What I Read - February 2020 (part 2)

I won't lie, February has been a tough month. With lots of plans put in place at the beginning of this year, real life has certainly made it difficult to put those into effect, mainly on my plans to write.

Reviews of comics have had to be put on hold, blog posts analysing other comics have had to be postponed and my own creation ideas have gone nowhere.

Don't let anyone tell you that adulting is easy.

Fortunately, while writing has had to take a back seat, my reading is still going strong. I've figured out how to deal with reading even a single page at a time and so, I've managed to use every spare second (no matter how small that second is) to move a little closer to my goal of 366 comic issues in the year.

So, with half of February down, here is the rest:
 

America #1 - Another free comic from Comixology, America saw America Chavez of Young Avengers and Ultimates fame giving up on the whole super heroing game to enter a multi-versal university. Unfortunately, despite how gorgeous and intriguing the cover the looked, I felt what lie beneath failed to match. The art was solid, reminding me of Jamis McKelvie's work on Young Avengers, albeit with a more muted colour scheme. However, the story similarly reminded me of that same Young Avengers series in that I really struggled to follow it, to the point I fell asleep a few times while reading this issue. I've had a conflicted history with America Chavez (I feel that she usurped Patriot's place on the YA team) but, upon hearing good things about this series, I was hopeful that would change here. Sadly, her solo outing just wasn't the book for me (although I do now have more respect for the character).

Spring-Heeled Jack #1 - A review comic for Pipedream Comics, this was actually REALLY hard to review. However that's not because it was bad but because it is a truly fun, funny and just awesome comic, but I struggled to really find much to say about it. That said SHJ looks amazing with its cartoony look and the plot and dialogue is such that it had me letting out a laugh or two as I read it (which I feel is never appropriate on the bus). Meanwhile, despite their relative short appearances, almost all of the characters felt unique to each other. In truth, there is very little I could find to say about this book which was bad, beyond struggle to find anything noteworthy to say about its good points. That said, if I'm honest with myself, I'm really glad I got to read this as it was a fun use of my time.

Superman Smashes the Klan #3 - The final issue of Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru's three part adaptation of the Superman Radio serial from 1946 sees Superman and the Lee children continue their fight to take down the Klan of the Fiery Kross as all sides continue to learn new things about themselves which will forever change their lives. A truly phenomenal end to an incredibly amazing series, this was a fantastic read which is only ruined by the fact that it has ended. Yang and Gurihiru have found truly incredible voices and looks for almost all of the characters; from Superman and Lois to the Lee kids, of which I absolutely love Roberta and hope she returns in comics. The eleventh hour twist was a bit unexpected but it didn't hinder what I'm tempted to say is the best mini-series of 2020 (yeah I know, we are in February). I might try and delve deeper into my thoughts on this run in the near future but, for now, I'm gonna say that I hope this team and universe returns in some capacity very soon!

Fantastic Four #19 - The final issue of the 'Point of Origin' arc, which saw the FF face off against the people of Spyre one final time after the revelations from the past issue, specifically a heated battle between the Overseer and Mr Fantastic. Meanwhile, Wyatt Wingfoot returns to his reservation to mediate a disagreement (to put it mildly) over oil drilling and makes a worrying Subterranean encounter that most likely sets up the next arc. Throughout this story arc (and, to a larger degree, this current run as a whole), I've had serious problems with where the FF seems to be heading, especially with an obvious origin retcon. However, while the retcon does still happen (despite what I prayed for), I felt Slott actually handled the finale of this arc really well, with the team really feeling more like themselves than most of them have for most of this series. Couple this with Isaakze's ever gorgeous art and I could believe this comic could again deserve that moniker of 'Greatest Superhero Comic'. That said, I've been burned plenty before to be weary but, the setup for a Mole Man centric next arc has me convinced to stay with this comic just a little while longer.

Locke and Key Vol. 2: Head Games - The second volume of Locke and Key continued the story of the Locke children and their adventure in keyhouse as Dodge starts making his move for the keys, Duncan's life gets caught in the crossfire. Meanwhile Bode makes a discovery which opens his and his siblings minds. As with the first volume, I absolutely adored this volume of the series. The art is fantastic and the story is deeply (and darkly) engrossing. As I read through this volume I noticed just how disturbed and insidious the character of Dodge is, to the point that I found myself feeling uncomfortable as I saw his every action. I also find myself intrigued over the part Rufus will play in all of this by the end. I'd started reading this volume just as I started watching the Netflix adaptation and, I'll be honest, the latter doesn't hold a candle to the comic series. While I once again have other commitments, I'm eager to move onto the next volume.

Locke and Key Vol. 3: Crown of Shadows - The third volume of the truly awesome series, this arc sees more keys being discovered, leading to Dodge going dark in an effort to find them as Tyler grows up. As with the prior two volumes, I found myself completely hooked from start to finish as Hill delved further still into what has now got to be in the top five comic series I've ever read. I really enjoyed this volume as it appeared to delve deeper into the minds of the characters (even without the head key), particularly the Matriarch, Nina. Meanwhile, I found it a joy as we watch the kids evolve into the smart, fearless people they need to be to defeat Dodge. I can't say much more about the art beyond the fact that it is still spectacular and matches the story perfectly. Now are the halfway point, I'm pretty much all in hence why, next up was.....

Locke and Key Vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom - Getting on a roll, I moved on to Locke and Key's third volume, Keys to the Kingdom straight after Volumes 2 and 3 respectively. This volume saw Dodge step up with efforts to acquire the keys from the Locke children, as Tyler and Kinsey's actions regarding those keys come home to roost for their various relationships. Meanwhile, Sam makes and unexpected ally. Now, I'll admit that this arc felt like the weakest of the series thus far, mainly due to the fact it seemed to just rush through much of the action. However, that has little impact for me because it was still incredibly engrossing and look absolutely phenomenal and having a climax which just blew me away and made up for any shortcomings I may have felt were included prior. I'm now equal parts excited and nervous for what comes next but I'll be going there (after a short detour).

Fantastic Four #527-532 - A re-read due to the need to do some research in order to fill some gaps in my knowledge, the first arc of the Stracynski/McKone run sees the FF recovering from some bad PR and a lack of money. However, when a consulting job leads to a revelation about their origins, Reed must take his friends back into space to experience yet another cosmic storm. Now, in truth, while I always praise the Waid/Wienigo, ⁸ and McDuffie/Pelletier runs I'd forgotten how much I'd enjoyed this run in the series as JMS wrote a funny, yet quintessentially FF story which I thought got right all the elements that make the FF great. Meanwhile, the art is equally solid and colourful and I love how between that, Wienigo before it and Pelletier after it, McKone's style helps bind the two together, making it seem like one long art run. Of course, it's not perfect as Sue read to me like a bit of a damsel or even wasted potential. However, despite this it was a great arc and makes me more determined to read all FF books in order one day.

X4 #2 - This second issue continued the battle between X and F for the soul of Franklin Richards as he, sister Valeria and the crew of the Marauder become guests to Doctor Doom, the (not so) good Doctor makes Franklin his dream offer, but at what cost? Meanwhile, unaware of what is really going on the Fantastic Four arrive at Krakoa for their children. Now, this issue was a lot more of what I was expected, both in terms of action and personality. Zdarsky totally gets the personalities of the Four as both Reed and Sue act exactly how I feel they would, as do Ben and Johnny to a lesser extent. He also, writes such great ambiguously 'bad' guys in the X-Men, who I felt were the real villains of this series given their (specifically Xavier's) shady actions. Of course, there are a few niggles, such as what Doom wants (it seems weird that he's been placed in here) as well as some moments which contradict those set up over the history of the FF. That said, they are easily ignored as I fall in love with the Dodson's ever awesome art work and as the story has really gotten going, I now find myself eager to see the resolution (shame its going to one issue a month from here on out).

Fantastic Four: Grimm Noir #1 - Another of the quarterly (or there abouts) one-shots that Marvel have been releasing since the team returned, this issue takes a bit of a Philip Marlowe bent as the Thing plays detective as he tries to find a singing neighbour while also trying to understand who (or what) is the monster invading his nightmares. Much like all of the FF titles in general of late, these one-shots have been a mixed bag. Negative Zone was fun, Yancy Street less so. Grimm Noir, however, was a really fantastic (pardon the pun) and engrossing read which made me wonder why Ben was never portrayed as a gumshoe before? Meanwhile Garney's terrific art is perfect for this issue, able to jump from Noir to horror and back again without even one bit of change in style, I loved it. This is, without doubt, the best one-shot yet and I will keep picking those up if they all read as good as this.

Locke and Key Vol. 5: Clockworks and Vol. 6: Alpha and Omega - The final volumes of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodrigues' epic provides us with the origins of the keys as well as how the current story came to be before moving into the endgame and showing if Dodge finally succeeds or if the Locke's come out on top. Locke and Key has been an amazing series to read all throughout February but these final two arcs were truly spectacular. Volume five gave me a lot of unanswered questions as to the history of the Locke family and Keyhouse and even Dodge while volume 6 was an amazingly brutal finale which not only felt tragic but also satisfactory as it ended the journey these characters made with such a real punch that I actually felt myself welling up as I read it. I won't lie, there were a few niggles, such as Bode's final journey in these arcs, not to mention the deaths of characters I really hadn't expected. That said, the latter of these was more my own preference given how much I loved every character in this series, from main to supporting, while the former was more my response given the events of volume 4 which (as I said) felt like it took some of the series innocence and magic. In the end though, these are minor quibbles for me as Locke and Key is, without a doubt, amongst my top five comics ever read.

Total reading count - 42

Like I said at the beginning, I've managed to utilize ever spare second and make sure I read even just a page. Of course, given how much I enjoyed the majority of this selection (mainly Locke and Key which was as addictive and engrossing as any drug ... I assume) it was actually pretty easy to do this.

Now, as I move into March, my total reading count is 102 which I think is pretty good given I should only be at 60. Therefore, I'm two months ahead in my reading.

Of course, this works out well for me as March is my last month on the bus to work before I return to the bike, meaning a significant reduction in reading time.

Hopefully though, whatever trick I utilized in the last four weeks I can keep putting to good use.

What I read - February 2020 (Part 1)

We're only halfway through February but after a bit (requested) feedback about the last time the January post detailing everything i read, i thought I'd break it in two halves to make it shorter.

So, rather that stand on ceremony, I'm just gonna dive in.

 

Vessels #1-3 - Another title I read for a review (while also being my January mandate for a Comichaus read), Vessels turned out to be a tough one to review as I focused only on issue 3, which felt like a mid-series issue, whereby it simply was filler as it moved the story from beginning to end (if that makes sense). That said, having read all three issues, I really enjoyed this series. Dave Cook put together a very addictive, interesting epic which looks absolutely gorgeous and has the characters which feel as though they are actually growing in to stronger versions of themselves from the prior issues. I am a little confused by some things and would like answers sooner rather than later, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a strong, visually stunning read. I seriously look forward to future issues.

Motorcycle Samurai: A Very White Bolt Christmas - I recently (as in before Christmas) read the 0 issue of this series and absolutely loved it. Therefore, I recently downloaded three one shots, this being one of them which saw the titular heroine chase off Nasty Saint Niq and his 8 strong Reindeer gang as they rumble into town to steal everyone's Christmas gifts. With issue 0 I felt that this was a fun read, something that didn't need to be taken too seriously, and that was a sense I got with this Christmas special. I think that Chris Sheridan writes one hell of a entertaining comic here, with the Motorcycle Samurai coming off a little like Deadpool but far more tolerable (I really feel that Wade Wilson is just too over the top), while the art has this quirky, almost childlike look which doubles down on the feel that this isn't meant to be anything more than good, in the moment entertainment.

Motorcycle Samurai: Variable - Variable was another Motorcycle Samurai one-shot which, this shifted the focus towards the eponymous character's origin, as it is retold but with a twist. However, unlike White Bolt Christmas, I struggled to get as invested in this story as I did that last story. Of course, that's not to say it's a bad story as I still enjoy the art and the subverted storytelling method was a cool twist, it's just that, overall, it didn't feel as strong to me. However, this 'bump in the road' doesn't turn me off of the series, although it might make me a little wary.

Galactic Guardians #1 - Galactic Guardians was a free issue offered by Comixology which told the origin story of a futuristic Guardians of the Galaxy-like team, I think. I say 'I think' because even after reading the issue I struggle to fully understand what exactly was going on. For me, this comic was all kinds of chaotic and I'm not sure if it's indicative of a 90's comic but, if it is, I can understand now why the period gets such a bad rap. In the here and now though, this really wasn't my thing and it's safe to say I wouldn't go back.

X4 #1 - A comic I've been excited for since it was announced, X4 sees Chip Zdarsky return to writing the FF (which I think should have been for the series proper but I digress) with art from the Dodsons as we see the beginning of a battle between the first family and the X-men (in their new status quo) over Franklin Richards. I'll be honest, I feel that I may have hyped this comic up in my own head too much because I felt that this first issue was very reserved, holding back from what it could be. That said, the four were written how I feel they should be, the X-Men were intriguingly suspect and every page was a joy to look at. In the end, while it seems like its holding back, I'm in to the end and am confident the series as a whole will deliver.

Morbius the Living Vampire #1 - Another comic which Comixology offered for free, this issue of Morbius came from the series which spun out of events just prior to Superior Spider-Man. This issue saw the living vampire, attempting to lie low, attract unwanted attention in the guise of local thugs and vampire hunters. A bit of a simplistic explanation, it is a simple story (apart from the beginnings of the overall arc plot) but I found it to be so engaging in how it was written and with such a nice horror-like artwork that I've already added the entire run to my wishlist. A recommendation for its quality if I could ever there was one.

Torch #1 - Yet another free comic (they are kind of being used to plug gaps in my reading schedule), Torch tells the story of Toro, the original Human Torch's sidekick, having recently (at the time) been brought back from the dead, tries to find his place amongst the land of the living. He feels that the best place to start is by finding and killing the man who killed him: the Mad Thinker. Based on the Alex Ross cover alone I felt I was going to enjoy this, believing it would imbue a lot of what made Marvels great. And despite the art not looking like Ross' (I'd have said it looks more like Lark's work from Captain America). That said, I found the idea an the way it played out interesting enough (I'm also curious who the vision is because he should be teen-vision) that I'd be happy to see how the rest of the story plays out sometime.

The Show - Another Pipedream review (and my February Comichaus read), the Show is (simply put) an absolutely phenomenal comic!!! In fact,  I read this in 30 minutes (My standard is 15 minutes per issue) it was THAT good!!! Now, this series had some issues, such as a couple of plot holes and relatively 2D characters, however, I found the concept fascinating, the way the story progresses captivating, and the final reveal stunning. Meanwhile, though the art is a little inconsistent given that the artists changed over after one issue, both of them do amazing work on their respective issues which actually doesn't look too different from each other in the end and the story even make the changeover feel deliberate given the twist at the first issue's end. Overall, I'd say this is a real diamond in the rough kind of comic and would might say it's one of my top for the year (although 2020 is still young).

Batman Ego and Other Tails - A comic I picked up during a Comixology sale after reading the awesomeness that is New Frontier. Batman Ego is a collection of Darwyn Cooke's best Batman related stories, including the eponymous Ego, Selina's Big Score and an eclectic array of shot stories with other great talents. I have to confess, I spent the whole read subconsciously comparing it to New Frontier. However, while I didn't feel it was as good, Ego was a fantastic read, with almost all of the stories contained within absolutely entertaining. But, as expected, the Cooke art made it all worth the price of purchase, it was that glorious a visual treat for me. So while I said it can't compare, it was still a phenomenal read and I must read for a Cooke fan like myself.

Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft - The beginning of a re-read to lead into new reads (I've read the first two volumes and bought the last four since), the first volume shows the Locke family's move to their familial home of Keyhouse after their father's murder to find a world of mystery and magic within. I could probably be less vague but after reading the first volume I'm convinced this is in the top five comic series I've ever read. The art is gorgeous beyond belief and the story is not only brutal and emotional but addictive as hell. I almost dont want to read until the end for fear that it wont live up to the hype but I will (after a small break of other comics) because I think it is THAT good.

Comic reading Count: 29

And there you have it, the first half of February read!!

In truth, I could easily stop now because I've reached 29 (one a day in February). My novels would sure appreciate it because I've got a few to read (such as Leviathans Wake). However, I'm not because this is a perfect opportunity to get ahead in my one a day numbers.

And also, I've got reviews needing doing, Locke and Key needing reading and the finale of Superman Smashes the Klan out on Wednesday.

What I read - January 2020

So, January is over and, boy, what a month!!

With a return to the daily grind that is my day job, making and implementing family related plans and trying to stick to my recently made resolutions, I have to confess January has been an overwhelming month.

This is before we get into the comics which I've read in the first 31 days because, in trying to stick to the whole '1 comic a day (or equivalent)', that has made things just a little bit more stressful (although, contradictionally, it's also made it more enjoyable).

But anyway, I figured I'd do something different to accommodate this new reading plan and so, behold, a few thoughts on EVERY comic read in January.

Heist (or How to Steal a Planet) #1 - The first comic I read for the year as well as the first review for Pipedream Comics, I found myself in two minds with Heist. From a truly objective point of view it's a good book. I enjoy the art, which has this the grimy, overcrowded look which (I think) really helps to sell the issue. Meanwhile, The character of Glane feels well written and I think his story is more of a redemption story than a heist story. However, the problem I had with this comic was that it felt like nothing more than set up, moving a bit slow and making little progress. Overall, I'm intrigued by Heist and am tempted to check out the next issue, but for the whole series I'd have to see how it went.
 

Superman Smashes the Klan #2 - The second issue of a three issue series (which was actually released in 2019 but I didn't get chance to read it last year whereas I succeeded with #1) which sees the Man of Steel helps the Lee family, newly arrived in Metropolis, tackle the local chapter of the Klan of the Fiery Kross. Presumably based on a radio episode of the same name, I have to say that I absolutely adored this issue and series so far as Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru provide an inspirational, stylised, incredibly golden age-esque look at Superman. I'm now a little tempted to talk further on this series once the third issue comes out but, for now, this was a terrific read and I'm counting the days until I can pick up that final instalment.

Black Stars Above #1 - Another read for review purposes, I found Black Stars Above to be something of a struggle. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with it, but it felt very slow in the first half as it set the story's foundations. However, once the mid-way point hit, it was easier to stay engaged as it got underway. Meanwhile, I struggled to read the lettering used, although I enjoyed the art which reminded me of Ghost of the Gulag. All in all, this was an ok book, but I'm not entirely sure this is my thing (although a horror fan might dig it).

Breaks Vol. 1 - Read as part of my great re-read as well as for review purposes, I'm not really sure there's much I can add that I haven't said before. I will admit that the first issue read a little slow, making me think I'd outgrown this series. However, by the end I'd remembered why it was so great, with it's gorgeous art and fantastic writing. It also reminds me about how I need to catch up on where I left off.
 

Star Wars: Princess Leia - Another title that I have already previously read, but felt the need to re-read. Princess Leia by Mark Waid and the Dodsons tells the story of everyone's favourite Princess as she travels the galaxy to rebuild her home of Alderaan, in its people if not the actual planet. I'm a big fan of Marvel's Star Wars series to varying degrees but until now, while I enjoyed this series, I never realised how much I enjoyed it. I feel Waid tells a beautiful story befitting the character while the Dodsons visualise this with equal style. In fact it solidifies Waid's place as one of my favourite writers and makes me more excited in seeing the Dodsons work in next month's Fantastic Four/X-Men mini series opener.

Ancient Noise #1-4 - Another Pipedream review and possibly the most frustrating of the month. This was a fun adventure story and I liked both the concept and the art, which enhanced that fun vibe. However, I did feel that this series was riddled with niggles like lack of character development, limited exposition and confusing scientific explanation that just bothered me a bit and stopped me from fully appreciating this story. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed this series and would be interested in seeing how the last issue wraps things up.
 

The Seven Sagas of Silverbeard - Now this was a title Alex suggested I look at (though not necessarily review) and, I must confess, I rather liked it. Supposedly based on an old Silver-Age character now in the public domain (P.S. It isn't, more like the Sentry), The Seven Sagas of Silverbeard delivers a couple of stories from the eclectic history of Descended God-turned-Gorilla Silverbeard. This was a really fun comic to read, looking like vintage silver age in terms of how its pages were drawn but reading with a real British humour that was nice and easy going. I don't know what I expected from this comic, but I'm glad I got the chance to read it and hope I get the chance to read more.

Spider-Man: Life Story - Probably the only new trade that I read this month. Spider-Man: Life Story was a fun enough title, with a good concept and gorgeous art, but I'm not sure if it was as terrific as the internet implied. I wrote a full post about this series in more detail but, suffice to say, I'm still glad I got the chance to read it as it was still a lot of fun, if not the greatest read in the world.

Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme #1 - A free issue on Comixology, Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme was a Marvel Now series which saw Doc Strange team up with past and future Sorcerers Supreme to beat an ancient evil at original Wizard, Merlin's, behest. Unfortunately, this comic just wasn't my thing because, while the art looked nice enough I just really struggled to get into the story and find it at all interesting. Thankfully, this issue cost me nothing because I don't think I'd return to pay for the rest of the series.

Smacks & Guzzlers #1 - I might have struggled with the review of this one, but not because it's a bad comic. I actually think that it's a really good comic, funny, beautiful looking. Annoyingly,  I just has very little to say on it beyond that. However, with the main review I've tried to be a little more in depth but at the end of the day, it's a nice, simple comic that I think everyone should read once.

The Rose Society #1 - Another review and this one I really, REALLY enjoyed. I felt that Rose Society, as a story, was really engrossing and it feels much more layered than other comics I've read which tell the same story thanks to the relationship of its main characters Adam and Marcus and the early emotional nature of Adam in particular. Meanwhile, the art is different (it took me a few minutes to think of an example it was similar to) but it looks really good thanks to the work of the colorist Jimmy Greenhalgh, whose work gives so many different but fitting looks at various parts of this issue. I'd be seriously interested in seeing where the next issue leads, and the one after that and so on.

Fear Itself: Youths in Revolt #1 - Another freebie from Comixology, Youths in Revolt was a mini series opener about c-list superheroes coming together during the events of Fear Itself. Funnily enough, while I'm not a great fan of event tie in's (and had little to do with this event), I certainly found Youths in Revolt intriguing and not once getting bored as I read it. The art, meanwhile was solid but the story appealed to me and the ending with it has me pondering about getting the whole run.

Fantastic Four #18 - The penultimate issue of the current Point of Origin arc saw the consequences of the last issues big reveal as chaos ensued and the Thing sought revenge. Unfortunately, probably due to the 11th hour retcon of the FF's origin at the end of the previous issue, I struggled to get invested in this. I've stated/ranted and complained about a lot of Dan Slott's run before, but, while there didn't appear to be anything terribly wrong with this issue, I just didn't enjoy it. I think it's time to let go of my hope on this run turning around but I'll talk about that more another time. For now, I'll simply say that this issue was a non starter for me.

Odyssey #1 - Another review-related read (try saying that three times fast), Odyssey was a zombie-esque sci-fi story that reminded me so much of various zombie/end of the world tv/films I'd recently seen. That said, that didn't make it a bad thing, in fact this was such a captivating read with art that perfectly matched what was being written that I'm kind of glad I got to be the one to review it. I hope I'll get a chance to see more issues in the future.

Final read count: 31

So, that's the first month of 2020 finished and, I've got to admit, I found it a bit of a tough achievement (given that I also read a book about aspergers called Living in a Bubble). However, regardless of its difficulty, I'm happy that I managed a comic a day, leaving me already on track for the entire year (as far away as that is).

For the more immediate future though, I'm looking forward to February's reading selection with a larger pull list not to mention a nice haul from True Believers and the a large unread pile to choose from.

I do wonder if it'll give me an opportunity to 'get ahead of the curve' in future months.