Reading Comics 187 "Catching up on Atomic Robo, Batman & Robin Eternal, Empress, Huck, Klaus, Nameless, Star Trek, and Tuki"

Free Comic Book Day this year was pretty good for me, and not just for the reasons I've already discussed, but because of the way I justified loitering to see how others were enjoying it at my local haunt: namely, by shopping.

There's a whole bookshelf of titles not published by DC or Marvel, or classified as mature reader material (in this place, that stuff is kept in glass cases by the register), which I haven't really explored before as it's chaotically managed.  I spent half the time I browsed it trying to help bring about some order (yeah, I'm that kind of shopper).  It was cool, too, because spending that time helped me think up stuff I should be thinking about.  There were a couple of people there who stumbled on Chris Burnham's E for Extinction mini-series from Secret Wars, and they mistakenly identified Burnham as Frank Quitely.  I corrected them, but it's an easy mistake to make.  I mean, Grant Morrison worked with Burnham because he evokes Quitely.  Eventually, this made me remember Nameless, and the fact that I never read its final issue, which was released late last year.  But more on that later.  Here's the stuff I found:

Atomic Robo and the Ring of Fire #5 (IDW)
The conclusion of IDW's first Atomic Robo mini-series (the character was previously published by Red 5, who used to feature him in all its FCBD releases) features his gang of action scientists confronting the notion of science becoming too big for its britches, working for the greater good at the expense of good public relations.  You know, the classic Bond Villain dilemma.  I love that IDW allows the comic a letters page, in which I am constantly humbled by how much better other fans keep track of Atomic Robo's adventures.

Batman & Robin Eternal #26 (DC)
The conclusion of this half-year weekly was something I wanted to read despite not having read any issue of it since, ah, the first one.  The late 2015 attempt at emphasizing the Robin legacy was a welcome one in my books, what with "Robin War" and this series that featured basically every Batman sidekick ever, including most of the ones from the New 52 (Duke Thomas is featured on the cover but absent from the interior, although he ended up playing a key role in Scott Snyder's final Batman arc).  Harper Row/Bluebird seemed to be the biggest beneficiary of this story, even as she was easily, otherwise, Snyder's least-utilized creation except in the alternate Eternal adventures.  Also featured are Stephanie Brown/Spoiler and Cassandra Cain, a much-loved one-time Batgirl who assumes the identity of the Orphan and thusly becoming the other big beneficiary of the series.  Also in the spotlight: Dick Grayson, the first Robin, who also receives some nifty character work.  It was nice seeing him, Jason, Tim, and Damian getting along, too, and the whole concept of what brings all of them together, the character of Mother, who provides an alternative to Batman, was a good one, too.  So I can say this was a pretty worthwhile affair.

Empress #2 (Icon)
Mark Millar and Stuart Immonen's space opera of a distant past (kind of like Star Wars, or the reimagining of Battlestar Galactica) ramps up.  It's hard not to find comparisons with Saga, but I can't help gush over Immonen's return to his more simplistic, evocative style, which for me is the obvious, easy draw of the series.

Huck #6 (Image)
The conclusion of Millar and Rafael Albuquerque's Superman analogy (akin to Tom de Haven's It's Superman! novel featuring a simple-minded Midwesterner) has his mother save the day, but Huck proving to be the kind of hero everyone wants Superman to be in the movies.  (Although, folks, we did see that Superman, as portrayed by Christopher Reeve.  Four times.)

Klaus #2, 3, 4 (Boom!)
I bugged the owner of the shop I was frequenting in Maine about this title, pronouncing it like "mouse" instead of "claws," Grant Morrison's Santa origin, but kind of drifted away from it after the break I took from being a full-time reader.  (And by the way, I'm still on that break, and things may grow sparse here to reflect that, in the coming months.)  Yet coming across the second, third, and fourth issues (the covers reflect that the mini-series expanded from six to seven issues somewhere along the line) had me back in the mood.  This is very much a fairy tale, or even a superhero kind of story.  You can be a fan of Frozen and find much to love about it.  Morrison has written few romances, but this is one of them.  More and more, I like it a lot.

Nameless #6 (Image)
Morrison's reunion with Burnham (after Batman Incorporated) baffled me as a kind of regression on Morrison's part, horror kind of for the sake of horror.  He's not normally so one-dimensional.  But I guess that was kind of the point, tapping back into his black magic bag to present a portrait of true human depravity.  This will never be one of my favorite Morrison works, but at least I understand it a little better now.

Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War #6 (IDW)
The conclusion of this crossover proves once again that it was basically a love letter to the Geoff Johns era in the Green Lantern franchise, which is something I could totally embrace.  It's also one of the more readable Star Trek comics I've read from IDW in recent years.  After a spectacular start when it acquired the rights, IDW's efforts started to slide.  This was set in the 2009 continuity, which worked well for the concept, including its use of Chang (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country), who was unlikely to show up in this continuity otherwise.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy #2 (IDW)
Taking a chance, I also snapped this up.  Like a lot of IDW's Star Trek comics (including the above), it's written by Mike Johnson, but it's Johnson in excellent mode.  While the parts largely borrowing directly from the 2009 film are fairly routine, the ones featuring new cadets are lively, showing what it's like to live in Star Trek, filled with insightful and amusing culture clash material.  Honestly, I don't know why there hasn't been more stuff like this, whether from IDW, other comics publishers, or the ongoing series of Pocket Books novels.  Also of note is artist Derek Charm, whose blog I have technically been following for years, and although I don't remember now how that started, it's nice to be able to say that I've now bought some of his work.

Tuki #4 (Cartoon)
This latest collection of material Jeff Smith previously serialized on the Internet features the main character and his quirky companions coming closer to facing their destiny: being the first humanoid to leave Africa.  The weird ways the group interacts with one another, and Smith's vision of the world at that time continues to be fascinating.  I was glad the shop had this.  I'd caught another printed issue there, but didn't know if I'd ever see another.  Well, now I know.

Reading Comics #180 "A Brief Check-in"

I think I can, I think I can...

So I went back to Hampton, VA's friendly Heroes & Villains comic book shop last week.  It was my first visit this year.  I was sorely tempted to buy the deluxe copy of DKIII #2 available, but I didn't.  I've been keeping tabs on what's going on in comics since I wrapped up my most recent ongoing readership experience last fall.  Marvel's preparing an official Civil War II (I contend readers will find a perfectly good follow-up in the Secret Wars spin-off), while DC is still in the midst of unveiling its latest brand revision under the Rebirth banner (which includes bringing Action Comics back to its original numbering in time to let the series reach #1,000 without looking like another cheap publicity stunt).  This is a period where I will be happy, as a reader, to begin reading in the trades.  Yes, it finally happened.  Although obviously I'll have to keep informed to know what's worth reading in the trades...

So every now and then, I have to check back in!  So, here's what I read.  Mostly, it was checking in with previous favorites or things I was merely curious about.  Without further adieu:

Captain America: White #5 (Marvel)
The final issue in the latest Loeb/Sale collaboration left me wishing there was more than simply Cap pining for the lost Bucky, but the Loeb/Sale Marvel titles have all been written in some way under that model.  It's a reminder, at the very least, that there was a considerable period in Cap's history where he truly did believe Bucky was gone forever.  So this is a useful testament all the same.  At some point I will read the complete story.

Earth 2: Society #7-8 (DC)
The first issue is Daniel H. Wilson's last on the series.  Honestly, I think fans didn't care for his run because they're still unaware that Wilson is technically a big deal.  His breakthrough novel, Robopocalypse, was optioned instantly by Spielberg (whether it's been in development heck because of Spielberg's association with the Transformers movies I can only speculate), and has subsequently lost the luster of, say, The Martian, which obviously became a very successful movie in the meantime.  I've argued his Earth 2's merits previously, and Society's in particular.  It's a fascinating concept, but it's bound to irritate traditionalists, especially ones who saw Earth 2 begin under the auspices of the far better established James Robinson.  However, Wilson's day is now done.  The second issue is the first under Dan Abnett's tenure.  Abnett is best known in his collaborations with Andy Lanning, but as a solo act I previously found his Conspiracy scintillating.  His opening pages with Hawkgirl, and then concluding ones where Hawkgirl meets Fury, are some of the things that affirm what a great idea Earth 2 and Society remain.  So that was all good to experience.

Huck #4 (Image)
I belong to the Millarworld message board community these days.  This is the first issue of Huck I've caught.  To me, it's clearly a Superman analogy, if based on nothing but the evidence in this issue.  But no less an authority than Mark Millar himself insists otherwise, that it's actually a Captain America metaphor.  The empirical evidence certainly disagrees further.  Maybe Millar is more sarcastic than I previously knew...

Omega Men #7-8 (DC)
This is me literally picking up where I left off.  These issues bring Kyle Rayner forcibly into the team's plans, by showing him what happened to Voorl, why they recruited him in the first place.  It also features a typically tragic origin for another member, Doc, who was originally programmed to enact the Voorl tragedy itself.  That's the kind of writing from Tom King that has made me a bona fide believer.

Robin: Son of Batman #9 (DC)
Patrick Gleason's final issue as writer/artist returns the series full-circle to its Batman & Robin origins, having Damian realize that now he's the one that's been left behind, just Batman was before him.  It's depth that was probably unexpected and unwanted by readers who just wanted to see Robin being a smart aleck, as is still what most fans know about him.  Even though I missed a few issues, I'm glad to see that Gleason also wrapped up his Maya arc in a satisfactory manner.  I don't know if there ended up being a Goliath origin story somewhere in there, but this is a series I will be proud to add to my trade collection, alongside its predecessor, as one of the great experiences I've had in comics.

Superman #45 (DC)
The most recent new issue that the shop had was also the next issue after the last one I'd previously read, which was pretty neat.  Readers apparently took poorly to Gene Luen Yang's run, but I found it fascinating.  This issue began the Mythbrawl arc, sort of the traditional underground fighting trope mixed with Neil Gaiman's ideas from American Gods.  Which, needless to say, I found fascinating.  To have Superman included in such an idea is novel, and takes in the concept to a greater scope than most writers often consider.  Too often he's dismissed by fans as being too godlike in his abilities.  (Never mind that the New Gods are hardly ever presented as godlike at all!)  Here's an example of taking that concept to its next logical step.  Cheers, Yang.  Bonus points for Howard Porter on art!

Telos #3 (DC)
Jeff King's Convergence spin-off was quickly dismissed as roundly pointless by fans, but I find it to be a continuation of DC's interest in expanding its space mythology, which is often relegated to the Legion of Super-Heroes, Adam Strange, and Green Lantern.  Along with Omega Men, I think Telos does a good job of filling that gap, not only in further expanding the Brainiac narrative, but by including the New 52 versions of Captain Carrot and Captain Comet (the latter of which last seen in Grant Morrison's Action Comics).  I think Telos as a new character fails for the same reason Bloodwynd failed in the '90s, because his origins are deliberately cloaked in mystery.  Fans don't tend to like that.  They like the instantly iconic.  It worked with Wolverine mostly because fans didn't even realize or care that Wolverine appeared without origins.  He was just cool, and was different enough from the rest of the Marvel landscape (he debuted in the pages of a Hulk comic, remember, not X-Men) that he stood out without needing everything spelled out immediately.  It doesn't stop me from liking characters like Telos and Bloodwynd, but then, I'm a crazy person who actually took Mark Millar's sarcasm seriously at first...