September (2022) Comics

It's been nearly three months since I have written anything here. The simple reason behind this is that I kind of lost my mojo when it came to writing.

As a result, I decided to scale back and focus on the reading and enjoy of the comics I read.

And this has gone rather well as, slowly but surely, my enjoyment of reading has returned.

Anyway, having spent (a little over) the last week reading through my September pull list (my new job means that I only pick them up once a month now), I thought I'd try and 'get back on the horse' as it were, and try writing a little something about them all and how I felt about each one.

Therefore, in the order of reading, my single comics for September were:

• New Fantastic Four #4 - Having been convinced of this series by the guys at my LCS, I did have high hopes for this mini given that Peter David is writing it. However, four issues in and I'm still struggling to get invested, with the story only just holding me on one issue at a time. The art is ok, giving me this JRJR vibe, but as the end draws near, I seriously think that this series just wasn't for me.

• Star Trek #400 - I was drawn to this anthology issue simply due to the prelude for the upcoming new Star Trek series which was contained within its pages. However, I found this issue a lot more filling, with a really lovely collection of stories and art which were definitely a love letter to the (Strange New) worlds of Trek. This issue also contained a bunch of pages displaying all of the fantastic variant covers for this issue which really helps make this a worthy read, although with a price tag of a tenner, I'm ultimately unsure if it was that worthy.

• She-Hulk #6 - I'm a really big fan of She-Hulk as a concept, but I've struggled to find a series focusing on her which (I think) does the character real credit. So far, this run from Rainbow Rowell has been a little hit and miss, but this issue was another nice entry which displays the adorability of Jennifer Walters. More and more, I'm getting comfortable in the world and characters surrounding Jen and the art really matches the elegance and beauty of the character. Thus far, I've been uncertain, but this issue has certainly confirmed my return to the next.

• Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi #5 - Presumably riding the wave of the Disney Plus series back when it was released, I was intrigued due to the subject matter as well as Chris Cantwell writing it. However, as the series wore on, it's been another hit and miss run, making me doubt its worth. Fortunately, this final issue was a nice coda to the series and Kenobi's story which, while being very quiet and subdued, was still an engaging read, one which intrigued me about the Stormtrooper who made an appearance and his future. I may need to re-read the whole series and see things from a different point of view.

• Star Trek: The Mirror War - Troi #1 - With the conclusion of the Mirror War series proper, I had completely forgotten about this issue and picked it up with some trepidation (these one-shots have been hit and miss). This insight into Inquisitor Troi (as well as being something of a Coda to the mini) occupied a sort of middle ground to me. While it gave me an idea as to how Troi had found her way into the Empire's service, I don't think it impacted me greatly.

• Do a Powerbomb #4 - I've been loving this series so far, with the first three issues blowing me away with either equal or increasing measure. Issue 4, however, felt like it was a quieter affair, as though it was simply filling the pages until the next issue. Of course, that's not to say it still wasn't good, made so primarily by the awesomely kinetic art, but it felt more like a breath between breathtaking moments, something that is seemingly confirmed by the final page cliffhanger's hint at more breathtaking moments to come.

• Fantastic Four #47 - I've been looking forward to this issue for quite some time now, with it being a predominantly Invisible Woman focused issue (something I haven't seen in a while) as well as being written by David Pepose. Well, the opening half of  'the Taking of Baxter 1-2-3-4' has not disappointed me. This was a Fantastic (pardon the pun) read with some seriously gorgeous art and fast paced, captivating action story. I'm already eager for the second half as soon as I'd read this book.

• Lazarus: Risen #7 - It's been a VERY long time coming, but after who knows how long of a wait, Lazarus is back. Surprisingly, while I feared that it's quality would be hindered by the long absence, I really enjoyed this issue, with it being a seriously engrossing chapter as it answered many questions surrounding the Carlyle family. What I found equally surprising though was that a lot of the revelations we received seemed to mimic a lot of current real world events (whether deliberately or not). It's a nice reminder how much I love Lazarus, and another kick in the teeth to learn the next issue might not be seen for a year.

• X-Terminators #1 - X-Terminators is a comic which has continued to intrigue me more and more as time has gone on. The synopsis in previews, the cover, a fair bit of criticism levelled against it online, all of this pushed me to really want to check out this series. Well, one issue later and my opinion is ... uncertain. The art is phenomenally stylish, kind of reminding me of the Domino series from few years back, but with the plot not fully explained to me as well as a little excessive 'cheesecake' ness throughout has me umming and arring it. Still, it's earned itself a second issue read with me.

So, after reading all of this, Fantastic Four, Lazarus Risen and Do A Powerbomb occupied the top slots while New Fantastic Four, X-Terminators and Star Trek 400 occupied the bottom. Of course, that's not to say that those at the bottom were bad (or rather all bad) because, while those at the top certainly earned their place as the best for September, everything else offered up some potential in my eyes.

Hopefully, with fewer comics on my pull list in October, hopefully those closer to the bottom can really show me their stuff.