A lot of comics bought from an actual quarter bin. Don't say it never happens...
Automatic Kafka #2 (WildStorm)
From October 2002.
Joe Casey was one of the big names in comic at that time, but then he split off with a couple of his fellow luminaries to form Man of Action, which produced hit concepts like Ben 10 and Big Hero 6. But before he left, he left a splash, with stuff like Automatic Kafka. Chances are if he hadn't left, Kafka would have a lasting memory. Like a lot of Casey and WildStorm's efforts from that time, it was a post-millennial superhero deconstruction project, although today it looks like a precursor to Matt Kindt's MIND MGMT, which to my mind is a very good thing. So it was certainly a pleasure to read some of it, and I certainly wouldn't mind reading more. It was certainly the most pleasant discovery of this particular lot, although there was plenty of other good stuff, such as:
Batman: Futures End #1 (DC)
From November 2014.
The Futures End specials were such a rich creative opportunity, and I love checking out what the more adventurous ones attempted. This one wasn't an attempt, it was Scott Snyder, with Ray Fawkes scripting, revisiting his fascinating vision of the future Batman, so obsessed with his mission that he sets up a series of clones who will continue it indefinitely. It was easily Snyder's richest Batman concept, and one seen otherwise only sparingly, from a short story in the pages of the anniversary Detective Comics #27. I didn't read this special when it was originally released, because I didn't imagine that Snyder would revisit the concept, and fan reactions at the time didn't catch on to the significance of the issue, but I eventually read it digitally, and so now I've got a physical copy as well. This is the origin of the clone initiative, an older Batman who defies the odds and breaks into Lex Luthor's secret lab to get what he needs for it. I'd love if Snyder eventually returned again to the concept, but a small collection of these two stories wouldn't be out of order, either, so fans know they exist...
Bone Holiday Special (Hero)
From 1993.
This was something of an unbelievable find, a Hero magazine special from the early days of Jeff Smith's Bone. In it is an exclusive story, plus an interview (Smith comes off as less than impressive, alas), and reprints of early strips predating Bone, back when it was called Thorn. Bone is an endlessly charming memory, one of my all-time favorite comics, and Smith has proven to be an enduring talent as well, with RASL and Tuki (an ongoing project) also under his belt by this point.
Cerebus #201 (Aardvark-Vanaheim)
From December 1995.
Dave Sim is such a unique character in comics lore. He was a virtual god of the indy press at his prime, but since Cerebus ended fans have tended to reflect more on his alleged shortcomings than on what he accomplished. This issue begins the "Guys" arc, and seems to feature parodies of George Harrison and Ringo Starr (and virtually incomprehensible dialogue to match their accents). I have no idea how representative it is of Cerebus as a whole, but it was certainly unique reading. Sim includes an origin of Cerebus (and the name of its publisher, Aardvark-Vanaheim) in an essay, so that was pretty lucky for a guy who's not usually lucky enough to find an issue...
Chosen #2 (Dark Horse)
One of Mark Millar's formative projects (he's since retitled it American Jesus, and plans on further volumes) features a boy who may or may not be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. It's actually pretty interesting.
Empire #3 (DC)
From November 2003.
Mark Waid was my favorite '90s comic book writer. Eventually, he started to try and figure out how he was going to follow up all the stuff he'd accomplished in that decade, and everything he's done since has been a continuation of that. Empire was his first shot at what the kind of superhero storytelling he later developed in his Irredeemable comics. The concept was, What if the bad guy wins? This issue features the superhero who the villain only wants the world to think died. I don't know, maybe my lackluster opinion of Waid in the last few decades colors my impression of Empire, but it's hard to see now why fans were so wild about it. But they've consistently been wild about a lot of minor work from Waid. I should know. I knew his work when it was great...
Green Lantern: Mosaic #6 (DC)
From November 1992.
1992 was from the era I last saw bargain packs all over the place, and how I first discovered Green Lantern: Mosaic. This was, as I know understand it, the Vertigo version of Green Lantern. Gerard Jones ruled the whole Green Lantern landscape at that time, and it was surprisingly expansive landscape at that time. Mosaic was the big gamble. I guess I couldn't really appreciate how big a gamble it was until I read its letters column. The first issue of the series was the first issue I read, and for decades remains the only issue. But I loved that issue. Eventually, I caught another issue, and then even the arc from Green Lantern where it originated. Turns out, fans really didn't know what to make of it, and Jones didn't go out of his way to make it any easier. I mean, this was a Vertigo title. And it seriously needs to be rediscovered. It's pretty much the Green Lantern version of Grant Morrison's Animal Man. And this is how you make John Stewart relevant.
Haven: The Broken City #9 (DC)
From October 2002.
A couple of upstart creators were given a shot at creating something new at DC. This was a time of pretty wild experimentation at DC, and so it was as good a time to let upstart creators try their thing as any. The result is better than its complete lack of impact indicates. I caught the first issue from the same quarter bin a little while back, so it only seemed appropriate that I caught the last issue, too. Bookending the series were two specials featuring the Justice League. I don't really know what happened, why the upstarts vanished and the whole thing forgotten. But it didn't really deserve that fate.
Hawkeye #3 (Marvel)
From December 2012.
But then again, the much better established Matt Fraction couldn't help this series make a bigger impact...
Infinite Vacation #5 (Image)
Back when I thought I was going to continue to be a big fan of Nick Spencer, I caught the first issue of this one, and so reading the last one seemed like it would finally be appropriate. In hindsight Infinite Vacation may be remembered, if anything, for helping launch Image's continuing obsession with really bold coloring. This is the era of colorists, folks.
Infinity Man and the Forever People: Futures End #1 (DC)
From November 2014.
This Futures End special is pretty good, too, and is the first time I actually read this New Gods series. I think its only shortcoming is that it...really doesn't seem all that relevant a New Gods concept. But it's still a good read!
Justice League Europe #36 (DC)
From March 1992.
Gerard Jones again, this time helping smooth the transition from the Giffen/DeMatteis era to the Jurgens era, as he dismantles the old Bwa-Ha-Ha League (a lot of the members in this issue join Jurgens' Justice League America).
The Mice Templar: Volume IV - Legend #3 (Image)
From June 2013.
I was such a fan of Mice Templar, but I kind of got...tired of it after a while. The black and white art doesn't help, because it's hard to distinguish characters, especially since they're all rodents. But it was such an ambitious concept, and eventually ran for, I think, forty-two issues across five mini-series. This is actually a pretty good issue, and the new essay writer explains the history of anthropomorphic storytelling, which is kind of handy. So it was a good random issue to help revisit the concept. Plus, the Salmon of Knowledge!
Moon Knight #16 (Marvel)
From August 2015.
Predictably, Cullen Bunn features the least imaginative version of Marvel's project to make Moon Knight its second most interesting character (actual storytelling results may vary), after Deadpool. Although I hear Jeff Lemire is doing some truly killer work with the concept at the moment...
Promethea #22 (ABC)
From November 2002.
Alan Moore is the comics genius (so proclaimed by at least one whole generation of fans) I consider more lackluster than not. Promethea was his project with future superstar J.H. Williams III, who later collaborated with Neil Gaiman on a new Sandman. Speaking of which, this issue reads like a lackluster, Alan Moore version of Sandman. And speaking of which...
Sandman #63 (Vertigo)
I've been trying to catch up with Gaiman's seminal comics saga for a while (as evidenced by my annotations of The Annotated Sandman, a project that will continue at some point). This issue is from late in the series and, more specifically, "The Kindly Ones." It is not, however, particularly an issue to hold against counterfeit Alan Moore Sandman. It's a pretty busy issue, and certainly better than Moore's effort, but not an easy issue to laud among the greater Gaiman material available...
Smax #3 (ABC)
From December 2003.
"ABC," by the way, stands for "America's Best Comics." Which these really aren't. They were pretty popular at the time, and Alan Moore's last real stab at popular work (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen came from this era), and the funny thing is, they were all variations on stuff he originally did for Rob Liefeld. It makes sense somehow. Anyway, if Moore weren't so completely obsessed with sex, he might do better work. That's my theory, anyway...
Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #2 (DC)
From February 2016.
This is pretty much how the romance ends. It's kind of sad.
The New Titans #66 (DC)
From May 1990.
The cover of this later issue from the seminal Wolfman/Perez collaboration features Raven...not making out with Dick Grayson. It only looks that way. Raven's meddling in Dick's love life would come a little later in Wolfman's run (a development that's routinely overlooked by fans, by the way). It's worth noting that George Perez is not on art duties this issue, but rather co-scripting (the beginning, perhaps, of his writing career). The art, rather, comes from the formative pen of Tom Grummett, whose style is somewhat evident in this early work. If memory serves me right, he's also drawing when Wolfman has Raven crash Dick's would-be nuptials with Starfire...
The Legend of Will Power #1, 2 (Primal Paper)
From March, August 2011.
A local comics creator produced these comics (it's always worth sampling the native talent, which includes Drew Moss, who was in the store sketching once, and complaining about his publisher complaining about him...). This isn't Moss, however, but Vince White, and the reason I picked up these issues was because I had the suspicion there might be some Green Lantern in these pages. But the utter lack of connection between the superhero and his name (which is actually his real name) shows the disconnect between White's ambitions and his actual talent. He's a better artist. He needed a co-writer. Live and learn?
Showing posts with label The Mice Templar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Mice Templar. Show all posts
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Reading Comics #114 "Rounding Toward Third"
Batman Incorporated #9 & 10 (DC)
The issues that follow the death of Damian Wayne are pretty interesting and speak to the significant impact of the event as well as how it fits into the rest of what Grant Morrison has been doing in his final Batman arc. #9 cuts between the immediate aftermath of Damian's death as Batman and Nightwing attempt to handle the other Damian (a clone matured to adulthood by proud mama Talia, who was nonetheless displeased that one killed the other) and the funeral, where Bruce lets Alfred know that he too is displeased in the butler's tacit approval of his late son's last caper. That's probably the best moment of the issue. The former Squire also decides to replace the late Knight (the two were the most prominent members of Batman Inc., featured in an excellent and very British mini-series by Paul Cornell). The city of Gotham, meanwhile, gives in to Leviathan a.k.a. Talia's demands and officially outlaws Batman, the agent provocateur. #10 sees Morrison circle back to his earliest issues in this run, where Manbats were flying about. It's also a direct evocation of Batman's origins, as Bruce decides that the only way to defeat Talia is to literally become a bat, thanks to the Manbat serum. It's a powerful, meaning-filled development. There are three issues left, plus a jam issue a month later featuring the international heroes technically represented in the title of this series.
Batman: Li'l Gotham #1 (DC)
I've been following the blog of Derek Fridolfs for a while now, and by extension his Facebook posts, and it's always been a little weird because Fridolfs is mostly a digital-first creator, his stories originally appearing on the DC website and then being printed later. He's best known for his comics based on the Arkham City games (and as such that was the basis of the excellent Endgame Joker story I read last year) and Batman Beyond landscape, though recently he's been collaborating with the great Dustin Nguyen on Li'l Gotham. This issue is a collection of the holiday specials that served as the introduction of these incredibly fun tales. Fridolfs is clearly a fan of continuity, and he's always finding new ways to explore it, mindful that for some readers, especially in these fringe adventures, it could very well be their first exposures. Since he doesn't write New 52 material, Fridolfs can do whatever he wants. Li'l Gotham is technically considered a young readers title, but it can easily be enjoyed by anyone strictly as a humor series.
Before Watchmen: Comedian #6 (DC)
The conclusion of this mini-series and the whole Before Watchmen event, I've been waiting months for this. Comedian became the only part of the event I tracked for every issue of original publication thanks to Brian Azzarello's masterful character study of Edward Blake and his relation both to the Vietnam War and the John/Robert Kennedy saga. Azzarello made a few changes to Blake's classic arc; for instance the infamous face scarring that forced him to wear a mask doesn't occur in this comic. The lead character in this series remains more of a hero than antihero, though certainly stained by the events of his times. Edward and Bobby end the issue trying to make the best of a bad situation and not really succeeding. Bobby, of course, is assassinated. Edward's demons are more psychological, but they're impactful. I read someone's assessment of the Before Watchmen project, and they labeled Comedian as one of the disappointments. I still contend it was the best of the whole thing, and I think history will side with me, just as anyone who read Watchmen itself ended up thinking a lot differently about Edward at the end of it than they did at the beginning (or...every other point). That's the magic of the character.
Django Unchained #3 (Vertigo)
Now that I've actually seen the movie, it's a different experience reading the comic book adaptation of Quentin Tarantino's complete script. With the first two issues, I was discovering the story outside of the movie's direct influence. Now it's harder to separate the two, although the adaptation is still making the story its own, retaining all the distinct advantages of the comic book format, and new artist Denys Cowan continues to keep the art equally distinctive, evocative and yet unique. The series is halfway through, and on the final page introduces Calvin Candie, the character portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film.
Justice League #18 (DC)
This will probably be my final issue of the series. While Geoff Johns continues work on Justice League (and its spin-off I'll be talking about next) and is gearing up for "Trinity War," the event that he's been working toward since the start of the New 52 and introduction of the mysterious Pandora (very soon to be featured in her own series), I'm not really in the financial means to continuing reading new comics on a regular basis. I've been in the position to have a much smoother conclusion than in 1999 (known as cold turkey) or my abortive efforts in 2011 (when Flashpoint and the start of the New 52 sabotaged a similar design). Grant Morrison concludes his Superman and Batman stories this year, and Johns is stepping down from Green Lantern. I couldn't ask for a better exit. Justice League has been consistently excellent, and this of all issues is a fine place to stop (and just as well to begin for readers in a different situation than me). It's the customary recruitment issue. Morrison did something similar in his JLA run, and it's been a staple for subsequent writers like Brad Meltzer. Lots of new faces are here. The issue also features the tenth installment of the Shazam! backup feature from Johns and Gary Frank, where the erstwhile Captain Marvel and always-kid Billy Batson finds it increasingly difficult to avoid the inevitable confrontation with Black Adam.
Justice League of America #2 (DC)
Another comics blog I follow, Crisis on Earth Prime, found this Hawkman/Vibe moment pretty memorable: Vibe says "Are you okay?," to which Hawkman responds "Why?" Vibe next says "You're covered in blood," and Hawkman says "It's not my blood." Vibe spends the next two panels putting some distance between them, and there are no words. They're not necessary. Johns wrote Hawkman both in the pages of JSA and his own title for years, but this may be the best scene he's ever done with the character. There's also a pretty interesting Catwoman moment where she realizes how similar she is to Steve Trevor in the department of being spurned by giants. This is the strength of the series, that Johns is able to write characters who aren't necessarily icons. He actually writes both his League books in much the same way, but this one just feels more intimate. These characters all have something to prove and they know it. There's a backup feature in this series, too, featuring Martian Manhunter, who gets my vote as the best character too many people don't really care about. He would make for an excellent movie.
The Mice Templar, Volume IV: Legend #1 (Image)
The series featuring fuzzy rodents that everyone who cares knows about is Mouse Guard, but Mice Templar has always had my vote for the better of them. It's an iconic new take on the traditional hero's journey, always taking original twists and turns. After a considerable absence, I'm glad to see it return. I started reading these adventures in 2007.
Nova #2 (Marvel)
I loved the first issue of this new Jeph Loeb series, an integral element of Marvel's renewed Guardians of the Galaxy push (seeing that there's going to be a movie and all). I didn't just love it, I adored it, one of the best single issues I've ever read. You may have guessed at this point that I wasn't so wild about the second issue. That's okay.
Saucer Country #13 (Vertigo)
The penultimate issue of this series (although Paul Cornell contends that he will attempt to revive it elsewhere) busts one of the key bits of mythology. The previous issue had a distraught Professor Kidd apparently about to commit suicide, which turned out to be a ruse in order to get the "Pioneer space probe couple" stand revealed as a hoax. The whole series has been about perception and reality in the world of alien abduction, following the presidential campaign of Arcadia Alvarado, who has been trying to come to grips with her own apparent abduction, which has only been complicated by the fact that she shared it with her estranged husband Michael. It's been a fascinating ride.
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Hive #4 (IDW)
The conclusion of this Borg epic that represents Brannon Braga's ultimate vision for the Collective and the roles Jean-Luc Picard and Seven of Nine (featured in Voyager) play in it. In a lot of ways, it's a rephrasing of Voyager's final episode "Endgame." There's also a little of a Star Trek Nemesis hangover involved as Future Data reveals how he returned (and not because as fans thought simply reborn as B4), which serves as an excellent ending after an emotional farewell to another character. Pretty good stuff, although it would certainly be interesting to watch as filmed material.
Star Trek #19 (IDW)
This series is based in the rebooted continuity of the 2009 J.J. Abrams film and was originally set up to adapt classic episodes from the original series with the new interpretations of the familiar characters. I don't know how many issues have deviated from this mission, but this one in particular certainly does and it's well worth enjoying for it. Simply put, this is the secret origin of Scotty, from his family heritage to the incident with Admiral Archer's beagle (evoking similar characters from Enterprise but not the exact ones, because that was a hundred years in the past). Good stuff.
(Justice League of America's) Vibe #1 (DC)
I had to go back and catch this one after initially skipping it. Both spin-offs of the new series look like they're well worth checking out, this one and Katana. What's intriguing about Vibe is that it follows a character who in his previous incarnation was all but a punchline, more famous as a casualty of a forgettable League lineup than anything he did or represented personally. As with Earth 2, this is another series that builds on the initial Darkseid arc of Justice League, and brilliantly at that. Departing Earth 2 writer James Robinson is still most famous for Starman, a series he cleverly hinged around legacy, but in a twist that no one would have seen coming when Jack Knight quickly replaced his more traditional brother David as successor to their father Ted. Geoff Johns does something very similar here with the new Vibe, who is also notable for having the ability to see beyond the regular limits of this particular reality. It's Geoff revising his own Booster Gold revision, the also-ran who became a multiverse champion following the breakthrough 52 experiment. I don't know how long this series will last, but to my mind Vibe has everything to gain from all of this. He's just become one of the most fascinating characters in DC.
The issues that follow the death of Damian Wayne are pretty interesting and speak to the significant impact of the event as well as how it fits into the rest of what Grant Morrison has been doing in his final Batman arc. #9 cuts between the immediate aftermath of Damian's death as Batman and Nightwing attempt to handle the other Damian (a clone matured to adulthood by proud mama Talia, who was nonetheless displeased that one killed the other) and the funeral, where Bruce lets Alfred know that he too is displeased in the butler's tacit approval of his late son's last caper. That's probably the best moment of the issue. The former Squire also decides to replace the late Knight (the two were the most prominent members of Batman Inc., featured in an excellent and very British mini-series by Paul Cornell). The city of Gotham, meanwhile, gives in to Leviathan a.k.a. Talia's demands and officially outlaws Batman, the agent provocateur. #10 sees Morrison circle back to his earliest issues in this run, where Manbats were flying about. It's also a direct evocation of Batman's origins, as Bruce decides that the only way to defeat Talia is to literally become a bat, thanks to the Manbat serum. It's a powerful, meaning-filled development. There are three issues left, plus a jam issue a month later featuring the international heroes technically represented in the title of this series.
Batman: Li'l Gotham #1 (DC)
I've been following the blog of Derek Fridolfs for a while now, and by extension his Facebook posts, and it's always been a little weird because Fridolfs is mostly a digital-first creator, his stories originally appearing on the DC website and then being printed later. He's best known for his comics based on the Arkham City games (and as such that was the basis of the excellent Endgame Joker story I read last year) and Batman Beyond landscape, though recently he's been collaborating with the great Dustin Nguyen on Li'l Gotham. This issue is a collection of the holiday specials that served as the introduction of these incredibly fun tales. Fridolfs is clearly a fan of continuity, and he's always finding new ways to explore it, mindful that for some readers, especially in these fringe adventures, it could very well be their first exposures. Since he doesn't write New 52 material, Fridolfs can do whatever he wants. Li'l Gotham is technically considered a young readers title, but it can easily be enjoyed by anyone strictly as a humor series.
Before Watchmen: Comedian #6 (DC)
The conclusion of this mini-series and the whole Before Watchmen event, I've been waiting months for this. Comedian became the only part of the event I tracked for every issue of original publication thanks to Brian Azzarello's masterful character study of Edward Blake and his relation both to the Vietnam War and the John/Robert Kennedy saga. Azzarello made a few changes to Blake's classic arc; for instance the infamous face scarring that forced him to wear a mask doesn't occur in this comic. The lead character in this series remains more of a hero than antihero, though certainly stained by the events of his times. Edward and Bobby end the issue trying to make the best of a bad situation and not really succeeding. Bobby, of course, is assassinated. Edward's demons are more psychological, but they're impactful. I read someone's assessment of the Before Watchmen project, and they labeled Comedian as one of the disappointments. I still contend it was the best of the whole thing, and I think history will side with me, just as anyone who read Watchmen itself ended up thinking a lot differently about Edward at the end of it than they did at the beginning (or...every other point). That's the magic of the character.
Django Unchained #3 (Vertigo)
Now that I've actually seen the movie, it's a different experience reading the comic book adaptation of Quentin Tarantino's complete script. With the first two issues, I was discovering the story outside of the movie's direct influence. Now it's harder to separate the two, although the adaptation is still making the story its own, retaining all the distinct advantages of the comic book format, and new artist Denys Cowan continues to keep the art equally distinctive, evocative and yet unique. The series is halfway through, and on the final page introduces Calvin Candie, the character portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film.
Justice League #18 (DC)
This will probably be my final issue of the series. While Geoff Johns continues work on Justice League (and its spin-off I'll be talking about next) and is gearing up for "Trinity War," the event that he's been working toward since the start of the New 52 and introduction of the mysterious Pandora (very soon to be featured in her own series), I'm not really in the financial means to continuing reading new comics on a regular basis. I've been in the position to have a much smoother conclusion than in 1999 (known as cold turkey) or my abortive efforts in 2011 (when Flashpoint and the start of the New 52 sabotaged a similar design). Grant Morrison concludes his Superman and Batman stories this year, and Johns is stepping down from Green Lantern. I couldn't ask for a better exit. Justice League has been consistently excellent, and this of all issues is a fine place to stop (and just as well to begin for readers in a different situation than me). It's the customary recruitment issue. Morrison did something similar in his JLA run, and it's been a staple for subsequent writers like Brad Meltzer. Lots of new faces are here. The issue also features the tenth installment of the Shazam! backup feature from Johns and Gary Frank, where the erstwhile Captain Marvel and always-kid Billy Batson finds it increasingly difficult to avoid the inevitable confrontation with Black Adam.
Justice League of America #2 (DC)
Another comics blog I follow, Crisis on Earth Prime, found this Hawkman/Vibe moment pretty memorable: Vibe says "Are you okay?," to which Hawkman responds "Why?" Vibe next says "You're covered in blood," and Hawkman says "It's not my blood." Vibe spends the next two panels putting some distance between them, and there are no words. They're not necessary. Johns wrote Hawkman both in the pages of JSA and his own title for years, but this may be the best scene he's ever done with the character. There's also a pretty interesting Catwoman moment where she realizes how similar she is to Steve Trevor in the department of being spurned by giants. This is the strength of the series, that Johns is able to write characters who aren't necessarily icons. He actually writes both his League books in much the same way, but this one just feels more intimate. These characters all have something to prove and they know it. There's a backup feature in this series, too, featuring Martian Manhunter, who gets my vote as the best character too many people don't really care about. He would make for an excellent movie.
The Mice Templar, Volume IV: Legend #1 (Image)
The series featuring fuzzy rodents that everyone who cares knows about is Mouse Guard, but Mice Templar has always had my vote for the better of them. It's an iconic new take on the traditional hero's journey, always taking original twists and turns. After a considerable absence, I'm glad to see it return. I started reading these adventures in 2007.
Nova #2 (Marvel)
I loved the first issue of this new Jeph Loeb series, an integral element of Marvel's renewed Guardians of the Galaxy push (seeing that there's going to be a movie and all). I didn't just love it, I adored it, one of the best single issues I've ever read. You may have guessed at this point that I wasn't so wild about the second issue. That's okay.
Saucer Country #13 (Vertigo)
The penultimate issue of this series (although Paul Cornell contends that he will attempt to revive it elsewhere) busts one of the key bits of mythology. The previous issue had a distraught Professor Kidd apparently about to commit suicide, which turned out to be a ruse in order to get the "Pioneer space probe couple" stand revealed as a hoax. The whole series has been about perception and reality in the world of alien abduction, following the presidential campaign of Arcadia Alvarado, who has been trying to come to grips with her own apparent abduction, which has only been complicated by the fact that she shared it with her estranged husband Michael. It's been a fascinating ride.
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Hive #4 (IDW)
The conclusion of this Borg epic that represents Brannon Braga's ultimate vision for the Collective and the roles Jean-Luc Picard and Seven of Nine (featured in Voyager) play in it. In a lot of ways, it's a rephrasing of Voyager's final episode "Endgame." There's also a little of a Star Trek Nemesis hangover involved as Future Data reveals how he returned (and not because as fans thought simply reborn as B4), which serves as an excellent ending after an emotional farewell to another character. Pretty good stuff, although it would certainly be interesting to watch as filmed material.
Star Trek #19 (IDW)
This series is based in the rebooted continuity of the 2009 J.J. Abrams film and was originally set up to adapt classic episodes from the original series with the new interpretations of the familiar characters. I don't know how many issues have deviated from this mission, but this one in particular certainly does and it's well worth enjoying for it. Simply put, this is the secret origin of Scotty, from his family heritage to the incident with Admiral Archer's beagle (evoking similar characters from Enterprise but not the exact ones, because that was a hundred years in the past). Good stuff.
(Justice League of America's) Vibe #1 (DC)
I had to go back and catch this one after initially skipping it. Both spin-offs of the new series look like they're well worth checking out, this one and Katana. What's intriguing about Vibe is that it follows a character who in his previous incarnation was all but a punchline, more famous as a casualty of a forgettable League lineup than anything he did or represented personally. As with Earth 2, this is another series that builds on the initial Darkseid arc of Justice League, and brilliantly at that. Departing Earth 2 writer James Robinson is still most famous for Starman, a series he cleverly hinged around legacy, but in a twist that no one would have seen coming when Jack Knight quickly replaced his more traditional brother David as successor to their father Ted. Geoff Johns does something very similar here with the new Vibe, who is also notable for having the ability to see beyond the regular limits of this particular reality. It's Geoff revising his own Booster Gold revision, the also-ran who became a multiverse champion following the breakthrough 52 experiment. I don't know how long this series will last, but to my mind Vibe has everything to gain from all of this. He's just become one of the most fascinating characters in DC.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Mice Templar Vol. III: A Midwinter Night's Dream #6
writer: Bryan J.L. Glass
artist: Victor Santos
I confess to having begun taking this one for granted, partly because I never expected to remain of fairly solitary cheerleader for the Mice Templar. It's a rare Image book that I feel is completely worth reading on a regular basis, a grandly mythological work I can only compare to Oni's Wasteland (a series I will do my best to read again this year, now that new issues will be regularly published). This issue completely rewards readers for having stuck around the series, and certainly for believing there was still something left to say after the seeming fulfillment of young Karic's destiny. I might go so far as to call this the best issue to date.
artist: Victor Santos
I confess to having begun taking this one for granted, partly because I never expected to remain of fairly solitary cheerleader for the Mice Templar. It's a rare Image book that I feel is completely worth reading on a regular basis, a grandly mythological work I can only compare to Oni's Wasteland (a series I will do my best to read again this year, now that new issues will be regularly published). This issue completely rewards readers for having stuck around the series, and certainly for believing there was still something left to say after the seeming fulfillment of young Karic's destiny. I might go so far as to call this the best issue to date.
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