my reading for the week. I must admit, I feel a little deflated after these three issues, with more of them being ok rather than good or better. However, with all of them reaching beyond the half-way mark in their respective story arcs, hopefully it won't be long until I can give them a proper read and judge them in their entirety.

Hopefully, when I get round to doing that then they'll all fare better in my opinions.

#457 - Holiday Reading 2022: Bullseye: Perfect Game

I must confess, I really thought that Black Bolt, having followed These Savage Shores, Black Panther vs. Deadpool and Sheriff of Babylon.

However, as mine and my family's holiday came to an end, I found a final bit of time for one last (short) comic series.

My final read of the weekend was Bullseye: Perfect Game #1 and 2 by Charlie Heston, Shawn Martinbrough, Lee Loughridge and  Jeff Eckleberry. This (very) mini-series focused on the Marvel Universe's greatest assassin and his 'year off' where he went off the gris and performed no kills. However, this was no holiday as Daredevil's arch-nemesis took on a job to kill a baseball player, but planning it in such a way that meant he'd have to become a baseball pitcher, all to keep things interesting.

I don't actually remember when I picked up the first issue of this series, although I do recall that it had been a free issue that I had found on the old Comixology (RIP). However, upon reading it way back when, I certainly found it to be an interesting read and one which warranted me to pick up the second issue, which I did during a BOGOF sale along with the last three issues of Boba Fett is Dead.

So, obviously, it has been a long time since I bought the second issue but I certainly wish that I had read this mini-series sooner because Bullseye: Perfect Game was, in full, a really great and captivating read. I really enjoyed the way Charlie Heston told this story, with a narrator of Bullseye's missing year, in the form of someone writing his biography or an interviewee on some behind the magic documentary. 

However, what I really enjoyed was how this mini was much depth it gave Bullseye's personality, turning him from an almost 2D maniac that I've always seen him in the past into something a little more fleshed out as everything he does with his talent is simply to stave off boredom (it also helps sell me Bullseye's role during the first of the Waid/Samnee runs a lot better in hindsight).

Shawn Martingbrough and Lee Loughbridge's art collaboration, meanwhile, is equally impressive to me. This is because, it has a real Michael Lark/Mitch Gerads feel to it in which I think gives a tremendously real and lived in look. I think this helps tell the story because, under any other name, you'd wouldn't think this is a superhero/villain story but simply a reminiscing (for want of a better word) about a mysterious killer or a seemingly real conspiracy theory. That said, the art also reminds me a lot of Alex Maleev's work, which I think places it perfectly within one of the best Daredevil runs around (thus adding credence to its place as part of canon)

In the end, Bullseye: Perfect Game is a really good read. In fact, given its obscurity (from my point of view), I'm surprised by how good it actually is. I guess it's a reminder that there are still plenty of hidden gems put there in comics.

#456 - Holiday Reading 2022: Re-reading Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward's Black Bolt.

As I reach four days into my holiday, the comics I had burned through consisted of exclusively titles which I had never read before, from These Savage Shores, Black Panther vs. Deadpool and then Sheriff of Babylon.

Therefore, for the last couple of days, I thought I'd focus on a comic which I had before, although not recently.

My fourth reading during my holiday was both volume of Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward's Black Bolt series, which I had read both volume 1 and volume 2 separately. The series followed the once (and at this point former) King of the Inhumans as he awakes to find himself imprisoned in a facility on the far side of the galaxy. Depowered and tortured by the mysterious jailer, Blackagan Boltagar must ally with his fellow inmates (including Thor bad guy the Absorbing Man) in order to escape and return home to reunite with his Queen, Medusa.

Ever since I first read these two collections, Black Bolt has long been a series I've been wanting to re-read. In fact, so good as I remember it being that I wanted to see if, read together, both volumes correlated a sort of 'greater than the sum of its parts' vibe and maybe even proved itself worthy enough of a physical copy for my shelves.

Well, in the time since I last read this run, it's impact on me hasn't lessened one bit. I once again absolutely adored reading this series. I really enjoyed Saladin Ahmed's writing in this, as he seems to tell the story in an almost fairy-tale tone (I.e. some omnipresent observer telling Blackbolt's story as it happens). In fact, everything about this story has this rather epic vibe to it as we get to see the fragments of a once great king build himself back up and form back into something a little more (in)human.

What I really enjoyed about this series is how Black Bolt is depicted. Usually such a stoic figure whose voice is only ever his wife's, I loved seeing his personality shine through more as the barrier that always kept him in check (his powers) were removed. In fact, it felt like Saladin has saying that all of Black Bolt's problems stemmed from the arms length his powers kept those he loved (Medusa and Ahura specifically). In fact, almost all of the characters were what made this run truly great (well one of the things. The other I'll get to), although the one that really shined for me was Crusher Creel. I knew very little about the Absorbing Man prior to this series but after reading it again, his personality really connected with me and gave me a great appreciation of the character (and of Titiana, who was also fantastic in the second half of the series) that I'm just sorry I can't see more of them (and, yes, Alpha Flight which both star in is on my wishlist... I think).

However, the other thing that really made this series great was Christian Ward's (inter)stellar art. The visuals in this series were breathtaking throughout. I will admit, when I started re-reading this title, I found the art a little jarring and was concerned that this wasn't the comic I remembered. However, that thought process quickly got pushed to the side as I read on with Ward's working perfectly to deliver the prisons dream (or rather nightmare) world aspects incredibly well. In fact, even when the series moves to a more real world environment in the second half, the artwork is so intrinsic to the telling of the story that the nothing about the visuals looks at all out of place. Of course, Ward doesn't take on all of the duties single handed as Frazer Irving and Stephanie Hans jump in at various points. With their work, Irving's works incredibly well when depicting space travel, almost to the level of Ribic's work on Silver Surfer. Meanwhile, Hans' guest spot late on when Blackbolt and Medusa 'meet' has such a Scott Pilgrim meets Romana Flowers in the desert vibe that I think it works perfectly as a dreamscape against Ward's real world.

As I set near the beginning, when I started re-reading Black Bolt in its entirety, it was mainly for the purpose of determining if this was a series that I wanted on my shelf. The truth is, while separately both volumes are excellent in my eyes, the whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts. From my point of view Ahmed and Ward's Black Bolt is a story about a man trying to make up for his mistakes and, because of this, it feels like a story that relates to me perfectly.

Suffice to say, I think I need to get a copy for my shelf ...

... I just I can get the money for it together before my LCS sells their copy.

#455 - Holiday Reading 2022: The Sheriff of Babylon - The Deluxe Edition

So continues my holiday reading retrospective and, after reading some horror and then some superhero, I thought I'd read something I little bit more real world.

My 3rd read during my holiday week was The Deluxe Edition of the Sheriff of Babylon, a military/political maxi-series by Jean Paul Leon, Mitch Gerads and Tom King. The series follows Christopher Henry, a former cop who is hired to train the new Iraqi police force in the wake of Saddam Hussein's regime fall. However, when one of his recruits is found shot dead, Chris team's up with Sofia, and American-Iraqi member of the emerging government, and Nassir, a top investigator of the old regime, to discover how he died and why.

Now, I'd heard a lot of good things about this series over the years, although I wasn't entirely sure what it was about. Yes, it was set in the aftermath of the (2nd) Baghdad War but, beyond that, I wasn't too sure what happened between the covers. However, the Sheriff of Babylon had gotten a lot of praise far as I knew and I loved Mitch Gerads work (thank you the Activity). The only question mark was Tom King, who only had a 50% success rate with me thanks to the Vision (Mr Miracle not having done as well).

Fortunately, the Sheriff of Babylon has helped bring Mr. King's win record to 2:1 with me. This series was brutally captivating, intriguing and, above all, awesome. Everything about it felt so against the grain in terms of these types of stories, especially given that not only do the good guys not seem to win but also that there is ambiguity as to who the good guys actually are. The way King seems to have built this story certainly makes me wonder how he wasn't found dead courtesy of his former employers as it feels incredibly critical of the role they played in the landscape SoB displays (although maybe for good reason). Almost every issue seems to deliver me an impression that the heroes (Chris, Sofia and Nassir) were going to win before the rug was pulled out from under me with an event or revelation which totally threw me for a loop. Effectively, this felt like the film Green Zone if you spliced it with Swordfish and the first half hour of the A-Team (movie. Yes, THAT great movie).

Speaking of Green Zone, Mitch Gerads was inch perfect to create (or rather recreate) the world of Sheriff of Babylon. I loved his work in the Activity and Mister Miracle, but this series, while a number of years before the latter, is truly where his work shined in my opinion. The way he rendered Bagbdad, the breakdowns of the various pages and some of the tremendous set pieces found on those pages (like the one where I REALLY wanted Chris to shoot) I fell in love with again and again. The Activity was obviously a learning curve for this gig and the layouts on Babylon were no doubt what got him on Mister Miracle.

Despite one reoccurring problem I had with this series in that some of the dialogue read like double speak of a salesman (which, given some of the characters, might make sense), I think it's an understatement for me to say that I absolutely loved this series. The Sheriff of Babylon was an excellent read for me and, after burning through it in two nights, I think this comic has helped sway my uncertainty about Strange Adventures ...

... of course, Doc Shaner working on it helps.

#454 - Holiday Reading 2022: Black Panther vs. Deadpool #1-5

My reflection on all the comics I read during my recent holiday continues here.

For the second day of my holiday week I read Black Panther vs. Deadpool, a 5 issue mini series by Ricardo López Ortiz, Felipe Sobreiro, VC's Joe Sabino and Daniel Kibblesmith. This series followed the Merc with mouth who, after placing Mailman Willie Lumpkin at death's door during a highly dangerous rescue of a bus full of school kids, ventures to Wakanda to acquire the vibranium needed for a highly risky cure. However, standing in his way is the Black Panther who, while trying to develop a new invention that could help millions, finds himself forced to defend his nation and its precious resource from the questionable Deadpool.

Now, this comic would not really have been onecwhich would have originally hit my radar, particularly due to its inclusion of Deadpool (a character I have almost always struggled to enjoy). However, Comixology's free offering of all five issues back when Chadwick Boseman passed gave me the chance to add it to my library and see if the inclusion with the King of Wakanda could offset the Merc with a Mouth's more 'offputting' tendencies.

Surprisingly, Black Panther vs. Deadpool did manage to win me over (although not as impressively as it might have hoped. As was feared, I once again struggled with the inclusion of Wade Wilson's alter ego. The problem that I have with the character is that he is always (or almost always, though the 'almost' is one of those once in a blue moon type deals) so acerbic and grating for me that he's never a protagonist I can relate to or get behind. With T'Challa, however, while he isn't always a character I can get behind, certainly has a better success rate and his entire attitude towards Deadpool feels so ripped from my life that it helps ingratiate the Panther to me very well.

Of course, this wasn't the series' only strength as I thought Kibblesmith found a connection between the two Characters to focus on  I.e. life and death. This seemed fitting for Deadpool, an ever-living killer and the Back Panther, the Kong of the dead as Kibbersmith managed to mine some good ideas from both characters that help pique my interest. On top of that, the two heroes and their contrasting personalities really bounced well off of each other in a buddy cop sort of way (the T'Nehisi Coates conversation between the two was an excellent bit of meta).

As for the art, well, Ortiz's style was a little too rough for my liking to begin with, feeling almost unfinished in its look. However, that's a poor choice of words because I think it was probably a style chosen to represent the chaos of both Deadpool and the nature of death (hence why Wakanda's first appearance in this style came during their day of the dead style festival). Either way, whether it was for these reasons or not, it certainly became a style that I got used to as the issues wore on and became I look I ended up liking a lot more at the end than when I started.

Long story short though, this was an interesting enough read and one that, to my surprise was almost bordering on 'good' by the end. However, while it certainly defied my expectations, I'm not convinced Black Panther vs. Deadpool is a comic I regret not buying when it first came out, or that my view on the Merc with a Mouth has changed at all.

#453 - Holiday Reading 2022: These Savage Shores

Last week, I went on holiday, which of course meant I didn't really have time to write a blog post as I try to do every week.

However, what I did mean was that I got the chance to read just a few more comics. In fact, the first night allowed me to read an almost entire five issue mini series. Of course, by the end of my week away I had managed to read the equivalent of 36 single comic issues ...

... However, here and and now I'll just focus on that first night.

So, to start my vacation I read These Savage Shores from Vault Comics. Created by Sumit Kumar, Vittorio Astone,Aditya Bidikar and Ram V, which told the story of Alain Pierremont, a Vampire who had barely escaped with his afterlife from a Vampire Hunter and found himself forced to flee to the hot, sunny shores of India. However, when Alain ignores the warnings from the Prince of Zamoria and his 'friend' Bishan, his following actions find him killed and his brethern from back acros the seas arriving to seek retribution. However, while these Vampires may a dangerous creatures in Europe, they are soon to discover that there are some monsters even more deadly within the savage shores.

I had picked up The Savage Shores during a Comixology sale just before New Years (and their subsequent transfer to their current format). Like many Vault comic series, this was a title which had made it onto my wishlist, though only because of the amount of praise it had received. I, personally, had some reservations about the title, mostly centred around the notion I had heard that it was a horror comic and this is something I more often than not struggle to gel with.

However, I'm glad to say that I should never have doubted Vault for selling anything but a winner, because These Savage Shores was exactly that in my eyes. I absolutely loved reading this story, with the tale that Ram V spun really engrossing me more and more as the series wore on. I think that one of the things that helped hook me on this was the setting, as (thanks to my love of the Bernard Cornwall 'Sharpe' series) I'm a big fan of the India trade era that this series was set in. Because of this, as well as how apparently detailed the landscape came across in terms of battles fought and even the various royal families (like the Tipu Sultan (psst, I know how he dies ... in another fictional world)), it really helped get me hooked in far more quickly than I think it would have done otherwise.

That said, it wasn't plain sailing as I found myself a little lost regarding a couple of aspect of the plot. It was nothing big but it mostly centred around the question as to why vampires were the main antagonists as well as what exactly of Mysore beast was (was he a Werewolf or something from a different folklore)? I guess that, for me, the series was about 1 issue short, with some parts of exposition (maybe?) missing due to space contrainsts. I also wondered if there was some greater message within this series which I missed? Maybe the idea that there's always a bigger fish (as Qui-Gon Jinn, famously stated way back when). Still, regardless of all these ... quibbles. The plot rarely, if ever left me feeling entertained.

It's the art, however, which really clinched it for me. Sumit Kumar and Vittorio Astore (both of whom I'm sure I recognise their names but can't place the titles I saw them on) created artwork which was truly and unquestionably gorgeous. With a style that reminded me of Matteo Scalara's work on the great Black Science series I love so much, I thought the art in this series was brilliant, with every panel (well, those set in India) almost literally emanating the scorching heat of its setting from the page. Meanwhile, the night scenes, while not as harsh, felt like as the tagline stated, that the night was full of teeth (I maybe paraphrased there).

In the end, I'm gonna go all out and say that These Savage Shores was an incredible way to start my holiday reading. While it has plenty of horror elements to it, it is less of a horror stories I worried it would be and more of a dark, brutal love story. It's just a shame that there wasn't more of it.

Oh, and before I forget ...

I had a couple of new reviews go up on the Pipedream Comics website in the middle of last week (after a lengthy enforced hiatus for all of us involved). The first review was for Russell Hillman and Freaktown Comics' My .22 Always Works, a Noir story in homage to the great Wally Wood, created by Hillman along with David Baf Gallart and Sergio Calvet

Now, the review itself will go in depth as to all my thoughts but, in short, I really loved this comic. I thought that Russell Hillman really captured the vibe of the genre he was paying homage to and the art by David Gallart matched this tone perfectly.

There was one thing about this story which I didn't include in the review and it was how almost entirely throughout the story, it felt to me like the protagonist was a character fighting an internal battle with herself (ergo making her femme fatale a figment of the protagonists imagination). However, having spoken to Russell, this theory of mine has been debunked.

Nevertheless, My .22 Always Works was a really great read and reading it really made me glad I pledged.

The second review that went up was West of Sundown #1, a new horror series from the ever reliable Vault Comics as the creators Tim Seeley, Aaron Campbell, Jim Terry, Triona Farrell and Crank tell a story about a vampire and her human familiar who are forced to travel to the place of her Rebirth after an attack leaves her weakened.

Now, again, much like the review lays out (in the end you should all just read the review really), I certainly liked the issue and found myself very interested in what would happen in issue two. Indeed, while certainly more of a slow burn story, it continued to keep me hooked, especially with regards to the mystery surrounding the lead characters.

Also, I absolutely loved the art which had this appropriate Victorian look to it but then seemed to morph into a Francesca Francavilla style (which I have loved since Black Panther: Man Without Fear) at a moments notice.

By the end, West of Sundown continued Vault's winning streak with me (albeit maybe slightly tempered) as the issue had me interested enough that I'll deffo check out the trade of this when it comes.

So, with that comes the end of my holiday's first day of reading. I still read plenty more after that with another six days worth of comics left but that will all be for next time.

#452 - From my Pull List: March 2022, Part 2 (The Trial of the Watcher)

So, March is now over and, with that, I thought I'd do one of my obligatory (well, not obligatory, but it's nice to have a routine of sorts) breakdowns of all the comics I picked up from my pull list.

However, I've already managed to do one of those this month and, unfortunately, FF #42 and She-Hulk #3 appear to have been pushed back a week and so this week's post is less a 'part 2' and more a single focus post.

So, anyway, I read my final pull list comic, Fantastic Four: The Reckoning - Trial of the Watcher #1, which took a break (or more a brief detour) from Slott's Reckoning War event to focus on Uatu, the recently resurrected, paradoxically interfering 'Watcher', who after being found guilty by his people, and specifically his father (Marvel really do corner the market on Father/Son angst, don't they: Reed/Nathanial, Thor/Odin, Tony/Howard and now Uatu/Ikor), finds himself trapped in a room to receive his punishment: to view a reality that asks the question 'What If ... Uatu the Watcher never interfered?'

I was in two minds about getting this when it was first announced in previews. As a one-shot and, effectively, no more a tie-in to the main Reckoning War event, I did think Trial of the Watcher might be a little superfluous. However, on the other side, I am a bit of a completionist and I did wonder if this might provide some deeper insight into the overall story. Besides, it is only one extra issue (though, I've been hit by that kind of thinking before).

I must say though that I found this issue to be a fun and entertaining read. While I thought that Slott's story here offered up a little of fleshing out on the Watchers as a whole, the main crux of the story is very much a 'What If' story as we were treated to a condensed version of the famous Galactus saga, but this time without the early warning which Uatu provided. I'll admit, while this is a fine done in one tale, it has made me think a little bit about the nature of involvement against independence.

Take, for example, current events in the world (which I won't dwell too much on). At present a country is in trouble, attacked by their more powerful neighbours. I personally wonder why those in power around the world don't take action. However, maybe that action will cause greater strive in future and maybe those who are subjugated do not need our help to overcome their current trouble. It's that whole 'give a man a fish or teach a man to fish' mentality (it also, makes me think about Lex Luthor but that's maybe for another time).

Nonetheless, by the time I reached the end of this issue, I have to say it did make me wonder if Uatu should have had more faith in the Heroes of Earth ... and if he should be having more faith in them now. 

As for the art, I really liked Javier Rodrigues' style in this book, which had this sort of Mike Allred crossed with Javier Pulido vibe to it. That said, it didn't really have more of one than the other as I thought it found a certain 'sweet spot' which really gave the issue this sort of silver age look which was fitting given the story it was 'retelling'.

In the end, I found the trial of the Watcher to be a good read as it had this rather capitvating and enjoyable story to it. While I don't think it was wholly necessary towards the Reckoning War tale within the pages of Fantastic Four (only the final scene may hold any impact), it sure was interesting to see that for all his attempts to do good, maybe sometimes the best thing the Watcher (and maybe people in general) can do is nothing.